As someone who loves traveling internationally, having Cards with No FTFs is crucial and no AFs make those even better. As someone who's on Team Travel as well, the Autograph is a great option with the incoming travel partners and ability to earn WF Points. Lots of unique cards in this video as well, I've definitely never heard of Cards like the Alliant Card before, so props to you for doing finding some overlooked Cards as well. Great video as always!
Thanks Matt! Yeah, if you're on team travel, the transfer partners are really great to have now on the WF Autograph card, coming soon on Apr 1st (hopefully not an April Fools' joke). With all the different options, hopefully there's one to fit every category in this travel setup! Of course, there are plenty of other cards with AFs that may be a better fit, but for those who want to have pure value with no work, these are some great cards to choose from.
Thanks so much for mentioning the red stone visa! I've never heard about that card but my biggest shopping categories are groceries and wholesale clubs (only Costco) so I'm going to look into applying for that. Also it's interesting that this card earns higher than the Costco visa card at Costco.
Of course! It's kind of an amazing card tbh. That card and the Alliant VISA are two sleepers that don't get mentioned as much but have amazing rewards! Yeah, the Costco VISA is a fan favorite, but there are a lot of other cards that have much better multipliers (and better redemption options) than the Costco VISA.
Good recommendations, but imo it's better to try and keep all your points currencies under one umbrella. For example, keeping your trifecta under one bank rather than using a trifecta from 3 different banks, thus diluting your points balance since not all banks have the same transfer partners.
I definitely can see the wisdom in that! I will say that for some of these cards that are cash back (or would be used as cash back), having different cards from different banks is not as much as a problem, but yeah, for someone who doesn't have super high spend or anything, focusing on 1-2 point systems is going to yield the best result since points will accrue a lot faster for that next great redemption!
Sofi credit card has 2% back if taken as deposit into Sofi bank account or statement credit with no annual fee or FTF. Requires ongoing direct deposit to Sofi.
Another nice option for NAF and No FTFs! The direct deposit thing is kind of limiting, but it may be preferable that a checking account minimum like some of the cards on this list!
Just signed up for Bilt with the addition of Alaska. This will pair well with the Alaska Business, all different multipliers. I've never had interest in the Chase ecosystem, but have always had a bit of envy for Hyatt, so this is a great alternative. I'll have to do the math on sharing some of my shipping spend with the Hilton Business (6%), or keep using it for general (4.5%), up to $15K with the free night.
You're gamble to go all in on Alaska is going to pay off! I do want to point out that the Bilt-Alaska partnership is only for the personal card so you'll need that to get the 3X on rent. The Hilton Business is an amazing card for that FNA for $15k spend!
@@TheCreditFrog So far I'm happy with the switch. As far as rent, I own my own home, but would love for them to add this to mortgage payments. I do pay office rent, so I guess my business card would pair up well if they ever expanded in that direction. 3X Alaska miles on rent is a game changer though, and with Roger Goodell and Ken Chenault joining the team, Bilt's future is looking brighter.
Stan Thanks for the video. I'm sure this took awhile to gather informations, especially since you don't have some of (if not most of) these cards. I really appreciate that. For me, credit card points is only for one thing and one thing only. Travel. So I didn't care much about cash back but if i did, the Redstone card stands out! And maybe AAA card also. My wife likes simple set up so I was shopping around cards for her and some of these might be a great fit!! (I heard you have to have some kind of online interview if you want to apply for Redstone? :( ) And i want to thank you again for USBAR card videos!! Packed with so much info and inspired me to look into it since your video came out. A week ago I finally applied and got approved to my surprise! I am extremely happy that I got them. I read every single Reddit data point but what really helped me was your two videos. You are amazing!
You’re so welcome!! First of all congrats on the USBAR!! 🎉! You’re going to love the card and I’m happy to hear you got it on the first go! It’s more of a cash back card, but to get 4.5X on a single card on all purchases is wild! The Redstone card is a solid cash back card as well, but yeah, I think Uncle Luke has to do a Zoom interview to get it haha!
Great to see you covering lots of underrated cards here Stan. The US Bank Altitude Go is one of those cards that flies under the radar a bit. You'd think 4x on dining with no annual fee would get a lot more attention for cash back setups. Great thought process here!
Hey Ethan! Great to see you here bud. Yeah the Altitude Go is a pretty awesome card for dining that can be a nice NAF option with that 4X dining category. I guess it depends if dining is one of your highest categories - I know for me it is! I would get this card, but you know, trying to get under 5/24 and all that 🤣
Fidelity Rewards is also a good choice here for 2% back no FTF however it does have minimum of $25 for the redemption as cashback. Is a Visa card though which may help for some people
Yes! The Fidelity card is a great no FTF card for that catch all category. I can’t speak for everyone, but I like VISA because then I know the card is accepted at Costco
@@TheCreditFrog sure thing, I’ll give credit where credit is due, that was a tip from Adam at Proud Money, it’s all about knowledge sharing in this community!😀
West coast as well. I live in California and card is available. Just pay attention to which you apply for, they won’t let you switch if you get the travel advantage by mistake
Yeah, that could work too! For me, I’d probably go with the VX. I think 1.5X is the absolute minimum for me, and that’s being generous because catch alls should really be 2X or more!
I don't do enough international traveling to optimize for it yet. The next time I go on an international trip, I would probably sign up for the BoA travel rewards for the catch all 2.625% and then I'll use my existing BILT card for dining (still need that 4 transactions to get the rent points)
I really like the BofA TR card for this purpose! I think the redemption limitation kind of sucks, but other than that, with the PH boost, this card is a solid option for a no FTF catch-all card. Bilt card can get you a slightly better multiplier for those dining purchases, but since they have transfer partners, the value of their points aren't capped like the points on BofA!
@@TheCreditFrog I agree that the redemption limitation sucks. I heard that it's transferable to Premium Rewards and Elite, so one strategy is to open one of them as the next card to cash it out. Personally, I only hold at most one card (at a time) with annual fee to do these pro gamer moves, lol.
Yes! Definitely need a NAF card. Not sure if you need it for just catch all, but definitely one with no FTFs would be great! Also, they could have all 7 and be ok - there's no annual fee!
I don't personally have one, but yes, I've heard similar things about Comenity Bank. Probably wouldn't stop me from getting the card though because it's that good.
Capital One Duo would be my choice! As much as I love the USB AR (which is my favorite card currently), not all countries predictably take Apple Pay/Samsung Pay, so you may be stuck with that gross 1X multiplier on everything else. Having a good 2% catch-all instead may be the better play, but if you know the country you're going to is good with MWs like Canada or the UK, then I agree, USBAR all the way!
I'm not sure about this, but I think the Redstone Fed Credit card gives you points (not actual cash back) that have to be redeemed at 0.5cpp right? So its more like 2.5% on restaurants and gas purchases? Or is there a way to redeem those points for 1cpp?
Yes, that's right! You get points, not cash back. I looked at the terms, briefly, and it says you get 10 points per dollar spent on gas and restaurants so if it gets you 0.5cpp back, that still is 5%. Unfortunately, I don't have this card to test this out, but this is what it looks like!
Are the Wells Fargo cards mentioned here requiring that the travel expenses be only made in their portal for the multiplier to apply or can one do it directly w/ the hotel/airline/car rental?
Those are some great $0 cards that will get good returns and no foreign transaction fees! That Autograph card is 💪 Thanks for the info Stan! 10k coming soon brother!🫵
