Credit Card Guides
The Top 3 Credit Cards I Recommend Most Often
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Ever since I got back into the credit card game years ago, my interest in earning cashback and rewards has only grown. In turn, I’ve also written a lot about various credit cards over time — including some I like and some I think are a total waste of time. Because of this, with increasing frequency, friends and family have asked me for recommendations on cards they should get. While finding the right answer requires asking a few questions about what they’re looking for, it seems that a few products tend to come up more than others.
On that note, I wanted to highlight what I think are my three most commonly referred rewards credit cards in 2024.
Capital One SavorOne
Capital One SavorOne
- Annual fee: N/A
- What I like most about it: Solid cashback rates on a variety of categories
Kicking this off is the Capital One SavorOne. As I said in my full review of this card, I believe it to be one of the most well-rounded cards available — and with no annual fee to boot!
With the SavorOne, cardholders can earn 3% cashback on dining purchases, 3% back on entertainment, 3% back at grocery stores, and 3% back on streaming (plus the customary 1% back on everything else). This mix of practicality and fun makes it a winner in my book. In particular, I’ve found the broad “entertainment” category to be what helps take this card over the top.
Another thing I love about the SavorOne is its achievable welcome bonus. Currently, new cardholders can earn $200 cashback after spending $500 on the card within their first three months.
For all of those reasons, the Capital One SavorOne is a card that comes up often in my conversations.
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
- Annual fee: N/A
- What I like most about it: 2% back on everything plus a good welcome bonus
The next card on my list stands out as it is the one that I don’t personally have. Nevertheless, I can absolutely see its appeal, which is why I recommend it to others.
Wells Fargo’s Active Cash card offers a simple premise: earn 2% back on all eligible purchases. That’s it. This structure makes it a winner for those who don’t want to bother thinking about what card to use for what purchase and just want to earn effortless cashback.
Now, you may be asking why the Active Cash card makes it on the list instead of other 2% cards like the Citi Double Cash Card. The answer is the welcome bonus. As of this writing, new cardholders can earn $200 after spending $500 in their first three months. Compare that to $200 for $1,500 in spending on the Double Cash card (albeit over six months) and you can see why I think Wells Fargo offers a better deal.
The Platinum Card by American Express
The Platinum Card by American Express
- Annual fee: $695
- What I like most about it: Airport lounge access and credits that can more than make up for the annual fee
Finally, we come to a card that I talk and write about often: The Platinum Card by American Express. Of course, with a $695 annual fee, this isn’t a card that I recommend to just anybody. Instead, it’s one that I only hype to those who 1) travel enough to make its perks worth it, 2) can make use of the credits that come with it, and 3) don’t require a cashback card.
As I alluded to, for that hefty annual fee, Platinum cardholders do receive a bevy of monthly, bi-annual, and annual credits. Some of the most useable examples include $200 a year in Uber/Uber Eats credits ($15 a month plus a bonus $20 in December), a $189 per year CLEAR Plus credit, $200 a year in credits for Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts or Hotel Collections bookings, $200 a year toward airline incidentals, $100 in a year in Saks Fifth Aventue credits ($50 to be used between January and June and another $50 between July and December), and more. Even if you don’t follow my tips for maximizing each of the available credits, you should still be able to offset a decent amount of your annual fee by tapping these benefits.
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Best Rewards CardsIn my opinion, however, the crown jewel of the Platinum Card is its lounge access. Not only does the card include a Priority Pass Select but also allows cardholders to enter Centurion Lounges and when flying Delta, Delta Skyclubs. Yes, the policies for the latter two have indeed tempered access, but I believe these perks remain strong overall.
A big downside to the Platinum card (in addition to the annual fee, that is) is that its point currency isn’t “cashback friendly.” This is to say that, should you decide to redeem your Amex points for cash, you’d only get 0.6¢ per point. While you can increase this to 0.8¢ per point by having an Amex Rewards Checking account and redeeming points for deposits to that account, the truth is that those who aren’t interested in learning about how travel transfer partners work will be missing out on a major source of value from this card. On the upside, though, those who are willing to do their research may find some great deals for their points.
All in all, while the Platinum Card is far from being the right card for everybody, it’s one that I love — and love talking about.
To be sure, there is no such as the “best credit card.” Instead, answering the question of “what card should I get?” will depend heavily on what you spend the most on, what type of currency you’re looking to earn (points, miles, or cash), and more. Nevertheless, the Capital One Savor One, Wells Fargo Active Cash card, and American Express Platinum Card are products that I find myself recommending again and again. So, if any of these options sound good to you, they could be a great starting point on your rewards credit card search.
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