Cap1 Savor Competition?

[Anonymous]

I'm sure ya'll are getting sick of my Savor threads, but I have a final question!

What CCs compete directly with the Savor? I'm pretty set on getting the Savor around September to get a Cap1 card I'll actually use, but I wanted to make known all other credit cards that have equal or better dining rewards.

Secondly, is there any card that covers as many categories (like MCCs) as the Savor? From what I've gathered, the Savor covers most eateries/drinkeries(if that is a word) and a pretty broad range of entertainment coverage.

Any and all suggestions + knowledge will be appreciated! Thanks. 

P.S. My question is from a daily, long-term cashback reward standpoint. SUBs are nice, but its not my priority right now until next year. 

[Anonymous]

Uber is the direct competitor with 4% off dining/drinks, 3% off hotel/flights, 2% uber/online purchases etc. No annual fee but only $100 sign up bonus on $500 spend in the first 90 days. 

If you happen to fall into a dining quarter for the Freedom or Discover IT, you'd be receiving 5% back for those but that's only 3 months out of the year.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Uber is the direct competitor with 4% off dining/drinks, 3% off hotel/flights, 2% uber/online purchases etc. No annual fee but only $100 sign up bonus on $500 spend in the first 90 days. 

If you happen to fall into a dining quarter for the Freedom or Discover IT, you'd be receiving 5% back for those but that's only 3 months out of the year.

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Which card covers more dining/drinking locations (like bakeries, food carts, wineries, and clubs)?

[Anonymous]

4% categories for dining & entertainment (based on the descriptions matching):

5462 - Bakeries
5812 - Eating Places and Restaurants
5813 - Bars and Nightclubs
5814 - Fast Food

5737 - Record stores
7832 - Motion Picture Theaters (I do not know if 7833 was included which appears to be the Fandango, atom type stuff)
7841 - Video Rental Stores
7911 - Dance Hall, Studios and Schools
7922 - Theatrical Productions and Ticket Agencies
7929 - Bands, Orchestras and Misc Entertainers
7932 - Billiards and Pool Establishments
7933 - Bowling Alley
7941 - Commercial Sports, Athletic Fields and Sports Promoters
7991 - Tourist Attractions and Exhibits
7996 - Amusement Parks, Carnivals and Circuses (Most big theme parks fit in this one. Some like Universal apply this code to all stores and food in the park.)
7998 - Aquariums and Zoos
7999 - Recreation services not elsewhere classified

[NRB525]

If you are looking long term, are your calculations factoring in the annual fee?

That $95 will hinder your earnings, in dining and entertainment, where you need to spend $4,750 per year ($95 / .02) before you start earning more than a 2% general spend card with no AF.

Don't get me wrong, the Entertainment category is fun, particularly during the first year. Not much else competes with it, I think some Citi TY Points cards do, but usually include AF. I got the Savor late in 2018, got the SUB, and now also looking at the Vivid Tickets benefit of 8% earnings (with painful ticket service fees).

The Savor One does pretty well. That 3% Entertainment / Dining category means that the full Savor only starts earning more after ($95 / .01) $9,500 of dining / entertainment spend directly on the Savor.

Depending on what type of Entertainment category you follow, the AMEX Gold card has potential. Movie theaters, certain travel destinations and brands sell gift cards at groceries that would code as AMEX Groceries, giving you a method to get more points for that spend. The Gold has it's own set of issues around that AF, but could be considered some competition for Savor.

[Anonymous]

Marvel has 3% dining and a number of entertainment categories but nowhere near as broad as Savor. 

BBVA ClearPoints you could run with either 3% entertainment/2% dining or 3% dining/2% entertainment but it’s unknown how broad their entertainment category is, likely not Savor level. 

BBVA is a lot more flexible than Savor since you can change categories every quarter. 

Savor and Savor One realistically have no competition if you want a card that does dining and entertainment in one and then it has 2% groceries as a bonus perk.

[wasCB14]

One thing to watch out for is that tickets for shows performed by nonprofits may code as charitable organizations, even though the purchase of a ticket is not a charitable contribution.

