If your rewards card offers
more points per dollar in rotating quarterly categories, shop retailers in those categories for your gifts.
Not exact matches
No less a value conscious investor than Warren Buffett commented on this shift at the most recent Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, where he
pointed to the fact that the largest companies
in the S&P 500; Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Google generate far
more cash
per dollar of earnings than companies of the past.
However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card, whose sign - up bonus ratio works out to just 12.5
points per dollar, allows you to earn
more bonus
points in total, albeit at the cost of a spending requirement 8 times greater than the other two cards.
With 755 horsepower the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette zr1 is the most powerful Corvette ever it's also the most technologically advanced behind me are the rolling s's at Road Atlanta and we're here to see if we can reach to the supercar levels of performance afforded by this thing's massive power big tires and the tall wing on the back after that we'll take to the streets to see if a car this powerful can behave itself
in public this is a monster of a car I've had some brief track opportunities moving this morning to get used to the pace of this machine which is phenomenal we're gonna warm up as we get out to the road Atlanta and sort of build up to the pace that this car can operate at now initially when you hop
in this car you have this shrine to the engine right above you you see the line of the hood it kind of dominates the center of the view you can see over it it doesn't affect visibility but it's immediately obvious and that kind of speaks to what makes this car special it's a monster of an engine listen to that [Music] that is tremendous tremendous acceleration and incredible power but what I finding so far my brief time here at the Atlanta is that everything else
in the car is rut has risen to match hurt me while I lay into it on the back straight look you know 150 mile - an - hour indicated we're going to ease up a little bit on it because I need to focus on talking rather than driving but like I was saying the attributes of the rest of the car the steering the braking capability the grip every system of this car is riding to the same level of the power and I think that's what makes it really impressive initially this is undoubtedly a mega mega fast car but it's one that doesn't terrify you with its performance potential there's a level of electronic sophistication that is unparalleled at this price
point but it's hard not to get you know totally slipped away by the power of this engine so that's why I keep coming back to it this car has an electronically controlled limited slip differential it has shocks filled with magnetically responsive fluid that can react faster to inputs and everything this car has a super sophisticated stability control system that teaches you how to drive it quick but also makes you go faster we haven't even gotten into exploring it yet because the limits of this car are so high that frankly it takes a while to grow into it but [Music] I think what's impressive about this car is despite how fast it is it is approachable you can buy this car to track dates with it and grow with it as a driver and as an owner I think that's a really special [Music] because you will never be
more talented than this car is fast ever unless you are a racing driver casually grazing under 50 miles an hour on this straight okay I'm just going to enjoy driving this now [Music][Applause][Music] this particular Corvette zr1 comes with the cars track performance package a lot of those changes happen underneath the sheet metal but one of the big differences that is immediately obvious is this giant carbon fiber wing now the way this thing is mounted is actually into the structure of the vehicle and it makes you know loading the rear hatch a bit
more difficult but we're assuming that's okay if you're looking for the track performance this thing delivers also giving you that performance are these Michelin Pilot Sport cup tires which are basically track oriented tires that you can drive on the street but as we wake our way to the front of the thing what really matters is what's under the hood that's right there's actually a hole
in the hood of this thing and that's because this engine is so tall it's tall because it has a larger supercharger and a bunch of added cooling on it to help it you know keep at the right temperature the supercharger is way larger than the one on the zo six and it has a
more cooling capacity and the downside is it's taller so it pops literally through the hood the cool thing is from the top you can actually see this shake when you're looking at it from you know a camera from the top of the vehicle this all makes for 755 horsepower making this the most powerful Corvette ever now what's important about that is this not just the power but likewise everything
in the car has to be built to accommodate and be able to drive to the level of speed this thing can develop that's why you had the massive cooling so I had the aerodynamics and that's why I had the electronic sophistication inside [Applause] we had a lot of time to take this car on the track yesterday and I've had the night to think about things Matt today two crews on the road and see how this extreme performance machine deals with the sort of
