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Started By
Message
Best Credit Card for me
Posted on 1/26/18 at 7:10 am
Posted on 1/26/18 at 7:10 am
I currently have the AMEX Platinum and the Barclay Arrival Plus. I’d like to add a third and final card to these or possibly replace the Arrival Plus. Below I listed some thoughts and other things to consider for my options.
-I would like to maximize travel benefits with this new card. My wife and I both travel a lot so racking up points or travel credits is how we can best maximize our spending I think. Not seeing any cash back options out there that even come close to the travel benefits.
-AMEX card is used for booking flights when current points won’t cover it because it’s 3x the rewards
-AMEX is also used for Uber obviously
-Almost all other purchases are put on the Arrival plus since its 2points per dollar and I get back 5% when it’s used for travel
-Would like my next card to be a Visa, mainly because I will be spending a good bit each month at Costco and all they take for CCs is Visa
-Still TBD if this will be my third card or replace the Arrival Plus, mainly because I currently get all annual fees waived for active military but Barclay is about to change that. When I get the AF applied in March I plan to call and try to get it waived again but if they don’t I might just canx the card on principle alone... When I signed up they told me no AF for 1st year and that it would be waived after that for military. If they take that back it’ll irritate me a bit.
Sorry for the long post but just looking for some input/thoughts before I make a move. Reading TPG only helps so much.
-I would like to maximize travel benefits with this new card. My wife and I both travel a lot so racking up points or travel credits is how we can best maximize our spending I think. Not seeing any cash back options out there that even come close to the travel benefits.
-AMEX card is used for booking flights when current points won’t cover it because it’s 3x the rewards
-AMEX is also used for Uber obviously
-Almost all other purchases are put on the Arrival plus since its 2points per dollar and I get back 5% when it’s used for travel
-Would like my next card to be a Visa, mainly because I will be spending a good bit each month at Costco and all they take for CCs is Visa
-Still TBD if this will be my third card or replace the Arrival Plus, mainly because I currently get all annual fees waived for active military but Barclay is about to change that. When I get the AF applied in March I plan to call and try to get it waived again but if they don’t I might just canx the card on principle alone... When I signed up they told me no AF for 1st year and that it would be waived after that for military. If they take that back it’ll irritate me a bit.
Sorry for the long post but just looking for some input/thoughts before I make a move. Reading TPG only helps so much.
This post was edited on 1/26/18 at 7:13 am
3
Posted on 1/26/18 at 7:16 am to Drew Orleans
Chase Sapphire Reserve FTW
50K bonus
3X Travel
Some of best travel protection coverage in the business
$300 travel credit per card year
50K bonus
3X Travel
Some of best travel protection coverage in the business
$300 travel credit per card year
Posted on 1/26/18 at 7:21 am to macatak911
Yeah, that’s the one I’m leaning towards.
Checking on the AF policy and their 1point per dollar spent on almost everything has me slightly wary.
Checking on the AF policy and their 1point per dollar spent on almost everything has me slightly wary.
Posted on 1/26/18 at 7:25 am to macatak911
unregard
This post was edited on 1/26/18 at 8:23 am
Posted on 1/26/18 at 12:05 pm to Drew Orleans
Since you shop at Costco get their Visa card. I have one and believe it is 4% back on Costco gasoline and 2% on everything else purchased from Costco.
Posted on 1/26/18 at 12:15 pm to Drew Orleans
CSR is also 3x on dining.
Amex plat is 5x on travel btw not the 3x you listed.
The CSR does share a lot of the same travel benefits as the amex plat but depending on how you use both I think you can come out ahead holding both cards. Obviously you would be spending $1000 on just the annual fee tho. Otherwise pick one or the other.You missed on the 100k signup for the CSR that was really the time to strike.
A lot of people double up on the southwest CCs to get the companion pass. You probably wouldn't want to do this and also hold onto the amex plat.
If you fly strictly Delta (which you should if you have the amex plat) I would prob look into one of their amex branded cards and go for status if you are travelling enough.
Amex plat is 5x on travel btw not the 3x you listed.
The CSR does share a lot of the same travel benefits as the amex plat but depending on how you use both I think you can come out ahead holding both cards. Obviously you would be spending $1000 on just the annual fee tho. Otherwise pick one or the other.You missed on the 100k signup for the CSR that was really the time to strike.
A lot of people double up on the southwest CCs to get the companion pass. You probably wouldn't want to do this and also hold onto the amex plat.
If you fly strictly Delta (which you should if you have the amex plat) I would prob look into one of their amex branded cards and go for status if you are travelling enough.
This post was edited on 1/26/18 at 12:17 pm
Posted on 1/26/18 at 1:16 pm to hiltacular
The AF is waived for me. Active military.
Why should I be using Delta over others?
I don’t have a specific airline CC because I will eventually end up working for one and will fly free.
Why should I be using Delta over others?
I don’t have a specific airline CC because I will eventually end up working for one and will fly free.
Posted on 1/27/18 at 12:41 am to Drew Orleans
Just curious, but why don't you have a USAA 2.5% cash back card? Seems like that would be a no-brainer for anyone eligible for it.
Posted on 1/27/18 at 7:20 am to whitefoot
I can get a better bang for the buck with other cards and their spend bonuses.
