topic Re: Question in Credit Cards

Question

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 02:14:02 GMT

Good evening to all. Quick question. What is meant by certain cards work well with another? Thanks in advance.

Re: Question

jeffery581 — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 02:29:41 GMT

Can you elaborate? I do not really understand your question.

Re: Question

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 02:32:22 GMT

are you referring to within the same institution or different?

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Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 02:44:19 GMT

Well i've read on other post for example the Amex PrG works well with ED. or this Chase card works well that chase card etc. Hope that clears it up.

Re: Question

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 02:45:11 GMT

Same institution

Re: Question

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 02:45:50 GMT

By the way thanks for the responses

Re: Question

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 03:05:57 GMT

same institution chase has it 100% with the freedom, freedom unlimited and CSP hands down.

very hard to beat that. $150 for each freedom with $500 spend each and 40k UR points for the CSP with $4k spend (which chase advertises as $625 in travel)

so, effectively, with $5k in spend you get $925 and excellent potential for rapid UR points with general spend. it will almost negate the need for other financial institutions if you value UR at an ok rate.

Re: Question

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 03:20:41 GMT

Ok Thanks

Re: Question

Kevin86475391 — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 03:38:30 GMT

There are lots of ways cards can work well together though. Indeed the possibilities are almost limitless.

Definitely having multiple cards with the same institution that earn rewards in different ways but can be leveraged to earn rewards together can be very advantageous. For example in addition to signup bonuses and whatnot, if you have the Chase Freedom you can earn 5% category spend on things like groceries and gas. Then you can transfer those 5% rewards to the CSP for points toward travel - while also earning 2% rewards with the CSP on stuff like restaurant spending. So by having both cards you earn more by optimizing than you would with the exact same spend on only 1 of the cards. AMEX has a lot of ways to do this type of thing too.

However, as I said, there are lots of ways to make cards work well together. I have rewards cards from several different lenders so that I can always get at least 2% on everything I spend and often more. So even if one card only has a good gas or grocery bonus, I can get restaurant and utility bonus on a different card.

Other pairings/combos might be something like a good rewards card (or several) coupled with a low APR, non-rewards card if you think you'll ever need to carry a balance. OR simply adding a no-foreign transaction fee card to an already strong portfolio if you travel but didn't already have a no FTF card. OR even something really simple like having an AMEX or Discover that you use for daily spending but adding a Visa or Mastercard to the mix to ensure wider acceptance. OR perhaps getting a 0% intro APR card, or 0% balance transfer card if you need that, along with continuing to optimize your spend/reward on other cards.

There really are tons of ways to get benefits from using two or more cards together. It just depends on your needs, preferences, and priorities.

Re: Question

UncleB — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 12:00:03 GMT

@Kevin86475391 wrote:
There are lots of ways cards can work well together though. Indeed the possibilities are almost limitless.

Definitely having multiple cards with the same institution that earn rewards in different ways but can be leveraged to earn rewards together can be very advantageous. For example in addition to signup bonuses and whatnot, if you have the Chase Freedom you can earn 5% category spend on things like groceries and gas. Then you can transfer those 5% rewards to the CSP for points toward travel - while also earning 2% rewards with the CSP on stuff like restaurant spending. So by having both cards you earn more by optimizing than you would with the exact same spend on only 1 of the cards. AMEX has a lot of ways to do this type of thing too.

However, as I said, there are lots of ways to make cards work well together. I have rewards cards from several different lenders so that I can always get at least 2% on everything I spend and often more. So even if one card only has a good gas or grocery bonus, I can get restaurant and utility bonus on a different card.

Other pairings/combos might be something like a good rewards card (or several) coupled with a low APR, non-rewards card if you think you'll ever need to carry a balance. OR simply adding a no-foreign transaction fee card to an already strong portfolio if you travel but didn't already have a no FTF card. OR even something really simple like having an AMEX or Discover that you use for daily spending but adding a Visa or Mastercard to the mix to ensure wider acceptance. OR perhaps getting a 0% intro APR card, or 0% balance transfer card if you need that, along with continuing to optimize your spend/reward on other cards.

There really are tons of ways to get benefits from using two or more cards together. It just depends on your needs, preferences, and priorities.

The most often referred to 'combos' you're likely to read about on here are the Chase CSP/Freedom combination and the Amex PRG/ED combo. (There are others, but these tend to come up particularly often).

Simply put...

If you have both the Chase Freedom and CSP, you can transfer points earned with the Freedom to the CSP, and from there you can transfer them to frequent flyer programs which many folks find lucrative.

If you have the Amex PRG and the ED card your MR points are pooled, and if you decide to close the PRG at a later time (due to the high AF) you won't lose your MR points as long as the ED remains open.

Re: Question

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 19:39:04 GMT

Good info. Thanks

Re: Question

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 19:39:28 GMT

Thanks