How to Climb The Credit Card Ladder in 2024

[@humphrey]

Make sure to subscribe 🫵I’ll be doing some in depth reviews of cards in the future!

[@gregbaxter6162]

You’ll do it the same way you did it in every other year. Stop making repeat videos as everyone else

[@kaimulai5178]

It’s important to know that credit cards are not always a good thing to get to the highest “tier” as described in the video. It’s best to only get a credit card that matches what you actually spend. If getting a credit card would lead to you spending more or buying things you would not otherwise buy, you should not get the card. So the best credit card for you might be in what Humphrey calls the “novice” tier, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse than others. That just means you’re being smart with your money!

[@humphrey]

Correct!!! Thank you for commenting that.

[@CaedenV]

It's all about the right tool for the job. I haven't looked recently, but when I had a card with miles I found that the options in the portal were a good 20-30% higher than just buying a flight on my own. So I got in the habit of buying the flight myself, and taking the 2-3% cash back rewards for putting the flight through my card. Again, not the right call for everyone, but that is how the math hashed out when I was looking for myself. The other issue is that I want to play as passive a game as possible. My fidelity card is 2% back on everything and is my daily driver. Most store cards like Amazon, Lowes, home depot, etc. offer 5% off or 5% back, so we use store cards for store purchases. And that is as complicated as we get. If I have to micro manage my spending to get the full benefits of normal card benefits, then I'm likely to forget and not use the rewards... Which is really what they are counting on.

[@husky8204]

Well put! For me, I don’t have use for anything beyond the novice cards. I don’t have a lot of expenses and don’t care about points enough to pay for a card. At least for now.

[@charlesschmuckatelli7888]

True story! Most of the benefits are for travel cards...not for everyone!

[@brandonkoeller7478]

yeah, maybe you get a venture one instead of a venture?

[@TheIgnoredGender]

I just stick with tier 2. Cash back with no annual fees. And I rarely travel or stay at hotels to make the others worth it.

[@humphrey]

Nice 👍

[@kevinv2441]

Same here, currently on savings mode. No time to travel!

[@nowayjose1313]

Same here. The Chase Freedom Unlimited is my everything card and I get hundreds in cash back every year.

[@anthonywilliams9415]

Can never go wrong with cash back. Cash Rules Everything Around Me, C.R.E.A.M. get the money, dollar dollar bill y'all

[@abdullahamir52]

I am still in tier 2. But I think the American Express gold would be a bargain. I regularly use Uber and go out to restaurants (at least once a month). Since I am already doing this, I don’t see the downside of not getting this

[@TheSimpleDollarShow]

The U.S. credit card market might be the only one needing a “tier list” to keep things organized 😆 Great video, Humphrey!

[@humphrey]

So true!

[@thndr_5468]

Do other countries pay in sheep or something?

[@urbanexplorer42]

Come to Hong Kong lol

[@TheSimpleDollarShow]

@@thndr_5468 - No, the U.S. has significantly more card options and rewards complexity compared to any other part of the world.

[@TheSimpleDollarShow]

@@thndr_5468 - No, the U.S. just has an incredible amount of credit card choices compared to most other parts of the world.

[@Human_Organic]

this guy seems like he would make an excellent dad - hope he finds his person

[@OneFast340]

Simp

[@cupidok2768]

What car can I use for groceries

[@SootYourself]

Amex blue is definitely worth it for the average American. It covers a little bit of everything, such as groceries, fuel, tolls, and streaming!

[@BL-zf9fg]

Humphrey out here callin people noobs in the thumbnail 😂

[@humphrey]

lol 😂

[@MarkReese]

Awesome to see you cover credit cards 😃👊💯

[@humphrey]

thanks Mark!

[@kevintanis7368]

Just want to say thank you for your recommendation of the chase saphire card in a past video. I opened it rite before my trip to Switzerland got my bonus points and saved a ton in foreign transaction fees paid it all off now have roughly $800 in points !!

[@humphrey]

Amazing! I love to hear that 🫡

[@Joenzinator]

The Amex gold would be hard for me since I don't use those specific restaurants or Uber. Without those perks, I'd need to spend $18k on food before it became better than my current card with a lower fee.

[@objc]

The plain chase sapphire is a great card, the preferred and reserve are like an all inclusive resort, you have to pig out on stuff you don’t really like to get the full benefit. I’d rather not feel roped into spending money on specific things because I paid to do that!

