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0.5% cashback- normal?

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Old Nov 27, 2007 | 5:19 am
  #1  
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0.5% cashback- normal?

I am planning to move to Poland and am looking at the available miles-earning opportunities. I must say these are nowhere as wide as other countries seem to have, which is a shame.

So far I've come across only Citi Visa and Diners Club cards earning Miles & More points. But I've also noticed that HSBC which has recently entered Poland is offering a 0.5% cashback at the end of the year on all purchases with its cards (Visa/MC, IIRC).

Is this level normal? I personally was thinking that points would give more than the meagre 0.5%...

Last edited by GlobalSights; Nov 27, 2007 at 6:06 am
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Old Nov 27, 2007 | 11:03 am
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It totally depends on the country. Yes, in the US 0.5% would be extremely meagre. However, interchange rates are lower in Poland than in the US - so lower margin to give rewards. Also credit models are not as sophisticated so they have higher credit reserves costs.
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Old Nov 27, 2007 | 12:31 pm
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Originally Posted by GlobalSights
I am planning to move to Poland and am looking at the available miles-earning opportunities. I must say these are nowhere as wide as other countries seem to have, which is a shame.

So far I've come across only Citi Visa and Diners Club cards earning Miles & More points. But I've also noticed that HSBC which has recently entered Poland is offering a 0.5% cashback at the end of the year on all purchases with its cards (Visa/MC, IIRC).

Is this level normal? I personally was thinking that points would give more than the meagre 0.5%...
If you go back to Poland, unless you leave your bank account open in the US, just use whatever the best Polish card. You could do better than 0.5% by doing something sophisticated, but at the end it's not worth the hassle.

I can think of you using cap1 1% cash back card with no foreign fee, but if something goes wrong, you will have a big hassle dealing with this. However, it would be a good idea to deplete the dollar balance by using american credit card instead of exchanging the money into Polish currency.
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Old Nov 27, 2007 | 12:33 pm
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Thanks. I'm also under the impression that the generosity of these offers varies greatly by country, and Poland is hardly advanced in the area, especially as compared to the possibilities available in the US!
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Old Nov 27, 2007 | 12:36 pm
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Originally Posted by curious_miles
If you go back to Poland, unless you leave your bank account open in the US, just use whatever the best Polish card. You could do better than 0.5% by doing something sophisticated, but at the end it's not worth the hassle.

I can think of you using cap1 1% cash back card with no foreign fee, but if something goes wrong, you will have a big hassle dealing with this. However, it would be a good idea to deplete the dollar balance by using american credit card instead of exchanging the money into Polish currency.
Thanks for the suggestions, but my problem is, I'm not in the States... Otherwise I would've got myself a Starwood Amex Plat or a Hilton Amex Plat or whatever other card long ago...
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