rleete

iTrader: (21)

Learn to work with both hands like a human.

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

Stop using a debit card and earn useful rewards like a civilized human being. Sheesh.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Pushing the buttons with the stylus is extremely awkward. And while some touchscreens register hits from the finger or fingernail, others do not read these inputs well.

These are indeed viable suggestions, however it bothers me that we must contort ourselves to accomodate poorly-designed user interfaces.


My left hand was crippled in the war. And I find your lack of sensitivity towards the plight of wounded veterans to be deplorable. It really says a lot about you as a person.



I have one rewards account on a Visa credit card through my credit union in CA, and one debit card through my credit union in FL. If I use the debit card a minimum of 5 times per month, I earn a fairly high rate of return on my deposit account through the FL credit union. Thus, I keep the bulk of my free cash in the FL account and I make sure to use the debit card for extremely small purchases, and use the credit card for larger items or after I've fulfilled the debit card requirement.

gearhead_318

iTrader: (1)

Why use the credit card? Why not just use cash or debit, that way you don't have to pay interest.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

The credit card has a small cash-back rewards offer. Something like 2%, if I recall correctly.


I do make it a point to use cash for small purchases from independent merchants, mostly on general principal. And as I mentioned in the post you quoted, I use the debit card just enough to trigger the higher rate of interest on the checking account which I have with that credit union. I have no reason to use the debit card more than the minimum 5 times per month required to activate this benefit, and I try to use it only for small purchases, leaving the larger purchases (rental cars, airfare, hotels, etc) to the credit card, for the reason mentioned above.


I pay neither interest nor any fees whatsoever on the credit card. Interest is charged only if I carry a balance for more than 30 days, and since I can easily "pay off" the card by transferring funds to it from my money market account a couple of times per month, there is no need to ever pay interest. I am essentially using the money market account as though it were a checking account, and because both accounts are held with the same credit union (a different one from the one I have the debit card with), I can do so without running afoul of the Federal Reserve Board Regulation D limit on third-party transaction. Furthermore, because I am using a rewards credit card rather than a debit card (or cash) as the point-of-sale transaction instrument, I get a de-facto discount on all purchases which would not be realized otherwise.

rleete

iTrader: (21)

I'm left handed. If there's a more blatantly practiced discrimination than that against lefties, I'd like to see it.

Oh, and if you're a cripple, you shouldn't be out in public.

Vashthestampede

iTrader: (17)

Credit cards are a woman's best friend.

If I don't have the money in the bank, I don't buy it.

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

Vash - That's a good principle if you lack discipline but good rewards cards, used the way Joe and others use them, is a lot smarter than using cash.

Just like Joe said, with a 1% or 2% reward attached (I'd be surprised if it's that high on cash back, unless there is a low cap included), you are getting an automatic discount on everything you pay for. It's not much, in the grand scheme of things, but if you run $3,000 per month through the credit card instead of checks or debit, that's $360 per year.

The only cost, besides being disciplined, is having to make one extra online payment per month.

TurboTim

iTrader: (9)

Meg and I average ~$30 month cash back on our Discover. I'm not sure if that's the best card to have for rewards but its easy. Plus we tend to use the rewards for gift cards that are $40 for a $50 card,etc. Our visa has rewards too but it's 'points' you can use to exchange for goods, so not sure if you are getting a good deal or not...basically have the visa for places that don't take discover.

Don't carry a balance.

Vashthestampede

iTrader: (17)

For what I spend personally, it isn't worth it for me. Cash or debit card. A gas card, however, would be nice.

Right now we're looking into setting up a company CC. Same deal down here, everything we buy (minus normal monthly bills, fuel account, auto parts account) is paid by check. The company spends enough to reap some of those reward benefits, so I'm in the process of looking into which card to get.

Like just now I ordered a new impact gun, 50' hose reel and some other misc items from Amazon. Paid with our checking account, so no benefit.

We spend close to $1000 a week at home depot alone and pay for everything with a check. If we had a charge card and all I had to write in was 1 payment in quickbooks, that alone would be worth it. lol

y8s

iTrader: (8)

So is that the 530i with the inline 6 or the v8?

or is it the 3.0L 325i, 328i, 330i, 335d or 335i?

also joe would have thrown my phone across the room when he determined that:
a) it has a stylus
b) the stylus cannot be used to actuate the menu or back buttons at the bottom of the deivce
c) it can be used to press the physical home button between the two non-stylus finger-only buttons.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

I've never used one, but judging by the looks of it, it appears that one would be able to operate said physical buttons with the hand which is also holding the phone, while using the other hand to operate the stylus. No hand-switching would be involved.

I assume that use of the stylus is required only when doing fine-precision work, such as handwriting-recognition? It's suck if you had to use the stylus for ordinary tasks such as dialing a phone number of flinging birds at pigs.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

I just went and re-checked. It's 1% on all purchases, with no limit and no fee. Here's the specific card I have: SDCCU Cash Rewards Visa

I haven't looked around much to see if I can score a better rewards program elsewhere. I find this one convenient as it's managed by the same credit union that I have a regular checking and money-market account with, so I don't have to deal with third-party billing.

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

Wells Fargo, who currently holds my mortgage, keeps offering me a card that would return 3% on purchases at any gas station, grocery store, or drug store for the first 12 months, and 1% on all purchases. These rewards would be applied directly to my mortgage principal.

I'm seriously considering signing up and using that card for everything I can...utilities, gas, groceries, online purchases, medical bills...

thenuge26

iTrader: (2)

So my friend bought a rolling shell that is fully riced out. Bright orange body and body kit with CF hood, trunklid, and wing. $4000. I told him not to.






However, there's a twist. That $4000 includes an FM Stroker motor. This changed my mind. Hurry up with that turbo kit Savington, I want to see what the EFR6758 does on that beast.

Edit: pics. It aint pretty, but it will be fast. Hopefully I can convince him to sell the ricer **** for trubo

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

This seems too cheap.

97 BMW E39 LS1 6speed swap

y8s

iTrader: (8)

use of the stylus is 100% optional and never required

except for one feature that's pretty killer: hover

which means you can hover over menus on websites or images for previews or **** like that.

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

I probably wouldn't bother shopping around. I would expect the slight improvement in returns you might find wouldn't be worth the cost of giving up the convenience you have now. 1% is pretty standard on cash back without specific caps.

Check the fine print on the offer as those usually have caps. For example, "3% on gas station purchases up to the first $500 per month, then 1% after that with no limit per month." Not that it's a bad offer; it can work out mathematically to be better than a flat 1% cashback. Just be aware if you are doing any fine tuning of the budgeting.


Using rewards cards and financing properly is the "level 1 finance hack." Before we bought our last car, I called up my credit card company and asked them to push the limit way up past anything I would normally ever need. Then, I used the card to put a big down payment on the car even though I had the cash in the checking account. Turned around, paid off the car with said cash and saved myself (via the cashback reward) a couple of hundred dollars on the car purchase.

I financed the balance of the car at ridiculously low rates (thanks, Bernanke!) and invested the cash I would have used to buy it outright. That might be a level 2 hack. Very basic in principle but a little trickier to execute successfully.


Vash - If you haven't already, you might want to consider sitting down with a CPA and/or CFP to work out some basic planning. There are probably a dozen ways you can better optimize the business spending and save on taxes.

Pen2_the_penguin

iTrader: (4)

Proof or it doesnt have it, also stroker doesnt constitute perfect for boost, in fact it can be quite the opposite.

Pen2_the_penguin

iTrader: (4)

California