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Credit Cards (1 Viewer)

RC94

RC94

Footballguy
Let's talk about credit cards.  How many active cards do you have?  What kinds (Amex, Visa, etc...)?  What rewards programs do you like the most?  What company do you like the most, (Capital One, Bank of America, etc...) in particular when it comes to customer service, but just in general as well?

 
have a ton right now just becuase of the initial points. 

sapphire and southwest card both from chase.  once those are done will go back to capital 1

points miles and free money

 
Amex prob has the best reputation for customer service. (I do not have one) But there usually isn't much need for customer service. You get a card, use it, pay it and most of the time never need to talk to anyone unless you lost the card or have a fraudulent transaction. Prob with Amex is most of them have annual fees and I see no reason to ever have a card with an annual fee. Discover is ok- but it is the least widely taken card and I can get better rewards as they do it. Visa/MC are pretty much interchangeable in 99% of locations as usually when you can use one- you can use the other.

I like to keep it simple to rewards cards. Cash back cards. The points and 'stuff' is too much hassle. % I get back is the best way and easiest to compare apples to apples. The only exception to this (also the exception to the annual fee rule too) in my eyes is if I end up traveling a lot more then I will look to get a travel rewards card. In my eyes, you need to either do a significant amount of travel for work or basically be retired to make a travel card make sense though.

A common myth is having too many cards is a bad thing. Not true. The people with the highest scores tend to have numerous cards (with no balances). You also don't want to close them- that can and often does hurt your credit. Usually the only time I suggest closing a card is if you have an annual fee and don't need/use the card.

 
I travel a bit for work. Marriott Chase is primary card. Great bonus when combined with Marriott platinum status. No international fees, few other decent perks. Decent card, probably could find one with more bang for the buck but with a fair amount of traveling and using this card I haven't paid for a hotel for personal travel in a long time and have a ton of points stock piled.

Pay for almost everything on this card and pay it off at the end of month. 

Really don't use cash unless I have to.

Also have a SPG Amex but really only use when staying at Starwoods, again for the bonus points. Decent card but AMEX is not accepted in as many places.

AMEX does have great customer service.

 
Bank of America Cash Rewards Preferred Platinum 5.25% cash back on Gas and 3.5% cash back on Groceries.

Bank of America Travel Preferred Platinum 2.625% cash back on everything else.  No international fees, no ATM fees unlimited, free bank box, 20% money market interest rate booster, no banking or overdraft fees and priority service.

 
Amex, my main user. I've got the gold, I don't travel enough to justify the $500 for the platinum. Pay it in full monthly, I've got tons of points, I actually used a bunch for materials at Home Depot during a remodel. 

Bank of America Visa, had it forever, rarely use it.

Mastercard Debit - Never use the debit unless cash back is needed.

So I've got 3 Amex, Visa, & MC basically to have my bases covered

:blackdot: to hear about travel cards

 
We have 2, an AMEX, which I tend to put everything on, unless it is not accepted and a debit ATM/Mastercard tied to our main checking account. The AMEX is paid in full each month, 99% of the time.

 
tonydead said:
Bank of America Cash Rewards Preferred Platinum 5.25% cash back on Gas and 3.5% cash back on Groceries.

Bank of America Travel Preferred Platinum 2.625% cash back on everything else.  No international fees, no ATM fees unlimited, free bank box, 20% money market interest rate booster, no banking or overdraft fees and priority service.
Click to expand...
lol @ the 20% bonus on their .03% interest rate.

The rest is nice though..not sure it is worth losing the 1%+ I get on savings elsewhere though.

eta - ah.. didn't see the Merrill Lynch option.  May have to look into this.  :thumbup:

 
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My main card is the Blue Cash from AMEX.

Also have a VISA from a credit union.

Im thinking about getting the Mastercard with the 2% , one when you buy, and pay.

We pay them off in full monthly.

 
I have two Capital One cards.  I use one of them for almost everything I buy for the cash rewards.  Pay it off every month.  The other one I rarely use.

 
jagbag said:
My main card is the Blue Cash from AMEX.

Also have a VISA from a credit union.

