Best Credit Card?

EATELK

FNG
Joined
May 9, 2016
Messages
33
Location
Bend, OR
I recently ditched my Alaska Airlines credit card and am looking into opening up a new credit card, mostly focused on cash back. I have a Cabelas card that I'll hold onto to take advantage of sales, but want to do better than earning 1% on purchases. With a couple of young kids, we aren't traveling much these days so mostly interested in cash back. I'm looking at the Wells Fargo Active Cash since it offers 2% cash back on all purchases. Most of our spending is on gas/groceries/restaurants but not heavily weighted in one direction. Any recommendations for what y'all use and like?

If there's a card out there that offers increased cash back for tag/license applications, that'd be a no brainer :)
 

Tjdeerslayer37

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 10, 2020
Messages
203
Location
Wayne, MI
never had any issues with my citi double cash. effectively 2% cash back. i pay all my bills with it and pay it off each friday, just to rack up the rewards cash.
 

svivian

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
3,232
Location
Colorado
Captial one Savor card is 3% back on groceries, restaurants and streaming services.

Discover It card has a rolling 5% quarterly calendar. 5% back on gas usually during the summer and 5% back on amazon, target.com and walmart.com from october to december 31st.
 

Beendare

WKR
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
9,035
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Corripe cervisiam
I was tiring of my Alaska card now that I have enough milesfor a free trip.

I just went with the Citi Costco card, up to 4% cash back and many other perks.

The Chase Sapphire is another good one

I dont look at interest rate but Pay them off monthly.
 

wyogoat

WKR
Joined
Jul 28, 2014
Messages
746
Location
Wyoming
Captial one Savor card is 3% back on groceries, restaurants and streaming services.

Discover It card has a rolling 5% quarterly calendar. 5% back on gas usually during the summer and 5% back on amazon, target.com and walmart.com from october to december 31st.
I use this exact same one and have had good luck with Cap One. Their dispute dept is reasonable; used it twice, once for fraud and once for an airline ticket that wasn’t insured to a “safe” country that the climate changed in and they sided with me.
 

tony

WKR
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,022
Location
WV
Man, I have to ask.
As someone that tries to never use credit cards. Why not pay yourself back?
I just feel like its a scam to use a CC for cash back or frequent miles whatever they are offering.
I will use the zero percent financing and pay it off in time.
Why not toss a hundred or two in some sort of high earning savings account?
Open an IRA?
Too many better options than making payments for "cashback".
Just my opinion here.
 

IdahoBeav

WKR
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
824
Man, I have to ask.
As someone that tries to never use credit cards. Why not pay yourself back?
I just feel like its a scam to use a CC for cash back or frequent miles whatever they are offering.
I will use the zero percent financing and pay it off in time.
Why not toss a hundred or two in some sort of high earning savings account?
Open an IRA?
Too many better options than making payments for "cashback".
Just my opinion here.
You can do both or even all three, but if you're regularly spending money at corporate stores/restaurants/etc., then you might as well take advantage. The seller pays a 3% fee to the credit card company, and the credit card company pays about 1.5% of that back to the card user. This fee is absorbed by most sellers, so you're paying the same price with credit, cash, or debit.

There is also the issue of fraudulent activity. With a debit card, the thief acquires your money, and you are out these funds until the bank reimburses the charges. With a CC, it's the credit company's money that is lost.

With all this said, when I'm buying from a small mom n' pop shop, I'll pay cash or debit to so there is no 3% charge. Gunsmiths and taxidermists really appreciate this.
 
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
301
Location
Montana
Man, I have to ask.
As someone that tries to never use credit cards. Why not pay yourself back?
I just feel like its a scam to use a CC for cash back or frequent miles whatever they are offering.
I will use the zero percent financing and pay it off in time.
Why not toss a hundred or two in some sort of high earning savings account?
Open an IRA?
Too many better options than making payments for "cashback".
Just my opinion here.
Most people commenting aren't "making payments". They're charging things they'd normally buy on the credit card to get rewards (cash back, miles, hotel points, etc). It isn't costing them anything if they're paying it off at the end of each month (unless the card has an annual fee). No different than paying with cash, check, or debit card, you just get rewarded for it. Now, if people are rolling balances and paying interest, that's not a winning situation....usually.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
 

wyogoat

WKR
Joined
Jul 28, 2014
Messages
746
Location
Wyoming
Man, I have to ask.
As someone that tries to never use credit cards. Why not pay yourself back?
I just feel like its a scam to use a CC for cash back or frequent miles whatever they are offering.
I will use the zero percent financing and pay it off in time.
Why not toss a hundred or two in some sort of high earning savings account?
Open an IRA?
Too many better options than making payments for "cashback".
Just my opinion here.
I pay mine off every month and travel a lot for work so the reward dollars add up and a CC is required for booking the work trips. It generally pays for one goof-off related luxury a month.
 

