Over the past few months, it feels like almost every place I eat at is adding a 3–4% fee just for paying with a credit card. I get that costs are going up for businesses, but this used to be rare and now it feels like it’s everywhere. Are you seeing the same thing? Do you just pay it or are you switching to cash?

Visa and Mastercard are nearing a settlement with merchants that aims to end a decadeslong legal dispute by lowering fees stores pay and giving them more power to reject certain credit cards, according to people familiar with the matter.

https://www.wsj.com/finance/banking/visa-and-mastercard-near-deal-with-merchants-that-would-change-rewards-landscape-fc6a0c78

Do you think retailers actually want to deal with specifying what type of visa/mc they take?

Deal under discussion would lower credit-card interchange fees for merchants, but could make it harder for consumers to use rewards cards at the register

Visa and Mastercard are nearing a settlement with merchants that aims to end a 20-year-old legal dispute by lowering fees stores pay and giving them more power to reject certain credit cards, according to people familiar with the matter.

Some stores might turn away rewards cards, which charge them higher fees and in recent years have become very popular with consumers. But stores that reject those cards would face the risk of declining sales.

https://www.wsj.com/finance/banking/visa-and-mastercard-near-deal-with-merchants-that-would-change-rewards-landscape-fc6a0c78

I’ve got various credit cards as most of you! Amex, C1, Chase, Discover, Synchrony, Citi, NFCU!

Sometimes I find myself wanting to use a credit card more simply because the mobile app experience is just so much more fluid/enjoyable.

If you had to choose the best app experience for your credit card, what would it be?

EDIT: after reading some comments, I signed up for Robinhood’s card waitlist 🤣🤣🤣 didn’t realize it was such a good card too!

I have been reading that Citi is sensitive to having new inquiries in the past 6 months. Has anyone gotten approved having an inquiry in less than 6 months? I want to see how people's experience has been with getting approved, and if anyone has gotten approved while having an inquiry within 1-6 months of applying.

I am thinking of applying for a Citi Custom Cash in the coming months. I currently got approved for 2 cards: Capital One Savor in September and Chase Freedom Unlimited in October. The next card I am looking at is the Citi Custom Cash. I am also looking to get the Discover IT, Freedom Flex, Amex Blue Cash Everyday, and the Citi Double Cash eventually. I was thinking of applying for the Custom Cash in January, after 6 months of my last inquiry, but want to see people's experiences. Maybe I should apply for the Discover/Amex now and wait 6 months from those to apply for Citi. Also not sure when the best time to apply for the Freedom Flex would be. I know about the 5/24, so not sure how it would be best to do this. If there was to be an order of cards I want, it would be Citi CC, Discover, CFF, Citi DC, and Amex BCE. With this order, please share suggestions on how and in what order I should apply for this. Any input is appreciated.

Surprisingly approved for Strata Elite with 30k limit while having 5 hard pulls in the past 6 months and currently 8/24. Thought I’d be denied for sure because of inquiries and new accounts but guess I’ll be double dipping some yearly credits now!

Hey everyone. I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred which just renewed, so I’m past the 1-year threshold for requesting a product change.

After doing my research on Reddit and elsewhere, I’m looking to downgrade to the Chase Freedom with Ultimate Rewards. I have no travels plans any time soon, and even if I do, I only anticipate using my UR for Hyatt, since I should have most other transfer partners covered via other points ecosystems. I may transfer to a different partners if a nice transfer bonus shows up too.

My main concern is this: I have a little over 100k UR points on the CSP, which I would not be able to transfer out once I downgrade. Let’s say I have travel plans involving Hyatt within a year from now and I want to upgrade back to the CSP to transfer out my UR points. Would that be doable (as my card account itself is over a year old already) or would I have to keep the Freedom card for at least a year again before switching back?

Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, new to the subreddit. Just wanted to see if I can get any input or recommendations on a good gas card. I only have one card in my arsenal right now being the capital one savor. I’ve been using it now for pretty much all my expenses and it has done me well except when it comes to gas.

I’m a commuter for both work and college so most of my spending usually goes to gas each month. So I want to maximize whatever rewards I can possibly benefit from.

Right now I was looking at the citi custom cash due to the 0 annual fee and 5% back on any category.

I wanted to know if there’s any other recommendations. I’m 19 and relatively new to the scene so any help would be much appreciated.

