The great Credit Card debate...

[Karenj2]

Hey all - I've got a question for you...

I currently have two CCs - Disney's (of course), and SW - both from Chase. We basically use our Disney CC for everything: recurring bills, charitable donations, daily purchases, etc. The SW card is more of a backup.

Well, we recently had our Disney card compromised (again), and have to get new cards. DH is annoyed, since we now have to redo all of our recurring charges (again). Then I had a thought - what if we put all of those charges on one card, and use the Disney card for our daily expenses?

BUT (and this is where the question comes in), I'm not sure if the Southwest card is the right card to use for this. We live near Philly, and SW does fly to MCO, which is great. BUT, we've recently been traveling more to California to visit DH's brother, and SW doesn't have any direct flights there. (We have 3 kids under 5, so I prefer non-stop whenever possible.) So.... should I change my SW card to another card (like the Chase Freedom card, which gives cash back (and just sock away the cash back for vacations & such), or keep the SW card, and just use the accrued points exclusively for Disney trips?

What are your thoughts?

 

[havaneselover]

I have the Disney card and don't use it. Lots of cards offer better rewards. Citi has a card with 2% back. Capital One Quick Silver is 1.5%. Chase Freedom is decent but not a main card imo. Amex blue cards are also great if you buy gift cards at grocery stores.

 

[BSwest]

I use the southwest card for everything, but we fly them pretty much everywhere. It may not be the Disney card, it may be Chase. I had my southwest card compromised 2-3 times in the last year.

 

[adudeinblue]

Is DH's brother far from a big SW hub?

It's funny because we're in the reverse situation. My GF is from NEPA and we currently live in SF Bay area. All 3 airports that I would go to in my area has a SW hub (SFO, OAK, SMF). So we have been working on getting a companion pass this year so we can visit her family more often. Essentially fly from OAK to PHL, and we usually rent a car when we visit, and drive home to NEPA.

Judging if switching to SW is good choice is really up to you. I find SW flights a lot cheaper than bigger airlines. I also enjoy the quick boarding and no bags fee. But you can definitely earn more portions through other CC companies.

If you had your SW for a while, like around 3 years or more, you can also give your customer service a call. Maybe they can offer you the sign up bonus again? Usually spend $2,000.00 within 3 months to get 50,000 points?

I use the southwest card for everything, but we fly them pretty much everywhere. It may not be the Disney card, it may be Chase. I had my southwest card compromised 2-3 times in the last year.

I think you're right because there's beena lot of user reports of Chase CC fraudulent charges in the past 2 months. I read some of it on reddit.com/r/churning and it was pretty alarming. It wasn't specific to SW cards but also across the board Chase cards. The security of the card is by the bank right? The customer service is more specific to the card service (Disney, SW, Freedom, etc)?

 

[Marionnette]

Hey all - I've got a question for you...

I currently have two CCs - Disney's (of course), and SW - both from Chase. We basically use our Disney CC for everything: recurring bills, charitable donations, daily purchases, etc. The SW card is more of a backup.

Well, we recently had our Disney card compromised (again), and have to get new cards. DH is annoyed, since we now have to redo all of our recurring charges (again). Then I had a thought - what if we put all of those charges on one card, and use the Disney card for our daily expenses?

BUT (and this is where the question comes in), I'm not sure if the Southwest card is the right card to use for this. We live near Philly, and SW does fly to MCO, which is great. BUT, we've recently been traveling more to California to visit DH's brother, and SW doesn't have any direct flights there. (We have 3 kids under 5, so I prefer non-stop whenever possible.) So.... should I change my SW card to another card (like the Chase Freedom card, which gives cash back (and just sock away the cash back for vacations & such), or keep the SW card, and just use the accrued points exclusively for Disney trips?

What are your thoughts?

If you're not averse to paying an annual fee, I like the Chase Sapphire. The Ultimate Rewards points are pretty flexible, plus you can use the points to book discounted travel through their portal. You can even combine points and cash for the travel costs.

I've also read a lot of great things about Barclay's Arrival card, although I don't have personal experience with it.

Both cards come with very nice sign-up bonuses but they have hefty spends to get those bonuses.

