Which is the best card to use? *Master Thread*

[ah]

Why are the Ink points more valuable than the Freedom UR card?  Isn't this a 1x spend on either of them?

not everyone can transfer to regular UR but if you can, its the same

[Joe4007]

ticket cancellation, lost baggage, missing connecting flight. The most for my buck.

But...I am in the middle of paying for the reservation (if it is still there) just waiting to know which CC to use.  The 2x Sapphire is only a few dollars.  The spend (Amex) and insurance for me is more important.

Don't you have to pay extra to get travel insurance from Amex?

[srap]

not everyone can transfer to regular UR but if you can, its the same

Which counts as a regular UR?

[ah]

Which counts as a regular UR?

freedom points cannot be transferred to airlines or hotels unless first transferred to a UR account from ink or sapphire

[David R]

My mom wants to know which card to use for tuition
what should I tell her
she has a freedom, Ink plus, old blue cash, Discover It

The Ink plus and Freedom both earn the same 1 point per dollar. However, if she has a Chase checking account, she should be getting 10% more points by using the Freedom. If she uses the Freedom, the points should be transferred to the Ink Plus so that they could be used for airfare or transferred to another loyalty program where they will be worth more than 1 cent each. If she can't pay back the credit card immediately, she should consider a couple of things: Interest charges and the impact on her credit score. If it's a new Freedom card, it probably has 0% APR for a few months, in which case this is the card to use if she needs a few months to pay back. If she can pay the whole balance by the due date but can't pay immediately, she should use the Ink Plus card because having a large balance on a business card will not affect her credit score.

Using either Chase card is better than Discover It which only earns 1%.

Another possibility is to use the Ink Plus card to pay for Visa, MasterCard or American Express gift cards at an office supply store with the highest denomination you can find and use the gift cards to pay the tuition. Make sure that:

• you don't exceed $50,000 of annual spending in the 5X categories
• the school accepts the type of gift card you buy (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) and that they will take payments in increments of the amounts of the cards
• the card fee is less than 5% of the value loaded on the card (e.g., you come out ahead if you pay $6.95 for a $200 card)

[ckmk47]

Is the insurance different if the booked ticket is for the cardholder's spouse?  ie. Does each ticket need to be bought by the passenger's CC for best insurance?  Two of the three passengers are going on separate flights there.

I don't think it matters.

[noturbizniss]

My mom wants to know which card to use for tuition
what should I tell her
she has a freedom, Ink plus, old blue cash, Discover It

Usually the fee for tuition is like 2 or 3 percent for using cc, in which case you save money by just using your checking account. Unless she needs the spend and HAAS no other  way or is planning a use of the po7nts that's more value than 2 or 3 cpp.

[TimT]

Usually the fee for tuition is like 2 or 3 percent for using cc, in which case you save money by just using your checking account. Unless she needs the spend and HAAS no other  way or is planning a use of the po7nts that's more value than 2 or 3 cpp.

Schools charge more if you're paying with cc ?

[Dan]

Don't you have to pay extra to get travel insurance from Amex?

Yes.

[Shmulie]

Usually the fee for tuition is like 2 or 3 percent for using cc, in which case you save money by just using your checking account. Unless she needs the spend and HAAS no other  way or is planning a use of the po7nts that's more value than 2 or 3 cpp.

No my sisters school doesn't charge more but my brothers does

[Marco Polo]

No my sisters school doesn't charge more but my brothers does

Can you overpay to your sisters school, get a refund and then use that for your brother?

[Shmulie]

Can you overpay to your sisters school, get a refund and then use that for your brother?

No I dont think they would let that

Its nice enough that they let us pay with a CC I dont want to push it

[noturbizniss]

Schools charge more if you're paying with cc ?

Usually. And they're legally allowed to because they are non profits or something. I'll look it up when I get home

[TimT]

Usually. And they're legally allowed to because they are non profits or something. I'll look it up when I get home

I never realized as obviously my schools don't.

[srap]

Yes.

Now I get the answer?
I couldn't find the answer last night and I was watching all the $480 flight dates disappear before my eyes while waiting for someone to answer.  I only found baggage insurance in the T&Cs and WRONGLY assumed that I just wasn't finding the trip insurances.  I bought on the Plat and now need to see if I can switch payment. 

bottom line:  You can only pay for Amex trip insurances if you are enrolled and enrollment was closed in August of 2013.     It will be reopened after the first of the year. (That will be a DDMS post for you, Dan.) 

[noturbizniss]

Now I get the answer?
I couldn't find the answer last night and I was watching all the $480 flight dates disappear before my eyes while waiting for someone to answer.  I only found baggage insurance in the T&Cs and WRONGLY assumed that I just wasn't finding the trip insurances.  I bought on the Plat and now need to see if I can switch payment. 

bottom line:  You can only pay for Amex trip insurances if you are enrolled and enrollment was closed in August of 2013.     It will be reopened after the first of the year. (That will be a DDMS post for you, Dan.) 

Just buy it yourself. For $480 you should be able to get trip can for $20-$50. Check Travelguard or the like.

[David R]

Which card should I use when booking with Orbitz to get this deal? http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/57621
The Orbitz site shows "Total due at booking $29.26"
Does that mean my card will be charged by Orbitz and not by the hotel? Will I get 2X points with Chase Ink Plus or Citi Thank You Premier or Miles by Discover? Payment will obviously be via Visa Checkout.

[srap]

Which card should I use when booking with Orbitz to get this deal? http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/57621
The Orbitz site shows "Total due at booking $29.26"
Does that mean my card will be charged by Orbitz and not by the hotel? Will I get 2X points with Chase Ink Plus or Citi Thank You Premier or Miles by Discover? Payment will obviously be via Visa Checkout.

Forget the card.  How did you get the $29.26 for a two night stay?!

[David R]

Forget the card.  How did you get the $29.26 for a two night stay?!

You're right; I probably should not worry too much about getting an extra 29 points.
2 guests $64.99 avg/night X 2 nights = $129.98
Save 10% on your stay    -$13.00
Promo code applied -$100.00
Taxes and fees $12.28
Total due at booking $29.26

[dealfinder85]

You're right; I probably should not worry too much about getting an extra 29 points.
2 guests $64.99 avg/night X 2 nights = $129.98
Save 10% on your stay    -$13.00
Promo code applied -$100.00
Taxes and fees $12.28
Total due at booking $29.26

what hotel