Best credit card to pay DVC dues

[VGCgroupie]

Do any of these credit card rewards programs end up being a better deal than the easy 5% discount by using Disney gift cards purchased with a Target red card?

The easiest available almost always option is buying at grocery store with the Amex Blue that earns 6% at grocery stores. You get 6% plus any reward program your grocery store offers.

 

[WinterSolider]

The easiest available almost always option is buying at grocery store with the Amex Blue that earns 6% at grocery stores. You get 6% plus any reward program your grocery store offers.

The BJ's path beats this at >7%.

The bigger problem is that the 6% benefit on Blue Cash Preferred caps out at $6,000 per year and if you're hitting that limit with organic grocery spend anyways, you're just trading real grocery rewards for gift card rewards. Then you need to use a card with lower earning power for all of your grocery spend >$6,000.

 

[Tatebeck]

The easiest available almost always option is buying at grocery store with the Amex Blue that earns 6% at grocery stores. You get 6% plus any reward program your grocery store offers.

I'm not sure, because regular grocery stores don't often have any sales on Disney gift cards do they? Target 5% only if you use their card, then wholesale places that usually have 5% ish off the cards when they have them. Are there many grocery stores that have any discount on gift cards regularly? If not then I don't think that is the best easy choice.

Buying the wholesale club cards at even 5% off with a 1.5% (freedom unlimited) or any card you find that is better should still come out ahead of 6% cash back on full price cards. Especially since the 6% card also has a $95 dollar fee annual, which you would have to buy something like $10,000 of gift cards (which you can't because it maxes at 6,000 spend) I think to come out ahead vs just a 5% discount with no fee. And that's before a 1.5 or whatever percent anywhere cash back you have on other cards.

So Sam's 5% off regular price, and then Sams, BJ's, Costcos, etc. extra special sales when they have them plus a free anytime cash back would be my "easy button" choice.

 

[airjay75]

Of course, you have to pay to be a BJ’s or Sam’s Club member and the AmEx BC Preferred has a $95 fee after the first year. So, I think Target remains the easiest, no-fee way to maximize cash back. And their digital gift cards generally come super quick.

That said, I recently joined BJ’s, Sam’s, and upgraded my AmEx BC to the preferred all primarily on account of wanting more DGC discounts, so I think they’re all great .

 

[WinterSolider]

Of course, you have to pay to be a BJ’s or Sam’s Club member and the AmEx BC Preferred has a $95 fee after the first year. So, I think Target remains the easiest, no-fee way to maximize cash back. And their digital gift cards generally come super quick.

That said, I recently joined BJ’s, Sam’s, and upgraded my AmEx BC to the preferred all primarily on account of wanting more DGC discounts, so I think they’re all great .

There's a trick called the "Blue Cash elevator" where Amex will frequently offer Blue Cash Everyday holders an upgrade to Blue Cash Preferred with annual fee waived for the first year. Then, when your annual fee posts a year later, downgrade back to the Blue Cash Everyday until they give you the offer again.

If you're married and both spouses are doing this on alternating timelines, you can almost always have at least one BCP fee-free.

 

[Tatebeck]

Yeah I wasn't including Sams/Costco fees because we already have memberships for those before looking at Disney gift cards

ETA: and cycling upgrades/downgrades on cards to avoid the yearly fees kinda puts it out of my "easy button" consideration

 

[airjay75]

There's a trick called the "Blue Cash elevator" where Amex will frequently offer Blue Cash Everyday holders an upgrade to Blue Cash Preferred with annual fee waived for the first year. Then, when your annual fee posts a year later, downgrade back to the Blue Cash Everyday until they give you the offer again.

If you're married and both spouses are doing this on alternating timelines, you can almost always have at least one BCP fee-free.

Good to know! That’s basically how I upgraded this year and would not have done it without the cash back incentive and fee waived. Will have to get one for my wife after this year is up.

 

[Brian Noble]

Just reading all of this makes me want to gouge out my eyeballs. I am clearly not cut out for the credit card maximization game. Or, as I wrote recently in another thread: I am now in a point in my life that I have more money than patience.

 

[airjay75]

Once you set down the “credit card games” path, forever will it dominate your destiny . . .

It’s an addiction. A sickness. And I may not need to do it. But I just can’t bring myself to not do it . I had pulled back for awhile and simplified to just a few American Airlines cards (as in 4 for myself and 2-3 for my wife ). But DGCs got me back in the game.

 

[WinterSolider]

Just reading all of this makes me want to gouge out my eyeballs. I am clearly not cut out for the credit card maximization game. Or, as I wrote recently in another thread: I am now in a point in my life that I have more money than patience.

That's what I always say to people when they ask me if it's "worth it."

In an objective sense (level of effort to money saved) no, almost certainly not. People should only do it if they enjoy it as a hobby.

 

[airjay75]

https://www.wsj.com/personal-financ...18455?st=YQMan9&reflink=article_copyURL_share

Probably being a paywall, but WSJ actually had an article on this. I do think some of the people in this article have lost it - I’m not pulling up a spreadsheet for every Uber ride.

 

[Brian Noble]

People should only do it if they enjoy it as a hobby.