Im thinking about getting the Mastercard with the 2% , one when you buy, and pay.

We pay them off in full monthly.
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I have that, it's awesome. No annual fee and 2% back in total, so much better than rotating category BS with caps and all else 1%. 2% unlimited, and the price rewind is $$$ too. I bought ski equipment last fall for about $1000 and got a check for $200 back from them when I found a random website that offered the same stuff $200 cheaper within 60 days. So rules.

 
Venture. Use it for everything and payoff every month. Pays for a couple vacations for the family every year. Best customer service as well. 

 
The mastercard with the 1% on purchase and another 1% on payment sounds like the way to go.  I had seen the commercials, and thinking about it more it certainly sounds like the best one. 

 
I've got the Amazon Visa, through Chase.

It gives 3% cash back on any Amazon purchases (3rd party sellers included), 2% on gas and drug stores, 1% everything else. I shop mostly on Amazon, so the 3% was what hooked me.

 
swirvenirvin said:
sucks to not get free money
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I like free money too but I think some people buy things using a credit card they have no business buying and the money back can justify it even more.  For people who are not impulse buyers it's a great idea but the fact that it's even offered shows that for most people it's a bad idea.  Not saying this applies to you but it did with me at one time and I've found it easier to pay cash for everything.

 
I'm going to switch my daily consumer spending to the new Costco / Citi Visa when it goes online in june & the Amex stops. 

 
mquinnjr said:
I have that, it's awesome. No annual fee and 2% back in total, so much better than rotating category BS with caps and all else 1%. 2% unlimited, and the price rewind is $$$ too. I bought ski equipment last fall for about $1000 and got a check for $200 back from them when I found a random website that offered the same stuff $200 cheaper within 60 days. So rules.
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This is the card I have.  I'm also a "cash back" credit card guy, and this still appears to be the best deal IMO. Mine is the green/blue one through Citi.

 
DevilDog919 said:
I've got the Amazon Visa, through Chase.

It gives 3% cash back on any Amazon purchases (3rd party sellers included), 2% on gas and drug stores, 1% everything else. I shop mostly on Amazon, so the 3% was what hooked me.
Click to expand...
This is the only other card I use besides my cash back Citi.  I only use this card for Amazon purchases, and to set things up that won't get screwed up if my card is lost / stolen.  For example, the tolls for driving come out of this, and some other recurring payments.  Back when I used my chase MasterCard all the time, my number would get taken +2x a year.  I would end up forgetting I had gym membership/ tolls set up with that card, then end up having to pay $200-$300 to get caught up.

 
26 active cards currently between me and the wife.  More if you count authorized users.  Only one other person (so far) is doing this right.  Free travel.

 
tonydead said:
Bank of America Cash Rewards Preferred Platinum 5.25% cash back on Gas and 3.5% cash back on Groceries.

Bank of America Travel Preferred Platinum 2.625% cash back on everything else.  No international fees, no ATM fees unlimited, free bank box, 20% money market interest rate booster, no banking or overdraft fees and priority service.
Click to expand...
Do you have a link for these?

 
AAABatteries said:
I like free money too but I think some people buy things using a credit card they have no business buying and the money back can justify it even more.  For people who are not impulse buyers it's a great idea but the fact that it's even offered shows that for most people it's a bad idea.  Not saying this applies to you but it did with me at one time and I've found it easier to pay cash for everything.
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with paying off every month i always thought it was a debt card even though i dont own one.

they also just paid for our flights to disney next fall

 
I recommend using a CC, preferably a lower limit one, when getting gas instead of a debit card. You hear more and more stories of thieves using the skimmers at the gas pumps to steal your information. It's easy to fight when a CC is used versus a debit card..

 
Room and flights to Clearwater for a week with the family

Flight to Peru

Flight and room in NYC for a long weekend with the wife

Hawaii flight and room with the wife this summer

Plenty of points left over and still earning.

Sign up bonuses should return at least 50% of what you spend.

