topic Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores in Credit Cards

Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

NRB525 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 03:38:41 GMT

Also Fitness Clubs and Gym Memberships.

Looks like it could be a full-usage quarter.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

wasCB14 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 03:51:42 GMT

A dilemma for me...

1. BCP for 6%

2. Freedom for 5x and saving URs until I maybe eventually get an Ink Preferred.

Not a big deal either way, with Costco limiting my traditional grocery spend.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 03:53:30 GMT

@wasCB14 wrote:
A dilemma for me...

1. BCP for 6%
2. Freedom for 5x and saving URs until I maybe eventually get an Ink Preferred.

Not a big deal either way, with Costco limiting my traditional grocery spend.

This is an easy one. BCP isn't actually 6%, it's 4.4% if you cap it. URs are worth more even at 1cpp. Same reason BCP got the SD for 1Q and I used my Disco It.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

wasCB14 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 04:01:42 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@wasCB14 wrote:
A dilemma for me...

1. BCP for 6%
2. Freedom for 5x and saving URs until I maybe eventually get an Ink Preferred.

Not a big deal either way, with Costco limiting my traditional grocery spend.
This is an easy one. BCP isn't actually 6%, it's 4.4% if you cap it. URs are worth more even at 1cpp. Same reason BCP got the SD for 1Q and I used my Disco It.

I get how the AF eats into the long-term return ( ($360-$95)/$6,000 gives 4.4%), but those calculations aren't relevant in my situation.

Paying a $95 AF (and a ~$2 partial AF) ate into the $250 upgrade bonus, but I'll be keeping the card for a year regardless of my spend on it as part of "playing nice" and not attracting AA from Amex. And with limited grocery spend, I'll be downgrading back to BCE after about a year.

So with the AF a sunk cost and the grocery cap not a concern, it really is 6% on the margin.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

NRB525 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 04:10:20 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@wasCB14 wrote:
A dilemma for me...

1. BCP for 6%
2. Freedom for 5x and saving URs until I maybe eventually get an Ink Preferred.

Not a big deal either way, with Costco limiting my traditional grocery spend.
This is an easy one. BCP isn't actually 6%, it's 4.4% if you cap it. URs are worth more even at 1cpp. Same reason BCP got the SD for 1Q and I used my Disco It.

Well, the BCP comes with the $95 AF. You either decide to pay the AF, or you don't. Once you decide to pay the AF, then you earn 6% on up to $6k of annual grocery spend. So you still earn 6%, it's just that if you don't reach the $6,000 annual spend, then your return is reduced overall.

But for Q2, I think the toss up between BCP and Freedom UR Points is quite relevant, and the BCP AF is ignored. The Freedom UR Points are not always available, only one quarter each year for the last several years. If one can make the $6k on BCP through three other quarters, then Freedom makes sense.

Comparison to AMEX Gold is a little easier. Fred Meyer in my area does not code AMEX as Grocery, and the 5 UR ( with a transfer card ) are valuable.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 04:24:26 GMT

@wasCB14 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@wasCB14 wrote:
A dilemma for me...

1. BCP for 6%
2. Freedom for 5x and saving URs until I maybe eventually get an Ink Preferred.

Not a big deal either way, with Costco limiting my traditional grocery spend.
This is an easy one. BCP isn't actually 6%, it's 4.4% if you cap it. URs are worth more even at 1cpp. Same reason BCP got the SD for 1Q and I used my Disco It.
I get how the AF eats into the long-term return ( ($360-$95)/$6,000 gives 4.4%), but those calculations aren't relevant in my situation.

Paying a $95 AF (and a ~$2 partial AF) ate into the $250 upgrade bonus, but I'll be keeping the card for a year regardless of my spend on it as part of "playing nice" and not attracting AA from Amex. And with limited grocery spend, I'll be downgrading back to BCE after about a year.

So with the AF a sunk cost and the grocery cap not a concern, it really is 6% on the margin.

