In the past year, since learning that the Chase Ink Business Plus earned 3X for Plastiq payments, I’ve been using that card exclusively and extensively to pay all sorts of bills via the Plastiq bill payment service. I’ve happily earned 3X paying my son’s college tuition, paying contractors, paying employees, paying taxes, etc.
I’m in the extremely fortunate position of having a huge supply of Plastiq Fee Free Dollars (FFDs) thanks to referring readers to Plastiq. As a result, I don’t have to pay fees on any of my payments. But even if I had to pay the standard 2.5%, I would have been happy earning 3X Ultimate Rewards points. After all, that’s equivalent to buying Ultimate Rewards points for only 0.83 cents each. That’s a steal.
But now, 3X is dead.
Next best card?
I’m not aware of any card that continues to earn a bonus multiplier for Plastiq bill payments. So, the next best option would be a card that is great for everyday spend, or which offers a great big spend bonus.
Further, the ideal card is not an Amex card. Amex has imposed a number of restrictions on which types of payments can be accepted by Plastiq:
- For Recipients in the United States, the use of American Express cards is permitted for the following industries: Government, Utilities, Education, Residential Rent and Club Fees and Memberships.
- For Recipients in Canada, the use of American Express cards is permitted for the following industries: Government, Utilities, School, School K-12 and Residential Rent.
The ideal card is also not a consumer Visa card unless it is from Capital One (or Chase if the card has a high credit limit). Plastiq had previously announced a temporary change to the way Visa credit cards are handled:
- Payments using personal Visa cards issued by Chase will be subject to a lower limit of 20% of your credit limit.
- Payments using personal Visa cards from other issuers (other than Capital One) will code as a cash advance. That means you’d incur cash advance fees and wouldn’t earn any credit card rewards.
- The following types of Visa cards are not affected by these changes: Capital One personal Visa cards, Visa business credit cards, Visa corporate, debit and prepaid gift cards.
That leaves us with these non-Amex, non-consumer-Visa best options for everyday spend:
- Discover It Miles (year 1): This is really a 1.5% cash back card despite its name, but at the end of the first year of card membership, they double all cash back earned that year. So, this is effectively a 3% cash back card in year 1.
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited: This one earns 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar for all spend. If you move points from this no-fee card to a premium card, you can then transfer points to various rewards programs (e.g. Hyatt, United, Southwest, etc.) or use the points for up to 1.5 cents per point value with the Sapphire Reserve card. When paying 2.5% for Plastiq, using this card is like buying Ultimate Rewards points for 1.67 cents each. That’s not a great deal, but I’ve included this on the list because it is the best non-Amex “everywhere else” card that I actually own at the moment.
And these are my favorite non-Amex, non-consumer-Visa options for earning big spend bonuses:
- Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card: This is actually a Chase consumer Visa card, but it could work with Plastiq if you have a big enough credit line. Big spend bonus: Earn 2 elite qualifying night credits per $5K in purchases. If you’re chasing Hyatt status, this is a cheap and easy way to “mattress run” your way to status. When you pay the Plastiq fee, you can think of that as paying for Hyatt points plus elite nights. If we conservatively value the Hyatt points at 1 cent each, then paying the 2.5% Plastiq fee is like paying 1.5% for the elite nights plus 1% for the Hyatt points. Each elite night, then, would cost you $37.50.
- AT&T Access More Card: This Mastercard is no longer available to new applicants, but it should still be possible to sign up for the AT&T Access Card and then product change to the Access More Card. The Access More card earns 3X for online purchases (but not for Plastiq), but it also earns 10K bonus points each year in which you spend $10K. In other words, it can make sense to use this card for $10K Plastiq spend each year just to get the 10K bonus.
- Amtrak Guest Rewards World Mastercard: With points worth up to 2.9 cents each, you can approximately break even with Plastiq’s 2.5% fee. Where things get interesting is with this big spend bonus: Ability to transfer up to 25,000 points to hotel partners after $20K calendar year spend. Amtrak points transfer to Choice Privileges 1 to 3, so this means that $20K annual spend can result in 60K Choice points each year.
- Radisson Rewards Business Visa Card: This card earns 5X points for all spend, plus for each $10K annual spend (up to $30K) you get a free night at any Radisson Rewards hotel in the US. If you consider this to work out roughly to two free nights for each $10K spend (50K points plus a free night certificate), then Plastiq’s 2.5% fee is like paying $250 for two nights. Keep in mind that with Radisson properties, this is not necessarily that good of a deal.
- Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard: Big spend bonus: 7,500 bonus points with $15K cardmember year spend + an additional 7,500 points with $25K cardmember year spend; Also: 25 tier point towards elite status per $2,500 spend (max 50 tier points per month). Since this card earns 1.5X for all spend, spending exactly $25K per year results in 37,500 miles + 7,500 + 7,500 = 52,500 miles. In other words, this card earns more than 2 miles per dollar in that scenario. See: Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard Deep Dive: Maximize Earnings and Status.
To some extent, I like all of the above options as long as my Fee Free Dollars last. My favorite option is the Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card (to help me get to Globalist status). But I don’t have that card right now, and I wouldn’t want to start the hunt for elite status until early next year anyway.
Which leads me to the real best use of Plastiq…
Signup Bonuses
Most signup bonus offers require minimum spend. For example, you may have to spend $3,000 within 3 months to get 50,000 points or miles. In situations where your usual spend won’t be enough, I think that Plastiq is a great option.
It’s well worth paying 2.5% in fees in order to secure a bonus worth hundreds of dollars more.
The following “Plastiq-friendly” best offers include all of the best public Mastercard and Discover offers, all Visa business card offers, and all Capital One offers. Chase consumer Visa cards would work too, if you have a high enough credit limit, but they’re not included in this list…
If you’re interested in seeing more than the top 10 offers, simply click “Next” at the bottom of the page, or use the drop down selector at the top to show more than 10 items.
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
Chase Ink Business Preferred Card See: How to sign up for Chase Ink cards Recent better offer: 80K after $5K spend. Many preferred the 80K offer due to the much lower spend requirement FM Mini Review: Great card for signup bonus and 3X categories. Also consider the fee-free Ink Business Cash for its 5X categories, and the fee-free Ink Business Unlimited to earn 1.5X everywhere. Card Type: Visa Signature Business Earning rate: 3X travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone, and advertising with social media sites (up to $150K spend per year) ⚬ 5X Lyft through March 2025 Noteworthy perks: ⚬ Points worth 25% more when redeemed for travel ⚬ Transfer points to airline & hotel partners ⚬ Cell phone protection against theft or damage See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card 75K Miles + up to $200 in statement credits Earn 75,000 bonus miles after $4K spend in 3 months + up to $200 in statement credits when you make an Avelo purchase in your first year + priority boarding on Avelo flights for the first year. $95 Annual Fee Recent better offer: 100K: 50K after $3K in the first 3 months + 20K after $20K in the first 6 months [Expired 7/19/21] FM Mini Review: This card earns 2 "miles" per dollar, which are worth exactly 1 cent each toward travel. This makes the return on spend similar to a 2% cash back card (though in this case you must redeem your miles to offset travel in order to get 1 cent per mile). One big advantage over cash back: Capital One allows transfering their "miles" to airline miles & hotel points. Card Type: Visa Signature Earning rate: 2X everywhere ⚬ 5X on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel Noteworthy perks: Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® ⚬ Redeem miles for travel at value of 1 cent per mile ⚬ Convert "miles" to airline miles & hotel points ⚬ No foreign transaction fees ⚬ 2 complimentary visits per year to Capital One or Plaza Premium Lounges |
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card See: How to sign up for Chase Ink cards Alternate offer: Some people have received an offer for 90K after $6K when completing an online quiz. See here for more. Recent better offer: 90K after $6K in 3 months [Expired 3-20-23] FM Mini Review: Great signup bonus for a fee-free card. Good option for earning 1.5X everywhere. Good companion card to Ink Business Preferred, Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred. Card Type: Visa Signature Business Earning rate: 1.5X on all purchases ⚬ 5X Lyft through through March 2025 See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card See: How to sign up for Chase Ink cards Alternate offer: Some people have received an offer for 90K after $6K when completing an online quiz. See here for more. Recent better offer: 90K after $6K in 3 months 90K after $6K in 3 months [Expired 3-20-23] FM Mini Review: This one should be in everyone's wallet. Incredible signup bonus for a no-fee card. Great card for 5X categories. Excellent companion card to Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, or Ink Business Preferred. Card Type: Visa Signature Business Earning rate: 5X office supplies ⚬ 5X cellular/landline/cable (on up to $25,000 in total purchases in 5x categories annually) ⚬ 2X on the first $25K in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each cardmember year ⚬ 5X Lyft through March 2025 See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
