I love credit cards so much!

[AmyAnne]

I’m at the same place as a few of you…trying to decide on the next card. I mentioned in December that we’re going to be buying a new iMac. In the end, there was too much going on with the holidays to focus on, so we still haven’t bought one. I might use the purchase to meet a minimum spend, however with the Freedom Q1 categories including mobile payment options, I don’t know. Here are my options:


Apple Store Online: Use the Freedom to buy online with Apple Pay and max out the Q1 bonus for 5x, after clicking through the Chase Shopping Portal for another 2x


Best Buy Online: Use the Freedom with Chase Pay to max out Q1, using the Chase portal for an additional 1x (I’d only do this if there was a substantial sale price at BB)


Open a New Card to meet a min spend: I’m at 5/24, so Chase is out for a while. I would only use Chase or Amex for this large electronic purchase because of the extended warranty, so Amex would be the line to look at. I think I should focus on business cards to keep Chase happy. We don't have any MR earning cards yet.

I really like my AmEx Gold card (it's not a business card, so that might count against it, if you are looking to be under 5/24 and apply for another Chase card). The annual fee is $195 but there's a $100 travel credit that (as of this month; never sure how long this will last) can be used to purchase AA gift cards. The biggest plus for me is that AU cards are free, and each card gets a lot of the good AmEx offers (but of course, this could change too). Three of my kids are AUs. Last year the AmEx offers more than off-set the AF.

 

[Albort]

Apple Store Online: Use the Freedom to buy online with Apple Pay and max out the Q1 bonus for 5x, after clicking through the Chase Shopping Portal for another 2x

Best Buy Online: Use the Freedom with Chase Pay to max out Q1, using the Chase portal for an additional 1x (I’d only do this if there was a substantial sale price at BB)

Id probably do Best Buys, i think you get a nice return from best buy rewards. i could be wrong though. haha.

Lay flat is indeed lay flat.. we were happy with the seats on Condor and New Zealand Air that we have had before for 10 hour flights - I don't *think* either of those are nice ones at least. They were older jets. Emirates seems REALLY high comparatively - they wanted 120K each way (and were also showing mixed cabins). It sounds like clicking through each option is the only way to find flights really which is a darn shame. You'd think if you chose Business class it would only show business class... (except for planes that don't have that as an option). We have no firm dates as I'm assuming we'll have better luck if we keep it to a range. Ideally we are looking at mid to late September or into very early October if need be, but this isn't until 2019 so I am very premature here. Just trying to get my ducks in a row before our dates release with a plan.

Maybe that plan needs to be get other miles... :/

a lot of ppl were suggesting AA. i think u need 150k for Qatar. Emirates is def worth it if u can earn those points. . Its like Emirates to BA, Ferrari to a Ford lol.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I really like my AmEx Gold card (it's not a business card, so that might count against it, if you are looking to be under 5/24 and apply for another Chase card). The annual fee is $195 but there's a $100 travel credit that (as of this month; never sure how long this will last) can be used to purchase AA gift cards. The biggest plus for me is that AU cards are free, and each card gets a lot of the good AmEx offers (but of course, this could change too). Three of my kids are AUs. Last year the AmEx offers more than off-set the AF.

FYI for clarity sake for those reading (and because AMEX has multiple "gold cards"):

• The card mentioned here is a personal card: the Premier Rewards Gold - and if not worried about 5/24 I agree with @AmyAnne that this is a great card (especially because I believe the AF is waived the first year and usually you can get a 50k MR signup offer through incognito).
• There is a Business Gold Rewards also availabile separately that has different benefits listed above and is a business card
• Also another personal card called the Ameriprise Gold Card which has limited benefits
• And previously there was a personal card called the American Express Gold Card which I'm not sure is available for new applications at this point.

Thanks AMEX for making this in every thoroughly confusing, LOL!

 

[peel]

When would you come back under 5/24? Do you know when your next card falls off?

MRs is definitely worth looking into. If the airline partners work for you they can be great for transfers. Obviously I'm huge on the Schwab Plat 1.25x cashout method which also has it's merits. And lastly, they can be redeemed for gift cards at decent rate (although definitely not as lucrative as the transfers or Schwab routes)!