[@AnthonyVenture]

I liked this a lot Humphrey! I love talking up the Capital One Secured Platinum because it’s literally, for a lot of people, the only reason a lot of us are in the points and miles game to begin with 😂 Myself included ha. Also, the “flex on the haters” category as some others mentioned is necessary 😆

[@thestaticisreal]

Discover it student was my first credit card, would definitely recommend over all the secured cards

[@Midway_CV-41]

Thank you for the video, helped me learn a few new things about the credit scene in the US and what to work forward to.

[@humphrey]

Glad it was helpful!

[@stephans1990]

And another thing, this whole credit system also seems arbitrary to me and a perverse incentive to spend more just to build "a credit history". When I applied for a mortgage here in the Netherlands, all I needed was proof of employment.

[@humphrey]

Wow that’s nice. Yeah I suppose

[@leightonmoreno3855]

Credit score is noob for debt to income ratio

[@stephans1990]

@@leightonmoreno3855 From what I understand it also takes into account other factors like spending pattern and previous debts. I heard advises like purposely carrying a certain amount of debt to build up a history. Pay off specific cards but don't pay others off in full for other reasons and that if you never held a debt in your life, it will make it more difficult to get a mortgage.

[@Courtney-Alice-Gargani]

Great video. Travel rewards great. Some can you get cash.

[@humphrey]

Absolutely!

[@GeekyNerdThao93]

I like the amex gold but man the grocery stores that its actually usable at is not very big. None of the stores i buy groceries at are even on the list.

[@Urduhkhan]

I have to say, the Alaska Airlines Visa is one you missed in the mid range. It's about 100 dollar annual fee and it gives you AKAir miles for every dollar you spend. It also has a host of bonuses elsewhere. It used to include free entry to the AKAIR board room, but they have changed that to a 25 dollar fee. (Because it was so crowded apparently) You might look into it. When you first sign up for the card they might offer you as many as 100k miles which is easily 2-3 coach or 1-2 first class round trip tickets just about anywhere they fly. Considering even a coach ticket in alaska can cost you 700 dollars round trip, this is a pretty solid ROI for several years at least.

[@Karen.c.h]

I love the Amex blue cash everyday. I had a gold card. I am not a traveler. That card wasn’t that beneficial, but kept it for years . Actually I only have cards with no annual fees now (I guess your novice tier) now.

[@itskelvinn]

Best type of free is humphrey

[@Kel.Vision]

14:28 I love Humphrey! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@madi7816]

Why no mention of discover?

[@larsfreeburg1535]

I would say some of it is possible instability from the Capital One buyout but also there are just better options than discover.

[@ChaseCulotta]

Hey Humphrey, can you please do an updated video of what’s in your Roth IRA?

[@richard1493]

Amex appears to be very lenient in approving military members for the Platinum card. My first credit card was the Platinum when I was 24, and the youngest Marine of mine that got approved for one was 19 with no credit history.

[@AshJun17]

For the international watchers - note that Amex gold rewards differ by country. I'm in the UK and our benefits are no where near as good as the US-so much so that I'm considering cancelling mine as its not really worth the fee.

[@stevenluo9516]

This video is only for U.S. audiences and the financial products in these types of videos are generally only available in the U.S. If you're from basically any other country, you will not find this information applicable to your situation at all. So many European audiences come to these videos and get so confused.

[@Bangpaulxu]

Thanks for this video. Finally moving back state side after two decades overseas. This video is super informative! I have a silly question, which card would be best to pay property tax and homeowners insurance on to get most cash back?

[@shizzlenizzle]

Great question

[@MsBabyJ24]

This is such great information! Thank you!

[@hardeez1]

Chase freedom and chase sapphire preferred for me

[@YossefDV]

Thanks for another informative video! Would it be possible to comment on how transitioning between cards or even closing credit lines could impact credit and scores? Is it worth keeping a previous credit card if you “upgrade” to one of a higher tier? 🙂

[@hardeez1]

That's why I don't open or close any because it will hurt my credit age which is almost 9 years

[@sazlefraz]

Can you do a vid on best cards for buying gas?

[@kotertsenn]

Not him using the league challenger logo in the thumbnail 😂 great vid

[@tbarg86]

Would you recommend specific travel cards like with united ?

[@BoywithLoveeee]

People need to understand that although the credits will help you pay off the annual fee, you still need to spend a lot of money. If you’re not gonna spend on something or don’t like to spend a lot then getting the premium cards are not for you.

