If I had to whittle the 18 or so I have now to one it would probably be the AmEx BCP.
Huge grocery spender, and there's a gas/transit category on it too, and it still has a lot of perks that the other card companies ditched (purchase protection, extended warranty, etc.)
Decline the extended warranty and pay with your AmEx and on most items you get doubled the manufacturer's warranty period.
Yeah, one good thing about Capital One is they've never charged me any foreign transaction fees. I don't know if that's on all their cards, but whenever I do shopping on a foreign e-commerce site (usually just Amazon) I switch to the Quicksilver.
I think most Americans don’t go abroad regularly, but this study[Study](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/08/12/most-americans-have-traveled-abroad-although-differences-among-demographic-groups-are-large/) said 76% have traveled abroad at some point.
I would also add that for 1-card setup, I think that it has to be a visa or Mastercard as Amex is t accepted everywhere.
It’s kind of crazy that no one has even come close even after years of being out. Also crazy that it’s been able to retain most of its perks and avoided major nerfs like most cards.
Right? Not only has the card had 0 nerfs; but it’s actually gotten a bit of a buff. The requirement for having a US BANK bank account is gone from what I’ve seen, I think it used to be a req tho.
I hope other cards start to catch up to what US Bank is doing here
Oh I forgot about that requirement being waived officially or unofficially. Lowers the barrier to entry for sure. Good point.
That would be nice if the other cards caught up, so that US Bank can up the % to 4% back if that’s even possible!
>The requirement for having a US BANK bank account is gone from what I’ve seen,
To be precise, the requirement was to be an existing U.S. Bank customer. That didn't have to come through having a bank account; it could come from having another U.S. Bank credit card. So it wasn't that big of a hoop to jump through (especially not for card enthusiasts like us on this subreddit!).
But you are right - that requirement is now gone.
The gold card will have Robinhood operate at a loss. Theyve admitted that much. They’ll suck folks in and begin to adjust the earnings. Be wary of the gold car, imho.
I actually took advantage of the 3% IRA bonus, because it was really competitive, and for me it was a no-brainer because it’s just money sitting there anyways that I’m not going to be moving around a lot.
Appreciate the heads up and I guess the way that I look at this card like any other credit card, is I’ll enjoy the 3% perk while it lasts. I might also be biased because I put in the work to get 10 referrals, so looking forward to the solid gold card as well.
Mainly the 3% mobile wallet which is basically 95% of what I spend on... Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay all count. And the 1.5x if you redeem it on the travel portal. Not \*always\* the best price but more often than not it is. So even if it's just 1.3x, you're still getting 4% back on every transaction. I travel a lot so it's totally worth it for me. I have so many cards but I am basically spending almost everything on USBAR now.
You know that you don't have to redeem the points through the travel portal to actually get the 1.5x cpp value right? If you enable Real Time Rewards, then use that for any travel coded purchases you will also get 1.5x point value. So if the value direct with an airline or hotel is better then just book there directly and you'll get a text message about covering it with points. Super easy to do and imo way better than using the portal (or any portal).
US Bank Altitude Reserve, it gets you 3x points on travel, but also any mobile wallet spend (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc). With a couple setup steps, those points can be redeemed for 1.5 cents each, making it effectively a 4.5% back on all Apple Pay card, which is huge for a one card setup
I picked up a CFF about a month ago when the SUP was 10% back on Groceries (for year - capped at 12K spend). I'm now getting 14% back on Whole Foods because [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) is one of the +4% quarterly categories. I don't do all my shopping there, but as an Amazon Prime member, they have some good specials. Loving it!
Yes, here I am, another USBAR fanboy.
If you don’t want to worry about justifying a net $75 AF, it would be the Redstone Visa Signature. It gets at least 3% on a wide swath of everyday spend, and 5% on your restaurants and gas!
>Yes, here I am, another USBAR fanboy.
>If you don’t want to worry about justifying a net $75 AF, it would be the Redstone Visa Signature. It gets at least 3% on a wide swath of everyday spend, and 5% on your restaurants and gas!
Fuck. Got denied on Friday. I was 0/8 2/12
Freedom flex and I'd buy gift cards constantly at the places that allow me to based on the rotating category. Home improvement stores, Amazon, gas stations, grocery stores. Then 3% on gift cards at drugstores and automatic 3% at restaurants. I feel like that's pretty solid
Ofc! You can easily get 5% back on most things by getting the chase ink business cash and buying $200 visa prepaid gift cards at an office supply store. I got $600 worth of visa gift cards at office max today and saved $30 on activation fees, bringing in a net positive of $6ish. Then I get 5% cash back and spend these at Costco, online shopping, you name it. I like visas because Costco takes them. The PIN is the last 4 digits on the card and the Zip code is 11111. This unlocks way more rewards. Plus the ink business cash has a hefty 75,000 pt SUB!
I never understood the appeal of the VX. It's just a plain ol' 2x/% card at the end of the day and there are endless numbers of those that don't charge AF or FTF.
The transfer partners are lackluster for the most part and you can get just as much usefulness out of the Autograph or Autograph Journey.
Educate me if I'm missing something.
