What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

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deanmoriarty
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by deanmoriarty »

MikeG62 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:03 pm
Dean, WRT the Uber VISA the deal is not so compelling as to need to provide the detailed information they are asking for and any risks associated with that information ending up in the wrong hands (however remote that possibility is). Also, no guarantees that they would approve the card even if this info were supplied. A quick search on reddit shows many people who were inexplicably declined for the same card by Barclay's and not able to pass on re-application with requested additional info. The credit report should be sufficient to get them comfortable that my daughter is a low risk. If not, she does not need them that badly.

WRT my experience with Alliant, I assume you would not be comfortable sending your tax returns in, right? Honestly, who would?

I have 14 credit cards in my name with an aggregate credit limit of $315,000 and I've never have had to provide any supplemental back-up documentation for any one of those. Not going to start now - and definitely no one sees my tax returns aside from my DW, me and the IRS.
Understood. To each their own. I wouldn't mind sending my tax return, I have done it before, though not to a bank. I had an offer from an employer and the pay I was trying to negotiate was much higher than my normal base salary, since my income was complemented by additional employer stocks that I sold in a secondary transaction, so those proceeds didn't show on my paycheck/W2/1099B. So, the ultimate proof to show that my equity compensation was not just paper money, was to show them my tax return, where they could see that I wasn't lying about the AGI for the previous year.
GeoffD
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by GeoffD »

VictoriaF wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 11:43 am
By looking at the map, Ibis Styles is the closest to T1/T2/T3 and the cheapest. If I stayed there, I could walk to the Indian restaurant you recommend without luggage after settling in.

And to confirm: The public buses from T1/T2/T3 to Bath Road hotels are free?

Victoria
This is a massive thread hijack but....

Here is a link to the Heathrow free local bus route: https://www.heathrow.com/file_source/He ... athrow.pdf

And yeah, "free" means you just get on the bus at the T2/T3 bus station and get off in front of the Ibis Styles. No money or bus pass needed. Going back to LHR the next day, you have to cross Bath Road at a pedestrian crosswalk to get to the bus stop.

We walked up High Street to The Harlington Tandoori the last time. Not five star but Indian is usually the best option pretty much anywhere in the UK. There's a pub in the same general direction called the Pheasant that's also fine if you don't want vanilla Indian. I do free bus, check into the hotel, quick shower, walk for dinner. After a few pints, I can usually force myself to go to sleep around midnight and get right into the correct timezone.

The only real problem with Heathrow is that passport control queuing theory is designed to maximize your pain after your transatlantic flight. 30 minutes is a good day. I'm usually flying on weekends in the early afternoon for my connection so I can have a leisurely morning. Security lines aren't too bad then.

To kind of get back on-topic:
I've been gaming Citi AAdvantage, Chase United, and Amex Delta Skymiles for years. I used to do summer ski trips to Chile on those points over Miami. Lots of Boston-Salt Lake City ski trips on Delta nonstops. More recently, I've been doing this 1-way to London with it on the day flight on British Airways using American points. Other than when I'm playing this game, I'm using my Citi DoubleCash 2% cash back card for all my domestic charges. I've never bothered gaming a bunch of different credit cards that give you better than 2% back on certain kinds of purchases.
investor997
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by investor997 »

Leesbro63 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:14 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Sun Sep 16, 2018 9:17 pm Should I go ahead and cancel CSP? Or am I missing some of its features that are not covered by my other cards?

Victoria
Primary rental car coverage.
I don't believe this is the case. CSR is primary but CSP is secondary, at least here in the US for US residents.

https://www.chase.com/content/chasecom/ ... sumer.html
investor997
Posts: 684
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:23 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by investor997 »

I'm waffling on which card I should get next. Overall goal is to build up airline points for future travel. Future destinations include Asia and Europe; can't be more specific at this time. At present I have a Chase Southwest RR VISA acquired last year as part of their California resident Companion Pass promotion. I'm well on my way to earning enough points for Year Two of the Companion Pass but as soon as I get my December statement, all spend on this card will stop and I'll probably cancel it.

Cards I'm considering:

CSR: Needs no explanation but my "Player 2" already has one. Do we really need two $450 AF cards in the same household? I realize I can become an AU on her card for $75/year but the AU counts against Chase 5/24. Not sure I wanna waste one of those slots without earning a 50K new card bonus. If I do get one, Player 2 can earn a 10K referral bonus off me.

CSP: Kinda like "CSR Lite". 50K bonus but doesn't earn as many points as the CSR, doesn't get me into airport lounges.

United Explorer: Also kinda like a CSP but it earns United points instead of UR. That's the downside. The upside (compared to CSP) are primary rental car insurance and expanded award availability. I think the latter benefit may not get enough credit and shouldn't be overlooked. What good are all those miles if they can't ever be used due to lousy availability?

One other thing about United: Between the Mileage Plus shopping and dining portals and the United Mileage X smartphone app, there are no shortage of opportunities to pile on bonus points. I guess the same can be said for CSR/CSP and the Chase Mall shopping portal as well.
Jags4186
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Jags4186 »

investor997 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:04 pm
Leesbro63 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:14 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Sun Sep 16, 2018 9:17 pm Should I go ahead and cancel CSP? Or am I missing some of its features that are not covered by my other cards?

Victoria
Primary rental car coverage.
I don't believe this is the case. CSR is primary but CSP is secondary, at least here in the US for US residents.

https://www.chase.com/content/chasecom/ ... sumer.html
Those are benefits for the Chase Sapphire, not the Sapphire Preferred. The Sapphire is and has been unavailable for new sign ups for years but is an available downgrade option.
investor997
Posts: 684
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:23 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by investor997 »

Jags4186 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:21 pm Those are benefits for the Chase Sapphire, not the Sapphire Preferred. The Sapphire is and has been unavailable for new sign ups for years but is an available downgrade option.
Wow, thanks, did not know this! The CSP has more value than I thought...
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VictoriaF
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Location: Black Swan Lake

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by VictoriaF »

GeoffD wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 2:28 pm Here is a link to the Heathrow free local bus route: https://www.heathrow.com/file_source/He ... athrow.pdf

And yeah, "free" means you just get on the bus at the T2/T3 bus station and get off in front of the Ibis Styles. No money or bus pass needed. Going back to LHR the next day, you have to cross Bath Road at a pedestrian crosswalk to get to the bus stop.

We walked up High Street to The Harlington Tandoori the last time. Not five star but Indian is usually the best option pretty much anywhere in the UK. There's a pub in the same general direction called the Pheasant that's also fine if you don't want vanilla Indian. I do free bus, check into the hotel, quick shower, walk for dinner. After a few pints, I can usually force myself to go to sleep around midnight and get right into the correct timezone.

