Do CCCs cancel you if you only use bonus categories?

[Anonymous]

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@kdm31091 wrote:

There's no proof that a 1% purchase here and there will change their mind. There's no proof that it even matters whether you do it not. But, if it makes you feel better to do it, you should. I think it's a good idea. It may not turn an unprofitable customer into a profitable one - as jaylau said, no one's really arguing that - but it will at least give you some credibility with the fact that you aren't just using the 5x categories.

I have a Discover IT and yes, obviously the primarily purpose is for the categories. However, quarter 1's categories really don't benefit me much (gas and ground transport). Gas is ok, but Sallie Mae is the same benefit all the time and I'm unlikely to exceed the cap because my commute is shorter now and gas is cheaper. Ground transport I am about 99% sure I will not use. However, I won't just completely abandon my Discover this quarter because they've always been good to me. I will make some small purchases on it for 1%. As long as it isn't dining or groceries, I'm only losing 0.5% for a general spend (vs my Quicksilver) and it may make Discover happy. It doesn't mean it will suddenly become my general spending card, but, I feel like it's kind of "the right thing to do".

But it's a personal thing. Others feel like they don't owe the bank anything, and can and should just use the 5x categories. That's fine too. It's all preference. No right or wrong answer. But to the OP's question, I do think it's a prudent idea to occasionally use it for 1% purchases.

I don't want to say I've never heard of it happening. It has happened. It only happens in extreme cases, and generally not with the capped cards such as Freedom or Discover, like longtermlurker pointed out it happens more with heavy MS on uncapped bonus cards. However, there's always a chance. I don't know about Discover but Chase has been seemingly more strict lately and watching transactions more closely. If every one of your transactions is 5%, it may raise suspicion. It also may not. No one knows really.

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The MS cases are probably not great examples because of the confounding factors.    A better example might be the Cash +, except that I'm not sure anyone was shut down (although I suspect they were).   In the early days of the card, there were no caps, and there was a Bill Pay category.   There were reports of people paying business power bills, getting 5%, and this led to the card being capped and the Bill Pay category going away.  Of course, even there there are confounding factors, US Bank could (correctly) say that this was a business use of a personal credit card.

But just one last attempt to explain my view why I dsiagree with the prudence of putting 1% purchases.     Since I don't see how it can help, it is no different from me saying "It might help if each time you use the card, you make a wish for the Tooth Fairy to grant".  Then prudence would suggest that you should do this, just in case, and it doesn't even cost anything in rewards.

If you do this you can thank me later when your card survives the Great Shutdown!

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@pdxmike wrote:
It sounds like no one has ever heard of anyone ever being canceled for exclusively using the top bonus categories, is that right?

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Purely anecdotal. Nothing definitive. Still though, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

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My point is that you are not (necessarily) being safe, if you believe there is a problem.  A few 1% purchases won't change AA if based on profitibility (which is the only reason a ccc would care)

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@pdxmike wrote:
It sounds like no one has ever heard of anyone ever being canceled for exclusively using the top bonus categories, is that right?

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Purely anecdotal. Nothing definitive. Still though, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

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My point is that you are not (necessarily) being safe, if you believe there is a problem.  A few 1% purchases won't change AA if based on profitibility (which is the only reason a ccc would care)

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BTW, this is exactly the same argument people proposed while MSing with the OBC and others, add some "real" spend and Amex will be OK.  Not surprisingly, Amex paid more attention to the MS loss than the tiny real spend gains and closed the cards

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@pdxmike wrote:
It sounds like no one has ever heard of anyone ever being canceled for exclusively using the top bonus categories, is that right?

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Purely anecdotal. Nothing definitive. Still though, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

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My point is that you are not (necessarily) being safe, if you believe there is a problem.  1A few % purchases won't change AA if based on profitibility (which is the only reason a ccc would care)

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And my point is, for the third time, I have no proof that those 1% purchases are doing anything to prevent AA. My course of action is predicated solely on an unprovable personal belief that Chase, if it does eventually have a great shutdown of unprofitable cardholders, might spare some of the unprofitable cardholders who at least occasionally make some 1% purchases. 

Edit: I just saw your tooth fairy analogy. That analogy really doesn't hold any water, and never will until Chase starts being able to track your prayers to the tooth fairy in the same way that they can track 1% purchases on a Freedom card.

[DiabolicallyRandom]

I think we all have a tendency to over think when it comes to our cards and credit. Chase isn't known for being very forthcoming with their process of decision making, leaving us with a lot of room to fill blank spaces and conspire. It's about making credit work for you. The banks are doing the same. Personally I am too lazy to MS. I don't have the room in my wallet for all of my cards, definitely not gift cards to match and meet my spend. If they want to close my card for meeting my spending needs, so be it. At some point piece of mind has a higher value than a capped rotating category. Relax people. We have a few people post about a few closed cards. We have many more, with open cards, that talk about maximizing rewards.

[Anonymous]

Again, If they want to close it, they will.

Use yours cards the way they best benefit you and don't worry about it.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Again, If they want to close it, they will.

Use yours cards the way they best benefit you and don't worry about it.

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+1

If a bank closes a card; open one in its place.

[IWOL]

I don't know, I'm not so sure about the premise that CC will shut you down for Bonus spend only.

I got the Chase Ink card specifically because I can earn 200,000 more UR than MR on my AMEX Platinum for spending on cable, phone and office supplies.

My business expenses in these 3 categories exceeds 50K a year. Isint the 5x on those categories the whole selling point on this card? 

I have usd used my Ink card here and there for other purchases but very little overall.  Without the 5x categories I would just use my Platinum card which has a much higher spending limit.