@OmarR wrote:I have been swiping this card for the last 7 days, thinking that their Q2 categories was a done deal. And quite frankly, if it was wasn't for their prior history of constantly having the same two restaurant categories each year, I would have cancelled this card or sock drawered it a long time ago. Another nitpick is that their reward redemption requires it to be in increments of $50.
The Citi Dividend also has a $50 minimum redemption. Historically, Dividend has dining in Q3 and Best Buy in Q4 which fits well with my spending patterns. I will be annoyed if these reliable categories unexpectedly change like Nusenda's.
@NoHardLimits wrote:
@OmarR wrote:I have been swiping this card for the last 7 days, thinking that their Q2 categories was a done deal. And quite frankly, if it was wasn't for their prior history of constantly having the same two restaurant categories each year, I would have cancelled this card or sock drawered it a long time ago. Another nitpick is that their reward redemption requires it to be in increments of $50.
The Citi Dividend also has a $50 minimum redemption. Historically, Dividend
has dining in Q3 andBest Buy in Q4 which fits well with my spending patterns. I will be annoyed if these reliable categories unexpectedly change like Nusenda's.
True on the Dividend, but Nusenda is INCREMENTS of $50. So it's even worse.
@Aim_High wrote:I think rewards optimizers like yourself enjoy the "gamesmanship" of beating the system as much as the actual cash rewards, which is fine! For those who enjoy the challenge and don't mind putting in the extra effort, the rotators do add some incremental value per card. But to do it sustained over time, it takes some dedication and motivation that I think has to come from somewhere beyond just the cash rewards, and that's where the "hobby" or "game" of the rewards helps to keep you going. On the other hand, some of us just don't want to play, especially for what I see as a nominal additional value for the hassle of managing.
Which brings up a little different spin on the rotators card topic, @PullingMeSoftly: Do you set any kind of minimum threshold for yourself where that incremental added value becomes too much trouble, or is ANY additional savings worth the pursuit ? This conversation ties into my recent posts about the "Pareto Principle" and "The Law of Diminishing Returns" that I posted about in another recent thread >>HERE<< and >>HERE<<.
This is spot on in terms of my mindset @Aim_High...extracting every percent of value has become a hobby over the last couple of years. Unfortunately I've become a little too obsessive about it and at one point was driving my DW crazy trying to get her to play along! While the hobby aspect of using rotators is still fun to a degree, the sustained dedication and motivation that you mention above is exactly what is starting to diminish over time, and I can see a simplification of my lineup in the near future. As a side note, I've also enjoyed working my way into some of these credit unions as a means to access their credit products, but even that is something I probably won't be doing much of in the future.
I don't really have a minimum threshold for determining whether or not the returns are worth the effort, as I've become a bit too myopic about just having the highest percentage possible per spend category. To use a cycling reference, I'm like Dave Brailsford of Sky/Ineos looking at the accumulation of marginal gains. A great case in point would be my Altiutude GO card...My dining expenditures are roughly $500/month. So for $6000-ish annual dining spend, the GO returns $240 vs. $300 with a 5% rotator/selector. On the surface that $60 is small, but in combination with the rest of my 5%-7% lineup, the combination of marginal gains starts to add up. The point at which the hassle starts to outweigh the benefit is when spending goes over the monthly/quarterly cap, then I have to revert back to an underlying card (i.e. Citi CC back to the GO). Affinity and Safe Cu are easier in that regard as their caps are much higher, so those aren't any trouble.
Your question is an important one to ask and I really need to start looking at the incremental benefits more closely, especially as I'm approaching the point of applying for some new cards this summer. May be an opportunity to begin some simplification or possibly move away from rotators (Disco, Freedom, Nusenda) and over to selectors (Citi CC, Vantage West, another Cash+ etc). One of my next apps will likely be the Vantage West Connect, which I can set as a "permanent" Costco card, and I'm considering an additional Citi card (Premier) so I can PC it into an additional Custom Cash (many DP's on this being done for multiple Citi CC's on Reddit and DOC here).
Also, similar to your Marriott Brilliant experience, I've found incredible value with my Hilton Aspire. Although I don't travel frequently, when I do, this card has given me way overrsized value, especially since I can use the $250 airline credit with United Travelbank, and have received the $250 resort credit when we've done some summer vacations at Hilton's designated "resorts". Also the Diamond status always gets us a room upgrade at our local wine country DoubleTree. This card has blown away many of my cash back cards, and if the chief and I start travelling more frequently I would have to reassess the benefit of going to a travel setup (MR's, UR's, or additional hotel/airline cards).
I'll be 0/12 and 4/24 in July, so I'm starting to warm up the engines, looking forward to how the future plays out.
