@FormerCollegeDJ wrote:Among the no annual fee credit cards, some of the widely available top cards include the following:
*American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card
*American Express Hilton Honors Card
*Bank of America Customized Cash Visa
*Bank of America Travel Rewards Visa
*Barclays Wyndham Earner Visa
*Capital One SavorOne Mastercard
*Capital One VentureOne Mastercard
*Chase Freedom Flex Mastercard
*Chase Freedom Unlimited Visa
*Citi Custom Cash Mastercard
*Citi Rewards+ Mastercard
*Discover Cash It Card
*Elan Financial Services Max Cash Preferred Visa/Mastercard
*PNC Cash Rewards Visa
*U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa
*U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa
*Wells Fargo Active Cash Visa
Among annual fee cards, I think the American Express Gold Card is a very good card. The Chase World of Hyatt Visa Visa is a probably the best hotel rewards card available. The Bank of America Amtrak Guest Rewards World Mastercard is a very strong card if you use Amtrak a lot.
@FormerCollegeDJ Can you educate us on why you rate the Chase World of Hyatt Visa so highly? I have the card but don't get that much out of it. Please tell me what I'm missing, so I can perhaps start making better use of the card. The qualities I recognize in it are that the Hyatt points are worth significantly more than Marriott and Hilton points, and that it gives you 1 free night a year at a tier 1-4 hotel.
@JNesbit89 wrote:
@SoCalGardener wrote:This is SUCH a subjective question!
What one person considers the best card ever may be on someone else's list of worst cards ever. It really depends on what you're looking for in a card, what's important to you, what ISN'T important to you, and so on.
My personal favorite card [right now] is the Amex Blue Cash Preferred. I upgraded it from a Blue Cash Everyday and am really glad I did. It has an AF ($95) while the BCE did not, but its benefits far outweigh the AF--for me. Specifically, its 6% cash back on groceries was the clincher, and more than makes up for its fee. It has a ton of other benefits, too, but the 6% grocery thing was its biggest draw in my case.
What are you most interested in gaining? Do you travel a lot? Is cash back more important to you than miles? How do you feel about annual fees? And so on!
Crazy because I've always had my eye on the AMEX Blue Cash Preferred, and this year they are waiving the annual fee for the first year. I wonder what stores they designate as grocery stores? What if you buy gift cards at a Wegmans or TOPs or Aldis?
I prefer cards with cash bonuses and benefits, but I suppose I have no flyer cards cause I havent ever flown in forever. But was hoping there was recommended "must have" selection of cards. Or like 1 from each major bank?
They include a very comprehensive list of 'grocery' stores; so far I've had no issues whatsoever. I'm thinking as long as you're shopping at well-known stores, there should be no problems. A "mom and pop" corner grocer may not be included, but Sprouts, Whole Foods, Instacart (when used for groceries), Vons, Kroger, Safeway, Pavilions, Ralphs, Trader Joe's, etc., are fine. I'm sure you could ask them if a specific store is included.
Yeah, I prefer cash back, too. I have no use for miles or airline points as I haven't done any travelling in a long time. Just cold, hard cash is what I want!
The Blue Cash Everyday was a very good card, although its 3% for groceries can't compare to the BCP's 6%--but, on the other hand, the BCE doesn't have an AF. When I was pondering whether to accept the upgrade to BCP, it took like five seconds of mental math to realize the cash back on groceries alone would more than make up for its AF. See how it looks to you.
@SoCalGardener wrote:
They include a very comprehensive list of 'grocery' stores; so far I've had no issues whatsoever. I'm thinking as long as you're shopping at well-known stores, there should be no problems. A "mom and pop" corner grocer may not be included, but Sprouts, Whole Foods, Instacart (when used for groceries), Vons, Kroger, Safeway, Pavilions, Ralphs, Trader Joe's, etc., are fine. I'm sure you could ask them if a specific store is included.
Unfortunately for us, BCP does not code Walmart as a grocery store. (no confirmation as yet, but my Gold card does not either, so assuming it won't) Unfortunate since it's not far from us and is by-far the largest and lowest priced option for us.
@JNesbit89 wrote:What would you say are the best? Including benefits, as well as cons included (like yearly fees)
Thanks friends
So, for me I get the largest rewards from Business Gold. (I have a personal business and run five figures/mo through mine) So far, this has been the hands-down best return on spend. (4x rewards on your top two categories - for me, shipping and advertising) If you're not adverse to business cards and the annual fee doesn't scare you, it can be a great option as a personal card. (Amex has no problem appoving you without a registerred business)
My combo is:
- Amex Blue Cash Preferred (6% Groceries, 6% Entertainment - $100 AF) (DW's card)
- Amex Business Gold (4x MR on top 2 categories - $300 AF)
- Amex Blue Business Plus (2x MR on all spend - No AF)
- Amazon Prime Card (5% Amazon purchases- No AF)
- WF Active Cash (2% - No AF) (*Currently using BBVA using select categories, but I'm assuming PNC isn't going to be a good replacement now that they've taken over BBVA)
This combo covers pretty much all categories for us and offers 2% CB or 2x MR for nearly all spend. (Amex caps BBP at $50k) I'm currently racking up points to the tune of ~50k/mo, I can't imagine a better combination for my spend.
@AlanGJP wrote:
@SoCalGardener wrote:
They include a very comprehensive list of 'grocery' stores; so far I've had no issues whatsoever. I'm thinking as long as you're shopping at well-known stores, there should be no problems. A "mom and pop" corner grocer may not be included, but Sprouts, Whole Foods, Instacart (when used for groceries), Vons, Kroger, Safeway, Pavilions, Ralphs, Trader Joe's, etc., are fine. I'm sure you could ask them if a specific store is included.Unfortunately for us, BCP does not code Walmart as a grocery store. (no confirmation as yet, but my Gold card does not either, so assuming it won't) Unfortunate since it's not far from us and is by-far the largest and lowest priced option for us.
Hmmm... I haven't used my BCP at Walmart, but while it was still BCE I did--and got 3% cash back on groceries; here's one of its entries. Note that I only order online from Walmart Grocery (their prices can't be beat for things like Charmin, Viva, other household stuff!). You can see that's it labelled as a US supermarket. So at the very least, some clarification needs to enter this picture! I know it codes as groceries when ordered online, but I have no idea about in-store purchases.
3% Cash Back Will appear on your Mar 23 statement as WALMART GROCERY WALMART.COM AR
Merchant Details WALMART ONLINE GROCERY U.S. Supermarkets