Chase World of Hyatt Business Credit Card FM Mini Review: Great for its initial bonus and for Hyatt enthusiasts to spend toward status and rebate on award stays. Card Type: Visa Signature Earning rate: ⚬ 2X in the top 3 spend categories each calendar quarter through 12/31/23 (then the top 2 categories after that). Eligible categories include dining; airline tickets purchased directly with the airline; car rental agencies; local transit and commuting; gas stations; internet, cable and phone services; social media and search engine advertising; and shipping ⚬ 4X Hyatt Big spend bonus: Get 5 elite qualifying night credits every time you spend $10,000 in purchases. ⚬ After $50K spend in a calendar year, get 10% back on redeemed points for the rest of that calendar year (Up to 20K points back per year). Noteworthy perks: Discoverist elite status ⚬ Ability to gift Discoverist to up to 5 employees (they do not need to be cardholders) ⚬ Up to $100 each cardmember year in Hyatt statement credits: Spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property and get a $50 statement credit up to two times per year. |
Chase IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Recent better offer: None. This is the best we've seen. Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 10X IHG ⚬ 5X travel, dining, and gas stations ⚬ 3X on all other purchases Big spend bonus: 10K bonus points + $100 statement credit after you spend $20K in a calendar year + make one additional purchase ⚬ Diamond status after $40K in purchases + one additional purchase in a calendar year Noteworthy perks: Annual free night e-certificate good at IHG properties up to 40K points per night ⚬ Ability to add an unlimited number of points to a free night certificate to book a higher-level hotel ⚬ Fourth night free on award stays ⚬ 20% discount on points purchases ⚬ Platinum elite status ⚬ Up to $50 in United TravelBank cash per year (must register your card with your United account) ⚬ $10 monthly GoPuff credit (through 12/31/23) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Recent better offer: Expired 3/14/22: 100K after $10K spend in 6 months + $200 credit for vacation rental spend in first year FM Mini Review: This card offers annual rebates that easily mitigate the fee for those who travel often. Authorized users are free and also get access to perks like Priority Pass, Capital One Lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, and more. The card earns 2 "miles" per dollar on most purchases just like the Capital One Venture Rewards card, which are worth exactly 1 cent each toward travel. This makes the return on most spend similar to a 2% cash back card (though in this case you must redeem your miles to offset travel in order to get 1 cent per mile). One huge advantage over cash back: Capital One allows transfering their "miles" to airline miles & hotel points. Card Type: Visa Infinite Earning rate: 10X on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel ⚬ 5x on flights booked via Capital One travel. ⚬ 2X everywhere else. Noteworthy perks: Up to $300 in statement credits annually for bookings made through Capital One Travel ⚬ 10,000 bonus miles each year starting at first anniversary ⚬ Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® ⚬ Priority Pass membership (Lounges only) with unlimited guests ⚬ Plaza Premium lounge access ⚬ Premier Collection Hotel bookings ($100 experience credit, daily breakfast for 2 and other premium benefits) ⚬ Cell phone insurance ⚬ Trip delay / cancellation insurance ⚬ Primary CDW coverage ⚬ Redeem miles for travel at value of 1 cent per mile ⚬ Convert "miles" to airline miles & hotel points ⚬ No foreign transaction fees (For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa(R) or Mastercard(R) and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply) |
Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard® Recent better offer: 50K + $100 statement credit after $2,500 spend Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: ⚬ 3X Amtrak ⚬ 2X qualifying travel, dining, transit, and rideshare ⚬ 1X elsewhere Big spend bonus: Earn 1,000 Tier Qualifying Points towards elite status for each $5K spent in a calendar year. Limit 4,000 TQPs per year. Ability to transfer up to 25,000 points to hotel partners after $20K calendar year spend. Noteworthy perks: ⚬ 5% Amtrak Guest Rewards point rebate on redemptions ⚬ Complimentary companion coupon ⚬ One-Class Upgrade and a single-day ClubAcela pass each year. ⚬ 20% rebate for onboard food & beverage purchases as a statement credit See also: Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card review |
UBS Visa Infinite Business Up to 100K points (call to apply) 50K after $10K spend in 3 months + 50K after paying 2nd year annual fee No Annual Fee First Year, Then $550 FM Mini Review: May be worth considering if you highly value the card's perks and if you can maximize rewards by purchasing flights costing as close to $900 as possible for 50,000 points (up to 1.8 cents per point value) Card Type: Visa Infinite Earning rate: 3x for air travel and hotel stays, 2x for eligible business expenses (office supplies, business cable/internet, shipping, business phone and advertising), 1X everywhere else Big spend bonus: Up to $500 credit towards airport club day pass or annual airport club membership after $50K calendar year spend. Noteworthy perks: Priority Pass Select ⚬ $350 annual airline fee credit for selected domestic airline ⚬ $100 towards Global Entry or TSA Pre√ ⚬ Primary rental car coverage for business rentals ⚬ Travel accident insurance, emergency medical evacuation coverage, delayed & lost luggage, trip delay, trip interuption, trip cancellation ⚬ Price protection, event ticket protection, return protection, extended warranty, purchase protection ⚬ No foreign transaction fees |
United℠ Business Card 75K Miles 75K miles after $5K spend in first 3 months. $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 Recent better offer: None, this is the best we've seen FM Mini Review: Decent perks such as enhanced access to United saver level economy awards makes this a keeper for some. Card Type: Visa Signature Earning rate: 2X at restaurants including eligible delivery services , gas stations, and office supply stores ⚬ 2X United ⚬ 2X on local transit and commuting, including taxicabs, mass transit, tolls, and ride share services Big spend bonus: $100 annual United travel credit after 7 United flight purchases greater than $100 Noteworthy perks: ⚬ Improved economy saver award availability ⚬ Unlocks complimentary elite upgrades on award tickets ⚬ Free first checked bag ⚬ Priority boarding ⚬ No foreign exchange fees ⚬ 2 United Club passes per year at anniversary ⚬ Free DashPass for one year (must activate by 12/31/24) ⚬ Primary auto rental collision damage waiver ⚬ 5,000 bonus miles at anniversary when you have this card and also a personal Chase United credit card. ⚬ 25% back as a statement credit on United in-flight and Club Premium drink purchases |
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Card Type: Visa Signature Earning rate: 4X Southwest ⚬ 3X Rapid Rewards(R) hotel and car partners ⚬ 2X rideshare ⚬ 2X social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services ⚬ 1X on all other purchases. Big spend bonus: If you earn 135,000 points in one calendar year, you'll get a companion pass good for the rest of that calendar year and all of the next year ⚬ Earn 1,500 TQPs for each $10K in purchases Noteworthy perks: 9000 bonus points each year upon card renewal ⚬ 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available ⚬ Global Entry or TSA Pre✔ Fee Credit ⚬ Up to 365 Inflight WiFi Credits ⚬ $10 monthly GoPuff credit (through 12/31/23) |
Chase Freedom Flex 20K points + 5X grocery + 15 months 0% APR Earn 20,000 points (worth $200 cash back) after spending $500 in the first 3 months + 5x Ultimate Rewards points on grocery purchases for 1st year (on up to $12K in purchases). 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.24% - 27.99%. No Annual Fee Be sure to select the card you want after clicking through. This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details). Even though this card is marketed as a cash back card, it actually earns Ultimate Rewards points which are redeemable for 1 cent each, or can be combined with other Ultimate Rewards-earning cards to get even more value. This product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months. Recent better offer: 20K points + 5x grocery stores for the first year on up to $12K in qualifying purchases FM Mini Review: Great for 5X and 3x categories and World Mastercard benefits. Excellent companion card to Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, or Ink Business Preferred. Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 5x travel booked through Chase ⚬ 5X Lyft through March 2025 ⚬ 3x dining ⚬ 3x drugstores ⚬ 5X in rotating categories on up to $1,500 spend per quarter. Noteworthy perks: Free DashPass for up to 3 months upon activation ⚬ Cell phone protection ⚬ Lyft credits ⚬ $10 quarterly Instacart credit ⚬ 3 months free Instacart+ ⚬ $10 monthly GoPuff credit (through 12/31/23) See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide |
JetBlue Business Card 70K Miles 60K bonus miles after spending $2K in first 90 days + additional 10K miles after one purchase is made on an employee card. $99 Annual Fee Recent better offer: Expired 2/4/21: 100K after $6K spend FM Mini Review: This card is almost identical to the JetBlue Plus card except that this one earns 2X at office supply stores rather than grocery stores. Both cards are great choices for JetBlue flyers. Card Type: Mastercard Earning rate: ⚬ 2X restaurants and office supply stores ⚬ 6X JetBlue ⚬ 1X everywhere else Big spend bonus: Earn Mosaic elite status with $50,000 calendar year spend. Mosaic status good for rest of calendar year and all of next year. Noteworthy perks: ⚬ Free checked bag ⚬ 5000 bonus points every anniversary ⚬ 10% point rebate on awards ⚬ $100 statement credit w/ purchase of travel package ⚬ 50% savings on in-flight purchases See also: Barclaycard JetBlue offers are live and worth a look |
AAdvantage® AviatorTM Business MasterCard® 70K Miles 60K bonus miles after spending $2K in first 90 days + additional 10K miles after one purchase is made on an employee card. $95 Annual Fee Recent better offer: Expired 2/6/23: 80K miles + a $95 statement credit after $2K spend in first 90 days. Card Type: Mastercard Earning rate: ⚬ 2X AA, office supply, telecommunications services, and at car rental agencies ⚬ 1X everywhere else Big spend bonus: $99 companion certificate with $30K account year spend Noteworthy perks: ⚬ First checked bag free ⚬ Preferred boarding ⚬ 5% bonus on miles earned the previous year after AF is paid ⚬ 25% statement credit on in-flight purchases |
CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard Recent better offer: 75K after $5K in the first 5 months (Expired 1/16/20) FM Mini Review: This card usually has a great signup bonus, but if you're looking for a card to keep long term, you'll find better options. Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: ⚬ 2X AA ⚬ 2X certain telecommunications merchants ⚬ 2X car rental merchants ⚬ 2X gas Big spend bonus: Earn $99 plus taxes domestic companion certificate after $30K spend Noteworthy perks: ⚬ First checked bag free ⚬ Priority Boarding ⚬ Save 25% on inflight purchases |
The Aeroplan® Card FM Mini Review: Great card for regular or frequent Air Canada flyers Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 3X Air Canada ⚬ 3X grocery stores ⚬ 3X dining ⚬ 500 bonus points with each $2K calendar month spend, up to $6K spend per month Big spend bonus: Renew 25K status w/ $15K spend ⚬ Status Boost w/ $50K spend ⚬ Priority Reward w/ $100K, $250K, $500K, or $750K spend ⚬ Free award companion for rest of calendar year and all of next with $1Million spend Noteworthy perks: Discounted award pricing ⚬ Free checked bag ⚬ $100 credit for NEXUS, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every 4 years ⚬ Carbon offsets on Air Canada awards ⚬ Pay Yourself Back for travel at 1.25 cents per point, up to 50K points per year (coming soon) |
Chase IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 10X IHG ⚬ 5X travel, gas stations, restaurants and dining, social media and search engine advertising, office supply stores ⚬ 3X on all other purchases Big spend bonus: 10K bonus points + $100 statement credit after you spend $20K in a cardmember year + make one additional purchase. ⚬ Diamond status after $40K in purchases + one additional purchase in a calendar year ⚬ Free night certificate (up to 40K points) after $60K in purchases + one additional purchase in a calendar year Noteworthy perks: Annual free night e-certificate good at IHG properties up to 40K points per night ⚬ Ability to add an unlimited number of points to a free night certificate to book a higher-level hotel ⚬ Fourth night free on award stays ⚬ 20% discount on points purchases ⚬ Platinum elite status ⚬ Up to $50 in United TravelBank cash per year (must register your card with your United account) ⚬ $10 monthly GoPuff credit (through 12/31/23) |
AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite MasterCard 50K miles + waived annual fee 50k miles after 1st purchase with annual fee waived for the first year (then $99) No Annual Fee First Year, Then $99 Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: ⚬ 2X AA ⚬ 1X everywhere else Big spend bonus: Earn $99 + tax domestic companion certificate with $20K membership year spend. Noteworthy perks: First checked bag free ⚬ Preferred boarding for the primary cardmember and up to 4 companions traveling on the same reservation ⚬ 25% off in-flight purchases ⚬ $25 wifi credit per membership year ⚬ Flight cents: round up purchases to earn more miles |
Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card 70K miles + Companion Fare 70K miles + Companion Fare ($99 fare + taxes) after $4K spend in 3 months $95 Annual Fee FM Mini Review: Alaska miles are quite valuable so this offer is better than it appears Card Type: Visa Earning rate: 3X Alaska Airlines ⚬ 2X gas, shipping and local transit including rideshare purchases ⚬ 1X elsewhere Big spend bonus: $121 companion pass every year after $6K spend Noteworthy perks: ⚬ Free first checked bag for you and up to six other passengers on your reservation ⚬ 10% bonus on earned miles with eligible BOA business account |
United Club Business Card FM Mini Review: While pricey, the Chase United MileagePlus® Club Business Card is a great choice for those who want a United club membership Card Type: Visa Signature Earning rate: ⚬ 2X United ⚬ 1.5X everywhere else Noteworthy perks: United Club membership ⚬ Unlocks complimentary elite upgrades on award tickets ⚬ Priority check-in, security screening, baggage handling, and boarding ⚬ Get one year of complimentary Dash Pass (Must activate by 12/31/24) ⚬ Free 1st and 2nd checked bags ⚬ Primary auto rental collision damage waiver ⚬ Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® President's Circle® |
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite MasterCard FM Mini Review: Excellent choice for a great signup bonus. Plus it offers the usual collection of perks for flying AA (free checked bag, priority boarding, etc.) Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 2X restaurants ⚬ 2X gas ⚬ 2X AA Big spend bonus: $125 AA Flight Discount with $20K membership year spend Noteworthy perks: ⚬ First checked bag free ⚬ Priority Boarding ⚬ Save 25% on inflight food and beverage purchases |
Capital One Spark Miles for Business 50K Miles Earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening No Annual Fee First Year, Then $95 Note: Most Capital One Business credit cards (including this one) DO count against Chase's 5/24 Rule Recent better offer: Earn up to 200K "miles": 50K after $5K spend in the first 3 months from account opening and an additional 150K after $50K spend in the first 6 months from account opening [Expired 1/27/20 and breifly available in 2021] FM Mini Review: This card is similar to the Spark Cash Plus card, but it has the advantage that "miles" earned with this card can be transferred to a large number of airline & hotel programs. Card Type: Mastercard Earning rate: 2X everywhere ⚬ Earn 5X miles on hotel and rental car Noteworthy perks: Redeem miles for travel at value of 1 cent per mile ⚬ Convert "miles" to airline miles & hotel points ⚬ No foreign transaction fees ⚬ Fee credit for either $85 TSA Pre✓® application fee or $100 Global Entry application fee |
Chase IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card Click here to view details about a similar card: IHG Rewards Club Premier Recent better offer: 120K after $2K spend (expired 7/4/22) FM Mini Review: A good no annual fee card for anyone who values the 4th night free benefit. Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: ⚬ 5X IHG ⚬ 3x dining, gas stations utilities, cable, Internet, phone, and select streaming services ⚬ 2X everywhere else Big spend bonus: 10K bonus points after $10K in purchases and one additional purchase each calendar year. 10X IHG ⚬ Gold status after $20K in purchases and one additional purchase each calendar year. Noteworthy perks: Fourth night free on award stays ⚬ 20% discount on points purchases ⚬ No FX fees |
Citi Premier Card FM Mini Review: Very strong earnings for spend. Excellent bonus categories. Points transferable to select airlines. Recommend pairing this card with Citi Double Cash and Citi Rewards+. Sadly, this travel card doesn't provide any travel protections. Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 3X grocery ⚬ 3X dining ⚬ 3X gas stations ⚬ 3X flights, hotels, travel agencies Noteworthy perks: Transfer points to airline partners ⚬ $100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit See also: Citi ThankYou Rewards Complete Guide |
Chase Ink Business Premier℠ FM Mini Review: This is an almost 1 to 1 copy of Capital One's Spark Cash Plus card, but the Chase card throws in 2.5% earnings on very large purchases. Unfortunately, the Chase card also has a slightly higher annual fee. The biggest disappointment about this card is that, unlike other Chase Ink cards, the rewards cannot be moved to other Chase cards to improve their value. Even though this card technically earns Ultimate Rewards points, it's best to think of it as a straight up cash back card. Card Type: Visa Signature Business Charge Card Base 2% Other 5% Earning rate: 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more ⚬ 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards ⚬ 2% cash back on all other spend Noteworthy perks: Purchase protections ⚬ Cell phone protection (up to $1K per claim) ⚬ Travel protections |
Chase Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card Card Type: Visa Earning rate: 3X Southwest ⚬ 2X Rapid Rewards(R) hotel and car partners ⚬ 2X rideshare ⚬ 1X on all other purchases. Big spend bonus: If you earn 135,000 points in one calendar year, you'll get a companion pass good for the rest of that calendar year and all of the next year ⚬ Earn 1,500 TQPs for each $10K in purchases Noteworthy perks: 6000 bonus points each year upon card renewal. 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins each year. 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year. |
Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard Recent better offer: Expired 2/4/21: 100K after $6K spend FM Mini Review: Frequent JetBlue travelers should seriously consider this card for its terrific perks. The combination of the 10% rebate on awards and the annual 5,000 point bonus make this card a keeper. Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 2X restaurants and grocery ⚬ 6X JetBlue ⚬ 1X everywhere else Big spend bonus: Earn Mosaic elite status with $50,000 calendar year spend. Mosaic status good for rest of calendar year and all of next year. Noteworthy perks: ⚬ Free checked bag ⚬ 5000 bonus points every anniversary ⚬ 10% point rebate on awards ⚬ $100 statement credit w/ purchase of travel package ⚬ 50% savings on in-flight purchases See also: Barclaycard JetBlue offers are live and worth a look |
U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card FM Mini Review: Since the points are worth 1c each, this card isn't terribly rewarding for ongoing spend. Note that points can not be combined with the Altitude Reserve. Card Type: Visa Signature Business Base 1% Other 2% Earning rate: 2x on top two categories where you spend the most each month. Noteworthy perks: Earn 2x in the two categories in which you spend the most each month. Full list of categories can be found here. |
U.S. BANK BUSINESS ALTITUDE® CONNECT VISA SIGNATURE® CARD FM Mini Review: This card offers decent return on gas station and travel spend and it does feature no foreign transaction fees. However, the return on most other spend is relatively weak. Card Type: Visa Earning rate: 5x hotels and car rentals when booked through US Bank Portal ⚬ 4X travel, gas stations and EV charging ⚬ 2x take out, food delivery (including apps like GrubHub, UberEATS, etc), dining and streaming services Noteworthy perks: $25 statement credit after every three consecutive monthly taxi or rideshare transactions paid for with your card. |