more civil minded stuff of street driving the track impressions remain this thing is unquestionably one of the most capable cars you can get from a dealer these days a lot of that's besides the
point now because we're on the street we have speed limits they have the ever - present threat of law enforcement around every corner so the question is what does this car feel like
in public when you slow this car down it feels like a
more powerful Corvette you don't get much tram lining from these big wheels though we as the front end doesn't want to follow grooves
in the pavement it is louder it is a little firmer but it's certainly livable on a day to day basis that's surprising for a vehicle of this capability normally these track oriented cars are so hardcore that you wouldn't want to drive them to the racetrack but let's face it you spend
more time driving to the track than you do on the track and the fact that this thing works well
in both disciplines is really impressive I can also dial everything back and cruise and not feel like I'm getting punished for driving a hardcore track machine that's a that's a really nice accomplishment that's something that you won't find
in cars that are this fast and costs maybe double this much the engine
in this car dominates the entire experience you can't miss the engine and the whole friend this car is sort of a shrine to it the way it pops out of the hood the way it's covered with coolers around the sides it is the experience of this car and that does make driving this thing special and also the fact that it doesn't look half bad either
in fact I think it has some of the coolest looking wheels currently available on a new car this car as we mentioned this car has the track package the track package on this car gives you what they call competition bucket seats which are a little wide for my tastes but I'm you know not the widest person
in the world this automatic transmission works well I mean there's so much torque again out of this engine that it can be very smooth and almost imperceptible its clunky on occasion I think I'd might opt for the manual although Chevy tells me about 80 % of its customers will go for the automatic I don't think they're gonna be disappointed and that's gonna be the faster transmission drag strip on the street - and on the racetrack man it was a little bit
more satisfying to my taste though we've talked about the exhaust I have it set
in the track setting let's quiet it down a little bit so you can hear the difference now I've set that separately from everything else so let's put it stealth what happened to the engine sound that's pretty that's pretty amazing man stealth is really stealth and then go back to track Wow actually a really big difference that's that's pretty great the Corvette has always been a strong value proposition and nowhere is that
more evident than this zr1 giving you a nearly unbeatable track performance
per dollar now the nice thing is on the road this doesn't feel like a ragged edge track machine either you could genuinely drive it every day the compromises are few and that's what makes this car so special if you like what you see keep it tuned right here and be sure to visit Edmunds.com [Music]
However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card, whose sign - up bonus ratio works out to just 12.5
points per dollar, allows you to earn
more bonus
points in total, albeit at the cost of a spending requirement 8 times greater than the other two cards.
If you get
more of these cards, you can earn
more points in categories where the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card gets you just 1
point per dollar.
At a 10 - year Treasury yield of 1.7 %, interest on reserves of 0.25 %, and a monetary base now at about 18 cents
per dollar of nominal GDP (see Run, Don't Walk), further purchases of long - term Treasury securities by the Fed would produce net losses for the Fed
in any scenario where yields rise
more than about 20 basis
points a year, or the Fed ever has to unwind any portion of its already massive positions.
The two cards that impose annual fees starting
in the second year have higher payouts
in year one for heavier grocery store spenders because they offer
more points per dollar (and the Capital One ® Venture ® Rewards Credit Card has the highest bonus to qualifying new cardholders).
Finally, although customers can receive $ 50
more in air travel credits with Citi, they can't earn rewards as fast because Citi only allows cardmembers to earn up to three
points per dollar versus Amex's five
points per dollar.
And if you make $ 1,200 or
more in purchases a year, you'll get five
points per dollar.
More realistically, yearly spending doesn't need to be anywhere near this high because you receive $ 300
in travel credits annually, a $ 100 Global Entry fee credit every four years and you earn three
points per dollar on your travel and dining purchases.
It will make up for its higher annual fee of $ 95 if your business spends
more than $ 890
per year
in categories where it earns 3
points per dollar spent.
One important distinction is that the Chase Sapphire Reserve ® includes
more things
in its travel category, so it will be generally easier to get 3x
points per dollar or find uses for your $ 300 credit travel credit.
In addition to a sign on cash back bonus, there are several opportunities to earn
more points per dollar spent on purchases that fit into certain categories.
