Originally Posted by
kokonutz
For those asking for yes or no votes, would you mind expanding on your reasoning a bit?
As a TB member, I am on the fence.
Pros:
- The Chase programs and cards are huge, popular and complicated
- Earning and spending strategies are myriad
- No one wants to be the idiot who wastes hard-earned points
Cons:
- The program is popular today but could be a ghost town by next month
- Some 'clever' tips and tricks talked about may cause the program to close the 'clever' approaches (of course, that talk still takes place in existing threads anyway)
Are there pros and cons I am not thinking of?
I think your list of pros is pretty good. I also think a separate forum is good because it's nice to have a place where regular people can honestly discuss all the aspects of the UR program, as opposed to on some of the other websites where there may be an ulterior motive to pushing people to apply for certain cards.
With all due respect, I really don't understand why the ghost town thing is really a problem. I think the UR program is going to be around for quite a while. If it ever becomes a ghost town, what's wrong with just letting it sit there? It's not costing anything. I don't really see how that's much of a con, even though I do agree that it's a possibility.
With regard for the concern about clever tricks being exposed, I think it's important to recognize that this is a proprietary program owned and run by Chase, the largest bank in the United States. Sharing information on FT isn't telling Chase anything they don't already know about. It would be different for a small, unsophisticated institution. And, learning about the clever tips and tricks is where FT can add value for us as members; if all someone is interested in is the basic overview of the program, they don't need FT for that.