Citi's secure messaging system is really wonky. I remember having issues before. I replied to say, "Hello???" from my Friday request and it disappared into thin air.

SO, I e-mailed them again - copy and pasted - said no one answered me before. Eventually both those messages showed up as "Sent." Though they didn't show up for a while - they were in la la land somewhere.

So then I get a reply that they will get back to me in 2 days. BUT, if you scroll down I See a reply dated 10/21 that I SWEAR was not there this morning. Reply = DENIED.

I tell you, Citi does not like me! Whatevah.

It kind of simplifies things. I have to spend $16 by the end of the month. I've got 2 months of health insurance on there, and lunch today. I wasn't sure if van gas would be enough. Will fill up the tank this week, and hopefully get my $300 reward next week. No extra $200. Somehow I will survive.

Kind of relieved I don't have to pre-pay another month of health insurance to get the extra reward...

Once I get my reward I will QUICKLY shut down this card. They don't want my business? What does it matter - you know I wasn't going to keep it anyway. It's just been kind of funny how they practically kiss dh's feet, while being pretty "meh" as far as me.

P.S. It is kind of mind boggling because I offered to spend $1000 more to get the rewards. So, basically, THEIR loss. "No, we won't give you any incentive to keep your card longer and to spend more money."

The rewards Gods LOVE me this week. (Yes, I am sick of the subject too, but holy crap!)

My reward card just bumped up bonus by about $200 for new applications. I will e-mail Citi this weekend and ask if they will give me the new reward, since I have only had the card a couple of weeks before this shinier new offer came along.



If they approve, we will be getting to the point of about $3700 in rewards for 2011. I'd probably chuck the extra $200 to the mortgage and be done with that goal. Mortgage goal 2011 largely funded by rewards - no need to touch savings. Woohoo. This I did not foresee!

It will be tricky to reach points since I might have to spend $1000 more to get said points. Card is in my name only. The only thing I really pay for is health insurance. (Dh charges up 99% of our variable expenses - and the utilities are not big enough to make much difference). But, I can probably figure out something. A bunch of insurance is coming due, for one. I'd probably rather charge a couple of big things rather than take the hassle to move little things around. Regardless, I will be pre-paying some expenses in the next 2 months. I will be jumping through some extra hoops to get my points ASAP, but I suppose I Feel it is worth it because I expect this to be our last rewards frenzy for 2011. (But, who knows).

For reference, minimum wage is on the high side here. I'd have to work about 10 hours a week all year round to make that much money, minimum wage. Like a second job or whatever. Holy Cow.

This is the perfect example of MY kind of frugal. Other people see it as deprivation (frugality in general). I just see extra money practically falling from the sky.

--------------------------------------------------

Dh wanted to buy his parents a kindle, and we decided to buy my mom one too. We also will get the Kindle Fire for ourselves, and dh got some new DS for the kids - DS3?. We bought a few other things, and still have enough amazon gift cards left over to easily fund Christmas and then some. Not that we buy much for Christmas - I think all these kindles will be the bulk of it. I've got amazon gift cards coming out of my ears, basically. All things Kindle and amazon will be free, with all these rewards.

--------------------------------------------------

P.S. Here is the link for the card. Annual fee is waived for Year 1. Spend $2500 in 3 months for $500 in gift cards. They don't have Amazon gift cards, but you can sell Wal Mart for Amazon gift cards at about $95 on the dollar, or for cash at about $90 on the dollar (Plastic Jungle). They have other retailers, too. I'll personally be stocking up on Kohls gift cards, and selling other gift cards for cash.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/citi-thankyou-premier-card-50000-...

ETA: My info may be bad because I think Mr. mymoneyblog said he was able to redeem points directly for amazon cards recently. Interesting!

I am glad I already very easily redeemed my $500 Amazon gift cards from Southwest, because dh's experience has been a real pain. For one, I know that is not always the case. & two, I know something is wrong there!

His points finally showed up yesterday (after a more thorough response from Chase e-mail - that also said he needed a new credit card to replace the old one, to straighten it out. ??? Whatever - he will cut it up and toss it!)

BUT, we couldn't redeem them. To make matters more frustrating, all their rewards were on sale yesterday!!!

The rewards are still on sale today, still unredeemable. He will call once he is up to try to order through the phone. We may be able to get $300 gift cards and have 1500 points left over. !!!

Today I e-mailed Chase and asked for those extra 25,000 points, since their phone customer service was so vague and not helpful.

I doubt we will get those points in time for this sale, but maybe I should hold off redeeming those for the next sale. I know they go on sale from time to time.

& so it goes on and on and on as more opportunities to earn more arise! If we can ever get these redeemed, we may be up $50 (for sale). Maybe I don't mind that it has taken so long to redeem - if we could have only gotten $250 before today.

ETA: $300 amazon gift cards, shipped and on their way! What luck!

UPDATED TALLY:


$1230 cash (Chase Sapphire $1030 + Chase Frdm $200)
$1315 gift cards (Citi $500 + SW $515 + SW $300)
$ 500 deposit to ROTH (Fidelity Am Ex)
$100 gift cards Citi for trying to close card
$300 gift cards Citi (may change some for cash)
-$99 annual fee (SW card)
+$99 annual fee refunded when closed card
-$69 Fee (SW card)
*Will they refund this one too?*
-$23 lost value for exchanging some Citi gift cards for cash and amazon gift cards
-----------
$3353 TOTAL
-----------

Southwest chase card - upped their bonus back to 50,000 points (or $500 Amazon gift cards - that is what I would redeem with those points!)

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/southwest-airlines-rapid-rewards-...

CAVEAT: You only have to make one purchase, but there is a $69 annual fee.

This is the card dh signed up for less than a month ago? & also, the points he earned have not transferred to Southwest after 2 weeks. SO, he called them yesterday. They were having problems with the point transfer to Southwest, so might take another week. They told dh he could probably get the extra 25,000 bonus, but had to check with the marketing department or something? I think I just send over an e-mail. Dh has been a Chase customer for like 20 years or so, so I will play that card.

This might add $250 to the grand total, but I won't lose sleep over it if they deny me. Crossing my fingers for a nice person on the other end of my e-mail. It seems to be who you get. (& maybe I will just try again if it doesn't work the first time?)

---------------------------------------------------

Nothing much else to report. Work is a wee bit crazy because someone quit last month. BUT, it isn't too bad. I think it's probably been on the slow side (slow as it has been for years - it ebbs and flows) and so I suppose I will just be more busy.

