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As points and miles collectors, we devote a lot of time to finding the perfect card for every purchase. We frequently talk about the importance of creating a card portfolio centered around what you spend the most money on, whether that's restaurants, traveling, office supply stores, groceries, or anything else you spend a lot of money on.
But, most of us don't have dozens of cards to suit dozens of spending categories. Moreover, not every purchase fits neatly into a specific bonus category. In these situations, having a solid card for everyday purchases is critical.
Like any other category, the ‘best' card for everyday purchases is subjective—depending entirely on your travel goals and preferences. However, there are certainly a few clear-cut industry leaders. These are the cards we're going to focus on today.
Let's look at the cards that you'll want to reach for when you are not:
- Working on the minimum spend for a sign-up bonus on a new card.
- Working towards a spending threshold for elite status, free nights, etc.
- Collecting a specific rewards currency to reach a travel goal.
Our Picks — The Best Credit Card for Everyday Use
All hail the kings! For most points and miles collectors, either a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is going to be the best choice. Both earn 2X Capital One miles on every purchase. The decision between the two comes down to which other perks you want from the card — and how high of an annual fee you're willing to invest.
- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening; worth $750 in travel if redeemed for a fixed-value, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 2 Miles on every purchase
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $100)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The Capital One Venture charges a modest $95 annual fee and offers two complimentary Capital One lounge visits per year and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every 4 years. Plus, new cardholders can earn a 75,000-mile bonus once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
- 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases
- 5 miles per dollar on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel
Meanwhile, the Capital One Venture X charges a much heftier $395 annual fee. However, you'll gain a $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass Select lounge membership, Hertz President's Circle elite status, and unlimited access to Capital One's lounges. Plus, cardholders get a 10,000-point bonus each anniversary — which is worth a minimum of $100. For even occasional travelers, the Capital One Venture X is going to be the best option, as long as you're able to afford the annual fee upfront and utilize the travel credit.
New Capital One Venture X cardholders can earn a 75,000-mile bonus when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
The real joy of using the Capital One Venture X or Capital One Venture is the redemption flexibility it provides. You can redeem Capital One miles for 1¢ each against any travel purchases made with the card. Or, more advanced users can transfer miles to 18 different travel partners. Smart cardmembers can use these partner programs to get outsized value from their miles.
Related: Share Capital One Venture and Spark Miles with Anyone
The Best Credit Card with No Annual Fee
- Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter.
- You've got the power to use your Card beyond its credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power.
- *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is not unlimited. It adjusts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors.
- 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 18.24% - 26.24%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter.
For points and miles collectors looking to avoid an annual fee, the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is going to be the best card for everyday purchases. This is thanks, in part, to its ability to earn 2X Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year (then 1x).
Even if you value Membership Rewards at a conservative 1.7-1.8¢ per point, that represents a phenomenal 3.4-3.6% return on every dollar. The lack of an annual fee seals the deal.
The one downside is that the Blue Business Plus is—as the name implies—a business card. Consequently, not everyone will qualify to get one. That said, you might be surprised at what qualifies as a business.
Related: Highlights of the Blue Business Plus
Best Credit Card for Everyday Purchases in the First Year
The Discover it® Miles card stands out as particularly lucrative in its first year. A staple of Discover's card offerings, this card offers 1.5X points (worth 1¢ in cash back each) on every purchase. However, at the end of your first year of card membership, Discover matches every point you've earned. This effectively makes it a 3% cash back card for the first year. That's a killer return from a card charging no annual fee.
Related: Discover it Miles Card Review
Best Everyday Purchase Card to Complement Another
If you're looking to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase, this card also comes with one of the best available introductory APR offers on balance transfers.
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
- 2% cash back on every purchase - 1% when you buy + 1% when you pay
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the (Variable) APR will be 18.99% - 28.99% based on your creditworthiness
- Intro fee 3% of each transfer ($5 min) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, 5% of each transfer ($5 min).
- No annual fee
Until recently, the Citi® Double Cash Card provided a solid 2% cash back on every purchase—1% cash back at purchase, and 1% at payment. Since it had (and still has) zero annual fee, this made it a solid cashback option for everyday purchases.
