AMEX

Centurion. You did it. You reached the top of the mountain. How does it feel? Was it worth it? You’ve spent millions of dollars each year — enough to support hundreds of impoverished families — to qualify for the privilege of a massive buy-in and annual fee. You could have saved a rainforest, but you didn’t. This card is an awful earner for your millions in spend, but it doesn’t matter. The satisfaction you feel when you tap that black card for a $7 coffee makes quartering your point earn worthwhile. In practice, your Centurion rep is not as talented as your other two corporate assistants.

Platinum. You spend whole days each year trying to “break even” on a $700 card. You probably earn 1x on almost all spending you put on the card. You lie to yourself, claiming that you use Equinox and Walmart+. You probably tell everyone that this is “the most premium card you can apply for,” when really it’s just a huge profit driver for AMEX. You self-justify during the two annual occasions in which you use an overcrowded Centurion Lounge, and purposely book red eyes to avoid the lines. You don’t even get primary auto rental insurance.

Schwab Platinum. Same as above, but you decided to save $200 per year by moving no less than $1.5M into Schwab managed accounts. You tell literally everyone about the 1.1 cpp cashout, even though cashback individuals would almost certainly be better off with other setups. You probably forewent ~70k MR SUB points in order to get the Schwab variant over the vanilla variant.

Morgan Stanley Platinum. Same as above, but you use a brokerage that no one has in their top three. At least you get the first authorized user for free, allowing you to wait in line with family members at Centurion lounges while talking to them about your five-year credit card plan. You probably forewent ~70k MR SUB points in order to get the Morgan Stanley variant over the vanilla variant.

Gold. You agonize over the monthly restaurant credits. You’re constantly trying to remember whether you’ve already used Grubhub this month. For some reason, you call AMEX customer support more than Platinum and Centurion customers. You tell literally everybody about your Gold card, but people just respond by asking whether you’re active duty military or native american. You’re probably just a metrosexual.

Green. You meant to get a Chase Sapphire Reserve, but you got denied. You’ve never impressed anyone with this card, and you never discuss it. Friends ask, “what happened to your Gold card?” You decided to acquire this card to try Clear, but realized the service usually takes just as much time as going through the precheck line at most airports.

Blue Business Plus. You watched 40 credit card Youtubers tell you that it’s alright to put personal spend on a business card. You’re pretty sure that you can, but constantly worry about your next IRS audit. They probably won’t care, right? Right? At least you earn 2x MR points on everything you buy, which is pretty good! Hopefully, other white collar inmates will think you’re cool.

Blue Cash Preferred. You probably have a Chase trifecta but agonized over grocery spend. Welcome to AMEX. The Disney bundle is your first coupon to clip — hope you prefer Captain Marvel over literally every other streaming service. You constantly check whether you are close to hitting your $6000 spending cap for the year, and wonder whether it makes sense to get another grocery card. Your 6% streaming category probably nets you around $6 per year. You use the 3% gas category, even though you can definitely do better.

Blue Cash Everyday. You probably have 10 credit cards. You signed up for this one despite mid-tier gas and grocery rewards, because the effective annual fee was negative. Enjoy Hulu and Home Chef. Although folks frequently discuss the 3% online retail category, you’re probably better off with a flat 2x card like the Blue Business Plus or Venture X.

Everyday Preferred. Not bad for people who use grocery stores thirty times per month, in order to reach the adequate earn rates. What? You only go to the grocery store 8 times per month? No worries! Check out each item individually! If you make it past the fraud alerts and account closures, you’re set! You are also hopelessly single. Sorry, folks with the Chase trifecta — look elsewhere.

BANK OF AMERICA

Customized Cash Rewards. Your favorite pasttime is inventing protracted scenarios to show why your setup is marginally better than someone else's. But you only get to make such a claim for the singular 3% category you can choose, for which you'd earn 5.25% with Platinum Honors. Except people with a Custom Cash and a Rewards+ are laughing you out the building at 5.55%, so what are we even doing here? Let's also remember that a 3-4x MR/UR card might effectively out-earn both. You either need like 3 of these for this to be worthwhile or else the reward for parking you money at no one's favorite bank is a wannabe Custom Cash and underwhelming 3.5% on grocery cards. Pretty good 3.5% on wholesale clubs, though. But go ahead — tell me how much you love Bank of America, a bank that's been contracting since 2008.

Unlimited Cash Rewards. We get it, you earn 2.625% on all spending. It's a pretty good cashback rate. But folks on team travel will tell you that, with a 2x catch-all card, they need a 1.31+ cpp redemption. That's not a tough sell. By the way, I'd say you aren't fun at parties but if you have this card, then you don't go to parties at all. Theres a 90% chance you eventually move your money and switch to a U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve.

Note: Bank of America has three equally underwhelming travel cards. If you have these cards, then (1) your dad added you as an authorized user, (2) you're already collecting from social security, or (3) your trust fund happens to be through Merrill Lynch.

CAPITAL ONE

Quicksilver. This card is probably named for the Marvel superhero "Quicksilver" to commemorate how short this card falls once visible on-screen. Be honest. You hate this card too, but it was your first. You got 14 mailers for the Quicksilver before relenting, because they knew you were too soft too resist. There is no reason to have or use this card, but that doesn't stop Capital One from marketing this as a premium card for people who wear designer clothing; unfortunately, the only premiums here are those that Capital One earns through interest on its subprime creditholders.

Savor. By itself, your card earns mid-tier rewards on grocery and dining. And, while you got it for the 10% Uber benefit, you've come to realize that this benefit was painfully temporary, ike all joy in this world. As a coping mechanism, you recommend this card to literally everyone, regardless of circumstance or usefulness. This card, when paired with the Venture X, is pretty good at earning transferable points. It’s too bad that your transfer partners are primarily overseas airlines that your family would refuse to fly on. See Venture X.

