The AAA credit card offers a number of advantages over the US Bank GO card, Chase Freedom card, and Chase Sapphire card. With the AAA card, you get a free AAA membership, 5% cash back on either groceries or gas, and no annual fee or foreign transaction fees.
Compare 5% Cash Back AAA Credit Cards. Do you spend more on Groceries or GAS?
Free AAA Membership
One of the biggest advantages of the AAA credit card is that you get a free AAA membership. This can save you a lot of money on roadside assistance, discounts on hotels and car rentals, and other benefits.
5% Cash Back on Groceries or Gas
The AAA Daily Advantage Visa Signature® Credit Card offers 5% cash back on grocery store purchases, while the AAA Travel Advantage Visa Signature® Credit Card offers 5% cash back on gas station purchases. This can be a great way to save money on an everyday expense.
No Annual Fee or Foreign Transaction Fees
The AAA credit card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. This means that you can use your card anywhere in the world without being charged any extra fees.
Other Benefits
The AAA credit card also offers a number of other benefits, such as travel insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty coverage.
Conclusion
The AAA credit card is a great choice for anyone who is looking for a credit card with a lot of valuable benefits. With the free AAA membership, 5% cash back on groceries or gas, and no annual fee or foreign transaction fees, the AAA credit card is a great value.
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.
The no annual fee Chase Freedom Unlimited, which is one of the all around best cards for everyday spending, has an improved welcome bonus. This reflects the way that consumer spending is evolving, as Americans are shifting a lot of spending from restaurants to grocery stores.
Earn 20K points plus 5x points on groceries and groceries
20,000 points after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months
5x points on groceries for the first 12 months, on up to $12,000 of spending (Target and Walmart are not excluded)
5x points on GAS for the Summer of 2022
hilThe offer for 20,000 points is the same as before, while the 5x points on groceries is the new addition here. This makes the Freedom Unlimited one of the all around best credit cards for grocery store spending.
Why the Chase Freedom Unlimited is worth having
Beyond the current bonus, the Chase Freedom Unlimited is the best Chase personal credit card for everyday, non-bonused spending. The card offers 1.5x points per dollar spent with no caps:
Those points can be redeemed for one cent each, essentially making this a 1.5% cash back card
Those points can also be converted into Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio, assuming you have this card in conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card
The Chase Freedom Unlimited is offering the following, based on my valuation of Ultimate Rewards points:
Up to 8.5% back on groceries for the first year
Up to 2.55% back on all other purchases
Bottom line
If you don’t yet have the Chase Freedom Unlimited, this is a fantastic time to pick it up. In addition to a bonus of 20K points with a reasonable spending requirement, the card is also offering 5x points on groceries for the first year, for up to $12,000 of spending. That’s a huge points earning opportunity, especially for a no annual fee card.
The credit cards below offer up to 5% cash back on specific categories that rotate each quarter. It takes a little memory of which card to use, but it can add up to hundreds of dollars in additional rewards per year without changing your spending habits. New cardmembers may also get an upfront sign-up bonus in addition to the 5% cash back each quarter.
From January 1st through March 31st, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:
Gas Stations
Internet, Cable & Phone Services. Internet, cable, satellite television and radio, cellular, wireless data, and landline services will qualify.
Select Streaming Services. The full list is Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube TV, and ESPN+.
Enroll each quarter at ChaseBonus.com. As long as you activate by the end of the quarter the rewards are retroactive. All other purchases earn 1% back, with no tiers or expiration of rewards.
Chase Freedom card is offering$200 bonus cash back if you sign up and make $500 in purchases in your first three months. No annual fee.
From January 1st through March 31st, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:
Grocery Stores
Walgreens
CVS
Enroll after logging into your online account (look on the right-hand side). 5% rewards won’t apply until after you activate your rewards, so it is best to activate now before you forget. No annual fee.
New cardmember bonus details. If you are a new applicant and sign up via my Discover Card referral link, you will get a $50 Cashback Bonus after your first purchase within 3 months of being approved. You will also get Cashback Match for an entire year – a dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, automatically.
During those 12 months, your $50 Cashback Bonus becomes $100, your 5% cash back rewards becomes 10% cash back, and your 1% cash back rewards become 2% cash back. You can verify this on the application by clicking on “See rates, rewards and other info” and searching for “cashback match” and “statement credit offer”:
Cashback Match: No purchase minimums. After the first 12 consecutive billing periods that your new account is open, we will match all of the cash back rewards you’ve earned and apply them to your account in the following one or two billing periods. If your account is closed or no longer in the cash back reward program at the time we calculate your potential award, your cash back will not be matched. You’ve earned cash back rewards when they have posted to your account by the end of the 12th consecutive billing period. This promotional offer may not be offered in the future. This exclusive offer is available only to new cardmembers.
