The Points Frog

[Rex]

I don’t *think* there’s a topic about this. If I’m wrong, let me know.

Just a little place for discussion, advice, bragging, etc. about loyalty programs, credit card deals, and the points lifestyle. For years, I did nothing other than Delta SkyMiles, and then I learned that wasn’t such a great way to leverage my consumption habits (except as to business trips that I was reimbursed for).

Someone here must be a points addict. What say you?

[Johnnie]

I'd also like to know more, personally.

As an active duty military guy (up until last year), the $550 annual fee was waived for my Chase Sapphire Reserve. No fucking brainer to get that. (I think I'll be paying the fee in August now that I'm retired.)

Lots of great benefits with that card: https://account.chase.com/sapphire/reserve/benefits

(I could have also got the AMEX Platinum and had its $700 fee waived too, but I wasn't keen on a charge card.)

And then I also jumped on the Amazon Prime card just to use for all things Amazon. I got a $200 gift card when opening the account because I did it during Christmas.

Regardless, if there's another credit card I should open, like one with airline miles or something better, please let me know.

I've been subscribed to the subreddit r/Churning for some time but I don't think I can get on their level.

[Rex]

What got me curious was when after 20 years of ignoring credit card offers as scams, I randomly applied for a BoA rewards card with a $99 fee, and found that the points (basically cash back) were way better than anything on my SkyMiles Amex, even on the stuff that Delta touts as the biggest perks. And this isn’t even a card that is highly rated by the points nerds—the reason it is beneficial to me is I have my checking and savings at BoA and an investment account at Merrill, with enough of a balance to get me a higher multiplier. For years I just had the SkyMiles Amex and a random Visa with zero benefits and paid for stuff based on whatever card was easier to pick out of my wallet.

So I’m not the guy to ask.

I’m especially curious about the downside for someone who is good about paying off credit card balances on time every month. I don’t need to be told what a bad idea it is to pile up credit card debt (I was there once myself), but once you hit a point where you don’t have to worry about interest rates, is there a problem?

[sancarlos]

We have a Costco Citi visa, so I don’t have to pay cash when I shop there. We have a chase sapphire visa that has no annual fee and pretty good points. Lastly, I have a capital one card we only use on foreign trips because it has no foreign currency transaction fees (and has no annual fee).

[govmentchedda]

Am I crazy or is someone here friends with The Points Guy? DSafe, maybe?

CSR and AMEX platinum here. As well as Capital one spark for work. Most of the annual fees can be earned back easily if you can take advantage of the perks.

[phxgators]

We use the Chase Southwest card. We put everything we possibly can on it and pay it off monthly. We've had enough activity plus bonuses to get a Companion Pass the last couple of years, so one of us is always free.

Partially because we didn't go anywhere for a couple of covid years and the points stacked up last year and this year (sitting in the terminal right now) we've had free flights to Maui. And we've still got 200k+ points available.

Also you get free upgraded boarding for 4 tickets once a year, or something like that.

One other thing to note, in general. If someone decides to apply for a new card based on someone else's recommendation here, work with them since there are often referral bonuses for both people.

[A_B]

Put a kid on a card you have even if you don't give them the actual card. It helps credit (so long as you, you know, pay it each month) for the youngins.

We have a Costco Citi and it's pretty good. Have an amazon chase I am nearly done paying off and will cancel that immediately. Fuck them.

[DSafetyGuy]

Am I crazy or is someone here friends with The Points Guy? DSafe, maybe?

CSR and AMEX platinum here. As well as Capital one spark for work. Most of the annual fees can be earned back easily if you can take advantage of the perks.

A friend of mine worked for the Points Guy for the about three years and is now developing a company called Tripsight, which will advise people on points/miles. I find it hilarious that he was terrified of flying into his mid-30's.

Costco Citi Visa shared account with my wife, which is paid off in full every month along with everything else. We try to save up cash for large expenses (my car, replacing the roof or windows of the house). I have two other cards that I never use, or at least would never use if I could wade through a couple customer service webs to change the card for billing on two things.

[GoodKarma]

I have cards for the major airlines (Delta, American, United, SW) and Marriott & Hilton. I used each airline at one time as my primary so it made sense to pay the annual fee. We have an Amazon card that we use only for Amazon and Whole Foods purchases...the cash back on Amazon purchases is nice and the extra 5% off at Whole Foods doesn't hurt either. My wife an I noticed last night that if you scan your account from the app at Whole Foods at self checkout it gives an option to pay with the card tied to your Amazon account (this is a bonus feature for my wife who frequently forgets her wallet).

[Nonlinear FC]

We use the Chase Southwest card. We put everything we possibly can on it and pay it off monthly. We've had enough activity plus bonuses to get a Companion Pass the last couple of years, so one of us is always free.

Partially because we didn't go anywhere for a couple of covid years and the points stacked up last year and this year (sitting in the terminal right now) we've had free flights to Maui. And we've still got 200k+ points available.

Also you get free upgraded boarding for 4 tickets once a year, or something like that.

One other thing to note, in general. If someone decides to apply for a new card based on someone else's recommendation here, work with them since there are often referral bonuses for both people.

This is us. We put a good chunk of our normal expenses on the SW Chase and echo your take on the perks.

[The Sybian]

My wife is a mark for loyalty programs. She was actually interviewing for a job as the head of the loyalty program for one of the biggest hotel corporations. Crazy how excited she was brainstorming ways to improve their programs. She views her airline miles as a challenge and is on a mission to achieve the highest status tier. Anything gamified, and she is all in on "winning." When her previous job gave out FitBits and had a challenge for the most steps, she went crazy walking 10 miles a day. There was a cash incentive to hit a certain number of steps each month, and if she wasn't close to hitting it, that was the #1 life priority. Or if another coworker stepped up their game, she was hitting the road.

I got a Chase Freedom card 12 years ago because it had the best cash back program at that time. Haven't looked into it since then, so no idea if I should look for something else. 1% cash back on all purchases and quarterly 5% cash back categories of puchases (groceries, gas, at specific stores...) plus monthly cash back deals at specific stores, streaming platforms, etc.. Shit really adds up fast. My wife was obsessed with her Hilton points for awhile and got a Hilton credit card that gave points with purchases and lots of points if you booked a Hilton stay on the card. She got fed up with them for some reason and cancelled the card.

[mister d]

Citi double cash ($1 for purchase, $1 for payment) for most things and then the Whole Foods Amazon card which is 5% back there.

[Brontoburglar]

Southwest/Marriott/Costco/AmEx

Southwest card just kind of exists for a couple hundred a month in random purchases. Marriott is my general spend. Costco for gas and Costco purchases. AmEx for all of our "normal" expenses like utilities, food, etc. They all end up paying for themselves in one way or another and we just treat them like cash. I will never understand carrying a balance on a credit card unless you've made a big purchase with 0% interest on a store card.