Venture. You got this card accidentally. You meant to get the Venture X. They won’t let you product change. You’re in limbo.

Venture X. 40 credit card Youtubers recommended that you get this card. You tell literally everyone that this card has no flaws. But you’ve always considered putting travel spend on other cards with greater earn rates, giving up your travel insurance. You’ve probably never seen a C1 lounge, nor have you ever used a generic priority pass lounge. You’ve always hated travel portals, but you’ve started telling people they don’t rip you off “that much.” You are totally unfamiliar with most of the transfer partners. You had to google what kind of night show “Accor Live Limitless” was. You’ve never flown Air Canada, nor British Airways, but thought maybe you’d fly with them eventually. For every new loyalty program you join to transfer points, you will receive promotional emails in perpetuity. Perhaps you tell people that it’s super easy and convenient to book qualified United award flights through Turkish Airlines a year in advance, subject to blackout dates. News flash, 26-year old financial guru: it’s not.

CHASE

Freedom Rise. Your older brother suggested you use Chase because he has a checking account there. Congratulations, you just started and you’ve already committed to getting a Chase Trifecta. Don’t spend your $25 SUB all at once.

Freedom. You either forget you owned this card, or you’re a credit card pro. As such, cardholders either purchase $0 or $1500 per quarter — no in between. You value your Costco membership above having a strictly better Flex card introduced by Chase. One day, you will grow tired of fighting Chase to keep this card. Until then, enjoy your quarterly calls to customer service to explain why you do not want to product change. Oh, and cherish the three months a year where Chase doesn’t hang you out to dry for groceries.

Freedom Flex. This card sits in the sock drawer for roughly half the year. For the remaining quarters, you manufacture spending and drain your checking account. This might be the closest thing to an in-person grocery card that Chase has. Hope you didn’t want to use this at Costco.

Freedom Unlimited. You constantly try to cope with the fact that you earn 1.5x as a catch-all, instead of 2x with AMEX, Chase, or Citi. You have 32 paragraphs written out explaining why Hyatt justifies receiving 25% fewer points per dollar, compared to other issuers. You agonize about the 5/24 rule. AMEX friends describe your setup as “tacky,” or “cute.”

Sapphire Preferred. You live in fear of Hyatt being discontinued as a Chase partner. You have no idea how to use the $50 portal credit without overpaying by a similar sum. You have Instacart+ and Pelotan credits but will never use either. You have excellent travel protection but frequently consider putting travel expenses on other cards with better earn rates. You literally cry when someone mentions "buying groceries in-person." You contemplate switching to the AMEX Gold a few times per year.

Sapphire Reserve. You live in fear of Hyatt being discontinued as a Chase partner. You struggle to justify the $250 effective annual fee. You tell AMEX folks that, at least, you don’t have statement credits to work through. But you do — there’s Lyft Pink, DoorDash, Instacart+, and Peloton — but you aren’t aware that you need to use them. You’ve also never used a normal priority pass lounge — your main airports may not even have one. You wish you had an AMEX Platinum every time you pass a Centurion Lounge. But those Sapphire lounges have to be coming soon, right?

J.P. Morgan Reserve. You could have had the substantively similar Sapphire Reserve, but you wanted to one-up your rich friends with the AMEX Centurion. Everyone mistakes this card for the Platinum, and will ask you how much you love the concierge. You won’t be rich for long.

Ritz Carlton. has a a good option for credit card lifers who, oddly, stay at Marriott hotels like 4 times per year. Some credit card YouTuber told you to get this card. Thankfully, it was a good fit; you’re the kind of person who orders off-menu from fast food restaurants. It was discontinued 6-7 years ago, but I’m sure your five year plan to acquire it will work out. At least you gain access to the singular Sapphire lounge — that’ll show those morons with the Bonvoy Brilliant! By the way, your status is pointless within the United States — and if you have this card, you probably think about traveling internationally a lot but never go further than North America. You still don’t understand how the flight credit works.

Marriott Boundless. You are desperately trying to figure out how to turn this into a Ritz Carlton card. It's an alright card for what is likely the best hotel chain. That's a bit like being the "best" type of heart disease. Decent multiplier for Marriott properties, with an annual fee ordinarily justified by the presence of a 35k point free night certificate. But have you ever tried to use one of these? Hope you like listening to domestic abuse next door in your complimentary one-night stay at a TownePlace Suites.

IHG [Anything]. You must like Kimpton enough to justify countless out-of-date resorts, totally devalued points, and a chain that is in no one’s top three. You’ve never heard of Accor live limitless, but you’ll be switching to them in around three years when you’re tired of IHG. Ranked #2 in the world for hotels with Gold and Green curtains — somehow behind Trump Hotels.

World of Hyatt. This car has never seen the outside of your sock drawer, serving only to increase the quality of life during your occassional reward stays. Your loyalty program is overrun by every 25-year old with a Chase trifecta — including you. 90% of Hyatt hotels are identical and depressing. Nicer Hyatts (e.g. Thompson, Andaz) are disproportionately expensive, artificially driving up your perceived redemption rate. You will switch to a cashback setup if Hyatt gets removed from the Chase Trifecta.

Ink [Anything]. You have absolutely no loyalty to anything in life. You churn through credit card issuers like you move through relationships. You outright lie about your revenue or income to the bank. You don’t wonder whether or not personal spend can go on business cards — you’re certain that it may. You get, like, three of these per year for your “resale business.” You tell literally everyone about the Chase 5/24 rule. You are a member of r/churning.

Amazon. This card is fine if you plan to maintain a lifelong addiction to unsustainable warehouse conditions and two-day shipping. Every time you check Amazon, you find fewer and fewer brands you’ve heard of: TASALON stools, TOONOW blankets, and TERLULU silverware. But if you’re into outsourced production and corporate overloads, I guess this is fine.

