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  1. #1
    I'll change yer fuckin rate you derivative piece of shit
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    Great rewards credit cards (and how to get one)

    Hey all. I'm looking for a new credit card. For the past 8 years or so I've been using a GM Mastercard, building up rewards that can be used to purchase a GM vehicle. I did this because my father had the same card and used it to get $3700 off the Pontiac he bought back in the day.

    However, there's a few problems with this plan:

    #1 They changed the terms of the rewards plan, and now each vehicle has a cap, so I could get $1000 or $1500 max off a vehicle, and I have like $3400 in rewards built up, so any additional awards are being wasted.

    #2 Even with this $1000 off same-as-cash that I could've claimed in 2003 when I bought my last car...there were no appealing GM vehicles so I bought a Nissan anyway.

    Basically I've been using a credit card (which I pay off every month without fail) for 8 years and have gotten jack shit out of the endeavor. It's time to change that.

    I need a credit card with great rewards - either airline miles or cashback/giftcards/student loan payments/etc.

    This brings me to my second problem: I have great credit - not a single late payment or default on my credit report, and 10 years of history. But since I pay my credit card off every single month (despite an average of about $1200 a month worth of charges on it for the past 5+ years), I just got declined for the best rewards credit card I could find.
    Thank you for applying for the Citi Forward3 Visa(R) account. Unfortunately, we are unable to approve your request for the account at this time because of the following:

    o Your credit bureau report shows you have no revolving accounts with a balance.
    Now I'm not sure whether I should keep one-by-one spamming credit card applications for the best reward cards I can find until one sticks, or if there's some other path I should pursue. I don't want to keep dinging my credit report with requests for cards that are going to deny me (even though those dings go away in less than a year) needlessly.

    Also, this thread doesn't need to get into topics of irresponsible credit card use, that's not an issue here.

    I'm considering paying my credit card off each month for the total amount minus $1, so I'm at least carrying a month-to-month balance, but I'm not sure if such a transparent gesture will be helpful.

    Thoughts? Or what current credit cards do you all have that you love the rewards on? I was using this site: $$$> Credit Card Tune-Up: Calculate the Best Credit Card Reward Deal <$$$ to find that Citi Forward rewards card that declined me. Not really interested in a card with an annual fee, and I'm looking for something for long-term use, although hefty signup rewards bonuses are nice too.

  2. #2

    I have a Hilton Honors citi card that I use to pay all my monthly bills (cable, cell phone, insurance, etc..). I pay it off every month. I have like 150k in points that I can use to stay at any Hilton hotel. They have a lot of vacationey package deals I could use them on too.

    I also have an American Express card that I get points for. I use this for pretty much anything else I buy, also paid off every every month. I'm not quite sure how this one works, but I know a co-worker got a "free" Nikon D60 from using his points. I think any AmEx card is eligible to get points for, you just have to sign up separately.

  3. #3
    I'll change yer fuckin rate you derivative piece of shit
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    55,019
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    Oh also, I'm not...super interested in Amex or Discover cards, I want one card I can use absolutely everywhere.

  4. #4
    Salvage Bans
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    Sylph

    I'd never defend a credit card company because they are fucking jackals, but I could understand why they don't want you as a customer, lol. They're not making any money on you.

    It won't break the bank for you to carry a small balance every month. I don't pretend to know how their formulas work, but something tells me the $1 thing won't work. Maybe if you leave $100 on there? Not sure what your finances are like.

    Now is a shitty time to get good rates though. Here's my story:

    I've always used the low introductory rates and other perks to get good deals on big purchases. For example, I'll take advantage of a Best Buy offer and get one of their shitty credit cards if it takes a big enough chunk out of the purchase price. Then I just pay it off in cash and either close the account or never use it again. As long as you don't have 50 accounts open at once, it won't adversely affect your credit.

    A few months ago (the 'financial crisis' had long since started) I was going to buy a new TV, and Amazon.com was offering great deals if you got one of their credit cards. I applied and planned to save several hundred dollars on a TV that cost about a thousand bucks.

    (Background: my wife and I are in our mid-thirties. We make very good money, no kids, plenty of net worth, outstanding credit, etc.)

    I get a letter back from Amazon telling me I've been approved for a card with a $300 limit...

    I called to complain, figuring there must have been a mistake. The operator told me there was no mistake, but they just weren't making the same offers they used to. My bank will authorize us for a half a million dollar mortgage, but we couldn't get an Amazon card with a limit big enough to buy a TV. I just laughed and canceled the $300 card.

    So, maybe wait a bit until the recession is over?

  5. #5
    United States of Smash!
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
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    I have a Mastercard through Wellsfargo and it has cash back and it works great. Last year I got $220 back and I don't even use the card that often.

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