Best Credit Cards to Use in New York City for Maximum Rewards

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For those who dwell in or visit New York City, you understand there’s so much to see and do — and simply as many ways to spend your money. When you’re exploring the town, you would possibly discover a sample in what you are buying. Residents and guests alike are likely to partake in the perfect issues the town has to supply, like wonderful restaurants, taxis or rideshares, and top-notch leisure.

Inside these classes, there are particular credit cards that will reward your spending with miles, factors, or cash back on purchases.  In fact, there is not one best credit card to make use of in New York Metropolis. The one or two you select ought to maximize your rewards on what you are already spending.

As a New York resident for 11 years, I discovered there have been a couple of playing cards that rewarded me extra richly than others. The appropriate one for you’ll depend upon the advantages you are in search of, the place you typically spend, the annual price you are prepared to pay, and lots of different components. 

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with a welcome bonus of 60,000 factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, and earns 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points per greenback spent on eating and journey (after the $300 journey credit score). You need to use the factors to book travel directly through Chase, or transfer them to airline and hotel partners like United, Southwest, JetBlue, and Hyatt. 

Chase’s definition of “journey” is broad. You may earn 3x factors per greenback spent on flights, accommodations, tolls, parking garages, taxis, and rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft. Plus, you may earn 3x factors on eating, together with takeout and supply. These are all fashionable spending classes for New Yorkers. 

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has an annual price of $550, however you may stand up to $300 in annual journey credit that apply to most journey purchases, together with rideshares, which offsets over half the price. Due to the pandemic, as much as $300 in travel credits also apply to grocery and gas station purchases via December 31, 2021, which makes it even simpler to maximise. 

You may get different beneficial advantages like primary car rental insurance and trip delay and cancellation insurance. I had this card after I lived in New York and located it price maintaining for the profitable factors incomes alone. 

Finest bank card for subway and commuter prepare rides: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

In New York Metropolis, you may possible end up on the MTA subway or a commuter prepare like Amtrak or NJ Transit sooner or later, if not day by day. You may earn 3x Chase Final Rewards factors on each greenback spent on tickets with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, as a result of prepare rides are included inside Chase’s broad journey class. 

Even higher, you should use the as much as $300 annual journey credit from the Chase Sapphire Reserve® towards a subway or commuter prepare move or tickets, which helps to offset the cardboard’s annual price. Plus, you may earn bonus factors for many different journey and for eating. It is a helpful card to have once you buy prepare tickets to maneuver in regards to the metropolis. 

New Yorkers like stopping into Duane Reade or different drugstores for fast necessities. With a drugstore round almost each nook, it is handy to pop in any time as most of them are open across the clock. 

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ affords a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first Three months from account opening, and earns 3% money again on drugstore purchases with no cap, which may add up shortly should you spend rather a lot at drugstores. You may additionally earn 3% money again on eating at eating places, together with takeout and eligible meals supply companies, 5% cash back in rotating quarterly bonus categories (as much as $1,500 in mixed purchases every quarter once you activate, then 1%) and journey booked via Chase, and 1% money again on all different purchases. That is robust incomes potential for a card with no annual fee. 

The money again is definitely earned within the type of Chase Final Rewards factors. With the Chase Freedom Flex℠, 1 level is price 1 cent, however your factors are probably price rather more should you pair the Chase Freedom Flex℠ with another Chase Ultimate Rewards card, just like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. 

Finest bank card to make use of at eating places, takeout, and supply: American Express® Gold Card

New York Metropolis’s restaurant scene wants no introduction, and is loved by residents and guests alike. In truth, many New Yorkers eat out or get supply most of the time, particularly as a result of there are dozens of distinctive eating places in every neighborhood. 

The American Express® Gold Card comes with a welcome bonus of 60,000 factors after you spend no less than $4,000 in your first 6 months of account opening. It is the best card to use for dining out, takeout, and meals supply in New York Metropolis since you’ll earn 4 American Express Membership Rewards points per greenback spent. Plus, you may get up to $120 in dining credits each year which might be simple for New Yorkers to make use of. 

After enrollment, you should use as much as $10 in assertion credit every month for purchases at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Manufacturing facility, Ruth’s Chris Steak Home, Boxed, and taking part Shake Shack places. Even should you do not just like the eating places on the record, most New Yorkers could make good use of Grubhub and Seamless supply as soon as monthly after they’re not eating at favourite native eating places. This helps to cowl the cardboard’s $250 annual price (See Rates). 

Do New Yorkers purchase groceries? It appears they’re at all times out and about however really, there are a lot of superb supermarkets all through the town, from Fairway within the Higher West Aspect to Sahadi’s in Brooklyn Heights to Key Meals places all through the town.

