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Which cards, if any, fit these criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited

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cws-21
Established Contributor

Which cards, if any, fit these criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited

Hello, all! I just joined today, but I have been reading posts in this forum for months. I very much appreciate all the information that you folks have provided. So, first, I would like to give a very little back before I get to my question/dilemma. I was on the phone with a First National Bank of Omaha representative earlier today about an unrelated matter. However, I asked her if there were any plans for FNBO to force Ducks Unlimited card holders who have been grandfathered into the old reward program (5% cash back for gas and sporting goods purchases, 1% for everything else) to the new rewards program (1.5% cash back for everything). She checked and confirmed that it is not within FNBO policy to move individuals from an old rewards program to a new one unless FNBO was to cut ties with, in this case, Ducks Unlimited. Furthermore, she indicated that there are no plans, known or available to her, for the FNBO and Ducks Unlimited relationship to come to an end. This information may only have limited usefulness, mostly for those who have been grandfathered for Ducks Unlimited, but I thought I would offer my meager contribution nonetheless.

 

Hopefully you are still with me as I have a dilemma or question that I hope you folks can help me with. For context, my credit scores are between 800 and 850. I can provide specific scores if it would make a difference. I am only seeking cash back credit cards at the moment as I do not currently travel frequently enough to take advantage of point systems. I carry no balances on my credit cards as I always pay in full each month. My current setup can be found just below along with why I have particular cards and how they are used.

 

American Express Blue Cash Preferred (6% cash back on groceries)

Ducks Unlimited (5% cash back on gas and sporting goods)

Wells Fargo Propel (mostly for cellphone insurance and 3% cash back on dining, but also 3% cash back on flights, hotels, and transit)

Chase Amazon Rewards Visa Signature (3% cash back on Amazon and no foreign transaction fee Visa for occasional international travel)

Citi Double Cash (2% cash back for everything not already covered)

 

I have been, for awhile now, searching for the best cash back credit card that has no foreign transaction fees, is a Mastercard (so I have a Mastercard and Visa when traveling), and adds some value to my current setup. For example, the primary reason for me to have the Chase Amazon is for the occasional international travel, but, also, I get the additional 1% over the Citi Double Cash card for Amazon purchases. The two cards that I have considered, but I am not entirely sold on, are the Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card and the PayPal Cashback Mastercard. I am not considering the Capital One Savor card because I don't think my spend can justify the annual fee. The SavorOne is a Mastercard with no foreign transaction fees and it has 3% cash back for dining and entertainment, however, I have dining covered with the Propel and I wouldn't use the the card  much for entertainment. The PayPal also has no foreign transaction fees, but it wouldn't yield any more cash back than the Double Cash.

 

I fear I have probably considered all viable options, but I am hoping that someone, or many of you, can provide some options that I have not thought of or looked into. Which cash back credit cards do you think best meet my three criteria mentioned above?

Message 1 of 11
10 REPLIES 10
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Which card, if any, fits this criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited

Maybe the aboc platinum rewards.

 

https://www.aboc.com/personal-credit-cards.aspx

 

it's a MasterCard, no foreign transaction fees, and it as rotating cash back categories 

 

or 

If you have an iPhone 

Apple Card 3% cash back apple products, Walgreens, and other places(you gotta look on their site). They also have no foreign transaction fee and it's a MasterCard 

Message 2 of 11
FormerCollegeDJ
Frequent Contributor

Re: Which card, if any, fits this criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited

Even before you mentioned the Capital One SavorOne in your narrative, that was the card I was going to mention.  One benefit of that card relative to the Wells Fargo Propel card is the WF Propel is an Amex card while the CapOne SavorOne is a Mastercard, meaning it is much more likely to be accepted for international transactions.  (I believe the WF Propel also has an alternate, unusual method regarding international purchases - it has no foreign currency conversion fees rather than no foreign transaction fees.  I interpret this as needing to pay in U.S. dollars when making purchases rather than needing to pay in foreign currency, and keeping that straight relative to other no foreign transaction fee cards could be confusing.)

