topic Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy? in Credit Cards

What's Your Rewards Strategy?

mgood — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 18:18:41 GMT

I'd think this would be a common topic here. I did a quick search and didn't find this specifically, and anything remotely related looked several years old. If I'm missing something, point me in the right direction.

What is your setup for points and/or cash back? Use this card for this, that card for that, and this other one for everything else.

Discover it      5% on rotating categories
PenFed Platinum 5x on Gas, 3x on Groceries
Eddie Bauer      ~5% at Eddie Bauer
Cabela's MC      3% at Cabela's & Bass Pro
PenFed PCR       2% on everything else

Right now with SUBs, the Disco gives me 10% back on the quarterly categories for the first year.

The PenFed Platinum is pretty much everything else at the moment while I'm chasing that SUB. $100 back for $1500 spend is 6.67% back.

There are other cards I'd like to add, of course. Chase Freedom Flex for another card with 5% rotating categories and probably a Sapphire Preferred for the points multiplier. (I don't think I spend enough or travel enough to get value from the CSR, but I haven't ruled it out.) Wells Fargo Propel, and probably their Visa Siggy for that points multiplier. Amex BCE/BCP looks interesting and I don't have an Amex in the mix. C1 Savor/SavorOne looks interesting. I was actually sent a preapproval for SavorOne earlier this week, but the timing is wrong with the new accounts I've opened recently and the loan I'm about to apply for. Hope they offer me that again next year.

The other cards in my sig are basically SD. I'll keep them around to boost AAoA and lower aggregate UTL.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

mgood — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 17:28:14 GMT

@Remedios, I started to post it in Credit Cards and wasn't sure it went here. I put it in SmorgasBoard to try to stay out of trouble and you moved it back here.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Remedios — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 17:28:35 GMT

@mgood I've moved your thread from Smorg since it really isn't "Off Topic"

There are so many threads on this topic, I couldn't decide which one to merge it with, so I guess everyone gets another go at this topic.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Remedios — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 17:32:59 GMT

@mgood wrote:
@Remedios, I started to post it in Credit Cards and wasn't sure it went here. I put it in SmorgasBoard to try to stay out of trouble and you moved it back here.

I moved it here because "here" is appropriate place for it.

This is a brief description for contend that belongs to Smorg

"If it doesn’t fit in the other boards, put it in the Smorgasboard! This board includes the zany, fun and social stuff: cat pictures, jokes, trivia, random thoughts, etc."

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 17:40:42 GMT

Currently rolling with the following:

Discover It 5% (10% end of year) for groceries spending and same card for 1% (2% end of year) for everything else. I'm hoping to upgrade / product change my CapOne Platinum to Quicksilver this week when it hits 100 days / 3 full statements and that will take over for my everything spending once Discover's 1st year is up for me.

In April, I plan to come out of the garden and either upgrade my nRewards when it (hopefully) unsecured and becomes a CashRewards to a MoreRewards so that I can get the 3% Gas/Groceries/Restuarant. If that doesn't pan out for some reason, I'll app for a MoreRewards as I should be in a good spot to get approved by that point.

For my purposes, that about covers all of my rewards spending for the most part. I don't travel enough to justify a dedicated travel card and I don't eat out enough to justify a dedicated restuarant card. I am really trying to find a good 2% card that will fit my profile with a recent BK (will be 1.5 years by that point) and the only option I've seen is the PenFed PCR as I've noticed they have been a little bit more flexible these last few months, but I know that's a stretch.

So it'll ultimately probably end up being:

Discover 5% categories

Quicksilver 1.5%

MoreRewards 3% Groceries/Gas/Restuarants

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

mgood — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 17:57:12 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I don't travel enough to justify a dedicated travel card and I don't eat out enough to justify a dedicated restuarant card.

I may, or may not, travel enough to justify a travel card, or at least one with an annual fee. So I think maybe the $95 CSP but probably not the $550 CSR. Been doing some maths and head scratching on that topic lately.

