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Which one of my cards to use as daily

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Scott90
Contributor

Which one of my cards to use as daily

Greetings,

 

I have a couple cash back rewards cards and trying to determine which one I should use as my daily card and PIF every month so I can start accumulating some rewards.

 

Capital One

---1% on everything

---50% anniversary bonus of earned cash each year

 

Chase Freedom

---1% on everything

---5% special bonus categories throughout year

 

USAA AMEX

---1.25% on everything

---2.25% on gas and groceries

---rebates awarded every january for previous 12 months purchases

 

I also have the BoA card with 3% gas, 2% groceries, 1% everything else but I cannot use this card as a daily as I am using the 0% interest promo period on a large purchase I have made.

 

Given the options though, I would think the USAA AMEX offers me the best rewards being as the percentage is higher.  To me this looks clear but I wanted to ask on here as well to make sure I wasnt missing anything. 

 

I only spend about 80 dollars a month on gas, if that.  And groceries I probably spend around 200.

 

Thanks for your suggestions in advance!

Message 1 of 9
8 REPLIES 8
gstq34
Contributor

Re: Which one of my cards to use as daily

The USAA Amex is "up to" and only hits the max 2.25 when to spend over $x.xx (check with them I think $17,000)  Anyway mine is in the SD.  That leaves Cap 1 with that 50% bonus and the Freedom behind it to catch 5% CB.



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Message 2 of 9
ElCamino
Contributor

Re: Which one of my cards to use as daily

Because of the 50% bonus, the actual cashback amount you will earn annually with the Cap One card is 1.5%.

 

I'd use that card on anything that isn't in a bonus category for one of the other cards.



Amex BCE: $16.5k, Discover It: $5k, Chase Freedom Visa: $10k, Fidelity Amex: $7.5k, PenFed Cash Rewards Visa: $3.5k, CapOne Union Plus MC: $4.5k, Barclays Upromise MC: $5k, BoA Cash Rewards 123 MC: $1.5k
Message 3 of 9
Scott90
Contributor

Re: Which one of my cards to use as daily

Very good points, thank you guys!

 

Quick question about the USAA AMEX though, where did you see that you have to spend XX amount.  I just logged into my account and i see where it says "up to" but i dont see any fine print anywhere that states a specific amount needed to spend, just was wondering.

 

now that i think about how i spent the majority of my money it definitely seems like the Cap One card may be my best bet, who knows, maybe the extra use will finally land me a CLI, lol.

Message 4 of 9
ElCamino
Contributor

Re: Which one of my cards to use as daily


@Scott90 wrote:

Very good points, thank you guys!

 

Quick question about the USAA AMEX though, where did you see that you have to spend XX amount.  I just logged into my account and i see where it says "up to" but i dont see any fine print anywhere that states a specific amount needed to spend, just was wondering.

 

now that i think about how i spent the majority of my money it definitely seems like the Cap One card may be my best bet, who knows, maybe the extra use will finally land me a CLI, lol.


If you've had the card for a while you could try e-mailing the EO. Tell them you want to make the Cap One your primary card, but in order to do so you'll need a higher limit, and that you would appreciate it if they based this increase on a soft pull of your credit and not a hard inquiry. (if you already have a higher limit card you could even reference this and request that they match or exceed it)

 

You might get lucky and get a CLI this way.



Amex BCE: $16.5k, Discover It: $5k, Chase Freedom Visa: $10k, Fidelity Amex: $7.5k, PenFed Cash Rewards Visa: $3.5k, CapOne Union Plus MC: $4.5k, Barclays Upromise MC: $5k, BoA Cash Rewards 123 MC: $1.5k
Message 5 of 9
ztnjpv
Established Contributor

Re: Which one of my cards to use as daily

all of them

 

 

Every category gets best card. very simple.

Start (Sept 2011): low-mid 600s. NOW: TU FICO: 801, EQ FICO 808, EX FICO 798 (PSECU). Goal: Achieved! Now Maintain!
Message 6 of 9
bribro
Valued Contributor

Re: Which one of my cards to use as daily

If you are only looking for cashback, Capital One at 1.5% is probably your best bet. If you use United or Hyatt, your Freedom card might be better (you'll just have to get a CSP or other premium UR card down the line to transfer the points out). You should be able to get at least $0.02 in value per UR point, often much more.

TU FICO: 800 (2/1/14) | CK Score: 802 (2/1/14) | CS Score: 805 (2/1/14)

J.P. Morgan Palladium ($250k) | AmEx Platinum (NPSL) | AmEx SPG Personal/Business ($50k/$50k) | Citi Executive AAdvantage WEMC ($50k) | Citi Dividend WEMC ($50k) | Chase Sapphire Preferred VS ($50k) | Chase Ink Bold WEMC ($50k Flex) | Chase Ink Plus WEMC ($25k) | Chase Freedom VS ($25k) | Chase Freedom WMC ($25k) | Chase MileagePlus Explorer ($25k) | Chase Southwest RR Plus Business/Personal ($15k/$15k) | Barclays US Airways ($25k) | Barclays Hawaiian Airlines ($25k) | BofA Alaska Airlines ($10k) | Lexus Financial Services ($30k) | Mercedes-Benz Financial Services ($50k)
Message 7 of 9
Open123
Super Contributor

Re: Which one of my cards to use as daily


@bribro wrote:

If you are only looking for cashback, Capital One at 1.5% is probably your best bet. If you use United or Hyatt, your Freedom card might be better (you'll just have to get a CSP or other premium UR card down the line to transfer the points out). You should be able to get at least $0.02 in value per UR point, often much more.


+1

 

For no annual fee pure cashback cards, the choices are simple and clear.  Capital One at 1.5%; Fid Amex at 2%; JCB at 3% (for those in CA and HI).  Priceline was great at 2%, but no longer available.

 

 

Message 8 of 9
Odiseous
Frequent Contributor

Re: Which one of my cards to use as daily


@Scott90 wrote:

Very good points, thank you guys!

 

Quick question about the USAA AMEX though, where did you see that you have to spend XX amount.  I just logged into my account and i see where it says "up to" but i dont see any fine print anywhere that states a specific amount needed to spend, just was wondering.

 

now that i think about how i spent the majority of my money it definitely seems like the Cap One card may be my best bet, who knows, maybe the extra use will finally land me a CLI, lol.


- Go to the main USAA website

- Select Our Products, then Credit Cards

- Below the 'apply' button under the AmEx, click 'Learn More'

- On the right side of the popup, select Cash Rewards

- Click Rewards erms & Conditions

 

If your annual net purchases are: Your Cash Rewards Rebate will be:

$0 to $5,0000.45% of all Annual Net Purchases
$5,000 to $10,000$22.50 plus 0.85% of Annual Net Purchases over $5,000
$10,000 to $17,000$65 plus 1% of Annual Net Purchases over $10,000
$17,000 or more$135 plus 1.25% of Annual Net Purchases over $17,000

 

Here's the direct link.

 

https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/credit_card_cash_rewards_terms

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Message 9 of 9
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