Help me pick a new credit card

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RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,794
266
116
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: morkus64
Thanks everyone... i've narrowed it down to these two... i'm leaning towards the chase because i'm not sure if my credit is good enough for the other... (according to some site or other you need good for the chase and excellent for the citi)

Doesn't really seem like there's much of a difference between the two though

Yeah, my wife got rejected by Citi... she doesn't have bad credit, she just didn't put any effort into building credit in college like I did.

I think the Citi is slightly better, but I forget in what way... RossMAN would know though. It might have been something like virtual account numbers (which Citi offers, don't know about Chase).

I'm weird, most of our credit cards are individual accounts and not applied as "married" applicants. Our car loan we applied jointly because I couldn't have done it without her 720 credit score, income and $0 debt.
 

OulOat

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2002
5,769
0
0
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: Mermaidman
AmEx Blue Cash: It doesn't have a limit on the cash back rebate like the Citibank card. I use it for business travel and got $600 rebate last year!

Rewards are 1% for "Everyday purchases" (gas stations, supermarkets and drug stores) and .5% on everything else for your first $6500 spent, after $6500 it goes up to 5% and 1%.

Citi starts out at 5% and 1%. So unless you're spending a LOT of money (and you'd have to to get over Citi's $300 limit), the Citi card is the better card.

In your case I'd use a Costco Amex for travelling (2% back) and eating out (3% back) and a Citi for everything else (unless you'd still go over Citi's $300 even without the travelling, then I'd either throw in a third card or put the rest on the Amex).
No, Blue is 1.5% past $6500. So Blue is better than Dividend if you spend $13,000 plus on other items per year.

I also use Costco Amex TrueEarnings since I travel for business. The only problem is that Amex always has some problems with their systems and won't display the rebate earned.

In any case, anyone know if the Discover 5% back on online purchases includes airline purchases?



 

TallBill

Lifer
Apr 29, 2001
46,044
62
91
Just signed up for the Amazon.com Chase card myself. Good way to get a quick 30 dollars off on an Amazon purchase.

I also plan on doing a 900 dollar purchase on it and use the 6 months of 0% apr to my advantage.

(IE - Ill make five $180 payments and have it paid off before the APR kicks in)
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,924
45
91
Originally posted by: OulOat
No, Blue is 1.5% past $6500. So Blue is better than Dividend if you spend $13,000 plus on other items per year.

Ah, but don't forget you're also only getting 1% on gas/groceries/drugstores for the first $6500, which is more significant than the .5%/1.5% difference. :)

Everyone's spending habits are different, but I think in most cases the Citi card will do better than the Blue Cash. But a combination of cards will generally be better than a single card, which is one reason I don't like tiered reward programs - it encourages you to use ONE card for everything to get to the higher reward levels.

Here's the cards I currently use:
Citi - for gas, groceries, drugstores (5%)
Costco Amex - for Costco (1%), travelling (2%), eating out (3%)
Amazon.com Visa - for Amazon.com (3%)
Target Visa - for everything else. 10% off a future shopping trip for every $1000 spent (not stackable). So if I spent more than $100 on that future shopping trip, I'm above 1%. More than $150, I'm above 1.5% (and that's easy to do at Target! :))

None of those cards are tiered.
 

Davegod75

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2000
5,320
0
0
Originally posted by: RossMAN
Citi Dividend Platinum Select Mastercard

* 5% cash back on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations
* 1% cash back on all other purchases
* $5 cash back for each balance transfer of at least $1,500
* Access to Citi Identity Theft Solutions
* 0% APR on new balance transfers for first 12 months
* No annual fee

Chase Cash Plus Rewards Visa

* 5% cash back on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations
* 1% cash back on all other purchases
* 0% APR on both purchases and balance transfers for up to 12 months
* Redeem cash back for checks or gift certificates
* Newest cash back card from Chases - replaces the Ultimate Awards card
* No annual fee



These are the only two I use. Two great cards
 

MiniThug

Golden Member
Sep 10, 2000
1,057
0
0
What do you guys think about the Amex Hilton Honors Platinum card? Im also interested in applying for a new credit card and this one caught my eye. Know anything about it?
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,924
45
91
Originally posted by: MiniThug
What do you guys think about the Amex Hilton Honors Platinum card? Im also interested in applying for a new credit card and this one caught my eye. Know anything about it?

