What's a credit card with a good reward system?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > What's a credit card with a good reward system?

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ETB: Nov 8, 2009; Yeah, I'm that guy.

How much do you charge on your credit card, on a monthly basis? Also, do you care about foreign transaction fees as well as chip+pin/sig?

# ? Sep 21, 2014 09:42

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# ? May 3, 2024 11:06

lol internet.: Sep 4, 2007; the internet makes you stupid

As the OP post isn't too informative and being non American, I was wondering what travel rewards card is good and preferably free.

In Canada, I use Aeroplan which gets me roughly 1 free round trip in North America if I spend $25,000 on my credit card. (1 dollar = 1 point.)

If the card is that much better, and there is a fee, I don't mind as well.

# ? Sep 21, 2014 16:25

Dominoes: Sep 20, 2007

Bisty Q. posted:

Barclay Arrival is offline C+P (C+S preferred) with no FTF but a $90 AF.

Your other choices are some credit union cards. UN FCU has one that is what you want.

THF13 posted:

Chip and signature cards should work in most places except automated terminals. The Barclaycard Arrival Plus has offline PIN fallback though and should work everywhere.

Thanks.

Duckman2008 posted:

Wait, I thought the Chase Sapphire has no foreign transaction fees? It was one reason why I just enrolled in it.

It does. My issue is it's not chip+pin

Using the Sapphire gets some great reactions and is a conversation starter due to the clean front/metal inlay.

# ? Sep 21, 2014 20:04

Hashtag Banterzone: Dec 8, 2005; Lifetime Winner of the willkill4food Honorary Bad Posting Award in PWM

Wicaeed posted:

What would be a better option for a general rewards credit card, potentially one that I could tie in with TrueBlue rewards program?

I think Amex is the only credit card partner for Jetblue. I would check out their offerings.

# ? Sep 21, 2014 22:13

Wicaeed: Feb 8, 2005

ETB posted:

How much do you charge on your credit card, on a monthly basis? Also, do you care about foreign transaction fees as well as chip+pin/sig?

Depends, but around 1500-2000/mo

# ? Sep 22, 2014 19:11

ETB: Nov 8, 2009; Yeah, I'm that guy.

Wicaeed posted:

Depends, but around 1500-2000/mo

I'd highly recommend the Barclays Arrival Plus, then. Effectively 2.2% toward all purchases, applied to travel expenses. Chip+sig, no FTF, annual fee ($89) is waived for the first year.

# ? Sep 22, 2014 19:56

BRAKE FOR MOOSE: Jun 6, 2001

I recently got the Citi DoubleCash card. It is my first card with Citi. When I try to make an online payment on the current balance, I get this error: "You have entered an amount greater than your last statement balance. Please re-enter an amount less than or equal to your statement balance." That seems exceptionally stupid. My statement balance is $0 and will be until the end of the month.

Is this typical? I have never had a credit card behave in this way. Will this resolve itself after the first billing cycle? This is irritating from a bookkeeping perspective alone, but especially annoying if it we have a hard limit on monthly spending on the card because we can't pay the balance down to zero more than once a month.

[edit:] Should have just called first. It's just a first statement thing. Odd, but better than I expected.

BRAKE FOR MOOSE fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Sep 23, 2014

# ? Sep 23, 2014 21:05

LorneReams: Jun 27, 2003; I'm bizarre

disheveled posted:

I recently got the Citi DoubleCash card. It is my first card with Citi. When I try to make an online payment on the current balance, I get this error: "You have entered an amount greater than your last statement balance. Please re-enter an amount less than or equal to your statement balance." That seems exceptionally stupid. My statement balance is $0 and will be until the end of the month.

Is this typical? I have never had a credit card behave in this way. Will this resolve itself after the first billing cycle? This is irritating from a bookkeeping perspective alone, but especially annoying if it we have a hard limit on monthly spending on the card because we can't pay the balance down to zero more than once a month.

Some of my cards do this. If it fucks with your budgeting that much to have the money sitting there until the statement flips, then you can do what I do and have an intermediary account that I transfer to that handles all epayments (I figure that limits my exposure in case of a fuckup).

