Rewards Cardholders, Maximizing Value

“$40K average monthly spend? So you are spending almost 1/2 million every year?”

“My wife currently has one of my credit cards as an authorized user: my Amex BCE. About 2.5 years ago I’ve got the Amex gold card and don’t put a lot of spend on the BCE card anymore outside of online purchases. If I remove my wife from the BCE card but then immediately add her to my gold card, will that have any effect on her credit? We are both very proud of our scores and the last thing I want to happen is for hers to dip. Before anyone asks, she doesn’t want to have both cards because she doe”

“I'm a new Go holder closing in on 23, 000 points and want to maximize redemption value. I don't want to use them at Amazon because of 5% off Prime Visa. Since Kroger is stealthily killing off my Harris Teeter card (no notification yet) and converting to Smartly, that should mean free checking account without $1500 balance or direct deposit. So, hold until card is replaced, redeem points to free checking account, pay Go bill from checking account. Does this sound logical? Partnership with”

Amex has worked well and they usually have some welcome offers.

“As the value of Airline points declines closer and closer to 1 cent, yes I'll take government backed instead of funnie money.”

You ever find a link?

“You should just be doing a flat 2% card unless you want to try for the Robin Hood Gold. Especially if you're never going to think about what card to use for what. It's hard to get value out of the Amex/Chase with all the nerfs, even if you are that person. You pretty much have to be doing international trips now to make it worth it. Especially if you're not going to transfer X>Y>Z and be willing to fly at random off peak times to non popular destinations etc. CSR nowhere near e”

“Hi 43 years old - New York We are redoing our kitchen and will be spending approximately $100,000 on our credit card over the next couple months. We currently have the Amex Gold and the IHG Premier (already spent to their 180k points). Are there other high spend cards, which would make sense in this scenario? I'm having trouble finding something that really takes the cake. TIA. submitted by /u/Icy_Opinion1547 [link] [comments]”

“I only use the Venture X card credit now which is very easy to use the credit for it through the portal. When I had the Amex Gold and after they upped their AF. I would use the dining credits, but then they added the Dunkin credit which I had set to auto reload from the app. But for a few months it didn't auto reload and I lost out on those credits. The dining credits were easy since I had a five guys near me, but also the other could be used for UberEats and you just pick any restaurant. I”

“Basically thd title...ill be traveling to vegas next month and want to know if i csn trigger my surpass credit on a restaurant there? Im not staying at a Hilton property, so charging thd room wont work submitted by /u/LectureForsaken6782 [link] [comments]”

“CREDIT PROFILE * Current credit cards you are the primary account holder of: * OG freedom $600 8/21 * CFF $4000 10/23 * Kroger Mastercard $2000 2/24 * Venture X $15000 3/24 * Marriott Boundless $11000 8/25 * Amex Gold (no limit) 12/25 * Amex CS Plat (no limit) 2/26 * Marriott Brilliant $10000 3/26 * Amex Delta Business Gold $30000 6/26 * FICO scores with source: All ~770 * Oldest credit card account age: 5 years * Cards approved in the past 6 months: 3 (includes business cards) * Cards approved”

“Hi all, I am planning to rent a car that will cost me around $300 on Turo. I have the same cash back deals on 3 of my cards: CFU, Prime, and AmEx Green. Now I am trying to figure out which card I should use. I can also see a rental insurance option on the AmEx card. Anyone care to enlighten me? I also have a lower cash back deal on my BofA CCR, with category set at online shopping. submitted by /u/GreatNameNotTaken [link] [comments]”

“I know 3 Amex Gold users and none of them use their credits well. One tries to get coffee every morning at Dunkin but that's about it. I can't convince them the Gold ain't for them if most of their spending is 1x. A coworker has an Amex Platinum but he's frugal and barely spends money. He's just had the Platinum for more than 2 decades and never really thought about moving away from it. I also have a few friends who have CSR and do the same thing. Some of them finally downgra”

“AAA Travel Advantage has a 3% travel category. I saw at least one data point that Uber coded as travel, couldn't immediately find Lyft but would be surprised if it was different. Wells Fargo Autograph 3% transit. U.S. Bank Altitude Connect, 4% travel - should include both Lyft and Uber per some data points I saw.”

“Do you have and use the WF Autograph for other things as well? I can't benefit enough from CSP unfortunately. I have an Apple Card so I'm considering that for 3% back on Ubers but exploring other options and would love to hear your thoughts.”

“I am not a fan of the Cap1 transfer partners. Just for that reason I would choose Gold.”