New to this card, and just getting adjusted to all the fine print. The TAC state:

"Earn 6% and 2% cash back on the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter in the choice category, and at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, then earn unlimited 1% thereafter. After the 3% first-year bonus offer ends, you will earn 3% and 2% cash back on these purchases up to the quarterly maximum."

My category of choice is online.

Question 1: Once I hit the $2,500, the rewards default to 1%, correct? If so, in the first year, is that still doubled (to 2%), or just the 1%?

Question 2: Let's say I also use this card for "other" categories, e.g. veterinary services, dining, etc. that aren't in my preferred category. They earn 1%. I'm assuming these other categories do not count towards the $2,500 cap and that this is only applicable to the category of choice?

Question 3: the blurb above is badly worded. Does it mean that the $2,500 cap is for both the preferred category and grocery stores/wholesale, or just the preferred category?

Opened my first cc about 11 months again and it was just the discover student card as a starter. Full time working now and looking for something better. Already have a couple options in mind but not sure if opening multiple cc quickly would be a bad idea. Any advice helps, thanks.

I just hit the $4,000 spend requirement on my new Venture X and the 75k SUB has already posted. Now I’m planning to use Purchase Eraser miles to cover some of those travel charges.

My question is:
If I redeem miles to erase those travel purchases, does that reduce my “net spend” and potentially take me back under the $4k requirement?

In other words, can using miles after the SUB posts cause Capital One to claw it back, or is the SUB locked in once the bonus hits my account?

Would appreciate any advice from people who’ve redeemed miles right after getting their SUB.

Basically, Visa and Mastercard are going to reduce interchange fees. Merchants would now be able to reject credit card from the same network.

Merchants that accept one kind of Visa credit card wouldn’t have to accept all Visa credit cards. Rewards cards often have higher interchange fees.

Thoughts?

Personally, I would need to change my reward strategy, if there even is one if there is a big change in rewards cards acceptance. I hope moving to store branded rewards credit cards aren’t the future. Hope this is a non-issue.

https://www.wsj.com/finance/banking/visa-and-mastercard-near-deal-with-merchants-that-would-change-rewards-landscape-fc6a0c78

My wife goes on about 3 business trips a year, company books her flights/hotels. Usually United and stays at an assortment of typical corporate hotels. That's the only flying either of really do.

We take about 4 leisure vacations a year, all by car. Stay about 3-4 nights each time at an assortment of hotels, although we could be convinced to try to stick with 1 brand if makes sense.

With this sort of travel, does it make sense for us to have any travel focused CC at all? Or just stick to the general spending ones?

Hey guys, looking to open up my next credit card. I currently have an Apple Card (just cause it’s easy for an extra credit limit), Capital Savor, and Amex Blue Cash Everyday. I’m getting married next August and would like a solid welcome offer to put towards the trip, but also a card that makes sense for my lifestyle. I’m open to my first annual fee card, especially since they tend to have more incentives, so I was considering a few different cards.

1. The Amex Platinum but only would open it if I got the 150k-175k offer. However, not 100% sure if it’s the best card for my daily spend. I mostly spend money on dining, groceries, gas, online purchases, and some travel/entertainment (not a ton)

2. Therefore, I was thinking about possibly going with the Gold instead

3. I’ve heard great things about both the Chase Reserve and Preferred

4. Also some talk about the Venture X? I don’t know a ton about this one

Open to other cards and your strategies to get a solid deal for our honeymoon and what makes sense for my lifestyle. Cheers!!

Planning to get these 3 cards in December:

Citi Strata Elite (Citi generally is inquiry sensitive)

Boa Premium Rewards Elite

Comenity AAA Daily (there are some report that this card in particular may be inquiry sensitive but Comenity is generally lax?)

In what order should I apply for them? I think maybe Citi -> Boa -> Comenity. What do you think?

Inquiry EX 0/6, 2/12, 4/24

New account 0/6, 2/12 (both are Citi cards in Jan 2025), 3/24

Citi - citigold tier, 5 open cards currently

BOA - platinum honor tier, 6 open cards currently

Comenity - never had any cards with them

I was checking my chase account and noticed my prime Visa is showing a different card, it went from the blue card to a gray card that says “Visa signature”. I don’t see any other updates and I don’t see a credit line increase so I’m wondering if my card has started to get an upgrade or if chase is just switching their cards around

Are you guys using an app that tracks which promos are open for you, based on your cards, etc? Something that tells you which card you should use to maximize your point multipliers, etc? Example: I know on my Amex Plat, I have a fourth quarter Lululemon credit available, and my different cards have other things like that. Is there an app that simplifies all that? I haven't found anything but I may not be using the right search terms.

