Nowadays, credit cards geared for traveling have great benefits. Many offer 2 points on the dollar for gas, restaurants, hotels, airlines, etc. However, more and more people are in search of a solid credit card that simply gives you cash when you make a purchase.
Many regard the Chase Freedom card as the best featuring no annual fee, 1% cash back on all purchases, 5% cash back on rotating categories such as gas and groceries, and a $150 bonus after spending just $500 in the first three months. Pretty good. But not the best in my opinion. The minimum to spend on rotating categories can be tough if you’re single and it subconsciously puts pressure on your to purchase enough to earn the 5% cash back. All of your other purchases just get you 1% cash back which is nothing unique. To top it off, there is a foreign transaction fee.
My pick is the Capital One Quicksilver card. I’m sure most of you have seen the Samuel L Jackson commercials for it. It is the real deal. It features:
>1.5% Cash Back on ALL purchases
>NO foreign transaction fees
>NO annual fee
>$100 bonus after spending $500 in the first month
>0% APR through first 9 months
I have yet to find a better cash back card with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee while also offering a nice bonus after reading in detail about 15 cash cashback cards. Samuel L. Jackson seems to be on the right team at this point.
Did you consider the Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature? No annual fee and flat rate of 2% on all purchases when deposited to a Fidelity account which can include their no-fee checking account. And as soon as your statement shows at least $50 in rewards ($2,500 spend), they are auto-deposited to your designated Fidelity account in full (i.e. if you earned $65 in rewards, all $65 is deposited). Although there’s a 1% international transaction fee, you’re still netting 1% in rewards in this case.