buying things w/ credit card for the points? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

suse1023 · RV-Dreams Family Member

buying things w/ credit card for the points?

adeline and ed · RV-Dreams Family Member

They will not let you buy something that large with a credit card. They would lose to much money As they pay the card company a %.I've found they will do acouple of thousand only..

Alie and Jims Carrilite · RV-Dreams Family Member

What we did was make the deal with the sales manager and brought a certified check (bank check). Our CC's wouldn't allow that amount for the purchase.
Paying with cash always helps lower the price... "If I bring a check in here tomorrow, how much does it need to be for".

igotjam · RV-Dreams Family Member

Fulltimer for 6+ years. As it takes a while for bills to catch up, we have virtually every bill (credit cards, phone etc) automatically paid from our checking account. (you billing company can set that up). When we get statements, we just confirm every charge is Ok and do nothing. We use credit cards for almost everything and a debit card for cash from ATMs. We almost never write a check. Our mail only gets forwarded about once a month, so this works great. As others have indicated, even if you have a high credit card limit, I doubt if the car or rv dealer would accept it for more than a deposit.

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

I can't remember the last time we actually wrote a check.We do auto pay and monitor everything close on line.

Technomadia · RV-Dreams Family Member

Correct... doubtful that any dealer would accept more than perhaps a downpayment on credit card... and you would have to have one heck of a credit rating to get a credit card with a limit high enough if you're buying new.

However, we use our rewards credit card for purchasing just about anything we can, and pay it off in full each month. We earn several hundred dollars a year in cash back this way, plus have all of the extra protections that a credit card provides. We have the Chase Freedom rewards card as our primary, and have been quite happy with it. You can redeem the rewards for a wide variety of things - we usually just take the cash, unless there's something on our wish list that turns out to be a good deal.

- Cherie

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Similar to Cherie here, we use our credit cards for points instead of airline miles and pay them off every month. We get gift cards (Amazon and Wal-Mart mostly) and cash back for our points. We can't use a credit card for all of our purchases, but we use them when we can. Chase Freedom is about the best overall for us, just like Cherie and Chris. When you use credit cards it is best to have a backup credit card, because sometimes something happens like fraud or a computer glitch and you need the backup. We are massively covered that way since we have more credit cards than most people.

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

I get all my statements online and pay using quicken. That has worked well for me for twenty years. The fallback plan for times when I don't have Internet access for the computer is to use my banks bill pay on my phone. There have been a couple of times when quicken has thrown a tantrum and I have implemented the backup plan. The only problem with this is we used to forget where we put the checkbook. Now she carries it in her purse just so we know where it is. The las check she wrote was in July of last year.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

MarkS: You will write a few more checks when on the road since some places take only cash or checks. The snowbird campground we stay at in Mesa AZ is an example. We also pay to camp at Elks lodges with a check, it gets properly recorded that way. We don't write many checks, but we write them.

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'll have to write up an instruction sheet. I can only identify a check two out of three times now!

igotjam · RV-Dreams Family Member

There are a bunch of campgrounds (Indiana, KY, & TN as I recall) that do not take credit cards but will take a check. I understand that credit cards cost them but taking a check from someone from another country who stays the night and then drives away (before the check could clear) still boggles my mind. I guess they are very trusting. Thats usually what my checks are for.

hhtjr · RV-Dreams Community Member

Bank Of America is best for me. 3% on fuel, 2% on food, 1% on else. Get put againt the balance in $25 segements. Milage and miles rewards are so confusing its easy for them to get over on me.

I do ALL banking by computer, safer than mail, quicker too. I get my bills by e-mail.

phyllen · RV-Dreams Family Member

Old thread but here goes.

We have used credit cards for down payments. $20,000 in 2011 for the truck. $10,000 in August 2014 for the Cedar Creek. Our Chase Freedom gives us points. We put the down payments on the card to get the points for restaurants, stores, etc. Then within days of putting the down payment on the card, we pay them off. Got $200 in gift cards on the truck purchase and $100. on the fifth wheel purchase. Did not have a problem with credit card company (we have a high limit on the card, never pay any interest either). Dealers might have an issue, ours didn't. They wanted the sale.

phyllen · RV-Dreams Family Member

OOPS!

