In short
The episode answers listener Eddie’s question about whether the Robinhood Gold Card is worth its waitlist and membership fee.
Guest
Melissa Lamberina, NerdWallet credit card writer who reviewed the card.
Key claims
the card offers 3% uncapped cash back on all purchases, plus 5% via Robinhood’s travel portal, and rewards can be redeemed at 1 cent per point as a cash deposit into a Robinhood brokerage account. To qualify, you must join Robinhood Gold ($5/month or $50/year). Pros: strong flat-rate rewards, no foreign transaction fees, Visa acceptance, and features like virtual card numbers and subscription/trial management. Cons: slow rollout with a waitlist (around two years; wait time unknown), membership cost, and high APR that makes it a bad fit if you carry a balance. Notable examples/comparisons: Chase Freedom Flex, Capital One Savor, Wells Fargo Active Cash, Chase Sapphire Preferred, and Fidelity Visa. Best for: people who won’t carry debt and will use Robinhood ecosystem benefits (including a 3% IRA match).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOEpisode Discussion
0:00 to 14:03
“Today's episode is sponsored by Spectrum Business.”
Exploring Investment Reward Cards
14:03 to 16:04
Learn about unique credit cards that offer rewards for investing, including their pros and cons.
“Well, Melissa, I'm wondering if you're aware of any other cards that do have that unique feature of being able to give you rewards specifically for investing like this card offers.”
Exploring Investment Reward Cards
16:10 to 17:15
Learn about unique credit cards that offer rewards for investing, including their pros and cons.
“Lighter fabrics, better materials, pieces that just feel good the moment you put them on and look effortless.”
Exploring Investment Reward Cards
17:17 to 17:33
Learn about unique credit cards that offer rewards for investing, including their pros and cons.
“That's q-u-i-n-c-e dot com slash smart money for free shipping and 365 day returns.”
Choosing the Right Credit Card
18:04 to 27:48
Discuss strategies for selecting credit cards and managing rewards effectively.
“So Elizabeth, here's one thing I'm wondering about, because it seems like Eddie's really in a point where they're shopping around for a card and they're thinking about one that might be a good investment tool for them.”
Behind-the-Scenes Insights
29:21 to 30:09
An inside look at additional tips and personal anecdotes from the hosts.
“behind-the-scenes commentary from me, Sean, and our producer.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Elizabeth Ayoola:Today's episode is sponsored by Spectrum Business. What happens when your internet drops during business hours and you're the one running the business? Say goodbye to your to-do list, unless that list involved panicking and having trouble getting any actual work done.
0:15Sean Pyles:For business owners, being connected isn't a perk. It's how you take payments, talk to clients, and keep things moving. Not to mention pretty much everything else. Spectrum Business keeps businesses connected seamlessly with fast, reliable internet and advanced Wi-Fi. plus phone, TV, and mobile services if you need them.
0:33Elizabeth Ayoola:And Spectrum Business offers 100 % U.S.-based customer support 24-7 to help you stay up and running. That means you get actual help, not submit a ticket and hope for the best.
0:44Sean Pyles:Our colleague Carrie on the social media team is a Spectrum customer, and she told us that she chose Spectrum because people online kept recommending it as a reliable and affordable option for internet and phone service.
0:54Elizabeth Ayoola:She told us she was actually a little hesitant to switch at first, since she'd been using a different service for a while. But after a year with Spectrum, she's actually had a really good experience. Her phone gets strong, reliable service, and it automatically connects to Spectrum Wi-Fi everywhere.
1:10Sean Pyles:Join the millions who rely on Spectrum Business. Visit spectrum.com slash business to learn more. One more time, that's spectrum.com slash business.
1:19Elizabeth Ayoola:Restrictions apply. Service is not available in all areas. Study and play.
1:25Sean Pyles:Come together on a Windows 11 PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds. Get the Unreal College deal. Everything you need to study and play with select Windows 11 PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft 365 Premium and a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller. Learn more at windows.com slash student offer. While supplies last, ends June 30th. Terms at aka.ms slash college PC. Some credit cards are great for cashback. Others are better for travel. But what about a credit card that gives you points in both categories and ups your investment game?
