Originally Posted by steve100
Well, since my original post above in July, I ended buying a house using a real estate agent procurred through the Costco/Lendingtree program. I just got my cashback check today in the mail. I have to tell you, the value of the check far exceeds the value of any miles that I would of gotten (even if I valued the miles at $.02/mile, which I don't. I usually value miles at $.015/mile.)
Note: I did NOT use the financing feature of the Costco/LendingTree program (I only used the Real Estate feature). Why? Well, I was able to find better mortgage rates (read: lower rates/fees) elsewhere. So, earning the cashback or miles would not have been prudent.
I recently refinanced ... got a great rate, then figured I'd try the Amex guaranteed lowest rate. They asked for a fax of the estimate from my way-lower quote, then bettered it. Ended up with a better deal + 1250 points/10,000 financed.