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Hmmmmm. My interest is peaked. Is the bookstore option only for Amazon? I ask because my kid's in college and this may be beneficial in that aspect.
@Tonya-E wrote:Hmmmmm. My interest is peaked. Is the bookstore option only for Amazon? I ask because my kid's in college and this may be beneficial in that aspect.
Any vendor that codes as books.
@Ghoshida wrote:
@Tonya-E wrote:I never even considered the Sallie Mae. I will need to check that one out to see the details. Are there some special benefits?
5% on gas (upto $250 per statement, then 1%), 5% on groceries (same deal), 5% on bookstores (which for now includes almost all of Amazon, $750 per statement, then 1%). Rest everything 1%. Sometimes you get special offers by them in mail that gives extra 2% on some spending categories for one quarter. This quarter it was dining and movies for me, upto $1250 for the quarter.
Edit: Man I'm super slow.
Also, if you decide to redeem using UPromise (and then route to a Sallie Mae High-yield savings account) instead of statement credit, you'll get an annual 10% bonus on all cashback. Two catch: (a) you need to also setup a $25 monthly deposit into the HYSA from your other bank and (b) the cashback will show up after 30-60 days.
You can always use statement credit. Sallie Mae is fantastic in that the points (including bonus points, excluding the targeted special offer bonuses) show up as soon as the purchase posts. That means you can get your statement credit even before the statement is generated. $25 min to redeem, no multiples required.
No AF, and you generally get $25 first-purchase bonus. Oh, and the occasional free TU FICO (roughly once every 2 months for me)
If you're a good boy / girl, Barclay will also roughly double your credit limit (auto CLI) after about 6-9 months. You can then also call in and ask for an APR reduction. Some of us got both in the past couple of weeks, there's a thread going on about Barclay's APR reduction and SP CLI somewhere around here.
You have a good lineup. I have a Chase Freedom and added the Discover it card. The rotating categories dovetail nicely with Chase Freedom and Chase's customer service is the best.
@Anonymous wrote:
@Tonya-E wrote:Hmmmmm. My interest is peaked. Is the bookstore option only for Amazon? I ask because my kid's in college and this may be beneficial in that aspect.
Any vendor that codes as books.
Yes; both online and offline.
If your kid's in college, you might be using sites like Abebooks, Textbookrush etc. UPromise combined with Sallie Mae card might be a great idea; you'll save 10% on books.
So this one is backed by Barclay....I wonder if they will be nice to me since I have their Rewards MC. I get a little nervous with them sometimes, lol!
@RaiseMyScoreASAP wrote:You have a good lineup. I have a Chase Freedom and added the Discover it card. The rotating categories dovetail nicely with Chase Freedom and Chase's customer service is the best.
See this is what I had always been thinking about. I know they have rotating categories and wondered if i timed it right, would it kind of sych with my Freedom...I want to make an informed decision though before I app. Cause whatever I app for, I will be stuck with. I don't app often.
@Ghoshida wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Tonya-E wrote:Hmmmmm. My interest is peaked. Is the bookstore option only for Amazon? I ask because my kid's in college and this may be beneficial in that aspect.
Any vendor that codes as books.
Yes; both online and offline.
If your kid's in college, you might be using sites like Abebooks, Textbookrush etc. UPromise combined with Sallie Mae card might be a great idea; you'll save 10% on books.
That's why I love this place as it always gives me something to think about....Now I have another option to consider.
@Tonya-E wrote:
@Ghoshida wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Tonya-E wrote:Hmmmmm. My interest is peaked. Is the bookstore option only for Amazon? I ask because my kid's in college and this may be beneficial in that aspect.
Any vendor that codes as books.
Yes; both online and offline.
If your kid's in college, you might be using sites like Abebooks, Textbookrush etc. UPromise combined with Sallie Mae card might be a great idea; you'll save 10% on books.
That's why I love this place as it always gives me something to think about....Now I have another option to consider.
Your chances with Barclay probably depends on how old your other card is. But you've got a decent line with them so you should be good in general.
With regards to other benefits of Sallie Mae, upon seeing that you already have the BCP and the BCE, the SM will be a nice addition if you exhaust your BCP limits. (Or since SMMC works on a monthly limit, exhaust SMMC first then BCP). But do check if your grocery and gas purchases make sense to go for another card. You might also look at closing the BCP (but only after considering all sides, but basically to get rid of the AF) and moving the limits to BCE say.
From your list of other "aiming" cards, I have the Discover It and it's a great card. The 5% will mesh nicely with Freedom (in most cases). Sometimes there's overlap like dining in next quarter. Discover's best 5% is probably the last quarter when they offer 5% on any online shopping. Plus their Discover Deals gets some of the best cashback offers (5% on Apple - more than anyone else, for e.g.).
With regards to NFCU and USAA, what I understand from members here is that if you're eligible, go ahead and apply. If for nothing else then the great limits. Now if you're going to app for one card only, not sure if they have something like that in the lineup. I'm not eligible and therefore never bothered to check !
I was thinking of the Discover just to have a card of each issuer in my lineup. The Everyday card was my buffer for the BCP without the annual fee. I previously had the Delta Amex but I had gotten it simply because I was visiting my husband at his duty station quite regularly and Delta was the only airline to fly there. He's retired and back home now, so I didn't need that card anymore. But the credit unions seem to offer better limits and lower APR which is appealing to me in the event I would ever need to carry a significant balance. I will just think on it and try to make the best decision on that. I actually would have no problem closing 2 accounts and replacing it with one single card, if the limit was ok.