Best credit card for travel rewards on daily purchases - school me

[Bigbore500r]

I realize im barking up the wrong tree as EVERYONE on RDP pays cash . . . . but for you lowlifes that swipe a card from time to time, need some advice!

I've been missing the boat on this, every time I take a trip somewhere my friends are using "points" to cover their airfare and hotels, and i'm paying out of pocket. None of my credit cards i've had for the last 20 years are focused on earninig me anything, except a % of cash back.

Whats the best credit card to earn airline miles / points, on daily purchases such as gas, groceries, home depot purchases, etc? Don't want a $600 annual fee, we don't travel enough to use the benefits those cards give frequent travelers.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Amex gold card is a good everyday card with solid points multipliers…. Amex blue cash rewards is as well..

Can’t help beyond that as we only use Amex.

 

[aftershock]

I use chase sapphire reserve for pretty much everything. $95/year with good rewards and they usually have a good sign up bonus. Haven't paid for a hotel in a while since I use points.

 

[bonesfab]

My Chase card is a penny back per dollar I spend. In cash or statement credit.

 

[Jay Dub]

I use Amex platinum. Usually save all the points for travel upgrades/etc.

 

[evantwheeler]

I realize im barking up the wrong tree as EVERYONE on RDP pays cash . . . . but for you lowlifes that swipe a card from time to time, need some advice!

I've been missing the boat on this, every time I take a trip somewhere my friends are using "points" to cover their airfare and hotels, and i'm paying out of pocket. None of my credit cards i've had for the last 20 years are focused on earninig me anything, except a % of cash back.

Whats the best credit card to earn airline miles / points, on daily purchases such as gas, groceries, home depot purchases, etc? Don't want a $600 annual fee, we don't travel enough to use the benefits those cards give frequent travelers.

I bank at wells fargo and have two WF cards. A 1.5 % cash rewards for all purchases card and a 3% rewards for specific purchase card. The 3% reward is for travel, hotels, fuel, or food purchases (dining out or groceries). Based on what I'm purchasing, it will dictate what card i use. I never had a company credit card, and was able to leverage business travel purchases for both myself and my crews on the 3% card to the tune of some pretty significant cash rewards for a non-business owner. Pretty much every single personal purchase goes on the Cc as well, and they both get paid in full every month. No fees, no interest charges. Its netted me almost $20k in cash rewards in 8 years - i always just redeem points for cash as a credit on my Cc bill as i dont really travel or vacation for personal pleasure. I just got a company CC 6 months ago at current job, so the party is over for the bigger rewards numbers, but will still continue using the cards for all personal purchases. For me, it just makes it easier to track if all my transactions are accessible in one location/bank, and Ive never personally had any issues in the 20 years ive been with WF.

 

[JDKRXW]

I've been missing the boat on this, every time I take a trip somewhere my friends are using "points" to cover their airfare and hotels, and i'm paying out of pocket. None of my credit cards i've had for the last 20 years are focused on earninig me anything, except a % of cash back.

Don't get sucked into comparing what you can collect for points vs. what someone who travels on a company card can collect (or someone being reimbursed for company travel) ... or even worse; someone who finances their business on a C.C.
These are different ball games.
From what I've found; if you're not one of the high points rollers above, a straight low/no fee card with cash back is the best deal.

 

[CLdrinker]

We have a Southwest Visa. We usually fly our family of 5 free once a year off of the points.

 

[ultra26shadow]

All day period!

 

[Bigbore500r]

Good leads. I was looking at the Venture X card, seems like a solid program so long as you book a hotel once a year (at least) thru their portal. Annual fee is zero'd out at that point. Unless there is a major "gotcha" it seems to be the leader so far

 

[530RL]

It depends upon the benefits you are looking for and the range of monthly charges. Different plans are designed to attract different people and different needs.

The more targeted your focus, the more economical your reward.

For example, if airfare is your goal, you will get more bang for the charge having an airline associated card as opposed to a general card.

But if you want to use it for all sorts of things, Amex has the highest interchange fees to merchants and can pay higher general rewards.

 

[JDKRXW]

Unless there is a major "gotcha" it seems to be the leader so far

Two things I know of to watch for with lesser known cards;
.- they process monthly payment slowly, so you've got to pay off your balance 4-5 days early or you'll get dinged with that month's interest.
- get a high limit because if you reach it .... they won't deny the first purchase after reaching it, but they will tack a fee on for surpassing this limit.

