whats the Best of the Best

[ztnjpv]

The simple answer is: It depends.

The longer answer is that depending on your objectives and profile, certain cards are more sought after.

For example, in the travel enthusiast ciricles, Chase has really come on strong and dented into Amex's terrtory. Chase Ink Bold/Plus have been really hot cards with their 50,000 point sign up bonus. Likewise, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is hot. And by extension, the Freedom gets a lot of play to incorporate into this array of cards. 

I suppose Discover IT has had some recent popularity as well because the rewards, service and no AF. 

None of this is to say that Amex is chopped liver but they have never worked on sheer card volume. But I am sure that they are strong in their target audience. 

But if I had to pick one, I'd say Chase is the "hottest" with their offerings and promotions. They hired a former Amex exec and have been clearly trying to make Ultimate Rewards a viable competitor to Amex's Membership rewards program.

[Dustink]

So, at best it is 2.66% back?

[armbenderc]

I love my CSP and freedom as well as BCE and green. Getting PRG soon.

[longtimelurker]

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@Dustink wrote:

So, at best it is 2.66% back?

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Well, it depends.   With the other cards:

$1 spend = 5 TYP which converts to 6.67 cents excluding the flight points which make the percentage even better (so $1 is more like 6TYP).

And without the cards there is still the 15% off with no other spend needed.

[enharu]

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@Dustink wrote:

So, at best it is 2.66% back?

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after July,

the premier is 1% everything, 2% travel, 3% food and entertainment.

if you fly enough (which is kinda the point of getting that card in the first place), its going to be 2% everything, 3% travel, 4% food and entertainment.

on top of that, 33% bonus if you redeem it towards travel, so 2.66% everything, 3.99% travel, 5.32% food and entertainment.

free domestic companion air ticket as well. value of that is YMMV depending on where you're flying from and to.

15% discount if you're booking for travel using the credit card.

what i listed is just the card by itself. if you want to combo with other cards, then you can milk more out of it I suppose.

And also, points are 100 points to 1 dollar value if you are redeeming it towards a mortage or loan. The mortage / loan doesn't have to be from Citi, which is good because other travel cards cards usually have some sort of a penalty / dilution if you're redeeming it for cash as opposed to travel.

[Dustink]

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@enharu wrote:

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@Dustink wrote:

So, at best it is 2.66% back?

---

after July,

the premier is 1% everything, 2% travel, 3% food and entertainment.

if you fly enough (which is kinda the point of getting that card in the first place), its going to be 2% everything, 3% travel, 4% food and entertainment.

on top of that, 33% bonus if you redeem it towards travel, so 2.66% everything, 3.99% travel, 5.32% food and entertainment.

free domestic companion air ticket as well. value of that is YMMV depending on where you're flying from and to.

15% discount if you're booking for travel using the credit card.

what i listed is just the card by itself. if you want to combo with other cards, then you can milk more out of it I suppose.

And also, points are 100 points to 1 dollar value if you are redeeming it towards a mortage or loan. The mortage / loan doesn't have to be from Citi, which is good because other travel cards cards usually have some sort of a penalty / dilution if you're redeeming it for cash as opposed to travel.

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Looks good

[GangnamFICO]

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@NewBreed wrote:

Alright yall

Since I feel that AMEX isnt all that it used to be... whats the Hottest Card on the market now (besides discoverIT and freedom) people are dying to get their hands on?

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AMEX is what is has always been, an organization designed to get every dollar out of your wallet like every other CC company.

[enharu]

Hey Dustink, can you tell me more about the Flexperks benefits? The website isn't clear on certain parts.

If I am to redeem it miles for statement credit, what is the conversion rate as well?

Thanks!

And to OP:

To specifically answer your question....Almost all cards offerred by prime lenders are desirable. 

What do you mean by Amex isn't what it used to be? What changed? 

IMO American Express is still one of the best prime lenders out there. 

It's hard to say XXX Bank is better than American Express or vice versa because each lender has so many different products for many different purposes. Some banks might fit your needs better than AMEX can, but for some other people AMEX is the way to go for them. This is especially true in co-branded cards with specific airlines / hotel chains / retail stores.

There's no such thing as "best of the best" card for everyone. While the Palladium / Centurion might be considered the most prestigious cards, it may not necessarily be the best card for everyone, especially in the case where one's income level isn't high enough to justify paying for the annual fee, and on top of that the benefits are not something that an average joe would need or get to use much.

More importantly, the average consumer gets a variety of cards from a variety of lenders. Like the saying goes, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

I'm a customer with different institutions because their level of service are within my expectations and they serve their purpose well. 

[Dustink]

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@enharu wrote:

Hey Dustink, can you tell me more about the Flexperks benefits? The website isn't clear on certain parts.

If I am to redeem it miles for statement credit, what is the conversion rate as well?

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I need to save my explanation. Seems like I have typed one out several times....haha

I know I have written it all into one long explanation, but I can't find the thread. I found one that the details got spread between several pages:

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Best-All-Around-Free-Card/td-p/1867039/highlight/true

Basically each point is worth up to 2 cents towards travel. IE a $400 ticket costs 20k points $600 30k points. Up to 1.5 cents per point towards hotels ie 10k points for $150 hotel. Or 1 cent per point cash back.

1 pt/$1 spent on most things plus a 50% bonus for a plat checking or 25% for gold checking package

2 pts/$1 spent on gas or groceries and cell phone

3 pts/$1 on charitable spending

$25 incidentals credit with each redemption

Current sign up bonus is 20k points in branch.

[C7LT1]

I am surprised no one has mentioned Penfed. Their platinum rewards card is pretty sweet with 5,3,1 gas, supermarket, everything else. Their Visa Signature is worth taking a look at too.

https://www.penfed.org/Platinum-Rewards/