CITI

Custom Cash. Your credit limit is probably $600, which is fine because you earn 1% on anything above $500 within a category. You log-in almost daily toward the end of the month due to the anxiety of exceeding the cap. You think this card is a good fit for literally everybody. You probably have three of these, just like you probably have three partners you hope don't find out about one another. You also probably have a Chase trifecta, seeking out a grocery or gas card. But you will invariably get sucked into the Citi ecosystem, until horrible customer service experiences or subpar transfer partners drive you away.

Double Cash. You’re a boring person and have absolutely no stand-out features as a human being. Everyone else will recommend that you next get a Custom Cash, then a Premier — advice which you will accept. If you choose another ecosystem, this card will become useless or replaceable. Welcome to Citi, sucker.

Premier. You fell in love with the reward categories, and have a weird fixation on travel portals. You are either a credit card amateur or a credit card professional, depending on whether you took on these transfer partners unknowingly or intentionally. You also have no real travel insurances or priority pass. You google “Citi Strata update 2024” three times per week.

Rewards+. Everyone who has this card was, at one point, a gamer. No idea why. Also for people who want to make a lifelong commitment to Citi bank. It’s like those who get stuck in a bad marriage but decides to renew vows anyway.

Costco Anywhere. Do you wish you could convert more of your liquid cash into gift certificates? You’re in luck. Here, you can accrue rewards all year — in convenient gift certificates instead of inconvenient liquid money. You didn’t realize that you could get 2% (or more) back at Costco with an array of alternative cards. You are literally the most frugal person in the world, but that doesn’t mean you’re good with money. You’ll one day build a survival shelter, probably.

CREDIT ONE

[Anything]. You were probably scammed. You might have the basis for a valid legal claim. Next, I have a bridge to sell you.

DISCOVER

It. You’re 19 years old and probably attend a big state school. Discover hopes that one high-value year is enough to keep you as a customer for life. It won’t be. After opening an It as your first credit card, you will find its usefulness wanes after the first-year cashback match expires. After that, you spend the rest of your life wondering whether it’s a good time to cancel.

U.S. BANK

Cash+. If you have this card, you’re an advanced cashback user. It’s a fine card — 5% back on utilities, internet, TV and streaming. It’s unique categories allow us to overlook the fact that your credit limit is probably $2,000 — and that you’ve been noticing diminishing returns from the credit card game for a long time.

Shopper Cash. Probably not worthwhile, except for a narrow subset of use cases. You probably shop at Walmart, but would be better off getting Walmart+ and calling it a day. Assuming you maximize your 6% categories, you earn $360/year, or $265 after the annual fee. You’ll stop using this card in about two years.

Smartly. Let's pretend for a second that this 4% catch-all card is sustainable once U.S. Bank realizes that people parking funds is not sufficiently revenue generating to justify coughing up this much value. In such a world, these would be strong rewards. But there will be a nerf, and the joke will be on you. And there's a hidden annual fee: the opportunity cost on superior savings or money market rates elsewhere on $100,000 or more. If you walk out of a car dealership and the salesmen high five, you got scammed; well, the U.S. Bank executives haven't stopped clapping since Smartly's release.

Altitude Go. It’s a great starter card for those seeking a secured option to build credit. 4% dining is decent cashback. But you’ll inevitably put this card in the sock drawer once you find a 5% or 3x dining alternative. You’re probably trying to find the right time to cancel.

Altitude Connect. 4% on gas or EV charging is the lone highlight on this card. It's simply outclassed. When you buy cars, you go to Car and Driver and sort from worst to best within a segment. For some reason, I am certain that these cardholders also bank with U.S. Bank.

Altitude Reserve. This unusual card could have made U.S. Bank a powerhouse — but didn’t. You probably got this card before making mobile payment a habit, and you’re not sure whether you’ll stick to it long-term. First, you need to get approved for this card — but probably won’t. Second, you need to settle for no more than 4.5% back on any given category. Third, you can’t pool your U.S. Bank points from other cards for the 1.5 cpp redemptions. Admittedly, it’s sweet to get 1.5 cpp on all travel redemptions, even at brands with low-value loyalty points like Hilton or Marriott. Your new favorite mantra is “do you take Apple Pay?” Your friends and loved ones roll their eyes when you ask that in a crowded bar or sit-down restaurant. They hate when you stop at a gas station, but begin looking for another once you find it does not accept mobile wallet payments. You can’t easily overcome the $60-75 effective annual fee. But you do get to visit underwhelming priority pass lounges up to eight (8) times per year. Maybe that’s enough!

WELLS FARGO

Autograph. So you applied for a middle-of-the-pack cashback card with the hopes of unlocking forthcoming transfer partners? Keep waiting. You listen intently when they tell you that these delays are to “get things right,” when obviously these delays were sparked by disarray to mitigate an underwhelming release. You wish you had the Chase trifecta. Your credit limit is probably $2,500.

Active Cash. You’re naive and impatient. You signed onto the first 2% card you heard about. You probably shop at Costco. You wait desperately for the transfer partners, which are delayed about as often as the Tesla Cybertruck. You live in denial with the belief that these partners will include American or Hyatt — when you’ll be lucky if they rival Citi.

Bilt Mastercard. You rent, and will never be able to afford a mortgage. Especially because you’re apparently allergic to SUBs. You’re certainly under the age of 32. This is essentially a Chase Sapphire Preferred with no ecosystem. You manufacture 40% of your monthly spend to occur on Rent Day. You live in fear of the “nerf,” or of Bilt declaring bankruptcy. You probably fly American Airlines and constantly check whether others have added it as a transfer partner. Your credit limit is probably $2,500.

