Best rewards credit card for hunters?

[geetar]

Ok before y’all let me have it about what Dave Ramsey says about credit cards I will tell you this question is only related to a credit card that will be used to pay most of my monthly expenses and be paid off monthly with no carried balance. With that being said what is the best credit card for a hunter who wants to use a credit card to gain rewards points and then turn the rewards points into hunting gear or hunting trips? Does anyone do this? Has anyone had any good experiences with particular companies or cards? This all started with my brother in law getting a Ruger 1911 off of Cabelas points from putting his business expenses on his Cabelas card and my dad getting a leather motorcycle jacket with his Harley Davidson credit card points so just wondering can I do the same with trips and gear? I know Sportsman’s Warehouse has a card now. Has anyone used it?

 

[daltrix99]

I just use a card from my bank with good cash rewards. The payout is pretty good, and you're not limited or incentivized to spend at a certain location.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Credit cards are for losers. Similar to ponzi schemes and suckers’ bets. The House/Bank always wins. If you can’t pay cash then don’t buy the item. You don’t need to win a “free” blender or a set of encyclopedias with the silly points offered by the credit card companies! The creditors know that debt is a drug to most Americans. Its all about discipline. Good luck!

 

[NEWHunter]

Love credit cards. It’s free and easy money. If you want just one card, the Citi Double Cash Card is the way to go. No annual fee and 2% cash back on everything you buy. We use this card for our every day purchases. The Cabelas card is only good (and I only use it) if you’re making a purchase at Cabelas with one of their coupons.

That said, we use a couple of cards. For gas we keep a Ducks Unlimited card in each vehicle. We get 5% on gas. Easy. The card has no annual fee.

I have a US Bank card that gets us 5% on cell phone and cable/internet - that card sits in the bill folder at home as I’ve got those set up on autopay. Again, no annual fee.

My wife has has Chase Freedom card that gets 5% cash back on rotating categories. We only use it when the category is for something we need, like groceries. No fees.

She also has a Target card, which gets us 5% off on everything she buys there.

We get several hundred dollars in cash rewards each year and it costs us nothing. It’s not about maximizing rewards for hunting, it’s about maximizing rewards overall. You’ll come out much farther ahead, for example, by getting 2% on everything than you will by using the Cabelas card on everything.

Because my family rarely travels by air, I’ve never investigated travel rewards cards. Maybe somebody here can discuss those in detail. Edit: I should add, that when we do fly, we buy LUV gift cards at our local grocery store. The grocery store gives us 10% store cash back on the gift cards. We effectively get our Southwest flights 12% off - 10% from the grocery store and 2% when we buy the gift cards with the Double Cash card.

 

[NDGuy]

If you want just one card, the Citi Double Cash Card is the way to go. No annual fee and 2% cash back on everything you buy.

That said, we use a couple of cards. For gas we keep a Ducks Unlimited card in each vehicle. We get 5% on gas. Easy. The card has no annual fee.

Yeah the Citi double cash is legit if you want simplictiy. I also have the Ducks Unlimited Visa. NewHunter didn't mention it also gives you 5% cash back at any sporting goods store. Between the two cards that is a few hundred dollars a year for most families.

Other good options are the Target card and the Amazon rewards card if you use those a lot.

 

[NDGuy]

Credit cards are for losers. Similar to ponzi schemes and suckers’ bets. The House/Bank always wins. If you can’t pay cash then don’t buy the item. You don’t need to win a “free” blender or a set of encyclopedias with the silly points offered by the credit card companies! The creditors know that debt is a drug to most Americans. Its all about discipline. Good luck!

Ok Boomer lol

I do agree if someone struggles with budgeting and impulse buying they should avoid credit cards.

Other than that there are zero reasons someone with any financial sense shouldn't use a credit card. Treat it as a debit card it's free money you are getting back for making normal purchases like gas and groceries. Not to mention credit cards protect you from fraud better vs a debit card. If someone gets your debit card number it is a HELL OF A LOT harder to get your money back and work with a bank vs a credit card company. My card number got stolen a few months back and they overnighted me a new card and credited back the amount immediately.

Years ago my bank took over a month to get me back my $300 when my debit card number was stolen.

 

[geetar]

Love credit cards. It’s free and easy money. If you want just one card, the Citi Double Cash Card is the way to go. No annual fee and 2% cash back on everything you buy. We use this card for our every day purchases. The Cabelas card is only good (and I only use it) if you’re making a purchase at Cabelas with one of their coupons.

That said, we use a couple of cards. For gas we keep a Ducks Unlimited card in each vehicle. We get 5% on gas. Easy. The card has no annual fee.

I have a US Bank card that gets us 5% on cell phone and cable/internet - that card sits in the bill folder at home as I’ve got those set up on autopay. Again, no annual fee.

My wife has has Chase Freedom card that gets 5% cash back on rotating categories. We only use it when the category is for something we need, like groceries. No fees.

She also has a Target card, which gets us 5% off on everything she buys there.

We get several hundred dollars in cash rewards each year and it costs us nothing. It’s not about maximizing rewards for hunting, it’s about maximizing rewards overall. You’ll come out much farther ahead, for example, by getting 2% on everything than you will by using the Cabelas card on everything.

