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tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend

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Andypanda
Established Contributor

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend


@Andypanda wrote:

@bergrides wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

goto statement and activities

select year to date from drop down

click the merchanidise and supplies part of the pie

you should then see how much is grocery

 

(ps, shockingly, I am spending less on grocery than I thought, more reason that amex airline fee credit change may negatively impact its value for me)

 

Screenshot_2019-07-02 American Express US Manage Your Card Account Online Statement.png

FortifiedHM - This will show you everything in the Grocery classification, but that includes grocery items that do not count against the Grocery reward, and therefore don't go against the 6K limit.  For instance mine shows the meat market and wine store I go to,which doesn't count. 


 


Got to the graph, just don’t see how to shuw sub categories instead of just general categories. Unlies I have to go to my desktop instead of my iPad.


nevermind, figured it out.

Message 21 of 39
Andypanda
Established Contributor

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend


@wasCB14 wrote:

I also get most groceries at Costco.

 

Has Amex been sending you any targeted upgrade offers? You don't need a spreadsheet to tell if the card is worth trying for a year if they're offering $250 or $150 and a waived 1st year AF.

 

I recently upgraded to BCP for $250/$1k spend. I'll try it for a year and see how merchants code.

 

*If you feel on the fence about it, maybe the thing to do is to wait for a nice upgrade offer.


I havn't even hit my 61 day cli request yet, and they don't do upgrades from non af to af cards in the first year in fear of violating the CARD act.

Message 22 of 39
bergrides
Regular Contributor

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend


@vic6string wrote:

For those of you that say you can easily burn through the 6k in supermarkets in just a few months, you may want to look at the Amex Gold card and do the math. It has a $250 annual fee, but it gives 4X points at supermarkets (assuming you are willing to go the points route instead of the cash back route) and it gives the 4X multiplier for up to $25k! Depending on your needs, the benefits of the gold might be better also. I plan to make the BCP my first Amex in a couple of months when my BK13 celebrates it's 5th birthday, but I might replace that with a gold next year if I see my grocery spend is high enough.


I looked at the Gold card, but even with my high spending on groceries I would not clear enough in points to cover the AF, so the BCP works out better.  I don't get to travel, so I would not use some of the benefits of the Gold card.

Message 23 of 39
kilroy8
Community Leader
Super Contributor

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend

If you loop in Discover and Freedom grocery quarters, it helps out. Even with that, I still put some through BCE and MoreRewards after I hit the 6K limit, but not too much.

Message 24 of 39
bergrides
Regular Contributor

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend

I am researching other cards now to fill in the gap when groceries hit the 6K mark, and to also give me some more cash back for restaurants and general spend

Message 25 of 39
calyx
Super Contributor

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend


@bergrides wrote:

@vic6string wrote:

For those of you that say you can easily burn through the 6k in supermarkets in just a few months, you may want to look at the Amex Gold card and do the math. It has a $250 annual fee, but it gives 4X points at supermarkets (assuming you are willing to go the points route instead of the cash back route) and it gives the 4X multiplier for up to $25k! Depending on your needs, the benefits of the gold might be better also. I plan to make the BCP my first Amex in a couple of months when my BK13 celebrates it's 5th birthday, but I might replace that with a gold next year if I see my grocery spend is high enough.


I looked at the Gold card, but even with my high spending on groceries I would not clear enough in points to cover the AF, so the BCP works out better.  I don't get to travel, so I would not use some of the benefits of the Gold card.


Same for me.   And, honestly, the travel I do is better for URs than MRs.   If I did use Amex's travel partners (and travelled more), I'd be more likely to go gold.   

Which all goes to the 'research and use the credit cards that match your spend and make them work for you' mantra.
I do think the 6% in streaming can tip things towards the BCP over the gold, too (apologies if gold gets the points for streaming and I missed it, it's been a while since I looked at MR vs UR).  I pay for almost all of the streaming in our household (everything but Amazon Prime) and I have a voracious audible/audiobook habit (I use audible and three different library services through multiple counties), and this card is nice for that, too.

Happy practitioner of AZE7or8or9or10 | Team Finances > FICO
Message 26 of 39
kilroy8
Community Leader
Super Contributor

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend


@bergrides wrote:

I am researching other cards now to fill in the gap when groceries hit the 6K mark, and to also give me some more cash back for restaurants and general spend


Discover would be the one to get. Grocery quarter already over for this year, but restaurant just started.

 

With cashback match, it is 10% total return first year.

Message 27 of 39
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend


@Anonymous wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

 

EDIT: The break even point on BCE/BCP is closer to the $3000 mark. That would be where you have covered the annual fee, and start to see a greater return using the BCP.

 


I feel like this is such an easy number to hit that the BCP should be worth it to almost everyone. I mean how could you not spend over 3k/year in groceries. Thats $250/month. Even if you are single with no kids


As said above, not every place that sells grocery codes as such. Also, the "Supermarket" category Amex assigns to the card doesn't fit what you'd traditionally think of as a Supermarket. Is 7-Eleven a supermarket, AM/PM? etc.? Like I said only one store near me codes as said category. So not all my Grocery spend can earn the 6%, especially not the main store I've been food shopping at my entire adult life. 

 

As for how much a person spends annually on "food", some eat out more than they should. On average I spend about $50 a week, with only a third of tehat sopend going to the one store that codes as "grocery". It's not exactly as easy for some as it is for others. 

Message 28 of 39
vic6string
Regular Contributor

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend


@kilroy8 wrote:

If you loop in Discover and Freedom grocery quarters, it helps out. Even with that, I still put some through BCE and MoreRewards after I hit the 6K limit, but not too much.


That is my plan. I already have the Discover, which means the BCP only needs to cover 39 weeks of groceries once I get it. 

Message 29 of 39
bergrides
Regular Contributor

Re: tracking bce $6,000 grocery spend

Does the Discover IT count places such as a stand alone meat market, and other places that code as grocery on AMEX as grocery?

Message 30 of 39
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