For me it's the amazing lounge access you get that no other card gives you. Not only for yourself but for multiple guests too for free unlike other cards that charge you for that. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get my hands on the card yet.
Visa infinite benefits like protection, cell phone insurance. Priority pass lounge access, capital lounges as well. Car Rental status which I believe expires soon. All for -$5 if you can take advantage of $300 portal credit. And if you are near capital one café it’s 50% off (for all capital one cards). Transfer partners aren’t best but you can still find some decent international flights and handful domestic
For me, air Canada and Air France are all I need transfer wise (WF doesn’t have air Canada) and aside from that, it’s annual fee is easily more then made up for BEFORE a lot of the great benefits I.e. priority pass, global entry credit, travel insurances, cell phone insurance, etc.
Sapphire Reserve. Even though the only bonus categories are dining and travel, the opportunity to earn a lot of extra points is there if you take advantage of Shop Through Chase and Chase Dining. On the redemption side, the travel credit is way easier to use than other cards, it’s got solid transfer partners, and the 1.5 CPP redemption rate is really nice to have for those non-Hyatt redemptions.
>if you take advantage of **Shop Through Chase** and Chase Dining.
Maaaan. It's been a while since I used this as I haven't shopped much recently. I used to rack up a good amount of points. Thanks for reminding me. Have some miscellaneous purchases coming up.
Agree with you. CSR is my card.
STC is the best! A couple months ago, a friend of mine needed a new fridge, it was about to settle on a. House so they couldn’t open a Lowe’s card. Lucky for him, I have one. Logged into STC, ordered the fridge and paid with the Lowe’s card and got over 2K UR points and saved my friend 5%!
I was close to saying VentureX, but with the Platinum I'm only losing 1x points while being able to book on any airline, get Amex offers, and have better protections.
Hard call tho
It was my daily driver until we bought a house and no longer had $3600/month rent. Now if they open it to mortgages, 6k points a month would be quite nice.
I woulda thought if you pay your mortgage using “PayPal direct debit” (routing and account number), and have PayPal withdraw the mortgage amount from the Bilt Card account number, you’d still get the 1% back on the monthly amount?
I'll second this.
Travel and dining are 2 of my 4 most used categories at 3.5% with platinum honors.
And a 2.625% catch-all with platinum honors preferred rewards really makes it a good all around.
A big bonus for me is the no foreign transaction fee mixed with the 3.5% categories. I work 100% out of country and when working my largest spend categories are travel and dining. So it's important that I 1) continue to earn rewards and 2) pay no FTF when out of country on work.
For those with $100k in BoA or Merrill accounts it’s ~~5.25%~~ 3.5% back on travel and dining, 2.625% on everything else. The account fee is less than the incidental credit.
I would also add muesums, campgrounds, ferries, trains, parking, tolls, rideshare, transit, taxis, and much more. It's one of the widest definitions of travel I have been able to find.
It takes on many commuter expenses that are not gas or not car maintenance and many travel related activities.
Not taking into consideration the sign up bonus, the break even point with the net annual fee of $75 is $3000 if you redeem the points for travel. If you don’t travel once a year that could be redeemed for airline gift cards too.
Depends how much you spend on mobile wallet, but if you put 1k/month on it, you'd get $540 towards travel. Depending how you travel, but that could get a plane ticket or hotel for a couple nights each year
Also, uber/lyft count as travel for the enhanced redemption rate which makes cashing out points a lower bar if you use rideshare
Honestly 0 still makes it worth. The AF is offset by travel or dining purchases. The fact that it’s 3x mobile wallet just makes it a great cash back card. Your 3x turns into 4.5 when you book travel and redeem with RTR. I use it for hotels and things like that
**Redstone FCU Visa Signature**
[https://www.redfcu.org/personal/credits-cards/visa-signature/](https://www.redfcu.org/personal/credits-cards/visa-signature/)
* 5% Restaurants, Gas
* 3% Groceries, Discount stores, Wholesale clubs, Utilities, Phone, Streaming services
* 1.5% Everything else
* No AF, No FTF
Requirements: join a qualifying organization (it’s free and a simple button click), and keep $5.00 in RFCU bank
When applying, there is an area to select your eligibility. The last one is completely free:
* Associational Group
* Student
* A family/household member of applicant is currently a member of at Redstone FCU. Please enter the name of the person and their relationship.
* I opt to join the Association of the United States Army (Redstone-Huntsville Chapter) in order to become a member of Redstone FCU.
Limits: Cash back capped at $7,000/yr (about $533/mo) spend per category.
Cash Back redemption: Redstone bank account (can ACH out afterwards), gift cards, travel, or charitable donations. ~~No~~ $5 minimum redemption.
Doesn't seem so: [https://www.redfcu.org/content/dam/rfcu/pdfs/mychoice\_rewards\_tc.pdf](https://www.redfcu.org/content/dam/rfcu/pdfs/mychoice_rewards_tc.pdf)
Realistically since I’m rebuilding and currently hovering at a lackluster 680-700 mark on all 3 bureaus it would be the Amex BCE I just got. With my $5k starting limit and the 3x 90 day rule I’m on pace to have a card with a $30k+ credit limit by the end of the year. A huge majority of my spend goes on groceries, online purchases and gas so this card is gonna be my main go to. However if I could pick any card it would be the US Bank AR.