The only real problem with Heathrow is that passport control queuing theory is designed to maximize your pain after your transatlantic flight. 30 minutes is a good day. I'm usually flying on weekends in the early afternoon for my connection so I can have a leisurely morning. Security lines aren't too bad then.
Great information, thanks a million,

Victoria
Inventor of the Bogleheads Secret Handshake | Winner of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. | Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)
Leesbro63
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Leesbro63 »

investor997 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:30 pm
Jags4186 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:21 pm Those are benefits for the Chase Sapphire, not the Sapphire Preferred. The Sapphire is and has been unavailable for new sign ups for years but is an available downgrade option.
Wow, thanks, did not know this! The CSP has more value than I thought...
The only reason I keep the CSP and pay the $95/yr is for this benefit (primary rental car coverage)
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Shazb0t
Posts: 47
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Shazb0t »

snailderby wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 8:59 am Goals. Only carry two or three cards on a daily basis. Avoid cards with rotating categories for simplicity. Avoid cards with an annual fee, so I never feel pressured to cancel a card.

Cards.

1. PayPal Cashback Mastercard
  • No annual fee
  • 2% cashback on all purchases
2. Target REDCard
  • No annual fee
  • 5% cashback on all Target purchases (including groceries)
3. Wells Fargo Propel American Express
  • No annual fee
  • 3x points on dining, travel, gas, and streaming services
  • All points are worth 1.5¢ for airfare if used with the Wells Fargo Visa Signature card, giving you an effective rewards rate of 4.5% for dining, travel, gas, and streaming services
Alternative: The Uber Visa card is almost as good as the Wells Fargo Propel / Wells Fargo Visa Signature combo. It also has no annual fee and gives you 4% cashback on dining, 3% cashback on travel, and a $50 yearly statement credit for streaming services.
I'm trying to decide between the Propel and Uber Visa. I think you have a good point about the WF pairing boosting redemption for airfare, but I don't know that I agree it makes the Propel better than the Uber which is 4% cash back for dining straight up.
protagonist
Posts: 9242
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by protagonist »

investor997 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:17 pm I'm waffling on which card I should get next. Overall goal is to build up airline points for future travel. Future destinations include Asia and Europe; can't be more specific at this time. At present I have a Chase Southwest RR VISA acquired last year as part of their California resident Companion Pass promotion. I'm well on my way to earning enough points for Year Two of the Companion Pass but as soon as I get my December statement, all spend on this card will stop and I'll probably cancel it.

Cards I'm considering:

CSR: Needs no explanation but my "Player 2" already has one. Do we really need two $450 AF cards in the same household? I realize I can become an AU on her card for $75/year but the AU counts against Chase 5/24. Not sure I wanna waste one of those slots without earning a 50K new card bonus. If I do get one, Player 2 can earn a 10K referral bonus off me.

CSP: Kinda like "CSR Lite". 50K bonus but doesn't earn as many points as the CSR, doesn't get me into airport lounges.

United Explorer: Also kinda like a CSP but it earns United points instead of UR. That's the downside. The upside (compared to CSP) are primary rental car insurance and expanded award availability. I think the latter benefit may not get enough credit and shouldn't be overlooked. What good are all those miles if they can't ever be used due to lousy availability?

One other thing about United: Between the Mileage Plus shopping and dining portals and the United Mileage X smartphone app, there are no shortage of opportunities to pile on bonus points. I guess the same can be said for CSR/CSP and the Chase Mall shopping portal as well.
Consider this about CSR:

Year 1: You can get $600 in travel expenses reimbursed (resets on Jan 1). After paying $450 you are $150 ahead.
After year 1 , after your $300 annual reimbursement, CSR only costs $55 more than CSP/year.
The additional benefits, I believe, are easily worth $55/year. I have saved much more than that annually so far over using CSP.
It's easy to spend $300 on travel expenses annually. Many things qualify.
TravelforFun
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by TravelforFun »

I don't have time to mess around with too many credit cards or manufacturing spending. Nowadays I just concentrate on Southwest Visa cards to maintain my Companion Pass which allows my wife to fly with me for free when I fly on Southwest.

TravelforFun
Bfwolf
Posts: 2108
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 11:19 am

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Bfwolf »

protagonist wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:09 am
investor997 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:17 pm I'm waffling on which card I should get next. Overall goal is to build up airline points for future travel. Future destinations include Asia and Europe; can't be more specific at this time. At present I have a Chase Southwest RR VISA acquired last year as part of their California resident Companion Pass promotion. I'm well on my way to earning enough points for Year Two of the Companion Pass but as soon as I get my December statement, all spend on this card will stop and I'll probably cancel it.

Cards I'm considering:

CSR: Needs no explanation but my "Player 2" already has one. Do we really need two $450 AF cards in the same household? I realize I can become an AU on her card for $75/year but the AU counts against Chase 5/24. Not sure I wanna waste one of those slots without earning a 50K new card bonus. If I do get one, Player 2 can earn a 10K referral bonus off me.

CSP: Kinda like "CSR Lite". 50K bonus but doesn't earn as many points as the CSR, doesn't get me into airport lounges.

United Explorer: Also kinda like a CSP but it earns United points instead of UR. That's the downside. The upside (compared to CSP) are primary rental car insurance and expanded award availability. I think the latter benefit may not get enough credit and shouldn't be overlooked. What good are all those miles if they can't ever be used due to lousy availability?

One other thing about United: Between the Mileage Plus shopping and dining portals and the United Mileage X smartphone app, there are no shortage of opportunities to pile on bonus points. I guess the same can be said for CSR/CSP and the Chase Mall shopping portal as well.
Consider this about CSR:

Year 1: You can get $600 in travel expenses reimbursed (resets on Jan 1). After paying $450 you are $150 ahead.
After year 1 , after your $300 annual reimbursement, CSR only costs $55 more than CSP/year.
The additional benefits, I believe, are easily worth $55/year. I have saved much more than that annually so far over using CSP.
It's easy to spend $300 on travel expenses annually. Many things qualify.
New applicants to the CSR have their $300 reimbursement by cardholder year not calendar year. I don't know if they grandfathered old CSR members into the calendar year system. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-ch ... ar-may-21/
Leesbro63
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Leesbro63 »

What is/are the main benefit(s) of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card ($450/yr with $300 reimbursement) versus what I have, the Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95/yr with no reimbursement).
mageedge
Posts: 148
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:39 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by mageedge »

Leesbro63 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:58 am What is/are the main benefit(s) of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card ($450/yr with $300 reimbursement) versus what I have, the Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95/yr with no reimbursement).
Major difference - CSR 3 points for travel/restaurants vs. 2 points for CSP. 50% bonus on UR travel for CSR vs. 25% for CSP.
Net effect when using UR travel portal - 4.5% for CSR, 2.5% for CSP. So this quickly offsets the $55 annual fee difference.