I have a great employer and am often reminded. On Facebook most of my friends who work in the same capacity have been working 14-hour days with the tax deadline that just passed. I cringe when I read that, thinking to future job prospects. I told dh I was counting on him to find steady employment because I might just have to go part-time for my sanity. He completely agreed. (Kind of like, "Like hell you are working those kind of hours!"). Last I worked at a place like that, most of the "part timers" essentially worked full-time. For the long run, that is the route I foresee for myself. I just refuse to work those kind of hours - I value my health and my family too much. If I had to do that for a year or two, whatever - I certainly have in the past to get to where I am today - but not anything long-term unless I want an early grave or no joy in my life. I do like my job, but I also like other things too! {For reference, I worked 40 hours last week}.

Yesterday I went to the bread store to redeem 2 free items. I could have left it at that, but picked up some donuts for the office, too. For free, I loaded up on those sandwich thins. I hadn't been by much lately because I hadn't made it to aerobic much lately. Maybe it's for the best that it's only convenient to load up on cheap carbs on my way to/from aerobics class - the store is way too out of the way otherwise.

I don't remember the last time I went to the gym. The gym is necessary when the temps regularly hit 100F+, but it just never got particularly hot this year. But, I still enjoy the gym in the winter, in the dark, and for the safety/security (versus walking alone outside). So I am sure I will get plenty of use this year. Just not as much summer use as usual. I am sure I will be a regular again once daylight savings is over. I am only paying $15/month, which is fine for not going all summer. Having a safe, climate-controlled place to work out is priceless to me.

I just e-mailed Chase about dh's Southwest card because though his statement shows he earned 20,000 points, 2 weeks ago, they have yet to transfer them over to Southwest so we can redeem them. We need those Amazon gift cards for our kindle fire purchase!

Kind of annoying because it took them a few days to transfer mine, but certainly didn't take THIS long. So I know from experience it shouldn't be this long.

In other news, Chase has cut me a $99 check, and it should be here any day.

Adding the unexpected $200 for closing cards, we are at:

$1230 cash (Chase Sapphire $1030 + Chase Frdm $200)
$1265 gift cards (Citi $500 + SW $515 + SW $250)
$ 500 deposit to ROTH (Fidelity Am Ex)
$100 gift cards Citi for trying to close card
$300 gift cards Citi (may change some for cash)
-$99 annual fee (SW card)
+$99 annual fee refunded when closed card
-$69 Fee (SW card)
*Will they refund this one too?*
-$23 lost value for exchanging some Citi gift cards for cash and amazon gift cards
-----------
$3303 TOTAL
-----------

STUNNING!!!

Status:

Waiting to redeem $250 Amazon gift cards from Southwest. Should be any day.

Will need to wait 1-2 months for Citi $100 bonus for not closing card just yet.

I should be able to redeem $300 Citi reward in about 2 weeks. I will pay it this off next month - I am charging $1500 this month - only made 3 charges to get there - all the rest of the cards are paid off.

I also earned $100 cash back on Fidelity AmEx since I last updated.

Clearly, most the hard work is done.

I was 1 - 3 last night with closing credit card rewards.

I e-mailed Chase re: 2 cards to close. I did one message per card (seems they want to communicate per card - though I suppose I could have asked to just close them all in one e-mail).

Chase Sapphire was closed within minutes. Easy peasy! I loved not having to call!

I regretted giving my reasons for leaving Chase on my other e-mail. They forwarded that one to an "appropriate department." Me and my big mouth - I just wanted it CLOSED. Thought I would have to call today so I could put it all to bed.

But, they JUST e-mailed me, about 24 hours later. The Southwest Chase is closed and they are crediting me the $99 annual fee. What is that about? Is that standard when you close a card so quickly? They didn't say any reason for that. & if I can't use the card any more, how the heck do I redeem the $99? Oh well, I need a few more days to follow up on this, but the main point is this card is closed too. Phew. (I've never paid an annual fee for a credit card, so this is totally new territory for me).

Of course, I already reported that dh received $100 to stay with Citi another 2 months.

SO, between that and annual fee credit, I made $200 while closing three cards. That part I was NOT expecting.

I called Citi to activate my $300 rewards card today.

I set the health insurance to pay today and next week. Other than that, I just have to spend $58 to get this reward. (One tank of gas should do it).

I'll skip $750 ROTH contribution next month, and just contribute twice in December, to even it all out. I prepaid one month health insurance so I can KILL this card at month-end.

I then e-mailed Chase to close my two open cards (Sapphire and Southwest). On the phone I'd just want to get it over and done, but in writing I told them how I was happy with their Chase Freedom for years, but how they tried to charge me a fee (I declined) and how their new rewards suck. Once these cards close, I will no longer be a Chase customer. Too much better stuff out there. IT was nice while it lasted!

--------------------------------------------------

I haven't been able to redeem dh's $250 Chase bonus yet, so his 2 Chase accounts will be open for a bit more. If this e-mail closing works well, will just do the closing for his 2 cards, too. He will still be a Chase customer, because he has some ancient Chase card that hasn't tried to charge him a fee. (For reference, his credit score is identical to mine, though he has had said card almost 20 years and my oldest credit line is only 2 years. I don't know why he is so attached to that thing).

In the interim, I will have him close his Citi card ASAP.

So, yeah, I closed Chase and am waiting to finish with Citi. Dh will close Citi and will wait for Chase.

----------------------------------------------------

Citi sent me my FICO score with my new card. If they did so for dh, I didn't notice!

Official FICO - 785. Not bad considering I just opened like 5 credit cards, and that it's not the first time I have done so. Ever since having a mortgage, paying bills on-time seems to account for 99% of FICO. I do just about everything else *wrong.* I can't say I'd have the patience for FICO if I Really had to jump through a ton of hoops to keep a nice high FICO.

I look forward to getting rid of these infinite credit card accounts, for one.

----------------------------------------------------

ETA: FOR WHATEVER REASON, CITI *REALLY* LIKES MY DH. THEY GAVE HIM 10,000 POINTS TO STAY 1-2 MONTHS. THAT'S GOOD FOR ABOUT $95 AMAZON GIFT CARDS. HE COULDN'T SAY NO - NEITHER WOULD I.

THE REWARDS KEEP ADDING UP.

**Just paid off dh's Southwest Chase rewards. Just waiting for the rewards to show up so we can redeem $250 in Amazon gift cards. Mine took a few days, so I will just keep checking.

**Earned $50 on Fidelity AmEx this month. We had switched back to it mid-August for ongoing rewards. With vacation and all, it's possible we will earn another $50 in October. These rewards go straight into my ROTH.

