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Review: USAA Eagle Navigator Visa Signature

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

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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Review: Wells Fargo Autograph Journey

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

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: 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: Elan Travel Rewards+ Visa Signature

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The Elan Travel Rewards+ Visa Signature is a mid-tier card for travel and vacationing. Issued by Elan Financial Services, it was released around mid-2023.

This credit card is available at dozens of credit unions, including Spectra and Valley Bank. Card details are the same regardless of which bank you work with. Other Elan cards include the Max Cash Preferred and Everyday Rewards+.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $99 annual fee (waived the first year)
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 4x points on travel
  • 4x points on gas (and electric vehicle charging stations)
  • 4x points on entertainment and recreation
  • 1.5x points on everything else

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Review: Elan Reserve Rewards+ Visa Infinite

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The Elan Reserve Rewards+ Visa Infinite credit card is aimed at being a relatively high-end all-in-one card. It’s a newer Visa Infinite, issued by Elan Financial Services, released around mid-2023.

This credit card is available at dozens of credit unions, including Spectra and Valley Bank. Card details are the same regardless of which bank you work with. Other Elan cards include the Max Cash Preferred and Everyday Rewards+.

Considering the high annual fee, people will wonder if this card is right for them, and if the benefits outweigh the costs. It’s very subjective in this case.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $390 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 6x points on travel booked through their Rewards Center (flights, hotels, car rentals)
  • 2x points on everything else
  • $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (usually once every 4-5 years)

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Review: Ness Wellness Card

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

UPDATE for 11/15/2023: The card is shutting down. Rewards can be redeemed through 11/22/23 and balances must be paid by 12/19/23. According to a new message on their home page, “…the short answer is we’ve simply run out of money. We’re a venture backed startup and always anticipated raising more funding… but haven’t been successful there.”

***

Initial review from April 2023:

The Ness Wellness Card (issued by The Bank of Missouri) is a health-focused charge card running on the Mastercard network. It’s a complex program with a lot going on here, so let’s take a deep dive to check out the potential of this card.

First, you need an iPhone or iPad to be eligible, running iOS 14 or greater. This unfortunately limits the pool of people who can apply for the card by about half. Ness notes that “We may not be able to award you points if we are unable to obtain your Health Information from Apple HealthKit.”

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $349 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 5x points on “health and wellness” which includes grocery stores, select restaurants, meal kits, vitamins, pharmacies, healthcare services, athletic apparel, and more.
  • 2x points on everything else
  • $200 annual health and wellness credit (applies to purchases earning 5x points)
  • $200 annual “healthy activity” credit, awarded as “up to 56 points per day”
    • 14 points for 30+ active minutes per day
    • 14 points for 10+ “mindful” minutes per day
    • 14 points for 7+ hours of sleep per day
    • 14 points for 6,000+ steps per day (ideally you want to get 10,000 daily)
  • Up to $360 in annual Sweetgreen credits: spend $75 in a month to get a $15 credit (can do this twice per month—Ness advertises this as “Every 5th & 10th Salad Free at sweetgreen each month“). The $75 can include the $10/month cost for Sweetpass+.
  • Various other credits and discounts

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Review: Chase Instacart Mastercard

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

In July 2022, Chase Bank introduced a credit card for Instacart. If you’re not familiar with Instacart, it’s a delivery service for groceries and other goods. You can choose to have things delivered or pick them up yourself, although in either case, note that many stores have higher prices when ordering through Instacart.

If this sounds overly limiting for a credit card, that’s because it is, in most circumstances. Let’s take a dive into the benefits and alternatives. This might work well for some people.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 5% cash back at Instacart
  • 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase’s site
  • 2% cash back for dining, gas, and streaming
  • 1% cash back on everything else

SIGN UP BONUS

As of March 2023, the public sign-up bonus is a $100 Instacart credit plus one free year of Instacart+ (normally $10 per month or $99 per year). Although this is a low bonus, you do get the credit immediately, and there are no spending requirements.

It’s probably worth waiting for a higher offer. In summer 2022, the card had an introductory $200 bonus, and briefly had a $300 bonus in February 2023.

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Review: American Express Blue Cash Everyday

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

In July 2022, AMEX updated its Blue Cash Everyday (BCE) credit card to become more competitive. Previously, the only point to the card was a downgrade option (to avoid multiple annual fees on the Blue Cash Preferred). Now that the BCE is potentially useful, let’s take a closer look.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • 2.7% foreign transaction fee
  • 3% cash back on groceries (up to $6,000 spent per year)
  • 3% cash back on gas (up to $6,000 spent per year)
  • 3% cash back on online retail purchases (up to $6,000 spent per year)
  • 1% cash back on everything else

Previously, the card earned 3% back on groceries, 2% back on gas and retail, and 1% on everything else.

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Review: Amazon Prime Rewards Visa

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature credit card is issued by Chase Bank. Although it’s a store card with limited usage, it has decent benefits, and it’s good at what it does. The sign-up bonus is also easy to get, since it doesn’t have a minimum spending requirement like other cards.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 5% cash back at Chase Travel for booking flights, hotels, or car rentals (3% instead if you’re not a Prime member) (new benefit as of May 2023)
  • 5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods (3% instead if you’re not a Prime member)
  • 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations
  • 2% cash back on transit and rideshare (as of May 2023, replacing the former “drugstore” category)
  • 1% cash back for everything else

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