X1 Card Review: Flexible Rewards but Best for Partner Redemptions

 

The X1 Card is a great credit card for earning rewards if you typically spend between $1,000 and $7,500 per month on your card. It offers points on all eligible purchases, with opportunities to earn extra points when you meet certain spending thresholds, refer friends or shop at select retailers. The card also comes with a $0 - $75 annual fee and $0 late fee.

But because the X1 Card doesn’t offer an intro APR on purchases or balance transfers, it’s not the best choice if you’re apt to carry a balance on your card from month to month.

Annual fee: $0 - $75

Regular purchase APR: 20.24% to 29.99% (variable)

Foreign transaction fee: $0

Sign-up bonus: N/A

Rewards: 2X - 10X points

• Earn 2X points on every purchase regardless of category
• Earn 3X points every time you spend $1,000 in a month
• Earn 4X, 5X and even 10X points for every friend who gets a card
• Earn up to 10X points at leading online stores such as Apple, Nike and Sephora when you shop in the X1 App

Other benefits:

• Cell phone insurance
• Travel and emergency services
• Visa Signature benefits

Recommended credit: Good / Excellent

• Accelerated rewards rate

  You’ll earn 2X points on every purchase regardless of category, 3X points every time you spend $1,000 in a month, 4X, 5X and even 10X points for every friend who gets a card. Up to 10X points at leading online stores such as Apple, Nike and Sephora when you shop in the X1 App.

  If you’re likely to spend more than $1,000 per month on the card, this is a great opportunity to earn a strong earning rate on your purchases. For example, if you charge $3,000 in one month, you’ll earn 2X points on the first $1,000 and 3X points on the additional $2,000 — for a total of 8,000 points (worth up to $80).

  Just know that the 3X rate is only available on up to $7,500 in spend per calendar month.

  → See our picks for the best rewards credit cards.

• $0 - $75 annual fee and $0 late fee

  This card charges a $0 - $75 annual fee for the primary account holder and a $0 fee for your first adult authorized user. But after that, be aware that each additional authorized user is subject to a fee of $1.99 per month (or $19.99 per year). Additionally, children who are authorized users, or those under the age of 18, are subject to a fee of $3.99 per month (or $39.99 per year).

  Plus, there it has a $0 late fee and no overlimit fees. That said, because your payment history and amounts owed play such a big role in determining your credit score, it’s important to pay your balance on time each month and in full whenever possible.

  → See our picks for the best credit cards with no annual fees.

• $0 foreign transaction fee

  This card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees — meaning you won’t be charged additional fees if you use it to make purchases abroad.

  By contrast, some cards charge 3% to 5% of the amount of each transaction for purchases made outside the U.S.

  → Find more credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.

• Ability to get preapproved

  During the application process, X1 performs a soft pull on your credit to see if you’re approved. Just know that if you accept the card after receiving approval, a hard inquiry will be initiated, which may affect your score.

  → Check out the easiest credit cards to get.

• Limited opportunities to get the highest value on point redemptions

  To get the most value from your X1 Card rewards, you should redeem them for purchases made at eligible merchants — including Anthropologie, Airbnb, IKEA and REI — through the X1 app. When used this way, points are typically worth 1 cent each. So if you spend $40 at IKEA, you can redeem 4,000 points to “pay” for the purchase to stretch your points to their highest value.

  If you want to redeem your points for statement credit (for purchases made at other retailers), you get a mediocre rate of less than 1 cent per point. If eligible, points can also be used to purchase stocks or virtual gift cards.

  There are cards available that offer more value when you redeem your rewards for cash back, travel and more. For example, the Citi Double Cash^® Card lets you earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel. Or, for a more straightforward rewards program, the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card lets you earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

• No sign-up bonus

  While this card offers a solid rewards rate, it doesn’t come with a sign-up bonus. If you want to earn a lump sum of rewards upfront, there are a variety of $0-annual-fee cards available that offer valuable sign-up bonuses.

  For example, the Citi Double Cash^® Card lets you earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. Similarly, the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card lets you earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.

  → See our picks for the best credit card sign-up bonuses.

• No intro APR on purchases or balance transfers

  If you plan to carry a balance on your card from month to month, you’ll be subject to interest charges at an APR of 20.24% to 29.99% variable. So if you need to finance a large purchase or transfer a balance from another credit card, you should opt for a card like the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card or the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card, both of which offer introductory interest-fee periods for purchases and balance transfers.

  → See our picks for the best 0% APR credit cards.

X1 Card vs. Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is our pick for the best cash back credit card because it offers several desirable features in a credit card, including unlimited cash back rewards.

It charges a $0 annual fee and has a generous sign-up bonus that’s easy to earn. Cardholders can earn a high rate of cash back rate in popular spending categories, including dining, entertainment, grocery stores (excluding superstores like Target® and Walmart®) and eligible travel.

It also has long intro APR offers on both new purchases and balance transfers (followed by a 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) APR), so you can save a good deal of cash on interest if you need to finance a purchase.

X1 Card vs. Citi Double Cash^® Card

The Citi Double Cash^® Card is a great choice if you want a long balance transfer offer on a card that will offer outstanding value long after your balance transfer is paid off. If you don’t need to do a balance transfer, the card comes with a generous sign-up bonus with a modest spending requirement.

You’ll earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel. Rewards can be redeemed for cash back as a statement credit, direct deposit, check, travel or gift cards or transferred to a few of Citi’s hotel and airline partners.

The Citi Double Cash^® Card doesn’t offer an intro APR on purchases, but it does have a slightly longer intro APR on balance transfers than the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. New cardholders get a 0% intro APR for 18 months on Balance Transfers. After that, an 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable) APR applies.

But besides $0 fraud liability, this card lacks the robust benefits and protections offered by the X1 Card. Additionally, it charges foreign transaction fees if you use it to make purchases outside the U.S.

X1 Card vs. Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card

If you prefer a card with a simpler rewards structure than the Citi Double Cash^® Card, the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card is a great choice for a cash rewards credit card. It’s also best if you could use an intro APR on purchases.

The card lets you earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. Plus, you’ll earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. Wells Fargo rewards can be used to cover past purchases, as statement credits and toward gift cards from a variety of retailers.

This $0-annual-fee card offers a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases, then a 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR. There’s also a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers, then a 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR.

The X1 Card provides good value for those who already have it. Since it’s no longer available, the best cash back credit card for you depends on what benefits you’re looking for in your credit card.

• If you want to earn generous amounts of cash back on groceries, dining, entertainment and streaming services, choose the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card.
• If you want a long intro offer on balance transfers, choose the Citi Double Cash^® Card.
• If you want simple, flat-rate cash rewards, choose the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card.

We use an objective rating and ranking system that compares features across a large set of credit cards (over 200 of them, from over 50 issuers). We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

• Average value over two years (50% of rating): We calculate the cash back earned for the average cardholder using Bureau of Labor Statistics data and an annual spend of $20,000, minus the annual fee. This value includes sign-up and annual bonuses. We look at the average rewards earned over two years to balance out a card’s ongoing value with its first-year value.
• Flexibility of rewards (30% of rating): We consider how easy the rewards are to use, looking at factors like expiration dates and minimum thresholds to redeem.