topic Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why? in Credit Cards

Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 20:26:39 GMT

I currently have the Chase Amazon Prime Rewards ($1,000 CL), Barclay's Uber ($500 CL), and Citi Double Cash ($3,600 CL). Ironically, the card with the highest CL is the card I use the least, Amazon being my most used card. I'd like to get a CL increase on both the Amazon and Uber cards, but neither (to my knowledge) offer soft pull CLIs. For that reason, I've decided to hold off on requesting them for a bit longer.

I am looking at adding another 1 or 2 cards to my collection, but I'm not sure what to get. As it is, I can get 5% back on Amazon purchases with Prime Rewards, 4% back at restraunts/bars and 3% back on hotels/flights with Uber, and 2% back on everything else with my Double Cash. I try to always leave a balance on my cards, but I pay off the amount due in full, so I'm never charged interest. So APRs are pretty irrelevant to me... According to my Barclays account, my TUF8 was 800 on 9/13, I was going to sign up for FreeCreditReport before posting but I can't access the login or registration page.

I've been looking at other cards and haven't found any obvious choices that offer better rewards than the ones I get with my existing cards, and I don't spend enough annually to jusitfy cards with an annual fee. The most enticing ones I've found are the Discover It Cash Back and Apple Credit Card. One would give me 5% back in rotating categories which may occassionally provide better benefits than my existing cards, while the other could increase my cash back from 2% to 3% if I used Apple Pay.

I'm not against cards that offer travel or point benefits, but I've never taken the time to determine their value - whereas cash back is pretty straight forward. I don't travel often and don't care to be forced to use points before some silly expiration date though.

Any suggestions/input?

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Remedios — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 20:31:40 GMT

Could you elaborate why your scores dropped so much compared last year?

Negatives and high utilization will affect approvals, so before everyone starts making suggestions, it's kinda important to know what happened there

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 20:33:48 GMT

Dropped? They haven't...

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Girlzilla88 — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 20:44:08 GMT

I think Remedios misread your Siggy lol

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 20:51:56 GMT

Yeah I misread too. It's because the older scores are on the bottom instead of the newer ones I think.

You can get all your F8s from Experian. It's $1 for the trial of CreditWorks Premium, just make sure you cancel it or it's $24.95 a month.

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Remedios — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 20:57:37 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Dropped? They haven't...

I saw it wrong, looked like second set was from 2019. I've been meaning to check my eyes for the past year or longer

Second Disco is a gamble with SL. Might be good, or it may not. If you would not be heartbroken over it, it's a decent option for cash back.

Chase, Freedom or Freedom Unlimited if under 5/24.

Depending on number of new accounts Cash+ can be a good option for utilities, cell phone and cable/internet providers

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 21:15:30 GMT

If you want to get 3% on all purchases for a year, you could get a Disco IT Miles. That's what I did. 1.5% monthly, 1.5% match after the year is up.

Cash back is all I am really interested too. The Apple Card only makes sense if you use Apple Pay for everything because that's 2% (only some merchants like Apple, Walgreens, and Uber are 3% with Apple Pay).

My regular set up is

Amazon Store Card - 5% back on Amazon

Target REDcard - 5% discount at Target

Discover IT - 5% rotating categories and for BT offers

SavorOne - 3% back for dining, 2% for groceries
BBVA ClearPoints - 3% back on cable and cell bills

NFCU cashRewards - 1.5% on all purchases

I have tried for the US Bank Cash+ card twice this year but got shot down for new accounts and I have the Freedom as a goal card when my BK drops. BCP is on my radar too.

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

SouthJamaica — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 21:35:36 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I currently have the Chase Amazon Prime Rewards ($1,000 CL), Barclay's Uber ($500 CL), and Citi Double Cash ($3,600 CL). Ironically, the card with the highest CL is the card I use the least, Amazon being my most used card. I'd like to get a CL increase on both the Amazon and Uber cards, but neither (to my knowledge) offer soft pull CLIs. For that reason, I've decided to hold off on requesting them for a bit longer.

I am looking at adding another 1 or 2 cards to my collection, but I'm not sure what to get. As it is, I can get 5% back on Amazon purchases with Prime Rewards, 4% back at restraunts/bars and 3% back on hotels/flights with Uber, and 2% back on everything else with my Double Cash. I try to always leave a balance on my cards, but I pay off the amount due in full, so I'm never charged interest. So APRs are pretty irrelevant to me... According to my Barclays account, my TUF8 was 800 on 9/13, I was going to sign up for FreeCreditReport before posting but I can't access the login or registration page.

I've been looking at other cards and haven't found any obvious choices that offer better rewards than the ones I get with my existing cards, and I don't spend enough annually to jusitfy cards with an annual fee. The most enticing ones I've found are the Discover It Cash Back and Apple Credit Card. One would give me 5% back in rotating categories which may occassionally provide better benefits than my existing cards, while the other could increase my cash back from 2% to 3% if I used Apple Pay.

I'm not against cards that offer travel or point benefits, but I've never taken the time to determine their value - whereas cash back is pretty straight forward. I don't travel often and don't care to be forced to use points before some silly expiration date though.

Any suggestions/input?

I don't know why you would need another rewards card. Seems to me you've got things pretty well maximized.

If you want to play the travel game, I would suggest the Citi Premier card and, if you're approved, merging the Thankyou points account for your Double Cash card into the Premier's TYP account.

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 21:45:26 GMT

Remedios,

Sorry, I'm still pretty new to this stuff, so I have a few follow-up questions...

"Second Disco"? Is that the name of a card or are you under the impression I already have a Discover card?
What does the Freedom or Freedom Unlimited have that I'd benefit most from?
What do you mean by "if under 5/24"?
I'm renting with utils included, phone is on a family plan, so not sure about the Cash+.
Does the Cash+ have decent categories? I couldn't find a list or any examples of their categories...

Saeren, I don't spend much yearly, so cards that offer first year or sign-up bonuses wouldn't benefit me very much. Especially when most of my expenditures would fall under amazon, gas, or dining. Speaking of dining, any reason you went with the Savor instead of the Uber card?

I've never used Apple Pay, but I do have an iPhone and Apple Watch; just never took the time to figure it out while checking out. 🤔

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 22:06:02 GMT

I went with Savor because I like Capital One and Barclays denied me for the Uber (too many new accounts - I have been on quite the credit spree).

I wanted the SavorOne anyway because it covers entertainment too. About the only thing I'll be able to do when I can get out of the house is go to Alamo Drafthouse for dinner and a movie and the SavorOne codes as entertainment (movie theaters) there. If I got declined for SavorOne, Marvel was my next app.

As for your questions.

1) was referring to a second Discover. We often call Discover Disco.
2) Freedom is another 5% rotating categories card like Discover IT - they're often complementary.

3) 5/24 means less than 5 new accounts in 24 months.
4) Cash+ lets you choose from a list of categories, it's just commonly used for utilities and cell.
5) https://cashplus.usbank.com/merchants

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

simplynoir — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 22:11:06 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Remedios,
Sorry, I'm still pretty new to this stuff, so I have a few follow-up questions...
"Second Disco"? Is that the name of a card or are you under the impression I already have a Discover card?
What does the Freedom or Freedom Unlimited have that I'd benefit most from?
What do you mean by "if under 5/24"?
I'm renting with utils included, phone is on a family plan, so not sure about the Cash+.
Does the Cash+ have decent categories? I couldn't find a list or any examples of their categories...
Saeren, I don't spend much yearly, so cards that offer first year or sign-up bonuses wouldn't benefit me very much. Especially when most of my expenditures would fall under amazon, gas, or dining. Speaking of dining, any reason you went with the Savor instead of the Uber card?

I've never used Apple Pay, but I do have an iPhone and Apple Watch; just never took the time to figure it out while checking out. 🤔

1) Your signature is still confusing her I think since I think she's seeing that as you already having the card

2) If you're not wanting to invest in the UR ecosystem then the Unlimited is a non-starter with your current DC, Freedom is in play since it'll give you a rotating 5% card. Check the past quarter categories to see if your spend works with them even if it is YMMV

3) 5/24 is a rule Chase has where you cannot apply for a Chase card if you have 5 or more open accounts in the past 24 months

4) Then keep a bookmark on it for now and perhaps your situation will change later to make it more palpable

5) Yes though it's subject to change.

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 22:16:31 GMT

SouthJamaica,

Thanks for your response... I was intrigued, and looked into it a bit (please do correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm horrible at math), but looking at the Citi Premier site; it mentions 60,000 points are redeemable for $750 in airfairs or $600 in giftcards. When buying gas, you get 3 points for every dollar spent... so in a best case scenario, assuming you spent $20,000 on gas to obtain 60,000 (20000 * 3) points, it'd be equivilant to about 3.75% (750 / 20000) cash back on airfairs or 3% (600 / 20000) back on giftcards. Worst case, getting 1 point per dollar, you'd get about 1.25% (750 / 60000) if spent on an airfair or 1% (600 / 60000) on giftcards.

