PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card* vs. Chase Freedom Flex℠
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a Forbes advisor favorite, topping our list of best credit cards. The card offers strong rewards without charging an annual fee or having membership requirements like the PenFed Pathfinder. For the most part, the Chase Freedom Flex will offer a more lucrative return on rewards.
The Freedom Flex earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on restaurants and pharmacies and 1% on all other purchases and offers a welcome bonus: $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
The Freedom Flex, however, falls short of the Pathfinder Rewards card when it comes to added benefits; you won’t find travel expense credits among the Freedom Flex benefits. It also charges a foreign transaction fee, 3% of each transaction in US dollars, so it’s not a good choice for overseas use.
PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card* against the Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express (conditions apply. See rates & fees) offers more benefits than almost any other card on the market, but, with an annual fee of $695, it doesn’t come cheap.
The Platinum card offers multiple lounge access (including Priority Pass) with registration, TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee credit, CLEAR® membership fee credit, annual airline fee credit, Gold status with Marriott and Hilton upon signup, Uber Cash credits totaling up to $200 per year and more.
The Platinum Card earns 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar for flights booked directly with the airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on other qualifying purchases. and offers a welcome bonus: 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on card purchases within the first 6 months of card membership.
Someone who seeks the benefits of the most elite credit card and won’t flinch too hard on the high annual fees of the Amex Platinum card may ultimately be able to extract more value from the Amex Platinum than the Pathfinder card. , but the Pathfinder Card’s annual fee (or lack thereof for those who qualify) makes it worthy of consideration for those who don’t need all the bells and whistles of the Amex Platinum Card.
PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card* vs. USAA® Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card*
Like the Pathfinder Rewards card and PenFed, you will need to be a member of a USAA credit union to apply for the USAA® Rewards™ Visa Signature® card.*. Eligible individuals will find the USAA Rewards Visa Signature card to be worth considering.
The card earns 2 points per dollar on gas and restaurants and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases and does not charge an annual fee. It offers additional travel-related benefits, but they are different from those offered by the Pathfinder Rewards card. With the USAA Rewards Card, you can get rental car collision damage waiver, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, trip delay and accident insurance. baggage interruption and extended warranty coverage.
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