Proud Money

Best Credit Cards RIGHT NOW – March 2023

Below we list some of the best credit cards on the market right now, with an emphasis on cash back and travel rewards cards:

Best Cash Back Credit Cards

card_name – Why We Like It: Maybe the best rewards credit card for grocery purchases with no annual fee, plus a rare 3% reward for general online purchases. EARN: 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit. NEW CARDHOLDER WELCOME BONUS OPPORTUNITY: bonus_miles_full card_name. American Express is a ProudMoney advertiser.

card_name – Why We Like It: No-brainer opportunity to earn 5% cash back in the everyday category you shop most each month, with no annual fee! EARN: 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter and on all other purchases. The 5% eligible categories are: Restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, live entertainment. NEW CARDHOLDER WELCOME BONUS OPPORTUNITY: bonus_miles_full

card_name – Why We Like It: Offers generous cash back in everyday categories where you are likely to be doing real spending, with no annual fee! Earn 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), plus 1% on all other purchases. EARLY SPEND BONUS: bonus_miles_full

What credit score do I need for the Amazon Visa? Approval odds?

Author: Adam Jusko (NOTE: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

The Amazon Rewards Visa is a popular rewards credit card, thanks to its 5 points per dollar on Amazon.com and Whole Foods purchases for Amazon Prime credit card customers (3 points for cardholders without Amazon Prime), plus 2 points at restaurants, gas stations, and drug stores, and 1 point per dollar everywhere else.

But is your credit score good enough to qualify? What credit score do you need to get the Amazon Visa?

There is no guaranteed answer to this question. But, using a combination of our knowledge of Amazon and Chase practices (Chase issues the Amazon Visa), plus a bunch of data points we’ve hunted down from around the Web, we can make an educated declaration:

In general, customers with a 650 or better credit score will be approved for the Amazon Visa. However, we have seen reports of approvals as low as 600, and some denials at scores between 650 and 725.

Obviously your odds increase with a higher score. However, remember that your credit score is not the only factor in approving or denying your application. Many credit card companies will pay special attention to the length of your credit history, your current debt, your current income, and how many other credit cards or loans you’ve recently opened. That’s why there is no guarantee when it comes to a minimum credit score for approval.

Best Gas Credit Cards – March 2023

What are the best credit cards for gas purchases? Here’s where you’ll get the best rewards & rebates:

card_name – Why It’s Good For Gas: This no-annual fee card lets you earn 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), PLUS 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), PLUS 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit. NEW CARDHOLDER WELCOME BONUS OPPORTUNITY: bonus_miles_full card_name. American Express is a ProudMoney advertiser.

card_name – Why It’s Best: One of our very favorite no-annual-fee credit cards on the market, because it lets you earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent. Because the categories eligible for the 5% rebate include gas stations, all you have to do is make sure you spend more at gas stations than in any other category to earn 5% back on those gas purchases. Note that purchases beyond $500 per billing cycle in your top eligible spend category, as well as purchases in any other category, earn 1% cash back. NEW CARDHOLDER WELCOME BONUS OPPORTUNITY: bonus_miles_full

Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps – What to Follow & What to Throw Out

By Adam Jusko, ProudMoney.com, adam@proudmoney.com

Dave Ramsey is a popular personal finance writer/broadcaster with a loyal fanbase. I suspect his fans are so loyal because Ramsey says just about everything with supreme confidence, as if no sensible person could have a different opinion. When people are feeling lost, whether financially or otherwise, a strong personality with strong opinions may feel like a godsend.

This is not to bad-mouth Ramsey. Much of what he says is good, common sense. But not everything. And I believe it’s good to question Ramsey’s guidance just the same as you would question anyone else. Like most who give you advice, Ramsey wants to make a buck off of you, as you’ll notice from the astounding number of info products he’s hawking on his website and how often he pushes you to buy.

