Sometimes nothing really makes sense. We have have our entire lives tried to throw out heavy change when we have it in our pockets being one of the main reasons we have switched to credit cards. Now there is a battle brewing over who has the heaviest credit card. Pretty soon if they get any heavier you will need a trainer to carry around the weights. These cards are definitely cool to look at but I am not so sure I want to carry too many of these around in my wallet just to show off. I would much rather use Apple Pay and get the transaction over with. Heavy seems to be the new Black with some card owners who love to show off their credit card fashion before it all goes digital.
Plastic credit cards normally weigh around 5g while the heaviest of luxury cards starts out at 28g. Some of these are made with plastic and some of metal.
#1: Chase Ritz Carlton weighs 28g with a heavy annual fee of $450. You at least get some elite benefits and possible free hotel nights to keep your heavy card inside.
Our credit card strategy has changed from travel to earning more points while not traveling during this pandemic. One thing we did while quarantined and ordering online is we collected points and miles in order to save money in the future. Our strategy has changed wanting more benefits with travel and high cash back on Gas.
That space in your wallet or purse is valuable, and you should be the one to get that value. Selected banks are offering strong perks and $500+ value for a single card during the first year to encourage you to apply and try it out. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now, if I didn’t already have most of them. Notable changes:
IHG Hotels 140k/75k – 140k still highest ever, new 75k traveler offer.
Chase Freedom Unlimited raised to $200 Bonus plus extra cashback on groceries and gas stations
AmEx Blue Cash Preferred to Add Streaming, Transit Bonus Categories
If you pay off your balances every month, then you can join me and many others in funding a huge chunk of your annual travel budget with cash credits, points, and miles. You don’t need to be a “I only fly business class” world traveler. I mostly use my rewards points on domestic economy flights, mid-class hotels, and cheap car rentals. If you have credit card debt, you should focus on paying that off first as the interest charges could offset most of the perks.
This is a companion post to my Top 5 Best Business Card Offers. Small business bonuses are on average even higher than those on consumer cards.
$300 in statement credits every cardmember year for bookings made through Capital One Travel; this can be applied toward any type of travel booked through Capital One Travel, including flights, hotels, rental cars, etc. 10,000 bonus Venture miles on the account anniversary every year; there’s no spending requirement to unlock this, and it’s worth a minimum of $100 toward a travel purchase, or could get you up to 10,000 airline miles (which I value at $170)
$200 Bonus when you make a purchase for spending $500 in the first 3 months
5% cash back on Lyft rides
5% cash back on Amazon, Hotels, & Restaurants starting in April 2024! 5% back on GAS is coming back for another quarter but for now Discover offers 5% back.
1.5% cash back on all other purchases
0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers
No annual fee
No minimum to redeem for cash back
Standard offer on both has typically been $150/$500, so this is a small boost. There are occasionally targeted or branch offers of $300 for either of the cards.
Up to 50,000 Hyatt points. 25,000 Bonus Points after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Plus an additional 25,000 Bonus Points after a total of $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. See link for details and rough valuation of points.
$95 annual fee, free night award upon card anniversary.
INTRO OFFER: Discover will match ALL the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, automatically. There’s no signing up. And no limit to how much is matched.
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, select rideshares and online shopping, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
Redeem cash back any amount, any time. Rewards never expire.
Use your rewards at Amazon.com checkout.
Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.* Activate for free.
Marriott credit cards from Chase and American Express now earn an elevated 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on eligible grocery purchases amid coronavirus.
60,000 American Airlines miles after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard
60,000 American Airlines miles after any purchase in the first 90 days and paying the $99 annual fee. See link for details.
$99 Companion certificate offer. Earn a certificate good for 1 guest at $99 (plus taxes and fees) after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in the first 90 days.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
$99 annual fee.
Citi Premier Card
60,000 points (worth $750 towards travel booked at ThankYou.com) after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
3X points for every $1 spent on travel including gas stations.
Must not have gotten bonus from or closed a Citi Rewards+, ThankYou Preferred, Premier, or Prestige card in the past 24 months.
$95 annual fee.
Bank of America Premium Rewards Card
50,000 points (worth $500 towards travel) after $3,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
$100 annual Airline Incidental Statement Credit.
Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
$95 annual fee.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard
50,000 Hawaiian miles after $2,000 in purchases within 90 days. See link for details.