 

There are three other cards I'll suggest, none of which fully fit your criteria but they still could be of interest to you:

 

1) US Bank Altitude Go Visa - this card offers 4% cash back on dining and has no foreign transaction fees.  If you want to boost your dining rewards a bit, this could be a good card to supplement the Wells Fargo Propel.  The one negative is it is not a Mastercard.

 

2) US Bank Cash+ Visa - this card offers the opportunity to choose 5% cash back categories in uncommon and sometimes high spend categories, such as cell phones, TV and internet, and utilities.  It does have foreign transaction fees and obviously is not a Mastercard.  However, it could boost your rewards earnings on some categories where you may only be getting 2% cash back currently.

 

3) Elan Financial Services Max Cash Preferred Visa or Mastercard - this card is similar to the US Bank Cash+ (as you may know, Elan is a division of US Bank) with mostly though not entirely overlapping selectable 5% cash back categories.  Like the US Bank Cash+, it does have foreign transaction fees.  However, you could get a Mastercard via this route.  To examine this card, go to a website that provides information about all banks in the United States (www.usbanklocations.com is one such site) and look for banks that offer the card.  The majority of banks appear to offer a Visa card, but some do offer a Mastercard.  More information about this card and the US Bank Cash+ card can be found in the informative, recently active thread comparing the two cards.

Playing the credit card rewards game since early May 2020.

Current credit cards:
American Express: Hilton Honors
Bank of America: Customized Cash Rewards Visa
Capital One: SavorOne MC
Chase: Amazon Visa, Freedom Unlimited Visa, Freedom Flex MC
Citi: Sears/ThankYou Rewards MC, My Best Buy Visa, Custom Cash MC
Comenity: AAA Travel Advantage Visa
Discover: Cash It
Elan: S&T Bank Max Cash Preferred Visa
FNBO: Amtrak Guest Rewards Platinum MC
PSECU: Founder's Visa
U.S. Bank: Cash+ Visa
Wells Fargo: Autograph Visa
Store cards: Kohl's

Next target credit cards: Wells Fargo Bilt Mastercard (probably), Truist Enjoy Travel Visa (maybe)
Message 3 of 11
cws-21
Established Contributor

Re: Which card, if any, fits this criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited

Carmy03, thank you for the recommendations. Do you happen to know what the ABOC Platinum Rewards points are valued at?

Message 4 of 11
cws-21
Established Contributor

Re: Which card, if any, fits this criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited

FormerCollegeDJ, thanks for the reply. I am still seriously considering the Capital One SavorOne. Any idea how often I would have to use it to prevent Capital One from closing my account?

Message 5 of 11
Aim_High
Super Contributor

Re: Which card, if any, fits this criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited

Welcome to My Fico forums, @cws-21!

 

You're asking for a rare bird with those three criteria.  Mastercards in general seem to be a lot harder to find, and then those with great rewards and no FTF's are even more limiting!   You also don't specify what type of rewards would best supplement your other cards.  Here's my feedback, though, from what I know and on the above options.   

 

It sounds like this is more of a card for traveling as a backup?  If so, it sounds like the rewards aspect is secondary unless you find something very appealing.  And in that case, it probably doesn't matter if the base level rewards are 1% or 1.5% or whatever, since it's not going to get a high enough level of spend to make a significant difference.  Remember that as we go down the list.

 

Synchrony's PayPal Mastercard is a solid choice, although as you say it doesn't offer any higher level of rewards than your Citi Double Cash for daily spend.

 

From my understanding, there's no guarantee that many Capital One cards will be issued as either a Mastercard or a Visa.  They've swung both ways.  Also it sounds like the Capital One Savor One is a marginal addition to your lineup.  And they do the dreaded triple-hard-pull of reports, if that is a consideration. 

 

If you have an iPhone, the Apple card is a solid card for such a purpose.   The physical card itself is very secure with no visible numbers.  It's all managed through the phone.  It's a Mastercard with no FTFs or other fees.  Lower interest rates.  Pays 2% to 3% when using Apple pay but always at least 1% with the physical card.   A very compelling option.

