Thread: Best credit card rewards for public transit and eating out?

Before Chase revamped its Freedom card to rotating categories it used to pay bonus cashback in one's top-three spending categories. One of the available categories was something like "taxis/public transportation" if I'm not mistaken. This is moot because it's no longer available.

Your question made me curious about the Barclaycard in the UK. It offers commuters there the option of adding Oyster card functionality to their credit cards. The Oyster card is the pass that Brits use to pay for trips on the Underground and the regional rails. I wondered if there was a cashback scheme associated with this, but a quick look at their website suggests not. This is moot, too, since you appear to be in San Fran.

I checked to see if there was a BART-affiliated card that might pay rewards, but I didn't find anything. And you've surely done that already.

If there is a means to buy a prepaid transit pass from a vendor, such as a grocery or drug store, that would trigger extra rewards, that might be an option.

As for dining out, the Citi Forward card is a good bet, but Citi is lacking in customer service, IMO, both online and on the phone. Chase Freedom would be a good bet since one of its rotating categories now is dining.

Before Chase revamped its Freedom card to rotating categories it used to pay bonus cashback in one's top-three spending categories. One of the available categories was something like "taxis/public transportation" if I'm not mistaken.

That's right and I wish it were still around, at least as an option. It was the only card I knew of where you could earn 3% on utilities too.

If there is a means to buy a prepaid transit pass from a vendor, such as a grocery or drug store, that would trigger extra rewards, that might be an option.

That's a really smart idea. In Los Angeles bus passes I believe can be purchased at most major chain grocery stores. San Francisco probably does the same thing.