I love credit cards so much!

[miztressuz]

Some good news for AmEx Blue Cash card holders, DoC reports being able to cash out without it being in increments of $25.
Amex Makes it Easier to Redeem Reward Dollars on Blue Cash Cards

Finally, they have joined the modern world. I don't mind so much a $25 minimum, but the thought of only cashing out in $25 increments wasn't all that happy. I didn't fully realize it until after we have the card and it really sunk in that it wasn't a minimum; and it was more like when they only stocked ATM's with 20's and when you only had $70 in your account that $10 was held hostage.

 

[miztressuz]

View attachment 324650

LOL, Oh my gosh where has that meme been all my life?! That's priceless, I can't believe I've never seen it before. I am so finding that link now!

 

[DisneyMandC]

application is pending! fingers crossed.

 

[Michelle smith]

Okay so I applied for a CIP and got denied due to card Acquisition Risk score V2? what is that. I think it may have to do with a charge off almost 5 years ago after a rough patch of me being unemployed. when do those fall off credit? Any advice to rebuild and a card I can get approved for

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Why does the CSR take the points up by 1.5? Is there a strategic reason they do this?

One of the benefits of holding a CSR card is that your URs are worth more. You are paying a $450 annual fee for that privilege (which is actually offset by the perks). As Chase's Premier high-end card it's just an awesome benefit.

I currently am in the process of accruing a large sum of URs - I will hold them though and then get a CSR before I use them, which will make them all worth 20% more

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

You guys are going to love this post.... I'm a long time lurker of this thread and I'm new to the credit card "game" so take it easy on me!

We close on a new house next Friday and are putting our remodeled hurricane home up for sale on June 14th.
We live in Texas, right outside of Houston (but I work in Houston --as does everyone else in the state it feels like at rush hour).
I like to travel and primarily use points and such for US based travel. I do think that we're going to Europe over the next few years - my company will pay for me, but not for flights for my family.

I'm ready to open a new credit line once we close on our new house. Husband may open a new one too. We'd like to take advantage of the credit card churning, but need to be eased into it.
Currently I have one cc -- Southwest Chase card - I haven't applied for anything else since 2015.
My husband also only has one credit card - the Alaska Airlines (BOA) card (just got that last year) and that's primarily because he's from there so we visit each year.

Both of us have credit scores at, or about, 800. I will be purchasing new furniture for the new house becauase... well, our house flooded and we had to toss everything out. Also on the list to purchase for the new house is a new water filter system, new appliances. Currenly my main credit card use is every day stuff, but with the new house needing "high dollar" stuff I'd like to know what you guys think would be the best card for me.

Thanks in advance!

 

[LB002]

I stumbled upon this thread because I'm trying to think about our CCards and if we have the right ones for our upcoming trip, and I just have to say... WOW! I've been reading this morning and can't keep up! You are all amazing at figuring this stuff out. (And I was pleased with myself that I got our summer air on points - clearly I'm a novice). We have an AMEX that we use whenever possible (love the perks) but not everyone takes AMEX and our other cards (AA MC and a free Disney Visa) aren't that great.

That's how I feel too! Found this group last week and got so much valuable info. We are switching over our cards to ones that would net us more value, but I also move a little more slowly! Once I get the cards sorted, then I have to look into all these bank account bonuses people are talking about...

 

[mmmears]

That's how I feel too! Found this group last week and got so much valuable info. We are switching over our cards to ones that would net us more value, but I also move a little more slowly! Once I get the cards sorted, then I have to look into all these bank account bonuses people are talking about...

Glad I'm not alone. I feel overwhelmed, but I figure I'll just keep reading along and take my time. It would be wonderful to find a better way to use points and such to fund our vacations, especially since we've gotten really picky about flights and hotels lately.

 

[trenty]

Glad I'm not alone. I feel overwhelmed, but I figure I'll just keep reading along and take my time. It would be wonderful to find a better way to use points and such to fund our vacations, especially since we've gotten really picky about flights and hotels lately.

Remember that you can take it slow at first. You don't have to dive in at the same level that many here are doing. Do your research. Ask questions. Your first step is to decide if you want to earn primarily UR (Chase) or MR (Amex) or specific points to a specific airline or hotel chain (co-branded cards). Do you want low/no AF cards or are you willing to pay high AF for greater rewards?

I only get one or two cards a year, and am not always looking for a new card. I know what works for me, even though aggressive churning works for others. I churn very slowly and still have the points I need to travel. I personally earn both UR and MR and choose low/no AF cards. I know I can get more with the higher AF cards, but to me, the less I pay out of pocket the better.

And very important - If you want earn UR - look into getting the Chase cards first because of their 5/24 rule.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

You guys are going to love this post.... I'm a long time lurker of this thread and I'm new to the credit card "game" so take it easy on me!

We close on a new house next Friday and are putting our remodeled hurricane home up for sale on June 14th.
We live in Texas, right outside of Houston (but I work in Houston --as does everyone else in the state it feels like at rush hour).
I like to travel and primarily use points and such for US based travel. I do think that we're going to Europe over the next few years - my company will pay for me, but not for flights for my family.

I'm ready to open a new credit line once we close on our new house. Husband may open a new one too. We'd like to take advantage of the credit card churning, but need to be eased into it.
Currently I have one cc -- Southwest Chase card - I haven't applied for anything else since 2015.
My husband also only has one credit card - the Alaska Airlines (BOA) card (just got that last year) and that's primarily because he's from there so we visit each year.

