already got it

9/8/2013 8:57:37 AM

Have you checked out the card listings here? http://millionmilesecrets.com/

9/8/2013 10:28:14 AM

yes usually - I just didn't know if there any big promos going right now

9/8/2013 12:39:26 PM

There are, but it's a secret

9/10/2013 10:43:39 AM

Figured - I just went with the delta card

9/10/2013 11:49:53 AM

Thinking about breaking into the credit card rewards/offers/strategies game...but where to start??

Currently have a BofA signature Visa card that I've been using for years. I rack up points and buy toys for myself (ipods, TVs, etc). Currently have enough points right now to buy something in the $2,000 range or just trade in for cash. After I do that, I'm thinking of shopping around for a better rewards card...what should I get?

I like the idea of the games everyone in here seems to be playing...but I'm kind of turned off by all of the work involved. So maybe I'm looking for something similar? I like using just one card, but I think I can switch it up between two or three if it can really maximize my rewards. I don't normally do a lot of flying, but that is starting to change. Would like a card that gives good airline miles if possible.

I also pay off my credit card immediately, so interest rates are not an issue.

9/10/2013 11:58:32 AM

You need to target a card based on the type of rewards you want... Cash/airfare/hotel stay

what is your preference?

9/10/2013 12:13:44 PM

Churning is a lot of work. There's a big difference between getting a card for a sign up bonus vs getting a good rewards cards. Most of the cards I get I ditch after I get the bonus aside from Chase Ink and Chase Freedom. I started off just wanting cash back before I switched to airlines, and then eventually hotels. Just because you want to fly doesn't mean you have to get an airlines card. You can usually transfer over chase points at a higher value to airlines, so I'd probably start there. Aside from that, if you're looking for domestic travel Southwest usually has the best sign up bonus (50K about half the year). For international travel I'd probably go with citi's American airlines card (50K pts as well) However, if you're just looking to use 1-2 cards indefinitely I'd hone in on the ones with 5% rotating categories and/or 2-3% yearly pt return on things you use often whether it be restaurants, groceries, gas, etc.

9/10/2013 12:19:34 PM

Probably airfare and cash? My traveling is probably split pretty evenly between domestic and international. We have a yearly vacation to the Caribbean and then hit up Boston and NY a decent amount.

So I should look for a specific card for airlines miles and then do a Chase card for overall rewards? Then just try and split my purchases 50/50 between the two (or until I reach a certain goal of miles)??

9/10/2013 12:34:04 PM

Hard credit pulls stay on your report for 24 months and affect your score negatively for 12 months, is this correct?

9/10/2013 12:52:13 PM

The 24 month thing is correct. Not familiar with the 12 moth thing. My scores usually rebound several months after the initial hit which isn't even that large to begin with.

9/10/2013 1:30:01 PM

^^^

I think southwest goes to all of those destinations so I'd look into that card when they do their 50K bonus, however I think the rewards are pretty minimal after that. Mostly 1 mile per point equal to about 1.67 cents. I wouldn't split my purchases 50/50 just for shits and giggles. For example, right now Chase Freedom is 5% gas so all gas goes on that. Phone and Cable are 5% from Chase Ink Bold so those expenses go on that card. Also, with Chase Rewards, you get an extra 25% if you book travel via them, so it's usually my goto card if I'm not churning something else.

9/10/2013 1:36:45 PM

Quote :

"Well what is it showing up as now?"

Only checked a few, but they are showing 1.9 cents/points to 2.1 cents/point now.

Quote :

"However, if you're just looking to use 1-2 cards indefinitely I'd hone in on the ones with 5% rotating categories and/or 2-3% yearly pt return on things you use often whether it be restaurants, groceries, gas, etc."

Personally I don't like those rotating category cards as much. You can do a lot with just two cards, that work on the same categories all year:

Penfed Rewards: 5% gas, 3% groceries
Citi Forward: 5% restaurants, 5% Amazon

I recently got the Ink Bold for the sign up bonus, but the 5% on utilities/cable/phone is pretty stout so I'll probably hang on to that one long term too.

The Freedom does 5% on groceries and home improvement every now and then, so I'll jump on that when I notice it.

9/10/2013 1:50:19 PM

Hot damn.

http://boardingarea.com/frequentmiler/2013/06/07/more-value-from-southwest-points/

9/10/2013 1:57:46 PM

PenFed just sent me a notice that they're gonna start tacking on a $25 annual fee to continue using their card. I'm not sure how I feel about that just yet.

9/14/2013 12:53:25 AM

^they're also devaluing the points (if that's the version of the card you have) by upping the redemption prices on their rewards site.

