Frequent Miler on the Air Up to 4% Back Everywhere: US Bank's Smartly Card | Card Talk Ep10 | 12-19-24
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Dec 20, 2024 Discover the ins and outs of the U.S. Bank Smartly Visa Signature card, which boasts no annual fee and the potential for up to 4% cashback. Learn how linking a Smartly Savings account can maximize your earnings. The discussion highlights the card's advantages compared to Bank of America and dives into investment options, fees, and strategies for making the most of your rewards. Get insights on navigating international fees and practical tips for effective card management.
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Smartly Card Redemption Strategy
- Redeem US Bank Smartly card rewards for deposits into a US Bank account for full value.
- Redeeming for statement credits or gift cards reduces the redemption rate.
Reward Redemption Practices
- US Bank may encourage suboptimal reward redemptions (e.g., Amazon purchases) like other point currencies.
- This could help fund the seemingly high rewards if enough people redeem at lower values.
Smartly vs. Bank of America
- The US Bank Smartly card offers a higher potential cash back (4%) than Bank of America's Platinum Honors (2.62%).
- However, Bank of America has no foreign transaction fees, unlike the Smartly card.