We almost never pay for an airline ticket. Get these credit cards that you get massive airmiles for signing up for, and additional ones for spending. Plus a free ticket for a companion. I won't get a credit card that doesn't pay us back anymore. Don't like to pay an annual fee, but if you get 40,000 miles and a free ticket every year, plus free bag check....it's worth it. Lately some of the credit card offers have been great, so I've started looking again. I like the 0% interest for a year, because we just bought a rental property for cheap (without having the money on hand), so we'll just charge everything to this card them pay it off in a year. At least it sounds like a good idea now.
Credit Union is the only way to go for us. Our only bank, credit card, debit cards, kids accounts, etc........Only our mortgage is not with our credit union and they give us no grief.
we had United Milage MC. (chase) years before DS went CMU. If I remember it took 10,000 points to get a plane ticket (to NYC) plus $60/yr fee. When we gave that card up, it took 25,000 points (dollar a point and half point for airmiles) plus annual fee to get that plane ticket.
Plane fares in 2002-2004 were so cheap, it wasn't worth using the charge card to get points and the annual fee. By 2006, the plane fares (points) were so expensive, we couldn't afford to use the card and the fee.
I am a business owner so have a BC/BS personal comp policy. It goes up anywhere from 15% to 20% each year so with a $500 deductible, 20% coinsurance on pretty much everything and no drug, dental or vision coverage, I pay over $500 a month.
My daughter has BC/BS through her dad's group policy and that is a much better policy.
Individual coverage is tough.
-- Edited by Cartera on Friday 7th of October 2011 03:17:48 PM\\
I think Busdriver and I are in the wrong thread talking about BC/BS
-- Edited by Cartera on Friday 7th of October 2011 04:53:58 PM
@cartera- Unfortunately the only card I have with an annual fee is also my oldest card. I hate it (it's a Capital One card) and can't wait til I can get rid of it. Sigh.
I'm actually pretty impressed with BC/BS. They almost never turn us down for payment, nor ever overcharge. Rates only go up slightly. My husband just had a no notice trip to the emergency room, and unplanned surgery. The entire event probably cost us less than $200, costing almost nothing for the surgery. Pretty much no BS. I wish everyone had access to this sort of coverage.
Yes, don't cancel. You can make a statement by not using it. The credit card companies make no money as long as they stay in your wallet. Of course, if they charge an annual fee - and BOA does that too with some cards, you still pay even if you don't use them.
Hmm... Maybe this is why I don't use the autopay feature for anything. I have been making monthly payments since I was 16 and I've never used an autopay feature. I guess it's because I always pay my bills well before their monthly due date, just in case there's ever a payment issue and so I'm not tempted to spend that money and then run out right before my bills are due. I also just don't trust computers.
I don't want to have to cancel credit cards because of fees. My credit history is so new that closing a credit card line would have a fairly big impact on my credit :(.
Good point, Tom. I guess I don't care as long as they aren't making it off of us. The businesses are going to pay Visa/Amex anyways, I suppose it may as well pay us back.
yes, look at them closely. They have sent several of them to us, of varying offers. Apparently they even sent some to people with 100,000 points ($1,000) offered. Check sent to you. I missed that one. But they've sent some with 20,000 points, 30,000 points, I just threw them away until I read online about the 50,000 points one. Went through my to shred garbage, and there it was. Wish I would have found a 100,000 one! God knows what I've been tossing. Unfortunately, we'll probably think it is junk mail and just throw it away. But I'm looking carefully at the mail for the next week.
If we have a problem with a card (even if it is minor sloppiness on our part), we usually call. Won't call about a fair late charge if we just forgot, but raising our rate or a messup on their part, we call them. If we don't get satisfaction...ie erasing the rate increase or charge, then we tell them we would like to cancel the card immediately. They always back down and delete it.
I'm really impressed with this new Chase Sapphire card we just got. We forgot to pay it, until the day it was due. So I called them, after hours and explained that we just missed it, since we hadn't set it up. They took my payment over the phone, no charge, no fees, and were very polite. It is also 0 annual fee, pays you back 1%, and the best deal is that they actually sent us a $500 check just for getting the dang free card. And they aren't going to make a cent off of us, because we always pay off our credit cards and just use them for airmiles and convenience. How in the world do these people make money? Oh, the bankers, out to get us!
Big Bro checking in with mom, he said that was sloppy (duh). Also said he'd looked into it. I think BIG BANK has problems in laying-off/firing too many people who could've prevented the problems.
I set the autopay like you do and then pay off any balance on day due. Minimum balance ($20) autopay a day before due. But autopay didn't happen.
since I get electonic billing, I never see the statement unless I go to the web. But I'm too busy on CCpolitical or laughing on CC.
-- Edited by longprime on Thursday 6th of October 2011 09:09:57 PM
-- Edited by longprime on Thursday 6th of October 2011 09:12:04 PM
I had an autopay feature on one of my cards. The date was always the 6th of the month, every month for like 2 years.
Suddenly, they changed the due date to the 4th. I got dinged with a late payment...I called them. They said they sent me a change in the mail, would reverse the charge, but still said my interest rate might go up. Never saw the disclosure. Wouldn't it be good if they will do something like this and list it on the monthly statement? Now I generally make an autopay for every account in the minimum balance on due date every month, then add another payment on whatever day is convenient for me. It's silly, but I am not a fan of these deceptive policies. How many people never noticed the late fee or that the date changed especially for those that don't carefully review their statement each month?
Today I paid a credit card that had a $21. plus a $20.00 late pay. The card is rarely used and I had a autopay feature. So why the late pay penalty?
I called BIG BANK and they said something that blows your mind-THEY moved the credit card to another facility/division/computer/whatever, and the new system does not have autopay capability. Since the balanced was not paid, I was dinged $20 which was 95% of what I owed. Got THEM to recind the late pay penalty but the fact they charge me and that they didn't inform me of the fault in their system, MAKES ME PISSED.
THEM is one of the banks that we had to bail out, where we got our student loans, mortgage, and some investments. And they made a profit this year. Another ILLEGAL taking of the public's money.
