When it came to wedding purchases that don’t often fall into traditional bonus categories, like dining or travel, I wanted to maximize my spending with my cash-back cards. Since most of the best cash-back cards carry foreign transaction fees my options were limited.
I used my Discover it® Cash Back, which earns 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter up to a quarterly maximum of $1,500 in spending when activated. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. When the bonus category one quarter included home improvement store purchases, I bought materials to make reception centerpieces. I also took advantage of a trip back to the United States and used my Chase Freedom Unlimited® to do some drugstore shopping for makeup and hair items I would need for the big day. The Freedom Unlimited earns 3% cash back on purchases at drugstores, but since it also carries a 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars foreign transaction fee, it made more sense to buy these items when I was in the U.S.
In addition to buying my wedding dress at a bridal shop, I also needed several items to complement it, including shoes, another dress for my bachelorette party and undergarments. My partner also needed wedding shoes, a tie and a few other key items.
Instead of just shopping directly at stores for these items and paying with my credit card, I chose to strategically use my Ink Business Cash® Credit Card on the same trip in the U.S. The Ink Business Cash earns 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year and 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases. I used my Ink Business Cash to purchase some items at Office Depot to make wedding photo albums. I also bought gift cards from there to retailers like Kohls and DSW to get the remaining wedding items we needed and to maximize my cash back. Using a shopping portal for my remaining items helped me to a few more points.