2:02Sean Pyles:This episode, we're taking on a listener's question about a unique sort of credit card and if it's worth the hype. Welcome to NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast, where you send us your money questions and we answer them with the help of our genius nerds. I'm Sean Piles.
2:17Elizabeth Ayoola:And I'm Elizabeth Ayola. I, Sean, have not thought about getting a new credit card in a while. And speaking of travel credit cards, I know you're against having multiple because you'd be hating on me. But now that you're enjoying your lounge access, are you thinking of going to the other side and getting lots of travel credit cards? Well, here's the thing.
2:37Sean Pyles:I have one credit card that's great for travel. And then I just got another one, the Alaska credit card that is phenomenal for travel and has lounge access or gives me lounge access in my local airport in Portland. And I'm really happy with it. So I'm probably actually going to get rid of my other credit card because I like to keep things simple.
2:53Elizabeth Ayoola:So you're downsizing.
2:55Sean Pyles:I'm downsizing. Well, come July, August, right before my fee is due, I'm going to be downsizing.
3:00Elizabeth Ayoola:I like that you're true to your values.
3:01Sean Pyles:Thank you.
3:02Elizabeth Ayoola:All right, let's get into the money question.
3:03Sean Pyles:Let's do it. So this episode's question comes from Eddie, who sent us an email. Hi, NerdWallet team. My name is Eddie from Los Angeles. I'm a regular listener and really appreciate how you break down credit cards in a practical way. I was wondering if you'd consider reviewing the Robinhood Gold credit card. It seems like a pretty unique catch-all credit card offering 3 % cash back when rewards are transferred into a Robinhood investment account, which could be really appealing for people focused on long-term investing. I'd love to hear your take on the pros and cons, especially how it compares to other flat-rate cashback cards and whether the gold subscription fee makes sense for most consumers.
3:39Sean Pyles:Thanks for all the great content. Your podcast has helped me make smarter financial decisions and upgrade my wallet incredibly.
3:44Elizabeth Ayoola:We love to hear that, Eddie. We're glad that people are listening to us yap, and it's helpful. Now, to help us answer Eddie's listener question on this episode of the podcast, we are joined by NerdWallet credit card writer, Melissa Lamberina. Welcome back to Smart Money, Melissa. It's great to be back.
4:01Sean Pyles:Hey, Melissa. So you actually wrote NerdWallet's review of the Robinhood Gold card, which we'll link to in today's episode description. It's a pretty unique product that has a solid cash back rate, like Eddie said. And interestingly, you can redeem your points for cash directly into your Robinhood brokerage account. I have to say, when I first saw this product, I thought it was a kind of gimmicky, shrewd way for Robinhood to get folks even deeper into their investment ecosystem. But the card is surprisingly well-rounded. Is there anything else that folks should know about this product? That's right.
4:34It is very well-rounded. And it's important to also know a few things about this card. To start, it's only a few years old and it has a waitlist. It's had a waitlist this whole time. The rollout of these cards has been rather slow. So that's important to keep in mind if you're considering it as an option. You also have to be a Robinhood Gold member to be able to qualify. And that costs$5 per month or$50 annually. That's an additional cost to consider. Yeah.
5:04Sean Pyles:And let's talk about the rewards rate because Eddie mentioned that. It's 3 % flat rate. Is that right? That's right. It's 3 % uncapped, cash back on all purchases. That's a really good rate. And you also get 5 % back through Robinhood's travel portal. Okay. And now let's talk about how you can actually redeem points for investing in a Robinhood brokerage account because that's the really unique aspect of this card. Yes, you'll get the most out of this card if you redeem the rewards through Robinhood's ecosystem. And rewards are issued as points that you can redeem at a value of one cent apiece for a cash deposit into a Robinhood brokerage account.
5:41I also want to note that it's very important who this card isn't for. It's not for those who are in the habit of carrying a credit card balance because the APR is really high, as is typical with rewards credit cards. and this can easily remove any value that you could potentially get out of the rewards with this card.
