Totally OT Drive By!

[Leon]

So a few months ago we were discussing credit cards and I mentioned that my credit card paid me 2% cash back on every thing I purchase. I also commented about an included feature that offered price protection for 60 days. You basically send in a copy of an ad of a cheaper price and they credit your account for the same difference in 60 days.

In early March I bought an in dash Pioneer GPS radio from and had it installed by Best Buy. I also bought a back up camera that integrates with the unit. Best buy sells the unit for less than the suggested $900 retail price, IIRC about $724. I brought in a screen image of an Amazon price for the same unit and was able to purchase the unit for about $665. Sweet.

There were several lower prices on Amazon but Best Buy would not price match because others on Amazon were offing the unit, these were not fulfilled and shipped by Amazon. Any way I sent a screen image, of the lower Amazon prices, to my credit card company and they price matched. Within a week I had a $62 credit for the lower price that I found. Sweeeter.

On the last day of the 60 day limit, to finding a lower price, my credit card company sent me an e-mail indicating that "they" found an even cheaper price for for the unit I bought. I had totally forgotten about this purchase and the possibility of getting a further credit.

WOW! This morning the credit showed up I got an additional $485 credit, effectively making my cost for this unit about $120. Suggested retail is $900. V E R Y S W E E T ! ! ! !

[dpb]

The $$$ the CC issuers are raking in must be truly staggering given what they're doing on stuff like this. Those that are actually paying their minimums every month @ 18% or whatever effective APR is are really toting a load for those who just use them for cash flow...

If you don't mind my asking, which is this...I've been wanting to replace one have had but haven't gotten the round tuit required...a satisfied customer would be a good recommendation... :)

[Jack]

Did they happen to mention where they price matched a $900 unit for $120?

Might be some on here that would be interested, if for no other reason than to sell them on Ebay or Amazon at huge profits...

[Leon]

Absolutely true.

We use two credit cards monthly and at least once a month both have a Zero balance. Discover is one as it pays 5% on quarterly purchases of certain items, 1% on all others.

Citi Bank "Double Cash", this particular one is a Master Card.

[Leon]

Jet.com And actually they were around $182. I had already gotten a credit for the $62 for the price difference between Best Buys price and the Amazon Price.

[dpb]

...

...

Thx, thunk mighta' been...one had considered.

As you, use CCs extensively but never run a balance. ? was want to dump the AmEx as the merchant fees are so onerous the acceptance-level by many places here locally has dropped precipitously including some where used it frequently prior...

[Lap Joint]

according to JET.COM customer service [phone] USD$596 is the lowest price they ever had for the pioneer avic-6200nex

best buy has not carried that model number for over a year, the sales rep looked it up. inquiring minds want to know how you trick Citi MasterCard out of all that quid? rotflol

[dpb]

...

A closeout on discontinued model, maybe?

What I don't really understand is why the CC company would be doing this at all...I can see the marketing ploy to get a new card customer of "we'll match whatever you can find".

But once they've got that card business don't see how it makes any sense at all to make; that seems as though does nothing but take $$$ off the bottom line which business model doesn't really match with my idea of CC companies. :)

Leon -- any chance you've got plug in activated that's doing this and it just _looks like_ it's coming from Citi or some such scenario???

What's that late-night TV ad place I see that's supposed to some kind of bidding site? If found the particular item at that kind of site could see a really low price, comparatively.

[DerbyDad03]

Deal Dash?

[krw]

Yes, thanks. I've been considering that one as well. I don't know which one I'd dump. I, too, have two I use and pay off each month.

I haven't had my Amex refused for several years. Though I'm really happy with the Amex, it's probably the one I'd ditch. My Sam's MC pays 5% for gas, so it's a keeper.

[dpb]

On 05/12/2017 7:11 PM, [e-mail] wrote: ...

Huh. There are now more places in town here that refuse it now than accept it in the hardware/building supply arenas which is about all I purchase locally on CC as have open accounts at essentially every where else. Of course, this is a small market where there's only one building supply and a couple hardware stores, so it doesn't take many to make it useless.

I suppose what I should do is just open accounts at both instead...

[Ed Pawlowski]

Competition. If they do it for a period and stop, customers will jump to another card that gives cash back.

We go to BJ's about once a month and I always used cash or debit card. Discover offered 5% when used at club stores. I can enjoy the 5% back on a $300 purchase so I used the card. Amazon Prime gave me 5% of a $1300 TV too.

It is also an incentive for people that cannot manage money to use a card to get 2% back and pay 29% interest on the balance.

[dpb]

On 05/12/2017 8:29 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote: ...

...

That's not what was speaking of; "sure" on that.

[krw]

Entirely possible but I haven't had a problem with mine in years. Perhaps it's a regional thing?

[krw]

Those with excellent credit, sure. These cards are only available to those who have really good credit. Club cards may have a little more leeway. They're pretty stingy with credit lines for the first year, anyway, which I thought was pretty dumb because they are picky with the customers for these cards.

A decade ago, or so, I was at a BP station and noticed their 5% cash back on gasoline and for three months, 5% on everything else, too. I got the card but they only gave me a $5000 credit limit (rats!). We bought a couple of rooms of Amish furniture. I made a deal with the factory to pay them $5000 on order, $5000 a month later, and another $5000 on delivery. That card paid for half my Unisaur. ;-)

..and make it up in volume.

[woodchucker]

Well you deserve a BIG YOU SUCK!

[Leon]

Not sure I follow. Citi confirms with an email that they are watching an item I set up to watch. Then I get an email from citi that it is approved and finally an email confirming the credit. I check my cc balance this morning and the credit was there.

This happened the same way on a small TV I purchased a couple of years ago, they found the cheaper price.

Mine was a last years model when I bought. Mine is a 6200, the later model is a 6201.

[Leon]

Yeah. LOL

[Jack]

When I go there the price ranges from $596.90 to $925.43, depending on what all you get with it. I think they may have screwed up, or I'm missing something.

[Leon]

Well, CitiCards found the price, I got a $485 credit, I'm not going to argue with that.

Regardless, I bought that model on March 5, 2017. They did have to order it, 3 days wait.