Recently, I have been fascinated with maximizing credit card rewards, but of course, it’s a balance between complexity (i.e. mental overload) vs cost/benefits.
Here’s my current stack:
- Chase Freedom Flex – I was able to get the 10% cash back grocery bonus for 1 year. Since my wife and I live downtown, we shop majority of groceries at Trader Joe’s. The 10% grocery reward is certainly nice, but it’s expiring in a few months. We were planning to open another one of these, but it looks like Chase doesn’t offer this bonus any longer.
- Citi Custom Cash – We use this for all of our restaurants/take outs. It’s 5% cash back up to $500/mo. We spend slightly less than that on take outs, so it works!
- 2% card – the rest of our purchases usually just goes on the 2% cash back card.
I’m also thinking of transferring $100K to Merrill Lynch to get their Platinum Honors tier, which will give me 5.25% CB for online purchases, and 2.62% on the rest. We also live downtown, so no need for a gas card.
So, Humble Dollar community, what is your credit card rewards strategy?
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Glad you asked. American Express Platinum just raised their fee to $895 annually and I use to access their Centurion and Priority Pass lounges. Because I fly frequently and get to the airport early to relax before flights I take advantage of many lounges. Even though Centurion is for only myself the Priority Pass allows me to bring a guest. Because I take advantage of their different credits the card is free for me. Having a Schwab account knocks off $100 to $200. TSA reimbursement of $120. Streaming service credit of $300/ year (Paramount, Hulu, Peacock etc. ) Uber $200 credit (can use Uber eats if don’t take Uber). $400 Restaurant (RESY) offset. $300 LuLuLemon offset. $600 Hotel offset. And $200 Airline incidental. (Haven’t used too often but could. Conservatively adding these up gets me around $2000 which easily offsets the $895 fee. (The RESY and LuLulemon are new but the others have been around a while.) I did see the Saks $50 credit which I will look at adding also. Don’t leave home without it!
I was already getting good value out of the Amex Plat, and even with the fee increase, it’s a very good refresh:
$600 hotel credits
$200 airline credits
$200 Uber credits
$300 streaming credit (I use it for Disney+)
$100 Saks
$300 Lululemon
$400 Resy
$209 CLEAR credit
Those are the ones I actually use. I don’t bother with Walmart+ or Equinox, and I haven’t purchased an Oura ring (yet). And that doesn’t include the value of being able to access Centurion lounges or Delta lounges if you’re flying Delta. I also use Amex offers quite regularly.
Anyway, all of that easily recoups the $895 AF + the $195 authorized user (husband).
Best part: My card renews in December and the new fee doesn’t kick in until January 2026, so I get to use the new perks for the old price for more than a year.
P.S. I don’t shop at Saks, but twice a year I’ll use it for something I’d buy anyway, like underwear or shower gel. I’ll watch for Lululemon sales since I’m already on their mailing list.
With WalMart plan get either Peacock or Paramount streaming for free.
I have only had two credit cards my whole life, Amx and a Chase card. I didn’t know it gave cash back until I received it. It returns from 1.5% to 5% depending on the purchase. 3% on restaurants is my biggest winner.
I linked my Amx with Amazon and use points to pay for purchases or I can use at Hilton hotels.
if you want to see a real gaming the system go to a blog called Root of Good. He manipulates cards like crazy.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Fidelity Visa reimburses up to $100 of TSA PreCheck application fees. The benefit is available once every four years.
A few of the higher-end cards do that. You can use it for Global Entry (which includes TSA PreCheck), and if you have more of the credits than you need (because of multiple cards), you can purchase it for a friend or family member and get the credit.
When I got to college 40+ years ago, there was an American Express card application on my dorm room desk. I mailed it in and got my first card. There was no fee for college students. When I got my first bill after graduating which had a fee, I canceled the card and fought with them to get the fee refunded. Rule #1: pay no fees.
Then cards with points came along. I was only interested in points which could be used to pay the bills or be refunded as cash. Points for travel or other things were never of interest. I always click on the offers for extra points for groceries or gas or restaurants, but I can’t be bothered keeping track. As long as the card gives 1.5% or more back, I don’t keep track. If you have a decent credit rating, you should use a card with points and pay in full every month. It’s a perk of having money.
I use Costco Visa card for just about everything, especially given we shop at Costco about 1 to 2 times per month and like to book travle via Costco Travel. We also sign up hotel chain credit cards to just get the sign-on bonus points every couple years. Once points are used, we close them.
