Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Program Review

Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Review Summary

Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards is the 6th best credit card rewards program, according to WalletHub's latest comparison, receiving 87 points out of a possible 100. The Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards program features three credit cards, the Fifth Third Bank Cash/Back Credit Card, Fifth Third 1% Cash/Back Card and the Fifth Third Bank Preferred Cash/Back Card. While these cards are advertised as cash back cards, their rewards are distributed in the form of points redeemable for cash back, among other options.

Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Review Scorecard

#4 for Earning Policies
#4 for Redemption Policies
#1 for Rewards Value per Point
#12 for Eligibility & Transparency

Best Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Credit Cards

Fifth Third Bank only offers three rewards cards, the Fifth Third Bank Cash/Back Credit Card, Fifth Third 1% Cash/Back Card and the Fifth Third Bank Preferred Cash/Back Card. The Fifth Third Bank Preferred Cash/Back Card is only available to people who are Fifth Third Bank Preferred Banking clients.

Summary: Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Scores by Review Category

How to Earn Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards

Category Rating: 93% (28/30)

You will earn at least one point in return for every dollar you spend with a Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards credit card. Choosing the right credit card and using it strategically can enable you to earn even more points, and there’s no limit on how many points you can earn.

Noteworthy Features:

• Points don’t expire: As long as your account is open and in good standing, your points never expire.

Earning Restrictions to Watch Out For: The Fifth Third Bank Preferred Cash/Back Card, which offers the highest rewards earning rates, is only available to Fifth Third Bank Preferred Banking clients. A Preferred Banking membership requires you to open a Fifth Third Bank Preferred Checking account and have a total of at least $100,000 across all your Fifth Third deposit and investment accounts.

How to Redeem Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards

Category Rating: 70% (14/20)

The Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards program gives you three redemption options, which are cash back, travel and gift cards. All Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards redemption options offer the same value for your rewards. Therefore, the best redemption method depends on your individual spending habits and what you want to get in exchange for your rewards. Below, you can learn more about each of the Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards redemption options.

Gift Cards

You can use your points to get gift cards from a variety of popular retailers.

Cash Back

You can redeem for cash back rewards by getting a check, a statement credit, an electronic deposit to a Fifth Third Bank checking or savings account, or a payment on a Fifth Third Bank mortgage, installment loan, or line of credit.

Travel

You can redeem your points to pay for airline tickets and fees through your online account. Unfortunately, you cannot redeem for other types of travel.

Redemption Restrictions to Watch Out For:

• Limited travel redemption: There is no option to redeem points for hotel stays or car rentals. You can only redeem them for airline tickets and fees.
• No transfer partners: Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards does not offer the ability to transfer points to other companies’ loyalty programs.

Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Value per Point

Category Rating: 100% (30/30)

Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards points are worth 1 cent each. Cardholders earn 1.67 to 2 points per $1 spent, depending on the card.

Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Eligibility & Transparency

Category Rating: 75% (15/20)

Fifth Third Bank only offers three rewards cards, the Fifth Third Bank Cash/Back Credit Card, Fifth Third 1% Cash/Back Card and the Fifth Third Bank Preferred Cash/Back Card. Both cards participate in the Real Life Rewards program.

Discontinued Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Cards

Fifth Third Bank has discontinued some of its Real Life Rewards credit card offers over the years. While some people may still have these cards, they’re not available to new applicants and were not factored into scoring. 

• TRIO® Credit Card from Fifth Third Bank
• Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Credit Card
• Stand Up To Cancer® Credit Card
• Fifth Third Bank Business Rewards Card
• Fifth Third Equity Flexline® Card

Popular Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Credit Cards

Fifth Third Bank Cash/Back Credit Card	Fifth Third 1% Cash/Back Card	Fifth Third Bank Preferred Cash/Back Card
3.6WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 3.6 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Market Comparison 3.6 fees: 5.0 rewards: 3.0 cost: 3.8 Other Features: 0.0	3.8WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 3.8 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Finance New Purchases." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Market Comparison 3.8 fees: 5.0 rewards: 3.3 cost: 3.4 APR: 3.8	4.1WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 4.1 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Market Comparison 4.1 fees: 5.0 rewards: 3.4 cost: 4.6 Other Features: 0.0
(0)	(3)	(0)
annual fee$0	annual fee$0	annual fee$0
Purchase Intro APRN/A	Purchase Intro APR0% for 15 months	Purchase Intro APRN/A
transfer intro apr0% for 12 months Transfer Fee: 4% (min $5)	transfer intro apr0% for 15 months Transfer Fee: 4% (min $5)	transfer intro apr0% for 12 months Transfer Fee: 4% (min $5)
Regular APR18.99% - 28.99% (V)	Regular APR18.49% - 29.49% (V)	Regular APR18.99% - 28.99% (V)
rewards rate Earn 1.67 Rewards Points per $1 spent (1.67% cash back equivalent) on every purchase made with your card. 1.67 points / $1	rewards rate Earn unlimited 1% cash back on every purchase with no caps, and no expiration of rewards. 1% Cash Back	rewards rate Earn 2 Rewards Points (2% cash back) for each $1 spent on qualified purchases. 2 points / $1
bonus offer N/A	bonus offer N/A	bonus offer N/A
Learn More SponsoredApply Now  Learn More	Learn More SponsoredApply Now  Learn More	Learn More SponsoredApply Now  Learn More

For more information, check out the best Fifth Third Bank credit cards on WalletHub.

4 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards

1. Redeem regularly
   The whole point of earning credit card rewards is to enjoy the savings they provide. If you just leave your points sitting in your account unused, they won’t do you much good.
   

2. Pay your bill on time every month
   Your points won’t expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing. In other words, you have nothing to worry about if you pay your monthly bills on time.
   

3. Pay your bill in full every month
   Paying interest at a credit card’s regular APR will end up costing you more than rewards save you. Paying in full monthly allows you to avoid interest charges.
   
4. Redeem before closing your account
   You will lose any points left unredeemed when you close your account

Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards vs. Bank of America Cash Back Rewards vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards

Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards Review Methodology

This review of Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards is based on the same methodology as WalletHub’s annual study on the Best Credit Card Rewards Programs. Editor’s ratings reflect the sum of each program’s scores across the study’s four major categories, adjusted to a 5-point scale to create a representative distribution of ratings. The four major categories considered were: Earning Policies, Redemption Policies, Rewards Value per $1 Spent and Eligibility & Transparency.

WalletHub calculated point values for Fifth Third Bank Real Life Rewards by comparing the dollar value of redemption items against the number of points needed for each.