So lets look at Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps to Financial Peace, a checklist for people trying to get their financial lives together — one “baby step” at a time. I’ll look at where Ramsey makes sense, and where he simply has a strong opinion that many other financial experts would disagree with. Let’s go step by step…

Baby Step 1: $1,000 cash in a beginner emergency fund

It’s a sickening feeling when it seems you are just barely getting by and then an unexpected expense comes up. Where are you going to get that money for a car repair, appliance breakdown, emergency room visit, etc., when you can barely meet your expected expenses?

The key, then, is to plan ahead, to do whatever it takes to rustle up $1000 to put into a separate account that you only touch in true emergencies. To do this, you’ll need to examine where every dollar is going and siphon away a few bucks each month to build this fund. Or, do something to earn more temporarily, whether that’s taking on an outside project, starting a side hustle, or selling some of your stuff.

This is no-brainer good advice. The obvious first “baby step” in your financial life should be to build some sort of cushion so you do not plunge into complete desperation when faced with an unexpected expense (which you might as well think of as an expected expense because something always eventually goes wrong, you just don’t know what it will be).

Best Credit Cards for Online Shopping – March 2023

Want extra rewards or rebates on your online shopping purchases? Look to these credit cards first:

card_name – Online Shopping Rewards: EARN: 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)! In Addition, earn 3% cash back on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 3% cash back on gas at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit. No annual fee.

NEW CARDHOLDER WELCOME BONUS OPPORTUNITY: bonus_miles_full card_name. American Express is a ProudMoney advertiser.

TSA Travel – How Big Is A Quart Size Bag (and what is a Quart Sized Ziploc Bag vs. Gallon Bag)

By Adam Jusko, ProudMoney.com, adam@proudmoney.com

Everyone knows you are limited in how much liquid and other toiletries you can bring in your carry-on baggage, and TSA airport security is going to make you separate that quart size bag from the rest of your luggage for screening. But exactly how big is a quart size bag? Are there strict rules about dimensions? Is a Ziploc bag the only type of bag you can use?

Here’s What TSA Says About Quart Size Bags

Let’s get one thing out of the way immediately: TSA does NOT spell out what a quart size bag actually means.

On the official TSA website, you’ll find the following message:

“You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes in your carry-on bag and through the checkpoint. These are limited to travel-sized containers that are 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item.”

TSA also has a video about what you can carry on an airplane, and the video calls it a “quart size zip top bag.”

And then there is the illustration on the TSA page of what looks a lot like a Ziploc type bag:

So if you absolutely want to be safe, you could buy quart-size Ziploc bags and use one of those. It says “quart” right on the box so you’ll feel confident it’s the right one:

That said, there is no official standard on what a “quart size zip top” bag is. The Ziploc bag above measures 7 inches by 7 and 7/16 inches. But Target has a quart size bag that measure 7 inches by 8 inches. And Hefty makes a quart sized bag that measures 8 inches by 5 and 11/16 inches. So, the quart size bag dimension controversy rages on. (Not to be dramatic.)

Best Capital One Credit Cards 2023

Capital One offers a range of consumer credit cards that target different consumer groups based on rewards preferences and credit history. Below we offer our ranking of the five “best” Capital One credit cards:

card_name – Why We Like It Best: Offers generous cash back in everyday categories where you are likely to be doing real spending, with no annual fee! Earn 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), plus 1% on all other purchases. EARLY SPEND BONUS: bonus_miles_full

card_name – Why We Like It: Offers the desirable features of more expensive travel cards, but strips away the fluff to keep the annual fee reasonable. That annual fee is annual_fees, but you can get up to $300 in travel credits when you book through Capital One Travel, and there is a strong Early Spend Bonus: bonus_miles_full. The Anniversary Miles Bonus kicks in starting on your first anniversary, with 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel).

In terms of rewards on everyday purchases, earn unlimited 10 miles per dollar in purchases on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel, plus unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases. And don’t forget airport lounge access through the Priority Pass network & the new Capital One Lounges, plus quite a bit more.

