help me get the most rewards

[Anonymous]

So I have a couple questions about my cards and how to get the most out of them.

This is what I have.

Chase Freedom and CSP. Currently trying to meet the spend bonus on the CSP. For restraunts I ONLY use my freedom due to 5% back.

Sallie Mae - ONLY used for gas/amazon/walmart

Cap One QS - Havent used in a month at all

AMEX BCE - dont use except to pay car INS ($168 a month).

What card is best for non department store clothing? Cause I know BCE is picky.....

When 5% category changes to gas on the Freedom. Will it make more sense to use the freedom at gas stations versus Sallie Mae????

Also, in terms of restraunts (after the freedom 5% category), will it make more sense to use the CSP (2x on dining) versus Cap One (1.5% cash Back)?????

NOTE - Im very interested in simply a cash back check. Want the points to build up and cash at the end of the year.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

So I have a couple questions about my cards and how to get the most out of them.

This is what I have.

Chase Freedom and CSP. Currently trying to meet the spend bonus on the CSP. For restraunts I ONLY use my freedom due to 5% back.

Sallie Mae - ONLY used for gas/amazon/walmart

Cap One QS - Havent used in a month at all

AMEX BCE - dont use except to pay car INS ($168 a month).

What card is best for non department store clothing? Cause I know BCE is picky.....

When 5% category changes to gas on the Freedom. Will it make more sense to use the freedom at gas stations versus Sallie Mae????

Also, in terms of restraunts (after the freedom 5% category), will it make more sense to use the CSP (2x on dining) versus Cap One (1.5% cash Back)?????

NOTE - Im very interested in simply a cash back check. Want the points to build up and cash at the end of the year.

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Depends how hard it is to meet the CSP spend.   If it is at all close I would put all spend on the CSP until the bonus is reached.  It's worth much more than 5% on gas etc.

Re restaurants: I have to say "what do you think!"  As you can cash out URs at 1c, although you shouldn't as they are worth much more in other ways, 2% with the CSP obviously beats 1.5% with QS.

If you only want cash back, then it really doesn't matter on gas which you use.   Many would consider the Freedom URs more valuable than 1%, but if you aren't going to transfer etc, it makes no difference.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

So I have a couple questions about my cards and how to get the most out of them.

This is what I have.

Chase Freedom and CSP. Currently trying to meet the spend bonus on the CSP. For restraunts I ONLY use my freedom due to 5% back.

Sallie Mae - ONLY used for gas/amazon/walmart

Cap One QS - Havent used in a month at all

AMEX BCE - dont use except to pay car INS ($168 a month).

What card is best for non department store clothing? Cause I know BCE is picky.....

When 5% category changes to gas on the Freedom. Will it make more sense to use the freedom at gas stations versus Sallie Mae????

Also, in terms of restraunts (after the freedom 5% category), will it make more sense to use the CSP (2x on dining) versus Cap One (1.5% cash Back)?????

NOTE - Im very interested in simply a cash back check. Want the points to build up and cash at the end of the year.

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If you're interested in only cash back and not airline transfer partners, the CSP is a pretty terrible card... CSPs real value lies in the ~2.4 cpp estimated airline transfer rate.

My suggestions are:

Open a new general spend card (or use the QS).  Fidelity Amex or Citi Double Cash will give 2% for all purchases as opposed to CapOne 1.5%.

No difference between Freedom/Sallie Mae for gas if you're not using airline transfer partners.

Open the Chase AARP card for dining.  3% everyday.  or wait for the mythical 5% card that was rumored the other day.

Basically, run what I have in my siggy.  It optimizes cashback if you replace Travel Rewards with one of double cash or fidelity amex.

Also, Costco TE card is worth it for cash back on gasoline.  Costco is usually 5%+ cheaper on gas than anywhere else, plus the TE gives 3% on top of that.

[Anonymous]

I just have one thing to add. Are you sure Sallie Mae is giving you 5% back on Walmart purchases? Typically superstores and discount stores like Walmart are Target are excluded from the bonus categories. Check you Sallie Mae rewards history online and let us know. 

[Anonymous]

Yup. I just checked. At Walmart I'm getting 5%

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Yup. I just checked. At Walmart I'm getting 5%

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Yes, one of the reasons Sallie Mae is so popular, unlike the Amex Blue Cash family, it will often give 5% at Walmart and Traget 

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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Basically, run what I have in my siggy.  It optimizes cashback if you replace Travel Rewards with one of double cash or fidelity amex.

Also, Costco TE card is worth it for cash back on gasoline.  Costco is usually 5%+ cheaper on gas than anywhere else, plus the TE gives 3% on top of that.

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Wile I agree with rest of your post about CSP etc, how can you claim that your line up "optimizes" cash back?  It really depends on your spending patterns and amounts.

Also, Costco TE has a very limited lifespan now!

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Yup. I just checked. At Walmart I'm getting 5%

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Awesome! Thanks for double checking! I will use my Sallie at Walmart from now on.

[Themanwhocan]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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Basically, run what I have in my siggy.  It optimizes cashback if you replace Travel Rewards with one of double cash or fidelity amex.

Also, Costco TE card is worth it for cash back on gasoline.  Costco is usually 5%+ cheaper on gas than anywhere else, plus the TE gives 3% on top of that.

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Wile I agree with rest of your post about CSP etc, how can you claim that your line up "optimizes" cash back?  It really depends on your spending patterns and amounts.

Also, Costco TE has a very limited lifespan now!

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I prefer my siggy for optimum cash back

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:
Yup. I just checked. At Walmart I'm getting 5%

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Awesome! Thanks for double checking! I will use my Sallie at Walmart from now on.

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I've read different walmarts and targets code differently. I checked my SM at my usual target and it's 5%. But I just bought a nutrition bar to test it. Easy enough to test SM because you get near immediate feedback. I want to check BCP too, but I won't know for a month I guess (both my SM and BCP are new).