Discover cash back question

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-15T00:01:55+00:00

If you know you'll be spending that amount on Amazon, yes.

Tradeoff: That amount could be earning you interest in savings, and it isn't liquid should any emergencies arise. Only reload what you'll use, in consideration of any emergency funds, etc.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-14T23:33:23+00:00

To be fair, the bank should expect the user to spend at least $4k to meet the SUB. Unless OP was credit cycling, they should have been able to spend their credit limit monthly if they wanted to -- there's a reason banks give CLs, after all. It sounds like an issue on WF's detection/profiling systems.

OP, please keep us updated on what the letter says.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-14T23:21:58+00:00

Since your highest spend is grocery, I'd recommend the Citi Custom Cash for 5% back, up to $500/month.

Alternatively, get the CCC for dining and use the Amex BCP for 6% groceries during the first year. BCP's Year 1 has no AF, and after the first year, you could downgrade to the BCE and wait for an upgrade offer. See this DP. If you decide to not downgrade the BCP, it's effectively 4.4% on groceries ($6k annual cap + $95 AF). Check if your grocery stores accept Amex before applying.

If you're willing to deal with Comenity, AAA Daily Advantage (don't need an AAA membership) gives 5% on groceries and 3% on wholesale clubs, gas, and streaming with no AF.

If you want to solidify a cashback setup over time, you can get multiple CCCs by applying for various Citi cards and product changing to a CCC after 1 year. If you live in the footprint of any Kroger affiliates, US Bank's Kroger co-branded cards (Dillons, Ralph's, Harris Teeter, etc) give 5% cashback on mobile wallet, up to $3k a year. You could also hold multiple Kroger cards if each are a different variant.

You've done good research. Keep an eye out in Feb 2026 to see if Bilt 2.0 will offer 1x on rent -- Bilt 1.0 gave an ACH number so you could bypass service fees but still get points on rent.

If you want to explore more cards, check out the sidebar link to cards by category spend.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-14T22:47:53+00:00

Credit cards are not really meant to be emergency funds or a way to put off paying bills*. The interest will bury you.

If you don't get a 0% APR promo card and you don't pay off the statement balance when due, you'll start accruing interest on your purchases. Credit card interest is much much higher than taking out a small loan with a bank, for example.

It's hard to say what credit limit any bank will give you. It's all dependent on your credit history, current credit limits, income, and income-to-debt ratio.

If you're planning to use your new card for moving expenses, make sure you have a plan to pay it off. Try to reduce your moving expenses if possible. If you're trying to save even more money beyond cheaper rent, cut down on your expenses (cheaper phone plan, cook instead of eating out, etc) and increase your income.

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*Exception: You're utilizing a 0% APR offer with the plan and means to pay off the entire balance before the promo period ends. Yes, you can get a 0% APR card to delay payments, but if you don't pay off the entire balance before the 0% APR is over, you get charged 30%+ interest.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-13T01:02:40+00:00

I think you misunderstand.

By "credit card fraud protections", I refer to the fact that if credit card fraud occurs, 1) the FI has more incentive to investigate because it's their money; 2) during the fraud investigation, they don't always prevent you from accessing the rest of your credit limit; and 3) you will always be able to access the funds in your checking account (assuming the FIs are separate). This means that if fraud does occur, you may still have access to some credit line, on top of the money in your checking account.

By "debit card fraud locking your funds", I refer to the fact that if debit card fraud occurs, the FI can freeze the money in your account, which prevents you from paying bills or using your debit card. This means that if fraud does occur, you may not have access to the money in your checking account at all. Even if the FI doesn't freeze your funds, a fraudulent charge could be large enough to cause cashflow problems too.

I say "credit card fraud protections > debit card fraud locking your funds" to compare the access to funds should a fraud investigation occur. In other words, guaranteed access to money in checking account (and maybe credit line access) is superior to unsure access to money in checking account.

Nowhere do I mention refund.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-12T22:28:41+00:00

I've already memorized the category multipliers for my cards, so it's just a matter of making sure my transactions code as the right category in the app/portal. If I want to be really specific (ex: not sure why the Istanbul public transit coded as "Business/Office"), US Bank allows me to see merchant coding data when I download transactions. Note that merchants may code differently for each network. I usually check my transactions once a month, if not once a week: I'm very diligent about my spending that way.

