Review: American Express Gold (2024)

⭐⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The American Express Gold Card was refreshed in August 2024 with a few changes. It remains a mid-to-high tier card centered around restaurants and groceries. It may not be the best option for most people, but the card is flexible enough to be worth looking into, particularly for high spenders. The annual fee has been raised by $75 in exchange for up to $184 in new credits. Whether this is a great value depends on each person.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $325 annual fee (previously $250)
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 4x points on dining (restaurants, takeout, and delivery including UberEats) (up to $50,000 spent annually, then 1x)
  • 4x points on groceries (up to $25,000 spent at U.S. grocery stores each year, then 1x)
  • 3x points on flights
  • 2x points on hotels booked through AmexTravel.com (with potential bonus perks for booking something from The Hotel Collection)
  • 1x points on everything else
  • Metal card (choose from 3 color options: Gold, Rose Gold, or limited-edition White Gold)

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Review: Redstone Federal Credit Union Visa Signature

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Redstone Federal Credit Union (RFCU) is based out of Northern Alabama. Their Visa Signature card offers high cash back rates for restaurant and gas spending, plus a decent amount of cash back in other categories. This obscure no-fee credit card offers a lot to consider. The main downside is that it’s no longer possible to join the credit union if you don’t live within their area of service (AL/TN).

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • No balance transfer or cash advance fees
  • 5% cash back for restaurants ($7,000 annual spending limit)
  • 5% cash back for gas ($7,000 annual spending limit)
  • 3% cash back for groceries, discount stores, wholesale clubs, utilities, phone and streaming services ($7,000 annual spending limit each)
  • 1.5% cash back on everything else

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Review: USAA Eagle Navigator Visa Signature

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The USAA Eagle Navigator Visa Signature began a trial rollout in September 2023 before being officially launched later. It’s a travel-centric card which doubles as an everyday card. It can earn at least 2% cash back on every purchase, and it’s not difficult to offset the small annual fee. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, however.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 3x points on travel
  • 2x points on everything else
  • $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (once every 4 years)

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Pay-Over-Time: Worthwhile or Waste?

Personal Finance /

Pay-Over-Time (also known as Buy Now Pay Later, or BNPL for short) has become popular in recent years. Each purchase is split into smaller chunks so people don’t have to immediately pay the full amount. Consumers are financing everything from pizza deliveries to luxury goods. The industry is already worth billions and expected to continue growing at a rapid pace. Sources generally seem to believe the market will grow 20-30% over the next decade.

But does it make sense to use such services?

In general, no. You should never spend beyond your means. Many people aren’t using credit responsibly, and it’s easy to overspend when even small purchases are financed. The video game concept of “microtransactions” has entered retail. Many BNPL purchases are another form of accumulating consumer debt. The majority of people should treat credit cards as debit cards and ignore pay-over-time services. Don’t purchase things unless you can afford them. The best form of financial responsibility is usually to set a budget and stick by it. BNPL should only be used (1) when absolutely necessary to get through hard times, and (2) with zero fees and zero interest whenever possible.

We do acknowledge that pay-over-time makes sense in certain circumstances. Credit cards have high rates. Interest can be a killer if credit cards aren’t paid off in full each month. If it’s possible to avoid credit card APR and BNPL is a legitimate help for a particular purchase, then BNPL may work out in the end.

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Review: Wells Fargo Autograph Journey

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In March 2024, Wells Fargo launched their new “Autograph Journey” Visa Signature credit card, meant as a more premium version of their no-fee Wells Fargo Autograph card. Which in turn was based on the old Wells Fargo Propel card (since discontinued). Unfortunately, the Autograph Journey doesn’t have a clear value proposition compared to other credit cards. It can be okay for some people, but most people will either (1) prefer an actual premium travel card, or (2) prefer the no-fee Autograph card.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 5x points on hotels
  • 4x points on flights
  • 3x points at restaurants
  • 3x points on other travel (auto rentals, cruise lines, travel agencies, and campgrounds)
  • 1x points on everything else
  • $50 annual credit with your first airline purchase (per cardmember year)

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Review: Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite

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The Chase Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite has been unavailable for new sign-ups since 2018. You can, however, contact Chase to upgrade an existing Marriott Bonvoy card. Unfortunately, there isn’t any sign-up bonus available for the Ritz-Carlton card, but its strong suite of benefits may still be of interest. AwardWallet calls it “Bonvoy’s best-kept secret.”