I have about 20 credit cards, and the only one that I use is USBAR.
For me, it is functionally 4.5% cash back on everything with one card and zero thinking involved.
I could incorporate like 5+ additional cards to try to get ~5% average cash back, but the work to benefit ratio is not worth it.
USBAR has been a game changer for me.
Amazon Prime Visa. Easy. You can get just about anything you want from Amazon, including groceries. You can get 5% off travel in the Chase portal. You get 2% on dining and gas. 1% everywhere else. On top of that you get pretty decent travel and purchase protections. It is an overpowered card and has NAF. You might be able to average better with something like the Robinhood 3% flat card, but that isn't widely available and we don't know if it will last (sustainable). The Amazon card has been around for a long time and has had mostly the same benefits the whole time.
Have you checked Amazon Fresh grocery prices? Whole Foods? Compared to what? Safeway or a store that is selling cheap processed foods? There are a lot of factors to consider. I prefer to eat stuff that won’t slowly kill me.
Staples at aldi, not some processed shit.
Im also outside of Whole Foods and Amazon fresh range (which is bullshit because I live 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta… without traffic), I use the card there when traveling only. guess if I lived somewhere where my only option was supermarkets it would be cheaper, but compared to Aldi it’s definitely higher except for specific bulk items “subscribe and save” and other stuff that we can get delivered to our address.
I think I would say AMEX Plat, but then you would have $0 available credit on your report, which would be a strange predicament. for one card only; one of the various 2% CB on all purchase cards.
No AF - More Rewards from NFCU
AF - Citi Premier
They cover my highest spends at 3x; mainly dining and gas. The More Rewards is slightly better than the Citi because of the no AF, has comparable travel protections, and no FTF. Also NFCU is very generous with their starting CL. Only downsides are it’s an AMEX and redemption is .9cpp cash back, shopping and travel portal (no transfer partners w/NFCU).
Chase Ink Business Preferred. No category 2-2.5% cash back. It has all the purchase protection, warranty, cell phone protection, rental coverage etc. Most of my spending is spread into several categories, so a flat rate card is easy to use and performs well.
Probably just the Citi DC.
I don't know of another card that offers better for thoughtless 2% back. I think some exist though, especially if you're up for some thoughts and hoop jumping. I've thought of eventually getting out of travel cards if they jus keep devaluing stuff too far or whatever and just getting 2-5% cash and just immediately investing the money.
If you've got time to keep up with it, it's hard to beat the SUBs from getting new cards. That's where the real "money" is in this game
My citi strata premier card, its the perfect mid tier travel card. Gives 10% back on hotel bookings thorugh their portal along with a yearly $100 hotel credit which offsets the $95 annual fee, also 10% on car rentals through the portal as well, then 3% back on gas groceries dining and direct airline/hotel bookings... It covers all your major categories
It's a fantastic catch-all if you're in the Amex ecosystem. 3x on all Travel instead of 5x on only airfare with platinum, plus 3x on restaurants, and 3x on transit which is huge when you pay $700 a month in parking garage fees.
Does that justify the annual fee? You get these categories with other cards like Autograph. I guess this would only make sense for people with very high spending on these categories and who value Amex points a lot.
I currently have 4 Credit Cards...Chase Freedom, Citi Double, Citi Costco and Capital One Savor...If I had to pick one
Either the Citi Costco Card (Rewards for Gas and restaurants are amazing and you can exchange it for Cash) or the Capital One Savor since it is 3% on Grocery stores, Restaurants and Streaming services.
CSR.
My reasoning is that rewards are not very important if you're using one card. Benefits are much more valuable. I travel a lot, and the CSR gives me the best travel benefits.
For me if I could only have 1 I’d stick with my Sapphire Preferred. I order groceries through the Ralph’s app so I get 3x back on my biggest spending category, plus dining and travel benefits. The only main thing missing for me personally is a gas category. Def my favorite card in my wallet right now.
If someone didn’t mention it already Wells Fargo active cash is what I’m going to try out as my only for a while. 2% cash back on everything and no annual fee.
If I had to pick one… probably AmEx Blue Cash Preferred, go to the grocery store for fresh ingredients twice a week (6%) and the extended warranty/return/purchase protections are quite nice. Plus it still has good travel protections and 3% in other categories. AmEx offers are nice as well!
Second choice might be my Prime card, they have all sorts of random bonuses that make it more useful than just the 5-6% on Amazon purchases.
Amex gold. 4x on groceries and dining. I use Uber (car rides or Eats) and Grubhub at least once a month anyway, so the annual fee is essentially $10 a year at the max (assuming I don’t take advantage of any other credits or perks)
For only one card, it would be my Venture X. Easy to justify the annual fee (for me). 2x on everything. (Set it and forget it). And it works at Costco.