Also CSR offers Priority Club lounge access for 2 people (Priority Club includes some airport restaurants in its program and provides $28-$30 per person subsidy at those restaurants).

In addition the insurance benefits on CSR are somewhat richer than CSP, including a medical evacuation element and it gives $100 global entry fee reimbursement.
Last edited by mageedge on Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
arf30
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by arf30 »

I only have 3 cards for simplicity (and to avoid confusing my SO), but this thread has me thinking about opening a Chase Sapphire Reserve card + Chase Sapphire checking account to get a bunch of bonus points towards travel.

Chase Amazon Visa: 5% Whole Foods, Amazon.com, 2% Restaurants, Gas
Fidelity Visa: 2% everything else
Capital One Quicksilver: 1.5% backup and travel card, no foreign transaction fee
Frank Grimes
Posts: 207
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Frank Grimes »

Primary cards are:

Chase Freedom: No fee, rotating 5% categories
Discover: No fee, rotating 5% categories

We barely give too much thought to these other than trying to remember to use the right card for the right category. Our current plan is having third cards to boost our travel miles, specifically AA since our city is a hub and we can fly direct to almost anywhere using AA. So spouse and I each got the Barclays AA card for the 50k mile bonus. I recently cancelled before the annual fee hit and got the Citi AA card for another 50k mile bonus, pending the easily attainable 2500 spend over the next 3 months. So I'll probably keep that for another 11 months before that fee hits.

After that, maybe I'll check out CSR or whether any other travel cards exist that generate AA specific miles instead of just rewards.
investor997
Posts: 684
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:23 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by investor997 »

protagonist wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:09 am
investor997 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:17 pm I'm waffling on which card I should get next. Overall goal is to build up airline points for future travel. Future destinations include Asia and Europe; can't be more specific at this time. At present I have a Chase Southwest RR VISA acquired last year as part of their California resident Companion Pass promotion. I'm well on my way to earning enough points for Year Two of the Companion Pass but as soon as I get my December statement, all spend on this card will stop and I'll probably cancel it.

Cards I'm considering:

CSR: Needs no explanation but my "Player 2" already has one. Do we really need two $450 AF cards in the same household? I realize I can become an AU on her card for $75/year but the AU counts against Chase 5/24. Not sure I wanna waste one of those slots without earning a 50K new card bonus. If I do get one, Player 2 can earn a 10K referral bonus off me.

CSP: Kinda like "CSR Lite". 50K bonus but doesn't earn as many points as the CSR, doesn't get me into airport lounges.

United Explorer: Also kinda like a CSP but it earns United points instead of UR. That's the downside. The upside (compared to CSP) are primary rental car insurance and expanded award availability. I think the latter benefit may not get enough credit and shouldn't be overlooked. What good are all those miles if they can't ever be used due to lousy availability?

One other thing about United: Between the Mileage Plus shopping and dining portals and the United Mileage X smartphone app, there are no shortage of opportunities to pile on bonus points. I guess the same can be said for CSR/CSP and the Chase Mall shopping portal as well.
Consider this about CSR:

Year 1: You can get $600 in travel expenses reimbursed (resets on Jan 1). After paying $450 you are $150 ahead.
After year 1 , after your $300 annual reimbursement, CSR only costs $55 more than CSP/year.
The additional benefits, I believe, are easily worth $55/year. I have saved much more than that annually so far over using CSP.
It's easy to spend $300 on travel expenses annually. Many things qualify.
What I'm thinking is maybe apply for the CSP and use that for the first year, then *maybe* product change it into a CSR the second year. Reasons: First year annual fee is waived on the CSP ($0 vs. $450), the sign-up bonus is the same (50K UR) and as I mentioned earlier, my "Player 2" already has a CSR so any large trips I take will be with her and we'd use her CSR to book shared travel, use Priority Pass, etc. Thoughts?
drk
Posts: 3927
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:33 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by drk »

investor997 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:04 pm
Leesbro63 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:14 pm Primary rental car coverage.
I don't believe this is the case. CSR is primary but CSP is secondary, at least here in the US for US residents.

https://www.chase.com/content/chasecom/ ... sumer.html
Here is the CSP's coverage.
A useful razor: anyone asking about speculative strategies on Bogleheads.org has no business using them.
DiMAn0684
Posts: 324
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:27 am

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by DiMAn0684 »

investor997 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:04 am
protagonist wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:09 am
investor997 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:17 pm I'm waffling on which card I should get next. Overall goal is to build up airline points for future travel. Future destinations include Asia and Europe; can't be more specific at this time. At present I have a Chase Southwest RR VISA acquired last year as part of their California resident Companion Pass promotion. I'm well on my way to earning enough points for Year Two of the Companion Pass but as soon as I get my December statement, all spend on this card will stop and I'll probably cancel it.

Cards I'm considering:

CSR: Needs no explanation but my "Player 2" already has one. Do we really need two $450 AF cards in the same household? I realize I can become an AU on her card for $75/year but the AU counts against Chase 5/24. Not sure I wanna waste one of those slots without earning a 50K new card bonus. If I do get one, Player 2 can earn a 10K referral bonus off me.

CSP: Kinda like "CSR Lite". 50K bonus but doesn't earn as many points as the CSR, doesn't get me into airport lounges.

United Explorer: Also kinda like a CSP but it earns United points instead of UR. That's the downside. The upside (compared to CSP) are primary rental car insurance and expanded award availability. I think the latter benefit may not get enough credit and shouldn't be overlooked. What good are all those miles if they can't ever be used due to lousy availability?

