The credit card game is complex. Once you get started it is easy to fall down a rabbit hole. People are credit card know it alls and know how to take advantage of every card and reap all the rewards possible. This is not me. I have some basic parameters that I would like met and to have a simply system that gets some nice rewards. I may miss out on some perks, but the simplicity is worth it to me. This is the simple 3 card set up I use.
Chase Sapphire Preferred- This is my workhorse. This is the card that accounts for 95% of all purchases. It is the card I use to book hotels and flights. It is the card I use to get dinner and drinks. It is the card I use to get any and all miscellaneous stuff in life. I get some good rewards and they are easy to redeem in a variety of ways through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal. For the card itself, there is a $95 annual fee. Annoying, yes but not going to keep me away. Plus it is worth it for the rewards from the card. 5X points on travel booked through the portal, 2X on all other travel, 3X on all dinning and online grocery services, 3X on select streaming services, and 1X everywhere else. There are countless other articles that explain the points system so you don’t need to hear that much more from me. The card is metal and has a nice design on it. It is the primary card I use in my set up and the other two are simply support cards to this one.
Chase Amazon Prime- I use the Amazon Prime card solely for Amazon and Whole Foods purchases. I try to order anything I might need from Amazon ahead of time and use the most environmentally friendly shipping method available to getting my products. I try to do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Whole Foods as well. I am health conscious and value the quality of food from Whole Foods. I get 5% cash back every time I make a purchase from Amazon or Whole Foods. The cash back comes in the form of credit on my Amazon account. This means that I can buy stuff from Amazon using the cash back I accrued from buying other stuff. (Who doesn’t love stuff!) It is incredibly easy to use the cash-back. The card is also metal and has a sleek grey design.
Apple Card- Lastly, I have an Apple Card. I am completely Apple obsessed and get all my tech from Apple. I get cases, cords, screen protectors, and various other tech accessories from Apple. The card gets a solid 3% cash back at the Apple Store or any Apple related purchases (App Store and iTunes). The card also gets 2% cash back anywhere ApplePay is accepted. The reason the Apple Card cash-back is so nice is because it generally is put on your account the next day meaning you do not have to wait for your next statement to get the rewards. It comes in the form of Apple Cash. Apple Cash lives in the wallet app on your iPhone and can be used like a debit card. Anywhere you can use Apple Pay you can use Apple Cash to make your purchase. Incredibly easy and fun to use. The Apple Card is titanium. There is no getting around it, it feels and looks stunning. Everything you have come to expect from Apple.
I know my system is not the most advanced or complex but it works for me. I have two Visa Cards and a MasterCard so I never have to worry about if my card will be accepted. I can get perks from both major networks. I love the flexibility my system provides me as I am never pigeon holed into redeeming for miles or stuck with points to a specific company. All of my rewards can be redeemed as cash back, or miles, or points. The flexibility is worth it to me.
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