topic Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+? in Credit Cards

Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

dlister70 — Thu, 30 May 2019 22:20:17 GMT

Next quarter the Discover It card has restaurants, so I won't need to have fast food as a category on my Cash+ Visa card. I figured I'd just switch to having cable and streaming as a category for that quarter. Then it occurred to me that maybe I could prepay a whole year worth of internet so that I get 5% off for the whole year instead of just that quarter? I have accidentally paid extra on a Comcast bill before, and it just carried over as a credit on the next bill, but I'm not sure if they'd let me overpay for a whole year..

Netflix is the only streaming service that I'm using right now, and they seem to only bill per month. I can't find a way to pre-pay for a whole years worth of Netflix except via redeeming Netflix gift cards, which wouldn't work for the streaming category. Then I realized that I could have been buying Netflix gift cards from Amazon with my Amazon Visa for 5% back all along.. oops.

I wonder how many other situations there are where I'm leaving cash back on the table by not thinking outside of the box?

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Thu, 30 May 2019 22:23:57 GMT

Comcast will let you pay as far ahead as you want to, I do it all the time to hit SUBs.

I believe it was @Kforce who said that they prepaid each quarter to maximize their cash back from the Cash+

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Remedios — Thu, 30 May 2019 22:33:11 GMT

Cable, internet and streaming have been extended for another quarter, so you have plenty of time to think about if you want to prepay it or not.

As long as you make up your mind by end of September, you'll be fine. I'd personally prepay if I was in a position to do so.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

kdm31091 — Thu, 30 May 2019 22:43:28 GMT

If you can swing the extra upfront cost, there's nothing wrong with prepaying, although I don't think of it as "leaving cash back on the table" because regardless, you'll get cash back when you pay your bill eventually. I wouldn't want to pay for a year of Internet upfront because what if you end up wanting to switch? What if you find a better deal? Your needs could change, and then you're locked in for a year. You could get a refund but then you'd lose the cash back anyway.

Netfix AFAIK only bills month to month, there is no option to pay ahead of time for an entire year. But Netflix is a pretty trivial cost in the grand scheme so we aren't talking about huge cash back anyway.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Thu, 30 May 2019 22:46:41 GMT

@kdm31091 wrote:
If you can swing the extra upfront cost, there's nothing wrong with prepaying, although I don't think of it as "leaving cash back on the table" because regardless, you'll get cash back when you pay your bill eventually.

I think the OP is saying that they usually use the Fast Food category on Cash + and next quarter they don't need to. So, if they spend most of the 2000 on fast food, they won't always get the cash back when they pay the bill...

I just discovered I have spend $2100 this quarter with one more mobile payment to go, so I messed up!

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Thu, 30 May 2019 22:54:20 GMT

@kdm31091 wrote:
If you can swing the extra upfront cost, there's nothing wrong with prepaying, although I don't think of it as "leaving cash back on the table" because regardless, you'll get cash back when you pay your bill eventually. I wouldn't want to pay for a year of Internet upfront because what if you end up wanting to switch? What if you find a better deal? Your needs could change, and then you're locked in for a year. You could get a refund but then you'd lose the cash back anyway.

Netfix AFAIK only bills month to month, there is no option to pay ahead of time for an entire year. But Netflix is a pretty trivial cost in the grand scheme so we aren't talking about huge cash back anyway.

Comcast has been locking people into 1 year or 2 year contracts anyway to get the best rates — I’m on contract for $89.99 a month until July 2020 for gigabit — and when you cancel service, Comcast issues a prorated refund for any credit balance.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

dlister70 — Thu, 30 May 2019 23:06:40 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@kdm31091 wrote:
If you can swing the extra upfront cost, there's nothing wrong with prepaying, although I don't think of it as "leaving cash back on the table" because regardless, you'll get cash back when you pay your bill eventually.

I think the OP is saying that they usually use the Fast Food category on Cash + and next quarter they don't need to. So, if they spend most of the 2000 on fast food, they won't always get the cash back when they pay the bill...

I just discovered I have spend $2100 this quarter with one more mobile payment to go, so I messed up!

Yes, I guess I wasn't clear on that. I will only have the cable/streaming as a category for next quarter, and then I will be switching back to fast food. Although I don't spend $2000 per quarter on fast food (yikes!) I do spend more than the $50/month that my internet is, so it's usually a better category for me.

I just figured while I had the cable category, I'd pre-pay a year and then I could do it again next year whenever Discover has their restaurant quarter again.

I am certainly going to jump ship from Comcast whenever Google fiber comes to town, but otherwise, I'm pretty much stuck with them if I want internet, so I'm not worried about paying ahead.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

dlister70 — Thu, 30 May 2019 23:08:36 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Comcast has been locking people into 1 year or 2 year contracts anyway to get the best rates — I’m on contract for $89.99 a month until July 2020 for gigabit — and when you cancel service, Comcast issues a prorated refund for any credit balance.

Hmm, I wonder if they mail you a check for the credit balance? Then you'd still keep your cash back and get the refund too!

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Thu, 30 May 2019 23:13:35 GMT

I recently had an Amex offer for 10% off a cellular bill payment, up to $10 (on $100).