REDSTONE FCU

Signature. You are from the northeast, yet pilfered this local credit union for its credit card offering. Sorry, credit lifers — you can no longer get this card if you live outside of TN and AL. For those who already have it, I hope you feel good about yourselves. You joined some weird organization you’ve never heard of, just so you could schedule a Skype call with a nice, elderly staff member. You then lied straight to the face of this sweet old southern lady. Yes, you were very interested in Redstone's other financial offerings. Of course, you wanted to open that checking account. And you just happened to have a natural fondness for credit unions and southern charm. For your dishonesty, you are condemned to the most confusing portal of any credit card issuer, finding that your points oddly double then halve themselves. It might be the least convenient cashback card on the market. You recommend this card to literally everyone, mostly to remind them that you have it. You live in constant fear of nerfs.

BREAD FINANCIAL (FKA COMENITY)

AAA Daily Advantage. The categories are great. The rewards are great. The app is trash, and the customer service is worse. You’re almost better off getting paper notices. Rebranding can evade reputation for some, but the rest of us remember when Comenity ruined everyone’s credit scores for months. If you’re thinking about taking the plunge, you almost certainly have a Chase Trifecta or a young cashback setup. You frequently wonder whether it’s worthwhile to eat the annual fee and switch to the AMEX Blue Cash Preferred.

AAA Travel Advantage. For most people, this is a poorer card than the Daily Advantage, but it has good categories and rewards. The customer service and app are woefully underwhelming. If you get this card, I just assume you drive an ICE Hummer or super-duty pickup. You’re almost certainly on team cashback, and have about 6 cards that you don’t use.

[Anything]. Enjoy your store card, prick. You were definitely misled by some retail worker. Hopefully, that Bed, Bath & Beyond or Victoria’s Secret card was a good investment for you. People just organically assume that you have credit card debt.

SYNCHRONY

PayPal. You’re middle-aged, and have no idea what Venmo is. The rewards structure is decent, but you likely impulse applied for this card too quickly to consider whether it was the best choice.

Venmo. You're at most 24 years old and, for some reason, are always hanging with the boys. Your favorite alcohol is beer. You get 3% on one category and 2% on another — so it's basically a worse version of a BOA CCR and so many other cards. But if you want this card to be even more useless, you can turn your cashback into Crypto. Just watch those rewards exhaust themselves!

Sam’s Club. Pretty decent for Sam’s Club and gas purchases, with a slightly more flexible rewards structure than Costco. But your off-brand Costco card is unlikely to make up for the fact that you brought discount flowers to your first date, or refused to tip the staff at your wedding venue. Like the Costco card, I sure hope you value store credit just as highly as liquid money.

Verizon. Do you value “Verizon Dollars,” more than liquid money? This is the only card earning this patented currency on the entire market! Good earning structure, though. I’d warn you about Synchrony’s customer service, but you have Verizon — you’re used to it.

[Anything]. Enjoy your store card, prick. You were definitely misled by some retail worker at Mattress Firm or American Eagle. People just organically assume that you have credit card debt.

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF OMAHA

Amtrak. Underrated card with solid point earn and solid 2.5 cpp redemptions for those alone the Northeast Regional line. Did you make the mistake of living elsewhere, in a country which woefully underfunds rail transport? It's not for you. Glad you can redeem for aspirational experiences like a coach seat on a 90 minute train where you're immediately treated like a second-class citizen by staff.

LUXURY CARDS

[Anything]. You are either insufferable or gullible. You enter a liquor store and buy the most expensive bottle — with zero understanding if its the best. You buy cars for over MSRP. You probably speculate in real estate on the side. You post in r/personalfinance about your struggles to make ends meet with a $150,000 income. You have a serious gambling problem.

GOLDMAN SACHS

Apple Card. You're reading this on your iPhone 16 Pro Max. You kept reminding your friends that the new one "has titanium, bro." You got the credit card for the same reason. You purchased the most premium feeling card, just to upload it into an Apple Wallet and throw it into a sock drawer. You have, at most, two credit cards. You get 2% on almost all Apple Pay, which is almost as good as a 2% catch-all card. You also tell people about the 4% savings account, when anyone could access higher yields elsewhere. Goldman Sachs is backing out of this deal just as fast as the users who made the mistake of procuring one.

I’d love to hate on more card offerings. Anyone have suggestions?

EDIT: Can't believe this became the #1 post on our sub-Reddit. That's awesome. Thank you for the support, everyone!

I was trying to help someone on here on how to learn the travel credit card rewards game...I spent hours of time going back and forth with them. Ultimately they told me why this all is worth it if you go in debt just to get travel rewards.

Honesty it took me back a bit...I was a little confused. When I asked how they currently pay off their credit cards they told me they do not lol. This person only pays the minimum payment on their cards.

If you cannot payoff the statement balance on every card you own every single month...you absolutely have no business even attempting the travel or cash back credit card game.

They got mad at me, and I ended up wasting 3 hours of my life. Lol

Time to say goodbye to rewards and offers for us good folks who pay their statement balances on time.

Multiple times every day on this sub, you see a question like "I'm a college sophomore with one secured credit card with a $500 limit. My credit report shows no on-time payments even though I pay off every transaction the day after it posts, how can that be? Does anyone have any recommendations for a travel card so I can start earning some valuable rewards? I don't do any traveling currently but I'm thinking of going to Spain with my girlfriend 3 years from now. I work part-time and my income is roughly $400 per month."

And then the replies are all "have you looked into the Venture X?" or "make sure you get the Chase Trifecta before you reach 5/24" or "the signup bonus on Ink Business Preferred is really lucrative if you think you might be able to hit the MSR of $15,000 in three months."

Obviously I'm exaggerating, but jeeze. I think the experienced credit card users here ought to do some self-moderating before tossing the inexperienced people who come here asking questions to the wolves.

I'm new to the sub and new to reddit overall, but those are my impressions. Thoughts?

