Why is JCB Murakai not popular?

[Blodreina]

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

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@yfan wrote:

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

Well, there you have it. My mantra is if you have more than $5K in unchaegorized spend, you're not doing it right. But you're right about the bonuses though... I hadn't paid close attention to them before (in fact, I don't think I've noticed those - are they new?).

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It's a pretty big assumption that more than $5K of uncatagorized spend is not doing something right.  Most catagory spend at greater than 3% is capped.  So depending on one's spend pattern & amounts, it's not hard to have a significant amout of non catagorized spend.

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Right, however, no one is limited to only one category card. Btw, we know what happens to unlimited spends for 3%+ cards. They get nerfed. If the vast majority of JCB's users turn out to put the great majoirty of their spendings above the 3K threshold, they'd be losing money and as such not be able to maintain that structure. It'd get nerfed too.

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Please name catagory cards that have > 3% that you can realistically have more than one of, with no or minimal AF?

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Sallie Mae, US Bank Cash +

[sillykitty1]

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@Simba501 wrote:

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

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@yfan wrote:

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

Well, there you have it. My mantra is if you have more than $5K in unchaegorized spend, you're not doing it right. But you're right about the bonuses though... I hadn't paid close attention to them before (in fact, I don't think I've noticed those - are they new?).

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It's a pretty big assumption that more than $5K of uncatagorized spend is not doing something right.  Most catagory spend at greater than 3% is capped.  So depending on one's spend pattern & amounts, it's not hard to have a significant amout of non catagorized spend.

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Right, however, no one is limited to only one category card. Btw, we know what happens to unlimited spends for 3%+ cards. They get nerfed. If the vast majority of JCB's users turn out to put the great majoirty of their spendings above the 3K threshold, they'd be losing money and as such not be able to maintain that structure. It'd get nerfed too.

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Please name catagory cards that have > 3% that you can realistically have more than one of, with no or minimal AF?

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Sallie Mae, US Bank Cash +

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[Blodreina]

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

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@Simba501 wrote:

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

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@yfan wrote:

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

Well, there you have it. My mantra is if you have more than $5K in unchaegorized spend, you're not doing it right. But you're right about the bonuses though... I hadn't paid close attention to them before (in fact, I don't think I've noticed those - are they new?).

---

It's a pretty big assumption that more than $5K of uncatagorized spend is not doing something right.  Most catagory spend at greater than 3% is capped.  So depending on one's spend pattern & amounts, it's not hard to have a significant amout of non catagorized spend.

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Right, however, no one is limited to only one category card. Btw, we know what happens to unlimited spends for 3%+ cards. They get nerfed. If the vast majority of JCB's users turn out to put the great majoirty of their spendings above the 3K threshold, they'd be losing money and as such not be able to maintain that structure. It'd get nerfed too.

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Please name catagory cards that have > 3% that you can realistically have more than one of, with no or minimal AF?

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Sallie Mae, US Bank Cash +

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I've seen more than a few people with more than one of each card.

[BottomRanker]

It's not "popular" because it's not obtainable for most of the people you're conversing with. JCBUSA also seems to have no interest in expanding their footprint, judging from the replies I and a friend have gotten from them in email about state residency.

[yfan]

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

Please name catagory cards that have > 3% that you can realistically have more than one of, with no or minimal AF?

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There are several. Discover IT (assuming we count rotating categories), Amex BCE, and as others mentioned, Sallie Mae, US Bank Cash+. Oh, and the Amazon Visa, which has 3% back on Amazon with no limits. So yes, they exist, and yes, you can "realistically" have more than one, although not everyone's definition of "realistic" is going to match up.

Btw, since you took the liberty of mixing no AF with "minimal" AF, I took the liberty to include >=3% rather than just >3%.

[FinStar]

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@yfan wrote:

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@sillykitty1 wrote:

Please name catagory cards that have > 3% that you can realistically have more than one of, with no or minimal AF?

