At 3% will 5% CB cards loose their appeal?

[Open123]

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@Anonymous wrote:

As stated BofA pays out 2.625% with no annual fee with $100k in Merrill Edge/BofA.  If you have Vanguard ETFs like I do, they aren't really making any money....

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+1

Right, in addition, you get 30 free trades per month, at least when I opened it.  While Fidelity and Interactive Broker have a superior platform, for a $100K Orphan IRA, Merrill Edge is better than the others.  It's literally about $250 in free trades per year, which, unless one is a professional trader, makes it a better value proposition than Fidelity, Schwab, and the other discount brokerages.

ETFs are fine, but $100K is enough to buy some relatively low volatility stocks which has the combination of ZERO fees and dividends.  

[Themanwhocan]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the eBates Visa. You have to use the eBates portal to get the 3% cash back, but they have a zillion stores participating. Plus you can stack the CB with whatever the merchant is offering. I'm averaging just under 7%.

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I don't know squat about that one.  I've seen it in your siggy but I've never researched it.  I think I might need to review it and consider it during my next app window.

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In the online stores I occasionally shop, I usually find more cash back with Savingstar.com (5% card plus savingstar portal). Savingstar is basically the same as Upromise, but its a FNBO card so you get their Experian fico scores, SP CLI can be requested every 4 months, and you can cash out any time you have $5 or more accumulated. And there are other ways to get cash back, like online coupons for grocery shopping, etc.

for example:

Walmart.com ebates gives 3% + 1% cash back, whereas Savingstar is 5% + 1% (except home or baby purchases which are 5% + 4%).

Drugstore.com ebates gives 3% + 4%, and savingstar is 5% + 8%

Banana Republic ebates 3% + 2%, savingstar 5% + 4%

Paul Fredrick ebates 3% + 4% , savingstar 5% + 9%

Lands End ebates 3% + 6%, savingstar 5% + 5%

JC Penney ebates 3% + 6%, savingstar 5% + 3% (hey, Ebates wins for once!)

Home Decorators Collection ebates 3% + 3.5%, savingstar 5% + 7%

[longtimelurker]

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@Themanwhocan wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the eBates Visa. You have to use the eBates portal to get the 3% cash back, but they have a zillion stores participating. Plus you can stack the CB with whatever the merchant is offering. I'm averaging just under 7%.

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I don't know squat about that one.  I've seen it in your siggy but I've never researched it.  I think I might need to review it and consider it during my next app window.

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In the online stores I occasionally shop, I usually find more cash back with Savingstar.com (5% card plus savingstar portal). Savingstar is basically the same as Upromise, but its a FNBO card so you get their Experian fico scores, SP CLI can be requested every 4 months, and you can cash out any time you have $5 or more accumulated. And there are other ways to get cash back, like online coupons for grocery shopping, etc.

for example:

Walmart.com ebates gives 3% + 1% cash back, whereas Savingstar is 5% + 1% (except home or baby purchases which are 5% + 4%).

Drugstore.com ebates gives 3% + 4%, and savingstar is 5% + 8%

Banana Republic ebates 3% + 2%, savingstar 5% + 4%

Paul Fredrick ebates 3% + 4% , savingstar 5% + 9%

Lands End ebates 3% + 6%, savingstar 5% + 5%

JC Penney ebates 3% + 6%, savingstar 5% + 3% (hey, Ebates wins for once!)

Home Decorators Collection ebates 3% + 3.5%, savingstar 5% + 7%

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And even there, TopCashBack gives 8% on JC Penny, so using a 2% card would give you 10%   Splendor, which I have never used, gives 10%, so 12% with a 2% card

And if you prefer URs, you can get 6URs per $ via Chase portal

Basically, there is little need to be "loyal" to a particular portal, providing you spend enough to meet minimum redemptions for those you use

[CreditDunce]

I transferred some Vanguard Mutual funds to ME to get my status.  At the time, they had a $1000 bonus for transferring $200k.  The bonus was added to my Roth IRA.   I thought it was a really sweet deal.   I am re-investing the dividends/capital gains, so it is completely free.  Except for one mutual fund which they will not allow me to automatically re-invest.   I have let the dividends/capital gains from that one fund build up more than I should.  I do need to use the funds to buy some ETFs or transfer the money/one mutual fund back to Vanguard.

I am actually keeping several thousand less in my BoA checking account now.  With the PR status, there aren't any minimum balance requirements for your other accounts.  I have switched to Discover for my primary checking account.  I don't see how BoA is making any money off of me.   On the other hand, I am a cheap date since my non-bonus category spend is so small.  Plus, I haven't redeemed my TR rewards since I haven't travelled that much recently.