Another thought -we do use checks. Mostly for church/charity. Want the records for taxes.

Dave Buck · RV-Dreams Family Member

We use the credit card for everything we can to get the cash back. I did try to use it to buy the truck back in 2012 and it's not the credit card company that has a problem it the company you're buying from. It cost them if you use the a credit card. I did use the credit card for the down payment but they would let me use it to pay it off.

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yeah I once sold a truck to someone from out of town on a weekend. He had no way to get a certified cheque or bank draft so I accepted his Master Card. Seeing it was a company truck and sold through the company........It seemed like a smooth transaction. Ahaha.....Then I got my merchant statement end of the month. That transaction cost me over $800.00

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

We use Amex for the points and they accumulate fast and are incredibly easy to use. So far we have purchased an IPad, food processor, and hand held blender with the points

Jake62 · RV-Dreams Family Member

USAA Credit Card has bonus points which you can use for cash, travel, or an assortment of items. I usually just redeem the points for cash which is 1% for every dollar you spend. You may be able to do better with other credit card points, but I just use the one credit card with USAA which simplifies my life :)

Clay L · RV-Dreams Family Member

We use a Premier Elite Visa card from Bank of America. The points can be used for gift cards at many many places. Merchandise is also available.
There is a limit on how many points will awarded in one month. I think points do not accrue on amounts over $5000 worth or so in a month.
We put just about everything on it and pay it off every month.

Bank of America Visa cards offer a neat feature called ShopSafe. It allows you to sign in and obtain a virtual number that is tied (billed) to your real number. It can only be used once and only for an amount less than or equal to the amount you set it for. We use that for all Internet or phone purchases.

I only know of one other bank/card that offer a similar service Citibank. Discover card did but I understand stopped in February of this year.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Read this, http://creditcardforum.com/blog/temporary-credit-card-number-not-always-safe/, on temporary account numbers before you use them. Yes, Citibank (which we have) and Bank of America, are about the only ones that have real one use only account numbers.

One commenter said, "I use BofA’s ShopSafe extensively. It works! I love using it for those snakeoil merchants that say : “first month free just give us your cc for subsequent months if you decide to keep the service” and then they never answer their phones or reply back to your email requests for cancellation. HA!

But there is ONE big downside of using BofA’s SS: real credit card cancellation.

They CANCEL ALL your SHOPSAFE numbers along with the compromised card!

Did I say I use it alot? YIKS! I now have to scramble to recreate new shop safe number for all the merchants that have recurring / monthly charges with me that I want to keep going. SIGH!!

The only workaround I can think of is to have a second real credit card that I keep locked up in my safe and NEVER use except as a shopsafe base."

Jake62 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Usually you are never held liable for credit card fraud on your credit card. I've had my USAA card fraudulently utilized two times. Each time USAA erased the fraudulent charges. Of course, the pain in the neck is getting your accounts changed/updated which you pay by credit card every month, like cell phone bill, cable bill, etc.

I still don't carry a second credit card; instead, I carry a USAA debit card linked to my checking account, which is linked to my savings account, and can be easily used if my credit card is fraudulently used and then cancelled and I'm without it for a few days before a new one arrives.

suse1023 · RV-Dreams Family Member

since I started this thread so long ago I thought I'd chime in again.
we use a Barclay Mastercard which gave us 40000 points just for signing up, and 2 points per dollar on food and fuel.
we are accumulating points so when we go to Europe next spring we can both fly first class round trip.
Air Italia charges 35000 points per upgrade per leg, and I use that as my guesstimate for how many points we'll actually need.
we are halfway there already, woohoo!

and dh uses a aaa card (iirc) for dollars back, which he uses every few months and is quite happy about.

so far so good!

