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Which card(s) to use for high spend or large purchases? [Consolidated]

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Old Jan 2, 2017, 9:16 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: yugi
Ways to get high rewards or bonus on credit card spending:

1. sign-on bonus, miles, UR or MR points, free nights and cash rewards
2. on-going rewards, points or cashback
3. spending bonus for extra points/$ or status, like spending $10,000 to get extra 20k points etc.

Cards with large spending bonus: (alphabetical)

AmEx Delta Skymiles Gold: $25,000 MQD waived for elite status
AmEx HH Ascend: $40,000 to Diamond
Barclay Aviator Red: $25,000 for $3,000 EQD
BofA Merrill +: $50,000 for additional $200 travel credit
Chase Ritz Carlton: $10,000 to renew Gold status. Subject to change from 8/1/2018
Chase United MileagePlus Explorer: $25,000 for 10,000 United miles
A lot more to list...

Cards that earn better than 1 airline mile (or points convertible 1:1 to airline miles) per dollar: (alphabetical)

Amex Blue Business Plus - 2x MRs on up to $50k per year. No AF, FTF.
Amex Blue for Business - 1.3x MRs (Another card needed in order to transfer, such as Amex ED/EDP/PRG/BGR/Plat etc). No AF, FTF. Discontinued, replaced by BBP.
Amex Business Platinum - 1.5x for charges over $5,000 up to 1M extra points ($2M spend) AF $450, no FTF. Many other perks.
Amex EveryDay - 1.2x if you make 20+ charges per cycle. No AF, FTF.
Amex EveryDay Preferred - 1.5x if you make 30+ charges per cycle. AF $95, FTF.
Bank of America Virgin Atlantic MasterCard - 1.5x VS miles, 2x if you spend $15k per year, 2.1x if you spend $25k per year. AF $90, no FTF.
Bank of America Air France KLM Mastercard - 1.5x AF miles. AF $89, no FTF.
Barclaycard Arrival Premier - 1.43x for all partners except JAL, AC (1.18x). You will get 2.14x on all partners except JAL, AC (1.76x), if you spend $15k or $25k per year. AF $150, FYF, no FTF. Discontinued.
Capital One Venture X Visa - 2x on all partners, except Accor and EVA. AF $395, no FTF, many other perks.
Capital One Spark Miles Business Visa - 2x on all partners, except Accor and EVA. AF $95, FYF, no FTF.
Capital One Venture Visa - 2x on all partners, except Accor and EVA. AF $95, FYF, no FTF.
Capital One Venture One Visa - 1.25x on all partners, except Accor and EVA. no AF, no FTF.
Capital One Spark Miles Select Business Visa - 1.5x on all partners, except Accor and EVA. No AF, no FTF.
Chase Freedom Unlimited Visa - 1.5x URs (Another card needed in order to transfer, such as CSR/CSP/Ink Plus/Ink Bold/Ink Preferred). No AF, FTF.
Chase Ink Unlimited Business Visa - 1.5x URs, Same as Freedom Unlimited
Citi Double Cash MC - 2x TYP. You need a premium Citi card, (Premier, Prestige or Chairman) to transfer to partners other than JetBlue at 1:1 ratio. No AF, FTF.


Cards that earn hotel points

Amex Hilton Honors - 3x HH points, no AF, no FTF
Amex Hilton Honors Surpass - 3x HH points, AF $95, no FTF, some perks
Amex Hilton Honors Business - 3x HH points, AF $95, no FTF, some perks
Amex Hilton Honors Aspire - 3x HH points, AF $450, no FTF, lots of perks.
Amex Bonvoy - 2x Marriott points. AF $95, FYF, no FTF. Discontinued.
Amex Bonvoy Business - same as Amex Bonvoy. AF $125, no FTF.
Amex Bonvoy Brilliant - same as Amex Bonvoy. AF $450
Barclaycard Choice Privileges Visa - 2x on everything. No AF, FTF.
Barclaycard Wyndham Rewards Visa - 2x (grandfathered versions 2x on everything). AF $69/$0, FTF.
Chase Bonvoy Boundless Visa - same as Amex Bonvoy.
Chase IHG Traveler MC - 2x on everything. No AF, no FTF.
Chase IHG Premier/Premier Business MC - 3x on everything. AF $99, no FTF.
Chase Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite - same as Amex Bonvoy. AF $450, no FTF. Discontinued, but can be obtained via PC from another Chase Bonvoy card.
FNBO Best Western Rewards Premium MC - 2x BW points. AF $59, no FTF
FNBO Best Western Rewards MC - 2x BW points. No AF, no FTF

2%+ Cashback Cards: (by % amount)

