need new credit card

[skisteven1]

I'm looking for a new credit card. Probably one with cashback. I have citibank atm, and kind of like it. Suggestions?

 

[chambersc]

amex

 

[kranky]

You already have the Citibank Dividend Platinum Select card and want something else? Why?

 

[Jeff7181]

On average I get a credit card application every day in the mail. I spread out all the ones with 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for a year with no annual fee and no balance transfer fee, then I close my eyes and throw a quarter at them... whichever one it lands on is the one I get next.

 

[Bartino]

i have the elite rewards card from MBNA and i have really liked it.

 

[middlehead]

Originally posted by: kranky
You already have the Citibank Dividend Platinum Select card and want something else? Why?

He didn't say he had the dividend platinum select, just that he had one from Citi. They do have other levels.

 

[acemcmac]

http://www.bettercreditcard.com/

This is the best guide out there... it's Rossman's site.

AFAIK, every card anywhere near comprable to the Dividend Platinum Select is on here.

 

[kranky]

Originally posted by: middlehead

Originally posted by: kranky
You already have the Citibank Dividend Platinum Select card and want something else? Why?

He didn't say he had the dividend platinum select, just that he had one from Citi. They do have other levels.

That's why I asked - to find out what card he has.

 

[skisteven1]

sorry, i have a citibank platinum (no dividends).

I'd like to get something with CASH dividends, none of this rewards crap. several people have suggested amex -- but it's less widely accepted. thoughts?

 

[saymyname]

If you want something universally accepted get a VISA or MC. I only have Amex for Costco since I used to always forget my checkbook.

 

[Engineer]

If you can still get it, the Chase Cash Plus Rewards Visa is really nice. There was a code at F@twallet that would give you $100 after your first purchase and it gives you 5% on gas, groceries and drug stores (including groceries at Super WalMart). It does have a $300 limit on rewards (you can receive a check or gift cards for your rewards. You have to have $50 (5,000 points) to claim a reward). 1% on all other purchases.

Also, Chase Perfect Card is really good. 6% on gas for the first 90 days and then 3% on gas from that point on. Also 1% on everything else. No limit on rewards and the rewards apprear as a credit on your next statement instead of waiting.

There are many bonuses out there for opening cards ($50, $100, etc).

Here's a list of 5% cards and FAQ's from F@twallet!

FFGuru said:

Updated- 06/24/06


Below you will find a comprehensive list of credit cards which earn at least 5% rewards in specific purchase categories. You will also find links to apply, bonus offers, a brief summary of each reward program, and my own smiley face rating of the rewards program. Please reply with links to additional cards or better signing offers. I will keep the OP up to date.

NOTES: Credit card companies tend to use similar names for very different cards, so read carefully. As with anything, read the fine print and verify that the information that I posted is correct and still accurate. None of the cards have an annual fee unless otherwise mentioned. You may want to Strategize! before you sign up. Look for the topic at the bottom of this original post for more information.

?Bonus: Bonus for new applicants.
?Reward Limit: Rewards cap (in the form of cash or gift cards)
?Redeem For: Reward options which won't devalue points*. "GC"= Store specific gift cards.
?Increment: The min. cash/GC increment you can redeem at full point value.

Earn 5% rewards in the following purchase categories (and generally 1% elsewhere) with the linked card ......

• 
  
  EVERYWHERE
  1) GM MasterCard (Thanks slimcustomer, fotomaniak & EndlessKnight)
  ?Bonus: None ?Reward Limit: None ?Redeem For: New GM Cars only ?Increment: Click Here
  5% back on purchases everywhere, with no limit. All goes toward the purchase/lease of a new GM. While you can earn as much as you want, you are limited to a relatively low maximum rebate for each car. See the maximum rebate list here.
  
  
  GAS, SUPERMARKET, DRUG STORES (Everyday Purchases)
  2) Chase REWARDS PLUS MasterCard OR 3) Visa (Thanks Joe1690) Strategize!
  ?Bonus: None active ?Reward Limit: $750/yr ?Redeem For: Cash, GC, Travel, Merchandise ?Increment: $100
  This card may be disappearing soon, but as far as I know, applications are still being accepted over the phone. Call 1-800-432-3117 to apply. There is no longer a link to apply online. The high annual reward limit means you can spend up to $15,000 on Everyday Purchases per year while earning 5%. I like the rewards better than Chase Cash Plus because of the higher reward limit and the expanded redemption choices, but there is no bonus with this card. If you have trouble applying over the phone, a FW'er had success in applying at a Chase branch. Give it a try if you are near one.
  