I use several credit cards, all of which include cash-back. I use an Amazon card for Amazon purchases, a 5% gas card, etc. I get cash-back offers and do switch from time to time for better dining and grocery returns. All card balances are paid off each month. My primary interest in using credit cards for purchases is to track spending habits. Cash back is a payment for time spent doing so.
City 2% everything else card.
Sam’s MC card for Sam’s and Sam’s fuel
Amazon CC for Amazon purchases
USAA AMEX for gas – 5% (this is a little known card that many should consider if they qualify for USAA membership).
Simple and effective. I like it!
After learning about credit card churning 3 years ago, I dove in and it’s been a profitable strategy. The learning curve was surprisingly small, especially compared to the rewards. Between me and my spouse, we’ve opened about 14 cards (8 for me, 6 for her) and pocketed thousands in welcome bonuses. My return has always been above $600 (around 15%) even after annual fees — which I only pay the first year, since I close the account before it hits again. And often the returns are even sweeter: one card gave me 80,000 points ($800 value) for $4,000 spend — that’s a 20% return! Honestly, I wish all investments worked like that. Since it usually takes me about an hour (sometimes less) to find and open a new card, my “hourly wage” is about $600 (still $500+ even factoring in the upfront time I spent learning about credit card churning). Easily beats my full time job hourly rate 🙂
I’ve never paid a dime in interest because I always pay off my balance in full. The effect on my credit score has been tiny, maybe a 5–10 point dip here or there and temporary, since inquiries fall off after 2 years. In fact, my score has always stayed above 800 and even hit 832 during my churning streak. And let’s not forget: opening new accounts raises your total available credit, which can actually help your score by lowering utilization. So, between the high returns, the minimal effort, and the fact that my credit has stayed excellent, credit card churning has been well worth it. My “ROI” and “hourly pay” from this hobby might be the best side hustle I’ve ever had and all it costs me is remembering to click “apply now.”
Credit card churning is amazing. You can also combine it with 0% APR to get a free 4% cash yield instead of paying full out of pocket! Of course, have to be responsible with this strategy!
I opened a new Alaska card this past week, and I got a report on my credit score with Experian—837. So having a bunch of cards is not hurting it.
We have simplified over the years. We currently have a 2% cash back Citi card that has transmogrified over the decades since we first got it. We also have our trusty Costco Visa card that we use only when we shop at Costco. We recently got an Amazon Chase card for its 5% back in all Amazon purchases. And lastly, and my favorite, is our Apple Card in our Apple Wallet. Simple, Daily Cash back and I use it at every opportunity. I pay with my Apple Watch and never need to take a credit card or cash out of my pocket. And like many, if not most here, we pay all balances well before they are due. I check my accounts every morning with my coffee and immediately pay off any and all balances, no matter how small.
Why do you pay off the balance immediately? It’s not accruing interest. I pay at the beginning of the month, although I may check my balance at the halfway point. Not something I want to worry about on a daily basis.
Great Topic Bogdan, Thanks as usual I’m learning much from other shares on this.
We have as our primary card the Costco Visa and usually get about 1K cash back from it every March. We use Costco for booking cruises and double up with the cash back card they rebate after the cruise.
A couple of years ago we picked up the Barclays AA card when they had a 75,000 mile promotion because we primarily fly American and it gives us free domestic checked bags and earlier boarding and the often greatly discount the flights for miles when there is excess capacity so I frequently am booking around 2cents per point used. Cost of that card is $99/year.
We also this year added Chase Sapphire Preferred when they were offering the 100,000 promotion. For using credit card points I recommend the Nerd
Wallet Smart Travel podcast. Its about getting the best value out of your card and it almost always isn’t found using the portal of the credit card company but transferring the points to a hotel chain of transfer partner, Hyatt is a good one the get top value for your points. This month Air France is offering a 20% promotion to transfer points for example. this is a $99 card and the primary “loss Damage Waiver” plus the trip interruption is a great feature of this card as well though the
Brian Kelly ( the founder of the Points Guy) new book “How To Win at Travel” is also another great and very current resource you may want to check out from your library.
Its not that much work and the payoff for my time is real and worth it for me!
We also have your Chase and Barclays cards. We use the accumulated points on the Chase card for free flights once or twice a year. The AA Barclays is purely a backup card. We use the card when we fly from our local airport to Charlotte where my sister in law lives (it’s the only airline that has this route at our local airport), utilizing the free checked bag and early boarding which is especially valuable as it is a small regional jet.
