I love credit cards so much! v5.0 - 2022 (see first page for add'l details)

[happ]

I've always canceled/turned off renewal. Then applied a gift of membership which I've sent myself. For some reason I was thinking there was a more direct way now, but I've probably made that up.

That's funny because I was thinking the same thing when mine was about to renew, but I couldn't find the info so I bought the gift of prime. It worked out well because I went through a portal and got credit for the gift purchase as if it was a new account.

 

[becauseimnew]

I did point.me to see if they can get me ana first out of NYC. I think its worth the 200 if they can get me in F lol

DId you use the concierge services?

 

[reliev]

DId you use the concierge services?

yeah its worth the 25$ to see if they can do it for me and 200 if they can do the hold/waits etc. I've been looking pretty much every night obsessively what feels like for nothing.
Edit Seems like he's trying to push me to business class. he said he would try for first. He's saying it's their top 3 request also.

 

[Sheree]

For all those who tried and didn't have any success, I initially tried these links and got "offer unavailable" in a pop-up. Then I tried at chase.com/mybonus and was successful registering all 3 cards I'd received "offer unavailable" on the dedicated links. So if you were out of luck, might help to retry on the generic link.

still struck out
thanks anyway

 

[reliev]

award availability is thin for japan even for hotels at least in Tokyo and the rates all went up oof, well see what this 25$ got me more than a daydream.
I don't get this at all but I see it again and again for random dates.

 

[calypso726]

The easel is in the room, but what I thought were paints were anti-bacterial wipes. Maybe you have to ask for the paints? I have no drawing skills, so I never asked, but I'm sure if you asked Lorain (at the front desk) she could make paints appear (she was SO wonderful -- a true gem). One thing to note is that you have to book your activities for the following day asap as the early spots fill up quickly (I did archery both days at 9:30am and it was already scorchingly hot by that time). Not sure if you did dune bashing last time you were there, but I HIGHLY recommend it.

I also booked Platinum Heritage to do a sunset hot air balloon ride over the desert. It was really nice, but not something I would do again (mostly because the pickup time was 4:00am, which makes for a very long day!). Platinum Heritage was AMAZING to deal with -- I can see why Al Maha recommends them so highly. I skipped the breakfast that they offer after the balloon ride because the food at Al Maha is SO much better than what they were serving. But I did do a private camel ride (private because I didn't eat the breakfast they prepared, so I went when everyone else was eating), which, to me, was much nicer than the group camel ride at Al Maha.

I did not do the dune bashing last time and may give that a whirl this time. I was considering booking a hot air balloon ride that has a falconeer and falcons flying with you. Hopefully it won’t be as hot in November when we visit. Last time it was in March I think and the heat wasn’t too bad. I emailed last week and requested my activities. I will follow up again when before we arrive.

 

[wanderlust7]

award availability is thin for japan even for hotels at least in Tokyo and the rates all went up oof, well see what this 25$ got me more than a daydream.
I don't get this at all but I see it again and again for random dates.
View attachment 708989

I've seen the HR Tokyo Bay with high rates far out. Maybe it's their rack rate.

I'm surprised you don't see much award availability. How many are you putting in a room?

 

[miztressuz]

Quoting myself... checked my Amex offers first thing this morning, of course there are new NCL and HAL offers, $300/$350 off $1000. Fingers crossed for a Princess offer soon! Would be awesome if both myself and DH get it!

Thank you for pointing this out. My nail-biting procrastination has finally paid off!

I've been playing chicken with AmEx/NCL and was just about to flinch and book my excursions for my cruise that's now under 60 days out. I knew as soon as I did an offer would appear and was this close to putting it on my Chase MSR and wishing Bon Voyage for you and the crew here when it inevitably appeared (probably as the charge was still pending just to twist the knife...)

But just the thought seems to have made AmEx buckle this time!

Unfortunately I haven't seen Princess in a while. Last time was when they had a group one 'World Leading Cruises' or something like that for 4-5 Carnival Corp brands - Princess was one of the brands. But seeing Carnival and HAL offers recently there's still some hope.

 

[reliev]

I've seen the HR Tokyo Bay with high rates far out. Maybe it's their rack rate.

I'm surprised you don't see much award availability. How many are you putting in a room?

just 2 random dates April and may i have no clue when im going to go, the person that got in contact with me i must have scared him off with my ambitions.

 

[magickingdomprincess]

I applied for the Barclay AA biz card bit got a message that they need time to review my application. Any idea what this might mean? Am I doomed or do I have a chance of being approved?

 

[afan]

I applied for the Barclay AA biz card bit got a message that they need time to review my application. Any idea what this might mean? Am I doomed or do I have a chance of being approved?

Just means they need time. Typically with Barclays biz if they call but you don't answer you'll still get approved. Most ignore the call esp with a "biz". Can be a day or two or longer. You can answer if you feel comfortable with any questions they may ask.