Everything else is auxiliary information.

Since we have a lot of new members posting about their first CCs, I thought I’ll just make this PSA.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

(For all those nerds, It was a AMEX Platinum)

I went to a fair recently and bought some stuff with my card. I made the stupid mistake of putting the card in my pocket. The same one with my phone in it. It ended up falling out when I pulled out my phone and I was totally oblivious to it. Then I went on a couple rides and got a call from my friend. When I hung up, I see all these notifications from AMEX saying that someone is spending money on my card at vendors I have never been to before. I then lock the card and this is where it gets good. While contemplating where I could’ve lost said card, I decided to buy a funnel cake. I was waiting in line, and got another notification saying that my card was declined at the vendor I was in line for. I look ahead of me and see 2 younger teenagers. The cashier says “I’m sorry sir, your card declined” and this card he was handing back to them looked almost like mine! Before he hands it back to them, I say “Excuse me sir, I just lost my card and that one looks awfully like it.” He then shows me the card and it is in fact, my card. I show him my ID and get my card back. The kids were speechless at this point. I opened up a police report and they want me to talk to the parents soon. One 5 minute call to AMEX got all of the charges refunded like that.

So the moral of the story, Don’t use a stolen credit card at the place you found it. I will find you. And AMEX customer service is the best.

Bilt 2.0 is officially dead on arrival for anyone who understands basic math. Bilt 1.0 is replaced by a convoluted system designed to force you into making this your primary daily driver. Under the new model, you no longer earn 1x points on rent just for having the card; instead, you have to "unlock" those points using Bilt Cash. Because you only earn 4% Bilt Cash on everyday spending, you are effectively forced to spend 75% of your rent amount on mundane purchases like groceries and gas just to earn the same points you used to get for free. If you refuse to move your spending over, your rent payments now earn a grand total of zero points unless you’re willing to pay a 3% transaction fee, I don’t even know why they have that as an option.

The opportunity cost here is massive because Bilt is essentially holding your rent points hostage to make you use a card that only earns 1x on most categories. You would be losing out on 4x or 5x rewards from premium cards like the Amex Gold or Chase Sapphire just to "fund" the points on your rent, making the math a net loss for anyone with a decent card strategy. On top of that, moving to Bilt 2.0 counts against Chase 5/24 status and lowers your average age of accounts. For a card that no longer provides a unique utility without heavy spend requirements, taking a credit hit is a high price to pay. Unless you are a one-card minimalist who doesn't care about maximizing rewards, Bilt 2.0 has transformed into a glorified ACH portal that offers zero value.

The annual fee versions, Obsidian and Palladium, are even more of a trap because they try to masquerade as premium travel cards while offering significantly worse value than the industry standards. The $95 Obsidian card forces you to choose between 3x on dining or groceries annually, which is an insulting trade off when the Amex Gold gives you 4x on both or the SavorOne gives you 3x on both for $0. Even the Palladium at $495 falls flat against the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Venture X. The $400 hotel credit is intentionally difficult to use because it’s split into $200 semi-annual chunks and requires a two-night minimum stay in their specific portal. You’re essentially paying a massive premium for a 2x "everything" card that still requires you to generate Bilt Cash to get your rent points for free. There is no world where you should pick these over a "Trifecta" setup from Chase or Amex. Bilt went from being a disruptor to being a mid-tier ecosystem that bankrolls its prestige on the backs of users who are too lazy to do the math on their own spending.

BILT 2.0 is DEAD ON ARRIVAL.

Edit: removed offensive word.

We report your statement balance to the credit bureau. Your score is impacted by this, but if you have a month where you have a 90% reported usage, just bring it down the next month. Your score will bounce right back.

Sincerely, A Credit Card rep that is tired of you screeching about your credit being “ruined” because you decided to spend 90% of your credit limit.

WARNING - long story that’s gonna piss off plenty of people. I’m a lot better off than most people here and I know that. Please be warned that this is a story of someone who is relatively book smart and successful but made a lot of dumb entitled decisions. I recognize and know that. This post is meant for young graduates who don’t need to enter into credit card debt and how hard it is to get out of it.

I’m a 27 YO woman with a successful career, had every financial opportunity available (no student loans, parents still bring me on vacation, etc) but like a lot of young people I just recklessly spent. And it’s amazing how once you start it’s easy to keep going.

I entered 2020 at 26 making 85k base a year and 21 in credit card debt with 90k in my retirement plan and 2k in my checking account plus a nice stock portfolio. Each month was a balance of paying rent, my car payment (to my parents. Again. I know I’m spoiled and made bad decisions), credit card payments and still manage my lifestyle/feed myself. I was absolutely sick of the anxiety of how to keep myself afloat and it honestly reached the point I considered asking my parents for a cash loan. They would’ve (I know), but I couldn’t deal with that level of disappointment from them as they always hammered into our heads to live well below your means and I just ignored it. So I decided to just stop everything and not spend. It culminated in an expensive trip as a “last hurrah” in my mind (we’ve established I’m dumb) but I told myself it was a strict 150 dollar a month outside of rent/car/medical other than that.

My problems probably stemmed from absolutely insisting on living in an apartment that was too expensive for me at 21 postgrad. The total rent for two people was 3200 and I was responsible for 2000 because of room size differences. This is where my credit card debt started to build up as it was way too much on my then 61k salary. Between that and the general NYC cost, debt built up quickly.

After a year I moved cross river to a cheaper place but was still paying too much in order to live with a friend at 1800 a month for 2900 total rent on 65k a year (but hey in my pea brained mind it was saving 2400 a year! It’s okay!). She moved out after two years and I adjusted the new rent (now 3000) 1600 me 1400 new roommate since I had the master suite.

