💰 Get up to 15 Free Stocks + 8.1% APY on uninvested cash for 3 months via Moomoo (Terms & Conditions apply): start.moomoo.com/01ocUW 🚨 Best Card Offers: spencerjohnsoncards.com/bonuses
Exact same reason why I've been so on the fence with the Bilt Mastercard... but with my rent increasing significantly with a recent move, really have to re-evaluate! Also RIP USBAR. As always, great to have been following your journey!
I get that for sure! Definitely interested to see how you proceed with it. Like I said, I think it's an awesome card, but as someone working through so many bonuses, it's been less useful than initially anticipated. And yes, RIP the USBAR for sure. Thanks so much for the comment Kevin!
Once again, fantastic, and more importantly unique, video content, Spencer. I enjoy following other CC content creators, but very few have similar videos to this one. More so have generic "CC mistakes to avoid", which is helpful to a point but ultimately a lost opportunity to share individual mistakes as part of their larger credit card journey. The anecdote-based content can be much more distinctive and refreshing. I am hoping other credit card content creators follow your lead and make dedicated videos detailing a history of their biggest CC mistakes (Lord knows I have). Keep up the good work.
I'm similarly bummed about not getting the USBAR before it got discontinued. Honestly though, you've had a stellar credit card journey and these "mistakes" are more than manageable. Thanks for sharing!
It is what it is! Luckily we have a ton of other solid options, but it would've been really nice to get the USBAR for sure. I appreciate the kind words and your comment today as always Monty! It means a lot.
Great video as always... It's always great to make a "slow your roll" video because these offers can have people spending a ton of money and not fully reaping the benefits.
Thank you so much Stayc! I completely agree with you. We always gotta be careful to analyze our decisions before and after the fact to keep ourselves accountable.
Yep, that's a tough pill to swallow! However, there are a ton of good options out there so it's not the end of the world. Thank you so much for the continued support as always Nick!
We learn from our mistakes, it’s how we grow as a person. You’ve accepted that and are also aware of the success you’ve built of those mistakes and then some. Continue to do what you’re doing!
Absolutely right! It's always important to reflect on our regrets/mistakes and be better because of them. Thanks so much for the words of encouragement!
Well said I do have one regret not starting with Chase cards soon .your right you do better when you know . They don’t teach you about credit in school trial by air
I have a BILT.. it has had its value, but as much as I like Hyatt I found out the places that I would use Hyatt points at are subject to blackout dates. Only redeeming factor this car has for me going forward is they will cover mortgages, but to what extent… either way its points that can be transferred to my Hilton Honors account. I would like to see a grocery category and less BS about soul cycle and neighborhood eating at overpriced hipster resturants.
Your journey is ..your journey! Great video, The Macbook story resonates with me because I decided recently I don’t need to maximize point redemption as a novice CC user with minimal cards. I make sound decisions for for what I find valuable, but no longer getting hung up on industry standards.
Amen to that!! I'm really glad to hear the Macbook story resonated with you. It's one of those redemptions that has a lot of different factors associated with it, but at the end of the day, I'm super happy with the decision I made. Everyone's situation is gonna be different and that's okay! Thanks for the comment Tiffani. It means a lot!
#4 Hit me hard. It’s wild it really does look like they discontinued it for good. What a strange decision by USB. Guess they really are all-in on the Smartly card.
@@omi._.jalalo Yes I think that's likely. When they first launched it, mobile wallet wasn't widely available so it was a niche use-case. Now it's everywhere and they probably started losing money on that feature
Definitely an unfortunate thing to see. It's such a powerful card that I wish I got my hands on, but hey, there are plenty of great options out there these days so it's okay.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial Yeah for sure, just gotta move on haha. It just stings in particular because I followed Stan's advice to open a Checking account to increase odds of approval. They kept rejecting me (probably due to velocity) and then of course now can't even apply for it down the line. Oh well.
@@soapa4279 Ah yeah I see how that must've been extremely annoying for you then. Fingers crossed they end up bringing it back one day, but let's not hold our breath.
