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The 1.5% on the FU is worth 2.25% on the CSR travel portal and even more if you are not lazy and look for valuable transfers to things like Hyatt. If you have a CSR you really should also have a FU and maybe a regular Freedom, you’ll get a big chunk of your points from them.
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May 10, 2019 01:27
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Use a ref and get even more. Jerk McJerkface posted:
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May 10, 2019 03:49
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Does the Capitol one savor card pay out the $500 once you clear the $3k or does it pay after the three months. Also, is it best to apply the bonus as a credit to my account?
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May 10, 2019 16:24
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Harminoff posted:Does the Capitol one savor card pay out the $500 once you clear the $3k or does it pay after the three months. When I did the savor bonus it was $200 for $1k spend I think, but it posted to my account very promptly. Didn't have to wait 3 months or anything. Redeem it in whatever way is most advantageous to you. Account credit is the simplest, usually what I go with.
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May 10, 2019 18:15
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What category do amusement parks fall into and is there a better than 2% rewards card for them? Looking to spend 3k at universal studios.
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May 11, 2019 16:25
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Xenoborg posted:What category do amusement parks fall into and is there a better than 2% rewards card for them? Looking to spend 3k at universal studios. Pretty sure Chase will code it as Travel on their Sapphire cards.
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May 11, 2019 19:04
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Capital One Savor codes amusement parks as entertainment for 3% according to the preapproval mailer they keep sending me.
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May 12, 2019 01:14
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Xenoborg posted:What category do amusement parks fall into and is there a better than 2% rewards card for them? Looking to spend 3k at universal studios.
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May 12, 2019 05:26
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Whatever category applies to the tickets, remember that the in-park concessions could be coded separately.
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May 12, 2019 07:37
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So for a big trip I have coming up in August, I decided to get a travel rewards card. After much hemming and hawing I went with the Discover It Miles card, but I've just found out that Norwegian Air doesn't take Discover. Is there a workaround possible here? Pay for it another way, then use Discover to pay that off - would I still get the miles/reward points?
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May 13, 2019 06:14
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Xenoborg posted:What category do amusement parks fall into and is there a better than 2% rewards card for them? Looking to spend 3k at universal studios. I do not know if Target offers them - but, my family and I routinely purchase Disney gift cards for 5% off at Target using the Target Red Card, then use them to purchase Disney tickets / food / lodging, etc. If you can buy Universal gift cards at a Target, I would consider this option and then using the gift cards at the parks.
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May 15, 2019 03:41
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TITTIEKISSER69 posted:So for a big trip I have coming up in August, I decided to get a travel rewards card. After much hemming and hawing I went with the Discover It Miles card, but I've just found out that Norwegian Air doesn't take Discover. balance transfers generally aren't eligible for points or for meeting minimum spend.
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May 15, 2019 17:38
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If you're only looking to EARN points with a Norwegian flight and not redeem your points toward one, you could use your Discover IT Miles card to buy a Visa Gift Card. You'll spend a little on the purchase fee unless you wait around for the no-fee or discounted offers to spring up, but there's usually a limit you can buy and probably won't be enough toward a ticket(s). https://giftcardmall.officedepot.com/deal/default/visa-gift-card-92 You can buy one here for a custom amount with only a $6 fee, I assume the tickets will cost enough to offset that loss in rewards.
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May 16, 2019 09:34
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You lose a lot of flight protections (if your card has them) if you buy flights with Visa Gift Card instead of a real CC though.
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May 16, 2019 18:27
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Girbot posted:If you're only looking to EARN points with a Norwegian flight and not redeem your points toward one, you could use your Discover IT Miles card to buy a Visa Gift Card. Thanks, this would work except the flight is $550 and the airline doesn't let me split payments among cards. If I could get a gift card of $550 or more I'd be set.