I suppose it is indeed a sunk cost and doesn't matter in this situation, just long term as you stated. I see red every time I see someone call the BCP 6% and I guess in this situation I wasn't really thinking about the situation before posting. 😂

But surely you would get more value from URs in the end than 6% anyway if you're willing to hold onto them?

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

wasCB14 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 04:24:51 GMT

Saeren, you'd be getting more in rewards (assuming consistent merchant coding, and assuming you stay within the $6k annual cap) with your BCP than with Discover.

Amex doesn't waive $23.75 of the annual fee (25% of $95) just because the card sits in the SD for 3 months. That money is gone. Or, if your fee is waived for a year, you never paid it. So you're taking 5% on the margin instead of 6%.

4.4% is a relevant figure for someone thinking about opening/closing/upgrading to/downgrading from a BCP - but not for someone who already has it and isn't about to close it.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

mkhan1093 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 04:30:42 GMT

Here's hoping we actually get to use the gym from Apr - Jun given all the virus news lately

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

wasCB14 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 04:35:31 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I suppose it is indeed a sunk cost and doesn't matter in this situation, just long term as you stated. I see red every time I see someone call the BCP 6% and I guess in this situation I wasn't really thinking about the situation before posting. 😂

But surely you would get more value from URs in the end than 6% anyway if you're willing to hold onto them?

Potentially. The timing is unclear.

I'm not eligible for a CSP/CSR bonus until 2022, so no easy 1.5 cpp revenue travel redemptions until then...if that feature is even still around then.

I've not been doing very well with United redemption values, and limited hotel stays means I'm slow to use my Hyatt points. And I have a lot of points in those programs, and with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

So there's not an obviously great way to use more URs!

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 04:38:03 GMT

@wasCB14 wrote:
Saeren, you'd be getting more in rewards (assuming consistent merchant coding, and assuming you stay within the $6k annual cap) with your BCP than with Discover.

Amex doesn't waive $23.75 of the annual fee (25% of $95) just because the card sits in the SD for 3 months. That money is gone. Or, if your fee is waived for a year, you never paid it. So you're taking 5% on the margin instead of 6%.

4.4% is a relevant figure for someone thinking about opening/closing/upgrading to/downgrading from a BCP - but not for someone who already has it and isn't about to close it.

Yeah I admit didn't do the math right because I have that 4.4% stuck in my head. It's pretty much the only category that gets the Disco out of the SD so it is what it is. On a $160 food budget, with an average of $150 actually spent each month, I'm not terribly concerned with $4.50 in cash back across the quarter. Just more ammo to axe the BCP when the AF hits because it really doesn't make sense for me.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 04:39:54 GMT

@wasCB14 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I suppose it is indeed a sunk cost and doesn't matter in this situation, just long term as you stated. I see red every time I see someone call the BCP 6% and I guess in this situation I wasn't really thinking about the situation before posting. 😂

But surely you would get more value from URs in the end than 6% anyway if you're willing to hold onto them?
Potentially. The timing is unclear.

I'm not eligible for a CSP/CSR bonus until 2022, so no easy 1.5 cpp revenue travel redemptions until then...if that feature is even still around then.

I've not been doing very well with United redemption values, and limited hotel stays means I'm slow to use my Hyatt points. And I have a lot of points in those programs, and with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

So there's not an obviously great way to use more URs!

Yeah sounds like the BCP is a better bet. At least you have a fixed value with the card.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

wasCB14 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 05:00:07 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@wasCB14 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I suppose it is indeed a sunk cost and doesn't matter in this situation, just long term as you stated. I see red every time I see someone call the BCP 6% and I guess in this situation I wasn't really thinking about the situation before posting. 😂

But surely you would get more value from URs in the end than 6% anyway if you're willing to hold onto them?
Potentially. The timing is unclear.

I'm not eligible for a CSP/CSR bonus until 2022, so no easy 1.5 cpp revenue travel redemptions until then...if that feature is even still around then.