However, Citi recently improved how the card earns rewards. Instead of cashback, the Citi Double Cash now earns Citi ThankYou points. These points can still be cashed out at 1 cent per point, so you're still able to get 2% cashback as a baseline. But now you can transfer the points earned through the Citi Double Cash to three airline and hotel transfer partners.
Even after these improvements, the maximum value is unlocked if you also hold a ThankYou point-earning card — like the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card. By linking the ThankYou points earned by these cards, the Citi Double Cash effectively earns unlimited, fully-transferrable 2X ThankYou points on every purchase.
With $0 annual fee, this makes the Citi Double Cash perhaps the most effective sidekick card in credit card rewards.
Related: Get 2% Cash Back With the Citi Double Cash
Best Card to Redeem for Travel Statement Credits
- 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases
- 5 miles per dollar on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel
Cards that allow you to redeem rewards for a statement credit are a small but mighty sub-category of credit card rewards. They combine the best of both cash back and point-earning worlds, allowing cardmembers to cut out-of-pocket travel expenses even more.
The obvious front runner in this category is — once again — the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card card. Both cards earn 2X miles on every purchase. And cardholders can redeem Capital One miles for 1¢ each against any travel purchases made with the card. Or, redeem miles directly when booking through the Capital One Travel portal.
Related: Share Capital One Venture and Spark Miles with Anyone
Best Cash Back Card For Leveraging Savings
The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card card is an unsung hero in the world of credit card rewards. That's because it offers the ability to earn the highest ongoing cash back rate on everyday purchases of almost any card available.
Although the Bank of America Premium Rewards Card has the word “Premium” in its name, don't be fooled into thinking it charges a high annual fee. In reality, it falls neatly into the mid-tier rewards card arena, charging a modest $95 annual fee.
On the surface, the benefits are what you'd expect for a card at that price range. It earns 2X points on travel and dining purchases, 1.5X on everything else, and comes with a 50,000-point sign-up bonus - a $500 value - after you make at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. Points are worth a fixed 1¢ a piece towards cash back.
With that said, the fun ultimately starts when you hold assets with Bank of America. The bank provides additional credit card rewards for its banking clients, offering progressively better benefits for more assets.
If you have $100K+ in assets with Bank of America or Merrill Lynch, the rewards earned on your Bank of America Premium Rewards Card get a 75% boost. That translates into earning 3.5% cash back on travel and dining, plus an un-matchable 2.625% cash back on everything else.
Related: Bank of America Premium Rewards Card Review
Best Credit Card for Mobile Wallet Purchases
One of few cards to offer a mobile wallet bonus category, payments made with Apple Pay®, Google Pay™, Samsung Pay, and LG Pay® will earn 3x, as do purchases on travel. Thus, the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is the best credit card for everyday spending when paying with your phone.
While the card does have a $400 annual fee, this is offset by $325 in annual travel credits, a $100 statement credit for your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee, Priority Pass membership, and other benefits.
Moreover, your Altitude points can be used for “Real-Time Rewards” instantly. Rather than needing to use a portal, you can redeem your earnings against purchases you've made with your card (but only at U.S. merchants). When redeeming your rewards against travel purchases, they are worth 1.5¢ each–rather than the 1¢ redemption value against other purchases or for a statement credit. Thus, you can earn 3x via mobile wallet purchases, and these points can effectively be worth 4.5x when redeemed against travel purchases.
Note that there is a minimum of $500 on lodging and $250 on car rentals to redeem points. If you want to redeem your points for values less than this, you can either use your points to book directly in the U.S. Bank travel portal or for a statement credit.
