How I Lost a Battle in Order to Win the War
My husband hates anything miles and points related. And trust me, the word "hate" is a very accurate way to describe it. 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. That's 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’ve had for 5 years).
Me: But, look, this card has an airplane on it! You love airplanes!
Him: Ughh! Fine.
I think partly it's 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 that’s 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, though his patience has its limits. Some time back, I got Amex SPG card in his name, when the bonus was increased. One huge downside of the card was $5,000 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 drives a lot for his job. So I didn't foresee any problems with meeting the minimum spending requirements. What I didn't realize was how many places he frequents that do not take Amex. He likes to go to local mom-and-pop restaurants, and they don't appreciate the 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 it's accepted?" He said he would.
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 $2,000 in bills I planned to pay with a 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 in fees to take that card off his hands.
My husband 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 for everything! This is for people like myself, who use different cards according to their bonus categories. But he wanted that gadget bad. So I paid $50 for that Coin to keep him happy. He even agreed to store our next Amex card info in it and use it.
What's my point? 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.