topic Re: Best everyday use card... in Credit Cards

Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 18:31:09 GMT

My wife has a lot of medical expenses so I'm looking for a card that can do better than 1% cashback on the hefty bills. So far the best I can see is the AMEX Fidelity or the Citi Double Cash card, with 2% on each. Is there anything better out there?

Re: Best everyday use card...

mongstradamus — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 18:36:39 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
My wife has a lot of medical expenses so I'm looking for a card that can do better than 1% cashback on the hefty bills. So far the best I can see is the AMEX Fidelity or the Citi Double Cash card, with 2% on each. Is there anything better out there?

the new discover miles card is 3% for the first year i believe. it drops down to 1.5% after first year i believe. I am not 100% sure about all the details but thats another card you could look into

Re: Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 18:41:40 GMT

If you live in JCB Marukai's geographical footprint (California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington), the Marukai card is a great card with up to 3% Cashback as long as you meet the spending threshold, which it isn't hard to do. Its small annual fee can also be covered by the annual spending bonus of the card. That said, JCB is known to be extremely stingy with limits, so depending on how high the medical bills are, it might be hard to use the card for that purpose.

Re: Best everyday use card...

celluloid17 — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 18:47:27 GMT

I would first find out what credit cards are accepted (if at all) to pay medical bills. For instance, my health insurance company (Anthem Blue Cross) will only accept Visa or MasterCard for credit card payments, which eliminates Amex and Discover as contenders for me. If Visa or MC is your only option, then Citi Double Cash wins by default.

Re: Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 19:00:22 GMT

Good call on being aware of what cards are accepted. More and more I'm finding my AMEX cards aren't accepted as much I would like. My wife was sent a pre-approval letter for the Double-Cash card the other day. We should probably fill it out.

Re: Best everyday use card...

theunluckyone — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 19:24:09 GMT

Do you have good amount of travel expenses? Barclays Arrival+ has a great signup bonus, 2.2% Cashback (effectively) against travel purchases and you can get it downgraded to Arrival when the Annual fee is about to hit.

Re: Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 19:49:24 GMT

+1 for the Barclay arrival+ 2.22% back as long as you use it in travel expenses and redemption is as easy as it can possibly be. Plus the travel expenses can be from anywhere (ie Expedia, hotels.com, etc) there is a $89 annual fee but the first year is free and there is a 40,000 bonus pint offer right now ($444). With the bonus and first year no af it's like a 2.22% card with about 6 yrs of af's covered....it's my everyday card and I love it.

Re: Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 22:46:09 GMT

For ease of use though, if you don't have a lot of travel (especiallly after expensive health care costs!) something like the Double Cash is going to be the best bet. Some have been given lower limits though, PCing an existing Citi card can be better.

Alternatively, you can try something like NASA, that gives 2% after I think $3000 in spend a year. Pays out only once a year though.

But the most important question: why is the Citi Dividend a goal card? Many of us have PCd it to other cards! What is the attraction?

Re: Best everyday use card...

travisr0 — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 22:56:27 GMT

Amex BCP and Chase marriot for everyday use, great rewards

Re: Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 23:00:54 GMT

Citi double cashback. 2% back on everything, no annual fee, and great card benefits.

Re: Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 23:02:24 GMT

@travisr0 wrote:
Amex BCP and Chase marriot for everyday use, great rewards

Why the BCP? Good on first $6K of supermarket per year, and not much else. Rewards post a month behind, $75 AF. I don't see it as an everyday card at all!

Re: Best everyday use card...

grinlikechelsea — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 23:43:20 GMT

If you value travel, the Merrill+ can be a 2% card if you redeem points for airline tickets within a certain price threshold. Additionally, there is no annual fee.

If you want straight cash, Fidelity AmEx and the Citi Double Cash are good options.

