grocery

Review: American Express Gold (2024)

⭐⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

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: 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: 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: 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: Citi Premier

⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The Citi Premier Mastercard is a mid-tier credit card which earns cash back in popular categories. The card can pay for itself, but since it competes with no-fee cards, the value is questionable. Premier may have more limited applications than similar cards. It isn’t a must-have for most wallets despite appearing decent on the surface. Its main draw is the consistently large sign-up bonus and transfer partners.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 3x points on airlines and hotels
  • 3x points on dining
  • 3x points on groceries (excluding delivery)
  • 3x points on gas
  • 1x points on everything else
  • $100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit

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United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU): Credit Cards and How To Join

Credit Card Reviews, Credit Card Roundups /

The United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) is a New York based cooperative which is somewhat open to everyone. Membership is primarily for United Nations employees or volunteers and their families, but unaffiliated people can join UNFCU by simultaneously joining an affiliate organization. As of 2021-2022, there are two options:

  • The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) costs $0 if you’re 25 or younger; otherwise it’s at least $50 per year ($25 for the first year). UNA has a Lifetime membership for $1,000 (equivalent to $20 per year for 50 years).
  • Kilimanjaro Initiative USA (KI-USA) costs $0 if you’re a student, otherwise it’s $25 per year.

You can join during the UNFCU application process or do it on your own. We haven’t verified yet if UNA/KI membership can be a one-time cost or must be maintained indefinitely to retain UNFCU membership.

UNFCU’s checking account has no significant fees or minimum balance requirements, and can earn up to 1% APY. There’s an inactivity fee for accounts that have 2+ years of zero transactions.

The main benefit we’ll explore here is their two credit cards. Both have a $100 sign-up bonus (SUB) after spending $2,000 in 4 months, plus 0% APR for 6-12 months.

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Credit Card Issuers: SunTrust / Truist (4 Cards Reviewed)

Credit Card Reviews, Credit Card Roundups /

SunTrust (now Truist) is a bank based out of Atlanta. They became Truist after merging with BB&T (Branch Banking and Trust Company). It’s one of the 10 largest U.S. banks, and they offer three credit cards plus a private credit card option. All four cards are unimpressive, but may be worth considering for a year or two.

The three public cards have a “loyalty bonus” of “10%, 25% or 50%, based on your deposit relationship with SunTrust when you redeem rewards directly to a SunTrust Checking, Savings or Money Market account.” Program enrollment requires a checking account. It’s not as good as Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards program.

  • 10% = $0+ in assets
  • 25% = $25-100k in assets
  • 50% = $100k+ in assets

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Review: Citi Custom Cash Card

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

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.)

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Review: Capital One SavorOne

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The Capital One SavorOne Rewards Mastercard is a no-fee card which earns unlimited rewards in popular categories. Although it usually isn’t considered the “best” for any single category, few cards have a decent earn rate in 4+ spend categories. This makes the SavorOne worth considering as a general everyday card, especially for grocery spending. Their new Uber partnership is another strong point to consider.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

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Review: Kroger World Elite Mastercard

⭐⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

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

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