AAA Member Rewards Visa® Credit Card review: Editorial spin

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offers a solid mix of flat-rate and boosted cash back. Since the AAA Member Rewards Visa is discontinued, the Quicksilver Cash Rewards is a solid back up for its boosted rewards for Capital One Travel purchases. It also rewards generously on everyday spending with 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases, including wholesale clubs, drug stores, gas and groceries. Although this is half a percentage point lower than the AAA Member Rewards card’s 2X rate in these categories, the Quicksilver’s rate is for all purchases that earn only 1X point with the AAA Member Rewards card.

If you still have the AAA Member Rewards card, it may be worth keeping because it increases the average age of your accounts. You’ll find very few direct comparisons to the AAA Member Rewards card, but flat-rate cards with a boosted travel category like the Capital One Quicksilver come close to matching the rewards potential of the AAA Member Rewards card.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card blends travel, everyday, eligible streaming and phone service subscription purchases to give cardholders a nuanced rewards card that nearly does it all.

If the AAA Member Rewards card’s 3X travel category brings a ton of value to your wallet, then Wells Fargo’s travel category certainly will, too. It will also reward you more generously for everyday purchases like restaurants, gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations, while the AAA Member Rewards card would only award 2X points for gas. The AAA Member Rewards card has a higher rate for groceries and wholesale purchases, but that’s its only selling point over the Autograph card.

If you want to redeem cash rewards for any amount at any time, pairing your AAA Member Rewards credit card with the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card could be the answer. You’ll earn an unlimited 1.5 percent cash bank on all purchases for no annual fee (See Rates & Fees), plus there’s a cash bonus of $200 if you spend $500 in the first three months. 

Another pairing option for flexible cash back is the Citi Double Cash Card, which offers an unlimited 1 percent cash back as you buy, plus another 1 percent back when you pay for your purchases. It comes with an 18-month 0 percent introductory APR on balance transfers (18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) APR thereafter).

The primary criteria for a rewards or cash back card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average person’s spending habits, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Based on this data, we determine a “chargeable” spend (which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards). This includes the following spending by category:

• Groceries: $5,200
• Dining out: $3,000
• Entertainment: $2,500
• Gas: $2,100
• Apparel and services: $1,700

Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 23 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases, as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other rewards cards.

We also rate cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance. 

To start, each rewards or cash back card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other rewards or cash back cards. 

We also score each card based on how its annual fee influences its overall value. 

We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value, but if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score even if it carries a high annual fee. 

With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against other cards in the category when you subtract its annual fee.

We rate each card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards and factor this rating into a card’s overall score. 

Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you redeem for some options versus others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners. 

We also score each card’s set of features – its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. 

We break down these tiers as follows:

• Tier 1 has less than standard card features (an ultra-streamlined card that offers basic utility and next to nothing in the way of ancillary benefits. 
• Tier 2 includes the benefits you’d expect on standard Visa or Mastercard credit cards, such as free access to your credit score, car rental insurance and $0 liability for fraudulent charges. 
• Tier 3 includes “prime card” or better-than-average card features like cellphone insurance, lost luggage insurance, concierge services and purchase protection. 
• Tier 4 includes luxury features such as airport lounge access, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs. 
• Tier 5 includes the sort of exemplary benefits you’ll find on top-tier luxury cards, such as high-value travel credits, cardholder memberships and other unique and valuable perks.