With a 40,000
points signup bonus after earning at least a
point per dollar meeting the $ 3,000 minimum spend requirement on Chase Sapphire Preferred, it appeared that earning the 44,000
points needed for two (
more) nights
in the best Hyatt properties was doable.
I didn't stay
in hotels very often, so the 3
points per dollar on Hyatt stays and the ability to earn additional
points on the stays themselves didn't make reaching 22,000 or
more very likely, either.
You'll earn 2 - 6
points per dollar spent plus 10,000 bonus
points if you spend $ 1,000 or
more on Hilton hotels
in a year.
Other Notable Features: Platinum level membership, 10
points per dollar or 1,000
points on eligible stays (whichever is
more), rollover nights never expire, free wi - fi, dedicated member services, preferred room, late checkout / early check -
in, free FICO score, identity - theft services, travel and emergency services, price protection, return protection, purchase security, Avis and Budget car rental upgrades
Currently if you spend
more than $ 120K
in a year on a FlexPerks card the unbonused earning rate drops from 1
point per dollar to 1
point per every 2
dollars.
When Kroger is running a 4x Fuel
Points promotion on gift card purchases, I have stocked up on gift cards to places we regularly shop and dine, such as Jason's Deli, Macy's, Nordstrom, Panera, Outback and more to earn not only in - store Fuel Points that will save us up to $ 1 per gallon of gas, but also as many as 5x points per dollar for a «grocery» purchase on one of my rewards
Points promotion on gift card purchases, I have stocked up on gift cards to places we regularly shop and dine, such as Jason's Deli, Macy's, Nordstrom, Panera, Outback and
more to earn not only
in - store Fuel
Points that will save us up to $ 1 per gallon of gas, but also as many as 5x points per dollar for a «grocery» purchase on one of my rewards
Points that will save us up to $ 1
per gallon of gas, but also as many as 5x
points per dollar for a «grocery» purchase on one of my rewards
points per dollar for a «grocery» purchase on one of my rewards cards.
If you are pairing with another Ultimate Rewards card and redeeming for
more than a penny a
point though, your 1.5
points per dollar in earnings can be worth a lot
more than 2 % when you redeem.
In the case of Ultimate Rewards points redeemed at 3 cents or more per point, I earned close to 15 % back on spend I manufactured with Ultimate Rewards - earning credit cards in their 5 - points - per - dollar bonus categorie
In the case of Ultimate Rewards
points redeemed at 3 cents or
more per point, I earned close to 15 % back on spend I manufactured with Ultimate Rewards - earning credit cards
in their 5 - points - per - dollar bonus categorie
in their 5 -
points -
per -
dollar bonus categories.
These types of cards give cardholders the chance to earn up to five
points per dollar for purchases
in certain categories, such as wholesale stores, groceries, gas, restaurants and
more.
You're
in great shape if you have a rewards - earning credit card that offers
more than 1 mile /
point per dollar at drugstores.
For
more expensive Mint fares, the price
in points rises faster than the cost
in dollars, which reduces the cents
per mile.
All of the credit cards mentioned above offer you Ultimate Rewards
in return for spending on the cards (the Freedom cards and the Ink Cash card offer cash back which can be converted to Ultimate Rewards
points if you hold another Ultimate Rewards card) and, while you're guaranteed at least 1
point per dollar you spend, most of these cards also come with category spending bonuses where you earn yet
more.
For those inclined to engage
in manufactured spending, the Freedom Unlimited card is really amazing — you reduce the cost
per point by earning
more than 1
point per dollar and you are earning a valuable currency that can be redeemed for travel at a significant savings.
But a bit
more in total since you'd earn 1 SPG / 3 Marriot
points per dollar on that $ 5,000 spend requirement.
For example, a Marriott Rewards
point is
more valuable than a Hilton Honors
point, but not 6 times
more valuable — that makes a
dollar spent
in a bonus category with the Hilton Honors Surpass American Express
more valuable than the same
dollar spent with a Marriott Rewards credit card that earns just 1
point per dollar.
