NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast
What to Do When the U.S. Gets Downgraded and Your Travel Credit Card Stops Paying Off
29 May 2025
What does the U.S. credit downgrade mean for my investments?
Of course. Thanks for having me on.
And thank you, Ana. Of course. Up next, we answer a listener's question about switching up their credit cards. But before we get into that, a reminder to send us your money questions. Do you want to know the smartest way to budget for your summer vacation? Or are you in the market for a new credit card but aren't sure how to find the one that's best for you?
Leave us a voicemail or text us on the nerd hotline at 901-730-6373. That's 901-730-NERD. Or email us at podcast at nerdwallet.com.
In a moment, this episode's money question. Stay with us.
We're back and we are answering your money questions to help you make smarter financial decisions. This episode's question comes from Keith and he sent us an email. Here it is. I have a question about the dreaded credit cards. We have a United Quest visa I acquired because I was traveling via air for work on a regular basis.
So the $350 annual fee and a subscription to the United Club made sense, especially since I could bring my wife when we travel together. However, recently, United changed its policy for the United Club membership and increased their fees to $750 per individual and $1,450 for an individual with access for two guests, making it so expensive I'm no longer interested.
We'd love having the available credit of $16,000, but would pay $100 a year for it. Our 2025 goal is to get off of credit cards other than using one for monthly bills. Should we cancel? I am thinking it's a good thing to have the available credit. We have five now empty cards. We will be 100% no debt this fall minus the mortgage. I have y'all to thank in part for that, by the way. Mahalo nui loa.
Thanks for your thoughts. To help us answer this listener's money question, we have credit cards nerd, Melissa Lamberina. Welcome back to the show, Melissa. Thank you for having me. Before we get started, just a note that we're going to talk about some credit cards in this episode. So some may be NerdWallet partners, but that does not influence our opinions at all.
Also, the benefits, terms and fees mentioned were accurate at the time of posting, but things could change in the future. Some offers may have expired by the time you're listening, but for the latest details, follow the links in the episode description.
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