I love credit cards so much! v3.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[elgerber]

I feel bad for them, but worse that my 11 yo thinks social isolation is a good thing since no one has called him a bad name in 2 weeks.

This breaks my heart. This is just so sad.

 

[Judique]

I recently opened a Schwab account and received the bonus. I think you have to keep the funds for a year. Here is the language in the email they sent me -

Enroll and make a qualifying net deposit of cash or securities of $1,000-$24,999 and earn a cash bonus of $100 Enroll and make a qualifying net deposit of cash or securities of $25,000-$49,999 and earn a cash bonus of $200 Enroll and make a qualifying net deposit of cash or securities of $50,000-99,999 and earn a cash bonus of $300 Enroll and make a qualifying net deposit of cash or securities of $100,000 + and earn a cash bonus of $500 Offer valid for referred individuals who do not currently have a Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab) account (other than a Stock Plan Services account) and who open and make a qualifying net deposit into an eligible retail brokerage account within 45 days of enrolling in the offer. Net deposits are assets deposited into the enrolled account minus assets withdrawn from the account and transferred out of Schwab. Only outside assets new to Schwab qualify; assets transferred from affiliates other than Schwab Retirement Plan Services are excluded. Net deposits will be calculated as of the 45th day after enrollment, and the cash bonus will be credited to the enrolled account within approximately one week. For taxable accounts, you must maintain the net deposit amount (less any market losses) at Schwab for at least one year or Schwab may charge back the cash bonus.​

Thank you! Now I need @SouthFayetteFan to explain why this face I actually mean the 'wow' face but couldn't find it quickly.

 

[smmco]

I figure the stimulus will have a huge impact on whether Disney continues to pay in their next segment of response. My guess is that after March 31st, no pay for the next closure period. I'm not sure how unemployment benefits will figure in. But, furlough should be a possibility under the contracts - a way to keep things going for the moment. Firing is a different animal - I can't see that happening - maybe lay offs with options to return when needed.

And, is Disney getting any of the bail out money? Big business and all.

And: it's obvious to me that I am extremely naïve and unknowledgeable in the field of business and investing and also bailouts and why big business does what they do. I also have a naturally acquired mistrust of government and the political machine. Thanks for humoring me and keeping me entertained. I'm not too old to learn a few things.

I hope not. I wouldn't think Disney needs a bailout. The airlines and small businesses do. I wouldn't bailout out the cruise lines either since they don't pay US taxes or hire US workers. Carnival just postponed their announcement from today until Monday. They must be changing their mind about something. DCL is still leaving people in limbo. Alaska and some European cruises have been pulled from the website, but not canceled yet.

 

[ten6mom]

There's no cost, other than a hard pull, to open a Schwab One brokerage account. And if you apply via a supportal link and can float $1,000 in the brokerage account for 45 days, you'll earn a $100 bonus. You may also want to open up a Schwab checking account while you're at it, since one of the benefits of Schwab's checking account is refunded ATM fees worldwide, which comes in handy when you travel internationally.

You don't need an Amex Schwab Platinum to open a Schwab One brokerage account, but you do need a Schwab One brokerage account to be eligible for a Schwab Platinum. And you need to keep a Schwab Platinum open as long as you want the ability to invest ("cash out") your MR to your Schwab One brokerage account at a 1 MR = 1.25 cent rate.

So to your question, there's no harm in opening up a Schwab One brokerage account early, long before you even intend to cash out your MR. The qualifying account will be there when you're ready. However, ideally, you'd open a Schwab One brokerage account via a supportal link and when you can float $1,000 for 45 days or more to earn at least a $100 bonus.

