Credit Card Recommendations

[Slava]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

It looks like I have come to the conclusion that the Bonvoy card will be added. Does anyone currently have a card and is interested in sending me a referral link? I'm assuming that the Amex Bonvoy would be similar to other Amex cards and a referral could be worth a few thousand points.

Have you checked out the Platinum? It's not the exact same, but it has a number of the same coverages and benefits. It doesn't restrict you to Marriot though, if that's a factor. It does cost you $700/year however...

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Slava

Have you checked out the Platinum? It's not the exact same, but it has a number of the same coverages and benefits. It doesn't restrict you to Marriot though, if that's a factor. It does cost you $700/year however...

I have a Platinum card already.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I have a Platinum card already.

As do I, and I think it's great. There are a lot of reasons that I like it. The fee isn't great, obviously, but the benefits for travel are good and you can rack up a lot of points at restaurants and such. I've always used my Costco card at restaurants for the 3%, and while they're keeping that I absolutely despite CIBC and haven't decided whether to continue with that.

[White Out 403]

Brim is halving their annual but also their points earnings, so, #### that.

What are the 2024 best contenders out there?

[Wormius]

I still think Scotiabank Momentum Infinite Visa is the best for cash back.

[Regorium]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

Brim is halving their annual but also their points earnings, so, #### that.

What are the 2024 best contenders out there?

Biggest problem is taking away the free FX which is the only reason to have this card.

There's really not much left - kinda slim pickings out there.

[MoneyGuy]

We’ve used Capital One World Mastercard for years but want a new one. We travel a lot and since retiring our spending has dropped hugely except for the travel. I want cash-back and insurance on purchases including some trip-cancellation. It’d be nice to get access to airport lounges if that’s available.

I don’t mind an annual fee. I’ll read this thread but am interested in recommendations.

[Locke]

All your answers are laaaaame.....

The Star Trek Credit Card, issued by NASA Federal Credit Union, can take your fandom to a frontier you likely already frequent: namely, the checkout line.

1. It's a decent cash-back enterprise ...
The Star Trek Credit Card earns:

3 points per $1 spent on startrek.com purchases.

2 points per $1 spent on gas station purchases.

1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

When redeemed for cash back, points are worth a penny and a half each, which is higher than the industry-standard value of one cent per point. (You can also redeem for gift cards, merchandise, travel, donations and other options, but point values vary for those choices.)

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/c...ek-credit-card

[scotty2hotty]

I am looking to maximize points for both Air Canada and Marriott properties.

Any recommendations for the best card for the job?

Thanks!

[sa226]

Amex Cobalt.

If you're patient, you can wait for transfer bonuses to Marriott. Not 100% sure about Aeroplan.

The points accumulate crazy fast.

[scotty2hotty]

Originally Posted by sa226

Amex Cobalt.

If you're patient, you can wait for transfer bonuses to Marriott. Not 100% sure about Aeroplan.

The points accumulate crazy fast.

What are 'transfer bonuses'?

[sa226]

A couple times a year, you will get an offer for "Bonus 35% points" so when you transfer your Amex points to Marriott Bonvoy points, you'll get bonus 35%.

When you're transferring 10s of thousands of points it's pretty significant.

Sent from my SM-S918W using Tapatalk

[scotty2hotty]

Awesome. Thanks for the tip.

[MoneyGuy]

Is there a card that gives access to airport lounges two to four times a year.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Is there a card that gives access to airport lounges two to four times a year.

There are some cards that give you a certain number of DragonPass entries like the Scotia Passport Infinite. My mom has that card and uses the lounge passes when she flies back and forth between YYC and Europe a couple times a year.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

There are some cards that give you a certain number of DragonPass entries like the Scotia Passport Infinite. My mom has that card and uses the lounge passes when she flies back and forth between YYC and Europe a couple times a year.

In Houston we tried to get into a decent lounge with the Dragonpass (we get unlimited Westjet lounge but they don't have one) but they said they were full and our card was bottom of their priority. So we were sent to an Air France one and it was horrific (honestly sittin in the main lobby was better).

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

In Houston we tried to get into a decent lounge with the Dragonpass (we get unlimited Westjet lounge but they don't have one) but they said they were full and our card was bottom of their priority. So we were sent to an Air France one and it was horrific (honestly sittin in the main lobby was better).

I'm not surprised as I haven't heard many good things about DragonPass. Unfortunately there were some recent changes to lounge access where Priority Pass was dropped and DragonPass took over and things are worse under the new program.

I don't really know all the details but there are specific blogs like Points Guy that goes into the details. We use Amex Platinum for lounge access and it seems to be much better than other cards but it is also a much higher annual fee.