Random RCBO Trip...What Next?

[55Jay]

Just received a letter from CAP1 saying the card I have (MasterCard) on the 2% Gas and Groceries / 1% All Other cash back plan, will change to flat rate 1.25% on everything, effective 13 February 2013.

Posting as I was turned on to the card here on TV, thought it might be of interest to others.

Regards,

J

[Pib]

Well, that sucks because I use that card all the time...and I expect the majority of my Thailand buys using the card are at Lotus, Big C, Foodland, and for diesel fuel where I get 2% cash back. I haven't received the notice yet.

Oh well, at least it will be 1.25% on anything-and-everything and where buys at like restaurants, medical/hospitial, hardware stores, etc., where 1% cash applied it will be changing to 1.25% cash back. But with so many of my buys being of the 2% cash back type I expect I will be losing-out overall a little bit...will take me a little longer to get to the automatic $25 cash back reward trigger point I have set. Also, still no foreign transaction fee, no annual fee, and covered by U.S. consumer protection laws--sure beats a Thai bank credit card.

[el jefe]

Well, that sucks because I use that card all the time...and I expect the majority of my Thailand buys using the card are at Lotus, Big C, Foodland, and for diesel fuel where I get 2% cash back. I haven't received the notice yet.

Oh well, at least it will be 1.25% on anything-and-everything and where buys at like restaurants, medical/hospitial, hardware stores, etc., where 1% cash applied it will be changing to 1.25% cash back. But with so many of my buys being of the 2% cash back type I expect I will be losing-out overall a little bit...will take me a little longer to get to the automatic $25 cash back reward trigger point I have set. Also, still no foreign transaction fee, no annual fee, and covered by U.S. consumer protection laws--sure beats a Thai bank credit card.

Actually, this should be an improvement for you and most of us in Thailand. I don't have this particular Cap One card but I have others. All of them code Big C and Lotus as general merchandise vendors. It doesn't matter if you buy groceries there. So if you check your bills and cashback carefully you'll see that you were only getting 1% on those purchases.

Edited December 21, 2012 by el jefe

[Pib]

Well, that sucks because I use that card all the time...and I expect the majority of my Thailand buys using the card are at Lotus, Big C, Foodland, and for diesel fuel where I get 2% cash back. I haven't received the notice yet.

Oh well, at least it will be 1.25% on anything-and-everything and where buys at like restaurants, medical/hospitial, hardware stores, etc., where 1% cash applied it will be changing to 1.25% cash back. But with so many of my buys being of the 2% cash back type I expect I will be losing-out overall a little bit...will take me a little longer to get to the automatic $25 cash back reward trigger point I have set. Also, still no foreign transaction fee, no annual fee, and covered by U.S. consumer protection laws--sure beats a Thai bank credit card.

Actually, this should be an improvement for you and most of us in Thailand. I don't have this particular Cap One card but I have others. All of them code Big C and Lotus as general merchandise vendors. It doesn't matter if you buy groceries there. So if you check your bills and cashback carefully you'll see that you were only getting 1% on those purchases.

Nope, as stated I get 2% cash at places like Tesco Lotus (regardless of what I buy...even beer buys in their liquor store) with the CapOne No Hassles Card; but you are right that most cards pay a lower amount for general merchandise. For example attached is a cut and paste of some very recent buys at Tops Market, Lotus, and a PTT station diesel fuel buy ....I'll let you do the math but you'll see the cash back earned on each buy was 2%. My sister in the States also has the card and get 2% at places like Walmart for "any" merchandise in the story..be it groceries, cloths, whatever. Yeap, going to miss that 2% cash back; but 1.25% is better than nothing.

[Pib]

Just checked my CapOne Rewards online and I'm still getting 2% cash back on grocery purchases like below Foodland grocery buy on 15 Feb...the math still worked out to a 2% cash back reward along with no foreign transaction fee. Filled up the Fortuner today....will take a few days for it to post but I'm hoping I will continue to get 2% cash back reward on fuel. I never did get one of those letters in the mail announcing above mentioned cash back change to a flat 1.25% cash back. Maybe CapOne changed its mind...maybe my particular card is not affected...maybe it kicks in after my next full billing cycle which is the end of the month for me, etc. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it stays 2% cash back for grocery stores (which includes places like anything in Lotus, Big C, etc) and fuel....and 1% for everything else. But hey, if it does change it's still 1.25% cash back on everything with no foreign transaction fee; sure beats no cash back and a typical 3% foreign transaction fee. Fingers crossed.

