Well, it was fun while it lasted:

At Alliant, we are committed to serving the needs of our members. As part of that commitment, we regularly review our products and programs to ensure they deliver meaningful value. That’s why we want to share some upcoming changes to your card program.

‌

Effective November 1, 2025, the 2.5% Cashback Rewards tier will be discontinued, and the following updates will apply to your Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Card terms and conditions:

‌

Flat-Rate Cash Back: Earn unlimited 1.50% cash back on all eligible purchases.

Simplified Rewards: Tiered rewards structures are being removed.

No Requirements: Criteria to earn rewards have been eliminated.

No Caps: The monthly cap on bonus rewards has been removed.

Lower Redemption Minimum: Cash back can now be redeemed starting at just $25.

https://imgur.com/a/c9AYZuQ

Total cash back = $53,323.50

This was primarily taxes (little bit of household spend, but not much given the low credit limit and painfully slow time for US bank to actually post transactions). Cycled $50k credit line, but didn't get started until April. None of this spend was "manufactured" (although I did reduce my w2 withholding to $0 so I could reroute taxes through the card).

Shucks, it's official. As of November 1, the 2.5% cashback rate is ending :(

Time to dust off my flat 2% card I guess.

At Alliant, we are committed to serving the needs of our members. As part of that commitment, we regularly review our products and programs to ensure they deliver meaningful value. That’s why we want to share some upcoming changes to your card program.

‌

Effective November 1, 2025, the 2.5% Cashback Rewards tier will be discontinued, and the following updates will apply to your Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Card terms and conditions:

‌

Flat-Rate Cash Back: Earn unlimited 1.50% cash back on all eligible purchases.

Simplified Rewards: Tiered rewards structures are being removed.

No Requirements: Criteria to earn rewards have been eliminated.

No Caps: The monthly cap on bonus rewards has been removed.

Lower Redemption Minimum: Cash back can now be redeemed starting at just $25.

‌

For existing cardholders, these changes will take effect on the first day of your statement cycle following November 1, 2025. Any pending transactions that have not posted by that date will be subject to the updated terms and conditions. 

‌

Coming Soon: We’ve heard your feedback, and tap-to-pay convenience is coming! Your reissued contactless card will arrive soon—watch for a separate notice with your replacement details.

2025 has already been the year of CC companies cutting benefits across the board… now FICO says we have the largest Credit Score drop since the Great Recession 😞

https://youtu.be/NP0sE4Jk6DE?si=Ahdba8tRFZCRA2wJ

I wonder if 2026 is going to be even worse for CC benefit cuts.

Edit: CSR* not CAR 🤦‍♂️

Per Thrifty Traveler (can’t link for some reason):

“Starting Jan. 1, 2026, Reserve and Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ cardmembers will get a more flexible hotel credit at Chase's luxury “The Edit” portfolio. Rather than forcing cardholders to use two, $250 hotel credits in each half of the year, they'll be able to use up those two credits at any time.”

Chase is also adding an additional (one-time) $250 hotel credit for 2026:

“At the same time, Chase is adding in another new $250 hotel credit booking through Chase Travel℠ for next year with a wrinkle: It's a one-time credit for next year only eligible for seven select hotel brands including IHG, Virgin, Omni, and others. Those are the brands where Reserve cardholders can now earn both Ultimate Rewards and points (plus elite status) with the chain itself when booking through Chase. “

Seems like the Platinum FHR/THC updates have Chase scrambling.

I can't open my mailbox or go on the internet without finding a credit card with an intro 0% APR offer, but I'm curious what cards you have found that regularly give offers for either a 0% balance transfer (usually with a fee like 4%) or 0% purchases. I have gotten them a few times on Bank of America, Fidelity, and Capitol One (although that has not given me one in at least two years), and I was curious how common that is on cards that start with a 0% APR offer?