 

[wanderlust7]

Quoting myself... checked my Amex offers first thing this morning, of course there are new NCL and HAL offers, $300/$350 off $1000. Fingers crossed for a Princess offer soon! Would be awesome if both myself and DH get it!

Thank you! Got the NCL one on 3 cards. 35% off is crazy good!

 

[AmyAnne]

Southwest experts: I have a flight that I need to change. If I remember correctly, there used to be a difference between canceling a flight and changing a flight, and I still see those two options on the Southwest website. It's been a really long time since I've dealt with Southwest--does it matter whether I cancel the flight or change the flight?

 

[platamama]

I was looking for a Shipt promo, and came across an offer (seems like it started a year ago) where you can get it free until 12/31/2024 if you have a consumer Visa Infinite card (my VentureX is one, I'd guess the CSR and Ritz are as well). It normally costs $99/year so that's a nice savings. I'm planning on sending a Target delivery to my college frosh for Halloween (freshmen aren't allowed cars), and it took some messing around but I got my Target and Shipt accounts linked (use the same email for both!!) and now same-day delivery is free for orders over $35. Go through www.shipt.com/visa for information. Visa Signature cards are also eligible but at a lesser amount - it's free for 3 months then 50% off the monthly fee for 9 months.

 

[elgerber]

I was looking for a Shipt promo, and came across an offer (seems like it started a year ago) where you can get it free until 12/31/2024 if you have a consumer Visa Infinite card (my VentureX is one, I'd guess the CSR and Ritz are as well). It normally costs $99/year so that's a nice savings. I'm planning on sending a Target delivery to my college frosh for Halloween (freshmen aren't allowed cars), and it took some messing around but I got my Target and Shipt accounts linked (use the same email for both!!) and now same-day delivery is free for orders over $35. Go through www.shipt.com/visa for information. Visa Signature cards are also eligible but at a lesser amount - it's free for 3 months then 50% off the monthly fee for 9 months.

I signed up in May with my Altitude reserve. Mine is good until 2025, crazy long. I don’t know if I will keep the card that long. It is great for Disney grocery deliveries and was great to have when I had Covid too.

 

[platamama]

Southwest experts: I have a flight that I need to change. If I remember correctly, there used to be a difference between canceling a flight and changing a flight, and I still see those two options on the Southwest website. It's been a really long time since I've dealt with Southwest--does it matter whether I cancel the flight or change the flight?

My memory of it is somewhat hazy, but until a couple years ago, if you changed a flight and then ended up canceling it then you couldn't get the one-way $5.60 taxes/fees refunded to your original method of payment. Rather, it was stuck as travel funds. Can anyone back me up on this? I think SW made some switch so that doesn't happen anymore...but I can't swear on that because I don't think I've done that particular sequence (or at least I haven't kept good enough track of it that way) since I'm mostly dealing with points. Points tickets cancelations always get the $5.60 refund to the original method of payment. Canceled cash fares now get travel funds with no expiry.

If you change a points ticket because it dropped in price, you get an instant refund of the points, and your confirmation code stays the same. Your change confirmation will also show that you paid $0 fees. This is actually a bit of concern for me since I'll use CSP for the taxes/fees on the original booking. So I can provide documentation that it was used with the original fare, and I can prove the confirmation code stayed the same...but if the flight# or times are different then I don't know if that's good enough if I need to file a claim. It's logical and reasonable to me, but I don't know if an insurance claims person would see it the same way. So I'll probably go with the tried and true straight up cancelation from now on. I do suspect, inferring from something a SW rep told me once, that the boarding number can get worse the closer in to the departure date you've made the booking. I've done many check-ins 24hr prior on the dot, and end up with mid B boarding numbers. The one time I paid for EBCI and got a mid B boarding number, I asked about why it was so far back and was told that one of the factors that went into the boarding number is when you paid for the fare and when you paid for EBCI - the farther out in advance you do that, the better the boarding number. I'm always checking back on SW fares and capturing price drops when I can, so I almost never book just once many months out and leave it be.

 

[amylovesdamon]

Hello Churner Pros! I’ve followed this sub pretty religiously over the past 16+ months and have really appreciated the jump-start information I got when I was nervously dipping my toes in to CC rewards. Thank you for helping me earn so much free travel this last year!
I’m coming to you again for advice. We are looking for a new card for a large spend coming up at the end of the month ($5k). I believe it makes most sense for P2 to get this card, but have some hesitations because we just opened an Amex Gold for him this week (received today!).

