We’re mere days away from wrapping up 2017 and looking ahead to 2018. This archive will be pertaining to possible predictions to credit card releases in 2018 and credit cards that’s been out that may need to be addressed again so that you can better prepare yourself for application approvals. There’s tons of attractive credit cards out there and with 2018 coming, we hope that there’ll be more to come.
Quick recap of 2017: Release of US Bank Altitude Reserve, Platinum Card receives “Enhanced Benefits”, release of the: Uber Visa® Card from Barclaycard, Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, UnitedSM TravelBank Card, Capital One® Savor℠ Cash Rewards Credit Card, Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card, and Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card.
If I left out some cards, I’d really appreciate it if you let us know in the comment section below!
| BONUS LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Business Complete Checking® | $300 or $500 Cash | Review |
| Chase Private Client | $3,000 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase College CheckingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
| J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Up To $700 Cash | Review |
| Chase Secure BankingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
Predictions for Credit Cards in 2018:
- Big Bonus Opportunities Stemmed By Corporate Competition – We all know a 100,000 Ultimate Rewards (Chase) or Membership Rewards (AMEX) offer is undoubtedly enticing when the spending requirements are reasonable. Big card issuers are up-and-atoms with intent of pushing a bonus rewarding enough for consumers but reasonable for card issuers. Kind of like a ‘meet in the middle’ situation or compromise without insinuating anything is lost.
- Interest Rates – With more growing potential to earn rewards, we can’t just ignore the dismal fact that interest rates will be taking a hike as well. We can expect the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates continually throughout 2018+. If you’re carrying a balance, it’d be a good move to pay it off as soon as possible.
- Bank of America Plans to Push Out Heat – Based on assumptions of their newly released Premium Rewards® Credit Card and Bank of America pushing their new relationship rewards program for business & additional coin program attached to AmeriDeals. Considering that they’re one of the few banks that support crypto’s (even having patent a cryptocurrency exchange system), I can see some big moves from them in the future that entitles a competitive luxury-outlet credit card that can rival against Chase’s Sapphire Reserve or AMEX’s Platinum Card.
- Skipping Signatures – With Mastercard, Discover and American Express’s moves towards eliminating signature requirements by April of 2018, all that’s left is for Visa to hop on board.
Best Travel Rewards Card – Annual Fee:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a necessary recommendation for those looking for a low annual fee travel credit card. With 2X the rewards on all travel purchases, 20% discounts on travel booked through Ultimate Rewards portal, and a variety of travel partners: United, British Airways, Singapore, Korean, Hyatt, etc., all at a 1:1 transfer ratio. One of the biggest reasons why I see so much potential in this card is primarily because there’s only a $95 annual fee and it is waived for the first year and with a 50,000 UR Point bonus after a $4,000 minimum spending, the card is all the more worth it.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Summary:
- Learn More
- Maximum Bonus: 50,000 bonus points + Additional 5,000 points
- Spending Requirement: You must spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, and add an authorized user (no annual fee) within the first 3 months and they make a purchase.
- Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter)
- Bonus Worth: The 50K points alone is worth $625 towards airfare/hotel.
Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard – 2x Miles Points:
As for the runner-up, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard® earns 2x the miles on all of your purchases with 1 cent per mile redeemed for travel on top of a chance to earn 5% of your miles back towards your next redemption with everytime you redeem. With a hefty annual fee of $89, a spend of over $15,000 in a calendar is necessary to justify the annual fee. It’s recommended that you only use this card if you have enough travel expenses to redeem against, otherwise, your best bet may be a Chase Freedom Unlimited® .
Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard Summary:
- Apply Now
- Maximum Bonus: 40,000 Bonus Miles
- Spending Requirement: Must spend $3,000 within first 90 days
- Annual Fee: $89 (waived for first year)
- Bonus Worth: The 40,000 Bonus Miles is worth $400
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice: There is no cap on bonuses so earn as much as you can!
