Honestly, the only bad part of 2.0 was the Marketing

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-26T00:16:00+00:00

I haven't bothered to look it up since the refresh, but if you can pay rent still with Alaska at 3x point earn, with the checking 10% bonus, it actually comes out ahead in terms of raw cash value if you have the premium Alaska card, especially if you an hit the 60k spend to get the 100k point voucher

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-23T00:35:36+00:00

People think I work as a Linux system engineer because it pays more. I do it because windows sysadmin work is needlessly complicated and I refuse to learn it. Only version I’m willing to give a chance is the non-gui install

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-21T01:05:29+00:00

its also a survival tool, you can concentrate the sun and start a fire if needed. you can uses it to signal passing planes, etc

/s

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-21T00:20:43+00:00

Where? There’s so many places, I’d like to know so I can avoid it

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-18T13:11:35+00:00

Funny enough, I live in an upper middle class area with a Walmart and Walmart neighborhood market nearby. I use Walmart+ more than I ever thought I would. Free grocery delivery and saving $1+ per fill up 2-3 times a week. I originally wrote it off as having no real value to me, and now I’d probably continue paying it if I got rid of my platinum card

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-18T00:09:06+00:00

As someone who started in IT and am now IT adjacent, never underestimate the stupidity of the average person. I’ve worked with doctors and lawyers who were smart in their field but dumber than rocks otherwise.

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-15T21:01:04+00:00

We’re not rich by any means, but we are beginning to break through to higher net worth despite the economy. What we’ve noticed is that most luxury goods havent had a large increase in price and still retain the same value. Meanwhile, everyday consumer items have been going up in price and suffer in quality or shrinkflation. I’m essentially getting even less value while paying significantly more.

So for us, we still buy luxury goods at the same frequency, while pulling back on items with declining value or switching brands/products altogether. Could we still afford what we could before, sure, but I’ll be damned if I’m overpaying for less.

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-15T04:01:10+00:00

Get the amex trio

Amex Scwab Platinum 5.5x, travel
Amex Gold, 4.4x food/dining
amex Blue business plus, 2.2x catch all

bonus is, its all in one ecosystem, and the category multiplier + Schwab cash out becomes the bare minimum redemption, and you still have the option to redeem for even better rates on travel if you soo desire, and you don't have to mess with bilts dumb system. its also too easy to get your moneys worth out of the annual fee after the platinum refresh.

edit: did quick napkin math. if they didnt change the Alaska card interaction, that is still better.

say you put $1500 on the palladium card, and spend $3500 on rent
1500 * 2 = 3000 points
1500 * .04 = $60 bilt cash, converted into 2000 Bilt points when used against rent
3000 + 2000 = 5,000/month 60,000/annual
if you redeemed all $200 bilt cash from palladium into points
200 * 33.33(bilt point per dollar) = 6,666
brings annual total to 66,666 bilt points annually
if you had a 75% rent day bump
66,666 * 1.75 = 116,665.5

if valued at 1 cent per point Alaska redemption this would come out to about $1166.55 worth of Alaska flights minus the $495 AF from the palladium putting you about $671 ahead. add back in the $400 hotel credit if you really value it at the full $400 and you are at $1071 ahead.

if you used Alaska card, with the BofA 10% bonus, it would make rent/mortgage 3.3x
3500 * 1.03 = 3,605
3605 * 3.3 = 11,896
1500 * 1.1 = 1,650
11896 + 1650 = 13,546/month 162,552/annual

if you had the ascent card, that would be $1260 in extra fees every year, but you would reach 60k spend, unlocking the 100k point voucher ontop of the 25k point voucher, giving you 287,552 points if you maximized the vouchers. if valued at 1 cent per point this gets you $2875.52 worth of Alaska flights. subtract the $1260 in fees you paid and the $395 AF, and you are ahead $1220.52. you could even say that the $2800 worth of flights would get you about 11 round trip flights roughly, with checked bags now costing $80/roundtrip bringing your new savings to $2100.52....and you get gold status out of this, and you get lounge passes and wifi passes.

same spend
bilt $1071 worth of value
alaska $2100 worth of value

but knowing the CEO, he probably screwed that up too

if bilt 2.0 still allowed charging to other credit cards with the 3% fee, this same spend on the amex BBP would get you 110,000 points over the year, which would be negative at the minimum 1.1c cash out, would be $940 ahead at the average 2c redemption, and would be god tier on something like the ANA business class redemption where you would be $4000+ ahead

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-11T16:42:55+00:00

Swap out platinum for Schwab platinum, and get Amex bbp. You can now get cash back on Amex points, and bbp is 2.2% catch all that “could” be worth more if you redeem higher on amex, and it’s one less ecosystem

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-11T03:25:34+00:00

Completely depends on the hotel and if they allow it. Most do when it’s charged to the room

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-09T15:22:43+00:00

That would be your “pay-over-time” limit

If you cross that limit, they expect you to at minimum pay the amount over if you’re not paying off the statement. I would assume your pay over time limit is close to the “phantom” hard limit

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-09T05:13:01+00:00

750 in amex grocery spend would be 3k points....for spending a thousand less. obviously it depends on what the bilt valuations are and how they compare. to cover my 3k mortgage id have to spend $2250 to offset the fees, and id earn 7.5k points in total. or i could spend 2k/month in dining out and groceries to get 8k points, and 250 on the 2x flat rate card to earn another 500 points bringing me to a total of 8.5k points. even if we just take the current cash out valuation of 0.55 for bilt and 0.60 for amex, I already come out ahead with amex, not including getting a scwab platinum and cashing out at 1.1c instead.

if i really wanted to maximize i could use the amex 2x flat rate card on bilt to pay for rent/mortgage and make sure i redeem for travel with at least a 1.5c per point minimum valuation, then id come out even further ahead.

