Synovus Cash Rewards Visa Review: 3% Cash Back On Dining & Category Of Your Choice [AL, FL, GA, SC & TN]

According to MrDisco99 on myFICO there are some significant changes being made to the Synovus Cash Rewards Visa card. For those not familiar Synovus is a financial institution in AL, FL, GA, SC & TN.

Card Basics

  • No annual fee
  • No sign up bonus
  • Card earns at the following rates:
    • 3% cash back on dining with no cap
    • 3% cash back on a category of your choice on up to $3,000 in spend per quarter. Categories as follows:
      • Business Services
      • Entertainment
      • Gas
      • Grocery
      • Healthcare
      • Maintenance
      • Retail
      • Travel
    • 1% cash back on all other purchases
  • Can redeem for any amount over $25, down to the penny

Our Verdict

3% cash back on restaurant purchases is competitive with the best cards. The 3% category you can choose is also obviously interesting but really depends on the categories you can choose, there are better options out there for gas already. It’s also important to remember that there a number of cards that earn 2%+ cash back on all purchases now so 3% isn’t as attractive as maybe it once was. I think given that there is no sign up bonus this card isn’t worth applying for just yet. If anybody knows anything else about this card, please let us know in the comments below.
    William Charles
  • On September 30, 2017, 12:00

View Comments (12)

  • Just a DP was in opening an account and decided to open a cash rewards CC.. Approved for 18k. More generous than i expected for a regional smaller player bank

  • Some more details...

    The complete new lineup is 4 products:

    Synovus Visa (plain vanilla, no rewards)
    Synovus Cash Rewards (as described above, my card)
    Synovus Rewards (points)
    Synovus Travel Rewards (points)

    The two points products above earn 3X points on a quarterly Dynamic Earn category. However, for those cards, Dining is a selectable category, and does not get unlimited 3X points on its own. This is different from the Cash Rewards card described above.

    The Travel Rewards card adds 5X earning on up to $5000 per year in the travel category (flights, car rental, hotels, vacation packages only) for a $50 annual fee (waived the first year). Not sure if this is per calendar year or per card anniversary.

    Points can be redeemed for flights, car rental, and hotels on the Purchase Perks travel portal. The Travel Rewards card also adds redemption options for "tours and attractions." Points can also be redeemed for gift cards and merchandise.

    Pay Me Back is a redemption option for points cards as well. You can apply points to up to three posted transactions for a minimum of $25. This doesn't appear to be category specific.

    Statement credit and direct deposit do not appear to be available to points cards. Looks like those are only available on the Cash Rewards card.

    • Thanks Ric. AF on the other cards? For the Rewards Card, it's just 3X for 1 category? I'm still not seeing this information on their website.

      • The Synovus website has been updated with all the bullet points on the product line now. All is as I mentioned above.

        However, the Travel Rewards card also has a 20% bonus on redemptions toward travel, i.e. points are worth 1.2 cents per point when used through the travel portal. That combined with 5x earning on travel and 3x earning on selectable categories for only $50 annual fee after the first year makes that a really interesting card.

  • To my knowledge, Synovus has never done signup bonuses on their cards. If you want the long term earnings on this card, I wouldn't bother waiting for one.

  • The link to my purchase perks account showed up on my Synovus account page.

    You can select one category for each quarter. Once you select your initial category, subsequent changes take effect the following quarter. The categories are:

    Business Services
    Entertainment
    Gas
    Grocery
    Healthcare
    Maintenance
    Retail
    Travel

    • Are the redemptions 1pt = 1 cent? If so, this card is extremely valuable, if it has no annual fee

    • From the site:

      Within 30 days of account opening, you have a one-time option to change your Dynamic Earn category which will take effect immediately. After that, you can change your category at any time until the last day of the quarter. Your new category will become effective on the first day of the next quarter. If you do not change your category, your original selection or default category will remain.

      Every time you use your rewards card in your selected category, you’ll earn 3X the rewards points on up to $3,000 in net quarterly spend.

      Examples by Dynamic Earn Category:
      Retail: Macys, Best Buy. . .
      Gas: Shell, QuikTrip. . .
      Grocery: Publix, Kroger. . .
      Maintenance: Auto Repair Shops, Roofing Contractors. . .
      Business Services: Advertising Services, Business Equipment. . .
      Dining: Applebees, Olive Garden. . .
      Utilities: Gas bills, Electricity bills. . .
      Healthcare: Walgreens, CVS. . .
      Travel: Delta, Marriott. . .
      Entertainment: Bowling Alleys, Golf Courses. . .

  • According to Synovus' website, there will be three cards:

    Travel Rewards Visa
    Rewards / Cash Rewards Visa
    Classic Visa (no rewards)

    These cards go into effect October 2nd, so look for more information tomorrow.

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