Sounds a lot like timeshare exchange...

 

[WinterSolider]

https://www.wsj.com/personal-financ...18455?st=YQMan9&reflink=article_copyURL_share

Probably being a paywall, but WSJ actually had an article on this. I do think some of the people in this article have lost it - I’m not pulling up a spreadsheet for every Uber ride.

Of course not, that's ridiculous.

You make the spreadsheet when you're at your desk and then add little stickers to each of your credit cards telling you what to use for the uber ride.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I'm not sure, because regular grocery stores don't often have any sales on Disney gift cards do they? Target 5% only if you use their card, then wholesale places that usually have 5% ish off the cards when they have them. Are there many grocery stores that have any discount on gift cards regularly? If not then I don't think that is the best easy choice.

Buying the wholesale club cards at even 5% off with a 1.5% (freedom unlimited) or any card you find that is better should still come out ahead of 6% cash back on full price cards. Especially since the 6% card also has a $95 dollar fee annual, which you would have to buy something like $10,000 of gift cards (which you can't because it maxes at 6,000 spend) I think to come out ahead vs just a 5% discount with no fee. And that's before a 1.5 or whatever percent anywhere cash back you have on other cards.

So Sam's 5% off regular price, and then Sams, BJ's, Costcos, etc. extra special sales when they have them plus a free anytime cash back would be my "easy button" choice.

There are alot of ways to save more, which I do. I chase GC deals all the time. But as no thinking straight forward option the Amex Blue Preferred is the best but only up to 6k like you said.

Wholesale clubs dont always have 5%, like the BJ's offer currently is a sale not always available, but yes when available its a great deal, the only caveat is it being shipped by mail for this without a Bjs, only which has a small risk to it.

Sams only recently started having cards that are routinely 5% off, rumors are these are limited and wont be around after the year is over. But yes, these are better deals when they can be gotten.

I use the Amex Blue when I need GC and there is no other better deals available. I typically buy enough GC each month to fill up 2 cars of gas at once which yields me 20% savings overall. Lastly it's a YMMV situation but I downgrade at one year and then they always offer me to upgrade again at no AF so I rarely pay the AF on this card.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Just reading all of this makes me want to gouge out my eyeballs. I am clearly not cut out for the credit card maximization game. Or, as I wrote recently in another thread: I am now in a point in my life that I have more money than patience.

To be fair this thread was about which credit card is the best to save money on dues, not best credit card to buy gift cards, but it always somehow gets turned into a GC thread when someone asks which card to use for dues.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Once you set down the “credit card games” path, forever will it dominate your destiny . . .

It’s an addiction. A sickness. And I may not need to do it. But I just can’t bring myself to not do it . I had pulled back for awhile and simplified to just a few American Airlines cards (as in 4 for myself and 2-3 for my wife ). But DGCs got me back in the game.

It pairs nicely with the Disney addiction, one addiction feeds the other.

 

[VGCgroupie]

The BJ's path beats this at >7%.

The bigger problem is that the 6% benefit on Blue Cash Preferred caps out at $6,000 per year and if you're hitting that limit with organic grocery spend anyways, you're just trading real grocery rewards for gift card rewards. Then you need to use a card with lower earning power for all of your grocery spend >$6,000.

Bjs is not always 5% only sometimes is it 5% I was responding saying something that is "always available" not where you have watch for a sale to occur. Not everyone has a Bjs in their state so the membership is solely for DGC for those other people. I use my Amex Blue to also save on my Disney Plus subscription and for other benefits it's not squarely for DGC. I use my grocery rewards for gas saving $35 with each fill up. Again you can then go and compare gas prices to buying it at another gas station down the street and then subtract that savings. There is always some sort of "but" in the equation.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Of course, you have to pay to be a BJ’s or Sam’s Club member and the AmEx BC Preferred has a $95 fee after the first year. So, I think Target remains the easiest, no-fee way to maximize cash back. And their digital gift cards generally come super quick.

That said, I recently joined BJ’s, Sam’s, and upgraded my AmEx BC to the preferred all primarily on account of wanting more DGC discounts, so I think they’re all great .

When you need as many GC as I do I need ALL the options. This year I will have spent around 20k in Disney Gift Cards. So I resurrected this CREDIT CARD thread since I wanted an easy way to pay some of my dues in January without having to chase GC. I have 4k in GC right now but I have $9200 in dues and I also have 3 more trips before the end of April that I will also need GC for.

Edit 4 more trips

 

[WinterSolider]

Bjs is not always 5% only sometimes is it 5% I was responding saying something that is "always available" not where you have watch for a sale to occur. Not everyone has a Bjs in their state so the membership is solely for DGC for those other people. I use my Amex Blue to also save on my Disney Plus subscription and for other benefits it's not squarely for DGC. I use my grocery rewards for gas saving $35 with each fill up. Again you can then go and compare gas prices to buying it at another gas station down the street and then subtract that savings. There is always some sort of "but" in the equation.

BJ's is always at least 4% and you can order gift cards from the website with free shipping. Again, always. There is no need to ever set foot in a physical BJ's to use this offer.

 

[pzw90]

The best card is the one you are trying to hit the minimum spend for a sign up bonus on