Best Travel Rewards Card – No Annual Fee:
The Discover It Miles is perhaps the Best No Annual Fee credit card in the market for travel. I mean 1.5x the miles earned everwhere, double point match-up for new customers and an introductory of 0% APR for the first 12 months on all purchases with no annual fees attached. How can it get any better than that (besides a sign-up bonus)? There’s no restrictive categories to hold yourself to so you’ll be earning points more conveniently, and worry-free.
Discover It Miles Card Summary:
- Learn More
- Maximum Bonus: Double Miles for 12 months
- Spending Requirement: None
- Annual Fee: $0
- Bonus Worth: 100 Miles equals $1.00 but there are no cap on how much you can earn.
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice: Refer your friends and receive $50 each, up to 10 referrals, for a total of $500 extra cash.
Best Airlines co-branded Card:
With the Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Card, you will earn 2x points for every $1 you spend on Southwest Airlines purchases made directly with the airline, 2 points per $1 you spend on Southwest Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. You’ll also get 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember Anniversary! There’s tons of more rewarding perks and benefits including Southwest companion passes, and much more! You can earn 40,000 Bonus Points when you sign up for the Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Card and spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card Summary:
- Maximum Bonus: 40,000 Bonus Points
- Spending Requirement: Spend $1,000 on purchases in first 3 months
- Annual Fee: $99
- Bonus Worth: The 40,000 Points is worth about $545 in Southwest flights
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice: You’ll also receive 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember Anniversary. Start planning your trip to one of the 90+ destinations Southwest Airlines serves!
As for the runner-up in all things Airlines co-branded classified, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card is an exceptionally rewarding affordable airlines credit card with 3x miles for every $1 spent on qualifying purchases of Alaska Airlines tickets and Vacation Packages, Cargo and Inflight purchases and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. There is no cap on points so you can earn as much as you want! The card unveils Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ as an account anniversary benefit valued at $121. You can earn a 30,000 bonus miles after making $1,000 in spending within the first 3 months of account opening, all for a low $75 annual fee.
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card Summary:
- Maximum Bonus: 30,000 bonus miles + Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™
- Spending Requirement: $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
- Annual Fee: $75
- Bonus Worth: 30,000 bonus miles is worth about $300
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice: As long as you keep your account active by earning or spending at least one mile every 24 months, you’ll keep all the miles that you earn.
Best Tiered Rewards Card:
With the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you will be earning a 6% cash back on all grocery store purchases, capped at $6,000 in purchases every year, and 3% on U.S. gas stations & select U.S. department stores. Although this card isn’t a consistent flat-cash back everywhere card, it does prove to be a huge contender in the world of everyday cash back primarily due to the 6% on gas station purchases alone. Of course, if you aren’t looking for categorical spending, it’s completely recommended that you read on to find the perfect everyday card for you!
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express Summary:
- Learn More
- Earning Rate: 6% U.S. supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%); 3% U.S. gas stations & select U.S. dept. stores; 1% other purchases.
- Maximum Bonus: $200
- Spending Requirement: Must spend $1,000 within first 3 months and spend $2,000 on eligible travel purchases within the first 6 months
- Annual Fee: $95
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice: The 6% is capped for $6,000 per year then 1% if you max out the spending.
Best Hotel Rewards Card:
The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express is perhaps the most attractive hotel-travel rewards card to ever hit the market, and I certainly think that such a title is true. Firstly, you’ll be earning 25,000 in Starpoints after making the necessary spending of $5,000 within 3 months of account opening. You’ll be earning 5x the Starpoints for every dollar ofeligible purchases at participating Starwood hotels and 2 Starpoints for every dollar on eligible purchases made at participating Marriott Rewards® hotels.
When you transfer your SPG points to airlines partners, you’ll get a 5k miles bonus for each 20K SPG points transferred and with a ton of airlines transfer partners, the Starwood Preferred offers the utmost consistency, especially with your point value (sitting at a beautiful 2.3-2.5 CPP) and a significantly affordable $95 annual fee that is waived for the first year.
Editor’s Note: With Marriott-Starwood’s merger, we can expect a Parallel Loyalty Program and introduction of new co-branded Marriott-Starwood credit cards coming in 2018.
Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card Summary:
- Apply Now
- Maximum Bonus: 25,000 Starpoints
- Spending Requirement: You must spend $5,000 within 3 months of account opening
- Annual Fee: $95 (but first year is waived)
- Bonus Worth: The 25,000 bonus points is worth about $600 in hotel night stays
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice: The Starpoints are worth a lot more if you redeem them for free hotel night stays!
Best Flat-Cash Back:
The Citi® Double Cash Card is blatantly easy to use with a chance to earn unlimited 1% cashback on every purchase you make on top of 1% cashback as you pay for those purchases, as you pay in full or over time. Not only that, but there’s no annual fee attached and 0% intro APR for the first 18 months on purchases and balance transfers. I emphasize that there is no restrictive categories and no limits on the amount of cashback that you can earn.
Citi Double Cash Card Summary:
- Learn More
- Earning Rate: Get 1% cash back for purchases + 1% cash back when paying your bill.
- Best Feature: 0% Intro APR for 18 months on purchases and balance transfers
- Annual Fee: None
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice: Citi Double Cash has no restrictive categories and no limits on the amount of cash back that you earn
Best Rotating Category Cash Back Card:
The Discover It Card offers you double cash back for the first year of cardmembership. You’ll get 5% cash back in categories that change each quarter (up to the maximum of $1,500 ) and 1% cash back on all other purchases, otherwise. In addition to that, this card is offering an introductory 0% APR for 14 months on purchases and balance transfers and no annual or other hidden fees attached.
Discover It Card Summary:
- Learn More
- Best Feature: Double Cash-back for 12 calendar months
- Annual Fee: $0
- Bonus Worth: Total yearly maximum of $6,000 for 5% cash back purchases plus amount earned for all 1% cash purchases which does not have a limit.
- Expiration Date: None
- Additional Advice:
- New customers can double the cash back earned at the end of the first year, up to the maximum of $1,500 each quarter for 5% cash back purchase categories and no limit for all other 1% cash back purchases. Refer your friends and receive$50 each, up to 10 referrals, for a total of $500 extra cash.
- Shop with Discover Deals online portal to take advantage of extra rewards since purchases are also doubled during the promotion period. Discover makes it easy to redeem your rewards with Amazon.com and increase the value of gift cards or ecertificates by as much as $20 from over 150 top major retailers and brands.
Recommended Business Cards:
The Ink Preferred Business Credit Card is quite the practical credit card for all business travelers. Currently, you’ll be able to get your hands on 80,000 in Ultimate Rewards after making a spending of $5,000 within the first three months of account opening and at a UR transfer 1:1 ratio to United, British Airways, Singapore, Korean, Southwest, Virgin Atlantic, Hyatt, etc., this makes for an essential for those of you that like options with your travel redemption.
The Ink Preferred earns you 3x points per dollar for the first $150,000 spent towards travel, telecommunications, shipping and advertising on social-media and search engines and 1x the points on everything else. One aspect on this card that truly stands out is the $500 in coverage per claim with Cell Phone protection against theft or damage, all at a $95 annual fee that is beautifully waived for the first year.
Ink Preferred Business Credit Card Summary:
- Apply Now
- Maximum Bonus: 80,000 bonus points
- Spending Requirement: You must spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Annual Fee: $95
- Bonus Worth: When you redeem the 80K bonus points through Chase Ultimate Rewards, this bonus ends up being worth $1200 toward travel. But if you redeem the 80K bonus points for gift cards or statement credit, the bonus points are worth approximately $800.
Conclusion:
2017 is almost a wrap and 2018 will be another year possibly worthy of excitement for points and mile-ist. We’ve put our prediction on what some of these newer cards should be pushed out with in 2018 to be sustainable for the market and we’ve also listed some cards that are already out that should be a staple in your wallet. We’ve categorized it specifically for what genre of spending the card excels with. If I left out any card that you, our loyal BCS readers, think should deserve appraisal, then please be sure to utilize our comment section! We’d greatly appreciate it. Also, find out which card is right for you by checking out our complete list of Credit Card Promotions today!