6:01Sean Pyles:And that's just a good rule of thumb across all travel credit cards or fancier credit cards like this because you're getting such a great rewards rate. It can be tempting to use it as much as you want but the interest rate that you're gonna be paying on this debt is so expensive. It's really gonna wipe out any value of the points that you get.
6:16Elizabeth Ayoola:I third that. Now, Melissa, both you and Eddie mentioned that you have to be a Robinhood Gold member to even be able to apply for this card. And this is different from a traditional credit card annual fee as well. So can you talk to us about how this works? And to Eddie's question for us, does it make sense for most people to sign up for this card? The Robinhood gold card can offset the cost of the gold membership. And in some cases, it can even pay for itself. It can be worth it for somebody who is going to max out their Robinhood IRA or at least contribute$2 ,000 to it to offset the cost. I also just want to note some of the things that the Robinhood Gold membership offers just for context.
6:59It has a 3 % IRA match on eligible IRA contributions to your Robinhood IRA. 3.35 % APY on eligible brokerage cash. Professional research from Morningstar. And this is just to name a few things. Keep in mind, though, that terms apply. So you should always read the fine print and find out if it's right for you.
7:21Sean Pyles:That's a really solid set of benefits that you're getting for$50, whereas we know with a lot of these travel credit cards that are coming out nowadays, you can be paying an annual fee of several hundred dollars, close to even$1 ,000 for some of these cards.
7:35Elizabeth Ayoola:I would know. I have just paid almost$800 for one of my credit card annual fees. That's right. And every time that you're considering an annual or monthly cost, you want to make sure that the card offers ways that you'll actually use to offset that cost. Otherwise, it's not really worth it.
7:52Sean Pyles:Yeah.
7:52Elizabeth Ayoola:And I want to point out, too, you have to track this, right? Because it's easy to sign up for the card and be like, oh, it has all these great benefits. I struggle. I'm not going to sit up here and lie to y 'all. I struggle with tracking the benefits and make sure that I'm maximizing the card. So make sure you have a system in place before you get the card to make sure you're maximizing those benefits.
8:09Sean Pyles:I know a lot of our colleagues at NerdWallet, especially on the credit cards team, will have spreadsheets where they're tracking all the available benefits for their credit card to make sure that they are offsetting the fee. Melissa, do you use anything like that? So this is one thing that I have to confess. I do not use spreadsheets. I admire my colleagues that do. I have to be realistic with myself. That is just not my way of managing my credit cards. This is what you have to go into with credit cards, really knowing what's your management style. I'm not going to manage different credit cards on spreadsheets.
8:39So I tend to go for a more simplistic approach and choose the cards that are going to offer simple rewards that are easy to remember or things that I don't have to track as frequently.
8:49Sean Pyles:Yeah, I'm right there with you, Melissa. And I think it's worth pointing out that you've been writing about credit cards for about a decade at this point, maybe a little more. And you aren't totally deep in the tracking every single benefit camp because that's just not what works for you. And that's OK.
9:03Elizabeth Ayoola:Definitely. Melissa, my eyebrow. Can you see it? It was raised when you said that there is a wait list for this card. Do you know how long? I know that you mentioned that, but how long is this wait list? How long got to wait?
9:14Sean Pyles:Also, I just want to point out having a wait list for a credit card sounds ridiculous. So please help me understand why this is even a thing. The main question, the wait list, how long it's been around. It's been around for two years, y 'all. There were around 800 ,000 customers as of late that had the card. And this is in comparison to people who in the first year, there were around 2 million signups for this card. So that just should give you an idea. That doesn't mean that the wait has been two years, but has been a wait list for two years. And the wait time is unknown at this time. So you should just be ready to be patient if this is something that you're really into and really want in your wallet.
9:52But regarding the waitlist, so a card launching with the waitlist isn't necessarily something that is rare. Every time there's a new card, sometimes companies will do this approach, use this approach in order to be able to gauge the success of the card and test the card before it launches to the masses.
