We have the Costco Citi Visa, and we use it for precisely 3 things. Every major purchase, gas at Costco, and EVERY order for anything relating to shooting. EVERYTHING. Which we pay off a day before the cycle ends. The day the Citibank VP announced their policy about gun related purchases i went out and bought an AR that i didn't need and some 30rnd mags. To top it off, i sent a copy of the invoice to their billing department, and requested that they send it to whomever they felt like within Citibank. I've ordered everything from a castle nut to 5k rounds of ammo using that card, multiple times per week. We always use our cards as cash, so there's zero out of pocket for interest or fees. I'm 55, and I've had the same card with USAA since I was 21, but that card hasn't been used since the Citibank BS started earlier this year. I'm burning the chip out on the Costco card!

My first reaction when they came out with their published policy was to cut the card and never look back. However the smart half of my marrige said that it made better sense to take their money through the rewards program. Once again, she was right. Plus, she is no stranger to how much is spent on the shooting sports in our houshold, so we might as well win on 2 points. We have outstanding credit, darn close to perfect scores, so in a way i'm challenging them to react to the card usage by cancelling the card. My wife works for Costco, and she's intimately familiar with the workings of the program, she's ready for anything they try. Meanwhile, we are pulling in the cash from an anti 2A group. I view it as a personal way to give Citi the double barreled middle finger all while getting some of their money.

It sounds like you are doing things right, but my understanding of the credit card system leads me to think that they are still making money off of people who don't carry a balance. They don't lose $.

They make money off of merchants.

There is an interchange fee charged to merchants, usually 2-4% of the amount charged.

On top of that, there's often a transaction fee, .10-.25cents per swipe. That's why small shops charge you .50, or whatever, if your charge is under $5 or $10....

They also make a ton of money selling your information.

And THEN, you have all the people carrying balances at 21.65%

Ding. I use my Venture for everyday stuff, points rack up pretty quick. When we have a big purchase coming up, we look at what cards are offing the best sign-on, purchase bonuses and go that route, make the purchase, pay off the card, get the points and then put the card in the safe, cancel it 8 months later. We keep an Alaska card active as well, because that's who we typically fly with and you get free baggage when you book on their card.

I track all of my points and rewards on AwardWallet.