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card 40K miles Earn 40,000 bonus miles once you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: Decent welcome bonus for a fee-free card, but other cards offer better rewards for ongoing spend. Card Type: Mastercard Earning rate: 1.25X everywhere ⚬ 5X on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel Noteworthy perks: Redeem miles for travel at value of 1 cent per mile ⚬ Convert "miles" to airline miles & hotel points ⚬ No foreign transaction fees (For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa(R) or Mastercard(R) and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply) |
Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard 50K miles + 60XP points 50K miles after $2K in the first 90 days + 60XP points upon approval $89 Annual Fee Alternate offer: Going through the steps to make a dummy booking at the Air France website may result in an offer that also includes a $100 statement credit. Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 3X on Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam purchases ⚬ 1.5X everywhere else Big spend bonus: 5K after anniversary when you spend $50 or more the previous year ⚬ 40XP points towards status after anniversary when you spend $15K or more the previous year Noteworthy perks: 20 Experience Points every year; Miles don't expire as long as you make a purchase once every 2 years. |
Frontier Airlines World MasterCard® 50K miles + $100 flight voucher 50K miles and a $100 flight voucher after $500 spend in 90 days No Annual Fee First Year, Then $79 Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 5X at FlyFrontier.com ⚬ 3X restaurants Big spend bonus: $100 discount voucher after $2,500 in annual spend. ⚬ Elite 20K status (free bag & seat selection) w/ $20K calendar year spend ⚬ Elite 50K (adds family seating & free seat selection for up to 8 companions) with $50K calendar year spend ⚬ Elite 100K status (adds "theWORKS" bundle for primary cardmember & up to 8 traveling companions) with $100K calendar year spend Noteworthy perks: ⚬ Keep miles from expiring with one purchase every six months. ⚬ No award redemption fee when taxes/fees are paid for with the card. |
Lufthansa Miles & More® Premier World MasterCard® issued by Barclays Recent better offer: Expired 3/6/23: 80K after $3K in spend Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 2X Miles & More Noteworthy perks: Cardmembers receive a companion ticket and two complimentary Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers after first purchase and each year after paying the annual fee |
Amtrak Guest Rewards Platinum Mastercard Card Type: Mastercard Platinum Earning rate: ⚬ 2X Amtrak ⚬ 2X dining ⚬ 1X elsewhere Noteworthy perks: ⚬ 5% Amtrak Guest Rewards point rebate on redemptions. ⚬ 10% rebate for onboard food & beverage purchases as a statement credit See also: Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card review |
Emirates Skywards Rewards World Elite Mastercard Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 3X Emirates ⚬ 2X airfare, hotel, and car rentals ⚬ 1X everywhere else Big spend bonus: Maintain Emirates Skywards Silver status with $20K spend per membership year (Silver status offers cardmember lounge access to Emirates Business Class lounges in Dubai only) Noteworthy perks: 25% discount when buying miles ⚬ No foreign transaction fees |
Sonesta World Mastercard 65K points 60K points after $1K spend in 90 days plus 5K points for adding an authorized user No Annual Fee First Year, Then $75 FM Mini Review: Best for those who stay often at Sonesta hotels Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 2X airfare, car rental and dining ⚬ 3X Sonesta Big spend bonus: 30K bonus points with $7.5K cardmember year spend Noteworthy perks: Instant upgrade to Sonesta Travel Pass Elite (free club access or continental breakfast plus other perks) |
Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card Card Type: Mastercard Base 1.5X (1.5%) Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere; Earn up to 2.625% back everywhere with Bank of America Platinum Honors status. Note that you'll need Preferred Rewards on the business side ("Preferred Rewards for Business") to earn a greater return. Noteworthy perks: Up to 75% bonus for Preferred Rewards for Business banking customers |
Capital One Spark Cash Select – $500 Cash Bonus $500 Cash Back Earn a $500 bonus when you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months of account opening No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: This is a good option for business owners looking for simple cash back rewards with no annual fee. If you spend $30,000 or more per year, though, you would be better off with the 2% Spark Cash Plus card. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1.5% Travel 5% Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere ⚬ 5% on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel Noteworthy perks: No foreign transaction fees |
U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite™ Mastercard® $500 Cash Back $500 cash back after $4500 spend on the account owner's card in first 150 days No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: Nice welcome bonus. Useful for its 3% categories, but you can do much better for spend outside of those categories. Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Base 1% Dine 3% Gas 3% Phone 3% Office 3% Earning rate: 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas stations and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants ⚬ 1% back everywhere else ⚬ Note: purchases of gaoline greater than $200 will not be deemed to be a purchase of automotive gasoline and will therefore earn only 1%. Noteworthy perks: Earn an annual $100 statement credit for recurring software subscription expenses such as FreshBooks or quickbooks. |
Bank of America Business Advantage Cash Rewards Mastercard Recent better offer: $750 after $5K spend in 90 days [Expired 9/1/21] Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Travel 3% Dine 2% Gas 3% Phone 3% Office 3% Biz 3% Earning rate: 2% on dining plus 3% on 1 choice from: gas stations (default), office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom & wireless, computer services or business consulting services (for the first $50,000 in combined choice/dining purchases each calendar year, 1% thereafter) and 1% everywhere else. Noteworthy perks: When you're a Business Advantage Relationship Rewards client, you can get up to 75% rewards bonus on every purchase you make. This means that you can earn up to 5.25% with this card! Your rewards bonus is based on your enrolled tier – Gold 25%; Platinum 50%; or Platinum Honors 75%. |
The Hawaiian Airlines® Business MasterCard® issued by Barclays Up to 90K miles 50K Miles after $2K spend in 90 days plus 40K miles after $8K spend in 12 months $99 Annual Fee Recent better offer: Expired 9/11/22: 80K + $99 statement credit after $2K spend in first 90 days Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 3X Hawaiian Airlines ⚬ 2x gas, dining, and office supply stores ⚬ 1x everywhere else Big spend bonus: Earn up to 40,000 annual bonus miles — 20k miles with $50-$99k annual spend or 40k miles with $100k or more annual spend; Noteworthy perks: One-time 50% off a companion discount on roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines |
Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard 35K miles 35K after $1K spend in first 90 days plus 5K after adding 2 authorized users $90 Annual Fee Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 3X Virgin Atlantic ⚬ 1.5X everywhere else Big spend bonus: Companion award ticket with $25K annual spend ⚬ 7,500 bonus points with $15K cardmember year spend + an additional 7,500 points with $25K cardmember year spend ⚬ 25 tier points towards elite status per $2,500 spend (max 50 tier points per month). See also: Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard Deep Dive: Maximize Earnings and Status |
Capital One Spark Cash Plus Up to $1,000 Earn up to a $1,000 cash bonus; $500 once you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months, and $500 once you spend $50,000 in the first 6 months of account opening $150 Annual Fee Note: This card is not expected to count against Chase's 5/24 Rule Recent better offer: Expired 3/14/22: $3K after $50K spend in 6 months FM Mini Review: This may be a good option for business owners who prefer simple cash back rewards. Card Type: Mastercard Base 2% Travel 5% Earning rate: 2% everywhere ⚬ 5% on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel Big spend bonus: Earn an annual $200 cash bonus every year you spend $200,000 or more Noteworthy perks: No foreign transaction fees ⚬ No preset spending limit |
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite MasterCard® issued by Barclays Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 3X Hawaiian Airlines ⚬ 2x gas, dining, and grocery stores ⚬ 1x everywhere else Noteworthy perks: Two free checked bags when flight is booked through Hawaiian Airlines ⚬ One time 50% off companion ticket ⚬ $100 off a companion ticket for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines at each account anniversary |
UBS Visa Signature Business Up to 50K points (call to apply) 25K after $5K spend in 3 months + 25K after $50K spend in 12 months No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: May be worth getting for signup bonus. Otherwise this card is useless. Card Type: Visa Signature Noteworthy perks: Primary rental car coverage for business rentals ⚬ Travel accident insurance ⚬ Delayed and lost luggage coverage ⚬ Extended warranty ⚬ Return protection |
HSBC Premier World Mastercard® credit card FM Mini Review: This card may be worth it for the welcome bonus and possibly for the annual rideshare benefit if you have an HSBC Premier checking account and can thus keep the card annual fee-free. Note that the points value is based on HSBC's stated value when redeemed for airfare via the HSBC portal. Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 2x travel (includes airlines, hotels, and car rentals) Noteworthy perks: $50 Uber or Lyft credit annually (20% back up to $50) ⚬ TSA PreCheck credit once every 5 years ⚬ Complimentary Boingo Wi-Fi |
Best Western Rewards Premium MasterCard issued by First Bankcard Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 10X at Best Western properties ⚬ 2X elsewhere Big spend bonus: 40K bonus points when you spend at least $5,000 during each 12 billing cycle period Noteworthy perks: ⚬ 10% off Flexible Rate Stays ⚬ Platinum Elite Status (get a free welcome snack) |
