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Credit card with best rewards

Mikel

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As a counterpoint to the Dave Ramsey thread. What are the credit cards with the best rewards?
 
I rock AmEx Blue. 6% at grocery stores is nice. 2% or 3% at gas stations too. And 1% on everything else. I get back about $100-$120 a month.
 
Amazon Prime VISA from Chase, if you buy a lot of shit on Amazon like me. 5% earnings on Amazon.
 
Discover it card. 5% cashback on different things every quarter and 1% back on everything else. Their customer service is what got me though, never had any problem with them at all
 
The Amex blue is good, the one with yearly fees is better.

If you have USAA they have a hyrid that is between the amex free and fee cards, but still no fees.

BTW - Work expenses getting points FTW. Pay for christmas every year
 
The Amex blue is good, the one with yearly fees is better.

Yea, this is the one I have. $70 or $90 a year. One month's groceries pays it off.
 
Really depends on what you want. We use Southwest because we like to travel. I've got their system figured out, I debated starting a thread on it for people. The wife and I have earned companion pass (1 guest flies free) for the last several years. Gets us 4-5 trips a year. Again .. it's whatever is important to you.
 
Another Amazon Prime for Chase.

5% on Amazon puchases, 3% on most everything else.

I think I have racked up over $1100 of free shit on Amazon just purchsing normal life shit on there. EVERYTHING but my mortgage and my PGE (electric and gas) goes on there and pay it monthly.

Factor in I buy almost everything but groceries from Amazon @ 5% and it adds up quickly
 
You guys with the Amazon card find yourself stuck only using Amazon for purchases? I often shop around at different places like eBay and Sierra Trading Post. I'd feel like I'd be stuck with Amazon if I had the card though.
 
You guys with the Amazon card find yourself stuck only using Amazon for purchases? I often shop around at different places like eBay and Sierra Trading Post. I'd feel like I'd be stuck with Amazon if I had the card though.

You get 2% on gas stations and restaurants and 1% on everything else. You point is well taken, however. It's not the best card unless you are a heavy Amazon user.
 
You get 2% on gas stations and restaurants and 1% on everything else. You point is well taken, however. It's not the best card unless you are a heavy Amazon user.

It almost feels like they've "roped you in" from shopping anywhere else. I can see the market tactics behind it.
 
It almost feels like they've "roped you in" from shopping anywhere else. I can see the market tactics behind it.

They have. I pay for Amazon Prime and do price comparisons taking into account total cost (including shipping). I find they are very price competitive on most stuff that I buy. Also, I get same day or next day delivery on most items I purchase--although not as much anymore with the COVID mess. I'm not hawking Amazon or the CC, just saying it's not a bad deal if you're a heavy user.
 
They have. I pay for Amazon Prime and do price comparisons taking into account total cost (including shipping). I find they are very price competitive on most stuff that I buy. Also, I get same day or next day delivery on most items I purchase--although not as much anymore with the COVID mess. I'm not hawking Amazon or the CC, just saying it's not a bad deal if you're a heavy user.

I used to do the Prime thing, but then the two day became three. Then four. Then not including weekends. Stuff started taking a week+ to get to me. Customer service was great, they always took a large portion off the item. I've even got free stuff. But the final straw was a computer component taking two weeks despite being "two day shipping". That was it and I cancelled.
 
I’m still on the Citi DoubleCash. 2% on everything, no special categories per quarter or whatever. I just took other people’s word for it, though. Always meant to actually evaluate my spend and make sure I’m getting 2% and that it’s not screwing me somehow. Never have done that.
 
Really depends on what you want. We use Southwest because we like to travel. I've got their system figured out, I debated starting a thread on it for people. The wife and I have earned companion pass (1 guest flies free) for the last several years. Gets us 4-5 trips a year. Again .. it's whatever is important to you.

I'd love to see that thread. We've moved to using our credit card for 100% of our purchases that will allow it. I'm on a 1.5% cash back Capital One card now, but I think something with travel might be better for us. Seems like people get more out of it.