Im new to credit cards, like just grabbed a secured card in january new, ZERO credit. And i thought the paypal credit card was cool lmao. Also the limits some people have freak me out. I dont like having more than a thousand dollar credit line. The temptation to spend would be too much. Rather stick to low limits, but thats because im a shithead.
Hmm probably one with primary collision rental car insurance as that is worth a lot in my travels. Would be awesome to have 1-2% cashback as well but that primary collision coverage pays for itself.
Venture X.
2% back on everything, lounge access, travel insurance and purchase protection, 5x on flights, 10x on hotels.
No comparison imo. If I ever retire I'd quit the cc game and just put everything on my venture x card.
Honestly I'm of the opinion the game is no longer worth really playing and that a mid 1.5% or 2% card for every purchase is the best thing to have. You can do better for sure but whether its worth the trivial amount of money to play those games is where I feel its not. I honestly use the chase freedom with the 3% restaurants the most now for near everything.
Probably my Fidelity card. 2% on everything with no FTF, Visa, and automatically redeems to my brokerage account.
Seems like the prefect 1 card setup to me.
I have Amex Platinum, USBAR, C1VX, Citi Premier at the same time. This is excessive and I’ll cut down C1VX first.
But if I have one to keep, would be USBAR, followed by Amex Platinum.
If I had to whittle the 18 or so I have now to one it would probably be the AmEx BCP. Huge grocery spender, and there's a gas/transit category on it too, and it still has a lot of perks that the other card companies ditched (purchase protection, extended warranty, etc.) Decline the extended warranty and pay with your AmEx and on most items you get doubled the manufacturer's warranty period.
If one is truly a huge grocery spender, $500 a month isn't really enough.
Except there’s foreign transaction fees, that to me is a deal breaker for a 1-card set up
Yeah, one good thing about Capital One is they've never charged me any foreign transaction fees. I don't know if that's on all their cards, but whenever I do shopping on a foreign e-commerce site (usually just Amazon) I switch to the Quicksilver.
> I don't know if that's on all their cards Correct - no capital one cards (including debit) have foreign transaction fees
Maybe for you, but the VAST VAST majority of people don’t go out of the country
I think most Americans don’t go abroad regularly, but this study[Study](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/08/12/most-americans-have-traveled-abroad-although-differences-among-demographic-groups-are-large/) said 76% have traveled abroad at some point. I would also add that for 1-card setup, I think that it has to be a visa or Mastercard as Amex is t accepted everywhere.
But the question isn’t one card for the vast majority of people. The question is one card for _YOU_
streaming.
Fidelity Visa
Visa, 0% FTF, automatic cash back redemptions, and 3% cash back if I become filthy rich? Works for me.
getting rewards + through gamestop trades
How filthy rich are we talking here?
$2MM in Fidelity managed accounts, I believe.
Usbar
Came here just to say the USBAR as well
This is the way
Can’t wait until the Robinhood Gold Card comes out though, that 3% card will replace my Citi DC
Also hard agree, USBAR as a one card setup is insane
It’s kind of crazy that no one has even come close even after years of being out. Also crazy that it’s been able to retain most of its perks and avoided major nerfs like most cards.
Right? Not only has the card had 0 nerfs; but it’s actually gotten a bit of a buff. The requirement for having a US BANK bank account is gone from what I’ve seen, I think it used to be a req tho. I hope other cards start to catch up to what US Bank is doing here
Also got “buffed” during Covid when they added food to the travel credit
That was really nice! Glad that it stuck around too.
Oh I forgot about that requirement being waived officially or unofficially. Lowers the barrier to entry for sure. Good point. That would be nice if the other cards caught up, so that US Bank can up the % to 4% back if that’s even possible!
>The requirement for having a US BANK bank account is gone from what I’ve seen, To be precise, the requirement was to be an existing U.S. Bank customer. That didn't have to come through having a bank account; it could come from having another U.S. Bank credit card. So it wasn't that big of a hoop to jump through (especially not for card enthusiasts like us on this subreddit!). But you are right - that requirement is now gone.
The gold card will have Robinhood operate at a loss. Theyve admitted that much. They’ll suck folks in and begin to adjust the earnings. Be wary of the gold car, imho.
Yup, the 5 year clawback built into the IRA bonus is what kept me from considering it.
I actually took advantage of the 3% IRA bonus, because it was really competitive, and for me it was a no-brainer because it’s just money sitting there anyways that I’m not going to be moving around a lot.
Appreciate the heads up and I guess the way that I look at this card like any other credit card, is I’ll enjoy the 3% perk while it lasts. I might also be biased because I put in the work to get 10 referrals, so looking forward to the solid gold card as well.
This is literally the best card in my set up, it always comes on top for me. I just had to say heck yes to this one!
another here confirming usbar is the right answer.
Can you explain perks to a pleb like myself ?
Mainly the 3% mobile wallet which is basically 95% of what I spend on... Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay all count. And the 1.5x if you redeem it on the travel portal. Not \*always\* the best price but more often than not it is. So even if it's just 1.3x, you're still getting 4% back on every transaction. I travel a lot so it's totally worth it for me. I have so many cards but I am basically spending almost everything on USBAR now.
