Direct link to offer
Bit difficult to normal as you pick between United travel credit, Premier qualifying points (PQP) or bonus miles.
Source: doctorofcredit.com
The American Express Platinum Schwab version card offers 1.1 cents per points cashout option. After October 1, 2024, they will be limiting us to one million points per calendar year on the 1.1 cents cashout.
Direct Link
For redemptions made before October 1, 2024: A Basic Card Member may redeem Membership Rewards® points for deposits to their eligible account at a rate of 10,000 points for a $110 deposit.
For redemptions made on or between October 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024: A Basic Card Member may redeem Membership Rewards® points for deposits to their eligible account at a rate of 10,000 points for a $110 deposit for up to 1,000,000 points, after which they may continue to redeem points at a rate of 10,000 points for an $80 deposit through December 31, 2024.
For redemptions made on or after January 1, 2025: A Basic Card Member may redeem Membership Rewards® points for deposits to their eligible account at a rate of 10,000 points for a $110 deposit for up to 1,000,000 points per calendar year, after which they may continue to redeem points at a rate of 10,000 points for an $80 deposit for the remainder of that calendar year.
A Basic Card Member may redeem up to 4 million Membership Rewards® points every 7 calendar days for this reward.
After redeeming one million points for cash, you’ll get just .8 cents per points. Another option is to open the Business Checking account from Amex and then you can get 1 cents per point cash out on up to one million points cash out if you also have the Amex Business Platinum card.
Hat tip to DDG
Source: doctorofcredit.com
It’s now possible to activate all 5% category credit cards for the third quarter of 2024, including the Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Discover IT, Citi Dividend, US Bank Cash+ and some smaller cards. In this post we’ll provide the activation link for each card and links to track your spend, along with strategies to help increase spend in these categories.
Dates: July 1st – September 30, 2024. Store purchases can usually be done until the last minute while online purchases should be given a buffer zone since the charge typically posts on the shipping date.
Activation Link / FAQ / Sample Stores & Exclusions / Our original post
With the Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex cards, activate to earn 5% back this quarter on up to $1,500 in spend at gas stations, on EV charging, select live entertainment and movie theaters.
Tip: Click this link (login required) to check how far you are along the $1,500.
Activation Link / Our original post
With your Discover card, activate to earn 5% back this quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases at Grocery Stores and at Walmart.
Activate to earn 5% Cashback Bonus at Grocery Stores and Walmart from 7/1/24 (or the date on which you activate 5%, whichever is later) through 9/30/24, on up to $1,500 in purchases. Grocery Store purchases include those made at supermarkets, meat lockers, bakeries, smaller grocery stores, and grocery delivery services. All purchases made from Target, convenience stores, wholesale clubs, and discount stores are not eligible. Walmart purchases include those made at Walmart.com, through the Walmart app, in-store at Walmart Discount Stores, Walmart Supercenter Stores, Walmart Neighborhood Market Stores, Curbside Pickup, Walmart +, and Walmart Gas Stations. Purchases using Walmart Pay with your Discover Card will also be included. Purchases from individual merchants and stand-alone stores within physical Walmart locations may not be eligible for this promotion. Sam’s Club purchases are not eligible. Purchases made through affiliates of Walmart.com are not a part of this promotion. The Walmart.com logo is a registered trademark of Walmart Inc. Listed merchants are in no way sponsoring or affiliated with this program.
Tip: Login, then click this link to see you how far along the $1,500 you are.
Landing Page | Our Original Post
With your Dividend card, activate to earn 5% back this quarter at Gas Stations. Citi is different than the other cards in that you have a $6,000 annual cap rather than a $1,500 quarterly cap. You can get 5% back on up to $6,000 in this quarter or you can save the entire amount for a different quarter, or you can use part up each quarter.
Excludes gasoline purchases at warehouse clubs, discount stores, convenience stores or other merchants that do not use the gas station merchant category code.
Activation link | Merchant List | Our Original Post
U.S. Bank Cash+ and Elan Max offer 5% cash back in two categories, up to $2,000 combined total per quarter. Keep in mind that Car Rentals was recently replaced with TV, Internet, and Streaming Services.
