If you fly a lot, there's a Discover Miles card that might be worth your while. Of course, then you'd have to find places that accept Discover.

1/9/2011 10:44:50 AM

does anyone have any experience with a US Airways Dividend Miles BoA Debit Card? I use my debit card much more than my credit card, wondering if this would be worth it

1/13/2011 8:08:56 AM

Might be a dumb question, but would closing all of my other accounts affect my bank issued credit card?

Reason I ask is because I would like to change my secondary bank from First Citizens to SECU, but I would like to keep my first citizens credit card for credit history reasons until I buy a home.

2/11/2011 1:19:36 PM

Why don't you call First Citizens and ask? Every bank/credit union is going to have different policies. Though most banks will keep open a credit card, regardless if you have other accounts or not.

2/11/2011 2:17:56 PM

See if Chase still offers the Chase Rewards card.

5% on all gas, grocery, and drug store purchases...1% on everything else. Interest rate is stratospheric (I think like 25% or more), so you have to pay it off every month. I average $50/month in rewards with it, though.


_________________

Never mind, it looks like it's been replaced by the Chase Freedom card, which has similar terms, but not as good.

Quote :

"I shop at the super Wal-mart for groceries... Do they count as grocery stores at all, anywhere?"

No. They used to, maybe 5 years ago or so. I was racking up rewards points like you read about. They put a stop to that, though.

[Edited on March 12, 2011 at 7:45 AM. Reason : ]

3/12/2011 7:40:47 AM

This has become relevant to my interests. Debt free, FICO score is doing a major happy dance and I am looking for a card to start putting food/gas/minor purchases on with the intent of paying it off each month instead of simply using my check card. I am leaning towards a cash back card because I don't fly nor stay in hotels. Thoughts? We need a TWW Clark Howard!

3/18/2011 5:35:24 AM

i'll still recommend discover...it isn't accepted everywhere, though i can use it for 95% of my shopping needs and it has, hands down, the best-paying rewards

in addition to the 5% in major categories, you can exchange the cashback for greater-value cards (for example, $20 of cashback gets you a $25 lowe's gift card or $50 in cash back gets you a $100 carnival cruise credit)...but you can also just get a check or pay your credit card bill with the cashback, or whatever

3/18/2011 9:37:20 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NHbCuneDFxc

Discover Card: Slightly Less Embarrassing than Capital One

I recommend Chase Rewards

3/18/2011 10:03:22 AM

Just got the Amex Gold Premier. Couldnt justify the platinum. I was going to get the platinum until I found out they charge an extra $175 for a second card. I told them I wasnt going to pay them to make more money by allowing my wife to charge (there are no additional benefits).

But with the Amex gold premier, I got 50,000 signing miles, 3x on travel, 2x on groceries and gas, and an extra 15k miles if I charge more than 30k a year (wont be a problem). The first years fees are also waived with the gold (not with the platinum).

One cool thing about Amex is that they allow you to borrow 15k points if you need them. So, if you were short 15k for a trip, they would lend them to you. You just have to earn the 15k points in one year after you borrow.

Since the debit cards are losing their fees, I suspect this is going to be the way of the future. Banks will make debit more expensive and limited. At first I was pissed about the reform, but then I thought about it: Banks have next to 0 risk with a debit card, yet they get nearly the same percentage as credit cards. Credit cards take a lot of risk (money isnt sucked out of your bank account) that you won't pay the money back, so they have the right to charge lenders since they assume more risk.

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 10:14 AM. Reason : .]

3/18/2011 10:12:37 AM

^^ i'm not sure what the purpose of that was, this being the lounge and all

i suppose that's the best you've got because, well, you're kind of dumb

in the meantime, if cashback is what you're looking for, chase freedom and the discover more card are about equal...the chase freedom rewards program is newer, so it's only relatively recently given discover a run for its money, but it employs the same 5% cashback bonus program (quarterly categories) and same 1% on everything else deal...both are offering $100 bonus cashback right now...no annual fees

http://www.cardratings.com/cashbackcreditcards.html

disadvantages of the chase card are quarterly maximums on how much you can earn as a reward (discover doesn't have any caps) and a higher cap on its interest range

the only disadvantage of the discover card is it's not accepted as widely as visa (which can be a big deal when traveling abroad, but not so much domestically)

also, the shop discover website offers UP TO 20% discount on select retailers, while the chase card tops out at 10% (obviously, it depends on the retailers)...i'm not sure if the chase card gives you the value-added gift card option when cashing out your cashback (and if so, what sort of values they offer)

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 10:38 AM. Reason : link]

3/18/2011 10:17:01 AM

Quote :

"^^ i'm not sure what the purpose of that was, this being the lounge and all i suppose that's the best you've got because, well, you're kind of dumb"

If rewards are the only thing that you care about from a credit card, Discover is perfectly acceptable. Image-wise, it's not a good choice. Since poor people tend to use Discover cards, one HUGE plus is that you can use it at all Dollar Tree stores.

