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About a year ago I got serious about my credit - cleaned up my payments, started getting my balances whittled down, etc... I should be out of CC debt in a few months.
During that time, I decided that credit cards were going to pay me, instead of making money off of me. I got a Freedom card that I use for just about everything, and pay the balance off online even before I get a statement. In about a year, I will have made about $750 in rewards just by using the card as my normal means of purchasing - not purchasing anything extra or extravagant.
I do see, however, that my 3% rewards on my top spending categories is capped at $12 a month, and I would get much more if not for that cap.
Therefore, I am considering another rewards card - and do not care about the interest because I won't pay it. What else should I look at?
Thanks!
bump
the pen fed rewards cards is a fav but can be difficult to qualify for.
the chase amazon card is nice if you shop amazon frequently but also rewards for other purchases and for the 1st 90 days there are extra rewards.
@Anonymous wrote:About a year ago I got serious about my credit - cleaned up my payments, started getting my balances whittled down, etc... I should be out of CC debt in a few months.
During that time, I decided that credit cards were going to pay me, instead of making money off of me. I got a Freedom card that I use for just about everything, and pay the balance off online even before I get a statement. In about a year, I will have made about $750 in rewards just by using the card as my normal means of purchasing - not purchasing anything extra or extravagant.
I do see, however, that my 3% rewards on my top spending categories is capped at $12 a month, and I would get much more if not for that cap.
Therefore, I am considering another rewards card - and do not care about the interest because I won't pay it. What else should I look at?
Thanks!
Kind of a dumb question: but where do you think the comapnies get their money to give back to you from?
Thats why great rewards programs are few and far between, and why Chase has trimmed it's policies.
Do you mean that I can get another Chase Freedom card???
I will check out the others - I forgot to mention that I already have a Discover that I get 5% back on my gas for.
That's not a dumb question of course, but one making a point - that there are not many cards out there like I want because they may be less profitable unless I carry a balance - which I will never do again...
Thanks everyone!
@Anonymous wrote:
That's not a dumb question of course, but one making a point - that there are not many cards out there like I want because they may be less profitable unless I carry a balance - which I will never do again...
Thanks everyone!
My point being since they only get transaction fees, many rewards programs are being scaled back, or discontinued, or relationship with users being cut as they are not making money for the banking entity but in fact are costing them money.
I still get my chase freedom rewards 3%
I would take a look at the Schwab Visa. Supposedly it is hard to qualify for, but once a few inquiries fall off my report, it is my next target .
You might call Chase to see if an upgrade to Freedom Plus is available. (I have the sense that the program may be closed to new members, but I haven't read that definitely.)
Freedom Plus was an upgrade they offered on my card last year. For a $29 annual fee, your monthly 3% bonus categories are expanded to six (from 3) and earn caps are removed -- cb is unlimited. For first year's participation, the fee is waived. You actually get a new card that says "PLUS".
Because I'm picking up additional 2% on 3 more categories for which my total monthly aggregate spending has averaged about $200/mo, I'm picking up about $50 in additional cashback there alone, easily coving the fee. I reap massive dollars fro the cap removal on my 3 primary cashback categories: groceries, telecom, drugstores.
Unfortunately, they've phasing Freedom out (the 3% card we have is no longer issued), so the "Plus" upgrade may no long be available.