3 reasons why now is a perfect time to open a cash-back card

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I almost always charge my purchases to a card that earns travel rewards rather than cash back. In fact, I pair my one cash-back card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve so I can transfer the cash-back rewards over and redeem them for travel. This strategy has helped me earn a ton of Ultimate Rewards points, which I’m hoping to redeem for a business-class to Europe, and maybe even a stay at the Park Hyatt in Paris.

However, that all seems like a distant dream right now — with travel at a complete standstill while the world tries to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Credit cards likely aren’t the first thing on your mind right now, but we still have to eat — and stock up on the essentials — and if you’re making a purchase you’re able to pay off, you might as well get rewarded for it. While I know my travel points will be there to help me save on flights and hotels when everything’s back to normal, for now I’m switching my focus to cards that put money back in my account.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Cash-back cards can reward you for grocery purchases

For many of us, the biggest expense beyond food and rent is currently groceries. Luckily there are several cash-back cards that offer bonus rewards for purchases at US supermarkets:

Read more: The best credit cards for buying groceries

Get money back on food delivery

Food delivery is one of the other potential big expenses during this period when most of us are staying home. Again, plenty of cash-back cards offer bonus rewards on restaurants — a category that includes food delivery.

Read more: The best credit cards for food delivery

Earn 2% back on every purchase

In addition to using my Chase Freedom Unlimited card to earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase, I’m thinking about adding the Citi Double Cash card to my wallet. This card earns 2% cash back (1% back when you buy, and another 1% back when you pay your bill), and with no bonus categories to keep track of it’s an easy choice for maximizing purchases that wouldn’t earn me bonus rewards with another card — like the CBD lotion and bubble bath I stress-bought on Ulta earlier this week.

Click here to learn more about the Citi Double Cash card »

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