Best credit card rewards?

[ski_mom]

What is the best card for grocery spending? I have the chase freedom and have maxed out the 5% this quarter. I'd like to find a card with unlimited (or at least a high limit) higher percentage cash back for grocery purchases.

 

[BruinEd03]

One of my favorite blogs had this to say about the Chase Sapphire Preferred, "Best when paired with no-fee Chase Freedom card and/or no-fee Chase Ink Cash"

So what does it mean to pair them? I don't have either of those cards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred is a good, but not necessarily great card for earning points (1x most categories, 2x some categories). However, for spending points, it is great. You can get 20% off when booking travel through them, have good transfer partners when opting to convert points to miles, and have also have various other partners where you can spend points.

Chase Freedom on the other hand, is great for earning points (5x points for a certain category for a quarter, which rotates every quarter). Some of the categories are especially helpful, like grocery stores, restaurants, amazon, etc. However, for spending points, it is average. You don't get the 20% off when booking and have limited partners.

Chase Ink Cash (no-fee) is great for earning points (5x points for certain categories year round such as office supply stores, phone/internet, etc.). The office supply stores is handy because you can buy gift cards for common every day spends like certain restaurants, hardware stores, gas gift cards, etc. Also, who doesn't have a phone/internet bill? Like the Chase Freedom, spending points is average.

Now, the great thing is that all 3 cards use Ultimate Rewards Points. So, by strategically using Chase Freedom and Chase Ink Cash (no-fee), and when it is optimal the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you selectively increase your point earnings. However, when it comes to spending, you transfer your points, to Chase Sapphire Preferred for free. Thus, you get the best of both worlds, great point earnings, and great point spending.

 

[BruinEd03]

What is the best card for grocery spending? I have the chase freedom and have maxed out the 5% this quarter. I'd like to find a card with unlimited (or at least a high limit) higher percentage cash back for grocery purchases.

If you have a spouse, your spouse can also apply for his/her own separate Chase Freedom card. However, given the quarter is coming to a close, you may not be able to take advantage of this before the card arrives.

 

[MKCP5]

How much are you spending each month? What are your main categories of spending? Are you wishing to use the rewards for travel or do you want flexibility? What are your major airlines that you like to use?

My #1 is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. #2 is the Chase Freedom. I transfer the points from Freedom to Sapphire to cash out for Southwest miles since the flights are cheaper when paying with points (for example, I just bought tickets that were $650 when I paid with points, over $1k had I paid with cash).

Others to consider:

Citi Double Cash Back
Southwest CC

A good resource:

http://thepointsguy.com/

Wow So much info! My head is spinning! Our spending habits are pretty simple, gas, groceries, eating out here and there. I have just been thinking that I could put the cable bill, cell phones, car insurance, etc all on a card each month and earn points for travel. We don't travel a ton, maybe once a year, but if I could get points we could travel more often or stay longer when we do go. The chase sapphire everyone is talking about sounds pretty good, but so does the chase freedom. I'm not crazy about the $95 fee for the sapphire, although they will give you 50K points if you spend 4K in the first three months. Freedom gives you $150 if you spend $500 in the first 3 months! Gah! I don't want to make it super complicated. I just want someone to give me a free airplane ticket every month for using their card lol

 

[Albort]

What is the best card for grocery spending? I have the chase freedom and have maxed out the 5% this quarter. I'd like to find a card with unlimited (or at least a high limit) higher percentage cash back for grocery purchases.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred would probably be your best bet for grocery. Although its not unlimited. 6% for the first 6k.

it does have AF.

 

[revdisney33]

I have a Bank of America AAA Visa. Use it for bills and most everyday things. I get 3 points per dollar for travel stuff, 2 points for gas and groceries and all others are 1 point. As I use the rewards for travel the breakdown has worked well with AAA. I plan my trips through them or transfer my trips to them because of the following

20,000 points is $200 cash or $250 in AAA vouchers

50,000 points is $500 cash or $700 in AAA vouchers

April 2014 I had $1400 toward my trip and my AAA agent said no one had come into their office with that much and they use my story with others. This year I'll have $950 toward my trip. I'm not a big spender, but just make sure most things go on this card. Fuel bills, cell phone, etc. I also offer to pay for others trip and they pay me back....but haven't done this for a while. I also use cash and other cards sometimes or my rewards would even be higher.

If every 2 years I can have almost $1000 for travel and I don't spend a lot of money per month I'll take it.

 

[cnj]

I love the American Express Preferred Cash card. It does have the $75 annual fee. But I do earn 6% back on groceries, 3% on gas. I also love American Express for the bonuses you can add to your card. Such as, the recent one where they gave 10% back on cell phone and cable bill transactions on the card up to $30 per category over the three months. That was an extra $60. Plus, the Petco and Chewy.com bonuses they recently ran were amazing. Since both my husband and myself are on the card, we each added the bonuses to our separate cards (same account gets two different card numbers) and we were able to do the bonuses twice. I look forward to the different promotions they run each month.