[@willharris5562]

I don’t think this should be a hot take but breaking even on a card’s fee isn’t worth it. You can get a free or cheaper card and not struggle to break even.

[@willharris5562]

Specifically applies to something like Amex gold as I’m not convinced most people use their 2 $10 credits every month, or it they do, they spend money just to use the credits

[@implode9186]

​@@willharris5562I think those cards are more useful for high income people that travel often, I think the no annual fee cards are better for everyday use

[@ZackSeifMusic]

I'm starting to look into the best card for someone getting into more travel. About 2-3x a year for work.

[@shaunwilliams2312]

14:28 Humphrey proper but wit the smoke if anyone wanna take it there.

[@supercruchynoodle]

Have you seen the centurion wrist band collab with Prada? So unusual to have a fancy wrist band “credit card”

[@jalaniz40]

Any thoughts on navy federal cards?

[@hardeez1]

I pay $0 fee for chase sapphire preferred because I'm grandfathered in

[@Ascorbicon]

I don’t see how most people would travel and stay at hotels enough to justify those travel points perks. Most of the credit cards are designed to give you a credit for Uber or Hotel stays to incentivize you to spend more and generate more money at a partner organization to the credit card company. Most people are probably ok with getting cash back, paying off the whole credit amount, building credit, and not worrying about the little details of “did I get the most rewards to justify the annual fee for this card?”

[@stevenluo9516]

Which is why I don't like AmEx Gold or Plat cards over Capital One Venture X or even Chase Sapphire Reserve.

[@Gdafu866jds]

I got the capital one platinum secured card last December, so almost 6 months now, score went up like 60 points to 597 now. But I want a higher limit, I want to start an Amazon FBA business. What do you think my next credit card I should apply for? If I can get like 3k-5k credit that'd be ideal but I think I still have some climbing to do

[@johnwick860]

having 2 double cash is so underrated

[@34skyline]

U.S. BANK ALTITUDE RESERVE is other great card too surprise it did not make it on your list, I’m getting this card next

[@Alexcv215]

When you upgrade tiers within a company like chase or citi or amex, do you keep the previous tier open and have to keep using it or is there a way to literally roll the old card into a new tier? I am going to have 5 different Citi cards all open while working my way up?

[@lv1543]

What would you rank the amazon prime visa by chase?

[@daveied]

Can you max out a card and pay it off immediately or never go above 30%

[@arafathshiyam]

That should be fine. Main thing is to pay off your card.

[@daveied]

@@arafathshiyam thank you!

[@stevenluo9516]

Fine, as long as you keep your utilization under 10% when you apply for new credit cards or loans. You may also risk getting your account closed if you go above 30% and do not appear that you will be able to pay that off.

[@samuricexful]

I want to be like this C F Frost fellow one day.

[@paulfeasal6024]

You need to pay pack your credit you used that month. Otherwise the credit card companies are taking advantage of you. However your credit won't build the fastest that way.

[@feilox]

Premium Tier should be called "AF Tier or Manual spend tier"

[@nedrog]

who is d barrett

[@Raphanne]

You collect them all like Pokemon cards. ^^

[@matthewgrierson677]

how would i cancel my bank of america card or figure out what perks i currently have?

[@PinkRose0910]

Read the information that’s available in your monthly statement.

[@stephans1990]

As a non US citizen, I really don't get the dependency on creditcards. Why pay potentially hundreds of dollars for creditcards? I pay 3 euro's a year for a debit card that immediately deducts all payments from my bank account. I do have a mastercard, but it's purely for vacations outside of Europe.

[@humphrey]

In the US there’s a lot of rewards baked into spending on certain cards to get max value. It’s unfortunately part of our society here lol

[@kdenmf]

Did you watch the video?

[@stephans1990]

@@kdenmf yes, and his earlier video on creditcards. I know that with points you can earn back the fees. I know you need one to build credit score to be able to apply for a car loan or a mortgage. I still think it’s a perverse system that incentivizes needless spending and I’m happy my financial planning doesn’t include having to figure out what creditcard to use for which expense.

[@Phoenix88203]

@@stephans1990I use my premium cars for the perks of airport lounges, cash back, and USA CBP Global Entry (express lane for customs after foreign travel). They also have zero transaction fee for international spend, so if I go to Shanghai or Singapore or Europe, I don’t have to pay a fee everytime I use my card. It also gives me the best exchange rate so I’m not wasting my money at foreign ATMs.

