Trader Joes?
Oct 12, 2017 | 11:19 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 212
Trader Joes?
Hey all!
We shop at trader joes every two weeks and spend around 200-300$ each time.
Would love to gain more than the 1.5 points of freedom unlimited.
Any way of doing that?
I thought buying a google play gift card at staples then paying with google pay will work but I called google service line and they said it won't...
Any other way?
We shop at trader joes every two weeks and spend around 200-300$ each time.
Would love to gain more than the 1.5 points of freedom unlimited.
Any way of doing that?
I thought buying a google play gift card at staples then paying with google pay will work but I called google service line and they said it won't...
Any other way?
Oct 12, 2017 | 11:33 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 26,113
Hey all!
We shop at trader joes every two weeks and spend around 200-300$ each time.
Would love to gain more than the 1.5 points of freedom unlimited.
Any way of doing that?
I thought buying a google play gift card at staples then paying with google pay will work but I called google service line and they said it won't...
Any other way?
We shop at trader joes every two weeks and spend around 200-300$ each time.
Would love to gain more than the 1.5 points of freedom unlimited.
Any way of doing that?
I thought buying a google play gift card at staples then paying with google pay will work but I called google service line and they said it won't...
Any other way?
The no-AF Amex Everyday card gives 2.4 Membership Rewards points for groceries if you do 20 separate purchases each billing period. That's not the best earning out there on groceries, but it's clearly better than Chase UR (well, if you value Amex MR points the same as Chase UR points, that is), and just like Freedom Unlimited it has no annual fee. (Amex has an annual fee version of Everyday that earns even more, but you need 30 separate purchases each billing period to max out the earnings on that one.)
Oct 12, 2017 | 12:26 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: All of them, Katie
Posts: 224
The AMEX Blue Cash Preferred is 6% cash back at grocery stores up to $6000 per year, which happens to be close to what you say you spend. It has a $95 per year annual fee, but that could easily be worth it for the $360 per year cash back you'd earn.
Oct 12, 2017 | 2:26 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: UA Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 149
The AMEX Hilton Surpass gives 6 pts/$ (double the normal rate) for groceries. That's a return of about 3% given typical Hilton points valuation, and assuming you want Hilton points. AF is $75 I believe.
The regular Chase Freedom, as well as Discover, give 5% back in the quarters where groceries are the bonus category. No AF for either.
Are Trader Joe merchant gift cards available anywhere with a bonus category?
The regular Chase Freedom, as well as Discover, give 5% back in the quarters where groceries are the bonus category. No AF for either.
Are Trader Joe merchant gift cards available anywhere with a bonus category?
Oct 12, 2017 | 3:07 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 212
Thanks for all the suggestions !
I do have the amex preferred and I actually maxed it already for this year... I guess I spend more ahha.
Not too keen on hilton point.
Btw, not sure if anyone here mention this site before (although it is all cash back so not really that interesting) :
http://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/ear...gory222723218/
festdave - that was my hope but they don't as far as I can tell. They do sell them but in store so no good... It will eb amaizn gif they do at staples like whole foods. I emailed trader joes about that... asking that they do.
I really wish I can find a good way to earn Chase UR through my TJ shopping somehow
I do have the amex preferred and I actually maxed it already for this year... I guess I spend more ahha.
Not too keen on hilton point.
Btw, not sure if anyone here mention this site before (although it is all cash back so not really that interesting) :
http://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/ear...gory222723218/
festdave - that was my hope but they don't as far as I can tell. They do sell them but in store so no good... It will eb amaizn gif they do at staples like whole foods. I emailed trader joes about that... asking that they do.
I really wish I can find a good way to earn Chase UR through my TJ shopping somehow
Oct 12, 2017 | 6:52 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 26,113
There are about 13 weeks in a quarter; $300 x 13 / 2 ($300 every 2 weeks for 13 weeks) would be $1900, so you wouldn't cap out the spend in a quarter based on what you said you spend. And thus you'd earn 5x UR for one quarter of each year. That may not be perfect, but isn't it worth doing for that one quarter a year? (And you may find other quarters' 5x promos worth it to some degree too, even if perhaps not as much as a grocery quarter.)
Oct 12, 2017 | 7:11 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: All of them, Katie
Posts: 224
If the "We" in your original post indicates that you are half of a couple, you could also convince the other half of this couple to apply for their own Blue Cash Preferred and add you as an authorized user. When you hit the annual $6k cap on one, switch to the other for the rest of the year.
Oct 13, 2017 | 5:53 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,207
As mentioned above, you can, up to a point. Chase Freedom (a different card than Freedom Unlimited) has rotating 5x UR categories (changes each quarter), and from time to time (about once a year?) it may have groceries at 5x UR for one calendar quarter, up to a cap (which I think is $2500).
There are about 13 weeks in a quarter; $300 x 13 / 2 ($300 every 2 weeks for 13 weeks) would be $1900, so you wouldn't cap out the spend in a quarter based on what you said you spend. And thus you'd earn 5x UR for one quarter of each year. That may not be perfect, but isn't it worth doing for that one quarter a year? (And you may find other quarters' 5x promos worth it to some degree too, even if perhaps not as much as a grocery quarter.)
There are about 13 weeks in a quarter; $300 x 13 / 2 ($300 every 2 weeks for 13 weeks) would be $1900, so you wouldn't cap out the spend in a quarter based on what you said you spend. And thus you'd earn 5x UR for one quarter of each year. That may not be perfect, but isn't it worth doing for that one quarter a year? (And you may find other quarters' 5x promos worth it to some degree too, even if perhaps not as much as a grocery quarter.)