Free first checked bag for primary cardmember when using your card to purchase eligible tickets directly from Hawaiian Airlines.
Receive a one-time 50% off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and The Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines.
$99 annual fee.
During this Coronavirus pandemic your credit card rewards can help you pay for groceries, food delivery and essentials. This is by using points, gift cards, or statement credits from existing cards or new ones with bonuses.
Note: Certain Chase cards have a “5/24 rule” which is an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 2 years. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so if you are new, you might want to start with those Chase cards.
Costco has the largest overall membership base of the bulk wholesale clubs with more than 90 million members. They are best known for the bulk family-sized and commercial grocery offerings, it also offers savings on gas, electronics, clothing, and electronics.
One major con with Costco is that your credit card may not be accepted at checkout but you will most likely find that out when purchasing a membership.
Credit cards accepted at Costco
When you shop at Costco, you can use the warehouse club’s co-branded card, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi, as well as any other credit card backed by the Visa network.
Here are some credit cards that can be used at Costco warehouses:
Since Costco has an exclusive contract with Visa, shoppers can’t use credit cards backed by the other three main networks — American Express, Mastercard and Discover — at Costco warehouses. However, you’re able to pay with Mastercard and Discover cards for purchases made at Costco.com and the Costco app.
Here are some cards that can be used online or via the Costco app:
Does Costco accept Discover card at the warehouse?
Costco does not accept Discover credit cards as a form of payment at the warehouse in-person. You can use it online.
Does Costco accept AMEX?
Costco stopped accepting American Express as a form of payment at its warehouses and gas stations. However, American Express may still be accepted at Costco-affiliated businesses such as Costco Travel or at certain Costco locations outside of the United States. I would recommend checking with the specific location you plan to visit to confirm their accepted forms of payment.
Costco U.S. accounts for 8% (10% worldwide) of spending on American Express cards overall right now but it appears the agreement will end on in 2016. Warehouse club retailer Costco Wholesale Corp will stop accepting American Express credit cards after a 15 partnership at U.S. stores and the loss of Costco would reduce spending on AmEx cards by about $80 billion a year, including their use at businesses other than Costco’s 468 stores in the United States and Puerto Rico.
If you have a big family to feed you most likely spend tons of money at the grocery store. You can add up coupons all day long but this card will save you the most. A 6% discount on groceries is basically what you are getting with this cash back card at grocery stores. The card has an annual fee but it pays for itself with the generous cash back and the $250 bonus.
Earn $250 after spending $1,000 in first 3 months.
Earn 6% cash back at US supermarkets; 3% cash back at US gas station and select US department stores; 1% cash back on other purchases.
With this credit card, you can get access to Amex Offers, which often offers very good discounts at some stores. In the past we have seen offers like: Spend $15 or more and get $5 back at Walmart; Spend $75 or more and get $25 back on Amazon.com.
This is also a great card to have to buy Christmas Gift Cards for the stores that you visit frequently (such as Shell, Amazon, Uber, etc) or Visa Gift Cards in supermarkets, use your Blue Cash Preferred to buy them and you can get 6% cash back (up to $6000 per year)! If you use the card this way than you can make anything 6% back.
Disadvantages
$95 annual fee but the bonus pays for this.
Only first $6,000 purchases per Annual Reward Year (12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one that includes January 1st) at US supermarkets can earn 6% cash back, after that you can only earn 1%.
According to American Express; Target, Walmart, and Costco do not count as supermarkets, and you can only get 1x when shopping there.
This credit card is on the American Express Network, not Visa or MasterCard, so some small stores may not accept it.
Bottom Line
This is a great card for those who do lots of grocery shopping. Personally, I used the card for the bonus and plan to downgrade to the non-annual fee card when the annual fee comes due. AMEX actually prorates the annual fee for those that apply before the end of the year so you can cancel in January and keep most of the $250 bonus. Pretty simple stuff to make some easy money and get 6% back on buying Christmas gift cards for relatives.
After you apply you may check with the AmEx reconsideration backdoor number: 877-399-3083.
American Express recently rolled out a new limited time offer on the no annual fee Hilton Honors Card from American Express, which is valid for a limited time. This is Hilton’s starter co-branded credit card, and it’s currently offering a welcome bonus of 75,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $1,000 within the first three months.
