What's in your wallet?
- Thread starter pcbuck
- Start date
PantherProud
Well-known member
Amazon visa.
$5% back on all Amazon purchases, among other places. At the time I also got a $200 Amazon credit.
$5% back on all Amazon purchases, among other places. At the time I also got a $200 Amazon credit.
pcbuck
Well-known member
My wife has that one. Yours sounds like the Amazon Prime Visa which has greater cash back if you are an Amazon Prime Member.
A lot of credit cards try to get you to sign up with phenomenal bonuses if you spend a certain amount in anywhere from 3-6 months.
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TriangleMan
Hates Particle Man
I know there are better cards out there for those that travel for a living, but I'm committed to the Marriott Bonvoy Visa.
pcbuck
Well-known member
My go to credit card for travel is the American Express Platinum card.
It's not for the feint of heart though.
The $695 yearly fee scares off many people. You do get bonus membership rewards points if you spend $6000 in the first 6 months of having the card. The bonus is from 80,000 to 150,000 points which is valued at $800 to $1,500 at 1 cent per point or $1,200 to $2,250 at 1.5 cents per point.
The Amex platinum card is definitely worth it the 1st year if you reach the spending bonus. After that it depends on how much you travel.
It's not for the feint of heart though.
The $695 yearly fee scares off many people. You do get bonus membership rewards points if you spend $6000 in the first 6 months of having the card. The bonus is from 80,000 to 150,000 points which is valued at $800 to $1,500 at 1 cent per point or $1,200 to $2,250 at 1.5 cents per point.
The Amex platinum card is definitely worth it the 1st year if you reach the spending bonus. After that it depends on how much you travel.
pcbuck
Well-known member
I haven't really looked into that card. (I will say that I'm a Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite member thanks to the American Express Platinum card.)
What do you like about it?
TriangleMan
Hates Particle Man
When I got back into travelling for work, I just decided to do as much business as I can with Marriott Hotels and Delta Airlines. So, I had two options, the Marriott Visa or a Delta AMEX card. As mentioned above, the high annual fee for the Delta AMEX was a deterrent. The multipliers with this old Marriott Visa are okay, I cannot recall what they are exactly, but paying with it for stays at their brand has racked up a lot of points.
Same. Not much beats using points for a 6-7 night stay in a prime location, and having more left over. EVERY purchase I make is on my 'Marriott Card". Pack of chewing gum, yep....it goes on the card. Crazy committed
TriangleMan
Hates Particle Man
Yep, been a looooong time since I've paid for a room on any personal trips.Same. Not much beats using points for a 6-7 night stay in a prime location, and having more left over. EVERY purchase I make is on my 'Marriott Card". Pack of chewing gum, yep....it goes on the card. Crazy committed
PantherProud
Well-known member
Yea the Prime Visa.
Between the $200 upfront and cash back rewards, we’ve easily gotten a free $400 in not quite a year and a half.
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pcbuck
Well-known member
I'll have to look into the Marriott Card more closely. Do you guys have the one with the annual fee or no annual fee?Same. Not much beats using points for a 6-7 night stay in a prime location, and having more left over. EVERY purchase I make is on my 'Marriott Card". Pack of chewing gum, yep....it goes on the card. Crazy committed
It seems like if you use it a lot the annual fee card pays for itself.
I think that mine is $80.
pcbuck
Well-known member
I probably should explain this post in more detail.
The Amex Platinum has the highest yearly fee out of any of the readily available credit cards.
IMO, you get what you pay for.
In addition to the 1st year bonus offer you get these yearly perks:
$200 Hotel Credit
$200 Travel Credit for incidentals like seat upgrades, luggage fees, on board purchases (not wifi though)
$240 Streaming/Satellite Radio Credit for Disney+, ESPN+, Sirius Satellite Radio, Hulu, Audible and Peacock
$200 Uber or Uber Eats Credit
$189 Clear Plus Membership Credit
$100 Global Entry or $75 TSA Precheck Credit
$100 Saks Fifth Avenue Credit
Centurion Lounge Access and Priority Pass Lounge Access (Over 1400 Lounges including 1 of only 3 Lounges in Cleveland)
Delta Lounge Access if you are flying Delta
Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Gold Status
Upgraded Status for Hertz, Avis, and National
pcbuck
Well-known member
I fly Southwest Airlines a lot so I also have the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card.
The introductory offer is 60,000 points and a 30% off promo code if you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months.
For example a round trip flight to Miami can be booked for 20,000 to 30,000 points.
