Best pure spend card, AF not important

[w003ptr]

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@ryanbush wrote:

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@msf12555 wrote:

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@KennyS2006 wrote:
What do you value? Cash back or points for travel? Or cashback on your travel?

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Honestly, I value... value, LOL. This question doesn't apply to me, I am just curious. I don't mind using points for travel. Seems like you can get more bang for your buck using for travel, and honestly, hotels or airfare would be my choice. I would honestly factor other things into it too, like elite upgrades (Hyatt, SPG, etc), special perks (United Club, Exec AAdvantage, etc), and things like that. But mostly getting the most bang for the buck. Let's assume someone would spend 25k general spend on the card.

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only 25k a year? I would get a Discover Card, or the Chase Freedom... no AF and the rotating 5% and the ability to get straight cash back.

I'm sorry but 25k a year in spending is not enough to justify the AF on any card based solely on the rewards, 25k points will at best get you a domestic airline ticket once a year.

If your spending was 50-75K I would recommend the SPG card, I find the best value in their points. 

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Fidelity Amex still beats Chase Freedom and Discover It since they are capped.

At $25k annual spend, the max you can get out of Chase Freedom or Discover it is $300 + $190, and that's assuming you hit the quarterly maximum each quarter.  Fidelity Amex yields $500 no matter how you spend.

As far as the old Blue Cash goes, say you spend half of the initial $6500 on gas/groceries/drug store and half on other stuff.  That's $48.75CB.  If you then spend at least $9025/yr (after the initial $6500) on gas/groceries/drug stores, you can spend the remaining $9475 on whatever else you want and still come out ahead of Fidelity Amex.

[enharu]

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@msf12555 wrote:

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@ryanbush wrote:

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@msf12555 wrote:

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@KennyS2006 wrote:
What do you value? Cash back or points for travel? Or cashback on your travel?

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Honestly, I value... value, LOL. This question doesn't apply to me, I am just curious. I don't mind using points for travel. Seems like you can get more bang for your buck using for travel, and honestly, hotels or airfare would be my choice. I would honestly factor other things into it too, like elite upgrades (Hyatt, SPG, etc), special perks (United Club, Exec AAdvantage, etc), and things like that. But mostly getting the most bang for the buck. Let's assume someone would spend 25k general spend on the card.

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only 25k a year? I would get a Discover Card, or the Chase Freedom... no AF and the rotating 5% and the ability to get straight cash back.

I'm sorry but 25k a year in spending is not enough to justify the AF on any card based solely on the rewards, 25k points will at best get you a domestic airline ticket once a year.

If your spending was 50-75K I would recommend the SPG card, I find the best value in their points. 

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Honestly, I just picked a number. I am surprised at the Freedom / IT suggestion. Their spending is a best value in somewhat focused areas isn't it (although they frequently have general spend type categories).

The SPG card is a very frequent suggestion. Is that just because starpoints are generally worth more than a cent apiece when redeemed wisely?

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it really depends on how much you can spend.

certain cards have bonuses for meeting a minimum amount of spending each calendar year.

for instance, American Express PRG gives you additional 15k MR if you spend 30k in a calendar year. 

Some other cards would give you additional EQM / status / free night if you meet a certain amount of spend each year.

it really depends on what you want as well.

If you are unsure and want flexibility, go with a general cashback card such as the Fidelity Amex. If rotating categories are your thing, try Discover IT or Freedom. If the US Bank Cash+ has categories that you put enough spending into, that's a good option too.

Specific travel cards are only so good if you happen to be using that hotel chain or airline. There's no point in investing in SPG or any other specific chain if the places you are traveling to happen to not have their properties / routes.

[-NewGuy-]

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@enharu wrote:

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@msf12555 wrote:

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@ryanbush wrote:

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@msf12555 wrote:

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@KennyS2006 wrote:
What do you value? Cash back or points for travel? Or cashback on your travel?

---

Honestly, I value... value, LOL. This question doesn't apply to me, I am just curious. I don't mind using points for travel. Seems like you can get more bang for your buck using for travel, and honestly, hotels or airfare would be my choice. I would honestly factor other things into it too, like elite upgrades (Hyatt, SPG, etc), special perks (United Club, Exec AAdvantage, etc), and things like that. But mostly getting the most bang for the buck. Let's assume someone would spend 25k general spend on the card.

