The Premier card gives you freedom from foreign transaction fees for $30/yr. more than the Plus.
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Credit Discussion Thread (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Payback
- Start date
The Premier card gives you freedom from foreign transaction fees for $30/yr. more than the Plus.
OP
OP
This is a phenomenal deal for people looking for small spend or only want a CP for the year. However, last year a bunch of CA residents wwre given this deal too. I had people that acquired it and never flew WN once so I suspect it isn't as good of deal for the average person as it looks. Although for people who can't get the business card this is an easy way around it.
I spent 5k this year and got 115k miles and a CP good through 2020. I wrote about it here
https://pointmetotheplane.boardinga...ay-to-earn-southwests-coveted-companion-pass/
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
Somewhat related, but here's a little trick I use with my checking account to help create "hidden" money.
If I purchase something for $16.41 I round it up in my checkbook to $20. If I have a deposit for $973.77 I round it down to $970.
This not only makes doing the math in my checkbook that much easier by having whole numbers in increments of five, but it also creates a "hidden" balance of sorts that grows over time as I round all my expenses up and my deposits down.
If I purchase something for $16.41 I round it up in my checkbook to $20. If I have a deposit for $973.77 I round it down to $970.
This not only makes doing the math in my checkbook that much easier by having whole numbers in increments of five, but it also creates a "hidden" balance of sorts that grows over time as I round all my expenses up and my deposits down.
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
And another thing we do on the financial side is we'll take a 12-month promo for our internet service, and then when it ends we'll either switch to a different provider offering a 12 month promo or we'll talk the current provider down by threatening to switch.
Saves us a few hundred/year (plus we only use internet, so we don't pay for tv/phone packages since we have cell phones already and there are sites we know where we can watch everything that's on HBO, Netflix, Hulu, in the theaters, even old tv series completely free)
Saves us a few hundred/year (plus we only use internet, so we don't pay for tv/phone packages since we have cell phones already and there are sites we know where we can watch everything that's on HBO, Netflix, Hulu, in the theaters, even old tv series completely free)
You actually use a checkbook?
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
What is a checkbook I am confused?
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
Frogzilla
Straight Flush
I have some tips for auto loans in US:
If you’re shopping around, you’re going to want to do any credit applications within 7 days of each other. Many lenders will bucket these and view it as one inquiry for credit. If you stretch it out over more than a week, the multiple inquiries will hurt your offers.
The rate the dealer gives you is often negotiable. Many times they are offering you whatever the bank quoted plus 2% or so. If you’ve secured a financing option with a bank or credit union beforehand, even if you have no desire to use that, it puts you in a good leverage position for that negotiation.
Even if you plan on paying cash, ask if you qualify for better deals or rebates by using their financing. Mention to the dealer you would pay it off in 6 months or so (instead of immediately). They get incentives from your loan, but have to forfeit to the bank/OEM if you pay your loan off too soon.
You can get more approvals and better rates by putting more cash down. Lenders will view your deal as less risky and adjust their offers accordingly.
If you’re shopping around, you’re going to want to do any credit applications within 7 days of each other. Many lenders will bucket these and view it as one inquiry for credit. If you stretch it out over more than a week, the multiple inquiries will hurt your offers.
The rate the dealer gives you is often negotiable. Many times they are offering you whatever the bank quoted plus 2% or so. If you’ve secured a financing option with a bank or credit union beforehand, even if you have no desire to use that, it puts you in a good leverage position for that negotiation.
Even if you plan on paying cash, ask if you qualify for better deals or rebates by using their financing. Mention to the dealer you would pay it off in 6 months or so (instead of immediately). They get incentives from your loan, but have to forfeit to the bank/OEM if you pay your loan off too soon.
You can get more approvals and better rates by putting more cash down. Lenders will view your deal as less risky and adjust their offers accordingly.
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
I have negotiating tips for auto loans
Don't be afraid to negotiate. I've heard so many people who just prefer to buy at CarMax because it's "no haggle" pricing. Guess what? A dealer will sell you their car for sticker price too!
I don't know how much everyone makes, but I enjoy making thousands per hour. And that's what negotiating the price of your car does.
You can either email multiple dealers in an area with what you're looking for and pit them against one another, or if you're like me and enjoy the live experience, take your test drive, don't seem overly enamored with the vehicle.