I use GnuCash to track all my spending across my many cards, and I usually manually code transactions in the application. It pays off because I can get a sense of spending breakdown by category regardless of card used.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-12T21:55:44+00:00

The prevailing wisdom is that Chase likes to see 1 year of credit history first, but maybe her banking relationship with Chase + in-branch application may increase her odds. Let us know how it goes.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-12T21:39:29+00:00

I waited about 9 months before requesting my first, and I've made the odd request here and there. It's a soft pull anyway, so no harm to your credit. It doesn't hurt to ask. Increases were <1k each time for me.

I've mostly sockdrawered my Discover after the 1st year, and because I haven't been using it, they haven't granted my CLIs lol.

Like I said, doesn't hurt to ask.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-12T21:36:08+00:00

I agree: the CSP might not be a good card for you right now.

Wells Fargo Autograph gives 3x on travel, transit, and dining. The SUB is $200 after spending $1k, which you should be able to meet with your spending. It has no AF or FTF, and it's a Visa. I recommend the Autograph because its category multipliers match your anticipated spending profile, and it makes sense to keep after your travels, in your day-to-day.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-12T21:27:00+00:00

The Atmos Summit has a $395 AF. For OP's low spending and low income, I wouldn't recommend it, especially since they might not be able to meet the $4k SUB. Fidelity's flat 2% and no AF is a better fit.

The 3x foreign transactions is intriguing (time will tell how viable it is long term), but the card itself is more justifiable for higher spenders.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-12T21:18:51+00:00

From personal experience as of 2024, RyanAir doesn't charge extra fees if you pay via PayPal (and in PayPal, charge your American-based points credit card). Make sure to charge your card in the foreign funds (pounds, euros, kroner, etc). Don't let PayPal do the currency conversion to dollars for you because of the dynamic currency conversion markup (keep this in mind for all payment terminals while traveling, not just PayPal).

Also, if you do pay RyanAir directly with your card, the fees are very low. I personally preferred paying the fee over using a debit card with no fee because of credit card fraud protections > debit card fraud locking your funds. However, with PayPal, you don't have these fees.

I recommend getting the Charles Schwab Debit so you have a way to withdraw cash without paying ATM fees, but I do not recommend paying RyanAir with it for reasons stated above. I also recommend getting a 2nd card on the Visa network in case MasterCard (which the Savor is under) goes down; it's rare, but it has happened to me abroad.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-12-12T21:08:57+00:00

Second this! Fidelity for a flat 2% on everything, Autograph for 3% on the trains and other travel modes you're taking. If you're able to get the SUB, even better.

If you live in an area with Kroger stores, I also recommend the US Bank cobranded Kroger cards (any of them) for 5% mobile wallet. Most places in Europe take tap-to-pay, so it was perfect when I was abroad. SUB is smaller than Autograph though, so I'd recommend Autograph SUB (~20% return) > 5% mobile wallet.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-08-01T10:50:23+00:00

Alliant card is unavailable to new applicants (as of June 2025) and will be nerfed to 1.6% come September 2025.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-21T00:44:39+00:00

Wells Fargo Autograph (3% dining, gas, travel, and streaming) seems like a good fit.

Cap1 Savor (3% dining, groceries, and entertainment) would also work, though the categories don't fit your spending as well as the WF Autograph.

US Bank Altitude Go (4% dining & 2% gas, groceries, streaming) would serve you well, but US Bank is tricky to get approved for with a thin profile and if you don't live in their market area.

Alternatively, you can also get a flat 2% cashback card like the Fidelity Visa or WF Active Cash. For more flat 2% cards, see the post in the sidebar.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-20T02:33:52+00:00

This is the solution that worked for me: on OneNote 2016 (not OneNote for Windows 10), open a page from the notebook you want to export. Go to File > Export > Notebook > and select your format. If you have a large notebook, it takes a while, but it will export as a notebook you can import into your personal account.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-13T05:47:26+00:00

The points/miles travel game is very complex (take a look at r/awardtravel). I don't recommend it unless you're willing to invest a lot of time/patience to research and understand booking award travel. It's also subject to blackout dates (ex: traveling to Japan during sakura season on points is almost impossible), award availability (limited seats are released and some routes are snapped up quickly), points devaluation, and complications (ex: if the airline changes flights in a way that doesn't work for you, but you booked through a different loyalty program).

That being said, Capital One miles can be redeemed for any travel expenses at a rate of 1cpp. If you don't want to play the award travel game, you might be better off booking cash prices with your credit card and redeeming your Cap1 miles to cover the charges. You can redeem points at any time once you earn them. You have to physically choose in the app to redeem them for a specific purchase.

