Originally Posted by outoftown

I also have the Amex Costco True Earnings. I use it for domestic travel and meals only. Except for gas at Costco, I use the Penfed Visa for the 5% cashback for gas pumps everywhere else and 1.25% for most everything else, including all foreign travel. Penfed pays the earned credit monthly, instead of waiting to February each year for the AMEX Costco check which BTW can be exhanged for 100% cash with no purchase at any Costco. Penfed also has the 1% conversion fee for foreign charges, which I take advantage of almost every month. I earned about $700 back the last two years on Costco, prior to that it was $1000 per year until I got the Penfed. I'm getting about $40 a month from Penfed. This month it was $67. I started buying airline tickets last month on the Costco card (employer travel policy change) so I expect to get back to over $1000 rebate again from Costco Amex.

Penfed and Costco Amex have become my main two cards and have idled my AA Citi MC, United Visa, Marriott Visa, Amex Gold Delta, Amex Hilton, NWA Visa and Barclays MC (USAIR again). I still use the AMEX SimplyCash OPEN Plat card for the 5% back at Marriott properties. I canceled my AMEX SGP, BOA USAirways Visa and will cancel NWA Visa to cut down my CC exposure.

I used to have the predecessor to the Citi TYP card which offered 5% back for gas, but dropped it when they went to TYP. I dropped the Chase Rewards Visa when they also dropped the 5% back for gas.

Trying to keep up with the best reward program is kind of dizzying, but I'm a flavor of the day kind of guy.

-outoftown