“28M family of four. Two young kids at home. Currently only have the discover it card and looking to finally branch out. The main cards I have been looking at are the CO pair (savor and venture) and amex bcp. Though when doing more research I looked at chase and it looks like now the chase sapphire preferred has a limited deal for 100k points after 5k spent (though I figure if I do this I have to get another chase card to stack up). Basically I’m looking for any input and advice for the right pat”

“I know AE with some cards don’t give SUB if you have the higher tier first like the Platinum then they won’t give Gold SUB. Is this also the same with the Hilton cobranded cards? I want to get the Aspire but also concerned I wont be eligible for the Surpass and standard Hilton cards after. Thanks for any feedback. submitted by /u/suiteddx2 [link] [comments]”

“Ask yourself: Would you buy points at 1.67 cents each if Chase sold them? I think 99.9% of people would say no to that, even heavy travellers. If it’s 4X on Amex gold it’s a closer question.”

“Amex Platinum vs CSR vs staying put — 20+ flights/yr, want lounges • Current cards: Amex Gold (\~$10K, June 2025) · Capital One Savor (\~$10K, March 2025) · BofA Customized Cash (\~$10K, June 2020) • FICO: \~780 • Oldest account: \~6 years • Chase 5/24: 2/24 • Income: $100K, commission-based • Monthly spend: dining $800 · groceries $200 · gas $0 · travel $500–2,000 · other $0-$2,000 • Open to business cards: No • Purpose of next card: Travel - would like lounge access • Cards considering: Amex P”

“It's a 3x multiplier and there are some pretty good low end transfer partners (Choice and Wyndham at 1:2). I know roadside Comfort Inns or Ramadas aren't ZOMG! BEST INSTA INFLUENCER ASPIRATIONAL REDEMPTION EVAH!11!!! but they can be handy in the right spot. 3,000 points in 5 months (the card flipped over from Bilt in February) doesn't sound like nothing to me. Also WF has overlapping partnerships with C1 and AMEX: - Avios - Air France-KLM Flying Blue - Avianca LifeMiles - Cathay Paci”

“Sound like you strand most of your points if you have few grand worth in amex points stashed as well. Find a transfer partner you like or just switch to a 2% card on those transit purchases. I mean 3k bilt points is only 30-60 bucks anyway, and you've taken a while to accumulate them. You dont spend enough on that specific category to sweat over it.”

I think you can use it online

Amex is the best hands down

“I have an Autograph card from the Bilt transition, and it DOES fill a niche that none of my other cards do — 3x on non-flight transit/gas (P2 has Amex Gold). Aside from that, we have numerous other cards and points elsewhere (170k in Amex, 40k in my C1 VX, and other airline cards too). We’ve slowly accumulated points on it and are now up to 3k, but I’m wondering if it’s worth it…? They have a few transfer partners at rates our other cards don’t (JetBlue and Wyndham), but part of me thinks the po”

“I think it's a general consensus that the US Amex has the best benefits, and in most other regions Amex is probably the most beneficial card you can have. The benefits aren't as good, but the alternatives are worse, so it wins by default. In the US, where the Amex benefits are the best in the world, it's not even close to what other cash rewards cards offer. So why would I take points when I can have cash to allocate to whatever services and benefits I actually want? It seems like th”

“I had Bilt 1.0 and used it for everything, racked up lots of points on around 4k of rent each month. With 2.0 I didn’t make the switch and decided to go with the capital one duo as I already had the savor card. That’s done me well but I’ve considered getting back into the Bilt system with my new rent of around $3100 a month. Currently I spend around 2-3k a month with the occasional month higher if I have big purchases. Is it worth it to make the switch back to Bilt 2.0 or just continue with capi”

“Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: Free night award can be used to stay at MGM properties + $100 airline credit for flight Wells Fargo Autograph: Can transfer points to Caesars via Wyndham. Caesars Rewards Prestige: straight forward credits to be redeemed at Caesars properties.”