If you spend a lot on groceries, contemplate the Amex Gold Card, which earns 4x American Specific Membership Rewards factors per greenback as much as $25,000 in spending per 12 months (then 1x) at U.S. supermarkets. The cardboard additionally earns 4x factors for restaurant purchases worldwide and 3x factors on flights booked immediately with airways or via Amex Travel. You may then transfer the points to a variety of airline and hotel partners for journey experiences. 

There is a $250 annual price, however you may make up for it with as much as $120 in eating credit annually, up to $120 in Uber Cash credits yearly, and naturally, the robust incomes potential at U.S. supermarkets. 

If metropolis exploration is your favourite factor to do, contemplate the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card and its strong intro bonus: Earn a one-time $300 money bonus when you spend $3,000 on purchases inside Three months. It earns 4% money again on leisure purchases — a broad class that features issues like tickets to film theaters, performs, sporting occasions, and concert events, in addition to vacationer sights, dance golf equipment, and lots of different actions. 

There aren’t a number of playing cards that reward leisure purchases. You may additionally earn 4% money again on eating, 2% money again at grocery shops, and 1% money again on all different purchases. The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card comes with a $95 annual price, however should you spend rather a lot within the bonus classes, you may simply cowl it. Run the numbers and see in case your leisure spending is sufficient to make this card worthwhile. 

Delta is an effective airline for New Yorkers as a result of they’ve a home hub at LaGuardia and lots of worldwide flights out of JFK. Amex affords a number of Delta credit cards, however most informal flyers will do properly with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, which is presently providing 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases in your first Three months from account opening.

With it, you may get a free first checked bag on Delta flights for your self and as much as eight companions touring on the identical reservation, Zone 1 Precedence boarding, and a 20% low cost on inflight purchases as an announcement credit score. Contemplating it prices $30 to verify a bag every approach, you may get better the cardboard’s annual price of $99, waived for the primary 12 months (See Rates), in a single journey touring with buddies or household. 

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card additionally earns 2x Delta miles on Delta purchases, at eating places worldwide (together with takeout and supply), and at U.S. supermarkets, that are bonus classes most New Yorkers can respect. 

For those who favor to fly out of Newark, likelihood is you may end up on a United flight. In that case, the United℠ Explorer Card is the best credit card for United flyers, with a welcome bonus of 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first Three months your account is open, plus 25,000 bonus miles after you spend $10,000 within the first 6 months. You may earn 2x miles on United purchases, at eating places together with eligible supply companies, and on lodge stays. Cardholders additionally get a statement credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck each 4 years. 

The cardboard additionally mimics lower-level elite standing by offering a free first checked bag for you and one companion on the identical reservation once you pay in your ticket with the cardboard, priority boarding, 25% again as an announcement credit score for United inflight purchases, and two United Membership passes every cardmember anniversary.

All mixed, the cardboard is definitely price its annual price of $95, waived the primary 12 months, particularly should you profit from its beneficiant perks. It is also one of many uncommon cards that offer primary car rental insurance. 

American Airways affords loads of flights out of their hubs at LaGuardia domestically and JFK for trans-Atlantic journey. With the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite Mastercard®, you may earn 2x miles per greenback spent on eligible American Airways purchases, and at eating places and fuel stations. 

Together with a welcome bonus of 50,000 American Airways AAdvantage® bonus miles after $2,500 in purchases inside the first Three months of account opening, the cardboard additionally will get you a free first checked bag on home American Airways flights, in addition to for as much as 4 companions touring on the identical itinerary. That perk alone can cowl the cardboard’s annual price of $99, waived for first 12 months. You may additionally get most well-liked boarding once you fly on American Airways and a 25% low cost on inflight meals and beverage purchases. For those who fly American Airways a couple of instances per 12 months, that is the best credit card for American Airlines flights. 

Lastly, there’s New York’s hometown airline, JetBlue, which occupies all of Terminal 5 at JFK airport. New Yorkers love flying JetBlue for its consolation, limitless snacks, and welcoming environment. If that describes you, you may do properly with the JetBlue Plus Card, which comes with a welcome bonus of 40,000 bonus factors after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days and paying the annual price.

It earns 6x factors on JetBlue purchases, 2x factors at eating places and grocery shops, and 1 level per greenback in all places else. You may additionally obtain 5,000 bonus factors in your account anniversary annually. The JetBlue Plus Card additionally comes with a free first checked bag for you and as much as three companions on the identical reservation once you use the cardboard to pay in your tickets, and 50% off inflight cocktails and meals purchases. 

JetBlue factors are price, on common, 1.Four cents every according to Insider’s points and miles valuations, which suggests the 5,000 anniversary bonus factors are price about $70 towards JetBlue flights annually. Between that and the primary free checked bag profit, the JetBlue Plus Card is definitely price its $99 annual price should you like flying with JetBlue.

Harlan Vaughn is a contract author who has written about bank card rewards, private finance, factors and miles, and journey loyalty applications for almost a decade.