@Anonymous wrote:
@Turbobuick wrote:There may be a small ray of sunshine in the Sallie Mae replacement. It rewards 2% on all utilities. When you add up the dozen or so providers, this could bring several dollars per month and perhaps a couple hundred per year. Not saying this card in any way replaces SM, but I don't see it as completely worthless for those of us that don't have a 2% everything card.
My wife still pays all the utilities with a check. I will save about 6 bucks a month on stamps alone.
Hope this works for many people. In my case there is a $3.95 to $4.95 dollar charge per month to pay the natural gas, electric and house payment. Nocharge if I use check or bill pay etc. so any points earned are more than offset by the debit/credit charges. Our city also does not take debit or credit cards so the old days still hang around for some.
Yes there is a charge but it doesnt usually go up with the amount, I prepay 6 months of utils at a time so the fees are much less.
@gdale6 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Turbobuick wrote:There may be a small ray of sunshine in the Sallie Mae replacement. It rewards 2% on all utilities. When you add up the dozen or so providers, this could bring several dollars per month and perhaps a couple hundred per year. Not saying this card in any way replaces SM, but I don't see it as completely worthless for those of us that don't have a 2% everything card.
My wife still pays all the utilities with a check. I will save about 6 bucks a month on stamps alone.
Hope this works for many people. In my case there is a $3.95 to $4.95 dollar charge per month to pay the natural gas, electric and house payment. Nocharge if I use check or bill pay etc. so any points earned are more than offset by the debit/credit charges. Our city also does not take debit or credit cards so the old days still hang around for some.
Yes there is a charge but it doesnt usually go up with the amount, I prepay 6 months of utils at a time so the fees are much less.
You are right, the amount they charge is more of a transaction/processing fee but, I am not going to pay six months $600 of natural gas in advance (so they can use my money) or $300 in electric in advance so they can use my money just to earn cash rewards. There is also the "cost of money" to factor in. Yes, at today's rates that isn't a big loss but as the Federal Reserve moves the rates up and there are more to come in 2017, we may actually have some return on savings and CDs to mention but a few and then we really have a reason to play the float and so on. Also, why would I leave $900 of my money predeposited with a utility?
@SouthJamaica wrote:
@Turbobuick wrote:There may be a small ray of sunshine in the Sallie Mae replacement. It rewards 2% on all utilities. When you add up the dozen or so providers, this could bring several dollars per month and perhaps a couple hundred per year. Not saying this card in any way replaces SM, but I don't see it as completely worthless for those of us that don't have a 2% everything card.
My wife still pays all the utilities with a check. I will save about 6 bucks a month on stamps alone.
I used to think that, with my Barclay Rewards Card 2% on utilities. Until I learned that every single utility I was paying charged a service charge for credit card payments which exceeded the cash back.
How did this (see bolded above) happen SJ? Usually the fees are disclosed before inputting credit card information? If they weren't, not cool.
@deltatee wrote:Does anyone know if cell phone service counts as a utility on the Commence? That might make the category a teeny tiny itsy bitsy bit more useful for people who don't have a 2% card.
FYI there are cards that get 5% cashback on cell service like Chase Ink Cash and USBank Cash+.
I have the Chase Ink and get 5% cashback on my cell phone, my internet and my cable bill. Great card for combined cashback in those categories.
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