[55Jay]

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Edited February 25, 2013 by 55Jay

[55Jay]

Just checked my CapOne Rewards online and I'm still getting 2% cash back on grocery purchases like below Foodland grocery buy on 15 Feb...the math still worked out to a 2% cash back reward along with no foreign transaction fee. Filled up the Fortuner today....will take a few days for it to post but I'm hoping I will continue to get 2% cash back reward on fuel. I never did get one of those letters in the mail announcing above mentioned cash back change to a flat 1.25% cash back. Maybe CapOne changed its mind...maybe my particular card is not affected...maybe it kicks in after my next full billing cycle which is the end of the month for me, etc. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it stays 2% cash back for grocery stores (which includes places like anything in Lotus, Big C, etc) and fuel....and 1% for everything else. But hey, if it does change it's still 1.25% cash back on everything with no foreign transaction fee; sure beats no cash back and a typical 3% foreign transaction fee. Fingers crossed.

Hi Pib, yeah, saw your other post as well.

Don't know yet, been on cash lately as our household good shipment arrived, up to our <deleted> in boxes and bubble wrap and haven't ventured farther than the Tesco express on the motorbike. Will hit big Tesco next couple days, see what posts on the reward acct.

BTW, on the HHG, got everything in but agent/customs spotted 3 CPUs on the inventory, even though I had them written a bit cryptically (I thought). Everything else in excess ~ no problems. $75.00 for the 2 "extra" computers, not bad, my company paid it which was fine by me.

Cheers,

J

[Pib]

55Jay,

Glad to see you are getting settled down in the LOS. I can associated with unpacking a lot of boxes. The wife and I shipped over 16 large boxes/around 1600 lbs total if I remember right...with about half of those boxes being household "stuff" we should have sold at our garage sales but the wife said No Way, Jose!!!!. The wife classified the "stuff" as memories and things you just can't buy in Thailand; I classified them as just stuff and junk. The wife won...we shipped them. And some of that stuff ended up just being stored away in our closets to this day. If I remember right we ended up paying something called a 3000 baht customs/delivery courtesy fee..and it was on the final delivery receipt involved in the delivery from the port at Bangkok to my Bangkok home. With all the stuff worth thousands of dollars we shipped over which even included some electronics gear I was tickled pink to get away with only paying such a little amount on customs, but we had shipped every thing in the Thai wife's name, using her Thai passport, using descriptions which directly stated or implied 2nd Hand Household goods, stuff we had owned over a year, etc...etc...etc. It worked...got charged very, very little customs for the thousands of dollars of household goods we shipped over.

.

And as mentioned in my earlier posts I'm still getting the 2%/1% but if the change to a flat 1.25% cash back is indeed going to occur maybe it don't kick-in until a person's next billing cycle begins after that 13 Feb date mentioned in that notice you got and posted. My billing cycle ends the 28 of each month...so, I'll be watching real close those buys postings on 1 Mar or later.

Anyway, welcome to the LOS. Now, get back to unpacking that "stuff."

Pib

[55Jay]

55Jay,

Glad to see you are getting settled down in the LOS. I can associated with unpacking a lot of boxes. The wife and I shipped over 16 large boxes/around 1600 lbs total if I remember right...with about half of those boxes being household "stuff" we should have sold at our garage sales but the wife said No Way, Jose!!!!. The wife classified the "stuff" as memories and things you just can't buy in Thailand; I classified them as just stuff and junk. The wife won...we shipped them. And some of that stuff ended up just being stored away in our closets to this day. If I remember right we ended up paying something called a 3000 baht customs/delivery courtesy fee..and it was on the final delivery receipt involved in the delivery from the port at Bangkok to my Bangkok home. With all the stuff worth thousands of dollars we shipped over which even included some electronics gear I was tickled pink to get away with only paying such a little amount on customs, but we had shipped every thing in the Thai wife's name, using her Thai passport, using descriptions which directly stated or implied 2nd Hand Household goods, stuff we had owned over a year, etc...etc...etc. It worked...got charged very, very little customs for the thousands of dollars of household goods we shipped over.

.

And as mentioned in my earlier posts I'm still getting the 2%/1% but if the change to a flat 1.25% cash back is indeed going to occur maybe it don't kick-in until a person's next billing cycle begins after that 13 Feb date mentioned in that notice you got and posted. My billing cycle ends the 28 of each month...so, I'll be watching real close those buys postings on 1 Mar or later.