The 14 Best Rewards Credit Cards for Everyday Purchases
We've covered a lot of ground already. But in case you're a more visual learner, here's a table plotting 12 of the best cards for everyday spending next to each other. We drew the line for qualification at potential returns of 2% returns or above:
| Credit Card | Points Earned on Everyday Purchases | Other Bonus Categories | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. | $95 |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. | N/A | No annual fee - Rates & Fees |
| Discover it® Miles | 1.5 Miles per dollar on all purchases. Discover will match all the Miles you've earned at the end of your first year | N/A | $0 |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card | 1.5X points on non-bonus purchase—up to 2.625X points for those with $100k+ in qualifying savings | 2X points on travel and dining—up to 3.5X for those with $100k+ in qualifying savings | $95 |
| Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Credit Card | Earn up to 2.5% cash back on your first $10,000 of qualifying eligible purchases (1.5% for purchases over $10,000) | N/A | |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® | 1.5% cash back on all purchases | 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other purchases | $0 |
| Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card | 1 point on all purchases - 50% extra points when you make 30+ purchases in a billing cycle (1.5X MR points) | 3X points at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year 2X points at US gas stations | $95 |
| Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card | 2% cash back on all purchases, plus bonuses for holding $250k+ in eligible assets | N/A | $0 |
| Citi® Double Cash Card | Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases | N/A | $0 |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card | Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases | N/A | $0 |
| Capital One Spark Cash Plus | 2% Cash Back on every purchase and 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | N/A | $150 |
| American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card | Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement. | N/A | No annual fee - Rates & Fees |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. | $95 |
| Capital One Spark Miles for Business | Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account. 2 Miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere. Unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | 5X miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel℠ | $0 intro for first year; $95 after that |
| U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card | 3X points on eligible mobile wallet purchases using Apple Pay®, Google Pay™ and Samsung Pay | 5X points prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center, 3X on eligible travel purchases and mobile wallet spending, 1X on all other purchases | $400 |
To make a long story short, the best card for everyday purchases is tied directly to your current travel goals. If you plan on transferring flexible points to airlines for premium cabin award travel, Capital One miles, Ultimate Rewards points, or Membership Rewards points are likely to get you there a lot faster than earning cash back.
Conversely, if you’re banking fixed-value points or cash back for miscellaneous travel expenses, cards like the Capital One Venture or Bank of America Premium Rewards Card can provide a higher rate of return.
Card choice also depends on your level of experience in the points and miles world. Experienced award travelers familiar with flexible award currency can often leverage points for higher values than those with less experience. This changes the calculation in favor of earning flexible points. Specifically, those just starting may achieve better returns on everyday purchases with a flat 2% cash back card than a card earning flexible points.
Cards That Almost Make the List
Several cards typically feature on ‘best card for non-bonus spend’ lists that we’ve deliberately not included here, for a variety of reasons.
- Rotating bonus category cards like the Discover it® Cash Back and Chase Freedom Flex℠
— While the return on bonus categories can be as high as 5-10%, these cards earn 1% on every day, non-bonus purchases. - Co-brand airline cards like the Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card — Experienced award travelers can achieve huge returns on Alaska miles when redeemed for first or business class flights. However, not all travelers are going to have the knowledge required to consistently earn more than 2%.
- Co-brand hotel cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card — Earns 3X points on non-bonus purchases, giving the appearance of a high net return. But, if you've been in the game long enough, you'll know that all points don't have equal value. Hilton Honors points are worth roughly 0.4-0.5¢ per point, returning under the 2% threshold we’d consider a good return on everyday purchases.
Final Thoughts
We consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card the perfect card for everyday purchases. Both earn an unlimited 2X Capital One miles plus other travel benefits.
However, if you qualify for Bank of America's Platinum Honors tier, you can't beat the Bank of America Premium Rewards Card‘s cash back.
For those looking for the perfect card to complement your portfolio, you ought to consider the Citi Double Cash or Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
But, perhaps the most important thing to get across, in summary, is that there is no ‘one best card’ for everyday spending. The best card is tied directly to your current travel goals—where you want to go, how you’re going to get there, and where you're going to stay. Our advice is not to agonize over ringing every last cent out of your everyday spending. Instead, focus on a strategy that provides the best return for the time you’re willing to invest.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
In Argentina, the Visa Credit card from Santander Rio Bank is pretty useful and fees are really low. The only problem that i´m facing now is that any bank is associated with the AAdvantage miles program from American Airlines, so it´s getting really difficult to earn miles with my daily purchases.
I hope in the future we can get that miles program back to Argentinians banks.
Hi, I have the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card and 98% of my “everyday” purchases earn 3% return (4.5% if redeemed for travel)! Almost every retailer has Applepay options now, and even if they don’t my Samsung S7 ($30 on ebay) with MST covers the ones that don’t.
