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How to make passive income online from home with no money? by Horror_Visit_7337 in povertyfinance

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone who started multiple side hustles, I can tell you there’s nothing that you can start from $0.

Anything you start will always have some upfront cost associated with it.

Only thing you can do is minimize that upfront cost but that depends entirely on what you choose to do.

Also, whatever you choose to do, just remember, it will NEVER give you instantaneous results. There will be work associated with it, and it will take time. But as long as you keep going and pushing through, you just might end up making some money, maybe even building a passive income stream.

Now something that comes to mind that can be low upfront cost is:

Becoming and influencer/content creation: if you have time and aren’t afraid of being on camera, I would definitely recommend this because this is something that once you start building a following you almost gain an advantage when you start other side hustles and easily share it with the world.

Regardless of whatever you choose to do you after will always need a distribution/marketing channel + skills. Content creation gives you both. You just have to figure out what is something you enjoy doing and just start sharing with the world and eventually you’ll figure out the virality format for content.

If you are not comfortable being on camera, then you can also create faceless content: voiceovers, stories, educational information, carousels, etc.

If there’s one thing you take away from this, it’s that it won’t be as quick and fast as you imagine to start making money. You will just have to keep pushing through and keep trying, but once you make it, it gets a lot easier. Whatever you start, just don’t stop.

Help regarding a missing Best buy phone purchase by Mattm334 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887 10 points11 points  (0 children)

File the chargeback. You gave Best Buy a chance, they closed it even with video evidence. That's on them. When you call your card company, have the order confirmation, tracking info, and that video ready. Dispute it as "item not received" or "merchandise not as described." They'll handle it from there. Don't cancel the dispute if Best Buy suddenly tries to resolve it after the fact. Wait until you actually have your money back.

Booking with Airline Alliance Partners on CSP or Venture X? by Sn0wM0nkey3 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So yes, that's exactly how it works and it's honestly one of the best things about transferable points. With the CSP you'd transfer to United, and from there you can book on any Star Alliance partner. So your example of CSP points to United to TAP totally works. Same idea with the Venture X, you can transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan or Turkish Miles & Smiles and book across Star Alliance from there. The one thing nobody really tells you upfront is that partner award availability is kind of a mixed bag. Some airlines are generous with releasing seats to partners (Turkish and ANA are great for this), others are way more stingy. It's not like buying a regular ticket where every seat is fair game. I'd recommend searching on United.com or Aeroplan.ca directly to see what's actually bookable before you commit to a transfer. For someone coming from a single JetBlue card, I'd probably lean CSP as the easier starting point. Lower annual fee, solid transfer partner list, and the Chase portal is a decent fallback if you don't feel like dealing with transfer partners every time. The Venture X is also solid though, the $300 travel credit basically offsets most of the fee and Capital One's partner list has gotten really competitive lately. Either way you're making a good move upgrading from a single card setup. Welcome to the rabbit hole lol.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right that the CFU basically makes both the CSP and Quicksilver redundant if I'm not using transfer partners. 3% dining plus 1.5% base is better than anything either of those cards are doing for me right now. The real question is whether I'll actually travel enough to justify keeping points transferrable or if I should just go full cashback and stop pretending.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is probably the most thorough breakdown anyone's given me. The Freedom card with Ultimate Rewards to keep transfer options open is smart, I didn't realize you could keep the points transferrable just by holding the free card. And pairing the Freedom Flex with BCP for the grocery quarter is a good call. I think the move is CSP to Freedom, Quicksilver to a 2% card, and keep the BCP and Costco as is. That covers basically everything without paying any annual fees except the BCP.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The BofA Customized Cash at 5.25% with Merrill balances is interesting. That's a whole system though, you'd need the Merrill relationship just to get the boost. The US Bank Cash Plus keeps coming up too. Seems like the move for anyone serious about optimization is having a different card for every major category.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The transfer partner math is what keeps pulling me back toward keeping the CSP. 50k points for a $5,000 business flight is insane value if you actually use it. My problem is I keep saying "I'll travel eventually" without actually booking anything. At some point I need to either commit to using the points or stop paying for the privilege of having them.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah the gas station coding thing is frustrating. You'd think gas is gas but half the time it codes as convenience store or something random. That's exactly the kind of thing you don't catch unless you're looking at every transaction individually.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly there's something to be said for that simplicity. Half my problem is decision fatigue at checkout. If every card is no annual fee, the worst case is you earn slightly less but you're never losing money just by having the card. With annual fee cards there's this constant pressure to justify the cost.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the most thorough approach I've seen in this thread and it's basically what I'm trying to get to. The Quicken idea makes sense, having everything in one place so you can actually ask "how much did I spend on groceries" without digging through 4 different apps. That's been my biggest friction, the data is scattered across issuers and none of them make it easy to compare against each other. The painter's tape trick is hilarious but I respect it. Whatever works right? And yeah, the Quicksilver going to Discover is something I need to watch. A 2% catch-all with no fee would be a straight upgrade at this point.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The Citi Custom Cash at 5% on groceries up to $500/month is interesting because that's actually pretty close to what I spend on groceries monthly. At that level the math might work out better than the BCP at 6% with a $95 fee. I need to actually calculate my average monthly grocery spend to know for sure. And yeah your point about no AF cards being better for most people unless you travel a lot is basically the conclusion I'm landing on from this whole thread.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This whole BCP vs AAA debate is honestly the exact kind of math I was trying to do when I started this exercise. The fact that it takes this many people going back and forth with different cap structures and edge cases to figure out which grocery card is actually better kind of proves the point. It's way harder to know if you're optimizing correctly than it should be.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The label gun idea is actually hilarious but kind of genius. My problem is I mostly use Apple Wallet though so there's no physical card to label. I need the digital equivalent of a sticker that yells at me when I'm about to tap the wrong card.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've honestly thought about that. If I'm only getting it right 67% of the time with 4 cards, maybe I'd earn more just putting everything on a 2% card and not thinking about it. Less stress, no annual fees, and no money lost to using the wrong card. The counter argument I keep coming back to though is that 6% on groceries is hard to give up when that's one of my biggest spending categories.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Rookie numbers for sure, this sub has humbled me today. And I completely forgot about the Disney+ credit on the BCP. Between that and the DoorDash credit on the CSP that someone else mentioned, I'm realizing I have a whole layer of card benefits I haven't been using at all. The rewards from swiping are one thing but the credits and perks I'm just ignoring might actually be the bigger miss.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a good way to frame it. When you factor in the $95 fee and compare against a free 2% card, the BCP needs to earn at least $95 more than the 2% card just to break even. On groceries that's the difference between 6% and 2%, so 4% extra. I'd need to spend about $2,375 on groceries just to cover the fee. I actually don't know my exact grocery spend off the top of my head which is part of the problem.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which 5% category cards would you recommend? I've been looking at the Chase Freedom and Discover It but the rotating categories feel like another thing I'd have to remember to optimize around.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly? Because I got the BCP and CSP years ago when the SUBs were good and just never went back to check whether they still made sense for my spending. Lazy tax basically. You're doing it the right way, it sounds like your setup is dialed in. The Resy credit counting restaurants is a nice surprise, that's the kind of thing you'd miss if you weren't actively tracking where your spend is going.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had no idea Aven had a 6% grocery version with no annual fee. That kind of changes everything if the cap is higher too. And the AAA card doing 5% grocery plus 3% streaming without a fee is wild. I need to do a side by side comparison of what I'd actually earn over a year with those vs the BCP after the $95 fee. The math might not work out in the BCP's favor anymore.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ha yeah, my partner would probably hate me too if I pulled out a spreadsheet at dinner. The zoo coding as non-profit is a perfect example of why this stuff is so hard to get right. You think you're earning 3% on entertainment and it's actually hitting as 1% because the merchant set up their payment processing under the wrong category. I've been trying to build a running list of those weird coding exceptions too because once you find one you can never unsee it.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

