How to Get to the Top Tier of American Express Blue Cash Quickly

As I've noted before, I love and use the Blue Cash from American Express card . Last year it made me almost $500 and I hope to beat that in 2007. It's great to earn that kind of money doing something I'd do anyway (buy stuff.)

As I detailed in Free Money from American Express, the Blue Cash from American Express card has two rebate levels -- one lower level before you charge $6,500 and a higher level after $6,500. Needless to say, the sooner you can get to $6,500 and start earning the higher rate, the better return you'll get for the year.

Which leads me to this question posted here by a commenter:

If anyone has a way of getting to the 2nd tier of blue cash quickly, for example buying bonds with it (which I think is not possible anymore), I would love to hear it.

I'd love to hear it too. Leave your thoughts in the comments below and enlighten us all.

Comments

[Jane Doe]

Hello,

You are correct that you can no longer buy US savings bonds with a credit card.

Ideas:

1. See if any of your regular bills can be paid with American Express.

2. If you were planning to give money to a charity see whether you can donate by credit card.

3. Pay with the credit card for everything--groceries, gas, a coffee.

4. If you go out to eat with a group offer to collect the money and pay the bill with your credit card.

3.

[Cory]

Can you sign up as a joint account with your spouse, so you both carry a card with the same number?

[battda]

Yes. I have a joint account with my wife and both cards charge to the same account.

[Ben]

Cory -

The beauty of Amex is each card carries a unique number. My card and my wife's card have distinct acct numbers. The statements are broken out by acct number, which makes tracking spending easier as well.

[Eric S.]

Hmmm... Could you charge the $6500 on your Discover (getting the cash back from them), then pay the Discover using the Blue?? ;-)

- Eric.

[SB]

I once used a credit card to pay the downpayment on a car, used of course and paid the bill off right away.
Also check to see if you can use a credit card to pay your mortgage.

[FMF]

Just to clarify two of the comments above:

Yes, spouses have separate numbers, but their charges both go into the same "pot" for rebate purposes and count towards one (big in my case) cash reward at yearend.