Citi Rewards+ Card FM Mini Review: 10% points rebate (up to 10K rebate per year) make this a great choice to pool with ThankYou Premier, Prestige, and/or Double Cash Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 2X at supermarkets and gas stations on up to $6,000 per year ⚬ Round up to nearest 10 TY points on all purchases Noteworthy perks: Round up to the nearest 10 points on all purchases with no cap. ⚬ get 10% of your points back on the first 100K redeemed each year See also: Citi ThankYou Rewards Complete Guide |
Citi Custom Cash Card Recent better offer: Expired 9/13/22 - 20,000 points after $750 spend in first 3 months FM Mini Review: This is a great card to have and hold for a single category where you spend no more than $500 per month as it represents an excellent return without rotating categories to track. Card Type: Mastercard Earning rate: 5x on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1x thereafter. Eligible categories: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment. ⚬ 1x on all other purchases See also: Citi ThankYou Rewards Complete Guide |
Capital One Spark Miles Select Business Credit Card FM Mini Review: This card is similar to the Spark Cash Select for Business, but rewards are intended to be used to offset travel purchases. This is a good option for business owners who prefer simple rewards with no annual fee, and who value free travel over cash back. If you spend more than $19K per year, though, go for the 2X Spark Miles card. Card Type: Mastercard Earning rate: 1.5X everywhere ⚬ Earn 5X miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel Noteworthy perks: Redeem miles for travel at value of 1 cent per mile ⚬ Convert "miles" to airline miles & hotel points ⚬ No foreign transaction fees |
Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card Recent better offer: Expired 10/14/21: 90K after $2K spend FM Mini Review: Excellent earning rate at gas stations and Wyndham hotels. Diamond status plus 15K annual bonus makes this card a keeper. Card Type: Visa Signature Earning rate: 8X Wyndham & gas ⚬ 5X marketing, advertising, and utilities (telecommunications, cable, satellite, electric, gas, heating oil and water) ⚬ 1X everywhere else Noteworthy perks: 15,000 points each anniversary year ⚬ Diamond status ⚬ 10% discount on free night awards ⚬ Cardmember discount on paid stays ⚬ No foreign transaction fees See also: Wyndham Earner credit cards review: Surprisingly strong |
Wells Fargo Business Platinum Visa® card FM Mini Review: You must have a Wells Fargo checking or savings account that has been open for at least 12 months in order to apply online Card Type: Visa Base 1.5% Earning rate: 1.5% cash back everywhere if you choose the cash back program (note that you must opt in to the cash back program at account opening to get the signup bonus and 1.5% everywhere. If you choose points, this card earns 1x everywhere and a bonus 1,000 points in any statement period that you spend $1,000 or more. |
BOA Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 1.5X everywhere; 3X for travel booked through BOA's travel center Noteworthy perks: When you're a Business Advantage Relationship Rewards client, you can get up to 75% rewards bonus on every purchase you make. Your rewards bonus is based on your enrolled tier – Gold 25%; Platinum 50%; or Platinum Honors 75% |
Korean Air SKYPASS Business Visa issued by US Bank Recent better offer: 45K after $3K spend targeted (last reported 3/1/2016) Card Type: Visa Earning rate: 2X miles on Korean Air, Gas Stations, Hotels Noteworthy perks: ⚬ 2 Korean Air VIP Lounge coupons each year ⚬ 2,000 bonus points upon renewal ⚬ No foreign transcation fees |
Capital One Savor $300 Cash Back Earn a one time bonus: $300 after $3K spend in 3 months from account opening No Annual Fee First Year, Then $95 FM Mini Review: Excellent cash back card for dining and entertainment spend. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Travel 5% Dine 4% Grocery 3% Other 4% Earning rate: 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services ⚬ 3% at grocery stores ⚬ 1% everywhere else ⚬ 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases ⚬ 5% on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel Noteworthy perks: No foreign transaction fees |
Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® FM Mini Review: Points are worth $0.01 each toward onboard credit or cruise purchase with Norwegian. Note that points expire 5 years after they are earned regardless of activity. This card offers very poor value for ongoing spend after meeting the welcome bonus requirements. Interestingly, it appears to be eligible for Bank of America Preferred Rewards, which would increase the bonus categories by as much as 75% for those with Bank of America's top-tier Platinum Honors. Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 3x Norwegian cruise line purchases ⚬ 2x air and hotel |
Miami Marlins Credit Card FM Mini Review: Points are worth $0.01 each toward a statement credit or 1.25c toward gift cards for Marlins gear, so this card could be a good deal for a Marlins fan. That is particularly true if you value some of the unique experiences offered by Home Run Rewards. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Dine 3% Brand 5% Other 3% Earning rate: 5x on Marlins tickets ⚬ 5% back on retail & concessions at IoanDepot Park ⚬ 3x on dining, food delivery, gas and drugstores ⚬ 1x on everything else Noteworthy perks: Transfer 10 points to 1 Home Run Reward point (Miami Marlins loyalty program, which offers some unique redemptions) |
Emirates Skywards Premium World Elite Mastercard Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 3X Emirates ⚬ 2X airfare, hotel, and car rentals ⚬ 1X everywhere else Big spend bonus: 10K bonus miles with $30K spend per membership year ⚬ Maintain Emirates Skywards Gold status with $40K spend per membership year (Gold status offers cardmember and guest lounge access to Emirates Business Class lounges worldwide) Noteworthy perks: Priority Pass Select ⚬ Global Entry Fee Credit ⚬ 25% discount when buying miles ⚬ No foreign transaction fees |
Citi AAdvantage® Executive World Elite MasterCard® FM Mini Review: Excellent choice for those who need Admirals Club access (included for both the primary member and authorized users). Plus, it offers the usual collection of perks for flying AA (free checked bag, priority boarding, etc.). Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 2X AA Noteworthy perks: ⚬ First Checked Bag Free ⚬ Admirals Club® access for both primary and authorized users ⚬ 25% savings on eligible in-flight purchases on American Airlines and US Airways flights ⚬ Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit |
BOA Platinum Business Visa FM Mini Review: No rewards on everyday purchases, but a nice sign-up bonus for a no annual fee card. Card Type: Visa Platinum |
Citi Shop Your Way Mastercard $225 Cash Back $75 statement credit for every $500 spent within the first 90 days, up to $225 No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: Shop Your Way points are worth .85 cents each and can only be used towards specific gift cards and merchandise. But where this card shines is with its regular offers that start to appear after putting spend on the card, often giving 10-15x cash back or Thank You Points on various categories of purchases. It's a keeper because of it. Card Type: Mastercard ` Earning rate: 5X gas ⚬ 3X grocery and dining ⚬ 2X Sears and KMart Noteworthy perks: Known for extremely generous targeted spending offers for statement credits and Thank You Points |
Capital One Quicksilver FM Mini Review: While you can do better with a no-fee 2% cash back card, the Quicksilver card often offers excellent discounts with popular services such as Uber or Spotify. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1.5% Travel 5% Other 5% Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere ⚬ 5% on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel Noteworthy perks: No foreign transaction fees ⚬ Up to 6 months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024 (For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa(R) or Mastercard(R) and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply) |
Upromise World MasterCard® issued by Barclays Recent better offer: Expired 10/31/22: $150 after $500 in spend FM Mini Review: This card could be decent for an easy cash back bonus, but there are much more rewarding options for ongoing everyday spend. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1.25% Earning rate: Earn 1.529% back on your purchases when your Upromise Program account is linked to an eligible College Savings Plan or 1.25% if it is not. Noteworthy perks: When your Upromise Program account is directly linked to an eligible 529 College Savings plan, you'll receive a 1.529% cash back (otherwise, you get 1.25% back) |
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Travel 5% Dine 3% Grocery 3% Other 3% Earning rate: 3% on dining, entertainment, select streaming services, and purchases at grocery stores ⚬ 1% everywhere else ⚬ 10% cash back on Uber & Uber Eats through 11/14/24 ⚬ 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases ⚬ 5% on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel Noteworthy perks: Complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024 ⚬ No foreign transaction fees |
Evergreen® by FNBO Business Edition® Credit Card $200 Cash Back $200 in rewards (20K points) after $1K in purchases in first 3 billing cycles. No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: Decent low-spend welcome bonus on a card that could be a keeper given uncapped 2% rewards on a business card. Annual big spend bonus sweetens the deal. Card Type: Visa Base 2% Earning rate: 2% everywhere Big spend bonus: Earn 10,000 Bonus Points every Anniversary with $10,000 annual spend |
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card FM Mini Review: Not bad for grocery spend if you highly value AA miles Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 2X grocery ⚬ 2X AA ⚬ 1X everywhere else Noteworthy perks: Save 25% on inflight food and beverage purchases |
Citizens Bank Cash Back Plus® World Mastercard® FM Mini Review: This card isn't ordinarily worth a look with only 1.8% cash back. Card Type: Mastercard World Base 1.8% Dine 1.8% Gas 1.8% Other 1.8% Earning rate: 1.8% back everywhere Noteworthy perks: 1.8% cash back on all purchases |
