I love credit cards so much!

[Budzooka]

Anyone have the Fidelity 2% card. It's been on my radar forever but other rewards have always seemed better. Now it sort of makes sense to pair with that cash account so many of us opened for the $200 bonus. We have ALL our retirement/investment funds at Fidelity so this would be another consolidated account. Just wondered what the group's opinion is on this... makes sense for my FIRE goals I think.

I have this card and used it as my everyday card before I got into the travel game. 2% cashback on everything is pretty good, but I've gotten to where I hardly use it anymore because I value points/miles more than cash back. Right now, my everyday spend goes onto my SPG until Aug 1 trying to max out Marriott points before they merge.

 

[speedyfishy]

Anyone have the Fidelity 2% card. It's been on my radar forever but other rewards have always seemed better. Now it sort of makes sense to pair with that cash account so many of us opened for the $200 bonus. We have ALL our retirement/investment funds at Fidelity so this would be another consolidated account. Just wondered what the group's opinion is on this... makes sense for my FIRE goals I think.

I was thinking about this after going over 5/24 but I think I’ll stick with the Freedom Unlimited. It is only 1.5% but when paired with the CSR it’s 2.25% back when redeemed for travel. Plus you can potentially get more if you transfer the points to partners. If you want cash though and not travel it’s a good card.

 

[Budzooka]

Question for you guys that have used the Amex offer for 10% off gift cards at Staples. My understanding is 10% back is limited to $100 per card. But the fine print says it is not valid for bulk gift card purchases. Are there any DP for what they consider to be bulk? I want to go buy $1000 of Disney GCs on each of my 3 cards but only if I can get 10% back. If not, I can buy for a better price elsewhere. Should I break it up between multiple purchases?

 

[speedyfishy]

Question for you guys that have used the Amex offer for 10% off gift cards at Staples. My understanding is 10% back is limited to $100 per card. But the fine print says it is not valid for bulk gift card purchases. Are there any DP for what they consider to be bulk? I want to go buy $1000 of Disney GCs on each of my 3 cards but only if I can get 10% back. If not, I can buy for a better price elsewhere. Should I break it up between multiple purchases?

That language concerned me too so I did a $300 giftcard to ty it out. I got the credit for that so I think I’ll try $600 for my next order.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I couldn’t help myself and applied for the AA CitiBusiness Card. Instant approval. Yay!
Also want to upgrade my Hilton Card for 75k points, but have until 8/31 to do so.

 

[miztressuz]

Question for you guys that have used the Amex offer for 10% off gift cards at Staples. My understanding is 10% back is limited to $100 per card. But the fine print says it is not valid for bulk gift card purchases. Are there any DP for what they consider to be bulk? I want to go buy $1000 of Disney GCs on each of my 3 cards but only if I can get 10% back. If not, I can buy for a better price elsewhere. Should I break it up between multiple purchases?

Bulk purchases aren't in store, there's a separate department for doing like corporate orders like that and you have to call in. I assumed that's what they were talking about in the fine print. But you may come up against a store limit on how much you can buy in one transaction. Otherwise I think you are fine.

Eta: it's the Staples gift cards themselves they sell in bulk. I don't think anything else they sell in store would be considered a bulk purchase.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Question for you guys that have used the Amex offer for 10% off gift cards at Staples. My understanding is 10% back is limited to $100 per card. But the fine print says it is not valid for bulk gift card purchases. Are there any DP for what they consider to be bulk? I want to go buy $1000 of Disney GCs on each of my 3 cards but only if I can get 10% back. If not, I can buy for a better price elsewhere. Should I break it up between multiple purchases?

Usually a bulk purchase is at least 25 or 50 cards. But I would still break it up because Staples website clearly states they don’t do more than $2k per order for money laundering prevention. And make it 3 separate purchases

 

[miztressuz]

I couldn’t help myself and applied for the AA CitiBusiness Card. Instant approval. Yay!
Also want to upgrade my Hilton Card for 75k points, but have until 8/31 to do so.

We're just dancing fools this week, congrats!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I have this card and used it as my everyday card before I got into the travel game. 2% cashback on everything is pretty good, but I've gotten to where I hardly use it anymore because I value points/miles more than cash back. Right now, my everyday spend goes onto my SPG until Aug 1 trying to max out Marriott points before they merge.

To add to what the others said, it can be over multiple transactions too. I have been doing alot of house projects and I get the 10% back at Lowes each time I go. Once I hit $100 back, I will switch to the next card with the Lowes offer.

 

[miztressuz]

Usually a bulk purchase is at least 25 or 50 cards. But I would still break it up because Staples website clearly states they don’t do more than $2k per order for money laundering prevention. And make it 3 separate purchases

Good point, I always forget about split tender transactions. I assumed it'd be 3 1k transactions cuz that's what I'd do

 

[Alexle2007]

DL noob calling DL pros: Which offsite hotels are closest to the DL entrance? We’be only been once and stayed at DLH but it’s ridiculously priced for July so needed other options. I have SPG, Marriott and UR points I can use.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm trying to make sense out of the marriott/SPG situation and figure out what to do and am hoping for some guidance please, pretty please!
I was reading about the Cat 5 Nights+Flights package DP's from reddit (thanks @Lain) that makes me wonder if I should try to book one before 8/1 (I understand it's YMMV, and really this whole potential plan might be farfetched, but I'd like to see if it's even possible.