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May 17, 2019 00:20
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Want to spitball an idea with you guys and ask a few questions. So I've just cashed out all of my chase rewards points on a nice vacation (flights, luxury hotel in denver, rental SUV, etc). I've still got the CSR for some months left until my next annual fee, so I'm holding on to it for now. Thing is, with my rewards account zeroed, I'm not too excited about the idea of building points back up. Note that I travel pretty frequently and don't have a stress-free life, so I actually do value travel and luxury perks as well as straight cash. Thing is, I've checked on cardmatch and am eligible for both 100k on the Amex platinum and 50k on Amex gold. Am I crazy to think that I apply for the platinum, get the 100k bonus, and then apply for the gold after securing the 100k plat bonus (hoping the 50k on the gold is still available later in the summer)? My average spend is roughly 22-2500/month, with around 1000 of that being restaurants/bars and supermarkets (yaay NYC), which I'd put on the gold and put most of the rest on the platinum, which would include spiky months for travel expenses at 5x points (a trip roughly every 2-3 months somewhere). I get that the annual fees are high, but my reckoning is I'd definitely use the uber and saks credits on the Platinum and the seamless credits on the gold (again, yaay NYC) as well as roughly 150-200 of the 300 in airline credits, so total economic loss on fees would be roughly 250-300/year. I also would value both centurion and delta skyclub access, as priority pass lounges out of NYC are awful. So my questions: 1) is my math way off or are 150k amex welcome points worth at least a year or two of the higher fees, given their rough value and the "soft" benefits of the Amex? Or am I a raccoon suffering from "ooh shiny" syndrome at the introductory points number here? I'll freely admit that this is a jump from the $150 effective fee of the CSR, but my back-of-the-envelope math seems to justify it, I'd just appreciate the sanity check from y'all. 3) These would be my first Amex cards - how much lower is their acceptance rate as compared to Visa, both domestically and internationally? I have no worries about switching from credit to charge cards, so my only concern is ease of use. 3) Assuming I pull this off, what should I plan to switch the CSR down to? I don't want to rely solely on Amex cards, but haven't figured out the best chase card to downgrade into. Would prefer no fee as I wouldn't be using it that often, but if there's enough attendant benefits (e.g. a chip and pin card for Europe, or something like the world of hyatt card for free nights/the one hotel status Amex doesn't get you) I'd be willing to swallow a lower fee (e.g. $95). Jean-Paul Shartre fucked around with this message at 03:35 on May 22, 2019 |
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May 22, 2019 03:32
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1. 150k MR is worth a lot, especially if any of those trips you have planned involve Asia. Transferred to ANA, they have some amazing redemption costs in both economy and premium cabins! 2. If you have a pulse and ok stats, Amex is pretty commonly accepted as being one of the easier companies to get approved for. Especially because both the Plat and the Gold are charge cards, not credit cards. 3. Lots of people seem to like the Freedoms for the categories, but I'm not as well versed in that because I personally think the CSR is a keeper even with the annual fee. But we travel a lot, so those protections are clutch. And an aside, but the Plat only gives 5x on airfare purchased directly from the airline or on Amex's own travel site. It's basically a 1x card for everything else, which means it's not great for normal spend. There are other great reasons to have one (and I personally keep a version of the Plat for those reasons) but it's not great to actually use unless in that specific circumstance. Also note that Amex doesn't have the same kind of travel protections that the CSR gives. If you are traveling on your own dime, especially when delays/cancelations could be expected (winter? ORD?), that can make a big difference. Finally, if you are thinking about getting more cards in the next few years, you might want to look into Chase's 5/24 rule before you proceed.
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May 22, 2019 12:52
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Also, while the Platinum 100k is targeted only to people who don't have Amex cards, the Gold 50k comes by now and again through referrals or incognito mode so it'll come around again and there's no rush. Note as well that you can refer yourself for Amex cards once you have one, though sometimes the sign up offer through the referral is not so good.
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May 22, 2019 13:31
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lgcty5 posted:2. If you have a pulse and ok stats, Amex is pretty commonly accepted as being one of the easier companies to get approved for. Especially because both the Plat and the Gold are charge cards, not credit cards. I think they were asking about the acceptance rate among merchants/retailiers given the "domestic and international" bit. I don't have that answer myself.
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May 22, 2019 18:07
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Girbot posted:I think they were asking about the acceptance rate among merchants/retailiers given the "domestic and international" bit. Good call. My brain got ahead of my eyes! I've had generally good luck in the US, although it seems like many trades/local service businesses don't accept Amex. International is kind of hit or miss depending on where you are. I always bring a Visa, Amex and a good debit for ATMs when I travel for that reason.
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May 22, 2019 18:18
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Yeah, it was the latter - I'm dating an Australian and have more family abroad than in the states, so I appreciate having at least one card that's no worry to use worldwide. Thanks for the advice generally - think I will pull the trigger on the platinum to secure the 100k, and then will figure out the rest as I go.