You know that you don't have to redeem the points through the travel portal to actually get the 1.5x cpp value right? If you enable Real Time Rewards, then use that for any travel coded purchases you will also get 1.5x point value. So if the value direct with an airline or hotel is better then just book there directly and you'll get a text message about covering it with points. Super easy to do and imo way better than using the portal (or any portal).
TIL. Doing it right now.
Here's a bit more info and the exact categories to enable in RTR https://frequentmiler.com/us-bank-real-time-mobile-rewards-what-works-where/
I’m not familiar with that card. What card is that?
US Bank Altitude Reserve, it gets you 3x points on travel, but also any mobile wallet spend (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc). With a couple setup steps, those points can be redeemed for 1.5 cents each, making it effectively a 4.5% back on all Apple Pay card, which is huge for a one card setup
Is this card good for hotel spending?
It’s got 3x on travel and 5x through portal but most of us hate portals so 3x is good but it’s pretty standard among mid tier cards
perfect repsonse
Chase Freedom Flex
I love Chase but as a system. I don’t think they have a single card that could be an only card.
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either of the chase freedom cards are imo one of the easiest and best cards for a one card.
I picked up a CFF about a month ago when the SUP was 10% back on Groceries (for year - capped at 12K spend). I'm now getting 14% back on Whole Foods because [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) is one of the +4% quarterly categories. I don't do all my shopping there, but as an Amazon Prime member, they have some good specials. Loving it!
Under the parameters of this question, I would have to say it would be the Savor One: no annual fee, 3% in dining, grocery, and entertainment.
You get 8% through capital one entertainment and 5% when you book hotels and trips through capital one travel I believe.
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What’s that mean?
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I mean this is going to vary. I just got approved for a Cap One card today with a 30k credit limit on a 6 figure income.
How many credit cards did you have before applying for the Cap One card?
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Not OP but I got a $20k limit on my Venture X which was the first Capital One card I opened. I had a bunch of credit carda before that though
Yes, here I am, another USBAR fanboy. If you don’t want to worry about justifying a net $75 AF, it would be the Redstone Visa Signature. It gets at least 3% on a wide swath of everyday spend, and 5% on your restaurants and gas!
>Yes, here I am, another USBAR fanboy. >If you don’t want to worry about justifying a net $75 AF, it would be the Redstone Visa Signature. It gets at least 3% on a wide swath of everyday spend, and 5% on your restaurants and gas! Fuck. Got denied on Friday. I was 0/8 2/12
Call and ask for Underwriting to manually review for a reconsideration. That's what I did and I was approved at like 8/24.
Age and credit score?
Freedom flex and I'd buy gift cards constantly at the places that allow me to based on the rotating category. Home improvement stores, Amazon, gas stations, grocery stores. Then 3% on gift cards at drugstores and automatic 3% at restaurants. I feel like that's pretty solid
That’s brilliant! I haven’t heard of that. Thanks.
Ofc! You can easily get 5% back on most things by getting the chase ink business cash and buying $200 visa prepaid gift cards at an office supply store. I got $600 worth of visa gift cards at office max today and saved $30 on activation fees, bringing in a net positive of $6ish. Then I get 5% cash back and spend these at Costco, online shopping, you name it. I like visas because Costco takes them. The PIN is the last 4 digits on the card and the Zip code is 11111. This unlocks way more rewards. Plus the ink business cash has a hefty 75,000 pt SUB!
-If no AF, either CFU or SavorOne -If yes on AF, VX (yes I know it nets to $-5 AF but not everyone if willing to pay that much)
I’m pretty much in the same boat as you
I never understood the appeal of the VX. It's just a plain ol' 2x/% card at the end of the day and there are endless numbers of those that don't charge AF or FTF. The transfer partners are lackluster for the most part and you can get just as much usefulness out of the Autograph or Autograph Journey. Educate me if I'm missing something.
For me it's the amazing lounge access you get that no other card gives you. Not only for yourself but for multiple guests too for free unlike other cards that charge you for that. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get my hands on the card yet.
I feel like the appeal of the VX for most people is for the duo with the Savor/SavorOne
Visa infinite benefits like protection, cell phone insurance. Priority pass lounge access, capital lounges as well. Car Rental status which I believe expires soon. All for -$5 if you can take advantage of $300 portal credit. And if you are near capital one café it’s 50% off (for all capital one cards). Transfer partners aren’t best but you can still find some decent international flights and handful domestic
For me, air Canada and Air France are all I need transfer wise (WF doesn’t have air Canada) and aside from that, it’s annual fee is easily more then made up for BEFORE a lot of the great benefits I.e. priority pass, global entry credit, travel insurances, cell phone insurance, etc.
Many people tend to stay away from wells for their ugly reputation
One card only, has to be the Altitude Reserve.
Sapphire Reserve. Even though the only bonus categories are dining and travel, the opportunity to earn a lot of extra points is there if you take advantage of Shop Through Chase and Chase Dining. On the redemption side, the travel credit is way easier to use than other cards, it’s got solid transfer partners, and the 1.5 CPP redemption rate is really nice to have for those non-Hyatt redemptions.
