It might sound silly, but choosing the right credit card is far more important than most people realize. Not only do you want the best perks and benefits, but if you just want one card, then you have to narrow down every aspect of what a card offers to make sure it’s the right fit.
In the case of one Redditor posting in r/CreditCards, they are looking to find the “best” one-size-fits-all cash-back credit card. Like many people, they don’t want to play a game with 2, 3, 4, or 12 cards. Instead, the original poster just wants one card that offers outstanding cash-back benefits.
The Current Card
As it stands today, the Redditor is currently using the PNC 2% unlimited cash-back card and thinks it’s a great card, but wonders if anything is being left on the table. What they really want is to ensure they have a card that can deduct the cash from their statement, as they are not interested in receiving a cash back card or anything similar.
Along with being a flat-rate card earning 2% cash back on every purchase, the PNC card also stands out with its cell phone protection. The reimbursement amount of up to $800, if your cell phone is stolen or damaged and purchased with the card, is among the best in the cash-back space.
Best of all, the card offers exactly what the Redditor wants, with any cash back earnings going directly to their balance and offsetting any outstanding balance.
How to Choose A New Card?
When it comes to actually choosing a cash back credit card type, there are three different types of cards you can choose from.
The first is the flat-rate cashback card, which is similar to the PNC card in that every purchase earns the same amount, regardless of what you buy. Alongside the PNC card, Fidelity also offers a similar 2% card, though without the cell phone protection. Another popular option is the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards card, which offers 1.5% back on all purchases.
The second option is a tiered cashback card, which is similar to the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express. This card offers 6% cash back on all grocery purchases, 3% cash back on transit and gas station purchases, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Lastly, you can choose rotating bonus cashback cards, which offer quarterly bonus categories, earning up to 5% on every purchase within that category. For example, the Discover it card will offer 5% cash back on grocery store purchases in one quarter, while another quarter offers cash back on Amazon.com purchases.
The Best Choice
If you take a look at the Reddit thread, the original poster questioned if any other cards might work. As expected, there are plenty of opinions on what qualifies as the “best” card, but ultimately, even with recommendations such as the US Bank Altitude Reserve, Robinhood Gold, and Wells Fargo 2% cashback, it’s still the PNC card that will work best.
This is very much an instance in which you don’t fix something that isn’t broken. The Redditor is currently getting precisely what they need from this card, and at 2% cash back, it’s the highest value you can get without worrying about different tiers and thereby adding more complication than what the Redditor is looking for.
To be fair, there are cards, depending on your most used categories, that could earn more than the PNC card in certain months, but for this Redditor, there is no question that simple is better.
While the best choice, on average, may be a lower cash back card that doesn’t have a free or special restriction, and caps. If you want to learn more, you can visit this URL: https://a673b.bigscoots-temp.com/go/qs/cc/cashback
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