**I got my new Citi Card. Plan is to charge 2 months of health insurance. I might just pay ahead this month so I can kill this card sooner. That and about one tank of gas on the minivan should do it. Hope to earn those rewards by the end of the month.

**I plan to send an e-mail to Chase Monday to close all my accounts with them. DONE!

**Dh needs to call Citi and also to close two Chase cards. His rewards are all earned! I will wait until we get these Amazon gift cards in hand, first. I suppose he can call Citi next week and then we can e-mail Chase when we get our reward. Heck, can probably e-mail Citi, but I probably don't remember the login at this point. So many to keep track of!

I had personally wanted to get approved by Citi before I closed all my one-time rewards cards. That is done, so I can move on.

---------------------------------------------------

Officially Received, between 1/1/11 and 10/10/11:

$1230 cash (Chase Sapphire $1030 + Chase Frdm $200)
$1265 gift cards (Citi $500 + SW $515 + SW $250)
$ 400 deposit to ROTH (Fidelity Am Ex)
-$99 annual fee (SW card)
-$69 Fee (SW card)
-$23 lost value for exchanging some Citi gift cards for cash and amazon gift cards
---------------
$2704 TOTAL

**Still expecting $300 gift cards from Citi - should be able to redeem in November. One or two more AmEx $50 redemptions will ensure we hit $3,000 by 12/31/11. I am also expecting 1% cash back on our regular visa (for places that don't take AmEx). That may be another $35 or so, cash.**

***Both dh and I applied for 3 cards each for one-time rewards, so far this year. Our regular AmEx is 2% cash back on all purchases, and our regular visa is 1% cash back.***

**Just executed $500 mutual fund buy. Need to transfer $1000-$1500 from savings, to max out 2010 ROTH (by April). Was just waiting for a stock market dip to do so. Leaves $500-$1000 to throw in if it gets worse. (I figure that is likely).

Yesterday may have been better, but I just heard that Vanguard is offering same day mutual fund buys. Funny thing is they did this before, most of the time I have been a customer. BUT, this year they have been slow and I have found it frustrating. I like to buy on low stock days, but hard to do if it take 48 hours to process a "buy." So, to me it seems like it's suddenly back to their old policy. Don't know what happened in the interim. I have certainly done same day buys with VG, before. I suppose it's ironic that I heard this news today. Knowing I could for sure buy at today's stock price spurred me on (though I won't be near a computer the rest of the day, so had to do it on the early side, and assume things don't jump up later in the day).

---------------------------------------------------

**You'll never guess. I applied for a credit card! LOL.

Today I saw Citi was offering some $500 reward, but the catch was you had to spend $10,000 over 12 months. To participate, I'd have to wait a year to get the rewards AND would lose $200 in other ongoing rewards I currently get. Which means I would net $300.

To me, the writing is on the wall. If Citi is going to make offers like that, they want you to stick around a while.

I decided to take the hint and apply for the $300 bonus that I can probably earn in 2 months. Spend $1500 in 3 months, earn $300 in gift cards. No annual fee first year. Offer is on mymoneyblog.com with all the rest. I intend to hit $1500 spending by charging health insurance for 2 months and fueling up the minivan with gas, once. That's it. I will lose $30 in other rewards ($1500 x 2% that I earn on AmEx), so still VERY worthwhile.

& if by some miracle they send me a direct mail offer in the interim, maybe I can sweet talk them into giving me the better offer. Dh did, so I figured this was better than waiting around for some wooing that doesn't seem to be happening.

I'll find out in about a week if I am approved. The second I am approved, I will close out my 2 Chase one-time reward cards. I figured it might be best to keep those until I applied for this card, though not sure it matters. Just a wee bit less obvious that I intend to close the card the second I am done?? Maybe?

-----------------------------------------------------

**Tomorrow is our 11-year anniversary. It's pretty incidental to the fact that we have actually been together for about 16 years. (I am kind of thinking, "16 years? Holy Crap!" How can I be that old? That I graduated high school 17 years ago?)

Last year we went pretty big (Hawaii trip) so this year I think we both feel pretty, "eh." We had talked about taking the kids to Olive Garden tomorrow night. I have a $5 gift card somewhere (Credit card reward, of course). That I have to find. & we are expecting another one in the mail (another reward) any minute.

Yesterday we got $20 cash from Great-Grandma. Woohoo!

If we don't get our gift certificate in the mail by tomorrow, guess we will choose to dine somewhere else. Decided to see how we feel tomorrow.

Trust me, dh and I enjoy our alone time, but thing is we aren't lacking any alone time, and we just wanted to celebrate with the kids (will be much cheaper than finding a babysitter, anyway). Though if getting a babysitter was important to us, we'd do that. All else being equal, we would have had a nice lunch date today, alone, but I have a commitment with the 1st grade class. Seems dh was busy Monday.

I look forward to our family eating out tomorrow on the big day. It's not something we do often!

----------------------------------------------------

**I had forgotten that I have a seminar near San Francisco next week. I had signed up for webcasts this year (much cheaper) for my ongoing education. It's got its pluses and minuses. I kind of miss the excuse to travel a bit more, but then again I don't miss the cost of it all! (Gas, eating out, tolls, etc.)

Anyway, my work signed me up for a seminar in regards to software upgrades, and stuff like that. So, I will be able to see my folks and drop off some pants that need hemmed. I can also pick up my roller skates from my dad. & spend some nice time with my parents. (Will spend the night before at their house so I can get a short a.m. commute into the city).

I am on for dinner and drinks with my best buddy in San Francisco, day of seminar. (No reason to drive home in the traffic - MUCH better to stay late). I have been trying all year to get together with her, and it hasn't been working, but it always seems to work out with a mid-week seminar. So, phew! I am not holding my breath, but I was lucky she was even in town. But, very good company, and she always takes me to the most amazing restaurants. (She's frugal to the extreme, so it is always some cheap hole in the wall with AMAZING food).

Time to start closing some credit cards!

(I officially got the last "one time credit card reward" paid off - today).

I had paid them all, but Southwest Chase was kind of weird and added the annual fee after the first billing cycle. So, I just went ahead and paid it yesterday. Today it hit the card.

NOTE: credit cards with "positive balances" are the cards I usually use, and will keep for a while - I just round up to the nearest dollar out of sheer laziness, when I pay them. I do pay all balances off monthly. & yes, phew, I remembered to pay the exact amounts on all the one-time cards!!

