I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[cajunmommy]

Hi everyone! Coming out of long-time lurkdom to seek advice. I have a decent amount of spend in the near future, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to maximize any potential rewards. I'm too timid to go as hard-core as some of you, but reading this thread has made me realize I'm not taking advantage of some pretty beneficial opportunities.

Here are the basics:
P1 - 04/17 - CAP ONE Quicksilver
Since Day 1 - Chase Disney Visa (sock drawered for time being)
Discover - older than Dis Visa

P2 - 04/19 - CAP ONE Savor (Better than halfway to minimum spend to receive $500 bonus)
AU on DIS Visa & Discover

Discover used to be primary card, but typically only maxed out 2 of the 5% quarterly categories. We try to utilize Cash Back gift card bonuses ($25 for $20, etc) when appropriate.
Easily hit $2000/mo in organic spend, heavily weighted towards dining & gas.
Averse to paying AF, but will consider if benefits make it worthwhile.

MSY (SW access) is preferred airport. Do not currently have GE or TSA-Pre and not really sure if it's warranted at this time.

December trip to Italy is being heavily considered, and I realize it might be too late in the game to take full advantage of some of the better benefits. However, I'm open to suggestions that would help defray out-of-pocket expenses.

We are soon-to-be empty nesters, so future travel will increase.

I've learned so much from lurking, and really want to commend all of you for maintaining a vibe that felt welcoming enough for me to reach out with questions.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[3 DD love princesses]

So interested to see what you find out, as we are hoping to do Hawaii next Spring and waiting to see flight schedules will work!! Good luck to you and will be following to see what you get!

trying to decide if we do Oct 2020 or Feb 2021. thinking I'll go for Oct 2020 bc kids have a longer break then.
but if weather is better then I'm open to Feb.

Looking for advice on what my daughter’s next step should be. I don’t think she’s going to want to do the points thing wholeheartedly, but I know she isn’t adverse to earning SOME points, as she’s seen me do a bit. (And been the beneficiary of mama’s points a few times. )

Anyhow, got her first card, a Discover, last October or November with a relatively low limit, but they’ve since raised it automatically a few times, and now it’s just under $5000. Her income is steady and more than mama bear’s, but she’s been employed for under a year. She’s been an AU on several of my cards for 3-5 years, depending on the card.

I think she should try either for a Freedom or a Southwest card. Her home airport is philly, which I guess doesn’t have a big southwest presence, but she could get to nyc or Baltimore relatively quickly.

Is one card considered easier to get than the other? Thoughts? Typing this out, I’m inclined to say a Freedom card, since she could transfer her points to SW if she ever needs to.

I would do the freedom first then get a csr or cip next. although the swa 60k is a decent amount. if she can meet the spend then go for the swa

Time for me to roll on to Citi aa biz #2. Whats the status about needing mailers or not? Seems I read a couple days ago that the jury is out. Anything new? Should I hold off?

Big week coming up for our house. Hockey tryouts for DS9 and Tinkerbell/Alice tryouts for DD19. We all head to WDW on Thursday. Yay for summer break!

good luck to your DS and DD hope they both make it! enjoy your trip!

Thanks to everyone who helped me out with the DVC issue. I decided to sleep on it & I woke up to an email from the owner saying that she had changed her mind, and would be refunding the full deposit. I am not sure what happened but I am really glad to have avoided an awkward situation.

glad it worked out and she's giving you a refund. I would def not send money without a contract in the future even it you are planning it way before the owner can book it. I've done contracts for 18 months out but then I didn't require any payment till 10 days from when I booked the reservation.

I need a recommendation for my DD26. She is 0/24. Her only cards are an old Marriott card and she's an au on ky amex gold. She just bought a house and will have significant spend coming up. I tried referring her for a CIP (tutoring business) but she got a 7-10 day message so I am not hopeful. She has plenty of personal slots so I'm not sure which way to go now.

what was the reason for denial?