In addition, Business Platinum Card Members now earn 1.5
points per dollar spent on any purchase of $ 5,000 or
more.
The 3
point per dollar, no - annual - fee card is still available though, offering 10,000
points after $ 1,000
in purchases within 90 days, worth up to $ 200
in statement credits against Travelocity purchases (see my June post for
more information about redemptions).
Earning
Points: Choice Privileges members earn 10 points per US Dollar spend at more than 5,500 of their hotels, hotels in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden, as well as Guayana and Ecuador are exc
Points: Choice Privileges members earn 10
points per US Dollar spend at more than 5,500 of their hotels, hotels in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden, as well as Guayana and Ecuador are exc
points per US
Dollar spend at
more than 5,500 of their hotels, hotels
in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden, as well as Guayana and Ecuador are excluded!
And if you make $ 1,200 or
more in purchases a year, you'll get five
points per dollar.
In addition, Business Platinum Card Members can earn 1.5 X Membership Rewards
points per dollar spent on any purchase of $ 5,000 or
more.
If you get
more of these cards, you can earn
more points in categories where the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card gets you just 1
point per dollar.
Other Chase cards you can apply for at the same time include the Chase Freedom (15K for spending $ 500 +2.5 K for adding an additional user for a limited time only plus 5 - 10
points per dollar spent
in rotating categories), Chase British Airways (Up to 100K signup bonus for a limited time only), the Chase United Explorer (30K signup plus another 5K
points for adding a free additional user on the consumer card / 50K signup
points on the business card, plus get free luggage, free primary car rental insurance including
in the US and Israel, expanded saver and standard award ticket availability, priority boarding, and
more), the Chase IHG (with 60K signup
points and a free night every subsequent year upon renewal), the Chase Marriott (with 50K signup
points and a free night every subsequent year upon renewal), the Chase Slate (with zero balance transfer fees, 0 % APR on purchase and balance transfers for 18 months, and free FICO scores), the Chase Ink Plus (60K signup
points plus up to 5
points per dollar spent), and the Chase Ink Cash (20K signup
points plus up to 5
points per dollar spent).
Thanks to changes Citi ® made
in early 2015, you now can earn
more points on travel (up from 2
points per dollar to 3
points).
You're often earning 10
points or
more per dollar this way and you'll have stashes of
points in several programs at your disposal when it's time to book your trip.
For instance, with the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express (on which you also earn 3
points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines, 2
points per dollar on US supermarkets, and one
point per dollar on other transactions) you earn 15,000 bonus
points when you spend $ 30,000 on purchases
in a calendar year, boosting your
points - earning by up to 50 %, so by really concentrating your spending and paying attention to threshold bonuses, you can rack up even
more points.
Other Chase cards you can apply for at the same time include the Chase British Airways (50K signup
points, 1.25 Avios
per dollar, and an annual companion award ticket if you spend $ 30K +
in a year), and the Chase United Explorer (30K signup
points plus another 5K
points for adding a free additional user, and it gives free luggage, free primary car rental insurance including
in the US and Israel, expanded saver and standard award ticket availability, priority boarding, and
more), the Chase Sapphire Preferred (40K signup
points plus another 5K
points for adding a free additional user, no fee the first year, free primary car rental insurance including
in the US and Israel, plus 2 - 2.14
points per dollar on travel and dining with no Foreign Exchange fees), the Chase Marriott (with 50K signup
points plus a free night upon signup and a free night every subsequent year upon renewal), the Chase Freedom (which has no annual fee, gives 5
points per dollar in rotating categories, and 10 % bonus
points through 2015 if you have a Chase checking account), and the Chase Ink Cash (which also has no annual fee and gives 5
points per dollar on telecom / office supplies and 2
points per dollar on dining and gas)
Ryan and I use this card at grocery stores since it earns 2
points per dollar on up to $ 6,000 a year and a bonus 20 % Membership Rewards on all purchases
in a billing cycle when 20 or
more purchases are made
in that billing cycle.
The thesis painted
in both is that the history of transport
points to
more speed and connectedness
per dollar over time.