It’s a good thing kids are adorable, because they take a lot of effort to keep happy, healthy and fed. They’ll also drain your savings, to the tune of more than $230,000 by the time they turn 17 (that’s according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s data on the cost of raising a child born in 2015).
Anything that saves you money, time and energy as a parent is a godsend. That can include your credit card. Depending on the cards you choose, you could earn valuable cash back, lower the cost and difficulty of travel, and protect your purchases. It’s not quite a personal assistant in your pocket, but your card may already offer some features that will make your life a bit easier.
Savings on routine purchases
You spend a lot on random stuff as a parent — the middle-of-the-night online impulse purchases, random urgent care visits, and untold quantities of blueberries. These are the moments it pays to be strategic about which card you use and when.
To start, a credit card that earns 2% back on all purchases makes a good catch-all option for those medical co-payments, fees for extracurricular activities, and other expenses that typically don’t earn higher rewards rates. You can combine that card with others that earn more on groceries, gas, dining out, streaming service subscriptions, entertainment, travel and other categories. Before any purchase, pick the card that will earn the most rewards at that moment.
Even better, try to "stack" your rewards by shopping through a cash-back app or browser extension, or using a credit card shopping portal. You can earn cash back on top of the 2% or more you'd get with your credit cards.
Purchase protections
Your credit card may offer purchase protections that can help cover costs if something you bought for your child is damaged or lost. There are limits that apply to this benefit, however.
First, coverage amounts vary depending on the card you used to make a purchase. Second, there’s a limited amount of time from the purchase date during which you can file a claim. Third, purchase protection doesn’t cover every type of item or instance of damage (normal wear and tear isn’t covered, and neither are items bought secondhand).
Still, it can be helpful when you buy your child a souvenir on vacation and they leave it behind at the hotel, or they accidentally damage a relatively new item.
And once your kids reach the age where they get their own smartphones, credit cards offering cell phone protection can save you a lot compared to paying for protection through your phone provider.
Travel benefits
Travel can be cost-prohibitive, especially for larger families that require more plane tickets and multiple hotel rooms. Travel credit cards earn points and miles on all those everyday purchases, so you can turn your spending into a discounted vacation. Travel cards typically offer generous welcome bonuses worth a few hundred dollars or more, too.
Some make it easier to earn a companion pass, so you can get one seat for a much lower cost. This has been a benefit my family has enjoyed now that my child is old enough to require his own seat.
Travel cards’ other benefits can make the day of travel a bit less stressful, too. Some cover the cost of TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or CLEAR, allowing you and your family to speed through security lines. That could be especially helpful during the holidays. In a seven-day span beginning the week of Thanksgiving 2024, for example, the TSA clocked more than 17 million passengers traveling through its checkpoints. Lines will be long.
I stick to a carry-on bag when flying alone, but when my kid is with me, I check everything I don’t need on the plane (this includes over-the-counter medications, following an incident where TSA chemical-swabbed a bottle of children’s ibuprofen and patted my husband down when the results came back inconclusive). This makes the free checked bags such a valuable perk from airline cards. With a checked bag costing around $70 per round-trip flight, it’s a benefit that saves money and, crucially, your tired arms.
If your card grants you airport lounge access (with guests), this can provide a quieter space to hang out in with your kids. They can load up on snacks, and some lounges provide dedicated kid-friendly spaces and nursing rooms.
All of this is to say that you may already be carrying a card that provides some seriously useful benefits for parents. And if you’re not, a new credit card that helps solve some of your pressing issues can absolutely be worth it. Again, it won’t change a diaper for you, but it can get you cash back on diapers, and access to a quiet airport lounge bathroom for a slightly elevated diaper-changing experience.
More From NerdWallet
The article Credit Card Perks That Make Parenting Easier (and Cheaper) originally appeared on NerdWallet.