Help Me Find The Best Cash Back Card For Everything. What Do I need to Know?
If you are someone who watches the credit card industry up close or even from a distance, you know that the debate over the best credit cards is almost endless. It’s an unfortunate truth that this argument will seemingly rage on for the foreseeable future, especially between fans of travel cards and cashback credit cards. […] The post Help Me Find The Best Cash Back Card For Everything. What Do I need to Know? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..
If you are someone who watches the credit card industry up close or even from a distance, you know that the debate over the best credit cards is almost endless. It’s an unfortunate truth that this argument will seemingly rage on for the foreseeable future, especially between fans of travel cards and cashback credit cards.
The question of which cashback card is best is seemingly endless, and there is no one true winner.
The hope is that this Redditor has found the only card they need to maximize their reward potential fully.
This Reddit thread proves that sometimes, in the cashback world, simple is better.
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Key Points
Well, one Redditor hopes to understand at least part of this argument by asking in r/CreditCards what the best cash-back card is for everything. Unsurprisingly, they don’t want 4 or 12 cards in their wallet taking up space if one card can meet most of their needs with the best rewards.
With the number of cash-back cards available today, I’m not surprised this question keeps popping up as everyone hopes to maximize the money back in their pocket.
The Question
The Redditor’s original question is about understanding if their current 2% unlimited cash card from PNC is the best they can do. The idea is to learn if there is an alternative out there that matches the straightforward flat-rate approach with the PNC card, which has just one flat rate but perhaps a bit more as far as the cashback percentage or maybe even overall perks.
Ideally, the Redditor hopes to learn if such a card exists because they seem to like to use their cash-back rewards against a credit card bill, reducing their out-of-pocket spending. If the card could be set up to automatically subtract the cash from their statement balance, that would be the ideal solution in this search.
Reddit Recommends
Unsurprisingly, the Reddit comment section contains different recommendations for the best card, as is always the case with the credit card subreddit. The good news is that plenty of individual comments specifically highlight sticking with the 2% flat-rate card the original poster already has as the most straightforward way to go. There are no hoops, no worries, just a flat-rate percentage you can easily calculate with every purchase.
This said, it won’t be a shock to learn that the American Express Blue Cash Preferred card is mentioned a dozen or more times with its 6% cash back on supermarkets, 6% for streaming services, and 3% on gas.
There is also a recommendation of cards like Robinhood Gold, but this comes with the caveat of being a Robinhood Gold member, which means you need a certain investment account size to meet many other requirements. This is a definite pass for the original poster.
Another widespread and frequent recommendation is the US Bank Altitude Reserve card, but as of November 2024, it’s no longer accepting new applications, so this card is out. However, one Redditor does make an interesting recommendation about going all-in with Wells Fargo card selection between the Active Cash card, which would match the PNC flat rate of 2%. The caveat is that with the Autograph card, you’d only get 3% in main categories and only 4% in great categories with the Attune card.
The challenge with these recommendations is that every purchase not in a highlighted category is 1%, which means only certain purchases will offer more than the current PNC card.
The Recommendation
I recommend this Redditor stick with the PNC 2% cashback card, keep things very straightforward, and use this card for everything. There is no reason to change things if it’s already meeting their needs.
Yes, the Wells Fargo Active Cash and Fidelity 2% cards are both equally good, except for cell phone protection for Fidelity, but they are the best 2% cash-back cards available today. The reason to recommend PNC over Wells Fargo is an extra few hundred dollars of cashback help. Still, more importantly, the original poster already has the PNC card in their wallet.
With no quarterly activations or purchase categories to track, no limit on how much you can earn as far as cashback rewards, and no expiration date on these rewards, it’s the most sensible decision for this Redditor. The same can be said for other Redditors who want something basic in their wallet that maximizes the amount they can earn without worrying about which card they need to carry for various store categories.
The post Help Me Find The Best Cash Back Card For Everything. What Do I need to Know? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..