In my North County San Diego and Orange County blog, I like to not only provide you with information and details about the local real estate market and property values or local MLS search but to also provide you with some financial tips to help you better manage your money.
Growing up in France, I never had a credit card till I moved to the United States. I didn't even knew what it was really, since the concept was far beyond our family values in regard to spending money and credit cards are just now getting popular in France in the last 5-7 years or so. I know why my grand parents were successful entrepreneurs, they had three valuable things going for them: they both were born during "The Great Depression", they started to work very young by necessity and they would never buy anything if they couldn't buy it cash.
So when I got married to my husband many years ago and he told me I "needed" a credit card to establish myself in the U.S, it was a tough pill to swallow for me. I was even disappointed when the bank gave me a $1,000.00 credit card as my very first credit card not knowing it was in fact a great card for a first card.
I'm glad I listened to him and did it! I know now why it was so important to him that I go for it and nurture my credit since this is a very important tool in our American society. Today credit is critical, from getting a cell phone, applying for a job, to have access to military clearance or getting a car or purchase a home, credit has to be cultivated and not disregarded.
I'm still not a credit card advocate and rather use cash or by debit card but it's a necessary evil.
If you need some help with improving your credit, don't hesitate to ask me!
Looking for the best gas card for a little relief at the pump? It’s not as simple as picking the highest listed rewards rate. Since I have just acquired a new SUV, I spent some times looking all over the Internet for the best gas credit card for 2012. Here are below some valuable tips if you are looking for a gas credit card from a great savvy website named Nerd Wallet.
Gas credit cards with over 1% rewards at the pump:
Credit CardGas Reward Bonus RateDollars per Month of Gas Spend That Qualify
| Chase BP Visa | 5% at BP | $500 (enough for a $25 gift card) |
| Chase AAA (Northern Cal, Nevada, and Utah Chapter AAA members only) | 5 points per $1 spent at gas stations | $500 |
| Top pick, if you have ridiculously good credit and are willing to jump through hoops In order to get this card, you must donate $20 to an organization in order to join a credit union. Also, less than 0.5% of the people who have applied for this card through our site have ever been approved. PenFed Platinum Cashback Rewards |
5% | No Limit |
| American Express Costco True Earnings Business | 4% | $500 |
| Top pick for fuel and food Amex Blue Cash Preferred |
3% | No Limit. Also get 3% at department stores and 6% on groceries. |
| Top pick for no-fee cards Chase Freedom |
3% average | $1,500 in bonus spending/quarter |
| Discover More | 3% average | $1,500 in bonus spending (Q1&2) |
| Gulf | 3% at Gulf | No Limit |
| US Bank FlexPerks Business Cash Rewards | 3% | No Limit |
| Citibank AT&T Universal Business Rewards | 3% | No Limit, but 100,000 total point limit per year |
| Chase Ink Cash and Classic | 2% | $25,000 in 2% bonus purchases/year |
| Amex Blue Cash Preferred | 3% | No Limit. Also get 3% at department stores and 6% on groceries. |
| Top pick, if you fill up at Costco American Express Costco True Earnings |
3% | $250 |
| Nationwide Business Platinum Visa | 3% | No Limit |
| Bank of America Cash Rewards for Business | 3% | No Limit |
| American Express Hilton Honors Surpass | 3%, based on our estimate of Hilton Honor Point Value (6 points/$1 * 0.5 cents/point) | No Limit |
| American Express Hilton Honors | 3%, based on our estimate of Hilton Honor Point Value (6 points/$1 * 0.5 cents/point) | No Limit |
| Bank Americard Cash Rewards | 3% | $1,500 per quarter limit on gas and groceries |
| Top pick for overall rewards Capital One Venture Rewards |
2% | No Limit. Earns 2% on all purchases. |
| Citi Dividend Platinum Select | 2% average | $300 in rewards/year |
| Citizens Bank Accelerator Rewards Platinum | 2% (10% for first 3 months) | No Limit |
| Amex Blue Cash Everyday | 2% | No Limit. Also get 2% at department stores and 3% on groceries. |
| Discover Business | 2% | $167 |
| Discover Business Miles | 2% | $416.67 ($5,000 per year limit on double miles for gas & travel) |
| Discover Open Road | 2% | $250 |
| Discover Student Open Road | 2% | $250 |
| AAA Rewards Card (for members not in Norther California, Nevada, or Utah) | 2% | No Limit |
| Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards | 2% | No Limit |
| Citibank Dividend Platinum Select for College Students | 2% | No Limit, but $300 total rewards limit per year. |
| MINI Platinum | 2% | No Limit |
| Quicken Rewards Visa | 2% | $2000 per month between Gas, Grocery, Pharmacy, Office Supply |
| American Express Premier Rewards Gold | 2% | No Limit |
| United Mileage Plus | 2% (Double Miles at gas stations) | No Limit |
| Fifth Third Bank Rewards | 2% | $500 |
| Capital One Tigers LSU Credit Card | 2% (2 Points per $1 at gas stations and grocery stores) | No Limit |
| WorldPoints Business Rewards | 2% (2 Points per $1 at gas stations) | No Limit |
| Cards offered via Elancard, including: Heartland Bank Platinum Business Rewards, Comerica Bank Business Rewards, Platinum Business Rewards from ENT Credit Union | 2% | No Limit |
| Capital One Cash | 1.5% | No Limit. Earns 1.5% back on all purchases |
| Citi Hilton Honors | 1.5% (3 Points per $1 * 0.5 cents per point value) | No Limit |
| Citibank ThankYou Premier | 1.2% (1.2 ThankYou Points per $1) | No Limit, but 100,000 total point limit per year |
| First National Bank of Omaha Graphite AmEx | 2% | None |
| First National Bank of Omaha Discover | 2%, sort of | If you spend exactly $13,750, you get 2% back on everything, if not, you get less. |
| First National Bank of Omaha Maximum Rewards Platinum | 1.2% (1.25 points/$1) | No Limit |
| First National Bank of Omaha Maximum Rewards Visa Signature | 1.5% | No Limit |
It’s not just about the rewards rate
- Costco has cheap gasoline, but most gas card programs exclude wholesalers from their 2%-5% gas category reward rates, somewhere in the fine print.
- In fact, it’s probably safe to assume that the only way to get more than 1% rewards pumping gas at Costco is with the Costco True Earnings card, or the Costco True Earnings Business card. The fine print on these cards explicitly states that Costco qualifies for the bonus reward rate.
- Card issuers that explicitly ban Costco gas from their “gas reward rate” include American Express, and Citibank.
- Costco only accepts American Express.
- Gas stations such as ARCO in California often charge about 5%+ less than other gas stations, but only if you pay in cash. They accept debit cards at a surcharge. Clearly, you should not pump with a 5% card at Shell if you are just as happy with ARCO gas which costs ~9% less.
- Many cards, such as the Shell card only pay bonus gas reward rates for gasoline, not diesel fuel.
- Many cards, including Shell and PenFed Platinum Cashback Rewards don’t pay bonus gas reward rates for airplane or boat fuel.
- Many cards have restrictions on the maximum number of gallons you can pump each time (e.g. 75 gallons with the Amex Costco card), or with the maximum you can spend each time ($400 with the American Express Blue Cash card). Check the fine print first!
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