**Visa is just current month regular expenses - whatever we can't charge to the AmEx. AmEx I can only download monthly, so why no current month expenses showing there.**

--------------------------------------------------

It's not over. Dh has made one charge on his new Visa, and I will probably have to wait for the second billing cycle to pay the fee. I won't offer it up before they charge me for it. Anyway, I will add that to Quicken when I can pay it. I don't know where to send the payment too, yet.

---------------------------------------------------

I am currently waiting for a $200 check in the mail, from Chase. Dh can redeem $250 Amazon gift cards as soon as SW credit card closes - I think he said it closes the 4th.

----------------------------------------------------

It will be a prettier sight when all these cards are CLOSED and I don't have to look at them any more. But I opened Quicken today, and a pile of zeros greeted me, for the first time in a few months. So, that was nice. The hard part is done. Now all that is left is to close these suckers.

Received check from plastic jungle - $182. Woohoo!

Dh was approved for Southwest Chase.

SW Chase = $250 Amazon gift cards minus $69 fee.

New grand total of cash and usable gift certificates?

$2,654

I can still easily earn some AmEx cash rewards (regular credit card - have resumed its use).

If I apply for this no-fee Citi card, I can make it an even $3,000 for the year. (Citi reward is $300 gift certificates).

Dave Ramsey would say, "No one got rich off of credit card rewards."

My reply? "Tell me how else to legally and ethically earn $3,000 with an hour or two of *work.*"

Living on one income, this stuff is some serious GRAVY! "Little" stuff like this adds up big time, and makes ALL the difference.

That said, we usually make about $1,000 a year or so, on credit card rewards. This year is just UNREAL with the rewards.

I closed my oldest credit card a few weeks ago.

(For reference, I don't keep any old credit lines open if I don't use them. My FICO tends to be 800-ish regardless, so I don't really see the point to keep old cards open).

Anyway, the card is 4-5 years old and I have nothing else much older than 1 year. Usually the mortgage helps it all even out, but our current mortgage is only about 2.5 years old.

I am kind of in current conundrum because the second these rewards dried up and I Decided to drop this really old card (it had a good rewards run!), another of my credit lines was closed for non-usage. So, usually I have something a little older to hang on to! (I could have made a purchase to keep the card open, but didn't care *that* much. I replaced it with a CU credit card that I expect to keep long-term).

That said, creditkarma.com told me that my "length of open credit history" score was an F, so I figured it would be hard to make it much worse than F!

I checked a couple of times, but the recent account closure was not showing up.

Until today. My FAKO score dropped one point.

I didn't expect it to amount to anything, but you never know.

One point down - so be it!

Officially Received, between 1/1/11 and 9/7/11:

$1030 cash (Chase Sapphire)
$1015 gift cards (Citi $500 + SW rewards $500)
$ 350 deposit to ROTH (Fidelity Am Ex)
-$99 annual fee (SW card)
-$23 lost value for exchanging some Citi gift cards for cash and amazon gift cards
---------------
$2273 TOTAL

cha-ching!

Dh is still due $200 cash from Chase.

=$2473 TOTAL

Today I signed dh up for a reduced Southwest deal. Deal is to make one purchase, pay a $69 fee, and get $250 in amazon gift cards. (HE is eyeing the new kindle, so this will cover it. & how easy is it to just make one purchase)?

I've got my eye on a Citi deal - $300 gift card reward + no fee first year. BUT, I am going to hold out a bit and see if I can get a better direct mail offer. Or, maybe close all the other cards before I start this merry-go-round again. I think you have to spend $1500 in 3 months? I am waiting to redeem that $200 cash from Chase in a couple of weeks. So, I will re-evaluate at that time. For now, the SW card was a no-brainer since it only involved one purchase. Anything more complicated than that, I rather close the chapter on all the other cards first!

-----------------------------------------------------

If I get that $300 deal, I will probably turn it into cash for the school. Will see!

-----------------------------------------------------

MORTGAGE UPDATE

Expect to make an extra $450 mortgage payment this month, with credit card rewards.

This puts the balance to about $201,750. I had expected to use savings/Christmas money, etc. to pay this down to my $199,999 goal, but doesn't seem too necessary. Normal principal is around $300/month, and I can add $250/month for the rest of the year with no cable + payroll tax holiday (& piano lessons covered by MIL). So, that about covers it.

This is good, because I probably need to divert about $1500 from savings, to max out our ROTHs in 2011. We are on track to put in a full $10k this calendar year, but also diverted a LOT of that to fund tax year 2010. So, I ran the numbers and a $1500 deposit will get us maxed out by April.

I am keeping an eye on the market. If it REALLY tanks, I will slip in that $1500 earlier. IF not, will wait until the last minute (either December or April - just depends). For now, seems like lots of downward pressure on the markets, so I will wait it out and build up more cash, first.

$30,000 cash goal is still so close but so far!! Kids have dental appointments today, which is never good news! I also need to set aside about $1500 for taxes. (The usual was not withheld from my overtime - so will owe)! & that ROTH money I just mentioned. & so it goes - on and on and on!

----------------------------------------------------

I got $10 off at Kohls (Kohls cash) for buying stuff with my free gift card. Woohoo! (I think usually when I spend enough to get Kohls cash - the last thing I need to do is go shopping there again)! But this was a little different.

I also have a 20% off coupon, so will buy myself a treat today. Probably a nice top that I can wear to work. I don't think I've bought any work clothes this year, and I am feeling the boring-ness of my wardrobe.

Dh is so silly!

He told me that he went to the grocery store, and the cashier mentioned something about a $20 coupon that wasn't printing. So told him to go over to customer service to get the coupon. He had no idea what this was about, but "$20" perked up his ears. So, he goes to customer service, and their printers are not working either.

So...

They just hand him a $20 bill.



As dh tells me this story, and how everyone seems to know it is obvious he is due a $20 coupon, my guess was some kind of $20 gift card with purchase or something. (The only reason I imagine they would hand him cash in exchange!)

He was just completely clueless...

So, I google it. I just google the store, $20 coupon, and it pops up that today was the last day to earn "$20 off next purchase." You just had to spend $100 to get the coupon, which dh always does to get the gas coupon (25 cents off per gallon!).

We stopped getting our paper, so is probably the reason we were completely in the dark. I should probably bookmark the grocery store webpage or look it up on Facebook or something, to keep in the loop!

The store was Raley's/Bel Air - their customer service is always exceptional!

----------------------------------------------------

Well, I got an excellent first impression from Plastic Jungle.

