# Efficient Point Acquisition



## Anderson (Jun 10, 2011)

So, I've seen stuff tossed around about non-AGR Credit Cards which put points into AGR via transfers (i.e. a Continental-linked card). Are there any cards which offer a substantial edge over the AGR card (startup incentives aside) in terms of how fast you can rack up points?


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## RRrich (Jun 10, 2011)

Only reason I have found to use a "non-AGR" card is to clean-up orphan points so transfer them to AGR.

eg IIRC you need 5000 CO miles to transfer but you only have 3.5K - time to use your CO card


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## jb64 (Jun 10, 2011)

Continental seems to have more promotions than AGR card, or so it seems. I have both. For example, CO had double points promo for a while when you purchased items from its mall partners and used your CO card. For example, my son's xbox 360 went out and he needed to buy a new one. I looked through AGR partners and the best I could find was around 4 pts per dollar. I then looked on CO and using their double promo, I purchased it through Target online through their promo and got around 8 pts per dollar. Also, CO is currently running a promo where you get 50% more points on ordinary purchases through a certain date. So while you have to transfer in blocks of 5000, it is not too hard to accumulate those blocks of 5000.


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## the_traveler (Jun 10, 2011)

However, I still prefer the AGR MasterCard over everything else. Sure you may get less miles/points per $, but most of those other cards have annual fees ranging from $50-$100 (or more)!




I'll take less points for a card that has no annual fee!


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## The Journalist (Jun 10, 2011)

the_traveler said:


> However, I still prefer the AGR MasterCard over everything else. Sure you may get less miles/points per $, but most of those other cards have annual fees ranging from $50-$100 (or more)!
> 
> 
> 
> I'll take less points for a card that has no annual fee!


THIS. Cards with fees for their programs are not good, though I give American Express a pass since they're a charge card and somewhat of a status symbol.


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## Oldsmoboi (Jun 10, 2011)

Why would you give Amex a pass for that. That is two additional negatives IMHO.


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## OlympianHiawatha (Jun 10, 2011)

The Journalist said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > However, I still prefer the AGR MasterCard over everything else. Sure you may get less miles/points per $, but most of those other cards have annual fees ranging from $50-$100 (or more)!
> ...


Why would a credit card be considered a "status symbol?"


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## Oldsmoboi (Jun 10, 2011)

Certain credit cards are because they have minimum income and asset requirements. Simply using that card and having people see it lets them know how wealthy you are. Amex black for example.


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## boxcar479 (Jun 10, 2011)

OlympianHiawatha said:


> The Journalist said:
> 
> 
> > the_traveler said:
> ...


It,s kinda like shopping at Needless Markup, uh I mean Nieman Marcus...... If you have to ask...... I usee the CO card and their shopping for points as well. The point payout is better.Plus they still have Wal-Mart, although I use Sears most often 5 points x 2. I think the double point offer for using the CO card runs until 7/17/11? I am still holding out for the AGR MC offer of 36K points hboy: so far this year I have accumalated quite a few CO points transferred to make it worth the $39. annual fee


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## the_traveler (Jun 10, 2011)

Oldsmoboi said:


> Certain credit cards are because they have minimum income and asset requirements. Simply using that card and having people see it lets them know how wealthy you are. Amex black for example.


That is true, for certain cards. But not even all Amex cards either. I have an Amex card - co-branded by Costco. It has no annual fee - as long as I'm a Costco member. I also have another co-branded Amex card - from Hilton. It also has no annual fee and give me Silver Status as long as I have it.

The only time I ever use these cards are when I'm at Costco or Hilton. All other times, I use the AGR MasterCard. The main reasons I have the Costco card is that they do not accept MC, and I use the Hilton card to get more points when I stay at a Hilton family property! I refuse to pay for a credit card!


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## Ispolkom (Jun 10, 2011)

Oldsmoboi said:


> Certain credit cards are because they have minimum income and asset requirements. Simply using that card and having people see it lets them know how wealthy you are. Amex black for example.


It takes all kinds, I suppose. I can't imagine wanting to impress strangers that way, or, really *any* way. Why would I care what strangers think?

I'm with the Traveler (and, come to think of it, have the two AmEx cards he mentions), and for me a annual fee is generally a deal-breaker. I only have the Continental Chase card because they gave me 50k miles, $50 and no annual fee for the first year. I'm not made of stone.