Considering you're paying $95 annually, the Uber card gives 3% back on hotels and airfairs, and my other cards give 2% back on other purchases... I'm not sure it'd be the best fit for me unless I were spending a lot travel, hotels, etc. on a yearly basis. 😕

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 03:48:01 GMT

if i was you i would go after cards with the toughest UW first since youve been gardening a while. us bank, umb, fnbo, chase, etc. its easy to get a discover or something else afterwards. and then maybe look into cu cards.

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 19:42:19 GMT

So I applied for the Cash+ and think I was instantly approved with a ~$6k SL, but the email then said it's subject to additional verifcation. Which general use travel card is good? I was looking at the Wells Fargo Propel... any other suggestions I should consider?

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 20:03:55 GMT

travel reward cards have an AF, i think most people prefer chase's reward system. also look into amex gold/plat, and capitalOne venture. if you don't like AF's theres a few cards without it but then you probably won't be earning enough points to use for anything.

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 20:16:36 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
travel reward cards have an AF, i think most people prefer chase's reward system. also look into amex gold/plat, and capitalOne venture. if you don't like AF's theres a few cards without it but then you probably won't be earning enough points to use for anything.

I think here in recent months there has been several heavy hitters now leaning more towards Amex. Chase has lost some valued partners, and Amex has increased ways of earning MRs (e.g. ebates). And with the Double Cash changes, some are excited about Citi's TYP.

But yes still a lot of Chase fans.

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 20:20:52 GMT

Obvious choice would be freedom and/or IT, rotating 5% is probably the highest reward rate in cash back cards.

If you want to get into travel and points, and if you only want no AF cards, then only option is propel and wells fargo visa signature combo.

If you are willing to fork AF, which oftenly worth the cost, options will be chase system, amex system, citi system. To figure out which is the best for you, you will have to check your spending habit (how much you spend in each category), your travel habit (airline, airport, frequency, class).

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 20:30:39 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
So I applied for the Cash+ and think I was instantly approved with a ~$6k SL, but the email then said it's subject to additional verifcation. Which general use travel card is good? I was looking at the Wells Fargo Propel... any other suggestions I should consider?

6K is good with USB considering I was autodenied for inq's, recon'd for 1K/ea and then again for a 10K/ea counteroffer.

General Travel.... there really isn't one other than say CSP / CSR with Chase or Gold / Platinum with Amex. Propel is generic enough to pick up some cash on spend though.

Travel is usually a little more specific in branding for getting the most beng for your spend. If you're loyal to one chain or another then targeting a specific brand is ideal. If you're more of a Priceline name your price sort of traveler w/o loyalty then there's actually a Priceline card through BArclay's that's 5% on purchases and you get a bonus on priceline redemptions on top of it.

https://cards.barclaycardus.com/banking/cards/priceline-rewards-visa-card/

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 20:57:43 GMT

I only travel 1-2 times a year and tend to shop around on various sites to find the best prices at the most convenient times/locations. So I guess, aside from buying gas, I don't really spend much in terms of travel. I can hold off on getting a travel card...

I'm on disability, so I have a limited income and am restricted to $2,000 in assets. My student loan accounts have recently closed, so my 3 cards are my only open accounts. I'm renting, so no mortgages or anything... Trying to build credit while having these restrictions is a bit more challenging than normal. I was just looking for 2 more cards (so I have 5 accounts open), that aren't going to cost me (since my income is so limited), that I'd hopefully find useful and would never need to close them.

Re: Expanding. Which Cards, and Why?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 21:03:14 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I only travel 1-2 times a year and tend to shop around on various sites to find the best prices at the most convenient times/locations. So I guess, aside from buying gas, I don't really spend much in terms of travel. I can hold off on getting a travel card...

I'm on disability, so I have a limited income and am restricted to $2,000 in assets. My student loan accounts have recently closed, so my 3 cards are my only open accounts. I'm renting, so no mortgages or anything... Trying to build credit while having these restrictions is a bit more challenging than normal. I was just looking for 2 more cards (so I have 5 accounts open), that aren't going to cost me (since my income is so limited), that I'd hopefully find useful and would never need to close them.

I'm actually in a similar situation with the $2K asset limit because of Medicaid and I'm on SSDI which is why I don't have any cards that have an AF.

I don't travel but if I had any travel, the Propel would be the card I would go to for travel cash back with no AF.