 

[hsmamato2]

I like the Chase Sapphire also..... and they transfer to multiple travel partners including southwest if you needed that- it's much better reward for everyday use card than the disney visa....(there's no debate on this one, it's simple fact) Or you can apply for and use the SWA card again, since that bonus is great.... but since you said you may prefer other rewards,I like the the chase sapphire preferred overall. best case scenario? Get Chase freedom and a nd chase sapphire preferred- the points transfer between accounts, you get the bonus quarterly options on Freedom,with the flexibility of the the Sapphire plus for travel expenses.... and use those 2 instead of the dis. visa and SWA combo.....

 

[hsmamato2]

Oh yeah... Chase was hacked sometime last year, common thread to have compromised cards..... we had a few.... keep an eye on your cards people!

 

[Kingdome8]

If ur looking for rewards. Boa cash is best.

Especially if u keep deposits or investments there.

Never seen any thing like it

1% purchases
2% grocery. Target Walmart
3% gas.

When cash in everyone gets a match of 10 %
If they have a deposit acct there. But if keep money there. Ur match can be from 25% to 75%. Huge.

Imagine saving a 1000 dollars in rewards and getting that plus another 750. I love this card.

 

[MillauFr]

If ur looking for rewards. Boa cash is best.

Especially if u keep deposits or investments there.

Never seen any thing like it

1% purchases
2% grocery. Target Walmart
3% gas.

When cash in everyone gets a match of 10 %
If they have a deposit acct there. But if keep money there. Ur match can be from 25% to 75%. Huge.

Imagine saving a 1000 dollars in rewards and getting that plus another 750. I love this card.

So what is the total cash back % for most purchases? There are many cards that refund 2%

 

[MyopicRaiderfan]

If you want to keep things simple the best card is a no fee 2% cash back on everything. Cash provides flexibility.

If you can handle using certain cards for specific purchases I would echo the chase Sapphire\Freedom combo with other store specific cards like Costco and Target. Sapphire has an annual fee($95) with 2% back on travel and dining while Freedom has no fee, 1% on everything, plus 5% quarterly bonus categories. Both cards will allow cash back from those percentages. The purpose of the Sapphire is the ability to transfer between Freedom and Sapphire and to migrate those rewards to other partner rewards on a one to one basis without a fee. This could mean Marriott points, Southwest, or United. As an example I transferred 180,000 Ultimate Reward points($1800) to United Mileage plus. Those 180,000 United miles allowed my family to fly round trip to Europe. Had I purchased those tickets they would have cost over $1100 each. In this way, I have stretched my points.

You can make it as easy or complicated as you want.

 

[Albort]

If ur looking for rewards. Boa cash is best.

Especially if u keep deposits or investments there.

Never seen any thing like it

1% purchases
2% grocery. Target Walmart
3% gas.

When cash in everyone gets a match of 10 %
If they have a deposit acct there. But if keep money there. Ur match can be from 25% to 75%. Huge.

Imagine saving a 1000 dollars in rewards and getting that plus another 750. I love this card.

although no longer offered, Salle Mae does 5% groceries(up to $250), 5% gas(up to $250) and 5% bookstores(amazon is considered a bookstore). This is probably the best card ive seen if your heavy on those rewards.
It really depends on what u spend the most on, the one ive considered was a Sams Club Credit card that does 5% gas, 3% dining and travel and 1% everything else.

Also a CSP holder who uses the Chase Freedom and CSP to rake in rewards. Waiting to apply for the last card which is a business card to complete the Ultimate rewards credit card trio.

 

[hsmamato2]

Cashback is always the simplest.... but usually not the most in rewards...since OP asked about travel,rewards and having 2 cards to use, I advised the the CSP and Freedom combined.... it's a program that transfers to so many others,making it useful.

 

[jenf22]

I've also read a lot of great things about Barclay's Arrival card, although I don't have personal experience with it.

We really like the Barclay Arrival card. It's been really easy to redeem our points for travel expenses. It's 2% back on all purchases and it was a 10% bonus on miles redeemed for travel. I have read the 10% bonus is going away, but I'm not sure when. We also had the Disney card as well, but it really doesn't give you the bang for your buck that a 2% on everything card does. And I don't like having my reward dollars tied up in Disney. I like to go other places too.