I did the exact same thing with the Amex gold in 2023 and I'm planning on cancelling it here soon in 2025. I cashed in on 2 trips and still have well over $600 of points left. I may have done it based off your video too (I can't remember, but oh well)
Altitude Reserve and the CSR....ooooffff. keeper card imo Makes me wonder on a side note, would cashing the points out which don't trigger any taxes, then paying for the item be the better play as a business depending on profits? 🤔
That's a super solid duo for sure. As for your second line here, if you're speaking directly on the Macbook redemption, I couldn't have done that since the promo was directly with Apple in Chase's portal. In most cases though, yes I would see that being the better approach for those looking to have more write-offs.
Thank you so much for the kind words! As for the Priority card, I'm going to have to wait until after Jan 6 to get it now since the limited-time offer got extended and I want to go for the base offer instead. But you'll definitely see a video on it down the line!
#1 mistake for new cards - NEVER apply unless the bonus being offered currently is elevated. For example, never apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred if you're only getting 60K points and the $95 annual fee. That's the baseline. It's a waste to apply for it unless there's some elevation, or unless the first year fee is waived, etc. This is also very true with the AMEX cards. Good video Spencer, and thank you Sir.
That's definitely a fair assessment! However, I wouldn't say you should only ever go for elevated offers and it's case dependent. For the most part, you definitely should try to get them, specifically with Amex and their lifetime language, but every once in a while, it makes sense to go for a base offer depending on your strategy. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts as always man!
Creators push the gold but they should include as you have how depending on the person and where they live that card could be poor choice past year 1. Some channels lack balance in what they advise.
I agree! It's always important to reflect on what we talk about and really take the time to consider who a card is and isn't for. Thanks for watching as always Bill!
I completely get your perspective! Hard to regret getting a good card, but then again there could be better options out there at the same time. Thanks for the comment Kyle!
Rabbit was correct! They're Govee floor lamps. Unfortunately they aren't the exact same model and their colors can be slightly off because of it, but they're great lights for what they are.
There's eventually going to come a time when you have to take your foot off the gas pedal and garden for a little bit when no other banks take you. That's when category spend is important, and penalty-free points for rent is still a useful tool.
@Lancun I did garden with the Bilt card for most of this year. The devaluation of Rent Day, Bilt status being unattainable, and being forced to use the card five times a month makes this card quirky. Basing my spending and dining around Rent Day isn't worth the squeeze. I've played around with using 2% cards to pay rent and I've earned points more for transfer partners than I would with the Bilt card. Having the card linked to the Bilt program lessons some of the blow of paying the extra 1%. If anything it's a great utility card but a terrible point earner.
I completely get where you're coming from! I really hope they make positive changes to it in 2025 so we feel good about having it. But at the end of the day, it's a no AF card so there's not a ton I can really complain about.
You’re redemption for the laptop was the inspiration for me to get my wife the new iPad for her influencing career. We have done a bunch of bucket list redemptions including our honeymoon but I still feel like that was the best points investment because she uses it every day for work. ❤🎉
That's so great to hear!! As I mentioned in a comment earlier, current necessities are better than future luxuries sometimes, and it sounds like that was the case for you and me with these Apple redemptions. I'm really glad you're as happy with your redemption as I am with mine!
I think your annual fee calculation on the Amex Gold is pretty flawed. The dining credits are a nice plus, but the real value from the card is the Amex exclusive transfer partners and the extra 1x on dining vis a vis the Chase Freedom Unlimited. This doesn't apply to those who have another Amex MR card, but the first Amex card one gets/holds has extra value in unlocking special transfer partners like ANA and Hawaiian Airlines (which in turn unlocks the Alaska Miles ecosystem because of the merger). A similar annual fee calculation payoff adjustment should be made for the first transfer portal-eligible card one gets in the other ecosystems as well (such as Chase unlocking Hyatt and Citi potentially unlocking American Airlines in the future). Because great business class award seats are scarce and airlines are becoming more selective in which partners they release award seats to, transfer partner pathway flexibility is very valuable.
I definitely see where you're coming from! However, the main pushback I have is that there are free ways to get access to Amex's transfer partners, so I'd never recommend paying a $325 annual fee with that being a main consideration. I appreciate your perspective though!