AT&T Access Card FM Mini Review: This card may be worth it for a welcome bonus, but it would be worth considering a product change to the Double Cash down the road..Unforunately, it seems it is no longer possible to product change to the AT&T Access More card. Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: ⚬ 2 points per $1 on products and services that are purchased directly from AT&T ⚬ 2 points per $1 on all purchases at online retail and travel sites ⚬ 1 point per $1 on all other purchases See also: Citi ThankYou Rewards Complete Guide |
TD Business Solutions Visa Card Type: Visa Base 1% Dine 2% Gas 2% Phone 3% Earning rate: 3% phone, internet and cable services ⚬ 2% dining and gas stations |
Discover it® for Students $50 + First Year Double + $20/year Get $50 after first purchase. All cashback earned in first 12 months will be doubled including 5% earned in rotating categories. Plus, get $20 cash back each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next 5 years. No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: In my opinion this is the single best "starter card" for students. It offers great rewards and no annual fee. Card Type: Discover Earning rate: 5X in rotating categories, up to $1500 spend per quarter. Noteworthy perks: Discover Cash Back is worth more than face value when redeemed for partner gift cards |
JetBlue Card FM Mini Review: Not bad for a fee-free airline card. Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: ⚬ 2X restaurants and grocery ⚬ 3X JetBlue ⚬ 1X everywhere else⚬ Noteworthy perks: 50% savings on eligible inflight purchases including cocktails, food and movies. See also: Barclaycard JetBlue offers are live and worth a look |
Discover it Miles - Double Miles your first year $100 + First Year Double Get $100 after first purchase. All "miles" earned in first 12 months will be doubled. This makes this a 3% cash back card for the first year. No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: Great card to get for its first year 3% cash back. Card Type: Discover Base 1.5% Earning rate: 1.5 miles per dollar for all spend. Noteworthy perks: ⚬ No foreign transaction fees ⚬ Redeem miles for travel or for cash back (1 cent per mile either way) See also: Discover introduces a new card and a potentially VERY lucrative 1st year offer |
The Comenity® Mastercard® Credit Card FM Mini Review: Possibly worthwhile for a low-spender looking for an easily-attainable welcome bonus. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1.5% Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere |
Brex Cash 10K Points Get 10,000 points when you spend $3,000 on your Brex card within the first 3 months No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: If you have a qualifying business, it's a no-brainer to sign up for this fee-free account. Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 8x Rideshare ⚬ 5x Brex Travel ⚬ 4x Restaurants ⚬ 3x on recurring software like Salesforce, Zendesk, Twilio, and more ⚬ 1x everywhere else Noteworthy perks: Transfer points 1 to 1 to airline programs: Aeromexico, Air France Flying Blue, Avianca Lifemiles, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Emirates Skywards, JetBlue, Qantas, Singapore KrisFlyer ⚬ $5K AWS credits ⚬ Up to $100K AWS Activate credits ⚬ Up to 50% off UPS shipments ⚬ 25% off Slack for 12 months ⚬ 20% Annual Zoom Subscription discount ⚬ 50% Dropbox discount ⚬ Up to $150 Google Ads credit ⚬ 40% off first 12 months QuickBooks ⚬ And many more discounts |
AARP® Travel Rewards Mastercard® Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Travel 3% Dine 2% Earning rate: 3% airfare, hotel stays, and car rentals ⚬ 2% restaurants ⚬ 1% everywhere else |
AARP® Essential Rewards Mastercard® Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Gas 3% Other 3% Earning rate: 3% drugstores and gas stations ⚬ 2% medical expenses ⚬ 1% everywhere else |
AT&T Points Plus Card FM Mini Review: This has a good gas station bonus for a no annual fee card, but there's not much else to make it a compelling card Card Type: Mastercard Earning rate: ⚬ 3 points per $1 at gas stations ⚬ 2 points per $1 oat grocery stores ⚬ 1 point per $1 on all other purchases Noteworthy perks: $20 statement credit every billing cycle you spend $1,000+ (for AT&T Wireless customers omly) See also: Citi ThankYou Rewards Complete Guide |
Citi® Expedia Rewards Credit Card Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 3X Expedia purchases Big spend bonus: One elite night towards Gold status for each $2.5K in spend each year Noteworthy perks: Free Expedia+ Silver status |
Allegiant World Mastercard® Credit Card Alternate offer: You may be targeted for an offer including a $100 statement credit during a dummy booking. FM Mini Review: Points are worth $0.01 each toward airfare and do not expire unless you cancel the card. If you cancel the card, you forfeit all points. Between that policy and the annual fee, this card probably isn't worth it in most scenarios. Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 3x Allegiant ⚬ 2x dining Noteworthy perks: Priority Boarding and one free beverage every time you fly Allegiant and show your card. ⚬ BOGO airfare when you use your card to buy a vacation package with at least a 4-night hotel stay or 7-day car rental on a single itinerary |
Discover it® $50 + First Year Double Get $50 after first purchase. All cashback earned in first 12 months will be doubled including 5% earned in rotating categories. No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: This is a great choice for its rotating 5% categories Card Type: Discover Earning rate: 5X in rotating categories, up to $1500 spend per quarter. Noteworthy perks: Discover Cash Back is worth more than face value when redeemed for partner gift cards |
Cleveland Cavaliers Credit Card Recent better offer: 100K points were briefly available at launch FM Mini Review: Points are worth $0.01 each, so the welcome bonus and ongoing rewards in bonus categories are respectable for a card with no annual fee. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Dine 3% Grocery 3% Brand 5% Earning rate: 5x Cavs season tickets and streaming services ⚬ 3x other Cavs tickets, dining, grocery, and delivery ⚬ 1x everywhere else Noteworthy perks: 10% off at the Cavs store ⚬ $5 towards Peacock Premium after $500 monthly spend |
Manchester United Credit Card Recent better offer: 50K points were briefly available at launch FM Mini Review: Points are worth $0.01 each, so the welcome bonus and ongoing rewards in bonus categories are respectable for a card with no annual fee. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Dine 5% Other 5% Earning rate: 5x rideshare and streaming services ⚬ 5x bars and restaurants on match days ⚬ 1x everywhere else Noteworthy perks: 10% off at the Manchester United Megastore, Red Cafe, and United Direct ⚬ $5 towards Peacock Premium after $500 monthly spend |
Liverpool FC Credit Card FM Mini Review: Points are worth $0.01 each, so the welcome bonus and ongoing rewards in bonus categories are respectable for a card with no annual fee. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Dine 3% Brand 5% Other 5% Earning rate: 5x points on Liverpool FC merchandise at the Official Liverpool FC Store and on Liverpool FC ticket purchases, select rideshare and streaming services ⚬ 3x at bars, restaurants, and select delivery services ⚬ 1x everywhere else Noteworthy perks: Annual LFC International Membership for as long as card account is active (benefits include a 10% retail discount in LFC official stores and online with a maximum discount value of £75 per season year, digital matchday programmes for every Premier League home match, and access to a dedicated online Members' Area as well as discounts on Anfield Stadium Tours and food from the Boot Room Sports Café as well as an LFC pen, pin badge, and keyring upon LFC International Membership initiatio). ⚬ LFCTV GO complimentary for the first year; and then with LFC International Membership, cardholders receive 50% off LFCTV GO each following year. |
New Orleans Pelicans Credit Card FM Mini Review: Points are worth $0.01 each toward a statement credit or 1.25c toward Fanatics gift cards, so this card could be a good deal for its bonus categories. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Dine 4% Gas 4% Brand 4% Other 4% Earning rate: 4x gas ⚬ 4x bars, restaurants, and select food delivery services ⚬ 4x on Pelicans tickets ⚬ 10% statement credit for concessions purchases at Smoothie King Center and at the in-venue and online Pelicans team store |
Citi® Expedia®+ Voyager Card Card Type: Mastercard World Earning rate: 4X Expedia purchases ⚬ 2x restaurants & entertainment Big spend bonus: 5K anniversary bonus with $10K annual spend Noteworthy perks: ⚬ $100 annual air travel fee credit ⚬ Expedia+ Gold status |
HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard® credit card FM Mini Review: Points are worth 1.5c each when redeemed for airfare through the HSBC portal. Could be worthwhile for a welcome bonus, but not rewarding enough to justify keeping beyond the first year. Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: 3x travel (includes airlines, hotels, and car rentals) ⚬ 2x dining Noteworthy perks: $100 Uber or Lyft credit annually (up to $20 per ride, up to $100 per year) ⚬ $100 annual air travel credit (reimburses tickets, seat upgrades, baggage fees, or in-flight purchases) ⚬ LoungeKey membership and 2 free lounge visits per year ⚬ Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit ⚬ Complimentary Boingo Wi-Fi |
Citi Double Cash Card Recent better offer: 20K points after $1.5K in the first 3 months FM Mini Review: 2X rewards for all spend with no annual fee makes this card a winner. Earn 2X everywhere and redeem for the equivalent of 2% cash back or 2X ThankYou points. Pair with the Premier or Prestige card to make points transferrable to airlines. Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Base 2X (2.9%) Earning rate: 2% cash back everywhere (1% cash back for each purchase + 1% when paying your credit card bill for that purchase) Noteworthy perks: 1X when you make a purchase + 1X when you pay for those purchases See also: Citi ThankYou Rewards Complete Guide |
