What's the best credit card deal today?

[stfu&gbtw]

Getting ready to shut down an Amex card that's no longer going to produce Costco points... Don't have any roll over debt, but would like to finance a couple of trips at 0% in the process. We'd spend miles or cash back. We have great credit. Looking for 12+ months at 0%, a 100k limit, and good benefits. Anyone got a recommendation?

[up an down]

Getting ready to shut down an Amex card that's no longer going to produce Costco points... Don't have any roll over debt, but would like to finance a couple of trips at 0% in the process. We'd spend miles or cash back. We have great credit. Looking for 12+ months at 0%, a 100k limit, and good benefits. Anyone got a recommendation?

100 k limit not sure about.. but check out thepointsguy.com for current deals on cards with points/ miles

[Name Redacted]

Capitalone Venture or Chase Saphire. Both give a 40K bonus if you spend a few grand in the first few months. I just switched for the same reason.

[Skistack]

Points on my Chase Sapphire are linked to my Amazon Prime account = pay for shit with points at checkout.

It feels like stealing.

[capulin overdrive]

Chase here, one is an actual Amazon card, other is a cash back.

[tripice351]

Getting ready to shut down an Amex card that's no longer going to produce Costco points... Don't have any roll over debt, but would like to finance a couple of trips at 0% in the process. We'd spend miles or cash back. We have great credit. Looking for 12+ months at 0%, a 100k limit, and good benefits. Anyone got a recommendation?

My go to card is Amex PRG. I make way more in rewards, promos (Offers For You, Small Business Saturday) and the new annual airline fee credit than I pay for the annual fee.

The new Amex Everyday and Everyday Preferred are also solid. For non Amex, the Chase Freedom is good, especially when paired with an Ink Plus.

[shroom]

nerdwallet dumbs it down pretty well. the intro rate and limit are relative to you. have you been getting hit with mail offers at all? I'm seeing 2-3/wk right now averaging 15-16mo @ 0%, so if your credit is there, there should be plenty of options.

as mentioned, cap1 venture and chase sapphire preferred sit at 40k points for ~3k spent in 3 months. I have both and just grabbed the venture for some spending I needed to do. I believe Barclay arrival+ world elite is on par with those as well, and has been good to me when I'm buying lots of airfare.

100k limit you're putting out there implies you're running a good chunk of money through the card. if that's the case, it may be worth putting more weight on the cash back/points specifics of a card [i don't know where you will be spending your $], rather than playing the promotional/churn games like i do. again, nerdwallet.com can help you find that info, then run some quick numbers.

[Art Shirk]

Coutts World Silk for my foreign excursions and the Centurion when at home.

[Shredhead]

Southwest gives you a companion pass after 110,000 points, for the rest of that year and all of the next.
My wife and I book every weekend during fare sales and roll them over free, if we don't use them.
Denver, Florida or DC are usually around 8,000 points and $11.20/each for the TSA.

[iceman]

How do you book using the companion pass? I have one but haven't used it and there's a sale on now.

[El Chupacabra]

How do you book using the companion pass? I have one but haven't used it and there's a sale on now.

Book the non companion ticket first, pay for it ($ or points). Wait a few minutes, then look in the travel summary part of the SWA FF site, and it'll show that ticket - with a link to add a companion. Click it and book the companion ticket.

[iceman]

cool thanks

[Shredhead]

Yep. If you use points, they never expire. The $11.20 TSA fee is good for a year from the original booking date.

[Marshall Tucker]

bumping this thread and looking at Delta Gold Skymiles v. Chase sapphire. Have very very good credit. Truthfully, I've had the Delta card since 2004 because I'm in atl and it used to work at costco. Really don't have any feel for what a different program would do. spend between 50-100k annually through the card and like travel benefits / aireline tickets to go ski. not terribly worried about intl travel. Thoughts? the walletnerd sites makes it sound no-brainer, but I'm old and feeble-minded and petrified of change. no not really well sort of

[El Chupacabra]

I've gotten into travel hacking via credit card signup bonuses. Opened (and closed) a lot of cards in 2016. Minimal impact on credit rating, but I wouldn't recommend doing this if you're going to apply for a mortgage or something similar in the near future.