One other thing about United: Between the Mileage Plus shopping and dining portals and the United Mileage X smartphone app, there are no shortage of opportunities to pile on bonus points. I guess the same can be said for CSR/CSP and the Chase Mall shopping portal as well.
Consider this about CSR:

Year 1: You can get $600 in travel expenses reimbursed (resets on Jan 1). After paying $450 you are $150 ahead.
After year 1 , after your $300 annual reimbursement, CSR only costs $55 more than CSP/year.
The additional benefits, I believe, are easily worth $55/year. I have saved much more than that annually so far over using CSP.
It's easy to spend $300 on travel expenses annually. Many things qualify.
What I'm thinking is maybe apply for the CSP and use that for the first year, then *maybe* product change it into a CSR the second year. Reasons: First year annual fee is waived on the CSP ($0 vs. $450), the sign-up bonus is the same (50K UR) and as I mentioned earlier, my "Player 2" already has a CSR so any large trips I take will be with her and we'd use her CSR to book shared travel, use Priority Pass, etc. Thoughts?
Why do you need CSP at all...can just get a CSR whenever ready, or at least wait for a more attractive bonus on CSP if it shows up. Are you close to hitting 5/24 limit?
investor997
Posts: 684
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:23 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by investor997 »

DiMAn0684 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:21 am
investor997 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:04 am
What I'm thinking is maybe apply for the CSP and use that for the first year, then *maybe* product change it into a CSR the second year. Reasons: First year annual fee is waived on the CSP ($0 vs. $450), the sign-up bonus is the same (50K UR) and as I mentioned earlier, my "Player 2" already has a CSR so any large trips I take will be with her and we'd use her CSR to book shared travel, use Priority Pass, etc. Thoughts?
Why do you need CSP at all...can just get a CSR whenever ready, or at least wait for a more attractive bonus on CSP if it shows up. Are you close to hitting 5/24 limit?
I'm at 3/24 and soon to be 2/24 so no real need to panic there. I'm mainly looking to replace my Southwest VISA at year's end. The SW card is only useful for earning a Companion Pass and I have pretty much zero chance of that in 2019. if I get a CSP/CSR I can transfer points to my "Player 2". I kinda doubt Chase will up the CSP offer any time soon. Their new Sapphire Banking program is interesting, however.

As far as earning points goes, the CSR's 1 point advantage on dining/travel over the CSP has to make up for the difference in first year Annual Fee ($450 - $300 travel credit = $150 vs. $0 for the CSP). At a $0.015 valuation, $150 is worth 10K UR points, or $10K in spend on travel/dining. I won't hit that number. When Year Two hits and the CSP's $95 AF is now a factor, the gap closes to $3666 in spend. That's do-able.
TravelGeek
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by TravelGeek »

investor997 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:52 am As far as earning points goes, the CSR's 1 point advantage on dining/travel over the CSP has to make up for the difference in first year Annual Fee ($450 - $300 travel credit = $150 vs. $0 for the CSP). At a $0.015 valuation, $150 is worth 10K UR points, or $10K in spend on travel/dining. I won't hit that number. When Year Two hits and the CSP's $95 AF is now a factor, the gap closes to $3666 in spend. That's do-able.
The CSR has other benefits that may be a factor for some. E.g. the Priority Pass Lounge access is worth something (unless you already have it through another card). Depending on your travel patterns and destinations it can be quite valuable now that PP has added a lot of airport restaurants to the list of “lounges”. One of my connection airports is PDX and my wife and I have had three or four free meals already this year. Another example, I think, is Global Entry/PreCheck fee reimbursement.
investor997
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Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:23 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by investor997 »

TravelGeek wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:09 am
investor997 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:52 am As far as earning points goes, the CSR's 1 point advantage on dining/travel over the CSP has to make up for the difference in first year Annual Fee ($450 - $300 travel credit = $150 vs. $0 for the CSP). At a $0.015 valuation, $150 is worth 10K UR points, or $10K in spend on travel/dining. I won't hit that number. When Year Two hits and the CSP's $95 AF is now a factor, the gap closes to $3666 in spend. That's do-able.
The CSR has other benefits that may be a factor for some. E.g. the Priority Pass Lounge access is worth something (unless you already have it through another card). Depending on your travel patterns and destinations it can be quite valuable now that PP has added a lot of airport restaurants to the list of “lounges”. One of my connection airports is PDX and my wife and I have had three or four free meals already this year. Another example, I think, is Global Entry/PreCheck fee reimbursement.
Agreed, the CSR has awesome benefits but as I mentioned before, Player 2 has one already so we will always use her card to book airfare and hotels to reap the rewards, so to speak. We've already used the Priority Pass function at PDX and it was nice. If I get a CSP and/or a Sapphire Banking account bonus, I can always transfer my UR points to P2 to book our trip. Solo trips are another story, but in most cases those are business trips where I'm forced to use a corporate credit card.
DiMAn0684
Posts: 324
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by DiMAn0684 »

investor997 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:52 am
DiMAn0684 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:21 am
investor997 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:04 am
What I'm thinking is maybe apply for the CSP and use that for the first year, then *maybe* product change it into a CSR the second year. Reasons: First year annual fee is waived on the CSP ($0 vs. $450), the sign-up bonus is the same (50K UR) and as I mentioned earlier, my "Player 2" already has a CSR so any large trips I take will be with her and we'd use her CSR to book shared travel, use Priority Pass, etc. Thoughts?
Why do you need CSP at all...can just get a CSR whenever ready, or at least wait for a more attractive bonus on CSP if it shows up. Are you close to hitting 5/24 limit?
I'm at 3/24 and soon to be 2/24 so no real need to panic there. I'm mainly looking to replace my Southwest VISA at year's end. The SW card is only useful for earning a Companion Pass and I have pretty much zero chance of that in 2019. if I get a CSP/CSR I can transfer points to my "Player 2". I kinda doubt Chase will up the CSP offer any time soon. Their new Sapphire Banking program is interesting, however.

As far as earning points goes, the CSR's 1 point advantage on dining/travel over the CSP has to make up for the difference in first year Annual Fee ($450 - $300 travel credit = $150 vs. $0 for the CSP). At a $0.015 valuation, $150 is worth 10K UR points, or $10K in spend on travel/dining. I won't hit that number. When Year Two hits and the CSP's $95 AF is now a factor, the gap closes to $3666 in spend. That's do-able.
There's a targeted 65k pts CSP offer out there now, same req't as a public 50k one. There was also 80k pt offer not too long ago, but it had a higher spending requirement for the full bonus.
essbeer
Posts: 220
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by essbeer »

