Help. I deserve credit card rewards!

[audreyh1]

That is ridiculous... bad AMEX!

It’s true. All Walmart stores are considered warehouse stores and are excluded as not a grocery store. Same with Costco, Target, etc.

 

[Chuckanut]

It’s true. All Walmart stores are considered warehouse stores and are excluded as not a grocery store. Same with Costco, Target, etc.

The Fred Meyer store near me is also not a grocery store. About 1/3 of its space is dedicated to groceries.

 

[PatrickA5]

Our 2023 cash back is as follows:

Fidelity 2% $1,054.12

CapOne Walmart 5% $434.91

Chase Amazon 5% $278.33

Other $219

We also used points/miles valued at $10,631. About 60% of that was Hyatt in NYC for 2 rooms for 5 days.

 

[Jenna]

We use Chase Sapphire Preferred. They transfer to lots of partners. We use our to fly business class/lie flat to Europe. Huge value

 

[foxcreek9]

It’s true. All Walmart stores are considered warehouse stores and are excluded as not a grocery store. Same with Costco, Target, etc.

Amex codes Walmart grocery pickup as grocery, so 6% for Blue Preferred. BOA codes Walmart grocery pickup as online, so 5.25% if you have the 75% bump from ML.

 

[Stwicky]

I am in the Chase Ultimate Rewards points ecosystem for the majority of our credit card spending. My return this year is valued at $10,787 which included 4.5 domestic airline tickets, 1 international ticket, 29 Hotel nights, and 6 rental car days. If I have to use a card that just give me cash I use a Capital one 2% cash back card. I find thought that Chase UR points gives me a much better return than 2%.

This sounds right up our alley. We travel lots and airline, lounge, hotel, and car are always appreciated.

 

[Stwicky]

OP - Did you pay off the CC statement fully each month ?

What CC do you currently have ?

We pay off the card in full every month. I've never rolled over a credit card payment, now that I think of it. We have a USAA visa rewards card. I don't know how this card compares to others, but I'm no inclined to find out.

 

[Bossman]

Rewards cards

I spent $180,000 with my credit card last year. Lots but not unusual. Certainly I am missing out on a rewards credit card. But which one gives me the best benefits? I want the best cash rewards. Help.

My primary (go to) card is the Fidelity Rewards Visa card which requires you to deposit the cash back to a Fidelity brokerage account. It pays 2% on everything with no foreign transaction charges. If you also have a managed account with Fidelity, the cash back will range from 2.25 to 3.0 percent, depending upon how much money is being managed.

The brokerage account defaults to a money market fund (SPAXX) that currently pays 5.02%. Depending upon how much cash you have in the account and/or monies managed by Fidelity, you can access premium money market accounts that pay up to 5.37%.

Bottom line, cash rewards compounded can quickly add up to real money.

 

[Drake3287]

$180k and no rewards? That would kill me! I don't charge that much but I do charge EVERYTHING possible for cash rewards with my BofA Travel Rewards Visa Card. I average $3,000 in cash back each year. And yes, I pay it off in full each month.

I cringe when I'm at places like Costco and see people paying with cash. What a waste of free money back! There's not any one cash reward card that's best for everyone, takes a lot of homework to pick the one that works best for you.

 

[audreyh1]

Amex codes Walmart grocery pickup as grocery, so 6% for Blue Preferred. BOA codes Walmart grocery pickup as online, so 5.25% if you have the 75% bump from ML.

Thanks for that tip. I’ve noticed that BofA is pretty generous with what they classify as online. Even my monthly internet service appears as an online purchase.

The elected category though has a $2500 per quarter limit. We ran into that in Dec. DH ordered a very expensive desk chair.

 

[11522914]

I am in the Chase Ultimate Rewards points ecosystem for the majority of our credit card spending. My return this year is valued at $10,787 which included 4.5 domestic airline tickets, 1 international ticket, 29 Hotel nights, and 6 rental car days. If I have to use a card that just give me cash I use a Capital one 2% cash back card. I find thought that Chase UR points gives me a much better return than 2%.

+100

So many opportunities with Chase Ultimate Rewards points over a variety of no annual fee credit cards. With just a little effort you can get way more value than 2% cashback card. And if you're willing to initially pay an annual fee Chase has incredible bonus deals. But if you don't want to expend any effort then Doctor of Credit or Frequent Miler provides a list of cashback credit cards.

 

[FlaMariner]

We use the Bank of America Premium Rewards Card.....because of our $$$ at BofA/Merril (for all except gas/groceries):

3.50% cash back for travel/dining
2.63% everything else

We use Verizon Visa for groceries and gas (and Verizon bill):

4.00% towards Verizon bill for gas/groceries purchases
2.00% for Verizon phone bill payment

It all adds up to real money (more than our WR).

 

[FiveDriver]

OP -- does your $180K spend include a majority in any one category ?

Scanning this thread, I didn't notice any mention of CitiCard's Custom Cash which offers 5% Cash Back on your major category each month. We use this Card exclusively for Groceries, so all spending at Teeters. Publix. et al gets a 5% kick back.

Makes our Grocery Budget easy to track. And we cashed in the entire year around Christmas....so that was a nice perk.

 

[Sunset]

OP -- does your $180K spend include a majority in any one category ?

