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Tdexter6 posted:I have two Amex open: Blue for Students (opened 2003) CL: $11,500 and Starwood Preferred (opened 2015) CL: $13,500 There's a Blue card from that time frame that has a ridiculous cash back benefit, not sure if the Student variety also benefits. Either way, just call Amex and have them switch $X amount of credit limit between the cards. No need to shut it down, I did this with my Costco card so that I could get more $10k months in MS without having to do a mid-cycle payment.
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Feb 23, 2015 21:09
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| # ? May 14, 2024 16:33 |
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Also, AMEX is unique in that every new account you open with them is back-dated to when you first opened an account with them. So all of those AMEX cards should show up as opened in 2003 on your credit report.
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Feb 23, 2015 21:28
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Yeah the Member Since Date on your Starwood card should read 03, if not you should call them and have it adjusted.
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Feb 23, 2015 22:03
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SPG is recategorizing many hotels. See the full list. I had to bump up my booking to Cancun since that is going from a 4 to a 5. Many are going down as well. https://lacek.hs.llnwd.net/e1/starwood/2015categorychange/2015CategoryChanges.pdf
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Feb 23, 2015 22:12
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Also, just got approved for this scorcher of a deal. 75K points on AMEX after spending $10k in 3 months. The link below worked for me but YMMV, the rep confirmed the bonus deal after I was approved (had to call in since I had a few apps in the past few months) but I read on other sites that they wouldn't honor the deal since 'some blogger posted it'. Either way, it's a fantastic deal, worst case is $750 cash back but you can do 1:1 transfers to many partners, such as Delta which is what I'm interested in. With this I have put the final piece in my puzzle for two family vacations all with free flights and hotel in the next twelve months. Family of five so that's a tall order. https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/credit-cards/see-all-business-credit-cards/?inav=business_opensmallbusiness_ajviewallcards
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Feb 23, 2015 23:08
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I've really been looking into my finances lately and learning as much as I can about what I'm actually doing instead of just kinda going along with what the bank says. I'm at the part where I need to decide whether I want a better credit card or not... I currently have a Wells Fargo Signature Cash Back card. 1% back on all purchases but that's really it. I'm deciding between the Discover rewards card or the Sallie Mae MasterCard. Thoughts?
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Feb 24, 2015 03:11
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I've been examining my current CC situation and I think it's time for a change. Currently have 3 CC's: Discover It card Chase Southwest RR Citizens Bank MC Discover gets used if it's at a place in the rotating 5% category, otherwise I use the Chase. However, because of multiple reasons, I am not traveling nearly as much as I expected to after I got the Chase card, so it's really not worth the annual fee anymore. And I literally never use the Citizens Bank card. It's my emergency card if I need to pay for something so large it could potentially go over the limits on the other cards, which with both my increased savings and my increased limits on the CCs over the years is less and less likely to ever happen. I figured my plan is to apply for an AmEx Blue Cash Preferred card (I expecte to be approved, I'm sitting on a ~800 credit score.) Then do a balance transfer (if it matters...I'm guessing those don't earn any cash back? If not then it's just easier to pay the other CCs off normally) and close the Chase account, but keep the Discover open. Then I'll just start using the AmEx for all groceries and then pretty much anything else that's not in Discover's 5% category. I'll even plan to buy gift cards for places like Amazon and Paypal at the grocery store to get more earnings, since I use both of those services a fair amount (I'm assuming a GC bought at a grocery store still qualifies as a grocery purchase and gets 6%?) And AmEx also has a promotion on the Blue Cash Preferred right now where spending $1000 over 3 months gets me an extra $150 in statement credit. Won't have any trouble meeting that requirement. So in a typical year, I figure I spend $3000-4000 at the grocery store (and if I also decide to get some random GCs here and there, especially around the holidays, I'll hit the $6000 limit for the 6% easily), plus $700-$900 in gas, and then several thousand in other purchases, so I can easily come out ahead of what I get from Discover and Chase combined, especially since the yearly fees I'd be paying are only $25 more. I have also thought about doing a little bit of Manufactured Spending with a Serve card. Nothing extreme, basically just loading it up with enough money each month to pay bills that I can't put on a CC normally, like utilities, student loans, and rent. Though if I'm actually using the money to pay real things and not just pay off the same CC I loaded it up with, it's not entirely manufactured spending, I guess... Can you load up a Serve with either a Discover It or a "real" AmEx and NOT have it count as a cash advance?