I can’t be bothered with keeping track of this card for this type of purchase, and another for other purchases. Prior to these two cards we had one card for about 35 years through a credit union.
Only obtained the second card when we read on The Points Guy website it’s smart if you travel to have a backup card.
A CC plan, yes, but most definitely not a strategy. I’m not sure why 99% of the time the word strategy is misused and abused. Tactics is a substitute, or simply a plan.
I find the cash back cards to be the best value where in the past I had airline miles cards. Now I only get airline cards for the big bonus and then cancel and wait for a couple of years. Also, only for airlines I use regularly such as United. I will never consider Delta or American and definitely not Southwest because they keep changing the requirements for a ticket.
I have two cards, one from my credit union that I use, and one from a major bank that I use in case my credit union card is compromised. Both have a cash back feature that I use to partially pay the balance. I pay the full balance each month, pay no annual fees and enjoy the consumer protections of the card. That is as good as it gets.
To earn $1,000 in cash back, I need to charge $100,000 on the card in a year. But if I carry a balance of $4,800 at 21%, I pay the bank that same $1,000.
You have better odds of a financial gain at the roulette wheel.
“I pay the full balance each month, pay no annual fees and enjoy the consumer protections of the card.”
For the first time ever we are using the warranty extension for a $500/repair to our just under two year old dryer which cost $800 new. They don’t make the like they used to!
My wife and I have never had large numbers of credit cards, but over time we have whittled down the number to a bare minimum. Store and gas cards are not that important as most businesses also accept major credit cards. We don’t have an airline card, nor a major credit card that earns travel points or other travel benefits. We also don’t pay a fee for any credit card, no matter its color, and our current credit limit is far more than we’ll ever need. Instead, we each carry one card on a shared credit account and payoff the balance due each month. We also use our cards for most of our purchases and carry very little cash. Finally, because we pay off our balance each month, our credit card company pays us a generous cash-back amount each month, paid for by other card holders who carry a balance.
We used to have 14 credit cards, but in retirement with less purchases overall, we trimmed down to 7 cards, but my goal is 3 cards, but I will probably never get there. Each card makes offers for 3 months 5% off on restaurants, 3% for this, 2% for that and the beat goes on. My favorite card is Costco which most of you are aware of. Other than that my Chase Visa. Let the games go on, and congrats to those who get the most out of each card. One thing I really dislike, is some restaurants are adding a 2.5% credit card fee on your bill, that negates a lot, and I refuse to pay it, will pay cash or debit card to avoid it. Make sure you let them know.
I haven’t seen this consideration in the comments- caution to be mindful of the impact that: # of new credit lines and % of credit used (and available) has on your financial health including 1.your credit score and 2. Ability to get credit/be approved for things besides revolving credit lines/cards and 3. Length of oldest revolving credit card. I believe each of the 3 bureaus and some card companies have calculators to run scenarios for what impact new debt will do to your credit score and capacity for new debt in the future. Finally- a plug for the insane and ever escalating fraud landscape and please consider LOCKING your credit with each of the 3 bureaus to protect yourself. Not a big deal to temp unlock when you need to (ie apply for car loan for example) – but could get complex if you choose to jump into a complex card strategy? 13 cards= 13 databases with all your personal info available for hackers. Hacking inevitable, but something we can try to manage.
From Gal Keep:
[ ] Everywhere: FiV 2%, Club 1%, AmzV 1%, CoV 1%
[ ] Grocery: AmzV 5% 3q25, AmBlu 3%
[ ] Gas: AmzV 5% 3q25, Dis, FF 5% 3q25, CoV if not a grocery 4%, CoV Costco 5%
[ ] Dining/Restaurant: AmzV 5% 3q25, CoV + Unl 3%, Club 2%
[ ] Modernmarket united or Costco
[X] Dept Store Free 4q 5%, also PayPal, Chase Pay
[ ] Home impr: AELo 5% + 2% + reduced delivery, Dis 5% 1q25
[ ] Wholesale club: Club 3% 4q24, CostcoV 2%@Costco
[ ] United, Forex: Club 1%+no forex, 4% on UA, CoV 1% + no forex
[ ] Travel: Club 2% trains, transit, car rentals, hotels, tolls, transit Dis 5% 2q24
[ ] Dept Store Club 3% 4q24
[ ] Office supply and cell provider: AESil 5%, else AELo 3%
[ ] REI: 5% REI
[ ] Amazon 5% AmzV
[ ] Martha FiV 2%
[ ] Use Schwab debit to get cash
[ ] AEBlu= American Express blue
[ ] AELo = American Express Lowes
[ ] AESil = American Express Silver (business)
[ ] AmzV = Amazon Visa
[ ] Club = United Club Visa
[ ] CoV = Costco Visa
[ ] Dis = Discover
[ ] FF=freedom flex
[ ] FiV = Fidelity Visa, 1602=SnL, 3438=MDR
[ ] REI = REI Mastercard
[ ] Walmart:
[ ] Scan list from top looking for best card
We have one card with no fees. Pay off the balance each month, and put the 2% cash back rewards in our vacation fund. Remember to avoid spending more than planned just because of the rewards.