We also have the Chase Freedom card and use it for the 5% back bonus categories. Right now we are utilizing the 5% grocery bonus until the end of June and then we will revert back to the American Express Preferred in July for groceries. We do not eat out a lot but the restaurant category will be nice for a few months.

We use the Citibank Double Cash for everything else.

I am also looking forward to the new Costco Visa. I just wish the amount earned was given back more frequently than once a year.

I do not feel I am savvy enough to use the travel credit cards. So, I only do the above. But I am hoping one day to understand more about how they work.

 

[Eighty8Keys]

I love the American Express Preferred Cash card. It does have the $75 annual fee. But I do earn 6% back on groceries, 3% on gas. I also love American Express for the bonuses you can add to your card. Such as, the recent one where they gave 10% back on cell phone and cable bill transactions on the card up to $30 per category over the three months. That was an extra $60. Plus, the Petco and Chewy.com bonuses they recently ran were amazing. Since both my husband and myself are on the card, we each added the bonuses to our separate cards (same account gets two different card numbers) and we were able to do the bonuses twice. I look forward to the different promotions they run each month.

We also have the Chase Freedom card and use it for the 5% back bonus categories. Right now we are utilizing the 5% grocery bonus until the end of June and then we will revert back to the American Express Preferred in July for groceries. We do not eat out a lot but the restaurant category will be nice for a few months.

We use the Citibank Double Cash for everything else.

I am also looking forward to the new Costco Visa. I just wish the amount earned was given back more frequently than once a year.

I do not feel I am savvy enough to use the travel credit cards. So, I only do the above. But I am hoping one day to understand more about how they work.

I love my Amex Blue Cash Preferred too! The bonus offers more than cover the annual fee. I like getting 6% cashback not just on groceries, but other things i can get at the grocery store, like gift cards (Starbucks, Target, Amazon, Nintendo, Disney, Restaurants, Movies, Hulu, etc) and my prescriptions.

I also have the Chase Freedom and was really happy to see that warehouse clubs we included with grocery stores for this quarter. Since Costco won't begin accepting Visa at the warehouse until June 20, I maxed out the $1,500 purchasing Costco Cash Cards online. I have enough to last me a good six months.

 

[AmyAnne]

I also have the Chase Freedom and was really happy to see that warehouse clubs we included with grocery stores for this quarter. Since Costco won't begin accepting Visa at the warehouse until June 20, I maxed out the $1,500 purchasing Costco Cash Cards online. I have enough to last me a good six months.

Have you gotten the 5% rewards for purchasing the Costco Cash Cards? I thought that gift cards were excluded from the 5% categories but I have not checked in a long while. That would be awesome to in effect get 5% off the Costco cards.

 

[MillauFr]

I use the Fidelity Visa. You have to have an account with Fidelity but the card has no annual fee. I get 1.5% cash back on the first $15k in charges per year and then 2% on all charges after that. I don't like the cards that have different % back on various categories of spending. Makes it too complicated to track how much I am getting back. I like to keep things as simple as possible.

 

[Eighty8Keys]

Have you gotten the 5% rewards for purchasing the Costco Cash Cards? I thought that gift cards were excluded from the 5% categories but I have not checked in a long while. That would be awesome to in effect get 5% off the Costco cards.

Yes, I tested it out with a small amount at the very start of the quarter to make sure I got the 5%. I split the $1,500 into three billing periods to spread out the cost.

 

[hsmamato2]

Yes, I tested it out with a small amount at the very start of the quarter to make sure I got the 5%. I split the $1,500 into three billing periods to spread out the cost.

-great idea! Though I'm trying to max my SPG amex spending there till the 20th....oh the dilemma! Anyway to a pp above, I agree on a couple of points, a Chase freedom (or 2 or 3) is great to have for quarterly bonuses, paired with the Chase sapphire preferred,for using all those lovely points (for travel) I don't have the Ink b/c I never qualified for a business card(in spite of stuff I've read, no,I didn't sadly) and I try to max those out quarterly when I can- I am also waiting waiting waiting for a REALLY good bonus offer for Amex everyday preferred..... I like that card, but I want a better bonus! (I am so demanding )

 

[georgina]

Before a recent trip I found that only my card issued by Capital One had no foreign transaction fees. My ones from Chase and Citi had 3% fees. Not sure if this applies to all cards from those three issuers, but that is what I found.

I know the Chase SW Visa has no foreign transaction fees. Can't remember about the other ones I own.

I am also a big fan of the Sapphire and have received double points on things other cards I have had would not consider travel and dining - parking fees, the caterer for my DD's wedding are a couple. I have the Freedom also and usually combine my points for SW Rapid Rewards points. Also have the AmEx for 6% on groceries, as Giant Eagle often offers gift cards for big fuel discounts. 6% back plus 12% discounts on gas add up to big savings for us.

 

[Dannek]

Both myself and my girlfriend have the Sallie Mae Mastercard. Unfortunately it's no longer being issued.
As we don't spend enough on groceries to make the Blue Cash Preferred pay off, we use the SM Mastercard and we get:
5% cash back on groceries up to $500 ($250. each) per month.
5% cash back on gas up to $500 ($250 each) per month.
5% cash back on books (read..Amazon) up to $1500. ($750 each) per month.
All work great for us and the card carries no annual fee.