My cell bill costs $5 a month less on autopay, so it was already set up on another card. Although I didn't owe anything, I went to T-Mobile's web site and pre-paid $100. The $10 credit generated in a day or two and I have a two month "vacation" from paying my phone bill.

And just for fun, since it's on a plan with introductary 0% Plan it Pay It, I split the $100 into 9 payments of $11.12.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Thu, 30 May 2019 23:22:43 GMT

@dlister70 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Comcast has been locking people into 1 year or 2 year contracts anyway to get the best rates — I’m on contract for $89.99 a month until July 2020 for gigabit — and when you cancel service, Comcast issues a prorated refund for any credit balance.
Hmm, I wonder if they mail you a check for the credit balance? Then you'd still keep your cash back and get the refund too!

They do mail you a check for the credit balance within 3 weeks. I used to work for them.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

SBR249 — Fri, 31 May 2019 00:01:44 GMT

Amazon offers a lot of third party gift cards, so basically for any place where you know you'll consistently spend money and if Amazon offers a gift card, you can get 5% cashback. Around where I live, Giant and Safeway are big grocery chains and Amazon sells gift cards to both. So I've basically relegated my BCE to the SD for the 5% CB on groceries.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Fri, 31 May 2019 00:03:57 GMT

Did anyone else get a recent offer? My recent one goes from June 1 through the end of July. It's an extra 20% cash back after $900 spent. Heck I wonder if my cable service would allow me to pay ahead like that.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Fri, 31 May 2019 00:42:35 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Did anyone else get a recent offer? My recent one goes from June 1 through the end of July. It's an extra 20% cash back after $900 spent. Heck I wonder if my cable service would allow me to pay ahead like that.

Most companies will. It’s not at all uncommon for people to prepay their cable bills for their summer homes and such so they don’t have to worry about it later.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

K-in-Boston — Fri, 31 May 2019 01:09:50 GMT

For Verizon FIOS, I have paid 4 months in advance. For Netflix I have paid a year in advance. For our electrical and gas provider here in the city I have paid each of those in $650 chunks (there is a $2.25 charge per $650). To elaborate on the Netflix mention earlier, you can make a one-time payment of any amount or add a gift card of any amount, but the actual billing only happens once a month.

Had an interesting situation where we both got Delta Reserve cards with the then-record SUB back in October. Needed the 10,000 MQMs on each to hit after 1st of January to count toward 2020 status, so there was only a 1 week window to hit the $3,000 spend on each card. Utility prepayments helped make sure that happened.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Fri, 31 May 2019 01:32:45 GMT

@dlister70 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@kdm31091 wrote:
If you can swing the extra upfront cost, there's nothing wrong with prepaying, although I don't think of it as "leaving cash back on the table" because regardless, you'll get cash back when you pay your bill eventually.

I think the OP is saying that they usually use the Fast Food category on Cash + and next quarter they don't need to. So, if they spend most of the 2000 on fast food, they won't always get the cash back when they pay the bill...

I just discovered I have spend $2100 this quarter with one more mobile payment to go, so I messed up!
Yes, I guess I wasn't clear on that. I will only have the cable/streaming as a category for next quarter, and then I will be switching back to fast food. Although I don't spend $2000 per quarter on fast food (yikes!) I do spend more than the $50/month that my internet is, so it's usually a better category for me.

Remember you have 2 5% categories, so if you don't spend $2K a quarter some could be left for streaming

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Credit-hoarder — Fri, 31 May 2019 01:54:10 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Comcast will let you pay as far ahead as you want to, I do it all the time to hit SUBs.

I believe it was @Kforce who said that they prepaid each quarter to maximize their cash back from the Cash+

This is good to know b/c it will help put me over the top next month meeting the SUB on my Chase INK.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Fri, 31 May 2019 01:57:26 GMT

@Credit-hoarder wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Comcast will let you pay as far ahead as you want to, I do it all the time to hit SUBs.

I believe it was @Kforce who said that they prepaid each quarter to maximize their cash back from the Cash+
This is good to know b/c it will help put me over the top next month meeting the SUB on my Chase INK.

When I worked at Comcast, I had someone call and pay $3000 one time to cover their services at their second home for a year. I asked my supervisor if I could even take a payment that large and she had me process it and stick a permanent note that customer called to specifically pay for a year of service in advance in CSG. That was a bit more extreme example but yeah, Comcast won’t turn down getting to earn interest on your money.

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

MyDataMyChoice — Fri, 31 May 2019 03:00:23 GMT

sometimes you can negotiate a 'deal' with the cable company ... if I prepay a year upfront.. will you discount the service by 10%

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

KLEXH25 — Fri, 31 May 2019 03:36:03 GMT

This is all so helpful! Why didn’t I ever think of it? Especially if you’re stuck to a contract and have the money to pay it off anyway. Looks like I should be able to meet any future SUBS coming my way 😊

Re: Pre-pay a year of internet and Netflix on Cash+?

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 11:54:18 GMT

Great thread with great replies to the OP. This is why I keep coming back to this forum. It's like I get paid to come here.