Credit Card with Best Rewards Program

[garada3]

We are looking for a second credit card. I am hoping that you all could offer suggestions as to credit cards with no fee rewards programs. Is there a website that compares credit card programs?

We already have the Disney Visa and pay it in full each month.

Thanks!

 

[howlongtildisney]

We have the Citi PremeirPass card. It doesn't necessarily get us the best return for our dollar on purchases, but the points are really useful. You can use the points to purchase travel through Expedia. We're taking two long weekends on points this summer and fall!

We looked at going with AmEx Blue Cash. We'd get a higher percentage, but it's cash back. We decided to stick with the points because we would be tempted to just roll the money back into our budget instead of using it for something fun.

 

[dizneechic]

We have the Chase Amazon card. We get either Amazon Gift Certs to spend or Cash. They also give out triple points 3 months a year that don't go towards your annual max. We pay all bills with it (except the morg) and earn $25 to $50 each month in GC/cash.

 

[donnajz]

I love my Citibank Driver’s Edge card. There’s no annual fee and you earn 3% reward on all grocery store and gasoline purchases. If I remember correctly, the first 6 months I earned 6% reward on grocery store and gas purchases. You also earn 1% reward on all other purchases. In addition, you can register one car (the one driven the most), and you get .01 per mile. This mileage rewards usually add up to about $150/year since I drive about 15,000 miles/year. You can use your rewards for different items available on the Thank You Network, or you can convert them to dollars and use them for air fare. The last 3 times DD and I went to Disney, we had free airfare. Last year we weren’t able to go to Disney, so I converted my points into dollars and asked for a check – in the amount of $837. No too bad! I put it in my daughter’s college fund.

 

[jms920]

I'm curious to how these other rewards cards convert to actual dollar values. Example: my Discover card gives me 1% back So $10 for every $1000. I spend. With this I know that $10 is what I will pocket, so to speak. However the Capital One card I have gives a formula to figure (for air travel) and it really works out to only about 1/10 of a percent. Not nearly as good a deal.

 

[donnajz]

I'm curious to how these other rewards cards convert to actual dollar values. Example: my Discover card gives me 1% back So $10 for every $1000. I spend. With this I know that $10 is what I will pocket, so to speak. However the Capital One card I have gives a formula to figure (for air travel) and it really works out to only about 1/10 of a percent. Not nearly as good a deal.

Airfare for the Citibank Driver's Edge is the same as a regular reward -- 1% of your purchase. If you need $400 for an airline ticket, you convert $400 reward dollars to points ($400 equals 40,000 points), ie, each $1 of rewards gives you 100 points if you want to use for airfare. Another option is to keep it as $$$ and request a check for the $$ amount.

 

[mom2aredhead]

I'll stick with Amex membership rewards. Can convert to many travel rewards, gift certificates, merchandise, though we've used them for hotels and airlines mostly.

I look at points as a "bonus" for money I would be spending anyway. They give 1 point for every dollar spent, double for certain purchases, point for point transfer into many airline programs, and online hotel reservations that you can pay partially with points and the balance on your card.

Bottom line - I do not want to have to think too much or work too hard to earn points, keep track of them, use them before they expire, or maintain the account in any way. Compared to Disney, Chase, and others I've had, Amex seems to be the most user friendly program. Maybe I could earn more points and get more "stuff" with other ones, but if it becomes too much like work to do anything with them, sooo not worth it.

 

[mikeandsydsmom]

I use Amex for everything I can. We get 1 point for every dollar we charge. I can't tell you how many FREE flights, even first class flights we have bought with our reward points

 

[Muushka]

I'm curious to how these other rewards cards convert to actual dollar values. Example: my Discover card gives me 1% back So $10 for every $1000. I spend. With this I know that $10 is what I will pocket, so to speak. However the Capital One card I have gives a formula to figure (for air travel) and it really works out to only about 1/10 of a percent. Not nearly as good a deal.

Check the fine print on your Discover card. Most do not give you the 1% cashback until you have spent a chunk of change ($3000). And then to add insult to injury, at stores such as WalMart or Sams Club, they don't give 1% back, they give .25%. And that is even after you spent the first $3000.

After I figured all that out (used it for years before I woke up!), I now just use Discover for the 5% bonus rewards that come every 3 months.

You automatically earn up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all your other purchases. You will earn 1% unlimited Cashback Bonus on purchases after your total annual purchases exceed $3000; purchases that are part of your first $3000 earn .25%. Warehouse purchases (those made at select warehouse clubs, discount stores and their affiliates) earn .25%. We do not include warehouse purchases or 5% category purchases in calculating your total annual purchases.