10:12Sean Pyles:Okay. So for me, I thought it was some sort of continuing the whole gimmicky product thing. I thought it was some artificial scarcity that Robin Hood was rolling out to amplify the hype around this card. But it seems like maybe they were just being cautious with rolling out a new product. That sometimes can be the case. So yes, that's something to consider going into this card that there will be a wait. And it doesn't seem like it's going away anytime soon, this wait list. Not as far as we know. No. All right. You know, you were kind of selling me on some of the benefits, especially with getting a match for an IRA and other aspects of being in Robinhood's ecosystem with the Robinhood Gold membership.
10:47Sean Pyles:But the waitlist is not for me. I think I'm too impatient. I want my card when I want it.
10:52Elizabeth Ayoola:Now.
10:53Sean Pyles:Yeah.
Read the full transcript
10:53Elizabeth Ayoola:But I think one of the decide, not I think, I know one of the things that you have to go through, which Eddie is trying to do before you choose a card, is you need to weigh out the pros and cons. And yes, I'm going to put a shameless plug. NerdWall is really good at doing that. people like Melissa come up with these really great articles that help us to look at the pros and cons of a credit card. But Melissa, run us through the pros and cons of this one in particular. Sure. There are quite a few pros. That 3 % cashback rate that we discussed on all purchases, that is one of the best. For context, 2 % cashback on all purchases is the gold standard among cash back cards in the industry.
11:29So this is definitely a step up. The travel rate, 5 % back, is also a solid rewards rate. And it makes a good travel companion because it belongs to Visa's network and that has broad merchant acceptance. And it also doesn't charge foreign transaction fees. Among those, it also offers helpful features such as virtual card numbers that can make it easier to shop safely online, ways to cancel subscription payments, and ways to end free trials automatically. And we know that's always useful.
12:00Sean Pyles:Okay, well, let's get into some of the cons besides the big one for me, which is the waitlist. Yes, the waitlist is an obvious con. The membership requirement may also be a con for some, depending on whether you can make the most of it to offset the cost. And as we discussed, the high APR, but only if you are going to likely carry a balance on this card.
12:21Elizabeth Ayoola:All right, Melissa, worst case scenario, someone is like Sean, not trying to wait on this waitlist for this card. What are some other comparable cards that are currently in the market can give cash back and those travel benefits and also maybe be an investment card that people can maybe shop for. So the answer to this is that it really depends on how someone spends and what their goals are. The Robinhood card hits a lot of different marks, but depending on what you're interested in, you'll want to choose a card that aligns with you. For instance, for a higher rewards rate, the Chase Freedom Flex can earn more in certain categories that rotate quarterly and travel book through Chase.
13:02So that's one option. And for people like Sean, if the wait list isn't for you, you're not feeling it. There are other options that reward everyday purchases handsomely, like the Capital One Saver or Wells Fargo Active Cash that offer rewards on everyday spending. And for frequent travelers, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a good option. It can offer a chance to earn a bonus that jumpstarts your travel goals and also earns elevated rewards on travel. I also want to just note that there's nothing stopping you from having a cash back credit card if you want that flexibility to be able to redeem rewards for cash and use it however you would like.
13:41And one of those options could potentially be also just using those rewards and putting them into a brokerage account yourself. So nothing's stopping you from doing that. But the Robin Hood visa is designed to be able to incentivize that. Melissa, things are stopping me.
13:57Elizabeth Ayoola:croissants stopping me from just putting it in the investment account and Zara and other things.
14:02Sean Pyles:Yeah. Well, Melissa, I'm wondering if you're aware of any other cards that do have that unique feature of being able to give you rewards specifically for investing like this card offers. So there was a Fidelity Visa. That was one option that we saw that did offer rewards in this sector. And there's other fintech cards potentially. Off the top of my head, I can't recall the exact names, but those are some options as well. Okay, but this might be the highest profile because I hadn't heard of other cards doing this until I looked into this one. Yes, this card in particular is unique in that it hits a lot of marks, travel, investing, a lot of variety of different rewards, that 3 % cashback rate, it's all decent and you also get that 3 % match in a Robinhood IRA if you have that gold membership.