Best Buy Credit Card Approval Odds & Credit Score Needed

Best Buy offers three credit cards (in partnership with Citi), which is actually a little confusing, so be careful, especially if you have a lower credit score, because one of their cards has a $59 annual fee. (See our Best Buy credit card review here.) With three Best Buy credit cards targeting a range of customers in different credit score ranges, your chances of approval are high. But the question is: what credit score is needed for each card?

One Application, Three Possible Best Buy Credit Cards

When you apply, you’re going to be considered first for the no-annual-fee My Best Buy Visa Platinum, which can be used at Best Buy and anywhere else that Visa is accepted. To qualify for this card, you’ll probably need a 650 credit score to feel good about your approval odds, though it’s possible you’d be approved slightly below that score.

Now, if your application is denied for that card, you would then automatically be considered for one of Best Buy’s other credit cards (no need to fill out another application):

The My Best Buy store credit card, only accepted at Best Buy. This one has no annual fee, or…
The My Best Buy Visa Gold, which is accepted at Best Buy and anywhere else that takes Visa, BUT has a $59 annual fee that you might not want to pay!

Best Credit Cards for Fair Credit / Average Credit – March 2023

FICO defines fair credit as credit scores between 580-669, but credit card issuers often think of fair credit starting at a 600 credit score and going as high as 700. The cards below may be available to fair credit or average credit customers, but what you qualify for may depend on where you fall in the credit score range.

Mission Lane Cash Back Visa® Credit Card – Mission Lane branded credit cards are for people who are still building toward excellent credit. If you’re in that fair credit/average credit zone, this card has no annual fee and offers rewards of up to 1.5% cash back. You’ll get an instant decision on your application, and you could qualify for a higher credit line after making your first 6 payments on time.

The good news: You can see which offer you could prequalify for on their website with NO HARD PULL on your credit report. If you like the terms, you can go ahead and complete a firm application, which would then result in a hard pull.

Worried that your application could still be denied after being prequalified? After prequalification, the only way your application can be declined is if Mission Lane cannot verify your identity or income with the information you’ve provided. Pre-qualify now with No Hard Pull.

card_name – This up-and-coming credit card company may have a no-annual-fee credit card for you with your fair credit / average credit. They offer two different cards with different rewards and rate structures, and Petal does offer a pre-approval process that considers you for both cards to give you an idea if you’re likely to qualify with them. Petal credit cards are issued by WebBank, Member FDIC.

Which Starbucks Location Makes the Most Money?

We all know Starbucks is ridiculously successful and has tens of thousands of locations in the United States and around the world. But which location is the most successful, hauling in the most revenue each year?

We asked Starbucks. They wouldn’t tell us. (“We do not release this level of information,” they said.)

So we had to try to figure it out on our own. How? Well, with a little science, a little supposition, and a little hearsay, we made this list of 7 Starbucks locations that are probably at least in the top ten, though it’s hard to know which might take the top spot for making the most money.

(Note that this list does not include the massive Starbucks Roastery locations. The Shanghai Roastery has been confirmed by Starbucks as having the highest revenue of any single location, but it is much larger than a traditional Starbucks store, so we decided not to count it or the Seattle Roastery location.)

The Original, 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, Washington – Technically, Starbucks did not start here (it moved here from a previous spot nearby), but it is the child of the original and is thus the location open longest. It’s small, at only about 1,000 square feet, but you won’t be surprised to learn that visitors are more than willing to stand in line (out the door) to say they had a cup at the very first Starbucks location. Translation: this store makes a LOT of money, maybe the most of any Starbucks location.
43rd & Broadway, New York City – The “Times Square Starbucks” is likely to be doing a brisk business. In fact, in the past, Starbucks reps have said that it is one of the top two stores, with the original location above being the other. Which location is #1 today?