As a debt settlement insider, I can assure you that Citibank, MBNA, and Discover are the least compassionate companies when it comes to consumers being in a financial hardship. I would consider this as well when choosing a credit card—you never know when you’re going to be in bind some day.

http://www.emigrantdirect.com

I’ve also found another credit card via the internet. Although I like the platinum card I found this one, http://www.nationalcity.com, called “everyday rewards visa” with:
Up to 4%* cash back
4% on gasoline at the pump
Up to $250 in monthly purchases
3% on cinema and video rentals
Up to $150 in monthly purchases
2% on groceries, restaurants and fast food
Up to $750 in monthly purchases
Up to 1% on everything else
.25% on first $10,000 each year, 1% thereafter with no limits

Once you’ve accumulated $100 in rebates, we’ll automatically send you a check attached to your next monthly statement

You can see an up-to-date list of cash rebate credit cards at WOW!CreditCards.com.

Online Credit Card Applications

I would suggest taking a look at the Discover Platinum Card. If you don’t find it necessary to carry a Visa or Mastercard, this might be one of the best options out there!

But do consult your own tax advisor. My advice is not legally binding, and just my opinion.

This is a question in regards to the Citi Dividend Card. Do you know if we are required to report these dividend rebate checks when we file taxes?

Thanks,
Steve
Credit Card Offers & Reviews

(See my linked post for links to these cards directly.)

A few thoughts:

(1) I found the Citi Dividend card redemption levels were lowered since your post, so I crossed if off my list. What I was happy to find in its place though was the Direct Rewards card from HSBC Bank, which offers 5% cash back on grocery, drug store, and gas purchases (and with no annual fee).

(2) While I found a similar level of aversion to the restrictions from the Fidelity 529 College Rewards card, they have another one from Fidelity, the Fidelity Investment Rewards Card. As a consumer, I have recently come off the rewards-program bandwagon and have reverted to a simple “show me the money.” However, this card does both. With no annual fee, you get a straightforward 1-point-per-dollar rewards program that uses the WorldPoints reward network. But the reason I really like it is because every 5,000 points can be converted to a $75 deposit into an eligible Fidelity Account (equates to a 1.5% redemption rate).

(3) Finally, the saver in me likes the One from American Express. At the end of each month, 1% of your net purchases are deposited into a high-yield savings account at American Express that is currently offering a 5% APY. It’s FDIC insured and good for the conservative investor who likes a savings account more than an investment account that can lose value. $35 annual fee after the first year, no minimum savings account balance required.

(4) Stay away from MBNA/Bank of America cards. I worked in the credit card industry briefly several years ago. At the time, MBNA was really seen as a leader, pioneer, and innovator in the industry. They were well respected for great customer service and loyalty as well. No longer. They were acquired last year by B of A and I noticed an immediate and precipitous drop in their customer service levels and program redemption fine print. I dumped everything MBNA.

(5) Playing the multiple-cards-for-different-purchases starts to hit diminishing returns in terms of sanity (and credit rating) beyond 2-4 cards. I understand taking advantage, but the ones I’ve chosen cover about every base I need. Other comments have listed over a 1/2 dozen. Please.

Anyway, keep up the good work. Too many people try to find their way to riches by the get-rich-quick schemes, when the principles of financial independence really lie on living on less than you earn and making prudent decisions with your investment dollars. Thanks for sharing your living example.

0% APR on balance transfers for 12 months. Balance transfer fee applies with this offer.
• 6% rebate for purchases made at supermarkets, drug stores, and gas stations for 12 months, 3% after that; 1% on other purchases
• NO Annual Fee
• Redeem rebates on new or used car, ANY make, ANY model, purchase or lease!

2.Chase PerfectCard

Earn a 6% rebate on all gas purchases for first 90 days your account is open
• Earn a 3% rebate on all gas purchases after the introductory period
• Earn a 1% rebate on all purchases everywhere MasterCard® or Visa® is accepted
• All the rebates you earn are automatically credited toward future purchases

I’d suggest using the calculator at Credit Card Tune-Up: Maximize Your Cash Back Rewards to find the card that’s best for your spending profile.

If you’re looking for a Visa or Mastercard, the next best offers are the Chase Freedom and the Chase Perfect cards which offer 3% cash back. To find these offers and more, feel free to visit: ASAP Credit Card.com – Low Interest Credit Cards

This post is really great. I just wanted to say that i personally have had the Costco AmEx for about 1 year. It’s a great card, the AmEx website is really nice and one thing i REALLY LIKE about it is when you use quicken or something to download your transactions, AmEx has it all itemized already.

So if you spend the $$$ eating out or something when the statement is downloaded all the items are categorized nicely.

Anyways, i am going to subscribe to your blog’s RSS feed. Great info here, thank you.
zigzo dot com

you can check upcoming cashback portal http://www.ukonlinemarket.co.uk

it covers everything from mobiles to finance, business, clothing everything

Regards

Alexis

The very first version of the tool only showed the results for 1 card. I’ve hung out in forums with some fairly hardcore credit card users and they’re often discussing their strategies that involve more than one card. Admittedly, those folks probably aren’t the majority, but I was thinking I could at least show the “incremental reward for using one more card” and let each person decide how they want to balance the reward/mess tradeoff.

+Joel

That personal analysis inspired me to build a general-purpose tool to help anyone determine the single best card or mix of N cards that will maximize their cash back rewards. You just plug in how much you spend each month (broken out by categories for best results) and you’re presented with a list of recommended cards sorted from best to worst by your expected annual reward. If having more than one card and using each card to its strengths could yield a greater total reward, then each combination of the Best N cards is presented as well.

You can see the tool at http://www.creditcardtuneup.com/ .

The tool does address college student cards and business credit cards.

However, call me cynical, I only like the ones that can give me cash back upfront and right away. That’s why I’ve only included the above 3 cards.

It uses “thankyou points,” which cash out to gift cards (including Amazon.com) at 100/$1 once you reach the 5000 point, $50 level.

1% cashback on all purchases. 5% back on restaurants, bookstores (including amazon.com), “entertainment” (movies, CDs, etc). Also 25 points for paying bills on time, up to 2000 points for good grades.

Additionally, check out http://www.cardoffers.com for cash bonuses for applying for new cards.

Currently checking out credit cards- if someone has done their own independant research and has found a great deal, and is willing to share that info, I’m all ears. thanks!

Pentagon Federal Visa Platinum Cash Rewards – A flat 1.25% cash back card
Fidelity Investment Rewards Card – 1.5% on all purchases, credited to your Fidelity account once you accumulate $50
Fidelity Investments 529 College Rewards Card – 2% on all purchases
Bank of America Power Rewards – It’s a points based system, but if you spend a lot (redeem 50,000 points at $1 spent/1 point), you can get up to 2% cash back (not publicized on the site)

I probably will be doing a write-up at some point on these options. Considering that Emigrant pays 4.5% and requires a $10,000 balance, you’re also sacrificing some return there since GMAC bank is currently at 4.75%.