The big hit around here recently too is that SPG Biz which it seems we're all discussing. Mainly because it may go away soon - not sure if you have a use for SPG Points or Marriott points but that's a nice offer too.

I'll be at 4/24 in July. I'd like to get another card in before that happens, so I think the business card route is best. DH will be under 5/24 soon too, but I'm trying to keep him open to get the SW CP for next year, so I haven't been hitting any new cards for him either.

I'm going to re-read your Reddit post about Schwab. I have to admit it went over my head when you were first talking about it, and since I thought I'd be hitting Chase up before moving onto anything else, I kind of skimmed it all.

I do have SPG points. DH and I both got the SPG personal cards last year, and the points have been sitting ever since. That's why I was trying for the Marriott card a couple months ago and was shot down because of my Amazon store card. It would be nice to pair that bonus up with my existing SPG points, so I wanted to try and get that when I fall back to 4/24. The SPG Biz seems like a great choice for the next card, regardless of whether I use it for the iMac.

I really like my AmEx Gold card (it's not a business card, so that might count against it, if you are looking to be under 5/24 and apply for another Chase card). The annual fee is $195 but there's a $100 travel credit that (as of this month; never sure how long this will last) can be used to purchase AA gift cards. The biggest plus for me is that AU cards are free, and each card gets a lot of the good AmEx offers (but of course, this could change too). Three of my kids are AUs. Last year the AmEx offers more than off-set the AF.

Thanks for the overview. The multitude of AmEx offers are definitely a factor, and we do get a few decent ones on our SPG and Hilton cards. But I have to admit, they're the only perks in this game that make me shop differently than I normally do, and I really have to force myself to be discerning when new offers come out. They entice me into impulse shopping because I have a hard time walking past a good deal!

Id probably do Best Buys, i think you get a nice return from best buy rewards. i could be wrong though. haha..

That's something I didn't even consider. I've never paid attention to Best Buy Rewards. I'll look into that and factor it into my decision, thanks.

 

[Lain]

I’m at the same place as a few of you…trying to decide on the next card. I mentioned in December that we’re going to be buying a new iMac. In the end, there was too much going on with the holidays to focus on, so we still haven’t bought one. I might use the purchase to meet a minimum spend, however with the Freedom Q1 categories including mobile payment options, I don’t know. Here are my options:


Apple Store Online: Use the Freedom to buy online with Apple Pay and max out the Q1 bonus for 5x, after clicking through the Chase Shopping Portal for another 2x


Best Buy Online: Use the Freedom with Chase Pay to max out Q1, using the Chase portal for an additional 1x (I’d only do this if there was a substantial sale price at BB)


Open a New Card to meet a min spend: I’m at 5/24, so Chase is out for a while. I would only use Chase or Amex for this large electronic purchase because of the extended warranty, so Amex would be the line to look at. I think I should focus on business cards to keep Chase happy. We don't have any MR earning cards yet.

Typing on my phone so just a few thoughts:

B&H accepts payment through Apple Pay, so you could still maximize Chase Freedom’s 5x mobile wallet category without B&H collecting tax from you outside of NY and NJ.

Be sure to check the exclusions on shopping at Apple .com with Shop Through Chase. I know the terms excluded the iPhone X and a few other products, and Shop Through Chase definitely did not credit when I bought an excluded item.

If your iMac from Apple doesn’t qualify for Shop Through Chase, you can shop through the Marriott Rewards More portal for 1 point/$1. I didn’t see any exclusions there.

Depending on your iMac configuration, your purchase may go over the $1500 cap on the 5x bonus, and that money over the cap could go wasted on 1x spend (2x if Shop Through Chase credits).

You might also consider the Amex Business Rewards Gold (BRG) if you can get the 75,000 MR after $5k spent/3 months signup bonus. The BRG allows you to pick one 3x MR earning category for the year from the following:

• Airfare purchased directly from airlines
• U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• U.S. purchases for shipping
• U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from select providers

Buying from Apple directly would qualify for the last category for computer hardware, earn you 3x MR for the entire purchase and get you a third to halfway through the minimum spend for 75,000 MR.

