Good Credit Cards - Rewards? Cash Back?

[sanibelover]

I just can't do it any more!!!!

I got the Disney VISA because of all the wonderful discounts they promised. Well, as you all know, the discounts are not forthcoming (Yes, I can get double points on purchases of drycleaning over $2,300 per month.......... ), and I want to switch credit cards to something with rewards that add up a little faster. I pay off the balance each month, but do tend to charge a lot. Any suggestions?

Thanks for you help...

 

[tbelfonti]

I swear by my Disney Visa because then DH can't use the reward dollars for anything BUT Disney

I have a friend who has a discover card that pays a higher % cash back.

Good luck

 

[dizcrazy]

I am keeping my Disney Visa for the free movie tickets (which I get about once or twice a year) but also opened a CitiBank Platnum card. The Citibank card was a recommendation from the boards, and a great one!!! 5% cash back for supermarket, gas, and drugstore purchases. I just requested my first check, which I will then deposit into my online banking account with a good rate.

We did have $180 of rewards on our Disney Visa and used them to help pay for our hotel room at WL. That was awesome - and like the other poster said, it is nice because you can't use the rewards for anything else!

I will be interested in finding out what others saym but my vote is for Citibank Plantnum 5% cash back.

 

[calie_j]

I JUST got this rewards card, tried about a yr ago and got turned down, so I haven't had a chance to actually use is yet but I've been a member of the rewards program for over 2 yrs and had a different card thru the company for a yr with no problems. It's the Choice Privileges Card thru Bank of America and is linked to a Choice Hotel Rewards Program.

The Hotel rewards program which we've been a member of for 2 yrs gives you 10 points per dollar every time you stay at their hotel, we usually stay at the Comfort Inn. They also run specials, last yr from Sept-Dec and again from Jan - May they had stay 2 "times" get one free and your stay was counted as from the time you checked in until you checked out no matter how many nights (easy for us to work around we just stayed 1 night in one town and another night in a different town close by). This yrs special from Jan - May was book online and get triple points or book by phone and get double points. We get around 630 points/night and it's 6,000 points for a free stay. We usually earn 2-3 free nights per year with the specials. So I know the rewards program is good and no black-out dates (tho it's not good in Canada or for park n fly nights). One time I was going to book our hotel and our usual place was over $80 for the same room we usually pay 58-68 for, so I booked it as a free stay with points and only used our usual 6,000 points for that hotel without a problem.

The credit card rewards program is tied into our existing hotel program and in addition to what we've already been getting we'll get 6,000 points for our 1st purchase to the card which is enough for a 1 night stay. We also get 5 points per $ when we charge our hotel to the card (in addition to the 10 points we're already getting) and 2 points per $ for all other purchases. This works out to a free night for every $3000 we charge. Retail value is around $63 so you do the math on % cash back.

This is an excellent deal for us because DS goes to school out of state in a rural area and the closest town to him which is still 45 minutes away only has a Comfort Inn. We go visit him 6-8 times/yr staying 2 nights each trip, and there's plenty of Comfort Inn's along the drive to stay if we need to do 1 night at a different location to get the special. Right now I'm saving up our free nights for a week's vacation in SD next summer.

Calie

 

[skipper2]

Citibank is 1% cash back on purchases other than grocery, drugstore, and gas (those are 5%), which is a whole lot better than Discover (only 1/4% on the first $1500!). Discover card has 1% after you've reached $3000., and rewards for special merchants at different times. I think it's home improvement this month (5% on purchases at Home Depot, etc.) The latest Capital One offer isn't as good as Citibank either. We used to use the Disney Visa, but 5% is too good to pass up, especially when most of our purchases are groceries and gas!

 

[Renate_do]

1% or 5% cash back? You are so lucky at USA
Here at Germany there are some reward programms where you get 1cent for every point. Buying with this card gets you 1 point for every 4€ so its only 0,25%
Other cards gives you 1 point for every 3€ but you need 2500 points to get a 15€ voucher for a steakhouse.

I really would like to have a Disney Visa card...but cannot get them

Greets Renate

 

[PiRSquared]

We have three. Like a previous poster, we use the dividends card from citibank for the 5% at gas/supermarkets/drug stores. I only use the card for those three types of stores. It has a limit of $300 for the year.

For other stores, we use the GM card -- 5% on a future new GM car. When we have earned max on that ($500 or $700 per year I can't remember) we switch the the Citibank Driver's Edge. We get 2% toward any car purchase -- including a used car. The last car we purchased (a 2004 Tahoe ) we had $3200 off from the GM card and then had another $1200 on the other card which was mailed to use after we purchased the car. We never fly, so don't feel that the airline miles are worth it. You have to buy a car sometime, so the Driver's Edge really makes sense.