Freedom 2nd Quarter 5x for those that don’t eat out much by Tagging Miles. Nice tip, didn’t realize that retailer sold Visa gift cards. Dealing with $200 gift cards is kind of a pain for some, but I really don’t mind them that much and at 5x it’s worth it.
It’s Time to Put the Chase Sapphire Preferred in the Sock Drawer by Devil’s Advocate/Travel Codex. Completely agree, the CSP is one of the most over rated credit cards for keeping long term. Sign up bonus is great (when it’s at 50k + 5k), but paying the AF doesn’t really make any sense. I just cycle between the CSP/Chase Ink Plus to avoid ever paying an annual fee and also having the ability to transfer my Chase URs.
I’m All About That Venmo, That Venmo by Miles Remaining. Basic premise is that you pay for a group purchase (e.g dinner/drinks) using your rewards credit card and then the group Venmo’s you their share. I’ve tried doing similar things before, I usually find that I end up paying more than I normally would so stopped doing it. This would probably work better for people that have friends that are more money conscious/aren’t dirt bags and pay you the exact amount.
If US Bank is trimming the fat, is Flexperks Travel Rewards next? by Freequent Flyer. I don’t think we have too much to worry about the FlexPerks card, although I don’t rate it nearly as highly as FF, so maybe I am underestimating the risk of a devaluation. U.S Bank loves to nerf cards like crazy and I agree with Freequent Flyer’s analysis that whoever comes up with their credit card offerings really has no idea what they are doing.
To-do this week: empty your Southwest points account by miles4more. I don’t agree with his predictions on what will happen, but I do agree that you should book any fights you want to take with Southwest right now. Things definitely won’t be getting any cheaper.
Re: Venmo, I’ve done this for years with cash, the mobile payments proliferation makes it easier though. Google Wallet works better than Venmo IMO, people trust GW a lot more than venmo. Plus I hate the people who run Venmo, they’re brogrammers. They key is to make sure people pay for tax and tip. They often don’t.
I’d tend to agree that I trust a product made by Google a little more- but the big thing is user adoption. I wrote the original article because Venmo has literally exploded over the last six months among my group of friends and at the college I attend. Venmo has become a verb and everyone knows what it means; not so with Google Wallet. In part I think the social aspect of Venmo is what’s hooking the younger crowd – integrates with Facebook, public payments, etc.
Good call on the tax/tip – both apps have a feature where you can send friends a bill for the exact amount, which I’ve found more useful than just waiting for them to pay me and hoping it’s right.
Dan (@guest_103504)
April 13, 2015 13:31
#103504
Freedom 5% at BB&B makes no sense to me since their VGCs have a 3.5% fee
For those who are not eligible for a Business Card (Chase Ink Plus) and have the CSP, what are your thoughts on keeping CSP beyond year 1 at the cost of the Annual Fee?
Are there any other cards that are equally good for Travel / Dining spending that I can use to replace CSP? Cards that might give retention offers as CSP doesn’t.
If you have a spouse then you could still cycle the CSP between the two of you to avoid the AF. Unless you really value the ability to transfer points I wouldn’t bother. There are a few cards that earn 3% cash back, and some of the 5% cash back cards in rotating categories have restaurants. Best restaurant cards: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/best-credit-card-for-restaurant-spend/
With the 3x UR points on travel booked through Chase Portal being phased out at end of 2015, I might just end up downgrading to Freedom at the end of the term and go for a more retention-bonus friendly card like Citi TYPremier or Prestige if I start traveling more for work.
Re: Venmo, I’ve done this for years with cash, the mobile payments proliferation makes it easier though. Google Wallet works better than Venmo IMO, people trust GW a lot more than venmo. Plus I hate the people who run Venmo, they’re brogrammers. They key is to make sure people pay for tax and tip. They often don’t.
I’d tend to agree that I trust a product made by Google a little more- but the big thing is user adoption. I wrote the original article because Venmo has literally exploded over the last six months among my group of friends and at the college I attend. Venmo has become a verb and everyone knows what it means; not so with Google Wallet. In part I think the social aspect of Venmo is what’s hooking the younger crowd – integrates with Facebook, public payments, etc.
Good call on the tax/tip – both apps have a feature where you can send friends a bill for the exact amount, which I’ve found more useful than just waiting for them to pay me and hoping it’s right.
Freedom 5% at BB&B makes no sense to me since their VGCs have a 3.5% fee
Depends on how much you value Chase URs.
For those who are not eligible for a Business Card (Chase Ink Plus) and have the CSP, what are your thoughts on keeping CSP beyond year 1 at the cost of the Annual Fee?
Are there any other cards that are equally good for Travel / Dining spending that I can use to replace CSP? Cards that might give retention offers as CSP doesn’t.
If you have a spouse then you could still cycle the CSP between the two of you to avoid the AF. Unless you really value the ability to transfer points I wouldn’t bother. There are a few cards that earn 3% cash back, and some of the 5% cash back cards in rotating categories have restaurants. Best restaurant cards: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/best-credit-card-for-restaurant-spend/
With the 3x UR points on travel booked through Chase Portal being phased out at end of 2015, I might just end up downgrading to Freedom at the end of the term and go for a more retention-bonus friendly card like Citi TYPremier or Prestige if I start traveling more for work.