Re: Best everyday use card...

bigbang91 — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 00:58:26 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@travisr0 wrote:
Amex BCP and Chase marriot for everyday use, great rewards
Why the BCP? Good on first $6K of supermarket per year, and not much else. Rewards post a month behind, $75 AF. I don't see it as an everyday card at all!

6% cash back of 6000 equal 360$,easily cover AF.thus,unlimited 3% cashback at gas station and department store.it is a great card for everyday spending.

Re: Best everyday use card...

Ghoshida — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 01:11:50 GMT

@bigbang91 wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:
@travisr0 wrote:
Amex BCP and Chase marriot for everyday use, great rewards
Why the BCP? Good on first $6K of supermarket per year, and not much else. Rewards post a month behind, $75 AF. I don't see it as an everyday card at all!
6% cash back of 6000 equal 360$,easily cover AF.thus,unlimited 3% cashback at gas station and department store.it is a great card for everyday spending.

OP specifically asked for medical bills; BCP won't do much good there.

Also, going by Themanwhocan's charts, BCP is not anyway a clear winner for non-medical everyday spends like gas / grocery. OP might as well get a Sallie Mae MC each for the two of them, and that'll outshine BCP easy

Re: Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 01:16:18 GMT

@bigbang91 wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:
@travisr0 wrote:
Amex BCP and Chase marriot for everyday use, great rewards
Why the BCP? Good on first $6K of supermarket per year, and not much else. Rewards post a month behind, $75 AF. I don't see it as an everyday card at all!
6% cash back of 6000 equal 360$,easily cover AF.thus,unlimited 3% cashback at gas station and department store.it is a great card for everyday spending.

Covering the fee isn't the point. Much of the "everyday" spending is going to get 1% (a month in arrears at that) when there are a number of 1.5 and 2% cards. BCP is good at grocery spending up to the cap, (and at a pinch, the select department stores). For everything else, including gas, there are better alternatives

Re: Best everyday use card...

happypill — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 01:44:58 GMT

Arrival+ is a great choice if you have at least some travel expenses to redeem against. OP said he has high spend requirements, so offsetting the AF should be no problem.

If you don't have travel expenses to use rewards against, Citi double cash is a good choice.

Don't know if you have any interest in redeeming for points rather than cash-equivalents. Personally, I prefer cash and the quicker it is paid the better.

Re: Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 02:59:46 GMT

@celluloid17 wrote:
I would first find out what credit cards are accepted (if at all) to pay medical bills. For instance, my health insurance company (Anthem Blue Cross) will only accept Visa or MasterCard for credit card payments, which eliminates Amex and Discover as contenders for me. If Visa or MC is your only option, then Citi Double Cash wins by default.

ummm... don't you pay medical bills directly to the hospital or doctor's office?

Re: Best everyday use card...

L-TWT — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 03:02:15 GMT

IMHO, hands down the Citi Double Cash. It has become my new debit card. But it seems Citi is starting accounts off with low CL. I'm lucky to have carried over my CL via a product change!!!

Re: Best everyday use card...

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 03:51:41 GMT

I 2nd Citi Double Cash. It's mastercard and 2%!

Re: Best everyday use card...

bigbang91 — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 04:05:32 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@bigbang91 wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:
@travisr0 wrote:
Amex BCP and Chase marriot for everyday use, great rewards
Why the BCP? Good on first $6K of supermarket per year, and not much else. Rewards post a month behind, $75 AF. I don't see it as an everyday card at all!
6% cash back of 6000 equal 360$,easily cover AF.thus,unlimited 3% cashback at gas station and department store.it is a great card for everyday spending.
Covering the fee isn't the point. Much of the "everyday" spending is going to get 1% (a month in arrears at that) when there are a number of 1.5 and 2% cards. BCP is good at grocery spending up to the cap, (and at a pinch, the select department stores). For everything else, including gas, there are better alternatives

All amex card except cobranded award points a month late,so np with that.And for the gas ,which alternative has more than 3% unlimited all year round?