Best restaurant card

[clocktick]

So from the searching I've been doing on this forum, it seems the best restaurant cards (points conversion and/or cash back) would be the Citi Forward and Costco?  Does Discover or Chase Freedom ever rotate restaurants into their 5% categories?  I don't have any of these.

Thanks.

[OnTheRebound]

5% Cash Back Categories for 2011

	JANUARY - MARCH Grocery stores Drugstores     APRIL - JUNE Home Improvement stores Lawn and Garden stores Home Furnishing stores     JULY - SEPTEMBER Gas Hotels Airlines     OCTOBER - DECEMBER Dining Department stores Movie theaters Charity ACTIVATION CLOSED     ACTIVATION CLOSED           ACTIVATE STARTING September 15, 2011

Simply activate your bonus each quarter. You'll earn 5% cash back on your spending up to $1,500 each quarter in your bonus categories.

• View Year-round Promotions
• 5% Cash Back FAQs
• 5% Terms and Conditions

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[ajbuchanjr]

I have all three of these - they each have their pluses and minuses:

• Chase Freedom: Obviously the best during the 5% months.  Easy to redeem for statment credit/cash.  Discover More's category for restaurants was Jan - March.
• Citi Forward: 5X points for restaurants but 1 TY Point is only worth 1 cent if you cash out at 10,000 point level and only with certain gift cards.  Otherwise it will work out to be less than the full 5%.  If you do cash it works out to around 3.1%.  And you are capped at 75,000 TY Points per year.  Another benefit is the card is 5% for Amazon.
• Costco TrueEarnings:  3% cash back at restaurants but you only get the cash back once a year by going into Costco in February or March and picking up your check.  Also this is dropping to 2% soon.  If you apply before July 31st, 2011 you will get 12 billing periods (one year) at 3% then it will be 2%.  If you apply after July 31st or had a card opened before August 1st, 2010 it will immediately be 2%.

[RockinRay]

+1

Right now using Costco Amex for all restaurant purchases. That will change when they drop to 2%.

Ray

[addicted_to_credit]

The Amex Zync does a pretty good job with restaurant rewards if you chose the restaurant pack its even better when you pair it with a green/gold/plat as those points are now regular MR points

[UFGuy2006]

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@RockinRay wrote:

+!

Right now using Costco Amex for all restaurant purchases. That will change when they drop to 2%.

Ray

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Same here. Was interested in the Forward but I really don't need another account with Citi. Besides... trying to Garden until at LEAST the end of the year