Here are the current options:
Tip: Login here, then scroll down and click on the red “View Your Cash+ History” button.
Our Original Post
The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards comes with a $95 annual fee and offers 6% cashback on your first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter with two retailers you choose. Options include Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Target, and many more. You must enroll each quarter into two retailers.
Our Original Post
The Cash Rewards card from Bank of America offers 3% back on one selected category, up to $2,500 per quarter. If you don’t select anything it defaults to gas. Once you selected a category for one quarter, that remains your category in the future unless you change it. Each calendar month you can change it if you’d like, but you’re always limited to $2,500 for the entire quarter.
This category is especially lucrative for those who have Preferred Rewards status with Bank of America which can get you 5.25% back on one of these categories at the higher relationship level.
Lots of useful categories here. Important note: the Cash Rewards card also offers 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs up to $2,500 per quarter, and that $2,500 limit combines with the Category Selection limit. After spending $2,500, you’ll earn 1% back on everything.
Landing Page | Our Original Post
This is on top of the regular 1% for a total earn of 6% back. (apparently no longer the case?)
Landing Page | Our Original Post
Landing Page | Our Original Post
Get 5x points on the category of your choice, up to $1,500 per quarter. Eligible categories:
Landing Page | Our Original Post
Safe Credit Union Cash Rewards Visa card offers 5% this quarter on your choice of one category each quarter (with no apparent limit). This quarter the categories are:
Source: doctorofcredit.com
Should stack with this offer from the start of the year. These types of offers are why this card is listed as the #1 store card.
Source: doctorofcredit.com
Every year American Express has benefits for the U.S. Open. Currently we don’t know what the benefits are, but you can get early access to purchasing tickets starting 5/28. Last years benefits were as follows:
Source: doctorofcredit.com
Verizon is making changes to the earn rates on the Verizon credit card. The changes are as follows:
Don’t think this card was worth having before and that hasn’t changed with these changes. Expected changes go into effect on August & October.
Source: doctorofcredit.com
If you don’t pay your credit card, it can lead to late fees, increased interest rates, being sent to collections, and damage to your credit. It could also result in legal action being taken against you.
Credit cards offer several advantages over debit cards. For example, when you use a debit card, you can only spend as much money as you have in your bank account. With a credit card, you gain access to a line of credit, increasing your purchasing power. A credit card also gives you extra fraud protection. If someone gains access to your account, your personal funds aren’t at risk.
However, if you use your credit card, you also have to make a minimum payment every month. Find out what happens if you don’t pay your credit card on time.
A credit card is a type of revolving debt, which means your balance and minimum monthly payment change based on your spending habits. For example, if you pay your full balance before the end of your billing cycle, you won’t have a minimum payment due the following month.
Credit card companies usually calculate minimum payments based on your current balance plus a little extra to account for interest. If you have a balance of $3,000 during a 0% interest promotion, your minimum payment may be anywhere from $30 to $90. This assumes your credit card company charges between 1% and 3% of your balance.
Your minimum payment is the lowest amount due during a billing cycle. If you have a large balance, try to pay more than the minimum. Otherwise, interest charges will keep accumulating, making it difficult to pay your debt in full and causing your debt to become more and more expensive.
Failing to make your minimum payment on or before the due date can have some potentially serious consequences. Here’s what happens if you don’t pay a credit card on time.
Many credit card companies charge a fee for late payments. As of 2024, the average late fee is $32. In March 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule that would reduce the typical late fee to $8, but a federal judge has issued an injunction preventing the new rule from going into effect for now.
If you’ve never made a late payment before, you may be able to get your credit card company to remove the fee as a courtesy. Simply call the number on the back of your card and explain what happened. If you’re polite and let the agent know the late payment was a one-time mistake, they may remove it for you.
Although late fees can put a dent in your budget, late payments don’t affect your credit scores until you’re 30 days past due. This is when the consequences of a late payment can really start to hurt you.
Once you hit the 30-day mark, your account becomes delinquent. Credit card companies report delinquencies to the credit bureaus, causing your credit to decrease significantly. If you miss multiple payments, your scores will drop even more. Credit.com has a free credit score simulator to help you understand the effects of delinquency on your credit profile.