3/18/2011 10:50:04 AM

^
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u42c1LNUBmg

3/18/2011 11:11:06 AM

^^not sure if serious.

My vote goes to Starwood AmEx.

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 11:14 AM. Reason : 21]

3/18/2011 11:14:24 AM

Dead serious. It was a huge announcement in 2006:
http://pressroom.discovercard.com/data/articles/2006/07/18/200607181812580.shtml

3/18/2011 11:15:48 AM

Quote :

"If rewards are the only thing that you care about from a credit card, Discover is perfectly acceptable. Image-wise, it's not a good choice. Since poor people tend to use Discover cards, one HUGE plus is that you can use it at all Dollar Tree stores."

actually, yes...the amount of money i get PAID for using a service i pay NOTHING for is infinitely more important to me than what some dumbfuck Madman, who obviously knows exactly jack shit, thinks about me...seriously, i simply cannot describe to you how much more i care about money than your opinion of what me getting more money says about me

also, all discover cards but the student one require "excellent" credit...i guess poor people are notorious for having excellent credit?

Quote :

"Dead serious. It was a huge announcement in 2006"

a press release qualifies as a "huge announcement" in your limited mind? here i was, thinking something like the first black president was a "huge announcement," but i suppose it's all about perspective, eh?

keep talking, man...i could use some more laughs

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 11:19 AM. Reason : i must be getting trolled something fierce...no way someone with a college education is this dumb]

3/18/2011 11:16:15 AM

Hey, dipshit, it's not an accomplishment to not have to pay for a credit card. It's also not an accomplishment to get rewards from a free credit card. I know you're excited about that, since you think yous gettin paid gettin paid! from your DISCOVER CARD.

Quote :

"also, all discover cards but the student one require "excellent" credit"

haha, not even touching that

3/18/2011 11:22:15 AM

haha...so let's sum it up:

Madman's ONLY argument against the discover card is that it's "not cool"

quagmire02's biggest argument for the discover card is that it gives its users one of the highest returns on cashback rewards of available credit cards, the biggest discounts through their online merchants, and the most value-added options for redeeming cashback rewards

yeah, man, you win

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 11:31 AM. Reason : i can't tell if you hate poor people, minorities, or are butthurt over not being approved for a card]

3/18/2011 11:28:48 AM

i'm assuming Madman is drunk

3/18/2011 11:33:55 AM

The Discover Card is NOT widely accepted at places that AREN'T the Dollar Tree. It's also not the only card that gives its users cashback awards, discounts, or "value-added options". I can get why you're being obtuse and trying to say my "ONLY argument" is that it it's "not cool".

And as for the "cool" argument, I think it's more of an issue as to not coming off as a "poor person". (I'm not saying you're a poor person, however, so go ahead and pocket that argument.)

I did have a Discover card when I was student at 18-19 and I did generally feel like I could do better with my options.... so I did.

I honestly feel bad for you if that's your only credit card option.

3/18/2011 11:34:30 AM

Quote :

"Just got the Amex Gold Premier."

Where did you see the 50k bonus points? I got a mailing about the card last month, but I tore it up when I was cleaning and I'm wondering if that might have been a 50k offer since the website just offers 10k.

The card fits my needs perfectly (flights, gas, groceries) but at the time I hesitated due to the huge yearly cost and somehow missed the "we'll waive the first year" aspect of it.

3/18/2011 11:41:30 AM

Quote :

"i'm assuming Madman is drunk"

man, i hope so

Quote :

"The Discover Card is NOT widely accepted at places that AREN'T the Dollar Tree. It's also not the only card that gives its users cashback awards, discounts, or "value-added options". I can get why you're being obtuse and trying to say my "ONLY argument" is that it it's "not cool"."

1.) as an active user who isn't poor OR a minority, your misguided belief that it's not "widely" accepted it flat-out wrong...you see, i have real-world, CURRENT experience and so your opinion is, quite simply, wrong

2.) i don't recall saying it's the ONLY card that gives you rewards...in fact, that chase freedom (a visa) is very tempting...it has its downsides, though, as does EVERY credit card

3.) "it's not cool" IS your only argument, dipshit...you've yet to present a single fact...you have, however, managed to present yourself as uneducated and bigoted, so congrats on that, i guess

Quote :

"And as for the "cool" argument, I think it's more of an issue as to not coming off as a "poor person"."

hahahahaha...please, keep bringing this up...i love it

Quote :

"I did have a Discover card when I was student at 18-19 and I did generally feel like I could do better with my options.... so I did."

oh, wow, really? can i touch you?