The amazon gift cards I redeemed directly from Southwest Chase have still not arrived. On the same day I redeemed my Citi cards, which have arrived. Last week (Friday??) I mailed in $300 Wal mart gift cards to Plastic Jungle, in exchange for about $180 cash and about $95 amazon gift cards.

Today I got my amazon gift code e-mailed to me.

So, basically plastic jungle was faster than direct redemption. Hmmmmmm...

Thank goodness. Dh really wanted to buy a roku box before we cut cable, and if it took much longer, I think he was going to pay cash. Which was really annoying with $600 amazon gift cards on their way.

The cash was mailed to me today. So, will see how long that takes. But I am uber impressed with the process. I will definitely do again some time.

I am sure the roku box is ordered and on its way. Only 2 more weeks of cable?? (We already have one roku - but apparently we need two rokus. Whatevah - it's FREE)!

---------------------------------------------------

ETA: Gift cards arrived today! Woohoo! So annoying though - I ordered 10 x $50 gift cards (largest denomination offered) and they sent 20 x $25 gift cards. Oy vey!

I took 6 - it didn't take too long to enter all the codes. Dh has 15 codes to enter (14 from Chase + 1 from Plastic Jungle).

Dh ordered the roku plus some CDs and a Christmas gift for the kids. I want to get a watch for LM (BM got one from Grandma? Ignored it for a while, and now won't go anywhere without it? But I am impressed by the quality and want to get an identical one for LM). I still need to get wheels for my roller skates. So I will start with those 2 purchases and save the rest for later. It's that time of year where I pretty much put everything on the wish list for Christmas (dh's family is BIG into material Christmas). So, if it works out, maybe I won't spend the other $100 or so for a while... But it will be nice to have that balance there for when needs arise!

They sent me a nice letter about how they denied me because my name was not on the credit card offer.

I am skeptical. IF this were the only reason, why did they let me apply, then? Why do they let you change the name?

& REALLY??? My FICO scores are identical to dh's. Why on earth would they not look at my credit and just accept me??

So dh gets a second offer for a card he ALREADY HAS, and all I get is denied. Bah.

Plan B? I found they have the same card - no annual fee, earn $300 gift cards if spend $1500. I can swing that (2 months health insurance plus one gas fill up will cover it). So, I will think about this one. Hmmmm...

Well, I will wait a bit and see if Citi tries to court me, first. Plan B would be the reason they denied me. So, maybe Plan B should wait!

I know - I need to add a new category for "credit card rewards." I should do that. I went on a balance transfer binge a couple of years ago (0% balance transfers - take the cash - invest in FDIC-insured CDs at high rates). So, this isn't the first binge I have been on for free money.

Anyway, I just redeemed the Southwest rewards - $500 Amazon gift cards.

Annoying part was with Citi (which didn't have Amazon G.C.s) you could redeem other gift cards for $100, and even more. But, with the Southwest rewards, they only come in $50 increments. So, I had to order 10 gift cards. Oh well! Beggars can't be choosers...

----------------------------------------------------

No word on trying to apply for dh's expired direct mail offer (in my own name). Generally, Chase takes a week to call me and verify my identity (fraud alert on my credit bureau accounts). So, no surprise I haven't heard anything. This one was a Citi card - not sure I have ever had a Citi card. I assume they will call and verify my identity in a few days time. (No outright rejection bodes well?)

I haven't applied dh for the Southwest card yet - going to hold back and bide my time a bit. Let's see what else comes along.

For one - I just paid off 3 credit cards. I set them ALL up in my online bill pay, and paid them all off. I will double check the payments clear, get my rewards, and then work on closing them all. Would be nice to get that all done before I try to juggle new cards.

I redeemed $500 gift cards from Citi today (dh's account).

I chose:

$150 Kohls gift cards
$ 50 Barnes & Noble
$300 Wal Mart
(Will convert $100 Wal Mart to $95 Amazon gift card, and $200 Wal Mart cards into cash - I believe 85 cents on the dollar at PlasticJungle.com?)

{I am giving dh my $500 Amazon gift card from Chase - which I should be able to redeem any second}.

---------------------------------------------------

Dh received a Citi offer in the mail today - the same one we just redeemed. I got the idea to apply for the same card.

Almost like, why didn't I before?

Oh yeah, because initially it came with an annual fee (not waived). I would usually 100% rule out any up-front fee, but I already got $1000+ from ONE Chase offer this year. I figure I could re-invest some of the bounty!

& then dh got a better offer in the mail and we got the fee waived! (For the one I just redeemed).

I still have the original offer (addressed to dh), and it says it expired July 31. I had already applied so didn't apply with the specific offer code. On a whim, I applied for it online today - my name. Our credit profiles are pretty much identical. I thought I might just get rejected off the bat, since I am not him! I put in the information, and changed the first name from his name to my name (it came up with an application pre-filled for the most part - I had to add all the really personal info). & it let me submit it!

The terms were still clearly no annual fee, though I saw no indication of the rewards. They are offering 50,000 bonus points all over the place, but not sure this favorable one will fly if it expired July 31. If it flies, I only have to spend $1000. Well, will be an interesting experiment.

If they deny me this deal, I may try another offer. Paying one annual fee for $1000 in gift cards (2 citi cards) is probably worthwhile.

-------------------------------------------------

I heard today that the Southwest rapid rewards card had a $250 gift card offer. (I just earned $500 Amazon gift cards on mine). I was thinking of having dh apply for $250 Amazon gift cards. It had a smaller up front fee. All it took is one purchase - so it was an easy one. Plus, dh wants to buy a $250-ish game system, anyway. Paying the credit card annual fee, instead, is a 72% discount off retail.

& so it keeps going...

If we go through with these, it will be 3 cards each - applied for in a short time - for one-time rewards. It's not that much, really. I see people in other blogs that do far more volume. IF I Were single, I can't say I would be applying for 6 cards. Well, heck, we are starting to double up on the same cards - which would also be impossible otherwise.

I just packed up all the credit cards - 4 for the slicer. (We earned all our rewards!)

That said, I logged into Chase to make sure dh hit $500 purchases today (I was pretty sure he did).

Um, we've had the card like a week, if that, and they closed the monthly cycle already. Oh well - the reward was $200. I was going to put it to the mortgage, and didn't expect the cash before 8/31, anyway. The annoying part is that it is one more thing to remember (can't just kill them all THIS month). Dh spent about $125 today - after the credit card closed for the month. Bah!

I got a haircut over the weekend and so charged that on the Southwest Chase. One purchase = $500 Amazon gift cards. Yay!