Robobiss

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 3, 2024
Messages
210
Man, I have to ask.
As someone that tries to never use credit cards. Why not pay yourself back?
I just feel like its a scam to use a CC for cash back or frequent miles whatever they are offering.
I will use the zero percent financing and pay it off in time.
Why not toss a hundred or two in some sort of high earning savings account?
Open an IRA?
Too many better options than making payments for "cashback".
Just my opinion here.
I buy absolutely everything on a credit card and I pay the statement in entirety every paycheck. Everything. I use cash/debit for less than 1% of purchases. If it’s possible to charge it, I do.

I “make” hundreds of dollars annually doing it, as well as credit being safer/more secure (like someone else pointed out, if there fraudulent activity it’s the CC companies problem, not yours).

Using a credit card for all of your purchases as long as there is not an annual fee and paying the statement every month so as to not accrue interest is a financial no-brainer.

Its literally free money.
 

tony

WKR
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,022
Location
WV
I'm learning here.
Maybe I'm doing it wrong, seriously.
I hate credit cards, but after reading these posts, should I consider using them?
I don't use them enough to know how to get cash back?
Always thought taking them for the no finance/interest was good enough?
 

CorbLand

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
7,827
I'm learning here.
Maybe I'm doing it wrong, seriously.
I hate credit cards, but after reading these posts, should I consider using them?
I don't use them enough to know how to get cash back?
Always thought taking them for the no finance/interest was good enough?
Depends on your level of self control. If you can handle them and not run up your debt, then yes, you should look into them. As long as you pay them off each period, you will not accrue any interest but still gain the points/cash back.

You just have to look at what the card offers. Some are points to a specific company (Cabelas card) others it’s cash back. Many you just link your bank account to and they will deposit the cash back there.
 

tony

WKR
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,022
Location
WV
Yeah, I am as tight as they come.
You get actual money back or a credit on next months bill?
Putting my fudd, conspiracy hat on 😆. Almost sounds too good to be true.
Like I never use a card unless its zero percent finance, and even then that is super rare.
 

Robobiss

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 3, 2024
Messages
210
I'm learning here.
Maybe I'm doing it wrong, seriously.
I hate credit cards, but after reading these posts, should I consider using them?
I don't use them enough to know how to get cash back?
Always thought taking them for the no finance/interest was good enough?
Racking up a bunch of crap, paying for vacations and buying stuff you can’t afford and making payments=no no. That’s the type of credit card use you are talking about as “bad” because it is.

Buying all of your regular stuff you would buy anyways, and you can afford/is within your budget, but on a credit card with rewards instead of a debit card and paying the statement monthly=winning.

Something simple like a cabelas/bass pro card has no annual fee, is 1% cash for every purchase outside of cabelas, and 2-6% depending on what level card you have at bass pro/cabelas. I have the black card for spending 25k on the card one year (when I built my house) so I believe I get 6% at bass pro/cabelas and 1% everywhere else.

The cabelas/bass pro card for example is through capital one, you link it to your cabelas account, when you go to checkout you have the option to use your rewards money and can choose how much to use. I get hundreds of dollars/year in “free” money to buy reloading components, ammo, clothing, gear, whatever at cabelas. I buy little stuff here and there with the free money, and “save up” a couple hundred around Christmas time to buy my dad something nice every year.

Keep an eye out on the special deals, cabelas for example will run promotions “10% off your entire purchase if you sign up today” type stuff. Use that to your advantage and get whatever big item you are shopping for and would buy anyways for x amount of dollars off.

If you are a responsible adult that isn’t spending money you don’t have (it sounds like you are) you can’t go wrong.
 

CorbLand

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
7,827
Yeah, I am as tight as they come.
You get actual money back or a credit on next months bill?
Putting my fudd, conspiracy hat on 😆. Almost sounds too good to be true.
Like I never use a card unless its zero percent finance, and even then that is super rare.
Actual cash back.
 

Robobiss

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 3, 2024
Messages
210
Yeah, I am as tight as they come.
You get actual money back or a credit on next months bill?
Putting my fudd, conspiracy hat on 😆. Almost sounds too good to be true.
Like I never use a card unless its zero percent finance, and even then that is super rare.
I’ve already replied to a couple of your comments, hello friend.

The cabelas card specifically (the one that probably 75% of RS members have) is money only to cabelas. You can’t use it at the grocery store. It’s no biggie for me because I’m buying a ton of that type of stuff anyways. Anytime I need a box of bullets (they sell 77TMK’s on occasion hehe) I just buy them from cabelas. Powder, primers etc as well.
 
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
2,331
For the doubters, you are leaving hundreds if not thousands of free money on the table every year. The wife and I just churned a couple cards and got $1500 back in signup bonuses. Just to buy normal stuff we buy anyway.

Today I was told about a cash back card that does 3% on every day purchases and up to 5% at restaurants etc. I was told there is a $60 yearly fee. I’ll probably get one since there isn’t much out there that can beat that.
 
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