New $200 welcome bonus. Here is a lesser-known card in the world of 5% cash back credit cards. The U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature card actually lets you choose and change the categories in which you can earn 5% and 2% cash back. Here are the highlights:

• $200 bonus after spending $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.
• 5% cash back on your first $2,000 in eligible net purchases each quarter on the combined two categories you choose.
• 5% cash back on prepaid air, hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Center
• 2% cash back on one everyday category, like Gas Stations/EV Charging Stations, Grocery Stores or Restaurants
• 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases
• 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles. After that, a variable APR currently 18.99 – 28.99%
• Terms and conditions apply.
• No annual fee.

Here’s how it works. Each quarter, you MUST enroll to choose one 2% back category from a list of three options: gas stations, grocery stores, or drugstores. You also get to choose the two 5% cash back categories every quarter, out of a preset selection of specific categories;

• Fast Food
• Cell Phone Providers
• Home Utilities
• Ground Transportation
• Select Clothing Stores
• Electronics Stores
• Car Rentals
• Gyms/Fitness Centers
• Sporting Goods Stores
• Department Stores
• Furniture Stores
• Movie Theaters
• TV, Internet, and Streaming Services

You can pick the same categories each quarter, or switch them up once a quarter based on your planned spending. Make sure to choose your categories each quarter! – even if you want them to stay the same. If you do not choose your categories, all purchases revert to only earning 1% cash back for that quarter.

I have added the U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature card to my quarterly-updated list of other 5% cash back cards like the Chase Freedom Flex, Citi Custom Cash, and Discover More cards.

Another new coin deal on Monday, September 13th, 2021. PFS Buyers Club has another coin deal on a limited-edition American Eagle 2021 One Ounce Silver Reverse Proof Two-Coin Set Designer Edition. They will pay you a guaranteed fixed profit of $100.05 plus any credit card rewards. See details below.

On September 13th – at 12:00PM ET the US Mint will release the limited edition American Eagle 2021 One Ounce Silver Reverse Proof Two-Coin Set Designer Edition.

There is a purchase limit of 1 Set per household, so you’re able to buy 1 Set.

The cost of each American Silver Eagle Two-Coin Set is $175.00. After including the $4.95 shipping charge, each order’s total will be $179.95

You will have the box shipped to your own house or office and then ship them to PFS Buyers Club with a prepaid FedEx shipping label that we will provide for you.

We will pay you $280.00 – for a profit of $100.05 per order.

This is also a great opportunity to earn valuable points/miles on your credit cards, as well as meet any spending thresholds.

If you are new to this type of deal please the previous similar (but expired!) deal for more background information and answers to most common questions. I have now done multiple deals with them and been paid as promised with no issues.

If you want to jump on this, you can sign up to join PFS Buyers Club here. PFS will provide *very* detailed instructions. Read them ahead of time, and follow them carefully to help you buy the coin before it sells out. If you use that link as a first-time buyer, I will receive a one-time referral fee the first time you successfully sell your coin for a profit. Thanks for those that use it, and for those that already used it in the past. I will be opting in myself as well.

If you have collected a nice stash of Membership Rewards (MR) points from American Express, you may want to log into your account and check out the many new transfer bonuses available to their airline and hotel partners. Waiting for one of these limited-time transfer promotions is a good way to maximize the value of your AmEx MR points. Note that these transfers are not reversible. Some offers expire September 30th, while others are marked October 31st.

Airlines

• British Airways: 40% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 1,400 Avios.
• Hawaiian Airlines: 25% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 1,300 Virgin points.
• Aer Lingus: 40% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 1,400 Avios.
• Iberia: 40% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 1,400 Avios.
• Air Canada: 20% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 1,200 Aeroplan points.
• Aeromexico: 25% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 2,000 Premier points.
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue: 25% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 1,250 Flying Blue miles.
• Avianca / Lifemiles: 15% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 1,150 LifeMiles.
• Virgin Atlantic: 30% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 1,300 Virgin points.
• Qantas: 30% Bonus. 500 MR points = 600 Qantas points.

Hotels

• Hilton Honors: 30% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 2,600 Hilton points.
• Marriott Bonvoy: 30% Bonus. 1,000 MR points = 1,300 Bonvoy points.