US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa - 4.5% towards travel (cashout possible), if you use Android Pay, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay or LG Pay for in-person, in-app or online purchases. AF $400, no FTF, many other perks.
Barclaycard Priceline Rewards Visa (grandfathered 2x/5x version) - 3.33% if redeemed against Priceline or travel purchases, 2% if redeemed for everything else. No AF, no FTF.
AOD CU Visa Signature - 3% on everything. No AF, no FTF. Discontinued.
Synchrony Paypal Cashback Mastercard - 3% if paid with Paypal, 2% everywhere else, no AF, FTF.
Barclaycard Arrival Premier MC - 3% if you spend exactly $15k or $25k, 2%, if you spend less than $15k. AF $150, FYF, no FTF, some perks. Discontinued.
Bank of America Travel Rewards Visa (with Platinum (Honors) Preferred Rewards) - 2.25/2.625%. No AF, no FTF.
Bank of America Premium Rewards Visa (with Platinum (Honors) Preferred Rewards) - 2.25/2.625%. AF $95, no FTF, some perks.
Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Visa (with Platinum (Honors) Preferred Rewards) - 2.25/2.625%. AF $550, no FTF, many other perks.
USAA Limitless Cashback Rewards Visa - 2.5% (must be USAA member, with $1k direct deposit per month). no AF. Discontinued.
Alliant Cashback Visa Signature - 2.5% up to $10k per cycle, if you have $1k on your checking account. No AF, no FTF.
Barclaycard Arrival Plus MasterCard - 2.1% if you redeem for travel purchases. AF $89, no FTF. Discontinued.
Discover it Miles - 3% (first year only, 1.5% after that). No AF, no FTF.

Exactly 2% Cashback Cards: (alphabetical)

Amex Blue Business Cash - 2% on up to $50k per year. No AF, FTF.
BBVA Compass Rewards Visa - 2%, if you receive $1000 in direct deposits per month to checking account. No AF.
Blispay Visa - 2%. No AF.
Citi Double Cash MasterCard - 2%. No AF, FTF.
Capital One Spark Cash Business Visa - 2%. AF $95, FYF, no FTF.
Capital One Spark Miles Business Visa - 2% if redeemed for travel. AF $95, FYF, no FTF.
Capital One Venture Visa - 2% if you redeem for travel purchases. AF $95, FYF, no FTF.
Capital One Venture X Visa - 2% if you redeem for travel purchases. AF $395, no FTF, many other perks.
Fidelity Rewards Visa - 2%. No AF.
PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa (with Honors Advantage) - 2%. No AF, no FTF.
PNC Premier Traveler Visa - 2% if you redeem for travel purchases. AF $85, FYF, no FTF.
State Department Federal CU Premium Cashback+ Visa - 2%, no AF, no FTF.
Synchrony Paypal Cashback MC - 2% for non-PayPal purchases, no AF, FTF.
Too many to list.













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Which card(s) to use for high spend or large purchases? [Consolidated]

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Old Oct 27, 2020, 10:15 pm
  #466  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: LAX
Posts: 135
Originally Posted by mr_rogers
What is the current best credit card for high (unbonused) spend?
Running ~200k/year through. Maxed out on new signups for bonuses.
Depends on your goals, but I've used all of the following. Current default is Double Cash after hitting $50k on BBP.

Cash Back:
2.625% with BofA Premium Rewards & Platinum Honors

Transferable Points:
Citi TY: Double Cash paired with Premier/Prestige
Chase UR: CFU paired with CSR/CSP or business variants
Amex MR: BBP for $50k / Business Platinum on $5k+ transactions
FlyingChuck is offline  
Old Mar 2, 2021, 8:12 pm
  #467  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicago
Programs: Hyatt Glob; UA 1K; BonVoyage LTT (RIP SPG); HH Dia; JX Insighter
Posts: 1,643
Upcoming spend - maximizing earnings

My wife and I will be spending $30-40k on major purchases in the next couple of months, none of which are in traditional bonus categories. Which card(s) would currently offer the most compelling signup offers? Constraints: we both currently have both Sapphire cards, and I’ve received signup bonuses on both the Amex Gold and Platinum cards in the past (and I don’t think getting her a Platinum card makes sense for less than 100k). Both well under 5/24, most history with Chase and Amex.

Thoughts?
CLEguy is offline  
Old Mar 5, 2021, 9:20 pm
  #468  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: TYS/BNA/ATL
Programs: UR, TYP, MR, C1, AA, UA, WN, BA, AS, AV, AC, Choice, Hyatt, IHG, Hilton, Wyndham, Marriott
Posts: 1,978
Originally Posted by CLEguy
My wife and I will be spending $30-40k on major purchases in the next couple of months, none of which are in traditional bonus categories. Which card(s) would currently offer the most compelling signup offers? Constraints: we both currently have both Sapphire cards, and I’ve received signup bonuses on both the Amex Gold and Platinum cards in the past (and I don’t think getting her a Platinum card makes sense for less than 100k). Both well under 5/24, most history with Chase and Amex.