That means I’m raking in almost 200k a year in points to use! Also the AOLFCU has the 3% everyday card that has been going for 3 years strong and its not listed here either. I would definitely consider adding these to the list (maybe you won’t earn an affiliate fee but it would legitimize your article) for a best “everyday” card.
Hi Philip, thanks for the suggestion. That’s a great strategy with the Altitude Reserve. We do have multiple cards featured in this post for which we don’t earn a commission. We generally stay away from credit union products that aren’t broadly available.
Happy Update on this.
Had a decent amount of non-bonus spend coming up and went on chat to see if there was any card I could convert my old Blue for Business and was offered the BBP! Did it right away and have happily increased my MR points total by paying most of my non-bonus spend (utilities, insurance, etc.) with it.
The AMEX Platinum card has always been fantastic for me. Esp during covid when many travel benefits are not applicable they have provided other fantastic benefits for groceries and delivery apps.
The costumer service has always been fantastic – and worth the annual feel.
I am not sure I agree with the recommendation for the American Express card. I have a Capital One card that also provides 2X points on every purchase. I pay $95 a year (compared to free for the Amex card), but I find that the capital one card is accepted in more locations. Also, I earn 2X points on all my purchases. I spend about $120k a year on the business card.
The blue business Amex is limited to $50k and then goes down to 1x points. Thus, $70K of my spending would get only 1X points. I get 70,000 more points with the Capital one card, which at 1.5 cents per point would be about $1,000 in extra value. The Capital One card also lets me spend the points as cash to pay for gasoline or Amazon purchases. This has only a 1c per mile value. But it is still $700 worth of value for paying a $95 annual fee.
I really love my Freedom Unlimited for all unbonused spend. It helps me take advantage of using my credit card for more than 1c/per point.
I do get a lot of use out of my Blue Business Plus – the only unfortunate thing about it is the big spending charges that I have – like annual insurance – don’t accept American Express. I hope more and more business keep accepting Amex because I’d like to use it more often!
The Freedom Unlimited’s 3% on drugstores is underrated — you can buy gift cards to other merchants at most drug stores, thereby earning 3% at a wide variety of merchants
I’ll add a comment regarding one of the cards that almost made the list – the Freedom Flex. The 5% back is wonderful, but the rotating categories, while only changing quarterly, are still somehow too much to keep up with. I always find myself standing at the gas pump or in a drug store or at the grocery store trying to remember which card to use – and I usually choose wrong. Simplify your life and go with one of the cards that offer blanket 1.5x to 2x cash back!
I’d say that the PayPal Cashback is a strong contender for one of the top everyday cards, as it has no FTF or AF. Doesn’t have a whole lot in terms of travel protections, but the same can be said of the Citi Double Cash.
What about Alliant Visa Platinum Rewards? I believe it’s a flat 2% and has no annual fee, unlike Alliant Cashback Visa Signature.
Looks like a good option as well.
My strategy may help someone with similar interests (asumes not pursuing a sign up bonus):
1) BOFA cash rewards for online purchases (3% for the first $2,500 per quarter) and sometimes Costco 2%
2) Chase Freedom Unlimited for dinning 3% and sometimes Costco 1.5%
3) Everything else Citi Double cash 2% (not a big gas spender, so I use this one as well)
I value simplicity and not having annual fees. Hope it helps someone.
Used the Double Cash until I opened the Freedom Unlimited (to stack with my CSR)
It is a very good news because many times we access card promotions because we associate the. With banks or jobs thar we do and iit id mandatory for dependents. All that news in times of pandemia bring us closer. To the futures. Travels. Its a pleasure to know these benefits
Very well laid out list. Glad to see Citi Double Cash still makes the cut!
It’s great that you put together this list!! I was just in the process of choosing a new credit card. Earning miles is essential!
With Citi Double Cash had(still has?) a minimum redemption of $25. Meaning we can’t cash it out until we put at least $1,250 spend on it. So I didn’t find it particularly appealing.
Also, I wish you included Costco Citi Visa – a great card with potential for 4% discount in Costco purchases (with $120 membership) and no Foreign transaction fees, etc.
How does the two Charles Schwab American Express compare with these cards?
The Costco card certainly has great potential, but only for Costco purchases. This article focused on cards that earn a solid return on all spending.
And you’re right on the Double Cash. I just checked on my card and there is indeed a $25 minimum redemption amount.
