I’m looking for the best credit card to get just for everyday purchases - I’d like to be able to get points or a % back on groceries, if possible. I don’t have any other credit cards!
I’m not a student & I bank with TD Bank. My credit score is 665.
I have a student loan, and a car loan. I pay rent, buy groceries at multiple different stores, use the GasBuddy card for gas, and I get my coffee at Wawa.
I’d like to have no annual fee, 0% APR for as long as possible, and grow my credit score while getting that % back on groceries.
Anything yall would suggest? I know people always say chase is the best to go with, but I’m not sure which would be best for me?
You can check out the lists in the automod comment, but I think TD Bank has a couple good cards for you. There’s a flat 2% card and a 2-3% “customizable” card where you can pick from a few spend categories. Take a look there. You might have better luck since you have a relationship with them already.
Edit: they both have 0% APR for 15 months which is generous and a sub of $150 which is meh but better than nothing.
A sign up bonus. It means when you open a new account and fulfill certain requirements, you get a reward. These cards will give you $150 if you spend a certain amount with a certain timeframe. I think it was $1000 in three months, but you have to double check.
IMO Just go with the TD Bank Double Up card. It’s simple, has an acceptable sign on bonus, no annual fees to worry about, and 2% cash back on everything. It was my first card before I went crazy about credit cards lol.
Since you’re new to credit cards I also recommend getting the 2% card from TD Bank. Use it like a debit card, only spend what you have in your bank and pay off the balance in full every month. You will get a nice 2% rebate on everything you buy (you can think of it as $2 for every $100 you spend if that helps). After 6-12 months you can consider getting more credit cards after establishing better credit and credit card habits.
Amex BCE is great for groceries, gas, and online purchases. Gives a 3% back up to $6000 per year with no AF. The BCP is somewhat better but does have a $95 annual fee and gives you more benefits. Honestly depends if you can justify the annual fee or not. I have the BCE and use it for gas and groceries and I love it. Since you pay rent though I’d recommend the BILT Mastercard cause it gives you points on paying rent and also gives you points on food.
BILT MasterCard gives 1x points on rent and 3x points on dining out. Redeeming the points for cashback isn’t a great option but BILT points are really valuable if you redeem them for travel.
You shouldn’t ever plan to carry a balance on a card (unless you’re using the 0% intro to keep your money in a market or HYSA - I feel like that may not be the case here). It’s important to use your credit card as if it’s a debit card. Always pay off the statement fully. If you can’t be that responsible, don’t get a credit card.
For recommendations actually based on your personal situation, fill out the !template. Otherwise, we can just give you generic recommendations. Here are some notes from your post, though.
Do you have any existing credit cards? If not, your biggest concern isn’t “what card do you want,” it’s “what card can you get.”
I would start with TD Bank, since you already have a relationship with them. If they offer you either the TD Cash card (with customizable 3% and 2% cash back categories) or the TD Double Up card (with 2% cash back on everything), those seem like they would be decent cards for you.
If they won’t offer you a card, check the pre-approval tools for Discover and Capital One (not Credit One). Both banks are friendly to new borrowers, and both have good introductory products. In particular, the Capital One Savor card would be a nice card for you, as it gets 3% cash back on groceries and dining.
You mentioned that “people say Chase is the best”: this is only true for people who can get a lot of value out of Chase UR points by redeeming them for valuable travel bookings. If you are interested in that, awesome, but more likely is you’ve just heard some promotional lines from someone who is either paid by Chase to promote their product or trying to get people to sign up through their referral so that they can earn referral bonuses. There is no such thing as the best credit card or the best credit card issuer, only what is best for an individual’s needs and financial situation.
Capital one Quicksilver is offering 0% APR for 15 months and also a $200 bonus if you spend $500 in the first 3 months. Card also receives 1.5% cash back on everything.
I can’t stress enough that you need to pay the FULL STATEMENT BALANCE each month. We do not carry balances here! We want to benefit from credit cards but they can easily be a trap! Don’t proceed unless you completely understand this.
Now to answer your question, I’d go with the Citi Double Cash. If you follow what I said at the beginning, it’s a 2% catch-all card.
There’s many other cards out there that get you more CB in other categories but from what I’m reading, a catch-all card I think will get you moving in the right direction. Good luck!!
@Vick
I also just read someone recommending a 2% CB TD card since you have a currently relationship with them and that’s also fine. 2% should be your floor for a catch all. I say that while crying in Freedom Unlimited…