The welcome bonus offered 50,000 Honors points in the past upon completing minimum spend, so this bonus is a 50% increase compared to before. Past increased bonuses had a higher spend requirement to earn the bonus. Since you have no annual fee to pay with this card it’s a no-brainer for a free stay at Hilton.
Click Here to Apply for the 75K Bonus on the No Annual Fee Hilton Honors Card From American Express.
This Hilton Honors AMEX Card offers:
7x Honors points for spend directly with Hilton, 5x points for spend at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, and 3x points for all other eligible purchases
Hilton Honors Silver status for as long as you have the card; Hilton Honors Silver members receive a fifth night free on award redemptions, so you’d receive that by virtue of having this card
Hilton Honors Gold status when you spend at least $20,000 on the card in a calendar year
No foreign transaction fees
Rental Car Protection option
Having this card gives you access to Amex Offers, which can save you money with many retailers. I save hundreds a year on this benefit. They normally offer Hilton Hotel offers such as “stay at the Hampton Inn spend $150 get $35 back.”
99% of merchants in the U.S. who accept credit cards now take American Express. Just a fact here if you are wondering if AMEX is accepted as widely as VISA or Mastercard. The most recent Nilson Report found that 10.6 million U.S. merchant locations accepted American Express at the end of 2019.
It’s already been an amazing year for savings via American Express offers especially with the Hilton branded hotel chain where we have already saved big money on stays. AMEX Offers has had amazing offers with Hilton’s Embassy Suites and another travel favorites such as Air France and Virgin Atlantic. You can book your travel for the Summer Travel season and not have to worry about blackout dates using these offers.
80,000 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points.
A new Amex Offers promotion just came out where you can get a $60 statement credit with a $300+ purchase at a Hilton Hotel and Resort or Curio Collection hotel. This is a great promotion where you can essentially get up to 20% off your hotel stay! There are also a ton of other Hilton Amex promotions that I wrote about below.
Here’s How to Enroll in the $30 Back From A Marriott Hotel Stay: Click Here to Tweet #AmexMarriott to get $30 back when you Spend $150+ at a Marriott Hotels location in the US, PR, or USVI. Must book directly with Marriott before Halloween. You can always sign-in to your AMEX account online and see if the offer is available if you do not have Twitter under “Amex Offers For You”.
$5 Savings at Five Guys Burgers Click Here to Tweet Five Guys and AMEX to get a $5 statement credit when you spend $20+ before 9/4/2017.
$30 Savings at Best Buy Click Here to Tweet #AmexBestBuy for a $30 statement credit at Best Buy when you spend over $300. Expires 9/10/2017. You could Purchase a Best Buy gift card in-store to use at a future time. Valid online or in-store (not valid for online e-gift cards).
$20 Credit From La Quinta Hotels Click Here to Tweet #AmexLaQuinta for those who stay at La Quinta Hotels and Spend $100+, get a $20 statement credit. Expires 9/10/2017
$10 at CPK Pizza! Click Here to Tweet #AmexCPK to get free money back at California Pizza Kitchen when you Spend $40+, get a $10 statement credit. Expires 9/10/2017. Tip: Purchase a gift card at the restaurant to use at a future time.
Petco.com: Spend $50+, get a $15 statement credit. Expires 9/30/2017 Tweet: #AmexPetco Bobbi Brown: Spend $50+, get a $10 statement credit. Expires 8/17/2017. Tweet: #AmexBobbiBrown Levi’s: Spend $125+, get a $25 statement credit. Expires 9/10/2017 Tweet: #AmexLevis eBags: Spend $75+, get a $15 statement credit. Expires 9/30/2017. Tweet: #AmexeBags Boston Market: Spend $25+, get a $5 statement credit. Expires 9/4/2017. Tip: Purchase a gift card at the restaurant to use at a future time. Hilton UK: Spend $500+, get a $100 statement credit. Expires 10/31/2017. Tip: This is valid for Hilton properties only in the UK. World’s Leading Cruise Line: Spend $500+, get a $100 statement credit. Expires 12/31/2017.
If you have a big family to feed you most likely spend tons of money at the grocery store. You can add up coupons all day long but this card will save you the most. A 6% discount on groceries is basically what you are getting with this cash back card at grocery stores. The card has an annual fee but it pays for itself with the generous cash back and the $250 bonus.
