The savings is even
better on bonus categories, as you can earn up to 10 % back on the first $ 1,500 in purchases each quarter.
Not exact matches
If you already have Ultimate Rewards - earning cards like the Sapphire Preferred, the Sapphire Reserve, or the Ink Business Preferred, this is the
best way to maximize your points earning
on all your spend that doesn't fall into the other card's
bonus categories.
The Citi ® Double Cash Card — 18 month BT offer is one of the
best rewards cards
on the market, partly because it's so simple: straight cash back — no points, no
bonus categories to keep track of.
Tons of other perks are available as
well, including
bonus -
category cash back of 3 %
on gas and 2 % at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (
on the first $ 2,500 quarterly in combined
bonus category purchases), a 0 % intro APR offer, and your FICO ® Score for free.
And
on the other, new cardholders also enjoy
best - in - class rewards, including Discover's Cashback Match ™ for every dollar spent in their first year, up to 5 % cash back ($ 1,500 quarterly spending cap) in
bonus categories you activate, and 1 %
on all other purchases.
Additionally, Credible has selected (and reviewed) the
best credit cards in each
category based
on a number of relevant factors, including clarity in Terms and Conditions, fees, promotions and offers such as sign - up
bonuses, rewards rates, and ease of redeeming rewards as
well as APR..
If your purchases don't fall into the
bonus categories offered
on other cards, the simple earning structure
on either of these cards might serve you
well.
The Citi ® Double Cash Card — 18 month BT offer is one of the
best rewards cards
on the market, partly because it's so simple: straight cash back — no points, no
bonus categories to keep track of.
Past
categories have included such common merchants as gas stations, restaurants, home improvement stores and Amazon.com, so there's a
good chance of earning
bonus cash back
on spending you were going to do anyway.
Discover It ® and Discover It ® Cash Back Match cards earn 5 % cash back
on quarterly
bonus category purchases that are doubled at the first year card anniversary making these cards
good savings tools to fund an annual vacation at the end of year one.
Tons of other perks are available as
well, including
bonus -
category cash back of 3 %
on gas and 2 % at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (
on the first $ 2,500 quarterly in combined
bonus category purchases), 1 %
on all other purchases, and access to your FICO ® Score for free.
It gives 5 % cash back
on rotating quarterly
categories and 1 %
on everything else, as
well as a $ 150 cashback sign - up
bonus after a $ 500 spend within 3 months.
Because of the $ 1,500 spending cap
on 5 %
bonus categories, projects which exceed $ 3,000 will be
better off being charged to the Farmers ® Rewards Visa ® card.
Earn 5 % Cashback
Bonus on up to $ 1,500 in purchases at Department Stores and
on ALL online shopping through December, as
well as in
categories that change throughout the year like gas, restaurants, and department stores up to the quarterly maximum.
The Discover More Card is one of the
best all around cashback rewards credits because it offers a generous cashback of 5 %
on many shopping
categories through its Cashback
Bonus Rewards Program.
As with cash back rewards, most rewards points credit cards will provide an unlimited flat rate
on all purchases, typically 1X point per $ 1, as
well as offering
bonus points
on purchases made in specific
categories.
Some credit cards have rotating
bonus - earning
categories, but in general you will get the
best miles rewards
on things related to travel.
But if a rewards card is offering you 5 % cash back
on your gas purchases and you're using another card in your wallet during that time —
well, you're giving up a potential of $ 75 in cash over a three - month period (Chase and Discover's rewards for 5 % in
bonus categories are limited to the first $ 1,500 in combined spending in the special rewards
categories).
While the cards don't earn 2X points
on everything (like the Barclaycard Arrival Plus ® World Elite Mastercard ®), they do have some
good bonus spending
categories, annual points
bonuses, plus extra perks like travel discounts.
Our take: A
good card to use for everyday errands, the Bank of America Cash Rewards card offers a generous 3 percent spending
bonus on gas purchases and a respectable 2 percent
bonus on groceries; however, there is a strict $ 2,500 cap
on combined purchases in these
categories each quarter.
The Discover it cash rewards card is a
good no - fee cash back card with a generous 5 percent
bonus rate for quarterly rotating
categories — as long as you log in to your account to activate your
category each quarter, you can earn 5 percent cash back
on up to $ 1,500 in purchases per quarter for the following
categories:
Tons of other perks are available as
well, including
bonus -
category cash back of 3 %
on gas and 2 % at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (
on the first $ 2,500 quarterly in combined
bonus category purchases) and your FICO ® Score for free.
