Which rewards credit cards do you guys have and why?

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

I have AA Advantage for the free suitcases and the monopoly that they have here in my town. It's been a great run while it lasted but if they get merged then there goes my free rides.

I have an RCI rewards card but I'm not sure why since I only redeem it for Red Lobster & Outback Steakhouse and other assorted gift cards.

Also have a BOA Worldpoints Amex which gets me so-so deals on air, halfway decent hotel points & cash options and some free rental cars. I guess I'll keep this one since BOA is my primary bank account anyway.

I want to replace the RCI card and probably the AA card if they sell out to another airline so any suggestions?

I used to have a Marriott rewards card but they inflated the points redemptions so high that it doesn't seem worth it anymore.
I own Hilton HGVC so was thinking that maybe that's the way I should go but again their redemptions seem pretty high too.

Would I be better off with a generic card like Capital One or Chase instead of being so brand loyal?
I'm not a big spender, mostly put all my daily expenses and business expenses on the cards so about 15K to 20K a year split among the different cards.
What do you guys do?
Any suggestions for me?

[Pat H Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pat H]

I have the AA card and the Starwood Amex. I really like the Starwood card since you can transfer points to most airlines. If you transfer 20,000 points you get 5,000 bonus miles. Also, it's great for booking hotels out of the US. If you decide you want one, you get 25,000 points to start with. If you let me refer you, I get 5,000 points also.

[Presley Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Presley]

After learning about the Starwood Amex, I went ahead and canceled our other AmEx cards and switched to that. I haven't had the chance to reap the benefits, though.

My Discover card has pretty good rewards for normal stuff. Usually, I use my points for gift cards that give an additional bonus. I ordered a camera, all on points when I was going to Alaska. Last week, my son wanted something on Amazon and Discover lets you pay for Amazon stuff with your points directly through Amazon - so, I cashed some in for that.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Chase Freedom, Citi Dividend, Discover and Discover Miles are some of the frequently used-the first two have 5% quarterly cash back categories. I switch cards often and add and drop cards when rewards change. I've stopped using my Citgo card since they discontinued the discount offered and now just go with the lowest priced gas.

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

I have a Bank of America Visa that is the 1 2 3 card (3% on gas, 2% on groceries and 1% on everything else). Points expire in 4 or 5 years from date of purchase. I am cashing in 75,000 points soon and having the $750 deposited in my Bank of America checking and get an additional $75 bonus. This is a business card; I don't know if it is available for non-business.

I also use an AA Citibank card. I only got it for the sign up bonus and the free luggage. We have other cards too, but these are the two we use most often.

Joy

[mdurette Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mdurette]

I have a Southwest Chase Visa. Probably not a choice for you since I don't believe they fly out of Miami and you don't use that much. For me, the use of this card gives me a Companion Pass every year. As a family of 3 we fly 5 times per year and I never pay for flights. So, that is 15 free flights per year. Once I earn my Companian Pass for the year I switch over to Marriott for a few months.

Since your usuage is only $15,000 - $20,000 per year. I would switch to a cash back one like Discover. Maximize what you can. Sign up for the quarterly 5% cash back bonus segments and then shop via their portal.

[Dori Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dori]

I have an Airmiles Amex, but would dearly love to have the Southwest cc. Because we live in Canada, we cannot get a U.S. cc from Southwest. We drive 3 hours from Toronto to Buffalo to fly SW, and really like them. Your cc companies offer such wonderful bonuses for applying for their cards. I follow Flyertalk and just drool at the sign-up offers.

Dori

[gandalf252002 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gandalf252002]

I just recently got the Bank of America Visa, so it does apply for personal as well. For my Canadian card I have a Bank of Montreal Gold Airmiles card that gives me 1 airmile for every $15 spent. This has given me three flights to Nova Scotia for my annual trip to visit the MIL.

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

We have the Chase Southwest Visa and generally earn a free trip or two a year. I just got the Jetblue Amex because they promised a 10,000 point bonus with my first purchase "which is good for a free round-trip". Needless to say, the points were not worth a free trip. I think they raised the point value of flights right when I joined LOL.
We also have the GM mastercard. It gives 5% back on every purchase which can be used for sales/leases of GM vehicles. Since we lease our cars this card is great for us. I am limited to the amount of points I can redeem, so when I max out I switch to the other cards. GM always offers an incentive to redeem, sometimes up to $2,000 more. I have never leased a car where I have had to put money down, I just use the points. They let you use them for the tax also.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

The card I use the most is the Chase Southwest Visa. We fly Southwest a lot, so this has been great. I earned a Companion pass and used it for dh. He has flown free with me all this year. Since I will be able to charge younger dds tuition again I look forward to earning quite a few free flights.

Prior to having the Southwest Visa I had a United one with Chase. At that time we were flying United more. I also have a Capital One that just earns points. I only opened that card since they don't have a fee for foreign transactions. When younger dd was attending school in Vancouver that was the card she used, and the one I used when I took her up there.

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

I also have Discover, and sign up for whatever special they run that gives you 5% back. I, too, usually redeem the rewards for gift cards. Last summer tey ran a special for Shell gas cards, $20 for a $40 card. I had enough points for around 17 of them, which kept me in gas for most of the summer.

[Dori Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dori]

Gandalf, I see you are from London. How did you manage to get a U.S. cc? I was told by chase, who issues Southwest cards, that you needed to have a SSN. A SIN number is not accepted.

Dori

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Dual citizenship would be a good guess. Or maybe just a US citizen working/living in the UK.

[easyrider Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close easyrider]

We like the Alaska Airlines Signature cards by BOA and the Costco AmX.

Bill

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

I have the AA card and the Starwood Amex. I really like the Starwood card since you can transfer points to most airlines. If you transfer 20,000 points you get 5,000 bonus miles. Also, it's great for booking hotels out of the US. If you decide you want one, you get 25,000 points to start with. If you let me refer you, I get 5,000 points also.

Pat, I don't own Starwood so didn't think that it would be worth it for me to own but that 5K bonus is a nice perk. If I decide to get one I'll let you know so you can get the 5K bonus. Is there a redemption chart for the hotels? I am looking for another loyalty hotel chain if it makes sense. Don't stay in too many Starwood resorts unless it's thru RCI or II.

After learning about the Starwood Amex, I went ahead and canceled our other AmEx cards and switched to that. I haven't had the chance to reap the benefits, though.

My Discover card has pretty good rewards for normal stuff. Usually, I use my points for gift cards that give an additional bonus. I ordered a camera, all on points when I was going to Alaska. Last week, my son wanted something on Amazon and Discover lets you pay for Amazon stuff with your points directly through Amazon - so, I cashed some in for that.

Do you own at a Starwood resort?