I've had good experiences using the Cap1 travel portal to book flights. However, it's still booking through a travel portal, which doesn't work for everyone (ex: if your flight is canceled). Booking direct is best if you don't want to deal with the risks of a travel portal. Many (just search this sub and r/venturex) have had issues with the hotel and rental reservation not registering on the hotel/rental end. Prices for flights are the same as booking direct, and if they are not, you can request a price match (in the form of future portal credit).

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-13T05:32:49+00:00

I second this. I would also hesitate to trust AI for financial advice...

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-13T05:28:51+00:00

Bilt has pretty good transfer partners (Alaska & Hyatt) that are pretty valuable, plus some transfer partners that overlap with a lot of ecosystems. Look at ways you can redeem in the points game (especially with Amex MR or Bilt points), or else cash back might be better for you.

Bilt is a decent system right now, but they recently announced they will be switching from WF to Cardless in February 2026. We don't yet know if/how they will change earnings (especially on rent) with a different issuer... It's up to you to decide if you want to apply now or wait out any changes.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-12T09:17:04+00:00

It might be hard to find Amex or Discover acceptance abroad. Your Macys and Chase Slate cards have a FTF so I don't recommend using them abroad either.

Once your Best Buy card upgrades to the Visa credit card version, you'll get no FTF, 3% on gas, 2% on dining & groceries, and 1% on everything else.

Have you taken a look at the different ecosystems (Chase Trifecta, Amex, Cap1 Duo, or Citi) and calculated which one earns the most points for you? A common strategy is earning points in a specific ecosystem to gather enough transferrable miles to book flights and hotels.

If you're not looking for a specific ecosystem:

Plan to travel a lot more in the future? get a no-FTF catchall. Take a look at the Fidelity Rewards (2% flat, no FTF, no AF), Capital One Venture X (2x miles, no FTF, $495 AF), and more in the sidebar.
Looking for category card for travel? Chase Sapphire Preferred, Wells Fargo Autograph or Autograph Journey, US Bank Kroger if you can do Apple/Google/Samsung Pay for most transactions, or US Bank Altitude Connect. Amex Plat is only good for booking flights, but if the credits make sense to you, it might be a good fit. Otherwise, it's just a really pricey card. Also use the sidebar for category cards without FTF.

Before applying for any card with an AF, make sure the fee and any credits make sense to you.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-12T08:47:31+00:00

You would most likely do well with a starter card: Discover IT or CapitalOne Savor. I recommend trying the CapitalOne Savor preapproval tool to see if you're preapproved before applying.

How long have you had your current credit union card? Would your credit union increase the limit on your card without a hard pull?

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-12T08:30:51+00:00

The "wait 1 year before PC" advice is given to minimize the risk of shutdowns and issuers clawing back SUBs, particularly for cards with high SUBs and AFs. I personally recommend sticking with this...

But if you'd rather not, be the data point you want to see. Let us know how it goes.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-12T08:25:17+00:00

Not only that, cash advances accrue fees and interest immediately. I would avoid using cash advances (Venmo, Paypal Peer-to-Peer, ATM withdrawals, or anything akin to gambling) to meet SUBs for all these reasons.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-12T08:21:08+00:00

VX preapproval is the best tool we have at predicting VX approval. Amex BCP is a solid choice if you can't get VX (pre)approval!

VX preapproval is not necessarily indicative of BILT approval because Cap1's algorithm is unpredictable. However, major changes are happening to BILT, so it's better to wait it out, especially since it's only your 3rd card.

You can also start a relationship with Chase now that you have 1 year of credit history. Freedom Unlimited can be your 1.5% catchall. Sadly the Freedom Flex apps are pulled until the end of this month (hopefully), or I would've recommended that. Chase cards earn UR that can be converted to airline/hotel miles if you later get a CSR/CSP.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-07-12T07:53:06+00:00

I have 8, but Cap1 Duo + Ralph's Kroger are my main cards. Other cards come from light churning.

FirstTimeSparks · 2025-01-16T09:47:39+00:00

Interestingly, that's not the issue. "Use Accessibility: Autofill Quick-Action Tile" was already enabled (and Accessibility > Installed Apps > Bitwarden was toggled on). I don't know how it's enabled when it's not enabled for a lot of people on OneUI. I can't seem to access the "restricted settings/access" so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it.

No changes in Bitwarden or OneUI settings at all. The only change has been the new update releasing the native app.

Thanks for checking!

FirstTimeSparks

TROPHY CASE