“set on getting either the cash+ for 5% on utilities/2% on gas or getting the elan mcp but not sure on which issuer is most reputable/safe. currently have chase freedom OG but might pc to cfu for 3% on dining and 1.5 on everything else. also curious on how insurance will get coded and if it will fall under the 5%. (progressive car insurance). any input is appreciated. submitted by /u/thatkidcesar1 [link] [comments]”

“I was going to post on r/amex but their subreddit is bugged (post requires flair, but that doesn't disappear even when I selected a flair) I see Amex usually have Spend X on Samsung.com get $ back. I'm planning on ordering Z Fold 8 on July 22th. Anyone know if a new card will have that perk or it's random. submitted by /u/Raigarak [link] [comments]”

“Hello, thank you in advance for any feedback. I’m debating between these two cards in the title, the Amex gold or the capital one venture x. Relevant things to consider are: - Existing card: Chase Sapphire Preferred - based out of Boston, MA. Regularly fly to Chicago, IL via Delta. - spend ~1,500 per month. Groceries make up 29% and dining makes up 28% roughly of my monthly spending. - Would like to earn point to travel more - Relatively neutral towards lounge access. Have heard increasing night”

“I am looking into getting a premium card for travel and am deciding between the Amex Platinum, Chase Reserve, and Capital One VX. I currently have a few credit cards that I have gained over the years, Discover it (first, don’t really use), Citi Double Cash (catch all card), Amex Blue Cash Preferred (groceries… I tend to spend a lot on them), and lastly Chase Sapphire Preferred (current travel card & gas). Thoughts??? Is the platinum worth it? Or should I look to chase of C1?? submitted”

“Why has no one created a credit card optimizer where someone can plug in what their monthly costs are and it spits out what the best combination of cards would be optimal? ...or has this been done and I just have not seen it yet? Ideally it would also let you select which cards you already have to get a breakdown of what should be used for what. It would also be nice to have it account for the bilt cards where it breaks down to optimize for bilt usage. I've made an attempt of plugging things”

“The Amex gold reported with the annual fee ($325) as the balance which reported on my Experian which then increased my total usage across all cards $982. I was told balance needs paid in full each month but Amex offered $40 minimum due? I was told that the gold card was a charge card but it’s reported as a credit card? I was told the balance wouldn’t affect my utilization since it doesn’t have a set limit? Can anyone with experience with gold elaborate on this please? submitted by /u”

“It was some time ago, but I recall getting a 37.5k Amex MR offer for opening a Sofi account. It's a bit low right now, but you could potentially keep an eye out for an elevated offer. The only downside to the offer was there was a direct deposit requirement of $5000 within 45 days.”

submitted by /u/These_Expression5826 [link] [comments]

“Yes I just did this last month. I product switched from the gold to BBP and kept my points.”

“No foreign exchange fee is a plus if you go out the country and Amex isn’t accepted. Thats why I got it”

“The RH Gold's really the only one I'd keep open given the lineup you have now. If you're still using the CSP, then I can only guess you travel also, correct?”

is it third party subscriptions or like apple care and icloud+ too?

“Current cards: Robinhood Gold $20k June 2024 OnePay $4000 Oct 2025 Google Synchrony $3500 Oct 2021 PayPal credit card $10,000 Apr 2025 Bofa Customized Cash Rewards $11,000 Nov 2014 Kohls Credit Card $2250 Sept 2019 TJX platinum Mastercard $3200 Oct 2019 Citi Double cash $4500 Nov 2019 My Best buy Visa $7100 Apr 2021 Wells Fargo Platinum Visa $3100 May 2025 Fico score 783 trans / 804 Equifax Oldest account age: 12yrs Chase 5/24 status: ?? Applied jan 2026 for chase freedom and got declined. Incom”

“This is my first "high end" card that has an annual fee. How would you recommend using this card to its full potential and getting the most use out of it? submitted by /u/enjoytheshowX [link] [comments]”

“Both cards get recommended constantly and both are genuinley good. The right one depends on waht you're actually trying to do. Chase sapphire reserve: 3x on travel and dining, 1.5 cents per point through portal (which you shouldnt be using), and transfer partners including hyatt, united, and flying blue. the transfer partner list is excellent for premium cabin. Amex platinum: 5x on flights, massive sign up bonus, transfer partners including delta, singapore, and ana. the bonus alone can fund”

“oh wow thats great so even if i am planning to be using amex gold for only 12month (Exactly) and canceling the subscription on march, i can get $150 worth of resy credit!”