On the Schwab card, the “Schwab Investor Card® from American Express” (which I assume you’re referencing) earns 1.5% cashback on all purchases. Not bad, but not great.
I use the Bank of America Premium Rewards card as my everyday card. The 2.625% cash back on everything is unbeatable. The easiest way to get $100K in assets with Bank of America is to move your IRA into Merrill Lynch. They also gave me a $1K bonus just for moving my IRA from another bank to Merrill.
Aeroplan American express email for a new card coming out in Nov has a waitlist bonus of 5000 miles. This is in addition to the promotional sign up bonus when the card comes out. This is the first time I’ve seen a waitlist bonus.
In my opinion, to choose the correct credit card will depend of the objective and goal of the person. If the person wants to gain miles from an especific airline, he/she must to make sure that the credit card is affiliated to that airline.
On the other hand, if the fees and the Maintainance of this credit card are high, the person must to evaluate if this is the best option to gain miles or other ways are moré suitable.
For me cash is king so I would go for the Citibank cash back card that gives 2% cash back.
Right now I am thinking that the Freedom Unlimited is the best earner for me. I have the Sapphire and freedom and paired with the Unlimited adds up quickly. I do use my Amex Everyday for groceries though. Right now these are the best cards for me, though I have been looking at the Citi Double CashBack card. I am really trying to boost my UR points so really focusing on Chase and I believe it gives me the best return anyway.
I have the old Blue for Business card, which only earns 1x. I wonder if I can product change to the Plus. With Amex’ stricter approval standards and low or no welcome bonus, it seems the change would be the most worthwhile.
Kevin,
I’m in the same situation and have requested to product change from the old Blue for Business to the Blue Business Plus. I figured it would be straight forward as both are No AF Business Cards. For reasons no one has been able to explain so far it is not an allowed product change. At least not for me.
I have tried calling and using the chat function and struck out both times.
Please try it and let us know if you have any luck.
CFU has become one of my go-to cards for everyday spend just because of the transfer possibilities through the Sapphires that make the points more valuable than a straight 2% cash back.
Wish Chase would up the freedom unlimited and freedom flex to 2x points to compete with the others
Great summary. One of the hardest thing I have to remember to do is keep detailed notes of when I openedvand closed the accounts. Sometimes you’re only allowed one promo within a given time period and I have messed up once and miss out on a promo because of it.
Amex everyday is my go to, the best for food and fuel!
I got targeted for extra 1% spend on the fidelity 2% card for a total of 3% back (up to $6000) this is definitely my favorite card. I shop a lot at costco and they only take Visa.
Excellent list! Many bloggers exclude the cards they don’t get affiliate fees for.
I had Capital One and then Barclay Arrival, but neither would wave the annual fee so I jumped to the Alliant 3% first year then 2.5%. I like not having to play the game of looking for travel to credit. I also use the Freedom Unlimited for 1.5x UR, and the SPG. I am constantly transferring points from SPG and find fewer opportunities from Chase UR. My next card is probably the Blue Business Plus. Of course these are all for otherwise unbonused spend.
What’s the complication to using Alaska Air?
level of knowledge required to return more than 2% on non-bonus spending is too high for a lot of people
I’ve used Alaska air by getting multiple B of A cards and transferring points from SPG
Got Emirates before the devaluation.
Wondering if I’m missing something more. thanks!
I have trouble remembering which card to use where to maximize rewards. Got an easy way?
Use a sticky note on each card?
This is useful. I need to update my everyday purchases card.
I really appreciate this “Best Credit Card for… ” series that you’ve been running. Thanks.
You’re welcome!
I just got the CFU! I’m excited cuz I’m planning a trip to SYD for my hubby in several years and I need to build points asap.
Since I have the CF and CSP it’ll be easy and I’ll be able to treat him to first to SYD with United, hopefully.
I do have to say that the Alaska Airlines card has been poking at me. People have only nice thing to say about it.
I think I might have to first see how my dad likes them since I’d be flying him mostly on them.
Great info. Wish it included cards for Canadian residents to select from.
We don’t know nearly enough of how the financial system works in Canada, along with all of the available credit cards to be able to provide enough insight. Sorry!
What about the Chase Sapphire Reserve? Is that worth keeping?
