EDP - 30 purchases in 30 days. My approach.

[driftless]

Early this summer I cancelled my Chase Freedom card as the categories just were not working for me and when they did I was limited to $1,500.00 spend per quarter.  I recently picked up an EDP and I thought that I would share my thoughts about making the 30 purchases in 30 days and being able to do it every cycle.  I just went over 30 purchases in 8 days.  For me, it was pretty easy to do.  We don't use our cars to commute to work with but I still top both of them off once a week.  We don't have children at home and we do not do one big, stock-up grocery trip a week but instead take ~ 3x small trips a week to a grocery store.  We also purchase most of every-day wine at the grocery stores which really increases the total grocery store spend.  I added some regularly occuring bills to EDP:  iTunes, Starbucks and Amazon.  With Starbucks I dropped the reload amount from $50 to $20 to get over twice as many "purchases" over a month.  If my dry cleaner accepted Amex this plan would be really golden as we pick-up twice a week.  For dining out I use my CSR.  I did use my  EDP several times locally in stores that displayed a Shop Local sign and at our local farmer's market as well.*  The monthly reoccuring charges, like utilities and church donations go on Cap One.  I thought it would be hard to make 30 purchases in 30 days but given that we purchase gas 2x week, go the grocery store often, and put a few bills that re-occur often on the card hitting 30 purchases a month is very doable.  And this system is the EDP's sweet spot: groceries and gas.  My small card holder now has CSR and EDP as the two cards that I carry when I am not traveling.  I will replace EDP with Platinum when I travel.  

I just thought that I would share my approach for maximizing rewards with EDP.  YMMV.  

*  I saw a new Shop Local sign that really resonanted with me: Shop Local First so that Local Lasts.  

[MrDisco99]

For me it helps that my office has a break room with a vending machine that takes credit cards.

[AverageJoesCredit]

Nice approach Driftless, what a world we live in MrDisco when you can use a cc to buy some coffee from a machine with a cc Sign me up

[red259]

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@driftless wrote:

Early this summer I cancelled my Chase Freedom card as the categories just were not working for me and when they did I was limited to $1,500.00 spend per quarter.  I recently picked up an EDP and I thought that I would share my thoughts about making the 30 purchases in 30 days and being able to do it every cycle.  I just went over 30 purchases in 8 days.  For me, it was pretty easy to do.  We don't use our cars to commute to work with but I still top both of them off once a week.  We don't have children at home and we do not do one big, stock-up grocery trip a week but instead take ~ 3x small trips a week to a grocery store.  We also purchase most of every-day wine at the grocery stores which really increases the total grocery store spend.  I added some regularly occuring bills to EDP:  iTunes, Starbucks and Amazon.  With Starbucks I dropped the reload amount from $50 to $20 to get over twice as many "purchases" over a month.  If my dry cleaner accepted Amex this plan would be really golden as we pick-up twice a week.  For dining out I use my CSR.  I did use my  EDP several times locally in stores that displayed a Shop Local sign and at our local farmer's market as well.*  The monthly reoccuring charges, like utilities and church donations go on Cap One.  I thought it would be hard to make 30 purchases in 30 days but given that we purchase gas 2x week, go the grocery store often, and put a few bills that re-occur often on the card hitting 30 purchases a month is very doable.  And this system is the EDP's sweet spot: groceries and gas.  My small card holder now has CSR and EDP as the two cards that I carry when I am not traveling.  I will replace EDP with Platinum when I travel.  

I just thought that I would share my approach for maximizing rewards with EDP.  YMMV.  

*  I saw a new Shop Local sign that really resonanted with me: Shop Local First so that Local Lasts.  

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Just make sure that your spend is high enough to offset the AF. For me I went with the everyday no AF card because the math barely worked out for me. Then I got the amex business blue card which is giving me 2 points for all spend and a bonus on all spend at the end of the first year so I been using that. 

[Peteyglad]

I normally have no isues hitting the 30 times with mine on most months, but If I am trying for sign up bonuses on other cards I might come up a few transactions short. I just buy individual $1 Amazon egift certificates since I use Amazon anyways. Works good for me.

[longtimelurker]

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@Peteyglad wrote:

I normally have no isues hitting the 30 times with mine on most months, but If I am trying for sign up bonuses on other cards I might come up a few transactions short. I just buy individual $1 Amazon egift certificates since I use Amazon anyways. Works good for me.

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Yes, I use Amazon giftcard balance topups, which can be as low as 50c (This directly increases your balance without having to apply a gift card as an extra step).

I'm doing this for two cards that need 12 transactions each, but 30 per month isn't much more.

And you can combine the OPs approach.  Towards the end of the month, see how many remain, and use Amazon if needed.

[Anonymous]

Or you could just buy a cup of coffee every morning at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.  

[Anonymous]

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@longtimelurker wrote:

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Yes, I use Amazon giftcard balance topups, which can be as low as 50c (This directly increases your balance without having to apply a gift card as an extra step).

I'm doing this for two cards that need 12 transactions each, but 30 per month isn't much more.

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Yep, easiest way -- I do this as well for the consumers credit union card.  Takes about a minute.

[Anonymous]

Is there a reason in particular that you're trying to make at least 1 purchase per day (on average) on your card?

[driftless]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Is there a reason in particular that you're trying to make at least 1 purchase per day (on average) on your card?

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Yes, if you use card 30 times in 30 days you get 50% more rewards.

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/benefits/detail/amex-preferred-spend-bonus/amex-everyday-preferred/