Is it one of those cards where you have to shop through their portal online? I hate those for two reasons: first, it's very cumbersome and annoying (I had a bank debit card that I tried using that way for a while but it wasn't worth the hassle). Second, most of my big-ticket purchases can't be done through those portals - e.g. groceries. I rarely buy things like clothing or electronics that are best bought through those portals.

Regardless, I can't really do that right now since most of my investible assets are tied up in 401(k)s.


I know there are no free lunches - my cards rewards are paid by higher than usual interchange fees and higher than usual interest rates. The interest rates are completely irrelevant to me (I never carry a balance), and the interchange fees are a hidden cost amortized over the entire store, so I'd be a sucker not to take the deal.