14:50Sean Pyles:Okay, well, listeners, as you may have gathered, NerdWallet's credit card writers like Melissa have written reviews of all of these cards that we just mentioned, and we'll look to them in today's episode description. Also, as a friendly reminder, you can find a bunch of free credit card comparison tools on nerdwallet.com that you can use to figure out which card might be best for you in your specific situation.
15:09Elizabeth Ayoola:Melissa, before we close out, I want you to tell us, who do you think this card might be best for? So I'll tell you who it's not for. It's not for people who plan or tend to carry a balance on their credit card because the expensive interest will far outweigh any potential value you'll get from the perks or rewards on this card. I think though that it might be a good fit for someone who's willing to wait for it and be patient and also take advantage of what the Gould membership has to offer to make the most of its cost. And if you're willing to redeem rewards within the Robin Hood ecosystem, you'll get the most out of this card too.
15:47Sean Pyles:Okay, so what I'm hearing is that it's not for me, which is okay.
15:52Elizabeth Ayoola:And what I'm hearing is it's maybe for me. I don't know. Depends on the annual fee. I don't need any more annual fees.
15:57Sean Pyles:All right. Well, Melissa, thank you so much for coming on and chatting with us.
16:00Elizabeth Ayoola:Thank you. It's been a pleasure.
16:02Sean Pyles:We're back in a minute. Stay tuned.
16:07Elizabeth Ayoola:Today's episode is sponsored by Quince.
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18:04Sean Pyles:So Elizabeth, here's one thing I'm wondering about, because it seems like Eddie's really in a point where they're shopping around for a card and they're thinking about one that might be a good investment tool for them. And what do you think about when you're shopping around for a new credit card in your lineup?
18:18Elizabeth Ayoola:Well, I would say with my last credit card that I shopped around for. Oh, so, OK, let's back it up. My last two, because I got them, I I think within a couple of years. So I got the Chase Sapphire and then I had the American Express Platinum. With the Sapphire, I wanted to start getting free trips, honestly, because I kept hearing about people getting free trips with points. And I'm like, what are they talking about? Is it a scam? Is it real? And I'm like, oh, it's real. It is real. It is real. Yes. So I looked into what would, first of all, give me the best signup bonus. I also looked into kind of what Melissa was saying about having a card that didn't seem so stressful to earn the points.
18:57Elizabeth Ayoola:So where I could get points from everyday spending, that was important to me. I also looked at, oh, restaurants, like eating out. What kind of things do I like to do? And will I easily be able to rack up points with? And that was really it. Now with the American Express one, it was all about the lounges. I was like, oh, wait, I love a lounge. I'm a lounge girl and I need access to nice lounges. So honestly, that was the primary driver. The American Express is not great when it comes to getting points for everyday spending, but it does have other benefits.
19:26Sean Pyles:And the sign-up bonus is pretty wild. It sounds almost like you were looking for things that were fitting your current needs and ways of shopping, but there was a certain aspirational aspect of this too, where you were thinking, I want to be that girl in the airport lounge and I want to be able to have a luxurious travel experience that you hadn't had before. How did that pan out for you?
19:45Elizabeth Ayoola:Absolutely. because we're all bougie about something and I'm bougie about lounges. So that's my bougie thing. And I love it, actually. I love it. I have a ritual every time I go to the airport. I get my Bloody Mary. I get my food. I get all the things. I eat. I take a snack for the plane. I relax. I use the free Wi-Fi. And then I get on my flight. So I literally do that every time I'm going to travel. And I go to the airport two hours early to make sure I'm not rushing and I can enjoy myself. So I think it's worth it.
20:11Sean Pyles:I mean, being able to get away from the crowds, at least somewhat. I mean, we know that a lot of airport lounges have gotten quite crowded, but at least you have a more comfortable seat once you get past the crowd a little bit. I mean, I'm completely sold on airport lounges now, having just started using them in the past year.
