What's the best credit card deal today?

[liv2ski]

If you need a card that works well for trips to Yurp, get an Alaska card while they are offering the 60k miles bonus for sign up. That is good for a business flight on BA. Only 1 miles per dollar spent and 2 miles for gas purchases.

[Cruiser]

Last statement the amex card had just shy of 400k miles available. We've gotta go someplace...

[priapism]

Got medical expenses coming up and ready to drop for a Chase Preferred–any idea if there are sign up bonuses > 60K points?

[bagtagley]

Got medical expenses coming up and ready to drop for a Chase Preferred–any idea if there are sign up bonuses > 60K points?

That’s the bonus right now.
https://creditcards.chase.com/reward...hire/preferred

Seeing a lot more of these in my email which has me thinking we’ll start seeing the 100k bonus on bonus deals again soon.

[El Chupacabra]

I recommend following doctorofcredit.com for current offers on credit cards. The site covers everything without favoritism - a lot of the points type sites rely on referral links and will only list banks they get referrals from. DOC lists good SUBs even if they don't get referrals.

[bagtagley]

I recommend following doctorofcredit.com for current offers on credit cards. The site covers everything without favoritism - a lot of the points type sites rely on referral links and will only list banks they get referrals from. DOC lists good SUBs even if they don't get referrals.

x2. Bank acct bonuses and high yield savings accts, too.

[liv2ski]

Last statement the amex card had just shy of 400k miles available. We've gotta go someplace...

Fucking Amex/Delta bends you over on Award Travel unless you book their specials.

[mtndave]

Fucking Amex/Delta bends you over on Award Travel unless you book their specials.

My favorite is using United miles on Star Alliance, especially with an excursionist perk (free one way) inside a RT or open jaw award ticket. Usually you need to be a Premier member with a United CC to see the business class saver awards.

[frosted flakes]

x2. Bank acct bonuses and high yield savings accts, too.

Yeah, the lists of best card and bank account bonuses are a pretty safe bet to follow.

[alpinevibes]

My favorite is using United miles on Star Alliance, especially with an excursionist perk (free one way) inside a RT or open jaw award ticket. Usually you need to be a Premier member with a United CC to see the business class saver awards.

Yes!

[jm2e]

Signed up for a United Quest card. $250/yr, but we'll be heading to Italy in August so will probably break even with 4 checked bags (cardholder and companion). Not sure if it'll make sense long term, but figured it's worth a try.
Signed up for the Amazon card, which meant signing up as the primary for Prime (was piggybacking off a family member). It'll be a bit more than break even for better or for worse.
Not very dramatic.

[CarlMega]

Signed up for the Amazon card

Am I being needlessly greedy wanting more than $100 credit? Missed that $200 offer and now that's my illogical mark.

[ENDOOO]

Signed up for a United Quest card. $250/yr, but we'll be heading to Italy in August so will probably break even with 4 checked bags (cardholder and companion).

Did exactly this for family Italy trip last summer. Perfetto. But would have had more flight/airport options with a similar Delta promotional.

Thinking about a 21 month no interest card with cash back now to arbitrage. Rack it up with every possible expense and buy CD's each month, with maturities planned to pay at end of no interest period. Will I tank my credit score if utilization goes from 3% to 60%? For how long after it goes back to 3% utilization?

[alias_rice]

Will I tank my credit score if utilization goes from 3% to 60%? For how long after it goes back to 3% utilization?

Yes, you’ll see a large drop if you go over 50% usage. It’s really best to keep it under 30%, but unlike delinquencies your score should come back up almost immediately once you pay your cards back down.

[bagtagley]

Am I being needlessly greedy wanting more than $100 credit? Missed that $200 offer and now that's my illogical mark.

If you spend much at Amazon, and especially if you shop at Whole Foods, you're missing out on a lot of return waiting for that extra $100.

[alpinevibes]

Did exactly this for family Italy trip last summer. Perfetto. But would have had more flight/airport options with a similar Delta promotional.

Thinking about a 21 month no interest card with cash back now to arbitrage. Rack it up with every possible expense and buy CD's each month, with maturities planned to pay at end of no interest period. Will I tank my credit score if utilization goes from 3% to 60%? For how long after it goes back to 3% utilization?

Do you mean using convenience checks against the available credit? If you're going to play that game and want to try to pad your utilization, I would recommend opening a couple other cards on the same day as opening your 0% card to add available credit and also call/chat/try online to add credit to your existing accounts. Basically pad your total available credit all in on swoop and your credit report shouldn't be updated to show anything till a day or more later.

