Chase Ultimate Rewards are my favorite points — they're the easiest to earn because the various Chase credit cards offer a wide variety of bonus
categories for everyday spending.
Chase Ultimate Rewards are my favorite points — they're the easiest to earn because the various Chase credit cards offer a wide variety of bonus
categories for everyday spending.
Not exact matches
There are certain cards that are very good
for certain
categories and some that are good
for everyday spending.
The Citi ® Double Cash Credit Card is an excellent choice
for individuals whose
everyday spending doesn't conform to one or two
categories.
For example, analyze your
spending to understand which your highest
spending categories such as travel, hotels, airlines, rental cars, restaurants, gas or
everyday purchases.
If more than one airline sounds like a good option
for you, you'll want to consider the different characteristics of the card, including the sign - up bonus,
everyday spending bonus
categories and annual fee.
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.
Annual Fee: $ 0 Recommended Credit: Good to Excellent Bottom Line: The Blue Cash
Everyday has great cash back rewards rates on everyday spending categories and offers a solid 0 % intro period for you to pay off a balance t
Everyday has great cash back rewards rates on
everyday spending categories and offers a solid 0 % intro period for you to pay off a balance t
everyday spending categories and offers a solid 0 % intro period
for you to pay off a balance transfer.
If you want to earn rewards
for everyday spending on gas, groceries and restaurants you will want to look
for a card offering the highest cash back in those
categories.
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.
If more than one airline sounds like a good option
for you, you'll want to consider the different characteristics of the card, including the sign - up bonus,
everyday spending bonus
categories and annual fee.
I was lured by the fact that there's no annual fee, and you get two points per dollar
spent on
everyday purchases, and even more than that
for special
categories.
While the Hyatt card does come with several bonus
categories,
for everyday spending, there are other cards that are better.
Unfortunately, this card does not have the ability to earn bonus miles
for other
categories, which is why it isn't a great card
for everyday spend.
So, in short, there's not a ton to say about this card except that it's a solid new choice
for your
everyday (non-bonus
category)
spend.
As far as rewards earning goes, the Freedom and Discover it both offer quarterly rotating
categories, the VentureOne earns 1.25 miles back per dollar, and the Amex
EveryDay earns two points per dollar at supermarkets (up to $ 6,000
spent per year) and one point per dollar
for all other purchases.
Typical airline credit cards give you 1 mile per dollar
spent on
everyday shopping or 2 miles or more per dollar
for certain
categories, such as buying airline tickets or other travel expenses.
For example, if you
spend heavily in the «other»
category listed above, then the Blue Business Plus could eclipse the
Everyday Preferred.
It's these two cases where cash - back cards make sense to at least have as an option --(1)
for people who don't have large
everyday bonus
category spend to achieve the redemption threshold
for airline miles and (2)
for people with large mileage balances where the marginal value of another point in that program is low.
While the Delta Reserve Business card doesn't have any bonus
categories that help you earn extra miles on
everyday purchases, the annual
spending bonuses do offer opportunities
for elevated earning rates.
«With the U.S. Bank Cash + Visa, you choose where you can earn 5 percent cash back in two
categories and 2 percent cash back in some
everyday -
spend categories each quarter,» said Bob Daly, senior vice president of rewards
for U.S. Bank.
It's best known
for offering 5 percent cash back on a rotating list of
everyday spending categories, such as gas and groceries, and is a favorite among power card users who like to switch up the cards they use to maximize rewards earnings.
But if you want the ability to earn a lot of points quickly through
category bonus
spend and want the flexibility to either book your travel purchases with points or transfer points to an airline or hotel, then a travel rewards credit card such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred, American Express
Everyday Preferred or Citi Thank You Premier would be good
for you.
Chase Ultimate Rewards cards are not only great
for the initial sign up bonus but are great
for everyday spending since they offer extra points
for certain
categories.
Cash back credit cards offer differing rewards rates based on
spending habits: Some are optimal
for spending in specific
categories, while others are optimal
for everyday expenses.
The new American Express
EveryDay and
EveryDay Preferred cards also earn transferable Membership Rewards points and, since the
EveryDay Preferred card can earn 1.5 points
for non-bonus
category spending (along with 3
for gas and 6
for up to $ 6,000 of groceries per year), it is potentially the most lucrative single points card
for those of us crazy people who live in the United States most of the year and only travel a few weeks or months a year.
Here are the top cards, broken down by Best Sign Up Bonus, Best
Category Bonuses, Best
for Everyday Spending, Best
for Perks, and Best
for Cash Back.
Korean Air SkyPass is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, which is one of the easiest points currencies to come by, in my opinion, thanks to the generous sign - up bonuses and
category bonuses
for everyday spend on those cards:
This technique, known as «manufactured
spending,» can help you meet the sign - up bonus
spending requirements on a new card and earn more points on
everyday spending by shifting
spending to particular merchants that qualify
for category bonuses.
Between sign - up bonuses that often offer eye - popping value to savvy travelers,
category bonuses that reward smart spenders
for using the right card at the right time and a bevy of travel perks offered just
for being a cardholder, choosing the right credit cards
for your
everyday spending can help you book the trip of your dreams faster than anything else.
Massive signup bonuses, strategic
spending in specific
categories or using your credit card
for everyday purchases aren't the only way to rack up rewards.
Last year we saw the Citi Prestige increase its sign - up bonus to 75,000 points, the American Express Platinum Card add a 5x bonus
category for flights and hotels and Bank of America introduce its new Premium Rewards card with impressive returns on
everyday spending.