What cards are on your bucket list and why

Do you have any?

US Bank Cash Plus. It feels like a strong contender as the best cash back card for bills and utilities. I also don’t have any cards with US Bank, so it would be nice to establish a relationship there.

Zaire said:
US Bank Cash Plus. It feels like a strong contender as the best cash back card for bills and utilities. I also don’t have any cards with US Bank, so it would be nice to establish a relationship there.

You might also want to check out its sibling, the Elan Max Cash Preferred, which has similar but not identical categories.

@Pip
I wish the Elan Max Cash Preferred had restaurants as a 5% category instead of fast food.

BawsNicklaus said:
@Pip
I wish the Elan Max Cash Preferred had restaurants as a 5% category instead of fast food.

I agree, that’s an odd choice since fast food is usually a subset of restaurants.

@Pip
What is the Elan Max?

Neve said:
@Pip
What is the Elan Max?

LOL, Elan Max makes me laugh, but Elan is the financial institution and ‘Max Cash’ is the card.

Neve said:
@Pip
What is the Elan Max?

Like Elon Musk, but different.

Layne said:

Neve said:
@Pip
What is the Elan Max?

Like Elon Musk, but different.

Oh, okay. I still don’t get it, but to each their own.

Neve said:

Layne said:
Neve said:
@Pip
What is the Elan Max?

Like Elon Musk, but different.

Oh, okay. I still don’t get it, but to each their own.

Elan Max is a subsidiary of U.S. Bank and issues cards for other banks: Elan Max Cash Preferred - 5% On Two Categories - Doctor Of Credit.

This PDF gives some examples of their categories: https://card.myaccountaccess.com/credit/elanmicro/pdfs/categories_max_cash_preferred_visa.pdf

@Zeek
Coolio.

Zaire said:
US Bank Cash Plus. It feels like a strong contender as the best cash back card for bills and utilities. I also don’t have any cards with US Bank, so it would be nice to establish a relationship there.

It’s great. I opened a checking account at US Bank a year in advance and then applied. I don’t believe in buying gift cards to max out rotating categories. Just live your life. This card stays at home, but it earns cash back effortlessly with internet/streaming and utilities.

Zaire said:
US Bank Cash Plus. It feels like a strong contender as the best cash back card for bills and utilities. I also don’t have any cards with US Bank, so it would be nice to establish a relationship there.

While it’s good to establish a relationship, I would choose the Elan Max Cash over the Cash Plus since it doesn’t require quarterly signups and is basically the same card.

Zaire said:
US Bank Cash Plus. It feels like a strong contender as the best cash back card for bills and utilities. I also don’t have any cards with US Bank, so it would be nice to establish a relationship there.

I opened a CD (the 7-month $1000 one) to establish a relationship. From there, I opened a checking account days later and about 2 weeks later got the Cash Plus card. All of them had sign-up bonuses too. I made about $800 from these in less than a month. Very doable.

Zaire said:
US Bank Cash Plus. It feels like a strong contender as the best cash back card for bills and utilities. I also don’t have any cards with US Bank, so it would be nice to establish a relationship there.

I got the secured version of this. Really happy with it.

Zaire said:
US Bank Cash Plus. It feels like a strong contender as the best cash back card for bills and utilities. I also don’t have any cards with US Bank, so it would be nice to establish a relationship there.

Elan is better.

Zaire said:
US Bank Cash Plus. It feels like a strong contender as the best cash back card for bills and utilities. I also don’t have any cards with US Bank, so it would be nice to establish a relationship there.

I also use this card for 5% at electronic stores (Best Buy, Apple).

I had two cards, Venture X and Altitude Reserve. I got them both within the past 6 months and now I feel like I’m pretty much done with this hobby. I’ve reached the endgame, and now it’s just about opportunistically grabbing sign-up bonuses as they come up. There’s nothing else I want or need to refine my setup.

@elizabethtodd
I’ve been considering the USBAR, but I’m not sure about it…

The Altitude Connect though? That free 15 GB of eSIM data every 15 days is worth a lot more to me than any sign-up bonus since I’m a full-time traveler and eSIM data usually costs between $1 - $10 per gigabyte and is a hassle to manage.

I’ve been looking at that for a while.

Too bad it probably won’t last long though. So not worth burning a slot.

@NomadNerd

Altitude Connect

This card comes with free Priority Pass, 4 passes per year (including restaurants). That’s 4 free meals and comes with a Global Entry credit.

It’s one of the first cards I would recommend you get if you’re at 5/24 as it’s turned into a keeper card even if you have a Venture X or Amex Platinum (which don’t have restaurant access).