The Lemon Fool

Our ASDA CC now gives Asda vouchers instead of cash back. Our nearest ASDA is 8 miles away so not worth the candle. At a push I could arrange an online shop maybe but that's a fraff frankly in order to spend a tenner a month-ish.

I've scoured comparison sites and can;t find a suitable cash back deal - vouchers are only of use at sainsburys or morrisons for us. Ive no need for air miles or "experience days" ...

One thought - is there any market for £10 vouchers sold for £8 ? Is that even allowable?

DAK?

didds

Moderator Message:
Moved from DAK to Credit Cards and Loans - Chris

didds wrote:Our ASDA CC now gives Asda vouchers instead of cash back. Our nearest ASDA is 8 miles away so not worth the candle. At a push I could arrange an online shop maybe but that's a fraff frankly in order to spend a tenner a month-ish.

I've scoured comparison sites and can;t find a suitable cash back deal - vouchers are only of use at sainsburys or morrisons for us. Ive no need for air miles or "experience days" ...

One thought - is there any market for £10 vouchers sold for £8 ? Is that even allowable?

DAK?

didds

If they are like Tesco, you have to have the card the vouchers were earned on to use them.

With Tesco card I earn Clubcard points which get me money off in Tesco. Do Sainsbury's not have a credit card that gives Reward points?

Slarti

Truth be told Sainsbury's in our town is a total waste of space, and I all but refuse to shop there. Mrs Didds doesn't have such qualms however ... and she agrees with me whenever we shop in Sainsbury's it seems expensive compared to the likes of Morrisons.

OK - just checked. It just acts as a sort of nectar card. It is more generous with its points than a nectar card but only when spending in Sainsburys which would equate to not much of our general spending. That said it may be worthwhile compared to the now effectively useless asda card

But I appreciate the suggestion Slarti

didds

Uswitch has been most hel;pful...

We could be looking at one of two Amex cards

https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/plat ... =100207373

Enjoy a generous 5% cashback on all purchases you make for 3 months up to £125 cashback.
After the first three months
Spend £0 to £10,000 and receive 1% cashback on all purchases
Spend over £10,001 and receive 1.25% cashback on all purchases

£25 annual fee

https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/plat ... =100207374
Enjoy a generous 5% cashback on all purchases you make for 3 months up to £100 cashback
After the first three months
Spend £0 to £5,000 and receive 0.5% cashback on all purchases
Spend over £5,001 and receive 1% cashback on all purchases
As long as you spend a minimum of £3,000 in a year, every full £1 you spend on purchases qualifies for cashback.

No fee

These both assume we'd have sufficient credit balance to continue our typical use of circa £2k a month (we pay for everything just about on CC rather than cash). The aqua card looks a possibility at 0.5% onall purchases - buit is capped at initial £1200 which would necessitate continuing with two CCs for some time

My only question really DAK if Amex as widely usable as Visa/Mastercard?

didds

didds wrote:My only question really DAK if Amex as widely usable as Visa/Mastercard?

didds

Not as widely accepted (e.g. not B&Q, Aldi, Lidl), but more than it used to be. You should probably check with any critical shops (especially 'local' businesses, restaurants etc.).
Here's a list...
http://www.whoacceptsamex.co.uk

Amex is not widely accepted outside of "big" retailers.

I still have a barclaycard cash back card. 0.5% uncapped (visa). Pays as actual cash. Don't know if it I still still available. They don't seem to be shouting about it.

Gryff

gryffron wrote:Amex is not widely accepted outside of "big" retailers.

I still have a barclaycard cash back card. 0.5% uncapped (visa). Pays as actual cash. Don't know if it I still still available. They don't seem to be shouting about it.

Gryff

If going the Amex route then I think a backup is necessary but it's not as bad as I expected regarding acceptance. My main card is Amex, I've had it for just over 2 years now and have been surprised at just how many places do take it. All my local big shops including supermarkets do and I'd say that at least 4 out of 5 of the pubs and restaurants that I go to in the London area also take it. Small shops are less likely to take it but they're certainly far from being an Amex-free zone, at least in the London area. Amex even run small business offers now and then to give card holders discounts when they use their cards at small businesses during a specified promotional time period.