We have one credit card. The 2% cash back card from Fidelity. Each month the cash back is routed directly to my self-managed brokerage account. All of our purchases run through this card. We live pretty simply, but it’s still a nice addition at the end of the year. We pay the card off every month and live on a budget so we don’t overspend. If you’re going to use the card, you have to have a budget and stick to it. We all know how easy it is to overspend when you just swipe and go.
I have a 2% card from a bank that I run every possible thing through (utilities, gas, insurance ,etc.) it also came with a signup bonus of 200 after spending only 500.
Looking at this from a different angle, my strategy is to:
1) Never pay an annual fee for a credit card,
2) As Dr. Lefty suggested, always pay off the full balance every month,
3) Take the amounts earned in cash offset against the card where they were earned… with the rare exception of taking a gift card if a bonus is offered but only if I have a definite use for the gift card in mind. Best example would be if I have a home improvement project coming up and I can get a bonus on a Home Depot gift card.
I realize others find ways to earn miles, stays, gift cards, Amazon credits, etc. I am always concerned that these impart a feeling of free money that can be spent on things you would not otherwise buy.
In reality the money earned is a discount on purchases you presumably did need. It is your money being rebated back to you.
I take the cash back earned and transfer it to my savings account. Another indirect way of saving.
I would still buy the plane tickets, but in economy. On a long haul flight the difference in business class is significant.
We’ve greatly benefitted from the following strategy:
It’s been pretty incredible as Alaska is part of the OneWorld system and we travel to Asia quite a bit. We get free checked bags, and get upgraded to first class on most domestic flights.
There are lots of YouTubers out there that go over all the strategies. We picked one strategy that worked for our lifestyle and it’s been great. We did Amex Platinum for a year and it wasn’t that great, so we nixed it.
Most, if not all of us, use a credit card when renting a vehicle and decline the optional overpriced insurance that the rental company offers since it is usually a benefit associated with the credit card. I would recommend reading the fine print in your credit card’s benefits brochure. I found that 3 out of 4 of my cards only provided “secondary” coverage to your existing auto liability policy. Only one provided “primary” coverage. If the coverage is secondary, I believe you’re still stuck filing a claim with your insurer before the credit card pays. With primary coverage, my understanding is your credit card benefit pays and your insurer (and you) are off the hook. Big difference. I always use the card that pays as primary for all my rentals.
Fidelity Visa with 2%cash back on all purchases. Issued monthly.
Citi Costco Visa with 2% Costco rebate, 3% travel or 4/5% gasoline. Rebates are annual. Will give 1% on other purchases.
I have to say we don’t have a rewards card ‘strategy’. We use our points to get free stuff on Amazon.
That’s it.
Anything would require, in our estimation, more effort than the result is worth.
As always … YMMV
We play the game, though I have to agree with MC below that the system is screwy.
Our Costco card pays 5% on gas (at Costco), 3% on travel and restaurants, 2% at Costco. The Synchrony Amazon card pays 5% at Amazon, The Fidelity card pays 2% on everything. Discover’s 5% rotates between categories each quarter. I don’t blame retailers when they charge for the use of a credit card, and will happily pay cash. None of our cards have an annual fee.
When I was in business, accepting credit cards helped bring in clients, which made me more money. I didn’t mind the merchant fees.
We are not huge credit card users, especially me. I hate them and prefer cash. We do have cards with rewards and use them. I save all of mine to use at Christmas. I transfer Spouse’s over to checking when they get $50 worth. We do think it is important to have 2 different accounts so that in case there is a problem with one, you have a back up. Chris
If I may, I published an article in HD about this a couple of years ago: https://humbledollar.com/2023/08/scoring-points/.
