Which card would be best?

[takeshi74]

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@Harvey26 wrote:

My mom is looking to transition to a card that has great rewards and she is going to charge everything through this one card and PIF each month,

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That really doesn't help to narrow it down IMO.  Best, great, etc are always highly subjective regardless of topic and need to be qualified when such words are used.  Please provide more details on what she needs/wants, her major spend catregories and the volume of spend in those categories.  If a large percentage for her is non-categrory them let us know as well.

The two of you can do this.  She should know where her spend it going.  For cash back cards the math to determine rewards is very straightforward.  It gets a bit trickier with points/miles programs as you have to not only consider earn rates but the redemption process and how the methods of redemption that she can use would impact point/mile value.

If she only wants one card for rewards on all spend then she may want to consider a card like the Citi Double Cash.

The CSP could be a good fit but it really depends on her spend and what methods of redemption she can use to maximize point value.  If she doesn't want to hassle with all that then a simple cash back card may be a better solution for her.

[Anonymous]

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@Harvey26 wrote:

My mom is looking to transition to a card that has great rewards and she is going to charge everything through this one card and PIF each month, her scores are 800s across the boards. I recommomended that she take her 7.5k from her freedom and apply for the CSP and then combine the limits into the CSP. She does not really care for AMEX but maybe her mind will change. But just give me some good ideas of cards that you guys think are good.

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Since she already has a freedom card I would keep the freedom card and apply for the CSP card. You can transfer points from the Freedom to Ultimate rewards and get those huge bonus catagories. CSP is a great card 1:1 with southwest and United is huge for me points are worth 1.6cents on southwest last time I checked. AMEX PRG is nice also. Annual fee is about the same once you use the $100 airfare credit. You have to check and see which transfer partners you like best to make a good decision but knowing what I do from your post seems CSP is the way to go.

[Anonymous]

It's going to depend on what her spend is and what she wants to do with the rewards. If she just wants a simple cash back card, chances are that Citi Doublecash or CapOne QS are good options. However, if her spend is predominantly groceries and gas, Amex BCE or BCP could be a better option, especially if she doesn't shop in small shops very often. I find that most big stores take Amex (and Discover), so the distinction between brands doesn't matter much.

On the flip side, if she likes to travel, CSP could be an excellent option. It pairs well with Freedom and provides some great bonuses for the spend that goes there. You are, however, at the whims of Chase, which may defeat the point of a second card.