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drk posted:This is a great grocery card for food cookers like you and I. Just remember the 6% is only on up to $6k/year, and its 1% after that. Still strictly better than a flat 1% card though. Even if you don't buy 6k of groceries in a year, I buy Amazon gift cards to top it off. And then use the fuel points for a buck off gas.
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Aug 12, 2023 02:09
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litany of gulps posted:I've been using a "Bank Americard Rewards Visa Signature" for something like 20 years. I think it's just a 1% cash back card. I purchase everything that I buy on it, and I pay it off in full each month. I turn the points into account credits when they build up to 150-200 dollars worth, and I've done this for some years now. My credit score is 775-800ish, depending on which credit agency you ask. The only thing differentiating them is the number of accounts they are aware of, but my history is otherwise impeccable. The AmEx obviously earns 1% more, but if there's a cap on $6000/year. That's $500/month so the same limit as the Citi card. Since you can't earn more you can't really overcome the $95/year cost (after the first year). Just IMO. I'm sure someone will explain some way where the AmEx could be better or something but I think from just a cash back for Groceries perspective the AmEx one is not worth the annual fee. Citi Custom Cash card: https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/citi-custom-cash-credit-card?category=rewards-credit-cards&intc=7~7~67~1~MCT~1~&afc=1B7 Edit: seems like the Blue has a $200 back if you spend $2000 within 6 months. I don't know AmEx rules about downgrading or canceling so it might be worth it to minmax on this card for the first year or so. https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/blue-cash-everyday/ Strong Sauce fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Aug 12, 2023 |
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Aug 12, 2023 02:14
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FunOne posted:BofA has some decent rewards if you've consolidated your assets with them. I have their premium rewards card, 2.625% everywhere and more on the bonus categories. Hmm, I see. This one has an annual fee like the AmEx, but I could see how that percentage would add up to a lot more than a much higher percentage on groceries. I guess I really just need to sit down and figure out how my spending actually allocates out overall. The BofA premium card has bonus points for travel and restaurants, while the AmEx has bonus points for gas. I'm inclined to think that the BofA would end up being more overall, despite buying gas more regularly, just because the expenditure would be disproportionate. Strong Sauce posted:Edit: seems like the Blue has a $200 back if you spend $2000 within 6 months. I don't know AmEx rules about downgrading or canceling so it might be worth it to minmax on this card for the first year or so. This is an interesting point, too. The BofA one mentioned above has a $600 dollar bonus for a certain amount within a few months. I think I run about 3k per month through my card, so I'll easily hit any of those milestones. I think I'm probably an ideal candidate for multiple cards, but I don't know if I have the will to mess with that. litany of gulps fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Aug 12, 2023 |
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Aug 12, 2023 03:30
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If you qualify for their rewards bonuses they apply on all their cards, take a similar look at the fee free cash and travel cards. I travel enough to get that 95 back usually.
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Aug 12, 2023 03:37
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Thoguh posted:If I have a CSR right now that I've had for over four years can I cancel it and get a CSP immediately and get the sign up bonus or do I have to wait 48 months? I think you have to wait 48 months, iirc. There's details in the fine print somewhere i'm pretty sure chase is the one that counts from account closing.
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Aug 12, 2023 04:57
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pseudanonymous posted:I think you have to wait 48 months, iirc. There's details in the fine print somewhere i'm pretty sure chase is the one that counts from account closing. Nah, the requirement is 48 months since your last bonus. I got the preferred bonus about a month and a half after cancelling the reserve. It's only possible to have one sapphire at a time, so the reserve does have to be cancelled first, and it seems like a good idea to at least briefly wait on the preferred to make sure the cancellation is fully processed first.
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Aug 12, 2023 07:50
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Strong Sauce posted:citi v amex 6000*.06=360 - 95 = $265 6000*.05= = $300 That is quite interesting. I keep a Citi Custom cash I use only for Home Improvement stores, but maybe I'll open up on in my wife's name and split them to Groceries and Home Im.
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Aug 12, 2023 17:51
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runawayturtles posted:Nah, the requirement is 48 months since your last bonus. I got the preferred bonus about a month and a half after cancelling the reserve. It's only possible to have one sapphire at a time, so the reserve does have to be cancelled first, and it seems like a good idea to at least briefly wait on the preferred to make sure the cancellation is fully processed first. Believe you can product change too, but it's been a while since I've looked into it. Probably time to figure it out and get a new sign up bonus now.