Huntington Voice FM Mini Review: With most of this card's category bonuses, you can do better with other cards. If you do find a useful category and max out the $2K spend each quarter, you'll come out only $80 ahead per year compared to using a 2% cash back card. Card Type: Mastercard Base 1% Travel 3% Dine 3% Gas 3% Grocery 3% Shop 3% Office 3% Biz 3% Other 3% Earning rate: 3% cash back on up to $2K in spend in the category you choose each quarter: gas stations, travel & entertainment, restaurants, discount & warehouse stores, grocery stores, utilities & office supply stores, electronics and computer and camera stores, department and apparel and sporting good stores, auto parts & service, and home improvement stores |
Santander® Ultimate Cash Back® credit card FM Mini Review: While the headline is 3% back for a year, the bonus itself is an extra 1.5% back on up to $20K in purchases for the first year. That's certainly not a bad return on otherwise unbonused spend, but many other cards on the market that offer even moderately good welcome bonuses offer greater net return with significantly less spend. Card Type: Mastercard World Base 1.5% Earning rate: 1.5% everywhere Noteworthy perks: No foreign transaction fees |
SoFi Credit Card 3% cash back + $50-$250 bonus $50-250 + 3% cash back on up to $12,000 for one year after being approved for a credit card and setting up a direct deposit within the first 25 days ($50 bonus for deposits under $5,000; $250 for direct deposits of $5000+) No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: This card could be a good option for someone looking for a 2% cash back Mastercard, though keep in mind that the Citi DoubleCash is a competitor that earns at the same rate while offering points which could become transferable to airline partners, whereas the SoFi credit card only earns cash back rewards. Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Base 2% Earning rate: 2X everywhere Noteworthy perks: 2% cash back on all purchases (3% for first year on up to $12k with direct deposit) ⚬ no foreign transaction fees ⚬ cell phone insurance |
Discover it Business - Double cash back your first year First Year Double All cash back earned in first 12 months will be doubled. This makes this a 3% cash back card for the first year. No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: Great card to get for its first year 3% cash back. Card Type: Discover Base 1.5X (1.5%) Earning rate: 1.5% cash back for all spend. Noteworthy perks: ⚬ No foreign transaction fees ⚬ Redeem cash back in any amount See also: New Discover Business card: effective 3% back first year |
Costco Anywhere Business Visa Card Type: Visa Signature Base 1% Travel 3% Dine 3% Gas 4% Brand 2% Earning rate: ⚬ 4% gas (up to $7K spend / year) ⚬ 3% restaurant & travel ⚬ 2% Costco ⚬ 1% everywhere else |
Bilt Mastercard None This card features no welcome bonus, but it offers the chance to earn 1x points when paying rent (on up to $50K per year in rent payments) with no annual fee. No Annual Fee FM Mini Review: If you pay rent and haven't been earning rewards, this card is a no-brainer as you can pay your rent and earn rewards with no fee. A surprisingly good set of transfer partners makes the rewards for using this for rent worth getting the card for that main purpose alone (as long as you remember to use the card 5 times per month). Card Type: Mastercard World Elite Earning rate: Must use your card for 5 purchases per month, then: 3x Dining ⚬ 3x Lyft ⚬ 2x Travel ⚬ 1x rent (up to 50,000 points per year) ⚬ 1x everywhere else Noteworthy perks: Transfer points 1 to 1 to airline and hotel programs (including American Airlines, United, Hyatt, Aeroplan, and more) ⚬ Redeem points for 1.25 cents each towards travel booked through Bilt's travel portal ⚬ Cell phone insurance ⚬ No fee to pay rent and earn rewards |
UBS Cash Rewards Visa Business FM Mini Review: The annual fee kills the value here Card Type: Visa Signature Base 2% Earning rate: Earn 2% cash back on your first $100,000 in eligible purchases each year then 1% Noteworthy perks: Purchase security ⚬ extended warranty ⚬ Return protection ⚬ Travel accident insurance ⚬ Delayed and lost luggage coverage ⚬ Primary collision and damage waiver coverage on rental cars for business |
Capital One Venture X Business Card FM Mini Review: Similar to the Venture X consumer card, the business version offers annual rebates that easily mitigate the fee for those who travel often and could be worth it for the lounge access and travel protections given the cost/benefit ratio. Unlike the Venture X, free authorized users do not get Priority Pass access. The card earns 2 "miles" per dollar on most purchases just like the Capital One Venture X Rewards card, which are worth exactly 1 cent each toward travel. This makes the return on most spend similar to a 2% cash back card (though in this case you must redeem your miles to offset travel in order to get 1 cent per mile). One big advantage over cash back: Capital One allows transfering their "miles" to airline miles & hotel points. Card Type: Visa Earning rate: 10X on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel ⚬ 5x on flights booked via Capital One travel. ⚬ 2X everywhere else. Noteworthy perks: Up to $300 in statement credits annually for bookings made through Capital One Travel ⚬ 10,000 bonus miles each year starting at first anniversary ⚬ Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® ⚬ Priority Pass membership (Lounges AND Restaurants) with unlimited guests ⚬ Plaza Premium lounge access ⚬ Cell phone insurance ⚬ Trip delay / cancellation insurance ⚬ Primary CDW coverage ⚬ Redeem miles for travel at value of 1 cent per mile ⚬ Convert "miles" to airline miles & hotel points ⚬ No foreign transaction fees |
![](http://cdn.nextinsure.com/imaging/opt/73e79a4a-2cdd-4bf0-abd8-fd194139ebae.png?w=300" alt="Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card" />){kind=small}
![](http://cdn.nextinsure.com/imaging/opt/534df778-fadf-4350-9e01-291110eaf2a9.png?w=300" alt="Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card" />){kind=small}
In addition to the Amex SPG Lux card (which I’m hoping will become available today), I’m thinking of signing up for the Citi Premier and the CitiBusiness AAdvantage card within the next few days. And, assuming my applications are approved, I’ll use Plastiq with those Citibank cards until I’ve met the minimum spend requirements. Then, I’ll move on to new cards…
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any alternatives for consumers (not businesses)? i’ve considered radpad, which can be used with discover cashback since they don’t charge to use debit. but, their system recognizes discover as credit. bummer.
[…] subsequently shared his suggestions for alternative cards to use with Plastiq. If you decided to ignore those suggestions and continued using the Ink Business Preferred, that […]
Greg is that 3x comes from Plastiq charges falling under “office supplies”? Curious because the alive Ink Chase card gives 5x on office supplies
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: It doesn’t code as 3x anymore. To my knowledge, nobody ever figured out why it coded as 3x. The charges didn’t appear to code as anything that would trigger a bonus category. The Ink Cash / Ink Plus cards did not earn 5x at Plastiq.
Greg, We used our free night when getting the Hyatt card for the all inclusive in Cancun. That was pretty wonderful. However, I had never considered using the Hyatt card on Plastiq since it earns only 1 point per dollar spent. That would seem like a big penalty. Would you explain using using the Hyatt card on Plastiq in more detail. If it makes sense, I could spend on Plastiq with it and throw in some MS with it.
It’s a trade off: If you use the Hyatt card in this way, the purpose would be to get to Globalist status. The only reason to do that is if you can get more value from Globalist status than from the rewards given up by not putting the spend on a more generous card. A simple example is to compare the Hyatt card earnings to the Freedom Unlimited or Ink Business Unlimited (both of which earn 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar). Since Ultimate Rewards are transferable to Hyatt, you can see that the Hyatt card earns only 2/3rds as many points as an easy alternative. The first $15K of Hyatt card spend is easier to justify since it also means getting a free cat 1-4 night. After that, it’s all about status. For example, if you would have to spend $50K more to get to Globalist status, then you can see that the Hyatt card would deliver 50K points vs. 75K points with Freedom Unlimited. In other words, it would cost you 25K points to get status. If you would make good use of that status, it’s easy to justify.
So with consumer chase visas, are you saying if my CL is 5k, I can only pay up to 1k through Plastiq?
Yes, you can pay at most $1K per payment. Nothing is stopping you from making multiple payments though
I have 34K I’m paying off for my wife’s school loans. I’ll be paying it off through plastiq. Is my best play just meeting minimum spends on a bunch of cards ?
Yes
The Masterpass promotion is still going on so I’m buying Mastercard GC from Staples (right now, $100 cards are no fee) or the $500 cards from Giftcards.com and prepaying my property tax in $250 installments.
That’s definitely the best way to go for now!
[…] With Plastiq 3X dead, what’s next? […]
Great reminder post. Completely forgot about the visa thing and was about to make a different cc plan based on plastiqfor min spend.
Good on you that you can get massive fee free Plastiq payments! I want some of your action! lol In your situation, I totally get and would go with WofH Chase Card. When you think of the points value (I easily get >2% value w either points and pay or straight points) and then free nights at 15k, explorist level and globalist level, if you can spend that much (and you can!) you will get 3 free nights, a nice amount of WofH points which are in themselves a great value and then globalist status. Holy no brainer, Batman!
For the rest of us, well me specifically, Amex BB works ffor rent and utilities as the point value far excess the 2.5%, but still is not great. A better angle for me, and maybe some on others here is one or more of Chase’s Avios Trio of cards (Aer Lingus, British Air, Iberia). For me in Chi-town the value of Iberia to Madrid direct for 68K biz and then earning a companion pass worth 1k for 30K spend, is a really good use of Plastiq spend. No other airline from the midwest, let alone my home town can I fly direct biz class for so few points and the 30K of spend takes me almost halfway there + the 1k companion pass. Even converting the Avios for Domestic flights along with the 1K compaion pass would still yield a nice profit on plastiq spend for those not in the same travel market as me, though this is YMMV 4 sho. Thoughts?