I currently have 33k SPG points = 99k Marriott (SPG transfers to Marriott instantly, correct?)
Also was just approved for Marriott biz, so will have 78k (75k+3k) after meeting MSR
Total after MSR will be 177k Marriott

Cat 1-5 Nights/Flights for 5 nights costs 235k Marriott
235-177 = 58k adt'l marriott needed, 58/3 = 19k SPG points
19k SPG points on sale costs approx. $445 to purchase.

5 night cert would get me 120k RR + 5 consecutive nights at up to cat 5 property

If I was able to accomplish all of this before Aug 1, and used the cert to book actual nights at the Swan/Dolphin, I would be coming out so far ahead of what I can do post 8/1 with the change of the S/D to cat 6 it almost doesn't seem right. Am I missing something?

Other options I've thought about are just using my current SPG points (purchasing 3k to get to 36k) to book 3 nights at S/D, and just worrying about the Marriott 78k later. But looking at the reward chart, if I converted to SW RR, that would only be 25k RR. If I used those points at the S/D, that would only be 1 night.

It seems like the hassle to try to accomplish all of this is very worth it but am I missing something?!? Thanks so much for any help!

To accomplish this, I know I would need to meet the MSR by 1 week prior to stmt close date for my new Marriott biz, then have the points post to my Marriott account. I'd also need to transfer my SPG points to Marriott. Lastly, I'd need to get the right rep to actually book the 5n cert since technically it's only supposed to be for timeshare owners, correct? Anything else I'm missing that might trip me up?

Sorry for the long post, I've been researching/calculating since late last night. Also thanks for @wendow for posting her similar situation and @Lain for posting the DP's from Reddit.

won't work, I made this mistake also and was corrected. You can't book a Dolphin res now using a nights and flights cert, and after 8/1 it won't qualify in that category.

 

[mmmears]

That Staples deal looks interesting. I checked our AMEX account and I guess mine doesn't have it. Of course there are lots of things there, but not much I can actually use.

 

[Budzooka]

That language concerned me too so I did a $300 giftcard to ty it out. I got the credit for that so I think I’ll try $600 for my next order.

Great info. Thanks guys.

 

[hsmamato2]

Can anyone share how they are buying groceries and the best strategies for their family.
I opened the amex blue cash preferred but wondering if the 95 is worth it.

I have 2 discovers with no fee so with the 5x grocery catagory in addition to chase freedom
im wondering if it is better to max all of them out with gift cards?

Basically "floating" the cards to be used all year. That is a lot to have around and of course the
danger of misplacing them in additon to the upfront cash outlay.

Does anyone do this or what do you use? thanks

I'm glad you posted- I'm coming up on my anniversary with this card too.... (first year free) and wondering if it's worth $95 for another year. (in reality, I would calculate my value at -$200 +$95 = $105 cost for 2 years) so in my case it might be worth hanging onto(?) but if I downgrade to the no AF version it's an even better deal at a simple
-$200- the 3x I got back on groceries all year long....(or is that a 6x card?) experts? I think I;ll downgrade...maybe since I can get some gc too using FR for groceries (already did last quarter)

 

[hsmamato2]

Thanks, I figured I was missing something! I think I've decided for now to go ahead and buy 3k SPG pints and book 3 nights at S/D. I'm looking at either Oct or Jun, and Oct availability is getting less and less. If I change my mind or if it seems like I would be able to do the 5n f/n when I actually get my bonus points, I might cancel and rebook. I'm assuming that the points are refundable and don't take long to get back? I guess I have more research to do.



Thanks, that a major concern too since I don't even have the Marriott card yet, and my statement doesn't close until 7/24. I wonder how long it takes for the bonus points to post to the Marriott account?

my concern (similar case) is if I book now using spg points, and need to change it later.... what do I get back to use? how do I rebook something so vastly different?

 

[Budzooka]

I'm glad you posted- I'm coming up on my anniversary with this card too.... (first year free) and wondering if it's worth $95 for another year. (in reality, I would calculate my value at -$200 +$95 = $105 cost for 2 years) so in my case it might be worth hanging onto(?) but if I downgrade to the no AF version it's an even better deal at a simple
-$200- the 3x I got back on groceries all year long....(or is that a 6x card?) experts? I think I;ll downgrade...maybe since I can get some gc too using FR for groceries (already did last quarter)

I have the free version of the Amex Blue card, as I have not been able to justify the $95 fee for the extra 3%. It might work for you if you have a large enough grocery bill or buy enough gift cards. I find that we are often putting groceries toward our MSR and not even using this card that much anymore. But, I've had a major shift toward travel rather than cash back in the last year, so my cashback cards aren't getting much use but also don't have an annual fee.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Ugh, Venmo now has a four card limit!! @SBWB48

Boooo! “UN-like”!

