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I am not sure which card to get. Help please.

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opiy26
Valued Member

I am not sure which card to get. Help please.

I think in around a month from now I will app for another card. I really don't want a large pile of cards but maybe one or two really good ones if I can. I pulled my scores here in November and got 711 TU and 716 EQ. It said the thing that was hurting me the most was at the time a CC utilization of 80%+. I plan to pay it off, get a zero utilization showing on my reports and then try applying.

 

I tried Nerdwallet but I seem to keep going to Capitol One Venture but I hear to much bad stuff about them so I don't want to bother. I am concerned about Amex and it not being quite as accepted as Visa. I want to travel some, once a year would be a great goal, so I need a card that I can use around the world without problems or fees.

 

So this is what I am looking for:

  • Rewards Card
  • World travel friendly
  • Prefer Visa but I suppose it doesn't have to be
  • Good rewards from daily purchases. I would like to make this card my everyday go to card for all purchases, even online.
  • Annual fee of $100 or less
  • I want a credit card not charge card.

Is this possible? What do you suggest?

 

Oh yea, I have a credit card now through my bank and one thing I don't like about it is it take three to four business days to post payments. Do all cards do this or just mine?

 

Thanks! I appreciate your help and time.

FICO Scores: Goal - 720+
Transunion - 711 (11-2012)
Equifax - 716 (11-2012)
Goal CC: Not sure yet
Message 1 of 17
16 REPLIES 16
SnackTrader
Valued Contributor

Re: I am not sure which card to get. Help please.

To be honest with you, based on what you posted, perhaps the Capital One Cash Rewards or Capital One Venture are your best bets.

The Cash Rewards (be sure to apply for version with excellent credit to avoid AF) has no AF, no Foreign transaction Fee, is either Visa or MasterCard (I lost track) and gets 1% on all purchases with a 50% annual bonus.

The Venture Card has an AF, as you probably know, but earns you good travel rewards for flights.

I have found the Capital One cash rewards to be the easiest redemption program among all of my cards, if that helps.

The one thing missing is the Capital One cards do not have EMV chips to My knowledge, which makes international use a little more difficult, but not altogether impossible.

Other options for you would include the Bank of America travel card (maybe someone else can provide info on that) given the rewards specifications. I'm not sure about the underwriting, and I believe EMV can be requested, but I would love another poster who knows more about it to clarify.

In My Wallet: Amex BCP (12/12) $50,000, Chase Freedom (12/12) $16,500, Cap1 Quicksilver (6/12) $14,000, Barclaycard Rewards (5/13) $10,500, Citi Prestige (4/16) $30,000

Last App: June 27, 2015
Message 2 of 17
scientifics
Frequent Contributor

Re: I am not sure which card to get. Help please.

What kind of rewards are you looking for? Airline miles, hotel points, or cash back? Also, do you fly a lot? Would lounge access be valuable? Do you stick to one airline or do you fly multiples? That makes a big difference as to which card I'd recommend.

Message 3 of 17
ztnjpv
Established Contributor

Re: I am not sure which card to get. Help please.

OP, what cards do you already have? 

 

This is somewhat helpful info. Are any of them rewards cards with bonus categories? Your "everyday, general spending card" often needs context.

 

My current everyday personal general spending card is the US Bank Cash+ because I effectively get greater than 1.5% on non-bonus purchases when the $25 bonus gift card is factored in along with 25% bonus on base cash back from having "gold checking". And this is without an annual fee. That's the important part. NO AF. That may or may not be an issue with some people.

 

The reason it can matter is that if you a variety of rewards cards that get optimum rewards for different categories, your general spending may or may not get enough spending to warrant an annual fee based card. And since bonus category spending is often times what people spend the most on (Gas, groceries, restaurants etc...), general spending may or may not be enough to warrant the burden of an annual fee. Then again, a few Amazon Payments transactions now and then can take care of that issue Smiley Wink

 

Now, if you are a frequent traveler, the options become more plentiful. Hotel and Airlines cards can offer better value if your lifestyle suits it. But you need to be someone who was already going to make use of such travel expenses whether you had the card or not. If you stay in hotels a certain number of times per year and generally prefer one chain over another, a hotel card from the Hilton HHonors line or the SPG Amex is worth a look. Both give decent to excellent value on general spending if redeemed properly and if the card is used enough. 

 

PS: I also find a card that comes with a bonus spending "mall" like Chase's Ultimate rewards mall or Cap1's perk central to be a big plus if you do a lot of online shopping. But then again, with sites like Fat Wallet, Ebates and Big Crumbs, it's becoming less important. 

 

 

Start (Sept 2011): low-mid 600s. NOW: TU FICO: 801, EQ FICO 808, EX FICO 798 (PSECU). Goal: Achieved! Now Maintain!
Message 4 of 17
Open123
Super Contributor

Re: I am not sure which card to get. Help please.