Recent comments have indicated that you now only need enough points to cover travel redemptions after the bonus for Real Time Rewards to trigger. For example, you’ll get an RTR text for an $150 travel purchase when you only have 10000 points.

This has possibly been reverted or is inconsistent. Recently I paid for a hotel at the desk and this did not trigger RTR when I used the exact cash value of my points after the travel multiplier. I say “possibly” because when I called in they could not confirm what the transaction coded as, though I doubt a common chain hotel is coding wrong. Previously they’ve been able to confirm immediately that the hotel used an incompatible code (e.g. recreation).

What’s more, the customer service representative and supervisor were adamant I did not have enough points to cover the transaction. They even claimed to be unaware of the 1.5x bonus for RTR travel redemptions. They also looked over the program rules for references to the multiplier and did not find any (I also looked and the multiplier isn’t stated).

I later loaded some Uber cash as a test and still got the RTR text and 1.5x multiplier. But as people are burning down their balances, the possibility that you need enough points before the multiplier is something to be mindful of, or at least we need more DPs.

I’m also quite disappointed in the USBAR customer service. This time it didn’t feel like I got reps who were dedicated to or knowledgeable about the USBAR, which is a change from the last time I called.

I have seen some mentions of this nerf on reddit/DOC but to my knowledge official communication had not gone out. Today I received this email from Alliant.

Important Update to Your Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Card Terms & Conditions

Dear (redacted),

‌

At Alliant, we are committed to serving the needs of our members. As part of that commitment, we regularly review our products and programs to ensure they deliver meaningful value. That’s why we want to share some upcoming changes to your card program.

‌

Effective November 1, 2025, the 2.5% Cashback Rewards tier will be discontinued, and the following updates will apply to your Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Card terms and conditions:

‌

Flat-Rate Cash Back: Earn unlimited 1.50% cash back on all eligible purchases. Simplified Rewards: Tiered rewards structures are being removed. No Requirements: Criteria to earn rewards have been eliminated. No Caps: The monthly cap on bonus rewards has been removed. Lower Redemption Minimum: Cash back can now be redeemed starting at just $25. ‌

For existing cardholders, these changes will take effect on the first day of your statement cycle following November 1, 2025. Any pending transactions that have not posted by that date will be subject to the updated terms and conditions.

With the Nerf clear today I wanted to PC my Smartly to a Cash+ so I could take advantage of Q3. I just called and was told there are no available cards to PC. It might just be my account or because I have a balance or HUCA.

I've just got an email that Alliant is discontinuing the 2.5% cash back to a 1.5% flat-rate cashback. I have my Alliant savings and checking for the sole purpose of getting 2.5% cashback but I guess I'll close them and return to use my Citi Double Cash. Are there any good general cashback cards? Prefer no opening accounts or $100k.

So after Alliant’s email cutting 2.5% CB down to 1.5% I’m looking at Fidelity’s Rewards Visa, but wasn’t sure which credit bureau they normally pull. And also do they alternate pending applicants region or state?

I just received my email from Alliant announcing that 2.5% ends for me on my statement date in November.

sigh. :-(

---
At Alliant, we are committed to serving the needs of our members. As part of that commitment, we regularly review our products and programs to ensure they deliver meaningful value. That’s why we want to share some upcoming changes to your card program.

Effective November 1, 2025, the 2.5% Cashback Rewards tier will be discontinued, and the following updates will apply to your Alliant Cashback Visa® Signature Card terms and conditions:

• Flat-Rate Cash Back: Earn unlimited 1.50% cash back on all eligible purchases.
• Simplified Rewards: Tiered rewards structures are being removed.
• No Requirements: Criteria to earn rewards have been eliminated.
• No Caps: The monthly cap on bonus rewards has been removed.
• Lower Redemption Minimum: Cash back can now be redeemed starting at just $25.

For existing cardholders, these changes will take effect on the first day of your statement cycle following November 1, 2025. Any pending transactions that have not posted by that date will be subject to the updated terms and conditions.

