I had to go back and skim through the last 2 days as my notifications were missing posts. (
@SouthFayetteFan thread moving fast enough for ya again? hehe)
So I reached back a bit for a couple topics.
Just focusing on groceries I think
@platamama and
@wendow make good cases for the BCP card. If you spend at least $1600 per year at grocery stores that will cover the AF, so then anything else is profit. Throw in 3% at gas stations and some dept stores and that should be a good card to hang on to. If the AF still seems high given your anticipated spend the BCE does 3% at grocery and 2% at gas / some dept stores for no fee. 3% on up to 6k per year is still pretty good.
Since you're out on Chase, so no Freedom, next closest is Discover it. They changed the sign up bonus to a statement credit rather than cashback, but since all your cashback is doubled in the first year from the cashback match, if you can max out the 5% categories that's still $600 just from the categories. I've been throwing everything onto it that doesn't have a category on another card since I'm in my first year, so I have a 2% on everything card for now. Gas and Restaurants seem pretty consistent as quarterly categories for them. Grocery may come and go but since it's this quarter's category you could take advantage.
You mentioned business expenses, and if you want to get back into Chase cards, business cards may be a good avenue; but probably won't help with the grocery dilemma. Most AmEx business cards do MR points or are Hotel/Airline cards. If you have a use for MR points They have a cash option but since there's no sign up bonus and I never see it mentioned anywhere, and no experience myself, I'm not really recommending it just pointing it out
Since they automatically give you the stmt credit each month there's more accounting involved to the savings with that one.
I'm not familiar with anyone else because of bad experiences in the past we stay away from Citi, BoA and Cap1
But the math presented already by
@platamama seems compelling and may be worth a Chase slot.
We stayed at Holiday Inn Express & Suites Cocoa on Tucker Ln. We got upgraded because of the IHG card platinum status so I can't speak to a regular room but the jacuzzi suite was nice
But I realize time flies, this was our 2014 cruise. We did the Budget one way rental from WDW to get there and back to MCO.
I think someone touched on this already, but I now try to find a domestic partner to use a FF account. Otherwise you wind up with bits and bobs of miles in random airlines that will probably expire before you can figure out how to use them. Even if the earn rate is worse, if you can't use them again the better earn rate still doesn't get you anywhere. We bought tickets from BA once for a AA flight. This was around the time of the AA/US Air merger. I did have a BA account so being dopey I added my BA account to the booking instead of making a AA account. (Totally wasn't thinking) That account would have eventually merged with my US Air account and I may have actually had enough points to do something... but instead I had two accounts with piddly balances.
This is an excellent point about Chip & Pin. So far my only Chip & Pin card is my Target MC, which while it would work internationally, I think I'd be missing out on a bunch of rewards by using it. I thought everyone was supposed to hop on board the Pin train but it's been very slow out of the station still. Definitely something to consider.
This was kind of my first thought when
@CyndiLouWho mentioned it, I was thinking "well that'll learn them real fast". While I dig my Discover cards I don't think I'll be meme-ing "Discover and Debit FTW!" any time soon.
I was going to mention the
Amazon reload but I think
@Lain beat my .26 reload after our last WDW trip was done. But I think the minimum amount now is 50 cents. So for really small balances might have to try a retail store. I know I've done 2 VGC's plus a real credit card at Target without an issue.
I replied to the SM and stated my disappointment in being denied a match to the higher offer, especially in light of the the anniversary night certificate being devalued before I'd even earned one. (It's still unclear if they are grandfathering new accounts in to the unrestricted certificate, right?) I'm actually not too sad about it, because a match would add $1K more to the large MSR I have to do in the next 3 months, but at the same time I always want more points! LOL.
