Best credit cards?

[mister_deez]

There are plenty of people that swear by cash, but i'm one of the bunch that likes to get the credit card rewards and pay it off in full each month. What cards do you guys like and why? Any good Visa Signature cards out there?

Here's what I carry:
Fidelity Investment Rewards American Express
2% cash back on everything but it's an Amex and also has foreign transaction fees.

PenFed Platinum Cash Rewards Visa
1% cash back on everything, 5% cash back on gas, no foreign transaction fees. This is what I use strictly for gas and at places that don't accept Amex. As a bonus I can use this while traveling internationally without having to pay the pesky fees.

[MikeAD91]

"Best" is going to be very subjective.

I carry an AmEx Platinum. There is only one downside - it's $475 a year. On the plus sides, the perks that you get with it quickly add up to more than that if you travel. Also, no foreign transaction fees (I upgraded from a Gold AmEx to the Platinum while living overseas mainly for this benefit).

These days, with credit card security and fraud a concern, I definitely think American Express has some of the best service out there, and it just gets better with their higher status cards. I could argue that a certain amount of security is worth the annual fee alone, even without the other bonuses.

I've heard good things about the Visa Signature cards, but don't have one for a direct comparison.

[Vicious49]

I have a Citibank Premier Mastercard. I think the annual fee is like $75 or $175 a year but I've already used it for 2 free flights. It also has no foreign transaction fees which is nice.

[hornsup84]

"Best" is going to be very subjective.

I carry an AmEx Platinum. There is only one downside - it's $475 a year. On the plus sides, the perks that you get with it quickly add up to more than that if you travel. Also, no foreign transaction fees (I upgraded from a Gold AmEx to the Platinum while living overseas mainly for this benefit).

These days, with credit card security and fraud a concern, I definitely think American Express has some of the best service out there, and it just gets better with their higher status cards. I could argue that a certain amount of security is worth the annual fee alone, even without the other bonuses.

I've heard good things about the Visa Signature cards, but don't have one for a direct comparison.

Foreign and if you travel a lot are good reasons for Platinum; otherwise I would go with the Premier Gold which I have. $475 is just so high for an annual fee, hard to get over--not to mention that rewards are worse than the Premier Gold on travel, etc. I think the fee is $175 per year for Gold, but I think I've paid for approx 3 flights per year with it (I spend a lot and it's all on my AMEX thx to everywhere in NYC taking it).

I also would second that AMEX has some great customer service. I also enjoy booking travel with them--for a small fee, gives an added layer protections and help if shit hits the fan while traveling.

[DerekH]

Play around on nerdwallet.com and use their calculator to figure out the best card for type of reward you want.

For me, I travel a lot so I wanted something with good travel rewards. I ended up with the Chase Sapphire Preferred (dumped my Starwood AMEX for it) and I love it. Has a ton of different rewards, but the main ones at 2x on food/bars/dining and travel if booked through their site, and an extra 15% of annual travel points at the end of the year returned. Not sure if they still have it but you also got 40,000 points as a signing bonus (effectively a $460 flight when you factor in the 15% points returned).

[Ian619]

I don't know if it's the best, but I have the AMEX TrueEarnings card (Costco) and I like it a lot as an all around card. 3% back on gas, 2% on travel and restaurants, 1% on everything else. No annual fee. I pay it off every month and I get back about $400-500 a year.

[JonB]

Do you have an airline allegiance? If you don't fly enough to qualify for status, increasingly the benefits that come with most "introductory" airline-branded cards are comparable to the bottom level of status (e.g. the amex skymiles gold card gives 1 free checked bag and "zone 1" boarding - just like silver medallions get).

Also might be worthwhile to check what sort of bonus points are available if you're looking at a points card. Citi Thankyou was previously earning 5 points per dollar at JCrew when you shop online, through their portal. If a lot of your spending goes to one such retailer, it might be smart to find something that rewards you most for that spend.

[Pitt_10]

I stopped using my debit card 2 yrs ago...but I've got 3 that I use for different purposes:

Amex Blue Cash (3% on groceries, 2% on gas and dept. stores, 1% everything)
Citi Forward (5x bonus points on amazon orders, movies, restaurants)
Chase Freedom (5% on rotating categories 4 diff times per year, so now I use it for gas which helps in summer months)

I think all of them are pretty good cards for rewards, and I try and pay anything on them off each month...no annual fees either on these three. I don't fly often enough to even use an air miles card or anything like that.

[Emperor]

I have a Citibank Premier Mastercard. I think the annual fee is like $75 or $175 a year but I've already used it for 2 free flights. It also has no foreign transaction fees which is nice.

I flushed mine as it cost more on each transaction than any other

[JBarwick]

Premier Gold AMEX here as well. I like the perks of the card and they replaced my iPhone after dropping and breaking in on day 87 after buying it (90 day insurance on all purchases). My fiancees family all share a Platinum AMEX since the whole family does a lot of international travel. Free lounges at the airport, priority boarding, no foreign transaction fees, and probably some other perks. With this we just pay the portion charged under her card name and it is perfect. 3 different families (parents, sister, herself) all get the perks for 1 yearly fee.

I also have a Chase Freedom Mastercard for places that do not accept AMEX. No fees and a pretty boring card other than extra perks per quarter on different categories.

[chetsteadman]

I like the Priceline Visa for 2% cashback and Visa Signature benefits.

For traveling out of the country, I use a 1% cash back Capital One card, which has no fx fees.

As a side note for travelers, I also have a Fidelity ATM card, which refunds all ATM fees around the world--awesome benefit.

[brockb]

I'm big on traveling so mine are typically being used to leverage the best award trip possible... Very subjective to what I'm doing and have planned for the future...

[mister_deez]

Hmmm... it looks like there's a whole different world of credit cards for frequent traveler's (which unfortunately I am not). chetsteadman I can't find this 2% cashback priceline visa you are talking about, got anymore details?

[DXLi]

I run a Costco Executive card (American Express TrueEarnings) for most purchases, but I also have an AMEX Blue Cash Preferred card for groceries from grocery stores. I also buy Amazon.com gift certificates at the grocery stores, so I essentially get 6% cash back at Amazon. I also roll a Banana Republic VISA in case some hole-in-the-wall doesn't take AMEX.

[Deke]

Chase Freedom (5% on rotating categories 4 diff times per year, so now I use it for gas which helps in summer months)

This has been my primary card the last couple years. I've been pretty happy with it.

I also have a Wells Fargo Visa, but I usually only use it a couple times a month (just to keep the credit history alive). Currently, I'm not traveling much, but wouldn't mind getting some other kind of rewards card to better cover my bases.