The Top 5 Credit Cards For Priority Pass Lounge Access

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Priority Pass is a membership program which allows access to select airport lounges, and potential airport restaurant/spa/shopping discounts. Lounges include Wi-fi, charging stations, free food and drinks, TVs, and more. Upscale options may include perks like sleeping suites or showers. If you’re interested in Priority Pass membership, you don’t need to buy it. Several credit cards offer free access. Note that each card may have different “tiers” of benefits and exclusions may apply.

The value of Priority Pass depends on how often you’d use airport lounges. Getting Priority Pass separately has a minimum annual cost of $99. This general membership costs $32 per visit, per person ($291 for one person to have six visits in one year). At the next tier up, it’s $299 for 10 “free” lounge visits. The last membership tier is $429 for unlimited lounge visits. Costing $130 more than the middle tier, you’d need at least 4-5 extra visits (32*4=$128) to justify the price.

The value of lounges themselves will vary a lot by location. Some are great while others don’t offer enough benefits to assign a significant cash value. On the other hand, Priority Pass restaurants can always be a fair deal, with a $28-30 discount per visit (more with a guest or two). There are 20 U.S. airports (and 19 non-U.S. airports) with this benefit as of late 2021. Adding select restaurants to the mix increases the value of Priority Pass membership.

Most of the 5 metal cards below have flexible point redemptions (hotel cards aren’t included here) and Priority Pass Restaurant access, plus 2+ free guests. Although other credit cards offer Priority Pass benefits, this list has what we believe are the best overall options.
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Review: City National Bank Crystal Visa Infinite

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The City National Bank (CNB) Crystal Visa Infinite is a high-end luxury card for travelers. It competes with other Visa Infinite cards, but the long-term value is less clear for CNB. What was once a card with rare benefits is now one of several choices. Comparable cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve could be better for most people. However, the Crystal card isn’t without its merits.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $400 annual fee (sometimes waived the first year)
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 3x points on most travel (airline, hotel, taxi, rideshare, limousine, rental car, train, bus)
  • 3x points on dining (restaurants, fast food, takeout)
  • 1x points on everything else
  • $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (once every 4 years)
  • Metal card

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The Top 15 Credit Cards For 0% APR

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0% APR can have a variety of applications. Sometimes you need more than 30 days to pay for something, or need to increase the amount of cash on hand. This is usually the best way to solve that problem while avoiding interest. Credit cards normally have 15-20% APR, and it’s rarely worthwhile to pay interest on card purchases. One of the downsides here is that most of the below cards require a minimum credit score of 650+. People who really need 0% APR often have lower credit scores. If you fall into this category, check to see if you’re prequalified before applying. Most banks have this option. Search “[bank name] prequalification” and their website should pop right up.

Most of the below cards also have 0% APR on balance transfers, but balance transfers almost always have a fee associated with them. It’s better to put new purchases on a 0% APR card instead of trying to do a balance transfer. Note: This list is current as of December 2021 and is subject to change.

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Review: Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards

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Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards is a Visa credit card which lets people choose a category for earning 3% cash back. There are some hoops to jump through (see below) but the card can be a decent earner. It’s a flexible card with good niche usage potential. Most people should consider the card, although the highest value is reserved for Preferred Rewards customers at Platinum Honors tier or above.

In August 2023, Bank of America expanded their 3% categories slightly. “Gas” now includes electric vehicle charging stations. “Online shopping” now includes cable, streaming, internet, and phone plans.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • 3% foreign transaction fee
  • 3% cash back in the category of your choice (6 options) up to $2,500 spent per quarter
  • 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
  • 1% cash back on everything else

3% eligible categories:

  1. Gas and EV charging stations (default category until changed)
  2. Online shopping (including Amazon) and cable/streaming/internet/phone plans
  3. Dining
  4. Travel
  5. Drug stores and pharmacies
  6. Home improvement and furnishings

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The Top 5 Credit Cards for Amazon Purchases

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Billions of people visit Amazon each month, so getting a decent cash back rate at Amazon can be fairly important. The company isn’t without controversy, but we’re going to focus solely on cash back credit cards with the below information. Amazon still has more than 200 million Prime members and has been designated America’s most trusted retailer. Note that Amazon frequently has promotions to save even more money.