Both of these fees can add up over time.

 

[Done-it-again]

Don't get sucked into comparing what you can collect for points vs. what someone who travels on a company card can collect (or someone being reimbursed for company travel) ... or even worse; someone who finances their business on a C.C.
These are different ball games.
From what I've found; if you're not one of the high points rollers above, a straight low/no fee card with cash back is the best deal.

@Bigbore500r this is 100%... If you are not going to be an habitual user of the CC it will not be the same for you... It takes 100's of thousand points/miles to get free flights or rooms. The better the rewards the more in annual fees you will pay.

I just used 240k miles to get my family to Cabo at the end of the month. If your CC is paying 3 miles per dollar spent its sill costing you 80k in credit card charges, or you can pay the airline $3,200 in round trip fees for a family of 4.

It works better if are running a side hustle business and use your credit card to run it..

my current business cards and run around $400-500k on CC a year.
Amex business Plat (have 10 cards that charge on it.)
Delta Amex Plat
Bonvoy chase card (just started)

 

[rivermobster]

Good leads. I was looking at the Venture X card, seems like a solid program so long as you book a hotel once a year (at least) thru their portal. Annual fee is zero'd out at that point. Unless there is a major "gotcha" it seems to be the leader so far

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[Ace in the Hole]

I use Amex platinum. Usually save all the points for travel upgrades/etc.

If your primary spend category isn’t travel then the gold has better multipliers… that said I use platinum… op may be better off with gold bc of spend category.

 

[Englewood]

If your primary spend category isn’t travel then the gold has better multipliers… that said I use platinum… op may be better off with gold bc of spend category.

We downgraded from Platinum to Gold. Gold gets 4x points on Food/Groceries/Gas...I use my card for every single expense possible. Ive traveled all over the country at no cost.

 

[paradise]

I find getting cash back is more valuable to me then points that I can only use on airline miles, etc.

Should be able to get 2% cash back on all purchases pretty easily.

 

[McKay]

Venture Card for me. Hands down. Book reward flights and you still get the miles for that flight with which does not happen if you use say a Amex Delta. 2 miles for ever dollar. Use for anything travel with no restrictions.

 

[Bobby V]

My Chase card is a penny back per dollar I spend. In cash or statement credit.

My Chase/Amazon Card can be anywhere from 1%-5% depending on what/where I am charging to the card. I can apply the credit to the statement or use it if I buy anything on Amazon.

 

[Cobalt232]

For personal use, I use my Marriott Visa. Usually get several free nights per year. 40 nights so far this year. Currently Lifttime Platinum, but if I get to 75, then it will be Titanium next year. With a lot of the lounges gone now, it isn't as good as it used to be though. I just noticed that I just passed 1000 nights. Jeez..

For business, I have a Platinum Business cash back. We get 1-3% cash back and that amounts to $400-500 each month. It does not get access to the airport lounges though.

For fuel, I use my Costco Visa. 4% cash back.

 

[Bigbore500r]

Venture Card for me. Hands down. Book reward flights and you still get the miles for that flight with which does not happen if you use say a Amex Delta. 2 miles for ever dollar. Use for anything travel with no restrictions.

I noticed that the partner airlines don't include any of the major US players, and the hotel partners seem few and far between. That's the only bummer I can see with the Venture / Venture X

 

[McKay]

I noticed that the partner airlines don't include any of the major US players, and the hotel partners seem few and far between. That's the only bummer I can see with the Venture / \

Don't think you know how it works. You clear the purchases with your points after you book any travel on your card. I just logged into my card to see where I can use my points on the last months purchases. These are the following purchases I can use points on to fully pay for. UPS Store, Delta Airlines, Uber, Lyft, Freightquote, Heat Hotel, Lagoon, VRBO. If in anyway it is travel, lodging I have never not been able to clear a charge.