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $450 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 6x points at the Ritz-Carlton & other Marriott hotels (4.8%) (not including points earned as a Bonvoy member; Chase’s site says you can earn up to 18.5x points on hotel stays as a Gold Elite member)
  • 3x points for airline tickets, car rentals, and restaurants (2.4%)
  • 2x points on everything else (equivalent to 1.6% cash back)

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Review: United Explorer Visa Signature

⭐⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

Credit cards for United Airlines are issued by Chase Bank. In this review, we’ll focus on the United Explorer Card, which has a small annual fee. Although a wide range of benefits are attached to the card, it should only be considered by travelers who fly United often enough to use those benefits. Infrequent fliers won’t want to keep this card longer than one or two years.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee (waived the first year)
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 2x points on United purchases (including tickets, in-flight food/drinks, and events)
  • 2x points on dining (including delivery)
  • 2x points on hotel stays (when booked directly with the hotel)
  • 1x points on everything else

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Discover and Chase 5% Rotating Categories for 2024

News /

If you have the Discover It Cash Back and/or Chase Freedom Flex (or older Chase Freedom) then don’t forget to activate your quarterly categories in March, June, September, and December, before the next quarter begins. For Q1 categories (January 2024) you can activate both Chase and Discover cards as of today (December 15, 2023) or shortly afterwards.

Discover reveals their categories on the 1st of those months, whereas Chase allows activation on the 15th. So for example, if you want to activate Q4 categories for both cards at once, you’d have to wait until September 15th at the earliest.

Discover 2024:

  • Q1 Jan-March: Restaurants & Drug Stores
  • Q2 April-June: Gas, EV Charging, Home Improvement, Public Transit
  • Q3 July-Sept: TBD (probably groceries)
  • Q4 Oct-Dec: TBD (probably Amazon and retail/Target)

Chase 2024:

  • Q1 Jan-March: Grocery Stores, Gym & Fitness, Spa Services & Self-Care
  • Q2 April-June: Restaurants, Hotels, Amazon.com
  • Q3 July-Sept: TBD (probably gas and entertainment)
  • Q4 Oct-Dec: TBD (probably Paypal and retail/Walmart)

Chase’s Q1 2024 is broadly useful. Everyone uses grocery stores and most people should have a gym membership. Many people also buy gift cards at grocery stores to increase their effective cash back rates for non-grocery purchases. Discover’s Q1 is not quite as useful, especially when the Chase Freedom Flex already gets 3x points at restaurants and drug stores.

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Review: Hudson Valley Credit Union (HVCU) Visa Signature

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The Hudson Valley Credit Union (HVCU) Visa Signature credit card appears at first glance to be a relatively straightforward card for everyday spending. However, the value of the points it earns will vary widely, and there are different types of non-credit accounts that you can have. The value of this credit card can change a lot depending on your personal preferences.

Hudson Valley Credit Union is a small credit union based in New York’s Hudson Valley region, founded in Dutchess County in 1963. You must live in or around southeastern New York to open an account with the bank, with a presence in at least one of the 12 counties they serve (listed below).

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 2x points on everything

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Review: Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature

⭐⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature is a straightforward card for earning cash back on everyday purchases. It gets an unlimited 2% back on everything, without category restrictions or fees. The card is offered in partnership with Elan Financial Services. As of September 2023, the card no longer has a foreign transaction fee (previously 1%).

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 2% cash back on everything

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