I recently got rid of my amex gold, bc after the first year I decided I did not want a lifestyle of too many monthly credits optimizing. I rather use my BBP and my CSR for groceries and dinner.
Haha it's been doing well! I allocate a small portion of my investments to it but it's more of a speculation than anything right now. Like any investment, you gotta be careful with it and have some conviction behind it if you want to invest.
I started to regret having a bilt card when they started nerfing everything. Used to be a great card to use 12x a year but now that there’s a 1k max on rent day, it’s not worth my time anymore to put purchases off until the first of the month.
I understand where you're coming from for sure! I'll talk a bit more about it in next week's video too, so I'm curious to hear how you resonate with that one.
💰 Get up to 15 Free Stocks + 8.1% APY on uninvested cash for 3 months via Moomoo (Terms & Conditions apply): start.moomoo.com/01ocUW
🚨 Best Card Offers: spencerjohnsoncards.com/bonuses
Exact same reason why I've been so on the fence with the Bilt Mastercard... but with my rent increasing significantly with a recent move, really have to re-evaluate! Also RIP USBAR. As always, great to have been following your journey!
I get that for sure! Definitely interested to see how you proceed with it. Like I said, I think it's an awesome card, but as someone working through so many bonuses, it's been less useful than initially anticipated. And yes, RIP the USBAR for sure. Thanks so much for the comment Kevin!
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial Yeah I have friends who have moved to NY, and it's like a J ticket to Asia every year in points haha
Once again, fantastic, and more importantly unique, video content, Spencer. I enjoy following other CC content creators, but very few have similar videos to this one. More so have generic "CC mistakes to avoid", which is helpful to a point but ultimately a lost opportunity to share individual mistakes as part of their larger credit card journey. The anecdote-based content can be much more distinctive and refreshing. I am hoping other credit card content creators follow your lead and make dedicated videos detailing a history of their biggest CC mistakes (Lord knows I have). Keep up the good work.
I'm similarly bummed about not getting the USBAR before it got discontinued. Honestly though, you've had a stellar credit card journey and these "mistakes" are more than manageable. Thanks for sharing!
It is what it is! Luckily we have a ton of other solid options, but it would've been really nice to get the USBAR for sure. I appreciate the kind words and your comment today as always Monty! It means a lot.
Thanks for the info + video! Merry Christmas 🎄🎄🎄
Great video as always... It's always great to make a "slow your roll" video because these offers can have people spending a ton of money and not fully reaping the benefits.
Thank you so much Stayc! I completely agree with you. We always gotta be careful to analyze our decisions before and after the fact to keep ourselves accountable.
When the new M4 MacBook Air drops, I'll be using United Miles to purchase it. Also, no shame. Fun video, Spencer.
Heck yeah man, I love to hear that. Thanks for being here as always brotha!
I ABSOLUTELY felt the sting of missing out on the US bank altitude card, you are not alone. Thanks for the steady supply of engaging content!
Yep, that's a tough pill to swallow! However, there are a ton of good options out there so it's not the end of the world. Thank you so much for the continued support as always Nick!
Great video, Spencer. Can't wait for the new yr and upcoming new videos you have in store for everyone
Thank you so much for the kind words! It's gonna be a great year, especially with your support!
We learn from our mistakes, it’s how we grow as a person. You’ve accepted that and are also aware of the success you’ve built of those mistakes and then some. Continue to do what you’re doing!
Absolutely right! It's always important to reflect on our regrets/mistakes and be better because of them. Thanks so much for the words of encouragement!
Well said I do have one regret not starting with Chase cards soon .your right you do better when you know . They don’t teach you about credit in school trial by air
Great video, it was cool to hear your perspective about these choices
That's great to hear man! I appreciate you watching and commenting.
I have a BILT.. it has had its value, but as much as I like Hyatt I found out the places that I would use Hyatt points at are subject to blackout dates.
Only redeeming factor this car has for me going forward is they will cover mortgages, but to what extent… either way its points that can be transferred to my Hilton Honors account.