# ? Sep 23, 2014 21:09

Guinness: Sep 15, 2004

disheveled posted:

I recently got the Citi DoubleCash card. It is my first card with Citi. When I try to make an online payment on the current balance, I get this error: "You have entered an amount greater than your last statement balance. Please re-enter an amount less than or equal to your statement balance." That seems exceptionally stupid. My statement balance is $0 and will be until the end of the month.

Is this typical? I have never had a credit card behave in this way. Will this resolve itself after the first billing cycle? This is irritating from a bookkeeping perspective alone, but especially annoying if it we have a hard limit on monthly spending on the card because we can't pay the balance down to zero more than once a month.

An annoyance, perhaps, but why are you trying to pay the whole balance down before the first billing cycle, anyway? Just pay the statement balance every month and you'll never have any problems or interest charges.

If you use a budgeting or tracking software (which you should be!), then it doesn't really matter what the balance is on the card at any given moment since you're tracking spending over time separately.

# ? Sep 23, 2014 21:12

nickutz: Feb 3, 2004; Put blue and red chicken in mouth plz

Unless you're trying to video game your credit score there's nothing wrong with waiting for the statement and paying in full. Now if you generally spend more than the limit they gave you and won't let you pay it down mid month to free up the credit line, that would be annoying.

# ? Sep 23, 2014 23:06

erobadapazzi: Jul 23, 2007

I had that same issue with Citi today. I got the card and immediately put my car insurance for the year on it, which took up most of the line of credit they'd given me. I want to pay it off immediately so I can use the card for other stuff now. The online help chat told me I could call in and pay immediately if I wanted, but I'd have to wait to do it online.

# ? Sep 24, 2014 08:49

Swingline: Jul 20, 2008

erobadapazzi posted:

I had that same issue with Citi today. I got the card and immediately put my car insurance for the year on it, which took up most of the line of credit they'd given me. I want to pay it off immediately so I can use the card for other stuff now. The online help chat told me I could call in and pay immediately if I wanted, but I'd have to wait to do it online.

Do you have a checking account with online bill pay? If so, you can use that to pay early.

# ? Sep 24, 2014 14:21

erobadapazzi: Jul 23, 2007

^^^^
You're a genius. Thank you!

# ? Sep 25, 2014 04:11

xie: Jul 29, 2004; I GET UPSET WHEN PEOPLE SPEND THEIR MONEY ON WASTEFUL THINGS THAT I DONT APPROVE OF

That's a good tip in general. If I make a payment on my student loans on Friday they won't debit it until Monday, which can generate a late payment (as the due date is often on the weekend but they will not take payments online...), but you can "push" a payment using online bill pay instead of "pulling" via their website.

# ? Sep 25, 2014 15:55

dangerous.hotdog: Feb 29, 2008

I'm looking into the CapOne Venture card and, according to the FAQ, you can redeem miles for cash. Anyone know the current conversion rate of miles > cash for this card (just for curiosity's sake)?

# ? Sep 29, 2014 19:14

nickutz: Feb 3, 2004; Put blue and red chicken in mouth plz

One mile is redeemable against 1 cent of travel purchases.

# ? Sep 29, 2014 21:39

Konstantin: Jun 20, 2005; And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

disheveled posted:

I recently got the Citi DoubleCash card. It is my first card with Citi. When I try to make an online payment on the current balance, I get this error: "You have entered an amount greater than your last statement balance. Please re-enter an amount less than or equal to your statement balance." That seems exceptionally stupid. My statement balance is $0 and will be until the end of the month.

Is this typical? I have never had a credit card behave in this way. Will this resolve itself after the first billing cycle? This is irritating from a bookkeeping perspective alone, but especially annoying if it we have a hard limit on monthly spending on the card because we can't pay the balance down to zero more than once a month.

[edit:] Should have just called first. It's just a first statement thing. Odd, but better than I expected.

This is set up to prevent a common scam where someone opens up a credit card, runs it up to the limit right away, uses a fraudulent method of payment to pay it off, then repeats this process several times before the payments are reversed.