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

We each carry a different Visa card and then we have our Discover Card which I charge reoccurring bills on. The points from the Discover card can be used with Amazon Prime purchases. Chase purchases go to Starbucks gift cards and the BOA points goes into the Savings account. Our park in Mesa will take credit cards, but last year gave the option of a 5% reduction for writing a check - - so that's what they got. Same for our dentist - 5% for writing a check.

Safeway has instituted a new policy for gas in Az, at least, which is 10¢ cheaper for cash or debit card that for a credit card. But their "Safeway" gift card is seen as cash, so you buy the gift card when you get the groceries, on the CC so you get the points, then use the card (which also increased the number of gas rewards) to pump the gas. Had enough points (using their "Just for You" promotions) to get $1.00/gallon off the the lower 'cash' price last week!

Barb

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Now I understand why Safeway is getting bought out by Albertson's. biggrin I was definitely irritated when I found it was 10c higher to use credit for gas, even with my Safeway card. But I did not know gift card purchases count for fuel points. Thanks.

For those who do juggle credit cards, which we do, Evernote on a smartphone is a good way to keep track of which card to use. Some of our cards have deals that run 1 to 3 months, where if you use it for certain tasks, you get higher rewards. It gets hard to remember which to use, so it is nice to look it up.

Hdrider · RV-Dreams Family Member

We should probably pay closer attention to credit card deals but I just use my Discover for everything. And if they don't take Discover I use the MasterCard and pay them off in full each month.

EBendana · RV-Dreams Family Member

We like AMEX with Hilton points. We find that if we are flexible we can get a "free" hotel reward stay for as few as 10,000 points, sometimes even less

phyllen · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have a safety feature on our Chase Freedom Card that can be a good thing - or not. The card is flagged if it looks like the charge is suspicious. Since we are fulltimers and move from place to place, three times in the last year our card has been denied at the register. The first time I was concerned. Thereafter I knew what occurred. When it happened I would then use my debit card.

I call the card company, a computer generated voice asks for info (Security questions, etc.) then releases the card for use. Yes, it can be embarrassing when the card is denied but it still feels good to know that any unusual activity is flagged.

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Master Card did a similar thing to me one time. I went to Red Deer, Alberta and did a $800.00 purchase. Then shortly after another $200.00 with no problems. Moments later I was at a fuel station getting fuel and my cell phone rings. It's Master Card Fraud Dep't. checking with me about possible fraud/card theft. As I am from Saskatchewan then all of a sudden a $1,000.00 on my card in Alberta. I thanked them and explained it was me and very happy they stay on top of things like that.

PIEERE · RV-Dreams Family Member

I remember one time when I used my Debit card at a pay at the pump. Was told by some to use it as credit and it would be safer. Well I got denied furious furious . Thank fully I had enough cash in the strongbox in the motorhome to pay. I called my bank; they reinstated the card aww aww ; told me it was cause I used the card as a credit for the first time ever; and it would be OK to continue doing so in the future. And if a hold ws ever placed on it again to just call ASAP instead of using my cash if I chose to do so!! Still have that bank although my branch is located in another state from where I am sort of stationary now!

I only use vendors discount cards and usually forget cry cry to use them at the cashier or pump. LOL!

-- Edited by PIEERE on Thursday 24th of April 2014 09:30:09 AM

tibbar · RV-Dreams Family Member

We put everything we can on our CC and get cash off the monthly bill or gift cards. The bill is paid every month so there is no interest. I figure I have to pay certain bills every month, may as well get a few $$ back.

When we went to quartzite this last Jan I got $350 worth of Wal-Mart gift cards for 35000 Citi Card points. I looked on our USAA site and the same gift cards would take 10500 points more. I guess the rate of rewards was very different and if I was looking to get a different CC point rewards is something to pay attention to. The gift cards we got is the first time I had ever redeemed points. Now I just take $$ off the statement as using the gift cards was a hassle with them not reading right half the time.

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Used to use a debit card and checks for almost everything. When we hit the road we moved all bills to online pay and changed to using our credit union no fee, low rate card for everything.

We get about 600 a year back on points (cash is almost always the best option) and I write maybe 6 checks a month and most of those are our weekly contribution to wherever we attend Mass.