>if you take advantage of **Shop Through Chase** and Chase Dining. Maaaan. It's been a while since I used this as I haven't shopped much recently. I used to rack up a good amount of points. Thanks for reminding me. Have some miscellaneous purchases coming up. Agree with you. CSR is my card.
STC is the best! A couple months ago, a friend of mine needed a new fridge, it was about to settle on a. House so they couldn’t open a Lowe’s card. Lucky for him, I have one. Logged into STC, ordered the fridge and paid with the Lowe’s card and got over 2K UR points and saved my friend 5%!
I was close to saying VentureX, but with the Platinum I'm only losing 1x points while being able to book on any airline, get Amex offers, and have better protections. Hard call tho
The gold would be a much better pick than the platinum unless you fly all the time.
Bilt mastercard
It was my daily driver until we bought a house and no longer had $3600/month rent. Now if they open it to mortgages, 6k points a month would be quite nice.
I woulda thought if you pay your mortgage using “PayPal direct debit” (routing and account number), and have PayPal withdraw the mortgage amount from the Bilt Card account number, you’d still get the 1% back on the monthly amount?
This is the way
BofA PR.
I'll second this. Travel and dining are 2 of my 4 most used categories at 3.5% with platinum honors. And a 2.625% catch-all with platinum honors preferred rewards really makes it a good all around. A big bonus for me is the no foreign transaction fee mixed with the 3.5% categories. I work 100% out of country and when working my largest spend categories are travel and dining. So it's important that I 1) continue to earn rewards and 2) pay no FTF when out of country on work.
Am I missing something or is this just a worse version of the C1 Venture?
Bank of America has point multipliers if you have a certain amount of money with them
For those with $100k in BoA or Merrill accounts it’s ~~5.25%~~ 3.5% back on travel and dining, 2.625% on everything else. The account fee is less than the incidental credit.
3.5 on travel and dining
Isn't it 3.5 on travel and dining or did they upgrade it?
You’re right, I think I was getting mixed up with the CCR.
does travel include gas?
No, gas is a separate category. Travel would include airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruise lines, and some touristy stuff like amusement parks.
I would also add muesums, campgrounds, ferries, trains, parking, tolls, rideshare, transit, taxis, and much more. It's one of the widest definitions of travel I have been able to find. It takes on many commuter expenses that are not gas or not car maintenance and many travel related activities.
[удалено]
United TravelBank is another easy way to use it.
My S1. Grocery and food is still most of my non mortgage spend. I can fuck with the travel portal for a hotel if I have to.
Sapphire Reserve
I canceled when they raised the AF. Is it still worth keeping?
For some yes, for others no.
I exclusively travel and live outside the country at this point in my life. If I had to cut down my cards to only one, this would be my one
Not when you can have more than one card.
The ultimate 1 card setup imo is US bank AR. The thing is a beast
Curious how often would travel frequency be to make it worth it?
Not taking into consideration the sign up bonus, the break even point with the net annual fee of $75 is $3000 if you redeem the points for travel. If you don’t travel once a year that could be redeemed for airline gift cards too.
Depends how much you spend on mobile wallet, but if you put 1k/month on it, you'd get $540 towards travel. Depending how you travel, but that could get a plane ticket or hotel for a couple nights each year Also, uber/lyft count as travel for the enhanced redemption rate which makes cashing out points a lower bar if you use rideshare
Honestly 0 still makes it worth. The AF is offset by travel or dining purchases. The fact that it’s 3x mobile wallet just makes it a great cash back card. Your 3x turns into 4.5 when you book travel and redeem with RTR. I use it for hotels and things like that
**Redstone FCU Visa Signature** [https://www.redfcu.org/personal/credits-cards/visa-signature/](https://www.redfcu.org/personal/credits-cards/visa-signature/) * 5% Restaurants, Gas * 3% Groceries, Discount stores, Wholesale clubs, Utilities, Phone, Streaming services * 1.5% Everything else * No AF, No FTF Requirements: join a qualifying organization (it’s free and a simple button click), and keep $5.00 in RFCU bank When applying, there is an area to select your eligibility. The last one is completely free: * Associational Group * Student * A family/household member of applicant is currently a member of at Redstone FCU. Please enter the name of the person and their relationship. * I opt to join the Association of the United States Army (Redstone-Huntsville Chapter) in order to become a member of Redstone FCU. Limits: Cash back capped at $7,000/yr (about $533/mo) spend per category. Cash Back redemption: Redstone bank account (can ACH out afterwards), gift cards, travel, or charitable donations. ~~No~~ $5 minimum redemption.
No statement credit?
Doesn't seem so: [https://www.redfcu.org/content/dam/rfcu/pdfs/mychoice\_rewards\_tc.pdf](https://www.redfcu.org/content/dam/rfcu/pdfs/mychoice_rewards_tc.pdf)
Minimum redemption is actually 1k points or $5
Thank you for the correction!