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Feb 24, 2015 21:35
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yoohoo posted:I've really been looking into my finances lately and learning as much as I can about what I'm actually doing instead of just kinda going along with what the bank says. I'm at the part where I need to decide whether I want a better credit card or not... I currently have a Wells Fargo Signature Cash Back card. 1% back on all purchases but that's really it. I'm deciding between the Discover rewards card or the Sallie Mae MasterCard. Thoughts? Sallie Mae MasterCard and Citi Double Cash are probably your two best bets.
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Feb 24, 2015 21:37
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DrBouvenstein posted:I've been examining my current CC situation and I think it's time for a change. I don't use the generic serve but I BELIEVE that you have to load it with gift cards that you purchase with the rewards card. If you are in a participating area, get a Target Prepaid Redcard and use that to manufacture spending. Hit the $5K a month max, send the money to yourself, and pay off the balance on the credit card.
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Feb 24, 2015 21:43
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TraderStav posted:I don't use the generic serve but I BELIEVE that you have to load it with gift cards that you purchase with the rewards card. If you are in a participating area, get a Target Prepaid Redcard and use that to manufacture spending. Hit the $5K a month max, send the money to yourself, and pay off the balance on the credit card. Redcard isn't really an option. Closest Target is over an hour away, in another state, and requires a $20 ferry ride to get to. Edit: According to the Reddit FAQ: http://www.reddit.com/r/churning/wiki/faqserve#wiki_loading_funds_onto_serve I can load funds directly onto a Serve with a Discover More card and it doesn't count as a cash advance and generates points. But it doesn't list the Discover It card as one that DOES give points, or as one that counts as an advance, or as one that doesn't count as an advance but also doesn't' give points, so I guess to be safe I would have to do the convoluted "but a Visa GC and load up the Serve with that" procedure which i don't think I can do, because neither of the two Wal-Marts near me seem to have the "Money Center" service I need to reload a Serve card. DrBouvenstein fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Feb 24, 2015 |
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Feb 24, 2015 21:53
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Heyo all, great information here and the thread has been a huge help setting up my cc situation. Applied for and received the Sallie Mae Card recommended in the OP, so that's awesome, but now I'm wanting to grab a travel-related card as I work freelance in film and fly 2-3 times a month. I was set on the Barclaycard Arrival +, but unfortunately was declined due to (according to Barclays) the number of recent credit inquiries I've had. I just moved back to the US and the only things I can think of that would have looked in to my credit are my apartment application and the SM card, so whether or not that's the actual reason is beyond me. Now, I can't seem to find a reconsideration line and when I do call the number on the Barclay's application page I am put through to a woman who just wants to help me apply by filling out the online form for me, so it does not seem likely I'll be able to re-apply and receive the card anytime soon, so now it seems like my options have changed to either go for the regular Arrival card (no annual fee, only 20k bonus miles initially, and no 2x miles on all purchases) or try for the Chase Sapphire Preferred. My hesitance for the latter comes from there not being an immediate obvious way to transfer points through to Delta, American, or United, which I use quite frequently, and the lack of chip and pin, which makes automated things abroad difficult. So the question is: are those minor but still workable obstacles or am I better off trying for the non AP version of the Barclaycard, or is there some third magical option for a travel based card I've completely missed? Thanks!
