Debit card reward programs: Be sure to read the fine print first

We here at Walletpop tend to write a lot about credit card rewards. The problem is, we also spend plenty of time warning you about the pitfalls of using those cards. So, what's a responsible person to do if they want to earn rewards but don't want to rack up a big balance every month? As it turns out, you're in luck: a growing number of banks and credit unions are rolling out reward programs for debit cards.

"This is a natural evolution of the reward card program," says John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education for Credit.com. "Banks would rather have people use debit cards than write checks." And many banks prefer debit card rewards programs since it's cheaper to process card transactions than paper checks.