By Ian Trent, ProudMoney.com

“I am barely keeping my head above water. I need, like, an extra 500 bucks each month. Then I would feel like I could breathe.”

These were the words of Jen, a friend of a friend who I’d never met before but somehow got into an extended, personal conversation with at a party. It may be because I’m a good listener, which I’ve heard women value, but based on my track record they don’t value it as much as a face that is more handsome than mine.

Anyway, it was getting late and this party was going nowhere, so I was happy to dig into some ideas on how my new bestie Jen could generate another $500 every month. She already has some sort of digital marketing associate something-or-other job that pays terrible, so we had to find things she could do outside of work hours.

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

Ranking travel credit cards is difficult, because what’s “best’ depends on how often you travel and whether or not you are already regularly earning rewards through a specific airline or hotel loyalty rewards program. For that reason, our “best” list is actually split in three to accommodate each situation:

Best Travel Credit Cards for Frequent Travelers (without loyalty to a specific airline/hotel)

This list assumes you travel often enough that you’re willing to pay an annual fee to get greater rewards on your spending as well as get perks like airport lounge access and travel credits. Note that the points earned on these cards are not restricted to a specific airline or hotel loyalty program.

• The Best: Chase Sapphire Reserve – Our pick for the best luxury travel credit card has a $450 annual fee but lots of perks. First, you get a $300 credit against travel expenses charged to the card, so, if you’re a frequent traveler, this should easily offset $300 of that $450 annual fee. In terms of rewards points, get 3 points per dollar on travel and restaurant purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchase. You can also get a one-time 50,000-point bonus if you spend at least $4000 with the card in the first three months of having it. If you redeem points toward travel through Chase Ultimate rewards, the points are worth 1.5 cents each — for example, 50,000 points equals $750 worth of travel. You can also transfer points on a 1-to-1 basis with partner travel programs including Southwest, United, Marriott, more. Other perks: Airport lounge access through the Priority Pass Select program, $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre application, no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside of the United States. Why It Wins: The best travel credit in relation to card annual fee, generous point redemption for travel, attractive transfer partners, solid point earnings formula.

• Next Best: American Express Platinum Card – Note that this is a charge card and you must pay your full balance every month. This card has a $550 annual fee. You get a $200 travel credit per year, but only with a single airline of your choice, so keep that in mind if you travel with multiple airlines. Get 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines or through American Express Travel. Also get 5 points per dollar on hotels booked through American Express Travel, and 1 point per dollar on everything else. You can get a one-time 60,000-point bonus if you use the card for at least $5000 in purchases in the first three months that you have it. Get up to $200 in free Uber rides per year, but a $15 limit in any single month except December (when the limit is $35). Offers free airport lounge access through its own American Express lounges as well as through partner lounge programs. You can also transfer points on a 1-to-1 basis with Delta Airlines and other travel partners. Other perks: $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre application, extra upgrades and perks at certain hotels, no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside of the United States.
• Also Worth Considering: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is sort of a scaled-down version of the Sapphire Reserve. While it has fewer perks, it is still a strong card (especially when transferring points to Chase’s attractive travel partners) and has a considerably smaller annual fee of $95 (waived for the first year), making it a better starting point for occasional travelers who aren’t sure whether the more expensive cards make sense for their needs.

Cardpool is a gift card exchange, or a secondary market for gift cards. It allows you to either:

• Buy a gift card for less than its full value, or
• Sell an unwanted gift card, but for slightly less than the balance on the card.

This type of exchange is a win-win-win for all involved. Buyers get more than they paid for, sellers recover some value for a card they wouldn’t otherwise use, and Cardpool makes money on the difference between the price at which it sells the cards and the price at which it buys them.

No credit card reward is more flexible than cash. That’s why cash back credit cards are the favorite type of card for most people. You might prefer a card that gives you a nice, generous flat rate on all of your purchases, as much as 2%, or you might prefer cards that give greater rewards for certain purchase categories. Some people are willing to juggle multiple cards to always get the maximum, as much as 5% on some purchases. Below we offer our picks for the best cash back cards on the market today, starting with flat-rate cards. All of these have no annual fee unless otherwise noted:

• Citi Double Cash – Get 2% cash back on all your purchases. You get a 1% rebate when you make the purchase, and get the other 1% when you pay it off. If you’re paying your balance in full each month (and you should), you’ll get the 2% right away; if not, you’ll still get 2% as long as you eventually pay off your purchases.
• PayPal Cashback Mastercard – Get 2% cash back on all purchases, but note that the 2% rebate is deposited into your PayPal account. It’s easy enough to transfer it out to your bank account if you’d like, but it does require an extra step.

By ProudMoney.com Staff

This is the cut-to-the-chase list of our Top 10 credit cards (actually 18, oops), based on overall quality, which could mean any combination of rewards, low interest rates, or other features that we choose. Which is the best credit card? We’ll give you our #1 choice, but you’ll be proud to go into financial battle with any of the others, too:

#1 PayPal Cashback Mastercard – You get 2% cash back on every purchase with this card, which is accepted anywhere that takes Mastercard, both online and offline. Your cash rebates are deposited straight to your PayPal account (you’ll need to establish a PayPal account if you don’t already have one), where you can use that cash toward online purchases or have it moved to your bank account. No annual fee and a generous, easy-to-understand rebate formula puts this newer credit card right up at the top as the everyday cash-back choice in today’s market. No foreign transaction fees, either. (The only downside is high interest rates over 20%, so don’t carry a balance!)

#2 Citi Double Cash Card – Citi unnecessarily complicates this offer, which fools some into not realizing how good it is. Bottom line: You get 2% cash back on all your purchases, provided you eventually pay them off. What that means: You get 1% cash back on the purchase as soon as you make it, then you get 1% cash back on your card balance payments. 1% + 1% = 2%. No annual fee.