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Aug 12, 2023 19:09
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Super-NintendoUser posted:6000*.06=360 - 95 = $265 If you get a citi rewards card and link accounts you get 5.5%.
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Aug 12, 2023 19:14
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Super-NintendoUser posted:6000*.06=360 - 95 = $265 BCP also has 3% on gas and transit, and 6% on streaming services. Value depends on your spend and what other cards you have that might have similar benefits.
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Aug 12, 2023 20:24
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pseudanonymous posted:If you get a citi rewards card and link accounts you get 5.5%. Is this up to the first 100,000 points redeemed ($1,000) per year? Could be the next step in my cash-back setup... Alliant - 2.5% general spend, not a bad ground floor for value Chase Freedom / Flex / Unlimited - 5% rotating categories including a fair number of one-time bonuses for restaurants/stores, 3% drug stores Amazon Visa - 3% Amazon, one-time bonuses (oldest card, probably recommended by this forum back in the day) Costco Citi - 4% gas, 3% travel when the Chase/Citi portals are more expensive Citi Custom Cash - 5% for restaurants, since Costco usually covers enough of my groceries Local Credit Union - 5% on utilities, which is enough justification on its own Citi Rewards could help squeeze an extra 0.5% percentage from the Custom, though I'm also hemming and hawing over adding a Discover It. I track my spend categories in a Notes tab and can usually flip to a given card via digital wallet... any gains left to be maximized? I don't travel enough to warrant a dedicated card. Space Fish fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Aug 13, 2023 |
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Aug 12, 2023 21:45
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The Discover It and USBank Cash Plus are really the only other 5% no-fee cards. The Cash Plus has a couple more categories not covered by other cards like utilities and gym memberships. The real next step though in gaming credit card rewards is to get cards just for the sign up bonuses. The chase sapphire preferred had a limited time offer of 80k bonus chase points after spending $4k which after the fee comes out to like 17% cash back.
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Aug 12, 2023 22:48
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Shear Modulus posted:The Discover It and USBank Cash Plus are really the only other 5% no-fee cards. The Cash Plus has a couple more categories not covered by other cards like utilities and gym memberships. USAA Cashback Rewards Plus is 5% cashback for gas (and military base spending I think?) though I think it requires you to either already have a USAA account, be current/former military, or be the spouse/child of current/former military. I've been receiving offers for the PenFed Platinum Rewards which also includes 5% cashback for gas and doesn't have appear to have any similar restrictions.
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Aug 13, 2023 04:28
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Vantage West also has a 5% card that lets you chose from few categories.
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Aug 13, 2023 05:46
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We'll see if it works but I just signed up for a custom cash, and I got a citi premier a year ago, so I'm going to try a product change on the premier to a 2nd custom cash now that he 2nd AF has posted. People have said they've been able to use this to get around the "single custom cash" rule.
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Aug 13, 2023 07:26
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drk posted:BCP also has 3% on gas and transit, and 6% on streaming services. Value depends on your spend and what other cards you have that might have similar benefits. They also count Apple App Store purchases as streaming services which is a nice bonus.
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Aug 13, 2023 13:18
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pseudanonymous posted:We'll see if it works but I just signed up for a custom cash, and I got a citi premier a year ago, so I'm going to try a product change on the premier to a 2nd custom cash now that he 2nd AF has posted. People have said they've been able to use this to get around the "single custom cash" rule. It worked, In other news, Amex has changed their rules, and now instead of 1 signup bonus for the "vanilla" amex, 1 for Schwab and 1 for Morgan Stanley amex they are only allowing 1 SUB for 1 platinum card . Though it' really unclear and people are reporting still getting a vanilla sub and then say a schwab sub, and it is sort of looking like if you go from vanilla - branded card you can get 2.
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Aug 19, 2023 23:09
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pseudanonymous posted:It worked, They have also removed the "3 for the price of 1" authorized user deal on the Platinum card.
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Aug 20, 2023 04:34
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Small White Dragon posted:They have also removed the "3 for the price of 1" authorized user deal on the Platinum card. Good, maybe that’ll cut down the line at the centurion lounges!
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Aug 20, 2023 04:41
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pseudanonymous posted:It worked, Is there any way to figure out if you qualify? My wife's amex is coming up for renewal and I was going to switch her over to the Schwab version to get the bonus. If there's no bonus I'll just finally add her as an AU.