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There are several. Discover IT (assuming we count rotating categories), Amex BCE, and as others mentioned, Sallie Mae, US Bank Cash+. Oh, and the Amazon Visa, which has 3% back on Amazon with no limits. So yes, they exist, and yes, you can "realistically" have more than one, although not everyone's definition of "realistic" is going to match up.

Btw, since you took the liberty of mixing no AF with "minimal" AF, I took the liberty to include >=3% rather than just >3%.

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You cannot have two Chase Amazon CCs (for the same individual).  So realistically, not for Amazon Visa.  Others, yes...but what is the realistic expectation that most individuals (forum members excluded) are going to miximize this 3%+ benefit since the greater of the population isn't going to seek 2 SallieMaes, 2 Discovers, 2 Cash+ Ccs?  JCB has its niche in the marketplace and works for its limited US-domestic footprint and demographics.  You don't see a whole lot of posts with folks maximizing or boasting the JCB rewards or trend value.

[yfan]

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@FinStar wrote:

You cannot have two Chase Amazon CCs (for the same individual).  So realistically, not for Amazon Visa.  Others, yes...but what is the realistic expectation that most individuals (forum members excluded) are going to miximize this 3%+ benefit since the greater of the population isn't going to seek 2 SallieMaes, 2 Discovers, 2 Cash+ Ccs?  JCB has its niche in the marketplace and works for its limited US-domestic footprint and demographics.  You don't see a whole lot of posts with folks maximizing or boasting the JCB rewards or trend value.

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Right, you cannot have more than one Chase Amazon Visas for the same individual, but that's irrelevant, because the only reason you would want more than one if the cashback was limited on one card. Since the cashback on the chase Amazon card for use on Amazon is unlimited, whether one can get more than one is a moot point from a rewards perspective.

Sorry, we can't just exclude forum members, since the original question began with relative unpopularity of the JCB card, presumably on this forum. Even if it wasn't, the very premise of the question assumes users who assign high significance to rewards. For this population looking to maximize rewards, it's not at all unrealistic to have more than one of a given card if it can be obtained.

[Anonymous]

If it were an online application/management process, I'd consider it. But I don't think I'd pay an AF for a 3% cashback card with 1-2% cashback on low spend. I use points cards more than cashback cards other than for 5% spend categories (e.g. gas, groceries, amazon, rotating categories, or selected ones like Cash+). A 3% cashback to me is roughly the same as 2 chase points since I value them at right around 1.5 cents per point (worth lot more with right redemptions). So the CSP covers things like travel and restaurant expenses for me. 

This 3% card would get some use, but it is really only 1% more than the DoubleCash I use for "other" expenses that don't neatly fall within a category. I love my rewards cards and 1% more cashback over 3k (1% less for first 1k and $15 AF = 4.5k spend per year to break even) will quickly pull the rewards from this over the DC for me since my spend on the DC will likely be in the range of 1.5k a month. But even if I put my entire 4k credit card spend per month on this card, it would not make sense for me. 4k a month is 48k a year. If we subtract to 4.5k base spend for the break even point, I am looking at 42.5k spend at 1% as the gain over the DoubleCash, 1% of 42,500 is 425 bucks. And let's not forget the Murukai 10 dollar membership fee that would take the potential savings down to 415.

425 bucks is nice, but I value my time and would not be willing to deal with an offline management system. Moreover, my true savings would be less because a significant portion of my spend ends up on 5% cards, so this card is unlikely to gain me more than 100-200 bucks a year. If it were more convenient, I'd apply for it. But any offline management system is not something I'd consider for less than 5% cashback on everything with no caps. Not everyone thinks like me, but I figured I'd give my 2 cents for why this card does not interest me. 

[longtimelurker]

I didn't agree with large uncategorized spend meaning something wrong comment, just because there are spending categories not really covered by any rewards card.  One example might be medical bills for example, or some hobby collection where you buy from specialized stores

[rlx01]

@Random83: they have online management now.