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Feb 24, 2015 23:51
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FelixReynolds posted:Heyo all, great information here and the thread has been a huge help setting up my cc situation. I don't know about Chase Sapphire Preferred, but Barclay's Recon line is 866-408-4064. Might be worth a shot to give it a call.
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Feb 25, 2015 00:02
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Dengraz posted:I don't know about Chase Sapphire Preferred, but Barclay's Recon line is 866-408-4064. Might be worth a shot to give it a call. Thanks! Closed now today but will try first thing in the morning and see if that helps.
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Feb 25, 2015 00:35
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khysanth posted:Sallie Mae MasterCard and Citi Double Cash are probably your two best bets. I would add Fidelity Amex in the mix. Also 2% cash, no annual fee.
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Feb 25, 2015 00:51
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Wouldn't the Fidelity Amex serve the same purpose as the Citi Double Cash card without the extra step of transferring money out of a Fidelity account? Unless I'm missing something I don't see a reason for him to have both.
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Feb 25, 2015 02:17
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khysanth posted:Sallie Mae MasterCard and Citi Double Cash are probably your two best bets. Thanks, I was leaning towards the Sallie Mae but I'll look into the Citi Double Cash as well.
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Feb 25, 2015 02:19
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lmao zebong posted:Wouldn't the Fidelity Amex serve the same purpose as the Citi Double Cash card without the extra step of transferring money out of a Fidelity account? Unless I'm missing something I don't see a reason for him to have both. Well this isn't the case anymore as of April, but you can use the Amex at Costco. You can also get a statement credit with the Fidelity Amex instead of cash back. E: and it wasn't necessarily get both as it was "consider this on the short list"
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Feb 25, 2015 02:55
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Bloody Queef posted:Well this isn't the case anymore as of April, but you can use the Amex at Costco. You can also get a statement credit with the Fidelity Amex instead of cash back. Just to clarify, it's not the case anymore as of April 2016, so you still have ~15 months
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Feb 25, 2015 05:34
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pig slut lisa posted:Just to clarify, it's not the case anymore as of April 2016, so you still have ~15 months Oh I'm dumb. I thought it was this April and was pissed off. Getting 4% back at Costco has been an incredible ride.
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Feb 25, 2015 12:27
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Speaking of Costco, I got their Executive membership because we spend an absolutely gently caress-load there annually and it only made sense. This came with the Costco Amex but I've found better Amex cards to use their. I thought that the point of the Executive membership was that you received cash back on purchases made. I received my annual bonus check in my statement and it was for $4 or something insulting for some small transactions that I did make on the Costco Amex. Did I mess something up and the Executive cash back is only if you use the Amex card or is there a separate check coming for the Executive at some point?
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Feb 25, 2015 13:55
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TraderStav posted:Speaking of Costco, I got their Executive membership because we spend an absolutely gently caress-load there annually and it only made sense. This came with the Costco Amex but I've found better Amex cards to use their. I thought that the point of the Executive membership was that you received cash back on purchases made. I received my annual bonus check in my statement and it was for $4 or something insulting for some small transactions that I did make on the Costco Amex. Did I mess something up and the Executive cash back is only if you use the Amex card or is there a separate check coming for the Executive at some point? Those are two separate cash back programs. The $4 was the cash back from your Costco Amex. The Executive checks come in September (at least mine does) and is not tied to using your Costco Amex. I find it funny the Costco Amex is only 1% where most store cards are 2-3%
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Feb 25, 2015 15:26
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gariig posted:Those are two separate cash back programs. The $4 was the cash back from your Costco Amex. The Executive checks come in September (at least mine does) and is not tied to using your Costco Amex. I find it funny the Costco Amex is only 1% where most store cards are 2-3% Great, thanks for the info. I was going to be very upset as that was the sole reason for us getting the Executive membership. We spend too much there we can't justify not getting it. I love Costco.
