What’s in your wallet? (Credit Card Guide for Average Joe’s written by Jewish Man)

Capital One asked perhaps the most important question since William Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be?” with their brilliant commercial slogan that forces you to think about what is in your wallet. Believe it or not, what lies in your wallet is important.  

Now I’ve met lots of people who say “I don’t use credit cards, I use my debit card.” I’m not here to sugarcoat things… that logic is trash and comes from a place of fear, but it’s ok, the Hip Pop Critic will make you feel safe, so just keep reading and let me guide you to the heavens. Plus you can set up automatic payments on your credit card, which I do on each card, that ensures you won’t miss a payment, so then your credit card will function as a debit card.

If you ever want to build credit (you do!), it will allow you to rent an apartment, buy a home, get a small business loan, etc. then you’ll need a few credit cards. My father was a bankruptcy attorney and credit expert. He recommends three lines of credit at minimum. I recommend more if you want to take advantage of cash back rewards.

That’s what this post is about. Cash back rewards. Every credit card to my knowledge will give you a percentage of what you pay back as rewards, allowing you to get paid on money you spend. The secret is to find the cards that give you the most cash back without an annual fee. Now you could go out and do some research yourself, but I’ve been seeking top tier credit cards for many years and I have built a powerful arsenal of plastic that now sits in my wallet, ready to be slid out and tapped or swiped in a moment’s notice. Now with no further ado, here is the dream team of credit cards:

Citi Custom Cash

The Citi Custom Cash card is possibly my favorite, as it offers a whopping 5% cash back for your category of choice: (Restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, live entertainment). By choice, I mean whatever you spend money on for that month, your Citi Custom Cash card will give you 5% back on. The freedom and flexibility offered here is unmatched. America is all about freedom, so spread your wings and fly with this lovely piece of plastic. The 5% cash back cards without an annual fee are unicorns (they’re rare). This one is even more rare, as the other five percenters will choose the category for you. Fun fact: a lot of hip-hop artists are members of the Five-Percent Nation, an offshoot of Islam founded in Harlem in the 1960’s. Saving money is my religion though, and right now I feel like Jesus as I share this information with my readers for free with absolutely nothing to gain! It also comes with a $200 reward if you spend $1,500 in the first 3 months, so go get that free money! 

P.S. All of the 5% cards have a $500 maximum per month, but most people wouldn’t spend more than $500 a month on any of these categories, or you might need to refer to my other financial post about how to spend your money! Not gonna link it here as I’m too lazy to look it up. Go find it yourself if you’re a fan of The Hip Pop Critic!!

Chase Freedom Flex

Not to be confused with the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, the Chase Freedom card offers 5% cash back with rotating categories every 3 months. No annual fee of course. Excellent card, as are any that give 5% without fee. The only thing is you must activate it every 3 months to get the 5%. Don’t worry though, they send you an email to do it, and all you have to do is press a big green activate button. Then you get the green (winky face emoji with kissy lips). It also comes with a $200 reward if you spend $1,500 in the first 3 months, which you must do with this card regardless of category! You also get 3% on dining and drugstores. Amazing card. 

Discover it Cash Back 

This card is identical to the Chase Freedom Flex, but without the $200 reward. It’s still worth it for the 5% though. The secret here is to have as many of the 5% cash back cards I listed here as possible. If you do, this should cover all of your categories that you typically spend money on. This and the two above are my big 3. 

Amazon Prime Visa

If you are on your parents Prime account (let’s hope you are), and you spend money on Amazon, you need this card! It gives you 5% back at Amazon, and will occasionally also offer 5% in additional categories (they’ll email you about it randomly). This is only for Amazon users. The 3 cards above are essential. This is only essential if you spend money on Amazon and have Amazon prime. 