[*]Earn 10,000 bonus points with your very first purchase*
[*]Earn an additional 10,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points - that's 2,500 Hilton HHonors bonus points for each of your first four stays at any Hilton Family Hotel
[*]Get 5 Hilton HHonors® bonus points for each eligible dollar spent on stays at over 2,700 Hilton Family hotels worldwide and for eligible purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, dining establishments, the U.S. Postal Service, and for wireless phone bills
[*]Get 3 HHonors bonus points for every eligible dollar you spend on purchases
[*]No annual fee

It costs between 7500 and 40,000 points for a one night hotel stay, depending on the category of the hotel. It's tough to put a cash value on that, because it varies.

It lookes like a great card if you travel a lot and stay in thier hotels. No annual fee helps too. I would combine it with another card like the Citi Divident Platinum Select though.
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,794
266
116
Any other Amex Blue owners out there?

Since I haven't hit the Citi $300 limit per year yet, I may just stick with that.
 

BlueFlamme

Senior member
Nov 3, 2005
565
0
0
I didn't read more than the OP.

Go to Credit Card Goodies to get some more indepth analysis.

My best reward cards are:

Citibank Dividend Platinum for 5% gas/supermarkets/pharmacies
Discover Restaurant for 5% restaurants
 

charlieg6

Junior Member
Jul 8, 2004
14
0
0
I have an Amex Blue, put about $30K on it last year and am getting $540 or so back. The other perks are pretty nice (extended warranties, some coverage on rental cars, return protection when dealing with crappy merchants, etc). They've also had good customer service when I've dealt with them.
 

BlueFlamme

Senior member
Nov 3, 2005
565
0
0
Originally posted by: charlieg6
I have an Amex Blue, put about $30K on it last year and am getting $540 or so back. The other perks are pretty nice (extended warranties, some coverage on rental cars, return protection when dealing with crappy merchants, etc). They've also had good customer service when I've dealt with them.

That is approx 1.8%.

Depending on lifestyle, if you spent $5000 on gasoline/groceries/pharmacies/restaurants you would have earned $250 for those purchases at 5% and still earned another $450 on your Amex (total $700 which is 2.33%). Small increase but its up to you whether balancing three cards is worth an extra $150 (and it is easy to pass $5K in those areas, if you make it $10K the difference is $320).
 

charlieg6

Junior Member
Jul 8, 2004
14
0
0
Originally posted by: BlueFlamme
Originally posted by: charlieg6
I have an Amex Blue, put about $30K on it last year and am getting $540 or so back. The other perks are pretty nice (extended warranties, some coverage on rental cars, return protection when dealing with crappy merchants, etc). They've also had good customer service when I've dealt with them.

That is approx 1.8%.

Depending on lifestyle, if you spent $5000 on gasoline/groceries/pharmacies/restaurants you would have earned $250 for those purchases at 5% and still earned another $450 on your Amex (total $700 which is 2.33%). Small increase but its up to you whether balancing three cards is worth an extra $150 (and it is easy to pass $5K in those areas, if you make it $10K the difference is $320).


Yep, you're very right. My actual spending on gas/groceries/restaurants was about $2.5K (the bulk of my spending was hotels and airfare for work). I would have still made a little more if I had two cards, but it's easier for me to keep track of one card.
 

BlueFlamme

Senior member
Nov 3, 2005
565
0
0
Originally posted by: charlieg6
Yep, you're very right. My actual spending on gas/groceries/restaurants was about $2.5K (the bulk of my spending was hotels and airfare for work). I would have still made a little more if I had two cards, but it's easier for me to keep track of one card.

Thats why I suggest checking out Credit Card Goodies because they analyze cards that include:
Airfare
Auto
Cash Rewards
Gas
Hotel
Poor Credit
Prepaid
Retail
Small Business
Student

So you can see what is out there. My wife honestly doesn't like dealing with the mulitple cards, but its nice when ya get that $75 check from citi every quarter and keep knocking off $20 from my discover bill every other month. But with a high total spent you want to keep your eye out for the max you can earn on one card per year, which is why the AmEx is good for you with that low food/gas ratio.


I can easily see a family with four boys needing 2 to 4 food/gas cards, especially if all 4 of them are also driving and their parents don't make them pay their own gas...
 

AznMaverick

Platinum Member
Apr 4, 2001
2,776
0
0
As this was a long time ago, i would like to know as of current what would be a good credit card to sign up for. i'ved tried all the websites mentioned in this thread...citi got some really bad reviews so i'm leaning more toward chase and any other suggestions.
 