I do eat out way too much. If they count fast food as "dining out," then I'll get good use out of those. There are multiple cards I plan to get or I'm thinking about getting that give ~3% for dining. So I don't have that covered now, I plan to in the future.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 18:33:23 GMT

Here's my current cash back strategy:

• Amex Blue Cash Preferred: 6% on groceries and streaming services, 3% on transit

• Affinity Cash Rewards: 5% on Amazon, 5% rotating categories

• Chase Freedom: Rotating 5% categories

• Discover It: Rotating 5% categories

• Walmart Card: 5% on Walmart

• Target RedCard: 5% on Target

• Chase Freedom Unlimited: 5% on Lyft until March 2022, free 3 month DoorDash DashPass subscription followed by 50% off for 9 months, 3% on dining (used for DoorDash orders to stack with DashPass discount)

• Capital One Savor (grandfathered in to no AF): 4% on dining and entertainment

• Verizon Card: 4% on gas, 2% on Verizon

• Apple Card: 3% on Apple

• Discover It Miles: 3% on everything else for 12 months

• Citi Double Cash: 2% on everything always, 10% off bike share membership (stacked with 2% base rewards for 12% off total)

Sock drawer cards include Wells Fargo Propel, Capital One Quicksilver, and Alliant Platinum Rewards.

Hoping to get the BofA Cash Rewards card later this year for 3% on online purchases, as well as the US Bank Cash+ for 5% on utilities and internet service. Might also replace my Double Cash card with the Fidelity card.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 18:43:47 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Here's my current cash back strategy:

• Amex Blue Cash Preferred: 6% on groceries and streaming services, 3% on transit

• Affinity Cash Rewards: 5% on Amazon, 5% rotating categories

• Chase Freedom: Rotating 5% categories

• Discover It: Rotating 5% categories

• Walmart Card: 5% on Walmart

• Target RedCard: 5% on Target

• Chase Freedom Unlimited: 5% on Lyft until March 2022, free 3 month DoorDash DashPass subscription followed by 50% off for 9 months, 3% on dining (used for DoorDash orders to stack with DashPass discount)

• Capital One Savor (grandfathered in to no AF): 4% on dining and entertainment

• Verizon Card: 4% on gas, 2% on Verizon

• Apple Card: 3% on Apple

• Discover It Miles: 3% on everything else for 12 months

• Citi Double Cash: 2% on everything always, 10% off bike share membership (stacked with 2% base rewards for 12% off total)

Sock drawer cards include Wells Fargo Propel, Capital One Quicksilver, and Alliant Platinum Rewards.

Hoping to get the BofA Cash Rewards card later this year for 3% on online purchases, as well as the US Bank Cash+ for 5% on utilities and internet service. Might also replace my Double Cash card with the Fidelity card.

That's an amazing lineup/setup. Am jealous!

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

TSlop — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 19:29:37 GMT

I think I'm only missing one thing from my rewards strategy, which is a free night hotel card. Other than that, I'm pretty content with my setup. Anything added in the future would most likely be for a SUB.

Discover - 5% rotating

CF - 5% rotating (might do a CFF for a SUB at some point)

BoA CR - 3+% online

BoA PR - 2+%travel/1.5+% catch all

That is what I usually use monthly. My Amex HH gets sparse use for either hotels or the Amex offers. Target Debit gets my Target purchases, which isn't used every month. Same with Best Buy.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Kforce — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 19:50:13 GMT

I like things simple and few.

I put 80% of my spend on a 3% cashback card.

The other 20% on two USBank Cash+ cards, spend only in 5% categories.

* Have 3 backup cards with just enough to keep them alive *

(FNBO 2% (Open), FNBO Travel Elite (3% in 4 cats) , Bank/West (3% in 4 cats)

Backup if the 3% gets "Nuked".

Two other 20+ year old CU cards, just keep alive because of age.

Closing City DC, and USAlliannce over the next few months.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

wasCB14 — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 19:54:13 GMT

I like the relative simplicity of my spend these days...