Outside of these top 5 options (which are all Visa Signature cards), check out our list of the best cards for everyday spending. It’s pretty easy to earn 2% to 5% cash back on all purchases.

 

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Review: Vantage West Connect Rewards

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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:

  1. Travel
  2. Restaurants
  3. Utilities (water, cell, electric, etc.)
  4. In-Store Wholesale Purchases (Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.)
  5. Department Stores
  6. Hardware & Home Improvement Stores
  7. Charitable Organizations
  8. Pharmacies & Drug Stores
  9. Amazon.com

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How To Earn More Cash Back With Bank of America Preferred Rewards

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Bank of America’s credit card options are reasonable in general. What sets them apart, however, is the bank’s Preferred Rewards program. The more money you have with BoA, the more you earn with their credit cards. While each tier has a variety of benefits, YMMV in terms of usefulness. We’ll primarily cover the credit card information in this article.

To enroll in Preferred Rewards, the requirements are simple: have a “qualifying” Bank of America deposit account (such as a personal checking account) and/or Merrill investment account(s), with a three-month combined average daily balance of $X or more. Depending on what X is, you’ll gain access to one of the below tiers. You don’t need to keep exact amounts since it’s a combined average.

Once you qualify for a tier, you’ll retain that tier status for at least 12 months. Your balance can temporarily dip without consequence. BoA goes on to say “If after a year you no longer meet the balance requirement, you’ll have a three-month grace period. If you haven’t met the balance requirement after three months, you’ll be moved to a lower tier or lose your Preferred Rewards benefits.”

Note that you have to manually enroll into the program to get any benefits. It isn’t automatically awarded to customers who may qualify.

There’s also a business version of Preferred Rewards with slightly different requirements and benefits.

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The Top 5 Credit Cards For Retail Purchases or Mobile Wallets

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In some cases, a store-brand card can help save money. They typically offer 5% back year-round (as a discount or cash back) on transactions at that store. But store cards aren’t always good options, and they’re limited to only one store at a time. It’s often a better idea to get a credit card which can work at multiple stores. Cards with flexible usage and flexible rewards usually beat narrow-use cards.

Two of the below options are even more flexible due to earning cash back on any mobile wallet transactions (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, etc). This is good not just for retail stores, but categories like groceries and gas too.

This is a list of credit cards which can work at multiple stores and earn decent cash back. Outside of these top options, view our list of the best cards for everyday spending.

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Review: U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite

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The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve (USBAR) is a premium travel card which also works well for everyday usage. It closely competes with the the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X, and other luxury cards. The USBAR might have lower earning potential than certain competitors, but it’s often easier to use and more convenient. This is a card worth exploring even if it can potentially be tough to get U.S. Bank credit cards.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

    • $400 annual fee
    • Zero foreign transaction fees
    • 5x points on hotels and car rentals booked through U.S. Bank’s website
    • 3x points on travel
    • 3x points on mobile wallet transactions
    • 1x points on everything else
    • $325 annual credit (for travel or restaurants)
    • $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (once every 4 years)
    • Metal card

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Review: Apple Card

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The Apple Mastercard was released in 2019 and has become a fairly popular credit card for Apple fans. Issued in partnership with Goldman Sachs, the card has zero fees (no annual, over-the-limit, foreign-transaction, or late fees). Apple claims to have some of the lowest interest rates in the industry. The interest part is mostly irrelevant because all credit card users should always pay their balance in full, on time, every time. However, this card may help people build healthy habits, especially the younger crowd. Experienced credit card aficionados may want to look elsewhere.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 2% cash back when using Apple Pay (iPhone or Apple Watch) except for select stores which earn 3% cash back, including Apple purchases
  • 1% cash back on everything else
  • Metal card (titanium)

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