Dear Clever Credit.
I want to pay a dental bill with a credit card, but I don’t know which one. The cost will be around $1,000 to $2,000, and health care doesn’t need to be a top-spending category. My credit score is in the high 700s, and I already have the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, so I prefer cash back. I’m looking for 0% APR for at least a year and any additional benefits for my situation.
Signed,
Tragic and Toothsome
Dear Toothsome,
My first instinct was to recommend a medical credit card like CareCredit. But since you only plan to use this new credit card for one medical purchase and no other in the near future, I think you’re better off with a general credit card with a long 0% introductory annual percentage rate period.
This is especially true since CareCredit is a deferred-interest product, not an interest-free one. This means at the end of your promotional period, if you still have a balance left over, you don’t pay interest on just the remaining balance; you have to pay interest on the initial balance.
[Read: Best 0% APR Credit Cards.]
Instead, I recommend you get a rewards credit card with a 0% introductory APR and take advantage of the sign-up bonus. One such option is the Citi Custom Cash® Card. It offers a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then 18.74% to 28.74% (variable) APR. And you can earn 20,000 ThankYou Points, which you can redeem for $200 cash back, after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months from account opening. (See Rates & Fees)
Custom Cash cardholders can earn 5% cash back in their top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, then 1% thereafter. What’s more, you don’t have to manually choose your top-spending category; it adjusts automatically each billing cycle depending on your spending habits. You can also earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2026.
Another option is the Discover it® Cash Back. This card offers a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then 18.74% to 27.74% variable APR. And instead of a traditional sign-up bonus, Discover will match all the cash back you earn at the end of your first year.
Since the Discover it Cash Back has rotating categories, you can earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter. Except, unlike the Citi Custom Cash, you have to activate these categories every quarter. There’s also a quarterly cap of $1,500; after that, you earn 1% cash back.
Neither card has an annual fee, and both have good rewards categories that you can pair with your Capital One Savor card. Here’s hoping your new credit card doesn’t come with a root canal!
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Dear Clever Credit: I Need to Pay for a Dental Procedure. What Credit Card Do I Use? originally appeared on usnews.com