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Aug 20, 2023 12:16
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If you submit an application and aren’t eligible for the bonus, it will tell you before pulling your credit score and you can cancel the application. This is what they call “pop up hell” because it’s a pop up window.
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Aug 20, 2023 13:53
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Residency Evil posted:Is there any way to figure out if you qualify? My wife's amex is coming up for renewal and I was going to switch her over to the Schwab version to get the bonus. If there's no bonus I'll just finally add her as an AU. I just started a Schwab application and got the pop up so good luck. Kind of bummed because I was planning to cycle through all the bonuses over the next year and us the 1.1 cpp cash out option on the CS plat to dump the MR to a roth IRA. Not sure now what to do wih 230k MR points.
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Aug 20, 2023 20:18
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Ok so I haven’t lived in the US for a long while but I was aware of the fact that the US was moving towards cards with chips in them. For a card with a chip in it I’m used to having to stick it into a terminal and then type in a pin for it to authorize. So how come when I go out to some bars now they take my card up front and swipe it, and then give me the card back? My card’s app will usually push a notification saying I’ve been charged $10 or something and then when I close my tab the $10 charge disappears and I’m charged the actual amount. The other weekend I actually forgot to close my bar tab and the next day I saw they charged me for the full amount + tips anyway. I mean it saved me a trip back down to the bar to pay them so that’s cool and all but it’s still weird that they can just charge me an unspecific amount that they can change without my authorization. I guess I’m asking how is this allowed? I thought the whole point of moving to chip and pin was for extra safety which seems to get bypassed and ignored when the POS system has a way to just scan the card and keep its details to authorize a bigger charge later on. It honestly makes me uncomfortable that this poo poo is allowed. E: wasn’t trying to bail on a bar tab or anything. I just remember pulling my wallet out and seeing I had my card so I thought i was good. The last time I lived in the US it was “give me a card to hold onto to start a tab” and now some places are “give me a card and let me swipe it and you can have it back” which I’m not used to Boris Galerkin fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Sep 4, 2023 |
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Sep 4, 2023 15:44
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Typically, Europe switched to "chip and pin," US is more of a "chip instead of swipe" situation. And even then tap to pay is even quicker and more automatic. More convenience, less security, god bless America. (Unless the security is surveillance)
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Sep 4, 2023 15:51
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US moved to chip and sign to reduce fraudulent card use, but the "default" here is credit unlike the EU which feels built around debit transactions. The chip makes it harder to use a fake card, but we generally don't use PINs. You're seeing an auth+capture separate where they authorize some amount (usually $100) then capture the final amount when they close the bill. The transaction was secured in all the normal ways when you provided the card then the final amount was sent later to close it up. Similar to how a gas pump or hotel would work. Card first, amount later.
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Sep 4, 2023 16:08
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I think I’m just realizing how insanely unsafe the US banking apparatus is, all in the name of convenience, after spending most of my adult years in Europe. My first shock was finding out that I could go on Bank 1’s website and connect Bank 2 to it, all without going to Bank 2’s website. Then, still on Bank 1’s website, I could initiate a transfer to move money from Bank 2 into Bank 1. Again, all without leaving Bank 1’s website or having Bank 2 ask me for explicit permission. This is crazy to me because in Europe where I’ve banked you get a small-ish device with a chip reader that gives you an authorization code to sign transactions with. To make any bank transfers or payments with your card you must stick your card into the reader and enter your PIN, and if it’s correct you get a code to input into the website or whatever. Sure it’s a bit of a hassle but the alternative of being allowed to pull money out without authorization like I described above is crazy. Boris Galerkin fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Sep 4, 2023 |
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Sep 4, 2023 18:23
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Boris Galerkin posted:I think I’m just realizing how insanely unsafe the US banking apparatus is, all in the name of convenience, after spending most of my adult years in Europe. I think most people don’t realize direct deposit forms allow your employer to take money out of your account.
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Sep 4, 2023 18:46
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Boris Galerkin posted:My first shock was finding out that I could go on Bank 1’s website and connect Bank 2 to it, all without going to Bank 2’s website. Then, still on Bank 1’s website, I could initiate a transfer to move money from Bank 2 into Bank 1. Again, all without leaving Bank 1’s website or having Bank 2 ask me for explicit permission.
