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A fair number of Diners Club cards on the chopping block, apparently. I'm keeping mine until they pry it out of my cold dead hands because it's the only card that asks for the PIN everywhere that takes chip*. I've also gotten a fair bit of use out of the primary CDW and lounge access this year.
Other than that the only other card I pay AFs for is CSP. So far I've been able to refer enough friends (5000 points each referral!) to make up for the AF once and may be about to do so again. My travel habits however make me think I'd be better off going back to cash back so I don't know if I'm going to keep CSP long term.
*There are a couple more options now but they don't have the other benefits.
CSP: $95
UA Club: $395
JPM Ritz: $395
Amex Plat: $450
Barclay's AA Aviator Red: $89
Citi Hilton Reserve: $95
Chase IHG: $49
Citi Premier: $95
TOTAL: $1663
Airline Credits: $500
Actual Total: $1163
Not sure if I'm going to keep some of them next year, but I'll decide when the AFs come up
Let see...
Total $490 and all of them are on the chopping block before the AF hits!
@Anonymous wrote:
Hmm!
American Express Mercedes-Benz Platinum $475
American Express Everyday Preferred $95
Citi AAdvantage Executive $450
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select $95
Barclay's Aviator Silver $195
Total $1310/year... BUT I do use the benefits of all of them to their respective extent. I'm also putting a value on the level of service (e.g. AMEX Platinum and Aviator Silver having dedicated US-based teams) compared to the no/lower fee equivalents.
Yikes! Do I win? Lol
Nah, I beat you by $265
@Anonymous wrote:0 interest
0 AF.
I don't really travel so cash back is king for me and Sallie, Freedom, Discover It, Chase AARP do every bit as good as any card with an annual fee could do for me with my spend levels at this point.
Yes, this sums up my experience almost exactly (slightly different cashback card lineup), but yeah, $0 annual fee, $0 interest, and I do virtually no traveling so I'm only interested in cashback.
Hmm...never added them all up before. I just consider them one-by-one to see if the cost is justified by the earnings.
The list:
AmEx Delta Skymiles Platinum: $175
Barclay Arrival+: $89 (waived first year)
AmEx BCP: $75
Chase SP: $95 (waived first year)
Barclay Sallie Mae: $0
Citi DoubleCash: $0
Chase Disney: $0
Total cost: ~$425 (Edited to add: haven't paid interested in years...)
Rewards redeemed this year plus those earned this year but not yet redeemed: ~$2200, which includes about $1000 in sign-up bonuses but does not include the saving from the companion certificate airfare cost (haven't redeemed that yet this membership year).
@Anonymous wrote:The funny thing is we still haven't had a Centurion holder walk in and lay down his/her $2.5 annual fee.
I need about Two Fiddy...
My only three cards with annual fees are the Venture ($59), Wyndham ($69), and Marriott ($85). The Venture I am going to merge with my Quicksilver very soon (before my AF hits), and my Wyndham's and Marriott's annual fees are covered by the free annual night.
Most of my annual fee cards are paid for by the business, but I do pay personally for the JPM Ritz, SPG and EDP. I'll likely switch out the PRG for the CSP, which I had app'ed again for the 40K bonus.