Credit Card Rewards Programs/travel-hacking?

[PA Bill]

I agree. The wife and I charge EVERYTHING to the point where we never have $5 in our pocket to even tip the valet. EVERYTHING is charged to our AMERICAN EXPRESS CASH BLUE card.


We get approximately $2,500 OF FREE $ EVERY YEAR for the past 3 or 4 years now (yes, we spend a lot and yes, we take advantage of the system).

C'mon Spur! The kind of money you make and you're pulling a Tiger Woods on the valet?

 

[SPUR CITY]

C'mon Spur! The kind of money you make and you're pulling a Tiger Woods on the valet?

LoL actually we make sure and have a $20 AT ALL TIMES for the occasional tip. I would put the tip on the American Express if they let me though

 

[PA Bill]

LoL actually we make sure and have a $20 AT ALL TIMES for the occasional tip. I would put the tip on the American Express if they let me though

My bad! I figured you were better than that. That's the only reason I responded as it didn't seem like the guy we have come to know and respect here on the forum. Twenty bucks? Now you got me feeling like a cheapskate. Sorry I opened my big mouth.

 

[SPUR CITY]

My bad! I figured you were better than that. That's the only reason I responded as it didn't seem like the guy we have come to know and respect here on the forum. Twenty bucks? Now you got me feeling like a cheapskate. Sorry I opened my big mouth.

Well I didn't say that's what I actually give them

That's just all we carry in cash for times like that.

 

[OttoGraf]

So I was doing some digging on this while we were at the hospital w the baby and came across the term "manufactured spending". Needless to say this looks like a full time gig for some folks. Anybody heard of that before?

 

[Dweezil]

One of the best sites out there is The Points Guy I picked up 2 British Airways cards a couple of years ago that had a minimal spend with a bonus of 100K miles per card. I turned that into 2 business class tickets to Moscow. His site of full of great info and deals on cards.

I've been using 2 different Amex cards for a number of years. I have both the platinum and premier rewards gold.

The gold gives me 3x the points on gas and groceries. Somehow my home heating oil is treated as gas so that's a nice little bonus at the end of our winters.

The platinum gives us lounge access at just about any airport in the world. You get gold status at both Sheraton and Hilton. $200 in airline credit to use at any 1 airline per year. Plus a few other benefits. Amex also pays for your Global Entry and TSA pre fees. This card isn't cheap (450) but I break even on it every year.

Everything goes on the Amex. Groceries, gas, booze, utilities, insurance.

Have you looked at the AmEx Everyday card? 20% point bonus with 20 transactions each month and no annual fee. They keep trying to get me to bump up to the Platinum card from the Premier Rewards Gold, but I can't justify the $450 a year.

 

[sleavitt]

Have you looked at the AmEx Everyday card? 20% point bonus with 20 transactions each month and no annual fee. They keep trying to get me to bump up to the Platinum card from the Premier Rewards Gold, but I can't justify the $450 a year.

That will probably be my next card. Since Costco is ending its Amex relationship, I may move that credit line to that card. I'd have to take a look at number of charges per month that aren't better made on the Gold card.

If you travel at all, the Platinum is the way to go. The $200 in airline credit is supposed to go for incidentals, not tickets. The loophole that I've found is to buy gift cards at a lounge, so they show up as lounge charges. The lounge visits I value at 25-50 per visit per person. So I view the card as a breakeven at worst every year.

 

[OttoGraf]

Any of y'all your rewards cards for your mortgage, utilities etc?

 

[HoosierLife]

Can you link these credit cards to your PayPal account so that when you use PayPal it uses that credit card?

 

[sleavitt]

Any of y'all your rewards cards for your mortgage, utilities etc?

Utilities. Yes. Still working on the mortgage part