Who's card has the best rewards?

[hegfam]

I see a lot of discussion about credit card rewards. We have a few credit cards but none of them offer rewards of any kind.

Do you think your credit card is the best; which one and what do they offer? Are you able to make house payments, car payments, utility payments on them to count towards rewards?

It looks like a good way to save money for our next Disney trip and I NEED to give this a try to keep our trip scheduled for next year under budget.

Thanks in advance!

 

[brentalex]

I don't know if it is the best, but I have been happy with the one I use. It is a miles one card from Capital One. Has a $19 annual fee, you get points for everything you buy. The points can be used on any airline at any time, no blackout periods at all. It has a limit of $360 per ticket, and if your ticket costs more then you need to pay the difference. I just booked 4 tickets from Bos to MCO for next April and had to pay 80 per ticket above the miles. I was pretty happy because flights are pretty expensive since it is the school vacation week. When you call to book the tickets they try to find you the best flights that will get you where you are going without going over the $360 limit, and did offer me some that I could have gotten for free, but the one I choose was a non stop and I couldn't pass it up. The 2 extra hours in FL was worth the money and not having to hang around an airport waiting for a connecting plane.

 

[sln88]

I have a blue Amex. Pays 1 plus percent on all purchases. The payment goes directly as a credit on your bill. Last year I got about 1.5% based on my purchases. You can get higher cash back if you leave a balance, but what's the point of that? I do not know how to get my mortgage payment on- that would be great.

I also have a cash back Visa that pays 1% for places that won't take Amex. You have to trade in your points for a check, but it comes out to 1%.

There is no fee on either card.

Fidelity has a card that pays 2% into a 529 plan. I am looking in to that one.

I guess I don't see the value of a card that makes you trade in for a specific item like airline tickets or Disney stuff. That really limits your options.

Cash is king.

 

[clhcpaca]

I have a Delta Skymiles AMEX card. I use ot for everyhting and pay the balance every month. I get 1 point for everthing with double points specials quite common---right now groceries, gas, home improvement stores, etc. Also, they run alot of double point specials, like this year everything from May 15-July 15 will get doubled. It is just for a specific airline, but I fly Delta from San Jose to Orlando and I have almost always been able to get any flight I want. I also save up my points to 40,000 and I can get a first class ticket. Coach is 25,000 points. There is no price limit on the tickets. I don't pay a fee for the card.

HTH, Cindy

 

[mad4themouse]

It pays back 1% in Webcertificates every month. There is no annual fee and because I do not carry a balance from month to month, the APR is of no concern to me.

Webcertificates can be used anywhere that Mastercard is taken. They work like a pre-paid credit card or a debit card. I can use it to purchase park passes, pay for my room or any souvenirs.

Since I also earn "webbies" by doing rewards programs and surveys, they add up fast. I've managed to accumulate a tidy sum in very little time. And because they spend like cash, they are more flexible than Disney Dream Rewards Dollars or airline frequent flier miles.

I also like the fact that they are awarded monthly. I don't have to redeem for them or worry about the points expiring. Chase automatically sends my webbie every month when my charges meet or exceed $1,000. If they are under $1,000, then the total rolls over into the next month(s) until the overall total exceed $1,000. I get at least $10 every month with many months being closer to $20 and $25.

I know that there are other cards that will give more than 1% back but they don't meet my needs for flexibility and convenience. I also refuse to carry a balance in order to boost my rewards. Who wants to pay interest charges anyway?

 

[NancyIL]

Originally posted by sln88

Fidelity has a card that pays 2% into a 529 plan. I am looking in to that one.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[disneysteve]

There is no one card that is best for everyone. It depends on what type of reward you want. We have 2 reward cards that we use regularly. AOL Visa and Marriott Visa.

AOL gives 1% back on all purchases and points can be applied to your AOL bill. I have not paid a penny for AOL service for 6 or 7 years since I got the card.

Marriott also pays 1% to be used toward hotel stays. We are spending 4 days in Boston this summer at a Residence Inn on reward points so it won't cost us a cent. We like this card because we do a fair amount of travel so we combine points earned by staying at a Marriott property with points earned by charging on the credit card. In about 1-1/2 years we've earned enough points for up to 11 nites depending on the hotel.

Steve

 

[barbeml]

We have two reward cards: My GM card has saved me a fortune on buying and leasing two cars ($2200 to date, and I have $3,000 for my next car--free money since I do not carry a balance). Of course, you have to like GM cars! (Please, no debates here).

We used to have the MyPoints card that gave two points per dollar, but that bank folded and the new MyPoints card is not as good. After much searching (we do not fly frequently), we settled on a AAA Diamond Advantage card. We get 5% back at the gas pump--automatically credited at the top of monthly statement and deducted from balance due), and we get a $50 voucher for use at AAA for every $5,000 spent. We plan to use vouchers for Disney travel merchandise or photo albums, to pay for rooms on the trip down and back, etc. They can also be applied to travel packages, as far as I know.