I suspect that even if you don't use Chase Pay or use the card to shop at grocery stores, you can still get some value out of this. Personal payments through PayPal should work, so you could just send someone the full $1,500 using the Freedom card, and then have them send it back to you.

PayPal charges 2.9% + $0.30 for personal payments with a credit card though. So the maximum return you'd get for $1,500 spend would be 2.1% - $0.30, or roughly $31.20 (correct me if my math is wrong).

I think it's obviously not the best way to go about this quarter, but it might be a good way to finish it off if come June you're a bit short.

The Chase Pay app also has partnerships (at least in NYC) with a bunch of restaurants where you can order in advance through the app and presumably earn the bonus. As far as I can tell it's ordering only for pick-up, not delivery.

Chase Pay apparently has a partnership with the similar app LevelUp which is accepted for in-store payment many more places, mostly quick service lunch-type places. (LevelUp also has an order in advance feature which seems to be very similar to Chase Pay's.) All LevelUp establishments I've come across are restaurants so earn 3 points per dollar on the CSR anyway, but it would be nice if Chase added LevelUp spend to the Chase Pay bonus category. The QR code readers for LevelUp and Chase Pay are even both the same (Potbelly takes both apps using the same scanner, for example), the only difference being that the Chase Pay QR code is higher-resolution.

I think Chase is stuck with the QR image since it can't get to the phone itself. There are various kinds of phones and Chase wants to get to all of them.... Or wish to.

That's awesome, I've been looking for a solution to the really troublesome process of pulling a credit card out of my wallet and swiping it. :p

Chase Pay is a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist, IMO, but hey if they continue to throw UR points at us to use it I suppose I won't complain. I just like how easy to MS Q2 will be, just like Q1. 3 VGCs per Freedom card and done.

I did this last month with apple pay just to make it easy. I thought $45 for 7,500 UR points was pretty good to just get it done. We have three freedom cards, so it's hard to do the full $4500 without at least some of this sort of stuff.

But I am under the impression that paypal can be pretty tight about this sort of stuff and can shut people down. Is this not a problem with person to person credit card payments?

::cough::Kiva::cough::

This will be an easy Q2.

I don't know what Chase is trying to accomplish with Chase Pay at the moment. If they want people to use it, it needs to be accepted at more than a handful of retailers, let alone not having any other perks. Fix that, and maybe give an extra bonus UR point or so, and I'll use the heck out of it.

Q1 was the first time in a while that I maxed out. The mobile payments (used Samsung) was very easy to rack up and convenient. This one is a little more annoying. However, I buy a ton of stuff from eBay for Paypal. I guess it's gift card season again.

I don't think there's a standard about whether all or none of Shell gas stations have gift cards (unless it's none). Some Shell stations have tiny insides, and those definitely don't tend to have gift cards. Whether some that have large associated stores have gift cards, i don't know, I haven't checked enough of those yet.

So even if you found gift cards at one, it wouldn't prove that all (or even most) of them have gift cards.

And which gift cards? A -711 I went to this morning with gas pumps had only a small section of "entertainment" gift cards, a much smaller selection of gift cards than I'm used to from mainline grocery stores.

So once you get to the 2Q promo (which this thread is about), IMHO it's a lot easier to find gift cards at grocery stores (where you won't have to use Chase Pay to earn 5x on the gift cards) than in gas stations, which are a category this quarter (for which there is a separate thread).

Ha, you're absolutely right, it's a bit ridiculous.

But to be honest, I had the same reaction to Google Pay. But, after this quarter's "encouragement" from Chase, I find it to be delightful - much faster than waiting for the chip reader, then signing. And it's more secure than a wallet full of credit cards. To use my Google Pay app you'd have to steal my phone and then chop my thumb off and carry it with you. So I've become a believer in this technology.

The QR code thing - I doubt it's quite as convenient, but I probably won't have a chance to try it. I haven't noticed a single merchant that I normally frequent accepts Chase Pay.

Get the habit to drink two cups of coffee a day. :p

I find it fiddly because of the way it interacts with the phone's lock screen settings. I won't use it unless there is a bonus -or- if I specifically want to pay with a card that I am not carrying (to earn a bonus).

Talking about Google Pay, in Q2, if I use Google Pay at grocery stores with my Freedom card, does that count toward the Q2 5% qualification, or do I have to insert/swipe my physical Freedom card in order to qualify?

No need to use the physical cards. The merchant is grocery stores.
I plan to use my Chase Pay at ShopRite. Then I get double coverage. :p

I guess this depends on the phone. If I had to unlock with a code, it would be less convenient. But with a thumbprint, it's very fast.

I used Chase Pay at Starbucks today (because of their 300 stars for using CP promo) and I had a star dash to finish. What a PITA. Either Chase Pay or cashier error, but it took 3 scans of the QR code before it finally took, and the cashier knew what I was talking about with Chase Pay, he kept apologizing like "try it again". I don't understand why anybody would subject themselves to this without a good bonus when I can scan my SBUX card in app and be done in only a couple seconds.