Chase Freedom has got some exciting new categories for the 5% cash back for the first quarter of 2016. Usually they give just gas purchases but this year they have also included transit options such as subways and trains as well as local commuter transportation options such as taxis and buses. This is exciting news for many folks who live in the metro areas as well as near big cities with such options. Also, this is a good step to move away from gas to more eco friendly rewards. Good job, Chase Freedom folks!
Meanwhile, for those who follow this blog, they know that Serve is more preferred here compared to Bluebird or Target card or whoever is the new kid in the block. Well, for some time now the Amex folks have partnered with only Family Dollar after leaving the CVS and other places. Walmart is pretty much up in the air as far as the reload goes. Even if it does work in some, the pain of standing in front of usually huge lines and crowded experience and then explaining to the customer representatives about what needs to be done just adds to a discomforting experience about the whole Serve reload process. Family Dollar if that works is definitely better though they have very limited options and most stores are far and few in between. And often in not so good parts of the town. Enter RiteAid. No doubt they are also far few and in between and simply no comparison to far bigger chains such as CVS or Walgreens, they are still not that bad. They have the old Kmart/Sears aura around them. Most people go there if they cant find their vaccines anywhere else. I had myself gone there for some vaccines earlier this year. So this was my first real trip to Rite Aid and the store when checked out was not all that bad. I mean one cant imagine in the current world of iDevices and so much stuff on internet, there are still chains such as RiteAid which bring in the revenues. There are lot of real people who still frequent it. It does have a more local aura compared to a more corporatey CVS or Walgreens.
There is an ice cream parlor too inside! :). Anyhow, I made the trip and tried to talk to the cashier about the Serve reloads and they promptly declined stating the debit cards needs to have my name on it. Dejected, I left. Only to come back again next week. This time a different cashier seemed to be more knowledgeable. Off the bat, the debit card was accepted as long as it is Vanilla. This was pretty smooth experience and whats more Rite Aid it near by many major malls and main roads. Far more density compared to Family Dollar. Certainly bigger and a bit more user friendly. So in all, I am excited about this Serve loading options as long as it works fine.
On other news, the credit card rewards seems to be levelling. Even scourging through other blogs, most bloggers are seeming to be focusing on the side activities or "hustle" or any thing that would net you some few bucks here and there. Not being judgemental, if you have time, more power to you but the actual credit cards itself with huge bonus offers seems to be far less in this period of time. But dont lose hope. This is a good time to build some solid credit. Your credit score and reports matter a lot and a 3 months quite period usually puts the number on the top. Me also focusing on the build credit profile part till first quarter of 2016.
Interest rates are again on the rise. As of today there is a 25 basis point hike by Fed. With interest rates back in picture, there is going to be more savers, increased loan rates, increased interest rate in the credit card land and thus increased competition to get customers. Which means increased bonus offers for us all. One big factor is also the ongoing consolidation in the airline world as well as hotel industry world. Once all that is settled, the competition becomes more clear. The increasing rates means days of cheap credit will be over soon and if you are a credit card user who pays on time, has a decent enough credit score ( above 675 or so ) and have good payment on time record, you should be in for good targeted offers. All in all, the days ahead are good and nothing to worry about!