When you negotiate, start with the trade-in price of the vehicle (i.e. if you traded that vehicle in today, what would a dealer generally give you? Plenty of sites with this information available)
Negotiate from there. If the dealer drops their price by one thousand, you only raise yours by 500. That way they're always giving more than you are. In the end, be willing to walk away. I've gotten up and right as I was getting to the door the sales manager rushed over and gave me a better deal.
I bought my first car brand new car ever in 2017, kinda a bucket list thing, I know it's not always the best financial option. By the time I was done my test drive there was 20 minutes until they closed, at the end of the month. We were probably there another 2+ hours hashing out the deal. In the end, I got 7K off the sticker price, free oil changes for life and 0% financing. That was definitely worth a few hours of my time.
If you're the wife of Jeff Beezos your hourly rate may be much higher, so just pay sticker.
Don't be afraid to negotiate. I've heard so many people who just prefer to buy at CarMax because it's "no haggle" pricing. Guess what? A dealer will sell you their car for sticker price too!
I don't know how much everyone makes, but I enjoy making thousands per hour. And that's what negotiating the price of your car does.
You can either email multiple dealers in an area with what you're looking for and pit them against one another, or if you're like me and enjoy the live experience, take your test drive, don't seem overly enamored with the vehicle.
When you negotiate, start with the trade-in price of the vehicle (i.e. if you traded that vehicle in today, what would a dealer generally give you? Plenty of sites with this information available)
Negotiate from there. If the dealer drops their price by one thousand, you only raise yours by 500. That way they're always giving more than you are. In the end, be willing to walk away. I've gotten up and right as I was getting to the door the sales manager rushed over and gave me a better deal.
I bought my first car brand new car ever in 2017, kinda a bucket list thing, I know it's not always the best financial option. By the time I was done my test drive there was 20 minutes until they closed, at the end of the month. We were probably there another 2+ hours hashing out the deal. In the end, I got 7K off the sticker price, free oil changes for life and 0% financing. That was definitely worth a few hours of my time.
If you're the wife of Jeff Beezos your hourly rate may be much higher, so just pay sticker.
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Jimulacrum
Full House
This is a great way to think about haggling (and disputing things, and generally talking your way into refunds, discounts, etc.). If you make a 10-minute phone call that gets, say, a $35 fee waived, you just made a rate of $210 per hour. If you take 10 seconds to say "No, thanks" to a merchant, and he offers you $5 off of something, you just made a rate of $1,800 per hour. If you put a couple extra hours into negotiating an extra $5,000 in salary when you're being promoted, you just made a rate of $2,500 per hour (or $8.50 or whatever it comes to after taxes).
Of course, you can't do these things over and over all day, but you'd be a fool to pass up these rate opportunities even if you can only earn them for a few minutes here and there.
I think the biggest obstacle is that people just hate saying "No" because they don't like being seen as disagreeable, they're worried about consequences, or whatever reasons. You gotta get over that ASAP. "No" is the most powerful word in the English language. If you don't at least try to negotiate sometimes—especially for big-ticket items, services, and financial arrangements—you're passing up awesome earning opportunities and leaving a lot of money out there.
OP
OP
I just took this one to the max. Took a BBB complaint to get Comcast to stand by a deal that was made regarding the next promotional contract I was sent in writing. After involving the BBB they threw in a ton of stuff. I got 100 extra TV channels, 2.5x my internet speed, 24 months of HBO for free and am now paying $10 less per month than before.
Checkbook? I still have my slide rule but I no longer use that, either.
I still have a checkbook, actually 2. To me there is something satisfying about writing check to pay off a debt. When I was a kid I garbage picked a desk and some old business forms. I used to play accountant so I guess that is why I became one.
We have been using Chase rewards for years and while I’m sure it is not optimal it gets us several hundred bucks per year.
We have been using Chase rewards for years and while I’m sure it is not optimal it gets us several hundred bucks per year.
I haven't used a checkbook for about thirty years...
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
I don't really use my checks, they actually have my previous address. I just like using my check register still
K&E Log-Log Duplex DeciTrig, or perhaps a circular? Big bucks on eBay!:
Ah, no such luck. It's a Post Versalog 1460 (Hemmi, Japan) from the early sixties, bamboo, with the original black leather case. Fairly common today, probably worth $10 or so. It was quite the thing back in the day, though -- all the members of the Math Club had one.
moose
4 of a Kind
Mr. Cheese
Full House
Interestingly enough I decided I'd go check my FICO score after reading some of this. A month or two ago I paid of a car loan for 10k which was the last of my debt. Since doing that my FICO score dropped about 18 points. Zero missed payments and absolutely no debt other then my mortgage payment, 0% credit utilization as I keep 2 credit cards open. Eh I guess I won't worry about it.