Some recent and upcoming trips:

Flying to Italy later this year for $110 apiece, thanks to American Airlines points. Flew to Mexico last fall for $80 apiece (all gov't fees/taxes), thanks to Southwest's companion pass + points. Going to Whistler for $11 apiece this weekend (also SWA), staying at Whistler Hilton for free (thanks Citi Hilton Reserve).

Just finished off a British Airways card offer, which will generate enough points for two round-trip tickets to Ireland sometime next year. Currently working on a Ritz Carlton card offer, which will generate 3 free nights at a R-C -- planning on using next spring at the R-C Maui (airfare to be covered via Hawaiian Airlines points already accumulated). That R-C card also provides airport lounge access and $300 of travel voucher credit per calendar year (i.e. $600 total), all in exchange for a $450 annual fee. Totally worth it.

I recommend keeping good records to track all your points, earning deadlines, expiration deadlines, etc.

[iceman]

Damn you are working it.

[El Chupacabra]

There's no way I'd pay to stay at some of these hotels. Hilton Whistler was something like $700/night. Ritz Maui is even higher.

We used Hyatt free room nights at a Hyatt Zilara all-inclusive in Cancun in 2015 -- Mrs. C. and I each opened a card, each got 2 free nights. Per-night rate was something like $1300. It was really nice...

The points you rack up can be used for the $$$$ hotels, or you can really stretch them out at budget brands. Hilton has mediocre redemption rates -- while you might earn 75K Hilton points for opening a card, if a free room at the SF Hilton is 60K per night, it's not that great a redemption. At the other end of the spectrum, we stayed at a Hampton Inn last week on a road trip, for 8K Hilton points + $40 cash. Totally acceptable room IMHO.

Same goes for the airline points. You can burn a LOT of points and fly business class, or book on "saver" award redemptions and stretch those signup points in economy class.

[PNWbrit]

Just finished off a British Airways card offer, which will generate enough points for two round-trip tickets to Ireland sometime next year.

Good luck using BA points.

[TAFKALVS]

So are you guys running most of your household expenses through your CC?

[PNWbrit]

So are you guys running most of your household expenses through your CC?

Other than the mortgage and medical stuff that goes through HSA.

Yep, for years.

Why anyone who could do so wouldn't is beyond me.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

So are you guys running most of your household expenses through your CC?

Yeah. I don't know if they still offer it but my American Express card(Blue?) gives 6% cash back on groceries at non club stores, 3% back on gas at non club gas stations and 1.5% on everything else.

[El Chupacabra]

If I can put it on a credit card, it goes on a credit card. Usually the current one on which I'm trying to meet the minimum spend for a signup bonus -- only exception to that is gas, which all goes on the Citi Costco card (4% back).

[plugboots]

I cam to see if other mags had switched to a Chase Sapphire Reserve like me, but shit, El C wins thread.

[shroom]

chup has it covered. i did the same for the last few years but have slowed down with the thought i was going to refi some loans.

points via recurring spend ain't worth shit unless you're doing some serious spending.


for those currently looking - i believe the CSR 100k point offer is still available at B&M locations

[XXX-er]

I do the exact opposite cuz I don't spend that much $ so those cards don't work for me so I pay I cash alot and i save alot of money by ...saving alot of money ?

altho what i do I do need more cards for when I travel in case something doesn"t work which happened last time so I applied for the basic amex to augment the basic visa and the basic bank card

At the very other end of the spectrum I met a bering sea fisherman type from deepest/darkest AK who worked hard all his life, owning houses/cars/sleds/boats yada but he had never had any plastic/ never had credit/never used any form of money except cash period and he was stuck in Sayulita trying to extend a Vaca with absolutely no way to do so .

I said dude your fiscal responsibility is admirable but you gotta establish some credit by owing some money, he looked at me like I had 2 heads ... could not fathom what I was talking about