Tips for navigating the complex world of credit-card rewards programs

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline miles? Cash back? Hotel points? These days, choosing among rewards cards is not for the faint of heart. Not only is there a plethora of cards from which to choose -- how about money contributed to your IRA every time you make a purchase? -- but they offer perks in a variety of ways.

And they all come with the inevitable fine print detailing myriad restrictions, making it difficult to figure out which is the best deal.

There's some evidence rewards programs stymie cardholders. About one-third of mothers in a recent survey said they're unsure what rewards their credit card offers, according to a survey of 223 mothers with rewards cards, conducted by Harris Interactive for Disney Rewards Visa Card from Chase.

Forty-one percent of the moms said they're dissatisfied with their rewards-card program, 34% said their credit card does not offer the types of rewards their family wants and 32% are frustrated by the restrictions their card carries. (Disney Rewards Visa says its card comes with no black-out dates or other common restrictions.)

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