Airlines that are currently NOT offering a transfer bonus include Delta, ANA, Emirates, Etihad, and Singapore Airlines. Choice hotels are also not offering any bonuses at this time.

I’m not a big traveler these days, so I don’t have any of the Gold or Platinum cards right now, even though they are offering big bonuses. I do keep one consumer AmEx and one business AmEx that earns Membership Rewards points, both with no annual fee.

• The Amex EveryDay Card doesn’t see a lot of use, but it keeps my Membership Rewards points active with no annual fee and helps qualify for various Amazon promotions.
• The Blue Business Plus from American Express does see a lot of action as my primary small business card, as it earns 2X Membership Rewards points on all purchases on up to $50,000/year with no annual fee. I can always transfer to Delta Skymiles which at least knock off 1 cent per mile off a Delta ticket, which means a MR points is at least worth 1 cent minimum for my situation. Too bad Delta is not participating this time.

Another new coin deal on Thursday, August 12th, 2021. PFS Buyers Club has another coin deal on a limited-edition 2021 American Eagle Silver Coin. They will pay you a guaranteed fixed profit of $61 plus any credit card rewards. See details below.

Tomorrow! August 12th, at 12:00PM ET, the US Mint will be releasing a limited edition American Eagle Silver Coin. There is a purchase limit of three coins per household, so you’re able to buy three coins. The cost of each Silver Eagle coin is $73.00, and when adding the $4.95 shipping charge, each order will total $223.95. PFS will be offering a commission of $61.05 for each order for a total payout of $285.00.

If you are new to this type of deal please the previous similar (but expired!) deal for more background information and answers to most common questions. I have now done multiple deals with them and been paid as promised with no issues.

If you want to jump on this, you can sign up to join PFS Buyers Club here. PFS will provide *very* detailed instructions. Read them ahead of time, and follow them carefully to help you buy the coin before it sells out. If you use that link as a first-time buyer, I will receive a referral fee the first time you successfully sell your coin for a profit. Thanks for those that use it, and for those that already used it in the past. I will be opting in myself as well.

Another new coin deal on Tuesday, August 10th, 2021. PFS Buyers Club has another coin deal on two limited edition Silver Dollars (Morgan and Peace). See details below.

Background (skip if already familiar). The US Mint regularly releases limited-edition coins to collectors. The coin sets are often limited to one per household, but later often end up selling for more than the initial cost (similar to concert tickets or limited-edition Nike shoe drops) PFS Buyers Club is a coin broker that recruits regular folks to buy their allotted coin set with a set markup amount, with the agreement that they will sell it directly to PFS Buyers Club.

Deal details: On Tuesday, August 10th at 12:00 pm Noon Eastern Time, there is a new fixed profit opportunity. Two limited edition Morgan Silver Dollars are being released, with each one having a purchase limit of three per household (2 coins x 3 sets of each = 6 coins max). The cost of each Silver Dollar is $85.00, times six coins plus $4.95 shipping charge, for a total of $514.95.

Total net profit opportunity of $155+. PFS will pay you a fixed commission of $145.05 for a full 6-coin order, on top of your cost for the set. ($660 total.) You’ll also earn credit card rewards on your ~$500 purchase (worth another ~$10 here at 2% cash back), or also possibly satisfying the requirements for some $500+ value credit card bonuses. This makes the net profit at least $150+.

In addition, this is the third coin deal from PFS regarding Morgan Silver Dollars. If you complete all three with them, they will add on an extra $100 cash bonus.

I have had reports of the Fidelity 2% back card not awarding points on US Mint purchases. I have used a BofA card (earning an effective 2.6% back with Preferred Rewards) without issue. AmEx says they don’t award points for bullion and precious metal, but in my experience US Mint purchases are not coded as bullion or precious metal. You may still choose to avoid them to be safe.

Note that the eventual value of the set may exceed that elsewhere – you may be able to get more on eBay, for example – but if you want to make that bet, don’t promise to sell to PFS Buyers Club. Just buy it on your own and try to sell it yourself. Keep in mind that eBay seller fees can be 10% of the selling price, you run the risk of the buyer claiming you sent them a box of pennies, and you’ll be responsible for other costs like the proper shipping with adequate insurance. The PFS Buyers Club price includes a free prepaid mailing label (including insurance) and they will pay you via eCheck (no fees), paper check, or PayPal.