 

[barkley]

Hey all - I've got a question for you...

I currently have two CCs - Disney's (of course), and SW - both from Chase. We basically use our Disney CC for everything: recurring bills, charitable donations, daily purchases, etc. The SW card is more of a backup.

Well, we recently had our Disney card compromised (again), and have to get new cards. DH is annoyed, since we now have to redo all of our recurring charges (again). Then I had a thought - what if we put all of those charges on one card, and use the Disney card for our daily expenses?

BUT (and this is where the question comes in), I'm not sure if the Southwest card is the right card to use for this. We live near Philly, and SW does fly to MCO, which is great. BUT, we've recently been traveling more to California to visit DH's brother, and SW doesn't have any direct flights there. (We have 3 kids under 5, so I prefer non-stop whenever possible.) So.... should I change my SW card to another card (like the Chase Freedom card, which gives cash back (and just sock away the cash back for vacations & such), or keep the SW card, and just use the accrued points exclusively for Disney trips?

What are your thoughts?

we pay off our cards each month (used largly for convenience/purchase protection) so I couldn't comment on what the interest is like but our favorites are American Express and one through our local credit union (honestly-if everyone accepted amex we would use it exclusively).

with our amex it's zero fees, 3% on groceries (up to 6K in purchases after which it reverts to 1%), 2% uncapped on gas and some department stores, 1% all else. when we signed up there was a promo for a $200 statement credit if $1000 was charged within the first 2 months (easy enuf to do with christmas shopping). I can let the reward dollars add up and pick when I want to apply them to my account (so just charge what I was going to spend it on then apply the reward amount to zero it out). in our experience amex fights tooth and nail for the purchaser in disputes, pays up on the extended warranty coverage/loss or theft coverage, is VERY helpful/generous with benefits for lost/delayed baggage when traveling.

with our credit union card it's again no fee-it's just changed to a reward based program but we went with it originally b/c it belongs to the "passport" program (so some great discounts at restaurants and travel destinations) and we needed/wanted a card that those who don't accept amex would take. their new reward structure pays 3% for travel purchases, 2% in 2 categories YOU CHOOSE (so if most usage is groceries/gas-choose those 2, if most are amazon/charity-choose those 2...), 1% for all else.

both amex and our credit union are hyper vigilant about fraud.

 

[candy0730]

Hi, not sure if it matters in your decision but I use my SW card for most of my expenses and it was compromised 2 times in 3 months recently. I agree it is a pain contacting all of the businesses that you have automatic withdrawal set up.

 

[starry_solo]

I would give up one and get a different card. Both are Visas, right? I'd keep one Visa and get a Mastercard.

 

[Karenj2]

As pitiful as the returns are, I still like my Disney Visa - the rewards become my "fun money" when we go to WDW, so I don't feel guilty.

The second card (currently SW) would become our card we put bills on (i.e. Daycare, phone bill, cable, etc.), so we probably wouldn't get any of the higher % that you mentioned.

I'll look into all of the cards you mentioned, though - thanks!

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

If you're thinking about the Chase Freedom, consider the Discover IT card. They're essentially the same thing however I think there are two benefits to IT. One is that with new customers there's an annual point doubling at the the end of your first year. Another thing is that you can redeem them for gift cards that are discounted. We eat at Chipotle often and I'll typically redeem my cash back for $50 Chipotle gift cards at a cost of $45. There are many gift cards that are even discounted at 20% off.

The only negative I see with the Discover IT card is that it isn't accepted everywhere. It is accepted MOST places but not everywhere. Other up on Chase Freedom is there are no foreign transaction fees with them and you get a free credit score every month. The IT is a great card with no annual fee.

 

[JaimeK]

I'm near Philly and we have the AA card (had the USAir car for many years). We go to San Diego once a year and AA is the only carrier that flies direct. You do pay an annual fee but you get 2 travel companion certificates that we have always made good use of. Say tickets are $500 each, instead of $2000 for the four of us we pay one at $500, 2 with the certificate ($100 each) and use miles for the 4th.

 

[sharona]

Get the Freedom card. Make sure you get at least the $150 bonus for signing up. If you look around the web, you may be able to find a link for a $200 sign up bonus.