topic Re: What is your credit card spending set up? in Credit Cards

What is your credit card spending set up?

Green456 — Sat, 18 May 2019 12:56:14 GMT

Just curious how everybody allocates their spending and into which credit cards.

Bank of America Cashback 3.3%:

$5,000 a year on travel

Bank of America Travel Rewards 1.65%:

$3,000 a year on Cell Phone, Internet, TV

$2000 a year on professional licenses

Citi DC 2%:

$350 a year on other

Fort Knox FCU 5% Gas card:*

$1000 a year on Gas

*To be replaced in the future*

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

Anonymous — Sat, 18 May 2019 15:03:45 GMT

I ran $35k through my Limitless in 2018 but only a two or three of the rest of my cards went over $10k iirc. A few of my cards were used for less than $500, mostly my airline cards, because I only have them for their benefits and they're very selectively used. I don't make a drastic effort to make sure every single expenditure garners maximum earnings because I have at or nearly 20 cards but I make a decent effort to not see any returns of less than 2.5%.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

coreysw12 — Sat, 18 May 2019 15:18:00 GMT

You only spend $350 a year on "other"? Why aren't you charging groceries, insurance, etc. to that card?

Anyways, I too am curious what everyone's breakdown is. I'm still waiting on my points cards to arrive in the mail, and I've been trying to work out how to best manage them. Mine are -

Chase Sapphire Prefered 2% travel and dining

Varies between $20k-$50k/year

Chase Freedom Unlimited 3% first year, 1.5% after

Everything that isn't travel or dining will go on here, including rent. Probably $30-40k/year

After 1 year with the Chase FU card, I'll probably switch to a Citi DC 2% card or Alliant Signature 2.5% card. I'm not keen on "catergory" type rewards cards, but the Sapphire works well because I charge a TON of travel and dining expenses for work. Free points, because I get reimbursed for all those charges by my work!

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

Anonymous — Sat, 18 May 2019 15:34:14 GMT

Amex gold gets resturants and grocery

CSP gets all other dining

CFU gets prop. taxes / hoa fees and insurance

BCE gets gas

Amex Spg gets misc. charges

but the Uber visa is about to screw this up.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

SouthJamaica — Sat, 18 May 2019 15:47:12 GMT

@Green456 wrote:
Just curious how everybody allocates their spending and into which credit cards.

Bank of America Cashback 3.3%:
$5,000 a year on travel

Bank of America Travel Rewards 1.65%:
$3,000 a year on Cell Phone, Internet, TV
$2000 a year on professional licenses

Citi DC 2%:
$350 a year on other

Fort Knox FCU 5% Gas card:*
$1000 a year on Gas

*To be replaced in the future*

I don't get into that kind of detail. I have 7 or 8 cards that are good for spending. And then I just alternate them throughout the month, to keep them all active.

I'm sure I leave some money on the table that way, but I just don't have the brain cells needed to pay attention all the time to categories.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

pinkandgrey — Sat, 18 May 2019 16:14:29 GMT

Right now I have a car expense holding up my Disco card so it’s not getting much use. I use my Amex BCE for any bigger charges and also groceries usually. My DC gets basically everything else including auto bills.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

5KRunner — Sat, 18 May 2019 17:24:09 GMT

Citizens Cash Back Plus: everyday spend, 1.8%

US Bank Cash+: utilities (gas, electricity, water, recycling) and cellular, 5%

Citi Double Cash: all other auto-bills (streaming services, e-contributions to church, medical supplies for my two sons, daughter’s high school lunch account), 2%

AmEx BCE and BCP, Huntington Voice: groceries; 3%, 6%, 3%

Chase Freedom, Discover it: quarterly categories, 5%

Chase Sapphire Preferred: eating out and travel, 2x UR points (temporarily using it for everything, at least until I hit $4K in 3 months in order to earn the 60K UR SUB)

Target REDcard: Target, 5%

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

MakingProgress — Sat, 18 May 2019 17:34:24 GMT

Amex BCE - grocery - 3% back

Discover - Rotating 5% Catagories

Chase Amazon - Amazon 5% back

Citi DC - General Spend 2% Back

Lowe's - Home Imporvement - 5% discount or special financing

Uber Visa - dining - 4% back, Streaming - 2% back, Hotel/Airline - 3% Back

US Bank Cash + - Utilities and Cellphone - 5% back

Ducks Unlimited - Gas 5% back

Amex Cash Magnet - 0% off then it will be sock drawered

Cap One QS - Kids are Au so when they need something I am paying for they use that - 1.5% back.