Because my family rarely travels by air, I’ve never investigated travel rewards cards. Maybe somebody here can discuss those in detail.

Good point on the maximizing overall. I guess my initial point was I could grow my hunting gear budget without taking anymore out of main family budget if I used rewards that were only good at hunting retailers. Looks like you’ve got it down to an art. Not gonna sit here and argue with people who are against credit cards but I am gonna maximize the use system whenever possible to my advantage.

 

[NDGuy]

I guess my initial point was I could grow my hunting gear budget without taking anymore out of main family budget if I used rewards that were only good at hunting retailers.

DU visa is the card for you. You get paid 5% back on the gas you are spending and gear you would be buying anyways.

I would definitely consider the Citi Double Cash card for everything else. 2% adds up over the years. We bank ours all year to help take some stress off of Christmas presents for our family.

 

[7Bartman]

Depends on what you're looking for in a credit card (e.g. travel, cash back, hotel, etc...). I haven't paid for a flight in the last five years and I've traveled to many destinations and gone on many vacations that I'd never been able to afford if not for credit card points/miles. I'm currently booking and around-the-world trip in business class for my wife and myself.
A couple of key things 1) NEVER carry a balance. Creditors know 2/3rds of Americans run into problems and that's why they can offer these types of benefits. 2) Set your account to auto-pay as soon as you get your card. 3) Don't buy things you usually wouldn't. 4) Opening a new credit card won't adversely impact your credit (and can even improve in the long run). I currently have over 20 cards and still have a credit score over 800.
Okay, enough of the disclaimers. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a good all-around starter card (you can use the points for various things). For cash-back cards, there are various cards that will get you 2% back on everything and some specialty cards that will get you 3-6% cash back on certain things (e.g. gas, groceries). Most recommend that you start off with Chase credit cards since they have some pretty strict restrictions compared to other creditors out there. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
I can answer other questions for those in this thread as well.

 

[daltrix99]

Credit cards are for losers. Similar to ponzi schemes and suckers’ bets. The House/Bank always wins. If you can’t pay cash then don’t buy the item. You don’t need to win a “free” blender or a set of encyclopedias with the silly points offered by the credit card companies! The creditors know that debt is a drug to most Americans. Its all about discipline. Good luck!

Black and white thinking is for losers. You yourself say ‘it’s all about discipline’. Anyone with solid financial discipline can use a credit card to their advantage and with no harm.

Anyways, OP specifically requested the responses not address the validity of credit cards. If you want to start a new thread about that, go ahead.

 

[sneakypete]

CASH!

 

[geetar]

I fully expected someone to derail this thread with negative opinions hence the disclaimer as to what I was and was not asking.

 

[geetar]

CASH!

I have cash. My wife and I both have decent paying jobs and our house is paid for. However since both of our jobs direct deposit our paychecks I have to use a debit card each time I feel up at the pump and our other bills are auto drafted from our account. Insurance, car payment, phone bill, ect and then we buy groceries which my wife usually does grocery pickup at Walmart and pays online hence the use of a card. Since I’m already using a debit card to do all these things I was asking in my original post is there a way to use a card and earn cash back and points to redeem for things I enjoy and get more for my money in the long run instead of just using a debit card? Do you have any input on that besides cash? It’s not about paying interest because I’m borrowing money it’s about since I’m using plastic anyway why not make it work for me? This bill will be payed off each month and no interest will be accrued from a carried balance.

 

[Nick87]

I just signed up for a ducks unlimited card. 5% off gas and 5% off sporting goods. To some of the above comments, If you can't keep from spending money you dont have not having a credit card isn't going to straighten out your financial problems. If not a credit card, people who are bad with money will find another way to land themselves into a financial pitfall.

 

[geetar]

After some research I ended up going with the Sportsman’s Warehouse card. Going to use it pay most of my bills and then pay the bill monthly. I may get a DU card specifically for gas later. The Sportsman card does earn extra points on gas. Here are the specifics of that card.

 

[daltrix99]

Seems like a good card! If there was ever one place I could have one of those sprint shopping sprees in, it would be Sportsman’s.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Don't get a Cabelas card, way too easy to go into debt! Wait, maybe that had more to do with me...

 

[NDGuy]

After some research I ended up going with the Sportsman’s Warehouse card. Going to use it pay most of my bills and then pay the bill monthly. I may get a DU card specifically for gas later. The Sportsman card does earn extra points on gas. Here are the specifics of that card.

Congrats I am sure you'll like it. I just like the DU better since you can earn at any sporting goods store and can use your cashback for anything vs only at a select store. I don't like being a slave to one store when there are so many awesome online retailers like Blackovis, S&S Archery, Academy etc.

 

[7Bartman]

Why not get a card that gives you cash back to use at your discretion (not solely Sportsmen's or somewhere else)? There are many cards that can certainly out-compete the return that the Sportsmen card can give you. The Amex blue cash preferred gives you 6% cash back on groceries and cable/internet and 3% back on gas and 1% back on everything else with a $250 cash back option after you spend $1k.

 

[JDH]

Don't get a Cabelas card, way too easy to go into debt! Wait, maybe that had more to do with me...

I'm actually looking into ditching my Cabela's credit card. Seems like everything I buy there I can get cheaper somewhere else.