Columbus Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
CP Poll about CC usage
There was a post on the D&R board yesterday that got me thinking. My DH (we have separate banking accounts) uses his AMEX CC for every purchase business and personal. I rarely use my CC for any purchases. I am trying to figure out if next year I should change things up. Maybe I should use it for all purchases and bills. Could brings some nice rewards! What do you think? Here was the poll.
1. What type of things do you put on your CC each month?
2. How much is it each month, roughly?
3. Do you pay it off each month?
4. What kind of CC is it and what kind of rewards do you get?
Re: CP Poll about CC usage
2. It varies greatly...anywhere from $1500-$3000
3. Yes
4. Chase Freedom, always use the Cash Rewards (to get the best deal). 3% Cash Back on the top 3 categories, 1% Cash Back on all other purchases. If you save $200 - you get $50 for free, every time!
2. How much is it each month, roughly? not comfortable answering
3. Do you pay it off each month? yes, you have to with AMEX
4. What kind of CC is it and what kind of rewards do you get? oops...I guess I kind of answered that already. DH and I both use AMEX and then other cards if the places don't accept AMEX. We have used the points from AMEX to get his parents here from overseas at least 3x.
If I were you, I would ask DH to add you to his card so that you guys can work together to build points on the AMEX.
2. How much is it each month, roughly? The last charge was for $50 (this past weekend). The one before that was probably a year ago. It's rare that we use it. I wish we would switch to a rewards card and use it all the time and pay the bill off each month - so we can travel.
3. Do you pay it off each month? We do have a balance, but it's not huge and we pay over the minimum payment. H consolidated some stuff on this card for the lower interest rate. But typically, when it starts at $0, it's paid off monthly - or unused.
4. What kind of CC is it and what kind of rewards do you get? Citi Diamond Rewards. I think you earn points for purchases, but it's used so rarely that we've never gotten a reward.
Answers pertain to me only, my DH uses a combo of CCs and cash and I don't see his monthly bills.
1. everything
2. $1200-1500
3. always
4. Visa (Chase Freedom) get triple points where you spend most (grocery, fast food, gas, etc) and single points on everything else
1. What type of things do you put on your CC each month? Everything except bills. We just pay those, but we should start putting bills on there too just to earn more rewards.
2. How much is it each month, roughly?
3. Do you pay it off each month? Yep, in full every month.
4. What kind of CC is it and what kind of rewards do you get? We have two, but our primary one is a Citibank Cash Rewards. We get 5% on gas and groceries and then 1% back on everything else. Our other card just gives us %1 back on everything.
1) Everything besides rent (all bills, groceries, clothes, eating out, etc.)
2) $2000-$3000
3) Yes, we have never carried a balance
4) Chase Rewards Plus - We get everything from cash, to gift cards to merchandise. We've gotten over $1200 in giftcards since we started using it about 1.5 years ago
1. We each have one personal one (we each also have a business one) and we try not to use them, we are trying to pay them off before baby gets here. Usually we just use them on vacation and on gifts for each other so the present is a surprise. (We have joint bank accounts.)
2. Maybe $50-100.
3. No, we don't pay them off, but we pay more than the minimum every month.
4. It takes way too long to get rewards from our CC, so we just use our check card. Our rewards are good from our bank and we get a $50 gift card about every other month.
1) Everything except bills. I very rarely pay for anything with cash (I'm lucky if I even have more than $20 on me).
2) Not comfortable answering
3) Yes
4) We both have gas rewards cards (Mine is a Citi Shell Mastercard, his is a Chase something Visa). We get 5% back on gas purchases and 1% back on everything else. My favorite part of the rewards is that the money automatically comes off the next month's bill. I never have to do anything to collect my rewards (which I know that if I had to, I wouldn't).
We use the CC for as much as we can and we pay it off in full every month. Word of warning though... I find that sometimes we get surprised by how much we spent. Nothing help you spend less than forking over the cold, hard cash.
2) monthly balance: 3-5k
3) paid off monthly? every last cent
4) type of card & rewards? citibank premier something or the other, we get certain points on the dollar, we usually get about $500 worth of rewards in gift cards to places (like last year we bought a nice home surround sound system, the year before a tv... )
1. What type of things do you put on your CC each month? DH: cell phone, gas; Me: clothes/shoes (no bills). When we travel and book travel, we use our CCs. We'll also use them for presents now that we have a joint account.
2. How much is it each month, roughly? Mine varies; DH about $150 a month or so on average.
3. Do you pay it off each month? DH: yes; Mine: yes and no, but I pay a ton more than the minimum. I will have my AMEX card paid off in a few months. If I charge anything to my Capital One card, I pay it off that month.
4. What kind of CC is it and what kind of rewards do you get? Me: AMEX Blue (rewards points...no clue what I can get because I have never cashed them in yet); Capital One No-Hassle (airline miles). DH: AMEX Blue and Chase Visa (I don't know what rewards he gets...I am pretty sure one of them is cash back)
1) Any online purchases and bigger stuff; Though we just had a conversation about it and we're going to try to use it more - like groceries and gas
2) Varies
3) Current plan! It's paid off right now and the minute we get behind, we'll go back to square one of only online and bigger stuff
4) Thanks to this post, I checked on my rewards! We use the USAA master card with cash rewards. I only signed up for the rewards part a few months back and I'll get a check next month for $110! Not bad for a couple months and minimal usage. It only pays out annually, so if this increased usage thing works, next January we'll get a lot more. Plan for this reward is stocking up on diapers!
1) We have our gym membership charged there and I have my Disney Movie Club charged there. Then we usually use it for whatever promotions Discover is having (they have 5% cash back for different things each quarter).
2) Umm...$150ish
3) Absolutely!
4) Discover--1% cash back on everything (I think) except the promotional stuff each quarter, then it's 5% cash back.