Everyday Credit Cards I Usually Recommend to My “Normie” Friends

As Nancy and I have said repeatedly over the years, the easiest path to free(ish) travel is through signup offers on new credit cards. No, you won’t get billions of points that way, but if you have a trip coming up, you can put a significant dent in the overall cost or cover it entirely through minimal effort.

Last year I recommended Capital One Venture Rewards (our affiliate link) to a  friend when the bonus was temporarily increased. The offer is back and you can see Nancy’s post for more details.

Anyway, recently that friend texted to let me know how happy she was to have these points on hand. Apparently, her brother’s cancer is currently in remission and he asked his siblings to join him in Alaska to celebrate. She told me the only way they were able to make it happen is because she had Capital One points to cover the flights and rental car. They used their credit card for planned everyday expenses  and were rewarded with this once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity as a result.

But truth be told, most of the time I’m asked about the best credit card to use for everyday expenses. And that’s totally fine, as something is better than nothing. Just keep in mind that you probably won’t be flying your family of five to Europe in business class in exchange for charging your groceries to one card for a year. But hey, that’s hard to pull off even if you are sitting on millions of miles.

With that, here are cards I usually recommend to a relative newbie looking to maximize rewards on everyday family expenses:

1) Citi Shop Your Way Rewards Mastercard

An odd choice since it technically earns cashback instead of points, but stick with me for a minute. To start with, read my post on why I think this card is too good to be true, no exaggeration. Sure, most lucrative spending offers are targeted and who knows when Citi will shut the whole thing down. But many hot deals are like that. In this hobby if you hesitate and sit on the sidelines for too long, you are sure to miss out.

To be clear, there are some serious downsides. For one, customer service is atrocious. Nobody seems to know what’s going on. Don’t use the card for any purchase you may dispute in the future.  Also, when it comes to spending offers, it’s like the expression from the movie “Anchorman”: 60% of the time, it works every time. A few of my online  spending offers didn’t track for some reason, despite the fact that I fulfilled the requirements. Calling customer service accomplished nothing. Seriously, if it doesn’t track automatically, don’t bother. You win some, you lose some. And to be fair, it’s more like 90% of the time, it works every time.

On the other hand, I’m currently earning $100-$200 per month on $1,000-$2,000 in spending on groceries, gas and restaurants for the rest of 2025. That’s on top of regular rewards and occasional offers on online purchases, which allow me to triple-dip now and again. Try topping that with any flexible points card. I’ll wait.

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2) Chase Freedom Flex

If you prefer dealing with a competent bank, it’s hard to go wrong with Chase Freedom Flex (my personal referral link). This is one of my favorite credit cards, hands down. You won’t get crazy lucrative spending offers like you would with Citi card I’ve mentioned previously.

Still, it’s a solid pick for those who prefer cash back, but like to have the option of having flexible points down the road. Chase Freedom Flex earns 3X on dining and drug stores, and 5X on rotating bonus categories (like groceries right now). You can choose to redeem points towards cash (nothing wrong with that) or convert the card to Chase Sapphire Preferred, which will unlock access to partners like Southwest and Hyatt. Hang on to your points, and someday you may get 1.5 cents apiece towards travel with Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Again, you won’t be flying to Australia in business class after a few months of using your Chase Freedom Flex, but every little bit helps. I consistently recommend this card to friends who want to start in the world of points, but don’t want to take any drastic steps (yet).

Honorable mention: Personal version of Amex Gold

This is a tough one, as the card is really good in theory. It earns 4x flexible MR points on groceries and gas, which is excellent. But man, that $325 annual fee is a mood killer. I rarely bring up this card, unless a person in front of me is anal-retentive and  committed to jumping through hoops on a monthly basis. I have a few people in my life like that. You can recoup the annual fee, but it’s a nuisance and takes up valuable real estate in your brain. My brain is already crowded with trivial information as is. So I will be canceling my Amex Gold in a month or so. But read my analysis and decide for yourself. 

On the plus side, we got to eat out at two restaurants we wouldn’t have otherwise discovered if it wasn’t for new Resy credit.

Tasty fried rice in Kojo restaurant in Sarasota (thanks, Amex!)

It’s been a good run, and I have 90k points from the welcome offer that I’ve already put to good use. Yes, transfer to Hawaiian and then  Alaska program, very “vanilla” of me.

Final thoughts 

I don’t mean to say that one of these three cards will be the right fit for majority of people I consider normal. But that’s the circle of people I usually interact with, so I know a thing or two on what makes them tick. Number one priority: simplicity, followed by low/no annual fee. While Amex Gold is obviously an outlier, I think it can still work for some. But  it does push outside  of what most families will consider to be acceptable.

Readers, what everyday  cards do you usually recommend to your “normie” friends?