7-11 Vanilla Reload Fail!

Disclaimer - The Discover offers are no longer valid.

Recently, I posted that Chase considers 7-11 a gas station and American Express considers 7-11 a supermarket, which is great to know for using the right credit card.  In addition, 7-11 became another merchant that was selling Vanilla Reload cards.  It was the perfect store.

In order to maximize 5% categories, I spent $1,500 on Vanilla Reloads on my Chase Freedom and I had spent another $500 on DISCOVER IT™, hoping to spend another $1,000 on my last trip to 7-11.

I brought two Vanilla Reloads to the clerk and asked to pay with credit card.  I swiped my Discover, and "declined."   I assumed it was a fraud alert that declined the card so I tried a different card and "declined."  I tried four different cards (I was trying for sign up bonuses anyway so I needed to spend money) and they were all declined.

I wasn't sure what was going on so I waited until the beginning of August to see if maybe 7-11 was imposing a monthly limit, but I was declined again.

It seems as though Vanilla Reloads can no longer be bought at 7-11 with a credit card.  It was fun while it lasted.

Since I drafted this post, Frequent Miler is also reporting that 7-11 will not accept credit cards for vanilla reloads.

The Silver Lining

I was still able to buy $500 One Vanilla cards at 7-11 and load them at Walmart to my Bluebird so all is not lost.  5% at groceries is still alive, but less convenient.

The pin on One Vanilla cards is the 4 digits you choose at your first purchase.

7-11 is a Grocery Store - American Express!

A few weeks ago I wrote that 7-11 is a Gas Station according to Visa and Discover therefore you get 5x rewards until the end of September, which includes Vanilla Reload cards.

After that post, I got an email from a reader saying that American Express considers 7-11 a grocery store and he gets 6% cashback on his American Express Blue Preferred when shopping at 7-11.


He sent me this bill to prove it:

Therefore, 7-11 is another place to get 6% cashback.  Alternatively, you can try to find $500 gift cards at grocery stores.  Either way, the world of cashback is continually improving so long as Bluebird stays aloft.

Remember that whenever you do something like this, try it out in small amounts to make sure it works for your particular store.



Thank you to DC for the tip!

Chase Freedom 5% at Grocery Stores Until the End of June

Chase Freedom
Starting today, you can get 5% Cashback on $1,500 on your grocery purchases (and anything at the grocery store - more about that soon) until the end of June.

Activation
Remember to activate your card here to get your 5%

Uses
If you aren't able to spend $500 a month at the grocery store for three months, you can buy anything you want that they sell at the grocery store and still get your 5%.  This means that you can buy gift cards to finish off the $1,500.  If you buy grocery store gift cards, you can effectively get 5% back in other months until your run out of your gift cards.  You can also buy Amazon, Itunes, Bed Bath and Beyond or any other gift cards they sell at your grocery store and get 5% back on these purchases to.

Chase Exclusives
Get a 10% bonuson your cashback. With Chase Exclusives, if you have a Chase Checking Account, they will add 10% to your cashback and another 10 cents to every purchase, no matter how large. You can have a Checking account for free if you have direct deposit of $500, $1,500 in the checking account (average daily balance for the month) or $5,000 in any Chase account.

Here is an example.  If you spend $1, you will get one cent for your regular 1% back and you will get an additional 10 cents (11% back).  If you spend $10, you will get your regular one cent, your regular 10 cents and then an additional cent for your 10% bonus, for a total of 12 cents back (1.2%).  If you spend 8 cents, you will still get your 10 cents back for a net gain!  Buy a few Jellybeans from the grocery store for under ten cents and you just made a few cents and you have yourself some jellybeans.  I know, what can be better!


Don't Have a Chase Freedom?
Don't have a Chase Freedom, sign up here and get $100 cashback when you spend $500 or more in the first 3 months.  The Freedom is a great card to have anyways.

I Only Want One Credit Card, Help!

I get this question frequently.  It usually goes something like this, "There are too many cards to choose from and I don't want to have too many cards in my wallet , so which card should I get?"

People usually only want one card because of one or all of the following reasons: They don't want their credit score affected by opening too many cards, don't want a bulky wallet, others don't want to keep track of so many cards both in terms of bills and when to use what card.

The answer to this question is a little complicated.  Different cards are right for every person depending on their spending habits.


When some ask this question, often they mean that they don't want many cards but if they have 2, or maybe even 3 cards, that's okay.  Someone who falls into this category should continue towards the end.  The first section will be dedicated to someone who wants one card only.  I highly recommend more than one card because of the great rewards available if you are willing to have an American Express card, but here are the best non AE cards that I know of:


I would like to start by saying that only one of these cards has an annual fee (American Express Blue Cash Preferred) but if you spend a lot of money on groceries or gas this fee is worth it.

