Annual Fee

Welcome Bonus

Base Earn Rate

Top Earn Categories

Network

Key Benefits

Pros

• +Automatic 5% cash back on top spending category with no activation required
• +No annual fee makes it easy to keep long-term for credit history
• +10 eligible bonus categories including dining, gas, groceries, streaming, and transit
• +0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months
• +Pairs with Strata Premier to unlock ThankYou Points transfer partners

• +No card annual fee (membership required separately)
• +4% cash back on gas (up to $7K annual spend)
• +3% cash back on restaurants and travel
• +2% cash back at Costco warehouse and Costco.com
• +1% on all other purchases

Cons

• −$500 monthly cap limits value for high spenders (max $25/month in bonus rewards)
• −3% foreign transaction fee makes it poor for international travel
• −Cannot manually select bonus category - algorithm chooses based on spend
• −Only one Custom Cash card allowed per person
• −48-month restriction on welcome bonus if you've had one before

• −Requires Costco membership ($65/year Gold Star minimum)
• −4% gas rate capped at $7K/year ($280 max annual gas rewards)
• −1% fallback after gas cap is spent
• −No premium travel benefits or insurance
• −Limited to Visa network (some merchants may not accept)

Annual Fee

Welcome Bonus

Base Earn Rate

Top Earn Categories

Network

Key Benefits

Pros

• +Automatic 5% cash back on top spending category with no activation required
• +No annual fee makes it easy to keep long-term for credit history
• +10 eligible bonus categories including dining, gas, groceries, streaming, and transit
• +0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months
• +Pairs with Strata Premier to unlock ThankYou Points transfer partners

• +No card annual fee (membership required separately)
• +4% cash back on gas (up to $7K annual spend)
• +3% cash back on restaurants and travel
• +2% cash back at Costco warehouse and Costco.com
• +1% on all other purchases

Cons

• −$500 monthly cap limits value for high spenders (max $25/month in bonus rewards)
• −3% foreign transaction fee makes it poor for international travel
• −Cannot manually select bonus category - algorithm chooses based on spend
• −Only one Custom Cash card allowed per person
• −48-month restriction on welcome bonus if you've had one before

• −Requires Costco membership ($65/year Gold Star minimum)
• −4% gas rate capped at $7K/year ($280 max annual gas rewards)
• −1% fallback after gas cap is spent
• −No premium travel benefits or insurance
• −Limited to Visa network (some merchants may not accept)

Annual Fee

Welcome Bonus

Base Earn Rate

Top Earn Categories

Network

Key Benefits

Pros

• +Automatic 5% cash back on top spending category with no activation required
• +No annual fee makes it easy to keep long-term for credit history
• +10 eligible bonus categories including dining, gas, groceries, streaming, and transit
• +0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months
• +Pairs with Strata Premier to unlock ThankYou Points transfer partners

• +No card annual fee (membership required separately)
• +4% cash back on gas (up to $7K annual spend)
• +3% cash back on restaurants and travel
• +2% cash back at Costco warehouse and Costco.com
• +1% on all other purchases

Cons

• −$500 monthly cap limits value for high spenders (max $25/month in bonus rewards)
• −3% foreign transaction fee makes it poor for international travel
• −Cannot manually select bonus category - algorithm chooses based on spend
• −Only one Custom Cash card allowed per person
• −48-month restriction on welcome bonus if you've had one before

• −Requires Costco membership ($65/year Gold Star minimum)
• −4% gas rate capped at $7K/year ($280 max annual gas rewards)
• −1% fallback after gas cap is spent
• −No premium travel benefits or insurance
• −Limited to Visa network (some merchants may not accept)