Here Are My Best Cash Rewards Cards for 2019
Saving money is a favorite game of mine, and cash rewards is my way of penny-pinching at point of purchase. My frugal grandparents would be proud of me, and amazed that you can save so much money these days simply by picking the right card to pay with.
Today, I’m sharing which cards I regularly use to help stretch my dough. I’ll give some details about each one, and include a referral code to score us both some additional bonuses. As mentioned in my 2018 post, I prefer cash rewards over points or miles.
Please let me know if there are better offers out there that I don’t know about!
The Utility Card — 3%
The Zero Card is, after a long wait, here. Get on the list if you haven’t yet.
This replaced my Citi Double Cash (2%) as the “everything else” card.
Even more than the highest everyday reward rate, Zero is a novel new financial product. You technically get both a credit card and a checking account, their fancy app combines them to create a seamless debit card-style experience. You are only able to spend as much as you’ve deposited, 1.75% is also earned on your “average Current Position” (daily Zero Checking minus Zerocard balance).
This excites me, as I’ve shared previously about being irresponsible with credit early on. I love that this gets excellent rewards, but doesn’t allow you to spend more than you have. It is essentially a secured credit card, which is a product folks with no or bad credit may get to build credit. Not sure if the Zero Card will be available to everyone the same way, if so that would be great.
The Zero Card is still in beta. If you were on the wait list before Nov ’18, sign in the iOS app (it’s currently only available on Apple) and you might be able to get started. Otherwise, get on the list now and eagerly wait for your spot to come up.
The Craziest Deals at Select Places Isn’t a Credit Card — 10% at Select Merchants & More
Square’s Cash App Card “Boost” provides the best savings at a select group of merchants. They also happen to be some of my most-frequented establishments, so I’m a huge fan!
10% off many restaurants including Shake Shack, Chipotle, Chic-Fil-A, and even Whole Foods Market. $1 off every coffee shop visit. Insane deals, and it’s not actually cash back — the discount is applied directly in the app before debiting. You do not need credit history to sign up for this card, in fact direct deposit options and the ability to withdraw from ATM or Cashback at grocery stores means this free and super simple service could be a huge help to folks who are un-banked.
Note: you have to make sure to “Boost” the place you are making a purchase at through the app. My guess is Square is offering this promotion to increase use of their app. I hope the deals stay and they add more.
Not only is it easy and free to sign up, my legacy referral code gets us both $10 the first time you send money with the app. Be sure to enter GWNMQWK in Settings>Referral Code when setting up.
The Grocery Card — 6%
The American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card Scores an Amazing 6% Cash Back at Grocery Stores.
3% Cash Back at gas stations is solid, as well.
Also worth noting is this is my only card with an annual fee ($95). The generous statement credit for being a new member more than covers the first year. We spend enough on groceries to make this one worth keeping.
If you love statement credit offers, my referral also gets you $250 for spending $1000 in the first 3 months!
Cell Phone — 5%
The American Express SimplyCash Plus Business card gets you 5% back on your cell phone and office stores, and 3% in a category of your choice.
This was both my first business card and first American Express card. With the Zero Card earning 3% on everything, I don’t need this in my wallet any longer. It would be an excellent card to choose a category you use a lot for 3% until until your turn comes up on the Zero waitlist.
With this referral, you can earn a $250 statement credit after your first $5000 in spending in the first 6 months, then another $250 if you spend $10000 in the first year.
5% in a Special Category & Double Rewards Your First Year!
The Discover It Card has a different category each quarter to get a whopping 5% back.
This was the card that got me stoked about getting rewards. It worked out perfectly that when we bought our home, it was on Home Improvement Stores, and Restaurants when we were paying our wedding caterer (a favorite restaurant). After your first year, getting all the bonuses again is pretty sweet. As of this writing, the 5% back is for grocery stores.
Discover’s excellent 100% U.S.-based customer service, and the fact that I’ve been able to accomplish anything I’ve needed to through secure online messaging (no phone calls!), encouraged me to open both an Online Checking (with rewards!) and Savings (with actual interest!) with them.
Be sure to use my referral link for your Discover It Card, thanks!
The Gas & Restaurant Card — 4% the First Year
The Discover It chrome Card gets you 2% back at Gas Stations and Restaurants.
On its own, this is not a chart-topping card. However, since Discover gives you that same sweet double rewards deal after your first year as the last card, this is effectively 4% in those categories, a winner for that first year.
If you drive a lot and go out to eat quite a bit, this one could be the one to sign up for. Or, you could do like me and wait until your Discover It first year was up and then get this to keep a 2% card around.
Some Helpful Credit Card Tips
As mentioned in a previous post, I was not responsible enough early on to have credit cards, and did not revisit using them until the ripe age of 28.
Here are a few tips to help make sure these cards are a blessing and not a curse:
- Set up AutoPay immediately.
Have the statement balance be paid in full automatically, so you don’t lose your rewards in fees or interest by not paying attention to due dates. - Also activate automatic reward redemption.
We’re here talking about saving 3%-5% on your spending. Don’t lose incremental value over time by having it sit. Most credit cards allow you to set up auto-redemption, and all the cards I have this on redeem my rewards automatically as a statement credit. - Don’t use credit cards where there are a similar or better rewards elsewhere.
Use the the Square Cash App Card Boost at available merchants, and get on the list for the Zero Card.
Scoring deals is a blast for me. If it is for you, too, I hope you enjoyed this post and found some helpful information. Any suggestions? — I’d love to hear from you.