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May 23, 2019 01:04
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I could use a recommendation, I've had a credit card for years but I've never really thought that much about rewards, and I'm sure I could do better than the US Bank rewards Visa I currently have. I think I get 1% cash back (with a fair amount of restrictions, iirc), plus 2-5% on categories selected quarterly, which of course I never remember to select. I'm not in a position to do much traveling, so a travel rewards card isn't super appealing, but I wouldn't rule one out, honestly. I think cash back probably makes the most sense for my situation. Pretty much has to be Visa for various reasons. Looking at the Nerdwallet list, it looks like the Capital One Quicksilver is probably the best? I'd be interested to hear if there's a better option, or if there's some aspect I'm not thinking of.
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May 23, 2019 03:02
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If you just want cash back and are not going to go to the trouble of carrying different cards for specific purchases, then probably something like the Citi Double Cash, whish is a flat 2% back everywhere.
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May 23, 2019 03:18
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Citi Double Cash is a MasterCard, though. I'd think about what you spend the most on and get a card that would make use of that the most. It's likely that the increased rewards for a specific category will be greater than the 0.5% difference between the general 1% on everything nearly any card gets and the 1.5% from Quicksilver. I have cards for separate categories, but if I were to only carry one VISA-only card, it'd likely be the Uber card or my NRA gas card which isn't available anymore (but the Ducks Unlimited card may be). Girbot fucked around with this message at 03:41 on May 23, 2019 |
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May 23, 2019 03:39
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If you have an account with them, Fidelity's reward card is a 2% cashback visa. It doesn't have some of the perks of the Citi Double Cash, but it fits your requirement of it being a Visa. I'd definitely go with Girbot's suggestion and try to get a rough idea of how much you spend in different categories to see if there's any cards that would give you higher rewards in the areas of your highest spending. Hell, the best choice for cashback could even be a retail card if you shop at one place frequently.
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May 23, 2019 05:13
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pseudorandom posted:If you have an account with them, Fidelity's reward card is a 2% cashback visa. It doesn't have some of the perks of the Citi Double Cash, but it fits your requirement of it being a Visa. Yeah that's all good info, thanks! I'll ponder whether I "need" a Visa, tbh I was thinking of getting a different card as a replacement for the one card I use, but honestly it might work fine for me to get something like the Citi Double Cash for everyday use, and just keep my US Bank Visa handy for the instances where I need it. And yeah, I'll take a look at my spending data in YNAB to see if there's any standout categories that might translate to a specific card. Are there broad reward card categories that I should keep in mind? I assume restaurants, travel, and fuel related cards are all reasonably common? I'll definitely take a look to see if there's a store-specific card that makes sense, though I don't know that there's one that makes a lot of sense. I have the Amazon Prime Visa but use it almost exclusively for purchases on Amazon, since it's 5% rewards there and (usually) 1% for any other purchase.
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May 23, 2019 05:46
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The Chase Amazon VISA also gives 2% at gas stations, restaurants, and drug stores.
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May 23, 2019 06:04
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My sister just asked me what credit card she should get. She travels less for work now, and it's not on a single airline, so in total it's maybe 6-7x/year. Is CSP + signup bonus a bad suggestion for a general use card?
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May 23, 2019 10:56
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:The Chase Amazon VISA also gives 2% at gas stations, restaurants, and drug stores. Oh I missed that, thanks! That actually makes it a better fit than most, since I think most of my monthly spending (that would earn me rewards on any card) is at Amazon, gas stations, and restaurants. I'm not sure what that says about me as a person.
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May 23, 2019 16:08
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MockingQuantum posted:Oh I missed that, thanks! That actually makes it a better fit than most, since I think most of my monthly spending (that would earn me rewards on any card) is at Amazon, gas stations, and restaurants. I'm not sure what that says about me as a person. If you spend a lot at Amazon, you should probably get that card regardless. Even if you have better cards for the other categories, just tie it to your Amazon account for 5% back and leave it in a drawer.