Here are the two coins for this deal: Morgan 2021 Silver Dollar and Peace 2021 Silver Dollar.

Note: This coin is not expected to ship until October, but they also won’t charge your card until October. But be around that you’ll need to be around to receive the package and then drop it off at FedEx.

My past experience. I used PFS back in March for the first time and in July most recently, and everything went smoothly and I was paid my money in full without issue. The amount of communication was great and better than expected; I was kept up-to-date every step of the way. The total time commitment was about an hour total (30 minutes each deal) for $700+ profit, including the stop at the Fedex store to drop off the box with prepaid label. The eCheck option worked great – I printed the check out at home and deposited immediately via mobile app. PFS has a very solid reputation online, and I referred several blog readers last time and did not receive a single complaint. The primary issue is that the coins usually sell out quick, so you have to be fast.

If you want to jump on this, you can sign up to join PFS Buyers Club here. Sometimes these deals fill up, so I would sign-up and opt-in sooner rather than later. You can still opt out of the deal until an hour prior to the coins going on sale. PFS will provide *very* detailed instructions. Read them ahead of time, and follow them carefully to help you buy the coin before it sells out. If you use that link as a first-time buyer, I will receive a referral fee the first time you successfully sell your coin for a profit. Thanks for those that use it, and for those that already used it in the past. I will be opting in myself as well.

(Updated: The commission has increased to $145.05, a $60 increase from the initial offer.)

Another new coin deal August 3rd, 2021. PFS Buyers Club has another coin deal on two limited edition Morgan Silver Dollars. See details below.

Background (skip if already familiar). The US Mint regularly releases limited-edition coins to collectors. The coin sets are often limited by household, but end up worth more than the initial cost. PFS Buyers Club is a website broker that recruits regular folks to buy their allotted coin set with a set markup amount, with the agreement that they will sell it directly to PFS Buyers Club. For example, you might pay $300 for a coin and they’ll agree to pay you $350 for it (including prepaid mailing label) – a fixed profit of $50.

I believe the closest analogy is to other collectibles like limited-edition Nike shoe drops. The US Mint benefits from the scarcity, and can continue to sell these collectibles at a profit far above the minting cost.

Deal details: On Tuesday, August 3rd at 12:00 pm Noon Eastern Time, there is a new fixed profit opportunity. Two limited edition Morgan Silver Dollars are being released, with each one having a purchase limit of three per household (2 coins x 3 sets of each = 6 coins max). The cost of each Silver Dollar is $85.00, times six coins plus $4.95 shipping charge, for a total of $514.95.

Total net profit opportunity of $155+. PFS will pay you a fixed commission of $85.05 now $145.05 for a full 6-coin order, on top of your cost for the set. ($660 total.) You’ll also earn credit card rewards on your ~$500 purchase (worth another ~$10 here at 2% cash back), or also possibly satisfying the requirements for some $500+ value credit card bonuses. This makes the net profit at least $155.

I have had reports of the Fidelity 2% back card not awarding points on US Mint purchases. I have used a BofA card (earning an effective 2.6% back with Preferred Rewards) without issue. AmEx says they don’t award points for bullion and precious metal, but in my experience US Mint purchases are not coded as bullion or precious metal. You may still choose to avoid them to be safe.

Note that the eventual value of the set may exceed that elsewhere – you may be able to get more on eBay, for example – but if you want to make that bet, don’t promise to sell to PFS Buyers Club. Just buy it on your own and try to sell it yourself. Keep in mind that eBay seller fees can be quite high, you run the risk of the buyer claiming you sent them a box of pennies, and you’ll be responsible for other costs like the proper shipping with adequate insurance. The PFS Buyers Club price includes a free prepaid mailing label (including insurance) and they will pay you via eCheck (no fees), paper check, or PayPal.

Here are the two coins: Morgan 2021 Silver Dollar w/ D Mark and Morgan 2021 Silver Dollar w/ S Mark. In May, they offered the Morgan coins with the O and CC Mint marks.

Note: This coin is not expected to ship until October, but they also won’t charge your card until October. But be around that you’ll need to be around to receive the package and then drop it off at FedEx.

