I am always looking to maximize the dollars I spend, and to take advantage of any programs that are out there. I have noticed programs like idine.com, myrewards.com, etc. I also don't like dealing with hassles.

Which programs do you subscribe to, and why? Which ones do you hate and why? Which are worth joining and which should I avoid like the plague?

(BTW, assume that I am already in airline/hotel/rental car programs, and I have the credit card I want already, so none of those, please

I thought I had the credit card I wanted too, and it's still the one I want for everything OTHER than gas stations, grocery stores, and drug stores, but when I found out that there's a little-known card that gives 4.77 UA miles per dollar spent on those three categories, I decided to get that card for those three categories ONLY. (It's Chase Rewards Plus, but the fact that you can convert to miles with three airlines, UA giving the best redemption rate of the three, is hard to find out as their official card description doesn't explain it.)

I belong to iDine with multiple airline programs. (That allows me to eat at 1/month restaurants more than once a month, each time crediting it to a different airline. Of course, I need one credit card per airline to do that. But since the miles earned from dining FAR outweigh the credit card miles earned from purchasing those dines, I don't care if I earn poor or no miles on the credit card I use for those iDine programs, given that I use those credit cards for nothing else.)

I'm a frequent hotel quest due to my travel patterns, and I'm not picky about upgrades and so I chase promos that get me the most miles. I find I have to do a little math to figure out which hotel promos are best in a given quarter. Btw, I just got ANOTHER credit card (this week!), the Choice Visa, because I did the math and figured out that during the summer using it for Choice brand reservations gives over 500 miles per stay, even at $70 properties! (Again, I won't use that card for anything else. I'm no longer getting cards just for signup bonuses, but I do get them occasionally when I find that they have great ONGOING value when used for ONE SPECIFIC purpose.) FYI, I pay for all my stays on my own dime, so the fact that $$$ properties from Hilton or Hyatt or Starwood also give me 500 miles per stay does me no good. With all the mileage devaluations at Priority Club, Choice is now often the best mileage value at an "affordable" price where I need to stay.

I don't bother with mileage malls because those points take forever to post and I don't have big enough purchases that I can steer through those to make that eternal wait (and difficult reconciling) worth it.

I don't bother with any of those miles-for-emails programs because I get enough junk mail and those are little payoff for a lot of bother from what I see. I need 100000s of miles (I don't bother to use miles for cheap domestic flights, I save them for upgrades or business class awards to overseas destinations), not 10s of miles, and so I focus on ways that I can get many miles, and leave to others to worry about way to get a few miles here and there.

I almost always rent with AVIS (especially short rentals) because it gives me a flat 500 BA miles, while most car rental companies only give a platry 50 miles per day. (The only other car rental mileage I find worthwhile for short rentals is crediting toward Southwest at Hertz, Budget, or Dollar.)

Does the Chase Rewards plus Visa (as opposed to the MasterCard) also allow you to convert points to United miles?

Another thread said that only the Chase Rewards plus MasterCard offered the ability to convert points to United miles, but I can't seem to find a way to apply for the Rewards Plus MasterCard. Only the Visa seems to be offered anymore.

The MC is offered, but you must apply by phone. See this thread in the Visa/MC forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...=chase+rewards

It is truly amazing the info that FlyerTalkers dig up!

Why hasn't everyone jumped on this card which allows you to get more than four miles per dollar spent at some merchants and no annual fee (I haven't 'cause I didn't know about it until now)?

This looks like a better deal than the Starwood American Express card--although only at gas stations, groceries and drugstores.

Well, not having heard about it is certainly one factor.

But not having a good use for UA miles may be another factor for some.

While the card also lets you earn BA or CO miles, it earns those at a lower rate (tho still 2.5 miles per $ spent).

But that's it. No other airlines.

Also, you can only transfer in 6000 point (thus $1200 spending at those 5x merchants) increments for UA, and only in 10000 point (thus $2000 spending) increments for BA and CO. If you aren't going to use the card enough to get to those thresholds before they can change the terms (remember, the transfer possibilities are subject to change at any time!), it may not be worth the risk for some.

Finally, you have to use it ONLY at such merchants to get good use out of it, if you have another card that earns 1 mi/$. Because this card earns LESS than 1 mi/$ at all OTHER merchants.

(Tho if you're used to choosing the card based on the retailer from doing thinkis like iDining, this may be easier for you than if you're used to always paying for absolutely everything with one card.)

Actually, it's a BETTER deal than the SPG Amex at EVERY merchant, IF your goal EITHER way is UA miles. That's because while SPG Amex converts to all other airlines at 1 to 1.25 miles/$, it converts at half that rate to UA. Meanwhile, the Chase Rewards Plus card earns about 0.8 UA miles/$, which is still better than 0.5 UA miles/$!!!

But obviously, if you're not going after UA primarily (just using this card to add to a secondary account), then SPG Amex or Diners Club is still better for tons of other FF programs at other merchants.