How I lost a battle in order to win the war

No amount of alcohol could ever persuade my husband to go to one of these events.  He would literally rather watch the paint dry. I will say, he does want me to continue this blog because he knows I enjoy it, so I have to give him some credit. And he does let me constantly switch credit cards in his wallet, though again, he really hates it. The conversation goes something like this:

Me: I am putting a new card in your wallet at the very front. Thats all I want you to use till further notice (he refuses to use different cards for bonus categories).

Him: What, again? Why can’t I just use my 1540 card ? ( last 4 digits of our Chase Freedom visa, that we had for 5 years)

Me: But, look, this card has an airplane on it! You love airplanes!

Him: Ughh! Fine.

I think partly its because he is a creature of habit. He wears the same pair of shoes. When they get old, he goes out and buys an identical pair. Which is why he is attached to the same “1540” credit card. And I suspect thats why he is still married to me, as difficult as I am.

But  as I said, he does his best to tolerate this weird addiction of mine. But his patience has its limits. I mentioned before that I got Amex SPG card in his name, when the bonus was increased. One huge downside of the card was 5000 dollars in spending over 6 months in order to get the full bonus. Since I stay home and don’t like shopping, the amount of money I put on credit cards is minimal.

My husband is by far the “spender” in the family since he is on the road a lot for his job, driving between different banks and managing projects. So I didn’t foresee  any problems with meeting the minimum spending requirements. But  what I didn’t realize was how many places he frequents, do not take Amex. He likes to go to local mom and pop restaurants and they don’t appreciate higher fees American Express charges the merchants.

So  when I saw that our “1540” card was being used for everything, I asked him what was going on. He said he got frustrated with Amex not being accepted and switched to his trusted old friend without telling me. I said, OK, I get it, but can you at least try to use it where its accepted ? He said he would.

But the turning point came when we were getting gas one day. I saw the Amex sign clearly marked on the pump, so I reminded my husband to use it. When he was done, I asked if he did use it, like I told him to (I am a control freak) He turned to me and said NO. I knew at that moment that the days of Amex presence in his wallet were numbered.

So here is what I did. I had 2000 dollars in bills I planned to pay with check. The credit option would add a 3 percent fee, so I didn’t want to go that direction. However, not to irritate my spouse further, I decided to pay 60 dollars in fees to take that card off his hands. I didn’t try to hunt for Vanilla reloads because according to Amex rules,  prepaid money products don’t count toward minimum spending, though in reality they usually do. But I am a rule follower and thats that.

The good news is, I signed up for Chase Southwest visa with 50000 points bonus, that had 2000 dollar minimum spending requirement. BTW, that offer (pays no commission) may still be available, look in my “Best deals” page for more.  Anyway, he reluctantly accepted this new addition to his wallet.

The funny part is, he is a gadget guy, so of course he heard about Coin, a neat device that stores info on several credit cards. He told me, he needs it to keep up with the circus in his wallet. I asked why, he only uses one card at a time! This is for freaks like myself, who use different cards according to their bonus categories.  But he wanted that gadget bad. So I plan to get that darn Coin for 50 dollars to keep him happy. He even  agreed to  store our next Amex card info in it and use it.

What is the point of me telling you all of this? Well, when I write my posts, I assume your spouse is the same way as mine. Which is why I don’t focus on any advance earning techniques. It doesn’t mean I don’t see them. My brain is wired to notice points and miles arbitrage opportunities. But I assume you, my readers, are too busy with your hectic family schedule to bother with any of it.

Plus,  this hobby even in its simplest version is not for everyone. And the fact that the spouses go along with this madness should be rewarded on occasion. Sometimes  by paying the fees to keep them happy. Sometimes by literally bribing them with a Coin.