Credit Card Rewards: How to Earn and Redeem Them Wisely

If you've been racking up credit card rewards, summer is the perfect time to use them.

And a new survey suggests that more Americans plan to do just that -- cashing in their credit card rewards as a money-savvy way to enjoy everything from quick weekend getaways to extended overseas vacations -- during these summer months.

According to the latest quarterly Capital One Rewards Barometer, which surveys how consumers accumulate and redeem credit card rewards, about 40% of consumers plan to use their credit card rewards for travel this summer, up from about one-third of consumers who used credit card rewards for summer travel last year.