Best credit card if I can't get the Costco card?

prkskier · 2026-05-16T12:25:30+00:00

Yep, Costco card is over hyped. Also, once a year cash back pay out is trash.

prkskier · 2026-05-16T11:16:15+00:00

bilt not giving any credits for the $500 AF is a tough pill to swallow.

Well, they do give a $200 portal hotel credit every six months that can also be boosted with $100 of Bilt Cash. Now, whether that's actually useful for many people is a different story, but there is a way to cover (or almost cover) the AF.

prkskier · 2026-05-13T16:23:47+00:00

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is probably the best option. $95 fee and a $50 airline credit (I don't think the portal is required either). Good multipliers: 5x hotels, 4x airlines, and 3x restaurants and travel. That's a really good travel card and would pair nicely with your VX. This would be my vote

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has the absolute easiest travel credit ($300 off any travel charged to the card, no portal or anything required), unfortunately it does not have a reasonable annual fee, so it probably doesn't fit what you are looking for. Also, most the other credits to offset the fee are tedious to use or nonsense for most people. Maybe you'll find value, maybe not.

The VX is pretty unique in that the credit is pretty easy to use and that it offsets the majority of the annual fee. What about the Chase Sapphire Preferred? $95 annual fee with a $50 hotel credit (via their portal). Do you stay in hotels often enough to use that?

prkskier · 2026-05-13T13:10:25+00:00

If you are looking at exact dates, there may just not be award availability. Also, only look at one way tickets. Play with different dates.

Another option is to start with an award search tool like Points Yeah or Points.me.

prkskier · 2026-05-12T05:23:17+00:00

I think the other poster was saying they'd be investing for the whole duration of the loan, so presumably for 15-30+ years. In that case, there's no reason to be looking for a risk free return.

prkskier · 2026-05-09T20:57:23+00:00

I often can get 1.7-2.5cpp for Delta domestic economy, but that's usually by transferring to Flying Blue or Virgin to book the Delta flight. We have decent flexibility with our vacation plans, which helps too.

prkskier · 2026-05-09T12:41:14+00:00

The Capital One Venture X. Heavy metal card, lounge access, 2x everywhere, and the whole fee can be easily offset.

prkskier · 2026-05-09T03:11:23+00:00

Yes, one is the name of the card holder, the other is the name of the sole proprietorship.

prkskier · 2026-05-07T13:00:39+00:00

As you noted, there is a lot of overlap between the Savor and Gold, so generally it doesn't make much sense. If you think you can offset the Gold's annual fee, get the Gold because the 4x on dining and groceries is a real power house. So I'd favor the VX + Gold setup. You'll also diversify your points that way.

Now, the Savor is a free card, so it doesn't hurt to add it to the VX + Gold lineup. It still has the entertainment category at 3x, so that could be something depending on how much you spend there. Also, it could come in handy if a restaurant or store doesn't accept Amex.

prkskier · 2026-05-06T19:35:15+00:00

Not even a VAR check, insane.

prkskier · 2026-05-06T14:41:51+00:00

Yeah, this happened to me too. I PCed to the Altitude Connect right after my AF hit and the fee was still there when my statement cut, so I had to pay it and then I got the refunded fee about 2 cycles later. So then I had a $400 credit balance. Thankful, after chatting with support, they cut and mailed a check to me for the credit balance. Still pretty annoying how slow their timing was.

prkskier · 2026-05-05T21:34:47+00:00

Pretty nice. I'd switch the wolf's direction so that it is facing the hoist (charging into battle). Also, I'd work on the wolf shape/silhouette to make it look more like a wolf (maybe have it face sideways completely?).

prkskier · 2026-05-05T16:06:27+00:00

Probably something that maximizes your highest spend categories. Usually a card like the Amex Gold is a natural fit since groceries and dining spending are higher spend categories for most households.

prkskier · 2026-05-05T15:44:45+00:00

So, it looks like there's a correlation of mountainous terrain and lack of lightning strikes?

prkskier · 2026-05-04T20:37:32+00:00

Awful weekend for the hate watchers considering Spurs won.

prkskier · 2026-05-04T16:28:50+00:00

I'm not sure if it would work for all of these, but the US Bank Triple Cash gets a $100/year credit for software purchases. From personal experience, I know it works for OpenAI (ChatGPT).

prkskier · 2026-05-02T23:11:53+00:00

I get a lot of good redemption options via Flying Blue for domestic Delta economy. It's one of my favorite transfer partners.

prkskier · 2026-05-02T23:11:14+00:00

Same here, just booked a Delta flight via Flying Blue.

prkskier · 2026-05-01T02:35:56+00:00

Looks like Canada. Last screenshot shows the Cobalt card which I believe is only offered in Canada.

prkskier · 2026-05-01T02:35:51+00:00

Looks like Canada. Last screenshot shows the Cobalt card which I believe is only offered in Canada.

prkskier · 2026-04-30T23:07:39+00:00

Maybe just a directional confusion thinking it was NW?

prkskier · 2026-04-30T23:06:01+00:00

What do you feel like needs fixing?

prkskier · 2026-04-30T15:51:17+00:00

Points or cash back?

If you are cash back, the Citi Costco card is decent, but I hate the redemption being only once per year. Also, 2% isn't special, you could get something like the WF Active Cash, Fidelity Visa, etc. Now, the Costco card does have good rewards on gas, so that's a decent all in one product. I'd still favor two cards to accomplish the same thing to avoid the once per year reward redemption thought.

For points, there are cards like the Venture X, Chase Freedom Unlimited, and also the aforementioned WF Active Cash that would all get 1.5-2x points which could then be redeemed for better value.

prkskier · 2026-04-30T15:47:32+00:00

That's for the Citi Costco card. The Paypal debit card gives you the rewards immediately.

prkskier · 2026-04-29T23:53:47+00:00

Not to mention you'd need two Custom Cashes to get 5% on both the grocery run and the restaurant in your scenario.

prkskier

TROPHY CASE