drugstore

The Top 10+ No-Fee Cards For Health: Pharmacies, Drugstores, Gym Memberships

Americans spend more on pharmaceuticals than any other country. More people could also benefit heavily from consistently going to the gym. As such, let’s explore some credit cards to maximize rewards in these health-related categories. What’s best?

 

1. Chase Freedom Unlimited Visa or Chase Freedom Flex Mastercard

Both cards earn 3% cash back at drug stores, pharmacies, and restaurants. Unfortunately, gyms and fitness clubs aren’t included here.

They have the potential to earn more through The Chase Trifecta. This can easily become 4.5% cash back (or more) when combined with a Chase Sapphire Reserve. The Sapphire Reserve is also one of the only known cards to include some health/medical insurance when traveling (100+ miles from home). It’s not much, but it’s something, in case insurance doesn’t cover all your expenses. (Or if you have zero insurance.) The Chase Sapphire Preferred can also increase the value of points, but it’s inferior to the Sapphire Reserve in this case. The downside is that annual fees become involved with this strategy, so you’ll have to do the math and see if it makes sense beyond a year or so.

 

2. American Heritage Credit Union Cash Reward Mastercard

AHCU Cash Reward gets an unlimited 3% back at pharmacies, home improvement stores, gas, and groceries. Earning cash back in four categories is always a good deal. Anyone can join this credit union with a $5 donation during the member application process. Gyms and fitness clubs don’t seem to be under the 3% umbrella here.

 

3. Venmo Visa

Venmo earns 3% cash back in your top spending category each billing period. One of the valid categories is “Health and Beauty” which includes “Drug stores and pharmacies… and cosmetic stores that sell beauty products. This category also includes sports and recreation facilities that require membership such as health clubs, tennis, golf and swimming clubs.” This may not cover all gym memberships. It’s still a fairly flexible category.

 

Review: Citi Custom Cash Card

The Citi Custom Cash Card (CCCC) is a no-fee credit card which gives 5% cash back on your top spending category each month. Citi automatically calculates which category you spend the most in, giving you rewards at the end of each billing cycle. It requires zero effort from the cardholder. The Custom Cash is easier to use than competing cards, and may have higher rewards. It’s versatile enough that almost everyone can get use out of it, although it does depend on one’s spending habits.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • 3% foreign transaction fee
  • 5% cash back for the first $500 spent each billing cycle in 1 of 10 categories (see below)
  • 1% cash back on everything else

5% eligible categories:

  1. Restaurants/dining
  2. Gas
  3. Grocery stores
  4. “Select travel” (airlines, hotels, cruise lines, travel agencies, etc.)
  5. “Select transit” (car rentals, ferries, trains, taxis, bridge/road tolls, parking lots/garages, bus lines, etc.)
  6. “Select streaming services” (Includes “Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, Apple Music, CBS All Access, Disney+, AT&T TV NOW, ESPN+, fuboTV, HBO Max, NBA League Pass, Netflix, Pandora, Showtime, Sling TV, Spotify, Starz, SiriusXM, Vudu, YouTube Red, YouTube TV, and Tidal.”)
  7. Drugstores/pharmacies
  8. Home improvement stores
  9. Fitness clubs
  10. Live entertainment (concerts, theaters, etc.)

Review: Kroger World Elite Mastercard

The Kroger World Elite Mastercard is a simple and flexible option for everyday spending. It was updated in late 2021 to add more features and cash back benefits. This was a big upgrade, considering how the old version was outclassed by competitors. The main draw of the Kroger card is now its 5% cash back on all mobile wallet purchases. We’ll explore the pros and cons here, since restrictions apply. Also note that different versions of the card exist with Kroger’s various affiliates (“Kroger Family of Companies Rewards Elite Mastercard”).

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 5% cash back on mobile wallet purchases (the first $3,000 spent each year)
  • 3% cash back on dining/gas (the first $6,000 spent each year; feature only available on Kroger Family of Companies variant cards)
  • 2% cash back at Kroger stores
  • 1% cash back on everything else