Any 3% CB Travel Credit Cards with no AF?

Anonymous · ‎03-05-2016

From what I know currently the cards would be:

1. AARP Travel Rewards - you can only get this card now with a PC from the AARP Rewards card as the Travel card is no longer accepting new apps

2. Sam's Club Mastercard

are there any others I'm missing?

kdm31091 · ‎03-05-2016

@Anonymous wrote:
From what I know currently the cards would be:

1. AARP Travel Rewards - you can only get this card now with a PC from the AARP Rewards card as the Travel card is no longer accepting new apps

2. Sam's Club Mastercard

are there any others I'm missing?

The Sam's Club technically has an AF as per the terms, you have to maintain membership. So you are in effect paying a fee to have the card whether you actually shop at Sam's or not.

Bank of America's AAA card has 3% travel, with no annual fee, but looking at the terms, it seems rather restrictive/user unfriendly. You have to have 5,000 poins to redeem for cash/statement credit, points expire in 5 years...generally, programs with lots of hoops like that aren't much fun. You get 3 points/dollar on travel, 2 points on gas/groceries/drugstores, 1 point elsewhere, which is nice, but other than the extra 1 point on travel, no better than your Double Cash, and more hoops. I would think if the reward system was decent, more people would have the AAA card, but I've heard several comments that BOA's point system is rather inflexible/too many hoops.

I suppose technically since you are "supposed" to have AAA membership with that card that is kind of an annual fee. Who knows whether it is enforced.

creditfan · ‎03-05-2016

Security Service Power Travel Rewards

https://www.ssfcu.org/en-us/loans-credit/credit-cards/Pages/travel-rewards.aspx

FinStar · ‎03-05-2016

@creditfan wrote:
Security Service Power Travel Rewards

https://www.ssfcu.org/en-us/loans-credit/credit-cards/Pages/travel-rewards.aspx

Provided the OP meets their eligibility criteria:

It's Easy to Join Security Service Ways to Join

Joining Security Service is quick and easy! You may qualify for membership if:

You live, work, worship, attend school, or your business is located in select areas of Texas (San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi), Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, Broomfield), or Utah (Salt Lake and Utah counties).
You’re a member of select military branches/units or a Department of Defense employee at specific military bases within our service areas.
You're a family or household member1 of an existing member.
You're a volunteer in select areas of Texas (San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi), Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, Broomfield), or Utah (Salt Lake and Utah counties).

Anonymous · ‎03-05-2016

@FinStar wrote:
@creditfan wrote:
Security Service Power Travel Rewards

https://www.ssfcu.org/en-us/loans-credit/credit-cards/Pages/travel-rewards.aspx
Provided the OP meets their eligibility criteria:

It's Easy to Join Security Service Ways to Join
Joining Security Service is quick and easy! You may qualify for membership if:
You live, work, worship, attend school, or your business is located in select areas of Texas (San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi), Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, Broomfield), or Utah (Salt Lake and Utah counties).
You’re a member of select military branches/units or a Department of Defense employee at specific military bases within our service areas.
You're a family or household member1 of an existing member.
You're a volunteer in select areas of Texas (San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi), Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, Broomfield), or Utah (Salt Lake and Utah counties).

OP does not I got excited until I saw that!

Anonymous · ‎03-05-2016

BOA Travel Rewards with Preferred rewards relationship is 2.65%

Citi Premier has a pretty small AF considering its abilities.

Just gotta run the numbers and see what makes sense. Sams MC is great if you can handle waiting 1 year for payout.

kdm31091 · ‎03-05-2016

@Anonymous wrote:
BOA Travel Rewards with Preferred rewards relationship is 2.65%

Citi Premier has a pretty small AF considering its abilities.

Just gotta run the numbers and see what makes sense. Sams MC is great if you can handle waiting 1 year for payout.

Citi Premier is 3%, but it's not cash. The OP's title suggests they want cash back, in which case the Premier isn't great. ThankYou points are really only full value for gift cards or travel booking (which may be the same thing as cash for some, but OP has a Thankyou Preferred and hates it, so doubt they want the Premier).

Not everyone has the money to become a BOA Preferred Rewards member. I'm not knocking you, it's just funny how people suggest it as if most people have $100k to throw into BOA. If you have the assets, it's a decent option, but OP already has the BOA Travel Rewards card, so presumably if they had the assets, they'd probably be taking advantage of Preferred Rewards already.

So I don't think either of those choices are especially well suited for the OP here. No harm meant by that.

Anonymous · ‎03-05-2016

@kdm31091 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
BOA Travel Rewards with Preferred rewards relationship is 2.65%

Citi Premier has a pretty small AF considering its abilities.

Just gotta run the numbers and see what makes sense. Sams MC is great if you can handle waiting 1 year for payout.
Citi Premier is 3%, but it's not cash. The OP's title suggests they want cash back, in which case the Premier isn't great. ThankYou points are really only full value for gift cards or travel booking (which may be the same thing as cash for some, but OP has a Thankyou Preferred and hates it, so doubt they want the Premier).

Not everyone has the money to become a BOA Preferred Rewards member. I'm not knocking you, it's just funny how people suggest it as if most people have $100k to throw into BOA. If you have the assets, it's a decent option, but OP already has the BOA Travel Rewards card, so presumably if they had the assets, they'd probably be taking advantage of Preferred Rewards already.

So I don't think either of those choices are especially well suited for the OP here. No harm meant by that.

What he said! BOA Travel going to voted off the island soon.. I don't see the point in the Premier either. Is it possible to get two AARP cards and then PC one to Travel?

Anonymous · ‎03-05-2016

lol i work at RBFCU and SSFCU is a huge competitor of ours in the central texas area

UncleB · ‎03-05-2016

I'll add that when you app for the AAA Visa Signature, you have to populate your AAA member number (or at least I did) so you have to have AAA at least to apply for the card; no information on if a continued membership is required (or if it's enforced).

Also possibly notable, the AAA Visa does not give 3% back for rail travel... so if you're a train person this is not the card for you. This restriction does not apply to the Sam's Club MasterCard.

Some people think of the Sam's Club membership as an annual fee, but I do not. I only make minimal purchases there, but when I do the math I save enough even on those few purchases to justify the membership fee (and then some). I think of it as 'breaking even' with my purchases (compared to making the same purchases elsewhere) with all rewards earned with their credit card being 'profit', so to speak.

If I didn't shop there I would deduct the membership fee from my rewards (I keep my cash rewards in a separate account) but the way it works out now I don't need to.