 

[georgina]

And speaking of discounts, does Universal still give AAA discounts on food and merch? It's been probably 8 years since we did Universal but I think it was a 10% discount (maybe less, little fuzzy) at the restaurants and gift shops. It's not something I'd get a membership for, but since we have it I try to use as many discounts as I can get with it.

I don't think there is a general show your AAA card and get as discount anymore. If you buy Universal tickets through AAA, you can get a discount card for some dining and merchandise though. From Mousesavers -

Members of the American Automobile Association (AAA) or the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) save 10% at select dining and merchandise locations. Note that as of April 2015, we are hearing that Universal is requiring guests to show a special “Discounts & Rewards” voucher along with their membership card. You receive the voucher from participating AAA clubs when you buy tickets or a vacation package from AAA. It still may be worth asking for a AAA discount even if you don’t have the voucher, especially at independent restaurants like Margaritaville and Hard Rock Cafe.

• 10% off select locations in the two theme parks. (Offer excludes merchandise or food carts, tattoos, alcohol, tobacco, candy, film, collectibles and sundry items.) If you belong to AAA or CAA, be sure to ask at every theme park restaurant and shop whether there is a discount.
• 10% off Universal Orlando CityWalk restaurants and shops. (Offer excludes merchandise or food carts, tattoos, alcohol, tobacco, candy, film, collectibles or sundry items. Discount on food, non-alcoholic drinks and merchandise at all CityWalk restaurants and shops with the exception of Emeril’s, Bubba Gump, Fossil and Fresh Produce.) Valid up to six people per AAA membership card. Show your membership card to get the discount.

 

[alryan]

Not sure if anyone’s answer your question. I’m still catching up on today’s posts. But with Plastiq, if you change a scheduled payment you typically lose any promotional fees associated with that payment. You need to leave your payment locked in to lock in that rate.

Thank you. After not hearing anything I tried starting the payment last night and it wouldn't let me since the card expired before the end of the scheduled payments. So I'll just have to wait for the card, hopefully it doesn't take longer than 13 days! Then I may have to schedule my house payments a few weeks early to get them in before the MSR is due.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

Hi everyone! Coming out of long-time lurkdom to seek advice. I have a decent amount of spend in the near future, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to maximize any potential rewards. I'm too timid to go as hard-core as some of you, but reading this thread has made me realize I'm not taking advantage of some pretty beneficial opportunities.

Here are the basics:
P1 - 04/17 - CAP ONE Quicksilver
Since Day 1 - Chase Disney Visa (sock drawered for time being)
Discover - older than Dis Visa

P2 - 04/19 - CAP ONE Savor (Better than halfway to minimum spend to receive $500 bonus)
AU on DIS Visa & Discover

Discover used to be primary card, but typically only maxed out 2 of the 5% quarterly categories. We try to utilize Cash Back gift card bonuses ($25 for $20, etc) when appropriate.
Easily hit $2000/mo in organic spend, heavily weighted towards dining & gas.
Averse to paying AF, but will consider if benefits make it worthwhile.

MSY (SW access) is preferred airport. Do not currently have GE or TSA-Pre and not really sure if it's warranted at this time.

December trip to Italy is being heavily considered, and I realize it might be too late in the game to take full advantage of some of the better benefits. However, I'm open to suggestions that would help defray out-of-pocket expenses.

We are soon-to-be empty nesters, so future travel will increase.

I've learned so much from lurking, and really want to commend all of you for maintaining a vibe that felt welcoming enough for me to reach out with questions.

Thanks in advance!!

if you are willing to do a business card the CIP would be beneficial to get you 80k UR and then if you redeem them for some of your travel it gets you 1.25x. CSR has the $450 fee but you get $300 towards travel and if you get the GE then you are really only paying $50 for the fee. If you get the CIP and then CSR you can then transfer your UR from CIP to CSR and redeem for travel at 1.5x. Even if you just cash out the CIP would net you $755 after the annual fee with the spend.

