Originally Posted by
Duke5150
Thanks for the advise but I still have some questions....
Why the TY points when they are 1:$1? If it is merchandise or cash you would want then it's a better deal with Fidelity Cash Rewards or AMEX Blue Cash as they pay 1 1/2% cash. The merchandise exchange rate for points looks like it is 1% or less. And the cash back cards have NO limit.
If it is 3 pts per $1 then the Chase Business card gives 3% cash back on Restaurants, Gas, Office Supplies, and Home Improvements.
Even Starwood Amex seems better for airline tickets as they give you the 25% bonus.
If it is Airline Club membership with the Merrill+ you want then the cash back cards still beat it as Merrill+ is a 1:$1 in points and the merchandise and cash exchange rate seems to be at 1% or less. That extra 1/2% would pay for the club access at over $50,000 spend.
I understand that the Citi PP Elite is great BUT that is if you fly alot and can match up the miles with the spend. But I don't fly.
Even if I could get Chairman card why is it better.
Please advise?
If you don't fly, the Premier Pass isn't for you, although even an occassional flight would give you a decent amount of flight points to convert.
I have a Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards card that pays 5 TY points per dollar at gas, grocery, drugstores and 1:1 everywhere else. I average 3-4 pts/dollar with it as I use it almost exclusively at those places and have other cards I use at restaurants and for travel. I actually just got the Premier Pass Amex (which only gives you 1 flight point/3 miles flown) so I can make 2% back at Costco (pairing a purchas pt with a flight pt) instead of the 1% I get with my current Amex.
In addition, if you shop online with Thank You Merchants, you can get 3-10 pts per dollar spent.
But where the real benefit comes in is the fixed price flight options. There are no blackout dates, so during a busy travel season when most airlines have no award availability, you can call TY network and get a flight, no matter how much the cost. If you want to book a domestic flight that would cost you $500, Thank You will book it for 25,000 points. So upon redeeming the points, you get 2:1, and that's on top of the earning ratio I described above.