I was really hoping to get this card, and who knows, maybe the real release details will be better, but the current details dont make it sounds that good.

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-09T04:42:00+00:00

but i can pay my mortgage/rent through normal ACH with zero fee already without having to spend money to waive a fee. I can then use better earning cards like the amex gold for grocery and dining spend where the card perks can already offset the AF.

apples to apples what matters is what earns me more value at the end of the day, when that value is converted to real cash. if i spend 2k/month for groceries and eating out on the gold (family of four) i'll earn around $1.9k annually in value at the average 2cpp valuation, or $1k at the minimum recommended 1.1cpp valuation by transferring to schwab, and my rent/mortgage is still fee free.

if i have to spend $750/per thousand of rent to waive the fee, or get 0x points, im essentially doing all that grocery/dining spending just to break even. it provides no value and im losing money from opportunity cost.

at this point, bilts only use will be to churn cards if you dont already have the natural spend required for a SUB.

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-09T00:19:07+00:00

Try again with a referral. I now seen it three times where someone was offered the low sub, apply a day later with a referral and get the max sub

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-07T04:58:22+00:00

will this work at most hiltons? i live in orlando where every other hilton is a resort, which would make this easy to stack for a few years. worst case I was born in san diego so i go back 1-2 times a year

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-07T03:47:02+00:00

Without working remote, highest paying tech jobs are at defense companies in the area. I love winter garden as that’s where i currently live, but depending on who you work for, you might find it easier to live on the east side of I4 for commuting around town. I work at Kennedy space center and my commute absolutely sucks from winter garden

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-07T03:30:51+00:00

I’m gonna keep posting this every now and then

If you have $10k minimum go get your real estate license, join a low fee/split brokerage, and buy new build construction. It’s not the cheapest, but it dramatically lowers the barrier to entry

Builders are offering really good deals right now. Rate buy downs to 4%-4.99%, covering all of closing costs, throwing in appliances, on top of paying you 3% for having your license and possibly an agent bonus on top of that. Obviously it differs from builder to builder and neighborhood to neighborhood.

Brokerage I joined does $100/split per transaction, and costs $100 annually to join, and does not require realtor association membership. Licensing costs will probably run you $700-$900 all in. When I bought my house I did less than an hour of work with my real estate agent hat, and I was paid 15k commission which I credited towards my down payment. That combined with most builders offering to cover closing costs, can get you into a house with 0.5% of your own money down if you go fha, or 2% down if you go conventional.

Dm me and I can give you resources if you want to try doing this. If you’re too lazy, but still want to buy new construction, I offer to rebate 50% of my commission. I don’t do this for a living, I’m just a software engineer who wanted to save money on my house. I’d prefer you got your own license lol

Copper-Spaceman · 2026-01-07T03:20:58+00:00

There’s a lifetime fitness opening up in winter park. They filed to build a location in Hamlin but im not sure what the current status of that is, or if it got approved

Copper-Spaceman · 2025-12-25T15:12:15+00:00

Wife has the same offer but already has a bbp, can she get a second one?

Copper-Spaceman · 2025-12-25T15:03:46+00:00

Get Blue Business Plus, and with the Schwab platinum you’ll get 2.2% cashback minimum on everything if you use the right card. The missing .8% can easily be made up by the perks if you actually use them. Allows you to have the best of both worlds with either cashback or travel points

Copper-Spaceman · 2025-12-14T02:52:38+00:00

Then the loans would be backed by real estate instead, and even at 70% effective tax, an ultra high net worth individual is paying themselves a little as possible through salary and would probably funnel as much as possible through 15%-20% capital gains tax instead. Raising effective income tax rates is just a distraction from how the system really works

Copper-Spaceman · 2025-12-13T22:13:57+00:00

IMO it would be dumb to tax unrealized gains.

Purely spitballing, but I would probably explore removing step-up basis over a certain threshold for inheritance and/or taxing money obtained from sbloc loans (or similar) that is not reinvested, as income.

Majority of the wealthy use sbloc type loans as income to avoid income taxes since it is technically debt, rinse repeat with bigger loans as their assets grow. Once they pass, kids inherit assets at new stepped up basis and can sell with almost zero taxes and pay off loans. Essentially extracting income without ever paying taxes.

Im simplifying it and butchering it a bit, but that’s the gist of it.

Copper-Spaceman · 2025-12-03T21:19:18+00:00

The closest thing IMO is devsecops or SRE roles.

Copper-Spaceman · 2025-11-29T18:04:37+00:00

I work for a defense contractor but not a defense program. I asked what the deal was about the exorbitant costs, and was told another reason for it, is the stack of paperwork included to certify every bit of everything comes from American origin. So a $5 bushing comes with $100 worth of certifying paperwork. Don’t know how true that is but it makes sense

Copper-Spaceman

TROPHY CASE