With this card the annual fee is $149. You do get a $75 credit yearly and 4 free A 1-15 boardings per year.
You also get 7,500 rapid rewards points per year.
I would get this card only if you fly Southwest at least once every year. If you fly a lot more or spend a lot you can even get to the Southwest Companion Pass Benefit, which is probably the best deal in travel today.
The introductory offer is 60,000 points and a 30% off promo code if you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months.
For example a round trip flight to Miami can be booked for 20,000 to 30,000 points.
With this card the annual fee is $149. You do get a $75 credit yearly and 4 free A 1-15 boardings per year.
You also get 7,500 rapid rewards points per year.
I would get this card only if you fly Southwest at least once every year. If you fly a lot more or spend a lot you can even get to the Southwest Companion Pass Benefit, which is probably the best deal in travel today.
My favorite is my Kroger card. Now the card itself does not offer the greatest benefits, but with a little work, you can get $1.55 off per gallon of gas, maximum of 35 gallons per 1000 points accumulated . So the way it works, my wife watches for multiple chances to get up to 4x points on things we would be purchasing anyway. We averaged 3000 points per month this past year, and always maximize our 35 gallons when filling up (do you like gas fumes and snuggling up with 20 gallons of it in the vehicle with you as you head home) to be a total savings of 35 x $1.55 = $54.25. We saved just over $1,800 this past year, and I didn't get blown up in a fiery crash even once. Great card, just comes with a little risk to retrieve maximum savings.
I only have 1 credit card got it at 22 a discover card started with 600$ limit now over 30,000 . Pay it off monthly works for me . Not a big travel but have put vacations and a lot of weddings expenses on it . I’m 54 old school banking still write checks and use envelopes to save money. It works for me .
soccerdad72
Well-known member
That's our primary card as well - we get our annual fees waived thanks to our brokerage firm (Morgan Stanley).
We also have the Costco Visa card - which, aside from the obvious use at Costco, acts as our backup card when a place doesn't accept AmEx.
thePITman
Well-known member
pcbuck
Well-known member
That’s definitely worth it for you then. Active military members and their spouses also get the annual fee waived for the Amex Platinum.
pcbuck
Well-known member
The problem with that card is that you don’t get any bonus multipliers for travel or restaurant spending.
However, if you have enough money to get invited for the Amex Black card, you probably don’t care about the bonus multipliers at all.
I was actually just kidding (my wife and 4 kids spent all of my money). I use my Sam's Club Mastercard for pretty much everything. Get decent cash back on it.
pcbuck
Well-known member
Definitely more practical. LOL.
I saw a video with Dave Portnoy (Barstool Sports) using points from his Black Card to pay for gum at a CVS. He had a million points or so.
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pcbuck
Well-known member
This is actually a great idea and very savvy. I just don’t think I could haul all that gas more than every other week.
pcbuck
Well-known member
One other credit card that i have is the American Airlines Platinum Select card.
I picked this one up to get a free flight on American. You get 50,000 points if you spend $2,500 in the first 3 months.
I've kept it due to the 2 points for every dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants, so I use it for those purchases.
When flying American, you also get a free checked bag for you and 3 others with you which is up to $120 for each flight ($30 x 4).
I've wanted to get rid of this one for awhile but I've got 1 free flight worth of points and I'm saving up for a 2nd flight and then I'll probably not renew.
I picked this one up to get a free flight on American. You get 50,000 points if you spend $2,500 in the first 3 months.
I've kept it due to the 2 points for every dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants, so I use it for those purchases.
When flying American, you also get a free checked bag for you and 3 others with you which is up to $120 for each flight ($30 x 4).
I've wanted to get rid of this one for awhile but I've got 1 free flight worth of points and I'm saving up for a 2nd flight and then I'll probably not renew.
pcbuck
Well-known member
I thought about Capital One Venture X but some of the benefits overlap the other luxury, high annual fee credit cards.
Iirc, this one had the best multiplier for certain hotels and car rentals.
Not many airport lounges though or travel partners (luxury hotels and airlines)
pcbuck
Well-known member
Sounds like a lot of folks are getting some good benefits from their credit cards.
The key is to pay off your cards monthly and don’t get too allured by the points and benefits and spend beyond your means.
If you have a balance of $1,000 on your cards at 25% interest, you’ll pay over $20 per month in interest.
The key is to pay off your cards monthly and don’t get too allured by the points and benefits and spend beyond your means.
If you have a balance of $1,000 on your cards at 25% interest, you’ll pay over $20 per month in interest.