The other part to your question is when should you open a Schwab Platinum. Most wait until they've hit several of Amex's big SUB cards and built up a good stash of MR. This is because you need to keep your Schwab Platinum open for at least a year, but also for as long as you want the ability to invest ("cash out") your MR to your Schwab One brokerage account. If you want to keep this benefit for whatever MR you earn in the future, you'll need to keep your Schwab Plat open at a cost of $550 AF per year. Another reason is one of Amex's biggest SUBs is the personal Plat (whether the 100k MR Platicorn, or 70k/75k MR incognito offers, or even just the 60k MR public offer). Of course, you'll want to bank this SUB, but that means you'll also have a Plat for a year or two (if you accept a retention offer). The Schwab Platinum has basically all of the same benefits of the regular Plat (but with the ability to cash out your MR), so it's not really ideal to have the personal Plat and the Schwab Platinum concurrently. It's also not ideal to get the Schwab Platinum first then the regular Plat, because if you keep the Schwab Plat open to cash out you'll be holding the Schwab Plat concurrently with the regular Plat (and paying both AFs), or if you close the older Schwab Plat to avoid the duplication of benefits and another AF then you'll no longer have the ability to cash out any points you'll earn from the regular Plat and any other MR card. (Then there's a Morgan Stanley Platinum with it's own 60k MR bonus.) For these reasons, the Schwab Plat is usually a late in the game card, and for some the Platinum card they end up keeping (after churning the regular Platinum, Morgan Stanley Platinum, and the discontinued Ameriprise and Mercedes-Benz Platinums) for the usual Platinum benefits, but also because of its unique ability to cash out. (Of course others may take a hit it hard, hit it fast approach and get all the cards in a short period of time.) (One more thing: any personal Platinum — any personal Amex card — will add to your 5/24 count, so you need to decide how that fits into your strategy.)

There are always concerns whether this neat little benefit will continue. Amex and Schwab could decide to end their relationship, just as we've seen Amex discontinue the Ameriprise and Mercedes-Benz Platinums. Amex could decide to treat all the remaining varieties of personal Platinum cards with a SUB (e.g., the regular, Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab) as the same product fo the purposes of its lifetime language restriction on bonuses, so getting a SUB on one variety makes you ineligible for a SUB on another flavor. Schwab could decide to stop the invest with rewards program or cut the redemption rate to 1 MR = 1 cent or less, since it's thought Schwab is footing the bill on the extra 0.25 cpp to get you to use their investment products.

Again, like I mentioned to you when you first started churning, Amex cards have serious AFs, but their rewards are lucrative and bonus categories are extremely useful, and having the right set of cards in your wallet can mean earning MRs at a much faster clip than even Chase URs. But because Amex cards typically have higher AFs than Chase's cards, you need to have an idea whether the SUB, credits, earning structure and benefits are worth it to help offset the fees, and a plan for what you're going to do with the MRs you earn. And as you know, Amex can be very sensitive to churning behavior, especially if you sign up for their cards and stop spending on them after you've gotten the bonus, then try to move on to the next one.

Investing your MR with Schwab, or cashing them out is one option if you have the right card. But MRs can also transfer over to Virgin Atlantic (frequently with transfer bonuses) and ANA, if you want to fly to Japan again, or British Airways or Air France/KLM if you wanted to fly to Europe, among many other transfer partners.

I have bookmarked this for reference! Thank you!

And Drew Brees just donated $5 million to New Orleans to help out

He is now my favorite football player!

 

[becauseimnew]

I am struggling with when to jump back in to traveling. My next trip was at the end of May, flying to Utah. TBH, I am just not feeling up to getting on a plane right now. While I think things will ease up in the next two months, I really don't feel like I will be comfortable flying that soon. Trip after that was July to Glacier. I am probably a little nuts from staying at home so long but actually thinking of driving to Glacier. Yeah it is a loooong drive, but with 3 drivers it would be doable. And we would be going right by T. Roosevelt NP. Probably never get there otherwise. On the other hand, flights are now dirt cheap to Glacier.

Anyone else struggling? How do you feel July will be - normal, more normal but not going anywhere? Would you feel better traveling by car than plane?

We are 90 days from our Utah trip, I really hope restrictions are lifted by then. I purchased flights & rental car with Delta promo last year with insurance, we've been looking forward to this trip for a while.

If we can't make Utah happen this summer, we will probably cancel using insurance and use the voucher to go to Hawaii over Thanksgiving break.

We have Grand Canyon planned for Christmas week, that trip should be okay.

Let's stay home and make this thing go away faster.

 

[StephPlum]

Phrased better I’d call it the golden age of Amex. Pre-PopUp.

When we used to get multiple Amex cards every month, only hit the MSR and sock drawer. And when they used to waive most yr 1 AFs.

