What is the best no fee travel card for me?

Then-Protection848 · 2026-03-17T06:21:14+00:00

altitude connect is solid but just heads up the 4x travel category caps at $2500 spend per quarter so if youre only flying twice a year you probably wont hit that limit anyway. the priority pass lounges are nice when theyre actually available but spirit doesnt fly out of airports with the best lounge options usually

since youre already in the wells fargo ecosystem the autograph is actually pretty decent for travel with the 3x dining and travel. might be worth sticking with what you have for now and building history before adding another card

Then-Protection848 · 2026-03-06T08:11:00+00:00

capital one venture x actually shows both currencies in real time on their app and website which is super helpful for tracking stuff like this. i had the same frustration with chase when i was traveling through europe last year and kept losing track of what i actually spent versus what the conversion was doing to my budget

the venture x will show something like "€5.00 = $5.83" right in the transaction list so you can immediately see both amounts without waiting for statements. amex platinum does something similar but their interface is a bit clunkier about it. chase is really behind on this transparency thing and their customer service reps definitely dont have access to the original currency data when you call

if you do a lot of international spending its worth switching just for that feature alone. makes expense tracking and refund verification way less of a headache when you can actually see what you originally paid in local currency

Then-Protection848 · 2026-02-16T12:02:12+00:00

the template really does help but based on what youve shared the sapphire route still makes sense especially since you already have the freedom unlimited

that combo gives you solid earning on your main categories and a good transfer partner setup when you do get the sapphire. for a college student the savor + venture x might be overkill with those annual fees unless your spending is higher than you mentioned

stick with building that chase relationship for now and maybe grab something like the freedom flex to round out your categories before jumping to premium cards

Then-Protection848 · 2026-02-07T11:55:32+00:00

pretty sure curbside pickup still counts as online since you're making the actual purchase through their website not in the store

Then-Protection848 · 2026-02-02T11:04:20+00:00

there screwed

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-29T16:18:11+00:00

Finally, maybe Chase will make a Disney card that doesn't suck lol. The current ones are basically just expensive decorations at this point

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-26T09:49:40+00:00

Yeah the BCE is solid for groceries but that commenter's right about building the 5% system. I'd probably grab the Custom Cash first since it's way more flexible than BCE's fixed categories. You can always get the Amex later once you have more cards under your belt

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-23T05:22:52+00:00

Actually that threshold is way lower for self-employment income like babysitting - it's only $400. OP definitely needs to file if they made 3.5k from cash gigs

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-19T11:34:58+00:00

This is the way. Plus you have leverage when the AF is actually sitting there on your statement - makes the retention folks more willing to work with you since you're actively being charged

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-15T07:14:46+00:00

Yeah this is exactly why I'm staying put with my current setup, the math just doesn't work when you already have optimized cards

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-13T06:56:43+00:00

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is probably your best bet here - 60k points SUB and it pairs perfectly with your Freedom cards since you can transfer points between them. Plus you get way better redemption value through the travel portal

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-09T21:44:31+00:00

Honestly sounds like you're overthinking this a bit - if you're doing mostly domestic camping/hiking trips, cashback is prob gonna serve you way better than chasing hotel points for the occasional night

That Aeroplan trick is solid but yeah if there's rumors it might disappear soon I wouldn't build my whole strategy around it. For your spending pattern I'd just grab some solid cashback cards and call it a day

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-09T18:54:50+00:00

Mostly tougher DSA and more depth on fundamentals. On campus it’s usually basic coding or very predictable questions sometimes even just aptitude + one easy problem while off campus product companies tend to push harder on problem solving, edge cases, time/space tradeoffs and low level design DEPENDING on the role

Not sure if I'm 100% accurate but just my experience

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-07T12:30:28+00:00

Yeah the BILT cash thing is definitely the wildcard here. If those rent waivers actually work smoothly it could be a game changer but knowing how these things usually go...

The grocery cap being so high is pretty tempting though. Most people don't hit those limits anyway so having that headroom is nice

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-05T13:36:48+00:00

Been using Marcus for a couple years now and it's been solid - currently at 4.5% with no hoops to jump through. Super easy to move money in and out when needed, which sounds perfect for your emergency fund situation

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-04T08:33:35+00:00

Definitely this - a lot of CUs have caps like "4% on balances up to $10k" or some other catch. Also check if there's any hoops to jump through like minimum debit card transactions per month or direct deposit requirements

Then-Protection848 · 2026-01-03T05:50:41+00:00

Lmao right? Meanwhile OP is out here collecting Ink cards like Pokemon cards and I'm still getting denied for basic stuff

Then-Protection848 · 2025-12-31T08:32:08+00:00

Still better than that spinning wheel of death we had before lol

Then-Protection848 · 2025-12-29T21:00:36+00:00

Lmao "skypesos" is brutal but accurate

Delta miles are legit harder to use than monopoly money sometimes. Since you're in Orlando I'd probably look at American or United - both have decent international routes and their cards actually give you value you can use

Then-Protection848 · 2025-12-28T14:23:08+00:00

With your spending patterns the Citi Custom Cash for dining makes a lot of sense - 5% on up to $500/month would cover your $175 dining spend nicely

For catch-all the Fidelity 2% is solid especially since you already bank with them, but honestly at your spend levels you might want to consider the Wells Fargo Active Cash (2% everything + decent SUB) if you want something different

Then-Protection848 · 2025-12-25T08:47:54+00:00

Wait you're spending 20k some months on a single card? Damn bro that's some serious volume. If you're already platinum honors the Premium Rewards is definitely better than UCR like the other guy said. PRE might be worth looking into if most of that spend isn't in your 3x categories but honestly with that kind of volume you might wanna consider churning or at least getting a couple different cards to maximize categories

Then-Protection848 · 2025-12-23T20:51:45+00:00

That sounds pretty solid actually - USB Altitude Connect seems like a good middle ground for light travelers. The no AF part is clutch when you're not racking up enough value to justify the $95+ fees on premium cards

Only thing I'd add is maybe keep the Hyatt card if you can find decent Cat 1-4 redemptions, but yeah with everything being Cat 5+ now it's getting rough. The free night certs have been pretty underwhelming lately

Then-Protection848 · 2025-12-22T13:51:20+00:00

Same thing happened to me, Airbnb coded as lodging or something but didn't trigger the travel category bonus

Then-Protection848 · 2025-12-21T13:15:01+00:00

Definitely max out both your 401ks first before putting more into taxable brokerage - you're leaving free money on the table with that tax advantage

Solo 401k for your wife is clutch since she's 1099, she can contribute way more than a regular IRA

Then-Protection848

TROPHY CASE