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Feb 25, 2015 15:29
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DrBouvenstein posted:
I have the blue cash preferred card and one thing I've learned is that not all grocery stores are classified as grocery stores. For example, the Fred Meyers right next to my house is not considered a grocery store because it has an electronics/home and garden/apparel section, so any groceries I get there only count for 1% cash back. However, the Fred Meyers that's about 10 minutes away from me DOES qualify as a grocery store. If you get the card, don't go hog wild on your spending until you do a few tests and see which stores qualify.
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Feb 25, 2015 15:57
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Turd Nelson posted:I have the blue cash preferred card and one thing I've learned is that not all grocery stores are classified as grocery stores. For example, the Fred Meyers right next to my house is not considered a grocery store because it has an electronics/home and garden/apparel section, so any groceries I get there only count for 1% cash back. However, the Fred Meyers that's about 10 minutes away from me DOES qualify as a grocery store. If you get the card, don't go hog wild on your spending until you do a few tests and see which stores qualify. Well the grocery store I go to 99% of the time is a Shaw's, so I don't think it would register as anything other than a grocery store. They don't have any sort of home/garden/electronics/apparel sections. Unrelated to Am Ex question: Does anyone know if/when Southwest RR will have Amazon GCs go on sale again? I know one of the reasons I originally got the card was to use the large amount of bonus sign-up points to convert into Amazon GCs and bought a new laptop. I was lucky, because right when I got my bonus points, Amazon GCs went on sale so a $50 card was only 4000 points...or maybe just 4500. But it allowed me to get at least one extra $50 card. Do they still do sales on those at any point? If they do, and it's not too far away, I'll probably wait until then cash out my points in Amazon GCs before canceling. I know redeeming for a flight is usually a better deal, but for a long list of reasons no one cares about, that's not an option. DrBouvenstein fucked around with this message at 19:09 on Feb 25, 2015 |
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Feb 25, 2015 18:34
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Dengraz posted:I don't know about Chase Sapphire Preferred, but Barclay's Recon line is 866-408-4064. Might be worth a shot to give it a call. So gave them a ring and no go. Going to try for the Chase Sapphire and see how that goes, otherwise will take six months or so of using their Sallie Mae card for them to reconsider. Ah well - thanks again for the number!
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Feb 25, 2015 21:51
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Not a credit card question, per se, but related. I'm headed to Thailand for 2 weeks in a few days. The way I see it, I can handle expenses a few ways: - Bring credit card and pay 3% foreign transaction fee (but get 1% - x% cash back) - Take out bunch of cash for free and bring it with me, exchange as needed (for a fee) - Withdraw cash over there (but get charged non-Wells Fargo ATM fee, and the local ATM fee) Any thoughts?
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Feb 25, 2015 22:34
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If you don't have a foreign transaction fee-free card, isn't that why AAA/your bank/AmEx still issue travelers checks? IIRC, most Asian banks charge something like a $1-$2 fee PER check. That all being said, can you even get cashback from foreign purchases? Are those vendors coded properly to handle anything specific like "this is a restaurant and not a grocery store?"
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Feb 25, 2015 22:58
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Apply for a card with no forex fees? It takes less than 2 weeks to receive acard in generally and if you call they might rush it. Also get a bank that doesn't charge ATM fees and reimburses them.
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Feb 25, 2015 23:51
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dexter6 posted:- Withdraw cash over there (but get charged non-Wells Fargo ATM fee, and the local ATM fee) If you qualify for one, some banks have tiers of checking accounts that don't charge you for the first X ATM withdrawals. I usually upgrade mine before the flight, then downgrade it once I return home. Many "travel" branded cards don't have foreign transaction fees on it, but I'm not sure if the rate is the same as given with ATM withdrawals.
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Feb 26, 2015 00:15
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TraderStav posted:SPG is recategorizing many hotels. See the full list. I had to bump up my booking to Cancun since that is going from a 4 to a 5. Many are going down as well. Always nice to see more cat 2s. That is the killer deal for redemption since $3000 gets you a night and they still usually would cost $90 plus tax. So over 3% back.