Yes, definitely use Amex Blue Business Plus wherever you can! (I will too, but I don’t have rent payments)
If you get good value from Avios, then I think it makes sense to use Plastiq to meet the spend requirements on those cards, but past that I’m not sure the value is there at 1X unless you’re sure you can get good value from the companion ticket. I’d think you’d be better off earning Avios indirectly through transferable points:
Amex BBP: 2X, then transfer to Avios
Ink Cash Unlimited: 1.5X, then transfer to Avios
So I can sign up for plastiq and pay my mortgage with my Chase Ink Business Unlimited card?
Not mortgage, no. If you want to pay mortgage you’ll have to use Mastercard or Discover. See my guide to Plastiq: https://frequentmiler.com/complete-guide-to-plastiq-credit-card-payments/
Then what MC?
@Brett. Look at the postings above for details. The Barclays Arrival Premier Mastercard and Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard are options.
Thanks
Where is Arrival Premier? You can get up to 2.14 mpd with it. No signup bonus though. Considering this or VS card for Plastiq.
It was an error that I left that card out. See my reply to Rob, above, for thoughts about that card.
Luckily I happened to pay my wife’s $5k tuition bill a few days before they killed 3x on the CIP. Every MS avenue only lasts so long as you always zen-fully remind us. Can you do another MS what works?-type post? I feel like it’s been a little while. Seems like there really aren’t that many MS options these days.
Yep, thanks for the reminder. It is past time to do a MS what works post
Wells Fargo Propel?
Propel is an Amex card
My question is similar to Tom’s–I presume I can use my chase reserve provided I am using less than 20% of my total credit limit; and I presume my Chase Ink Business plus will work as it is a business card. This is for tuition purposes.
Yes to both
Hi Greg (or anyone else), I’ve had a Chase Ink Plus card for years but only now am I questioning this-I assumed since it was a fee card that I was getting the 1.5 exchange rate for points since it was a fee chard. Did I need a Sapphire card all these years to get the best exchange rate?
The ink plus is 1:1 for unbounded spend. You may need a biz unltd to get 1.5. But don’t convert your plus. It’s discontinued and pulls double duty by allowing airline transfers with office supply and internet/cell bonus spending, Make them pry it from your cold, dead hands.
I’m not sure what you mean by exchange rate. The Ink Plus has the same transfer partners as the other premium Chase cards. If you mean the value when using points to pay for travel, then:
All $95/year Chase Ultimate Rewards cards offer 1.25 cents per point
The Sapphire Reserve offers 1.5 cents per point
I apologize if I’m asking an obvious question, but I was unaware of this recent change… so you’re saying that it is now possible to make ANY plastiq payments using a Chase personal VISA card as long as each individual payment is less than 20% of your total credit limit, INCLUDING mortgage/HELOC payments? Or are mortgage/HELOC payments still excluded? Thanks for the clarification.
No, unfortunately no mortgage payments with any kind of visa.
Steve is correct. No mortgage payments are allowed with Visa
“Payments using personal Visa cards from other issuers (other than Capital One) will code as a cash advance. That means you’d incur cash advance fees and wouldn’t earn any credit card rewards.”
Does that include Chase? You say above that Chase will be ok here as long as < 20% of CL, then in the point here you say all issuers other than Cap One will be cash advance.
Chase is fine when using less than 20% of credit limit.
Greg what do you think about the Barclays Premier Mastercard, at least for the first year? Btw, I got rejected for both this card and the Virgin card when I was looking for a plastiq replacement, so I had to convert to the ink biz unltd from the ink cash. Also the Jet Blue MC, for mosaic status after 50k spend could be a possibility if you fly jet blue a fair amount,
I was thinking the same thing, no strategy for the Barclays MC line up like the Premier or does the annual fee kill the value?
Very good point. I need to add that card to this list. I was thinking it was a Visa, but you’re right that it’s a Mastercard
I was looking at this card (Barclays Arrival Premier MC) to pay my mortgage. I thought this was a good choice as the Arrival Premier earns two miles per dollar on all spending, with a 15,000 mile bonus awarded at $15,000 and another 10,000 at $25,000 in a year. If I spend $25,000 (easily with mortgage), the miles earning/multiple is 3x (75,000 miles with $25,000 spend). But the math didn’t workout due to the card’s annual fee and Plastiq’s 2.5% fee; came out losing about $6.25 per $25K spend via Plastiq.
Here is my math (please correct if I made mistakes) for $25K spend.
Plastiq’s fee is $625 ($25,000 x 0.025)
Arrival Premier MC AF is $150
Total fee $775
Earn 76,875 miles ($25,625 payment via plastiq times 3x earning/multiple ); miles are worth $0.01 so $768.75 when redeemed for travel statement credit. I never used plastiq so I presume the credit card total is the base payment + plastiq’s fee thus the total miles earned the combination of both.
$768.75 – $775 = -$6.25
Maybe still worth it? Maybe consider the $150 AF waived the first year as a credit to spread across 24 years (150 / 6.25) as break-even?
Yeah, like the discover, it would be a first year card only, unless you could tease more than 3% out of the miles. Not familiar with the transfer partners so don’t know if that’s realistic.
If you’re only interested in cashing out at a penny per point, then you’re better off churning the Discover It Miles card since you wouldn’t have to hit exact spend thresholds to get 3%. If you’re interested in airline miles, then:
With most transfer partners you would earn 2.14 miles per dollar if you spend exactly $15K or $25K
First year (when there is no annual fee), using Plastiq at 2.5% is like buying miles for 1.17 cents. Not bad.
Future years, with the $150 annual fee included and $25K spend, it is like buying miles for 1.45 cents each.
Are you saying there is a positive return on using Barclays Arrival Premier MC through Plastiq (to pay mortgage) even with fees (Plastiq’s and card’s AF) if redeeming for airline miles? Quick search: as you indicated 2.14 miles per dollar for most airline partners except for JAL which is 1.76 per dollar. https://frequentmiler.com/2018/04/04/barcalys-arrival-premier-details-out-not-11-transfers-but-still-kinda-interesting/
Citi att card still earns 3x on plastiq. My mortgage payments earning me 3x points from long time.
That’s great news!
News to me. My rent payments, which earned 3x via Plastiq for years on AT&T Access More, stopped earning 3x in February of this year. I’ve still left it with the card to earn the 10k annual points since I don’t have the Ink Preferred.
I don’t have fee free dollars, so I wonder which, if any, of the other cards are the best options. I only make rent payments on Plastiq so maybe the Blue Business Plus, but I’m not sure that’s worth it.
is it a difference of mortgage vs. rent payment?
I am not sure. I am paying wellsfargo — recurring payment was set up long time back. It is still getting coded as Online Retail & Travel Purchases earning 3x while i am paying 1.5% fee on Plastiq.
What is Plastiq category for this?
Sure about that? I had the same setup. Locked in at 1.5% earning 3x and paying WF. That all stopped back in Feb/Mar along with everyone else.
How do you have it setup in Plastiq. What category and whom are you paying? I could not get my ATTMore card to give me 3x on my mortgage.
ATT no longer earns 3x on Plastiq. As the title indicates, 3x on Plastiq is dead – this post is about the best alternatives.
Note that you might be able to get a good retention offer on that card though:
https://frequentmiler.com/2018/06/07/36000-points-in-8-minutes-sort-of/
I’m earning 3x everywhere on up to $17.5K spend. See that post for details.
Sorry Greg but for me, AMEX Blue Business Plus at 2X now will be the card for almost everything I use on Plastiq; which is basically the same I was getting with Ink Business Preferred. With that said however and as a Hyatt Globalist I do need plan on using WOH as well given your point about ease of maintaining status.
Yep, I will use the BBP when possible, but many bills can’t be paid with Amex via Plastiq. That’s why I limited the list to non Amex cards to find a go-to card for Plastiq
Student Loans do NOT qualify as education on Plastiq, therefore my Amex BBP is a no go.
Greg: Thanks for the timely post. One set of options you omit are Bank of America Business Advantage (or Preferred Rewards) mastercards. With platinum honors status (granted, one needs to “park” $100k with BoA to get that – in savings, checking or IRA), rewards are pumped up to 2.62%, which covers the plastiq 2.5% fee.
You’re right. I tried to limit this to more accessible cards. My understanding of the BOA business cards is that you need to qualify for business platinum honors and that IRAs, etc. don’t help to do that. When I called them to inquire about Merrill Edge options, I was told that none of my current holdings qualified (not even my SEP IRA). I needed to have a full fledged corporate account.
I also thought about incorporating and rolling over my IRA to a employer sponsored pension plan with Merrill. All for .12%.
You could do a individual 401k too, no need to incorporate, but ME’s 401k fees are a bad joke, compared to the totally free options from Vanguard, Schwab, Fidelity…
In practice there is only one option worth to consider to get Business Platinum Honors: Put the money in a business “cash management” (i.e. taxable brokerage) account. Alternative would be to open a 401k (they have an individual 401k option for sole proprietors), its balances would also qualify the business for status, but its fees are outrageous. (And due to contribution limits, you’d also need at least 2 years to put $100k in it.)
@Lrdx, What are fees like on a business cash management account?
AFAIR same as the personal one: no annual fees, 30/100 monthly free trades with Platinum/Plat Honors status.
Did you not meet your conversion quota for this month Greg? LMAO at the number of links
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