The Blue Cash Everyday ® Card from American Express has
fewer rewards categories and lower bonus percentages versus the two.
Not exact matches
Other cards offer more or
fewer rewards points for spending in different
categories.
The limitation with those cards is that they offer the higher rates on a
few select
categories, which often change throughout the year — any spending outside of those
categories will generally only
reward consumers 1 %.
Not quite, there are a
few other cards that have generous
rewards for bonus
categories that can still average 2 % or more if you take advantage of them.
Many cash back credit cards have a flat cash back
rewards rate of 1 % or 1.5 %, although, a
few pay 5 % on rotating spending
categories throughout the year.
To use an extreme example, on average, the only way you can match the the Citi ® Double Cash Credit Card on
rewards earned on credit card spending is by spending $ 100,000 per month on Korean Air tickets — we think it's safe to say very
few people fall in that
category.
The second type of person that the Double Cash makes sense for is someone who has a
few other
rewards cards that cover popular purchase
categories, like groceries, gas and travel, but they're looking for a card for other purchases that otherwise would not earn a bonus.
If consumers are looking for less hassle and a flat
rewards, at the cost of losing a
few bonus
categories, the Discover it ® chrome for Students may be a better option.
Even in 2018, there are very
few credit cards that can provide the same high
rewards rate across all shopping
categories.
Some people love the excitement of higher
reward categories that change every
few months (like dedicated users of the Chase Freedom and Discover cards), while others find the whole matter a bit of a hassle to track.
Do you want to earn cashback
rewards WITHOUT having to deal with spending
categories that change every
few months?
While that's a lot lower than the 3 - 5 % we've seen from other credit cards on this list, remember that those cards could only provide those kinds of
rewards in only a
few categories.
Most small business credit cards, like the Ink Business Cash ℠ Credit Card or the SimplyCash ® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express, give their best
rewards to a select
few purchase
categories, like office supplies, dining, travel, etc..
The Chase Freedom ®
rewards system is set up so every quarter your bonuses and
reward categories change, bringing with them new
categories to earn cash back — gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, wholesale clubs, and holiday shopping are just a
few.
You'll earn double points on a
few things, such as when you book a flight with the
reward program's booking tool, and when you spend on gas and hotels (points are earned on a maximum of $ 50,000 spent on this
category).
Some have rotating
categories of up to 5 % cash back that often change every
few months and require free enrollment, while others offer a lower, but consistent
reward rate year - round.
Most
rewards cards only offer a bonus for specific
categories of purchases, and very
few airline cards offer any bonuses besides purchases made directly from the carrier.
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.
The second type of person that the Double Cash makes sense for is someone who has a
few other
rewards cards that cover popular purchase
categories, like groceries, gas and travel, but they're looking for a card for other purchases that otherwise would not earn a bonus.
The store slips through the cracks of many bonus - earning
categories, but there are a
few options... (See Wal - Mart
rewards)
A
few other cash - back cards out there also have specific earnings
categories: the Chase Amazon.com
Rewards Visa Card, Chase Ink Business Cash ℠ Credit Card, and the Blue Cash Preferred ® Card from American Express.
Even if you are like I am and don't set out to become a mileage millionaire with gift card purchases, you can still earn several thousand extra miles and points each year by making a
few strategic gift card purchases by leveraging
category bonuses on your
rewards credit cards.
Most
rewards cards only offer a bonus for specific
categories of purchases, and very
few airline cards offer any bonuses besides purchases made directly from the carrier.
But you might also consider the American Express Enhanced Business Gold
Rewards Card ($ 175 annual fee, waived first year), which you can configure to offer three points per dollar on airfare, two points on a
few other business
categories and one point for everything else.
As faithful readers know, in the next
few days the Club Carlson program will undergo two catastrophic devaluations: co-branded credit card holders will lose the free last night on award reservations of two or more nights; and a vast swath of Club Carlson's lame mid-tier properties are being bumped up to their highest
rewards category, and will cost 70,000 Gold Points per night.
However, because the
rewards categories for these cards are offered on a rotating, quarterly basis, you can only earn cash back on dining for a
few months out of the year.
Some people love the excitement of higher
reward categories that change every
few months (like dedicated users of the Chase Freedom and Discover cards), while others find the whole matter a bit of a hassle to track.
Do you want to earn cashback
rewards WITHOUT having to deal with spending
categories that change every
few months?
Very
few rewards cards offer higher purchase
reward rates on these
categories.
Reward credit card holders looking to redeem their hotel award points should carefully select their dates, since tacking on a
few days to a vacation once the new
categories take effect could produce the unwelcome surprise of a charge at the new rates.
Rewards: The Hilton KK is a
category 2 hotel, available for only 10,000 points / night — there are very
few in that
category and it's great value.
Few such charges probably qualify for
category bonuses, but make sure you are receiving the
rewards you want from those charges.
You could get a
few different cards that earn more than 1.5 percent back for a variety of purchase
categories, but also hold a fixed - rate earner, like the Travel
Rewards cards, for all purchases that don't fall into those
categories.
While the rotating
category cards offer some unique opportunities to squeeze a
few more freebies out of your credit card
reward points, basic cash back cards shine in one key area: simplicity.
Even in 2018, there are very
few credit cards that can provide the same high
rewards rate across all shopping
categories.
The Marriott
Rewards Premier Credit Card is one of the
few hotel cards that offer bonus points for branded purchases as well as offering additional bonus
categories.
Discover it ® Cashback Match ™ is a no - brainer for anyone who is willing to take a
few minutes each quarter to sign up for the bonus
categories and then spend strategically within those
categories to maximize their
rewards.
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.
There are very
few rewards cards that cover as many different types of purchases entirely in the bonus
categories.
And there are a
few stand - outs in this
category that offer great
rewards programs that allow you to earn a large amount of cash back on your regular spending.
Remember, one smart technique for racking up
reward points quickly is to have a
few cards with different
category bonuses, then orient your spending on those cards toward those
categories.
If you scoff at the idea of rotating bonus
categories or having to update your earnings preferences every
few months, you'll appreciate the Target Redcard's no - nonsense
rewards policy.
Personally, when it comes to a
reward card strategy, I favor a balanced strategy, with a
few different cards in my wallet that I use to take advantage of
category bonuses.
In this case, using the HHonors Surpass card at a non-bonused merchant can, while generating
fewer miles per dollar, produce the liquidity necessary to pay off the Flexperks Travel
Rewards card in time to avoid interest charges and liberate the card's credit limit for spend in that card's own bonus
categories.
Amazon's current developer
rewards programs pay out at most $ 5,000 per month for the top ranked skills in each
category with most skills earning nothing or a
few hundred dollars.