Both of us have credit scores at, or about, 800. I will be purchasing new furniture for the new house becauase... well, our house flooded and we had to toss everything out. Also on the list to purchase for the new house is a new water filter system, new appliances. Currenly my main credit card use is every day stuff, but with the new house needing "high dollar" stuff I'd like to know what you guys think would be the best card for me.

Thanks in advance!

Hey - we love when lurkers come out of hiding.

So an interesting thought here...do you have a business, or any sort of side hustle that could qualify as a business? (rental property, Sell things on Ebay, sell cookies, teach piano, consulting, etc.)... If you would be open to a business card I would recommend the Chase Ink Preferred (CIP). You've probably seen us talking about this card a lot!

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

Hey - we love when lurkers come out of hiding.

So an interesting thought here...do you have a business, or any sort of side hustle that could qualify as a business? (rental property, Sell things on Ebay, sell cookies, teach piano, consulting, etc.)... If you would be open to a business card I would recommend the Chase Ink Preferred (CIP). You've probably seen us talking about this card a lot!

Nope, I do not. Like, not even a little bit of anything that would qualify as a business, but I have seen you guys talk about the Chase Ink Preferred all over the place!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Okay so I applied for a CIP and got denied due to card Acquisition Risk score V2? what is that. I think it may have to do with a charge off almost 5 years ago after a rough patch of me being unemployed. when do those fall off credit? Any advice to rebuild and a card I can get approved for

It's supposed to fall off 7 years after the charge off happened.

 

[Judique]

One of the benefits of holding a CSR card is that your URs are worth more. You are paying a $450 annual fee for that privilege (which is actually offset by the perks). As Chase's Premier high-end card it's just an awesome benefit.

I currently am in the process of accruing a large sum of URs - I will hold them though and then get a CSR before I use them, which will make them all worth 20% more

Hey - that's my long term plan!!!!

Looking to start accruing UR's as soon as I'm under 5/24 and then start with CIP, and on and on until it's time for CSR.

 

[speedyfishy]

You guys are going to love this post.... I'm a long time lurker of this thread and I'm new to the credit card "game" so take it easy on me!

We close on a new house next Friday and are putting our remodeled hurricane home up for sale on June 14th.
We live in Texas, right outside of Houston (but I work in Houston --as does everyone else in the state it feels like at rush hour).
I like to travel and primarily use points and such for US based travel. I do think that we're going to Europe over the next few years - my company will pay for me, but not for flights for my family.

I'm ready to open a new credit line once we close on our new house. Husband may open a new one too. We'd like to take advantage of the credit card churning, but need to be eased into it.
Currently I have one cc -- Southwest Chase card - I haven't applied for anything else since 2015.
My husband also only has one credit card - the Alaska Airlines (BOA) card (just got that last year) and that's primarily because he's from there so we visit each year.

Both of us have credit scores at, or about, 800. I will be purchasing new furniture for the new house becauase... well, our house flooded and we had to toss everything out. Also on the list to purchase for the new house is a new water filter system, new appliances. Currenly my main credit card use is every day stuff, but with the new house needing "high dollar" stuff I'd like to know what you guys think would be the best card for me.

Thanks in advance!

Nope, I do not. Like, not even a little bit of anything that would qualify as a business, but I have seen you guys talk about the Chase Ink Preferred all over the place!

I’d start with the sapphire double dip (CSR/CSP) since you have a lot of spend coming up. This requires 8k in spend in three months. You have to apply for both cards on the same day and get approved. So apply for the card you want most first then once you get approved apply for the other. If you can do more than 8k in three months, I’d wait and then refer your DH to both.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

You guys are going to love this post.... I'm a long time lurker of this thread and I'm new to the credit card "game" so take it easy on me!

We close on a new house next Friday and are putting our remodeled hurricane home up for sale on June 14th.
We live in Texas, right outside of Houston (but I work in Houston --as does everyone else in the state it feels like at rush hour).
I like to travel and primarily use points and such for US based travel. I do think that we're going to Europe over the next few years - my company will pay for me, but not for flights for my family.

I'm ready to open a new credit line once we close on our new house. Husband may open a new one too. We'd like to take advantage of the credit card churning, but need to be eased into it.
Currently I have one cc -- Southwest Chase card - I haven't applied for anything else since 2015.
My husband also only has one credit card - the Alaska Airlines (BOA) card (just got that last year) and that's primarily because he's from there so we visit each year.

Both of us have credit scores at, or about, 800. I will be purchasing new furniture for the new house becauase... well, our house flooded and we had to toss everything out. Also on the list to purchase for the new house is a new water filter system, new appliances. Currenly my main credit card use is every day stuff, but with the new house needing "high dollar" stuff I'd like to know what you guys think would be the best card for me.

Thanks in advance!

I would suggest you double dip the CSR and CSP. This means apply for both on the same day. We can give you further directions on it if you are interested. You will get 100k chase ultimate rewards points for $8k spend in 3 months. You will be able to redeem these points for 1.5x value with the CSR. The only way you can have both of these cards at the same time is to open both the same day. Thats why we suggest the double dip.

I would then refer your DH to the same 2 cards. You will get 20k points for the referral plus he gets the 100k points as well. You will have another 3 months to spend the $8k. So you want to try and space them out to have him app when you are almost done with the $8k on your cards. Doesn't sound like it will take you long.

Another idea is a CIP card, which is an 80k sign up bonus. