BCE - not super useful?

[Man-Of-Steel]

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@Anonymous wrote:
2000 backdate definitely gave my scores some pretty nice boosts when it reported. Now I remember why I decided never to close it. Is it possible to PC this card to anything other thanBCP?

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Nice!  My backdate is 1999.  It looks like kdm looked into that very question and didn't find much.  I'm content with keeping my BCE as a BCE for now.  Hopefully Amex will come out with something more competitive that we can PC to in the future.

[UncleB]

The BCP/BCE cards work for some folks, but not so well for others... it really depends on how and where you spend, and on what other cards you have.

I have the BCP, and it works well for me.  Using 'armchair math' the cut-off point for having a BCP over the BCE is around $210/month at grocery stores.  If you spend this much or more at grocery stores, you'll get more cash back using BCP even after paying the annual fee.  Of course, this doesn't take into consideration the cash back for gas purchases or using the card at department stores, but for me those categories aren't significant anyway.  I use the BCP as my "grocery store" card.

As some others have mentioned, there are 'legitimate' ways to increase your grocery store spending for purchases you make elsewhere using gift cards.  My local grocery store is Kroger, and they have a large assortment of gift cards - including Amazon - available for purchase.  I should note that there is no restriction to using a credit card to pay for gift cards, as long as they are not MC/V/Amex gift cards (some folks have been sucessful even paying for these with credit; I've personally not tried).  Further, there is no concern with Amex being "upset" with the gift card purchase, since unless a merchant has 'level 3' card transaction reporting, there is no way for the card issuer to know what you're buying anyway (not that they would care, anyway).  So far I've yet to hear of a grocery store that reports at this level. 

For all my Amazon purchases, I pick up gift cards to add to my own Amazon account so I will get 6% back, and I also keep gift cards in my car's cupholder for all the fast-food restaurants I frequent, again for 6% back.  I also keep a 'loaded' Kroger gift card in my car to pay for my gas at the Kroger fuel station; since it's loaded inside the grocery store, there's 6% back on that as well.

For many folks, their grocery purchases alone will justify the annual fee for the BCP, but even for those of us without large families to buy for, the BCP can still be a great source of cash rewards.  It's up to each person to determine the value of either the BCP or BCE over other cards based on their spending patterns.

[Anonymous]

Sallie killed the BCE star.  Wasn't that the name of that 80's song?

I PC'd my BCP to BCE when I got sallie.  BCP can still fit with sallie depending on your spend but it wasn't a good fit for me.  Now with BCE it's relegated to Amex offers which are awesome.  Except when I do stupid things like buy $60 worth of jelly belly.  Also overflow grocery and gas but in 5 months since Sallie came around that hasn't happened at all yet.  I still like the card.  I like Amex.  I like my limit.  I'm surprisingly happy considering how little I use the card.

[Anonymous]

Kdm, are we seeing a softer side of you? You asking for advice..lol. Just busting your chops, buddy. If anything I would keep it open for utilization. It's not hurting anything. I don't think Amex's line up is that great but I do agree on its nice to just have one.

[kdm31091]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Kdm, are we seeing a softer side of you? You asking for advice..lol. Just busting your chops, buddy. If anything I would keep it open for utilization. It's not hurting anything. I don't think Amex's line up is that great but I do agree on its nice to just have one.

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Haha, I don't make threads too often, but I wanted to ask about this because it bugs me having a card that I get little use out of just because of how I am with cards (i.e. don't want to have a lot, and want them all to be useful). I'm not one for padding my util with cards I don't use, etc.

Anyway, I'll keep it...you never know, maybe something good will come out that I can PC it to and  I have gotten good Amex offers a few times from it so it's not a total waste. The BCP I don't think I want to worry about trying to justify, as I'd have to do it almost solely on groceries being as though my gas and department store spend are both not huge.

[Platinum]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I want the BCE (or BCP) over Sallie Mae simply because of the AMEX perks, and the 3X CLI after 60 days.  I'm really only going for 2-3 additional cards besides Freedom, and that's definitely on the list. An yes, Sallie Mae seems like a prime candidate for nerfing in the future.  None of Barclays bank cards really scream 'must have' to me to begin with. 

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You don't have to wait 60 days for the 3X CLI no more. You can get it now as soon as you receive the card. My son just went from $2000 SL to $6000. He requested increase to $10000 but was approved online instantly for $6000 max. He accepted.

[baller4life]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Sallie killed the BCE star.  Wasn't that the name of that 80's song?

I PC'd my BCP to BCE when I got sallie.  BCP can still fit with sallie depending on your spend but it wasn't a good fit for me.  Now with BCE it's relegated to Amex offers which are awesome.  Except when I do stupid things like buy $60 worth of jelly belly.  Also overflow grocery and gas but in 5 months since Sallie came around that hasn't happened at all yet.  I still like the card.  I like Amex.  I like my limit.  I'm surprisingly happy considering how little I use the card.

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"Video killed the radio star" Haha that brought back memories. But, it's true that Sallie Mae pretty much made it useless for me. Still trying to figure out what to do with it.