Amex occasionally does spend promos for ticket purchases through certain websites.

Spend patterns change, and rewards programs can get nerfed...but no cash back strategy can go very wrong if you get $500 up front.

[Anonymous]

So I decided to dig a bit deeper into the Marvel card. 

3% Back — For every dollar in eligible net purchases (merchandise purchased minus returns and adjustments) ("Purchases"), rounded to the nearest hundredth, charged to your Card for Purchases of dining, entertainment and for Marvel Online and Convention Purchases. Entertainment categories include Movie Theatres, Video Rental and Game Stores, Theatrical and Concert Promoters, Amusement Parks, Digital Entertainment, Games and Software, Music, Books and Newsstands, Toys and Hobby Stores (but excluding sporting goods retailers).

MCC DEFINITIONS

Movie Theatres — establishments that sell tickets and refreshments for movie productions.

Video Rental and Game Stores — merchants that rent DVDs and/or games and related equipment for consumer use, including online video rentals.

Theatrical and Concert Promoters — merchants that operate live theatrical productions or concerts, and may include ticketing agencies.

Amusement Parks (including zoos, circuses and aquariums) — establishments that operate parks or carnivals and offer mechanical rides and games and/or live animal shows.

Digital Entertainment, Games, and Software — merchants that provide digital games and content for computers and mobile devices.

Music — establishments that sell CDs and related items, including online records and digital music.

Books and Newsstands — establishments selling reading material, both digital and physical formats (includes comic stores).

Toys and Hobby Stores — establishments selling toys and games including video games. Sporting goods retailers are excluded.

Marvel Online and Convention Purchases — purchases made with your Card solely via: (a) the following Marvel digital and/or online storefronts: (i) Marvel Digital Comics Shop, (ii) Marvelshop.com, (iii) Marvel Unlimited, and (iv) Marvel Print Subscriptions; (b) Marvel’s official merchandise booths at designated comic conventions; and (c) any other Marvel-branded digital or physical stores designated by Marvel. Marvel.com registration may be required in order to purchase at Marvel.com. Purchases on third-party websites linked to from the Marvel.com website or apps (e.g., sites operated by third-party advertisers) are not eligible purchases at Marvel.com.

Savor 

Tickets to:

• Movie theaters
• Plays
• Concerts
• Sporting events
• Tourist attractions and theme parks
• Aquariums and zoos
• Dance clubs

Purchases made at:

• Bowling Alleys
• Pool Halls
• Record stores
• Video rental locations

Savor definitely covers more (that dance club benefit alone is one I would have totally gone for this card for before I became home bound) but Marvel is no slouch either. 

[kdm31091]

If we are talking about the long term, you do need to consider the annual fee. Unless your entertainment spend is large, it may not make sense to keep paying $95 for the Savor when other cards will still give you rewards on entertainment at no cost. It's fun to get extra rewards on certain categories, but when you boil it down, as noted upthred, you're looking at thousands of dollars in spend on the given category before you come out ahead.

There's no reason not to get the Savor for a year, enjoy the bonus, and see where you end up reward wise. Year over year, you have to run the numbers to make sure the AF is justified for you.

I don't know specifically what kind of entertainment you are looking for bonus rewards on, but the Marvel card covers some at 3% with no AF. As far as bakeries, etc, IME they are lumped in with groceries on some products. I know my Bank of America card considers bakeries as a grocery purchase, not a dining one.

It is helpful to think long term, but reward programs can and do change, so don't ignore other options that may come along.

[digitek]

I ran this comparison lately, without SUB it is a easily Uber, with SUB the Savor is even for about 6 years or so, and that does not include the extra % in entertainment you will be getting over the Uber, but does not count cell phone Insurance on the Uber.  Also, Uber is really 5%/2% card if you spend $5k a year since they give you $50 credit at that point.

Uber years go like this +100, +0, +0, +0, +0, +0

Cap1 years go like this +500, +405, +310, +215, +120, +25

They are pretty darn close, it's really whether you will use the cell phone insurance on the Uber or not.  As far as eating categories go, they are about the same.