New Credit Card Advice

I want to get a second credit card as a backup. My Costco card will still come first with me, but I'm open to cheating on it a little. Sometimes it gets declined for mysterious reasons, especially out of the country, so it's nice to have a fallback plan.

That said, any advice? I'm looking for something that rewards me somehow. A friend has some card that gets her entry into lots of first class lounges in airports, but I forgot what it was. I'm considering the MGM card, just for the free parking in the associated casinos, but I only go to the Strip about twice a year these days, to be honest with you.

Thank you.

Quote: Wizard

A friend has some card that gets her entry into lots of first class lounges in airports, but I forgot what it was.

Thank you.
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Amex platinum

If you travel frequently the Chase Sapphire Reserve will get you into airport lounges, it has a $550 annual fee, but you also get a $300 per year travel credit. It also includes pretty good travel cancellation insurance as well as rental car coverage, lost baggage coverage, and baggage delay coverage. Right now get 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within 90 days on the card.

If you think a travel card would be a good choice for you, "The Points Guy" website has good information on all the different travel cards.

Quote: MaxFlavor

If you travel frequently the Chase Sapphire Reserve will get you into airport lounges, it has a $395 annual fee, but you also get a $300 per year travel credit. It also includes pretty good travel cancellation insurance as well as rental car coverage, lost baggage coverage, and baggage delay coverage. Right now get 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within 90 days on the card.

If you think a travel card would be a good choice for you, "The Points Guy" website has good information on all the different travel cards.
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I was just going to say that friend Susan just said it was the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Here is a link to the benefits.

P.S. I just signed up for it. $25,000 credit line, which was pretty generous, considering my credit is just average.

Quote: Wizard

I want to get a second credit card as a backup. My Costco card will still come first with me, but I'm open to cheating on it a little. Sometimes it gets declined for mysterious reasons, especially out of the country, so it's nice to have a fallback plan.

That said, any advice? I'm looking for something that rewards me somehow. A friend has some card that gets her entry into lots of first class lounges in airports, but I forgot what it was. I'm considering the MGM card, just for the free parking in the associated casinos, but I only go to the Strip about twice a year these days, to be honest with you.

Thank you.
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I am very surprised that you only have a single credit card. Like you, I have had declines for unknown reasons so when I travel I always carry at least three cards. Many years ago I went on a credit card aquisition spree to game all of the bonuses. At one point had over 22 active credit cards. I currently have 5 or 6.

Quote: DRich

I am very surprised that you only have a single credit card. Like you, I have had declines for unknown reasons so when I travel I always carry at least three cards. Many years ago I went on a credit card aquisition spree to game all of the bonuses. At one point had over 22 active credit cards. I currently have 5 or 6.
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In my opinion, the more credits cards you have, the greater the chances of someone hacking one of them, which can lead to your identity being stolen.

I've found the Chase travel service that's part of the card benefits is always more expensive than anywhere else, but you can transfer your points 1 for 1 to an airline rewards program. When my wife and I went to Japan last May, I transferred points to Southwest Airlines and Singapore Airlines which paid for our flights. We flew Denver to LAX on Southwest then LAX to Tokyo on Singapore Airlines, round trip on both of course.

Congrats!

Quote: Wizard

I want to get a second credit card as a backup. My Costco card will still come first with me, but I'm open to cheating on it a little. Sometimes it gets declined for mysterious reasons, especially out of the country, so it's nice to have a fallback plan.

That said, any advice? I'm looking for something that rewards me somehow. A friend has some card that gets her entry into lots of first class lounges in airports, but I forgot what it was. I'm considering the MGM card, just for the free parking in the associated casinos, but I only go to the Strip about twice a year these days, to be honest with you.

Thank you.
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I’m SURE I know the friend. Contact said friend and he/she will steer you the right way. I love my Marriott card. 1 free night every year. Also linked to my BetMGM account so I get free points quite often. Last offer was ‘bet $10, get 1000 points in your Marriott account’. I get enough points for multiple freeroom nights every year.

Good that you are moving away from cash to get free stuff from the credit card companies.

Quote: TigerWu

Quote: Wizard

A friend has some card that gets her entry into lots of first class lounges in airports, but I forgot what it was.