Thoughts?
Get whatever offers high signup bonuses. Chase Ink Preferred, Cash, Unlimited offer great bonuses right now. You can continue with a cards which offer unlimited category free nights, such as Hilton Aspire, Surpass. After that, get US Bank Altitude Reserve, if you can utilize mobile wallet payment.
yugi is offline  
Old May 9, 2021, 1:48 pm
  #469  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 36
I am going to spend around $30,000 for next month, I want to know what credit card bonus I can take advantage of other than American Express and Chase ? Thanks !!
Chris Fong is offline  
Old May 9, 2021, 3:52 pm
  #470  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,943
Originally Posted by Chris Fong
I am going to spend around $30,000 for next month, I want to know what credit card bonus I can take advantage of other than American Express and Chase ? Thanks !!
Citi Double Cash?
Stgermainparis is offline  
Old May 11, 2021, 12:15 pm
  #471  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Omaha
Programs: AA Life Plat 4mm, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,460
Around 10k spend for 4 F tickets on AA to Hawaii - choices
AX Membership Rewards 3x - kinda of new card already hit 75k bonus last month but 30k sounds ok
Hyatt Chase 2x - still in first 6 months so double points until 15k - just got the sign up bonus
Citi AA 2x - no bonuses here - have around 400k but could always use more I guess

I’m not very good at figuring this stuff out.
kmandrew is offline  
Old Jun 16, 2021, 5:35 pm
  #472  
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: SEA/NYC/IAD
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 1,928
I've got ~$22k +$8k upcoming spend (so around $30k or so in total as two transactions) for some remodeling (contractor doing floors/paint/etc.). What's the best way to maximize this?

I'm at 47 months on my CSR, so not eligible for the 100k CSP offer until September/October (I forget when I earned the bonus, so +3 months to be safe).

I see there are public links for 150k MR Biz Plat. In two transactions, is that my best option? That'd be 30k * 1.5 (for transactions above 5k) so 195k points in total when all said and done. I've never applied for a business credit card, so I find that a bit scary.

Other ideas ... I could go for Citi Premier 60k TYPs maybe? I could get 2.25% cashback via Fidelity Visa, but that seems kind of wimpy. I already hold personal Amex Plat/Gold so no other MR options really stand out. Am I missing anything else really obvious?
Polytonic is online now  
Old Jun 16, 2021, 8:43 pm
  #473  
Moderator: Travel Buzz
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
Originally Posted by Polytonic
I've got ~$22k +$8k upcoming spend (so around $30k or so in total as two transactions) for some remodeling (contractor doing floors/paint/etc.). What's the best way to maximize this?

I Am I missing anything else really obvious?
We do quite a bit of Home Improvement and try to use Home Depot Gift Cards that were purchased with a category bonus (grocery, office supply, drug stores, etc) whenever we can. We reroofed a house and gave the contractor $2000 worth of Home Depot gift cards to buy roofing materials. Just hang onto the receipt if you're not using the cards yourself. You could also be sure to use a shopping portal that would increase the bonus points or miles for anything you buy online. Chase cards have had temporary boosts for home improvement stores, also. See this thread: "Chase Offers" (Shopping/bonus incentives for various Cards) - Page 8 - FlyerTalk Forums and this one: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...all-cards.html
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Old Jun 16, 2021, 10:13 pm
  #474  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,943
Originally Posted by Polytonic
I've got ~$22k +$8k upcoming spend (so around $30k or so in total as two transactions) for some remodeling (contractor doing floors/paint/etc.). What's the best way to maximize this?

I'm at 47 months on my CSR, so not eligible for the 100k CSP offer until September/October (I forget when I earned the bonus, so +3 months to be safe).

I see there are public links for 150k MR Biz Plat. In two transactions, is that my best option? That'd be 30k * 1.5 (for transactions above 5k) so 195k points in total when all said and done. I've never applied for a business credit card, so I find that a bit scary.

