What credit card(s) do you use that give you the best rewards? I charge everything to my credit card and pay it off each month. I've been using my Wells Fargo card for the longest time, but I'm trying to maximize my money and put it to the best use. I charge roughly $1800-$2400 on it a month. Any recommendations? Only looking for one new card.
Interested to see responses to this as well. As our finances have been better, we no longer carry a balance on our card either, and would love to get some value out of it like you're looking to do.
I think cash back cards are overall the best deal. Thats kind of boring though so I do airline travel cards. My reasoning is that I wont pay $thousands out of pocket to fly somewhere exotic but I will use air miles for it. Me and my wife go somewhere at least once a year and often twice a year and I never pay much for it. Each card gives a big starting bonus if you reach a spending mark which works out to be a free ticket right out of the gates. Out of the airline cards Alaska is the best if you are from the NW. Alaska gives the best return on their points value, they give you a companion fare to use every year and they are an overall good airline. Delta is good also but its an amex card so its somewhat limited. Out of United and American I would go with United, you get a free vip lounge pass on United and they have a better network for redemption than American. If you dont like travel then it depends on what you spend your money on. Starbucks has a good card, so does Amazon and Costco.
We use the Costco Citicard. You get 1% back on most stuff. You get 2% back on some Costco charges and you get 2% back on Costco gas. We charge about $5,000 to $6,000 a month and we get w nice check once a year. This makes their gas really cheap which helps since the dealer has recommended that we burn super.
Hilton AmEx. Great ratio of purchases : points (rooms) Roughly $3,500/mo purchases (everything we can purchase on the card, we do). Have never paid a nickle interest in probably 20 years.
Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred with 80k bonus The Chase Sapphire Reward has better rewards value, but its 500 a year. Comes with Priority Pass and TSA Precheck though, so if you fly its worth it. If you need those, get that one. AMEX Platinum gets you into their lounges. However the priority pass you get with that can't be used for restaurants in the network, the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Citi Pretiege is better for that. Citi Prestiege has buy 3, get a 4th night free on hotels. Only get a card that gives you a phat sign up bonus, so the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The Chase Sapphire Reserve when it first came out gave 100k bonus I think. As they are looking for new clients right now in this financial situation, that may come back. Who knows. The benefits aren't as good as they used to be though.
I haven't paid a penny in interest since 1973 when I bought one of those Bullova watches with the tuning fork for $100 on my VISA card. Paid it off and swore to never pay interest again except for my very cheap VA loan on a house. Current house is paid for. Brand new expensive car is paid for.
American Express Blue card gives 3 percent back on groceries. As I cook a lot that's a good deal for me.
Chase / Amazon have a 5% back on Amazon purchases and 3% cash back on gas and 1 or 2 % On other purchases. Alaska is good for air miles.
Alaska also gives you a Companion Fare ticket per year, no international transaction fees and waived check bag fee Basically sign up with the best sign up bonus. Right now that's Chase sapphire preffered. I'd go Costco as the second choice then the Capitol One Venture.
Tip Lanny...you can buy a small pint of Logans ethanol at a parts store and add half of it to a tank of regular gas and bing0...you have super....one bottle good for two tanks..
I guess I am bragging. However, I went from a very poor little boy to where I am now by studying hard in school and by tenacity in sticking with it even though I had to endure some real obstacles like a nasty nasty divorce. Had to live through the Army to get the GI Bill and the $110/month from the government to pay for my engineering education, a very very difficult diploma I might add. Yeah, not an easy route to where I am now.
I can definitely relate to that, Sir. Poor kid living in a rich town, quit high school in 10th grade (stupid, stupid, STUPID!) mainly because I couldn't stand the pretentiousness @ Lakeridge High. Have always been a hard worker and have pretty much made it in the working world by following a few principles: 1) Work steady/hard; 2) be dependable; 3) be supportive to my boss; 4) get along with others and be nice as far as it depends on me. I've had to reinvent myself career-wise about 4 or 5 times along the way. Add flexibility to that list.
Capitol One Venture is giving you 100k points if you spend $20k in one year. https://www.capitalone.com/credit-c...PW4ADCdR8Ldt9DXflNUbncCD8bEucdvBoClssQAvD_BwE Earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening, or still earn 50,000 miles if you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. 1 Earn unlimited 2X Miles on every purchase and redeem them on any hotel, airline or travel purchase with no blackout dates Rewards don’t expire for the life of the account Receive up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® fee 2