BigJ

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
21,335
1
81
Originally posted by: AznMaverick
As this was a long time ago, i would like to know as of current what would be a good credit card to sign up for. i'ved tried all the websites mentioned in this thread...citi got some really bad reviews so i'm leaning more toward chase and any other suggestions.

What bad reviews did Citi get?

I've had no problems with the Platinum Select, and the Dividends card for the past 2 years.
 

AznMaverick

Platinum Member
Apr 4, 2001
2,776
0
0
Originally posted by: BigJ
Originally posted by: AznMaverick
As this was a long time ago, i would like to know as of current what would be a good credit card to sign up for. i'ved tried all the websites mentioned in this thread...citi got some really bad reviews so i'm leaning more toward chase and any other suggestions.

What bad reviews did Citi get?

I've had no problems with the Platinum Select, and the Dividends card for the past 2 years.

I had this card since 1998, always paid my bill on time. Up until recently, I had a balance of $22,000 with a limit of $25,000. 1.5 years ago 3 errors on my credit file showed up (one from identy theft) and my credit score dropped almost 200 points. On my next statement they dropped my credit limit to $22,000. I called them to tell them of the errors and they said they could not act until the errors were fixed. Every time I made a payment they dropped the limit to the new balance. A year later all 3 errors were fixed and my score went up almost 200 points. They continued to lower my limit with each payment. A month ago, I paid off the entire balance. On my next statement they lowered my limit to $300 citing the same reason from 1.5 years ago, even though my file has been clean and my score high for 8 months now. I called them and they said this process was started 1.5 years ago and they could not change it. As a result, my score will suffer because despite paying off the card, it will still look like I am maxed out due to the new limit. I have closed this account. I did not mention that they also increased my interest rate as a result of the errors in my report and it took me 6 months after they were fixed to get them to lower the rate. I will never do any business with Citibank again.

http://reviews.creditcardgoodies.com/pa...ls.asp?idmin=32&tempid=276628&offset=7
 

BigJ

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
21,335
1
81
Originally posted by: AznMaverick
Originally posted by: BigJ
Originally posted by: AznMaverick
As this was a long time ago, i would like to know as of current what would be a good credit card to sign up for. i'ved tried all the websites mentioned in this thread...citi got some really bad reviews so i'm leaning more toward chase and any other suggestions.

What bad reviews did Citi get?

I've had no problems with the Platinum Select, and the Dividends card for the past 2 years.

I had this card since 1998, always paid my bill on time. Up until recently, I had a balance of $22,000 with a limit of $25,000. 1.5 years ago 3 errors on my credit file showed up (one from identy theft) and my credit score dropped almost 200 points. On my next statement they dropped my credit limit to $22,000. I called them to tell them of the errors and they said they could not act until the errors were fixed. Every time I made a payment they dropped the limit to the new balance. A year later all 3 errors were fixed and my score went up almost 200 points. They continued to lower my limit with each payment. A month ago, I paid off the entire balance. On my next statement they lowered my limit to $300 citing the same reason from 1.5 years ago, even though my file has been clean and my score high for 8 months now. I called them and they said this process was started 1.5 years ago and they could not change it. As a result, my score will suffer because despite paying off the card, it will still look like I am maxed out due to the new limit. I have closed this account. I did not mention that they also increased my interest rate as a result of the errors in my report and it took me 6 months after they were fixed to get them to lower the rate. I will never do any business with Citibank again.

http://reviews.creditcardgoodies.com/pa...ls.asp?idmin=32&tempid=276628&offset=7

Meh. I've had my credit cards stolen twice (both of the times literally at either knife or gun point) and had called them within a few hours and had them cancelled. The guys managed to rack up a few thousand dollars in charges by them. I filled out a few sheets each time, sent them a copy of the police reports, and everything was taken care of.

They've never raised my interest rates over the past 2 years, and they've given me steady credit line increases. Customer service has also been very responsive.

http://reviews.creditcardgoodies.com/pa...s/details.asp?idmin=1805&tempid=276628
 

AznMaverick

Platinum Member
Apr 4, 2001
2,776
0
0
thanks for linking the right card. those reviews are kind of iffy too as far as the nonstop calls begging you to enroll in services. it seems the customer service is mixed. thanks for your input J. I'll consider this one, i really want a rewards card. my current miles card sucks. i managed to rack up 25,000 miles and it would still cost me $500 for a ticket from here (Hawaii) to seattle, and it's not even first class. all of that time accumulating miles trying to rack them up just to save a measley $75-100, i think it's pretty pathetic.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,328
68
91
Those Citi Rewards / Cash back cards are only 5% points / cash back for the first year. After than, it is back to $.01 / 1 Point per dollar spent.