TERMS OF STATEMENT CREDIT OFFER: Get a $50 Statement Credit after you make your first purchase within 3 months of being approved. Promotional award will be applied within 8 weeks. The promotional award is in addition to the Cashback Bonus earned on all purchases.
Ride sharing services have grown in popularity over the past few years to where it’s a must for many. The prices have went up some too in the past few months while these competing companies are trying to do the most to keep drivers and please lawmakers. The great thing is that you can earn cash back using certain credit cards to help offset the increased pricing.
Let’s take a look at how you can maximize cash back points when riding in an Uber or Lyft.
$2 Per Ride with Shop Your Way Integration
This is something you won’t read about on most blogs as they just want you to sign-up for credit cards and they get nothing out of it. You can earn $2 per ride doing nothing after you integrate Shop Your Way with the Uber app. It takes a few minutes to sign-up and you get free money to spend at ShopYourWay.com. I have redeemed almost $1,000 worth of goods such as Foodsaver, blenders, clothes, outdoor grill, and many other things. Sign-up here free or read more about the offer here.
$200 Annual Uber credit
One of the unique benefits of The Platinum Card from American Express ($550 annual fee) is that it offers a $200 annual Uber credit. This benefit is only available on the personal version of the card, and not on the business version. With this card you get a $15 credit posted to your Uber account per month, and in December you get a $35 credit posted to your Uber account. As long as you spend at least $15 per month on Uber (and $35 in December).
To take advantage of this benefit you’ll have to add your Amex Platinum Card to your Uber account. You don’t actually have to use the card to pay but it just has to remain linked for the benefit to be triggered. This is only one of the many benefits of the card, as it also offers a $200 annual airline fee credit, $100 annual Saks credit, Amex Centurion Lounge access, a Priority Pass membership, access to Delta SkyClubs when flying Delta, Hilton Honors Gold status, and more.
We don’t recommend using The Platinum Card from American Express for your Uber spend. Instead consider one of the below cards which don’t have foreign transaction fees, unless otherwise noted, so they’re ideal whether you’re paying for an Uber in the US or abroad. The cards below also earn more cash back than the AMEX Platinum on rideshare.
Best personal credit cards for Uber and Lyft rides
6% Back: Blue Cash Preferred Card
This is the highest amount you can receive in cash back but it takes a trip to the grocery store. You get 6% back at grocery stores with this AMEX Credit Card. The trick is to go in and buy Uber gift cards in your local Kroger and get fuel points on top of that. You can stack this amazing rewards trick. You can get a $250 sign-up bonus with this card if you sign-up now.
5% Back: Discover IT Card
Earlier this year they had a 5% back on the Transportation such as Taxi/Rideshare/Limo’s. This was an easy 5% back on Uber and Lyft up to $1,500 during the quarter which will be back again next year so get your card now and be ready.
5% Back: Chase Freedom Card –
They are currently offering 5% back on Lyft rides. Earlier this year they had a 5% back on the Transportation such as Taxi, black cars, and Rideshare. This was an easy 5% back on Uber and Lyft up to $1,500 during the quarter which will be back again next year.
5% Back: U.S. Bank Cash+ Card
I’ve had this card before and applied again and they have improved it with the Rideshare and Utilities categories at 5% back. You have to sign-in and pick these categories yourself. I don’t recommend this card for any other categories or purchases. I use it for rideshare and utilities and its worthless for anything else.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card ($95 annual fee) — 3% return (or more)
The World of Hyatt Credit Card specifically offers double points on ridesharing services. We value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, so to me that’s the equivalent of a 3% return. You also get a free night at a Hyatt hotel with this card.
Chase Sapphire Reserve ($450 annual fee) — 5.1% return
The Sapphire Reserve offers triple points on all travel purchases, and that includes ridesharing. Most travel experts value Ultimate Rewards points at over 1.5 cents each, so that’s the equivalent of a 5% return on Uber purchases.
Citi ThankYou Premier Card ($95 annual fee, waived the first year)
The ThankYou Premier Card offers triple points on all travel purchases, and that includes ridesharing. Most travel experts value Ultimate Rewards points at over 1.5 cents each, so that’s the equivalent of a 5% return on Uber purchases.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card ($95 annual fee, waived the first year)
The Sapphire Preferred offers double points on all travel purchases, and that includes ridesharing.
What about the Uber Visa Card?