JetBlue (SUB Chasing): Utilities and off-category

Amex Platinum: 10x on Instacart

WWFCR: Other online shopping

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 20:18:26 GMT

Current lineup and "?" for missing or improvements:

	All	Groc	Advertising	Shipping	Dining	Cell	Ridesharing	Travel Portal	General Transit/Gas
AMEX BBC	2%/$50k/y			*Sometimes
Brex	1%		~6.4% on MS Ads		4%	$1,000 WE-B MC insurance/y	8%	5%
?		?	?	?					?

I need a 1.5% or 2% VISA for places AMEX isn't accepted and something for public transit. I'll have that covered with Navy cards eventually. I don't think the More Rewards is the best card ever but it would be an okay card to complete the trio.

Cabela's doesn't send me their magazine catalogs anymore.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

mgood — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 20:48:12 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Cabela's doesn't send me their magazine catalogs anymore.

Things have gone down hill since Bass Pro Shops bought them.

I used to try to use the Cabela's card as my every day card. It was a pain with only a $500 limit (now $600), I had to pay it off every two weeks and would max it out well before the next pay day. Now that I have better rewards cards for other stuff, it'll probably only get used at Cabela's. That means I won't hit the $10k/year spend I need to stay in the "Silver" club and will get downgraded to "Classic." At that point it only gets 2% at Cabela's instead of 3%. I have a 2% anywhere card now, so the only reason to keep it alive will be because it's my oldest card.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

K-in-Boston — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 21:01:00 GMT

Outside of 5% back/off offers for store-specific cards, and occasional spend bonuses and using credits for certain cards:

Chase Freedom - 5x categories

US Bank Cash+ - 5% categories

Amex Platinum - 5x on airfare.

Amex Gold - 4x on restaurants and groceries

Rakuten Visa - Extra 3x Amex MRs on most online purchases

Amex Marriott Bonvoy - 6x on Marriott spend

Chase Sapphire Reserve - 3x on dining and travel where Amex is not accepted

US Bank Altitude Reserve - 3x on anything I can use ApplePay on that is not covered above

Amex Delta Reserve - the first $30k of everything else to get the $25k MQD waiver and $30k MQM boost

Chase Freedom Unlimited - 1.5x on anything else after the above or where Amex is not accepted

Essentially, nearly all of my spend is aimed toward flying Delta and partners and staying at Marriott, as that's where everything goes in the above list other than the cash back from US Bank Cash+.

Edit: Forgot about Rakuten!

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

mjb59463 — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 21:19:06 GMT

Almost all Amex MR these days

Platinum- airfare

Gold- Dining/Groceries

BBP- non-cat spend
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless - Marriott stays/anywhere that doesn't accept Amex

Everything else is sockdrawered, picking up some small charge every month like Spotify/Gym/Hulu, etc.

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 21:26:07 GMT

@mgood wrote:
Things have gone down hill since Bass Pro Shops bought them.
I used to try to use the Cabela's card as my every day card. It was a pain with only a $500 limit (now $600),

Store cards scare me. Like you mentioned they often encourage spending behavior that doesn't make sense.

I was considering a Micro Center card for 5% off store purchases. Then I read stories about what Wells Fargo was doing to cardholders. Even if I didn't get suckered I wasn't sure I wanted to support that kind of behavior, or deal with the headache for an extra 3%.

Anyone have that Micro Center card?

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

mgood — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 22:05:56 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@mgood wrote:
Things have gone down hill since Bass Pro Shops bought them.
I used to try to use the Cabela's card as my every day card. It was a pain with only a $500 limit (now $600),
Store cards scare me. Like you mentioned they often encourage spending behavior that doesn't make sense.

I was considering a Micro Center card for 5% off store purchases. Then I read stories about what Wells Fargo was doing to cardholders. Even if I didn't get suckered I wasn't sure I wanted to support that kind of behavior, or deal with the headache for an extra 3%.

Anyone have that Micro Center card?

I have to tip my hat to them giving me a card when no one else would.

