Any other cards I should get while I apply for Chase Freedom?

[Anonymous]

ok long story coming up... I used to be fairly active on this forum before but I have no idea what happened to my account so here I am...

Anyways... wife and are in the process of buying a house and we will naturally have some expenses coming up so I wanted to get a decent 0% card... the mortgage is fully in her name since I still have ed loans so I have the ability to keep my history clean of more borrowing and me getting a card won't impact the mortgage, which is nice

My FICO score is somewhere in the 770-780 range depending on the day and agency. I never carry a balance but since we're putting all our cash into the downpayment, I figured I'll need a 0% card to hold us over for the next couple of months for emegencies/some expenses till we get some steady cash saved... (we both make good money but the house downpayment cleans you out lol)

I currently have $4.5k Citi DC (for 2%), $10k Quicksilver (mainly for travel due to no FTF), $10k Marvel (dining and entertainment), $5k BoA Cash Back (old college card that's used once a year now)... Wife also has some massive limit CSP that I'll add myself to 90 days after closing

For my 0% down card I think I'm gonna go with Chase Freedom (regular, not unlimited) since it'll give me the most long term value as I already have 2% and 1.5% cards so Unlimited isn't very appetizing long terms... but yea... since I'm gonna leave the garden and have a few k's of balance for the next few months, I figured I'll see if there are other cards that I should just get right now and go back into the garden long term...

So yea... any other cards that I should be keeping my eye on that are missing from my portfolio? I was thinking about Amex BCP since our grocery bills are fairly large (wife loves to cook) but we already have CSP so 2x $95 yearly fees might be a little much... first year is free though, right?  When I did the calculation before, it seemed like we would more than get that fee back but 2 fees is a little daunting... (although I feel like I really should have an AMEX at this point)... also what was that internet 2% card that gave you 6-mo 0% on purchases over $200? I can't find it anymore... is it still around? what's the word on it? worth it if I have DC already? what about Discover it? Any point to it besides having a Discover and potentially staggering categories with Freedom? Any other cards that I'm missing? Ideas? Thoughts? Recommendations?

[Anonymous]

The Freedom is great and will pair well with your CSP. Let's see if I can help as best as I can. Funny enough you have alot of cards I have so I might be able to help. First off check out: https://cashplus.usbank.com/site/how_it_works

That details categories YOU select for US Bank's Cash+ card. You get two 5% categories and one 2% (and you choose each quarter). If they match spending that works for you, then apply for it. I believe they still have a $100 bonus when you spend $500 in 90 days as a new cardholder. Know that charity is not a category anymore, and is now ground transportation.

If you spend alot on Amazon and pay for Prime, I would suggest the Amazon Visa (5% on Amazon if Prime, 3% otherwise). It also has no FTF if you wanted a second card as a backup. And it does come with an Amazon instant gift card if you are approved, something to the tune of $70 if you are a Prime member, and I believe $50 or so if you are just a normal customer.

I have a Discover It and it is nice having no min redemption, if you save enough for a gift card, you can get an extra $5-10 over your redemption for them. The Discover Deals shopping portal is usually the same merchants as Freedom, but BETTER cash back (usually a few % more). The Freedom and Discover categories usually are the same in the 1st and possibly 4th quarter, with sometimes a slight variation, but Discover does offer cashback match for the first year (I believe it comes at the end of your first year). If you use a referral link, you can get $50 that I believe is matched

As for the AMEX BCP, I believe the first year is NOT currently waived. Under the annual fee, it says $95, but doesn't say waived the first year. And many people on Doctor of Credit were complaining that the annual fee made the deal not as good as the BCE. You might consider the BCE as AMEX does offer upgrade offers (usually $150 for 1K spend, annual fee not waived) from BCE to BCP. I must remind you AMEX has a once a lifetime signup bonus for any cards you have/had. So always consider getting it when the bonus is best.

My last suggestion would be the Freedom Unlimited as it earns 1.5 UR per $1, so if you value UR at 1.5 cents each, it would provide more than 2% on each purchase.

If you have any other questions, feel free to post. I hope I may have helped you.

[Anonymous]

Oh, regarding the 0% on purchases of $199 or more for 6 months card, it is called Blispay and is still available. I must warn you that the language of the card terms of the financing makes it a tough card to use both everyday and for financing. The card prioritizes your normal balance UNTIL 2 months from your end of financing. It will then put all money towards the big purchase and not your everyday purchases, causing many to pay interest on it. This is why I avoided applying for it. That and it being from a new company that isn't very active on social media. I sent a few tweets with questions about the card and never got a reply.

[Anonymous]

ah yea... blispay... I was around when that craze started but it seemed overly complicated to manage payments and as you said, they seemed a little sketch in terms of size, support, etc

[Anonymous]

thank you very much on your suggestions! I checked out US Bank's card and it looks like a good idea but I think those categories are rather subpar... I don't think I would ever spend enough $$ on either of these categories that I either don't get somewhere else or to make the pull worthwhile

Amazon... yea we do have prime and we do shop from there quite a bit... I always thought about it but it's always been tricky since prime is in my wife's name and I already have 3% on amazon that I get from Marvel... definitely something to keep in mind...

Discover... yea it seems like a pretty sweet deal... I'm kinda wondering if it makes sense to just take the hit on these extra 3 months over chase and get that... but I'm worried about how many places don't accept it? Do you ever have issue with that?

and it sorta stinks that they don't waive the first year of BCP... just finished reading the fine print for that and their otehr cards... regular amex cards say fee waived first year so I think it's fair to assume that the fee will hit right away... I think they used to waiver it before? but I guess the $150 covers that to some extent? That 10% of dining is nice though as it'll probably take a bit to get our kitchen fully up and running in the new place so 10% on dining out will be nice lol

[Anonymous]

I noramlly don't have any issues with people taking Discover other than the occassional restaurant (I believe one or two that I actually frequent now). I should state that I go out with friends to places that are smaller businesses, but most still take Discover. AMEX is less accepted than Discover, but it doesn't seem like a huge deal in the US (that's why I didn't mention the Discover's no FTF).

Regarding the Amazon, I believe you could link your wife's Amazon account to your card, but I am not 100% sure.

AMEX usually does waive the first year of the BCP, so I'm not sure why they haven't this time. Do know that the BCE does offer the same restaurant bonus. And only $50 less in signup bonus, and has no annual fee. Though not sure if you value 3% on groceries, 2% on gas/dept stores, and 1% elsewhere vs your other cards. Although even the BCE does get AMEX offers in case you notice you would use them often enough.