The additional benefits of going for the Amex BRG is it’s a business charge card that won’t count against Chase’s 5/24. It’ll get you into earning MR with a big signup bonus to start. And most people will tell you Amex’s purchase protection and extended warranty are better than Chase’s; although Amex doesn’t offer price protection on their cards.

I’d go with the Amex BRG and save the Freedom 5x for everyday spend.

 

[peel]

Typing on my phone so just a few thoughts:

B&H accepts payment through Apple Pay, so you could still maximize Chase Freedom’s 5x mobile wallet category without B&H collecting tax from you outside of NY and NJ.

Be sure to check the exclusions on shopping at Apple .com with Shop Through Chase. I know the terms excluded the iPhone X and a few other products, and Shop Through Chase definitely did not credit when I bought an excluded item.

If your iMac from Apple doesn’t qualify for Shop Through Chase, you can shop through the Marriott Rewards More portal for 1 point/$1. I didn’t see any exclusions there.

Depending on your iMac configuration, your purchase may go over the $1500 cap on the 5x bonus, and that money over the cap could go wasted on 1x spend (2x if Shop Through Chase credits).

You might also consider the Amex Business Rewards Gold (BRG) if you can get the 75,000 MR after $5k spent/3 months signup bonus. The BRG allows you to pick one 3x MR earning category for the year from the following:

• Airfare purchased directly from airlines
• U.S. purchases for advertising in select media
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• U.S. purchases for shipping
• U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from select providers

Buying from Apple directly would qualify for the last category for computer hardware, earn you 3x MR for the entire purchase and get you a third to halfway through the minimum spend for 75,000 MR.

The additional benefits of going for the Amex BRG is it’s a business charge card that won’t count against Chase’s 5/24. It’ll get you into earning MR with a big signup bonus to start. And most people will tell you Amex’s purchase protection and extended warranty are better than Chase’s; although Amex doesn’t offer price protection on their cards.

I’d go with the Amex BRG and save the Freedom 5x for everyday spend.

The no tax from B&H is a consideration, but I miss out on shopping portal points, so I would need to do some calculating on bottom line prices versus bonus points.
iMacs Pros are excluded on the shopping portal, but not regular iMacs.

The BRG is very enticing now that you pointed out the 3X earning category! Is the 75K MR offer an incognito deal? (I guess it's easy enough to look that up myself on DoC)

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

The no tax from B&H is a consideration, but I miss out on shopping portal points, so I would need to do some calculating on bottom line prices versus bonus points.
iMacs Pros are excluded on the shopping portal, but not regular iMacs.

The BRG is very enticing now that you pointed out the 3X earning category! Is the 75K MR offer an incognito deal? (I guess it's easy enough to look that up myself on DoC)

Unfortunately there is no incognito for biz cards with AMEX. Those offers usually comes as mailers or just calling in and begging (half kidding, lol)! The offer you'll see online and through others' links is 50K MRs.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I'll be at 4/24 in July. I'd like to get another card in before that happens, so I think the business card route is best. DH will be under 5/24 soon too, but I'm trying to keep him open to get the SW CP for next year, so I haven't been hitting any new cards for him either.

I'm going to re-read your Reddit post about Schwab. I have to admit it went over my head when you were first talking about it, and since I thought I'd be hitting Chase up before moving onto anything else, I kind of skimmed it all.

I do have SPG points. DH and I both got the SPG personal cards last year, and the points have been sitting ever since. That's why I was trying for the Marriott card a couple months ago and was shot down because of my Amazon store card. It would be nice to pair that bonus up with my existing SPG points, so I wanted to try and get that when I fall back to 4/24. The SPG Biz seems like a great choice for the next card, regardless of whether I use it for the iMac.

1) Definitely a Biz card to distract you until July...sounds like a great plan!

2) Schwab is kind of an "all-in" sort of thing. There's a ton of cards and you want to hit it hard. That said - if you get an AMEX Biz Gold (BGR) now you'd have a year before that annual fee hits so you don't have to worry about the points going away until then. As long as you have ANY MR earning card open with AMEX you don't lose your points. SO you could get BGR now and then get another MR card 11 months from now to keep them active.