DiMAn0684 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:21 am
investor997 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:04 am What I'm thinking is maybe apply for the CSP and use that for the first year, then *maybe* product change it into a CSR the second year. Reasons: First year annual fee is waived on the CSP ($0 vs. $450), the sign-up bonus is the same (50K UR) and as I mentioned earlier, my "Player 2" already has a CSR so any large trips I take will be with her and we'd use her CSR to book shared travel, use Priority Pass, etc. Thoughts?
Why do you need CSP at all...can just get a CSR whenever ready, or at least wait for a more attractive bonus on CSP if it shows up. Are you close to hitting 5/24 limit?
I think this is the way it is supposed to work. You get the CSP and pay $0 collect the bonus. Then, after a year, you product change to the CSR and use the $300 travel credit asap. Then cancel the card and get a pro-rated refund. So you get the bonus, get the travel credit, pay almost nothing and you don't get dinged for an account that is less than a year old. Haven't done it myself, but I think that is the strategy.
DiMAn0684
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by DiMAn0684 »

essbeer wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:35 am
DiMAn0684 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:21 am
investor997 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:04 am What I'm thinking is maybe apply for the CSP and use that for the first year, then *maybe* product change it into a CSR the second year. Reasons: First year annual fee is waived on the CSP ($0 vs. $450), the sign-up bonus is the same (50K UR) and as I mentioned earlier, my "Player 2" already has a CSR so any large trips I take will be with her and we'd use her CSR to book shared travel, use Priority Pass, etc. Thoughts?
Why do you need CSP at all...can just get a CSR whenever ready, or at least wait for a more attractive bonus on CSP if it shows up. Are you close to hitting 5/24 limit?
I think this is the way it is supposed to work. You get the CSP and pay $0 collect the bonus. Then, after a year, you product change to the CSR and use the $300 travel credit asap. Then cancel the card and get a pro-rated refund. So you get the bonus, get the travel credit, pay almost nothing and you don't get dinged for an account that is less than a year old. Haven't done it myself, but I think that is the strategy.
Is that different from opening CSR right away getting the benefits and then downgrading to a Freedom card? No need to wait for a year with CSP to become eligible for an upgrade.
essbeer
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by essbeer »

DiMAn0684 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:39 am Is that different from opening CSR right away getting the benefits and then downgrading to a Freedom card? No need to wait for a year with CSP to become eligible for an upgrade.
You have to wait a year when upgrading to a more expensive card, at least that is what I'm told. The CSR will be a more expensive card than the CSP to meet MSR on. Plus you get a whole year to decided where you want to transfer points.
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VictoriaF
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by VictoriaF »

Leesbro63 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:14 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Sun Sep 16, 2018 9:17 pm I am thinking of canceling my Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) card, because I have two other cards that perform CSP's functions:
- Chase Ink Preferred has 3x on travel expenses
- Chase Ink Cash has 2x on restaurants

Chase Ink Preferred allows me to:
- book on the Chase portal at 1.25 redemption rate, and
- transfer UR to partners

According to the current Chase rules I will not be able to apply for CSP/CSR and receive a bonus until February 2020.

Should I go ahead and cancel CSP? Or am I missing some of its features that are not covered by my other cards?

Victoria
Primary rental car coverage.
I have learned that my Chase United Explorer card also offers primary coverage on collision. That's the final nail into my CSP's coffin. I will close it shortly, as soon as all the current expenses are paid and cleared. And then I will be waiting for the CSR bonus eligibility (48 months after I have received the CSP bonus).

Victoria
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giesen5
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by giesen5 »

Brand new benefits for the Amex Premier Rewards Gold card being rolled out, looks like a strong competitor to the Chase Reserve (from reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comme ... d_grocery/):

$120 Dining Credit: You get $10 monthly dining credit available at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Shake & Shack. Must enroll first and pay using Premier Rewards Gold card.

4x points at US restaurant

4x points at US supermarket, up to $25k purchase per calendar year.

2x points at US gas station is removed.
Will 82
Posts: 31
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Will 82 »

giesen5 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:55 pm Brand new benefits for the Amex Premier Rewards Gold card being rolled out, looks like a strong competitor to the Chase Reserve (from reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comme ... d_grocery/):

$120 Dining Credit: You get $10 monthly dining credit available at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Shake & Shack. Must enroll first and pay using Premier Rewards Gold card.

4x points at US restaurant

4x points at US supermarket, up to $25k purchase per calendar year.

2x points at US gas station is removed.
Thanks for posting. I got this card earlier this year for the 50k point bonus. Was going to cancel before the annual fee hits.. but with 4x points at supermarkets and restaurants, I might pull this one back out of the sock drawer and keep it.
blastoff
Posts: 402
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by blastoff »

Bfwolf wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:14 am
protagonist wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:09 am
investor997 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:17 pm I'm waffling on which card I should get next. Overall goal is to build up airline points for future travel. Future destinations include Asia and Europe; can't be more specific at this time. At present I have a Chase Southwest RR VISA acquired last year as part of their California resident Companion Pass promotion. I'm well on my way to earning enough points for Year Two of the Companion Pass but as soon as I get my December statement, all spend on this card will stop and I'll probably cancel it.

Cards I'm considering:

CSR: Needs no explanation but my "Player 2" already has one. Do we really need two $450 AF cards in the same household? I realize I can become an AU on her card for $75/year but the AU counts against Chase 5/24. Not sure I wanna waste one of those slots without earning a 50K new card bonus. If I do get one, Player 2 can earn a 10K referral bonus off me.

CSP: Kinda like "CSR Lite". 50K bonus but doesn't earn as many points as the CSR, doesn't get me into airport lounges.

United Explorer: Also kinda like a CSP but it earns United points instead of UR. That's the downside. The upside (compared to CSP) are primary rental car insurance and expanded award availability. I think the latter benefit may not get enough credit and shouldn't be overlooked. What good are all those miles if they can't ever be used due to lousy availability?

One other thing about United: Between the Mileage Plus shopping and dining portals and the United Mileage X smartphone app, there are no shortage of opportunities to pile on bonus points. I guess the same can be said for CSR/CSP and the Chase Mall shopping portal as well.
Consider this about CSR:

Year 1: You can get $600 in travel expenses reimbursed (resets on Jan 1). After paying $450 you are $150 ahead.
After year 1 , after your $300 annual reimbursement, CSR only costs $55 more than CSP/year.
The additional benefits, I believe, are easily worth $55/year. I have saved much more than that annually so far over using CSP.
It's easy to spend $300 on travel expenses annually. Many things qualify.
New applicants to the CSR have their $300 reimbursement by cardholder year not calendar year. I don't know if they grandfathered old CSR members into the calendar year system. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-ch ... ar-may-21/
Does anyone know answer to this? I have had card since late 2016.
Jags4186
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Jags4186 »

blastoff wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:20 pm
Bfwolf wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:14 am
protagonist wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:09 am
investor997 wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:17 pm I'm waffling on which card I should get next. Overall goal is to build up airline points for future travel. Future destinations include Asia and Europe; can't be more specific at this time. At present I have a Chase Southwest RR VISA acquired last year as part of their California resident Companion Pass promotion. I'm well on my way to earning enough points for Year Two of the Companion Pass but as soon as I get my December statement, all spend on this card will stop and I'll probably cancel it.