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Feb 26, 2015 01:25
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dexter6 posted:- Take out bunch of cash for free and bring it with me, exchange as needed (for a fee) They'll also buy back whatever you don't use. Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at 20:08 on Feb 26, 2015 |
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Feb 26, 2015 19:56
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dexter6 posted:I'm headed to Thailand for 2 weeks in a few days. The way I see it, I can handle expenses a few ways: I don't think you will have much luck using a credit card for most of the expenses beyond corporate hotels. Looking at my records, I used cash almost exclusively in Thailand.
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Feb 26, 2015 20:06
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I've used my credit union debit card with ATMs in most of Europe, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Cambodia, and Nicaragua to pull out local currency largely without issue. A lot of those foreign banks didn't even charge an ATM fee on their end, or if they did it was something insignificant like $1-2 equivalent. My credit union charges no ATM fees and gives daily market-rate currency exchange. Wells Fargo and other big banks rape you on foreign ATM usage and is one of many reasons I don't bank with them at all anymore.
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Feb 26, 2015 21:02
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If anyone has the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold card they're making some changes effective June 1. New 2x category for dining, which joins current 2x categories for grocery and gas stations. No forex fees, and $100 airline credit similar to the $200 credit you get on the AMEX Platinum card. They are dropping the 15,000 point bonus for spending $30k each year you have the card. The annual fee goes up to $195 from $175, but that airline credit helps ease the pain there. I could really benefit from that because I pay $25 to check a bag each way, then get reimbursed for it through work so I could actually double dip there...
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Feb 27, 2015 20:33
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nickutz posted:If anyone has the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold card they're making some changes effective June 1. New 2x category for dining, which joins current 2x categories for grocery and gas stations. No forex fees, and $100 airline credit similar to the $200 credit you get on the AMEX Platinum card. They are dropping the 15,000 point bonus for spending $30k each year you have the card. The annual fee goes up to $195 from $175, but that airline credit helps ease the pain there. I could really benefit from that because I pay $25 to check a bag each way, then get reimbursed for it through work so I could actually double dip there... I just received this card this week (75k bonus points coming my way!), how does the $100 airline credit work? It only reimburses expenses like baggage? What else does it cover?
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Feb 27, 2015 20:35
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I would use it for baggage, but it would also apply to drinks, food, or entertainment while on board - probably seat upgrades too. While not the intended use, there are flyertalk types who buy a gift card or miles up to the credit amount. So buy $100 giftcard for your airline and get a credit to your AMEX for $100. Apparently you can only pick one airline the credit can be used for every year. And where did you get the 75k bonus point offer?
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Feb 27, 2015 21:33
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TraderStav posted:Also, just got approved for this scorcher of a deal. 75K points on AMEX after spending $10k in 3 months. The link below worked for me but YMMV, the rep confirmed the bonus deal after I was approved (had to call in since I had a few apps in the past few months) but I read on other sites that they wouldn't honor the deal since 'some blogger posted it'. Either way, it's a fantastic deal, worst case is $750 cash back but you can do 1:1 transfers to many partners, such as Delta which is what I'm interested in. Dunno if the link is still good.
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Feb 27, 2015 21:36
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Oh it's the business version of the card. The changes I posted are for the personal gold rewards card, but it's possible they might add the airline credit to the business version too.
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Feb 27, 2015 21:54
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nickutz posted:Oh it's the business version of the card. The changes I posted are for the personal gold rewards card, but it's possible they might add the airline credit to the business version too. Oh, my mistake. I doubt it does.
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Feb 27, 2015 21:55
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| # ? May 14, 2024 16:33 |
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Welp; Capital One won't let you setup autopay until after your first statement arrives. That's kind of evil. Heaven forbid I setup "pay balance in full" at the same time I'm activating the card.
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Feb 28, 2015 09:32
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