DIVIDENDS ARE IN!

Hands up for anyone else that bought everything on sale at REI last year?

I spent at least $300 there, and got my dividend of $0 today!

Paid $30 for a #5 cam after the coupon and dividend.

Ray Pinpillage wrote: My Amex cash rewards card [gives 2% cash back on everything]. I put around $35K in work expenses a year on it and can spend the rewards cash anywhere, not just REI.

Is this a business card, or one that you've had for a while? And is it a solid 2% back from the first dollar spent, or is it an "up to" 2% back, which you only get after spending a bunch? As far as I know, there are no "2% cash back on everything" cards available right now. There are plenty of 1-2-3 cards, which give 1% on everything, 2% on gas, and 3% on groceries.

My Bank of America Visa is a 1-2-3 card, but then also has pretty good retailer-specific cashback bonuses. For example, Moosejaw gives a bonus 5% and Backcountry is currently 8% (though usually 6%). I save way more money buying things on sale at Backcountry, tax free, and getting 9% cash back than I would buying retail at REI w/tax and a 15% dividend.

Boissal wrote: 2% cashback on everything? Why do I not know about those??? No yearly fee??? I can think of a few cards that offer up to 5% on specific stuff (Discover for whatever category they pick for a 3 months period) but none that offer 2% cashback on everything. If the REI visa was 2% cash back, I'd have earned enough for a couple of full racks of C3 and C4 without setting foot into REI once this year. Well, except for that time I needed chalk.

Nothing I can find has 2% on everything - but UP to 2%. Either of the cards below would be better than the REI Visa if you used them correctly. You can put pretty much anything on your credit card these days. Utility bills, rent, etc. And of course gas and groceries are big purchases.

Barclay Cash Back Visa:

- 6% cashback in your first three months

- Earn 2% cashback on your top five monthly purchases and 0.5% on everything else. All you need to do is use your card 15 times over the month for the 2% booster to kick in
- Enjoy a 6% welcome bonus on your five biggest monthly purchases. You can earn up to £120 cashback on these during your first three months
- Each year you'll get a 4% thank you bonus on your top five purchases in the month after your card anniversary, no matter how much you spend

That card has a £24 annual fee and I assume it's only available in the UK.

American Express Platinum, £25 annual fee.

- 5% cashback during your first three months on up to £2,000 in purchases.
- After the introductory period you’ll receive 1.25% cashback on virtually everything you buy – not just for a limited period.
- 2.5% cashback in the first month of every year if you spend more than £10,000 in your previous 12 months.
- Complimentary Supplementary Cards for family members, generating even more cashback for your account.

Don't get me wrong, the REI Visa is great. You'd have to do a bit of research and planning to see if either of the cards above was any better. If you spend a lot of money and make large purchases, they'd probably net you more cash back.

I like my REI because it has a baby seal killing Starbucks right next to it.

DID NOT GET DIVIDEND

Stitch
Why is that video so disturbing?
Could it be this man has also had to peruse the ever dwindling stock of "climbing" gear at the local store in search of items other than a chalk bag or harness?
I rolled my eyes in a similar fashion recently when I overheard 2 emps discussing whether Indian Creek was in Utah, but somehow I managed to remain upright!

Got 210. Finished out that trad rack.

The video is disturbing because it shows someone turning into a zombie.

$1.28 I don't even remember shopping there last year. :/

Cool, Old Man River...My best climbing partner just replaced his OLD cord with the same rope just yesterday. That line handles nice.

$214 this year. Hello, new static rope!

One word of warning: the REI website screws up the 20% discount when you order cord by the foot (as I tried to do with 200' of BlueWater II Plus). It considers the 200' rope to be 200 *items*, and only applies the discount to the first foot!

I called REI and had the rep apply the discount to the entire rope, as would be the case if I purchased a pre-cut 150' rope, say.

Ryan Williams wrote:Just so everyone knows, there are other cards out there that give you up to 2% cash back, and usually come with an introductory offer of 5-6% back for the first 3-6 months. So all of you that are so stoked about your $400+ dividend - it could have been $800+. Every time you use your credit/debit card, the bank takes up to 3% of that purchase from the merchant. By giving half of that fee to you, they are banking on the fact that you'll use your credit card twice as much. Most people miss a payment or two a year and as stupid as it seems, a lot of people don't pay the full bill every month. That's a whole lot of money they make from you (the average person), just by offering some cash back.

Thanks Ryan for hitting that nail on the head!

Just So Everyone Knows, purchases made in cash get the same cash back dividends as those made with a "what's in your wallet" transaction without the annual fees and interest rates.

I'd like to share a little secret with you all:

Seven Baby Steps to Financial Peace

Probably not the place to post this, but if I can help One person...

Tom-O wrote: Thanks Ryan for hitting that nail on the head! Just So Everyone Knows, purchases made in cash get the same cash back dividends as those made with a "what's in your wallet" transaction without the annual fees and interest rates. I'd like to share a little secret with you all: Seven Baby Steps to Financial Peace Probably not the place to post this, but if I can help One person...

But there's no CC rewards points/dollars for cash purchases.
Pay your CC off every month and you make money by owning and using one.

Def a thread drift, but a thread about REI dividends for 3 pages deserves one.