 

[Lain]

@Lain I saw your post about your use of cards. Great advice! I was curious
why you keep your amex prg? This is one card im debating on cancelling end of year.
I like the amex offers but not sure if it is worth the 195.

The PRG is a great card with too high of an AF, I think. The $100 airline credit is nice, plus you get 3x airlines and 2x restaurants, groceries, and gas. If you get any kind of retention offer at all, I think it's worth keeping. As it is, if the AF were just a little lower, it would be a keeper.

@jujubiee4 and @striker1064 -- you're both right.

The PRG was my first and only Amex card for a long time, and when I got it I remember that its rewards categories were really compelling, because I did spend a lot at restaurants, on groceries and gas. I probably put well over $100k on that card in those three categories over the years, but I was content thinking that I was getting back 2x that in MR – which I used, among other things, to fly to Japan – and blissfully ignorant that the PRG hadn’t kept pace with other rewards cards.

When I started building out my UR cards, I did notice I was using the PRG less and less. I kept it the first year after I dipped my toes into this hobby in part because it was still earning me 2x MR on groceries and gas that I didn't have another card or method for earning a better bonus, the fact that I usually got my best Amex Offers on this card, but probably also a little out of sentiment. I didn't even realize retention offers were a thing! I was totally going to cancel the PRG when the AF came up this year because by then, I was barely using the card except for Amex Offers. I called in for a retention offer, got a really sh*t offer, told them I'd think about it, dawdled for about a month, called in again, got the same sh*t offer, but in the end I took it.

I kept the PRG this year in large part because I planned to cancel my Amex Platinum. Around that time, Amex killed 5x MR from MPX on the personal Platinums, so that really devalued the card for me; and Amex announced that they were discontinuing the Mercedes-Benz Platinum, which I eventually wanted to churn through. I was thinking that when my Platinum came up for renewal, I'd fish for a really good retention offer, and if I didn't get one I'd just cancel and apply for the MB Platinum. But if I did that, I needed a MR-earning card to hold my points. At the time, I needed to stay under 5/24 because there were still Chase cards I wanted, had to save a slot for the MB Platinum, so I didn’t want to apply for the no fee Amex EveryDay card (and the no fee Blue Business Plus wasn’t even on my radar), so I kept the PRG. Turns out Amex gave me a really awesome retention offer on my Platinum – 30k MR with no spend requirement, which I totally didn’t expect after the sh*t offer they gave me to keep the PRG. I didn’t want to be paying AFs on 2 Platinums and the PRG, so I made the tough call to decline the retention offer and canceled the Platinum, then applied and got approved for the MB Plat with a 60k MR signup bonus. In retrospect, if I had all these offers on the table at the same time, I probably would’ve canceled the PRG, took the 30k MR retention offer on the Platinum and signed up for the MB Plat for 60k MR. I just couldn’t do AFs on all three – my wife would’ve killed me.

The $195 AF is steep for the PRG, but that's partially offset by the $100 airline fee credit, which I do use to buy airline gift cards. I used to use the airline fee credit on Hawaiian Airlines gift cards, but Amex or Hawaiian killed it sometime last year and Hawaiian gift cards no longer trigger the credit. I've also been buying Southwest because they're good for our short flights within California. (Amex really needs to take a cue from Chase and make their credits easier to use!) As an effective $95 AF card, I think the 2x MR earned on restaurants, groceries, and gas puts the PRG on par with other $95 AF cards like the CSP (2x UR on dining and travel). And Amex Offers do save me way more than $100 a year, which factors into how much value the AF gets me.

But the PRG is definitely on the chopping block next year. Sometime before then, I’ll go for the BBP to hold my MR if I’m churning through other MR cards. The BBP also earns 2x MR on everything up to $50k, is a no fee MR-earning card, is a business card so won’t add to my 5/24 with Chase, but is an Amex credit card so I’ll need to balance out what cards I’ll keep under Amex’s 4-5 credit card limit (if the rumors are true that a Chase Marriott card precludes me from the SPG Lux, that makes the decision a lot easier), and figure out when it’s a good time to fit in a $3k-5k MSR.

Wow, that was a much longer post then I originally intended…

 

[Lain]

DL noob calling DL pros: Which offsite hotels are closest to the DL entrance? We’be only been once and stayed at DLH but it’s ridiculously priced for July so needed other options. I have SPG, Marriott and UR points I can use.

Closest are probably the Best Western Park Place Inn and the Best Western Anaheim Inn, which are right across the street from the Eastern gateway. The Tropicana Inn & Suites is just off center to that entrance. I don't think BW is on the UR portal, but the Tropicana is -- check the UR portal. URs transfer to Hyatt 1:1, and there's the Hyatt House on Harbor and Katella. Marriott gets you the Residence Inn and Springhill Suites right across from Hyatt House. All three are newly constructed hotels that opened in the last 4-5 years. I think several people here looked at the Residence Inn and Springhill Suites and found them requiring too many points; they're set to drop in points in August.