For me, 100% yes, no questions asked. I wouldn’t make it my everyday card though, because it only earns 1x except on dining/travel. I’d pair it with a Freedom Unlimited (which is what I actually do) https://awardwallet.com/blog/create-ultimate-travel-rewards-credit-card-combo/
Thanks Howie. My main card is the Wells Fargo Advisors By Invitation card and I run all of my day to day through that. Do you have an opinion on that card also?
I’m assuming you’ve got $1MM+ with them to avoid the annual fee. Effectively this is a cash back card as the points have a fixed redemption value. at 3% back on travel with a kicker when you hit $75k in total spend it isn’t bad — but it depends on your goals. Mine are international business/first class travel + nice hotels/suites. If you’re spending a lot on travel+dining, and your goals are similar to mine, you’re probably better with the Sapphire Reserve. All that said, we likely have different goals and want to put in different amounts of effort to maximize the value of the points/rewards we earn — I’ll obsess about it and will lose sleep — if you’re in that camp, stick with my approach. If not, you may be better with what you’ve got purely due to the ease of redemption.
I don’t have a business, so I like using the Citi double cash card for everyday purchases.
I tend to agree with Thomas. My go-to cards tend to always be my Chase ones.
I buy gas extremely rarely, only when I’m in someone’s car for long enough to justify it, so it’s not a card for my everyday use, but PenFed’s Platinum Rewards Visa card has the best rebate on Gas I’m aware of. 5 points per dollar. About 5800 points is redeemable for an prepaid $50 Visa card
2x points is an excellent return with the Blue Biz, but although there is some crossover with transfer partners, overall I find more value with Chase than with AmEx, so most of my unbonused spend goes on the Freedom Unlimited.
First/Business international travel
If it were me, I’d do this: https://awardwallet.com/blog/create-ultimate-travel-rewards-credit-card-combo/
That’s good advice, generally speaking, but not so helpful if the commenter is looking for more AA miles. He’d be better off with SPG while it lasts.
Sure, but do we know that?
We don’t, but just making the same assumption you did that the poster was predisposed to travel on AA.
I current have Citi Aadvantage Card which I basically use for travel benefits. Is there a better card for travel?
100% yes, but it all depends on your goals and what point/miles you’re currently collecting. If the Citi AA card is good for the travel benefits I’m assuming you’re flying with AA most of the time — but what are your travel goals? First class international flights? hotel suites? domestic weekend getaways? I’d suggest you check out our Facebook group: Award Travel 101 (https://Award.Travel/101) — a great resource of almost 40,000 people that can help guide you down the best path.
Capitol one venture gives 2 points on all purchases as well?
It does indeed. 2 “miles” — they’re a fixed value rewards currency. Why would you want 2 “miles” when each mile is worth exactly 1 cent, when you could just get 2% cash back. Learn more about flexible vs fixed rewards here: https://awardwallet.com/blog/beginners-guide-credit-card-rewards-transferable-vs-fixed-value-points/
Any card better than Double Cash on ‘all other purchases’?
Depends on your goal(s). I’d use a Freedom Unlimited over a Citi Double Cash myself as I see that as a minimum of 2.25% return.
So I just got Biz Blue Plus, so do I still need to keep my SPG Biz?
If you want to continue earning SPG points, yes.
For my day to day spending I prefer to diversity and simplify and just use the Double Cash… the CFU technically earns more with a CSR but I don’t ALWAYS redeem for travel, and it limits my options. I’d rather forego the extra .25% value for straight up cash.
Solid point and a brilliant strategy. Every strategy needs cash.
Could you please explain the abbreviations you’re using? I’m a beginner :). Thanks!
Chase Freedom Unlimited (CFU)
Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR)
Thanks for the review… i really do have to apply for another card soon. I will have to look into what if any (im in Canada) might work. cheers
I put just about everything either on my CFU or on my SPG. Hands down some of my favourite cards.
Personally I go with the Chase Freedom
Over the Freedom Unlimited? You’d earn .5 points/dollar more with the Freedom Unlimited!
The Sparks Cash has an annual fee, looks like they increased it from $59. Still has a $500 bonus.
Annual Fee: $0 intro for the first year, $95 after that
Good catch, table updated. Thanks.