 

ABOC Mastercard is a good suggestion, but usefulness depends on how the firm rotating categories would fit into your lineup.  And of course, they are prone to change annually.  The basic 1% back on rotating category cards is not competitive and you might be better off with some other options in my response if the 5% categories aren't highly useful to you.

 

Elan Max Cash Preferred can be a great card since you get to choose your categories for 5% cash back. The biggest downside in your case is probably 95% of the cards issued are VISA.  However, the cards haven't shown to be geofenced by the smaller banks and credit unions offering it, so you can live in Maine and get a card from a California bank.  The link to the thread is below and there are links within it to at least 75 lenders who offer the card.  The one I know for sure that offers the card as a Mastercard is Bank of California.  (See link below.)  However, this version still DOES have a FTF of 2% of each foreign purchase transaction or foreign ATM advance transaction in U.S. Dollars; or 3% of each foreign purchase transaction or foreign ATM advance transaction in a Foreign Currency.)

 

https://bancofcal.com/banking/credit-cards/personal-credit-cards/#Max-Cash-Preferred

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Elan-quot-Max-Cash-quot-vs-US-Bank-Cash/td-p/6198795

 

Citibank is one of the largest issuers of Mastercards, but many of their cards do have the FTFs like your DoubleCash. Citi's Mastercards without FTFs are also travel cards with annual fees like the Premier and Prestige.  This brings me back to the seeming contradiction of what you seek, since you're much more likely to find premium travel cards waive the FTF since they are for, well ... traveling!   The other possible misperception is that you have to travel often to find premium travel cards useful enough or to be able to offset the AF.  Some cards work well for the occasional traveler and you obviously do travel at least occasionally since you want to waive FTFs! 

 

"I am only seeking cash back credit cards at the moment as I do not currently travel frequently enough to take advantage of point systems (yet you are asking for the) ...  best cash back credit card that has no foreign transaction fees, is a Mastercard (so I have a Mastercard and Visa when travelingSmiley Indifferent

 

So my suggestion would be to consider the Citi Premier card.  It pays 3x TY points on Restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, hotels, and flights.  It has no FTF.  It's a Mastercard.  It has a $95 AF but there is a credit that could more than offset the complete amount on a multi-night hotel stay or one night at a high end or resort hotel.  You get a $100 credit against a single hotel stay costing $500 or more. Vacation, anyone?   TY Points are worth more if you redeem them for travel, but you can cash them in also. They can be redeemed on Amazon at 8/10 ccp.  For travel, when transferred to partners, they can be worth up to 1.7 ccp.  For statement credit, the cash value is only about 1/2 ccp, so not the best redemption.  Still, for all the categories above you'd get a minimum 1.5% cash back for statement credit which beats the 1% of some other cards, especially if the hotel credit is useful for you.  And you have the chance to transfer and earn as high as 5.1% with travel partners.  In all, the Premier could be much more valuable to you than some other cards, even with the AF.

 

https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/credit-card-details/citi.action?ID=citi-premier-credit-card&catego...

 

Here's a few other suggestions.

 

HSBC Cash Rewards is a Mastercard with no FTF.  It pays 1.5% cash back but has a SUB that pays 3% back on the first $10K in purchases within the first 12 months.  If you want a higher paying card and are willing to open banking, they waive fees on the Advance Mastercard. 

 

https://www.us.hsbc.com/credit-cards/

 

Suntrust (soon to be a part of Truist with BB&T) has almost 3,000 locations in the eastern and southern US.  I believe you have to be in geofence for their cards.  They offer Mastercard products with no FTF.  Their Cash Rewards card has a SUB that pays 5% back on $6K grocery and gas spend in first 12 months, then 2% on gas and groceries and 1% on everything else.  They also offer their Travel Rewards and Prime Rewards cards. 