My past experience. I used PFS back in March for the first time, and everything went smoothly and I was paid my money in full without issue. The amount of communication was great and better than expected; I was kept up-to-date every step of the way. The total time commitment was about 30 minutes for $400+ profit, including the stop at the Fedex store to drop off the box with prepaid label. The eCheck option worked great – I printed the check out at home and deposited immediately via mobile app. PFS has a very solid reputation online, and I referred several blog readers last time and did not receive a single complaint. The primary issue is that the coins usually sell out quick, so you have to be fast.

If you want to jump on this, you can sign up to join PFS Buyers Club here. Sometimes these deals fill up, so I would sign-up and opt-in sooner rather than later. You can still opt out of the deal until an hour prior to the coins going on sale. PFS will provide *very* detailed instructions. Read them ahead of time, and follow them carefully to help you buy the coin before it sells out. If you use that link as a first-time buyer, I will receive a referral fee the first time you successfully sell your coin for a profit. Thanks for those that use it, and for those that already used it in the past. I will be opting in myself as well.

New deal July 29th, 2021. The US Mint regularly releases limited-edition coins to collectors. The coin sets are often limited to one per household, but end up worth more than the initial cost. PFS Buyers Club is a website broker that recruits regular folks to buy their allotted coin set with a set markup amount, with the agreement that they will sell only to PFS Buyers Club. For example, you might pay $300 for a coin and they’ll agree to pay you $350 for it – a fixed profit of $50.

On Thursday, July 29th at 12:00 pm Noon Eastern Time, there is a new guaranteed profit opportunity. A limited edition American Eagle Four-Coin Set will be released then, with a purchase limit of one per household. The cost of the Four-Coin Set should be either $4,962.50 or $5,055.00 (depends on the spot price of Gold on 7/28). Shipping will cost $4.95.

PFS will pay you a fixed commission of $200.05 for each Four-Coin Set, on top of your cost for the set.

You’ll also earn credit card rewards on your ~$5,000 purchase (worth another ~$100 here at 2% cash back), or also possibly satisfying the requirements for some $500+ value credit card bonuses. This makes the total net profit safely over $300.

Note that the eventual value of the set may exceed that elsewhere – you may be able to get more than $200 extra for each coin on eBay, for example – but if you want to make that bet, don’t promise to sell to PFS Buyers Club. Just buy it on your own and try to sell it yourself. Keep in mind that eBay seller fees can be quite high, and you’ll be responsible for other costs like the proper shipping with adequate insurance. PFS Buyers Club will send you a free prepaid mailing label (including insurance) and pay you via eCheck, paper check, or PayPal.

My past experience. I used PFS back in March for the first time, and everything went smoothly and I was paid my money in full without issue. The amount of communication was great and better than expected; I was kept up-to-date every step of the way. The total time commitment was about 30 minutes for $400+ profit, including the stop at the Fedex store to drop off the box with prepaid label. The eCheck option worked great – I printed the check out at home and deposited immediately via mobile app. PFS has a very solid reputation online, and I referred several blog readers last time and did not receive a single complaint. (Some folks were unable to buy the coins from the US Mint before it went out of stock.)

Here is the product page: American Eagle 2021 Gold Proof Four-Coin Set. Here is a direct quote of the deal text:

On July 29th – at 12:00PM ET, the US Mint will be releasing a limited edition American Eagle Four-Coin Set. The set has a purchase limit of one per household, so you’re able to buy one set.

The cost of the Four-Coin Set should be either $4,962.50 or $5,055.00. (The Mint will only be releasing the exact price for these products on Wednesday the 28th, and it will depend on the spot price of Gold over the day.)

Each purchase will also have a $4.95 shipping charge.

You will have each order shipped to your own house or office and then ship it to PFS Buyers Club with a prepaid shipping label that we will provide for you.

PFS will be offering a commission of $200.05 for each Four-Coin Set.

This is also a great opportunity to earn valuable points/miles on your credit cards, as well as meet any spending thresholds.