20:25Elizabeth Ayoola:I'm not going to lie, though. Travel over the past year so far has been very hectic, as you know. And it also almost made me rethink some of my former travels, whether it was worth the price. Because I had long wait lists I had to wait into before I could even get into the lounges. by the time I got there, sometimes a lot of the food was gone or there wasn't any comfortable place to sit or they hadn't had time to clean up properly. And it's like, I'm paying almost a thousand dollars a year for this card and for lounge access. And the lounge access is really crappy. And then for some of the cards, I realized, you know, I'd be at the airport super early sometimes and you can't get in until maybe two hours before your flight.
21:03Elizabeth Ayoola:So I've had to maybe sit around the airport for extra couple of hours when there's delayed flights and I can't even access the lounge.
21:09Sean Pyles:And also who wants to be hanging out at the airport for several hours before their flight. I mean, that's not how I live my life. I used to be that person that like old dad who would get to the airport like three hours early. And now I live like 10 ish minutes away from the airport in Portland. And so I'm leaving like maybe an hour before my flight because I just don't want to be lingering too much. Every so often if I'm traveling with someone, I'll meet up with them at the lounge and have a nice time before the flight. But if I'm doing things on my own, I don't want to be hanging out at an airport.
21:36Elizabeth Ayoola:I agree. Well, I do like to, but only in the restaurants, only in the restaurants. What are some things you look out for when you're shopping for cards?
21:43Sean Pyles:Really, it's about convenience for me. As we kind of talked about earlier, I don't want to be tracking things in the spreadsheet. I want to make sure that my purchases that I'm already going to be doing, like getting food delivered to my house and groceries and gas and going out to restaurants will be rewarding me without me having to worry too much about it. And so my other travel credit card that I'm probably going to be canceling later this year, it has a few of those sort of rotating categories. And I'm just not the person to track that. And so I will be saying goodbye before I pay the fee.
22:14Sean Pyles:And that's okay, because now my main travel credit card, which is the Alaska card, I've been really enjoying it. It just keeps things simple for me. And yes, there's a not small annual fee that comes with it. But so far, it's been really worth it for the companion fare. And because we're a hub in Portland, it just makes a lot of sense for me.
22:32Elizabeth Ayoola:And how are you tracking spending with that? So you're not, you just kind of know that it's working for whatever expenses you have or do you use it for certain expenses?
22:39Sean Pyles:Yeah, well, I'll tend to use it for restaurants and for other travel. Like I just booked a hotel for some upcoming travel and I made sure to use that because I'm going to be getting some good points for it. But I was also thinking about how this card is a little gimmicky and how there are a lot of kind of gimmicky cards out there. And the most gimmicky one that I have, I feel really silly that I even applied for this. But after I bought my car, I'm obnoxious and have a BMW and I applied for the BMW credit card because I thought it was like, here's me completing my obnoxious BMW owner lifestyle with this credit card.
23:13Sean Pyles:I didn't get a hat because I actually would have had to use my BMW credit card points for it, which felt really silly and unnecessary. I'm not going to be paying to represent this brand more than I already am driving this car. But I mean, they gave me a$20 ,000 credit limit, which I thought was pretty sweet. And I figured, wow, they really want me to go into even more debt to this company.
23:33Elizabeth Ayoola:Well, on the pro side, your utilization would, well, not your utilization, but your amount of credit that you have goes up. That's a plus for your credit score.
23:39Sean Pyles:That is absolutely it. And that's why I keep the card open, even though I have not used it in quite a long time because I have this huge buffer in my utilization. Yeah. And the history at this point too. I'm honestly waiting for them to write me a letter saying, we're going to cancel your card because I have not used it for a single purchase in over two years, which is kind of uncommon. And often credit card companies will just close your card on you if you don't use it. But I guess BMW is still holding out hope I'll go into more debt with them.
24:05Elizabeth Ayoola:But we know you won't.
24:06Sean Pyles:I won't. I won't. Do you have any other kind of gimmicky cards? You have store credit cards, don't you? I do. I consider those in the gimmicky category.