3) @Albort will appreciate me saying this but the big reason for SPG now is it could go away! I love SPG and Marriott points - they can be transferred to numerous airlines through both cards. If you're a Southwest nut you can use the Marriott vacation packages to transfer Marriott to Southwest at a GREAT rate and get 7 nights at a Marriott too. For example 270,000 Marriott points = 120,000 Southwest points PLUS 7 nights at a Cat 5 Marriott hotel. You can find more details on that here: http://www.marriott.com/rewards/usepoints/morepack.mi I'm not suggesting you do that but it's a decent value redemption even without the 7 free nights.

 

[Lain]

Id probably do Best Buys, i think you get a nice return from best buy rewards. i could be wrong though. haha.

That's something I didn't even consider. I've never paid attention to Best Buy Rewards. I'll look into that and factor it into my decision, thanks.

Best Buy Rewards are a factor, but I wouldn’t say it’s a great deal. If you’re a regular member, you get 0.5 point/$1 spent and 250 points gets you $5 reward certificate (or 1% reward); Elite members get 1 point/$1 spent (2% reward); Elite Plus members earn 1.25 points/$1 spent (2.5% reward). Reward certificates can be redeemed towards Disney Gift Cards (or almost any other item or third-party gift card Best Buy sells except for prepaid gift cards).

The BRG is very enticing now that you pointed out the 3X earning category! Is the 75K MR offer an incognito deal? (I guess it's easy enough to look that up myself on DoC)

I'm going to re-read your Reddit post about Schwab. I have to admit it went over my head when you were first talking about it, and since I thought I'd be hitting Chase up before moving onto anything else, I kind of skimmed it all.

I believe there was a public link for 75k MR on the BRG that expired recently. I’ve also seen many DPs that say calling Amex to ask for the offer will get it for you.

Just to give you the skinny on the MR—>Schwab strategy, you can apply for any and eventually all the MR-earning cards, then get the Charles Schwab Amex Platinum and use it to cash out all your MR points to an eligible Schwab account at 1.25 cents per point. If you decide to eventually cash out this way, those 75,000 MR are worth $937.50.

ETA: @SouthFayetteFan, do you know if the rsvp codes on Amex business card mailers are still transferable? I know they used to be. But I thought I read a DP some months back that someone tried to use another person’s rsvp code but couldn’t edit the pre-filled information. If they’re still transferable, then I imagine they’re still being traded or shared on /r/churning’s code sharing thread.

 

[elgerber]

Argh, so much talk on the SPG Business, I can't come up with any single thing I do that would qualify as a business LOL.

Still have that tuition bill and another $1000 bill coming up and it's killing me to not have a bonus to earn with it. But I have looked over all my stuff, and we are at LOL/24 until October of this year. Then we will be at 4/24 (I could maybe be 3/24 if I take myself off of DH's AMEX as AU, which I think I will) At that point, I would love to try to get some more SW or Marriott points, so I think I am just going to have to try to hang tough for the next 9 months (it's going to be hard LOL).

 

[peel]

1) Definitely a Biz card to distract you until July...sounds like a great plan!

2) Schwab is kind of an "all-in" sort of thing. There's a ton of cards and you want to hit it hard. That said - if you get an AMEX Biz Gold (BGR) now you'd have a year before that annual fee hits so you don't have to worry about the points going away until then. As long as you have ANY MR earning card open with AMEX you don't lose your points. SO you could get BGR now and then get another MR card 11 months from now to keep them active.

3) @Albort will appreciate me saying this but the big reason for SPG now is it could go away! I love SPG and Marriott points - they can be transferred to numerous airlines through both cards. If you're a Southwest nut you can use the Marriott vacation packages to transfer Marriott to Southwest at a GREAT rate and get 7 nights at a Marriott too. For example 270,000 Marriott points = 120,000 Southwest points PLUS 7 nights at a Cat 5 Marriott hotel. You can find more details on that here: http://www.marriott.com/rewards/usepoints/morepack.mi I'm not suggesting you do that but it's a decent value redemption even without the 7 free nights.

Oh I'm very familiar with the perks of SPG/Marriott points! The Nights/Flights deal is awesome, except we never stay in one place long enough to take advantage of a 7 day or even 5 day cert.

I believe there was a public link for 75k MR on the BRG that expired recently. I’ve also seen many DPs that say calling Amex to ask for the offer will get it for you.

