Best CB cards - apping before 12/31

[newmomnewme]

My EX MIL called last night to ask about a new credit card. She wants a decent SUB and highest cashback combo. Excellent scores (800+), decent income, zero INQ, and she pays in full. She doesn't want to pay an annual fee no matter how much I tell her she will get it back in no time. 

She has a Cap1 QS and a Harris Teeter card? Said it was backed by US Bank? I am going to have a video call with her this evening so I can walk her through the applications. 

I suggested that she get two of the following cards: 

1. USBank Go - $250 SUB 4x for groceries and 2x for gas

2. Chase Freedom Flex or Unlimited? - $200 SUB ($100 referral for me)

3. Amex BCE - I didn't see any promos because my account info pops up no matter what. 

She can't handle more than two cards...also I think she will probably be calling me quarterly to set up cashback categories 😐

Is USB the best card period? She isn't a member of any credit unions atm. I trust you guys and she trusts me. Please help. 

And no, I will never get back with my ex 😂😂😂

[Anonymous]

Those are fine cards

The BCE has a 20% back on Amazon along with $100 bonus ($150 might be available too, IDK try using a referral link in incognito mode)

Before someone says AOD 3%: Joining certain CUs like AOD might be a hassle that I don't think most people would go through.

[newmomnewme]

Thanks @Anonymous  she lives in the DC metro area and I thought about our SECU, but, spending 2k to get $250 that she has to go to the site to cash out I think is too much. 

She wants something simple that gets the most bang for her buck. I was thinking about Citi DC, but I don't know anything about Citi products. She only banks with CapOne and her post office credit union doesn't offer cc.

Also, I'm gonna have to twist her arm to get her to app for two at once. So I'm thinking 2 cards is her maximum. She will keep the 3 cards in her wallet and use the best CB based on category. Everything else goes on QS for 1.5%.  

[coldfusion]

Since she has a Quicksilver she already has a decent (1.5%) card for unstructured spend.    For the moment I'd rule out a DC or other 2% card.

Since she only wants to carry 2 cards total it's a question of what are her largest single spend categories. 

The Altitude Go is 2X on groceries and grocery delivery, 4X is for dining and prepared food delivery.   If she doesn't shop for groceries at Walmart or Target and doesn't average much more than $100/week on groceries the BCE may be the better choice for the 2nd card, and currently AMEX is allowing 6 months to meet its SUB requirement. 

[Slabenstein]

Altitude Go is 4x dining w/ 2x groceries, gas, & streaming.  For CFU vs. CFF, if she's not a rewards optimizer she may not get the most out of a rotator like the Freedom Flex.  If she's looking at opening only one or two cards and wants an uncomplicated credit life, she might consider replacing the QS with a flat 2%+ cb card like the Citi DC. Otherwise, what are the higher-spend categories in her monthly budget that would let her make good use of a category card?  From the ones you listed, it looks like they might be groceries and dining.  If so, the Altitude Go & CFU/CFF are both good options for dining cards.  BCE is fine for a grocery card if her annual grocery spend is $6k or less (and if she doesn't do her grocery shopping at Walmart or Target).  There are other options for an uncapped 3% grocery card if she spends more than that, depending on whether she's interested in credit unions and what regional banks she has access to.

[newmomnewme]

@Slabenstein and @coldfusion  Groceries, Gas, Utility bills, some online shopping...she clips coupons and is a thrift store junkie too. 

6 months to meet spend might work. She probably spends $300 monthly on groceries. I'll share these options with her tonight. 

Thanks so much everybody! 

[newmomnewme]

What are the USB quarterly categories? Are they listed anywhere on their site?

[Anonymous]

@newmomnewme I think its awesome that you are helping her out. Thanks to this forum, I have become a bit of a credit guru in my circle (though nowhere near as knowledgeable as others on this forum).

I think your suggestions are great honestly. A Go card combined with a 5% rotating categories card and the 1.5% cb Quicksilver should meet her needs without being overly complicated. Plus it meets the no annual fee requirement. Its unfortunate, she isn't willing to take on an annual fee, cause if her grocery spend is high enough the BCP is offering a great sub.

I would only add consideration for Discover It (no ftf fees in case she travels), but doesn't beat the sub+referral bonus that Chase is offering.

Also out of the 2% cb cards, the Citi DC seems like it would fit her bill of not being overly complicated to redeem rewards (its a bit of a hassle to redeem PayPal MC since you need a PayPal account to transfer funds to your linked account, and Penfed Powercash Rewards requires that she join Penfed and maintain a checking account).

Honestly though, since she already has the Quicksilver, I don't really see the point of going after a DC card unless she intends to get rid of the QS. It would help her max uncategorized spend, but 2% is only .5% more than 1.5% and wouldn't really be worth the hassle.

Last point is that Citi nerfed a lot of benefits for the DC including the extended warranty, which the QS still has. 

I would love to see the recommendations of more experienced members. 

Edit: USB has it listed in PDF format

https://cashplus.usbank.com/themes/cashplus2.0/pdfs/q56_categories.pdf

[Slabenstein]

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@newmomnewme wrote:

What are the USB quarterly categories? Are they listed anywhere on their site?

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Current categories for the USB Cash+: https://cashplus.usbank.com/themes/cashplus2.0/pdfs/q56_categories.pdf 

[Slabenstein]

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@newmomnewme wrote:

@Slabenstein and @coldfusion  Groceries, Gas, Utility bills, some online shopping...she clips coupons and is a thrift store junkie too. 

6 months to meet spend might work. She probably spends $300 monthly on groceries. I'll share these options with her tonight. 

Thanks so much everybody! 

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These are three no-AF cards I know of that give 3%+ cash back on both groceries & gas, though I don't know whether they would be what she's looking for:

Navy Federal More Rewards - 3x points on grocery, gas, transit, and dining.  She would need to join the CU, which would require either her or a family member to have served in any branch of the US military.

Andrews FCU Titanium - 3x points on grocery and gas, 1.5x points on everything else.  She'd need to join the CU for this one as well, but I believe it's open to all DC metro residents.

Synch Verizon Visa - 4% on groceries & gas, 3% on dining, 2% on Verizon bills.  Cash back comes in the form of "Verizon dollars" that can only be spent on Verizon bills and purchases, so this one is only an option if that's where her cell service is.