gas

Review: Redstone Federal Credit Union Visa Signature

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

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: Elan Travel Rewards+ Visa Signature

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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: 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 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: 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: Affinity Federal Credit Union Cash Rewards

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The Affinity Federal Credit Union Cash Rewards is a high-earning Visa Signature credit card. It gets 5% cash back at bookstores, and on non-digital Amazon purchases. The card also has rotating categories where you can earn up to 7% cash back for 3 months at a time. If you’re considering something like the Barnes & Noble credit card, or an Amazon-specific card, Affinity FCU could be the superior choice.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 5% cash back on rotating categories
  • 5% cash back with Amazon and bookstores
  • 2% cash back on groceries, dining, gas, rideshare, and streaming
  • 1% cash back on everything else

2022 categories:

  • Q1: Gas, Cellular/Wireless, Cable/Satellite
  • Q2: Gas, Gardening, Supermarkets
  • Q3: Gas, Wholesale Clubs, Fast Food
  • Q4: Unknown

Note: for 2023, Affinity may have discontinued rotating categories. TBD.

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Review: Abound Credit Union Visa Platinum

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The Abound Credit Union Visa Platinum is a rotating-category credit card which also earns 5% cash back on gas purchases. Abound Credit Union, formerly Fort Knox Federal Credit Union, is a Kentucky-based banking cooperative which allows for out-of-state applications. In general, this uncommon choice of a card is the absolute best option for paying at the pump. It’s worth a look for anyone who has a car.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • 1% foreign transaction fee
  • 5% cash back on gas
  • 5% cash back on rotating categories ($2,000-2,500 quarterly spending limit)
  • 1% cash back on everything else

Rotating categories for 2022:

  • Q1 – Health and Fitness
  • Q2 – Travel
  • Q3 – Streaming, Phone, Cable & Internet Services
  • Q4 – Amazon.com

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Review: Langley FCU Signature Cash Back Visa

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The Langley FCU Signature Cash Back Visa credit card is an obscure Visa Signature with rotating categories. You can choose one option to earn 5% cash back for one month. This is a little more complicated than most other cards, but has the potential to earn high cash back rates. Langley FCU is a Virginia-based credit union which should be open to everyone.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • 1% foreign transaction fee
  • 5% cash back on a rotating category of your choice (changes monthly; $2,000 spending limit)
  • 3% cash back on gas (if not chosen as the 5% category)
  • 2% cash back on groceries and wholesale clubs (if not chosen as the 5% category)
  • 1% cash back on everything else

Select categories for 2024:

  • January: Groceries, Select Airlines, Drugstores
  • February: Dining, Gas and EV Charging, Department Stores
  • March: Groceries, Drugstores, Home Improvement
  • April: Dining, Gas and EV Charging, Home Depot and Lowe’s
  • May: Target, Gas and EV Charging, Streaming Services

Select categories for 2023:

  • March: Groceries, Drugstores, or Home Improvement
  • April: Wholesale Clubs, Dining, or Gas
  • May: Wholesale Clubs, Dining, or Home Improvement
  • June: Gas, Grocery, or Wholesale Clubs
  • July: Gas, EV, Rideshare, Dining, or Amusement Parks & Aquariums
  • August: Streaming Services, Internet & Cable, School Supplies, or Gas
  • September: Streaming Services, Internet & Cable, Grocery, or Department Stores
  • October: Streaming Services, Internet & Cable, Home Improvement, or Gas
  • November: Streaming Services, Internet & Cable, Groceries & Wholesale Clubs, or Electronic Stores
  • December: Streaming Services, Internet & Cable, Groceries & Wholesale Clubs, or Department Stores

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Review: U.S. Bank Altitude Connect

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect is a travel-focused Visa Signature credit card with a low annual fee. It earns a relatively high cash back rate on travel and gas expenses. It’s also good for streaming-related expenses. However, most people will be better off with the Altitude Go (no fee) or Altitude Reserve (high fee).

Update, March 2024: U.S. Bank announced that a number of changes are coming to this card on September 9th, 2024. Changes include: removing the $95 annual fee, lowering the value of points by 20% when not redeemed for travel, removing cell phone insurance, and removing the $30 annual streaming credit. The card will still earn 4x points on travel and gas, which actually makes things interesting despite the negative changes. The Altitude Connect will become roughly equivalent to the best no-fee travel card, the Penfed Pathfinder Rewards, if not better (since it keeps Priority Pass and Global Entry). We’ll update our review of the Altitude Connect when its changes take effect, and re-evaluate its value.

Our review from 2022 remains below:

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee (waived for the first year, and will be eliminated on 9/9/24)
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 5x points on hotels and car rentals (booked through U.S. Bank)
  • 4x points on all other travel
  • 4x points on gas (and electric vehicle charging stations) (will become limited to your first $1,000 each quarter)
  • 2x points on grocery (including delivery)
  • 2x points on dining
  • 2x points on streaming
  • 1x points on everything else
  • $30 annual streaming credit
  • $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (once every 4 years)

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Review: Penfed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The Penfed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature credit card is primarily for gas and electric vehicle charging. It can be alright for other categories, but isn’t the best option outside of gas. If you want to maximize your cash back, other credit cards are needed to supplement the Platinum Rewards. Its sign-up bonus is also lower than some competing cards.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 5x points on gas and/or electric vehicle charging
  • 3x points on groceries (may include Target and Walmart)
  • 3x points on restaurants/dining
  • 3x points on TV, radio, cable, and streaming services
  • 1x points on everything else

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