After my nightmare experience with calling Chase for a CIP, I'm VERY hesitant to call anyone about a "business" ever again!

 

[platamama]

Argh, so much talk on the SPG Business, I can't come up with any single thing I do that would qualify as a business LOL.

Sell something on Ebay. People buy the craziest things there. I've sold weight circles from Purina dog food and cat food bags! Last month when the 20% off Target coupons were floating around, people were buying them on Ebay. People sell fabric scraps. You can even sell broken stuff - "For Parts Only" and someone might buy it. Used Legos? Ebay. Chase checking/savings account bonus offer coupons you get in your statements? Ebay.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Argh, so much talk on the SPG Business, I can't come up with any single thing I do that would qualify as a business LOL.

Still have that tuition bill and another $1000 bill coming up and it's killing me to not have a bonus to earn with it. But I have looked over all my stuff, and we are at LOL/24 until October of this year. Then we will be at 4/24 (I could maybe be 3/24 if I take myself off of DH's AMEX as AU, which I think I will) At that point, I would love to try to get some more SW or Marriott points, so I think I am just going to have to try to hang tough for the next 9 months (it's going to be hard LOL).

If you are "thinking" of starting a "business" you could say $0 business revenue and see if they approve you... Of course sometimes people never get those "businesses" off the ground

 

[vanjust14]

Argh, so much talk on the SPG Business, I can't come up with any single thing I do that would qualify as a business LOL.

Still have that tuition bill and another $1000 bill coming up and it's killing me to not have a bonus to earn with it. But I have looked over all my stuff, and we are at LOL/24 until October of this year. Then we will be at 4/24 (I could maybe be 3/24 if I take myself off of DH's AMEX as AU, which I think I will) At that point, I would love to try to get some more SW or Marriott points, so I think I am just going to have to try to hang tough for the next 9 months (it's going to be hard LOL).

Have you heard of drop shipping? This article is a pretty creative way to sell some stuff on ebay. Just an idea if you want to get into "business". https://goo.gl/JrRMA1

 

[wendow]

Speaking of the BRG. I got the targeted 75k offer and was approved for the card back in Dec. I still have the app with all the verbage. Where do I find the typical Amex language that the bonus offer is once per card? I read through just cause I was curious and I don't see that anywhere. Did Amex change that or am I just missing it??

ETA: Just an fyi, I don't see anything either that says the offer cannot be transferred to another person.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

ETA: @SouthFayetteFan, do you know if the rsvp codes on Amex business card mailers are still transferable? I know they used to be. But I thought I read a DP some months back that someone tried to use another person’s rsvp code but couldn’t edit the pre-filled information. If they’re still transferable, then I imagine they’re still being traded or shared on /r/churning’s code sharing thread.

I'm not sure on this one - I've never used a targeted offer and don't follow that thread too closely, but it might warrant further investigation for somebody who is interested in it.

 

[Albort]

If you are "thinking" of starting a "business" you could say $0 business revenue and see if they approve you... Of course sometimes people never get those "businesses" off the ground

heh, the whole business thing im sure will be heavily dedicated on your credit. someone reported $200 income and got 15k credit line. I reported $45k income but only got 10k. so weird. haha.

 

[elgerber]

heh, the whole business thing im sure will be heavily dedicated on your credit. someone reported $200 income and got 15k credit line. I reported $45k income but only got 10k. so weird. haha.

LOL, so you think I sell one or two things and I would be good LOL?
I have sold a few things in past years on ebay and Facebook but nothing super recent.

 

[marsh0013]

heh, the whole business thing im sure will be heavily dedicated on your credit. someone reported $200 income and got 15k credit line. I reported $45k income but only got 10k. so weird. haha.

I just did one yesterday, Amex SPG biz. I reported $200 income and got 12k credit line. I have one other Amex card (blue cash preferred) and it looks like they lowered my limit on that personal card from 13k to 7k. Just noticed it. Well that stinks because it affects my overall personal credit. Oh well. I've been an Amex cardholder since 1999 (when I turned 18).

 

[Albort]

LOL, so you think I sell one or two things and I would be good LOL?
I have sold a few things in past years on ebay and Facebook but nothing super recent.

nice business u got there... apply now? XD