Points!!! (value, old)

[goodlife36]

I redeemed my points on a card I've had forever. I got a clock radio, robe, carpet cleaner and a salad shaker. I was waiting to be charged for shipping and handling but it did not happen. Wow! I never pay attention to this stuff. Do you guys get cool stuff with your points?

[lae60]

I always take the cash, and have it deposited in my checking account for an additional 10% added to the total.

[fasttimes1]

I always take the cash or discounted gift card to a store you use regularly. You can always find a better deal buying stuff online.

[Gerania]

I take the gift cards; they're a better value.

[Pitt Chick]

I prefer discounted gift cards.

[Sarahsez]

My husband cashed ours in for gift cards and used them for Christmas presents.

[goodlife36]

The gift cards were for things I did not need. I really need a carpet cleaner. I hope everything works out well.

[doodlemagic]

For points taking cash is typically the worst cashin value. I don't have specifics but for cash you may only get a tenth of a penny for every dollar spent and point earned where as on a vacation you may get as much as 3 pennies on the dollar.

I think everyone should take advantage of cc points as long as you pay your balance in full every month and don't fall into the mindset of spending just for points.

CC rewards are like a science, if you're interested in them there's all types of forums and message boards where you can keep up to date on ways to maximize your points.

There was a gimmick a few years ago where you could order US Dollar coins from the mint for free so you buy them, earn the rewards, take them to the bank cash them in buy some more and repeat. People earned millions of points this way, nothing illegal about it either although the mint finally did catch on and stop the program as nobody wants dllars coins and it was just being abused. Surprisingly however they brought the program back 2 years later did it again and same exact thing happened.

there was also another gimmick for racking up rewards with vanilla reload cards sold at like cvs, that one recently came to an end however here's how it went...

Earn Cash Back, Frequent Flyer Miles, Or CC Rewards With BlueBird & Vanilla Reload Cards

Even if you're just a casual rewardes collector its worth doing, if you want to do a little research though you can probably earn a lot more rewards.

[goodlife36]

I agree. I am astonished by what I got. I am not sure how long I've had them. There is nothing like getting what you need when you need it.

[doodlemagic]

To anyone interested in points, I'm a huge fan of the Chase Saphire Preferred card. There is a $95 annual fee however waived the first year but its got the chip and pin if you travel, they pretty much are always running a signup bonus where you get the equivalent of about $500 or $600 worth of travel points for signing up if you purchase 3k in the first 3 months and the rewards program is pretty good.