Quote :

"I honestly feel bad for you if that's your only credit card option."

lerp derp derp

can we get some moderation in here? while the rest of us are having an actual conversation (this is the lounge, after all), Madman should be put into time out so he can hate on poor people and minorities without pestering the rest of us with his inane rambling

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 11:44 AM. Reason : .]

3/18/2011 11:41:35 AM

I don't remember once bringing up race, even though you keep on trying to feed me that trollbait. I'm now going to edit this post twelve times and throw in some smilies and user tags.

3/18/2011 11:46:24 AM

Quote :

"I don't remember once bringing up race"

you're cool with the poor people bit, though, right?

yep, still a bigot...and still not smart enough to contribute anything of value to this thread where the grownups are trying to have an intelligent and informative conversation

3/18/2011 11:48:07 AM

It's not BIGOTED to NOT want to emulate the financial habits of America's poor. Give me a break. At least you admit that you're blatantly making shit up and trying to pin it on me.

3/18/2011 11:49:48 AM

having a credit card with one company's logo (as opposed to another) is not, in any way whatsoever, a "financial habit"

since you can't seem to understand the words you keep typing, i'll help you...an example of a "financial habit" would be, say, only paying the minimum or not paying your bills at all...do you understand the difference, or is it simply too complex for you?

i'm betting poor people drink milk...do you not drink milk, so as not to imitate them? i'm betting they walk places, sometimes...i assume you drive everywhere so that no one mistakes you for a "poor person"?

oh man, i'm betting some of them even have sex! now i get it! you don't have sex because you don't want to act like a poor person!

3/18/2011 11:53:15 AM

I actually just found an offer for that Chase Freedom card in my mail this morning so I may end up going with that one. For me, the motivation is having a back up when I am hiking the AT in 2013 and if I am in some small little mountain town they may have limited options in what they take for money. Yes, cash is king, but not always safe to have a good bit of on you while hiking.

3/18/2011 11:54:52 AM

^^Actively and deliberately using a PARTICULAR credit card from a PARTICULAR type of company is the same as the GENERAL activity of drinking milk? I can't argue with that type of dumb. You win.

Everyone should get a DISCOVER card because that's what smart people use.

3/18/2011 11:55:19 AM

Quote :

"You win."

of course i win...took you long enough

brb...there's a black person walking down the street, and i'm afraid they might see me!

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 11:57 AM. Reason : i suppose i could hold up my discover card so he thinks i'm poor, though]

3/18/2011 11:56:27 AM

what the hell is this shit

You should be worrying on vendors accepting your card, having good credit, interest, blahblahblah, and what rewards there are. not whether your friends and peers think your cool because of your fuckin. credit. card.

I've seen some people try and attack quagmire02 over some ridiculous shit...and this has to take the cake.

^haha, be like 'nah man we good' and hold up your Discover card

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 12:01 PM. Reason : he'll be all 'aight man']

3/18/2011 12:00:08 PM

^ now you've done it...Madman thinks you're poor and/or lame

join the club...we meet down by the train tracks and it's always the newbies job to bring cigarettes and scrap food from the alley dumpster

3/18/2011 12:03:03 PM

Quote :

"(I'm not saying you're a poor person, however, so go ahead and pocket that argument.) "

Quote :

"now you've done it...Madman thinks you're poor and/or lame"

What's the point.

3/18/2011 12:12:09 PM

this thread reminded me to update my mint with all of my roth IRA and roth 401(k) information and i noticed that the chase freedom visa has a $150 bonus (instead of $100) through the mint website

discover is still only $100 through there

also, i think capital one is racist



[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 1:57 PM. Reason : image]

3/18/2011 1:55:13 PM

It looks like the difference is the $150 doesn't have the 0% intro APR which won't really matter since I don't plan to carry over a balance.

3/18/2011 2:42:35 PM

yeah, that's not something that concerns me...just like the actual interest rate doesn't concern me, since i have never (knock on wood) had to carry a balance

i might go ahead and get one of those, as well...i'm still pretty sure that the discover is a better fit for my wife and me, but we could use a joint visa or mastercard, too

oh, for those who don't know (i didn't), "discover" runs on the "diners club" network overseas...we were able to use our discover for 70-75% of purchases (it had the lowest transaction fee/exchange rate of our credit cards) when we were in europe, but i think we could have used it a few more places if i had known it would run on the diners club network

3/18/2011 3:01:40 PM

Annnnnd Approved! Thank you all for your help.

3/18/2011 3:35:44 PM

which one did you go with?

3/18/2011 4:09:20 PM

The watermelon one is actually pretty dope.

3/18/2011 4:09:47 PM

^^ The Chase card since I could get the $150 cash back from Mint (Thanks quagmire!). As stated earlier, I know that Discover is becoming more widely accepted, I just didn't want to end up in a situation needing a card in some remote mountain town on the Trail and not be able to access the appropriate fundage.

