@algata wrote:Thanks everyone! I appreciate the insight and all of the suggestions. Seems like maybe the Aven, custom cash, and PayPal debit should be my new rotation. Wish I could get the Robinhood so I wasn't limited to $10k/year with the Aven, but at least it's 2% after that.
question: is there a benefit or drawback to apply for both of these cards at once?
Yes, Citi Custom Cash first, they are HP sensitive and will pull from Experian. Might even do the Citi Double Cash (more than 8 days apart) second (PC to CCC after getting SUB)? Or wait 6 months to apply again.
The Aven Rewards also pulls from Experian (forgot to mention it's a no FTF card, good for travel also), but I've found them to be much easier on sensitivity than Citi or BofA. So second or third. At least if you were not approved it would only be a soft pull. Do read the thread first.
Get the Paypal Debit freely, no pulls. It's a no brainer. Maybe 2, if you both have separate paypal accounts? Give you more ceiling or different categories @5%.
Aven:
@ElvisCaprice wrote:
@algata wrote:Thanks everyone! I appreciate the insight and all of the suggestions. Seems like maybe the Aven, custom cash, and PayPal debit should be my new rotation. Wish I could get the Robinhood so I wasn't limited to $10k/year with the Aven, but at least it's 2% after that.
question: is there a benefit or drawback to apply for both of these cards at once?
Yes, Citi Custom Cash first, they are HP sensitive and will pull from Experian. Might even do the Citi Double Cash (more than 8 days apart) second (PC to CCC after getting SUB)? Or wait 6 months to apply again.
The Aven Rewards also pulls from Experian (forgot to mention it's a no FTF card, good for travel also), but I've found them to be much easier on sensitivity than Citi or BofA. So second or third. At least if you were not approved it would only be a soft pull. Do read the thread first.
Get the Paypal Debit freely, no pulls. It's a no brainer. Maybe 2, if you both have separate paypal accounts? Give you more ceiling or different categories @5%.
Obviously I'm going to chime in about the PayPal Debit. If you can get one for each of you, use one for 5%/6% groceries since $1000/month will cover you, and the other for dining. (6% is if you use a 1% debit card to fund your PayPal account.)
Something else to consider, since "baby stuff" is on your list, is the Mesa card if you have a mortgage. It jumps out because of the daycare expenses being a qualifying activity (which according to a coworker, are their biggest expense.)
https://www.mesamember.com/card
You mention Target and Amazon as your two most frequent spend stores: Target in-store is covered by the PayPal debit, and an option for Amazon is the Affinity FCU Visa, which gives 5% at Amazon regardless of your prime status, as well as other Bookstores.
Yes, we're suggesting more cards and that is the opposite of simplifying your lineup, but most of them don't need to live in your PHYSICAL wallet at least!
Sock - 
Chopping Block - 
Debit Cards - 
@algata wrote:
@unsungivy wrote:
@ElvisCaprice wrote:
@algata wrote:Thanks everyone! I appreciate the insight and all of the suggestions. Seems like maybe the Aven, custom cash, and PayPal debit should be my new rotation. Wish I could get the Robinhood so I wasn't limited to $10k/year with the Aven, but at least it's 2% after that.
question: is there a benefit or drawback to apply for both of these cards at once?
Yes, Citi Custom Cash first, they are HP sensitive and will pull from Experian. Might even do the Citi Double Cash (more than 8 days apart) second (PC to CCC after getting SUB)? Or wait 6 months to apply again.
The Aven Rewards also pulls from Experian (forgot to mention it's a no FTF card, good for travel also), but I've found them to be much easier on sensitivity than Citi or BofA. So second or third. At least if you were not approved it would only be a soft pull. Do read the thread first.
Get the Paypal Debit freely, no pulls. It's a no brainer. Maybe 2, if you both have separate paypal accounts? Give you more ceiling or different categories @5%.
Obviously I'm going to chime in about the PayPal Debit. If you can get one for each of you, use one for 5%/6% groceries since $1000/month will cover you, and the other for dining. (6% is if you use a 1% debit card to fund your PayPal account.)
