What are your favorite rewards/loyalty programs?

[QuarterMillionMan]

Hotels dot com stay 10, get 1 free.

[bjl584]

I'd say the discount on fuel that I get from our regional grocery store chain.
I have to eat. Might as well save a little at the pump

[greenskeeper]

discover card...20+ years in

[~bs]

BOA mastercard 3% on all online purchases.

What do non-boomers do for roadside assistance? My daughter is 24 and we signed her up for AAA as soon as she started driving.

I know some cars come with roadside assistance and some insurance companies include it as well, but if you don't have either of those, AAA is the way to go. Plus you get various discounts, travel services, and more.

AAA

[bjl584]

What do non-boomers do for roadside assistance? My daughter is 24 and we signed her up for AAA as soon as she started driving.

I know some cars come with roadside assistance and some insurance companies include it as well, but if you don't have either of those, AAA is the way to go. Plus you get various discounts, travel services, and more.

I had AAA all through college. College was 2 hours away, and my car at the time was knocking on death's door. It was definite peace of mind. My current truck has road side assistance, and I believe that my insurance has some form of assistance as well.

[rennigade]

Guys - has anyone sat down and thought through how much additional spending you do BECUASE of the rewards programs?

Nope. Its not in our DNA to spend money for the fun of it, or because we have some rewards program. We buy things or stay in hotels that we were going to buy or stay at regardless. Having rewards programs have zero impact on how much we spend.

[bjl584]

Guys - has anyone sat down and thought through how much additional spending you do BECUASE of the rewards programs?

For example, sometimes when I go to Kroger - I just think "oh, I'll buy whatever, I don't need to comparison shop, I'll just scan my receipt with Ibotta), and as a result, I actually think I might be spending MORE, not less.

Yes.
It makes more financial sense to shop at Aldi and pay full price for gas than it does to pay a premium for groceries and get discounted gasoline.
The exception is when I buy gift cards for other retailers and get the gas points on top of it.

[cypher1]

The only rewards programs I have are Chase Ultimate Rewards, which I use for default payment to rack up points for traveling/flights. The other is Costco Citi CC which I only use for gas and groceries. Costco rewards are basically a wash, since the annual amount accrued basically covers the annual membership fee. Chase Rewards isn't a really a favorite, but add to the fact I can put my tuition on that card is an added perk.

[cypher1]

It makes more financial sense to shop at Aldi and pay full price for gas than it does to pay a premium for groceries and get discounted gasoline.

I would say it depends. I still have costco membership (for bulk items) which is 5 min from work, same for Aldi (for last minute items) which I shop at both places. As for gas, I don't drive a gas guzzler, but I probably save $10-12 per month on gas at Costco vs regular stations. Per year that gas savings alone justifies me keeping Costco membership, not including groceries price differences.

[amarowsky]

Fidelity rewards Visa - 2% back on anything/everything. Nice and simple, and it drops the 2% into a taxable account (the way I have it set up). So it can be used on anything, and accrued with any purchase. (Have had this one for some time now... I should probably review the terms incase it has changed).

I am considering the Costco card to.... (I have the upgraded membership with 2% and that would be a nice stack with the Costco Visa discounts).

[riverwed070707]

Marriott Bonvoy for sure. I'm an event planner so I earn points and nights on events I plan. I earned my lifetime silver status last year and haven't paid for a hotel room in over 10 years. Think my current balance is somewhere around 800,000 points and I typically earn around 200,000 per year - some years more and some years less depending on event opportunities. I actually just signed up for my first Marriott rewards card yesterday since they came out with a new one with no annual fee. That will get me 15 extra nights per year to qualify toward status which is nice - hoping to hit lifetime platinum before I "retire" from my current job but that might be a stretch haha. 140 nights needed until lifetime gold which will probably take me 3-4 years.

[disneysteve]

Marriott Bonvoy for sure. I'm an event planner so I earn points and nights on events I plan. I earned my lifetime silver status last year and haven't paid for a hotel room in over 10 years. Think my current balance is somewhere around 800,000 points and I typically earn around 200,000 per year - some years more and some years less depending on event opportunities. I actually just signed up for my first Marriott rewards card yesterday since they came out with a new one with no annual fee. That will get me 15 extra nights per year to qualify toward status which is nice - hoping to hit lifetime platinum before I "retire" from my current job but that might be a stretch haha. 140 nights needed until lifetime gold which will probably take me 3-4 years.

I’m lifetime gold. Hoping to hit platinum at some point.

[QuarterMillionMan]

About once a year I'll redeem my credit card rewards. LAL would have me beat redeeming about $2000.

[riverwed070707]

What do non-boomers do for roadside assistance? My daughter is 24 and we signed her up for AAA as soon as she started driving.

I know some cars come with roadside assistance and some insurance companies include it as well, but if you don't have either of those, AAA is the way to go. Plus you get various discounts, travel services, and more.

Just call a local tow company? How often are you needing roadside assistance?? I can think of 3 times in my adult life I've needed roadside assistance. Why would I pay for an annual service? I can see why AAA would have been exceptionally valuable in the time before smartphones but unclear why anyone would need that kind of service when we all have computers in our pockets now.

[disneysteve]

Just call a local tow company? How often are you needing roadside assistance?? I can think of 3 times in my adult life I've needed roadside assistance. Why would I pay for an annual service? I can see why AAA would have been exceptionally valuable in the time before smartphones but unclear why anyone would need that kind of service when we all have computers in our pockets now.

We've used roadside assistance many times. Flat tires and dead batteries primarily. Once because I accidentally locked the keys in the trunk when we were on vacation in Kentucky. AAA will come out and replace the battery on the spot. You mentioned smart phones. With the AAA app, you don't even need to know where you are as the app transmits that info automatically. The last thing I want to do when I have an issue is have to start searching for local tow companies and calling random people for help. I'd much rather go through a trustworthy organization.

I've also used AAA to get hotel discounts many times. That alone covers the annual membership cost.