And
on the other, new cardholders also enjoy
best - in - class rewards, including Discover's Cashback Match for every dollar spent in their first year, up to 5 % cash back ($ 1,500 quarterly spending cap) in
bonus categories you activate, and 1 %
on all other purchases.
Citi ThankYou Points cards and their
category bonuses are the
best way to earn Citi ThankYou Points, so grab a card and put your spending
on it!
But if you're huge
on the rotating
category bonuses the Chase Freedom ® card offers, you may be
better off signing up for it instead.
The
Best Travel Credit Cards of May 2018 based
on signup
bonuses and
category spend
bonuses are listed here — these are public offers, available to U.S. residents.
Each of us has a credit card with a
good rewards program (5 percent cash back in
bonus categories on up to the quarterly maximum in purchases every quarter we activate).
While this is pretty average for an airline card, many general travel rewards cards offer higher overall rewards rates, as
well as greater opportunities for earning extra points by providing more comprehensive
bonus categories, such as double points
on entertainment, dining and gas purchases.
This is not the
best earning scheme out there — there are many cards
on the market that enable you to build up
bonus points
on special
categories of spending, and even a few cards that offer a higher general rewards rate.
There's also no limit
on the amount of points you can earn, though the 5 percent
bonus for select
categories is only
good for $ 1,500 worth of purchases per quarter.
Our take: A
good card to use for everyday errands, the Bank of America Cash Rewards card offers a generous 3 percent spending
bonus on gas purchases and a respectable 2 percent
bonus on groceries; however, there is a strict $ 2,500 cap
on combined purchases in these
categories each quarter.
Also, be sure to have a
good general rewards card that earns at least 1.5 percent
on all purchases for all spending that does not fall into a
bonus category.
Plus, 5X earning
on airfare and prepaid hotel bookings through Amex is one of the
best bonus categories out there!
She's constantly choosing the
best card for the purchase at hand, capitalizing
on category bonuses and checking portals to maximize spend.
If you want to collect
bonuses on multiple
categories, you may be
better off with one of the above cards with a higher overall limit.
It isn't the most rewarding card for some purchases, like groceries and restaurants, but it can still be a
good card to have in your wallet for
categories that otherwise wouldn't earn a
bonus on another credit card.
Yeah, Sapphire Preferred has a
better category bonus, but 1.25 points
on all purchases from British Airways is
better than most cards.
Citi ThankYou Points cards and their
category bonuses are the
best way to earn Citi ThankYou Points, so grab a card and put your spending
on it!
The Discover it cash rewards card is a
good no - fee cash back card with a generous 5 percent
bonus rate for quarterly rotating
categories — as long as you log in to your account to activate your
category each quarter, you can earn 5 percent cash back
on up to $ 1,500 in purchases per quarter for the following
categories:
There are several cards
on the market that can give you a
better cash back rate than 1.5 percent through the
bonuses they offer in
categories such as grocery and gas station purchases.
While it's especially relevant when a card has a low maximum threshold for earning points in a
category, it's still a
good idea to keep an eye
on how much you are spending in the
bonus categories.
This is a business card that's very hard to beat with a huge sign up
bonus, as
well as earnings of 3 points per $ 1
on the first $ 150,000 in so many various business
categories.
That's complicated, I know, but it shows how important the value of the points,
bonus categories and your spending habits can be when deciding
on the
best card.
Amazon is not a
bonus category on any credit cards right now, so you'd be
better off using the Citi AT&T Access More card if you have it.
They aren't quite as strong as the Reserve's 3X
on dining and travel, but they are still more
well - rounded than the Amex Platinum Card and it's nice to have the additional
bonus earning
category of entertainment.
While the
best category bonus on any Amex Membership Rewards card has been 3 points / $ it has made sense to use the CBAV for all spend with British Airways.....
However, there are
better cards out there that offer greater earning potential
on bonus categories, such as 5X
on office supplies, 3X
on travel, 2X
on dining and more.
The
best use of the Chase Freedom Unlimited card is for purchases that do not fit into the
bonus point
categories on your other credit cards.
The key difference is in the
bonus categories — the Reserve card doesn't have any
bonus categories that are
good for manufacturing points, but the Surpass card earns 6x
on grocery store purchases, which could be useful.
The Citi Thank You Premier's
category bonuses are actually a little
better than the Sapphire Preferred since you earn 3 points per $ 1
on travel and gas purchases.