Author Topic: Using points and getting new card  (Read 2616 times)

Jimmy007

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Using points and getting new card
« on: March 13, 2017, 08:22:28 AM »
We've been paying for a regular AmEx green card for many, many years and currently have just over 400,000 points. It's easy to get a 100pts:$1 award (like a gift card) but I'm wondering what the most efficient use of these points might be. Is it best to sell the points? Use it for travel?

Also, I want to increase our efficiency and move away from this pay card. We have a regular VISA and the AmEx. I'm probably more interested in cash back at this point and I've seen the Citi Double Cash or Chase Freedom Unlimited as two highly recommended cards. Any others to consider?

ketchup

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Re: Using points and getting new card
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2017, 09:06:17 AM »
Amex Blue Cash Preferred gets 6% back on groceries and 3% back on gas, with $95 annual fee (which works out if you spend enough at grocery stores).

Best way to redeem points as far as cents per point is definitely travel (transferring to airlines), but if you weren't going to travel anyway, you don't exactly come out ahead doing that.

ducky19

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Re: Using points and getting new card
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2017, 07:03:18 PM »
Not sure if they will offer it again, but at the end of last year they had a special transfer rate of 1:1.5 to Plenti rewards - I got the 50,000 bonus for Premier Rewards and 10,000 bonus for Blue Every Day and ended up with nearly $1,000 in free gas at Mobil/Exxon stations. You can only use it $25 at a time, but my little car never uses more than $20-$22 per fill up. I have used that for free gas for over six months and still have $75 left. Definitely was the best value per point (1.5 cents per point) that I found. I am gradually building points back up and will hold on to them to see if that offer comes back around.