We’re 65 and in our go-go years. Lots of traveling. I enjoy playing the points-and-miles game, especially so we can travel in a style I wouldn’t want to pay cash for. It’s one of the few things that I actually keep a spreadsheet for, to make sure I don’t miss out on using the benefits of our various cards.
The #1 rule of this game is, of course, that you must pay balances off in full every time. The #2 rule is that you must take advantage of the card benefits at minimum to the point that you cover the annual fee of the card. And rule 2a is that you utilize spending you would have done anyway. One small example: one benefit of my Amex Platinum card is a twice-yearly Saks Fifth Avenue credit for $50. I don’t shop at Saks, ever, but as soon as the new credit is available, I go online and order an item as close to $50 as possible, like a personal item (=underwear) or shower gel. I have to buy that stuff in any case.
Once we get a bit older and stop traveling as much, I’ll dial this way back and get rid of some cards. Right now it’s like a game and I can manage it. As I get older, I won’t want the complexity.
Excellent strategies. Mine are similar. Of my 14 credit cards, most are used sparingly. Costco’s is used regularly because of the varieties of cash back and my Amex 6% back on groceries is used exclusively at grocery stores. I rarely use cash for anything. And I’ve gotten rid of Airline cards because of their recent change in policies that made the yearly fees unprofitable for our infrequent airline travel from SAC and RNO.
Do you still have 13 cards? That’s impressive!
Thereabouts. Since I wrote that article, I’ve swapped several out (closed a couple, opened a couple).
Dana, I don’t want the complexity either. And not interested in playing the points and miles game. I know a lot of people do, though. Chris
In the US I mostly use a Citibank American Airlines card. I have used AA frequent flyer miles for many international business class flights. I don’t stay in chain hotels so I don’t need hotel points. I also use a Capital One card with 1% cash back which I mainly got for travel as it didn’t charge foreign conversion fees when the Citibank card did. I also have a Costco Visa card I only use at Costco (rarely) and a few other cards I don’t use in the US, as I like to travel with multiple cards. I have been thinking I need to review my card strategy – I should be getting more than 1% cash back.
I pay my bills in full every month.
A friend told me that friends of hers were hit with a surcharge for using non-EU cards in Denmark this summer, but I haven’t confirmed that.
Have you ever thought credit card rewards through to their logical conclusion? Your rewards are paid for by card companies charging retail businesses higher-than-needed fees. To cover these fees, the businesses then charge customers—that is, you—higher prices.
It’s a bizarre business model where the consumer is both the source of the funds and the recipient of a small portion of them. Ultimately, what’s given with one hand is taken by the other, all while a third party (the credit card company) and their partners profit.
This misses the mark IMO. Retailers raise their prices to cover the cost of the swipe fees. When a consumer gets cash back, it’s like a small rebate for the fee he already paid.
That’s a very practical way to look at it, but it still feels a bit backwards. The whole idea of a ‘rebate’ for a fee only exists because the fee itself is artificially high to fund the reward.
That’s not all from rewards to the card though, all credit cards charge a fee whether or not they offer a bonus or reward so those costs are going to be passed on no matter what. They also profit much more from people who don’t pay their cards off each month.
But I have to agree it is a bizarre model, I still can’t imagine the first business being pitched the idea of accepting this plastic card instead of cash, and we are going to charge you a fee to have you accept this card!!
But either way there is no way you are going to change the system at this point so you might as well recoup some of the cashback, miles or points that they offer.
That being said, I got into the points and miles game about 15 years ago and I can honestly tell you I have gotten much more in value than any costs that have been passed along to me.
I’d argue that the fact you’ve gotten so much value is more a testament to your skill as a consumer than it is a defense of the system itself. You’ve essentially become a professional at navigating a system that is still fundamentally designed to benefit the middleman. It’s a bit like saying a gifted poker player proves the casino is a fair business model—they may win big, but the house still has an edge and makes money regardless. But I guess, it’s better to play the game than receive no benefit lol
Your poker analogy breaks down because recouping value from credit card rewards is not a matter of luck or “beating the odds.” If you put in the effort to understand the system and follow the “rules” of the game, you will “win.” The credit card companies are gambling that enough people will leave money on the table by not keeping track of the benefits/rewards, but it’s completely up to the consumer to make that decision.