@OmarR wrote:
@PullingMeSoftly wrote:While I'm a fan of 5% rotators/selectors, and have structured my cash back setup around them, it is a bit irritating that a CU can switch up the categories at the last moment.
While it appeared that Nusenda's 2022 calendar was published in advance and a done deal (following their multiple years of Q1/Q3 gas and Q2/Q4 restaurant rotation), Q2 changed completely on April 1st from Restaurants/Movie Theaters to Furnishings/Home Improvement/Gardening:
This is a concerning change, as the pic above looks like a published full year calendar, and would lead anyone to believe that Q3 will be gas and Q4 will be restaurants. That was always the nice thing about Nusenda, being able to count on their steady categories year to year. Maybe some will be happy with the new categories, but i think this was a douchy last minute change-up when they were already showing their full calendar......Citi CC back to dining duty for Q2.
Thank you so much for posting this.
I have been swiping this card for the last 7 days, thinking that their Q2 categories was a done deal. And quite frankly, if it was wasn't for their prior history of constantly having the same two restaurant categories each year, I would have cancelled this card or sock drawered it a long time ago. Another nitpick is that their reward redemption requires it to be in increments of $50.
Agreed @OmarR, the $50 redemption threshold is excessive. Over the past two quarters, I've noticed that I'm not even using the Nusenda card much, partially because Affinity's % stacking and sharing similar categories (groceries, gas) makes it a higher value go-to. I'll most likely be using Nusenda up to the full cap for my DS's tuition in Q3 though. By the way, when I first started building my portfolio I would refer to your signature as a model lineup to strive for! (Still waiting for you to change that Fort Knox image into an Abound haha)
@Anonymous wrote:
@OmarR wrote:
@NoHardLimits wrote:
@OmarR wrote:I have been swiping this card for the last 7 days, thinking that their Q2 categories was a done deal. And quite frankly, if it was wasn't for their prior history of constantly having the same two restaurant categories each year, I would have cancelled this card or sock drawered it a long time ago. Another nitpick is that their reward redemption requires it to be in increments of $50.
The Citi Dividend also has a $50 minimum redemption. Historically, Dividend
has dining in Q3 andBest Buy in Q4 which fits well with my spending patterns. I will be annoyed if these reliable categories unexpectedly change like Nusenda's.
True on the Dividend, but Nusenda is INCREMENTS of $50. So it's even worse.
And the dividend isn't limited to $1500 a quarter, you can put the whole $6K on a "good" quarter, making the $50 easier to reach
Yes, I once used almost the entire $6000 on a single category (furniture).
@PullingMeSoftly wrote:This is spot on in terms of my mindset @Aim_High...extracting every percent of value has become a hobby over the last couple of years. Unfortunately I've become a little too obsessive about it and at one point was driving my DW crazy trying to get her to play along! While the hobby aspect of using rotators is still fun to a degree, the sustained dedication and motivation that you mention above is exactly what is starting to diminish over time, and I can see a simplification of my lineup in the near future. As a side note, I've also enjoyed working my way into some of these credit unions as a means to access their credit products, but even that is something I probably won't be doing much of in the future.
I don't really have a minimum threshold for determining whether or not the returns are worth the effort, as I've become a bit too myopic about just having the highest percentage possible per spend category ... the combination of marginal gains starts to add up. The point at which the hassle starts to outweigh the benefit is when spending goes over the monthly/quarterly cap, then I have to revert back to an underlying card ...
Your question is an important one to ask and I really need to start looking at the incremental benefits more closely, especially as I'm approaching the point of applying for some new cards this summer. May be an opportunity to begin some simplification or possibly move away from rotators (Disco, Freedom, Nusenda) and over to selectors (Citi CC, Vantage West, another Cash+ etc) ...
I like the way you distinguished "rotators" from "selectors," @PullingMeSoftly. I don't think I've heard it expressed that way but it's a good distinction. Yes, given the option, I would much prefer "selectors" to "rotators" and especially selectors that have static categories that rarely if ever change.
Yes, I can see how the incremental rewards can have a synergy as a whole if you're playing your spend from various angles. I think where I fell with that decision is, "how many angles am I willing to play for x% of rewards?" And unlike yours, my threshold isn't unlimited. I'm not a true card minimalist to where I'd put all my charges on one or two cards, regardless of the the lost rewards. But at the same time, I'm not a true optimizer either who has a high tolereance for many cards to find the best return. I'm somewhere in-between. I'm better off focusing on above-average rewards on a handful of my higher spend areas and letting the others slide. Again, the Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule to get much of the value with less overall effort.
Definitely, keep DW happy in the process. Most of our significant others don't share our enthusiasm and I think being too obsessive about credit and rewards can be problematic in relationships! So I like your idea of giving DW and DS an AOD FCU Visa 3% card and being done with it! I'm sure they would love you for it. 