ETA you can join dischurners if you haven't already. Message @SouthFayetteFan, @Lain, or @Albort to join

 

[schmass]

For beaches, Sullivans Island or Isle of Palms. If you want to venture out a bit, Kiawah is great and you could stop at the Angel Oak along the way.
How about a plantation tour?..magnolia, Middleton, Boone hall...
A boat tour to a barrier island...capers, Morris island light house, etc...
For war history- Boat to Fort Sumter or Patriots Point/Yorktown.

I spend so much time making the rounds to visit family and friends that we don't get to do much for fun. Looking forward to spending July there so we have lots of time to play tourist.

Great, thank you! So stay away from Folly Beach? Do you think the aquarium is worth going to?

 

[amalone1013]

Spoke too soon, looks like DHs (Edit: Barclays) AA Biz is in the mail today along with my employee card. So 5 days from app with auto approval to receipt of cards, including a weekend. 3 business days.

My app, on the other hand, is still pending.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

Yay approved for citi now if only it can get here so I can schedule my partial payment with plastiq. How long have they taken to come in the mail? Anyway to get it expedited or get the card info before it arrives?

 

[palhockeymomof2]

I need a recommendation for my DD26. She is 0/24. Her only cards are an old Marriott card and she's an au on ky amex gold. She just bought a house and will have significant spend coming up. I tried referring her for a CIP (tutoring business) but she got a 7-10 day message so I am not hopeful. She has plenty of personal slots so I'm not sure which way to go now.

Do you have a CSP card that you could refer her to...

 

[3 DD love princesses]

Spoke too soon, looks like DHs AA Biz is in the mail today along with my employee card. So 5 days from app with auto approval to receipt of cards, including a weekend. 3 business days.

My app, on the other hand, is still pending.

I checked on their phone status line a few times yesterday and online a couple too. Was going to speak to someone today if I didn't get approved but changed status this morning. when did you apply?

 

[DisneyMandC]

Spoke too soon, looks like DHs AA Biz is in the mail today along with my employee card. So 5 days from app with auto approval to receipt of cards, including a weekend. 3 business days.

My app, on the other hand, is still pending.

Did you already get your benefits mailing? That's what I usually get 5 days out from approval.

 

[snugglebug]

Thanks yes online is still showing the 30th but I called again today and was told the 23rd. Basically I need to book two flights each way. One from bwi/dca to San Jose or San Francisco and then one from there to hnl. For some reason they can do a connecting flight to get us there but not back. Just means we will have an extra confirmation and check in. I haven’t played with dates to see the cost if it would be cheaper or not. Thinking about having DH apply for the sw personal at 60k June 1 if it’s still around. Then I can get the personal and business near the end of the year. That way we will both have a cp for 2020. Which means only buying 3 flights for the 5 of us.

I have 4 flights for our Hawaii trip. Austin to Oakland where we decided to stop for 2 nights. Then Oakland to Honolulu. Coming home we have Honolulu to Phoenix, then the next day Phoenix to Austin. I think I could have continued on to HNL from Oak, but we decided to spend a day exploring the area. As for coming back, SW only goes so far and I don't think they'll do connecting flights over 2 days. SW doesn't do red-eye flights where other airlines do, small disadvantage.

 

[linzjane88]

I have been away from this thread for like 2 months because of our trip to Hawaii and then coming home and trying to get caught up on the yard now that it's springtime. Planting, weeding, pressure washing, and swimming pool prep....let's just say it's a good thing I have two Amex cards with 10% off 1k at Lowes



But, on a whim, I decided to apply DH for the CIP with a referral from myself. Instant approval! And on another whim approximately 3 minutes later I decided to get the CIU for myself. No auto-approval for me but I did get approved in <18 hours so . If I am being totally honest it wasn't *quite* a whim. DH has to go out of town for work for 10 days in June and 5 days in July. I came up with the idea that perhaps I should take the DD's to WDW for a few nights while he is gone in July so I wanted to restock the stash before I (potentially) tap into it. Not sure if I will go through with it though. He says he doesn't care but he loves Disney almost as much as I do and I might be a touch guilty about leaving him and our best friends home...decisions