  
  GAS, SUPERMARKET, DRUG STORES (Everyday Purchases)
  4) Chase CASH PLUS Rewards MasterCard OR 5) Visa (Thanks Joe1690!!) Strategize!
  ?Bonus:[/u] $50-100 [/b] (MC) ?Reward Limit: $300/yr ?Redeem For: Cash, GC ?Increment: $50
  While the $100 bonus code 2YL is "expired" a FW member just responded that as of 6/02, Chase is still accepting the code for the $100 bonus. If one rep says no, hang up and try again. Click here for a scan of the bonus with instructions to apply. The generous bonus added to a great 5% rewards area and redemption options make this a great card! The rumor is that the card may be going away soon, but that doesn't mean that existing cardholders will loose the benefits. Even if they do, $100 plus a stint at 5% back in these areas is probably worth the short ride.
  
  
  GAS, SUPERMARKET, DRUG STORES (Everyday Purchases), US POST OFFICE, RESTAURANT, CELL BILL, HILTON FAMILY HOTELS
  6) Hilton HHonors Platinum AmEx (Thanks zhubaobao & Joe1690)
  ?Bonus: 10-20,000 pts. ?Reward Limit: ??? ?Redeem For: Hotel Stays ?Increment: Varies
  The rewards of this card are only valuable toward Hilton-family hotel stays, but the broad earning capability makes up for that shortcoming. You'll earn 5 points per $1 spent in the listed categories, and 3 points everywhere else. The value of a point is somewhere between .5 to 1.4 cents depending on how you redeem your rewards. It is may not your best Everyday Purchase card, but the 5 points at on USPS, Restaurant, Cell, & Hilton purchases are excellent. Sign up now for 10,000 bonus point with your first purchase, and up to an additional 10,000 bonus points by staying at Hilton. Looking for a hotel card? Look at Starwood as well.
  
  
  GAS, SUPERMARKET, DRUG STORES (Everyday Purchases) and AT&T PURCHASES
  7) Citi AT&T Universal Rewards MC (Thanks joe1690 & mailman!)
  ?Bonus: $100 ?Reward Limit: $750/yr ?Redeem For: GC, Travel, Merch ?Increment: $50
  IMPORTANT: I am unsure if 5% rewards still extend to Everyday Purchases and if so, whether or not it is limited to 1 year. There are some inconsistencies in the fine print of this card.... Please call to verify the terms before applying. While Chase has discontinued the cash version of this card, this one is still available. This card is part of the ThankYou network and created to compete with Chase Rewards Plus. The difference between Chase and Citi, however, is that with Citi you loose value on rewards redeemed as cash. Ask about Citi's special summer promotion offering 5% at hotels and restaurants.
  
  
  GAS, SUPERMARKET, DRUG STORES (Everyday Purchases)
  8) Citi Dividend AmEx OR 9) MasterCard (Thanks mathfaster) Strategize!
  ?Bonus: None ?Reward Limit: $300/yr ?Redeem For: Cash ?Increment: anything > $50
  Similar to Chase Cash Plus, but no bonus.
  
  
  GAS, SUPERMARKET, DRUG STORES (Everyday Purchases)
  New Bonus! 10) AmEx Blue Cash (Thanks e1Superman, billrubin, DaveHanson) Strategize!
  ?Bonus: $50 ?Reward Limit: $2,240/yr ?Redeem For: Cash ?Increment: ???
  The catch is that you only earn 5% after your first $6,500 in total spending per year. If you don't use credit a ton, this isn't a good choice. If you already use AMEX a bunch, and/or if you'll find yourself maxing out the rewards on the other cards in this list quickly, this would be an excellent pick. After your initial $6,500 in spending per year, you'll earn 5% on Everyday Purchases and an excellent 1.5% elsewhere up to $50,000 in total spending. Now three smiley's because this card will probably the least likely 5% reward cards to disappear since it encourages consumer spending in all purchase categories. More info is in this excellent thread. For a $50 statement credit and double points at supermarkets apply via their website and use code 3003396000 (or call 1-877-801-4221).
  
  
  GAS, DRUG STORES
  11) Citi Simplicity Cash MasterCard Thanks chokaay!
  ?Bonus: None ?Reward Limit: $300/yr ?Redeem For: GC, Merchandise, Travel ?Increment: $50?
  If you were looking at Simplicity anyway, this might be your card, otherwise keep looking. This offers no discount at the supermarket.
  
