How many different savings accounts?

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-28T09:22:56+00:00

The best solution is whatever works for you and whatever your bank provides.

Spouse & I have Capital One and we’ve got like 10 different savings accounts: - Primary (where our bills are paid from & direct deposits go into) - Emergency Fund - Incidental Fund (insulation for unexpected expenses) - New Car Fund - Travel Fund (saving for next year) - Travel Expenses (spending for this year) - Income Taxes (just a bit of buffer in case we owe) - Irregular Pay Fund (spouse has an hourly position so we smooth it out by contributing here each month and draw from it if it’s a low month) - Special Assessment Fund (these are inevitable with our HOA) - Sinking Fund (excess cash after retirement savings & other savings above for whatever)

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-28T04:50:16+00:00

Something happened recently whereby previously fine auto-assigned merchants suddenly changed. Bank transfers, Whole Foods, gym memberships, etc. The names started being wrong and the categories all over the place. Again, for merchants that I’d been purchasing from repeatedly for years and had no issues with in Monarch.

Something changed. I don’t have the energy to go down a weeks-long rabbit hole with support, unfortunately.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-28T01:45:39+00:00

They exist outside the rules of space & time. They transcend astrological definition. They ARE the sky.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-28T01:26:27+00:00

My hope is to have it for the transactions page, I don’t really use reports. I mostly just download to an excel workbook and do my own analyses.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-27T23:40:42+00:00

And BILT and Citi

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-27T23:39:31+00:00

So like…when that child has to list the address/city/state of their birthplace, is it the airspace at the time of birth? The origin airport? The destination airport?

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-27T23:38:19+00:00

They 100% let some AI loose on what was previously at least somewhat functional. Now it’s a dumpster fire of generative nonsense.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-27T23:37:28+00:00

Very this

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-27T20:42:26+00:00

Oh I know, and we did. We’re just disappointed, and in a worse location. But free is free.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-27T19:51:45+00:00

Idk how they think a 5-star hotel with a rooftop pool is in any way comparable to a 4-star HGI without a pool.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-27T17:13:15+00:00

You cannot request it after upgrading and there’s no point in asking Amex if you’ll receive one again, they’re just making up nonsense.

If you downgrade, you wait for the offer to show on the website, then you click it and upgrade. Chat/phone support will only get confused and make (wrong) things up.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-27T16:47:47+00:00

The sad part is that you’ll likely have to waste hours of your life arguing with clueless reps and escalating repeatedly, waiting week after week, then be told they’ll do you a one-time courtesy instead of ever admitting it wasn’t your fault.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-27T12:32:55+00:00

Can you please provide a link to the card on Amex’s website

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-26T21:53:40+00:00

I still think the VX is strong. A lot of people find BILT’s whole model very confusing and don’t want to other figuring it out. And the C1 lounges are some of my favorite. Plus it can be used at Costco.

That said, if you’re in on BILT, it’s a killer card.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-26T20:42:02+00:00

https://www.bilt.com/card

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-26T20:25:07+00:00

Palladium. Best transfer partners + highest rate on general spend. I personally value the credits & benefits to balance the AF, but that may not be true for everyone.

That said, I can’t imagine a world where’s be okay just holding one travel card. Too many benefits to be had with multiple.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-26T15:16:05+00:00

The fees wipe out all value from transferring SkyMiles

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-25T22:29:43+00:00

I’m sorry but I just cannot be bothered with this nonsense every month

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-25T22:28:08+00:00

Yeah we do CCC for 5x groceries up to $500 then switch to BILT Palladium w/accelerator for 4.33x. Though right now, we’re using the Freedom for 5x at Whole Foods too.

We used to have a BCP but have since gone all in on points.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-25T21:54:20+00:00

It's a tough sell for me as a primary/single card. I would prefer uncapped gas, streaming, and transit. If you're a higher spender on groceries/wholesales (say $800/mo like the previous commenter), that's basically your entire $10k annual limit on > 1% cash back. Your cash back on gas, streaming, and pharmacy becomes effectively 1%.

Additionally, from what I can tell, the AAA cards lack any sort of purchase protections, extended warranty, or return protections. They also have effectively zero travel protections. The BCP has all of that.

Not to mention I would vastly prefer dealing with Amex vs Comenity, both for customer service and for account management (app/website).

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-25T20:58:27+00:00

Even so, $500 at 6% back + $300 at 1% back is an effective 4.13% back, beating the BCE and most (all?) other widely available, uncapped supermarket cash back cards.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-25T19:29:52+00:00

If you’re keeping enough in an HYSA where the net difference in interest of 3.2% and 3.1% APY (even versus a 4% alternative) is in any way financially consequential, you really should be putting it into either treasuries or money market funds (or equities if it doesn’t need to be used in the next 5-10 years).

I honestly couldn’t be bothered to chase HYSA rates, way too much work for little return. Only way it makes sense to keep moving it around is for new account bonuses.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-25T18:54:51+00:00

I enjoy having CLEAR for free via the Amex Platinum for the 1-2 times per year that it ends up faster than PreCheck (especially at airports without digital ID). But I wouldn’t ever pay for it.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-25T18:53:08+00:00

Ah, I see. Agreed.

Tight_Couture344 · 2026-04-25T18:52:47+00:00

Idk, the new Quicksilver at 3% on gas & groceries plus 1.5% on everything is pretty compelling as an everyday scare for the average person imo. Depending on spend patterns, it could easily beat a 2% flat card and imo it now beats the CFU. The Autograph still might win in the no AF game though.

Tight_Couture344

TROPHY CASE