Since going to 100% credit about 5 years ago I've not once had my bank account wiped out. when I used my debit card it would happen at least every 6 months. That in itself is worth it to me.
 
Better than FED PEN...

Ohh almost forgot to answer.

Card with best reward is not having a credit card.

Explain? I pay nearly all my bills and buy everything with the card to get a little money off the bills. I get insurance on things like my cell phone for paying that bill with the card. When a company fucks me, like Whirlpool currently is by not delivering or refunding my money, I call the card company and they take back all the money incentivising the vendor to play ball. I make weekly payments, so interest rarely if ever cycles. I never expose my bank accounts to anyone like using my debit card. I don't have to be at ATMs all the time to get cash.

What's the down side?
 
What's the down side?

Lacking discipline and just totally going ape shit on purchases. I had an ex like that. Just swipe, swipe, swipe. Keep racking up charges like nothing. Tens of thousands in debt. This card didn't work? Ok here, try this one. Totally out of control. It was borderline mental illness.
 
I’m still on the Citi DoubleCash. 2% on everything, no special categories per quarter or whatever. I just took other people’s word for it, though. Always meant to actually evaluate my spend and make sure I’m getting 2% and that it’s not screwing me somehow. Never have done that.

same card here for the most part. It's the best all-around I could find a year or so ago

I also carry the BOA Rewards card to get 3% on a selected category (gas) year-round. The shared house card is a Barclay 1.5% back on everything card. We should change it to the Double Cash, but haven't put in the effort yet.


**sign on bonues are a key part**
every card I have gotten in the last 3-5 years was signed up due to a big sign-on bonus. 3-5 cards, I "made" $1500-2000 just for opening cards. Most recent was a Chase that gave me $500 back on $3000. I stopped using it right after getting the bonus, set alerts to let me know if it ever gets used somewhere, and cut up the physical card.

Do the math on how much you need to spend to make up the sign on bonus. IE a 2% card with no bonus vs a 1% card with a $200 or $500 bonus. You may find it's 3+ years to make the difference between a 1% and 2% card and the bonus is the better option. The credit score hit ain't that big, at least for me who's in the upper 700's I only see a 10-20pt swing for 2-3 months when I open a new card.

edit, lots of comparisons out there. looks like DoubleCash is still up top for the no-annual-fee cards https://www.cardratings.com/bestcard...BoCBisQAvD_Bw
 
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I just dont like the trackable aspect of it.

But if it works for you great.


Explain? I pay nearly all my bills and buy everything with the card to get a little money off the bills. I get insurance on things like my cell phone for paying that bill with the card. When a company fucks me, like Whirlpool currently is by not delivering or refunding my money, I call the card company and they take back all the money incentivising the vendor to play ball. I make weekly payments, so interest rarely if ever cycles. I never expose my bank accounts to anyone like using my debit card. I don't have to be at ATMs all the time to get cash.

What's the down side?
 
same card here for the most part. It's the best all-around I could find a year or so ago

I also carry the BOA Rewards card to get 3% on a selected category (gas) year-round. The shared house card is a Barclay 1.5% back on everything card. We should change it to the Double Cash, but haven't put in the effort yet.


**sign on bonues are a key part**
every card I have gotten in the last 3-5 years was signed up due to a big sign-on bonus. 3-5 cards, I "made" $1500-2000 just for opening cards. Most recent was a Chase that gave me $500 back on $3000. I stopped using it right after getting the bonus, set alerts to let me know if it ever gets used somewhere, and cut up the physical card.

Do the math on how much you need to spend to make up the sign on bonus. IE a 2% card with no bonus vs a 1% card with a $200 or $500 bonus. You may find it's 3+ years to make the difference between a 1% and 2% card and the bonus is the better option. The credit score hit ain't that big, at least for me who's in the upper 700's I only see a 10-20pt swing for 2-3 months when I open a new card.

edit, lots of comparisons out there. looks like DoubleCash is still up top for the no-annual-fee cards https://www.cardratings.com/bestcard...BoCBisQAvD_Bw

FYI, last I read BoA of fully against 2nd Amendment.
 