  
  GAS
  12) Discover Platinum Gas Strategize!
  ?Bonus: None ?Annual Limit: See Summary ?Redeem For: Cash, GC** ?Increment: $20
  5%** Cash Back on gas for the first $1,200 in gas purchases per year. There is (was?) another program which earned reverse tier rewards. 5% to $1,500, 3% for the next $1,500, and then 1%. Ask about this instead. The low limit and limited reward area hurts, but a benefit is that you can more than 5% back by redeeming points for gift cards rather than cash. You'll get 6.25% back if you redeem points for gift cards to everyday type retailers (Gap, Borders, ACE) and 10% to more exclusive places (Sharper Image, Cruises, Hyatt)
  
  
  GET MORE PURCHASES
  13) Discover Platinum Strategize!
  ?Bonus: None ?Annual Limit: See Summary ?Redeem For: Cash, GC** ?Increment: $20
  Get more Purchases are are rotating promotions in which you get 5%** back in whatever area the promotion covers. You don't really know what they will be until about a month before the promotion starts. You must sign up each promotion. They change every 2-3 months. Promotions can be very valuable. Currently you save 5% on Gas & Automotive purchases. thru June 30. Beginning in July, Get More will change to "Back to School" themed items such as school supplies/clothing.
  
  
  RESTAURANTS, BOOKSTORES, RECORD STORES, MOVIE THEATRE, MOVIE RENTAL STORES
  14) MtvU Visa from Citi (For College Students Only) (Thanks poo & czarandy!)
  ?Bonus: None ?Reward Limit: $750/yr ?Redeem For: GC, Travel, Merch ?Increment: $50?
  Okay, admit it.... you thought about enrolling in community college just to get this card. Its great because of the broad 5% earning capability. You will not get the full value of the rewards if you redeem as cash (<5%). Part of Thank You.
  
  
  GAS, OFFICE SUPPLIES, UTILITIES, COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, CELL PHONES, INTERNET
  15) Advanta Platinum BusinessCard MC (For Businesses Only) (Thanks bluechalk & Morty)
  ?Bonus: None ?Reward Limit: $300/yr, $25/month ?Redeem For: Cash? ?Increment: ???
  The great thing about this card is its broad 5% earning potential. Too bad that it is just for businesses and the limit is low.... otherwise it might receive a higher rating. More about the card is on this FW thread.
  
  
  OFFICE SUPPLIES
  16 Discover Business Card For Businesses Only Thanks SlimCustomer
  ?Bonus: None ?Reward Limit: None ?Redeem For: Cash, GC ?Increment: $20
  While this card has a limited reward area, the non-existant reward limit is a nice feature. You will also earn 2% back on Gas, and up to 1% on all other purchases. If you are going to max out your Avanta business card (above) this might be a good one to suppliment.
  
  

LIMITED TIME Reward Offers.
These cards give 5% or more for a limited number of months.

• 
  INTERNET, TELECOM, CABLE, SATTELITE TV & RADIO, UTILITIES
  17) Citi Home Rebate Platinum Select MC (thanks MichaelBradford & fotomaniak) Strategize
  ?Bonus: None ?Annual Limit: None ?Redeem For: Mortgage Payment ?Increment: N/A
  This card offers 6% rewards for one year, redeemable toward any mortgage and no earning cap. The broad and unique earning potential, plus the extra 1% really make this card a great value. Too bad the mortgage doesn?t go away in 12 months like the benefits of this card.
  
  
  GAS, SUPERMARKET, DRUG STORES (Everyday Purchases)
  18) Citi Driver's Edge Platinum Select MC (thanks MichaelBradford & fotomaniak)
  ?Bonus: None ?Reward Limit: $1,000/yr ?Redeem For: ?GC, Travel, Merchandise? ?Increment: $50?
  Earn 6% for 12 months, and then 3% thereafter. You will also earn 1 cent for every mile you drive. The extra penny and 1% probably isn?t worth more than other card?s $50-100 signing bonus, so I won?t recommend this.
  
  
  GAS, SUPERMARKET, DRUG STORES (Everyday Purchases)
  19) Citi Diamond Preferred MasterCard OR 20) American Express Strategize!
  ?Bonus: $100[/b] ?Reward Limit:[/b] $750/yr ?Redeem For: GC, Merchandise, Travel ?Increment: $50?
  For the MC, look for active bonus codes in the last pages of this FW thread. For the AMEX, the bonus is automatic. 5% is limited to 1 year.
  
  
  GAS
  21) PerfectCard MasterCard from Chase
  ?Bonus: None ?Reward Limit: None ?Redeem For: Statement Credit ?Increment: N/A
  This card came before Cash and Rewards plus, and there isn't much of a reason for it anymore. Just 6% on gas for 90 days, then 3% thereafter. Your rebates are automatic.

STORE SPECIFIC CARDS (Thanks to those who submitted these cards!)

