2% General Spend Card

[Chris679]

Next thing you know people will be lining up to apply for a Duck Card issued by some obscure credit union in Oregon...

[Anonymous]

So your opinion above then is that Blispay can't be any good because it comes from a relatively small bank in Utah?

[Anonymous]

The bank doesn't concern me. What does is the company. Blispay has been around for 2 years, one of which was securing funds. So really only one year. Blispay is a really good card, if you PIF when you are 2 months away from financing ending.

[Anonymous]

I'm gonna choose Citi over Blispay for the same reason, Chris. This is actually a big marketing thing. Citi is the original 2% card in our minds here, and Blispay is the new challenger. The original will always have the most market share. The newer challenger will steal some customers away but never eclipse the original because the original is trusted and established in people's minds. I trust Citi more than I trust Firat Electronic Bank of Utah, even if maybe there's no reason for concern.

[Anonymous]

Funny thing is that bank's HQ is about 10 mins from my house, but Blispay still denied my app last year claiming they could not verify my identity.

I will definitely be going with the PenFed card once I can get it. I want to keep a line open with Citi but the DC is too troublesome to make it my main cashback card.

[Anonymous]

Only treat Blispay as a finance card for purchases above $199+ only.  Never for general purchases.  When you treat it as a finance card it becomes really simple to use.  Look it this way:  Deferred Interest for six month at 0% with 2% cash back to sweeten the deal.  Be aware that there is no warranty programs or extra features since this card is a Visa Classic. However, this card is great for my six-month car insurance cost, buying stuff that I don't need warranty on (like a bed), and help me buy/finance rare music in the used market.   I use my Amex if I need a good warranty program or Chase via their Visa program.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

So Citi is still 2% if one takes the credit as a deposit into one's bank account. Citi also offers far more benefits from a recognizable, long standing bank.

Fidelity requires an account with them to put the funds into. While PenFed isn't possible for most people without paying to join, and getting a banking account with them.

Blispay is from a new company, if it goes under, your card becomes a piece of decorative plastic. Blispay also pays off the financing end of things first when there are 2 months left on the financing purchase. So if you pay $300 and you have $500 in financing and a $75 statement balance, you get $200 in financing and $75 still due. Therefore getting you to receive interest on the $75. Because of that small print on the T+C, I won't be getting one as the card is complicated if I use it for both purchases. Besides, I have a DC and my 1FBUSA card gives 2% back too.

The Alliant card is interesting to me too. But none of my cards have a 10K limit, so I don't think I'd get approved. Besides, I don't spend 12K a year on all my cards, let alone one, to justify the card over using my 2% cards. Though it would be a great card for everyday spending if I travelled alot, especially out of the country. I do wonder if the Alliant card supports PIN...

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I'd always wondered what people were referring to when discussing their payment algorithm for Blispay. That sounds like a major pain to keep track of. This makes a lot of sense to me as a reasonable response as to why not to use the Blispay as an everyday card, at least if there are chances you'd want to use the financing feature.

[Anonymous]

I would only get Blispay if I needed financing, or preferred it. The only problem is alot of the things i would want to finance, my Cash+ card gives me 5% on for choosing the category that quarter and foregoing the financing. It might not be 6 months, but I can get up to a month based on statement cut off.

[SecretAzure]

I may be out of my depth here but wouldn't Chase Freedom Unlimited be a better value than all above mentioned cards...if you have Chase SP or SR? I think the math works out to above 2% for travel. What do you guys and gals think?

[Anonymous]

SecretAzure, you are absolutely right. I am only comparing cash back as that is the topic. And not everyone travels, me included. I am thinking about a trip to Seoul, but that would be a one off trip. If one wants to stay home or closeby and just reap rewards, the FU is not as good as a 2% card. And for one off trips like the one I'm planning, the Quicksilver or another flat rate no FTF card would be better than the FU. But for travellers, the FU is hard to beat for everyday spending.