I miss how we used to share the Oprah meme - “you get an Amex card...Everbody gets an Amex card”

Me too

 

[Calfan]

The refunds for the taxes and fees for our cancelled British Airways flights from Glasgow to Denver showed up on my Amex Plat overnight! Now that cancellation is fully resolved. Trying not to think about the depressing likelihood of having to cancel all of the travel around our June Japan trip....

 

[punkin]

Getting close to my 60 day mark to redeposit United miles before the increased redeposit fee kicks in. I'm still not sure what to do. I believe if I pay the redeposit fee on DH's platinum Amex, I will not be out of pocket, but still very POed.

 

[GZanta77]

Just noticed on FT that Daily Getaways promo will be starting as planned on April 27.

Daily Getaways Countdown

Maybe it won't attract the same attention as usual - could be some deals to be had as I am sure the continued uncertainty will be offputting to a lot of folks. Maybe the deals might even be better this year as the travel industry looks to raise some much needed cash.

 

[Judique]

I hope not. I wouldn't think Disney needs a bailout. The airlines and small businesses do. I wouldn't bailout out the cruise lines either since they don't pay US taxes or hire US workers. Carnival just postponed their announcement from today until Monday. They must be changing their mind about something. DCL is still leaving people in limbo. Alaska and some European cruises have been pulled from the website, but not canceled yet.

I've only had a short time in my life where I considered cruising and then that feeling evaporated and has never come back, even when daughter has tried to get me to go.
Hopefully the small businesses that are connected with cruising and US based and using US citizens in their operations will be able to qualify for support under the package.

I agree with not supporting the ships based offshore. And you get what you pay for - don't pay taxes don't get stimulus help.

But if only it were as simple as that. Our economy is 'world' economy. If we are shut down, like other leading countries, the world is shut down. How do we justify that?

 

[Judique]

Just noticed on FT that Daily Getaways promo will be starting as planned on April 27.

Daily Getaways Countdown

Maybe it won't attract the same attention as usual - could be some deals to be had as I am sure the continued uncertainty will be offputting to a lot of folks. Maybe the deals might even be better this year as the travel industry looks to raise some much needed cash.

And I still have my 'ticket' from last year that is expiring soon for SeaWorld/Busch Gardens. I figure it's a loss of $75. Not crying over it - I'm still healthy, therefore just thankful.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Getting close to my 60 day mark to redeposit United miles before the increased redeposit fee kicks in. I'm still not sure what to do. I believe if I pay the redeposit fee on DH's platinum Amex, I will not be out of pocket, but still very POed.

You reminded me to update on my United saga...

I got a personal phone call from United corporate in response to my DoT complaint/s yesterday saying they understood the "schedule change" didn't meet my needs (they cancelled my non-stop and put me on a one-stop) but they could see everything had been refunded before they received my DoT complaint and there had been no fees and hopefully this matter was now closed. My miles were still not in my account. I responded with screenshots of my account. The next email was from member services explaining my ticket number X had been refunded on my original booking date and to call Member Services if I needed anything else. (Love how every email they dismiss you at the end.) I had to explain ticket X was the first booking which I charged taxes to the wrong cc and immediately cancelled and that the ticket in dispute was ticket Y and I still don't have my miles back. They responded the miles were being returned to my account and I should see them in the next few days. I checked and FINALLY they were there. All this correspondence was yesterday so once you can get to the right person, you might have a shot.

Things to note:
-if they've violated DoT regulations and won't fix it, file your DoT complaint right away
-save the email with the eticket number upon booking, you may need that number! (Same goes for AA, I could only find that eticket number in the email and I needed it for a refund after I got shutdown)
-if you've filed a DoT complaint and you get a call out of Chicago and you want to to talk to UA answer it. You cannot call them back. But, I did receive an email about 5-10mins later and corresponded that way. (I think email was quicker because I screenshot my issue instead of banging my head against the wall with the person on the phone insisting something was that wasn't.)
-they did not admit to cancelling my flight. They specifically said "schedule change" even though it was followed up by saying from a non-stop to one-stop (the flight numbers were not the same as what I booked fwiw)

ETA: at the end of the day, I still don't know if it was an accidental glitch I wasn't refunded or if they would have refunded me upon payment of $125 after the cancellation as the original customer service team insisted. I'm just glad I got my miles back.

 

[smmco]

I've only had a short time in my life where I considered cruising and then that feeling evaporated and has never come back, even when daughter has tried to get me to go.
Hopefully the small businesses that are connected with cruising and US based and using US citizens in their operations will be able to qualify for support under the package.

