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Rewards, sign-up bonuses, balance transfers, fees, protections, and card reviews. Pick the right card and collect more from it than it costs you.
Get the Chase Slate Edge only if fair credit is keeping you out of better cards and you need a no-fee card to rebuild with. It pays no rewards and charges 28.99% on any balance you carry, so put a few small bills on it, pay in full, and move on once your score climbs.
Open the Chase Freedom Rise if you’re new to credit and want a card that can lead to a better one. Use it and pay every bill on time, and Chase’s yearly review can upgrade it to the Freedom Unlimited automatically. If you already have credit, apply for the Freedom Unlimited directly.
Get the Chase Sapphire Reserve only if its credits match how you already spend. The $300 travel credit applies to almost any trip, but earning back the other $495 of the $795 fee means using merchant-specific credits, such as those for dining, event tickets, and prepaid hotel stays. If those don’t fit your plans, skip it.
Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred if you’ll book a $100-plus hotel stay through Chase Travel each year, since that stay’s credit covers the $95 annual fee on its own. The rest of the card, from 3x points on dining and gas to transfers to airline and hotel programs, then costs nothing extra.
Get the Chase Freedom Unlimited if you want one no-fee card that earns at least 1.5% on everything with nothing to activate or track. It out-earns a 2% flat-rate card once restaurants and drugstores, where it pays 3%, pass a third of your spending.
Get the Chase Freedom Flex if you’ll activate its 5% categories every quarter, because those categories pay up to $75 a quarter on the first $1,500 you spend in them. If you won’t keep up with activation, a flat 1.5% card like the Freedom Unlimited will earn more on everyday spending.
Many credit cards include purchase protection, which typically covers new items against theft and accidental damage for 90 to 120 days after you buy them. When something new breaks or gets stolen, check your card’s guide to benefits before paying to replace it, and file quickly, since claim deadlines are short.
If you earn self-employment income, run your business expenses through a business credit card and keep personal spending off it. The statement becomes a running record of your business costs at tax time, and you earn rewards on spending you’d do anyway. Pay the balance in full each month.
Debit card fraud pulls money straight from your checking account, and your bank can take 10 business days to return it. A fraudulent credit card charge is the issuer’s money while you dispute it, and federal law caps your loss at $50. Pay with a credit card you clear each month, and keep debit for the ATM.
No single cash back card pays the top rate on everything you buy. Pair a category card that pays extra where you spend the most, such as groceries or dining, with a no-fee card that pays a flat 2% everywhere, and put every purchase on whichever card pays more for it.
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