If your rewards card
offers more points per dollar in rotating quarterly categories, shop retailers in those categories for your gifts.
The two cards that impose annual fees starting in the second year have higher payouts in year one for heavier grocery store spenders because
they offer more points per dollar (and the Capital One ® Venture ® Rewards Credit Card has the highest bonus to qualifying new cardholders).
Not exact matches
That's 50 %
more points per dollar than the average rewards program (most
offer 1
point per $ 1 spent).
With
more than 240 stores
offering up to 6X
points per dollar, you might as well get the most bang for your buck.
Even
more lucrative is the Chase Sapphire Reserve ℠ Card, which
offers 3
points per dollar on all travel and dining out purchases.
Think about it: you can earn as many as 2 - 5 extra
points per dollar by using your IHG credit card, then the 5 - 10 from IHG, and possibly
more for other bonus
offers.
These cards
offer only one
point per dollar, which may not compare well with other cards that
offer two
points or
more.
It's also much
more generous than the average rewards credit card, which typically
offers just one
point per dollar spent on everyday purchases.
Activate this
offer now to earn5X Bonus ThankYou
Points (5X Bonus ThankYou
Points per dollar spent) on eligible purchases which total $ 1,000 or
more (up to a maximum total of 7,500 Bonus ThankYou
Points)
You're in great shape if you have a rewards - earning credit card that
offers more than 1 mile /
point per dollar at drugstores.
Look for cards that
offer more then the average of one reward
point per $ 1
dollar spent.
Because unlike most airline credit cards that only
offer 1 mile
per dollar spent, you can effectively earn 25 %
more with this card — by taking advantage of the 5,000 bonus Starpoints whenever you transfer 20,000
points to an airline transfer partner.
It doesn't matter whether it only
offered an extra 1
point per dollar or
more, but having an online
points mall would be a fantastic addition to the SPG program.
All of the credit cards mentioned above
offer you Ultimate Rewards in return for spending on the cards (the Freedom cards and the Ink Cash card
offer cash back which can be converted to Ultimate Rewards
points if you hold another Ultimate Rewards card) and, while you're guaranteed at least 1
point per dollar you spend, most of these cards also come with category spending bonuses where you earn yet
more.
Amazon.com is a site that a lot of people use on a weekly basis but, with the exception of the Chase Freedom Credit card's quarterly bonus, there aren't any credit cards that come to mind that
offer more than 1
point or mile
per dollar spent at Amazon....
With
more than 240 stores
offering up to 6X
points per dollar, you might as well get the most bang for your buck.
The 3
point per dollar, no - annual - fee card is still available though,
offering 10,000
points after $ 1,000 in purchases within 90 days, worth up to $ 200 in statement credits against Travelocity purchases (see my June post for
more information about redemptions).
Typically, a rewards card will
offer you 1
point per dollar (1X) spent and then «bonus
points» worth
more than 1
point per dollar on certain categories, such as:
The Chase Sapphire Reserve ℠
offers 3X Ultimate Rewards ®
points per dollar spent on travel expenses (which also happens to be 3X
more than that old Centurion Card).
One reason for this, Randel says, is that rewards cards that cover one category often
offer cardholders
more points per dollar spent.
For a
more permanent token of your affection, Chase partners with the online jewelry retailer Blue Nile to
offer 7
points per dollar.
For
more flexibility the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Personal Card and Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Business Card are also good, given that they
offer one SPG
point per dollar spent on all purchases, and two SPG
points per dollar spent at SPG properties.
Though some cards
offer three
points per dollar spent, the value of Starpoints
more than makes up for the middling ratio.
Radisson Rewards
offers members 20
points per U.S.
dollar spent on eligible hotel nights — plus all meals and beverages charged to your room, at
more than 1,000 Radisson Hotel Group hotels worldwide.
Since you only earn 1
point per dollar on all purchases, it might be wise to pair this card with another rewards card that
offers more points for everyday spending.
As a reminder, I had previously asked Citi for a retention
offer for my ThankYou Preferred card and was given a very nice opportunity to earn 5
points per dollar at drugstores, grocery stores, and
more for 3 months (up to $ 8750 spend).
The Premier Rewards Gold card
offers 2
points per dollar for restaurants, and the EveryDay
offers 1
points per dollar at supermarkets and a 20 percent bonus if you use your card 20 or
more times
per month.
You can earn three
points per dollar spent on travel and dining,
more than the two
points offered by similar cards like our previous pick from Barclays.