On the cash card, I've heard they are making gas 3% and eliminating the 1% everywhere else soon, too.

In other words, might be time to find a new gas card soon.

[Edited on September 14, 2013 at 9:30 AM. Reason : o]

9/14/2013 9:29:36 AM

Quote :

"Hard credit pulls stay on your report for 24 months and affect your score negatively for 12 months, is this correct?"

This makes up less than 10% of your credit score, and the major impact is from more recent inquiries.

The #1 thing you can do to boost your score is to have available credit. The whole credit scoring system was designed by the lenders to force debt down your throat as long as you can handle it. If the amount of credit you have used is more than 1/3 of what is available it pushes your scores down.

9/14/2013 10:10:30 AM

^^The Penfed Platinum Cash Rewards card hasn't had a 1% for all other purchases in a while (it is now 0.25%). You can keep 5% for gas and avoid the annual fee if you have a qualifying product.

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/finance/1296555/

9/15/2013 1:07:18 PM

I just opened the Barclays Sallie Mae card.

5% back on groceries ($250 in purchases a month), gas ($250 in purchases a month), and books ($750 a month).


I got it mostly for gas since the BP card became lame last year when they took away the 5%. I already have the Amex Blue Cash Everyday (the no AF version) so any grocery purchases in excess of $250 will get 3% back.

9/15/2013 9:20:33 PM

My reward program just switched to 1.5% cashback on everything! Was 1% plus a yearly bonus of 50% of all cashback earned. Basically its the same deal just just don't have to wait a year to get the extra 0.5% cashback.

9/15/2013 9:36:51 PM

^Capital One?

9/15/2013 9:38:11 PM

Yar.

QuickSilver rewards.

[Edited on September 15, 2013 at 9:42 PM. Reason : /]

9/15/2013 9:39:46 PM

That's what I have too because they bought my HSBC account. It was 2% on weekends and 1% during the week. I like it better this way because HSBC wouldn't credit my account right half the time and it was a hassle to time big purchases to be on Saturday or Sunday.

9/15/2013 9:58:36 PM

Indeed that is much less of a hassle. Happy 1.5% woo hoo!

9/15/2013 10:03:55 PM

Just picked up an REI card. $100 gift card when you sign up and 5% back on purchases at REI on top of the already 10% back so you end up getting 15% back each year.

-oh and no annual fee.

[Edited on September 15, 2013 at 10:04 PM. Reason : s]

9/15/2013 10:04:38 PM

Yeah but still not a good deal since everything at REI is 584584% more expensive than online

9/16/2013 6:33:28 AM

woops accidental double post.

[Edited on September 16, 2013 at 1:29 PM. Reason : s]

9/16/2013 1:27:46 PM

They typically use the msrp of a product so it's going to be slightly cheaper than online but after 15% it evens out.

Not to mention their 1 year return policy on anything and 20-30% off sales they have every season. Buying a pair of $250 boots at 20% off from REI and being able to return them in store if they don't work out is way better than dealing with trying to return them online after using them.

9/16/2013 1:28:43 PM

Quote :

"I just opened the Barclays Sallie Mae card. 5% back on groceries ($250 in purchases a month), gas ($250 in purchases a month), and books ($750 a month). I got it mostly for gas since the BP card became lame last year when they took away the 5%. I already have the Amex Blue Cash Everyday (the no AF version) so any grocery purchases in excess of $250 will get 3% back."

Hmmm. I may consider this as an alternative to the PenFed Visa, then. The only thing which I use a credit card for is gas. There's maybe an occasional order placed for something online, but they're usually just really small expenses.

9/16/2013 2:28:47 PM

I'm in a similar situation to jbrick. I only use one credit card and I use it strictly for rewards. I only get 1% back and it's in the form of gift cards. I'd like to switch to something else to maximize the rewards. All I care about is cash back/gift cards as I rarely fly and I earn hotel points with my company.

I don't have to spend much on gas as I have a company vehicle so I spend most of my discretionary income on groceries, Amazon/online shopping, warehouse clubs, and restaurants. I pay all my bills (at least the ones that don't charge a CC fee) on this one credit card. My spend is between $1500-$2500/mo. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

9/16/2013 3:43:59 PM

^ Have you read through any of this thread yet? It takes a little work ya know

[Edited on September 16, 2013 at 3:57 PM. Reason : also: http://staging.millionmilesecrets.com/credit-cards/]

9/16/2013 3:56:02 PM

So I have a Marriott Chase card that I completed the spend on around 3 months ago. If I close it tomorrow, how long should I wait until applying for it again?