Anyway, welcome to the LOS. Now, get back to unpacking that "stuff."

Pib

Yes, we originally had a 20' container and all but 27 boxes wouldn't fit, so had to go to a 40'. Roughly 1/4 was the wife's clothes and shoes - Thai version of Imelda Marcos.

[55Jay]

Still haven't been to town, but you got me thinking so I logged in to CAP1 today and looked at the last Freshmart CAP1 purchases I made on 13FEB, which was the announced program change date (for me anyway). The reward earn was indeed 1.25%.

Pulled up My Profile on Rewards Homepage, stated I was on 1.25% cash back program.

Curious what your profile says.

[Pib]

Still haven't been to town, but you got me thinking so I logged in to CAP1 today and looked at the last Freshmart CAP1 purchases I made on 13FEB, which was the announced program change date (for me anyway). The reward earn was indeed 1.25%.

Pulled up My Profile on Rewards Homepage, stated I was on 1.25% cash back program.

Curious what your profile says.

It says, Quote: My Base Earning Rate: 1%. My Enhanced Earnings: 2% cash back on gas and grocery store purchases. End Quote.

Guess our cards must have been a little different, maybe because I got my card before you, maybe something will kick-in when my current billing cycle ends....I'm hoping my cash rates remain unchanged and it's just because our cards were a little different is some way or because of date of issue.

[55Jay]

Still haven't been to town, but you got me thinking so I logged in to CAP1 today and looked at the last Freshmart CAP1 purchases I made on 13FEB, which was the announced program change date (for me anyway). The reward earn was indeed 1.25%.

Pulled up My Profile on Rewards Homepage, stated I was on 1.25% cash back program.

Curious what your profile says.

It says, Quote: My Base Earning Rate: 1%. My Enhanced Earnings: 2% cash back on gas and grocery store purchases. End Quote.

Guess our cards must have been a little different, maybe because I got my card before you, maybe something will kick-in when my current billing cycle ends....I'm hoping my cash rates remain unchanged and it's just because our cards were a little different is some way or because of date of issue.

That's what I was thinking too. Don't want to screw anyone over but am going to send them a message, ask how the decision was made. Maybe an inquiry might get me reverted. Worth a shot.

You know, where I came from, there was only 1 gas station that would accept credit cards, and it was way out of my way, so I never enjoyed 2% on petrol. The 2 main supermarkets I used weren't coded appropriately so wife had to use specific ones to get 2% on groceries, and those weren't always the closest or most convenient.

So..... I move to Thailand where I've got credit card taking PTTs every few feet, and supermarkets coded right, and they up and change the program on me.

J

[Pib]

Well, wait until mid day tomorrow so I'll have enough time to go fill-up the Fortuner and make another Lotus grocery run!!!

[55Jay]

Well, wait until mid day tomorrow so I'll have enough time to go fill-up the Fortuner and make another Lotus grocery run!!!

They answered me this morning with a complete non-answer, just told me how I could view my rewards terms which I know how to do obvioulsy, then said they didn't have my specific information available. I replied back thanks, and to forward my inquiry to someone who could answer it.

End of the day, may go for the Visa 1% + 50% annual bonus offer and dump the MasterCard product to pick up slightly better FOREX- ref Jim Gant's comments on the CAP1 poor exchange rate thread. Noted you jumped on that as a back up³.

Edited February 28, 2013 by 55Jay

[Pib]

Well, actually today I did apply online for the Visa 1% + 50% Annual Bonus cash back credit card. I used my APO address....their online system now handles APO addresses where it didn't a couple years back when I first applied for the other card. Simple application...I even chose a card design/special picture during the application process. I clicked submit...in about 15 seconds the application came back approved with a very generous credit line...said the card should show up in approx. 7-10 business days. Application was in my name only...but from reading the FAQs after getting the card I can call them to have another person added (like my Thai wife who is also an American citizen) to the account. This Cap1 Visa card would be better than the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Visa credit card which only has a 0.25% cash back program...but as I mentioned is fine as a backup. I'm just hoping my first Cap1 MasterCard credit card cash back program stays at the 2%/1% because the great majority of my buys earn the 2%. Cheers.