At this point any new card would have to replace something I already have with better benefits, then the current card gets sock drawered. I am pretty much at the saturation point for cash back.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

Tonya-E — Sat, 18 May 2019 17:49:16 GMT

@Green456

I am just writing to say THANK YOU for this post. It actually made me analyze my credit cards and how I'm spending on each. I realized I am not maximizing my benefits at all (with the exception of BCP). I need to restructure for sure!

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

coreysw12 — Sat, 18 May 2019 20:28:16 GMT

For what it's worth, here is my FUTURE plan for this. Of course, by the time I'm able to get most of these cards, I'm sure things will change, but if I could apply for them all today, here's what I'd do:

As for those who say it's too much trouble to keep track of which cards are for what, I really don't think it's that difficult. The Amazon and Lowes cards are obvious, they're for Amazon and Lowes. Sapphires (the heavy metal cards) are for travel. For Chase Ink and US Bank Cash+, I don't have to remember because they're only for autopaying bills, so they'll be sock drawered after that's set up. I'll write "gas and sporting goods stores" on my Ducks Unlimited card, and "restaurants and bars" on my Uber card with a sharpie. That only leaves the rotating category cards (I'll just stick a new post-it note on each one quarterly), and the "everything else" cards that will be easy to remember because I'll be using them daily for, well, everything else.

Anyways, all those cards would be worth 207,000 sign up bonus points, and only add up to $249 in annual fees ($344 if I don't cancel the Sapphire Preferred after getting the Reserve).

I travel a TON (mostly for work), so these cards are kind of tailored to my lifestyle, your mileage may vary.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

wasCB14 — Sat, 18 May 2019 18:52:41 GMT

Is the merchant a bit sketchy? Schwab Platinum

Travel? Generally CSR

Can it break easily? Generally Platinum, or Costco if it's from Costco

Might it be cheaper somewhere else? Costco or DoubleCash

Do none of the above apply? BBP, CFU, or whatever category card has better rewards

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

Revelate — Sat, 18 May 2019 21:02:47 GMT

@coreysw12 wrote:
You only spend $350 a year on "other"? Why aren't you charging groceries, insurance, etc. to that card?

Anyways, I too am curious what everyone's breakdown is. I'm still waiting on my points cards to arrive in the mail, and I've been trying to work out how to best manage them. Mine are -

Chase Sapphire Prefered 2% travel and dining
Varies between $20k-$50k/year

Chase Freedom Unlimited 3% first year, 1.5% after
Everything that isn't travel or dining will go on here, including rent. Probably $30-40k/year

After 1 year with the Chase FU card, I'll probably switch to a Citi DC 2% card or Alliant Signature 2.5% card. I'm not keen on "catergory" type rewards cards, but the Sapphire works well because I charge a TON of travel and dining expenses for work. Free points, because I get reimbursed for all those charges by my work!

You seriously need to be in a CSR with 20k+ in travel and dining it isn't even close.

CSR: 20k * 3x = 60k UR which is a minimum of $900 redemption (CSR 1.5x via travel portal aka Expedia)

CSP: 20k * 2x = 40k UR which is $500 redemption minimum same analysis as above except at 1.25x as I understand it.

$400 > $55 (AF difference after travel reimbursement which you hit). Seriously PC like today, take the additional $345 a year and go on with life .

My own setup is basically identical under normal circumstances:

CSR - Travel / Restaurants: $8595 YTD

CFU - almost everything else, including arbitrage tax payments

Chase Amazon: well, Amazon

Chase Freedom: if Chase releases a restaurant category ever again it gets the money, if not, newp.

The one glaring exception to this is the Chase Ink Preferred, which still nets me 3x UR for travel but at some point I'm going to have a fight with my current pimp about my expenses (which are not reimbursed today), and I want to be able to just throw a credit card statement at them and say this is what you cost me post-tax: Fix it.