24:13Elizabeth Ayoola:They are. And my main one is for the TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls. I literally live six minutes away from all three. Very dangerous. And I browse around. And anytime I'm checking out, they go, do you want to get the credit card? And I'm like, I already have it. It's in the car. So I actually never use it, which probably isn't to my benefit. But to your point, I don't want to manage, you know, payments on just several cards all the time and have to. So I have it there. I don't know. I think it might still be open, but I don't really use it. And that's the only store card I have. What do you get for it?
24:41Sean Pyles:Do you get cash back at these stores?
24:43Elizabeth Ayoola:You get cash back if you send a certain amount or you get points. But I don't need them encouraging me to spend more money over there.
24:49Sean Pyles:I recently got an advertisement in the mail for a credit card for a bulb company, like plant bulbs that you put in the ground. I purchased from them in the past because they have good products. They're like some Dutch company. And they wanted me to sign up for their credit card. And I was really surprised that this random plant supply store even had a credit card. And so I looked into it and there are no perks besides just having this company branded card. And of course, the APR was around 25%. So I just thought I was the silliest product. I'm sure there's someone who says, I love this company so much.
25:26Sean Pyles:I want to have the branded credit card, but you're not even getting free bulbs, which aren't cheap in the first place. So, yeah, I found it really funny.
25:34Elizabeth Ayoola:Yeah, that's a no for me. I will say one of the most satisfying things for me, aside from getting a rewards credit card that I think is valuable to me or to my life, has been closing one. I don't know if you remember that I closed my first one this year, my City Advantage card, which had maybe a$560 or something like that annual fee because it was of no more use to me. And I felt like an adult, Sean. I felt like an adult. I felt like I was making smart financial decisions and paying attention to my finances and saving money.
26:08Sean Pyles:Living your values.
26:08Elizabeth Ayoola:That's right. It felt so good to be like, and I cut it off right before the due date for the renewal.
26:14Sean Pyles:Okay, very proud of you for that. Thank you. Did you worry at all about the hit to your credit score? Oh. Because you then had less available credit. We talked recently about detaching your emotions from your credit score. It's really hard to do. How was that experience for you?
26:27Elizabeth Ayoola:Well, thank you so much. Unfortunately, I can't answer that properly, Sean, because I left out a detail, actually. Thanks for reminding me. I downgraded the card, actually.
26:36Sean Pyles:Okay.
26:37Elizabeth Ayoola:So they convinced me, because you know when you're about to close the card, they don't want you to, and they start sending you all these other departments. so they were like you can't downgrade it to a card with no annual fee and i thought i had to ask them three times i said so there's no annual fee and they said no there's no annual fee so obviously there's not all the perks either but i thought the benefit of that would be like we said keeping my credit history for that card because i have had it for a couple of years and then there's just nothing that i lose from it because there's no fee i don't actively use the card much i think i just have maybe like a five dollar subscription on there and it's somewhere in my closet or something
27:11Sean Pyles:Yeah. I'm really glad you mentioned that because I don't think a lot of folks know that you actually can do, they call it sometimes like a product transfer or product change, where if you had a card with a big annual fee, there are other cards in their network that are kind of similar. They're not going to have all the great fancy perks, but you're not going to be paying a few hundred dollars a year just for the benefit and privilege of having a credit card. Yeah. So that's a great way to maintain your credit history. You might have slightly lower available credit, which can affect your utilization.
27:40Sean Pyles:But on the whole, it's one of the smarter things to do for your credit profile.
27:44Elizabeth Ayoola:Exactly. So it was a win-win for me. No annual fee and no hit to my credit score. Okay.
27:49Sean Pyles:Well, with that said, I don't think I'm going to be buying any more credit cards or applying for them anytime soon, which is a nice feeling. I'm happy with what I have. I'm kind of excited to cancel the one that I do have to see what I go through emotionally when it affects my credit score, just to help myself detach my self-worth from this number that these companies made up based on the things that I've been doing with my finances and my credit and just keep it simple. That's how I like my credit cards.