Edited February 28, 2013 by Pib

[Pib]

55Jay,

Just as additional FYI...checked with the sister in the States who also has a Cap1 No Hassles 2%/1% Mastercard...she got her's about 6 months after me. Anyway, she is sill getting the 2%/1% and she checked her online rewards profile last night and it's still coded 2%/1%. I'm thinking your card just must have been different is some way (knock on wood...my head). I checked my profile just a few minutes ago/1 Mar and it still coded 2%/1%...although I haven't got my Feb statement yet its close out date is the 28th of each month. Yeap, keeping my fingers crossed mine don't change.

Pib

[55Jay]

55Jay,

Just as additional FYI...checked with the sister in the States who also has a Cap1 No Hassles 2%/1% Mastercard...she got her's about 6 months after me. Anyway, she is sill getting the 2%/1% and she checked her online rewards profile last night and it's still coded 2%/1%. I'm thinking your card just must have been different is some way (knock on wood...my head). I checked my profile just a few minutes ago/1 Mar and it still coded 2%/1%...although I haven't got my Feb statement yet its close out date is the 28th of each month. Yeap, keeping my fingers crossed mine don't change.

Pib

Hmm. I'm thinking it might not only be date of join but possibly a zip code thing. I'm on a San Diego zip for the physical residence. Hell, I'm just guessing still as they don't seem to want to answer my rather simple question.

Today they said they understood my confusion but that I had selected the 1.25% program. Uh, I'm not confused. I was on 2%/1% for a year or more and they changed it to 1.25% on 13FEB.

They are really being cheeky or I'm still not hitting the next level of management. I've put it to them again today, saying I would even understand their perogative to modify or suspend a program or offer, but I just want to know why mine was changed and others were not.

[Pib]

Hard telling what happened...if very well could be a state/California thing...some states do have special rules/laws affect banking account/card offerings....and for California they always seem to have note codes/fine print. I do know on your CapOne online account there a selection where you can check & possibly change/upgrade the reward program assigned to your card. Bank of America credit cards have the same thing...but BoA are usually trying to get a person to change from a cash-back program to a points program. But when I click the CapOne selection/menu to see what card upgrade is possibly available for my MasterCard No Hassle card it looks for about 15 seconds and comes back and says no upgrade/change program is available for my card...please check again in the future. That's OK...I'd be really surprised if they offerred me something better than the 2%/1% I currently have especially since the card is a no foreign transaction fee card. As of 15 March which was the last buy/reward to post to my account, I'm still getting the 2%/1%...for a 15 Mar buy at Lotus I got 2%. The sister in Virginia who also has a card like mine is still getting the 2%/1% also.

Also, received the CapOne Visa Cash Rewards credit card with the 1% cash back plus another 50% cash reward provided annually (equates to 1.5% cash back over a year). No foreign transaction fee like my Mastercard and based on the 2 buys I've done so far with the Visa card both buys got the exact Visa exchange rate. Considering how the MasterCard exchange rate is just a little lower than the Visa exchange rate, over a 12 month period the difference cash back reward between my Visa and MasterCard cash back cards will probably be very close....when the dust settles I'm effecting getting 1.5% with the Visa card with the Visa exchange rate and for the 2%/1% MasterCard probably an average 1.75% considering most of my buys earn the 2% cash back. And if I tracked/calculated how the Visa exchange rate and MasterCard exchange affected the bottomline charges and cash back I would probably fine the Visa card is running neck-to-neck with my MasterCard. I'll be using my Visa card mostly for the next month or so simply because if I charge at least $500 over the next 3 months I get a one-time $100 cash back bonus on top of the standard 1%.....that's the same thing as getting 21% cash back on your first $500 charged--awesome!!!

I noticed key parts of the CapOne web site has changed a good amount over the last few months apparently driven by CapOne acquiring ING Direct and trying to integrate/breed together the products for CapOne and ING. Also, their site now accepts APO addresses (i.e., U.S. military post offices) during the application process.

[55Jay]

How odd, I was thinking of dropping you a line just this afternoon, see if your program had changed. Happy to hear it has not.

I went on to round 3 with CAP1 (via secure messages) after my last post. Again, they just would not answer my straight forward question, or get any where near anything resembling useable information on why my program changed.

They wanted me to call. I didn't. Then took off for the BKK US Emb admin run followed by 5 days goofing off in Pattaya.

I think about it every time I pay at PTT or Tesco though. Damn.

Cheers,

J

[Pib]

I'll be using my Visa card mostly for the next month or so simply because if I charge at least $500 over the next 3 months I get a one-time $100 cash back bonus on top of the standard 1%.....that's the same thing as getting 21% cash back on your first $500 charged--awesome!!!