Some information:

• $5k spend coming up end of Oct (payment cannot be split so card would need to have $5k+ credit limit)
• P1 has plans to earn SW Companion Pass in early 2023 so laying low for the next month or so to prepare for that (Plans: apply SW Biz early Nov, once Biz card secured, close personal SW card that I've held for 5+ years, wait 30 days?, App SW personal early Jan 23). Assuming this knocks P1 out of play for this upcoming spend?
• P2 just opened Amex Gold this week with the intention of putting that $5k spend on it, but now I'm rethinking that because we will naturally hit that $4k MSR with just organic restaurant and grocery spend over the next 3-6 months so that seems like a better use for meeting that MSR.
• I'd love to open another Chase INK (Unlimited?) card because I'm always thirsty for URs, but I'm not sure if the recent AMEX app messes this up and also not sure if P2's other Chase INKs from the past 13 months will impact an approval?
• ALSO, I need a CL of $5k and all our INKs have had $3-4K initial CLs. I've never attempted to move CLs between my Chase cards and I don't know if it's possible to move a CL to a brand new card or how long this process takes so not sure if I'm unnecessarily worrying about this?

Additional Sticky info:

P1: 3/24
8/22 Chase Ink CIC (#2)
05/22 Chase Hyatt Biz
03/22 Chase Ink CIU
10/21 Chase Ink CIC (#1)
8/21 Amex Plat
4/21 Chase Sapphire P
3/21 Chase Hyatt

P2: 3/24
10/22 Amex Gold
5/22 Chase Ink CIC (#2)
1/22 Chase Ink CIU
9/21 Chase Freedom Flex
9/21 Chase Ink CIC (#1)
5/21 Chase Sapphire P

Other cards we hold, but not within 5/24:
P1:
Costco Citibank
Chase SW Premier
Delta Plat
BoA Alaska Air

P2:
Chase SW Premier

• Monthly CC spend: $3000-4000, with larger spends every couple months between prop tax, tuition, fed tax, etc
• Payoff monthly
• Fly out of SEA or west coast for positioning
• Frequent flyer pref: SW, Delta, Alaska
• Hotel pref: Hyatt (Globalist), with Marriott and Hilton distant second
• Travel Points: SW 25k/15k, Hawaiian 70k, Delta 20k, Alaska 10k, Hyatt 50k?, Marriott and Hilton <5k, UR: 600k, MR 185k
• Specific goals: more Hyatt points/more URs/MRs for travel flexibility (I do a lot of mini trips both locally and to AZ/west coast, but also am branching out and planning some more international trips and haven’t exactly figured out travel hacking internationally yet).
• Currently trying to scrape together a June 2023 Europe trip for 4, but would also like to make another 2023 international trip with just P2
• Priorities for P1: re-earn SW companion pass in early 2023 with SUBs, re-earn SW A-list status for 2024, re-earn Hyatt Globalist for 2024 with stays/cc spend (P1 does much more individual travel than P2)
• Priorities for P2: new card that we can put our $5k prop tax spend on before end of Oct, don’t get in way of P1’s priorities

Do we just sit tight and not rock the boat right now- or is there something that could work for this particular spend? Thanks in advance for reading this lengthy post and for anything you can contribute!

 

[ten6mom]

Just back from a 3 day Disneyland trip... am glad I was able to take my almost-16-year-old son but for myself, I don't plan to go back, sadly.

However, I had already purchased a $500 Target GC with the intent of buying Disney GC's. Now that I don't plan to go back, does anyone have recommendations on what, if any, other kinds of GC's to buy at Target?

And of course Amex has a Holland America deal now, since I am doing our first HAL cruise next month but have already paid it in full!!

 

[tink1970]

Hello Churner Pros! I’ve followed this sub pretty religiously over the past 16+ months and have really appreciated the jump-start information I got when I was nervously dipping my toes in to CC rewards. Thank you for helping me earn so much free travel this last year!
I’m coming to you again for advice. We are looking for a new card for a large spend coming up at the end of the month ($5k). I believe it makes most sense for P2 to get this card, but have some hesitations because we just opened an Amex Gold for him this week (received today!).

Some information:

• $5k spend coming up end of Oct (payment cannot be split so card would need to have $5k+ credit limit)
• P1 has plans to earn SW Companion Pass in early 2023 so laying low for the next month or so to prepare for that (Plans: apply SW Biz early Nov, once Biz card secured, close personal SW card that I've held for 5+ years, wait 30 days?, App SW personal early Jan 23). Assuming this knocks P1 out of play for this upcoming spend?
• P2 just opened Amex Gold this week with the intention of putting that $5k spend on it, but now I'm rethinking that because we will naturally hit that $4k MSR with just organic restaurant and grocery spend over the next 3-6 months so that seems like a better use for meeting that MSR.
• I'd love to open another Chase INK (Unlimited?) card because I'm always thirsty for URs, but I'm not sure if the recent AMEX app messes this up and also not sure if P2's other Chase INKs from the past 13 months will impact an approval?
• ALSO, I need a CL of $5k and all our INKs have had $3-4K initial CLs. I've never attempted to move CLs between my Chase cards and I don't know if it's possible to move a CL to a brand new card or how long this process takes so not sure if I'm unnecessarily worrying about this?

