The cost of living in South Africa is rising fast. Fuel, food – even the cost of having fun is going up. Take a look at your credit card statement and you’ll see for yourself.

These days we all appreciate ways to make our money go further. Being able to make money when you spend money on your credit card is an excellent start. Nedbank’s Greenbacks programme turns 17 years old this year – that’s how long we’ve been rewarding Nedbank clients who join Greenbacks with rewards that can be converted to cash, to spend on whatever they like.

You can join the Greenbacks programme for a small monthly fee if you have a Nedbank transactional account. Simply log in to the Nedbank Money app or Online Banking, go to Rewards, click Join and opt in to Card Swiper. You’ll start to earn Greenbacks on all eligible spend.*

Unlock the Nedbank Greenbacks American Express Credit Card

When you join the Greenbacks programme, you’ll be issued 2 credit cards – a Nedbank Mastercard credit card and a Nedbank Greenbacks American Express (Amex) Credit Card.

Both these cards earn Greenbacks, but you get twice as many Greenbacks when you use your Greenbacks Amex card to make payments.

'There are no Greenbacks caps when you swipe your Nedbank Greenbacks American Express Credit Card, and they never expire as long a you keep using your card,' says Kajal Maharaj, Nedbank Credit Card Product Manager. 'You can spend the Greenbacks as cash using the Greenbacks SHOP Card, or you can spend the Greenbacks in the Money app or on Online Banking to buy airtime, data or electricity. You can also withdraw Greenbacks in the form of cash at an ATM.'

You have several more options, like converting Greenbacks to AvoPoints, which you can use on AvoSuperShop, our online superstore. This opens up a world of shopping with the best deals on groceries, technology, vouchers for streaming services like Netflix, and much more. Or you can convert your Greenbacks to Lifestyle Rands if you’re a member of the high-end rewards programme Legacy Lifestyle. Alternatively, you can redeem your Greenbacks into a Nedbank notice deposit or MyPocket or donate them to an affinity.

How you earn Greenbacks faster using Amex

Every time you use your Greenbacks Amex Credit Card, whether you have a gold or platinum account, you earn 4 Greenbacks for every R10 spent. If you use your linked Nedbank Mastercard credit card, you earn 2 Greenbacks for every R10 spent. It makes sense to use the Amex card if you want to maximise your Greenbacks haul.

If you pay your bills using the Bills Payment feature on the Money app or Online Banking, and you select your Greenbacks Amex Credit Card to make these payments, you earn 4 Greenbacks for every R10 spent. Using any other linked credit card will earn you only 2 Greenbacks for every R10 spent.

You’ll even earn Greenbacks while receiving discounts. For instance, if you use your Greenbacks Amex card to buy movie tickets and listed refreshments at Nu Metro cinemas, you get a discount of up to 50%. But you still earn Greenbacks at double the rate that you would if you were to use a different credit card. You can treat the whole family to a fun night at the movies and earn Greenbacks at the same time.

You get more than just Greenbacks to spend

Here are the additional benefits of having a Greenbacks Amex card:

• Platinum Greenbacks Amex card members get up to 12 complimentary visits a year at local Bidvest airport lounges. Terms and conditions apply
• Platinum Greenbacks Amex card members enjoy preferential debit interest rates.
• When you buy return travel tickets with your Greenbacks Amex Platinum card, you get automatic basic travel insurance cover of up to R3 million.
• For a small fee you can order additional cards for your spouse or partner, so you can earn Greenbacks faster.
• Enjoy zero fees on card transactions, up to 55 days’ interest-free credit, free transactional SMS alerts, and quick and easy payments with your contactless-enabled card.

Join Greenbacks today and start earning money while you spend money – and earn it faster by using your Greenbacks Amex card.

* Eligible spend includes local and international purchases and excludes cash withdrawals, casino chip and travellers-cheque purchases, foreign exchange purchases, fees, fuel purchases (excluding BP), internet transfers and payments, and finance charges.