Cards I'm considering:

CSR: Needs no explanation but my "Player 2" already has one. Do we really need two $450 AF cards in the same household? I realize I can become an AU on her card for $75/year but the AU counts against Chase 5/24. Not sure I wanna waste one of those slots without earning a 50K new card bonus. If I do get one, Player 2 can earn a 10K referral bonus off me.

CSP: Kinda like "CSR Lite". 50K bonus but doesn't earn as many points as the CSR, doesn't get me into airport lounges.

United Explorer: Also kinda like a CSP but it earns United points instead of UR. That's the downside. The upside (compared to CSP) are primary rental car insurance and expanded award availability. I think the latter benefit may not get enough credit and shouldn't be overlooked. What good are all those miles if they can't ever be used due to lousy availability?

One other thing about United: Between the Mileage Plus shopping and dining portals and the United Mileage X smartphone app, there are no shortage of opportunities to pile on bonus points. I guess the same can be said for CSR/CSP and the Chase Mall shopping portal as well.
Consider this about CSR:

Year 1: You can get $600 in travel expenses reimbursed (resets on Jan 1). After paying $450 you are $150 ahead.
After year 1 , after your $300 annual reimbursement, CSR only costs $55 more than CSP/year.
The additional benefits, I believe, are easily worth $55/year. I have saved much more than that annually so far over using CSP.
It's easy to spend $300 on travel expenses annually. Many things qualify.
New applicants to the CSR have their $300 reimbursement by cardholder year not calendar year. I don't know if they grandfathered old CSR members into the calendar year system. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-ch ... ar-may-21/
Does anyone know answer to this? I have had card since late 2016.
Yes you are grandfathered. While it was great to double dip the first year, I would prefer they migrated me over somehow to Cardmembers year. I would prefer the credits in the same month the annual fee is assessed. Mental accounting, I know, but it makes me feel better.
giesen5
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by giesen5 »

Will 82 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 7:54 pm
giesen5 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:55 pm Brand new benefits for the Amex Premier Rewards Gold card being rolled out, looks like a strong competitor to the Chase Reserve (from reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comme ... d_grocery/):

$120 Dining Credit: You get $10 monthly dining credit available at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Shake & Shack. Must enroll first and pay using Premier Rewards Gold card.

4x points at US restaurant

4x points at US supermarket, up to $25k purchase per calendar year.

2x points at US gas station is removed.
Thanks for posting. I got this card earlier this year for the 50k point bonus. Was going to cancel before the annual fee hits.. but with 4x points at supermarkets and restaurants, I might pull this one back out of the sock drawer and keep it.
Totally agree. I will be using this card all year now.
Katie
Posts: 90
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Katie »

Can someone explain what you mean by "primary" coverage for the auto rentals? The benefits for both CSP and CSR say they are "primary" but the details say that any expenses reimbursed by your personal insurance aren't covered. Does this mean they collect against my personal insurance first, or is the damage to the car not considered an "expense"?

https://www.chase.com/card-benefits/sap ... rve/travel

https://www.chase.com/card-benefits/sap ... red/travel
Starfish
Posts: 2996
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Starfish »

The CC insurance pays only (AFAIK) the damage/theft etc to the rental car, not to the other parties.
If you damage the rental car, primary insurance (which is rare, and only on a handful of more expensive cards like CSR) will pay the damage and your car insurance will not be involved. Presumably without a claim it would not count as against you for a premium increase.
I rent cars in many countries, some with terrible traffic or very tight parking and I find the primary insurance useful...I think so, at least, I have never used it.
Peppergrass
Posts: 49
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Peppergrass »

GOAL: one bank, two cards ( one for purchases, one for travel outside country )

CARDS: BOA cash back card, BOA travel card

REWARDS: I redeem whenever I get a chance to, maybe every two months into whatever account I feel like ( spending account, vaca account )

FINAL THOUGHTS: I think people drive themselves nuts trying to save every last penny, I think a better idea is to earn more money so you can simplify ( I.E. not carry more then one banks cards ), if money is the goal why not just earn more?

ever hear the saying the 20/80 rule.. 20% of your effort gives you 80% return, that 80% effort then gives you a 20% return.. credit cards fall into the 80% work for 20% return... pass, when I die I don't want to think how well I did rotating CC's for a few pennies, buying some more stock would easily level this out with compound over a lifetime then passing onto the kids with a target of 10% they can pull, rest is re-invested.. that to me is a 20% effort, 80% return.


I agree these offers seem enticing, but I think people aren't looking at the bigger picture that for example my wallet holds two cards, driver license and one CC, it's thin and simplistic and easy and nice. to make up the difference as I said I just reinvest earnings is my way to counter people who do happen to make more then I do, let alone I most likely make more then most as I spend around an average of 300k on my card a year
Freefun
Posts: 1237
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2018 2:55 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Freefun »

Katie wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:53 pm Can someone explain what you mean by "primary" coverage for the auto rentals? The benefits for both CSP and CSR say they are "primary" but the details say that any expenses reimbursed by your personal insurance aren't covered. Does this mean they collect against my personal insurance first, or is the damage to the car not considered an "expense"?

https://www.chase.com/card-benefits/sap ... rve/travel

https://www.chase.com/card-benefits/sap ... red/travel
https://creditcards.usnews.com/articles ... ge-benefit
Remember when you wanted what you currently have?
MikeG62
Posts: 5054
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Location: New Jersey

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by MikeG62 »

giesen5 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:35 pm
Will 82 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 7:54 pm
giesen5 wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:55 pm Brand new benefits for the Amex Premier Rewards Gold card being rolled out, looks like a strong competitor to the Chase Reserve (from reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comme ... d_grocery/):

$120 Dining Credit: You get $10 monthly dining credit available at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Shake & Shack. Must enroll first and pay using Premier Rewards Gold card.

4x points at US restaurant

4x points at US supermarket, up to $25k purchase per calendar year.

2x points at US gas station is removed.
Thanks for posting. I got this card earlier this year for the 50k point bonus. Was going to cancel before the annual fee hits.. but with 4x points at supermarkets and restaurants, I might pull this one back out of the sock drawer and keep it.
Totally agree. I will be using this card all year now.
Sounds like they may be potentially be revising (increasing) the annual fee on Oct 4 (at least according to a comment on an article on TPG).