This post was edited on 1/27/18 at 9:51 am
Posted on 1/27/18 at 9:51 am to Drew Orleans
I guess my option to weigh are USAA 2.5%, CSR, and a Costco card
Posted on 1/27/18 at 9:54 am to Drew Orleans
Ah. They stopped offering it a couple of weeks ago. LINK
My daily driver is Alliant's 2.5% back card. It's 3% for the first year and 2.5% in subsequent years. There's a $59 AF, that's waived in year 1. Once it switches to 2.5 after year 1, the break even point for it vs the Citi double cash, which has no annual fee, is about $12k in spending.
I make a lot of business purchases and don't do much traveling now that we have two little kids, so I was just looking for the best cash back card.
My daily driver is Alliant's 2.5% back card. It's 3% for the first year and 2.5% in subsequent years. There's a $59 AF, that's waived in year 1. Once it switches to 2.5 after year 1, the break even point for it vs the Citi double cash, which has no annual fee, is about $12k in spending.
I make a lot of business purchases and don't do much traveling now that we have two little kids, so I was just looking for the best cash back card.
Posted on 1/27/18 at 10:07 am to Drew Orleans
If you're not loyal to a specific airline or hotel brand then you should be looking at cards to continue building membership rewards with AMEX or start building ultimate rewards with Chase.
I have the Amex Platinum as well so I'm more familiar with their products. Flights booked directly with the airline or the Amex travel site, and hotels booked directly with the Amex travel site, are 5x points btw, not 3x.
The best AMEX cards for everyday spending are the Everyday Preferred(3x points on groceries, 2x on gas, 1x on everything else, and a 50% bonus on everything else if you use the card 30 times in a billing period), and Blue Business Preffered(2x points on everything). You could also be on the lookout for large signup bonuses for their gold card, or even signup for another one of the platinum card products for the signup bonus, since you have no annual fees.
That Amex lineup gives you 5x points on Airlines and hotels, 3-4.5x on groceries, 2-3x on gas, and 2x on everything else.
The best Chase lineup is a combination of the Saphire reserve, freedom plus, the ink business card, and I think one other.
There's a massive credit card rewards thread on this board already, probably on page 2 right now. There's a direct link to it in the stickied thread about most important topics.
I have the Amex Platinum as well so I'm more familiar with their products. Flights booked directly with the airline or the Amex travel site, and hotels booked directly with the Amex travel site, are 5x points btw, not 3x.
The best AMEX cards for everyday spending are the Everyday Preferred(3x points on groceries, 2x on gas, 1x on everything else, and a 50% bonus on everything else if you use the card 30 times in a billing period), and Blue Business Preffered(2x points on everything). You could also be on the lookout for large signup bonuses for their gold card, or even signup for another one of the platinum card products for the signup bonus, since you have no annual fees.
That Amex lineup gives you 5x points on Airlines and hotels, 3-4.5x on groceries, 2-3x on gas, and 2x on everything else.
The best Chase lineup is a combination of the Saphire reserve, freedom plus, the ink business card, and I think one other.
There's a massive credit card rewards thread on this board already, probably on page 2 right now. There's a direct link to it in the stickied thread about most important topics.
Posted on 1/27/18 at 10:14 am to Open Your Eyes
Actually thinking about it, the no annual fee thing could be huge for you. The different platinum card signup bonuses are usually at least 60,000 points, and the business one gets up to 150,000. And theoretically there's no limit to how many you can get because they're all charge cards.
If you have the ability to meet the minimum spend requirements for the signup bonuses that would be my first recommendation, even if you have to spread them out over time.
If you have the ability to meet the minimum spend requirements for the signup bonuses that would be my first recommendation, even if you have to spread them out over time.
Posted on 1/28/18 at 2:06 pm to Open Your Eyes
Looking to get a Visa for use at Costco.
Posted on 1/28/18 at 3:32 pm to Drew Orleans
What kind of travels credits be used with the CSR?
Posted on 1/28/18 at 6:04 pm to Drew Orleans
If you're hellbent on only getting 1 card and want it to maximize travel rewards, then Saphire reserve is probably your best choice. The other option is the wells Fargo visa signature cards(2 of them)that get 5x points on groceries(if Costco counts as that) for 6 months. I know nothing about Wells Fargo's reward program.
In your situation with no annual fees, I would strongly consider getting the Costco Visa card for cashback on Costco purchases, and then start racking up signup bonuses and membership rewards with different AMEX cards.
In your situation with no annual fees, I would strongly consider getting the Costco Visa card for cashback on Costco purchases, and then start racking up signup bonuses and membership rewards with different AMEX cards.
Posted on 1/28/18 at 6:08 pm to Open Your Eyes
The problem is I will have to pay the AF eventually. Either when I go title 32 or retire. Don’t want to go too crazy with the card amount.
Posted on 1/28/18 at 6:39 pm to Drew Orleans
quote:
Either when I go title 32 or retire.
How far away is that? You can cancel the cards whenever that time comes.
If the minimum spend isn't an issue, you could easily buildup 200-300k in 2 years just from signup bonuses.
Posted on 1/28/18 at 7:08 pm to Open Your Eyes
Canx’ing cards hurts your credit though. My credit is impeccable and I want to keep it that way.
Posted on 1/28/18 at 7:30 pm to Drew Orleans
Most of the big AMEX signup bonuses are on their charge cards, not credit cards. Charge cards do not factor into your credit utilization rate at all, so the only possible impact they would really have on your credit score is your average account age.
With all that in mind, you should definitely not cancel your arrival plus card if at all possible.
With all that in mind, you should definitely not cancel your arrival plus card if at all possible.
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