dining

Review: American Express Gold (2024)

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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: 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: Elan Everyday Rewards+ Visa Signature

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The Everyday Rewards+ Visa Signature credit card is a trimmed-down version of the U.S. Bank Altitude Go card for regional banks. It’s good for restaurant-related expenses.

In general, the Altitude Go is much better. The Everyday Rewards+ is only an alternative for people outside of U.S. Bank’s footprint. Because of U.S. Bank’s regional restrictions on applications, not everyone can get their credit cards. Elan cards function as a workaround. Many credit unions and other small banks carry Elan-issued cards. For example: A+ Federal Credit Union, Kearny Bank, Trustco Bank, and Webster Bank. Check your local area to see what’s available.

Also see: the Max Cash Preferred, which is an alternative to the U.S. Bank Cash+ card.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • 3% foreign transaction fee
  • 4x points on dining (including delivery and takeout)
  • 2x points on groceries (including delivery)
  • 2x points on streaming
  • 2x points on gas (and electric vehicle charging stations)
  • 1x points on everything else

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Review: Chase DoorDash Mastercard

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In March 2023, Chase launched a Doordash Mastercard. It gives cash back on most food or delivery-related purchases. The immediate value of the card is unclear. Whether or not you’ll personally benefit depends on your budget and spending habits. Most people probably won’t benefit, especially since it rarely makes financial sense to use Doordash on a regular basis.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 4% cash back on DoorDash and Caviar orders
  • 3% cash back at restaurants
  • 2% cash back at grocery stores
  • 1% cash back on everything else

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Review: Capital One Savor

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The Capital One Savor Rewards Mastercard is a low-fee card which earns unlimited rewards for dining, entertainment, and more. For most people, alternative cards are a better option, especially the no-fee SavorOne from Capital One. Savor might be worthwhile for the first year in some circumstances, especially with Capital One’s new Uber partnership. Long-term, however, it’s a questionable choice.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

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Review: Wells Fargo Autograph Visa Signature

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The new Wells Fargo Autograph Visa Signature is an updated version of their no-fee ‘Propel’ card. These are basically the same card, except that the Autograph is Visa and Propel is American Express, and Autograph also earns bonus points for phone plans. Both are strong considerations for many wallets.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 3x points on dining
  • 3x points on travel and transit (airfare, hotels, subways, parking, etc.)
  • 3x points on gas and electric vehicle (EV) charging
  • 3x points on select streaming and entertainment
  • 3x points on phone plans
  • 1x points on everything else

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Review: NIH Federal Credit Union Cash Rewards

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The Cash Rewards Visa from NIH Federal Credit Union is a no-fee card aimed at covering everyday home expenses. It has fair cash back rates for groceries, gas, streaming, and more. It isn’t a go-to option for some people, but it’s definitely worth a look. It covers multiple useful categories.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • 1% foreign transaction fee
  • 3% cash back for groceries and wholesale clubs
  • 3% cash back on utilities and streaming
  • 3% cash back on gas ($6,000 annual spending limit), EV charging, and rideshare/taxis
  • 1% cash back on everything else

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Review: NIH Federal Credit Union Travel Rewards

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The Travel Rewards Visa Signature from NIH Federal Credit Union is a no-fee card which earns decent cash back rates for travel and restaurants. It’s good for both domestic and international trips. The only big quirk is a spending limit on gas purchases, so you may want to consider other cards for that category.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 3% cash back on travel (airlines, hotels, trains, buses, car or boat rentals, tours, tolls, rideshare, taxis, etc)
  • 3% cash back on gas ($6,000 annual spending limit) and EV charging
  • 3% cash back on dining
  • 1% cash back on everything else

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Review: U.S. Bank Altitude Go

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The U.S. Bank Altitude Go is a Visa Signature credit card best used for dining and streaming purchases. It’s arguably the best no-fee card for both categories, and unquestionably in the top 5. If you don’t live near a bank location, there’s also a close yet slightly worse alternative: the Elan Everyday Rewards+ Visa Signature.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 4x points on dining (including delivery and takeout)
  • 2x points on groceries (including delivery)
  • 2x points on streaming
  • 2x points on gas (and electric vehicle charging stations)
  • 1x points on everything else
  • $15 annual streaming credit

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