You can get 6% at supermarkets using the Amex Blue Preferred (up to $6K per year). Also, Discover and Chase Freedom tend to offer 5% at supermarkets in their rotating categories one quarter each year. If you pair CF with CSR, you can get 7.5% on the supermarkets if using the CUR points (potentially even more if you smartly transfer points to reward partners).

As far as restaurants, you can get at least 4.5% with CSR (again through CSR portal) and also get 4% with no annual fee Uber VISA (if you can get approved) or CO Savor.

So while this card seems interesting, I am not quite seeing how it makes these other cards obsolete. But I am open to revisiting my view if I am somehow missing something.
Real Knowledge Comes Only From Experience
TravelGeek
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by TravelGeek »

Starfish wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:58 pm I rent cars in many countries, some with terrible traffic or very tight parking and I find the primary insurance useful...I think so, at least, I have never used it.
You might want to check with your personal car insurance, but most seem to only cover domestic rentals, so any card with rental car damage coverage becomes “primary” for international rentals. (that said, I still use my CSR for international rentals because of the 3X on travel)
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Shazb0t
Posts: 47
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Shazb0t »

Shazb0t wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:02 pm
snailderby wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 8:59 am 3. Wells Fargo Propel American Express
  • No annual fee
  • 3x points on dining, travel, gas, and streaming services
  • All points are worth 1.5¢ for airfare if used with the Wells Fargo Visa Signature card, giving you an effective rewards rate of 4.5% for dining, travel, gas, and streaming services
Alternative: The Uber Visa card is almost as good as the Wells Fargo Propel / Wells Fargo Visa Signature combo. It also has no annual fee and gives you 4% cashback on dining, 3% cashback on travel, and a $50 yearly statement credit for streaming services.
I'm trying to decide between the Propel and Uber Visa. I think you have a good point about the WF pairing boosting redemption for airfare, but I don't know that I agree it makes the Propel better than the Uber which is 4% cash back for dining straight up.
I went ahead and applied for the Uber Visa and got approved. I'm going to use it as my new primary dining card. If I was more of a traveler and in the market for a travel card I think the Wells Fargo Propel with the Visa signature for 1.5x point redemption on airfare is the best no annual fee deal.
JBTX
Posts: 11205
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by JBTX »

Peppergrass wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:40 pm GOAL: one bank, two cards ( one for purchases, one for travel outside country )

CARDS: BOA cash back card, BOA travel card

REWARDS: I redeem whenever I get a chance to, maybe every two months into whatever account I feel like ( spending account, vaca account )

FINAL THOUGHTS: I think people drive themselves nuts trying to save every last penny, I think a better idea is to earn more money so you can simplify ( I.E. not carry more then one banks cards ), if money is the goal why not just earn more?

ever hear the saying the 20/80 rule.. 20% of your effort gives you 80% return, that 80% effort then gives you a 20% return.. credit cards fall into the 80% work for 20% return... pass, when I die I don't want to think how well I did rotating CC's for a few pennies, buying some more stock would easily level this out with compound over a lifetime then passing onto the kids with a target of 10% they can pull, rest is re-invested.. that to me is a 20% effort, 80% return.


I agree these offers seem enticing, but I think people aren't looking at the bigger picture that for example my wallet holds two cards, driver license and one CC, it's thin and simplistic and easy and nice. to make up the difference as I said I just reinvest earnings is my way to counter people who do happen to make more then I do, let alone I most likely make more then most as I spend around an average of 300k on my card a year
I'll probably net around $4000-$5000 this year in various bonuses, without a lot of effort. To each his own.
investor997
Posts: 684
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by investor997 »

MikeG62 wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:46 am Sounds like they may be potentially be revising (increasing) the annual fee on Oct 4 (at least according to a comment on an article on TPG).

You can get 6% at supermarkets using the Amex Blue Preferred (up to $6K per year). Also, Discover and Chase Freedom tend to offer 5% at supermarkets in their rotating categories one quarter each year. If you pair CF with CSR, you can get 7.5% on the supermarkets if using the CUR points (potentially even more if you smartly transfer points to reward partners).

As far as restaurants, you can get at least 4.5% with CSR (again through CSR portal) and also get 4% with no annual fee Uber VISA (if you can get approved) or CO Savor.

So while this card seems interesting, I am not quite seeing how it makes these other cards obsolete. But I am open to revisiting my view if I am somehow missing something.
I think I'd hold off on the Amex PRG until everything is set in stone. As of right now Amex's website doesn't show any changes.

BTW, I'm wondering if the CSP/CSR don't have an additional benefit that some overlook: Chase's Online Mall / Shopping Portal. It seems to me this is a pretty useful way of earning more points on general spend. Even "catch all" sites like Walmart.com have a 2 UR point/$ bonus on top of the 1 UR the card already earns. Does Amex have anything like this? BofA has "BankAmeriDeals" that show up in their online banking app but frankly most of them are fairly useless and/or have very low redemption limits (for example, earning 5% cash back at Starbucks with a $1.50 maximum rebate at BofA really doesn't get me all that excited, but if I can earn an extra 2 UR points from WalMart on a $500 LCD TV, I may perk up a bit...).
Leesbro63
Posts: 10581
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Leesbro63 »

Starfish wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:58 pm The CC insurance pays only (AFAIK) the damage/theft etc to the rental car, not to the other parties.
If you damage the rental car, primary insurance (which is rare, and only on a handful of more expensive cards like CSR) will pay the damage and your car insurance will not be involved. Presumably without a claim it would not count as against you for a premium increase.
I rent cars in many countries, some with terrible traffic or very tight parking and I find the primary insurance useful...I think so, at least, I have never used it.
Most rental car "incidents" involve just the rental car, I believe. So this card is convenient. Not that they are careful not to call it "primary INSURANCE"...it's a "collision damage wavier". Technically it IS a form of insurance, but legally it probably doesn't rise to the definition. If you rent a lot, for $95 a year it's a good value to avoid the high rental counter offerings and still have a first line against having to file on your own insurance or pay out of pocket for that broken mirror, windshield or fender.
Leesbro63
Posts: 10581
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 3:36 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Leesbro63 »

JBTX wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:37 am I'll probably net around $4000-$5000 this year in various bonuses, without a lot of effort. To each his own.
[ quote fixed by admin LadyGeek]

The real money is in the brokerage bonuses, if you have a nice nest egg.
snailderby
Posts: 1421
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by snailderby »