The Uber Visa has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and is an amazing card to use for dining and UberEats. It only offers 2% back on Uber rides so as ironic as that seems we do not recommend this card on actual rides. The card offers 4% back on dining, 3% back on hotels and airfare, 2% back on online purchases, and 1% back on everything else. Uber qualifies as an online purchase, so you only earn 2% back. While we don’t recommend using the Uber Card for Uber purchases we do recommend on using them for other travel and the cell phone warranty that comes free with the card. Many bloggers don’t make commission on this card so they won’t talk about it and instead hype the worthless Sapphire cards they get paid big commissions on. If you don’t have one of the above cards to use with Uber rides then by all means use this card.
Best business credit cards for Uber rides?
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card ($95 annual fee)
The Ink Preferred offers triple points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases every anniversary year on travel which includes ridesharing, shipping purchases, internet, cable, and phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines.
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express (no annual fee) — 3.4% return
The Blue Business Plus offers double points on all purchases, for the first $50,000 spent every calendar year. That’s an incredible return for a no annual fee card. So while there’s not even a bonus for ridesharing or travel, as long as you’re within the first $50,000 of spend in a calendar year, this may be the best Amex card for ridesharing purchases.
Buy Uber gift cards
Keep on the lookout for deals on Uber and Lyft gift cards. Many office supply stores also sell Uber/Lyft gift cards, so you can always purchase gift cards there to earn up to 5x points.
Bottom line
My personal Uber strategy is was use the Citi ThankYou Premier Card but I got approved for the the U.S. Bank Cash+ at 5% so i’ll be switching to that. My favorite card to use is the Discover IT or Chase Freedom cards when they do 5% back on rideshare. For example, I’m using my Chase Freedom card to get 5% back on Lyft for my current rides.
Holiday season starts basically when the fourth quarter begins on October 1st. You can now start earning 5% cash back on shopping at various places such as Target, Walmart, Amazon, Department Stores, Sending money to relatives via Paypal or buying something online and more! The best categories seem to be Paypal which is almost anything and Amazon!
Chase Freedom: 5% Back on Paypal, Chase Pay, Dept. Stores
Earn 5% back on Paypal, Chase Pay, and department stores this quarter, up to $1,500 maximum.
Sign-up for a Chase Freedom Card and get a $200 Bonus you spend $500.
Paypal: Includes transactions made using your Chase Freedom card with PayPal for purchases or sending money. Just make your Freedom Card the default payment option in Paypal and you can maximize your rewards in no time. Keep an eye out for Paypal at checkout at retailers like walmart.com, target.com, and thousands of others. Many charities and insurances accept Paypal as well. You can even send money to friends, incurring the 2.9% fee, and it’ll be worthwhile for the 5x points earned.
Chase Pay (and Samsung): Includes purchases made using your Freedom card with your Chase Pay digital wallet during check out. This is really a terrific category given that it’s possible to use Chase Pay via Samsung Pay which can be used at almost any physical store who accepts credit cards. There are also, of course, various retailers who accept Chase Pay directly, like Starbucks, Best Buy, and Shell gas stations.
Department Stores: Includes retailers such as Macy’s, Kohl’s, Sears, Saks, Dillards, JCPenney, and dozens more. Exclusions mentioned: Walmart, Target, and Kmart (but you can get Walmart and Target with Discover below).
Discover IT Card: 5% Back at Amazon, Target, Walmart.com
Earn 5% back at Amazon.com, Target stores, Target.com, and Walmart.com this quarter, up to $1,500 maximum. Walmart store purchases are not included.
If you don’t have a Discover IT Card you can get one here with a $75 sign-up bonus.
Amazon.com purchases include those made through the Amazon.com checkout, including digital downloads, Amazon.com gift cards, Amazon Fresh orders, Amazon Local Deals and Amazon Prime subscriptions and items sold by third party merchants through Amazon.com’s marketplace. So yes you can get 5% on gift cards!
Target purchases include any purchase made online at Target.com, through the Target app, or in-store at Target. Individual merchants and stand-alone stores within physical Target locations or on Target.com may not be eligible in this category.
Walmart.com purchases include those made at Walmart.com and when shopping through the Walmart app (including Grocery Pick Up and Instore Pick Up). Purchases made in store at Walmart Stores, Walmart Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Walmart Pay are excluded from this promotion unfortunately.
Tip: Target gift cards at Target and Target.com does not earn rewards with the REDcard, but will earn 5% with this Discover promo. I expect Target to run their annual holiday 10% off Target gift cards sale, and the Discover card will be useful for me to bring the total savings up to 15%.
If you spend a lot: With Discover you can login, then click this link to see you how far along the $1,500 limit you are.
Ride sharing services have grown in popularity over the past few years to where it’s a must for many. The prices have went up some too in the past few months while these competing companies are trying to do the most to keep drivers and please lawmakers. The great thing is that you can earn cash back using certain credit cards to help offset the increased pricing.