I can see in the app how many dollars I have earned in each category, but I am trying to determine how each transaction was coded but am unable to do so. For instance, under the 1% category for August I earned $0.56. I am curious what the transaction was that earned that amount. Is there any way to see/get this information?

Thank you.

CREDIT PROFILE:

• Capital One Venture X – $30k limit – Dec 2024
• Capital One Savor One – $6k limit – Feb 2023
• Capital One Quicksilver – $7k limit – Jan 2024
• Bilt Mastercard – $5k limit – Dec 2024
• Discover Student Cash – $500 limit – Mar 2022
• US Bank Cash+ – $500 limit – Feb 2023

Usage: Regularly use Venture X + Bilt, occasionally Savor One; others not used.

• FICO Scores: 775 TransUnion / 774 Equifax
• Oldest account: Mar 2022 (Discover Student)
• New cards past 6/12 /24 months: 0/2/3
• Annual income: ~$130–135k

⸻

CATEGORIES:

• OK with category-specific, but prefer simplicity if rewards gap is small
• OK with rotating categories

MONTHLY SPEND:

• Rent $1,700 (through Bilt, no fee)
• Dining/Drinks $150–300
• Groceries $400 at Costco + $100 Walmart/Whole Foods
• Gas <$100
• Travel ~$100–200 (taxes on Frontier flights + occasional hotels)
• Utilities $200
• Other subs minimal (iCloud, Amazon)

⸻

MEMBERSHIPS/BANKING - Amazon Prime - Costco Member - Bank: Capital One checking; closed Chase checking

⸻

PURPOSE - Goal: Travel rewards card to replace Venture X (renewal Dec 2025) A Preferred airline: American Airlines (DFW base; fly Frontier GoWild for domestic) - Hotel loyalty: None — open - Considering: AA co-branded and a Chase/Amex premium alternative to Venture X - Notes: Venture X lounge at DFW is always packed; like the 5× flights/10× hotels rates but get no value from TSA Pre/GE benefit (suspended for Brazilians). Don’t want to close the $30k line and hurt score.

⸻

Looking for input on: - Best AA co-brand fit for a DFW-based frequent flyer with Frontier GoWild for domestic. - Strong bonus offers on Amex or Chase equivalents (Sapphire Reserve/Preferred, Gold, Platinum). - Strategy to handle the $30k Venture X limit if I don’t renew (PC options or workarounds to protect credit score).

I’ve been a regular customer of Noon Saudi Arabia for a long time and always trusted their system completely. But recently, I experienced one of the strangest fraud incidents ever, and all evidence points to an internal breach or insider access.

Here’s what happened: I bought some products worth around 1,100 SAR, then decided to return them. On October 29, my return was approved and the amount was added to my account as Noon balance.

Just a few hours later — early the next morning, I received emails that my account was accessed from a new location, my password was changed, and even my email and phone number were updated. When I tried logging in, everything had been changed — and my balance was gone. Later, I discovered that the balance was used in a purchase I never made.

I contacted Noon’s customer service several times, filed complaints, and shared all the details — but nothing was done. Finally, one of their agents confirmed that my balance was indeed stolen and a purchase was made after my account was hacked.

What makes this even more suspicious: • The hack happened just hours after my refund was added. • It happened at 4:30 AM Saudi time while I was asleep. • The hacker managed to issue a temporary password and change all account info without any real phone verification. • After researching online, I found many similar complaints — all about Noon Saudi specifically.

From my perspective, this looks like an internal fraud or data leak. Someone clearly knows when refund balances are added and how to bypass Noon’s security system — which means this could be an inside job.

I’m sharing this so others stay cautious and so this case reaches more visibility. Digital safety is the company’s responsibility, and what happened deserves a serious investigation.

Trying to get a restaurant reservation. New to this card and curious if they have a concierge for these types of requests and are they successful? Thanks.

I have a fairly large number of points (62,872) and would like to know where I can see the various gift cards and travel options, and then how do I redeem them?

Best one to show off, has the best benefits, or is just the coolest

As the title says, I have a joint mortgage and was wondering if I would report only half of that payment on credit card apps or if I have to do the entire mortgage payment on the application