Despite this, issues kept happening. And by issues I mean me being a dumbass who would never say no to trips, dinners, treating myself to new designer purses on a whim. I got a new job that came with a raise but I had to buy a car and with that came a spot (250 a month), car payments to my parents who were kind enough to be an interest free bank (320 a month AND I KNOW I SUCK FOR BLOWING THIS), insurance, gas, general maintenance, EZpass. Luckily I was always able to throw one or two grand to the bill a month so I still have decent credit (never dropped below 720, had regular nightmares about it being literally 8 which I know isn’t real), but CC interest is no joke.

I’m not going to lie, this year has been phenomenal for me financially. With lockdown I could really focus on being strict since I literally couldn’t go anywhere. I have a decent stock portfolio and I sold off a couple of shares that have done well in this. If you’re asking yourself why I didn’t sell sooner it’s because I was always taught that that’s my ICE money and for whatever reason I listened to that information but not others. I made a couple of investments that more than tripled though so I sold to cover the initial investments and paid that to my debt.

My real saving grace though is that I got promoted and now make six figures and today received a five figure bonus. Part of the bonus was used to make the last payment of 7500 on my credit card bill.

The moral of this story is I know I’m one privileged and lucky bitch. But despite all that, it was hard to get out of credit card debt. 0 stars on yelp, don’t do it if you can avoid it. Don’t live above your means, it’s not worth the stress and work to keep up appearances. I will never ever do that again.

https://www.wsj.com/finance/banking/jpmorgan-chase-reaches-a-deal-to-take-over-the-apple-credit-card-4e214fb2?mod=hp_lead_pos3

Wonder what this means to the Apple Card, thoughts?

Stickers!

Now I don't have to sit there at checkout and remember which card had what promotion. Then when each quarter or promo is over I can print a new one and replace it.

If your card is metal I will smack it on the table and drop it from a height of approx. 1ft to see how it sounds before running it through the POS system. It’s also how I found out the Verizon card was changed to plastic cause someone used it last year to pay with it and it was a nice metal, but then recently a customer paid with it and unfortunately… flimsy plastic. So disappointing

I will stare at your purple amex delta card because it’s nice to look at. The chase bonvoy cards? Some of my favorites the design looks real nice.

Sometimes people pay with the physical Apple Card and I drop it so many times on the table that you’d think a metal pvc pipe fell down from somewhere in the restaurant

When I got to see a delta skymiles card with the plane on it I showed my co-workers cause I thought it was sick (they thought so too).

So yes, although I’ll never tell someone they got a nice card, I do notice and like when somebody pays with a cool looking card, especially when it’s metal. I’ve seen people on here say nobody notices what type of card you got, but I do and it’s one of the things that I like about credit cards (while also being smart about my usage and paying it off in full every month).

EDIT: metal pvc pipes don’t exist just realized

The rigidity of it helped me open a Pepsi can today.

Sharing what I have seen posted. Credit to /u/leomendez1

imgur photo from delete user

Link

2nd Link

Annual Fee • $550 -> $795 annual fee (AU $75 -> $195)

• 8x Chase Travel hotel and cars

• 8x Chase Travel flights

• 4x Direct flights and hotel

• 3x Dining

• 1x Other travel

• New benefits:

• $500 Edit Credit via $250/semi-annual (hotel portal run by Chase for select hotels)

• $300 Dining credit via Sapphire Reserve Tables $250/semi-annual

• $300 StubHub credit via $150/semi-annual

• $300 DoorDash credit via $25/month

• $120 DoorDash membership

• $250 towards Apple TV+ and Apple Music

• $120 Lyft credit via 5% $10/month

• $120 Peloton credit via 10x $10/month

• Received after spending $75,000

•$500 Southwest credit

• Southwest A-List status

• |HG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status

• $250 The Shops credit

I've had people say I'm gonna claim bankruptcy or go into debt. I'm 21 with a 750 credit score and only got these cards for the benefits and never paid any interest nor carried a balance. Sound like people don't see the rewards that come with credit cards nor do can they fathom someone never carrying debt despite how high of a credit limit they got. Keep it going guys you'll be the ones flexing your wallet and credit score with your discipline! Screw the majority opinion we are on the right path here

So today, I'm tackling the question, Is the Amex Trifecta or Chase Trifecta better for my spending?

Introduction: American Express and Chase probably get the most attention when it comes to choosing card combinations within the same rewards family. Rewards points for Amex are called Membership Rewards (MR), and Chase rewards points are called Ultimate Rewards (UR). These two rewards programs are the most discussed and arguably the most valuable credit card rewards point systems (sorry Citi, your Thank You points just aren't up to par yet). Because of this, there is a lot of attention comparing optimal card combos between Chase and Amex. Today, I'm comparing each reward systems card "trifecta", as they are often called.

The Chase Trifecta considered in my analysis consists of the: Sapphire Reserve (CSR), Freedom (CF), and Freedom Unlimited (CFU). Several blogs use the Chase Ink Business Preferred in place of the Freedom (or in addition to, to form a card quartet). However, a Chase Trifecta which uses the Freedom instead because the reward bonus categories of the Ink Business Preferred are largely targeted towards business spending (e.g. shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone, and advertising), and individuals using this card for personal use (like I assume most people here are) will not spend enough in those categories to offset the $95 annual fee. The rewards earning breakdown for the Chase Trifecta are:

• 3x UR on Travel (CSR)

• 3x UR on Dining (CSR)

• 5x UR on Quartely Bonus Categories (CF), often including groceries, gas stations, pharmacies, wholesale, etc. (capped at $1500 per quarter)

• 1.5x UR on all other spend (CFU)

The Chase Trifecta carries an annual fee (AF) of $450, but the CSR has $300 travel credit that is flexible and easy to use, offsetting the annual fee to $150. Additionally, the CSR offers benefits such as Priority Pass lounge access, primary car rental coverage, trip insurance, etc., that may be valuable to some users.