If anyone has a credit card that they like to use please leave a comment and if it is superior I will update the blog.

One Card Only:

If you are only going to have one card, the best card depends upon how you usually spend your money.  However, I would suggest a visa or mastercard, not an american express so that your card is accepted everywhere (unless you carry plenty of cash with you anyway)

I don't have any specific categories that I spend money in:
There are probably three cards to choose from for this person.

1) Fidelity Visa Card/Capital One Cash Rewards - both give you 1.5% back for every purchase.  The capital one card gives you 1% back and then gives you another .5% at the end of the year but there is a sign up bonus of $100 after you spend $500 in the first 3 months.  The Fidelity card gives you 1.5% back once you reach a certain threshold of rewards (I don't have their Visa - I have the Fidelity American Express which gives you $50 after you spend $2,500).  The annoying thing with the Fidelity card is that you need a Fidelity account, which requires a one time $2,500 deposit, which can be transferred out once the account has been opened.

2) Chase Freedom - 1% back on every purchase but 5% back in rotating categories, which last a few months (currently Gas and travel purchases) - up to $75 back for each category.  For a calender of what gets you 5% back, go to chase.com/freedom.   Plus you can get a $100 sign up bonus when you spend $500 in the first 3 months.

I spend a lot of money on gas and groceries

There is really only one visa or mastercard that I know of that is right for you.

Bank of America Cash Rewards - this card gets you the regular 1% back on every purchase but gives you an additional 3% back on gas and 2% back on groceries.

I spend a whole lot of money on gas

Penfed credit card - 1% back on everything and 5% back on all gas purchases.  Beware of this card.  I tried to get it and you have to go through a whole bunch of hoops to qualify.  I was unable to get it (mostly because of a lack of income) even though I have qualified for every other credit card.


I am willing to have two cards:

If you are willing to have more than one card I would suggest an American Express credit card as your standard card and a visa or mastercard as your second card for when your AE is not accepted.


I don't have any specific categories that I spend money in:

Best overall card is the Fidelity American Express - this card gives you 2% back on everything.  There are drawbacks.  Read this link for more information on advantages and disadvantages of this card.

I spend a lot of money on gas and groceries:

American Express Blue, American Express Blue Preferred and Bank of America Cash Rewards - The regular American Express Blue gives you 1% back on everything, 3% on groceries and 2% on gas.  The Bank of America card gives you 1% back on everything, 2% on groceries and 3% on gas.  You have to see whether you spend more more on groceries or more money on gas to decide between the two.
The American Express Blue Preferred gives you 1% back on everything, 6% back on groceries and 3% back on gas.  Unfortunately, it has an annual fee of $75.  However, if you spend $500 in the first 60 days you get $100 so the first year the annual fee can be a non issue.
If you spend just $2,500 a year on groceries you would get $75 back for the 3% card and $150 for the 6% card.  
For more reading on these cards take a look at this link. 

Get 3-6% Cash Back on Groceries and 2-3% Cash Back on Gas! - American Express Blue Cash and Blue Cash Preferred

American Express Blue Cash

Advantages:

1) 3% cash back on Groceries and 2% cash back on Gas and Department stores

2) No limits on how much you can get back

3) No annual fee

Disadvantages:

1) Superstores and Warehouse clubs do not count so Walmart Superstores, Costco and BJ's will likely not count for this deal.

2) It is an American Express so it is not as accepted but chain stores almost always accept American Express.

3) Another credit card to carry.  It is up to you to make a cost benefit analysis of whether it is worth the money to carry around a few cards.


Keep in mind that if you have the Fidelity American Express you are already getting 2% back on everything so only need to use this card for groceries.

American Express Blue Cash Preferred

This is a big improvement from the old American Express Blue.  You used to have to spend $6,500 before you got any big rewards, not anymore!

Advantages:

1) 6% cash back on Groceries and 3% cash back on Gas and department stores.

2) No limits on how much money you can get back

Disadvantages:

1) There is a $75 annual fee.  However, if you spend $500 in the first 60 days you get $100 so the first year the annual fee can be a non issue.

2) Superstores and Warehouse clubs do not count so Walmart Superstores, Costco and BJ's will likely not count for this deal.


3) It is an American Express so it is not as accepted but chain stores almost always accept American Express.

4) Another credit card to carry.  It is up to you to make a cost benefit analysis of whether it is worth the money to carry around a few cards.

Which one should I get?

If you spend more than $50 a week on groceries, which is most people, you should go for the annual fee card.  I am not normally a fan of annual fee cards but when they offer rewards like this card you can make back the fee very quickly.