If you want to jump on this, you can sign up to join PFS Buyers Club here. Sometimes these deals fill up, so I would sign-up and opt-in sooner rather than later. You can still opt out of the deal until an hour prior to the coins going on sale. They will provide very detailed instructions. Follow them carefully, and it was pretty easy for me as a first-time buyer. If you use that link, I will receive a referral fee the first time you successfully sell your coin for a profit. Thanks for those that use it, and for those that already used it last time! I will be opting in myself as well.

The new Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Card is the most simple, straightforward, no-annual-fee credit card in the Bank of America line-up. If you are a Preferred Rewards client, you can increase the cash back earned by 25% to 75%. For such “relationship” customers, this boost can change this card from good to great. Here are the highlights:

• New customers: $200 cash rewards bonus after $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days.
• Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Redeem as a statement credit, deposit to BofA bank account, or deposit to Merrill brokerage account (including 529).
• 0% Introductory APR offer. See link for details.
• 10% customer bonus when you have an active Bank of America checking or savings account.
• If you’re a Preferred Rewards client, you can increase that bonus to 25% – 75%. See details below.
• 3% foreign transaction fee.
• No annual fee.

Preferred Rewards bonus. The Preferred Rewards program is designed to rewards clients with multiple account and higher assets located at Bank of America banking, Merrill Edge online brokerage, and Merrill Lynch investment accounts. Here is a partial table taken from their comparison chart (click to enlarge):

Let’s consider the options. Bank of America’s interest rates on cash accounts tend to be lower than highest-available outside banks (read: nearly zero), so moving cash over to qualify may result in earning less interest on your cash deposits. Merrill Lynch advisory accounts also usually come with management fees. The sweet spot is therefore the Merrill Edge self-directed brokerage, where you can move over your existing brokerage assets like stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs held elsewhere (Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab, etc).

In the past, moving over to Merrill Edge at the Platinum and Platinum Plus levels also led to 30 to 100 free online stock trades every month. Fast forward to now, and nearly all major online brokers offer commission-free trades anyway.

Personally, I moved over $100k of brokerage assets from Vanguard to Merrill Edge to qualify for Platinum Honors. You should ask Merrill Edge if they will cover any ACAT transfer fees involved. I realize not everyone will have this level of assets to move around, but if you do then it is worth considering. Keep in mind that it will take a while for your “3-month average combined balance” to reach the $100k level and officially qualify for Platinum Honors. You might become Gold first, then Platinum, and so on. After that, the 25%-75% rewards bonus on credit card rewards kick in. Once you reach a certain tier, BofA guarantees that you will stay there for a year no matter what, even if your balance fluctuates.

Note that the terms state “The Preferred Rewards bonus will replace the customer bonus”, which means that you will lose the 10% customer bonus when you qualify for the 25% to 50% bonus.

Boosted cash back percentages with Preferred Rewards. The standard structure is a flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Here’s how the numbers work out after you reach each tier:

• Platinum Honors: 2.625% cash back on all purchases (75% bonus).
• Platinum: 2.25% cash back on all purchases (50% bonus).
• Gold: 1.875% cash back on all purchases (25% bonus).
• BofA checking or savings accountholder: 1.65% cash back on all purchases (10% bonus).

I consider the bar set at 2% cash back to be considered a “great” rewards card. The Platinum and Platinum Honors levels allow you to surpass that bar. Again, not everyone will have this level of assets to move around, and so this offer is not available to everyone. BofA is willing to pay such high cash back on the credit card because they hope to make it back through their other products (banking, brokerage, loans).

Their plan worked on me because Bank of America has managed to convince me to go from only having a checking account with them to now also having a Merrill Edge brokerage account and a Bank of America credit card.

Comparison against other BofA credit cards. Not all Bank of America consumer credit cards qualify for Preferred Rewards. Other cards of interest that do qualify are:

• Bank of America Travel Rewards Card
• Bank of America Premium Rewards Card
• Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Card

Honestly, these are all solid cards if you qualify for Preferred Rewards. I can see any one of them being a good choice for those that want relatively simple rewards after setting up a “relationship” with BofA.