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only 25k a year? I would get a Discover Card, or the Chase Freedom... no AF and the rotating 5% and the ability to get straight cash back.

I'm sorry but 25k a year in spending is not enough to justify the AF on any card based solely on the rewards, 25k points will at best get you a domestic airline ticket once a year.

If your spending was 50-75K I would recommend the SPG card, I find the best value in their points. 

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Honestly, I just picked a number. I am surprised at the Freedom / IT suggestion. Their spending is a best value in somewhat focused areas isn't it (although they frequently have general spend type categories).

The SPG card is a very frequent suggestion. Is that just because starpoints are generally worth more than a cent apiece when redeemed wisely?

---

it really depends on how much you can spend.

certain cards have bonuses for meeting a minimum amount of spending each calendar year.

for instance, American Express PRG gives you additional 15k MR if you spend 30k in a calendar year. 

Some other cards would give you additional EQM / status / free night if you meet a certain amount of spend each year.

it really depends on what you want as well.

If you are unsure and want flexibility, go with a general cashback card such as the Fidelity Amex. If rotating categories are your thing, try Discover IT or Freedom. If the US Bank Cash+ has categories that you put enough spending into, that's a good option too.

Specific travel cards are only so good if you happen to be using that hotel chain or airline. There's no point in investing in SPG or any other specific chain if the places you are traveling to happen to not have their properties / routes.

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I certainly don't mind being tied down to a certan hotel chain or airline. Honestly, I would prefer it since most specific travel cards (United, AA, Hyatt, Ritz, whatever) also give you some sort of either elite status or perks, like club access, priority boarding, etc. My personal criteria would just be having a major footprint. For example, Fairmont's are gorgeous, but there are less than 100 locations. Air flights to Hawaii, Caribbean, etc for an airline, things like that.

[Open123]

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@msf12555 wrote:

The SPG card is a very frequent suggestion. Is that just because starpoints are generally worth more than a cent apiece when redeemed wisely?

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Casting aside all other factors and variables (such as preference, proximity, convenience), if we were to use purely valuation (pure return on equity per dollar spent), SPG points when used opportunistically to redeem on a "cash + points" basis will yield on average the highest return on spending.  Moreover, this redemption will count towards "stay" accrued to reach elite levels.

Finally, the SPG rewards program is far and away the most diverse.  With a few exceptions (the UR Partner ones), it has a favorable redemption (25% bonus) on just about every airline in existence.

When used as referenced above, you could easily earn around 3% on spending, and in some cases, even more.

[ryanbush]

From a pure spend stand point the Fidelity AMEX would be the best, and no other card really touches it from a pure cash back stand point, the reason I would recommend the Freedom from an all around standpoint is the acceptance of VISA.  I generally don't have problems with AMEX acceptance but I know there are times I would be pretty disappointed if I didn't have a MC or VISA as a back up.

So if you can only choose one card for me it would have to be a MC or VISA...

If you can have two get the Chase Freedom and the FIA AMEX

[CreditScholar]

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@ryanbush wrote:

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@msf12555 wrote:

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@KennyS2006 wrote:
What do you value? Cash back or points for travel? Or cashback on your travel?

---

Honestly, I value... value, LOL. This question doesn't apply to me, I am just curious. I don't mind using points for travel. Seems like you can get more bang for your buck using for travel, and honestly, hotels or airfare would be my choice. I would honestly factor other things into it too, like elite upgrades (Hyatt, SPG, etc), special perks (United Club, Exec AAdvantage, etc), and things like that. But mostly getting the most bang for the buck. Let's assume someone would spend 25k general spend on the card.

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only 25k a year? I would get a Discover Card, or the Chase Freedom... no AF and the rotating 5% and the ability to get straight cash back.

I'm sorry but 25k a year in spending is not enough to justify the AF on any card based solely on the rewards, 25k points will at best get you a domestic airline ticket once a year.

If your spending was 50-75K I would recommend the SPG card, I find the best value in their points. 

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25k per year really isn't all that much, and roughly equates to ~2k of spending per month. Ryanbush is correct in that "high-level spending" falls within the realm of 50-100k (or more), and at 25k per year you won't even meet the 30k spending thresholds for the PRG, BA, etc.