That's easier if I have my work travel expenses broken out over any personal travel that I do which isn't admittedly that much currently.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

Anonymous — Sat, 18 May 2019 19:29:21 GMT

* Amazon Store Card - 5% on Amazon purchases (largest category of spend for me as I rarely buy things not on Amazon and I’ll pick up gift cards from Amazon when I can for those purchases too)

* BBVA ClearPoints - 3% back on utilities

* NFCU More Rewards - 3% back on groceries, 2% back on dining

* Discover It - rotating categories 5%

* PayPal Cashback - 2% everywhere else

* Capital One QS - I use it for sketchy purchases with Eno’s virtual credit card numbers, also use a VCC for recurring purchases I don’t want to recur. Use as a fallback card if my PayPal ever gets rejected as well because it’s old reliable.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

Remedios — Sat, 18 May 2019 20:41:34 GMT

@coreysw12 wrote:
For what it's worth, here is my FUTURE plan for this. Of course, by the time I'm able to get most of these cards, I'm sure things will change, but if I could apply for them all today, here's what I'd do:

As for those who say it's too much trouble to keep track of which cards are for what, I really don't think it's that difficult. The Amazon and Lowes cards are obvious, they're for Amazon and Lowes. Sapphires (the heavy metal cards) are for travel. For Chase Ink and US Bank Cash+, I don't have to remember because they're only for autopaying bills, so they'll be sock drawered after that's set up. I'll write "gas and sporting goods stores" on my Ducks Unlimited card, and "restaurants and bars" on my Uber card with a sharpie. That only leaves the rotating category cards (I'll just stick a new post-it note on each one quarterly), and the "everything else" cards that will be easy to remember because I'll be using them daily for, well, everything else.

Anyways, all those cards would be worth 207,000 sign up bonus points, and only add up to $249 in annual fees ($344 if I don't cancel the Sapphire Preferred after getting the Reserve).

I travel a TON (mostly for work), so these cards are kind of tailored to my lifestyle, your mileage may vary.

You can only have one card in Sapphire family.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

coreysw12 — Sat, 18 May 2019 20:47:08 GMT

That's fine - I only listed both because I already have SP, but plan to get SR someday. I'll probab;y product-change the SP to a Freedom and then apply for a new SR. Or if I'm ineligible for the SUB when I'm ready for the SR (due to the 48mo wait between Sapphire-family SUBs), then I'll try to PC the SP to an SR.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

Revelate — Sat, 18 May 2019 21:05:37 GMT

@coreysw12 wrote:
That's fine - I only listed both because I already have SP, but plan to get SR someday. I'll probab;y product-change the SP to a Freedom and then apply for a new SR. Or if I'm ineligible for the SUB when I'm ready for the SR (due to the 48mo wait between Sapphire-family SUBs), then I'll try to PC the SP to an SR.

You are leaving 20k UR on the floor each YEAR.

20k x 4 = 80K > 60K SUB.

Seriously PC.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

SoCalifornia — Sat, 18 May 2019 21:37:32 GMT

@calyx wrote:
"And the sales guy muttered...
"You people with your rewards""

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

Green456 — Sat, 18 May 2019 22:05:58 GMT

@coreysw12 wrote:
You only spend $350 a year on "other"? Why aren't you charging groceries, insurance, etc. to that card?

Anyways, I too am curious what everyone's breakdown is. I'm still waiting on my points cards to arrive in the mail, and I've been trying to work out how to best manage them. Mine are -

Chase Sapphire Prefered 2% travel and dining
Varies between $20k-$50k/year

Chase Freedom Unlimited 3% first year, 1.5% after
Everything that isn't travel or dining will go on here, including rent. Probably $30-40k/year

After 1 year with the Chase FU card, I'll probably switch to a Citi DC 2% card or Alliant Signature 2.5% card. I'm not keen on "catergory" type rewards cards, but the Sapphire works well because I charge a TON of travel and dining expenses for work. Free points, because I get reimbursed for all those charges by my work!

I only use credit cards for re-occurring payments, gas, plane tickets, hotels. For groceries and going out cash is the king. I tend to spend less money when I hand in cash because I am much less likely to buy something out of impulse. Of course YMMV.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

Anonymous — Sat, 18 May 2019 22:30:56 GMT

10k rent on DC - 1% after fee

8k flight/Gas on Propel - 4.98%

5k food/grocery on Amex Gld - 5.2%

5k Amzn on AMZN VISA - 5% (trying to reduce this, amazon doesn't always have the best price)

5k on CFU, most of everything else - 2.25% (this is planned, not yet PC CSP)

2-3k on CF/DISC rotating 5%

2-3k on Gift card at 7%+ discount.

Re: What is your credit card spending set up?

NaaryalHead — Sat, 18 May 2019 22:29:41 GMT

Mine annual breakdown is
Chase Amazon Visa $4500 @5% back exclusively for amazon.
Uber Visa $2500 @4% back for travel and eat out
BoA Cash Rewards 3% back on online shopping.
Citi DC for everything else @ 2% back
Citi Premier for travel. Newly inducted.
Cap one QS1 "for the bucket" edition for bills just so I can see all bills separately in one place.

.