# ? Oct 2, 2014 22:44

Kilty Monroe: Dec 27, 2006; Upon the frozen fields of arctic Strana Mechty, the Ghost Dads lie in wait, preparing to ambush their prey with their zippin' and zoppin' and ziggy-zoop-boppin'.

Opposite the point of this thread, but in yesterday's mail I got the scummiest rewards offer I've ever seen: triple points for interest accrued on your balance.

# ? Oct 4, 2014 00:10

KoB: May 1, 2009

My first and only card has been the Chase Amazon Visa. I've been considering getting a different card recently just for emergencies/larger purchases/downpayments/etc since they wouldn't raise the credit limit above 1800 (even though it apparently doubled just this pay period without mentioning it). I've got good credit but haven't made any major purchases. Generally charge $1000-1200 each month and pay it off.

I have been sort of considering something with airline miles. I don't spend a whole lot but I don't travel much either. It would be nice to be able to cover/subsidize plane tickets when I do though.

# ? Oct 6, 2014 20:31

ETB: Nov 8, 2009; Yeah, I'm that guy.

I sound like a loving robot at this point, but consider the BankAmericard Travel Rewards. 1.5% on all purchases to be applied toward travel/tourism. No foreign transaction fees, no annual fee, chip+sig which is useful in some countries.

If you just want MOAR CASH, there's that new 2% Citi card.

# ? Oct 7, 2014 01:22

FISHMANPET: Mar 3, 2007; Sweet 'N Sour
Can't
Melt
Steel Beams

ETB posted:

I sound like a loving robot at this point, but consider the BankAmericard Travel Rewards. 1.5% on all purchases to be applied toward travel/tourism. No foreign transaction fees, no annual fee, chip+sig which is useful in some countries.

If you just want MOAR CASH, there's that new 2% Citi card.

Wait no I'm the BankAmericard robot!
E: And this reminded me, I was finally able to finish paying off a plain ticket from March with points.

FISHMANPET fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Oct 7, 2014

# ? Oct 7, 2014 01:28

ETB: Nov 8, 2009; Yeah, I'm that guy.

There might as well be an OP with the "best options" and FAQ at this point. :v:

# ? Oct 7, 2014 02:03

Kilty Monroe: Dec 27, 2006; Upon the frozen fields of arctic Strana Mechty, the Ghost Dads lie in wait, preparing to ambush their prey with their zippin' and zoppin' and ziggy-zoop-boppin'.

ETB posted:

There might as well be an OP with the "best options" and FAQ at this point.

Or just a link to nerdwallet.

# ? Oct 7, 2014 14:18

THF13: Sep 26, 2007; Keep an adversary in the dark about what you're capable of, and he has to assume the worst.

I would be willing to make a new thread. Here is what I have so far, any other questions, links, or cards I should mention?

quote:

Useful Links

Nerdwallet's The Best Credit Cards
A list continually updated of the "best" cards for different categories, we mostly agree with it.
Newbie Personal Finance thread
How to Create a Budget thread

No annual fee Cards

Citi doublecash
Simple 2% cash back on everything. Great general purpose card.
Fidelity Amex
2% on everything, no foreign exchange fee. Rewards must be deposited into Fidelity account. Great general purpose and travel card. American Express is not accepted everywhere so have a Visa/Mastercard backup.
Chase Freedom/Discover
Rotating 5% cash back on different categories. Both cards rotating categories are frequently very useful, not the best card for purchases outside of the current 5% categories.
Sallie Mae MasterCard
5% Cash back on Groceries, Gas, and bookstores (including amazon). Only applies to first $250 spent on gas/groceries and $750 at bookstores. Free Fico credit score included. An excellent card for the most common purchases people use credit cards for. Strongly recommended if you don't typically spend more than the rewards limits anyways.
Bank Americard Travel Rewards
1.5% cash back on all purchases applied towards travel/tourism expenses. Chip and Sig, no foreign transaction fee. As long as you have a travel expense to redeem rewards towards this is an excellent general purpose and travel card.
Capital One Quicksilver
1.5% cash back on everything, no foreign transaction fee. Excellent general use card, automatic reward redemption makes it one of the simplest cards to manage rewards for. No chip may limit its usefulness while travelling.