Update: Today I went over $500 charged against my new CapOne Visa cash back card (no foreign transaction fee) mentioned above. Just checked my CapOne online cash back amount and the $100 cash back bonus had been credited to my total cash back amount which was only reflecting around $5 up until today before going over the $500 charged amount. So, by charging at least $500 during the first 3 months of having the CapOne Visa card I have earned 21% cash back. Now I will revert to using my CapOne MasterCard cash back card which is still paying 2%/1% and tuck the Visa card away as a backup/for occasional use. Edited April 2, 2013 by Pib

[55Jay]

I'll be using my Visa card mostly for the next month or so simply because if I charge at least $500 over the next 3 months I get a one-time $100 cash back bonus on top of the standard 1%.....that's the same thing as getting 21% cash back on your first $500 charged--awesome!!!

Update: Today I went over $500 charged against my new CapOne Visa cash back card (no foreign transaction fee) mentioned above. Just checked my CapOne online cash back amount and the $100 cash back bonus had been credited to my total cash back amount which was only reflecting around $5 up until today before going over the $500 charged amount. So, by charging at least $500 during the first 3 months of having the CapOne Visa card I have earned 21% cash back. Now I will revert to using my CapOne MasterCard cash back card which is still paying 2%/1% and tuck the Visa card away as a backup/for occasional use.

Rub it in!

[Pib]

Jay (and other CapOne Card Holders)

As I mentioned in an email to you the other day my sister in the States just got a letter saying her CapOne No Hassles MasterCard which pays the 2% on groceries/gas and 1% on everything else will change to the CapOne QuickSliver Card cash back benefits of 1.5% on everything come in Nov 13. And today I got my letter saying the same thing.

And since I also have another CapOne credit card which I've had less than a year, a Visa card that pays 1% on everything with a 50% cash back bonus each year which effectively makes it a 1.5% cash back card over a 12 month period, I also got another letter saying that card would also be changing to the CapOne QuickSliver Card cash benefits of 1.5% on everything come Nov 13. I got this card several months before the QuickSilver came out. Banks/card companies are always coming up with new cards and promotions.

Actually each card had a different date in Nov when the cash rewards would change. It also said you would continue with your current card with the new QuickSilver cash rewards benefits and not get the QuickSilver card until the next reissue of your current card. So on the next reissue of my cards I'll have a QuickSilver MasterCard and also a QuickSilver Visa card. Both cards are still no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee.

So, maybe you will also be getting such a letter which updates your card from the 1.25% cash back to QuickSilver 1.5% cash back.

For me, since my CapOne MasterCard got 2% on the great majority of "my buys" like anything and everything (even beer) at Lotus, Big C, Tops, Foodland, etc., type stores and for fuel for my SUV....and then 1% on the minority of my buys like hardware stores/hospital bills/etc., switching to 1.5% cash reward on everything will be a minor downgrade/reduction in the amount of cash back I earn. But for my CapOne Visa card instead of needing to wait 12 months to earn the full 1.5% I will now get it immediately so I guess that is a plus. Additionally, after the switch in Nov for both cards I expect I will start using my Visa card predominately since Visa exchange rates are usually a hair better than MasterCard exchange rates.

For those listening in, below is a redacted copy of the front side of the letter people are receiving and although I'm not including the back side the back side just has a chart showing current cash back benefits and then the new cash benefits plus a few Questions and Answers. I did some googling and see lots of other people are receiving the letter also which apparently started flowing out in early Sep. Most are not happy with the 2% going to 1.5% but at the same time I didn't see anyone really mad since 1.5% cash back on "everything" combined with the cards other benefits like no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee is still a good deal. And I saw one or two posts from folks who was happy because the CapOne card they had was being upgraded from 1% cash back to 1.5% cash back...or their buying habits usually result in them getting 1% vs 2% so going to 1.5% on everything was better for them. So much depends on where and what a person buys. Hopefully CapOne will upgrade your card from 1.25% to 1.5%.

This post just FYI for you CapOne credit card holders out there. And remember there are a lot of different CapOne cards out there and hard telling which cards are basically being updated to the CapOne QuickSilver MasterCard and/or Visa card and its associated benefits....all I can say for sure is my two different CapOne cards, one a MasterCard and one a Visa card, are being updated.

Capture.pdf