help choosing a credit card or two or three
Jan 20, 2008 | 7:37 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1
help choosing a credit card or two or three
I'm 23 and clueless as to how to choose a credit card. I've browsed this website and others but was hoping to get some actual feedback based on my situation. I'm looking to get 1-3 new credit cards to cover my spending. I can't be sure how much I spend in a year, probably between 10-30,000
-My credit is good, but has one small blip (from a landlord, no problems with any creditors). I think it's around the mid 600s though it's been a while since I checked.
-I've had three credit cards, an MBNA Platnium (transferred over to BoA), a Chase Platnium, and a Wells Fargo Platnium. I still have them, and they're sitting empty. There's no rewards on these. I think I first got the MBNA Platnium at 18, the Chase at 19, and the Wells Fargo at 21, though it might have been 19/20/22.
-I'm presently living in Costa Rica (I'm American and can mail sent to my parents so thats' not a big deal) most of the year so the Foreign Exchange rate is quite important. Even if I move from here, I'll be traveling a lot. Also important is that I dont' need to make a phone call every 3 days to remind them I'm in CR and to stop rejecting the charges. Also since I'm spending most of my time here that probably means conventional super-rewards cards (such as 5% for gas or 3% for grocery or whatever) probably doesn't apply with international purchases of that nature. So that's not really a bonus for me.
-I do buy a lot of things online, Amazon, etc. Most notably is books and stuff from drugstore.com regularly, other than that it's just random stuff that strikes my fancy. I suppose I could have one card strictly for forex purchases and one for online.
-I fly maybe 6-12 times a year. For now it's just around the US and from CR to the US, but in the future it may include Europe and/or asia.
-When it comes to value-based rewards, ease of use is important. I'll space out and ignore it if it's too much hassle to try and get what's coming.
-I'm quite interested in non $/equiv rewards, such as extended warranty type stuff like with AMEX, luxury lounges at airports, stupid things like that. assuming they're for stuff i'd use, obviously.
-I'm not against getting an amex gold or plantium, but I'm pretty sure I can't make value out of the privileges offered with what I'd use and how much I spend.
From my own research, I'm considering the Penfed Visa Cash Rewards and AMEX Blue Sky. The Amex Blue Sky for any online purchases or purchases while i'm in the US, the Penfed for when the Amex isn't taken and for any foreign exchange purchases. I'm choosing this because I'm sure I'll have no problem using the BLue Sky rebate when they come up and it won't be any trouble, and the Penfed's reward outweighs the forex by .25% and requires absolutely no effort on my part (auto crediting each month).
Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for other cards for me or thinks I made the right choice, please let me know
Thanks
-My credit is good, but has one small blip (from a landlord, no problems with any creditors). I think it's around the mid 600s though it's been a while since I checked.
-I've had three credit cards, an MBNA Platnium (transferred over to BoA), a Chase Platnium, and a Wells Fargo Platnium. I still have them, and they're sitting empty. There's no rewards on these. I think I first got the MBNA Platnium at 18, the Chase at 19, and the Wells Fargo at 21, though it might have been 19/20/22.
-I'm presently living in Costa Rica (I'm American and can mail sent to my parents so thats' not a big deal) most of the year so the Foreign Exchange rate is quite important. Even if I move from here, I'll be traveling a lot. Also important is that I dont' need to make a phone call every 3 days to remind them I'm in CR and to stop rejecting the charges. Also since I'm spending most of my time here that probably means conventional super-rewards cards (such as 5% for gas or 3% for grocery or whatever) probably doesn't apply with international purchases of that nature. So that's not really a bonus for me.
-I do buy a lot of things online, Amazon, etc. Most notably is books and stuff from drugstore.com regularly, other than that it's just random stuff that strikes my fancy. I suppose I could have one card strictly for forex purchases and one for online.
-I fly maybe 6-12 times a year. For now it's just around the US and from CR to the US, but in the future it may include Europe and/or asia.
-When it comes to value-based rewards, ease of use is important. I'll space out and ignore it if it's too much hassle to try and get what's coming.
-I'm quite interested in non $/equiv rewards, such as extended warranty type stuff like with AMEX, luxury lounges at airports, stupid things like that. assuming they're for stuff i'd use, obviously.
-I'm not against getting an amex gold or plantium, but I'm pretty sure I can't make value out of the privileges offered with what I'd use and how much I spend.
From my own research, I'm considering the Penfed Visa Cash Rewards and AMEX Blue Sky. The Amex Blue Sky for any online purchases or purchases while i'm in the US, the Penfed for when the Amex isn't taken and for any foreign exchange purchases. I'm choosing this because I'm sure I'll have no problem using the BLue Sky rebate when they come up and it won't be any trouble, and the Penfed's reward outweighs the forex by .25% and requires absolutely no effort on my part (auto crediting each month).
Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for other cards for me or thinks I made the right choice, please let me know
Thanks
Jan 21, 2008 | 3:41 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: MSY
Programs: AA Plat Pro, UA Plat, VS Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 2,546
capital one cash rewards.
capital one charges no forex fee. 1% cash rewards with a 25% annual bonus, so 1.25% cashback on all purchases. the problem is qualifying for it- cap1 has a ridiculous standard for its rewards cards.
capital one charges no forex fee. 1% cash rewards with a 25% annual bonus, so 1.25% cashback on all purchases. the problem is qualifying for it- cap1 has a ridiculous standard for its rewards cards.
Jan 22, 2008 | 9:47 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: DTW
Programs: Dirt Status w/ All
Posts: 5,049
That is a tough list of requirements. The foreign exchange fee is probably going to be the tough one. The cards with the best rewards don't seem to offer very good deals in terms of interest and fees.
I would find a no foreign exchange Visa or MC (to avoid the Amex gap) for use in out of the country. Here is a fatwallet thread about it.
The Citi Platinum Amex might be a good choice for rewards on purhcases in USD - if you are OK with the Thank You Network. They have a deal going with 5 points gas/grocery and 3 points everywhere else. You can get value close to two cents per point on flight redemptions, so that is 6-10% possibly. It also comes with some of the protection you are looking for, along with a basic priorty pass lounge membership.
Your young credit history and mid 600s score might hurt you on some of the better cards though. Not sure where their cutoff is.
I would find a no foreign exchange Visa or MC (to avoid the Amex gap) for use in out of the country. Here is a fatwallet thread about it.
The Citi Platinum Amex might be a good choice for rewards on purhcases in USD - if you are OK with the Thank You Network. They have a deal going with 5 points gas/grocery and 3 points everywhere else. You can get value close to two cents per point on flight redemptions, so that is 6-10% possibly. It also comes with some of the protection you are looking for, along with a basic priorty pass lounge membership.
Your young credit history and mid 600s score might hurt you on some of the better cards though. Not sure where their cutoff is.