I do still always make sure that I have my Visa Debit card in my wallet as well but probably don't use it more than once or twice a month. I'm told by friends who have tried to use their cards abroad however, e.g. in continental Europe, that it is much more difficult to find places that take Amex over there.

- Julian

It's not actual cash, but the Amazon MasterCard gives credits to your Amazon account, which I find very handy.

Mrs S and I do 1 year 'turn and turn about' on AMEX Preferred Rewards Gold Card (Amex Gold Card) with the other partner as a secondary card holder alternating. The card is £140 after the first year, hence the ping pong, but the rewards are we think worth having. Mrs S particularly enjoys the (Airport) Lounge Club card ( only 2 free entrances and then £15). Its a charge card, not credit, so you have to pay it off each month.

gryffron wrote:Amex is not widely accepted outside of "big" retailers.

I still have a barclaycard cash back card. 0.5% uncapped (visa). Pays as actual cash. Don't know if it I still still available. They don't seem to be shouting about it.

Gryff

I have that on a Nationwide visa card. Gets used for most of my spending that isn't direct bank-to-bank.

I daresay any of the usual financial comparison sites would list a few options. There are some with higher payback, but (AFAIK) with strings attached that complicate using them. Like the Santander card I got when I opened a 123 account, where you had to dig quite deep to find out what (if any) cashback you'd get for any particular purchase, or take pot luck. Got fed up with that when the introductory offer ended and they were going to charge £2/month. Easier to take Nationwide's small but simple&reliable cashback.

Longtermyieldman wrote:It's not actual cash, but the Amazon MasterCard gives credits to your Amazon account, which I find very handy.

Yes, that used to be useful. It used to give 2% for Amazon purchases and 1% on all others, but that was cut back to, I think, 0.75% and 0.5% over 2 years ago.

TSB do 1% cash back mastercard credit card. You need to open a current account that pays 3% on the first 1500.

With the barclaycard changes, I was just about to open one.

MikeyWorld wrote:TSB do 1% cash back mastercard credit card. You need to open a current account that pays 3% on the first 1500.

Sadly, that's only for 12 months, though, the cashback stops on 30 Jun 2018 (and it's only on the first £500 - so £5 cashback - per month).

These things are dying out - Like 'High Interest Cheque Accounts' did!

I had/still have two double card CashBack accounts: AMEX + VISA and AMEX + Mastercard. Very handy, you got most points on the AMEX, but if they didn't accept it you simply whipped out the other one. Just got less points.

But sadly it has all changed or is changing...

Another Amex card to consider is the Amex Costco card https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/content/costco-credit-card/

It gives 1% cashback on most things, 2% on travel, and 3% on restaurants. What is particularly good is if you are a rail commuter a train season ticket counts as 'travel'.

You do have to join Costco, so you need to be eligible and you need to pay their £30 a year fee (occasionally Costco do joining promotions which can offset part of the first year cost). The cashback is true cashback, you go to Costco with the voucher Amex send you and they give you cash.

I've gone for the no fee cashback amex platinum. We'll just run the asda card alongside it for when amex isn;t available and see how it goes.

I still have a question about the asda vouchers thing though ..

- are they only available to be collected/used per month, or do they accumulate so we could use them for one onlihne shop every several months or so??

didds

Do you have a John Lewis or Waitrose near you?

I used to have two cashback cards and the EU regulations killed those off and I rather liked the 1% back ... John Lewis Financial Services run a Mastercard that gives you vouchers back at the rate of 0.5% for expenditure outside their stores and 1% in their stores or on their finance/insurance services.

After one year with them I've been quite pleased - DO make sure you set up the direct debit as that is one part of their operation that is not slick or fast!

https://www.johnlewisfinance.com/partnership-card.html

Neither...

but cheers for the update

didds