Eventually, your credit card company stops waiting for you to make a payment. This prompts a charge-off, where a creditor closes your account and writes off your debt as a loss. If you have a charge-off on your credit report, you may find it extremely difficult to get approved for new accounts.
Your credit card company may even issue a 1099-C form for your canceled debt. Depending on your financial situation, you may have to pay income tax on the canceled amount.
A charge-off doesn’t make your debt magically disappear. You still owe what you borrowed, so your credit card company may send your account to collections. Once a collection account appears on your credit report, other lenders can see it. This may make it difficult to qualify for an auto loan, a mortgage, or another credit card.
Collection agencies may contact you frequently, but you have certain legal rights related to debt collection. For example, you can tell a debt collector not to call you at work. If a collection agency violates any state or federal laws, you also have the right to consult with an attorney.
Some creditors are especially aggressive about getting paid what they’re owed. If your credit card company is one of them, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a lawsuit. When a creditor sues you, it’s important to appear in court. Otherwise, the creditor may get a default judgment against you before you even have a chance to tell the judge your side of the story. Then, you’ll have to repay the judgment, which may include interest and fees.
Now that you know what happens if you don’t pay your credit card on time, it’s important to avoid additional negative marks on your credit record. Here are four things you can do to improve your financial situation.
Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is you learn from your mistakes instead of repeating them. If you miss a payment, commit to on-time payments going forward. It may take some time for your credit to recover, but at least you won’t take an additional hit.
If you have several late payments on your record, you may find it difficult to open new lines of credit. Get things back on track by opening a secured credit card. With a secured card, you establish a credit line by making a small cash deposit. For example, if you deposit $500, the issuer may give you a credit line of $500.
A secured card works just like a regular credit card, so you can use it to make purchases at your favorite stores and e-commerce websites. If you don’t make payments as agreed, the credit card company can close your account and keep your deposit.
Once you have a late payment on your record, it takes time to rebuild your credit profile. If a creditor won’t remove the late payment from your reports, there are other things you can do to help your credit. For example, try to make all of your future payments on time and in full. It won’t erase the negative impact of the late payment, but it can help your credit while you wait for the late payment to fall off your record.
If you’ve never missed a payment before, try negotiating with your credit card company. A creditor isn’t obligated to remove negative information from your credit report, but if you ask nicely, they may be willing to cut you a break. This works best when you have a solid payment history.
The company representative may be more willing to help you if you have a good reason for missing a payment. For example, if a close family member passed away, it’s quite possible you forgot your due date because you were grieving your loss.
To learn more about managing your credit and credit cards responsibly, explore Credit.com’s credit card guide, and get your free credit report card now.
Source: credit.com
Direct link to offer
Best bonus was 175,000 points. Think this is a much better bonus as you’re getting five free night certificates up to 60,000 points per certificate (really up to a maximum of 300,000 points). Some things to know about the certificates:
There are some datapoints that this is bypassing 5/24, but it’s unclear if this is due to miscounting (share your datapoints in the comments below). It’s possible we will see the same offer with an additional $100 statement credit when doing a dummy booking but don’t think it’s necessarily worth waiting for based on the history of those offers appearing for IHG. We will add this to our list of the best credit card bonuses.
Hat tip to DDG
Source: doctorofcredit.com
Folks on Reddit report that American Express has now added terms to exclude Google Fi from counting as the Wireless category. This matters for things like the $10 Amex Business Platinum credit and for the 4x earn on the Business Gold.
Any purchases from Google Fi, third parties, authorized retailers or resellers are excluded. (Terms link)
From the statement: “Effective June 21, 2024, Google Fi is not an eligible US wireless provider and purchases of Google Fi will not be eligible for additional rewards or statement credits under the wireless rewards category”
From what I gather, it hasn’t worked in a while, and needed manual application to get credit. Going forward it’s less likely we’ll be able to get manual credit given it being clearly excluded.
Hat tip to DDG
Source: doctorofcredit.com
Direct link to offer
Please share the offers you received in the comments below. If you didn’t receive a targeted offer I’d wait until July 1 and check again.
Source: doctorofcredit.com