Questions tagged [points]

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Deducting mortgage zero-cost refinance points from taxes when using the money for home improvement NEXT year

I have refinanced a mortgage and paid for quite a lot of points. The refinance was zero-cost, so the points came from the increased loan amount. I used the money I saved due to zero-cost refinance to ...
Ark-kun's user avatar
  • 429
2 votes
6 answers
606 views

What type of mortgage loan makes sense when planning to pay it off early?

We are looking for a house, a reasonable one--not outside our means, and planning on paying off our mortgage early. We will have a decent down payment, but keeping some cash for emergencies, and will ...
Josh's user avatar
  • 131
2 votes
1 answer
274 views

Refinancing a mortgage: Can you buy points with cash out?

Looking over different mortgage refinance rates, I have found some that are favorable in the 0.5-1.5 point range, but the upfront cost exceeds what I'm comfortable paying out of pocket. Is possible to ...
Soulis's user avatar
  • 166
2 votes
1 answer
579 views

Does Chase UltimateRewards recognize Travel/Dining spent through PayPal?

I'm thinking of getting a Chase credit card. Chase's Ultimate Rewards boasts 2x points on travel/dining, with 1x points on all other purchases. I make most of my purchases using PayPal, so am ...
itsCoronaTime's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
334 views

Can you legally keep topping up a pre-paid card with a credit card on a monthly basis to borrow money while earning points?

Having 2 credit cards, one of which is pre-paid, can someone keep topping up the pre-paid card with the other on a monthly basis therefore earning points? I am asking because in this way you can ...
Samuryte's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
541 views

Should I save up my credit card points?

I earn points on my credit card and can redeem them at one cent per point, so if I have 10,000 points, I can deduct $100 from my bill. Is there any advantage to saving my points and spending my ...
Dave's user avatar
  • 829
10 votes
3 answers
5k views

Do mortgage points get applied directly to the principal? [duplicate]

Lets say I want a $100,000 mortgage. I can get it at x%, or (x-0.25)% if I pay 1 point. If I do the 1 point option, will my first payment be on a $99,000 balance, or a $100,000 balance? In other words ...
David says Reinstate Monica's user avatar
29 votes
6 answers
22k views

What can Amex do if I cancel their card after using the sign up bonus miles?

I recently applied for the Amex Gold Delta Skymiles card, with the intention of getting the sign up bonus (60,000 miles after $2k spend in first 3 months) and canceling the card before the first ...
Runeaway3's user avatar
  • 2,898
1 vote
4 answers
471 views

How do consumer reward point systems work?

For example, Starbucks developed its own point system where customers can collect them and get a free drink. Pretty sure there is a way to make money from it. Or is it just a marketing strategy to ...
Anton S.'s user avatar
  • 121
25 votes
2 answers
9k views

How do credit card companies know what type of business I'm paying for?

Credits cards have many different ways of offering you points on types of goods or services you pay for. How do they know if I'm buying, say, food or gas? There are so many different different ...
Conor Patrick's user avatar
41 votes
7 answers
13k views

Credit card offering 0.5 miles for every cent rounded up. Too good to be true?

I just received an offer on my credit card (Barclays Aviator, if needed to verify). The offer (Flight Cents) is as follows: I can choose a limit every month ($1 to $500) Every transaction during a ...
perennial_noob's user avatar
32 votes
4 answers
7k views

How does the math work when buying airline miles?

Signing up for credit cards to get airline bonuses and flying more are good options to earn miles. With an average redemption/valuation of 1 cent/mile or maybe 1.2 cents/mile why would it make sense ...
perennial_noob's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
181 views

Can my other Chase credit card points use the 3x multiplier of the CSR card?

I have two chase credit cards with over $300 worth of points and will open another Chase card next month, the Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR). I am wondering if my existing Chase points will get the 3x ...
Audus's user avatar
  • 275
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Buying points on a mortgage

Several questions on this SE have asked whether one should pay points (or even what they are). All of these questions appear to only look at the nominal cost, not the inflation-adjusted costs. Is it ...
costrom's user avatar
  • 136
55 votes
8 answers
10k views

Gigantic point amount on rewards card - what are potential consequences?

Recently, I asked with an online form for some receipts to get added to my rewards card (because I forgot the card when paying). However, they accidentally added more than a thousand times the amount ...
Aganju's user avatar
  • 37.7k
1 vote
2 answers
80 views

Do points and miles acquired through signup bonuses ever expire

Many credit cards offer sign up bonuses in the form of points or miles. Now, unless stated explicitly, is there an expiry date for this sign up miles/points?
Victor123's user avatar
  • 16k
0 votes
1 answer
71 views

Relationship between points and air miles

Let us say I have Air Canada Aeroplan card, and if I shop at certain retailers, I accumulate points. Now let us say a particular flight on air Canada cost 100,000 miles. How to know how many points ...
Victor123's user avatar
  • 16k
3 votes
1 answer
125 views

10-Year Treasury Future Quotes

The CBOE lists the current price for a June 2013 10-Year Treasury future as 132'155. The contract specifications state that the price quote is Points ($1,000) and halves of 1/32 of a point. Does ...
user2023861's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Mortgage points vs. down payment: How should I look at the break even point?

Some relevant questions are here: What are points on a mortgage? Should I pay points on my mortgage? First Time Home Buyers - Down Payment, PMI and Points I am aware that most people look at the ...
LasEspuelas's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
446 views

Is it good to get 2 credit cards for different bonus?

I currently have a pretty plain credit card, the First Tech Platinum, but I was thinking that I don't really get much out of it, so I started to looked into other cards with better rewards, and cancel ...
Francisco Noriega's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Paying for mortgage points vs investing that money

First time home buyer here. So I've been reading about points and how an up-front payment can save you money in the long term. At first, the numbers seem pretty convincing. For example, pay $5000 ...
anon's user avatar
  • 277
17 votes
2 answers
13k views

What are points on a mortgage?

What are points on a mortgage?
Alex B's user avatar
  • 17.3k
16 votes
3 answers
1k views

Should I pay points on my mortgage?

We're looking into refinancing from a 30 year mortgage at 5.5% (currently 23 years left) to a 20 year mortgage at 4.5%. Paying points will reduce the rate somewhat, but since we don't have extra ...
Don's user avatar
  • 859
3 votes
2 answers
241 views

Is there an easy way to compare store or credit card loyalty programs? How can I tell which is best?

Surely someone has come up with a spreadsheet or calculator to run comparisons?
Nat_Rea's user avatar
  • 8,683
9 votes
2 answers
822 views

Are travel point / reward credit cards worth the hassle and cost?

Are travel point / reward credit cards worth the hassle and cost? Many such cards have fees, and when you try to book there are often restrictions. What has your experience been with these types of ...
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