What's Your Rewards Strategy?

[Anonymous]

AmEx Platinum for flights, which isn't used often now....

AmEx Gold for basically everything else, a lot of our spend is grocery/dining. 

Amex Delta Platinum for hotels, not used often now either. (We don't have or need a hotel specific card currently)

PenFed PCR for wherever AmEx isn't accepted. 

This leaves me with around 11 cards that I have to place a small charge every few months, which is getting kind of annoying anymore. 

The reasoning for AmEx over everything is that my spouse and I are closing in on 1,000,000 MRs and 500,000 Delta sky miles and it's more of a "how many can we get?" now lol. 

When things go completely back to normal we are taking a serious trip with all of the points lol. We are assuming things won't be completely normal until 2023 hopefully, so we'll definitely go over those numbers. 

We also have 250,000 Chase UR but we will probably end up using those points before the big trip because the Reserve/Preferred aren't very beneficial for us to keep paying that fee. 

[Slabenstein]

I just have a few cb cards, so mine's extremely simple:

-BCP for groceries (part of the year), gas, and bus fare (whenever the buses here are safe again).

-Disco for rotating cats

-CFU for everything else

[FICOlearner123]

Target 5%

BoA 1 (3+% for Gas)

BoA 2 (3+% for Online Shopping)

BoA 3 (3+% for Dinning)

BoA (2+% for Grocery)

Chase Freedom (5% rotating categories)

BoA offers bonus rates if conditions are met

[randomguy1]

When not meeting SUB MSR...

Discover for rotating categories 5x

US Bank Altitude Reserve for Mobile wallet 3x

Chase Sapphire Reserve for dining travel, door dash, and grocery spend outside of mobile wallet 3x

Chase Ink Cash for streaming, telecom, gift cards at office supply stores to get 5% where gift cards are accepted  5x

Chase Ink Unlimited for uncategorized spend 1.5x

Uber VISA for Uber (not being used now) and UberEats 5x

BofA Biz Cash Rewards for Business services 3x

[Aim_High]

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@mgood wrote:

I'd think this would be a common topic here. I did a quick search and didn't find this specifically

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I've seen it mentioned often but usually in the context of another thread. 

My baseline now is 2% to 3% uncapped and uncategorized cash back:

• AOD FCU Signature Visa  - 3%
• BofA Premium Rewards - 2.625% (with Platinum Honors)
• PenFed Power Cash Rewards - 2%

I have the Chase Quadfecta to earn Ultimate Rewards (URs) for travel but can be redeemed for lower cash back if desired.  (When I move points from other cards to my Chase Sapphire Reserve, they are worth 50% more in travel redemption on the Chase portal.  They can be worth up to 2 ccp or more when transferred to travel partners.)

• Chase Sapphire Reserve:  3 UR/$ on dining and a wide range of travel charges;  value 3% to 4.5% to 6%.
• Chase Freedom Unlimited:  1.5 UR/$ on everything worth 1.5% to 2.25% to 3%.
• Chase Freedom:  5% on rotating categories worth 5% to 7.5% to 10%.
• Chase INK Cash:  5% on internet-cable.  5% on cell phone.  5% on office supplies.  Worth 5% to 7.5% to 10%.

Bank of America Preferred Rewards gives me 75% boost on rewards on Premium Rewards and Cash Rewards cards.

• Premium Rewards - 3.5% on dining and travel;  2.625 % everything else as mentioned above.
• Cash Rewards - 3.5% on grocery and warehouse clubs; 5.25% on monthly choice of gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings.

Discover IT - 5% rotating categories

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless - 6x Marriott points (~4.8%) on Marriott Spend

 *Free annual night offsets AF

Chase World of Hyatt - 4x Hyatt points (~6.8%) on Hyatt Spend

 *Free annual night offsets AF

Citi Costco Visa - 4% on gas

AMEX Gold - Dining out or groceries at 4 MR/$ (worth generally 4% to 8%)

AFBA/UMB Simply Rewards - 3% (3 points) on restaurants, dining out, groceries including discount stores, and gas.

[issac2x]

Mostly for cashback since I don't travel. Rotate my cards now and then but the ones that have offers or promos get used first.

Sears - various offers. Currently 10x TYP for dining, groceries, gas. 5x for online purchases.

Savor - 4% dining/takeout

USbank - 5% utilities, streaming

Affinity - 5% Amazon, rotating

BOA - 3% online purchases (use for takeout now and then)

BBVA - 3% medical, offers

Propel - 3% dining/takeout, offers

UMB - groceries, dining/takeout

AOD - 3% everything else

Penfed/Usalliance - 2% backup sock drawer

Edit: Forgot my Unionpay card - seasonal promos

[cws-21]

American Express Blue Cash Preferred (6% for groceries)

Ducks Unlimited (5% for gas and sporting goods)

Wells Fargo Propel (mostly for cellphone insurance & 3% for dining, but also 3% for flights, hotels, and transit)

Chase Amazon Rewards Visa Signature (no foreign transaction fee Visa and 3% for Amazon)

Citi Double Cash (2% for everything else)

[galahad15]

My current rewards line-up that I use regularly:

(1)  US Bank Cash+ (x2):  5% on cell phone, cable TV, utilities, and ground transportation

(2)  BoA Cash Rewards WMC:  3.3% on online shopping, 2.2% on groceries

(3)  AOD FCU VS:  3% on all purchases

(4)  Andrews FCU Titanium VS:  3% groceries and gas, 1.5% on all other purchases

(5)  FNBO Amex Travelite:  3% on travel, 1.5% other, plus $100 annual airline incidentals credit

(6)  Wells Fargo Propel:  3% on travel, online streaming, and entertainmemt

(7)  Cap1 NHM Ultra MC:  2% on all purchases

(8)  FNBO BucksBack VS:  2% on all purchases 

(9)  FNBO Amex:  1.5% on all purchases

(10)  BoA BBR (x2):  $60 rewards credited quarterly, between both cards