Scanning this thread, I didn't notice any mention of CitiCard's Custom Cash which offers 5% Cash Back on your major category each month. We use this Card exclusively for Groceries, so all spending at Teeters. Publix. et al gets a 5% kick back.

Makes our Grocery Budget easy to track. And we cashed in the entire year around Christmas....so that was a nice perk.

That is a nice card, I got it 3 months ago and use it only for groceries as that is my normal monthly big expense, which is still to little.

When I signed up, they gave a $200 bonus for getting it and spending $1,500 in 6 months.
I'm still working on the 6 month goal

 

[Dtail]

We use 3 BOA cash rewards cards with no fees and receive 5.25% on our selected categories, which is maxed out every quarter at 2,500. At this level, one must have at least 100k in BOA/ML.
For all our other spending, we use the BOA Premium rewards card which at the platinum (100k) level, gives us 2.6% on all purchases. It does have a yearly fee of $95, but also a $100 baggage claim credit, so effectively no fee.

 

[Sunset]

^^^^^^^ I have 2 of the BOA cash reward cards with no fees and the 5.25 % reward.

It was from this site, that I learned from a smarter member that I could get two of the same CC.

I also have another BOA cc that pays 2.6% back without any fee, as my default CC.

I feel well set up with 3 CC's that pay a minimum of 5% back, but I need to increase my spending to take advantage of it

 

[RoyDornoch]

Alliant has 2.5% cash back on first $10,000 each month if you pair with a savings account. We do a $10 monthly automatic draft into the saving account to keep it qualifying. Pairing that with a Sam's card, Amazon card, and maybe even Blue Cash for groceries is a good mix.

 

[calmloki]

^^^^^^^ I have 2 of the BOA cash reward cards with no fees and the 5.25 % reward.

It was from this site, that I learned from a smarter member that I could get two of the same CC.

I also have another BOA cc that pays 2.6% back without any fee, as my default CC.

I feel well set up with 3 CC's that pay a minimum of 5% back, but I need to increase my spending to take advantage of it

Just chaps my hide to read about the BofA 2.6% cash back cards. Tried really hard to keep one, but after over six months of messed up BofA draws for auto-payment of the bill I severed connection. May look into Roy Dornoch's Alliant recommendation.

 

[temartin]

We use 3 BOA cash rewards cards with no fees and receive 5.25% on our selected categories, which is maxed out every quarter at 2,500. At this level, one must have at least 100k in BOA/ML.
For all our other spending, we use the BOA Premium rewards card which at the platinum (100k) level, gives us 2.6% on all purchases. It does have a yearly fee of $95, but also a $100 baggage claim credit, so effectively no fee.

That's exactly what we do!

Plus an Abound card for 5% on gas, Chase Amazon for 5% there, and keep Discover and Chase Freedom for rotating 5% categories.

 

[Dtail]

Just chaps my hide to read about the BofA 2.6% cash back cards. Tried really hard to keep one, but after over six months of messed up BofA draws for auto-payment of the bill I severed connection. May look into Roy Dornoch's Alliant recommendation.

I also have this card and just pay it off online monthly from my checking account. It is 30 seconds of work.
Unless you mean other types of bills for auto payment.

 

[teej1985]

Just chaps my hide to read about the BofA 2.6% cash back cards. Tried really hard to keep one, but after over six months of messed up BofA draws for auto-payment of the bill I severed connection. May look into Roy Dornoch's Alliant recommendation.

How did BofA screw up the auto pay?

 

[audreyh1]

I’ve never had trouble with BofA credit card autopayment. I have it set up as an ebill (push) at my BofA checking. They are configured to pay the statement balance 1 day before due date. 2 cards. It has always been seamless.

 

[Sunset]

Just chaps my hide to read about the BofA 2.6% cash back cards. Tried really hard to keep one, but after over six months of messed up BofA draws for auto-payment of the bill I severed connection. May look into Roy Dornoch's Alliant recommendation.

I just put some stock in Merrill Lynch broker and linked it to the BOA. In the BOA bank I just have a checking account and keep a small amount there I don't use to avoid fees.

I do all my banking at another bank and pay my BOA CC's from that other bank.

So I don't really use the BOA bank much. Love their CC's

 

[KarenF]

It depends on if you want cash back or travel rewards. You get more bang for your buck with travel rewards/points. We are flying to Rome business class and staying in a very nice hotel in Rome all on points earned with everyday spending. 10x Travel has a free course and recommended credit cards.

 

[Tracer]

My primary (go to) card is the Fidelity Rewards Visa card which requires you to deposit the cash back to a Fidelity brokerage account. It pays 2% on everything with no foreign transaction charges. If you also have a managed account with Fidelity, the cash back will range from 2.25 to 3.0 percent, depending upon how much money is being managed.

The brokerage account defaults to a money market fund (SPAXX) that currently pays 5.02%. Depending upon how much cash you have in the account and/or monies managed by Fidelity, you can access premium money market accounts that pay up to 5.37%.

Bottom line, cash rewards compounded can quickly add up to real money.

Fidelity Rewards Visa is my go to card as well which I'm getting 2.25% cashback. Over 90% of all my purchases and bills are paid on that card.

I also use Amazon Chase for Amazon purchases only (5%)
and PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa for gas only (5%).

I was using my AMEX for 5% on my cell phone bill until T-Mobile changed their discount policy.

The rewards do add up over time.