Shazb0t wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:32 am
Shazb0t wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:02 pm
snailderby wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 8:59 am 3. Wells Fargo Propel American Express
  • No annual fee
  • 3x points on dining, travel, gas, and streaming services
  • All points are worth 1.5¢ for airfare if used with the Wells Fargo Visa Signature card, giving you an effective rewards rate of 4.5% for dining, travel, gas, and streaming services
Alternative: The Uber Visa card is almost as good as the Wells Fargo Propel / Wells Fargo Visa Signature combo. It also has no annual fee and gives you 4% cashback on dining, 3% cashback on travel, and a $50 yearly statement credit for streaming services.
I'm trying to decide between the Propel and Uber Visa. I think you have a good point about the WF pairing boosting redemption for airfare, but I don't know that I agree it makes the Propel better than the Uber which is 4% cash back for dining straight up.
I went ahead and applied for the Uber Visa and got approved. I'm going to use it as my new primary dining card. If I was more of a traveler and in the market for a travel card I think the Wells Fargo Propel with the Visa signature for 1.5x point redemption on airfare is the best no annual fee deal.
The Uber card is a great card! Straight 4% cashback on all dining and 3% on all travel. No annual fee or rotating categories. And you don't have to spend your money on airfare to maximize your reward rate. Enjoy! :)
Starfish
Posts: 2996
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Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Starfish »

Leesbro63 wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:49 pm
Starfish wrote: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:58 pm The CC insurance pays only (AFAIK) the damage/theft etc to the rental car, not to the other parties.
If you damage the rental car, primary insurance (which is rare, and only on a handful of more expensive cards like CSR) will pay the damage and your car insurance will not be involved. Presumably without a claim it would not count as against you for a premium increase.
I rent cars in many countries, some with terrible traffic or very tight parking and I find the primary insurance useful...I think so, at least, I have never used it.
Most rental car "incidents" involve just the rental car, I believe. So this card is convenient. Not that they are careful not to call it "primary INSURANCE"...it's a "collision damage wavier". Technically it IS a form of insurance, but legally it probably doesn't rise to the definition. If you rent a lot, for $95 a year it's a good value to avoid the high rental counter offerings and still have a first line against having to file on your own insurance or pay out of pocket for that broken mirror, windshield or fender.
I use no a CSR and is more than 95 (450-300=150 if I remember well) and yes, I agree, it's not bad.
I was just making clear what insurance is offered. Many people believe that CC insurance covers everything.
I actually don't even know what to do for "3rd party insurance" in foreign countries. My auto insurance probably does not work outside US.
Allixi
Posts: 180
Joined: Sat May 09, 2015 4:01 am

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by Allixi »

Current and previous cards:

The "Chase Trifecta"
Chase Sapphire Reserve - signed up when bonus was 100K, screwed up $300 travel credit the first calendar year (doh!). I rarely use the Chase travel portal so I might downgrade this to a Sapphire Preferred at some point.
Chase Freedom - downgraded from Sapphire Preferred. Use for bonus categories only, don't try very hard to max it out
Chase Freedom Unlimited - everyday non-bonus spend

Citi Double Cash - had this a long time, use for recurring payments only, because I've had other cards compromised and it is a pain in the butt to change all my autopays. Solid baseline 2% cash back, you should aim for no less than that on any non-minimum or bonus spend

Chase United Mileageplus Explorer - downgraded to Mileageplus, sockdrawered. For some reason, probably a glitch I still get 25% bonus when using the Mileageplus X app (sweet!)
Chase Marriott Premier Plus - upgraded from Marriott Plus, opened when bonus was 85K. Sockdrawered, will probably cancel
Amex SPG - opened to collect bonus 75K Marriott points, sockdrawered, will probably cancel, luckily 1st year AF is waived
Chase Hyatt - just opened for bonus points, will probably sockdrawer and cancel later

I kinda wish I had opened the Marriott Plus and Amex SPG cards when the bonuses were higher (100K and 35K respectively), but I just didn't have any concrete travel plans at the time.
likegarden
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:33 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by likegarden »

I have no Credit Card Rewards Strategy, only own 2! Reading another post here, it seems that the more credit cards you own the less you will be able to monitor activity in all of them, and internet crooks then would be able to take advantage of that. You should only get involved into things which you always can keep track of.
am
Posts: 4232
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:55 am

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by am »

snailderby wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 7:16 pm
Shazb0t wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:32 am
Shazb0t wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:02 pm
snailderby wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 8:59 am 3. Wells Fargo Propel American Express
  • No annual fee
  • 3x points on dining, travel, gas, and streaming services
  • All points are worth 1.5¢ for airfare if used with the Wells Fargo Visa Signature card, giving you an effective rewards rate of 4.5% for dining, travel, gas, and streaming services
Alternative: The Uber Visa card is almost as good as the Wells Fargo Propel / Wells Fargo Visa Signature combo. It also has no annual fee and gives you 4% cashback on dining, 3% cashback on travel, and a $50 yearly statement credit for streaming services.
I'm trying to decide between the Propel and Uber Visa. I think you have a good point about the WF pairing boosting redemption for airfare, but I don't know that I agree it makes the Propel better than the Uber which is 4% cash back for dining straight up.
I went ahead and applied for the Uber Visa and got approved. I'm going to use it as my new primary dining card. If I was more of a traveler and in the market for a travel card I think the Wells Fargo Propel with the Visa signature for 1.5x point redemption on airfare is the best no annual fee deal.
The Uber card is a great card! Straight 4% cashback on all dining and 3% on all travel. No annual fee or rotating categories. And you don't have to spend your money on airfare to maximize your reward rate. Enjoy! :)
Is there trip cancellation insurance on the Uber card?
ddurrett896
Posts: 1712
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2014 2:23 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by ddurrett896 »

likegarden wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 3:39 pm I have no Credit Card Rewards Strategy, only own 2! Reading another post here, it seems that the more credit cards you own the less you will be able to monitor activity in all of them, and internet crooks then would be able to take advantage of that. You should only get involved into things which you always can keep track of.
I’m the opposite. On average, I open a new one every 4 months after I close my last churd card. If anyone steals CC info, the card info is useless because it’s not deactivated.
JBTX
Posts: 11205
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Post by JBTX »

likegarden wrote: Sat Sep 22, 2018 3:39 pm I have no Credit Card Rewards Strategy, only own 2! Reading another post here, it seems that the more credit cards you own the less you will be able to monitor activity in all of them, and internet crooks then would be able to take advantage of that. You should only get involved into things which you always can keep track of.
Not a problem for me. Use quicken or mint, set up alerts etc. Ultimately you aren't liable for fraud anyway.
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