Still a good deal though. The Citi Diamond Rewards card is the 5 points for first year, and for signing up, you get 10,000 bonus points that you can trade in for a $100 gift card to anywhere.
 

MrBond

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2000
9,911
0
76
Originally posted by: edro
Those Citi Rewards / Cash back cards are only 5% points / cash back for the first year. After than, it is back to $.01 / 1 Point per dollar spent.

Still a good deal though. The Citi Diamond Rewards card is the 5 points for first year, and for signing up, you get 10,000 bonus points that you can trade in for a $100 gift card to anywhere.
This is the fine print from Citi's site about their mastercard.
?CITI® DIVIDEND PLATINUM SELECT® CARD REWARD PROGRAM INFORMATION
Your Citi Dividend Card account (?Card Account?) will receive a rebate based upon eligible transactions appearing on your current month?s billing statement. The only eligible transactions are purchases, cash advances and balance transfers. The rebates will show cumulatively on your statement as ?Dividend Dollars?, as long as your Card Account is open and current. However, if your Card Account is no longer open or current, you will not be able to earn or redeem Dividend Dollars.
Unless you are participating in a limited-time promotional offer, you will earn 5% on purchases made at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations which are defined as follows. Supermarkets are stand-alone merchants that primarily sell a complete line of food merchandise for home consumption. Drugstores are stand-alone merchants that sell prescription and proprietary drugs and non-prescription (over-the-counter) medicines. Gas stations are stand-alone merchants that sell vehicle fuel for consumer use.
Unless you are participating in a limited-time promotional offer, you will earn 1% on all other purchases. You will earn 1% on cash advances and cash convenience check amounts billed at the standard cash advance rate. You will receive five Dividend Dollars for each individual balance transfer transaction of $1,500 or more.
Purchases not eligible to receive the 5% rebate include, but are not limited to, purchases made at warehouse clubs, discount stores, department stores and convenience stores. Online and catalog purchases are not eligible to receive the 5% rebate unless the merchants appropriately identify the transactions. We do not determine whether merchants appropriately identify the transactions, but we do reserve the right to determine which purchases qualify for the 5% rebate.
You may accumulate a maximum of 300 Dividend Dollars in any calendar year (eligible transactions appearing on your January ? December billing statements) payable in checks of $50 or more only upon your request. Dividend Dollars earned on purchases through the Citi Dividend Merchant Network are not subject to the $300 calendar year maximum accumulation.
When you become a cardmember, you will receive the full Citi Dividend Card Terms and Conditions which we may change at any time with 30 days prior written notice.
It doesn't say anything about one year only.

I think Citi may be the only company left offering a 5% cash back on gas/groceries/drugstores. Chase took their version of that card off their website. You can still apply for the mastercard by going to Chasecashback.com (I think that's the address, don't hold me to that).

I applied last week for their Mastercard (I already have a BP Visa through chase and it'd be nice to be able to manage both cards from one site during the transition from one to another), but rather than an "instant response" they said I'd get a response in writing within 30 days, so I probably got declined. I'm not sure what grounds they'd have to decline me, since I have excellent credit and a 13K limit on the card I already have with them, but I'm not holding out any hope.

If I get declined with them, I'll try Citi. I'd really like to get one of these 5% rebate cards before they all dissappear. My BP Visa gives me 5% back on BP gas only, I don't like being tied to one station. It used to be 3% back on BP gas, 1% everywhere else, but they just changed it.
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,794
266
116
Originally posted by: edro
Those Citi Rewards / Cash back cards are only 5% points / cash back for the first year. After than, it is back to $.01 / 1 Point per dollar spent.

Where do you see 1 year?
 

MrBond

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2000
9,911
0
76
A slight note - the 5% rewards aren't going anywhere for people already enrolled in those programs with Chase, it just looks like they're not taking new cardmembers with that card. There's a good thread over at FW about it all.

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?start=0&catid=52&threadid=608888

Edit: Just checked that thread again and someone tried to apply for the Chase 5% Mastercard on ChaseCashBack.com and got an "Offer Not Available" page. Looks like those cards are done for good at Chase. I applied last Friday evening, but haven't heard anything yet.