Dh hit $2000 on the Citi. Health Insurance hit today. We should have $1000 in gift cards to redeem by the end of the month, between this and the Southwest Chase. Woohoo!

+$200 to the mortgage in September... If I don't forget!

(I checked - and it hasn't even been a whole month since I applied for the stinking card - what's with the super early mid-month cycle thing?)

It's back to earning a steady 2% cash back on the AmEx. This is much easier! Phew!

Officially approved for the Southwest rewards (Chase) card. Another $500 reward. ($400 - after fees).

Woohoo!

I only know because I logged in and saw *three* cards today - whereas before I only had 2 Chase cards.

I am personally only opening these cards for rewards, and will close them the second I am done.

It seems kind of ludicrous to be extended so much credit. Does anyone really need *3* credit cards with one company? All with -0- balances?

I really thought they were going to deny me and I would have to call and offer to close one card, in order to get the third.

-------------------------------------------------

Anyway, I still haven't closed old Chase card though have wanted to for ages. Dragging my feet, because I hate calling for this stuff. (Used to be good ongoing rewards, but those dried up and they have tried to add fees to it, too - I declined the new terms. But tired of dealing with that crap).

Can you just close your account over secure messaging these days? Probably can.

Anyway, now it's *easy.* "I just applied for 2 new cards, and so would like to close the old one."

It will be a warm up since I will close the other two in the next couple of months.

It's no biggie. If I changed my mind for no reason - it's my perogative. But, I like the easy out!

I really didn't expect much from Chase.

But...

This morning I had 53,000 points to redeem!

Of course I redeemed - before they could change their mind.

Grand total of cash rewards? $1,030 (I already got $500).

$750 to mortgage
$250 donate to kids' school
$ 30 will just keep for bills

-----------------------------------------------------

Dh filled up both cars and got groceries. Between that and weekend vacation plans, I am pretty sure we will earn our Citi rewards by the end of this weekend. (In comparison, I spent $10 on food this week - so - clearly no worse for the ware now that I am no longer an authorized user on this account. That said, I need to charge a $215 professional fee that my boss will reimburse. I can do that with dh's card - factored that in my calculations for above).

As such, dh might get his new Chase card and get those rewards in first billing cycle. Only have to spend $500. 4 more weeks of gas/groceries will do the job.

I will rejoice when we pay off these cards and get them all closed (probably all said and done by mid September. I'll pay them all 9/1, but then there is the closings to deal with).

I do admit Quicken is kind of hard to manage with the endless stream of credit cards. I got to leave them all in there for history. It's fine for now - but a few more years like this? Ugh. That said, I couldn't imagine managing all this without Quicken! Quicken did greatly sinplify tracking all these cards. I have just been paying them all off the 1st of the month so I don't forget. I just paid off 4 credit cards a couple of days ago (July charges). One to go, for July. I usually pay the one or main card off second half of month. I paid all the little ones ASAP to erase the *I forgot* factor.

I told dh we had a good run for 2011 (expecting $500 cash + $500 gift cards still. Plus more deposits into my ROTH. WELL over the $2k mark). BUT, if I see *another* $500 reward, not sure I Can resist. I suppose that is my new thresshold. A year ago, I would have thought $100 cash reward was awesome enough! Since we both already opened 2 cards this year, for one-time rewards, I think we will just hold out for $500 rewards. Not expecting any, but who knows.

I may change my mind - has been really easy money!

Dh seems skeptical that we could possibly qualify for more rewards. I assured him we were just the small guys. I have seen people who apply for the same card over and over and over, just for example - open/close/repeat - the BIG LEAGUES. I somehow doubt we are even a blip on the radar. I've never had reason to apply for more than 2 cards per year (each). But seems plenty of people do far more volume.

Dh is usually immediately approved for ANY credit card offer. *I* usually have to wait for a call (Fraud alert on my credit bureau accounts). That said, I am getting kind of aggravated at Chase for checking my identity every single time. I am a current customer with a current account using the same address, etc. To be fair, my account was very inactive when I applied for the last card. But, this time I am just aggravated. Seems overkill to me! (It would be one thing if I applied under a different address and e-mail).

{I've personally never found any one to ignore the fraud alert - maybe that is more of a department store practice? I don't know - you always hear that credit card companies don't care or pay attention - but my experience has been opposite - kind of overkill}.

ANYWAY...

Since dh is already an *authorized user* on my Chase Freedom, and he wasn't immediately approved, I thought we might have to call and beg to get this card.

So, I Was relieved to see the approval today! Was one whole week.

Phew.

That's a $200 cash bonus.

I am still waiting for approval on the $500 amazon gift card bonus. Which at this point is most lucrative - aside from the $500 cash I got from Chase. I will also find out in a few days if Chase is going to give me another $500 for the Sapphire.

I still haven't heard back from Citi on the annual fee that they shouldn't have charged me. If nothing else, dh should be up to calling Monday. But, I like correspondence in *writing.* Not that it means much to some credit card companies. But, still feel a little more substantial than another promise over the phone!

I really need to start reading all the credit card offers that come in the mail (versus throwing them in the trash)!

My $300 cash or $500 gift cards from Citi will not come easy. I set aside the offer we got in the mail but didn't look at it until AFTER I applied for it. Doh! Lesson learned. Offer in mail waived annual fee. (Lord knows what other awesome deals have come through our mail that I never looked at. Seems if "available to everyone" offers are enticing, then direct mail ones seem to be even better).

Anyway, I thought we were doing very well on budget this month (sick and homebound for a week was a LOT of it). So was surprised to see the Citi credit card uptick $200. I was thinking we may spend $50 more this month - on gas and food. I wondered what on earth dh had bought, and quickly narrowed it down to $175 in fees.

Ugh!

Dh got my germs and he is sick - card is in his name. He is not up to calling them today! Maybe for the best. Citi is easy to deal with over the internet (good secure messaging, etc. - last time I had a Citi card I never once had to call them. I did a balance transfer online and then asked for a cash refund - did it all to invest the cash at 5% or 6%. SO EASY). So I sent them a message how I didn't appreciate being charged $175, after they told me over the phone a couple of weeks ago that they would charge me $0. $125 annual fee + $50 authorized user. I didn't catch the $50 authorized user part until after I applied (have NEVER been charged for that before). So dh asked them to take me off. They told him he didn't need to - was no charge. Of course they charged him anyway!

Since the credit card closed 7/25 or so - it won't affect my budget in the interim. I will just pay the 7/31 balance minus $175. Thus far, that is more than the balance on the 7/25 statement. So, phew. I'd usually be more insistent that they remove the charge from the statement they added it to, but this way I can just focus on getting it reversed. I don't really care when - as long as it is SOON.

