Best credit card for outdoorsmen

[Kimbersig]

cabelas sells garbage for the most part. I have got way more use out of my Alaska airlines credit card for hunting purposes than my cabelas card. I will probably be able to fly to NZ for free using my Alaska Airlines points!

 

[NDGuy]

I also support the cash only crowd.

Treat your credit card as a debit card

Then it is "cash" with benefits. It is not that hard to figure out. Plus you don't risk having your BANK DEBIT CARD stolen and ACTUAL CASH stolen. I have dealt with getting money back from a bank after a debit card stolen, it is not fun.

 

[NDGuy]

Also for OP, you can compare CCs on this site.

NerdWallet: Get more from your money

 

[Ridge Ghost]

I used to do Cabelas but was only getting 1% back for all purchases, and you HAVE to purchase at Cabelas. I realized there were a number of cards out there that gave higher % rewards. Plus the rewards were in cash, so I was free to buy gear anywhere else. Much of my gear I would rather not get at Cabelas anyway, both because they don't carry it (nicer packs, pro shop bows, etc) or because I could get it cheaper elsewhere (Sportsmans Warehouse, Rokslide classifieds, etc)

Currently using the Costco Citi for most purchases.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Credit card over cash. I use my wife's.

You are literally throwing money away if you use cash. Probably 2% if not 3

We didn't start credit carding, I'm a huge proponent of being debt free... until after my South Africa trip when the car rental wouldn't take my debit.

Cash gets lost, stolen. Fraudulent charges are dropped way easier. cash also requires work. Gotta go to the bank etc etc.

Alaska airlines is a great start.. especially if ur inclined to go to Alaska. th 50000 miles is a nice perk but for me the Wells Fargo ease is really convenient.

But like anything people get caught up in the churn, or illusion of free money or perks and then they are hooked into the whole deal.

It's 2% free return on 85% of my yearly spending. Money goes back into the kitty.

 

[lumis17]

Once I saw outdoors specific cards weren’t going to get me a boat in a year or two, I focused on Chase cash-back reward cards. Those have worked out for me in the long run. Personally, I think I’m better off joining and donating to special efforts (i.e., RMEF, BHA, draw tags, etc) than using outdoor specific reward cards that only spend a tiny percentage to those efforts.

Not sure about everyone else, but now that my gear is set I don’t go to Bass Pro, Cabelas, REI, etc as often. Any gear improvements I make are going to be through internet orders and not through those retail stores.

 

[TEmbry]

I live in Alaska so the choice is easy for me, I have used my Alaska Airlines card since 2012 for everything from a pack of gum to rent throughout college and medical bills. I pay it off twice a month and have never carried a balance. I have received $5k+ in free airfare at this point. For someone to claim I'm better off using cash is just an archaic way of thinking. My money is safer being spent on a visa card and I get free flights to hunt out of state or go visit family.

 

[Nick Muche]

I live in Alaska so the choice is easy for me, I have used my Alaska Airlines card since 2012 for everything from a pack of gum to rent throughout college and medical bills. I pay it off twice a month and have never carried a balance. I have received $5k+ in free airfare at this point. For someone to claim I'm better off using cash is just an archaic way of thinking. My money is safer being spent on a visa card and I get free flights to hunt out of state or go visit family.

I am in the same boat, I use the AA Card for everything except my mortgage (if I could use it for that, I would)... Pay off the balance twice a month as well, no balance ever and free flights galore. For me, in my situation, can't beat it.

 

[TXCO]

Chase Sapphire is a pretty incredible card. The points can be converted to cash back on your statement or transferred to pretty much any travel reward program so you arent tied to a specific airline or hotel. I also noticed you can buy gift cards and get an additional 10% off some places like REI or Bass Pro with the points. Depending on the level, they also give you credit for things like baggage fees or Uber. Its a great all around program.

Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines are probably the two best airline cards. For straight cash back, the AMEX blue cash has no annual fee and pretty good returns. Personally, I always prefer the flexibility of cash back unless there are some other incentives.

