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It’s no secret that buying a new home can make a major dent in your wallet – and not just during the home buying process. Once you move in, you realize just how many things you’ll need to “finish off” the look of your new home. Furniture, household goods and home improvement supplies can put pressure on your budget, and you may be shocked at the price tag of the utilities you need to keep your home up and running. In today’s crazy world, it’s almost impossible to get by without a credit card, especially if you’re a new homeowner. And with so many options on the market, it’s nearly impossible to decide which ones are best suited to your needs. The team at Ernest Homes has taken the time to do some research on the subject, and we have a few suggestions to share. This results of this survey are purely research-based – we don’t have a relationship with any of the cards listed here. Take a look at some of these cards to see if their programs fit your spending style. Best Card for Furniture Buying - U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card One of the few cards that offer specific bonus rewards for furniture purchases, this card could be the answer to your prayers if you need to fill entire rooms or have your eye on a pricey piece or two. Furniture is one of the specific categories you can select to receive up to 5% back on all qualifying category purchases. With no annual fee, you’ll also earn 1% cash back on all other purchases. Best Card for Home Improvement Purchases - Chase Freedom Unlimited® If you’re a wanna-be handyman who envisions a new project every few months, give this card a serious look. Its flexibility is the key here; you can buy your materials anywhere you like and be eligible for 3% cash back on all purchases in your first year up to $20,000 spent. After that earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, with no annual fee. If adding a deck, landscaping your yard or custom painting each room of your home is on the docket, you’ll see the savings. This card is also a great bet if you have a few high-ticket items to purchase. It offers a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months, giving you more than a year to pay off a home-made swing set, a man cave or a swimming pool. Best Card for Setting Up Recurrent Utility Payments - Chase Freedom® Most utility providers currently accept recurrent credit card payments to satisfy monthly bills. However, some do charge a convenience fee for this handy feature, so you’ll need to make sure your card offers benefits that more than offset the fee. This card is one of the best choices here, offering up to 5% cash back on your utilities during one quarter of the year when you select this bonus category. It also offers perks such as 1% cash back on all purchases, a 0% APR for the first 15 months and a $150 bonus if you spend $500 on purchases during the first 3 months your account is open. There’s also no annual fee! Best Card for Taking Care of the Little Stuff - Discover it® Cash Back When it’s kitchen gadgets, light bulbs and bedding that you need, you’ll want a highly flexible card with no annual fee and great cash back offers. This card starts off by matching ALL the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, automatically. You’ll also get to select (and change!) your rewards categories quarterly, giving you 5% cash back within each category selected, with 1% cash back on all purchases outside that category. This card also allows you to select wholesale and shopping club categories as well. You can get up to $1500 back in each activated quarter! As an added bonus, Discover offers an alert if your Social Security number is found on any of thousands of Dark Web sites – activation is free. Best Card for Amazon Addicts - Amazon Rewards Visa Signature® Card If you buy almost everything from Amazon, this is the card for you! Prime members receive 5% cash back on Amazon.com purchases, from cleaning supplies to housewares to subscription groceries…all with fast, free Prime shipping. Non-Prime members receive 3% cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, Prime member accounts bump up to 5% cash back. All cardholders earn 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores. There’s no annual fee, but Prime fees may be required. Best Card For Travelers - Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Earn 60,000 bonus points with $4,000 of purchases in the first 3 months. You can convert these into $750 in travel rewards! Rack up 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. No foreign transaction fees! Best Card for Flexibility - Huntington Voice Credit Card® If you’re looking for a card that wears many hats, this one has a boatload of desirable features. Cardholders can select their own categories according to their quarterly needs, giving them 3 times the bonus points in each selected category and 1 point per dollar on any other purchases. Take advantage of no annual fee as well. After you’ve had a chance to check out these contenders, it’s ready, set, shop!