[Mustonen]

Did exactly this for family Italy trip last summer. Perfetto. But would have had more flight/airport options with a similar Delta promotional.

Thinking about a 21 month no interest card with cash back now to arbitrage. Rack it up with every possible expense and buy CD's each month, with maturities planned to pay at end of no interest period. Will I tank my credit score if utilization goes from 3% to 60%? For how long after it goes back to 3% utilization?

If one card is going to shoot you to 60% utilization….. that’s weird. One $1000 card maxed and one $9000 card at nothing puts you at 10% utilization. As mentioned, it’ll recover instantly - or the next time it’s reported. Credit scores remember late payments, but they don’t remember all the other stuff. And it won’t make you a 500 or something…. Might get you into the mid-high 600’s if there isn’t anything else driving it down. If you don’t need a loan in the interim I can’t think of a reason not to do it, other than it sounds like spending hours of time and stress to make a few hundred bucks.

[ENDOOO]

Do you mean using convenience checks against the available credit? If you're going to play that game and want to try to pad your utilization, I would recommend opening a couple other cards on the same day as opening your 0% card to add available credit and also call/chat/try online to add credit to your existing accounts. Basically pad your total available credit all in on swoop and your credit report shouldn't be updated to show anything till a day or more later.

I was more thinking just do my usual charges of $3-$4K/month, but instead of paying off each month, buy a CD for the same amount. Never bought a CD before. 12-month CD's for the first few months, then shorter terms so they mature when the 0% rate expires. Just thinking there might be a move here with 0% offers for 21-months and 12-month CD's paying more than 4%.

But I guess I am limited to the credit limit on the 0% card(s). Maybe one for me and one for wife will provide enough to make it worthwhile. Depends on CD returns staying high for a year or more, getting a couple 0%/cash back cards with $30K limit each, and actually buying the CD's. I'm penciling it out at $2,500-$3,000 for the interest and another $1,750 for the 2% cash back over the 21 months. Pretty good...but just writing this feels like a lot more work than bagging a couple international airline tickets.

[ENDOOO]

If one card is going to shoot you to 60% utilization….. that’s weird. One $1000 card maxed and one $9000 card at nothing puts you at 10% utilization. As mentioned, it’ll recover instantly - or the next time it’s reported. Credit scores remember late payments, but they don’t remember all the other stuff. And it won’t make you a 500 or something…. Might get you into the mid-high 600’s if there isn’t anything else driving it down. If you don’t need a loan in the interim I can’t think of a reason not to do it, other than it sounds like spending hours of time and stress to make a few hundred bucks.

I was thinking buying a $3-$4K CD each month over the first 15 months of the 21-month 0% interest period. So would end up carrying a balance of $60K or so.

[bagtagley]

Totally doable. Ideally you’d have some balances to transfer or a large purchase to get you a head start on that first chunk of investment. Problem is, I haven’t seen a 0% offer without transfer fees in a few years.

[alpinevibes]

Problem is, I haven’t seen a 0% offer without transfer fees in a few years.

https://www.firsttechfed.com/borrow/...choice-rewards - free balance transfer, 0% APR

https://www.navyfederal.org/loans-ca.../platinum.html - free balance transfer, but .99% intro APR

https://www.unionb.com/union-bank-vi...m-credit-card/ - free balance transfer, 0% APR; Sri Lankan bank fwiw.

[bagtagley]

https://www.firsttechfed.com/borrow/...choice-rewards - free balance transfer, 0% APR

https://www.navyfederal.org/loans-ca.../platinum.html - free balance transfer, but .99% intro APR

https://www.unionb.com/union-bank-vi...m-credit-card/ - free balance transfer, 0% APR; Sri Lankan bank fwiw.

Nice. I admittedly haven’t been on the hunt, just been checking the offers that come across my desk, so to speak. Seems like bank and CC promotions get better when interest rates are up. I wonder if those no interest offers are the same?

[jm2e]

Has anyone ever actually used a credit card for a Rental Car insurance claim?


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[El Chupacabra]

Has anyone ever actually used a credit card for a Rental Car insurance claim?


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I have used Allianz travel insurance for a rental car damage claim in Mexico. Worked seamlessly.

[PNWbrit]

Has anyone ever actually used a credit card for a Rental Car insurance claim?


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Yep.