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“No, Amex Gold is not appropriate in your situation. Check back when you've graduated, gotten a job, and have a family. Seriously. Disregarding credits, you have to spend $32,500 annually to break even compared to a card like Savor, which has no AF. That's over $2,700 a month. I buy groceries and restaurant food for a family of 3 and don't even hit that spending level. Get an easy-to-use card with no AF. Wells Fargo Autograph sounds like a perfect fit for you. It is complementary to A”

“What should I do with my ThankYou Points? Citi Double Cash is my only Citi card, was my first 2% back card, and I have a few hundred thousand points as a result. Nowadays, I barely use it anymore since I've gotten another Mastercard with better rewards, so I want to use my ThankYou Points before the CPP goes down... Thank you! submitted by /u/BL911 [link] [comments]”

“You still get 10k bonus points a year(worth $100 with the travel eraser) and a $300 portal credit for a $395 af, so you're starting near or below 0(depending if/how much the portal is marked up) on the af before even considering spending.”

“I've read multiple posts and most of them say airbnb is not 4%. have you double checked yourself?”

“I was just randomly on Amex’s website trying to see what kind of offers I have and it’s currently telling me I have no welcome offer for either the Gold or the Platinum, which is weird because I’ve never held either card before. I’m just curious if anyone knows what might cause that? All my accounts are in good standing. I have a BCP with a $0 balance, and a BBP with an $800 balance that I’m paying off through the 0 apr intro period (the card has a $9k limit), and a savings account. I plan on ca”

“Customer service, cards with lucrative earning rates, and an extensive lounge network.”

“The credit card game is just a game, and whether American Express (Amex) is the right choice depends on your situation. Take a look at the perks offered by each card and see which one best suits your lifestyle. Maybe your lifestyle is different from what Amex offers, in which case you might want to skip the Amex line of cards.”

“I got bread 2 percent cashback amex credit card. I never had one. I always had visa or mastercard. I tried to pay my car insurance with it but they dont accept amex, l tried pay my water bill they dont accept amex either. Why some folks love having American express if some places dont accept them? I am missing out $500 in charges to get my 2 percent cashback because merchants dont accept it because their merchant fees are too high. Why do most people like having American express card?. I wish th”

“Current cards: Amex Gold, Freedom Unlimited, Citi Custom Cash, Wells Fargo Active Cash, Amex Blue Cash Everyday. Only spend about $500 a month on food/groceries and got the gold like 6 months ago, but the RESY credit I barely use and sometimes force myself to use the grubhub credit, and not sure if it’s worth it for me being a 20 year old college student. Would cancelling it once the year is over be good and possibly getting the Chase Saphire Preferred? I travel once or twice a year through Unit”

“Looking to get a new credit card with a high entry point amount and great redemption. Currently, my main cards are Chase United, Chase Hyatt and Amazon Amex (this is switching to visa shortly). Through my business, I do have Amex Gold & Platinum, Chase Sapphire and a Capital One card (forget the name but it's 2% cash back). I'm looking to get a new card that provides good travel perks and has a high sign up/initial spend bonus, preferably that has more flexibility than the direct par”

“Current cards: (list cards, limits, opening date) ⁠• ⁠Amex BC $8,000 limit, May 2024 ⁠⁠• ⁠Venture X $11,000 limit, Sep 2025 • ⁠Apple Card $8,000 limit, Feb 2024 ⁠• ⁠CSP $10,000 limit, March 2023 ⁠• ⁠Chase Freedom Unlimited $5,000 limit, June 2021 • ⁠FICO Score: 770 • ⁠Oldest account age: 4 years 6 months • ⁠Income: $80,000 • ⁠Average monthly spend and categories: ⁠• ⁠dining $800 ⁠• ⁠groceries: $250 ⁠• ⁠gas: $50 ⁠• ⁠travel: $500 ⁠• ⁠other: $300 • ⁠Open to Business Cards: No • ⁠What's the purp”

“Does anyone have any thoughts on this setup I am considering trying. Right now I have the CFU and CFF, but I think I might pivot away from points because I realized I don’t really feel Like doing research and find value and would rather just get cashback on things. I’m on the robinhood gold waitlist hope I can get off. And then I might pair it with a hotel card, and maybe an airline card. Or would I be better to just get a travel card with it instead? Or should I stick with my original plan? I’m”

“I was giving a welcome bonus for 40,000 points if I spend $8k by January 1st. I know the offer isn’t massive like most but I’d still like to hit my target for the points. Question is, where is the gold acceptable? Can I pay my car payment, insurance etc. to help hit my goal sooner? $8k in 6 months doesn’t seem to far of a reach so I definitely feel it’s possible. Just not sure what accepts the gold card and what doesn’t. submitted by /u/Ok-Nefariousness2529 [link] [comments]”

“Hyatt may be pricey if paying cash, but why do you think it’s pricey with points? There’s a wide range of point redemptions and you can find the lower tier hotels for a low point value.”