9/16/2013 5:25:13 PM

^^ I've read some, but some of you guys are hard core and I was hoping some of you might have some obvious choices. No big deal. I'll look around, I just did not want to spend a few hours going through flyertalk and what not threads.

9/16/2013 5:36:19 PM

^^I don't think they'll let you apply for it for at least a year right? That's my primary card though for work expenses. I have platinum and mad points at Marriott.

9/16/2013 6:00:06 PM

I typically wait a minimum of 3 months before re-applying with an issuer. I have gotten away with much less, but only in cases where I thought a promo would be going away.

9/17/2013 8:39:16 AM

^ for the same card? I thought it was a standard 12 month wait to get the bonus now.

9/17/2013 8:42:13 AM

I never really do the credit card games, but I jumped on the Southwest one in mid-July. Opened up two personal cards and hit the bonuses on each, giving me enough for a companion pass which came in the mail yesterday. That basically gave me enough points for 8 round trip tickets (50,000 points on each card, plus points from spending and the companion pass lets one person fly free). I already booked Connecticut after Christmas (paid $20 total in fees for my husband and I) and Vegas is booked for January ($10 total for my husband and I). As far as credit card deals go, it's really hard to beat that one.

9/17/2013 12:30:30 PM

^yeah I'm nervously awaiting the offer to come back around - hopefully it does!!

9/17/2013 4:59:37 PM

Quote :

"I thought it was a standard 12 month wait to get the bonus now."

Can anyone confirm/comment on this?

9/17/2013 5:52:31 PM

I'm new to the churn game so that could be way off so I'd also like to hear other people comment.

I've just been dealing with Amex cards at first and I read somewhere that they have a 12 month rule for all their cards and I got the impression it was that way for most other cards as well.

9/17/2013 8:08:58 PM

Quote :

"Chase offers 50,000 Bonus Points with Southwest Airlines Premier Credit Card Approval after spending $2000 within the first 3 months of opening your account. Points are redeemable for 2 Roundtrip Flights. Thanks mrredskin Note, please refer to Pricing & Terms for more information. There is a $99 annual membership fee (not waived for first year), but you get 6,000 points when you renew your card. Also available Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card 50k Points for 2 Roundtrip Flights After Spending $2000 Within First 3 Months of Account Opening $99 annual membership fee (not waived for first year) + 6,000 points when you renew your card. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus Card 50k Points for 2 Roundtrip Flights After Spending $2000 Within First 3 Months of Account Opening $69 annual membership fee (not waived for first year) + 3,000 points when you renew your card."

http://slickdeals.net/f/6286500-two-roundtrip-flights-with-new-southwest-airlines-premier-credit-card-approval-for-2000-spent-within-first-3-months-50k-points

[Edited on September 18, 2013 at 2:08 PM. Reason : How long is this going to be on? Trying to wait and earn my points in 2014 for the CP...]

9/18/2013 2:07:31 PM

I had one of the Southwest cards around 3 years ago, got the points, and cancelled...does anyone know how soon you can get the same card again, or should I just be safe and apply for 2 of the other ones?

9/18/2013 2:22:41 PM

I was told once you had the SW card, you can't ever get the promotion points again with that same card

[Edited on September 18, 2013 at 3:23 PM. Reason : ]

9/18/2013 3:20:46 PM

^^^me too

9/18/2013 11:39:48 PM

Your best bet is to apply in October to be able to get CP through 2015. It's only two weeks away so I would say your chances of the deal still being around are good.

9/19/2013 8:57:24 AM

Quote :

"I just opened the Barclays Sallie Mae card"

Got mine in the mail yesterday

9/19/2013 9:50:53 AM

The T&Cs for the Southwest card say that you can only get the bonus once.

Reality, at least for me, has always been much different with Chase cards.

Your Mileage May Vary.

9/19/2013 9:58:27 AM

Don't they have 4 dif ones anyway?

9/19/2013 2:52:59 PM

yes but now I realize I forgot which of the two non-business ones I got last time...I assume the better of the two since that's what's generally advertised first

9/19/2013 3:00:17 PM

Quote :

"We want to inform you of an upcoming change to the Rapid Rewards® Program that will affect the number of points needed for reward travel. Wanna Get Away® reward flight bookings made on or after March 31, 2014 will require 70 points per dollar. This is an increase from the 60 points per dollar currently required. Anytime and Business Select® reward flight redemption rates, as well as the points per dollar you earn when flying, will remain the same as they are today."

9/23/2013 4:18:40 PM