I'd love to see that thread. We've moved to using our credit card for 100% of our purchases that will allow it. I'm on a 1.5% cash back Capital One card now, but I think something with travel might be better for us. Seems like people get more out of it.

I know we get way more out of it. We run 100% on 2 Southwest cards, (technically have 3 for 1 month of every year), aside from the mortgage and one of the cars. Use it with the mentality that it's a Debit Card. Set up auto pay from the bank and don't worry about it. As people have said you'll be surprised how much it adds up. Other cards give you a percentage of what you spend and SW is 1mi/$1 spent, sometimes up to 4mi/$1. What other cards don't do, well most, are the big spiffs they offer. Like 50k miles per year for referring people .. which we, as in ibb, could easily set up the rotation among us. 50k miles will get me and the wife from STL to Mexico, non-stop, twice. Add in our companion pass and it's 4 trips because you only get dinged in miles for the first person.... I could go on and on but if you like to travel, or have a big anniversary coming up you want a trip for ... I'd seriously consider SW if they go where you want.
 
I quit playing the gas groceries other tiered cashback game with Amex Blue cash (when i dug into the annual summary, i was actually hitting annual/quarterly bonus cashback on certain categories and reverting to 1%) and switched a year or 2 ago to a 1.5% on everything card. chase was paying $350 for $3k Spend in the first 3 mos at the time now its down to $200 for 500 spend in 3 mos.

Amex had great customer service, but less and less places seem to take it around me so i wound up with a visa with a good chunk of monthly purchases on it as well. Now with Visa/MC i have 1 CC bill with everything on it, and my cashback is definitely as good or better than before. I'd switch to any other 1.5-2.5% cash on everything visa or MC in a heartbeat for the new customer $3-500 bonus.

I'd rather have the cashback over travel / store credit so I don't have any restrictions on how i book travel etc.
 
I know we get way more out of it. We run 100% on 2 Southwest cards, (technically have 3 for 1 month of every year), aside from the mortgage and one of the cars. Use it with the mentality that it's a Debit Card. Set up auto pay from the bank and don't worry about it. As people have said you'll be surprised how much it adds up. Other cards give you a percentage of what you spend and SW is 1mi/$1 spent, sometimes up to 4mi/$1. What other cards don't do, well most, are the big spiffs they offer. Like 50k miles per year for referring people .. which we, as in ibb, could easily set up the rotation among us. 50k miles will get me and the wife from STL to Mexico, non-stop, twice. Add in our companion pass and it's 4 trips because you only get dinged in miles for the first person.... I could go on and on but if you like to travel, or have a big anniversary coming up you want a trip for ... I'd seriously consider SW if they go where you want.

I am curious about this. We use our Cap-1 spark for all of our business bills. 6-10k/month. That would add up pretty fast and allow the wife and I to do some traveling. Now if I could only get her on a plane..........:lmao:
 
Cap 1, can use miles on anything. Paid for our tickets to NZ last year with miles. Right now they are having a 5X miles promo on Uber eats. Handy when your on the road and all the restaurants are limited dine in.

Their travel service has pretty cheap flights. Also, no foreign transaction fee's.
 
Nerd wallet has a pretty good breakdown of credit card benefits, sign up bonuses, point schemes and overall credit card reviews.
 
:flipoff2:

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Explain? I pay nearly all my bills and buy everything with the card to get a little money off the bills. I get insurance on things like my cell phone for paying that bill with the card. When a company fucks me, like Whirlpool currently is by not delivering or refunding my money, I call the card company and they take back all the money incentivising the vendor to play ball. I make weekly payments, so interest rarely if ever cycles. I never expose my bank accounts to anyone like using my debit card. I don't have to be at ATMs all the time to get cash.

What's the down side?

The downside is that the "free" stuff you get from CC companies end up increasing the costs of your goods and services. Lets pay 5% more for shit to get 2% back :homer:
 
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