ORLANDO, Fla. -- Co-branded credit cards may give Central Florida consumers more bang for their buck, according to a Local 6 investigation.

The report featured new mother Katie Hartz who is dealing with increased baby expenses.

"I spend $140 every five days on formula and then wipes," Hartz said. "(I spend) maybe $60 every week or two weeks and diapers."

Hartz recently signed up for a co-branded Babies "R" Us credit card, the report said.

"Co-branded cards are store cards that have the store's name on it, but also have a connection to Visa or MasterCard," National Retail Federation representative Mallory Duncan said.

The cards can be used anywhere credit cards are accepted.

"For each purchase that we make outside the store, we still get the rewards for Babies "R" Us," Hartz said.

The more you swipe the card at restaurants, gas stations and other businesses, the more points you accumulate toward things like savings certificates or special discounts at the retailer.

Rates are often lower than on traditional store cards, the report said.

However, Local 6's Steven Cooper said the cards are issued by banks which means they may be tougher to qualify for.

"To get one of these co-branded store cards might be out of reach if you had bad credit or damaged credit or no credit," Consumer Action representative Joe Ridout said.

Consumer advocates warned that some cards carry two bills -- one from the store for purchases and another from the credit card company for all other purchases.

"The disadvantage for you as a cardholder is that these are twice as many opportunities for something to get lost in the mail, twice as many bills to keep track of and twice as many opportunities to miss a payment," Ridout said.

Like most reward cards, there may be limits, restrictions and conditions, according to the report.

Hartz's card gives her more points for purchases made at Babies "R" Us than for outside charges.

"Until our needs change, we will continue to use it," Hartz said.

While co-branded store credit cards tend to carry a lower interest rate than traditional store-only charge cards, consumer advocates point out the co-branded versions may not offer the best rates.

"In fact, they're typically higher than other non-reward cards on the market so do your homework to figure out what card is right for you," Cooper said.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.