Additional Sticky info:

P1: 3/24
8/22 Chase Ink CIC (#2)
05/22 Chase Hyatt Biz
03/22 Chase Ink CIU
10/21 Chase Ink CIC (#1)
8/21 Amex Plat
4/21 Chase Sapphire P
3/21 Chase Hyatt

P2: 3/24
10/22 Amex Gold
5/22 Chase Ink CIC (#2)
1/22 Chase Ink CIU
9/21 Chase Freedom Flex
9/21 Chase Ink CIC (#1)
5/21 Chase Sapphire P

Other cards we hold, but not within 5/24:
P1:
Costco Citibank
Chase SW Premier
Delta Plat
BoA Alaska Air

P2:
Chase SW Premier

• Monthly CC spend: $3000-4000, with larger spends every couple months between prop tax, tuition, fed tax, etc
• Payoff monthly
• Fly out of SEA or west coast for positioning
• Frequent flyer pref: SW, Delta, Alaska
• Hotel pref: Hyatt (Globalist), with Marriott and Hilton distant second
• Travel Points: SW 25k/15k, Hawaiian 70k, Delta 20k, Alaska 10k, Hyatt 50k?, Marriott and Hilton <5k, UR: 600k, MR 185k
• Specific goals: more Hyatt points/more URs/MRs for travel flexibility (I do a lot of mini trips both locally and to AZ/west coast, but also am branching out and planning some more international trips and haven’t exactly figured out travel hacking internationally yet).
• Currently trying to scrape together a June 2023 Europe trip for 4, but would also like to make another 2023 international trip with just P2
• Priorities for P1: re-earn SW companion pass in early 2023 with SUBs, re-earn SW A-list status for 2024, re-earn Hyatt Globalist for 2024 with stays/cc spend (P1 does much more individual travel than P2)
• Priorities for P2: new card that we can put our $5k prop tax spend on before end of Oct, don’t get in way of P1’s priorities

Do we just sit tight and not rock the boat right now- or is there something that could work for this particular spend? Thanks in advance for reading this lengthy post and for anything you can contribute!

Welcome!

I am a HUGE fan of getting a new card for any large spend so think it's awesome you're considering it. Why waste the spend?

Depending in P2's business/"business" , I do think another Ink is within reason-since P2 is still under 5/24 and last Ink was in May, that's 5 months ago so a good cushion. It's easy to send a secure message requesting transfer of CL of $x from Oldest Ink ending in -1234 to Newest Ink ending in -4567 and the change is pretty instant-just ensure the Old Ink doesn't have pending charges/outstanding balances.

Pros-Ink doesn't add to 5/24, no AF, the points are used for Hyatt/SW
Cons-low CL and having to SM



If, for some reason , that doesn't feel right then consider the personal WoH for your P2 (this will likely be in contrast to others who are going to chime in lol)...because it really sounds like you prefer Hyatt and personal cards seem to have higher credit limits than business. The SUB isn't great but the points he earns can be transferred to you (I'm sure you know this) and your concierge can make it happen more quickly if you email him/her the transfer form. You can also "support" P2 and send a link from yours and earn another 5K WoH points.

Pros- more WoH points (always needed LOL), probably a higher CL than a Chase Biz card
Cons-adds to x/24 (P2 would then be at 4/24), it can take some time to receive the card (like 10-14 business days), although you'll earn the SUB (30K points) and "support" (5K points), plus the spend, it's not a great SUB for sure.

Or...I might go completely different direction and recommend either the American Express Blue Business Plus or Business Cash-you could "support" P2 from your Amex Plat (can be a completely different card) and decide whether Membership Rewards is something you want to pursue or cash (that will determine which card P2 obtains). You'll earn MRs for the "support" regardless.

Pros-business card doesn't add to X/24, Amex is usually more generous with credit limits, no Annual Fee for either
Cons- the SUBs aren't fabulous...mmm...I really love my BBP so I can't really think of any more ...perhaps not being approved?


I have faith the rest of the community will have other suggestions

 

[afan]

Just back from a 3 day Disneyland trip... am glad I was able to take my almost-16-year-old son but for myself, I don't plan to go back, sadly.

However, I had already purchased a $500 Target GC with the intent of buying Disney GC's. Now that I don't plan to go back, does anyone have recommendations on what, if any, other kinds of GC's to buy at Target?

And of course Amex has a Holland America deal now, since I am doing our first HAL cruise next month but have already paid it in full!!

You can't buy gc with a target gc any more, since we'll before covid. So you'll need to use it on actual stuff at target.