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Sep 4, 2023 19:52
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smackfu posted:That’s not typical… generally you have to prove you have control of the Bank 2 account, either by logging in or by verifying the amount of test transactions. It depends on what type of ach code is used, ppd vs ccd etc..
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Sep 4, 2023 20:31
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Also depends on how you connected the account might affect it. Usually you have to confirm the test drafts if they can't authenticate it another way (say Plaid). And yeah, from my corporate account I can push or pull from accounts with just routing and account numbers, however the punishment for abusing the draft power is severe. I don't like how easy it is either though.
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Sep 4, 2023 21:02
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Restaurants have been able to change your bill without your card since forever. The standard model has always been 1. Server brings you the bill 2. You give the server your card and the bill 3. Server runs the card on the machine 4. Server brings you your card and the receipt 5. You take your card and write the tip amount on the receipt 6. Server picks the receipt up off the table and adds your tip amount to the amount charged to your card, without running your card again
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Sep 4, 2023 21:15
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I'm moving to Canada at the end of this month, I'm a Canadian living in the US but I'm doing a 1-year stint in our Calgary office. My daily driver credit card is my Discover It Miles, but in my experience Discover card isn't very widely accepted outside of the US. I also have a Visa card in the US, should I just use that or should I get a Canadian card for the year? Any recommendations on one? I love to collect miles, don't care too much about other bonuses/perks.
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Sep 4, 2023 22:13
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TITTIEKISSER69 posted:I'm moving to Canada at the end of this month, I'm a Canadian living in the US but I'm doing a 1-year stint in our Calgary office. My daily driver credit card is my Discover It Miles, but in my experience Discover card isn't very widely accepted outside of the US. I also have a Visa card in the US, should I just use that or should I get a Canadian card for the year? Any recommendations on one? I love to collect miles, don't care too much about other bonuses/perks. It depends on which Visa card you have, there are a lot of them and they vary. I wouldn't get a Canadian card if you're only there for a year though. If your Visa card has some good rewards benefits and more importantly, no foreign transaction fees, then I'd just stick with that one.
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Sep 4, 2023 22:52
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It's a Chase Freedom and it does have foreign transaction fees. Good catch!
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Sep 4, 2023 23:25
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smackfu posted:That’s not typical… generally you have to prove you have control of the Bank 2 account, either by logging in or by verifying the amount of test transactions. I logged in through a third party service (Plaid I think). I mean sure that proved I had access to that second account… once… but I feel like the only way I should be able to move funds out of Bank 2’s account is if I initiated it from Bank 2’s website.
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Sep 4, 2023 23:37
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Boris Galerkin posted:I logged in through a third party service (Plaid I think). I mean sure that proved I had access to that second account… once… but I feel like the only way I should be able to move funds out of Bank 2’s account is if I initiated it from Bank 2’s website. Unfortunately, sometimes Bank 2's website is a piece of poo poo and/or has arbitrarily low transfer limits.
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Sep 4, 2023 23:50
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Well, now we are back to credit cards, where I want to pay my credit card bill from my account at Bank 2 but initiated via the Chase site.
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Sep 5, 2023 02:25
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I don't think the US is "unsafe" from a consumer standpoint. Aside from one notable outlier (*cough* Zelle *cough*) all those "scary" transactions are refutable. I'd say the US retail payment system is more hugely inefficient than unsafe. All the half-assed implementation and ancient tech are a tax on efficiency and have higher fraud rates. The fraud gets washed out in fees to sellers which means less profits or higher prices. I don't live in mortal fear of losing my credit card though.
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Sep 5, 2023 13:43
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Zelle is not any less safe than ACH, because Zelle is ACH. With an enforced push-only transaction model, which makes it more safe.
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Sep 5, 2023 22:16
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https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/banks-banking/zelle-things-to-know/ The bad thing about Zelle is that there’s no way to cancel a payment to another user. That means if you send money to the wrong person, get hacked or your phone is stolen, you may be in big trouble! Here’s what it says on Zelle’s website: “If your recipient has already enrolled with Zelle, the money is sent directly to your recipient’s bank account and cannot be canceled.” In a recent report on Zelle fraud prepared by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, only 47% of the Zelle users who file unauthorized transaction claims involving Zelle have been able to get their money back from their financial institutions. Of the four big banks that provided Zelle data, here are the refund/reimbursement figures in the period covering 2021 and the first half of 2022: 
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Sep 6, 2023 00:05
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