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## The Journalist (Jun 11, 2011)

Having an non-cobranded AmEx card (ie Green, Gold, Platinum, Black/Centurion) does have additional benefits beyond the "hey I have one of these" aspect, generally geared toward business travelers. Vaguely like a AAA membership. I was offered a Gold card a while ago; turned it down because of the $85(i think) annual fee for stuff I wouldn't use. Point is, AmEx doesn't just have fees for fee's sake, they have genuine benefits that people apparently want, so they get a pass on the annual fees.

And, topic.

Edit: got the colors wrong


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## Anderson (Jun 11, 2011)

Well, considering that I'm willing to pay a couple of hundred dollars for 13,000 points once a year, getting a card with a (relatively low) annual fee wouldn't be a dealbreaker...but it would need to have a pretty solid cost/benefit return vis-a-vis the AGR card to make it worthwhile. Considering the effective return I get on my rail trips, there likely isn't a card out there that could cut the mustard even outside of there being a fee if the points weren't easily transferable into AGR points (my standing calculation on AGR being a 5% return on spending).


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## Devil's Advocate (Jun 11, 2011)

Oldsmoboi said:


> Simply using that card and having people see it lets them know how wealthy you are.


Some of the poorest people I know have nearly every card you can reasonably expect to get your hands on. Cash flow is by no means equal to wealth. Any little slip up in one account can bring massive increases in rates and penalties to completely unrelated accounts. When I see status cards with big fees and even bigger limits I don't see wealth so much as poorly leveraged _risk_.


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## Anderson (Jun 11, 2011)

Texas Sunset said:


> Oldsmoboi said:
> 
> 
> > Simply using that card and having people see it lets them know how wealthy you are.
> ...


This. Now, some cards _do_ have net worth-related (or at least income-related) triggers involved (and I do think that more cards ought to take net assets into account, in addition to credit score and income), but what Olds said is just about dead on: A lot of folks stack up lots and lots of cards, keep balances on most or all of them, and even use one card to pay off another. I generally won't offer my opinion of this behavior where ladies might be present...but I also come from a _very_ debt-averse family, and had to have my first credit card pushed on me by my mother.

Regrettably, there are a lot of things you _have_ to have a card to do (renting a car leaps to mind, and reserving a hotel room also leaps to mind)...generally, my attitude towards a card is this: Use it, pay it off at the end of the month (or whenever you get close to your limit...a low-limit card can go a _lot_ further than folks think if they're willing to pay it down multiple times per month) and pocket the residuals from the best reward program you can find for free.


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## amamba (Jun 11, 2011)

Please don't let the fact that ladies are present prevent you from sharing your true opinion. As a woman, I find that to he offensive, as if our delicate sensibilities can't handle the truth? That is just paternalistic and anachronistic.


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## Ispolkom (Jun 15, 2011)

the_traveler said:


> The main reasons I have the Costco card is that they do not accept MC...


Lately I've been buying Costco giftcards at costco.com to use at the stores. You can use a Visa or Mastercard to purchase them, and there are no shipping or handling charges. A useful way to get AGR points (or in my case, a minimum spend on a new Visa card) at a place that doesn't otherwise accept anything but American Express.


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## the_traveler (Jun 15, 2011)

Ispolkom said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > The main reasons I have the Costco card is that they do not accept MC...
> ...


While it is true that you can use other cards at costco..com, at the warehouse itself, you can only use AX or a gift card or cash (whatever that is



). I myself do not want to order a gift card on line, have to wait a week (or however long it takes) for it to arrive and then go shopping!


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## Ispolkom (Jun 15, 2011)

the_traveler said:


> I myself do not want to order a gift card on line, have to wait a week (or however long it takes) for it to arrive and then go shopping!


Sadly, that's far from the least hare-brained scheme I've used to acquire points. Me, I draw the line at ordering dollar coins.


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## the_traveler (Jun 15, 2011)

I've done my share of things like that!



(Does that surprise anyone?



)

Once, I couldn't get miles (this was in the old days when I



flew



) from (I think it was) LL Bean, however I could from giftcertificates.com! So I bought a gift certificate from giftcertificates.com - and used it at LL Bean.com and earned miles for my purchase!



(Believe it or not, they even issued me a check for the balance - a whole *10 cents*!



)


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