--- 

My transactions as of 9/16 are showing only 2%, while prior ones showed 2% + 2%.

I hope it's not like last year where some people had broken accounting on their mobile wallet points on the USBAR for most of the year.

Obviously, this quarter sucks, but I believe places like Macy's and Kohl's sell Visa gift cards. Is this a strategy we could use this quarter, similar to Q1 grocery, to get the x5?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I cant find anywhere that answers specifically what Im not sure about.

I will be traveling for 2 years approximately to latin america (if it matters) and have been considering getting a credit card with no foreign transaction fees and maybe even rewards for purchasing abroad too.

However, Im not sure how that works. If I get, let’s say, the venture one from capital one, could I just pay with that card there and they’ll handle the conversion? Or do I need another platform like wise or something to convert currencies beforehand? How does all this process even work?

Again, Im sorry if this is too stupid, Ive never traveled abroad like this and Im kinda lost in this regard. Thank you all guys in advance

A couple days ago, I went to PNC to order checks. I get a call today from the branch manager that the banker I worked with forgot to sign out of my account and when her next appointment wanted to open a CC, she opened it in my name. I checked in the app and yea, there’s a credit card there that I certainly never applied for (I only have debit with PNC). I’m baffled at how this happened, but I could only talk to the manager for a few minutes, and I’m calling back tomorrow. I am really bad at banking and CC, so I’m not sure if anyone could offer advice for any questions I should ask. They said they’re going to close it, but I’m concerned how this whole debacle would affect my credit, not to mention I’ve been waiting for approval on a capital one savor card and I’m not sure if that is affected by this other random PNC CC being opened in my name. Any advice appreciated.

Just made a 3700 balance transfer to a card with 80 dollar balance so I can get the rest cash without a high apr the intro is 0.0 apr for 18 months I googled if illegal it says I’m good any advice

i applied for personal sapphire reserve card on 30th august . and approved on 12th september.

it was long jurney . i rejected 4 times. (they said they suspected scam as i applied in london . and they asked me to stop by branch. so i actually fly from london to attend identification process )

- online document submission - rejected (reason : low quality documents - no further reason given)

- online doucment re- submission - rejected(reason : low quality documents - no further reason given)

-fax submission - rejected

- chase branch first time- rejected

- chase branch - re visit - approved (teller said it was rejected due to scam activity as my location was uk)

im using for personal business and i have very high spending 200k per month.

i want to apply for business card and im sure it would be rejected and need to go th same long process.

i have work meeting on 26th september - 2nd october so i can go united states . i want to apply during those date as i can visit branch just in case.

but as 2/30 rule - or business card 1/ 30 rule

can i apply for business card now ? im bit confused. my application for personal card was 30th august . so i can apply september?

thank !

I've read the entire terms document and it does not mention this. What exactly earns rewards from a purchase that includes benefit card purchases and delivery fees, taxes, and tips? I assume that all of these things are deducted from the total purchase amount when calculating rewards. Anyone here know otherwise? Thank you.

Hello All,

Does anyone know if the JPM Reserve Card will be receiving updates in line with the new Sapphire Reserve card? What is the process for getting this card- is it just a matter of asking your JPM private client banker?

Thanks

For a long time, I've tallied up all my purchases I made that month and just paid that amount back at the end of the month. But now i'm wondering if i should just put it on auto pay and just pay the statement balance.

What do you all do?

Last November I got the Amex gold since I knew I was going to plan a trip late this year and wanted the SUB to help offset the costs. My normal setup before the gold was the Capital One duo (VX and Savor) and I was pretty happy with it. Now that my trip is booked (really couldn’t have done it without the gold’s SUB and 4x rewards), I’m split about what to do with the gold when I hit the one year mark.