I think this is a hassle factor we brought upon ouselves in some regard (applied for the lesser offer). I generally equate these one-time offers with "5 minutes to apply" and maybe "15 minutes to close the card." If that. Generally no hassle in between. Earning $200 or $500 for 20 minutes of my time? Seems like a steal for me.

This one - I just have to work a little harder for.

Lesson learned - I'll start paying more attention to credit card offers! I could kick myself for not checking the mail offer first and just applying under the "no fee" deal in the first place.

These rewards are completely out of control!

I just applied for Southwest Rapid Rewards card. A $99 annual fee + ONE purchase = $500 Amazon gift cards.

I usually write off any card with annual fee (when it's not waived first year), off the bat. BUT, I have made so much cash this year off credit cards, it was a very small gamble.

Rewards round up:

$600-ish deposits to ROTH IRA (Fidelity AmEx)
$1000 (maybe?) cash - not sure if Chase will honor second $500
$300 Cash - Citi
$200 Cash - Chase
$500 Amazon gift cards - Southwest Chase
-$99 fee

=$2500

If Chase flakes out on full $1000 cash, I am still up $2000 for VERY little effort.

I am not sure if I will be approved for this Southwest card - since it is another Chase card. I decided to apply, and ask them to close my Chase Freedom - *if* they deny me for that (too many Chase cards). Was going to close it anyway, but figured it was easiest to do it this way.

I will probably redeem these rewards and close all of these credit cards (4 cards - 2 for the each of us) before I consider any more reward cards this year. I think 4 *extra* cards is about my limit. Should be able to close them all by end of September, and to start anew.

{CAVEATS - we tend to charge most our bills anyway (so we don't have to do anything extraordinary to meet purchase minimums), we ALWAYS pay the balance off monthly, and our 800-ish FICOs seem unaffected by semi-frequent card opening and closings for cash rewards. Once one-time rewards are earned - we immediately close those credit cards. I was blessed to be taught how to handle credit cards versus just fearing them. That said, I don't recommend utilizing these deals if you can't treat your credit card like a debit card, or if you have to rack up expenses that you wouldn't otherwise. Then, it's no deal...}.

**Hit $3000 spending on the Chase Sapphire. Closes in a week or so - will see if I get my points on that statement.

If I get my check, will donate $250 to school and add $250 to the mortgage.

**Hit $600 on the Citi card (need $1000 or $2000). I think I will just aim for $2000 to keep it simple. (Dh got a $1000 offer in the mail after I applied - but it's easier to just stick with the $2000 than to deal with a cc company which may or may not honor anything they tell us!)

Anyway, I just set up the health insurance to pay on that card next month. Which means I just need another $700 or so. Probably will hit it by mid-August and be done with that card.

Reward = gift cards galore.

**I just applied for a Chase Freedom in dh's name. I already have one, so easier just to apply in his name to guarantee approval. But, we only have to spend $500 to earn $200 cash back. EASY MONEY. IT may pail in comparison to the $2000 or so I am expecting from our 3 other cards this year, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not so often an easy $200 reward like that comes along. I'll take it!!

Will probably put the $200 to the mortgage.

----------------------------------------------------

No, we have never opened up so many credit cards in such a short time, for rewards, in our lives. This year has been unreal. I am usually only in the game for more rare/lucrative cards. Maybe once a year or so, on average.

Still wondering how much the competition will heat up and if there will be more for the taking in 2011.

-----------------------------------------------------

{CAVEATS - we tend to charge most our bills anyway (so we don't have to do anything extraordinary to meet purchase minimums), we ALWAYS pay the balance off monthly, and our 800-ish FICOs seem unaffected by semi-frequent card opening and closings for cash rewards. Once one-time rewards are earned - we immediately close those credit cards. I was blessed to be taught how to handle credit cards versus just fearing them. That said, I don't recommend utilizing these deals if you can't treat your credit card like a debit card, or if you have to rack up expenses that you wouldn't otherwise. Then, it's no deal...}.

Lucky me!

Thanks, Chase!!

& so goes $500 to the mortgage.

I was going to deposit my paycheck today and pay the mortgage, so, good timing.

I was willing to wait a few more days to pay the mortgage + $500, but now I don't have to.

That means, $850 to principal.

I had wondered briefly if I had been offered the $1000 deal from Sapphire, anyway. Who knows - I threw the mail version of the offer in the trash without looking at it.

Yesterday I signed up dh for the Citi card - worth $500 in gift cards after annual fee. I decided to take the annual fee since I got so much from the Chase card. Was a small price to pay for the big rewards. & I have a $500 check in the mail - on its way to me from Chase!

I signed up yesterday since I saw the deadline was 6/30. I almost didn't because I thought something better may come along.

Of course, this morning I noticed the paper mail invitation I had set aside. 1 - to remember. 2 - to see if it was a better offer.

Indeed it was! Annual fee waived!! Plus, we only have to spend $1,000 in 3 months to get our reward.

So, if they charge the annual fee, I have an offer code to ask them to remove it. Woohoo. I suppose we will call and ask when we get the card - make sure we only have to spend $1,000.

It looks like I can probably turn these rewards into $475 Amazon gift cards. I was expecting to get much less after fees, etc. Some of the gift cards sites are paying 95 cents on the dollar if you exchange other cards for amazon cards.

It was funny because at first dh thought I should settle for $175 cash. We were arguing a bit. I was telling him "How had is it to sell a gift card? I am going to at least try the gift card thing for $100 and go from there. We will see how it goes. If it is too much hassle - we can take the cash." Of course - once I saw the amazon exchange rate - now he wants me to get $475 in Amazon cards.

Of course, now that we don't have to pay the annual fee, $300 cash, with the push of a button - sounds pretty sweet.

We've got some time to think about it...

Rewards round up for 2011:

$1000 Cash - Chase
$ 600 to ROTH - Fidelity AmEx
$ 475 Amazon gift cards - Citi

It's only 6/30 - the year is only half over - we'd both sign up for another card (each) without a thought. Is it too much to hope for more enticing rewards in 2011? I am curious what the rest of the year brings! IT's already been a record year though, so I will be content if the rewards frenzy ends...

{For reference - we tend to charge most our bills anyway (so we don't have to do anything extraordinary to meet purchase minimums), we ALWAYS pay the balance off monthly, and our 800-ish FICOs seem unaffected by semi-frequent card opening and closings for cash rewards. Once one-time rewards are earned - we immediately close those credit cards. I was blessed to be taught how to handle credit cards versus just fearing them. That said, I don't recommend utilizing these deals if you can't treat your credit card like a debit card, or if you have to rack up expenses that you wouldn't otherwise. Then, it's no deal...}.

