Carnival Credit Card saved us big $

[Ccarroll1100]

Cap One Venture has a $95 annual fee... You would need to be a heavy spender to come out ahead of the no annual fee 2% cards. You actually have to spend about $4800/year just to break even.

 

People really need to do the math to determine which card works best for them.

 

 

 

If you can’t Spend 4800 a year then you should not be looking at annual fee credit cards.

We put everything on our cards. Only our mortgage gets paid from my bank account and if I could figure how to pay that with a CC then I would.

So if I use a regular 1% card then my annual kick back is $1000 to $1250 a year. With the Venture it is $2000 to $2500 a year. So is that $95 worth that difference? I think so.

 

I put my work expenses that I get reimbursed for on my CC as well. This helps rack up the points.

 

 

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[BNBR]

How does it compare to other loyalty cards or even cash back credit cards? We have the Alaska Airlines credit card and get lots of free flights. Flew our family of 5 to Europe of the west coast 2 years ago and already have enough points to go back.

 

Figure out how much you had to spend to get the free flight. Then figure out the value of the flight. It's very possible this might be the best solution for you compared to cash back cards.

[BNBR]

If you can’t Spend 4800 a year then you should not be looking at annual fee credit cards.

We put everything on our cards. Only our mortgage gets paid from my bank account and if I could figure how to pay that with a CC then I would.

So if I use a regular 1% card then my annual kick back is $1000 to $1250 a year. With the Venture it is $2000 to $2500 a year. So is that $95 worth that difference? I think so.

 

I put my work expenses that I get reimbursed for on my CC as well. This helps rack up the points.

 

 

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You can get 2% without an annual fee, though.

[Ccarroll1100]

You can also review all the offers on nerdwallet - they will break most of them down for you.

 

 

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[Ccarroll1100]

You can get 2% without an annual fee, though.

 

 

What card gives 2% back on every purchase with no fee?

[BNBR]

What card gives 2% back on every purchase with no fee?

 

You didn't read the thread, lol. The Citi Double Cash card.

[kdawg954]

Agree with others that there are better "daily driver" options for your credit card.

 

I roll with Capital One QuickSilver and the 1.5% cashback rate. Funny enough I just got back my annual statement this morning and my total Cashback for the year was $533.34.

 

I just do account credits with the cashback. Either in a vacation month or during the holidays . . . any time I have a lot of spending going on for the month.

 

Now there are a couple of cards that do give you a better Cashback rate, but I am very loyal to Capital One as they have always taken chances on me (20 year old first card, car loan, gave me a credit card after I totaled my credit via hospital bills from my dads kidney transplant, etc.). Plus I also saved $78.70 in foreign transaction fees last year.

 

Now I pay for everything in life with this card (except mortgage) and pay it off before the statement closing date every month. I will have to look into that VentureCard from them.

[firemanbobswife]

Cap One Venture has a $95 annual fee... You would need to be a heavy spender to come out ahead of the no annual fee 2% cards. You actually have to spend about $4800/year just to break even.

 

People really need to do the math to determine which card works best for them.

 

It’s super easy to go past that. All my bills and expenses get put on it. I charge at least $1000 a month and pay it off. Have no idea where my debit card is. Have you seen the sign on bonus? 50,000 points which equals $500 in free money. You are way ahead at the beginning.

[Saint Greg]

 

Now...time for everyone to tell us how their card is better.

 

Called it

[evandbob]

Whatever credit card someone chooses, the most important thing to remember is not to carry a balance ever. Use it and pay it in full each and every month.

There are so many different ways to save on a cruise, via various credit cards ,discounted gift cards, promotions, etc. Glad this board discusses most of them.

 

Another way to save on a cruise or vacation cost is to use a credit card that gives back miles for flights. I've redeemed over 2 Million frequent flyer miles on one airline alone, lowering my vacation costs tremendously.

[Joebucks]

While there are better cards out there, by building rewards, and not paying any interest, you are already doing better than 3/4 of everyone else. It blows my mind when people would rather use cash, and blame the credit card.

[BNBR]

While there are better cards out there, by building rewards, and not paying any interest, you are already doing better than 3/4 of everyone else. It blows my mind when people would rather use cash, and blame the credit card.

 

Or debit cards! Insane. Not only the risk of using a card linked to your bank account, but absolutely no rewards or benefits at all. I use it for ID when I have to go to the bank, otherwise, it's untouched.

[dsotm73]

We find the Costco Visa to be a better choice for us. The rewards are far better than other branded cards, and the rewards come as cash - I don't have to spend the rewards with any particular company. We earn around $400 per year in cash with this card, all free money. Not one cent paid in interest or annual fees.

 

4% back on gas, 3% back on travel (hotels, cruises, flights, etc) and restaurants (yes taco bell and hardee's count), 2% back at Costco, 1% back everywhere else.

 

 

Sam's Club has a MasterCard that is similar: 5% back on gas, 3% back on travel and dining, and 1% back everywhere else. We run everything through credit cards and pay them off monthly.

[Shaded Lady]

We put everything on our cards. Only our mortgage gets paid from my bank account and if I could figure how to pay that with a CC then I would.

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We have a Wells Fargo mortgage, and their credit card. We use the credit card to pay the mortgage each month, along with other items, and get anywhere from $50 to $100 deposited against the principal of our mortgage each month.

 

Having said that, I signed up for the Carnival card in Dec, got a $100 gift card and 10,000 points (most only get the points offer). So I went with it, used the card for our deposit and now I'll pretty much only use it for excursions, and pay it off each time to avoid interest.

[no1racefan1]

I love credit card threads! I juggle several cards to maximize benefits:

 

Daily use card is Alaska Air. It is really expensive for us to fly since we don't live near a major airport. It does take a long time for us to accumulate enough points for a free flight, but the annual companion fare more than makes up for the annual fee. Plus free checked bags.

 

DH uses a Cabela's card because he is an outdoorsman; we only use this card for Cabelas purchases and Cenex gas stations. Even still, we earned over $200 last year. Their program is pretty generous but the drawback is it has to be used at Cabelas.

 

I use the Amazon Prime Visa exclusively for Amazon purchases; we order a lot from Amazon and the 5% really adds up.

 

I just got the Hilton Honors AMEX, mostly for the sign-up bonus. I plan to use it mainly just at Hilton hotels but I figured out if we can earn just one free night per year that will make up for the annual fee.

 

I previously opened a Fairmont credit card solely for the sign-on bonus and we were able to spend two nights at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for free! After that trip, I cancelled the Fairmont card.

 

You do have to pay attention to fine print and details and be good with credit in order to make the most of credit card offers but I find it fun :)

 

Different cards are going to benefit everybody differently, depending on their spending habits and earning preference. OP, sounds like you made the Carnival CC work for you!

 

Edited to add: I never, ever pay interest on any of these cards.