Thank you.
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Amex platinum
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AMEX Plats is the one we have, but it costs a lot, 695 + 195 for each additional.

It is in fact one of the few cards for which I pay an annual fee, the only others being cards associated with an airline or some kind of hotel rewards program.

Quote: MDawg

AMEX Plats is the one we have, but it costs a lot, 695 + 195 for each additional.

That is also my daily card. I only use others if the place doesn't except Amex.

whoever's advice you take, let them get credit beforehand ... some cards give a good bonus, maybe to both of you

since I said that i won't suggest a card.

Quote: Wizard

Quote: DRich

I am very surprised that you only have a single credit card. Like you, I have had declines for unknown reasons so when I travel I always carry at least three cards. Many years ago I went on a credit card aquisition spree to game all of the bonuses. At one point had over 22 active credit cards. I currently have 5 or 6.
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In my opinion, the more credits cards you have, the greater the chances of someone hacking one of them, which can lead to your identity being stolen.
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Financial expert Frank Abagnale Jr who wrote the book Catch Me if You Can, swears by credit cards. He has no debit cards because he says they are dangerous, credit cards have built-in safeguards and debit cards have none. A thief can empty your bank account with a debit card. He uses credit cards for everything and pays them off at the end of every month so he doesn't pay interest.

Clark Howard

Radio consumer affairs guy, he keeps track of current cards and bonuses.

Never mind the MGM card - the Caesar's card has the same advantage (1% off on hotels/restaurants at most Caesar's properties...that is, the ones that don't flash the "points are only worth half here" sign at the entrance, like Cafe Americano at Paris), plus, since it's a Visa, you can use it at Costco. What, you think the points I used to pay for my Gordon Ramsay Beef Wellington came from gambling?

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: Wizard

Quote: DRich

I am very surprised that you only have a single credit card. Like you, I have had declines for unknown reasons so when I travel I always carry at least three cards. Many years ago I went on a credit card aquisition spree to game all of the bonuses. At one point had over 22 active credit cards. I currently have 5 or 6.
link to original post

In my opinion, the more credits cards you have, the greater the chances of someone hacking one of them, which can lead to your identity being stolen.
link to original post

Financial expert Frank Abagnale Jr who wrote the book Catch Me if You Can, swears by credit cards. He has no debit cards because he says they are dangerous, credit cards have built-in safeguards and debit cards have none. A thief can empty your bank account with a debit card. He uses credit cards for everything and pays them off at the end of every month so he doesn't pay interest.
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The guy is a complete fraud but his advice on debit cards is sound. A debit card should never be used except for with a bank.

Chase has a couple that will allow you to access airline lounges.

Quote: Wizard

Quote: DRich

I am very surprised that you only have a single credit card. Like you, I have had declines for unknown reasons so when I travel I always carry at least three cards. Many years ago I went on a credit card aquisition spree to game all of the bonuses. At one point had over 22 active credit cards. I currently have 5 or 6.
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In my opinion, the more credits cards you have, the greater the chances of someone hacking one of them, which can lead to your identity being stolen.
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I have never heard of a credit card being "hacked." Usually when there is fraud it is someone you know. Practice good prevention. Don't fall for internet scams. Don't leave it lying out, etc. Ger rid of dormant cards. Late-90s everyone was getting a ton of cards. Little need for more than 3-5. A daily user. A backup. Special cards for special uses, for example if you have a job where you have to front for expenses.

Also, go to the bureaus and freeze your credit! It's free and easy.

I have had my credit cards charged for small amounts where I have no idea how the number got out there, the charges were made via card-not-present transactions in some foreign country and it is obvious that it was no one I know. In such cases, clearly due to some leak or hack.

I don't worry about credit card fraud as it's easy to just report it and get the charges removed quickly.

For example, when I get a new credit card (entirely new number) I don't cut up the old one, as I figure the old number isn't valid, so why would I care about it? My wife on the other hand if she sees me throwing out an intact card will get hold of it and cut it up. Not caring about my old credit card numbers is along the lines of why I'm not so very concerned about if anyone gets hold of my valid and current credit card numbers, not that I don't protect them, just that I know may I stop any use of them quickly and dispute any fraudulent charges.

Bank or other financial account account siphoning - or debit card fraud where someone uses your PIN - those are something quite different, harder to contest and aren't necessarily protected by the same automatic limited liability laws, so I'd be more worried about losing funds on deposit than having credit from my existing credit cards used.

Quote: MDawg

I have had my credit cards charged for small amounts where I have no idea how the number got out there, the charges were made via card-not-present transactions in some foreign country and it is obvious that it was no one I know. In such cases, clearly due to some leak or hack.

I don't worry about credit card fraud as it's easy to just report it and get the charges removed quickly.

For example, when I get a new credit card (entirely new number) I don't cut up the old one, as I figure the old number isn't valid, so why would I care about it? My wife on the other hand if she sees me throwing out an intact card will get hold of it and cut it up. Not caring about my old credit card numbers is along the lines of why I'm not so very concerned about if anyone gets hold of my valid and current credit card numbers, not that I don't protect them, just that I know may I stop any use of them quickly and dispute any fraudulent charges.

Bank or other financial account account siphoning - or debit card fraud where someone uses your PIN - those are something quite different, harder to contest and aren't necessarily protected by the same automatic limited liability laws, so I'd be more worried about losing funds on deposit than having credit from my existing credit cards used.
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I had a new credit card with only 1 to 8 legit transactions (It has been a long time to recall). It had a transaction (around $300) that I know was not me. In another state. I can't remember that far back why, but I suspected a local monthly service company as the leak. It was an equipment company that required a monthly fee. I got the transaction refunded. Maybe, the credit card company itself was compromised.

I request a new credit card number once a year for a card that I use heavily. I just report as lost. It hasn't affected my credit score to repeatedly report as lost. Until the new one comes, I have to use a different credit card.

I conversated about fraudulent checks on our commercial account during 4 years of journal entries. We had a winded conversation about each one. I suspect some are theft by bank personel. Teller cash withdrawals and forged checks. The commercial signature is a stamped image. Someone handwrote the image on 3 checks. Benefactor's address is 400 miles away. Bank analyst did not detect these.

Handwritten signature used for personal checks were used on 2 commercial checks. Those were caught by the bank analyst.

Some checks had a different font and text position. 2 were caught by the bank analyst. Others undetected.

Some had two checks for one check number. The only time I seen a legit reason is if an internet payment overlaps a paper check. But these were two paper checks using the same check number. Bank did not detect those.

A photo of a check had the wrong account number but listed on the statement.

We caught an intermet payment for an out of town bar within one week. Bank refused to do anything.

I believe part of the reason why banks are reluctant is that they are overwhelmed with fraud. We were forced to change our account number twice due to check forgeries. This year, the bank sent a letter to close the account involuntarily. I had a conversation with a detective 18 years ago discussing the amount of cases reported. The president of an insurance agency said that the police were not interested in an 18k burglary case of a clothing store.

I called my broker to say $8,800 was taken from my acct. The broker walked across the street to get copies of the transactions and went over it to confirm $8,800 theft and his identity and address. I relay info to police. Bank replenishes the amount in 24 hours. Detective does not want to prosecute because I got my funds back. A different detective said she wants to prosecute but never follows up. I'm guessing he got away with 4 counts of felony. He lived a few blocks away. Found online that he transferred to a private Christian university for graduate school in environmental studies.

I play the credit card game and sock drawer a lot of cards. Create online accounts for every card. Many cards I just link to my phone and don't carry the physical card. I used to link all of them to Mint and now link them to CreditKarma, there is some risk with giving Intuit all your information but they don't have the direct credit card numbers. I am not surprised Mike got a large credit limit on CSR since he is older, presumably has a good income, homeowner, with little debt. Robinhood gave me a $30k credit limit, for their gold card (free with Robinhood Gold, which I use due to their IRA transfer bonus a while back). Robinhood's credit card gives 3% cash back on everything, but unfortunately does not let me use it on tax payments which cost 1.89-2.3% for the arbitrage. I have gotten stung with fraud but usually fraud alerts will trigger, or I will notice a charge within a day or two which is strange and once it posts, I question it immediately.