3/18/2011 4:13:30 PM

Quote :

"Thanks quagmire!"

you're welcome

Quote :

"I just didn't want to end up in a situation needing a card in some remote mountain town on the Trail and not be able to access the appropriate fundage."

i definitely get this...i've been surprised by some places that would take personal checks, but not credit cards...i now carry at least a $20 bill, a blank check, a credit card, a debit card, and my drivers license with me pretty much everywhere, whether i'm camping in the middle of nowhere or going out for the night

3/18/2011 4:18:57 PM

I didn't even think about needing to carry a check. I should consult Erik and see if he did something like that. None of the material that I've read about a thru-hike even mentioned those.

3/18/2011 4:22:32 PM

The discover now DOES have limits on the 5% quarterly programs, $800 per quarter (which is fine for me). The Chase Freedom is $1500 per quarter I believe. CF was giving $150 for spending $500 in 3 months, I think that's down to $100, just like Discover. CF also gives 1% cash back on everything else, Discover gives 0.25% until you spend 3 grand in a year, then it goes to 1% on everything else above $3,000 through the end of the year. The 20% discover discount throught heir website on certain items looks fine, but I haven't looked into it.

Edge to CF over discover, but I'm sure most people with the rotating quarterly programs use it as their secondary card anyway and only use it for the rotating categories? Least that's what I do.

3/18/2011 5:36:50 PM

does anybody have any info/tips about the Wachovia credit card for students? i stopped by today and the lady tried to get me to sign up for one!

3/18/2011 11:15:13 PM

^don't do it unless it's got rewards. And I don't mean a free t-shirt or 2-liter of Diet Coke for signing up.

[Edited on March 19, 2011 at 8:57 AM. Reason : d]

3/19/2011 8:57:02 AM

Quote :

"The discover now DOES have limits on the 5% quarterly programs, $800 per quarter (which is fine for me)."

this is new(ish) and something i just verified...it wasn't like this when i signed up almost 3 years ago...in any case, i won't hit that $800 max (i'm betting very few people, if any, on TWW would hit it)

Quote :

"The Chase Freedom is $1500 per quarter I believe. CF was giving $150 for spending $500 in 3 months, I think that's down to $100, just like Discover."

it's still $150 because i just signed up for the chase freedom visa

Quote :

"CF also gives 1% cash back on everything else, Discover gives 0.25% until you spend 3 grand in a year, then it goes to 1% on everything else above $3,000 through the end of the year."

this is also new(ish)...the functional difference is $22.50 per year in favor of case, but i want that extra $22.50

Quote :

"The 20% discover discount throught heir website on certain items looks fine, but I haven't looked into it."

having both cards now, i can honestly say that the shop discover site (http://www.discovercard.com/customer-service/rewards/browse-all-partners-cb.html) has more relevant merchants with better rates than the chase rewards plus (http://www.chase.com/rewardsplus but you can't see the retailers without an account)...for example, i got 10% back on my recent $800 plane tickets purchase and i would only have gotten 5% with chase (assuming travel bonus was in the same quarter, which is probably was)

Quote :

"Edge to CF over discover, but I'm sure most people with the rotating quarterly programs use it as their secondary card anyway and only use it for the rotating categories? Least that's what I do."

i agree with you...the chase has a very slight advantage over the discover in terms of rewards, but really gets ahead because it's accepted in more places...and that's why i just applied for it (though the $150 bonus helps)

i'm curious, though, why wouldn't you use one of the bonus cards for your "main" card if it gives you a solid 1% cashback on everything you buy?

3/19/2011 12:22:11 PM

Reposting this for CarZin, since it got lost in the Discover idiocy earlier:

Quote :

"Just got the Amex Gold Premier."

Where did you see the 50k bonus points? I got a mailing about the card last month, but I tore it up when I was cleaning and I'm wondering if that might have been a 50k offer since the website just offers 10k.

The card fits my needs perfectly (flights, gas, groceries) but at the time I hesitated due to the huge yearly cost and somehow missed the "we'll waive the first year" aspect of it.

3/19/2011 3:44:46 PM

I just got a mailer and it made no mention of 50K bonus points. A quick search of the web showed this offer expired at the end of 2010.

3/21/2011 7:15:25 PM

Stein. I got a mailing with the 50k bonus. I saved the promotion sheet. I'll try and send you the promo code later.

3/21/2011 10:10:00 PM

FYI those promo codes are usually unique and targeted.

3/22/2011 10:27:49 AM

i have no idea if this is true or just my perception, but it's always seemed to me that amex is taken in fewer places than discover...both amex and discover are less prevalent than visa or mastercard, that's for sure

3/22/2011 10:36:15 AM

I can speak with certainty that of your goal is to gain points, youll have no problem charging 90% of your stuff with Amex.

3/22/2011 10:57:32 AM