What changed in credit cards, week ending October 26, 2026

Every week Julia’s Wallet checks the figures its videos state against the issuers’ own pages and follows what the issuers announce. Here is what moved in the week ending October 26, 2026.

New from Julia this week:

New guide: Venture or Sapphire Preferred: which $95 points card to start with. Venture scores 70 and Sapphire Preferred 67 in Julia's Wallet Score. Both charge $95, so the real question is which card's rewards you will actually use.

New guide: Chase Freedom Unlimited vs Freedom Flex: flat 1.5 percent or rotating 5 percent. Freedom Flex beat a flat 2 percent card by 102 dollars on Julia's rotating budget, and Freedom Unlimited trailed one by 48 on a heavier ordinary-spending budget.

New guide: Are store credit cards worth it? When a 5% store discount beats a flat 2% card. A store card beats a 2% card only on eligible spending at that store, and only if you pay in full. Julia's Wallet Score ranks four of them against two flat-rate cards.

New guide: Which Credit Cards Earn the Most on Gas, and What the Fine Print Means. Costco and Sam's Club pay 5 percent on fuel, but caps, memberships and slow rewards decide who really keeps more than a flat 2 percent card.

New guide: Blue Cash Preferred or Capital One Savor: which pays more on streaming. Blue Cash Preferred pays 6 percent on streaming but costs 95 dollars a year. Capital One Savor pays 3 percent with no fee, so the fee decides it.

New guide: Best Buy card or flat 2% cash back: which wins on a $1,200 purchase? On a 1,200 dollar purchase the My Best Buy card's rewards can beat 2 percent cash back by 36 dollars, but only if you use every certificate dollar on planned shopping.

And 17 more new guides this week, across credit cards, points and miles, travel and tech.

Julia’s Wallet tests credit cards on one household budget, with the arithmetic shown and no affiliate links.