Other ideas ... I could go for Citi Premier 60k TYPs maybe? I could get 2.25% cashback via Fidelity Visa, but that seems kind of wimpy. I already hold personal Amex Plat/Gold so no other MR options really stand out. Am I missing anything else really obvious?
The Plat Biz seems like the obvious answer. I just got one and am slogging my way through $15k spend. Having that done in one purchase would be so nice. If you don’t want to apply for a biz card, do you have the Chase Freedom Unlimited for 1.5x points? I’m also trying to hit some spend on my Hyatt card for more tier nights but usually default with that Unlimited for non bonus spend.
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Old Jun 16, 2021, 11:45 pm
  #475  
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,456
Originally Posted by Polytonic
I've got ~$22k +$8k upcoming spend (so around $30k or so in total as two transactions) for some remodeling (contractor doing floors/paint/etc.). What's the best way to maximize this?
Does your contractor offer a cash discount? Just make sure you are overall making a profit vs. paying in cash.

I'm planning to do something similar with a local tax payment later in the year if this offer is still around. There's a fee but I figure I will easily make that back.

Rumor has it there is a 160k public offer floating around if you're also planning to add an Employee Card. Doctor of Credit blog had some info on it in a recent article.

Don't be scared of business cards. They'll change your life.
MDtR-Chicago is offline  
Old Jun 17, 2021, 1:49 pm
  #476  
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: SEA/NYC/IAD
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 1,928
Originally Posted by Stgermainparis
The Plat Biz seems like the obvious answer. I just got one and am slogging my way through $15k spend. Having that done in one purchase would be so nice. If you don’t want to apply for a biz card, do you have the Chase Freedom Unlimited for 1.5x points? I’m also trying to hit some spend on my Hyatt card for more tier nights but usually default with that Unlimited for non bonus spend.
I have a CSR that I'm willing to downgrade to a CFU (I'm pretty peeved with Chase for screwing up my loan paperwork and not comping me in any way) so I could do that.

Originally Posted by MDtR-Chicago
Does your contractor offer a cash discount? Just make sure you are overall making a profit vs. paying in cash.

I'm planning to do something similar with a local tax payment later in the year if this offer is still around. There's a fee but I figure I will easily make that back.

Rumor has it there is a 160k public offer floating around if you're also planning to add an Employee Card. Doctor of Credit blog had some info on it in a recent article.

Don't be scared of business cards. They'll change your life.
Oh, I hadn't thought of a cash discount actually. That's a good call out.

I've thought about paying taxes with a credit card before. In theory, with the Fidelity Visa you could come out ahead with their Rewards+ program (if you have enough under active management). 2.25% up to 3% even, against the payment processor 2% fee, you'd be net profitable (though obv. bleeding in management fees to Fido).

I might have to switch to quarterly tax payments instead, which would basically qualify for any kind of high spend, but I don't know what to put regular high spend on.

There is a 160k offer. I actually have a link for that (and two other 150k offers, though not on me at the moment). I can post or send it over later if people are interested in that.
Polytonic is online now  
Old Jun 19, 2021, 10:04 am
  #477  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 120
High tier 2% cash back options?

I have some large (non travel/dining) purchases coming up and looking for a general cash back card option. Do not want to use for travel as I have other cards in the Chase and Amex family that serves that purpose. I also have high total limits between those two with personal/business cards and neither of those cards-Plat, CSR, Ink or hotel/airline cards are good for cash back.

I do not have any Citi cards and was exploring the double cash though I do not think it would provide the limits I need at approval (at least $20k+) without requesting a CLI. The prestige may provide the limit and has some impressive multipliers but still has best value with travel.

The other card I found was called the luxury card issued by Barclays and has 2% cash back at a high annual $1k fee. Being a higher tier card it may provide a larger limit I need. Even with the annual fee it seems I would be ahead with the upcoming spend I have and can easily use the $200 credit. I do not have any Barclays issued cards. There is also a 1.5% back version at a $500 annual fee and $150 credit.

These balances will be paid in full, just looking at options to maximize this spend.

Are there any other non category specific 2% cash back cards I can look at, with higher limits.
Ali380 is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2021, 10:33 am
  #478  
 
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 3
If you can maintain their platinum honors tier, bank of america's premium rewards card gives 2.62% cashback. It has $100 annual fee.
onceking is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2021, 11:40 am
  #479  
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 120
Originally Posted by onceking
If you can maintain their platinum honors tier, bank of america's premium rewards card gives 2.62% cashback. It has $100 annual fee.
Thanks I do not do BOA and dont think there is enough time to setup an account to get the card. Would need that balance for 3 months for platinum honors. My purchases will be in the next few weeks.
Looks like my topic was merged with another thread, going through it most of the discussion is for cards I already have focused on travel rewards. I guess there are few, high tier, non category based cash back options.
Not looking for MR, TY or UR points nor hotel/airline rewards in this scenario.
Ali380 is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2021, 12:24 pm
  #480  
mia
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Originally Posted by Ali380
....
Not looking for....TY or UR points ....in this scenario.
Bear in mind that ThankYou and Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for cash at $0.01/point.
mia is offline  


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