Annual Fee Cards
BarclayCard Arrival+
Offline Chip and Pin fallback so it will work everywhere, including unmanned kiosks. 2% cash back on all purchases, 2.2% if redeemed towards travel expenses. Large signup bonus and no foreign transaction fee. One of the best cards to have while travelling, the annual fee may not be worth it for everyone.
American Express Blue Cash Preferred
6% cash back on groceries, 3% on gas and department stores. Extremely large cash back rewards on groceries and gas makes this card great for family expenses.

Frequently asked questions

I have bad or no credit.
Try a student card (Discover) if you're a student, a secured card if you're not.

Should I keep a balance to build up credit?
NEVER. Pay the full statement balance every month before the due date.

Should I pay off the full balance or the full statement balance?
Does not really matter. There is no reason to pay more than the full statement balance, but no real downside to paying the full balance either.

Can I use a credit card to pay for things a month later if I don't have money now?
Yes, but DON'T DO IT. Don't make purchases for things you can't afford now on a credit card.

I'm extremely far behind on credit card bills, help!
See the personal finance thread and the you need a budget thread.

I don't believe in credit cards, they are all just a scam.
When used responsibly credit cards can earn you cash back on purchases or other rewards, make tracking expenses easier, and protect you from fraud.

What are these chips in credit cards?
Credit cards overseas have used a technology called Chip and Pin for several years. Rather than storing data on an easily duplicated magnetic stripe, data is instead stored securely on a chip. Purchases are made with a combination of the data on the chip and a 4 digit PIN. The US is finally adding chips to their credit cards, but is doing things a little differently. Instead of requiring a PIN with purchases, us credit cards will continue to ask for a signature.

Do I need a credit card with a chip?
If you're in the US, not yet. Magnetic stripe cards are going to continue to work for many years. Starting late in 2015 retailers are going to be rapidly upgrading to allow for chip and sig credit cards for liability reasons, but an magnetic stripe card will still work.
If you are travelling overseas you may run into situations where you need a chip credit card. In most cases an American chip+signature card will work, but in a few instances you might need a chip and pin card. Typically this is only at automated terminals which have not been programmed to accept a chip and signature card.

# ? Oct 7, 2014 17:05

syphon: Jan 1, 2001

I'd be very sad to see my one megathread go... but I fully support this cause.

# ? Oct 7, 2014 19:04

THF13: Sep 26, 2007; Keep an adversary in the dark about what you're capable of, and he has to assume the worst.

syphon posted:

I'd be very sad to see my one megathread go... but I fully support this cause.

I didn't know if you still followed the thread, feel free to edit, steal, or otherwise use it in a new OP.

# ? Oct 7, 2014 19:15

The Rev: Jun 24, 2008

I've got a few questions for you credit card savvy goons,

I currently have two credit cards, and although there's nothing wrong with either one of them, I wonder if I should get a 3rd card, or maximize my two cards by picking something different.

Card #1: Amazon Rewards Visa since 2011 that I use for 100% of my Amazon purchases. I do the bulk of my non Food/Gas buying on Amazon.com. I also use the card at restaurants (2% I believe), and anywhere else Amex isn't taken, which so far has been limited to my eye doctor.

Card #2: Amex Blue Cash (the 3% Grocery one) since 2013 that I use for all fuel and grocery purchases, and anything else that isn't bought on Amazon or restaurants. I have been quite pleased with Amex's website for paying bills and redeeming credits/offers.

Additional Info: I do not do any flying (less than 1 flight per year on average) and I also do not do heavy traveling of any kind. I'm quite patient and don't need a new card right this instant. I am more than willing to wait if anyone thinks there might be a good incentive offer down to road (do CC companies even do Black Friday-esq stuff? I'm guessing not). I'd also prefer the best return/services on the card, so a free vs. paid card doesn't matter as long as the paid card has a greater net return over the free one. Given my modest spending, I am assuming free will win out in this case.