Open's suggestions regarding cards is correct IMO:

For travel: SPG for non-bonus categories, since the AF is relatively low compared to the moderate amount of annual spend. Also you'll fall just short of the annual point boosters at 30k for other cards. SPG won't lock you into a specific airline, has built-in bonuses when you transfer 20k starpoints, and essentially gives you hotel plus airline flexibility. 25k Starpoints are actually usable for 1-3 nights somewhere (even without C&P), whereas 25k in almost anything else other than Hyatt won't get you much of anything at all.

For cash-bask in non-bonus categories: Fidelity Amex + JCB Marukai (if you're eligible for it). This will give you 2-3% cash back on all of your purchases, as long as they accept Amex and/or Discover.

All of these cards have forex fees, so this works under the assumption that all of the spending is domestic.

[longtimelurker]

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@CreditScholar wrote:

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25k per year really isn't all that much, and roughly equates to ~2k of spending per month. Ryanbush is correct in that "high-level spending" falls within the realm of 50-100k (or more), and at 25k per year you won't even meet the 30k spending thresholds for the PRG, BA, etc.

Open's suggestions regarding cards is correct IMO:

For travel: SPG for non-bonus categories, since the AF is relatively low compared to the moderate amount of annual spend. Also you'll fall just short of the annual point boosters at 30k for other cards. SPG won't lock you into a specific airline, has built-in bonuses when you transfer 20k starpoints, and essentially gives you hotel plus airline flexibility. 25k Starpoints are actually usable for 1-3 nights somewhere (even without C&P), whereas 25k in almost anything else other than Hyatt won't get you much of anything at all.

For cash-bask in non-bonus categories: Fidelity Amex + JCB Marukai (if you're eligible for it). This will give you 2-3% cash back on all of your purchases, as long as they accept Amex and/or Discover.

All of these cards have forex fees, so this works under the assumption that all of the spending is domestic.

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The other point amout a low level of spend is that it doesn't really matter much!  So, just considering cash back, the 1% card would give you $250, quicksilver $375 and Fid Amex $500.  (At the highest end, if all of your spending fitted into the 5x categories of the 5x TYP or WF and TD, you would get $1,250 but it's unlikely that all your spend would).  The differences are small enough that you might even want to consider the prettiness of the card as a deciding factor!

[youngandcreditwrthy]

This is a loaded question... Now what fube cards would be best to use?

[youngandcreditwrthy]

Five*

[enharu]

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@CreditScholar wrote:

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@ryanbush wrote:

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@msf12555 wrote:

---

@KennyS2006 wrote:
What do you value? Cash back or points for travel? Or cashback on your travel?

---

Honestly, I value... value, LOL. This question doesn't apply to me, I am just curious. I don't mind using points for travel. Seems like you can get more bang for your buck using for travel, and honestly, hotels or airfare would be my choice. I would honestly factor other things into it too, like elite upgrades (Hyatt, SPG, etc), special perks (United Club, Exec AAdvantage, etc), and things like that. But mostly getting the most bang for the buck. Let's assume someone would spend 25k general spend on the card.

---

only 25k a year? I would get a Discover Card, or the Chase Freedom... no AF and the rotating 5% and the ability to get straight cash back.

I'm sorry but 25k a year in spending is not enough to justify the AF on any card based solely on the rewards, 25k points will at best get you a domestic airline ticket once a year.

If your spending was 50-75K I would recommend the SPG card, I find the best value in their points. 

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25k per year really isn't all that much, and roughly equates to ~2k of spending per month. Ryanbush is correct in that "high-level spending" falls within the realm of 50-100k (or more), and at 25k per year you won't even meet the 30k spending thresholds for the PRG, BA, etc.

Open's suggestions regarding cards is correct IMO:

For travel: SPG for non-bonus categories, since the AF is relatively low compared to the moderate amount of annual spend. Also you'll fall just short of the annual point boosters at 30k for other cards. SPG won't lock you into a specific airline, has built-in bonuses when you transfer 20k starpoints, and essentially gives you hotel plus airline flexibility. 25k Starpoints are actually usable for 1-3 nights somewhere (even without C&P), whereas 25k in almost anything else other than Hyatt won't get you much of anything at all.

For cash-bask in non-bonus categories: Fidelity Amex + JCB Marukai (if you're eligible for it). This will give you 2-3% cash back on all of your purchases, as long as they accept Amex and/or Discover.

All of these cards have forex fees, so this works under the assumption that all of the spending is domestic.

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+1.

You can also consider the Fidelity Visa Signature. You get 1.5% on the first 15k, and 2% thereafter.