In their tiered system, the regular Cabela's card (Classic or whatever they call it) gets 2% back at Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops, 1% everywhere else.
If you spend $10k+/yr, you get the Silver card and get 3% back at Cabela's and Bass Pro, 1% everywhere else.

$25k/yr gets you the Black card and 5% back at Cabela's and Bass Pro, 1% everywhere else.

The % back is actually in store credit, not cash. But I liked it because I do like shopping there.

Also Silver and above members get access to group discounts on hunting and fishing trips.

I spent as much as I could on it because it was my only card that gave any rewards at all until recently.

I had a $500 SL and couldn't get a CLI for years, despite working hard to get that 10k/year spent on the card. The cards became Capital One cards around the time Bass Pro bought out Cabela's. No change to the system or to my difficulty in getting CLI. Recently, finally, got a $100 bump.
A couple years ago, I wanted to buy a $2k scope from Cabela's. Obviously I wanted to use that card to get my 3% back on it. I called and asked for a CLI, asked for a temporary CLI, asked them to let this one purchase go through . . . no dice. I bought Cabela's gift cards, $100-$300 at a time every time I went in. Got my points by buying the cards. Saved up enough gift cards to get the scope I wanted. That was the only way I could figure out to get my rewards for making a $2k purchase on their $500 card. I WANT to buy this product from you. I HAVE the money. I WANT to use YOUR CARD. And you make it as difficult as possible for me?

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Rockysocks — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 22:47:10 GMT

Okay so...

Abound Credit Union Platinum - 5% on gas (and restaurants until March 31st)

US bank Cash+ Visa Siggy - 5% on water bill, electric bill, cell phone bill, and home internet bill

Capital One Walmart Rewards MC World - 5% on all online Walmart.com and grocery delivery purchases

US bank Altitude Go Visa Siggy - 4% on all restaurants, food delivery, etc.

AOD Visa Siggy - 3% on everything else!

Now if only there was a good rewards card for car insurance...

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Rockysocks — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 23:12:14 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Here's my current cash back strategy:

• Amex Blue Cash Preferred: 6% on groceries and streaming services, 3% on transit

• Affinity Cash Rewards: 5% on Amazon, 5% rotating categories

• Chase Freedom: Rotating 5% categories

• Discover It: Rotating 5% categories

• Walmart Card: 5% on Walmart

• Target RedCard: 5% on Target

• Chase Freedom Unlimited: 5% on Lyft until March 2022, free 3 month DoorDash DashPass subscription followed by 50% off for 9 months, 3% on dining (used for DoorDash orders to stack with DashPass discount)

• Capital One Savor (grandfathered in to no AF): 4% on dining and entertainment

• Verizon Card: 4% on gas, 2% on Verizon

• Apple Card: 3% on Apple

• Discover It Miles: 3% on everything else for 12 months

• Citi Double Cash: 2% on everything always, 10% off bike share membership (stacked with 2% base rewards for 12% off total)

Sock drawer cards include Wells Fargo Propel, Capital One Quicksilver, and Alliant Platinum Rewards.

Hoping to get the BofA Cash Rewards card later this year for 3% on online purchases, as well as the US Bank Cash+ for 5% on utilities and internet service. Might also replace my Double Cash card with the Fidelity card.

Is it possible to set up autopay for your Affinity card with an "outside" source/bank?

Re: What's Your Rewards Strategy?

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 00:19:45 GMT

Now that my spending habits have been largely curtailed since July, I have a very simple line up.

AOD 3% gets the cable bill and cell phone bill
Amazon Store Card 5% gets my snacks and miscellaneous spend on Amazon

BCE is used for 3% on groceries normally but Disco has groceries on it this quarter for 5% so I'm using that

I have BBVA for 3% on utilities, SavorOne for 3% on dining, Marvel for 3% on PSN/Nintendo, Target for 5% at Target, WS VISA for 5% at WS, Rewards+ for 10 points on $3 and under purchases, and Apple Card for 3% on Apple purchases all in the SD.