lordsutch

Another data point in support of the cards being moved to Amex: at least on both of my cards there haven't been any balance transfer offers since May or so. Even a reasonably favorable offer that I know wasn't due to expire until sometime in July disappeared from my account just before the announcement.

BrlDsguise

Not only have I never had a BT offer on my Reserve card it doesn't even show up under offers so I can check for them. Curiously I can check BT status even though.

I have five other Citi cards with a different login and regularly get BT offers on them.

sdsearch

It's the bank that charges the FTF, so it's Amex, not Hilton.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but Amex seems to feel that they cant get rid of the 3% FTF without raising the annual fee to at least $95. That's what they did a few years ago with the SPG card. The highest AF on an Amex HH card so far is Surpass at $75. So presumably to get rid of 3% FTF they'll either raise Surpass to $95 AF or add a new card (Ascend?) at $95 AF.

Extremely few banks do 0% FTF on no-AF cards, but Chase for example does 0% FTF on cards with as little as $49 AF (the IHG card).

BOSOGG

Chase Amazon Visa is No AF & No FTF

Points Scrounger

Don't forget that the $49 includes one reward night. Huge drawback for the card is that it cannot be added to phones for contactless - insert and sign for everything outside USA.

jamesteroh

Penfed also has a no AF and no FTF card. I don’t use it much but a couple times a year get some nice promo offers that make it worth it to use the card.

The nice thing about the PenFed card is that card has chip and pin so it has been useful at a couple places for train terminal tickets

isle-hawg

I am not aware of AMEX, CITI or Chase offering these products, but Barclays, BoA, Cap 1, Discover, USAA and FNBO all have no-AF rewards cards that have no FTF.

Points Scrounger

Not sure what FNBO might be, but First Tech credit union has a no annual fee, no AF card.

sdsearch

Huge drawback for you maybe, but many people don't use their phones internationally the same way they do in the USA, plus many people don't want to figure out which store accepts phone payments and which store doesn't.

I find it simpler to just always pull out the card. No wondering about this works or that works, if the card itself doesn't work, no other payment method made (billed to that card) would either, right? But if contactless or phone payment doesn't work, the card may still work. So why bother with a "sometimes works, sometimes doesn't" technology, when the card "always" works (by comparison)?

I was using this card overseas long before most people had mobile phone payments. Why should I stop just because it doesn't work with them?

sdsearch

Well, Amex, Citi, and Chase offer both airline cards and hotel cards plus rewards programs that transfer to same.

Does Barclays or BofA offer airline or hotel cards with no AF and no FTF? (Because they certainly have no bank points program that transfers to any airlines or hotels.) For someone not interested in cashback (or bank rewards programs that equate to nothing more than specialized cashback), only in real airline miles or real hotel points, those other banks's rewards programs are irrelevant.

pinniped

I've started *trying* this year to use phone payment. Really, I want to become a fan of it. But it's super-gradual growth for me...I know the places where it works, I know other places where it doesn't, and I have to be in the right mood to bother trying it somewhere new. (That's the "gradual" part. I'm not in that mood often, and am tired of it getting rejected or just being super-finicky.)

In other words, it wouldn't affect my decision on whether to get a particular card. If it's otherwise a great card worthy of a spot in my wallet, lack of contactless abilities wouldn't be held against it.

jamesteroh

It takes just as long for me to dig out my phone and open up the wallet app as it does to open up my regular wallet and pull the card out.

I did use Apple Pay a lot in 15 when Discover was giving 10% cash back on all apple pay purchases and I tired to use merchants that accepted apple pay on all large purchases I made during that promo period.

I like using applepay overseas though since the merchant doesn't have to deal with printing out a receipt and having me sign it, I'd love to see pin and chip technology like they have overseas in the US

bimmerfreak0

How on earth do we not have an official update yet...

TravelinSperry

The new Uber card coming out Nov 2 has no AF and no FTF + 4% back on restaurants and 3% back on hotels/airfare

freeflyin

Agreed and it's pretty frustrating. I wonder if the lack of info is part of the Amex contract, because they don't want folks closing accounts before they convert.

Each time I contact Citi, I am given the same answer-your account will be sent to Amex and information will be sent before the end of the year.