My slight personal favorite is the Travel Rewards credit card. The rewards structure on the Travel Rewards is similar to the Unlimited Cash Rewards card including the 1.5% back (up to 2.62% with Preferred Rewards) earning rate and no annual fee, except that the rewards can only be used to offset past travel and dining purchases made on the card in the past 12 months. I have redeemed thousands of dollars in statement credits and never run out of travel/dining purchases to offset. Their redemption process is quick and easy. One difference is that the Travel Rewards has no foreign transaction fee, while this Unlimited Cash Rewards card has a 3% foreign transaction fee. Together, this makes the Travel Rewards card a great “catch-all” card that I always have in my wallet. You may prefer the Unlimited Cash Rewards card if you have very little travel/dining charges.

The Premium Rewards card may be better if you can reliably utilize the $100 annual Airline Incidentals credit (seat upgrades, baggage fees, lounge fees) to offset the $95 annual fee, as then the increased cash back on travel/dining is all net profit. The Customized Cash Rewards cards with its 3/2/1 structure is also tempting as a companion to the Travel/Unlimited Cash, but you may prefer other rewards card for specific categories.

Bottom line. The Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card is an “okay” cash back rewards card with a 1.5% cash back on everything structure, but turns into an “excellent” 2.62% cash back rewards card if you can take full advantage of their Preferred Rewards program. If you transfer $100,000 of existing brokerage assets (could be ETFs or mutual funds) over to Merrill Edge, you can qualify for the highest Platinum Honors tier. This won’t be a good option for everyone, but something to be aware of if you can swing it.

Doordash is running their Summer of Dashpass promotion again this year, with weekly deals from 7/20 through 9/6. First, Dashpass members will get an extra $10 in savings each week during this period. There will be a themed promotion each week:

• July 20–26: Free cheese or pepperoni ExtraMostBestest® pizza with a Little Caesars order $20+ with code CAESARS.
• July 27 — August 2: $10 off any Pickup order of $20+ with code HUNGRY.
• August 3–9: $10 off a gift order of $20+ using code FRIENDLY.
• August 10–16: Eligible DashPass members (21 yrs+) can get $10 off an alcohol order of $40+ with code THIRSTY (where available).
• August 17–23: $10 off an order of $20+ on any Convenience or DashMart order using the code SNACKY.
• August 24–30: $10 off any pet supply order of $20 or more using the code FLUFFY.
• August 31 — September 6: $10 off grocery orders of $25+ using the code EASY.

DashPass is a subscription service that offers a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees when ordering $12 or more from any DashPass-eligible restaurant (look for the checkmark), as well as 5% back on Pickup orders. The regular price is $9.99/month.

Up to 12 months of free Dashpass membership is included with many Chase credit cards, including co-branded cards, and they are throwing in an additional $10 Doordash credit to those co-branded cards on your next purchase by 9/30 if you register/add your card here. Note that after those free 12 months, you’ll automatically be charged $9.99/month for continued membership unless you cancel DashPass. Eligible co-branded cards include:

• Chase Southwest cards
• Chase Marriott cards
• Chase United cards
• Chase Disney cards
• Chase IHG cards
• Chase British Airways cards
• Chase Aer Lingus cards
• Chase Iberia cards
• Chase World of Hyatt cards

If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred credit card, you can also get free DashPass benefits on eligible orders for at least 12 months (and a maximum of 24 months) after activation. Sapphire Reserve cardholders also get $60 in statement credits towards DoorDash in 2021.

If you have a Chase Freedom or Slate credit card, you can free DashPass benefits on eligible orders for 3 months after activation. After the first 3 months, the user will be auto-enrolled for the next 9 months in DashPass with a 50% discount applied to the then current membership rate. You can cancel at any time.

If you are new customer to DoorDash and sign up via my DoorDash referral link, you will get $10 off your first 3 DoorDash orders over $15 ($30 total savings). I will get food credits as well. Thanks if you use it!

If you have any American Express credit cards, check your “Amex Offers” in either your online account or smartphone app. Most people are seeing the offer “Spend $10+, get $5 back up to 2X (total of $10) after you Shop Small”.

Get a $5 statement credit by using your enrolled eligible Card to make a single purchase of $10+ directly at any business on the Shop Small Map (or Online Directory) in the US or US territories by 08/22/21. Limit of 2 statement credits (total of $10 back)

Here’s a screenshot:

You can find eligible businesses at americanexpress.com/shopsmalloffer or americanexpress.com/shopsmallonline.