• 22) Circuit City Visa- 5% @ Circuit City. 1% elsewhere. Redeem for GC's.
  23) Shell Gas MasterCard- 5% @ Shell and Jiffy Lube, 1% elsewhere. $20 annual fee, waived for the first year, and for frequent use.
  24) Marathon Gas MC- 10% @ Marathon for 60 days, then 5%. 1% elsewhere. $25 GC bonus.
  25) Hess Gas Visa- 10% @ Hess for 90 days, then 5%. 1% elsewhere.
  26) Banana Republic Card 5% at Banana, Gap, & Old Navy. Can't be used anywhere else.
  27) Hooters Mastercard- 5 points w/ Hooters, 1 point elsewhere.
  28) Continental Airlines MC 5% off CO fares for 1 year, $65 annual fee.
  29) AAA Rewards Visa Look on your region's site for current offer (generally 5% on gas)
  30) Choice Hotels Visa Earn 15 points per $ at Sleep, Comfort, Quality, Clarion, & Mainstay. 2 points elsewhere.
  31) Marriott Rewards Visa Signature 5 points at Marriott, 2 for travel, 1 elsewhere.
  32) REI Visa Up to 10% back on REI, 1% elsewhere.
  33) BP Rewards Visa $75 bonus, double rebates for 2 months, then 5% @ BP, 2% Dining, Airline, Car Rental, and lodging, 1% elsewhere.
  34) Mercedes Benz Visa 5 pt/$ spent @ M.B. dealerships and on merchandise.
  35) Citgo MC by Citi Coming Aug 1, 2006. A whopping 20% for 60 days, then 4% @ Citgo.

Now this is how you STRATEGIZE! and really maximize your rewards.
Have you noticed that the best signing bonuses don?t always come with the best card? You usually have to sacrifice one for the other. But wait?. What the credit companies won't tell you is that you can generally change rewards programs anytime without getting a new card! That way you won't take the credit hit, or have to deal with the hassle of signing up for multple cards.*** Here are my ideas?. Let me know about yours by replying to this post. Thanks![/b]

• ~ Chase Strategy Get either the Visa or Mastercard Cash Plus (#4 or 5) card for the $100 bonus. Redeem your points. Then switch to the Visa or MasterCard Rewards Plus card (#2 or 3). Rewards Plus is a better program because you get a much higher annual reward limit, plus you have the option of using points for free flights and merchandise as well as cash and gift cards. Some members have had success in the switch, others none. Be persistant and keep calling back.
  
  ~ Citi Strategy (A)- If you like the Home Rebate card (#17) and really want an extra $100 try this. First get the Diamond Preferred MC (#19) in order to get the $100 gift card, then switch to the Home Rebate MC (#17) and use it for the year of benefits, finally, switch to any other of Citi MasterCard to extend your 5% awards beyond the year limit.
  
  ~ Citi Strategy (B)- Sign up for the Diamond Preferred Card (#19 or 20) for the $100 GC, then after redeeming your points, and within one year of signing up, switch to one of the other Citi programs which won?t max out in a year. (If you start with MC you must stick with MC, AMEX must stick with a Citi AMEX)
  
  ~ Discover Strategy- Sign up for whichever program (#13 or 14) will benefit you the most for the time being. If you realize that you will earn more in the other program, just call to switch. You can do so as much as you want. The switch happens at the close of your billing cycle.
  
  ~ Big Spender Strategy- (Involves 2 cards) If you spend more than $15,000 on Everyday Purchases annually, try this. Get AMEX Blue Cash (#11) and any other 5% card from the list (my suggestion is #5 for the $100 bonus). Use your AMEX as much as possible in the beginning of the year in places where you do not earn 5% (Costco is perfect) and spend $6,500 ASAP. During this time, use the other card just for purchases earning 5%. Once you have accumulated $6,500 in spending on your AMEX for the year, switch all purchases over to your AMEX. Few cards will beat its 5% on Everday Purchases, and even fewer will beat its 1.25% Cash Back everywhere else. Repeat annually.

DEFUNCT CARDS Cards which were at one time listed in this post but no longer available

• 
  1) Discover Platinum Restaurant
  2) Discover Platinum Home Improvement
  3) Citi AT&T Cash Rewards Card

* Some cards offer cash as a reward option but at a lackluster point/dollar ratio. In other words, you'd be earning less than 5%. Therefore, I do not list cash as a reward option for these types of cards. For the card to be truly valuable, we want $1 spent to equal 5¢ in rewards (5%).

** A benefit of Discover is that you can maximize your reward and feasibly double it by redeeming your reward as a gift certificate to certain specialty retailers, or get 6.25% back by getting gift certificates to more everyday type retailers. (click here for more info) Discover does not limit the total Cash Back bonus you can earn, only the amount in the 5% bracket.

*** Redeem your rewards before switching. Points don't always transfer between programs. The only exception is Discover where your CashBack Bonus balance won't disappear. Additionally, if you make the switch, if you start with a Visa, I'd assume that you'll have to stay with Visa .... same goes for MC, AMEX, Disc. You can also try getting another signing bonus for the switch if that is applicable, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[skisteven1]

awesome. that's great. I applied for the chase card with $100 cash back, and they said it would go through fine.

time shall tell. Thanks guys