The Amex Trifecta I consider is the Amex Platinum, Amex Gold, and Blue Business Plus (BBP). Some comparisons use the Amex Everyday Preferred (a non-business card) in place of the BBP, but the BBP earns greater rewards than the Everyday Preferred and carries no annual fee. Given the ease of getting Amex small business cards, even if you don't have a large business (e.g. if you sell a few things on eBay, you qualify for an Amex Biz card), I'm including the BBP in the Amex Trifecta. The rewards earning breakdown for the Amex Trifecta are:

• 5x MR on Flights booked with airlines (Platinum)

• 5x MR on prepaid Hotel booked through Amex Travel (Platinum)

• 4x MR on Groceries (up to $25k/year) (Gold)

• 4x MR on Dining (Gold)

• 2x MR on all other spend (BBP)

The Amex Trifecta carries an annual fee of $800 ($550 for the Platinum and $250 for the Gold). But, it includes $300 in incidental airline credits (which can be used for gift cards if purchased correctly), $200 uber credit ($15/month), $100 Saks credit ($50 biannualy), and $120 dining credit at Grubhub/Cheescake Factory/Shake Shack ($10/month). The credits are definitely harder to use than the CSR travel credit, but many people can still use, all/most of them. If you use all the credits, the annual fee for this trifecta is offset $720 to an effective annual fee of $80. Additionally, there are many benefits including more comprehensive lounge access than the CSR, Marriot/Hilton gold status, etc., that some users may find value in.

So which will net you more rewards? This depends on numerous factors, including annual spend in all bonus categories, how often you'll book prepaid hotels through Amex Travel to get the 5x MR points, how much you'll spend on rotating bonus categories for the Chase Freedom (which can be tough to estimate given they're often unknown beforehand), how much you can offset the Amex AF by using credits, how much you value the other benefits of each card combo, and how much you value Chase UR vs Amex MR.

I've worked out an equation which will help some of you figure out which combo is best for you. First, the variables you need to define for yourself are:

• D - Annual spend in USD ($) on Dining

• G - Annual spend in USD ($) on Groceries

• F - Annual spend in USD ($) on Flights

• H - Annual spend in USD ($) on Hotels

• X - Annual spend in USD ($) on travel other than flights and hotels (travel' as defined by Chase's, e.g. uber/taxis, tolls, etc.)

• Y - Annual spend on all other expenses not included in the categories above (D, G, F, H, X)

• C - Amount of annual spend (i.e portion of Y) on other expenses that can be spent in Chase Freedom quarterly bonus categories . This one may be tough to estimate, but consider that these bonus categories are usually: gas, wholesale clubs, pharmacies, Lyft, etc.. That is, they are generally not categories people spend massive amounts of money in.

• Z - The amount of Amex credits you will use that help offset the annual fee

• ω - Percent of hotel spend you'll prepay and book via Amex Travel (written as decimal)

• θ - CPP given to Amex MR (written in cents, i.e. 1cpp -> θ=0.01)

• φ - CPP given to Chase UR (written in cents)

• A(∆) - Monetary value given to Amex Benefits

• C(∆) - monetary value given to Chase Benefits.

Assumptions: All spending done in United States (Amex dining doesn't get bonus on international dining), all flights will be booked through airlines, groceries will be a quarterly bonus category for the Freedom once during the year, and your're perfect and don't mess up

Equation:

Let, T = F + H + X

Then define:

if C + G*0.25 <= $6000,

• C⁽¹⁾ = C + G*0.25

• C⁽²⁾ = 0

And if C + G*0.25 > 6000,

• C⁽¹⁾ = $6000

• C⁽²⁾ = $C + G*.25 - 6000

Then, plug all into the following equations:

Amex Net Value = 4Gθ + 4Dθ + 5(F + ωH)θ + 2(Y+X+(1-ω)H)θ - (800-Z) + A(∆)

Chase Net Value = 3Dφ + 3Tφ + φ5C⁽¹⁾ + 1.5(Y - C⁽¹⁾ + C⁽²⁾ + (0.75)G)φ - 150 + C(∆)

And whichever one has a greater value, is the better (more lucrative) trifecta for you!

But, I don't actually expect anyone to want to figure all that out and calculate it for themselves, so I programmed it in R and put it in a web-app for everyone to try out for themselves. Simply adjust the 'sliders' in each category that reflects your annual spend and other criteria, and you'll find out how much you'll earn in net rewards for each card combo based on your specified CPP evaluations for MR vs. UR respectively.

Here is a link to the web app

Let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions you'd be interested in.

Edit: January 9th 2024 - this has not been updated in several years and should no longer be trusted until I take time to update these models

I still have some student loans but this was a big personal (although a bit painful) milestone for me...it was about $8K which is not the most impressive mountain of debt but it has been lingering for years nonetheless. Moving forward I will still be using credit cards, but more responsibly and only when I can immediately pay off the amount.

EDIT:

Thank you for all the kind and encouraging responses! most of my colleagues are not into being financially savvy so it means a lot to get a virtual pat on the back here. :)

This should be made illegal. Adding 3% fees onto totals of transactions is such BS. The doctor wants to add this fee for their stupid payment. I was at a restaurant the other day and on the bottom of their menu it said they add a fee also. Some stores do this. It is so anti consumer and it needs to end.

If you want to accept credit cards, then eat the fees. Don’t make the customer pay for it. Otherwise I’m not shopping there. But this needs to be illegal. Things like my stupid dermatology appointment that I need to pay for now, it needs to be illegal.

I was having lunch with my Aunt when I noticed that she used an Amex platinum card to pay. I was surprised because she rarely travels anywhere. I asked her how she uses the numerous annual credit that comes packaged in the card (Uber, flights, hotels etc) and she said she didn’t even know about it. This effectively means that every year she donates $695 to American Express! When I asked her why she had the card she said “oh it’s fine, they let me pay the AF in monthly payments!” And believe me, I have tried every convincing strategy to try to get her to let go of the card.