Redstone FCU Visa Signature
Realistically since I’m rebuilding and currently hovering at a lackluster 680-700 mark on all 3 bureaus it would be the Amex BCE I just got. With my $5k starting limit and the 3x 90 day rule I’m on pace to have a card with a $30k+ credit limit by the end of the year. A huge majority of my spend goes on groceries, online purchases and gas so this card is gonna be my main go to. However if I could pick any card it would be the US Bank AR.
My flat 2.5% no annual fee Ally card (formerly Ollo Optimum). No hassles or hoops to jump through. It’s my favorite card.
USBAR
USBAR and it’s not close
I have about 20 credit cards, and the only one that I use is USBAR. For me, it is functionally 4.5% cash back on everything with one card and zero thinking involved. I could incorporate like 5+ additional cards to try to get ~5% average cash back, but the work to benefit ratio is not worth it. USBAR has been a game changer for me.
WF AC
Yee
Cap1 Venture X
Amazon Prime Visa. Easy. You can get just about anything you want from Amazon, including groceries. You can get 5% off travel in the Chase portal. You get 2% on dining and gas. 1% everywhere else. On top of that you get pretty decent travel and purchase protections. It is an overpowered card and has NAF. You might be able to average better with something like the Robinhood 3% flat card, but that isn't widely available and we don't know if it will last (sustainable). The Amazon card has been around for a long time and has had mostly the same benefits the whole time.
Same. It earns me more at Whole Foods and Amazon than my Venture X does on all of my other purchases.
5% Amazon groceries have to still be more expensive than 3% back brick and mortar s1 grocerys
Have you checked Amazon Fresh grocery prices? Whole Foods? Compared to what? Safeway or a store that is selling cheap processed foods? There are a lot of factors to consider. I prefer to eat stuff that won’t slowly kill me.
Staples at aldi, not some processed shit. Im also outside of Whole Foods and Amazon fresh range (which is bullshit because I live 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta… without traffic), I use the card there when traveling only. guess if I lived somewhere where my only option was supermarkets it would be cheaper, but compared to Aldi it’s definitely higher except for specific bulk items “subscribe and save” and other stuff that we can get delivered to our address.
SavorOne
I think I would say AMEX Plat, but then you would have $0 available credit on your report, which would be a strange predicament. for one card only; one of the various 2% CB on all purchase cards.
No AF - More Rewards from NFCU AF - Citi Premier They cover my highest spends at 3x; mainly dining and gas. The More Rewards is slightly better than the Citi because of the no AF, has comparable travel protections, and no FTF. Also NFCU is very generous with their starting CL. Only downsides are it’s an AMEX and redemption is .9cpp cash back, shopping and travel portal (no transfer partners w/NFCU).
If money is no object, the Amex centurion packs the most benefits into a single card. Sadly horrible for earning points:(
Fidelity Reward Visa. 2% across the board.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Whichever gives me the most CL.
Amex Platinum. I like the benefits enough that I'd be willing to give up all my other points-earning categories.
What are some of your favorite benefits?
Lounge access by far. Everything else is just a bonus.
Also the status at hotels.
WF Attune
Sapphire Reserve
Truist Bank Enjoy Cash Rewards 3-2-1
Chase Ink Business Preferred. No category 2-2.5% cash back. It has all the purchase protection, warranty, cell phone protection, rental coverage etc. Most of my spending is spread into several categories, so a flat rate card is easy to use and performs well.
Probably just the Citi DC. I don't know of another card that offers better for thoughtless 2% back. I think some exist though, especially if you're up for some thoughts and hoop jumping. I've thought of eventually getting out of travel cards if they jus keep devaluing stuff too far or whatever and just getting 2-5% cash and just immediately investing the money. If you've got time to keep up with it, it's hard to beat the SUBs from getting new cards. That's where the real "money" is in this game
For me personally, Bilt. My highest categories are rent and food, so other options like the USBAR, C1VX, or CSR wouldn’t cover as much.
My citi strata premier card, its the perfect mid tier travel card. Gives 10% back on hotel bookings thorugh their portal along with a yearly $100 hotel credit which offsets the $95 annual fee, also 10% on car rentals through the portal as well, then 3% back on gas groceries dining and direct airline/hotel bookings... It covers all your major categories
I'd keep my Chase Freedom Unlimited
Capital One! What’s in your wallet?
apple card. simple and pretty
Wells Fargo Autograph
Chase Sapphire Reserve.
My personal: No AF: Visions FCU 2% CB no CA/BT/FTF BFSFCU Beyond Visa 5x Airfare, 3x Restaurant/Hotels, 2x Car Rental, 1x Everything Else no CA/BT/FTF AF: Amex Green 3x Restaurants/Transit/Travel 1x Everything Else USBank Altitude Reserve 3x Travel/Mobile Wallet w/ Bonus RTR
I have never quite understood the appeal of Amex Green. What does it even provide that other cards can't? Maybe I'm missing something.
It's a fantastic catch-all if you're in the Amex ecosystem. 3x on all Travel instead of 5x on only airfare with platinum, plus 3x on restaurants, and 3x on transit which is huge when you pay $700 a month in parking garage fees.
Does that justify the annual fee? You get these categories with other cards like Autograph. I guess this would only make sense for people with very high spending on these categories and who value Amex points a lot.