This is a smaller deal than last year, but it’s easy enough.

Our two “keeper” consumer American Express cards are the Amex EveryDay Card (keeps my Membership Rewards points active with no annual fee, helps qualify for various Amazon and AmEx promotions) and the AmEx Blue Cash Preferred (earns 6% cash back on US supermarkets, up to $6,000 annually and 6% cash back on US streaming services).

The “keeper” business American Express card that I maintain is the Blue Business Plus Card – Earn 2X Membership Rewards points on all purchases, of up to $50,000/year. There is also the Blue Business Cash Card that earns a flat 2% cash back on up to $50,000 in purchases each year. I prefer the flexibility of having MR points, but both have no annual fee.

New rules as of July 2021. Alliant Credit Union, the 5th largest US credit union by assets, is changing up the terms of their Alliant Visa Signature Credit Card (again) as of July 2021. There are now additional hurdles to achieving the full 2.5% cash back, but the good news is that the previous $99 annual fee is going away for everyone. There are now two separate “tiers” of cash back rewards:

Tier 1: Up to 2.5% cash back

• 2.5% cash back on up to $10,000 in qualifying purchases per billing cycle. On purchases above that $10,000 cap, you get 1.5% cash back.
• For existing cardholders or if you open this card by 7/13/21, you automatically get Tier 1 for the July, August and September 2021 billing cycles.
• In order to qualify for Tier 1 for October-December 2021, you must meet the requirements for an Alliant High-Rate Checking account each month of the third calendar quarter (July, August and September of 2021), AND maintain an average daily balance of $1,000 or more in their Alliant High-Rate Checking account for the last two months of the calendar quarter
  (August and September of 2021).
• Qualification for Tier 1 repeats every future quarter in the same manner. Keep everything up for Q4 2021, and you get Tier 1 for Q1 2022, and so on.
• No annual fee.

Tier 2: Flat 1.5% cash back

• If you do not meet the requirements listed above, you default to Tier 2.
• 1.5% flat cash back on all qualifying purchases.
• No annual fee.

Redeem cash back rewards via a credit card statement credit (takes up to two billing cycles) or as a deposit into your Alliant checking or savings. Must first accrue $50 in cash back rewards.

Requirements for Alliant High-Rate Checking account

• Must opt-in to free online statements.
• Must have at least one monthly electronic deposit posted to your checking account in each calendar month. An electronic deposit is defined as a direct deposit, payroll deposit, ATM deposit, mobile check deposit OR transfer from another financial institution.

Competition. Please read my card-specific reviews for details.

• Citi Double Cash Card Review
• Fidelity Rewards Visa Card Review
• BankAmericard Travel Rewards Card Review

Alliant CU membership eligibility. If you start the online membership application, it does a good job of walking you through their various eligibility options. If you don’t otherwise qualify, anyone can join as a member of the Foster Care to Success (FC2S) charity group, and Alliant will now pay that $5 fee on your behalf. In other words… now anyone can join for free.

My take. Overall, I think this is a smart and practical move on their part. Historically, any credit card paying above 2% cash back with no annual fee has not been sustainable on its own. The only way to make it profitable is to offer it as part of a greater “relationship” with the financial institution. For example, Bank of America has its Preferred Rewards program to encourage additional bank and brokerage holdings. Here, Alliant is now requiring you to maintain a certain level of activity on their checking account. The one monthly direct deposit (can be a simple ACH bank-to-bank transfer) and $1,000 minimum balance is relatively easy to achieve when compared to competitors that require a payroll direct deposit or 12+ debit card transactions per month.

In exchange, earning an extra 0.5% cash back on up to $120,000 in purchases annually is worth potentially an extra $600 a year in cash back over a flat 2% card, although I’d run your own estimate as very few households will charge that much. Some people will value the simplicity of keeping a single credit card with excellent cash back on almost everything and no categories to track.

I would skip the Tier 2 option completely. At 1.5% cash back for the tier with no checking account, it’s just another ho-hum average credit card.

Bottom line. The Alliant Visa Signature Credit Card offers up to 2.5% cash back on up to $10,000 on all qualifying purchases per month (no categories) with no annual fee, but you’ll need an active Alliant High-Rate Checking account amongst other requirements. Membership is easy and free.