 
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eoMMan said:
I recommend using a CC, preferably a lower limit one, when getting gas instead of a debit card. You hear more and more stories of thieves using the skimmers at the gas pumps to steal your information. It's easy to fight when a CC is used versus a debit card..
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It is actually not a difference in 'fighting' it- you are covered against fraud in both cases. But the process is different and is one of the reasons why I use a rewards CC for literally everything. (the other reason being the rewards of course)

If you have an unauthorized transaction on a debit card- that money has come out of your account. Most people don't notice until things start going haywire on their account. So, from the point that S##T hits the fan the bank has up to a 10 day period to give a provisional credit to your account. Depending on how much, time of the month, your cash reserves in other accounts, etc that could mean a huge impact to your life. Now, vs a credit card- you see the transaction, report it and they kill that card and send you a new one. In the meantime you have money in your bank accounts for you to move forward in life with very little interruption.

I use my rewards credit card like my debit card. Every couple of days, I just on my online banking and review the transactions on the card. Then, I move money over from my checking account to cover the balance on the credit card. I do it this way because I was use to using my debit card and it is now the same with the only added step to jump online every few days. I do it this way as well because it is easy for me to review the activity and spot something that I did not do.

 
AAABatteries said:
I like free money too but I think some people buy things using a credit card they have no business buying and the money back can justify it even more.  For people who are not impulse buyers it's a great idea but the fact that it's even offered shows that for most people it's a bad idea.  Not saying this applies to you but it did with me at one time and I've found it easier to pay cash for everything.
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That sounds like an honest self-assessment.  Every card (debit or CC) that is used regularly will be hacked or swiped eventually.  That's the world we live in right now.  You probably know it is much harder to deal with fraudulent charges on a bank card than on a CC.  Are doing anything with your debit/bank account to reduce the usual risk?

 
I use Sallie Mae mastercard.  5% back on gas/groceries/bookstores (amazon counts) and 1% on everything else.  And I use fidelity rewards amex 2% on everything for non grocery/gas/amazon.  Things that don't fall under the 5% or take amex go to my fidelity rewards visa at 1.5%.  I think the Amex is being discontinued and they are making the Visa 2% so I will be down to 2 cards, but won't have an Amex for Costco.  On the plus side I think Costco is switching away from Amex and pretty much everyone takes Visa so I see the fidelity move as an upgrade.  Unfortunately the sallie mae is no more, but I think as long as you are already a member it will stay around.

 
VandyMan said:
That sounds like an honest self-assessment.  Every card (debit or CC) that is used regularly will be hacked or swiped eventually.  That's the world we live in right now.  You probably know it is much harder to deal with fraudulent charges on a bank card than on a CC.  Are doing anything with your debit/bank account to reduce the usual risk?
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Credit union member - in the 6 years I think we've had two incidents.  Got new cards and reimbursed immediately.  Been a few years or more since anything has happened.  I also don't keep much extra money in the account we use so it limits our exposure.

 
I am going to get another credit card and am debating between Capital One Quicksilver, Citi Double Cash, and Chase Freedom Unlimited.  I have an old visa that has an outdated rewards program that doesn't work for me anymore, although I am not going to cancel it, just not really use it anymore.  Not including my debit card which is also a visa, I only otherwise have an Amex and a corporate Amex so I can use another credit card.  The reason I am leaning towards the Capital One Quicksilver is because my current visa is also Capital One and they have good customer service.  The rewards programs for the cards I am debating about are similar so customer service is probably going to be the tie breaker.  Anyone have any experiences with the customer service departments for those companies?

 
RC94 said:
I am going to get another credit card and am debating between Capital One Quicksilver, Citi Double Cash, and Chase Freedom Unlimited.  I have an old visa that has an outdated rewards program that doesn't work for me anymore, although I am not going to cancel it, just not really use it anymore.  Not including my debit card which is also a visa, I only otherwise have an Amex and a corporate Amex so I can use another credit card.  The reason I am leaning towards the Capital One Quicksilver is because my current visa is also Capital One and they have good customer service.  The rewards programs for the cards I am debating about are similar so customer service is probably going to be the tie breaker.  Anyone have any experiences with the customer service departments for those companies?
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Consider US Bank Cash + over Chase Freedom. Similar but you choose what 5% you get while Chase tells you.