So has anything earth shattering happened in the world of churning for the last two months? Someone make my day and tell me they put Disney hotels back on the Chase portal

 

[3 DD love princesses]

I have been away from this thread for like 2 months because of our trip to Hawaii and then coming home and trying to get caught up on the yard now that it's springtime. Planting, weeding, pressure washing, and swimming pool prep....let's just say it's a good thing I have two Amex cards with 10% off 1k at Lowes



But, on a whim, I decided to apply DH for the CIP with a referral from myself. Instant approval! And on another whim approximately 3 minutes later I decided to get the CIU for myself. No auto-approval for me but I did get approved in <18 hours so . If I am being totally honest it wasn't *quite* a whim. DH has to go out of town for work for 10 days in June and 5 days in July. I came up with the idea that perhaps I should take the DD's to WDW for a few nights while he is gone in July so I wanted to restock the stash before I (potentially) tap into it. Not sure if I will go through with it though. He says he doesn't care but he loves Disney almost as much as I do and I might be a touch guilty about leaving him and our best friends home...decisions


So has anything earth shattering happened in the world of churning for the last two months? Someone make my day and tell me they put Disney hotels back on the Chase portal

congrats! no disney on UR

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Hi everyone! Coming out of long-time lurkdom to seek advice. I have a decent amount of spend in the near future, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to maximize any potential rewards. I'm too timid to go as hard-core as some of you, but reading this thread has made me realize I'm not taking advantage of some pretty beneficial opportunities.

Here are the basics:
P1 - 04/17 - CAP ONE Quicksilver
Since Day 1 - Chase Disney Visa (sock drawered for time being)
Discover - older than Dis Visa

P2 - 04/19 - CAP ONE Savor (Better than halfway to minimum spend to receive $500 bonus)
AU on DIS Visa & Discover

Discover used to be primary card, but typically only maxed out 2 of the 5% quarterly categories. We try to utilize Cash Back gift card bonuses ($25 for $20, etc) when appropriate.
Easily hit $2000/mo in organic spend, heavily weighted towards dining & gas.
Averse to paying AF, but will consider if benefits make it worthwhile.

MSY (SW access) is preferred airport. Do not currently have GE or TSA-Pre and not really sure if it's warranted at this time.

December trip to Italy is being heavily considered, and I realize it might be too late in the game to take full advantage of some of the better benefits. However, I'm open to suggestions that would help defray out-of-pocket expenses.

We are soon-to-be empty nesters, so future travel will increase.

I've learned so much from lurking, and really want to commend all of you for maintaining a vibe that felt welcoming enough for me to reach out with questions.

Thanks in advance!!

Hi and Welcome...
As I’m sure you have read..most of us start with Chase cards due to their 5/24 rule.....

If you and your DH are open to apply for business cards the Chase Ink Preferred CIP offers the highest sign up bonus 80k URs after spending $5k in the first 3 months....it also has support links so you could earn 80k URs...and then send your DH a link...he earns another 80k URs...plus you earn 20k....after opening two cards you would have 190k URs

If you would like to stick with personal cards...the Chase Sapphire Preferred CSP is offering a 60k UR bonus after a $4k spend...you also could send DH a link to open his own card...he earns 60K URs and you earn 15k....after you both open the CSP you would have 143k URs

Since you fly SW their cards are also a consideration if you would like to get the CP

 

[miztressuz]

I don't think there is a general show your AAA card and get as discount anymore. If you buy Universal tickets through AAA, you can get a discount card for some dining and merchandise though. From Mousesavers -

Members of the American Automobile Association (AAA) or the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) save 10% at select dining and merchandise locations. Note that as of April 2015, we are hearing that Universal is requiring guests to show a special “Discounts & Rewards” voucher along with their membership card. You receive the voucher from participating AAA clubs when you buy tickets or a vacation package from AAA. It still may be worth asking for a AAA discount even if you don’t have the voucher, especially at independent restaurants like Margaritaville and Hard Rock Cafe.

