Vantage West Connect Rewards is a Visa Signature credit card which can earn 5% cash back in select categories. Unfortunately, the card seems to be for southern Arizona residents only. If you’re eligible for the card though, it’s a strong offering for long-term use. The main downside is that 5% cash back is limited to $1,500 in spending per quarter, and you need to manually choose categories each quarter. This is the same limitation of rotating-category cards like the Discover It Cash Back and Chase Freedom Flex.
FEATURES AT A GLANCE
- No annual fee
- 1% foreign transaction fee
- 5% cash back on a category of your choice (9 options, see below)
- 3% cash back on gas
- 2% cash back on groceries
- 1% cash back on everything else
5% eligible categories:
- Travel
- Restaurants
- Utilities (water, cell, electric, etc.)
- In-Store Wholesale Purchases (Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.)
- Department Stores
- Hardware & Home Improvement Stores
- Charitable Organizations
- Pharmacies & Drug Stores
- Amazon.com
SIGN UP BONUS
There isn’t a public sign-up bonus for this card. The only sort of welcome bonus is 0% APR for 6 months.
Some people reported getting mail from the bank which had a sign-up bonus, but that’s highly YMMV even for Arizona residents.
OTHER BENEFITS OF THE VANTAGE WEST CARD
- Visa Signature benefits
- No cash advance or fee or balance transfer fee
RESTRICTIONS AND CREDIT SCORE
Recommended credit score: 670+
For 5% cash back, spending is limited to $1,500 per quarter, and you must choose a category each quarter. This works the same way as other rotating-category cards. Discover and Chase cardholders should be familiar with this system.
The main problem for Vantage West is the highly restrictive membership requirements. At one point people could get around the Arizona-only restriction, but it’s not possible any more. Vantage West is limited to southern Arizona. One source reported that “Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in (as well as all businesses located in1) these geographic areas… Pima, Pinal, Cochise, or Maricopa Counties; Gila River Indian Community Reservation; Arizona’s ‘Copper Basin’ Area.”
MAXIMIZING REWARDS WITH THE VANTAGE WEST CARD
From their website: “Cash Back rewards are tracked as points and each $1 in Cash Back rewards earned is equal to 100 points. Points can be redeemed for cash back, merchandise, gift cards, travel, and charitable donations. Must have a minimum 2,500 points for cash redemption.” There aren’t any specific strategies to maximize points, other than using your 5% cash back category regularly.
ALTERNATIVES TO THE VANTAGE WEST
The Citi Custom Cash Card (CCCC) is slightly better for most categories. The 5% cash back is calculated monthly instead of quarterly, you don’t have to choose categories manually, there’s a $200-300 sign-up bonus, and the card isn’t region-locked. And a Citi Rewards+ card increases the cash back rate above 5%.
Vantage West is mostly an alternative to 3% rotating-category cards like the Venmo Visa and Huntington Voice.
Earning 3% cash back on gas expenses isn’t interesting since a few cards already give 4% or 5% cash back on gas. 2% cash back on groceries is useless since any of the best everyday cards get 2% on all purchases without category restrictions. Several cards also give 3% or more cash back at grocery stores.
You might consider the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve or a Kroger card, since these can earn high cash back on all mobile wallet purchases. This is usually a more flexible option than 5% cash back in a single category, although each card has its own limits.
Travel
Restaurants
Utilities
- The next best option is probably the U.S. Bank Cash+ or Venmo Visa.
In-Store Wholesale Purchases
- A lot of cards specifically exclude wholesale clubs from earning categories, so Vantage West is an interesting choice here.
Department Stores
- The U.S. Bank Cash+ can earn 5% cash back at select stores.
- M1 Finance Owner’s Rewards can earn up to 10% back at select stores, although it’s more limited on where.
Hardware & Home Improvement Stores
- Citi Custom Cash is good here. Bank of America Cash Back Rewards can be a good choice, especially for people who are Platinum Honors status or higher. As a 3% card, the next alternative is the Huntington Voice.
Charitable Organizations
- Vantage West is the only known card to give 5% cash back year-round in this category.
Pharmacies & Drug Stores
- Chase Freedom cards give 3% cash back, which can be 4.5% back or higher as part of the Chase Trifecta.
Amazon.com
- Amazon Prime members can get the Amazon card for 5% cash back. There’s also the Affinity Cash Rewards card, among other options.
CONCLUSION
Vantage West Connect Rewards is a good long-term card for earning 5% cash back. The downside is that few people can actually apply for it, sign-up bonuses are rare, and there’s a $6,000 annual spend limit. Most people will be better off with the Citi Custom Cash, Discover It, or any other 5% card. These are easier to get and can have greater rewards.
We rate the Vantage West card 4 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Note: This review was last updated in December 2021. Details may have changed since then. Please do your own research where applicable, to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Or contact us directly to take advantage of our personalized consulting services!