Mesa Homeowners Card: A Deal or Trap?

Link: Apply now for the Mesa Homeowners Card

Meet the Mesa Homeowners Card, the new kid on the plastic block. Not the kind of name that makes you daydream about shopping sprees, right? Plus, it’s not coming from a bank you’d know from television ads, so naturally, there’s skepticism. But before you roll your eyes, this card presents some pretty tantalizing perks, all without hitting you with a dreaded annual fee.

I’m pondering jumping on this bandwagon myself, so let’s take a closer look at what’s on the table before deciding if this is a treasure chest or a shiny trap. Thanks to some fine sleuthing by Frequent Miler for bringing this to my radar.

Basics of the Mesa Homeowners Card

The Mesa Homeowners Card is a Visa Signature card from Celtic, with no annual cost attached. Unexpectedly, it throws points your way for simply paying your mortgage—sans using the card—and serves up some credits that are genuinely beneficial.

Honestly, my eyebrows are raised. How does Mesa plan to turn a buck here? When Bilt waltzed in with a similar tune, skepticism was rampant, but look at them now! Perhaps think of Mesa as the Bilt of mortgages, though word is Bilt is plotting its own mortgage move soon.

Mesa Homeowners Card points for mortgage payments

Get this: the Mesa card throws a point for every dollar of your mortgage payments, capping at the grand total of 100,000 points per annum. The kicker? You don’t actually use the card for this—it’s almost like an ATM giving out candy. Just ensure you have $1,000 in qualifying swipes each billing cycle to activate the magic.

Simply connect your mortgage-paying bank account to Mesa’s app, and voilà, points appear—no voodoo involved, although you’ll need that $1,000 spend to switch it on. It seems that Mesa doesn’t dig too deeply into validating these inputs.

Mesa Homeowners Card 1-3x points rewards structure

On top of surprising mortgage-payment points, the card dishes out no-foreign-transaction fee rewards:

• 3x points on home & family joys like home makeovers, contractor costs, streaming, and even daycare
• 2x points on groceries, gas, and charging up your trusty EV
• 1x points on anything else your heart desires

Those 3x categories? They’re a pot of gold. Home mattresses, daycares, and taxmen nodding your way. Unusually, some say income tax and HOA fee payers also score 3x points, but buyer beware—that’s unofficial hearsay in action.

Mesa Homeowners Card welcome bonus of 5,000 points

Now, let’s curb our enthusiasm—the sign-up bonus is, well, underwhelming. No big bang offer upfront. However, if you get in via a buddy’s invite link, you and your chaperone each pocket 5,000 points. Past the initial hurrah, they tried 50,000 points as bait, only to reel it in fast. Looks like they’re not planning headline welcome bonuses here, but who knows what the future holds?

Mesa Homeowners Card points redemption options

Mesa points come with redemption flexibility. Gift cards fetch 0.8 cents per point, statement credits a measly 0.6—yawn. Luckily, you can shuffle points to travel partners.

The roster for transfers include:

• Accor Live Limitless (1.5:1)
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air India Maharaja Club
• Finnair Plus
• SAS EuroBonus
• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
• Vietnam Airlines LotusMiles

Mesa Homeowners Card credits & benefits

This card doesn’t just skimp on annual fees—it comes crammed with credits that audaciously pay you back. Enrollment is needed, and some are checkout-once-valid:

• A $65 one-off membership credit for the likes of Costco, Sam’s Club
• $200 yearly on home maintenance via Thumbtack, get $25 per task
• $120 annually in Lowe’s credits, delivered quarterly at $30
• $120 yearly from The Farmer’s Dog, pausing monthly at $10
• $120 per year for Wag! credits, again at $10 a month
• $100 in Cozy Earth gift cards, tailored for home luxury lovers
• $100 in home warranty credits via Armadillo, trimming down deductibles

Is the Mesa Homeowners Card worth it?

No annual fee, mortgage rewards? Sounds like Christmas. But let me interject some realism.

True, there’s no mammoth welcome gift, stepping on the toes of more bombastic cards. Points can help balance that out, confirming it as a keeper for many.

• If your mortgage is hefty, enjoy your payback parade
• Hit that $1,000 spend sweet spot each cycle wisely to activate the rewards
• Bonus categories like 3x on property tax make this card a dazzling keeper
• Transfer options could be more glamorous, but payback rates aren’t a deal-killer
• Additional credits like club membership fees are delightful extras

I’m tilting towards adding this card to my wallet arrow, but let’s get a feel from some hearthstone travelers out there! Are we supplanting skepticism with hearty embraces anytime soon? The uncertainty lies in how these novel models sustain themselves without pulling a Houdini on us. Dare I say, it mirrors early Bilt complexities, and that seemed to go smoothly, didn’t it?

Bottom line

The Mesa Homeowners Card, sans annual fee, stands out with its generous points system—a warmer handshake for mortgage payers than cash-strapped cardholders might expect. Adding the allure of distinct bonus categories and enriching credits, it’s hard not to be curious.

With all the benefits dangling, the card has that “too-good-to-be-true” feel, urging a consideration pass from borrowers and benefits hounds alike.

What do you make of the Mesa Homeowners Card?