I was going to append to the existing Barclay's thread, but this is really a different topic.
I have read some misc stuff about how to approach this, and how Barclays shot themselves in the foot by reducing the rebate on used points from 10% to 5%. It was time to get this card again for myself and my wife's first, so now we have 2 cards and I'm trying to get the most out of it.
I propose that the best plan to maximize the bonus in order to then sock-drawer the card requires $3750 in spend. In that amount you need 6x$100 units of travel spend that can be reimbursed. Does anyone else figure this differently or have a different plan?
If I spend the $3k MSR to get 50k points, I should get an additional 6k points (2x spend). If in that $3k spend was a $500+ travel charge, I should be able to apply my points to that charge and get $500 credited. Right?
With applying 50k points to my bill I should get 2500 points as a rebate (5%). Add in the 6k points from the MSR and my balance is 8500 points. I can't leave $85 on the table and I need $15 in points to apply for another travel credit. I need to spend $750 more on the card to get the 1500 points required. Result is a $100 travel credit becoming available. Best if there is a $100 travel charge in that $750 spend OR still in the claim window from the original $3k spend. Spending $750 to get an additional $100 makes much sense to me.
This is my plan and how I hope it actually works!
Now, applying that $100 credit to my statement, the 5% rebate adds 500 points to my account. I can live with leaving $5 on the table.
Thoughts?
I have read some misc stuff about how to approach this, and how Barclays shot themselves in the foot by reducing the rebate on used points from 10% to 5%. It was time to get this card again for myself and my wife's first, so now we have 2 cards and I'm trying to get the most out of it.
I propose that the best plan to maximize the bonus in order to then sock-drawer the card requires $3750 in spend. In that amount you need 6x$100 units of travel spend that can be reimbursed. Does anyone else figure this differently or have a different plan?
If I spend the $3k MSR to get 50k points, I should get an additional 6k points (2x spend). If in that $3k spend was a $500+ travel charge, I should be able to apply my points to that charge and get $500 credited. Right?
With applying 50k points to my bill I should get 2500 points as a rebate (5%). Add in the 6k points from the MSR and my balance is 8500 points. I can't leave $85 on the table and I need $15 in points to apply for another travel credit. I need to spend $750 more on the card to get the 1500 points required. Result is a $100 travel credit becoming available. Best if there is a $100 travel charge in that $750 spend OR still in the claim window from the original $3k spend. Spending $750 to get an additional $100 makes much sense to me.
This is my plan and how I hope it actually works!
Now, applying that $100 credit to my statement, the 5% rebate adds 500 points to my account. I can live with leaving $5 on the table.
Thoughts?
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