Something else to consider, since "baby stuff" is on your list, is the Mesa card if you have a mortgage. It jumps out because of the daycare expenses being a qualifying activity (which according to a coworker, are their biggest expense.)
https://www.mesamember.com/card
You mention Target and Amazon as your two most frequent spend stores: Target in-store is covered by the PayPal debit, and an option for Amazon is the Affinity FCU Visa, which gives 5% at Amazon regardless of your prime status, as well as other Bookstores.
Yes, we're suggesting more cards and that is the opposite of simplifying your lineup, but most of them don't need to live in your PHYSICAL wallet at least!
Whoa, does the PayPal debit really code as grocery for target in store? This card seems extremely overpowered, opening one up now.
It really, really is.
It used to be slightly moreso, since it counted Walmart and Target online previously as well (excepting third party sellers on Target). If you have a different experience at your Target, please let us know. But so far all data points to Yes.
It covers more "grocery" type purchases than just about any card (hello Costco, Walmart, and Target), with the ability to be funded by a debit card for 6%, and DOUBLE the cap of other cards (limiting grocery spend to $6k/year is common, this is $1k spend per month, which is twice that.)
It may be nerfed at any time. But till then, ride the train since the ticket is free.
@algata wrote:
@unsungivy wrote:It really, really is.
It used to be slightly moreso, since it counted Walmart and Target online previously as well (excepting third party sellers on Target). If you have a different experience at your Target, please let us know. But so far all data points to Yes.
It covers more "grocery" type purchases than just about any card (hello Costco, Walmart, and Target), with the ability to be funded by a debit card for 6%, and DOUBLE the cap of other cards (limiting grocery spend to $6k/year is common, this is $1k spend per month, which is twice that.)
It may be nerfed at any time. But till then, ride the train since the ticket is free.
May I ask how you get the extra 1% when funding with a debit card? Can it be any debit card? I just funded it with my Wells Fargo debit card but didn't see anything about an extra percentage point.
It really is just the funding of Paypal that triggers the return on specific debit cards. It doesn't matter how you use that funding. You could just send it back to your main bank account and still get the return. Check out the debit cards at the bottom of my page. The Quontic and both Affinity trigger their cash back rewards by financing Paypal via their debits. I then send the funds back to Fidelity, my main checking account, CMA.
I know, another account to open, where does it end? lol
@ElvisCaprice wrote:
@algata wrote:
@unsungivy wrote:It really, really is.
It used to be slightly moreso, since it counted Walmart and Target online previously as well (excepting third party sellers on Target). If you have a different experience at your Target, please let us know. But so far all data points to Yes.
It covers more "grocery" type purchases than just about any card (hello Costco, Walmart, and Target), with the ability to be funded by a debit card for 6%, and DOUBLE the cap of other cards (limiting grocery spend to $6k/year is common, this is $1k spend per month, which is twice that.)
It may be nerfed at any time. But till then, ride the train since the ticket is free.
----------------------
May I ask how you get the extra 1% when funding with a debit card? Can it be any debit card? I just funded it with my Wells Fargo debit card but didn't see anything about an extra percentage point.
It really is just the funding of Paypal that triggers the return on specific debit cards. It doesn't matter how you use that funding. You could just send it back to your main bank account and still get the return. Check out the debit cards at the bottom of my page. The Quontic and both Affinity trigger their cash back rewards by financing Paypal via their debits. I then send the funds back to Fidelity, my main checking account, CMA.
I know, another account to open, where does it end? lol
Yes, it has to specifically be a debit card that gives 1% cashback, and allows for this sort of transaction to count. As named, both Quontic and Affinity's work, although Quontic has a higher monthly cap. I'm not sure if Discover works for PayPal funding?
Axos is another option, but hasn't been fully tested yet.
Any CitiBank run cards seem to allow debit card payment of your balance as well, though depending on if it's direct with Citi or not, you may need to pay-by-phone to do so.