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by brndn 2333 days ago
> feeling all giddy when you get a "reward" later means you've been gamed.

It doesn't really feel that way as you're flying to Hawaii for free.

2 comments

You're not flying to Hawaii for free. Every single purchase you made with the card was more expensive than it had to be, because the merchants needed to cover their credit card fees.

What you're doing is the equivalent of always paying with bills, and dropping your spare change in a jar. And when the jar is full, you buy a ticket to Hawaii with the money in it. Except with a credit card, they keep the jar, take half the quarters, give you back the rest, and make you feel grateful for the entire experience.

It doesn't really feel that way as you're flying to Hawaii for free.

There is no free lunch.

In this particular case all of the people without premium cards who pay with cash or debit cards with no rewards are paying for our free lunch and flight to Hawaii. It's a tax on basically every transaction, paid to those participating in the rewards scheme

The lunch is not free. You're buying it for us.