which credit card is best for us?

[Anonymous]

We currently have a US Bank Travel Rewards Visa; I've had it for nearly 20 years, so our interest rate is low(ish) at 9% and I have a $25,000 credit limit. There's a $49 annual fee (waived if you spend more than $24,000/year). I get 2x points on gas and airlines, 1x points on everything else. 20,000 points gets you up to a $400 flight.

Last year we started putting all our expenses on this credit card and paying it off in full at the end of the month. I estimate we spend $35,000/year on the card.

Monthly averages are:
$200/month on gas
$1000/month groceries
$550/month restaurants
$1000/month "Other" (concert tickets, clothes, house related expenses)
$330/month travel (airfare or hotels, obviously this some months is $0 and others is $1000)

We are feeling confused about what is the best credit card for us to get the most "bang for our buck" points-wise. We have a slight preference for a travel rewards card over a straight cash-back card. We don't travel with one specific airline or one specific hotel chain.

Any advice?

[Anonymous]

I love the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It's $450/year but you get a $300 travel credit so really $150. Points earned on this card are much more valuable than your current card. Don't get it if you ever carry a balance though.

[Anonymous]

Chase Sapphire Reserve. You get 3x points on dining out, and you can convert their points to FF miles in a number of programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chase Sapphire Reserve. You get 3x points on dining out, and you can convert their points to FF miles in a number of programs.

+2 you also get 3x points on food, so which means 880 points/month for OP just in those categories. Feel free to use my link for an additional 10k bonus points if you sign up, OP.

https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19/Z2A6DXW4FV

[Anonymous]

Keep your Flexperks card, but I would look at one spouse getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which costs less than the Reserve mentioned above, and a Chase Freedom, which is free. If you pay attention to the Freedom's quarterly bonus categories, you can rack up a lot of Ultimate Rewards. You then transfer the Freedom rewards to the Sapphire and use the points to transfer to airlines and hotels or pay for travel outright with the points.

[Anonymous]

+1 to Chase Sapphire Reverse.
I pair it with 2 more Chase cards - Chase Freedom (5% rotating categories) + Chase freedom Unlimited (1.5% on everything)
Travel (including parking & metro) and eating out - Sapphire, 3X on those categories
everything else - on Freedom unlimited (1.5X), unless there is 5X Freedom.
All points then pooled to Sapphire for redemption

[Anonymous]

Depends what you do. I got Southwest credit cards to earn the companion pass. Gave us 110k miles to spend and he flies free (well, pays taxes, like $11 roundtrip) with me.. and I can use the points to buy my ticket. Fantastic deal.

I then got the Chase Sapphire Reserve, as mentioned. Fantastic benefits.

[Anonymous]

I use American Express Blue Preferred for groceries and gas. 6% back on groceries (up to $6,000 a year) and 3% back on gas.

[Anonymous]

We just got the Alliant Credit Union card. 3% cash back and no fee in the first year, 60$ thereafter. Not a travel rewards card, but good if you charge a lot.

[Anonymous]

We use multiple credit cards to maximize different categories. The Sams Club Credit card (and I think Costco's is similar) gives 5% cash back on gas, and 3% on dining and travel. So that card is our default for those categories. We also have a Citi card with rotating 5% categories by quarter so we use that card only for what is receiving 5% that quarter. And then we have the Citi DoubleCash card for 2% on everything - and we use that for anything that doesn't fall into one of the above 3% or 5% categories.

We travel a lot, but I don't want points. I want cold hard cash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just got the Alliant Credit Union card. 3% cash back and no fee in the first year, 60$ thereafter. Not a travel rewards card, but good if you charge a lot.

3% on everything?

[Anonymous]

Also Chase Sapphire Reserve includes Priority Pass (airport lounges) with _unlimiited guests_ which works great when we travel as a family. Note there is no PP-eligible lounge at DCA, but there are a few at Dulles, and one at BWI. My kids are young enough that at BWI they just hang around in the great play area, but good thing to have available anyway.

My AmEx Platinum alllows only me + 1 guest on prioirty pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also Chase Sapphire Reserve includes Priority Pass (airport lounges) with _unlimiited guests_ which works great when we travel as a family. Note there is no PP-eligible lounge at DCA, but there are a few at Dulles, and one at BWI. My kids are young enough that at BWI they just hang around in the great play area, but good thing to have available anyway.

My AmEx Platinum alllows only me + 1 guest on prioirty pass.

Where's the great play area at BWI? We know about the little room that has a bunny, a slide and some things to climb on near the Southwest gates; is there another area too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just got the Alliant Credit Union card. 3% cash back and no fee in the first year, 60$ thereafter. Not a travel rewards card, but good if you charge a lot.

3% on everything?

Yup. We dumped our chase sapphire reserve card for it. No hassles. No thinking about miles. Just cash.