I would like to see a grocery category and less BS about soul cycle and neighborhood eating at overpriced hipster resturants.
Your journey is ..your journey! Great video, The Macbook story resonates with me because I decided recently I don’t need to maximize point redemption as a novice CC user with minimal cards. I make sound decisions for for what I find valuable, but no longer getting hung up on industry standards.
Amen to that!! I'm really glad to hear the Macbook story resonated with you. It's one of those redemptions that has a lot of different factors associated with it, but at the end of the day, I'm super happy with the decision I made. Everyone's situation is gonna be different and that's okay! Thanks for the comment Tiffani. It means a lot!
@ your welcome!
#4 Hit me hard. It’s wild it really does look like they discontinued it for good. What a strange decision by USB. Guess they really are all-in on the Smartly card.
Apparently it cost them a lot
@@omi._.jalalo Yes I think that's likely. When they first launched it, mobile wallet wasn't widely available so it was a niche use-case. Now it's everywhere and they probably started losing money on that feature
Definitely an unfortunate thing to see. It's such a powerful card that I wish I got my hands on, but hey, there are plenty of great options out there these days so it's okay.
@@SpencerJohnsonOfficial Yeah for sure, just gotta move on haha. It just stings in particular because I followed Stan's advice to open a Checking account to increase odds of approval. They kept rejecting me (probably due to velocity) and then of course now can't even apply for it down the line. Oh well.
@@soapa4279 Ah yeah I see how that must've been extremely annoying for you then. Fingers crossed they end up bringing it back one day, but let's not hold our breath.
I did the exact same thing with the Amex gold in 2023 and I'm planning on cancelling it here soon in 2025. I cashed in on 2 trips and still have well over $600 of points left. I may have done it based off your video too (I can't remember, but oh well)
Though I despise the Longhorn Yeti mug, I do really like your content and find it very useful!
- from an Aggie
Hahah I appreciate you a ton. Sorry about that loss we gave y'all 😉🥉
Bilt card to the moon! Thanks for the watch outs on what to avoid as I get started in the cc game
lol
Time will tell! I sure hope it trends in the right direction. Thanks so much for watching my man!
Altitude Reserve and the CSR....ooooffff. keeper card imo
Makes me wonder on a side note, would cashing the points out which don't trigger any taxes, then paying for the item be the better play as a business depending on profits? 🤔
That's a super solid duo for sure. As for your second line here, if you're speaking directly on the Macbook redemption, I couldn't have done that since the promo was directly with Apple in Chase's portal. In most cases though, yes I would see that being the better approach for those looking to have more write-offs.
love your channel, the USBAR was most certainly a loss, can't wait for your video on the 20th for the southwest card!!!
Thank you so much for the kind words! As for the Priority card, I'm going to have to wait until after Jan 6 to get it now since the limited-time offer got extended and I want to go for the base offer instead. But you'll definitely see a video on it down the line!
The Amex at 250 and no limit on dining was an excellent deal.
Yep! The changes were good for some and bad for others, but I feel like the $250 version was better for most.
#1 mistake for new cards - NEVER apply unless the bonus being offered currently is elevated. For example, never apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred if you're only getting 60K points and the $95 annual fee. That's the baseline. It's a waste to apply for it unless there's some elevation, or unless the first year fee is waived, etc. This is also very true with the AMEX cards.
Good video Spencer, and thank you Sir.
That's definitely a fair assessment! However, I wouldn't say you should only ever go for elevated offers and it's case dependent. For the most part, you definitely should try to get them, specifically with Amex and their lifetime language, but every once in a while, it makes sense to go for a base offer depending on your strategy. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts as always man!
Creators push the gold but they should include as you have how depending on the person and where they live that card could be poor choice past year 1.
Some channels lack balance in what they advise.
I agree! It's always important to reflect on what we talk about and really take the time to consider who a card is and isn't for. Thanks for watching as always Bill!
The Amex gold was my second card… kind of a mistake but I get tons of value from it!
I completely get your perspective! Hard to regret getting a good card, but then again there could be better options out there at the same time. Thanks for the comment Kyle!