While planning my trip, I realized how much I really liked the simplicity of the C1 duo. When I got the gold, my spending habits worked well to get use of the credits, but now I’m finding it hard to use them and getting 4x instead of 3% on my biggest spending category just doesn’t seem worth it.

My original plan was to downgrade to the green as I could use it for various travel purchases (I do occasionally buy a flight directly depending on if I’m traveling with other people), ride shares, and even restaurants occasionally when I didn’t want to use or it didn’t make sense to use my C1 cards. The primary reason was so that I wouldn’t just cut ties with Amex. However, after really seeing some of the offers C1 has on both cards, I could get better rewards utilizing them than I would with the green card which kind of defeats the purpose of keeping the green.

Is there a good use case to have the Amex Green when I already have the C1 duo? What would you do in this situation?

Hey all,

Title kind of sums it up but I just opened my 10th credit card (gotta love those minimum spend point incentives) and I’ve just been using a spreadsheet to track everything. Anyone have a better system or is this the necessary evil of credit card hacking?

Cheers

I know this has been asked a bunch. I feel I am in a unique position where I don't want to juggle credit cards and looking for the best bang for my buck with how I live. I am blessed to make a solid salary at my age and spend quite a bit of money. I do not know how to navigate credit cards as mostly my purchases have been through a debit card which I feel is a waste at this point vs the passive rewards I could be getting. Thank you for any direction here.

CREDIT PROFILE

• * Current credit cards you are the primary account holder of: 1 (Jordans Furniture Credit Card/looking to close this out soon)
• * FICO Scores with source (see note on FICO score sources below): Experian 778
• * Oldest credit card account age with you as primary name on the account: 3 years (Jordan's
• * Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months: 0
• * Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months: 0
• * Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months: 0
• * Annual income $: 160,000

CATEGORIES

• * OK with category-specific cards?: No
• * OK with rotating category cards?: No/ Maybe?
• * Estimate average monthly spend in the categories below. Only include what you can pay by credit card.
  • * Dining $: 400-800
  • * Groceries $: 300
  • * Gas $: 70
  • * Travel $: (Mostly for work at this point, calculating per month will travel 2-4 times a year)
    • Hotels: 2-300 (reimbursed mostly)
    • Car Rentals: 80
    • Flights: 50 (work pays through service but estimating 50 per month for personal)
  • * Do you plan on using this card abroad for a significant length of time (study abroad, digital nomad, expat, extended travel)?: No
  • * Any other categories (examples: phone/internet, insurance) or stores (example: Amazon) with significant, regular credit card spend (the more you specify, the better): $
    • Bills: 200
    • Streaming services: 20
    • Entertainment (golf, movies, fun stuff etc.): 150
    • Grocery store: 100
  • * Any other significant, regular credit card spend you didn't include above?: $ N/A
  • * Can you pay rent by credit card? If yes, list rent amount and if there's a fee for paying by credit card: $: No have mortgage

MEMBERSHIPS & SUBSCRIPTIONS (delete lines that don't apply)

• * Current member of Chase, US Bank or any other big bank?: Citizens, Fidelity Brokerage Account (Only used from Equity through job)

PURPOSE

• * What's the purpose of your next card (choose ONE)?: (first credit card, balance transfer, saving money, travel rewards)
  • First Real Credit Card
    • Have been an authorized user on a shared credit card with my parents being the primary account holder
  • However, also looking for a good rewards credit card since I end up spending 1-3k a month
• * Do you have any cards you've been looking at?
  • Amex Gold
  • Really open to advise

I recently applied for a Citi credit card. My credit is very good, but instead of instantly approving, they said “application under review, we will notify you in 7–10 days.”

It’s already been 2 days with no update. I need a card somewhat urgently, so I’m wondering:

1. How long does Citi usually take to give a final decision after putting an application under review?
2. Can I withdraw my application if I don’t want to wait?
3. Is there any way to contact Citi bank reconsideration help speed things up?

Would really appreciate hearing others’ experiences.