@opiy26 wrote:

 

So this is what I am looking for:

  • Rewards Card
  • World travel friendly
  • Prefer Visa but I suppose it doesn't have to be
  • Good rewards from daily purchases. I would like to make this card my everyday go to card for all purchases, even online.
  • Annual fee of $100 or less
  • I want a credit card not charge card.

 


I think you have 2 good options here.

 

1.  Chase Sapphire Preferred - $95 Annual fee with 40,000 sign up bonus - no forex fee (important for world travel) - 2X points on travel dining - 7% year end bonus - transfer to select airlines and hotels - Visa Signature.

 

2.  B of A Travel Rewards - no annual fee - no forex - chip for int'l acceptance - 1.5 rewards on all spend (10% bonus if B of A checking) - Visa Signature.

 

I'd go with Chase if spending is $20K or greater or if UA/Hyatt are you main airline/hotels, or you have points with them.  If spending less than $15K, I'd go with the B of A.

 

Main thing is no forex for world travel.

Message 5 of 17
opiy26
Valued Member

Re: I am not sure which card to get. Help please.

I will likely only travel once a year either nationally or internationally. The chip in the card sounds like a huge plus to me but I can probably do without. Lounge access and specific airlines aren't needed because I will likely shop around to find the best deal available at the time. 

 

I plan to run 30,000 +\- a year through it. I plan to use it for everything except pay on loans and such. 

 

Im on my phone at work so I will get some info this evening to clear things up. 

FICO Scores: Goal - 720+
Transunion - 711 (11-2012)
Equifax - 716 (11-2012)
Goal CC: Not sure yet
Message 6 of 17
youngandcreditwrthy
Senior Contributor

Re: I am not sure which card to get. Help please.

Amex Blue Sky Preferred! Or BCE... Please avoid C1! PLEASE! Ignore the C1 recommenders... It took me almost five years to get a cli from them.. PLEASE save YOURSELF the hassle. Hell... Get the Freedom
And BCE! :-)
Marriott PR$25k | BCE $24.5K |BankAmericard Visa $25k| BOA Better Bal $17.5k |Wmt Discover $12.5k | BR Visa $17.5k | Amex Delta Gold $10k | Discover IT $10k | Paypal Extras MC $15k | Amazon Store $10k|Smile Gen $7.25k | Dillard's $10k | West Elm $4k| Express $3.05K | Mypoints.com Visa $4.5k | Freedom Visa $1k| Amex Surpass $1k
Message 7 of 17
SnackTrader
Valued Contributor

Re: I am not sure which card to get. Help please.


@youngandcreditwrthy wrote:
Amex Blue Sky Preferred! Or BCE... Please avoid C1! PLEASE! Ignore the C1 recommenders... It took me almost five years to get a cli from them.. PLEASE save YOURSELF the hassle. Hell... Get the Freedom
And BCE! :-)

Let me clarify - in no way did I recommend Capital One's products. I simply stated the card profiles for the Cash Rewards and the Venture loosely fit the OP's requirements. I also mentioned that the BoA travel Rewards card would as well.   And now that is has been pointed out, so will the Sapphire Preferred. But remember, the OP's credit history MAY NOT allow the OP to qualify for any or all of these cards. I was simply answering the question based on card profiles, and nowhere were CLs or CLIs mentioned. 


In My Wallet: Amex BCP (12/12) $50,000, Chase Freedom (12/12) $16,500, Cap1 Quicksilver (6/12) $14,000, Barclaycard Rewards (5/13) $10,500, Citi Prestige (4/16) $30,000

Last App: June 27, 2015
Message 8 of 17
opiy26
Valued Member

Re: I am not sure which card to get. Help please.

I only have the USAA Amex Classic with $1,500 CL. I hope on this next card that it will be 5k. I could be shooting for the moon though. 

 

Credit history:

no negatives, no lates

AAoA 3 years

Oldest credit 8y 4m

 

FICO Scores: Goal - 720+
Transunion - 711 (11-2012)
Equifax - 716 (11-2012)
Goal CC: Not sure yet
Message 9 of 17
youngandcreditwrthy
Senior Contributor

Re: I am not sure which card to get. Help please.

Ahh okay.. I didn't mean to sound rude, but def glad you aren't recommending them! Haha:-)

Marriott PR$25k | BCE $24.5K |BankAmericard Visa $25k| BOA Better Bal $17.5k |Wmt Discover $12.5k | BR Visa $17.5k | Amex Delta Gold $10k | Discover IT $10k | Paypal Extras MC $15k | Amazon Store $10k|Smile Gen $7.25k | Dillard's $10k | West Elm $4k| Express $3.05K | Mypoints.com Visa $4.5k | Freedom Visa $1k| Amex Surpass $1k
Message 10 of 17
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