For all else, the Citi double cash card gives me 2% back on everything.
I don't fly too often so the mileage cards aren't of benefit to me.

 

[Albort]

If you have a spouse, your spouse can also apply for his/her own separate Chase Freedom card. However, given the quarter is coming to a close, you may not be able to take advantage of this before the card arrives.

rumor is that 5% cat for Wholesale retailers have been extended to the end of the year. I havent found an answer on if the it uses the next categories' $1500 or not... news was just released today...

edit: its combined... still not a bad deal for ppl who dont spend that much... great for ppl who buy Disney gc from wholesalers...

 

[havaneselover]

rumor is that 5% cat for Wholesale retailers have been extended to the end of the year. I havent found an answer on if the it uses the next categories' $1500 or not... news was just released today...

edit: its combined... still not a bad deal for ppl who dont spend that much... great for ppl who buy Disney gc from wholesalers...

This is great. Restaurants is worthless to me--we rarely eat out and when we do we have gift cards. But I do spend money at Costco. I guess I won't be using my new Costco visa at Costco anytime soon.

 

[amcnj]

rumor is that 5% cat for Wholesale retailers have been extended to the end of the year. I havent found an answer on if the it uses the next categories' $1500 or not... news was just released today...

edit: its combined... still not a bad deal for ppl who dont spend that much... great for ppl who buy Disney gc from wholesalers...

When you say combined, you mean you can only charge up to 1500 during the six month period (Apr-Sept) at wholesale clubs, not 1500 each quarter?

 

[havaneselover]

When you say combined, you mean you can only charge up to 1500 during the six month period (Apr-Sept) at wholesale clubs, not 1500 each quarter?

No, it's combined with restaurants.

 

[Ava]

If you have any specific travel goals/plans, see if there is a card with a sign-up bonus that will get you at or close to your goal. For example, we visit my wife's family in another state nearly every summer but now that our youngest is out of a crib we've outgrown being able to stay with a family member. There are Holiday Inn hotels in a couple of the nearby towns, so I applied for an IHG Rewards credit card. I got a 60,000-point sign up bonus, which is enough for a 6-night stay at one of these Holiday Inns. Free hotel stay for our trip this summer! The card has a $49 annual fee, but it was waived for the first year. You also get automatic Platinum status and an annual free night at any IHG property, which will definitely be worth more than the $49 fee.

I've also had the Chase Freedom card for years and recently got the Sapphire Preferred so I can utilize Ultimate Rewards instead of just getting cash back from the Freedom. I got a 50,000 point sign up bonus plus an extra 5,000 point bonus for adding my wife as an authorized user on the Sapphire. We do dine out fairly frequently so the 2X points on dining out is a good bonus for us. I've also found that delivery orders from Seamless/Grubhub and reloading Starbucks & Dunkin' Donuts cards via their apps count as dining purchases for the 2X points.

 

[calypso726]

If you have any specific travel goals/plans, see if there is a card with a sign-up bonus that will get you at or close to your goal.

This. I plan all of my travel hacking about two years before I am going to travel. One year to accumulate the points and miles that I determine I will need for where I am going depending on how many credit cards I will need to apply for to get the number of points I need in the right program. This also helps to keep our points and miles balances at about 2 million in case plan A doesn't pan out and we suddenly need to switch to plan B. Then one year in advance of my travel date so I can book flights with miles as soon as they are released. I saw blogs from Million Mile Secrets and The Points Guy, both of which I follow. I will add Frequent Miler to the mix as another good one to follow.

I value variable reward points that can be transferred to airline miles or hotel points much more than cash back. Therefore, my favorite cards that I actually spend money on are Chase Sapphire Preferred paired with Chase Freedom and the Chase Ink Plus business card all to earn Chase Ultimate Reward points. I put all non category spend on the Starwood Preferred Guest card since the SPG points can transfer to over 30 airlines. I also keep a no fee Amex Everday card in order to keep my Amex Membership reward points alive from a previous Amex card with a high fee that I only picked up to get the 100,000 point bonus and cancelled when the year was up and the fee came due. I am waiting for a really amazing bonus deal to come around so I can pick up some more MR points. I still haven't decided how I'm getting to China in 2018 so I really need to get cracking on that.

There are plenty of other reward cards that have annual fees to get and keep but not necessarily use for spending money. Keep them for the benefits if they outweigh the fee and you will use those benefits. DH and I each have a Marriott and IHG card which gives us a free night each every anniversary year. That benefit is more valuable than the fee and we will use it. We also each have a Club Carlson card which gives us 40,000 anniversary points every year on each card and we have used those points to stay in Radisson Blu hotels for free in Europe over the last few years. DH and I keep an American Airlines card which gives me and up to 4 traveling companions free checked bag, plus 10% back on all of the airline miles we redeem each year. The miles back alone more than covers the fee.