Let’s give credit where credit is due—credit card issuers are rolling out some interesting new offers these days. Compelling offers were in somewhat short supply at the peak of the pandemic, but issuers appear to have regained confidence in the economy and are once again trying to outdo each other with appealing rewards programs, big up-front bonuses and low introductory interest rates.
Here are some of the best new and returning offers to consider.* All the cards listed below have no annual fees unless otherwise noted.
Best simple cash-back card: Wells Fargo Active Cash Visa has dethroned the venerable Citi Double Cash as the top option for cardholders in search of a generous but easy-to-understand cash-back offer. Both Active Cash and Double Cash feature a straightforward 2% cash back on all purchases, but this Wells Fargo card also gives new cardholders a $200 bonus if they use the card to spend at least $1,000 in the first three months…plus it provides up to $600 in cell-phone theft or damage coverage, less a $25 deductible, to cardholders who use it to pay their monthly cellular bill. CreditCards.WellsFargo.com
Also consider: TD Bank Double Up Visa, which offers 2% cash back on all purchases, plus a new-cardholder bonus of $75 for spending $500 in the first 90 days. This card is available only in states where TD Bank operates and, to receive the full rewards amount, it must be deposited directly into a TD Bank account—but if you already have accounts at TD Bank, that isn’t an inconvenience. In fact, it simplifies your life by allowing you to monitor your credit card and bank accounts with a single login. TD.com
And as Bottom Line Personal noted in its September 15, 2021 issue, USAlliance Financial Visa Signature now offers 3% cash back on all purchases. That 3% rate drops to 2% after June 30, 2022, but for now, this card is the true flat-rate cash-rewards champion. One catch: You must join US Alliance Financial Credit Union and open a checking or savings account there. USAlliance.org
Best cash-back card for spending in one category: Citi Custom Cash Mastercard offers 5% back on up to $500 in spending in whichever category you spend most each billing period, plus 1% cash back on everything else. Other cards that offer 5% back in specific spending categories predetermine those categories rather than apply the savings to the categories that make the most sense for the cardholders. Eligible 5% categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, travel, transit, streaming services, drugstores, home-improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment. New cardholders also can earn a $200 bonus by spending at least $750 in the first three months. Citi.com
Best cash-back card if you’re willing to keep track of a rewards program: Chase Freedom Flex Mastercard offers 3% cash back at restaurants and drugstores…5% back on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program…5% back on spending in categories selected by Chase that rotate every quarter…and, during cardholders’ first year, 5% back on up to $12,000 in grocery store purchases (grocery purchases at Walmart and Target are not included). Other purchases earn 1% cash back. New cardholders receive a $200 bonus if they spend $500 in the first three months…and a 0% annual percentage rate (APR) on new purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. There’s even a way to increase the value of your rewards by combining this card with Chase’s Sapphire Preferred travel card (see below). CreditCards. Chase.com
Also consider: Chase Freedom Unlimited Visa—it is virtually the same as Chase Freedom Flex, except it doesn’t offer 5% back on rotating spending categories…and it provides 1.5% back, compared to Flex’s 1%, for any purchases that don’t qualify for 3% to 5% cash-back rates.
Best travel card: Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa is offering new cardholders an impressive 100,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in their first three months. At Sapphire Preferred’s 1.25-cents-per-point redemption rate for travel expenses, that bonus alone is worth $1,250. Confirm that this bonus is still available before applying—up-front bonuses such as these can change with little notice. This card also offers two points for each dollar spent on travel and at restaurants and one point per dollar on everything else. Its annual fee of $95 is very reasonable compared with other appealing travel rewards cards. If you have both the Sapphire Preferred and either the Chase Freedom Flex or Freedom Unlimited, you can transfer rewards earned on that Freedom card to Sapphire Preferred rather than redeem them for cash to boost the rewards value by 25%—as noted above, Sapphire Preferred points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for travel. CreditCards.Chase.com
Also consider: American Express Platinum Card, which offers new cardholders 100,000 bonus points for spending $6,000 in the first six months. At its redemption rate of two cents per point, that bonus is worth $2,000 toward travel expenses. Amex Platinum also offers five points per dollar spent on flights booked through American Express Travel and, during the first six months with the card, 10 points per dollar spent at restaurants. The card has a steep $695 annual fee, but that can be more than offset by its spending credits alone. Example: Platinum provides up to $200 in credits each year to cover airline incidental costs such as luggage fees…up to $200 in credits toward certain hotel bills…up to $200 in “Uber Cash”…and up to $100 in credits at Saks Fifth Avenue. Add in Amex’s concierge service…access to numerous airport lounges…complimentary gold status in the Hilton and Marriott rewards programs…and a long list of other perks, and this pricey Platinum card could pay for itself several times over, especially for frequent fliers. AmericanExpress.com
Best card for balance transfers: US Bank Platinum Visa offers new cardholders a 0% APR on new purchases and balance transfers for their first 20 months with the card—that’s the longest 0% introductory interest rate available. This card’s 3% balance-transfer fee is very reasonable by industry standards. Excellent balance transfer offers such as this became difficult to obtain during the pandemic, but they’re now readily available once again. USBank.com