Completely off topic which lights do you use in your background? They look so nice
I’m pretty sure they are govee floor lamps. I have one in my house as well and absolutely love it.
@rabbitdubzzzyt im assuming i can find em on amazon? Or a specific site sells them?
Rabbit was correct! They're Govee floor lamps. Unfortunately they aren't the exact same model and their colors can be slightly off because of it, but they're great lights for what they are.
I have no credit card ragrets
Haha love it.
Great video, Spencer!
Thanks so much Beau! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I use BILT and the only regret I have is that American Airlines and BILT parted ways. That was the primary reason I got it....
Bilt to Alaska, Alaska to AA. No real change here.😊
That's definitely unfortunate, but as mentioned by Paul, there are still ways to book AA flights with Bilt points so not all hope is lost.
The Bilt card was a regret for me too. It's a little overrated, and I value signup bonuses more.
There's eventually going to come a time when you have to take your foot off the gas pedal and garden for a little bit when no other banks take you. That's when category spend is important, and penalty-free points for rent is still a useful tool.
@Lancun I did garden with the Bilt card for most of this year. The devaluation of Rent Day, Bilt status being unattainable, and being forced to use the card five times a month makes this card quirky. Basing my spending and dining around Rent Day isn't worth the squeeze. I've played around with using 2% cards to pay rent and I've earned points more for transfer partners than I would with the Bilt card. Having the card linked to the Bilt program lessons some of the blow of paying the extra 1%. If anything it's a great utility card but a terrible point earner.
I completely get where you're coming from! I really hope they make positive changes to it in 2025 so we feel good about having it. But at the end of the day, it's a no AF card so there's not a ton I can really complain about.
You’re redemption for the laptop was the inspiration for me to get my wife the new iPad for her influencing career. We have done a bunch of bucket list redemptions including our honeymoon but I still feel like that was the best points investment because she uses it every day for work. ❤🎉
That's so great to hear!! As I mentioned in a comment earlier, current necessities are better than future luxuries sometimes, and it sounds like that was the case for you and me with these Apple redemptions. I'm really glad you're as happy with your redemption as I am with mine!
I think your annual fee calculation on the Amex Gold is pretty flawed. The dining credits are a nice plus, but the real value from the card is the Amex exclusive transfer partners and the extra 1x on dining vis a vis the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
This doesn't apply to those who have another Amex MR card, but the first Amex card one gets/holds has extra value in unlocking special transfer partners like ANA and Hawaiian Airlines (which in turn unlocks the Alaska Miles ecosystem because of the merger). A similar annual fee calculation payoff adjustment should be made for the first transfer portal-eligible card one gets in the other ecosystems as well (such as Chase unlocking Hyatt and Citi potentially unlocking American Airlines in the future).
Because great business class award seats are scarce and airlines are becoming more selective in which partners they release award seats to, transfer partner pathway flexibility is very valuable.
Most people don't travel enough for those perks to matter.
I definitely see where you're coming from! However, the main pushback I have is that there are free ways to get access to Amex's transfer partners, so I'd never recommend paying a $325 annual fee with that being a main consideration. I appreciate your perspective though!
I recently got rid of my amex gold, bc after the first year I decided I did not want a lifestyle of too many monthly credits optimizing. I rather use my BBP and my CSR for groceries and dinner.
Now is the time to hop on the crypto train Spencer 🚀. We wont regret
Haha it's been doing well! I allocate a small portion of my investments to it but it's more of a speculation than anything right now. Like any investment, you gotta be careful with it and have some conviction behind it if you want to invest.
i like your videos. but after awhile, the vocal fry makes me leave early.
😊
Thanks so much my man! 👑
2nd
Always top 3! I appreciate you 🥈
I started to regret having a bilt card when they started nerfing everything. Used to be a great card to use 12x a year but now that there’s a 1k max on rent day, it’s not worth my time anymore to put purchases off until the first of the month.
I understand where you're coming from for sure! I'll talk a bit more about it in next week's video too, so I'm curious to hear how you resonate with that one.
@ I’ll be looking forward to it!