First the penny, now the paper check?

[Talent312]

The issue I have with using a financial institution's billpay system is that they deduct the payment from your account before the company credits it a few days to a week later. Whereas, if you authorize payment thru the company, they will credit your account before your financial institution deducts it. That way, you can see that the bill's been paid and not have to wait on the billpay system to get it there.
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[TolmiePeak]

I pay my Marriott Maintenance fees with a Bonvoy cc. For every buck I spend I get something like 6X points. So far, Marriott isn't slapping me with a convenience fee.

Is that card worth using for any other charges besides Marriott?

 

[BJRSanDiego]

Is that card worth using for any other charges besides Marriott?

I think that for non-marriott charges you only get 1 point per $1 spent. But we charge just about everything on the card. So it does add up.

 

[dioxide45]

I think that for non-marriott charges you only get 1 point per $1 spent. But we charge just about everything on the card. So it does add up.

Regular spend is 2 points per dollar.

 

[amycurl]

This whole thread reminded me of this…

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[TolmiePeak]

I think that for non-marriott charges you only get 1 point per $1 spent. But we charge just about everything on the card. So it does add up.

Isn't Marriott constantly devaluing the points?

 

[Carolinian]

Exactly. Checks are not a secure form of payment.

More secure than debit cards. Also, anything done electronically can be hacked.

 

[Carolinian]

Isn't Marriott constantly devaluing the points?

Airlines started that process with ff miles. I was mid tier elite for years on a series of airlines, moving to greener pastures when devaluations his. When USAir bought American and devalued their program, there was nowhere left worthwhile to go so I just started flying price and schedule and to heck with loyalty.

 

[TolmiePeak]

Airlines started that process with ff miles. I was mid tier elite for years on a series of airlines, moving to greener pastures when devaluations his. When USAir bought American and devalued their program, there was nowhere left worthwhile to go so I just started flying price and schedule and to heck with loyalty.

Exactly. I used to use an airline card to generate miles. Finally figured out that it was a struggle to get even 1.5 cents of value out of the points. I just moved to one of the 2% cash back cards. So much simpler.

 

[TolmiePeak]

More secure than debit cards. Also, anything done electronically can be hacked.

Sure but isn't writing a check in a store about the least secure thing you can do?

 

[dioxide45]

Sure but isn't writing a check in a store about the least secure thing you can do?

Most stores don't accept checks anymore. Mostly because of the fraud related to the person writing the check. Bounced checks are expensive to collect on. Fraud against the person writing the check is quite low.

 

[Carolinian]

Exactly. I used to use an airline card to generate miles. Finally figured out that it was a struggle to get even 1.5 cents of value out of the points. I just moved to one of the 2% cash back cards. So much simpler.

That's exactly what I did. I have not had miles cards in years. I have three cash back cards instead.

 

[Carolinian]

Sure but isn't writing a check in a store about the least secure thing you can do

You can get your money back from forged checks and from hacked credit cards. Getting it back from a hacked debit card is a lot more problematic.

 

[Brett]

Most stores don't accept checks anymore. Mostly because of the fraud related to the person writing the check. Bounced checks are expensive to collect on. Fraud against the person writing the check is quite low.

Of course. One reason why most purchases are made with credit cards

 

[TolmiePeak]

You can get your money back from forged checks and from hacked credit cards. Getting it back from a hacked debit card is a lot more problematic.

How would the bank determine if the check was actually forged though?

 

[BJRSanDiego]

Isn't Marriott constantly devaluing the points?

Perhaps. But when I pay my annual MF for four 2 BR Marriott TS, I get about 54,000 Bonvoy points. I have been using them to book Marriott brand hotel rooms in locations I travel that don't have a timeshare (like Paso Robles, Ca. or Yuma Az.). Annually I get one free night's stay plus what I spend in MF gets me another ~ 2 nights stay. So, that is worth around $350 - 450.

I'm not trying to convince anyone that Marriott Bonvoy points are the best deal out there. But they work well enough for me and I get a reasonable value out of them.

@TolmiePeak - what cc would you recommend that would give me more bang for my buck?

 

[HitchHiker71]

Most stores don't accept checks anymore. Mostly because of the fraud related to the person writing the check. Bounced checks are expensive to collect on. Fraud against the person writing the check is quite low.

This is why many retail stores that do still take checks, like Walmart, actually use Telecheck or other third party validation services and then convert it to a ACH transaction - in other words it’s actually an electronic debit transaction anyways - despite the person thinking they are writing a check like the olden days LOL.


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[TolmiePeak]

Perhaps. But when I pay my annual MF for four 2 BR Marriott TS, I get about 54,000 Bonvoy points. I have been using them to book Marriott brand hotel rooms in locations I travel that don't have a timeshare (like Paso Robles, Ca. or Yuma Az.). Annually I get one free night's stay plus what I spend in MF gets me another ~ 2 nights stay. So, that is worth around $350 - 450.

I'm not trying to convince anyone that Marriott Bonvoy points are the best deal out there. But they work well enough for me and I get a reasonable value out of them.

@TolmiePeak - what cc would you recommend that would give me more bang for my buck?

I understand that you do get value by charging Marriott spend on the credit card. If you are getting 6x those charges result in a 4 to 5% rebate. I was just wondering if someone knows some hack that you can get more than 0.7% rebate from other charges. It just seems like getting one of the 2% cash back cards is a better value. I use the Fidelity 2% cash back card but there are others.

 

[dioxide45]

I understand that you do get value by charging Marriott spend on the credit card. If you are getting 6x those charges result in a 4 to 5% rebate. I was just wondering if someone knows some hack that you can get more than 0.7% rebate from other charges. It just seems like getting one of the 2% cash back cards is a better value. I use the Fidelity 2% cash back card but there are others.

Depending on the hotel you book, some people have been able to get close to 2 cents per point. This often happens with international properties. Also, accumulating lots of points can help you book something you wouldn't otherwise book. When you get 2% cash back, that just goes toward your card balance and then you have to spend real cash on a hotel or flights. Sure, the 2% might be marginally better, but spending points isn't the same as spending cash. We accumulate points for hotel spend, timeshare presentations and credit card. It all goes into one pot to be combined for hotel stays that we otherwise wouldn't be willing to reserve if we were forking out cash..

 

[billymach4]

An old check scam has returned with a dangerous new twist—one that shifts the risk from your bank to you. A single altered detail can go unnoticed for months and cost you everything. In this video, I break down how the new scam works and how to protect yourself before it hits you!

 

[dioxide45]

An old check scam has returned with a dangerous new twist—one that shifts the risk from your bank to you. A single altered detail can go unnoticed for months and cost you everything. In this video, I break down how the new scam works and how to protect yourself before it hits you!

I also think mobile deposit has made this even easier. Banks won't catch anomalies in checks that may have been manually altered that they might catch if they were handling the paper check like in the old days.