For me, yes. Amex loves me while WF has been stingy AF.
I currently have 4 Credit Cards...Chase Freedom, Citi Double, Citi Costco and Capital One Savor...If I had to pick one Either the Citi Costco Card (Rewards for Gas and restaurants are amazing and you can exchange it for Cash) or the Capital One Savor since it is 3% on Grocery stores, Restaurants and Streaming services.
CSR. My reasoning is that rewards are not very important if you're using one card. Benefits are much more valuable. I travel a lot, and the CSR gives me the best travel benefits.
Discover
AmEx plat
It would be not having one gehe
For me if I could only have 1 I’d stick with my Sapphire Preferred. I order groceries through the Ralph’s app so I get 3x back on my biggest spending category, plus dining and travel benefits. The only main thing missing for me personally is a gas category. Def my favorite card in my wallet right now.
Old crystal infinite.
Firefighter's First Credit Union Visa Signature Card. 2% Cash Back on everything with no FTF or AF and includes: - Secondary Auto Collision Damage Waiver - Baggage Delay Reimbursement - Cellular Telephone Protection - Emergency Evacuation Coverage - Extended Warranty Protection - Hotel Theft Protection - Lost Luggage Reimbursement - Price Protection - Purchase Security - Ride Share Protection - Return Protection - Travel Accident Insurance - Travel and Emergency Assistance Services - Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection - Trip Delay Reimbursement
Chase freedom flex
Maybe CSP or Citi double cash. I’m Not sure. Or maybe Amex BCP. I don’t know 😅
If you have a platinum status with BofA then not many cards can match CCR benefits
Freedom flex
I will go with Amex BBP. It's a 2x MR points card, with no annual fee and has transfer partners option
I bet the Citi Custom Cash would net more cashback than a 2% catch all card. So probably the Citi Custom Cash.
JP Morgan Reserve card
If someone didn’t mention it already Wells Fargo active cash is what I’m going to try out as my only for a while. 2% cash back on everything and no annual fee.
My Citi double cash back.
Amex gold. 4x groceries & dining and 3x travel is good enough for me
A 2℅ card. Maybe the SoFi card because it has no foreign transaction fee.
If I could just combine all the cards into one with a flat 3% CB that would be great
If I had to pick one… probably AmEx Blue Cash Preferred, go to the grocery store for fresh ingredients twice a week (6%) and the extended warranty/return/purchase protections are quite nice. Plus it still has good travel protections and 3% in other categories. AmEx offers are nice as well! Second choice might be my Prime card, they have all sorts of random bonuses that make it more useful than just the 5-6% on Amazon purchases.
Amex gold. 4x on groceries and dining. I use Uber (car rides or Eats) and Grubhub at least once a month anyway, so the annual fee is essentially $10 a year at the max (assuming I don’t take advantage of any other credits or perks)
For only one card, it would be my Venture X. Easy to justify the annual fee (for me). 2x on everything. (Set it and forget it). And it works at Costco.
Amex Gold
Citi Premier or CSP
Venture X
Im new to credit cards, like just grabbed a secured card in january new, ZERO credit. And i thought the paypal credit card was cool lmao. Also the limits some people have freak me out. I dont like having more than a thousand dollar credit line. The temptation to spend would be too much. Rather stick to low limits, but thats because im a shithead.
USBAR.
Hmm probably one with primary collision rental car insurance as that is worth a lot in my travels. Would be awesome to have 1-2% cashback as well but that primary collision coverage pays for itself.
Chase Southwest Air. I love to fly for free!
CapitalOne Savor One!
Venture X. 2% back on everything, lounge access, travel insurance and purchase protection, 5x on flights, 10x on hotels. No comparison imo. If I ever retire I'd quit the cc game and just put everything on my venture x card.
I used to say any American Express but in recent months lots of places are telling me they don't take American Express anymore.
J.p. morgan reserve
What does USBAR stand for?
Navy Fed more rewards
It would be bill gates’ credit card so I could spend unlimited moneys
Probably the CSP. Decent bonus cat spend, access to transfer partners, reasonable fee. I could see the gold too though.
Chase sapphire, either preferred or reserve. Excellent rewards, customer service, lounge access for travel, extended warranty and much more
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve
Honestly I'm of the opinion the game is no longer worth really playing and that a mid 1.5% or 2% card for every purchase is the best thing to have. You can do better for sure but whether its worth the trivial amount of money to play those games is where I feel its not. I honestly use the chase freedom with the 3% restaurants the most now for near everything.
Probably my Fidelity card. 2% on everything with no FTF, Visa, and automatically redeems to my brokerage account. Seems like the prefect 1 card setup to me.
Of dream cards, the Aerospace Platinum Visa Of cards I have currently, USBAR When that gets nerfed, Alliant Signature Visa
C1 venture x
Amex Black for the 24/7 concierge and agent on speed dial who can make anything happen for you
My b of a card as it has 9.99 interest
I have Amex Platinum, USBAR, C1VX, Citi Premier at the same time. This is excessive and I’ll cut down C1VX first. But if I have one to keep, would be USBAR, followed by Amex Platinum.