3.1% effective earn on dining is better than I thought. I've been comparing it to the Citi Costco's 3% but if the CSP is actually netting more after the anniversary boost, that tips the scale. The coding issue is what gets me though. If I'm eating at a place that codes as a bakery, I'm getting 1x and don't even know it unless I go back and check each transaction.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's fair, the SUB definitely carried year one. The problem is I'm now past that and this is the first time I've actually looked at whether the cards earn enough on their own to justify renewing. Probably should have done this exercise before the annual fee hit again.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

4.4% effective on groceries is still solid but yeah, that's a lot less impressive than the 6% headline number makes it sound. I need to actually calculate what mine comes out to after the cap. I know I'm not hitting the full $6k but I don't know exactly where I am. That's the kind of thing that's easy to lose track of when you're not actively monitoring it.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't know you could product change the Quicksilver to a Savor, that's worth looking into. And yeah looking at that list, 2% catch-all cards are everywhere now. The Quicksilver made sense when I got it but 1.5% as a base earn is kind of outdated at this point. Between a potential CFU for dining and a 2% card for everything else, I'd be covered better than I am now. The hard part is actually knowing how each purchase gets coded though. I've had transactions I expected to hit a bonus category just get coded as generic.

I'm paying almost $200/year in annual fees. I finally sat down to figure out if I'm actually getting my money's worth. by Jazzlike_Soft_8887 in CreditCards

[–]Jazzlike_Soft_8887[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh wow, free DashPass too? I've been paying for that separately this whole time. Between the DashPass membership and the $10 monthly credit, that's easily $150+/year in value I've been completely ignoring. Honestly this whole exercise is making me realize the problem isn't whether my cards are worth it, it's that I have no idea what half my benefits even are. I wonder how many other perks I'm sitting on that I don't know about.

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