Costco Anywhere Visa Card

This probably warrants another post, but you should absolutely be a Costco Member. The savings you get easily equal the annual membership. Now some people say “I don’t have a family, I don’t need to buy in bulk.” Well you probably have roommates, don’t you? If not, you’re probably too well-off to be reading this post anyways, so go find some new music from one of my other posts instead! This card gives you some amazing benefits, including 4% at any gas station, 3% for travel expenses, and 2% at Costco. Costco is the only place I enjoy shopping. Praise Costco! Strong card here too.

SoFi Unlimited 2% Credit Card

Now you might be saying hey bro you said 5% is what you need. That’s why we collect several 5% cards that hit most categories, but you need this card for any outside categories not covered above. They also give you 3% for a year when you set up direct deposit, and after they’ll boost it to 2.2% when the 3% expires. This is your universal credit card, which is your backup for any odd categories that might not be covered. I’ll use it for utilities (energy, trash bill, gas, etc.). 

Robinhood Gold Card

If you’re using Robinhood Gold, you’re probably a degenerate like me. Kudos. For those who live under rocks, Robinhood is an app for investing. They make it really easy to buy stocks and cryptocurrency and offer various incentives to invest with them, such as no commission fees, deposit matches, etc. The Robinhood Gold Card is a newer credit card they created that gives 3% on ALL categories. This beats the SoFi Card above handily, as the 3% on SoFi only comes with direct deposits being set up and only lasts a year. That said, this requires a Robinhood Gold account, which costs $5 per month. Also, I’ve heard there’s a huge waitlist for this card. This is the only card on the list I don’t actually own, but I want to own. Also with Robinhood Gold you get 5% on any money you hold in your account, as well as a 1% match for any money you deposit. If you invest or care to, you need Robinhood Gold. Like Costco membership, this warrants a separate post, but I don’t feel compelled now.

NOTE: I am NOT a financial advisor or representative. I am simply a Jew that cares. If you have any questions about anything discussed above, please comment, and I will do my best to help get you the correct answer.

Alrighty gang, that is all I have to share. If you have any other credit cards you recommend, please post a comment with details! I believe this list is definitive, but I’m human, though Jew’s do have higher IQ’s on average according to science. 

Also, you might be wondering how to keep track of each category! I pin a note on my iPhone, so it’s always there, and I edit it every 3 months when categories change. Now go have fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 Comments

  1. Kymberly Gale

    Good info. Thanks for sharing. Are you left handed? Maybe that’s why you are frugal and as you say “higher IQ”. Maybe the next post should be on left handedness.

    Reply
  2. Geri Gale

    Money makes the world go round! Love your enthusiasm and your sharing of knowledge and all the benefits.

    Reply
  3. Patty Kunitsugu

    Awesome article and full of great information! Appreciate you writing this.

    Reply

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About

The Author

I wrote this blog for a few reasons. One is because nobody in my circle of friends ever puts me on to music or things that are dope that I haven't heard about (step your game up friends!) as few people nerd out as hard as me on the dumb things I focus on. The other and main reason is because I am so tired of The NeedleDrop and Pitchfork, from the way Fantano talks about music, to the way that Pitchfork writes about it. Both cause me physical pain to read or watch, yet I for some reason occasionally check their review scores, because they are the only sites I know that do stay on top of music (to a degree), and they focus on genres that I'm not tapped into, so occasionally I find something good. Is it worth the pain? No. So let me save you the pain, by only sharing with you my favorites, and maybe you'll find a new favorite. Oh and I also love talking shit, so I'll do that too, but this blog is about showing love to great art. 

3 Comments

  1. Kymberly Gale

    Good info. Thanks for sharing. Are you left handed? Maybe that’s why you are frugal and as you say “higher IQ”. Maybe the next post should be on left handedness.

    Reply
  2. Geri Gale

    Money makes the world go round! Love your enthusiasm and your sharing of knowledge and all the benefits.

    Reply
  3. Patty Kunitsugu

    Awesome article and full of great information! Appreciate you writing this.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *