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

[palhockeymomof2]

Thank you for the ideas!

The only issue I see with a first Chase business card is they don’t give high credit limits like personal cards…usually $3,000-5,000

 

[afan]

The June card is listed as 2021

I was going off the question regarding the 3 months she asked. But good point on the june. But the answer still applies if you are less than 3 months between

 

[elgerber]

I was going off the question regarding the 3 months she asked. But good point on the june. But the answer still applies if you are less than 3 months between

Yeah, I didn't see anything within 3 months either

 

[becauseimnew]

Is it a bad idea to for a Disney chase visa and a CSP the same week?

Not if you haven't opened any chase cards recently. You should be okay

 

[LynnTH]

So I took a gamble and applied for GE... but the next appointment near me isn't until March. When does the "clock" start ticking (GE is good for 5 years, right?) Is it from date of application, or of the appointment, or...?

Got my Son's Girlfriend set up for GE. (We all have it and are all taking a trip to Europe, so wanted her to have it too and have it available on 7 cards right now). We are in Mpls/St Paul Area - not any appointments for the airport at all. They ended up taking a 4-1/2 hour road trip to International Falls, MN for her interview. 9 hours of driving for a 5 minute interview. But at least that is done now...

 

[elgerber]

Got my Son's Girlfriend set up for GE. (We all have it and are all taking a trip to Europe, so wanted her to have it too and have it available on 7 cards right now). We are in Mpls/St Paul Area - not any appointments for the airport at all. They ended up taking a 4-1/2 hour road trip to International Falls, MN for her interview. 9 hours of driving for a 5 minute interview. But at least that is done now...

Wow!! That is haul.

 

[LynnTH]

Planning a Disney Trip next August. We have a friend we rent points from at a great rate. Can't book until January - hoping anything at BWV will be available. Will use SW points for flights. I have a bunch of Capitol One Points - about 400,000 between DH and I. So, I should be able to get tickets from Undercover Tourist and erase those charges - correct?

 

[elgerber]

Planning a Disney Trip next August. We have a friend we rent points from at a great rate. Can't book until January - hoping anything at BWV will be available. Will use SW points for flights. I have a bunch of Capitol One Points - about 400,000 between DH and I. So, I should be able to get tickets from Undercover Tourist and erase those charges - correct?

yes, UT codes as Travel with Cap One. I am jealous of that balance

 

[LynnTH]

yes, UT codes as Travel with Cap One. I am jealous of that balance

Trip just got a bit cheaper. The guy that we rent DVC points from has offered to give me the points for our August Stay in exchange for watching their 4 year old golden retriever the month of January, while they are in Florida. We have a 5 month old golden retriever and the dogs play well together - so thinking we may do it. They were going to pay someone to watch the dog but would rather stay with someone they know.

 

[elgerber]

Trip just got a bit cheaper. The guy that we rent DVC points from has offered to give me the points for our August Stay in exchange for watching their 4 year old golden retriever the month of January, while they are in Florida. We have a 5 month old golden retriever and the dogs play well together - so thinking we may do it. They were going to pay someone to watch the dog but would rather stay with someone they know.

wow that is one heck of an offer, I would jump all over that for a Golden Retriever!

 

[LynnTH]

wow that is one heck of an offer, I would jump all over that for a Golden Retriever!

I think we will. So, Room would be paid for. I have points for Tickets and Airfare. And right now I have about $2000 in Disney Gift Cards - that I can use for dining. (Really wish the dining plan would come back...)

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Hey everyone, we are thinking about South Africa for our 2024 vacation. We are definitely wanting to stay at an all-inclusive resort that includes game drives. How far in advance do we have to book? There will be 7 of us as my BFF wants to join us with her 2 kids. We don’t want 4 or 5 star luxury resorts, because we just can’t afford it. How many nights would you all recommend? Any recommendations? Or is there somewhere else I should look at for game drives besides South Africa?

Sorry for all the questions.

I have zero info on South Africa. But it sounds like an amazing bucket list trip. Please keep us updated as you are planning. So fun!

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I saw this blog post on VFTW about the "morality" of sitting in business class if your kids are in coach. In this story, there are 3 teenagers in economy and 2 parents in biz class. What do you think?

I would have no issues with teenagers sitting in economy while I was in biz class. I've done so with my adult children in economy while we were in biz class. I have, however, booked our younger children with us in biz class while the adult children are in economy with their bfs/gfs. I have considered leaving the younger kids with the adult children, but ultimately decided it's not their responsibility to care for them on a long flight or if there were an emergency.

I am a bit of a safety nut. On any flight or in any movie theatre, one of the first things I do is ask the kids to identify the closest emergency exits, and then the next closest one after that. On our last flight my sweet little guy told me before I even asked, which I loved.

 

[Albort]

I haven't even tried again. At this point I want to get back to see my great aunt once more before she dies (her health isn't great) but I really don't know whether that is going to happen.

you should try to apply for a visa and see if japan would grant you one. something like that should be granted.

EU is suppose to reciprocate Japan's ban 8/14 but i have yet to hear anything. Im really hoping they do. these closures are pointless and it just leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths.

 

[wanderlust7]

I saw this blog post on VFTW about the "morality" of sitting in business class if your kids are in coach. In this story, there are 3 teenagers in economy and 2 parents in biz class. What do you think?

I would have no issues with teenagers sitting in economy while I was in biz class. I've done so with my adult children in economy while we were in biz class. I have, however, booked our younger children with us in biz class while the adult children are in economy with their bfs/gfs. I have considered leaving the younger kids with the adult children, but ultimately decided it's not their responsibility to care for them on a long flight or if there were an emergency.

I am a bit of a safety nut. On any flight or in any movie theatre, one of the first things I do is ask the kids to identify the closest emergency exits, and then the next closest one after that. On our last flight my sweet little guy told me before I even asked, which I loved.

I'd totally do it when the kids are old enough! I've gone through every iteration of how can we make it work if I can't get 4 biz seats. 1 adult and 1 child up front, who gets to go first? Hard taking that option when I don't even know if I can get 2 biz on the return. I hear the "no fair" in my head already. 1 adult and 2 children up front, which adult stays in econ? DH might need it more with his back, but I do all the churning. Not sure I can be that unselfish lol.

Will be so much easier when I can leave both kids in econ by themselves! If they complain - you wanna go or not? LOL.

 

[amcc]

We had a wonderful Utah National Park trip partially funded by this hobby.

Flights MIA -DFW-SLC, back from LAS direct to Miami: 20,500 AAmiles each plus $5.60. Originally we had a stop on the way back but AA moved us to a direct flight on our of their schedule shuffles. Thankfully, all our flights left on time and, miraculously arrived early. Points came from opening Barclay and Citi cards. Cash price was $420 (2.04cpp). We used the Centurion in Miami, the Priority Pass lounge in Dallas, and the Priority Pass and Centurion in Vegas. Each time, it saved me conservatively $50 and gave me status in the eyes of my kids.

Hotels
Home2Suites one night SLC - 30k HH

AirBnB Moab - $1,100 - $880 used PYB from CSR

Red Sands Motel, Torrey - one room with Cap1 travel credit, one using UR because the Cap1 portal wouldn't guarantee a 2-bed room that we needed.

Bryce Canyon Inn - $234 cash for a 2-bedroom, new cabin

Zion Park Lodge - 2 rooms for 3 nights $1,576. Absolutely gorgeous location, loved the craftsman style of the buildings, and the easy access to hiking trails. The rooms are old and a little musty and the wifi is terrible/nonexistent. This was the end of the trip and although the bad wifi came close to causing a mutiny, the Narrows hike and winning an Angels Landing day-before lottery saved the day.

Las Vegas - 2 rooms, 1 night at the Waldorf Astoria at 80k HH each. I figured that after 9 days of hiking and nature, my family would appreciate some luxury (and I needed it too!).

Rental car - Avis $1,458 for a minivan

Food for a family of 6 was $3,785 for 10 days. Our only splurge was a French restaurant in Vegas at the Venetian. I used PYB for about $1000.

We did a Dark Ranger Night tour as recommended by @wweazel and it was spectacular. Seeing the Milky Way arching over the sky and peeking into a telescope and seeing Saturn - Saturn! - clear as day reminded us of celestial wonders after so many days of earthly ones.

We also used Zion Adventures also as recommended by @wweazel for a canyoneering trip that pushed my husband to his limit but that my teens loved.

We all loved it much more than we thought. We had never done a trip like this with such little city time. My favorite hike was Mesa Arch in Canyonlands for the incredible vista on the other side but my 10 year old liked Delicate Arch and the bigger ones loved Angels Landing and the Narrows. We are from Florida so these vistas are completely new to us and we were oohing and aahing around every corner. Every single one of the 5 national parks is worth a visit, similar but different enough that you don't get bored. There were people doing hikes with small children and babies but I wouldn't do it unless the kids can hike too. While you can enjoy many views just from the car or short hikes to a viewpoint, the hikes add immeasurable enjoyment. Hikes are rated easy, moderate, and difficult but these Floridians found that many of the easy ones had uphill climbs that we weren't used to.

I don't think we would have ever done this trip without this group as I am the travel planner for our family perfectly happy going to Europe every year but all the trip reports and discussions encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and book it. We ended up with no blisters, no chafing, no heat stroke (I worried alot about all of those) but I did bring Covid back with me with very mild symptoms (and thankful no one else got it). Definitely a trip of a lifetime made even more meaningful knowing that my 19 year old and 18 year old are reaching those ages where trips for the 6 of us will be more rare.