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May 23, 2019 17:33
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TheEye posted:If you spend a lot at Amazon, you should probably get that card regardless. Even if you have better cards for the other categories, just tie it to your Amazon account for 5% back and leave it in a drawer. I've got it already actually, I make a lot of side-job purchases on Amazon. I just had never really thought much about using it anywhere else, in part because I (lazily) assumed it was just a flat 1% back on any non-Amazon purchases. I'm thinking I'll probably start carrying my Amazon card for restaurants/gas, get the Citi Double Cash for other online storefronts (Steam/Playstation/Nintendo, looking at you) and subscription services, use it when I think of it on day-to-day stuff, and just keep the US Bank card for when I need a Visa handy.
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May 23, 2019 17:39
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MockingQuantum posted:I've got it already actually, I make a lot of side-job purchases on Amazon. I just had never really thought much about using it anywhere else, in part because I (lazily) assumed it was just a flat 1% back on any non-Amazon purchases. Uber Visa has 2% on all digital purchases and 4% on restaurants, so you might consider that one as well.
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May 23, 2019 18:11
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You can buy PlayStation Store and Nintendo estore gift cards on Amazon, just sayin'.
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May 23, 2019 19:09
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Residency Evil posted:My sister just asked me what credit card she should get. She travels less for work now, and it's not on a single airline, so in total it's maybe 6-7x/year. Is CSP + signup bonus a bad suggestion for a general use card? It seems unlikely that anyone travels enough for a CSP, but not enough to get $55 of value out of 50% higher points earned and Priority Pass lounge access. This assumes you're spending $300/year on reimbursable travel to offset most of the fee difference, but if you're not doing that maybe just don't get a travel card. Sapphire cards pair well with Freedom Unlimited for non-travel expenses: this works out to around 4.5% back on travel & dining or 2.25% on everything (if you spend the points on transfers or travel, don't take them as cash).
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May 23, 2019 19:32
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:You can buy PlayStation Store and Nintendo estore gift cards on Amazon, just sayin'. I do this occasionally, but they're usually cheaper on Raise.com or through some of the massbuy sites, even accounting for the 5% back. As is I don't have a card that would get me more than a flat 1% back on Raise.com or the like.
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May 23, 2019 19:48
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heffray posted:It seems unlikely that anyone travels enough for a CSP, but not enough to get $55 of value out of 50% higher points earned and Priority Pass lounge access. This assumes you're spending $300/year on reimbursable travel to offset most of the fee difference, but if you're not doing that maybe just don't get a travel card. It just dawned on me today that I should have the Reserve, not the Preferred like I currently have. Apparently it's not just airfare that's included in the "travel reimbursement," but train passes and Uber too, but someone feel free to correct me. I spend $85 a month on subway passes as it is, so that's well over the $300. Plus it's 3 points for travel and dining instead of the CSP. And the 1.5% redemption on travel instead of 1.25%
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May 23, 2019 21:43
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I've mainly used my csr points for Hyatt redemptions, although I have a hard time valuing an $800/night hotel when I wouldn't normally splurge like that on vacation.
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May 23, 2019 22:06
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Residency Evil posted:My sister just asked me what credit card she should get. She travels less for work now, and it's not on a single airline, so in total it's maybe 6-7x/year. Is CSP + signup bonus a bad suggestion for a general use card? If she wants to chase categories every quarter, look for a Discover It or a Chase Freedom. If she wants a general cashback card, the Citi Doublecash is good for 2% on everything. If she wants to try the points game for maybe once-a-year travel, the Chase Freedom Unlimited is good and better if you pair it with a CSR for ideal redemption rates. There are tons of cards out there, she might want to browse a nerdwallet page or something for smaller or more niche cards. The Amex, Citi, Chase collections are vast and easy to lose track of. Costco has cards, heck even Old Navy has a card for general use!
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May 24, 2019 17:02
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Simpsons Reference posted:It just dawned on me today that I should have the Reserve, not the Preferred like I currently have. Apparently it's not just airfare that's included in the "travel reimbursement," but train passes and Uber too, but someone feel free to correct me. I spend $85 a month on subway passes as it is, so that's well over the $300. Plus it's 3 points for travel and dining instead of the CSP. And the 1.5% redemption on travel instead of 1.25% There are a ton of things that count as travel. I think even airbnbs and maybe even hotels count.
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May 24, 2019 20:37
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Elysium posted:There are a ton of things that count as travel. I think even airbnbs and maybe even hotels count. Airbnb and Hotels do count as travel, car rental does as well.
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May 24, 2019 21:55
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