For this calculation, we will just look at the spending over
the higher rewards categories.
You have a decent amount in
the higher rewards categories but still come in well below the thresholds.
(Unless you spend more than $ 625 on groceries and gas each month, you won't have to worry about hitting the quarterly cap of $ 2,500 for
the higher rewards categories.)
For this calculation, we will just look at the spending over
the higher rewards categories.
The mean rewards rate in this category is 2.5 % - 0.58 percentage points higher than the second
highest rewards category.
While
the highest rewards category has a 3 % rewards rate, cardholders receive a 25 % bonus on their points when the points are used to book travel through the ThankYou Travel Center — boosting the value to 3.75 %.
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.
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.
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.
Not exact matches
Therefore, while this card offers very
high rewards rates on the aforementioned
categories, it should be noted that they can only be used towards stays at the 150 participating hotels across the nation.
But other people may be looking for a card that offers
higher reward rates on specific
categories.
The
highest rewards rate you can achieve with the Citi ThankYou ® Preferred Card is 2 % (which is competitive)- to get this rate you must spend exclusively on dining and entertainment
categories.
The Chase Freedom ® gives some of the
highest rewards out of all credit cards, on
categories that change on a quarterly basis.
The amount of Starpoints necessary for a nights stay at one of these properties will depend on which
category it falls under, with
category 7 resorts having the
highest price and
rewards requirements.
For those consumers whose spending in these three
categories is seasonal, the FlexPerks Travel
Rewards credit card will automatically adjust to
reward a bonus point on the
highest category that month.
Discover ranked first for overall satisfaction in J.D. Power's 2016 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, earning
high marks in
categories such as
rewards and customer interaction.
This simply means that spending money on things outside of flights to get the 10,000 mile bonus may not be worth it if you have options for
higher spending
categories, like using some Ultimate
Rewards cards.
Some pay a flat rate on all purchases, while others shell out
higher rewards in certain
categories, such as gas or groceries.
A chunk of what remains is steered to
high - risk,
high -
reward categories such as private equity and hedge funds, as well as real estate.
To be objective and fair, it would seem that we should place teachers into performance
categories based on a combination of performance information, then provide support and professional development to those with the lowest scores and
reward those with the
highest scores.
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 %.
The ability to earn 1.5 x unlimited points regardless of
category is great, but it's not as
high a
rewards rate as some other cards offer.
For those consumers whose spending in these three
categories is seasonal, the FlexPerks Travel
Rewards credit card will automatically adjust to
reward a bonus point on the
highest category that month.
Other cards cap out the
rewards at a certain dollar amount per
category, or restrict the
categories in which you can earn the
higher rewards rate.
Unlike what we see in other card
categories, this
higher annual fee of the Ritz - Carlton
Rewards card does correspond with some of the better rewards rates in the category, provided that you are a high s
Rewards card does correspond with some of the better
rewards rates in the category, provided that you are a high s
rewards rates in the
category, provided that you are a
high spender.
This card is best for
high spenders who don't necessarily want to be locked into the
categories that are staples of the PNC Cash
Rewards ℠ Visa ® — gas, groceries and restaurants.
It offers
high rewards rates on three
categories that make up most people's budgets.
Chase is one of our top business credit card choices thanks to its
high rewards rates and broad
categories for business - related expenses.
If the retailer is under one of the
higher earnings
categories, be sure to use whichever Chase Ultimate
Rewards card has the
highest earning potential!
That is much
higher than the
rewards you can earn through the BankAmericard Travel Rewards ® for Students, however you must face those category limitations and the spendi
rewards you can earn through the BankAmericard Travel
Rewards ® for Students, however you must face those category limitations and the spendi
Rewards ® for Students, however you must face those
category limitations and the spending cap.
It is more
rewarding if you spend more money on airfare as that
category has the
highest Membership
Rewards earnings.
If the points are used for travel redemptions, shopping in one of the above
categories will yield a
rewards rate of 3 % - significantly
higher than average.
But other people may be looking for a card that offers
higher reward rates on specific
categories.
In those two
categories, it can reach
rewards rates
higher than 2 %.
When some
categories are not eligible for the
highest rewards, other credit cards may be offering larger cash back percentages at the same time.
Still, you're not limited to carrying just one card, so perhaps during the rotating
categories period you can take advantage of the
higher cash back
rewards of the Chase Freedom card, and you can use your Fidelity Rewards Visa for everythin
rewards of the Chase Freedom card, and you can use your Fidelity
Rewards Visa for everythin
Rewards Visa for everything else.
This means that if you don't spend a lot in the
high -
reward categories, you may be losing out on the
rewards you could be getting with another card.
The 5 % cash back users get on the first $ 1,500 in purchases (each time you activate), within rotating
categories, is among the
highest rewards rates available of any card.
But those who do opt for a
rewards category should be certain that they can afford the interest rate on the cards, as they are typically
higher than those without
rewards.
Other issuers tend to provide the ability for businesses to specialize in several particular merchant
categories, providing
higher rewards on those purchases.
If you have a favorite credit card that provides
high rewards in
categories where you spend the most, get the Citi Double Cash to get the most out of all other spending.
The USAA ® Cashback
Rewards Plus American Express ® Card has a unique rewards category that earns users very high cash back rates at military base purchases &mdas
Rewards Plus American Express ® Card has a unique
rewards category that earns users very high cash back rates at military base purchases &mdas
rewards category that earns users very
high cash back rates at military base purchases — 5 %.
This
reward card carries a modest annual fee of $ 95 (up from $ 75 previously), but
high cash - back possibilities in the
categories of U.S. supermarkets (6 % on up to $ 6,000 spent), U.S. gas stations (3 %), and select U.S. department stores (3 %).
Some cards have rotating
categories or run promotions where you can get a
higher reward rate on particular items when shopping with one of their partners.
You can find other cards that offer
higher rewards rates but you'll usually have to watch for rotating
categories (that usually have caps on the bonus
reward) or you'll have to pay an annual fee to offset
higher rewards rates.
However, as long as your spending does not fall too much outside of the Ink Business Cash ℠ Credit Card's bonus
categories, we recommend it over the Spark ® Cash due to its
higher rewards rate (5 % vs 2 %).
Rewards rates among the available cards varies, with many cards offering higher rewards in particular spending cate
Rewards rates among the available cards varies, with many cards offering
higher rewards in particular spending cate
rewards in particular spending
categories.
The amount of Starpoints necessary for a nights stay at one of these properties will depend on which
category it falls under, with
category 7 resorts having the
highest price and
rewards requirements.
5 % is the
highest cash back percentage possible, and is usually reserved on rotating
category cash back cards that
reward seasonal purchases.
While it does have a
higher annual fee than the IHG ®
Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card — $ 95 (waived for the first year) compared to $ 29 — the increased rewards earned on restaurant and travel will make up for this if you can make over $ 5,410 in non-IHG purchases per year within these cate
Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card — $ 95 (waived for the first year) compared to $ 29 — the increased
rewards earned on restaurant and travel will make up for this if you can make over $ 5,410 in non-IHG purchases per year within these cate
rewards earned on restaurant and travel will make up for this if you can make over $ 5,410 in non-IHG purchases per year within these
categories.