After reading this thread, the card that makes the most sense in my mind is the Sallie Mae MasterCard discussed in the last few pages. My gas expenses are anywhere from $80-120 a month, never higher than that. Grocery expenses are also easily under $250 a month. In addition if Amazon gives 5% back on this card up to $750 per month, then it seems like a no-brainer to me. Is there anything I am missing?

Thanks Goons!

# ? Oct 7, 2014 22:42

corrse.cx: Jun 1, 2004

The Rev posted:

I've got a few questions for you credit card savvy goons,

...

After reading this thread, the card that makes the most sense in my mind is the Sallie Mae MasterCard discussed in the last few pages. My gas expenses are anywhere from $80-120 a month, never higher than that. Grocery expenses are also easily under $250 a month. In addition if Amazon gives 5% back on this card up to $750 per month, then it seems like a no-brainer to me. Is there anything I am missing?

Thanks Goons!

I'd recommend the Sallie Mae Barclay card to anyone. Amazon counts as a 5%/bookstore. The grocery bonus seems to work at some Target and Walmart supercenters for what that's worth as well. It is my most used card next to my "general purpose" CapOne Quicksilver, which gives 1.5% back on everything. I will probably switch to the Citi Doublecash in the near future to bump that to 2% (I am half hoping for a sign up bonus to appear) and completely replace the Quicksilver.

# ? Oct 7, 2014 23:34

FISHMANPET: Mar 3, 2007; Sweet 'N Sour
Can't
Melt
Steel Beams

The Rev posted:

I've got a few questions for you credit card savvy goons,

I currently have two credit cards, and although there's nothing wrong with either one of them, I wonder if I should get a 3rd card, or maximize my two cards by picking something different.

Card #1: Amazon Rewards Visa since 2011 that I use for 100% of my Amazon purchases. I do the bulk of my non Food/Gas buying on Amazon.com. I also use the card at restaurants (2% I believe), and anywhere else Amex isn't taken, which so far has been limited to my eye doctor.

Card #2: Amex Blue Cash (the 3% Grocery one) since 2013 that I use for all fuel and grocery purchases, and anything else that isn't bought on Amazon or restaurants. I have been quite pleased with Amex's website for paying bills and redeeming credits/offers.

Additional Info: I do not do any flying (less than 1 flight per year on average) and I also do not do heavy traveling of any kind. I'm quite patient and don't need a new card right this instant. I am more than willing to wait if anyone thinks there might be a good incentive offer down to road (do CC companies even do Black Friday-esq stuff? I'm guessing not). I'd also prefer the best return/services on the card, so a free vs. paid card doesn't matter as long as the paid card has a greater net return over the free one. Given my modest spending, I am assuming free will win out in this case.

After reading this thread, the card that makes the most sense in my mind is the Sallie Mae MasterCard discussed in the last few pages. My gas expenses are anywhere from $80-120 a month, never higher than that. Grocery expenses are also easily under $250 a month. In addition if Amazon gives 5% back on this card up to $750 per month, then it seems like a no-brainer to me. Is there anything I am missing?

Thanks Goons!

I have these two cards as well, but I have a third, the BankAmerica Travel Rewards, because it gets me 1.5% on all the stuff that the other cards don't catch. I travel enough that it's not a problem redeeming the travel rewards. Also, I redeemed last night and you can somehow redeem for straight statement credit, but I didn't click it to see if it was still at the same rate as redeeming against travel.

I actually threw out Double Cash offer a few days ago, but not sure if it was for me or my wife. Maybe I'll swap out the BankAmerica card for that at some point.

E: I also have a Citi ThankYou Preferred MasterCard, which gets 2% at restaurants and "entertainment" (movie theaters, concert tickets, museums, music stores, etc). I got it before I got the Amazon card so it was mostly replaced by the Amazon card, but if I go to an "entertainment" venue I've got the option. I also didn't have a Mastercard so I wanted one (now I've got all 4, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Amex).