Okay, almost, but not quite.

I am well on the way to $600 Fidelity (Cash) rewards this year.

I took a small detour from this card to get the Chase Sapphire $500 bonus.

I did see a promo for Citi for that could be translated into about $450 cash. BUT there was an initial annual fee of $125. So I scratched this one.

However, I just popped onto MyMoneyBlog this morning, and was probably one of the first to see that I could convert my $500 reward from Chase into $1,000.

I followed the instructions and e-mailed Chase, asking to match a new bonus they are offering to specific customers. They wrote me back in just a couple of minutes. Even better, they will just give me 50,000 bonus points when my statement closes this month. (No waiting until I spend $3,000 - the initial reward was supposed to take 6 weeks after you spend the $3,000). Woohoo!

I am thinking of taking $125 of my $1000 reward to have dh apply for the Citi deal.

& that is how I will make $2,000 on credit rewards in 2011, without hardly lifting a finger. (Okay - maybe closer to $1900 with the fee - but the year is young. More offers are sure to entice!!!)

It literally took me one minute or so to apply for the Chase card through my existing account. It then took me about 30 seconds to cut and paste the e-mail request (& edit slightly) that I sent to Chase this morning. Spend credit cards as would otherwise, and wala. EASY MONEY!

This is also tax-free money, by the way!

For the Sapphire bonus:

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/follow-up-chase-sapphire-preferre...

I will apply for the Citi card once we are well on our way to rest of Chase bonus. Have to get that one out of the way first, since Citi requires $2k spending in 3 months. (& anyway, maybe something better will come along in the interim. Though $300-ish net back from Citi is a pretty sweet reward in the grand scheme of things!!)

--------------------------------------------------

As an aside, I was going to get off my lazy butt and cancel my Chase Freedom card this morning. I think I will wait until I get these bonus points now. Since I told them in my e-mail I Was such a loyal customer. If I had cancelled it first, not sure it would have mattered. (Maybe they would want to entice me to stay, even more). But just funny that I hadn't gotten to that. & now I will wait a bit before I get to it.

----------------------------------------------------

This $$ will go a LONG way to my overly aggressive mortgage goal for this year. I didn't really think it was possible, but now it is.

I was also going to apply for a $250 bonus to donate to the school. Before all this. So I may still give $250 for the school. That's a tax deduction on tax-free money. Rest will probably go to the mortgage, though I may wait until the end of the year to decide for sure.

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2011 is going down as a record year for credit card rewards! I can usually earn $500 - $1000 pretty easily, and I don't shun EASY money. But, this is far better than usual.

Thanks to MyMoneyBlog - I just found an easy way to make $500.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/chase-sapphire-preferred-card-new...

I haven't seen an offer this enticing... Ever???

Dh signed up for an AmEx last year and got a free kindle and a $100+ Amazon gift certificate.

I'd probably put this $500 cash to the mortgage. I was about $1,000 short of my goal, and this is an easy way to make up the difference. All I have to do is sign up for a credit card, and charge everything for 3 months. Our health insurance alone will get us 70% of the way there. (Spend $3k in 3 months).

There is a high annual fee. Will close the card the second the reward check clears. That's how we do it!

This may turn out to be a lucrative credit card reward year. I expected $600 in ROTH deposits with our Fidelity card. This may lower the Fidelity amount to $500-ish (if we don't use it for 3 months). Add $500 cash, and we will hit $1,000 in cash rewards this year. I'll apply since I think dh already has several Chase cards and I haven't applied for a cc just for a one-time promotion in at least 1 year - maybe 2 years. I haven't seen anything very enticing in a while.

Woohoo!

A credit card offer caught dh's eye.

Comes with a Kindle and a $100 Amazon gift card. (IF we spend $200 in the next couple of months - um, I think we have that covered).

Will probably get it.

First year is free and then the membership is $175. *choke choke*

Poor, naive dh tells me, "I think I will call and ask them if I can just cancel the card after I get the reward."

Oy vey!

I told dh I would look around online to see if there were any catches.

Dh is of high intelligence, but sometimes when it comes to this stuff, I do have to roll my eyes. "Yes, dh, I am sure they will be honest and up front with you. It's not like they will just say anything to get you to sign up."

But a quick google search shows me these offers are pretty common. & that there is ample time to cancel it before the insane annual fee kicks in.

Dh and I do these offers all the time. It's probably been a while. But our credit scores both average about 800. So, eh. I haven't found it amount to make much difference what we do (opening and closing cards over the years). Apparently, paying our bills on time makes up most of the score.

This one is all dh. He will just get it in his name, and he can deal with closing it.

----------------------------------------------------

We will probably give the Kindle as a Christmas gift to someone in the family. Not sure who yet. Dh's family really wanted to get him one before his surgery. Would have been useless because he did not feel up to reading for quite a while. & we declined the nice offer because we could never see spending all the money on books, etc. We prefer the library! So, I don't think it's the greatest offer, for our own purposes. But, it may pay for Christmas. A kindle + $100 to spend at Amazon should cover Christmas pretty well.

Target offers 5% back on purchases

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/money/2010/06/target-offers...

Considering that our local Target now has a full grocery section, and we have been utilizing it a bit, this is a department store card that probably makes sense for us. (I also do a fair amount of shopping there - household items and most of the kids' clothing). I suppose I will apply! 5% is pretty darn good. If we spend $50/month at target, we would save $2.50/month. All for just getting a Target card.

My general credit strategy is to utilize one card for rewards, and keep a backup. We have always avoided specific department store type cards, though I know we opened a Sears card 2-3 times for big purchases (instant discount - pay off and close the card immediately). That is just how we do things - we have always both had 800-ish FICO scores. I prefer the simplicity of only managing a couple of cards, AND, the only reason we even utilize credit cards in the first place is for the rewards.

So, my strategy would be to take advantage, as long as possible, though I'd close the card once the 5% went away (as good rewards always do go away, eventually). For now, our Chase Freedom is 3% on everything, so this would be better, for Target specific purchases.

Of course, right now I have 3 credit cards because I have been waiting for Chase to stop their rewards program (they have cut off a lot of people). The second they get to me, I am closing it. I have already opened a credit union card to replace it. In the interim, we may become a 4-card family. (Dh and I share all our credit cards - applied for jointly).