Author Topic: Loyalty Points recap - 2017  (Read 1757 times)

meghan88

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Loyalty Points recap - 2017
« on: January 15, 2018, 03:11:11 PM »
Does anyone else ever track their loyalty points on an annual basis?  I started doing this in 2016 because I was curious as to what I was saving.

My points for 2017 amounted to $1,999 (Canadian $) as follows:
TD Infinite Travel Visa:  $624
PC Plus (groceries):       $260
Air Miles:                      $100
Shoppers Optimum:       $185
Hudson's Bay Rewards:   $30

This isn't counting other stuff like surveys that result in $ or Amazon gift cards.

I realize I'm getting the savings as the expense of my data, but that's OK with me.  And one of my rules is to not get suckered into buying something just to get the points, because that's defeating the purpose: so I'll only make purchases of on-sale items that make financial sense once everything is factored in.  FYI our household consists of two frugal adults, no debt.  We put everything we possibly can on the Visa for the points and pay it off in full each month.  Annual fees are waived.


meghan88

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Re: Loyalty Points recap - 2017
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2018, 11:41:07 AM »
*awkward silence*

Soooo ... am I the only nutbar to keep track of points savings?  No one else wants to play?

lexde

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Loyalty Points recap - 2017
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2018, 12:31:40 PM »
I’m hoarding my points for travel but here’s what I have from last year:

AMEX MR: 185,000
Chase UR: 179,000
AA Miles: 103,000 (+75,000 coming up)
SW Miles: 125,000

So roughly 592k points and miles, 667k if you count the AAs coming in February.

Amex MR cash out at 1.25/ea, but redeem at a better value. Chase UR have a 1.5x multiplier with my CSR so they are effectively 268,500.

Yay travel hacking!

ETA cash value: MR @ 1.25 = $2,312.50; Chase UR @ 1.5 = $2,685.00; AA Miles @ 1.0 = $1,030.00; SW Miles @ 1.0 = $1,200.00. Total for 2017: $7,227.50*

* Not including other card benefits. I made a post about how my one Amex Plat card will make me $1350 after its $550 fee in an earlier Badassity thread, for example. This is just pure point values only.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2018, 12:36:51 PM by lexde »

meghan88

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Re: Loyalty Points recap - 2017
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2018, 01:23:34 PM »
Wow - that is awesome.  Canadian plans, and cards, really suck in comparison.  Congrats!

aneel

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Re: Loyalty Points recap - 2017
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2018, 05:38:43 PM »
I don't track annually, but I did just use 83k of my hard earned  skymiles to purchase companion travel tickets for dh and ds to go to LA with me in April. Eliminated a purchase of $1060.

bluebelle

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Re: Loyalty Points recap - 2017
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2018, 08:21:15 PM »
I don't track anually, now you've got me thinking about it....but they don't make it easy, I'd have to do it manually.

PC Plus - says I've saved $1,900 through points since I joined in 2008, and I'd say most of those are since they introduced PC Plus to NO Frills and upgraded me to a world elite CC.  I'd say I get a minimum of $20 in points a month, so $240, just depends on whether what they're offering for PC points in a week is something I'd buy anyway - I'm not buying something just to get points, but I might buy a few extra if it's on sale (or price matched) and I'm getting points. 
Points really started adding up with the 3% equivalent cash back on grocery and gas, plus the points program.

We certainly didn't do as well as you with TD infinate card, only about $100 worth I think

And not enough to count at either Shoppers Optimum or HBC rewards (I miss the old club Z card - we still have the 18 year old Honda lawn mower we got with that!)

Car Jack

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Re: Loyalty Points recap - 2017
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2018, 11:44:33 AM »
I don't keep track.  I'd have to go back through statements to figure out numbers.  Between gas points, manufactured spending, card churning, normal purchase points, tradelines, bank account promotions and investment brokerage promotions, it would become a job to keep track.

ketchup

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Re: Loyalty Points recap - 2017
« Reply #7 on: January 19, 2018, 12:20:49 PM »
Posted this in another thread, but here it is: points redemptions from last year.  Still have at least 160,000 AA miles, 65,000 Amex points, 45,000 Avianca miles, 35,000 SPG Starpoints, 40,000 Alaska miles, and 25,000 Merrill+ points.

CogentCap

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Re: Loyalty Points recap - 2017
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2018, 11:47:46 AM »
Oh, absolutely, I keep track!  I use all the points to spend for "free" holiday gifts for the family.  I've been using a card which has rotating 5% cash back categories (gas, grocery, amazon, etc), so I try to tie my purchases to buy enough needed supplies of things like cat food and litter to make it until the next time they get 5% cash back. 

I also keep a list of amazon purchases (including holiday gifts and things I want but don't need immediately) and order them all in the fall when the Amazon 5% cash back period comes around.

Also, the card offers 5% cash back at Walmart pretty much always, as long as you shop online.

The extra mega bonus is that I managed to snag a CashBack Match from them two years in a row, through fortuitous circumstance.  That menas they double whatever cash back I earn in the year.  So the way I look at it, if I shop smartly, it's like I get to save 10% on whatever stuff I buy (5% cash back x 2).  EXCELLENT.

So, with all that, I probably earned about $800-900 cash back last year.  I don't know for sure, because I spent some of it in the spring before I started keeping track.  I got a new sewing machine out of it, though, as well as crafting supplies to make homemade christmas presents, and on top of that I still had about $600 in cash back in October to waste on "free" holiday gifts.  :)

(I know, I know, I could have invested it, but I love Christmas and my extended fam is spendy)