Better Matters

Yesterday I shared that I had cancelled my Hilton Surpass Amex based on the uncertain future. I was on the fence about this for some time as there was plenty of potential value but a better card came along to sway me to cancelling it.

The Verizon Visa from Synchrony Bank. I am a Verizon customer, after jumping to several competitors I found that only the Verizon network worked for me. Synchrony released their new Verizon card at exactly the time I would have considered it so I now have it and it has quickly found a place in my wallet. Standard offer is $100 in bill credits over 24 months when Verizon bill is paid with this credit card or $4.17 per month. Not a great signup bonus but this is Synchrony and there is no minimum spend requirement. I signed up with an additional launch bonus, at this time that amount remains a mystery.

Breakdown of rewards:
4% of grocery and gas
3% on dining
2% on Verizon
1% everywhere else

This card really had two selling points to me. First 4% on groceries. I don't have a card that has a grocery category so getting this on a no fee card is a big win in my total rebates. The 3% on dining is nice but I have that with the Citi Costco, The Verizon card does allow for redemption each billing cycle rather than just an annual rebate each spring with Costco. The second attraction is the 2% on Verizon. This was one of two bills that I could not pay on a credit card without a penalty. Verizon offers a discount per line with direct ACH debit that far outweighs any credit card rewards. The branded Visa allows that discount to continue as well as earning a 2% rebate on the monthly bill with immediate turnaround on redemption so having the card effectively reduces cellular expenses by 2% ignoring the signup bonus credit. My Verizon bill is about 2% of my monthly spend so 2% of 2% does eventually add up.

The other bill I could not pay via credit card without penalty was my electric bill. I recently discovered that there was a way to do so via Arcadia Power (Referral Link). In deregulated states I believe they act as a electric broker, it regulated states they offer green wind electric for a slight upcharge or 50% wind for free for using their services. They make their money on these customers through the float on your electric bill but I'll take the credit card rewards over the 30 days interest. For this I have my Citi Double Cash registered so am getting 2% back on electric and cell service.

What's in My Wallet?

What credit cards are in my wallet and why?


Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card my link My home airport is MSP, Delta dominates, and I like having the freedom to check a bag without a fee. Until this year I would have said it was a card to have but not to use. New features include 2x miles on dining and groceries as well as $100 Delta gift card when $10,000 is spent in a calendar year.

Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier my link Truthfully, this card isn't often in my wallet. It is very much a card to have but rarely use. I use this on IHG stays and nowhere else. Perks of the card include IHG Platinum status which gets you 50% more points and upgrades such as they are at IHG. This card also rebates the fourth night on award bookings which makes it very valuable to me. Ignoring that benefit there is also an annual free night which alone offsets the $89 fee. The card also offers Global Entry/TSA Pre reimbursement, I have yet to use this benefit but will be making use of it next year at GE renewal.

Citibank Costco Visa I surprisingly love Costco despite not being a fit for Sam's Club, very different product mix. I picked this up initially because at the time I joined Costco my wallet ran on Mastercard. This card gets heavy use for the 4% back in gas and 3% in travel in and dining. My Costco spend also goes on it as I don't have a card that can do better than 2% at Costco and my membership info is printed on the card so one less thing to carry. I would consider this the best no annual fee travel card out there. The downside is cash out only happens annually and must be done at Costco.

Citibank Double Cash This is actually my oldest credit card, it was opened as an AAdvantage card and product changed to avoid the annual fee. Likely due to product changing into this card it is a WorldElite card giving some additional MasterCard sponsored benefits, I have only benefited from the Lyft and Fandango credits. 2% on everything is a nice catch all card when I decide a SkyMile isn't worth that much.

Synchrony Verizon Visa This is the newest card to my lineup, it only makes sense if you intend to be a loyal Verizon Wireless post paid customer. I have the Verizon bill setup to charge to this card as I get the autopay discount and a 2% rebate on that spend. Like the Costco card this also offers 3% on dining and 4% on gas, the main difference being this card allows monthly redemption and only to Verizon Dollars. The benefit that got my attention with this card was 4% on grocery stores, 4% in quasi-cash has more value to me than 2 Delta miles or IHG points.


Chase and American Express links contain referrals, there may be better signup offers available.

Reduced Mileage Awards

I carry the Citibank AAdvantage Mastercard so I can get miles for most of my everyday purchases. In addition to the mileage earning aspect of the card the other prime benefit is the option to redeem miles at reduced amounts for selected destinations. I have made use of this feature about once per year so my $85 annual fee is essentially buying me 7500 miles, not a bad deal by itself. The list for spring 2012 has been released and can be found here. As usual the Northeast US is lacking,represented exclusively by Charleston WV more southern/Applachia than Northeast. The upside I see is that my home airport, MSP, is again on the list as are my haunts on I-75. I may very well be attending March Madness in Lexington again to experience the UK riots.