May close out my AMEX card

[tulak]

I'm looking at the Chase Freedom website and they state the 5% is only from 7/1-9/31. Is the end of the year bonus only for existing card holders?

Reading the website some more, it looks like you have to activate the card every quarter. I'm guessing that after 9/31 you then activate it for Q4?

Also, how do the points transfer to Sapphire? Does the cash back accrue and then you can transfer the balance to Sapphire points?

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I'm looking at the Chase Freedom website and they state the 5% is only from 7/1-9/31. Is the end of the year bonus only for existing card holders?

Reading the website some more, it looks like you have to activate the card every quarter. I'm guessing that after 9/31 you then activate it for Q4?

Also, how do the points transfer to Sapphire? Does the cash back accrue and then you can transfer the balance to Sapphire points?

The categories rotate quarterly, but they are normally the same categories year after year. Activating them is very easy, they email a reminder and you click a link...no log on required.

Couldn't tell you about transferring points, though.

Sent via mobile device. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

 

[Sarah in SC]

If you have the sapphire and the freedom, your points show up aggregated on the Chase homepage. Once you go to ultimate rewards, you can choose which account to view, and then combine points under the sapphire. It happens instantly. Just like when you transfer points from a spouse's card, once you set that up.

 

[Dreaming of Freedom]

What are the benefits of the Fidelity Visa? I am looking at switching up my Visa cards, and possibly getting the Costco Visa. I hope that closing and opening credit cards does not ding my 800+ credit score too much. I need good credit to possibly get a loan for an investment property next year.

 

[tulak]

If you have the sapphire and the freedom, your points show up aggregated on the Chase homepage. Once you go to ultimate rewards, you can choose which account to view, and then combine points under the sapphire. It happens instantly. Just like when you transfer points from a spouse's card, once you set that up.

Nice. Thanks for the info. Even though I hate juggling multiple cards, it's probably time to get over it and start maximizing some of the benefits.

 

[audreyh1]

If you have the sapphire and the freedom, your points show up aggregated on the Chase homepage. Once you go to ultimate rewards, you can choose which account to view, and then combine points under the sapphire. It happens instantly. Just like when you transfer points from a spouse's card, once you set that up.

Do you need both cards to make this work?

It's the Freedom card with the large cash rewards category in this case.

But does the Sapphire card get enough rewards categories on it's own that it's good for accumulating miles?

 

[Done]

What are the benefits of the Fidelity Visa?

Fidelity Visa gives 2% cash back on everything, paid to an existing or free Fidelity account. I'll use Costco Visa for anything > 2% (4% gas, 3% travel and restaurants) and Fidelity Visa everywhere else. Could add a card for rotating categories but that increases card juggling.

 

[Sarah in SC]

As others have mentioned, the sapphire is the only card I keep, paying the annual fee every year. The sign up bonus for it was very good, and I picked it up for me and DH a few years ago, cancelling his at the year mark. It has a lot of good features, including primary rental car insurance, the double warranty period, no foreign transaction fees, and ability to use points for all or a portion of travel booked on the ultimate rewards portal. Oh, and the 1:1 transfer of points to airlines and hotels. That's a biggie.
As I understand it, you need both cards to transfer points from the freedom to ultimate rewards, but because I had the sapphire first, I honestly don't know that for sure.

 

[gauss]

My late father had a Cosco AMEX card with 0 balance that I cancelled after his death.

AMEX was very interested, when I spoke to them on the phone, in having the account maintained and transferred into my name.

I had zero interest in this and was firm in my request to close the account.

-gauss