28:17Elizabeth Ayoola:Yeah, keeping it simple has definitely improved my finances this year. So I'm there with you.
28:22Sean Pyles:Okay, well, I think that we can wrap things up. That's all we've got for this episode. Remember to send us your money questions. You can call us or text us on the nerd hotline at 901-730-6373. That's 901-730-NERD. You can also drop us a comment on Spotify or YouTube, or you can email us at podcast at nerdballot.com. And by the way, we also have a fantastic newsletter that we put together with our producers. You can find a link to that in the episode description.
28:48Elizabeth Ayoola:Join us next time to hear about how to manage investment tax bills. We hate those. Boo. Follow Smart Money on your favorite podcast app. That includes Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeartRadio to automatically download new episodes.
29:01Sean Pyles:And here's our brief disclaimer. We are not your financial or investment advisors. This nerdy info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes and may not apply to your specific circumstances.
29:11Elizabeth Ayoola:This episode is produced by Tess Figland, Hillary Georgie helped with editing, Eve Krogman edits our audio and video. And a big thank you to NerdWallet's editors for all their help.
29:20Sean Pyles:And with that said, until next time, turn to the nerds.
29:41Elizabeth Ayoola:behind-the-scenes commentary from me, Sean, and our producer.
29:45Sean Pyles:Some of it is stuff that doesn't make it into the episodes. The context, the moments, the takes we didn't plan on sharing.
29:51Elizabeth Ayoola:You can think of it as the group chat for smart money fans. I'm going to be sharing inside details about parenting and money. Yes, I'll be sharing all the juicy stuff.
30:00Sean Pyles:And I'll have loads of tips about what I'm doing in my garden. So if you want to putz around your garden like I do, sign up for the newsletter. And also, you know, we have money tips and all that kind of stuff. So head to nerdwallet.com slash podcast to sign up. Again, it's free.
30:14Elizabeth Ayoola:That's nerdwallet.com slash podcast. We'll see you in your inbox. Athletic Brewing Company crafts award-winning non-alcoholic beers for those who want to be part of every round.
30:26Sean Pyles:With over 185 flavor awards, they're exceptional NA beers that fit your lifestyle and any social occasion. Summer's full of good times and athletic fits right in. Go to athleticbrewing.com to have brews delivered to your door or find them at a bar, restaurant, or store near you. Near Beer. Athletic Brewing Company. Fit for all times.
From the publisher
Learn whether Robinhood Gold Card's 3% cash back and investing perks are worth the waitlist and membership cost.
Is the Robinhood Gold Card the rare credit card that could put your rewards directly to work in a brokerage account? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by NerdWallet credit card writer Melissa Lambarena to examine what makes this card stand apart: an uncapped 3% flat-rate cash back on all purchases, 5% back through Robinhood's travel portal, and the ability to redeem rewards as a deposit into a Robinhood brokerage account. They dig into who the card could work for (and who it definitely isn't right for), how the required Robinhood Gold membership factors into the value equation, what the card's high APR could mean for your rewards if you carry a balance, and how the ongoing waitlist came to exist and how long it could last.
They also walk through how to weigh this card against alternatives like the Chase Freedom Flex, Capital One Savor, Wells Fargo Active Cash, and Chase Sapphire Preferred, to help you figure out which card might deliver the most value for your spending habits and financial goals.
Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews:
5 Things to Know About the Robinhood Gold Card
Atmos Rewards Ascent Review: Well Worth $95 a Year
Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: Strong Option for Travel Rewards
American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits
Chase Freedom Flex: Multiple Bonus Rewards in One Card
Capital One Savor Review: Foodie-Focused Rewards, for No Annual Fee
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card Review: 2% Cash Back With a Bonus
Fidelity Rewards Visa Review: 2% Back for Your Nest Egg
Citi AAdvantage Executive Review: Your Key to the Club
5 Things to Know About BMW Credit Cards
5 Things to Know About the T.J. Maxx Credit Card
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And you can find other NerdWallet newsletters at https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/news/newsletter-signup
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