CantSpellPoker
Straight
https://www.google.com/amp/s/thepointsguy.com/news/30-off-amazon-one-amex-point/amp/
Great deal here... link your Amex membership rewards account to your Amazon account. Put $60 or more worth of stuff in your cart, and when you choose a payment option, pay with 1 Amex point and the remainder with cash, and Amazon will knock $30 bucks off your total.
It is a targeted offer, check this link to see if you qualify.
https://amzn.to/2H5gMN8
I tested it myself by adding a $99 Echo to my cart, using 1 Amex Membership Reward point to pay, using cash for the balance, and my cart went from $99 to $69. Normally using Amex points to pay for stuff on Amazon is a horrible use of the Amex points, but when using 1 point gets you a $30 discount, I’d say it’s a steal.
EDIT: I guess only certain items qualify for this promotion - i just put 2 setups of Kem Arrows in my cart and it wouldn’t let me use Amex points as a payment option. YMMV and all that jazz...
Great deal here... link your Amex membership rewards account to your Amazon account. Put $60 or more worth of stuff in your cart, and when you choose a payment option, pay with 1 Amex point and the remainder with cash, and Amazon will knock $30 bucks off your total.
It is a targeted offer, check this link to see if you qualify.
https://amzn.to/2H5gMN8
I tested it myself by adding a $99 Echo to my cart, using 1 Amex Membership Reward point to pay, using cash for the balance, and my cart went from $99 to $69. Normally using Amex points to pay for stuff on Amazon is a horrible use of the Amex points, but when using 1 point gets you a $30 discount, I’d say it’s a steal.
EDIT: I guess only certain items qualify for this promotion - i just put 2 setups of Kem Arrows in my cart and it wouldn’t let me use Amex points as a payment option. YMMV and all that jazz...
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Jonesey07
4 of a Kind
So my wife and I are hovering right around a 680-700ish credit score.
We had some really bad times around 4 years ago that nearly resulted in forclosure (wife lost her job and we got behind on everything). Since then we've sold that house, bought a new house, I got a Southwest credit card ($2,000 limit), and we went from 0 car payments to a used car payment and new car payment.
I know the main factor in our scores being so low is the late payments from our old mortgage and our credit history showing only a couple years of credit since we lost the first mortgage.
Any other tips to bring our score up? We aren't necessarily looking to add any loans or anything but a refinance of the house to lose PMI (we have more than 20% equity in our new home now) or possibly getting a lower rate on our current auto loans wouldn't hurt.
I don't think the auto loans would get much lower (3.85% on the used loan and I believe 2.5% on the new loan) but it doesn't hurt to ask, right!
EDIT: Home loan rate is 4.25%
We had some really bad times around 4 years ago that nearly resulted in forclosure (wife lost her job and we got behind on everything). Since then we've sold that house, bought a new house, I got a Southwest credit card ($2,000 limit), and we went from 0 car payments to a used car payment and new car payment.
I know the main factor in our scores being so low is the late payments from our old mortgage and our credit history showing only a couple years of credit since we lost the first mortgage.
Any other tips to bring our score up? We aren't necessarily looking to add any loans or anything but a refinance of the house to lose PMI (we have more than 20% equity in our new home now) or possibly getting a lower rate on our current auto loans wouldn't hurt.
I don't think the auto loans would get much lower (3.85% on the used loan and I believe 2.5% on the new loan) but it doesn't hurt to ask, right!
EDIT: Home loan rate is 4.25%
Frogzilla
Straight Flush
I don’t know if you can beat 4.25% in this interest rate environment, but you don’t need to refinance to get rid of PMI. Call your current mortgage company up and ask to have it removed.
Jonesey07
4 of a Kind
We are on an FHA loan and only 1.5 years into it. I don't think we can cancel without a refinance until 11 years.
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
Yeah, I believe with FHA you have to refinance it in order to remove PMI 
Used this last night. Some items won't work. It must be, "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" or no deal. Look in the upper right corner just below where it says "In Stock."
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
If there's enough left over after getting me my bday present, get yourself something
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