Everyone else writes credit card articles like a terms of service document. Not us. Here's the real talk on which cards actually earn.
Every credit card blog on the internet writes about this topic like they're filing a regulatory document. "The Citi Double Cash Card offers a competitive 2% cash back rate on all purchases, making it a strong contender in the flat-rate category." I'm falling asleep just typing that.
Let me try a different approach.
Get a flat 2% cashback card. Doesn't matter which one — there are several good ones with no annual fee. Use it for everything. Congratulations, you're now earning 2% on your entire life with zero effort. It's the Honda Civic of credit cards: boring, reliable, gets the job done.
If you do nothing else I say in this article, do this. Going from a 0-1% card to a 2% card on $30,000 of annual spending is an extra $300-600 per year. For swiping a different piece of plastic. Come on.
Rotating category cards give you 5% back on specific categories that change every quarter. Online shopping, groceries, gas, streaming — they rotate through them. When online shopping is the active category? That's your cue to go nuts (responsibly).
The catch: you have to activate the category each quarter. Set a calendar reminder. It takes 30 seconds. Those 30 seconds are worth hundreds of dollars per year. Worst case, you forget one quarter and still have a solid base earn rate.
Store cards get a bad rap, and honestly some of them deserve it. But a few are legitimately good. 5% back at a store where you already drop significant money? That's not a gimmick, that's math.
Just don't let the card trick you into spending MORE at that store to "earn more rewards." That's not saving money. That's the opposite of saving money. Don't be that person.
People ask me "is a card with an annual fee worth it?" and the answer is the same as every other financial question: it depends on the math.
$95 annual fee card that earns you $400 more per year than a free card? Obviously yes. $95 annual fee card that earns you $100 more? Barely. $95 annual fee card that earns you $50 more? You're paying $45 for the privilege of having a fancy card. Cool flex, bad math.
Flat 2% card for general spending. Rotating 5% card for bonus quarters. Done. Two cards. No spreadsheets. No PhD in points optimization required. Start there, get fancy later if you want.
More from the staff, same rigor, different products.