I love credit cards so much! v4.0 - 2021 (see first page for add'l details)

[stitchfan18]

The market is freaking me out. We're planning on selling then buying in the next few months but people are bidding and losing out on multiple houses. We can't do that, if we sell ours and can't find anything we will have no place to live.

We did things totally backwards when we spontaneously moved last year. We found and fell in love with a house halfway across the country and put in an offer with a longer closing. We got our house ready for the market in record time and since we had multiple offers, we were able to negotiate a closing that worked with the house we bought.

 

[ski_mom]

question on Barclaycard Arrival+ credits. I have 13,209 points right now and have an eligible charge for $299.37. I thought I would be able to use up all of my points (hoping to close card in June when annual fee hits again), but my options are showing to use 10,000 points for $100 for 12,500 points for $125 credit. That would leave 709 points. As far as I know, there wouldn't be a way to use them. It's only $7, but I hate to not use it if there is a way to use it.

Thanks!

 

[georgina]

We’re planning on listing our house too. We had planned to list next spring but we don’t want to miss out on the market. We don’t need to buy something as we have our home in FL. I have a lot of work to do to get prepared to list! My brain knows it’s the right thing but emotionally....that’s another story.

It’s hard. Our house was in DHs family for its entire 66 year existence.

 

[Alexle2007]

We have 4 nights at GW booked for the end of July that I'm trying to decide whether to keep or just give up on this year and try again in 2022. I'm curious about the pool chair reservations - do you have to have a pool chair reserved to get into the pool area? Since we have kids, we're usually in the pool with/by them, not sitting in a pool chair (we usually just get one to put our stuff on but don't really sit on it). So, maybe the reservation system might not be a dealbreaker for us?

Also, as far as masks on the beach - are they required? Again we're usually in the water or playing in the sand, not sitting in chairs. Would we have to wear masks for that? I read the police are giving tickets for not wearing masks, but when I google it says as long as you're distanced it's ok, is that right?

I don't know, between all of the testing requirements and kids/DH not being into this trip (they're very against the long flight) I'm wondering if I should just cancel. I've just worked so hard to plan this and have it all set I hate to give it up! But I'd also hate to go all that way and wish we would have waited a year for things to be more normal, and maybe the kids be more excited for it too.

While we didn’t go to Maui and did enjoy our time in Oahu, I do wish I would have kept with our original plan to go to Key West.

People on the beach in Oahu were not wearing masks. I can’t imagine one with your hands all sandy. Yuck!

 

[magickingdomprincess]

While we didn’t go to Maui and will enjoy our time in Oahu, I do wish I would have kept with our original plan to go to Key West.

People on the beach in Oahu were not wearing masks. I can’t imagine one with your hands all sandy. Yuck!

Thanks for the feedback! I am still so torn. I did some research today and had an idea to go back to Florida in July in place of Hawaii and going to Universal for a few days then either Clearwater Beach, Sanibel, or Marco Island for 3 or 4 more nights. Of course I mentioned it to my DH and he's not really on board. He suggested Tulsa or OKC. I was like well, I'm sorry, I don't think Oklahoma's a substitute for Hawaii.

 

[magickingdomprincess]

I have an Amex offer question. My Walmart account was hacked last week, and I had to have 2 cards replaced, and my DH had his Aspire replaced. Now his dining offer ($20/month thru Nov or Dec) is not showing on his account. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? If we called/messaged Amex would they be able to put the offer back on his account? Or is it there but we just can't see it?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

It’s hard. Our house was in DHs family for its entire 66 year existence.

What's going on in Pine Richland tonight @georgina?? My twitter feed is blowing up over what seems to be a Superintendent on a power trip.

 

[havaneselover]

My ex-MIL (who moved to VA and lived with me for a few years post-divorce to take care of my kids when I went back to work) has stage 4 colon cancer. It sounds like she had surgery but is refusing further treatments. She has had such a tough life--lost her husband at 29 (with 6 kids), lost her youngest child in a fire a year later. I'm so devastated.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

I have a chase offer for Best Buy for 10% off. I'm thinking of stopping by my local store to grab a couple of Disney GCs. Should be no problem getting that offer to trigger right even though I'm buying a GC?

 

[AndreaDM]

I have a chase offer for Best Buy for 10% off. I'm thinking of stopping by my local store to grab a couple of Disney GCs. Should be no problem getting that offer to trigger right even though I'm buying a GC?

i did the same thing, bought $300 worth of gift cards, I got an email saying the offer has been redeemed but haven’t seen the $30 credit yet.

 

[hsmamato2]

DP: Some of you may have the AO to spend $500 and get a $25 statement credit and the 10% back up to $50 credit for Lowe’s. I had always planned on stacking the offers to buy a $500 Disney Gift card at Lowe’s and get $75 in savings. The Lowe’s I usually frequent would not allow credit card payment for gift card purchases. This was an unexpected roadblock. I decided to try another location a few weeks later. It took an upper level manager override. I could see the screen prompt and it mentioned high value purchase. I wonder if it got flagged because it was a variable card. Maybe if I’d purchased 10 of the $50 DGCs it wouldn’t have been flagged. In any case the manger allowed me to purchase it so it seems it is a YMMV.

now that you mention it.....I recall on my last visit to Lowes I couldn't buy 2 gc's at once...they said it was too much $$$ I'm trying to remember but I think it was limited to a certain amount..... Now I wish I could remember -I ended up buying just one and put one back.

