spammagnet wrote: ↑Sat Jan 01, 2022 8:10 pm
jeffyscott wrote: ↑Sat Jan 01, 2022 3:57 pm
Would it not be
only dining and travel that could potentially make the card worth anything at all (and only if you can't choose those categories on a CCR card)? You can get the 1.5%/2.65% from a no fee B of A card.
As for the "can't choose those categories on a CCR card", for some people that may mean they've saturated the CCR cards they have available, and don't have space for travel within their bonus cap.
The maximization function gets complicated at a certain point (at which point some people would reasonably say, 'this isn't worth thinking about further'
).
But, let's say you want to optimize, fairly indifferent to hoop jumping. Let's also say, to limit the permutations, you do get or keep a PR card (3.5% on travel/dining) and are willing to offset the $95 fee with the $100 AA eGC credit. Though Costco Citi card (3% dining/travel, we have it too but generally only use it to get extended warranties at Costco) might be substituted.
Then, you are probably going to want to use as much CCR capacity as possible to buy Simon gift cards, assuming you have at least a few $1k/qtr to pay in combination of estimated taxes and/or actual $1k gifts you'd make with cash/check otherwise. On taxes the Simon maneuver may net 4.365% (a pair I just bought, 50% fee sale) after Simon's fees and lowest payment processor DC fee vs. 0.717% net using PR at the lowest CC convenience fee, 3.65% pick up. On actual gifts it could be 4.57% more than nothing on cash/check.
Using CCR for 'real' online shopping picks up only 2.625% (5.25%-2.625% using UCR/PR instead), restaurant/online travel booking only 5.25%-3.5%=1.75%, supermarket marginal, 3.5%-2.625%. Optimal $ use of CCR, in applicable tax/gift situation and w/ some tolerance for hoop jumping, would prioritize Simon cards, at least for $2k/card/qtr, so you'd often get value out of PR's 3.5% categories as next best (with a little more hassle to cancel out the annual fee).