New 5x Kid On The Block But Finding Information Is A Blackhole

Just want to put this out there, thanks to my buddy @ PF Digest for always looking out for the obscure banks and credit cards and inspiring me to do the same.

The Awesomeness:

Northfield Bank is very regional with select areas of New Jersey and New York. They’ve partnered with First National Bank and have a very generous 5x card similar to Chase’s Ink series, except Northfield has one-upped Chase in the 5x category. I’d like to add that First National Bank is issuing some insane cards lately.

Business Edition^® Visa^® Card with Absolute Rewards^SM

The Business Edition^® Visa^® Card with Absolute RewardsSM allows you to earn points with every dollar in qualifying purchases.† Redeem points for travel, gift cards, merchandise, even cash back in the form of a credit to your account.

With Absolute Rewards^SM every dollar spent is a reward for you!^†

• 5 POINTS PER $1 SPENT on qualifying business expenses (up to $25,000 during each 12 billing cycle period).^†

• 2 POINTS PER $1 SPENT on qualifying gas and dining transactions (up to $25,000 during each 12 billing cycle period).^†

• 1 POINT PER $1 SPENT on other purchases.^†

• No annual fee.*

• Competitive rates.

• Separate business and personal expenses.

• Online access to view transactions, pay your bill, view up to seven years of prior statements and more!¹

As a product, it rivals with Chase’s Ink Cash, with the 5x up to $25,000 and differ slightly on the 2x category. Northfield Bank does Chase better because they practically allow you to earn 5x on all utilities if you can pay with your credit card. From their Terms and Conditions:

“Qualifying Business Expense Transactions” are “Qualifying Credit Card Transactions” made at any merchant whose merchant category code (“MCC”) is classified by the payment card industry as “Telecommunication services” (MCC 4814), “Cable and other pay television” (MCC 4899), “Electric, Gas, Sanitary and Water Utilities” (MCC 4900), “Computer Maintenance and Repair Services, Not Elsewhere Classified” (MCC 7379), “Advertising Services” (MCC 7311), or “Stationery, Office Supplies, Printing, and Writing Paper” (MCC 5111).

See that? They include pay television as well as your regular utilities. In addition, did you see computer maintenance and advertising services? That’s similar to American Express’ Business Rewards Gold.

The Blackhole:

I can’t find any information on what you can redeem the Absolute Rewards. I’ve called Northfield and First National Bank for additional details and no one can seem to provide anything. I’ve also sent them a message online, but have not received a response in over a week. It’d be an absolute waste generating 5x and each point is worth only $.002/point because it’d effectively be a 1% cashback card.