 

[CammdSS]

The ultimate CC stack for points is -

Amex Blue Business Plus - Every single purchase 2x points per dollar spent
Amex Gold - Restaurant / Grocery - 4x points per dollar spent
Amex Platinum - Flights / Hotels - 5x points per dollar spent

Use them properly and youll win the game. Can transfer them to schwab for cash or redeem/transfer points for travel. If you are using the gold card for every single purchase youre losing out on points unnecessarily. Apply for the BBP (no you dont need a business and its free) and use that for 2x rather than 1x

 

[CLdrinker]

Don't get sucked into comparing what you can collect for points vs. what someone who travels on a company card can collect (or someone being reimbursed for company travel) ... or even worse; someone who finances their business on a C.C.
These are different ball games.
From what I've found; if you're not one of the high points rollers above, a straight low/no fee card with cash back is the best deal.

Yes you have to self control. If you aren’t paying in full each month you will be racking up fees.

We usually run 50-60k through our card a year to get $3k in flights.

 

[Angler]

I noticed that the partner airlines don't include any of the major US players, and the hotel partners seem few and far between. That's the only bummer I can see with the Venture / Venture X

I have the Venture card, when air traveling just pay the airline/hotel with your card, then use your points to payoff the cost of the airfare and hotel.
I spent a week in Hawaii for free. It was $4400 for air and hotel, used 440,000 points to payoff the the trip.

Another good thing about Venture, it's only $95 per year.

 

[CLdrinker]

So I just looked at our flights and rental car for our next trip. The rental on the southwest card is $100 more than I can purchase without going through the card. But it gives me 10,000 points.

A flight is usually 10000-15000 points or a cost of 300-400’ish dollars.

So basically I’m saving $200 bucks by spending 100 more.

Where you get hosed is if you don’t pay in full that billing cycle.

 

[steamin rice]

It depends on what you want to use the benefits for. If you want to get free hotel rooms on points, figure out which hotel chain you are most likely to stay with (Hilton or Marriott) and get one of their branded cards. If you prefer to get free airline tickets, pick an airline and get their card. If you just want "points" in general that can be used for anything, I've been happy with amex points but some people say that chase sapphire reserve.

Personally, I have a couple of different cards as follows:

An amex Platinum that I use for travel benefits such as lounge access, etc, but I travel often for business and the fee is worth it to me for the benefits.
I have had a Marriott Visa card for years to get Marriott points, but have not been staying in Marriott properties as often lately
I recently got a Hilton branded amex that I use for most of my purchases now. It's pretty good for building up Hilton points, but not the best for general use points

 

[Done-it-again]

lounge access is getting harder to get with Amex Plat. You are now limited to delta lounges to like 10 visits (when flying delta) Then you need to pay for access or charge around 80k for unlimited. You do get priority pass and centurion lounge, but they are not as nice as delta lounges and not at every airport. But does beat sitting with everyone else.

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

Marriott Bonvoy Amex or Delta Skymiles AMEX.

 

[CarolynandBob]

I use to always use my costco card for everything. Would get back $1300-1500 a year. When my son got stationed in El Paso we got an American Airlines card and put everything on it. We flew our son and grandkids to our TN place last summer using just points. In Jan I had to fly to TN and back to Sarasota on just points. Next week we are flying to Oregon to visit MIL and then to TN on points.

We switched from costco to American because plane tickets were going up and felt we would get more rewards, which we have. I don't think I have paid any interest on the costco card and have had it since probably mid 2000's. (still have it as a back up) and I know I haven't paid any on the American. To me that is the only way they make sense.

 

[Yoshiro]

We've got 2 Alaska Airlines cards. Each one gives us an annual $99 companion certificate, annual fee is $75 but it's still a great bargain. We use the certificates for more expensive flights like Mexico or cross country. And with the miles we earn from purchases we're flying for free fairly often also.

 

[Done-it-again]

We've got 2 Alaska Airlines cards. Each one gives us an annual $99 companion certificate, annual fee is $75 but it's still a great bargain. We use the certificates for more expensive flights like Mexico or cross country. And with the miles we earn from purchases we're flying for free fairly often also.

I have personal Alaska cards, just found out you do not get the companion ticket if you do not spend 6k on the card in a year.

I moved all charges to my personal delta Amex.

 

[BigQ]

Nerd Wallet is pretty good for comparisons - looks like they just did some travel card comparos....

Best Travel Credit Cards of May 2024 - NerdWallet

Find the best travel credit card to maximize your rewards or enjoy luxury perks. Earn travel rewards with every purchase and bring your next big trip within reach.

www.nerdwallet.com

 

[BabyRay]

Looking at Amex cards, I see that although they may offer 2x points, their points aren’t worth as much as others if you are redeeming for cash (only $0.60 per 100).