TLDR: Just unfollow and block anyone that's a #biltpartner I spend about 50k a month on my CCs, the coordinated betrayal of trust disgusts me

Bilt 2.0 just dropped, and let's be crystal clear: it is mathematically dead on arrival for anyone who can do basic arithmetic. It's a convoluted mess designed to trap the mathematically illiterate into making a sub-par product their daily driver. But the actual disaster of the card isn't even the biggest issue here. The biggest issue is the wave of paid shills who are about to try and convince you that this turd is actually a diamond under the required FTC disclosure hashtag #biltpartner.

If you see an influencer trying to spin Bilt 2.0 as a positive change, unfollow them immediately. They have broken the fundamental social contract of finance influencing and proved they do not care about your wallet, especially the big names

Any "expert" looking at this new setup knows it's a trap.

• Held Hostage: You no longer get 1x on rent for free. You have to "unlock" it with "Bilt Cash."

• Forced Sub-Par Spending: Because you only earn poor rates on everyday spend, you are forced to put essentially 75% of your rent amount on mundane purchases just to get back to where you started with Bilt 1.0.

• Massive Opportunity Cost: Every dollar you spend putting gas or groceries on a Bilt card to "unlock" your rent is a dollar not earning 3x, 4x, or 5x on a Chase Sapphire, Amex Gold, or Venture X. The math is a net loss for anyone with a real strategy.

• Expiring Currency / Breakage: They are introducing expiring "Bilt Cash." This is currency breakage, the smelliest business practice in the industry, Credit Card companies DO NOT normally do this.

Credit card optimization is a game. It is an adversarial relationship where we use math to extract maximum value from banks. We rely on voices in the community to help find the optimal paths. When an influencer tells you to sign up for a product that is objectively a net negative for your finances just because they are getting a kickback, they are dead as a reliable source.

They aren't trying to help you optimize; they are helping Bilt bankroll its faux-prestige on the backs of novice users who won't do the math. If they try to sell you the $95 "Obsidian" tier—where you have to choose between dining or grocery multipliers—over an Amex Gold (4x on both) or even a free SavorOne (3x on both), they are insulting your intelligence for a paycheck.

Bilt doesn't care about you. Look at their bizarre new move to cap interest rates at 10%. This isn't benevolence; it feels like a desperate, cynical political signal designed to curry favor with Trump’s populist economic rhetoric. They are playing weird political games while simultaneously degrading their core product. They actively muting and deleting posts over at r/biltrewards also see what their head of travel thinks of you (https://www.reddit.com/r/biltrewards/comments/1qd45bj/kerr_posted_this_on_instagram_the_level_of/)

Remember, we expect banks to actively screw us, but if these silly little influencers are trying to screw with your finances, unfollow and block, simple as that. Feel free to name and shame

4 years ago I was freshly clean from heroin, and had just gotten out of jail, a state away from everything and everyone is ever known, only had the clothes on my back, an expired ID in an otherwise empty wallet, and was looking at a credit score around 520.

Cut to now. Still clean! Married, 2 year old, middle management at a fortune 50 Corp, (pretty meh in the grand scheme but not bad for a felon with no relevant contacts, they know that about me though and are paying for some schooling too) and I just finished getting all my stupid young\junkie debts payed off and it REALLY helped my FICO score.

Now I'm waiting for 2 months for 2 of my hard inquiries to fall off and I'm gonna apply for an AMEX. It's something I've wanted to get for years, a big goal I've been working towards, (that and buying a house). And I finally am comfortable enough with my score and income to pull the trigger on it.

Also just cause I'm really feeling proud of myself right now, my wife and I have about 10% saved for a house and are actively looking for one to buy.

Such a huge thing for me since housing was so insecure when I was young. We moved ~80 times from when I was 2-14 years old.

Edit: I checked to see if there were any AMEX card a I pre-approved for on the AMEX site and I was pre-approved for the everyday spend card!!

So I applied for it and got denied ☹️ pretty disappointing tbh, really ruined the good feeling I got from FINALLY breaking through into the good credit range.

BUT, this journey hasn't been easy so far by any means and it is pock-marked with disappointment here and there all throughout. Just gotta keep my head down, suck it up and keep going forward. Even a minor "set back" (it isn't really a set back, I have 2 inquiries falling off at the end of next month), like this is just another step in the right direction. Idk wtf the reason I got denied is. Maybe my report isn't updated on their end showing that I don't have any accounts in collection yet.

Or maybe it's because I still have a balance on my CSP right now. Either way, there's obvi still room for improvement. So I guess I'll be back in a while once I either break 800 or I get my AMEX.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-chopra-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-47b6b39d0eff05ea0c9bca4eacf55b79

I wonder if this is the beginning of the end of the CFPB?

Received email:

Update on your recent transaction   Your recent transaction was flagged for possible abuse of the Robinhood Gold Card rewards program. As a result, points were not awarded and you will not earn points on similar transactions until at least September [Redacted], 2024.   Merchant: Costco

I was on hold for an hour and a half. When I finally got through It went like this:

Me: I get emails everyday offering assistance. I’ve been laid off. How can you help me?

CO: we can’t offer suggestions of how we can help. You have to ask fir SPECIFIC things.

Me: can you freeze my interest?

CO: no

Me: can you lower my interest rate?

CO: no

Me: can I skip a payment?

CO: yes but you’ll accrue interest and we’ll also charge a missed payment fee.

Me: what CAN you do?

CO: I’m sorry but I’m unable to offer suggestions. You have to ask for specifics.

Me: can you raise my credit limit?

CO: no

You see where this is going