I agree with not supporting the ships based offshore. And you get what you pay for - don't pay taxes don't get stimulus help.

But if only it were as simple as that. Our economy is 'world' economy. If we are shut down, like other leading countries, the world is shut down. How do we justify that?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/26/cruise-line-bailout/
It looks like they were cut out of the bill.

 

[pillow]

And I still have my 'ticket' from last year that is expiring soon for SeaWorld/Busch Gardens. I figure it's a loss of $75. Not crying over it - I'm still healthy, therefore just thankful.

I still have mine too. Wondering if they’ll extend?

 

[Herding_Cats]

When I tried to apply for the CIP yesterday and got the weird pop up screen, I never got it to go to a “pending” or “successfully submitted” screen. When I called chase today the first time I put in my ssn it says it doesn’t match, and when I re enter it, it says the information is not available. Does this mean the app didn’t go through and I should try again? This, along with dh being home, us working 12hr days finishing our new mudroom, a teething baby, and finding out that the wife of one of the guys dh works with has a pending covid test (yay) has me frustrated and stressed out.

 

[elgerber]

I cancelled my Delta flight a week ago, and I haven't gotten any refund news yet (for the only flight not booked with miles). I am not really concerned on the refund not done yet, but the flight still shows in my account. I got an email confirming my refund request, so I assume all is well. And I am certainly cutting them some slack in the situation (and their redepositing miles for free has saved me a ton of miles on my July trip) so I won't worry quite yet.

I really can't believe Disney hasn't announced anything yet. Everyone knows they aren't going to open, just state it so people can move on.

 

[Haley R]

Have any of you used Shipt with target since this all started? Dh thinks we won’t need groceries until after the baby is here but we’re almost out of bananas, potatoes, and milk which are things I use a lot. Plus there are other things I can add to make it worth the order.

On a different note, we made an activity schedule for the week to keep ourselves entertained. So each day is a new activity:
Monday-Swim
Tuesday-Board games (take turns choosing)
Wednesday-Movie
Thursday-Swim or color
Friday-Video games (take turns choosing)

It’s actually made us excited each day to do one of these things. I’m also super excited to have frozen pizza tonight because we’ve been saving that as our “out to eat” meal.

 

[afan]

barclays aviator RED - AAdvantage cc-$99 AF... can we call to PC this to the no fee m/c? or better to just cancel

You can pc to the no fee aa card. It sucks, 1 mile per $2 spent and no bags bit as I'm not really flying them any more it made sense to pc. It's one of my oldest cards and has a huge cl so I want to keep it. Figure I'll pc back up if I ever need to. I just need to remember to toss a charge on once in awhile.

 

[Judique]

I still have mine too. Wondering if they’ll extend?

I don't know. Haven't heard much Busch news. Before C, I thought it was usable at Williamsburg and had that in mind. I think I was wrong but haven't checked it out. If you hear anything let me know, otherwise, at some point once things start to return to business as usual I might make a call. It's truly not high on my priority list.

 

[Judique]

Have any of you used Shipt with target since this all started? Dh thinks we won’t need groceries until after the baby is here but we’re almost out of bananas, potatoes, and milk which are things I use a lot. Plus there are other things I can add to make it worth the order.

On a different note, we made an activity schedule for the week to keep ourselves entertained. So each day is a new activity:
Monday-Swim
Tuesday-Board games (take turns choosing)
Wednesday-Movie
Thursday-Swim or color
Friday-Video games (take turns choosing)

It’s actually made us excited each day to do one of these things. I’m also super excited to have frozen pizza tonight because we’ve been saving that as our “out to eat” meal.

Instacart has been our go to and it's working well, but haven't had a target order. I used to do Target orders when I had a lot of the 10% coupons but didn't get any last fall so they are pretty much dead to me.

Just used my Amex SPG Biz offer at Staples and pulled up my old business account there. DD needed a couple of office supplies and I ordered coffee - supposed delivery is Monday. The email from Amex - you've used your offer - came at the same time as the Staples confirmation. Staples has no minimum order right now also.

edit after reading your post talked DD out of chicken for dinner and into making home made pizza! She had mozzarella delivered with Instacart, so we also have 2 pounds of string cheese to eat.