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Comment by function_seven | Hacker News Reader

It's always a bit disconcerting to find out that a decision I thought I made independently is actually part of some larger overall trend. This happens a lot to me.

For a decade before last year, I used an Amex card exclusively. Then I switched to a Sapphire card for the great signing bonus and better rewards. (It's also metal, and as much as I'd like to pretend that doesn't sway me, it does.) Now I find out that this is a "thing" and that I'm just another part of the overall trend.

Oh well. If Amex successfully counters this move, I'll happily return. Their customer service has been spectacular the few times I needed them.

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You and other people found a good deal, it's not like you're jumping on a bandwagon because it's cool.

Yeah, I know. But something inside me feels "tricked" when the one independent thing I did is "really" part of a herd changing direction.

I quit smoking a little over a year ago. Switched to vaping. Apparently 2016 was the year that everybody did that. I thought I was just making the choice to live a little healthier, but it turns out the invisible hand of Trendy Stuff swept me up. :)

It happens in science and in my field (infosec) too. Two researchers will independently come up with the same idea. You just have similar information to everyone else.

I generally keep at least one miles/points-earning card around, because every place I've lived for the past half-decade has allowed me to pay my rent with a credit card (I'm going to spend that money anyway, why not put it on the card and pay it off the next day so I get something out of it?).

None of the places I've lived have accepted American Express, so all branded/points-earning Amex cards are basically useless to me.

Oh I wish I could do that too but the $45 credit card fee for $20 in points doesn't ever make sense for me

I used to live in a place where my rent -- for a nice apartment -- was about $1k/month. That's 12,000 points a year from putting rent on the card, and there are airlines where that's right around the lower bound of redeeming a flight.

If your rent is higher than that, of course, it becomes a better deal.

The way this all works is the merchant pays a fee to process you CC and the bank splits that fee with you. Gas stations are somewhat smart about this in that they charge you more when using a card since they're paying more for the transaction. However, it's annoying to consumers to charge a higher price depending on payment method. Not sure why gas stations are the only ones getting away with it.

Strange, every apartment I've lived in required checks or ACH. One missed payment and they require a cashier's check for that month + the next month. They also required a cashiers check for the deposit.

What sorts of places have you lived in? I've lived in eight different places since I moved out of my dad's house, and only one has allowed me to play with credit card (with an exorbitant fee)

I currently live in the SF Bay area, but prior to that I was living in good old Lawrence, Kansas, which is not exactly a hotbed of futuristic Silicon-Valley-only tech, and my apartment there allowed me to use a credit card.

Without a fee? Surprising they would eat the 2.9% or whatever for you.

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