NerdWallet’s Best Credit Cards for the Suburbs
Consider your spending on things like gas, groceries, furniture and utilities. Here are our favorite cards for those kinds of expenses.
You've traded skyscrapers for cul-de-sacs and your subway pass for an SUV. Once you've succumbed to the siren song of suburbia, leaving your urban life behind is going to mean a different set of expenses.
To help maximize the spending patterns that go along with your new residential lifestyle, here are our top picks for credit cards for suburbanites.
Top credit cards for the suburbs
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Our pick for: Big grocery spenders and commuters
CARD DETAILS
Rewards:
6% back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
3% back on transit including taxis, rideshare services, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more.
3% back at U.S. gas stations.
1% back on everything else.
Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Welcome offer: Earn up to $350 in statement credits: Earn 20% back on Amazon.com purchases on the Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back. Plus, earn $150 back after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. You will receive cash back in the form of statement credits. Terms Apply.
Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95.
APR: An intro 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 13.99% - 23.99% Variable APR.
WHY WE LIKE IT
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a strong choice for those who spend a big chunk of their household budget on getting around town and filling up the fridge. You'll earn an industry-leading cash-back rate at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 a year in spending (then 1%), plus 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on eligible transit expenses. Terms apply. Even for those days when you don't wanna fight the traffic and would prefer to park yourself on the sofa, the card will snag you 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. It also offers extended warranties and return protection on eligible card purchases, giving you additional safeguards for new appliances or other big-ticket items.
DrawbackS
There's an annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Our pick for: New homeowners
Card details
Rewards:
3% back in a category of your choice (from a list of six) and 2% back on grocery stores and wholesale clubs, for the first $2,500 of combined bonus category/grocery store/wholesale club spending per quarter (1% back after that).
1% back on all other purchases.
Sign-up bonus: $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Annual fee: $0.
APR: An intro 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 13.99% - 23.99% Variable APR.
WHY WE LIKE IT
Now that you've made the leap to owning your first home, you're going to have to fill it. The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card can help with that. One of its 3% bonus category options is "home improvement and furnishings." And if you already have the home goods you need? You'll have five other possible 3% categories to choose from, including gas, online shopping, dining, travel and drugstore spending. Also take note of the card's 2% categories: Grocery stores and wholesale clubs can be quite helpful for homeowners. And the sign-up bonus could be enough to cover the food bill for your first housewarming party.
DRAWBACKS
You'll need to be OK with tracking bonus categories and how much you're spending in them. The $2,500 quarterly spending cap applies to the 3% and 2% bonus categories combined; big spenders may hit that cap pretty early.
U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card
Our pick for: Utility bills and more
CARD DETAILS
Rewards:
5% cash back on two spending categories you pick from a list of multiple options (on up to $2,000 spent per quarter on those combined purchases).
2% cash back on an everyday category of your choice.
1% cash back on all other purchases.
Sign-up bonus: $150 bonus after spending $500 in eligible net purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
Annual fee: $0.
APR: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 12 billing cycles, and then the ongoing APR of 13.99% - 23.99% Variable APR.
WHY WE LIKE IT
If you're highly organized and don't mind a little extra effort in exchange for customized rewards, the U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card can be a good fit. It offers 5% cash back on your first $2,000 in purchases each quarter on the combined two categories you choose, from a list that typically includes suburban favorites like furniture stores, home utilities, sporting goods stores, gyms and fitness centers, and movie theaters. You also earn 2% cash back on your choice of one everyday category like grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants, and 1% back on all other eligible purchases. You can also pair the U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card with a flat-rate cash back card for maximum returns on your spending.
DRAWBACKS
It's a fair amount of work to keep track of so many bonus categories.
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Our pick for: Wholesale shoppers
CARD DETAILS
Rewards:
4% cash back on eligible gas purchases for the first $7,000 per year (1% thereafter).
3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases.
2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com.
1% cash back on all other purchases.
Sign-up bonus: None.
Annual fee: $0.
APR: An intro The ongoing APR is 15.24% Variable APR.
Why we like it
If you dread making multiple stops to finish your to-do list, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi could be your wallet's MVP. Fill up your tank, pick up a year's worth of ketchup and purchase a new flat-screen TV, all in one trip. The card's gas rewards are among the highest you'll find, and families that dine out often will also be handsomely rewarded.
Drawbacks
While the annual fee is technically $0, you must be a Costco member, which starts at $60 a year. (By comparison, the Sam's Club® Mastercard® requires a membership starting at only $45 annually.)
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card
Our pick for: Avid Amazon or Whole Foods fans
If you're already an Amazon Prime member, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is perhaps the most valuable store card on the market. It earns 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores; and 1% back on all other purchases. So it's great for those times you don't feel like braving the mall, or for those times your kids are craving a jar of 365 Everyday Value-brand organic peanut butter. Officially, the card's annual fee is $0 — but the only way to get it is by becoming a Prime member, and that typically costs $119 annually.
Capital One® Walmart Rewards™ Mastercard®
Our pick for: True-blue Walmart fans
If you can do most of your shopping online, the Capital One® Walmart Rewards™ Mastercard® will save you even more off of the big-box behemoth's already-low prices. With this card, you'll get 5% back on purchases at Walmart.com and items purchased through the Walmart app. This includes items you buy online for in-store pickup, as well as for Walmart Grocery Pickup and Delivery. You'll earn 2% back on in-store purchases (including those made at Walmart fuel stations) and the same 2% back on travel and restaurant spending; and 1% back on everything else. (In the first year only, you'll also get 5% back on in-store purchases made with the Walmart Pay digital wallet.) There's no annual fee, but unless you can check off most of your shopping list via your computer or smartphone, you can likely get better all-around rewards on another card.
Target REDcard™ Credit Card
Our pick for: Those who bleed Target red
If big-box stores are more your jam and you can't do without a weekly Target run, consider the Target REDcard™ Credit Card. Instead of waiting to redeem rewards, you'll get the incentive immediately upon checkout: 5% off nearly anything in the store. The annual fee is $0, and unlike either the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card or the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi, no membership fee is required. But the card does have a high interest rate: The ongoing APR is 22.90% Variable. So try not to carry a balance on it.
Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card
Our pick for: Caffeine cravers
Making a Starbucks run is practically synonymous with getting through a busy day. And if you're someone who also uses the ubiquitous chain for its Wi-Fi, your parenting meet-ups, or just to grab a half-caf-triple-foam-whatever on the regular, you can benefit from the rewards on the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card. The card earns up to 3 Stars per $1 spent at Starbucks stores: 1 Star per $1 when digitally loading your Starbucks Card with your Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card (excludes money added at the register), plus 2 Stars per $1 spent when that Starbucks Card is used to pay at Starbucks stores. You'll also earn 1 Star for every $2 you spend at on several everyday categories including grocery stores, local transit and commuting, internet, cable, and phone services and 1 Star for every $4 you spend outside of Starbucks stores. There's an annual fee of $0 intro first year, then $49, though, and rewards can only be redeemed for food and drinks, so this card makes sense only for those who make Starbucks a part of their daily grind.
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, see this page.
Information related to the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.
Information related to the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card.