I've not been doing very well with United redemption values, and limited hotel stays means I'm slow to use my Hyatt points. And I have a lot of points in those programs, and with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

So there's not an obviously great way to use more URs!
Yeah sounds like the BCP is a better bet. At least you have a fixed value with the card.

I'll probably stick with BCP. If and when I get another Chase card (business or personal, UR or cobrand, AF or not) the SUB and/or earn rate would distinguish the card. Increasing the value of a small pool of URs won't be a big factor, as I transferred out all I had in January.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

wasCB14 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 05:08:24 GMT

@mkhan1093 wrote:
Here's hoping we actually get to use the gym from Apr - Jun given all the virus news lately

I'm sticking with my municipal track for cardio and "weight of my own body" stuff for lifting.

The demand for at-home exercise machines has increased greatly. Sprays can help kill bugs that another person left on a machine's surface, but there's not a good solution to avoid breathing in another person's exhalation.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 16:00:22 GMT

@NRB525 wrote:
Also Fitness Clubs and Gym Memberships.
Looks like it could be a full-usage quarter.

Not bad, but this one won't help me at all.

I pay gym memberships in full yearly in Oct.

Disco has gas in second quarter as well.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

TSlop — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 17:37:02 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:
Also Fitness Clubs and Gym Memberships.
Looks like it could be a full-usage quarter.
Not bad, but this one won't help me at all.
I pay gym memberships in full yearly in Oct.
Disco has gas in second quarter as well.

Ya, i'll have to remember to swap cards for those purchases since the categories are opposite the past 3 months.

I'm not sure i'll switch my gym membership for the 3 months since it was a hassle at PF. I'll probably just ket that $30 stay on my 2% card. I only will lose out on 90 cents.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

FICOlearner123 — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 18:56:09 GMT

Does the 5% include local grocery shops?

Also in bay area we have a chain called Sprouts Farmers Market, any idea if this would qualify for the 5% reward?

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 18:59:12 GMT

@FICOlearner123 wrote:
Does the 5% include local grocerry shops?
Also in bay area we have a chain called Sprouts Farmers Market, any idea if this would qualify for the 5% reward?

Sprouts does code as supermarket in my experience on other cards (Disco and BCP). We have them here in CO too.

https://www.visa.com/supplierlocator-app/app/#/home/supplier-locator

Just put your zip code in and Sprouts for the business and search. If your store is coded 5411, you're good to go.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

dragontears — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 19:00:25 GMT

@FICOlearner123 wrote:
Does the 5% include local grocery shops?
Also in bay area we have a chain called Sprouts Farmers Market, any idea if this would qualify for the 5% reward?

Depends on the individual business merchant code but I use to shop at Sprouts when I lived in Colorado and they coded as grocery

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

Ragdollkitty — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 07:32:59 GMT

@TSlop wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@NRB525 wrote:
Also Fitness Clubs and Gym Memberships.
Looks like it could be a full-usage quarter.
Not bad, but this one won't help me at all.
I pay gym memberships in full yearly in Oct.
Disco has gas in second quarter as well.
Ya, i'll have to remember to swap cards for those purchases since the categories are opposite the past 3 months.

I'm not sure i'll switch my gym membership for the 3 months since it was a hassle at PF. I'll probably just ket that $30 stay on my 2% card. I only will lose out on 90 cents.

Yeah I haven't touched mine and mine goes to the 1.5% card. My home location apparently only does checking account monthly pulls now. PF website says most locations are like this now which is why I can't change it online.

I suppose I could ask every location I go to my if they accept credit cards and then change my home gym to that so I could use a new card but I haven't bothered. I'm more worried about messing with it and losing the ability to use a credit card at all. I guess when it expires in three years I'll have to figure something out.

Re: Chase Freedom Q2 2020 Grocery Stores

gdale6 — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 14:53:15 GMT

Jeez, same ole same ole with the exeption of Q2 last year. They need to hire people with vision.