Again, you’re only “winning” if you don’t pay interest on any balances, don’t hurt your credit rating while playing, and don’t spend money you wouldn’t otherwise have spent just to get credit card rewards. Different people have different goals and spending priorities, so mileage may vary.
I guess the credit card landscape in the US is much different than the EU, where interchange fees are much lower due to legislation stopping the card companies from charging unnecessarily high fees. Correspondingly not having the ability to offer consumers large incentives to use credit cards. I still stand by my main point: US citizens as a whole pay for the rewards through higher prices, although a minority who game the system win big.
Dana,
You bring up some terrific points, it really is easy to win at this game! I think that the issue that Mark is not seeing is how easy it can be in the US to do it. I know the UK and EU do not have these kind of sign up bonuses and rewards that we do, but a person here who does not want to put any effort into it can open up a card that has almost enough points for a round trip business class from the east coast to Europe.
Over the past 18 months my wife and I have been on 6 “free” cruises,( well, 2 were completely free, and 4 that required you to pay the port fees of a couple hundred dollars).
We had three 7 day cruises, 2 to the Caribbean, 1 to Alaska, a 10 day Mexico cruise, a 12 day Mediterranean and a16 day Panama Canal cruise just from each of us opening 1 credit card. We actually left 2 cruises on the table because my wife is still working and didn’t have enough time to do it.
And it is not like it is some big secret deal, there are websites that give you detailed and specific information on how to do it.
We mainly use BOA premium rewards cards. Wife and I each have free card with base rewards of 2.625%, and category rewards of 5.25%. We also have BOA travel cards with 3.5% on all travel which we use to book all our tours and travel related expenses on. There is a $99 annual fee, but we get it back in airline fee reimbursement (seat upgrades and baggage fees).
We were using a 2% on anything card with Fidelity until signing up with BOA. They did lure us back with a fat credit limit offer with 0% on all purchases for 18 months. We jumped on that, as we looked as that as a free loan for 18 months, while earning 4% risk free in our cash management account.
I need to get into the Platinum Honors tier to get that 5.25/2.6 cards. That’s a crazy good rate!
All that is too much to worry about. I have an Amex Hilton card and a Chase something that I didn’t even know had cash back until I saw the first statement. I linked the Amex to Amazon so if a choose, I can use points to pay for purchases.
I never paid credit card interest, but I suspect any rewards are pretty meaningless for people who carry a card balance.
Your last paragraph above is dead on Dick, however I believe a significant percentage of Americans have no clue that is the case. As a result I think it does spur what the card issuers want which is the thought that the more money I spend the more cash (or points) I get. I fear many cardholders don’t understand the other side of the equation which is that if you don’t pay the balance off every month the benefit is wiped out quite easily.
We have a Chase Sapphire card which we learned from The Points Guy is the best $99 card for travel. We charge EVERYTHING on it to accumulate points and use them primarily for free flights (usually two for international, but this year four for domestic trips).
I have read a lot on the website how people have 6-8 cards and try to maximize the points on each card, but I can’t bother as I have a life. A few years ago we added an American Airlines card to have as a backup in case there is a problem with the main card, especially when traveling (another The Points Guy tip). Sometimes we use it to get early boarding and free checked baggage.
Prior to these cards we had only one card for about 35 years through a credit union.
I also use Chase Sapphire Preferred card to book my travel but I use it mainly because its $20000 per trip cancellation and interruption insurance, so my pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses can get reimbursed.
Also an additional year for warranty on purchases, up to a maximum of two years. We are using this benefit due to a problem with a 46 month old dryer. Expect to cover @$300.
“I have read a lot on the website how people have 6-8 cards and try to maximize the points on each card, but I can’t bother as I have a life.”
this is the way I feel, David. Chris
We place a monthly order with Amazon’s subscribe & save, which saves us 5%-15% depending on the item. We charge it on our Amazon Prime credit card and receive 5% rewards on our purchases after the discount (requires a Prime membership).
We charge groceries on our AAA Advantage Visa and receive 5% rewards at grocery stores and 3% rewards at wholesale clubs (CostCo).
My 10% grocery offer is about to end soon. I’m debating between AAA for the 5% or doing the 6% Amex with first year fee waived. Is that too much hassle for the 1% extra? Not sure.
I have been using Amex Blue Cash Preferred 6% cash back on grocery ever since inflation started heating up a few years ago. It also gives me 3% on taxi/transits/rideshare/parking/tolls/bus, 6% on Select Streaming Services like Netflix, 3% on gas.