 

[hsmamato2]

Only y'all will appreciate this . . .

So I bought $300 of Visa GCs at Office Depot today. With the $15 promo, I paid $297.45. Dosh tracked at 2% - $6.39 cash back.

I registered my two VGCs at Rakuten. Also tried to register them at Dosh, but Dosh doesn't take prepaid VGCs anymore, apparently. So I went to Sam's Club through Rakuten and bought $300 in Disney GCs with my Visa GCs for $287.88. 1% cash back from Rakuten = $2.87 cash back. AND Dosh tracked even though I didn't even add my Visa GCs as payment! At 2%, that's another $5.75 cash back. (Dosh takes 90 days to fully credit Sam's, so it may ultimately disappear, but even the prospect is exciting!)

So -
$300 in Disney GCs for $287.88. Minus $2.55 discount on the original VGCs. Minus $22.30 in CIC 5x URs (I have a CSR so I can cash out at 1.5). Minus $6.39 in Office Depot Dosh cash back. Minus $8.62 in Sam's Dosh and Rakuten cash back. Total cost - $248.47, or about 17.2% off.

AND IT WAS SO EASY!

Ok now I'm curious.... apply the vgc-rakuten and spend? I need to pay more attention obviously...

 

[ten6mom]

Can someone remind me how to make the best use of Chase URs to book on American?

I think last summer or fall someone helped me out by telling me to transfer the URs to.... something else and then using those miles to book on American, but for the life of me I cannot remember the process. I do remember it was far fewer URs than booking through Chase Travel.

I am exploring the possibility of a WDW visit at the end of the year, because I feel by then more experiences will be available, unlike at DL where right now we can't even get in (since we are out of state). I feel like even when out of state folks can visit DL again, the offerings will be limited for a long time.

I definitely want to take my younger son, but if my older one and my stepson and my husband all want to go too, that's a lot of plane tickets!

American seems to have the only nonstop flights between PHX and MCO (unless I missed one).

Thank you!

 

[Alexle2007]

My ex-MIL (who moved to VA and lived with me for a few years post-divorce to take care of my kids when I went back to work) has stage 4 colon cancer. It sounds like she had surgery but is refusing further treatments. She has had such a tough life--lost her husband at 29 (with 6 kids), lost her youngest child in a fire a year later. I'm so devastated.

So sorry. Cancer sucks!

 

[KPK02090]

Just checked in for my SW flights tomorrow morning and got boarding groups A22-A25 for me and the three kids!! DH got B9.
I was really stressed about ending up in B after family boarding,on a full flight to MCO, because I really want a full row and 2 seats across from it. So I am hugely relieved with what we got.
It must be my new A-list status that did the trick. I had purchased early bird for all of us before the A list upgrade. But looks like early bird still got DH (who’s on a separate reservation) B group. I assume we all would’ve had low Bs without the A-list status.
I think it’ll be pretty easy to save him a middle seat between two kids.
So as a datapoint for anyone who got the A-list upgrade, I’m now very confident it does apply to flights booked before getting A-list status.

 

[ski_mom]

Just checked in for my SW flights tomorrow morning and got boarding groups A22-A25 for me and the three kids!! DH got B9.
I was really stressed about ending up in B after family boarding,on a full flight to MCO, because I really want a full row and 2 seats across from it. So I am hugely relieved with what we got.
It must be my new A-list status that did the trick. I had purchased early bird for all of us before the A list upgrade. But looks like early bird still got DH (who’s on a separate reservation) B group. I assume we all would’ve had low Bs without the A-list status.
I think it’ll be pretty easy to save him a middle seat between two kids.
So as a datapoint for anyone who got the A-list upgrade, I’m now very confident it does apply to flights booked before getting A-list status.

I had the same experience with A-list. We had tickets from STL to AUS and got A29 & A30 both flights and I'm sure it was due to A-list. The flights were booked before I was notified that I have it. Wish I could keep it!

 

[becauseimnew]

DH's Brilliant AF posted yesterday. Going to wait until 5/13 to downgrade to be able to use the $20 restaurant credit next month. Already used the $300 Marriott Credit. Anything I should be concerned before downgrading?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

There are a lot of people that are putting that contingency in their agreements. It used to go the other way, the contingency was on the buyer selling their old home.

When we sold our house 7 years ago, we ended up staying in my sister's basement for 6 weeks. Worst move ever and we settled for a not perfect for us house because we needed any place to live. But yes, our agent says finding someplace to live then selling ours isn't an option because sellers won't accept contingency for us selling our home.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

We’re planning on listing our house too. We had planned to list next spring but we don’t want to miss out on the market. We don’t need to buy something as we have our home in FL. I have a lot of work to do to get prepared to list! My brain knows it’s the right thing but emotionally....that’s another story.

That's what we thought. Per our agent, don't bother. It's such a sellers market, just declutter and list it. He said buyers are willing to do painting and small repairs themselves. Any big repairs can be a credit to buyer if it comes up.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

We did things totally backwards when we spontaneously moved last year. We found and fell in love with a house halfway across the country and put in an offer with a longer closing. We got our house ready for the market in record time and since we had multiple offers, we were able to negotiate a closing that worked with the house we bought.

That's what I would like to do but agent says current market won't tolerate that.