I like both Discover and U.S. Bank cards. They are low or no fee, depending on which you choose, and the points are worth $1 per 100. Both pay 1% (or more, depending on vendor category) on every purchase.

There are better options if you travel a lot, but being retired this works best for me. I use them to pay my monthly bills and all purchases, so it adds up.

Also, I use Quickbooks for my accounting needs, and both Discover and U.S. Bank transactions are easily imported.

 

[Dalton]

Chase sapphire reserve for me, I’ve lived overseas for years though and travel pretty heavy. You get priority pass with the card, which is access to an extensive lounge network, I've used it everywhere from LAX, to Kampala Uganda, I’m amazed how many countries it works in. A thing I love about it is they almost never block purchases, meanwhile BOFA will lock your card up over nothing. If you carry a high cash balance with BOFA though, their travel cards can beat almost any card for points accrual, but they don’t offer the points transfer chase does, to get the most of your points you need to transfer them to airlines that accept points transfers. My technique is I usually purchase a mid range economy ticket, then do a points transfer to upgrade the ticket to biz.

 

[Hava-Schiada]

Marriott Bonvoy Amex or Delta Skymiles AMEX.

^This^ For the win!
Sooo many free flights and rooms over the years. Both of our daughters went to college in the east coast, so benefits added up quickly. Also had Alaska and Jet Blue credit cards.

We are in Europe right now and have benefited from free hotel rooms and flights using our points on the above AMEX cards.

 

[bowtiejunkie]

I use Marriott Bonvoy Visa and World of Hyatt Visa. Also, Discover. I like hotel rewards as we auto travel for vacation.

You get the most rewards two ways: (1) travel and either are the business owner or a W-2 or 1099 employee able to charge travel expenses to your personal travel rewards related credit card(s); (2) by using a branded travel card at that brands locations (Marriott Bonvoy Visa at Marriott portfolio hotels, United Airlines Visa on United flight purchases). All other cards and methods of point accumulation will be less valuable and much broader in how/where you get to use the rewards.

Figure out what's more useful for your personal travel (hotel, airline, and brand), or whether cash back is better. Maybe a mix. I somewhat feel a Fidelity 2% cash back card is attractive. No fee. Deposit the cash into an eligible Fidelity account and use it to invest.

The game is ever changing and the rewards are less valuable as time goes on. Like has been said, you need to charge all expenses and pay off the balance monthly to fully maximize this rewards game.

 

[spark2678]

Capital One Venture. 2x per dollar cost me $99/yr. Used to do 1.5x which was free. So if i put $200K/yr on the card I get 400K points which is worth $4K.

Adds up quick, put almost everything on it and pay it off religiously every month. I take around 2 major vacations/yr with the family where the flights and rental cars are basically free.

We also have a Delta Skymiles for the business which works very well.

 

[Done-it-again]

Seems a lot of people use their points often.... I tend to be little greedy with them for some unknown reason..

I always double check the cost with paying vs using points/miles, a good portion of the time its better off paying than using them.

Just used 240k out of 305k miles from my Alaska card for Cabo... tickets were $800ea. so to me that was worth it.

My delta plat amex has 985k miles after using 60k miles to get the family to DC on presidents weekend.

My Plat Amex business has 2.1mil miles. Typically these are saved for trips to Europe and I transfer them to Europlan so I can fly Lufthansa or Swiss air business or first class.

Who uses their available points all the time?

 

[McKay]

Seems a lot of people use their points often.... I tend to be little greedy with them for some unknown reason..

I always double check the cost with paying vs using points/miles, a good portion of the time its better off paying than using them.

Just used 240k out of 305k miles from my Alaska card for Cabo... tickets were $800ea. so to me that was worth it.

My delta plat amex has 985k miles after using 60k miles to get the family to DC on presidents weekend.

My Plat Amex business has 2.1mil miles. Typically these are saved for trips to Europe and I transfer them to Europlan so I can fly Lufthansa or Swiss air business or first class.

Who uses their available points all the time?

I’m the same. I usually use mine for the expensive first class tickets overseas. Need to fly 4 of us to Africa next year. Wife and I’ll be first class with lie down seats, might shove the kids in comfort seating in the back. Have 4.2M points on my Venture which is $42k worth of credit with capital one.