Credit-Card Mania

As far as Joey Tomko is concerned, he's the king of credit-card freebies. Consider his treasures: a $1,800 sit-down lawnmower for his yard, two $800 go-carts, a $1,000 big-screen TV, and a $500, six-foot-high tropical fish tank for his office--all free. The source of his spoils? The Wells Fargo Platinum Business MasterCard, which he uses for his company's charge account. All told, the card has given Tomko $15,000 of such stuff as bonuses.

That's not all. Tomko, president of Government Sales Associates Inc., a $4.3 million, five-person computer hardware supplier in Sacramento, Calif., has also racked up 150,000 frequent-flier miles, which he used to send his office manager on vacation to Mexico, fly his father in for a visit from Florida, and make seven trips of his own. And the rewards keep coming, pumped up by cards Tomko gave his three sales execs for business entertainment. "I milk the card for all it's worth," he crows. Tomko, who pays off his $5,000-a-month average balance to avoid interest charges, says he may get another card, too.