Another new year, another wave of interesting new credit cards.
While most credit cards function in about the same way—and you can fit quite a few of them in your Ridge Wallet—it’s the differences that count, and every company out there is always looking to put a fresh spin on the credit card designs of the past. Whether it’s for the rewards bonuses, the sweet deals, or a connection to a favorite product line, everyone has their credit card preferences.
The Ridge helps you carry your IDs, credit cards, and cash in a sleeker, more functional way, but which cards are you carrying exactly? We thought we could help with that too...
As 2018 continues marching along, here are the hottest new cards that this year is serving up fresh.
The Starbucks Rewards Visa Card
Enjoy having a nice, hot Americano on your way to work? Maybe a frothy latte or cappuccino when you get out, or a cool ice coffee on a hot summer day? If coffee is your thing, you’re going to be excited to find out that as of 2018, Starbucks is rolling out the Starbucks Rewards Visa card, with only a $49 annual fee. If you spend $500 in the first three months, you’ll get 2,500 “stars,” which amounts to 20 food or drink awards. You’ll earn stars at anywhere you shop, but naturally, extra stars go to Starbucks purchases. As if all this wasn’t enticing enough, card members also get the cool benefit of “Barista Picks,” so you can dive deeper into unique drink and food recipes, selected specifically for cardmembers and sent to your email eight times a year. Get caffeinated!
Barclays Arrival® Premier World Elite Mastercard®
Barclay’s new card hit the streets in April of 2018, and it’s packing a big punch. Though it comes with a $150 annual fee, and no sign-up bonus, it’s definitely a card that is firmly marketing toward travelers with a bigger income: once you’ve spent $250,000 on purchases, you’ll earn 25,000 loyalty bonus miles on air travel, as an annual bonus. That sounds like a lot, but figure that if you spend about $2000 a month on the card, you’ll rack this up quicker than one might expect. Nonetheless, if spending that much isn’t in your ballpark, the bonus is split in two: if you spend $15,000 in a year, rather than $25,000, you’ll earn 15,000 bonus miles, which isn’t bad. Basically, this card isn’t for everyone, but if you’re in the target audience, it might be exactly what you’re looking for.
The Uber Card
The sleek new Uber Visa Card, issued by Barclay’s, actually hit the market during the tail-end of 2017, but that’s close enough to call it hot off the presses. Now that Uber (as well as Lyft) have transformed the taxi industry, the company is just dipping its toe into the credit card waters, offering a $100 bonus for new cardholders who spend $500 in the first three months. Uber’s card doesn’t only offer bonus points for picking up flights and hotels—two things that often accompany an Uber ride—but also gives cardmembers a $600 insurance policy on lost or damaged cellphones, based only on the condition that members always use their Uber card to pay their phone bill. Sounds pretty fair, right? This card is still picking up steam, so hitch a ride.
Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card
If you’re a traveling type of person, and you prefer to stay at a hotel like the Hilton when you fly out to locations across the world, this could be your new favorite card. If you manage to spend $2000 within the first three months of having the card, you’ll earn 75,000 Hilton Honors bonus points. If you only spend another $1000 over the next three months, add another 25,000 bonus points, in addition to whatever points you earn from spending. Not bad, right?
If you like putting more purchases on your credit card, members who spend $15,000 in a year will be rewarded with a weekend night at any Hilton property, totally free of charge. This bonus is available every year, so Hilton fans can just slot it into their schedule.