 

https://www.suntrust.com/credit-cards

 

Barclay's USA has a lot of lower-end travel cards and many are Mastercards with no FTF.  Some of these cards do have lower AFs (under $100) but they may also offer enough value-added to recoup all the cost, depending on how you use the cards.  These include cruise lines like Carnival, Holland America, and Princess Cruises, airlines like American, Jet Blue, Hawaiian, Frontier, Emirates, and Lufthansa, and hotels like Wyndham and Choice.  They also have cards branded by Priceline, Barnes and Noble, UPromise, and the NFL. Depending on the card you choose and the rewards offering, you might find something here that is worth more than a 2% card to you. 

 

https://cards.barclaycardus.com/banking/cards


Business Cards


Length of Credit > 40 years; Total Credit Limits >$898K
Top Lender TCL - Chase 156.4 - BofA 99.7 - AMEX 95.0 - CITI 94.5 - NFCU 80.0
AoOA > 30 years (Jun 1993); AoYA (Feb 2024)
* Hover cursor over cards to see name & CL, or press & hold on mobile app.
Message 6 of 11
cws-21
Established Contributor

Re: Which card, if any, fits this criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited

Aim_High, thanks a lot for the thoughtful response and recommendations. I didn't specify which rewards I am hoping to add to my current setup because I think I am pretty much covered based on my typical spend unless someone can identify something that I may be missing. You're correct, in that, the card would primarily be used for the minimal international travel that I will do. I know there are mixed feelings about Synchrony and the Synchrony PayPal Mastercard, but do you have any idea whether or not there would be an issues using it abroad? Regarding your comment about Capital One cards, are you suggesting that the Capital One Savor One may be issued as a Mastercard, but it could be issued as a Visa? I will definitely check out your other recommendations as well. Thanks again.

Message 7 of 11
Aim_High
Super Contributor

Re: Which card, if any, fits this criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited


@cws-21 wrote:

Aim_High, thanks a lot for the thoughtful response and recommendations. I didn't specify which rewards I am hoping to add to my current setup because I think I am pretty much covered based on my typical spend unless someone can identify something that I may be missing. You're correct, in that, the card would primarily be used for the minimal international travel that I will do. I know there are mixed feelings about Synchrony and the Synchrony PayPal Mastercard, but do you have any idea whether or not there would be an issues using it abroad? Regarding your comment about Capital One cards, are you suggesting that the Capital One Savor One may be issued as a Mastercard, but it could be issued as a Visa? I will definitely check out your other recommendations as well. Thanks again.


You're welcome, and I still think the Citi Premier would be an excellent choice, certainly worth a serious consideration.  The main valuation questions over the other no-AF cards would be if you could use the hotel credit and how you would choose to redeem the points. 

 

I don't have Synchrony cards so I can't really speak for other's experiences using it abroad.  That's worth a separate thread to ask just that specific question, and I'm sure you'll get some great feedback.   We have members who love it, but I'm just not that enthused about the PayPal Mastercard or Synchrony.

 

As for Capital One, I have a Quicksilver that is a Mastercard, but I'm pretty sure in the past that they've issued both Visa and Mastercard.  Right now, if go to the Savor One page disclosure, though, it appears that the Savor would be a Mastercard.  (The fine print says, "Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.")   However, I would verify that in the community or with Capital One before I committed to it if that's a major factor for you.  

 

More than anything it sounds like the PayPal Mastercard and Capital One Savor One don't offer any real day-to-day advantage over the cards you already carry except for being Mastercards with no FTF. 

 

The Elan Max Cash would have the FTF, but would be more useful in day-to-day spending.  And if you're only using the card as a backup when traveling, paying an occassional FTF but saving lots of money month-to-month may still be a winning equation.  One of the more popular 5% categories is home utilities and you can keep them all year long with a cap of $2K per quarter.  Other areas include cellphone providers, TV-internet-Streaming services, Entertainment, Recreation, Department Stores, Furniture Stores, Electronics Stores and Fast Food.  You can choose two of those with a $2K quarterly cap.  And also another category at 2%.  Everything else is 1%.   If you can optimize the 5% at $2K quarterly spend, that is $400 in cash back annually which would cover the FTFs (at 3%) on almost $13,500 in spending! 

