I carry it for
the big category bonuses and no foreign transaction -LSB-...]
For folks who want Priority Pass access, American Airlines lounge access when flying AA / US,
big category bonuses on spending, $ 600 in statement credits in year 1 as explained fully in this post, and great rates on using points to pay for airline tickets (especially on American / US Airways), the Citi Prestige ® Card is better.
Description: There are all sorts of cash back cards, from ones with
big category bonuses for certain types of spending, to ones with a fixed earning rate regardless of what you spend.
If you're going out to dinner with friends, you'll offer to put it on your card especially if you know that there is
a big category bonus for restaurants and then everyone just Venmos you the money?
Alternatively you can buy gift cards from stores where you can get
a big category bonus, like $ 200 gift cards from staples.com with your Chase Ink Plus.
Not exact matches
The card you get should offer both a great
bonus and solid earnings in your
biggest spending
categories.
We think its
big selling point is a cash back rewards program that offers Cardmembers 5 % cash back on up to $ 1,500 in combined purchases in
bonus categories each quarter you activate, new 5 %
categories each quarter, unlimited 1 % cash back on all other purchases.
Besides its $ 150 sign - up
bonus (same requirements as the Chase Freedom Unlimited), its
biggest selling point is its cash back rate of 5 % on select
categories of purchases which rotate quarterly, and 1 % back on everything outside of those
categories.
If you are a
big spender remember to go back to using your Citi ® Double Cash Credit Card as soon as you've exhausted the $ 1,500
bonus category spending limit on a
category — otherwise you will fall back down to gaining 1 % back.
I'm not usually a
big fan of
category bonuses because they are slow to add up.
The Gold American Express card is very similar to the FlexPerks Visa Signature, but it has a few extra perks, like a
bigger sign - up
bonus and slightly better
bonus earning
categories.
And if you're a
Big Spender who maxes out the 5X
category bonus at Office Supply stores on the Ink Bold, you could apply for this card which has a $ 50,000 cap for 5X purchases at Office Supply stores.
The card also carries a
big sign - up
bonus within its
category: Earn 50,000 miles after spending $ 3,000 on purchases within three months of account opening.
Note that the calculations do NOT take into account the sign - on
bonus — because you may already have these cards — but just the recurring benefit for regular
big spending (that is spending which doesn't qualify for
category bonuses) on the credit card.
Bonus spending
categories are slightly different between these three cards, but one of the
biggest differences is in the travel protections offered.
You can get
bigger rewards when you spend on items in specific rotating
categories which yield a higher
bonus percentage rate but come with a limit every quarter.
For that annual fee you'll get a
bigger sign - up
bonus, a higher max on
category bonuses, the ability to transfer points to airline and hotel partners, and a discount on travel purchased through the Ultimate Rewards website.
Bonus spending
categories are slightly different between these three cards, but one of the
biggest differences is in the travel protections offered.
While they offer
big sign - up
bonuses and
big payoffs, they require customers to track quarterly
categories and jump through hoops to earn and spend points.
Hot Tip: If you need more points for those
big redemptions, try to get sign - up
bonuses or spend in
bonus categories.
While there are no credit card
category bonuses, (besides 2 points per dollar on flights with Southwest) or
big spending
bonuses, you will earn 1 Rapid Rewards point per dollar on all purchases.
Some offer a flat rate for all expenditures, while others have a staggered rate — often with
big bonuses on spending
categories in areas favored by businesses.
Unfortunately, there are no credit card
category bonuses or
big spend
bonuses with the Southwest credit cards.
The Gold American Express card is very similar to the FlexPerks Visa Signature, but it has a few extra perks, like a
bigger sign - up
bonus and slightly better
bonus earning
categories.
The
biggest challenge for me is that I don't earn any
category bonuses because I can't buy Vanilla Reloads and because it's expensive to buy prepaid Visa and MasterCards, as I explained earlier.
(but then again, they might) Like
Big Habitat stated, most competitors might focus on the
bonus categories.
If you haven't read up on the
category bonuses that come with your credit cards, you could be missing out
big time.
Chase Bank's latest premium business card, the Ink Business Preferred ℠ Credit Card, replaces the Ink Plus Business Credit Card with a
bigger sign - up
bonus, revamped
categories, and a higher cap.
These cards don't have
bonus categories other than Starwood and Marriott hotel properties, but SPG Starpoints have 1
big advantage: not only do they transfer to Korean Air at a 1:1 ratio, but when you transfer 20,000 SPG points, you'll receive a 5,000 - mile
bonus.
The 5 %
category bonus can really add up over the quarter, leading to
big rewards.
I'm still a
big fan of Starpoints and I use my Amex SPG Credit cards to collect the currency wherever I can't earn a
category bonus with one of my other cards — usually in places like grocery stores when I'm abroad and in drugstores when I'm back home.
Many cash back cards will also offer
bonus categories, some yearlong and others that rotate quarterly, offering 2 %, 3 %, or even 5 % cash back on qualifying
big - box purchases.
Other than its select
big - ticket discounts, the Home Depot card doesn't offer cardholders any purchase rewards, so even your most basic 1 % cash back program will likely be a boost to your bottom line — let alone the 5 % or more you can score with the right
bonus -
category card.
But a
big advantage of the Ink cards is more
category bonuses, including the extremely powerful 5x office supply
category.
However, you also get a much
bigger sign up
bonus of 50,000 points and earn 2 to 3 points per dollar in five distinct
categories.
Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve cards are great, offering
big sign - up
bonuses, generous
bonus earning
categories and seven airline transfer partners.
In April 2015 the credit card lost the free night
bonus (that was a
big hit to the value of the card) and, from 1 June 2015, another devaluation to the loyalty program saw a raft of properties bumped up into the top - tier
category costing 70,000 points per night.
The
biggest drawback of the PNC card is the limit on
bonus earning
categories.
While it has an annual fee, it's easily worth the cost with its fantastic
bonus categories and
big sign - up
bonus.
The
biggest positive that could be introduced would be a
bonus category for online spend....
Outside of a mortgage or rent the only
big everyday spend that isn't included as a
bonus category on any of these cards are groceries....
While it's easy to focus on the
big perks offered by rewards credit cards, like sign - up
bonuses, free checked bags,
bonus categories for purchases, lounge access and outsized redemption values, there's one often overlooked benefit that can easily save you hundreds of dollars.
In the past I've been a
big fan of a third rate
category, PointsHound's «Double Up» rates that let you earn
bonus miles through PointsHound while remaining eligible for participation in the hotel's own loyalty program, such as Hyatt Gold Passport.
The
biggest difference between this card and the Ink Plus is the lack of an office supply store
bonus category.
That may include temporarily changing the card you have on file with some merchants (e.g. Uber) and earning less points per dollar for some transactions that you otherwise pay with a card that has a
bonus category on it — but eventually it will allow you to earn that very
big bonus.
In the end, it's really not a
big deal to have to activate your
bonus categories but it is something to be mindful about.
Neither card charges foreign transaction fees, and they both come with
big sign - up
bonuses, reasonable annual fees, fantastic earning
categories and the ability to transfer points to seven different airline partners, including several international carriers.
I'm not
big on most co-branded cards for their
bonus category spend potential.
You won't be tied down to one carrier, and you'll usually get a
bigger sign - up
bonus and better
bonus earning
categories.
Don't forget to look for the
biggest sign - up
bonus and the most generous earning
categories, too.