 

[Trial153]

My wife and I put everything on our cards, all expenses and bills. I have even doubled up and set up auto payment on bills that give a discount and then I get cash back on top for the card. We use two cards intermittently for different purchases based on what it as the rewards vary and there is also a yearly cap on some cards. We use both a Amex and BOA visa. As of the end of 2017 we received cash back totaling over 5k net to us in a four year period. We have had no fees that weren’t waived.

Couple things to keep in mind. First in regards to to your statement balance and how it effects your FICA score. Make sure your total available credit is sufficiently high that you’re not running over 20% of your total on statement. So if your monthly expenses are 10k make sure you have at least 80k in available credit.

I have not found it possible ( with out excessively planning) to receive over 2.5 cash back in using any one card unless you were taking the rewards credit for goods or services vs cash. For example airline points . Otherwise if you use a combination of cards that vary the cash back amount based on the use up can easily break the 2% mark yearly. For example my Amex will run promotions for increased amount for a limited time, say food and gas, ect 3% up to 6k total....

All in all 2% on anywhere from 50 -100k in expensive adds up. Add to it the added protections and benefits of CC use vs debit transactions ( anyone who had there DC hacked can attest to the pain in the ass it is). Using CC judiciously is a no brainer.

 

[530Chukar]

I use the Amazon Rewards visa from Chase. 3% back on everything from amazon, 2% fuel and food, 1% back on everything else. I use it for everything but most of our bills and get several hundred back every year on it at amazon. I try to order almost everything I can through them with the Prime shipping. I still have a cabelas card but unless you order a lot from cabelas I don't think it's really worth it anymore. Amazon carries almost everything that cabelas does plus some better quality gear I think. Several time throughout the year they will do 5% back on amazon purchases as well.

 

[NoWiser]

I've had a Cabelas card for a long time and thought it was great. A couple of years ago I switched to a Barclaycard Arrival Plus MasterCard and I get double the points on it. I put a lot of company expenses on the card and the 2% back vs 1% back makes a big difference. Just with the miles I have on the card now I should be able to fly my family of 3 down to Florida each spring for the next 4 years. You can use them on any airline or hotel. I switched to it when my wife and I got engaged. We put as many wedding expenses on it as possibly and ended up with free roundtrip tickets to Belize with points leftover. We pay it off religiously every month and have never had late fees or interest.

A family trip each spring is the best investment I can make for hunting. If I draw a good tag this fall I'll send my wife and daughter down for the week. It should keep me out of the doghouse. We are lucky in that we have a free place to stay on Ft. Myers Beach.

I also used it to fly to Vegas last year to get my Hunter Ed point in Arizona. That should get me my elk tag 3-4 years sooner.

 

[scottpage88]

Credit Cards are great if you are smart about them. I have the Cabelas card and have been very happy with it.

 

[handwerk]

I've had a Cabela's card for nearly 20 years, the only CC I currently have and their service has been great, I like the points as I use it for work a lot, last year I think I put about $55,000 on it...but I've also never carried a balance on it.

 

[Ben]

I cashed out my USAA credit card points for almost $800 and used my Alaska Airline credit card companion fare to take my wife to Hawaii for our annual week long trip. Now I’m good to go hunting for a few weeks this fall.

I don’t know. If you stick to your budget and carry zero balance it actually pays to pay with credit. But you must be disciplined.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Laelkhunter]

I used to do Cabelas but was only getting 1% back for all purchases, and you HAVE to purchase at Cabelas. I realized there were a number of cards out there that gave higher % rewards. Plus the rewards were in cash, so I was free to buy gear anywhere else. Much of my gear I would rather not get at Cabelas anyway, both because they don't carry it (nicer packs, pro shop bows, etc) or because I could get it cheaper elsewhere (Sportsmans Warehouse, Rokslide classifieds, etc)

Currently using the Costco Citi for most purchases.

My Cabela's Visa card gives me 1% for any purchase made with the card anywhere. If I make a purchase at Cabelas (or online from Cabelas), I get 2%. Not much, but it could add up to be 3 or 4 dollars (whoopee!).