FISHMANPET fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Oct 8, 2014

# ? Oct 8, 2014 07:07

Spermy Smurf: Jul 2, 2004

I have a sort of unique situation and am looking for advice on what card to use.

I'm going to be renovating a house and buying an assload of construction stuff. $12,000 in cabinets/countertops, sheetrock, paint, wood flooring, carpet, lights, insulation, and appliances... total might be $23,000 or so.

In another thread it was mentioned a card with a good sign-up bonus that requires high amounts to be spent might be a good way to get some free cash. I'll be immediately paying the card off with cash after making the purchases.

# ? Oct 17, 2014 16:44

FISHMANPET: Mar 3, 2007; Sweet 'N Sour
Can't
Melt
Steel Beams

You could also try one of the store cards (Home Depot, Lowes, etc) maybe? I remember my mom got a Home Depot card once upon a time with a lol-worthy limit of $50k, and there has to be some kind of bonus or benefit to using it in store.

# ? Oct 17, 2014 17:47

Shadowhand00: Jan 23, 2006; Golden Bear is ever watching; day by day he prowls, and when he hears the tread of lowly Stanfurd red,from his Lair he fiercely growls.; Toilet Rascal

You could try picking up a Chase Ink if you're looking for good rewards:

https://creditcards.chase.com/ink-business-credit-cards/ink-plus-card

$5000 in purchases over 3 months gets you 70,000 points, which are pretty valuable when you transfer to one of their partners (its basically a first class flight internationally).

Just set it up as a sole proprietorship.

# ? Oct 17, 2014 17:51

asur: Dec 28, 2012

I would look on flyer talk or fast wallet for a list of current sign up bonuses. Cash only may be limiting and you generally get much better value if you use miles for travel.

# ? Oct 18, 2014 19:10

Boris Galerkin: Dec 17, 2011; I don't understand why I can't harass people online. Seriously, somebody please explain why I shouldn't be allowed to stalk others on social media!

Did they change the free 1-year ShopRunner account with an AmEx card to just be flat-out free? I remember signing up for it and being told it was just 1-year so I set a calendar alert for me to cancel it within that year but now when I log on it seems to be telling me it's free as long as I have an AmEx card.

# ? Oct 18, 2014 23:50

nickutz: Feb 3, 2004; Put blue and red chicken in mouth plz

Pretty sure it's just free as long as you have a card.

# ? Oct 19, 2014 05:16

the littlest prince: Sep 23, 2006

I meant to post this a while ago, but one of the interesting things about that 5% Sallie Mae card is that you can redeem your points at any value. Have $13.87 left in reward points and want to stop using it entirely? You can get that value exactly taken off your last bill.

# ? Oct 19, 2014 18:18

KoB: May 1, 2009

Just got my B of A travel card, all I can say so far is that their website is better than Chase's. :v:

# ? Oct 20, 2014 23:01

minute: Jul 31, 2003

Anyone have an Amex platinum? I just applied for the 100,000 point sign up bonus and was planning on cancelling in a few months, after a couple trips I have coming up, but after doing some calculations, the travel benefits might actually make it worth to keep even with the $450 annual fee.

# ? Oct 21, 2014 02:53

Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

minute posted:

Anyone have an Amex platinum? I just applied for the 100,000 point sign up bonus and was planning on cancelling in a few months, after a couple trips I have coming up, but after doing some calculations, the travel benefits might actually make it worth to keep even with the $450 annual fee.

I got one as well for the sign up bonus. Definitely tempting when you look at everything it comes with.

Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Oct 21, 2014

# ? Oct 21, 2014 04:32

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# ? May 3, 2024 11:06

Devian666: Aug 20, 2008; Take some advice Chris.; Fun Shoe

I've been looking at the hidden benefits for Amex Platinum. There's a lot of discussion about upgrade and bonus benefits that aren't openly advertised. Even a number of cruise ship operators provide a bottle of booze and $300 on board credit just for having/paying with Platinum. Worth looking into.

# ? Oct 21, 2014 04:57

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > What's a credit card with a good reward system?

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