 

Here's a link to the rewards summary:

(*Yes, it says VISA but because this was a Visa version of the card)

https://card.myaccountaccess.com/credit/elanmicro/pdfs/categories_max_cash_preferred_visa.pdf

 


Business Cards


Length of Credit > 40 years; Total Credit Limits >$898K
Top Lender TCL - Chase 156.4 - BofA 99.7 - AMEX 95.0 - CITI 94.5 - NFCU 80.0
AoOA > 30 years (Jun 1993); AoYA (Feb 2024)
* Hover cursor over cards to see name & CL, or press & hold on mobile app.
Message 8 of 11
FormerCollegeDJ
Frequent Contributor

Re: Which card, if any, fits this criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited

I'm going to suggest one more card, which is a Visa rather than a Mastercard, that could be a good supplement or even replacement to the Wells Fargo Propel for travel purchases - the Bank of America AAA Member Rewards Visa.  This card has the following attributes:

 

*No AAA membership required

*3% cash back on travel purchases

*No foreign transaction fees

 

Because it is a Visa card, it is widely accepted internationally.  The biggest negative with the card is that it isn't available everywhere, and you need to apply through AAA.  (It isn't advertised through the BoA website.)  One other more minor negative is that rewards need to be redeemed within 5 years of purchase.

Playing the credit card rewards game since early May 2020.

Current credit cards:
American Express: Hilton Honors
Bank of America: Customized Cash Rewards Visa
Capital One: SavorOne MC
Chase: Amazon Visa, Freedom Unlimited Visa, Freedom Flex MC
Citi: Sears/ThankYou Rewards MC, My Best Buy Visa, Custom Cash MC
Comenity: AAA Travel Advantage Visa
Discover: Cash It
Elan: S&T Bank Max Cash Preferred Visa
FNBO: Amtrak Guest Rewards Platinum MC
PSECU: Founder's Visa
U.S. Bank: Cash+ Visa
Wells Fargo: Autograph Visa
Store cards: Kohl's

Next target credit cards: Wells Fargo Bilt Mastercard (probably), Truist Enjoy Travel Visa (maybe)
Message 9 of 11
FormerCollegeDJ
Frequent Contributor

Re: Which card, if any, fits this criteria? And, info. for Ducks Unlimited


@cws-21 wrote:

FormerCollegeDJ, thanks for the reply. I am still seriously considering the Capital One SavorOne. Any idea how often I would have to use it to prevent Capital One from closing my account?


I don't have a Capital One card (though the SavorOne is a card I plan to get, most likely as my next card in late March/early April), so I can't answer your question.  However, unless you want to sock drawer the card, one thing you could do after meeting the sign-up bonus is to alternate or mix dining purchases between the SavorOne and the WF Propel; both earn 3% cash back on dining.  Additionally, my understanding is the SavorOne does not have restrictions on bank deposits while the WF Propel requires a minimum of $25 to make deposits and is really set up as more of a travel rewards card.  (NOTE: I also do not have the WF Propel, but that is also a card I'm targeting, probably as the card after the Capital One SavorOne.)

Playing the credit card rewards game since early May 2020.

Current credit cards:
American Express: Hilton Honors
Bank of America: Customized Cash Rewards Visa
Capital One: SavorOne MC
Chase: Amazon Visa, Freedom Unlimited Visa, Freedom Flex MC
Citi: Sears/ThankYou Rewards MC, My Best Buy Visa, Custom Cash MC
Comenity: AAA Travel Advantage Visa
Discover: Cash It
Elan: S&T Bank Max Cash Preferred Visa
FNBO: Amtrak Guest Rewards Platinum MC
PSECU: Founder's Visa
U.S. Bank: Cash+ Visa
Wells Fargo: Autograph Visa
Store cards: Kohl's

Next target credit cards: Wells Fargo Bilt Mastercard (probably), Truist Enjoy Travel Visa (maybe)
Message 10 of 11
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