Customer service is not a big factor to me for cards. You actually talk to someone how often? For me, rather rarely thus no real feedback one way or the other.

 
Chadstroma said:
Consider US Bank Cash + over Chase Freedom. Similar but you choose what 5% you get while Chase tells you.

Customer service is not a big factor to me for cards. You actually talk to someone how often? For me, rather rarely thus no real feedback one way or the other.
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We've had a chase freedom for years now.  Would you switch?

 
FUBAR said:
We've had a chase freedom for years now.  Would you switch?
Click to expand...
Yes. The Cash + gives you a number of categories that you choose from each quarter to get your 5%. The limit on the 5% is higher too. Also, Chase alot of times will do a particular store instead of industry. I remember when it was Lowe's and I always use Home Depot so that sucked. If you want simple and just one card, I would go with US Bank Cash + over Chase Freedom. But if you want to maximize return there is no reason you can't have both and use whichever card you get the 5% in. 

I also plan on getting the Citi Costco card 4% gas everywhere and 2% at Costco. To be fair, the Sam's CC is better for gas at 5% but I use Costco and no Sam's nearby. I will be using that as our gas card and for Costco purchases.

 
Navy Federal Credit Union Visa gives 1.5% back on all purchases. 

Discover gives 1% on all purchases & quarterly 5% on certain segments. 5% on gas or home improvement for 3 months is great. Restaurants & travel less so since I don't travel much & we mostly eat at home.

Navy Fed just ran a 0% no fee balance transfer for a year deal too. 

 
You can now enroll in American Express Platinum and get 100K points with a $3K spend. That's up from the standard offer of 40K points. There's a $450 annual fee, but between the points, a $200 airline fee credit, free Global Entry (have kept putting it off), all the lounge access, upgrades in hotel status, etc it seems like it's well worth it for at least a year. Recap of benefits here.

Apparently the last time this offer came out it went quickly.

Link is below directly to the application. No referral link or anything (at least there doesn't appear to be, it's certainly not mine).

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/personal-card-application/platinum-charge-card/45680-10-0-9FDBCE6021906661337CD8A012DD6469F630B68437904BAA-200002-?om_rid=NwDghd&om_mid=_BWhgfQB8z9YWiL&om_lid=axp19

 
I know a lot of the bloggers are all over that, but $450 is a lot of $$ for a cc.  Unless you travel frequently, I think you're better off with a no annual fee (or first year waived) and less points.  I believe 75K bonus MR points are frequently available for the gold card.

 
RUSF18 said:
You can now enroll in American Express Platinum and get 100K points with a $3K spend. That's up from the standard offer of 40K points. There's a $450 annual fee, but between the points, a $200 airline fee credit, free Global Entry (have kept putting it off), all the lounge access, upgrades in hotel status, etc it seems like it's well worth it for at least a year. Recap of benefits here.

Apparently the last time this offer came out it went quickly.

Link is below directly to the application. No referral link or anything (at least there doesn't appear to be, it's certainly not mine).

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/personal-card-application/platinum-charge-card/45680-10-0-9FDBCE6021906661337CD8A012DD6469F630B68437904BAA-200002-?om_rid=NwDghd&om_mid=_BWhgfQB8z9YWiL&om_lid=axp19
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maybe for you first class world trend setters.  For us lowly bumpkins, we'd never use any of those things (in bold). 

 
FUBAR said:
maybe for you first class world trend setters.  For us lowly bumpkins, we'd never use any of those things (in bold). 
Click to expand...
Do you buy stuff on Amazon? You can turn that $200 airline credit into a $200 Amazon gift card almost immediately.

 
tonydead said:
Bank of America Cash Rewards Preferred Platinum 5.25% cash back on Gas and 3.5% cash back on Groceries.

Bank of America Travel Preferred Platinum 2.625% cash back on everything else.  No international fees, no ATM fees unlimited, free bank box, 20% money market interest rate booster, no banking or overdraft fees and priority service.
Click to expand...
Best deal in the credit card world if you're rich enough to keep 100k with them

 
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