 

[reliev]

I've canceled Japan so my dl, Hyatt and Hilton balances will look good until I start booking for next year. It's got to be open by next Sept right? If I have to cancel a 3rd time I think it'll be awhile before I consider it again. Also don't think anyone expected them to stay this way for so long. Oh well.

sorry to hear but this is what I've come to terms with also.

 

[ten6mom]

Have you looked into the family visa? You may be able to use it. Not sure what family requires it but it's one of the ways in. And they are able to go off and do whatever without tours.

you should try to apply for a visa and see if japan would grant you one. something like that should be granted.

EU is suppose to reciprocate Japan's ban 8/14 but i have yet to hear anything. Im really hoping they do. these closures are pointless and it just leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths.

Hmmmm I had not thought of that... I will mention this to my mom and aunt as well (my great aunt is their last living aunt and the last Japanese link to our family here in the states.

Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[disneybirds]

We are back from our Ireland/England/Scotland trip and I wanted to give a huge thanks to all that have made recommendations before. @calypso726, @CaliforniaGirl09 @Calfan @*WDW*Groupie* come to mind, but there were many others. I did lots of searching in these threads and in my Churn document.

Ireland - we only stayed one night in Dublin due to flights being cancelled. We stayed at the The Morrison with our Delta Vacations credit. It is in a great location and the breakfast was good. They did push back about the Diamond benefits since we booked through Delta, but they did end up honoring them.

England - We rented a car from National/Enterprise (see notes below) and went to Jane Austen's house in Chawton and Oxford. It was the best use of a free rental day that I have ever had, but still cost a fortune! We just stayed in a small inn with no a/c near Chawton and paid cash. In Oxford, we stayed in Malmaison which is in a renovated prison. Paid using Chase points. We enjoyed our night and the breakfast was good.

London - Stayed at the London Conrad! Best lodging of the trip and would definitely stay there again. The service was outstanding and I loved the doorbell/make up the room buttons. Paid with Chase points. Toured Buckingham Palace, ate at Harrods (definitely stressful finding the restaurant with a hungry crew), Harry Potter Studio Tour, Tower of London, British Museum, National Gallery, Liberty, Westminster Abbey, saw Moulin Rouge (mixed reviews from the 4 of us). So many things we wanted to do, but didn’t have time.

Took the train to Edinburgh. All the trains from Kings Cross had been cancelled due to power lines on the tracks, so we had to head to Euston Station (with our luggage) and catch a Avanti West train. Our LNER train was only to take 4 hours 20 mins, but I think the Avanti West train took almost 6 hours. There were so many people packed on that train. Besides Harrods, definitely one of the most stressful times of the trip!

Edinburgh – Stayed at the Wilde Aparthotel Grassmarket. We had 3 different rooms – 1 was great, 1 was good but was on the top floor and had sloped ceilings, and 1 was in another building and needed lots of renovations. The location was good and it had laundry available which was why I picked it, but I would probably pick somewhere else next time. On a side note, there was a Rick Steves group staying there so maybe they had all the better rooms. Paid with Chase Points. We toured Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood, Mary Kings Close and did lots of shopping.

Scotland – We rented a car and did a big loop through Scotland. We visited the town with our surname and took pictures with the signs. Our splurge of the trip was to stay at Glengarry Castle Hotel in Invergarry. We had dinner there as well and enjoyed our stay.

A few notes:
If we ever book another Delta vacation package, I will just book the cheapest hotel for the required nights and then manage my own lodging. We originally had planned 3 nights in Dublin, so I booked 3 nights at the Morrison. When the BA flights were cancelled, I probably tried 3 or 4 times to change the hotel but every scenario resulted in about $3K additional. In the end, we left the reservation as originally booked with 3 nights at the Morrison and we only stayed 1 night.

Even though we have primary coverage through credit cards, we decided to get the insurance from the rental company. Best decision ever when driving on the wrong side of the road in more rural areas! We ended up with a flat tire and spent about 4 hours getting it fixed, but the rental company said nothing to us when we turned the car in with a new tire. On the other hand, the guy in front of us was arguing with the rental folks about a small scrape on his car.

We got great use of the Priority Pass this trip with stops in the Dublin, London and JFK airports. It is worth it just to get away from all the noise in the terminals!

We had a fabulous trip and definitely want to go back someday. Our girls said this was the best trip ever! In the end we paid for about half our expenses with points. We used 460K Chase points (hotels), 78K Delta points, 21K MR (BA flights), and lots of Delta Vacations credit. I would like to do a trip like this every year, but DH thinks every other year is good. I could see the 2 of us traveling every year and then taking the girls every other year for as long as they will travel with us.

Again, thanks to this group for helping make our trip awesome!!

 

[AmyAnne]

I am pondering the Capital One Venture X card. For those of you who are familiar with this card, would you say that the benefits are worth the $395 AF? I see that there's a $300 annual statement credit but only for travel booked through the CapOne website.