For those who have the Venture card, is there an option to convert the miles into cash or gift cards? If so, is it 1:1 exchange ration and are there decent options for this? I'd prefer to go with the straight 2% return on all purchases but don't travel THAT much. I do travel some, but I wanted to know if I'd have the option of using these points in another way if possible.

Also considering the Amex Blue Preferred for groceries & gas, but honestly most of my spending falls into the "all other" category. That's why I'd prefer to also have something like the Venture. The Citi Double Cash card would be great too, but it doesn't offer any kind of bonus like the Venture.

I have this card, and I use it for account credits on travel purchases. Reimbursements on travel purchases is a pretty good deal. I cashed in 100k points (quite a few of which I earned paying for flights and an all-inclusive group trip to Germany) last year and received a $1,000 credit.

You can get gift cards. There are a variety of options. An $100 Amazon gift card costs 10k points. I'm not sure if they are all equal (too many to check).

You can also get cash back/account credits. If it's a non-travel purchase, the amounts are reduced. For example, 60k points will only get you a $300 credit or check.

quote:

---

I have this card, and I use it for account credits on travel purchases. Reimbursements on travel purchases is a pretty good deal. I cashed in 100k points (quite a few of which I earned paying for flights and an all-inclusive group trip to Germany) last year and received a $1,000 credit.

You can get gift cards. There are a variety of options. An $100 Amazon gift card costs 10k points. I'm not sure if they are all equal (too many to check).

You can also get cash back/account credits. If it's a non-travel purchase, the amounts are reduced. For example, 60k points will only get you a $300 credit or check.

---

Thanks! I could potentially use it all for travel anyway, but it's good to know I could go with something like Amazon to still get my money's worth. I'll definitely steer clear of the credit/check option if it reduces it that much.

It's pretty liberal regarding how you can use it for travel purchases, too. Plane tickets, hotel, rental car, etc., with no restrictions that I've found. When you make a travel purchase, you'll get an email asking if you want to use points to receive a credit. You just have to do it within (I think) 90 days.

The other nice thing is you can kind of double dip on points. Last year, I spent about $3600 on plane tickets and another $8k+ on the trip overseas. That earned me 2x the $ amounts in points, which helped me reach 100k points. Then I turned around and cashed those points in as a $1000 credit on the plane tickets. You can't do that if you trade points directly for tickets or reservations.

I like to travel, but I'm not loyal enough to one airline or hotel chain to make a specific rewards card work. The flexibility of this one is a real benefit to me. I do have to use it as my essentially my only CC, though. Otherwise, I wouldn't accrue enough points for my goals.

If we're talking about the same card, you can use it on anything. You make the purchase with the card and then tell them that you want to use your points for it.

Thanks! I definitely think I'm going to go with it. I'll likely be using it for everything as well in order to maximize my points.

It just seems like a no brainier for me. I understand there are better rewards for certain items with other cards, but 2% cash back on every purchase and the ability to use said points on anything is the best option for me.