 

[mrsklamc]

We have a costco amex. No fee with our paid costco membership, 1% back on most purchases, 2% travel, 3% eating out.

 

[scard192]

Check the fine print on your Discover card. Most do not give you the 1% cashback until you have spent a chunk of change ($3000). And then to add insult to injury, at stores such as WalMart or Sams Club, they don't give 1% back, they give .25%. And that is even after you spent the first $3000.

After I figured all that out (used it for years before I woke up!), I now just use Discover for the 5% bonus rewards that come every 3 months.

If I hadn't read it here I wouldn't have looked at the fine print on my Discover rewards. My anniversary date with them was in May so I am down to .25%. Last year I had a Disney pkg and 4 airline tix on the Discover so it was a good deal for me. I do take advantage of the 5% quarterly promos.

I'm using my Disney Rewards Visa now as the rewards are better than Discover.

 

[ssawka]

We have the AAA Diamond Advantage Visa Card. It pays the standard 1% rewards in the form of AAA gift certificates that can be used for discounted Disney Tickets You can use it for other things as well, but who cares? You also get 3% back in direct credits to the bill for all gas purchases. We never carry a balance, but if you do the APR is pretty resonable depending on your credit score. I think it ranges between 12% - 21%. We put everything on that card and usually get several hundred dollars off our Disney tickets every year.

 

[Muushka]

We have a costco amex. No fee with our paid costco membership, 1% back on most purchases, 2% travel, 3% eating out.

Oooh, sounds interesting. Do you have to book with Costco to get the travel 2%? And eating out, is it anywhere or is it limited in any way?

 

[mrsklamc]

Oooh, sounds interesting. Do you have to book with Costco to get the travel 2%? And eating out, is it anywhere or is it limited in any way?

Nope, we've never booked travel through Costco and have gotten rebates. There are no limits to where you can eat out that I am aware of, but I'll be honest- I don't track it closely.

 

[Muushka]

Nope, we've never booked travel through Costco and have gotten rebates. There are no limits to where you can eat out that I am aware of, but I'll be honest- I don't track it closely.

Thanks! I have a big ticket item coming up due (cruise) in a month or so. That 2% would be great!

 

[clearyds]

Thanks! I have a big ticket item coming up due (cruise) in a month or so. That 2% would be great!

You may want to consider booking your cruise through Costco. I took a Royal Carribean and after doing lots of research, Costco gave me the same price as everyone else, but also 200 to spend on the ship, plus we got to eat dinner at the special restaurants at no charge. You have to ask for all details over the phone, it's not listed on their websites, but if you already know what you want it is a great deal

 

[lucigo]

Thanks! I have a big ticket item coming up due (cruise) in a month or so. That 2% would be great!

We have a SeaMiles card that we use for cruises, have enough for a free cruise now but haven't booked one yet.

We have a Disney card but don't use it as much.

Everything we buy goes on our Navy Federal Card, there are lots of different things you can use the points for, but if all else fails, for every 50K points (dollars spent) you can get $625 cash back.

 

[Muushka]

You may want to consider booking your cruise through Costco. I took a Royal Carribean and after doing lots of research, Costco gave me the same price as everyone else, but also 200 to spend on the ship, plus we got to eat dinner at the special restaurants at no charge. You have to ask for all details over the phone, it's not listed on their websites, but if you already know what you want it is a great deal

Thanks, good to know for the future. We already booked it and it included tips, which is almost equiv to that $200, but no specialty dinners. RCI also.
Costco next time! We need to join first!

lucigo, is that Sea Miles just for Carnival?

 

[jms920]

Check the fine print on your Discover card. Most do not give you the 1% cashback until you have spent a chunk of change ($3000). And then to add insult to injury, at stores such as WalMart or Sams Club, they don't give 1% back, they give .25%. And that is even after you spent the first $3000.

After I figured all that out (used it for years before I woke up!), I now just use Discover for the 5% bonus rewards that come every 3 months.

Thanks, I am aware of that. That's one of the reasons I would like to find another card that converts dollar for dollar. In my case I race up my rewards pretty quickly. I have a small retail business and put all of my bills on my Discover so it amounts to charging around $8,000 or more per month. I pay it off within days of charging it so the $3000. is hardly noticeable. I do love when they give the 5% rewards too. I still would be interested in finding a card with even better rewards.

Thanks! JoAnn

 

[lucigo]

Thanks, good to know for the future. We already booked it and it included tips, which is almost equiv to that $200, but no specialty dinners. RCI also.
Costco next time! We need to join first!

lucigo, is that Sea Miles just for Carnival?

It can be used for all of the lines that are owned by Carnival, I don't know all of them but I know Holland America is one because after we came back from a HA cruise our CC gave it as an option to be paid with SeaMiles.