• 10% off select locations in the two theme parks. (Offer excludes merchandise or food carts, tattoos, alcohol, tobacco, candy, film, collectibles and sundry items.) If you belong to AAA or CAA, be sure to ask at every theme park restaurant and shop whether there is a discount.
• 10% off Universal Orlando CityWalk restaurants and shops. (Offer excludes merchandise or food carts, tattoos, alcohol, tobacco, candy, film, collectibles or sundry items. Discount on food, non-alcoholic drinks and merchandise at all CityWalk restaurants and shops with the exception of Emeril’s, Bubba Gump, Fossil and Fresh Produce.) Valid up to six people per AAA membership card. Show your membership card to get the discount.

Ah, yes, now I vaguely remember seeing that somewhere. That's a bummer, they used to just swipe your AAA card IIRC. I think pretty much everywhere we asked we got it but possibly not at the 3 Broomsticks. Can't remember if we forgot to ask or they didn't participate. (the thought of frozen butterbeer is all consuming it appears, we had even forgot to exchange our Universal GCs into USO dollars/cash/whatever beforehand and I had to run back so we could use it on lunch as planned)

 

[palhockeymomof2]

I have been away from this thread for like 2 months because of our trip to Hawaii and then coming home and trying to get caught up on the yard now that it's springtime. Planting, weeding, pressure washing, and swimming pool prep....let's just say it's a good thing I have two Amex cards with 10% off 1k at Lowes



But, on a whim, I decided to apply DH for the CIP with a referral from myself. Instant approval! And on another whim approximately 3 minutes later I decided to get the CIU for myself. No auto-approval for me but I did get approved in <18 hours so . If I am being totally honest it wasn't *quite* a whim. DH has to go out of town for work for 10 days in June and 5 days in July. I came up with the idea that perhaps I should take the DD's to WDW for a few nights while he is gone in July so I wanted to restock the stash before I (potentially) tap into it. Not sure if I will go through with it though. He says he doesn't care but he loves Disney almost as much as I do and I might be a touch guilty about leaving him and our best friends home...decisions


So has anything earth shattering happened in the world of churning for the last two months? Someone make my day and tell me they put Disney hotels back on the Chase portal

Double Congrats

 

[alryan]

Great, thank you! So stay away from Folly Beach? Do you think the aquarium is worth going to?

I can't say because I haven't been there for so long, but Folly Beach was where we went when I was in college at the College of Charleston..so many fun memories! I know a lot has changed in the past 20 years, but my friend did go down there last year and stayed in Folly and enjoyed it. Enjoy your trip! I have to get my kids down there one of these trips.

 

[hsmamato2]

I just applied for the Barclays AA Biz and instant approval! I’m shocked. I have a Barclays personal sock drawered. I kept it for the free bags although now I’ll ditch it, since I have a CitiBiz and Barclays Biz.

IDK why but Barclays hates us here....

 

[cajunmommy]

if you are willing to do a business card the CIP would be beneficial to get you 80k UR and then if you redeem them for some of your travel it gets you 1.25x. CSR has the $450 fee but you get $300 towards travel and if you get the GE then you are really only paying $50 for the fee. If you get the CIP and then CSR you can then transfer your UR from CIP to CSR and redeem for travel at 1.5x. Even if you just cash out the CIP would net you $755 after the annual fee with the spend.

ETA you can join dischurners if you haven't already. Message @SouthFayetteFan, @Lain, or @Albort to join

Knew I'd forget something! I'm not 100% confident on pursuing a business card, but just realized P2's hobby-related sales could qualify. Hmm.....even more options to confuse me!
Also, how difficult is it to redeem UR? All of my experience so far has been cash-back through either gift card or purchase erasure, so it's been extremely flexible.