[@chrispy28]

@@stephans1990 If you treat your credit card as a debit card and not spend more than you normally would, then you always come out ahead because of the rewards. Unfortunately, a lot of people haven't developed this level of discipline, so they get into trouble.

[@KevinGriffin-d4t]

Damn 2 cards I have 20

[@jason9532]

So you are a homeowner. That's why you didn't include the bilt card. Good for you.

[@THETOOTHPICK1534]

If I’m an authorized user on my dad’s Amex (to help build my credit while in school) but I want to apply for the Amex blue card as my own account is there any issue with this?

[@vincentyou7994]

None at all! You’re probably young if you’re in school and an authorized user with your dad so this is actually a great step! Educate yourself on possible pitfalls and don’t carry a balance and you’ll be set!

[@THETOOTHPICK1534]

@@vincentyou7994 thanks for the reply and advise!

[@stevenluo9516]

0:48 Objection - misstatement of fact. If you have an existing relationship with a financial institution (checking and savings account) with NO (not bad) credit, you are recommended apply for a novice-level credit card (Level 2 under other frameworks) within that financial institution. Or if you are a student, apply to a student credit card with Capital One student card 1:32.

[@coziii.1829]

Ok I WAS a cash only guy for most of my life . Just turned to credit cards when I retired at 45 . Found out to travel and to do other things you need a credit card , plus all the perks I missed. But I had no credit score since all things was cash. I make 30 k a month and I have to start with punny cards with only 3000 limit and have to wait every six months to upgrade or to get increased. Plus getting others is like crazy . Cause I already have others and won’t give lol.

[@lindsayoverseas]

Sure, you'll get $600 cash back, but you're enticed into spending 6k that you otherwise probably wouldn't have spent. So, at least wait until you are about to make a major purchase that you definitely would have made regardless of having the card.

[@humphrey]

agreed

[@scarling9367]

Nah, I'm generally enticed to eat when I'm hungry, fill up the car when go to this thing called a job, and my kid seems to think I have to buy her clothes and stuff 😆

[@heroichitsuji]

Woah the comments section is empty

[@humphrey]

Yeah it’s a bit of a weird upload. KZbin didn’t serve it for like the first 3 mins

[@Potato5auce]

This video is not Dave Ramsey approved :D

[@humphrey]

haha def not

[@sinclairw5311]

@@humphreyGeorge Kamel either lol

[@alexrouthier6811]

Can you make a video abut the best Canadian card

[@ben-uh6vw]

man rlly just used league of legend as his thumbnail

[@AmyZantzinger]

Unlock the secrets to climbing the credit card tier list in 2024! Elevate your financial game with strategic insights and maximize your rewards potential.

[@alexgg7499]

Credit cards equals you are a slave to the lenders

[@chivas_gold]

90k points for 4k in spending for the gold is this good ?

[@ataleoftwosillies7916]

Whodis?

[@cynthiahowe]

"Credit" is just debt in disguise, don't drink the kool-aid.

[@CaedenV]

It isn't really about drinking the kool-aid. I was in debt for years, and it took a long time to get out of debt, and another full year of not using credit at all. But then I couldn't resist the 2-5% off or cash back that I get on my cards. 2 years of funneling everything possible through my credit cards and it has already paid me back for the last 5 years of interest paid. Part of it is about saving money... But really it is more of a revenge story. I know what I am getting into, and I plan to wear the system out until the credit card companies cut up my account!

[@scarling9367]

So? Just pay it off immediately.

[@implode9186]

It was never a disguise, lines of credit has always meant loans. People confuse it with free money, it's not and never will be. Credit is a tool to show lenders you're responsible with paying back debt.

[@MusicMike747]

Despite any perceived luxury or advantages, I see credit cards as poison. Dangerous financial tools with huge downsides and risks with very little upside. Except for world travelers or businesspeople who can take advantage of points and perks, the average person doesn’t need a credit card. A Visa or MC authorized debit or prepaid card is all you need

[@implode9186]

It is a poison for those who are financially illiterate or undisciplined, but it's a tool for people who use it without taking advantage. If you pay it off every month it's better than a debit card. It shows lenders that you're responsible and sets you up for getting better interest rates on loans in the future. There are plenty of upsides. It does definitely take advantage of people who aren't financially literate tho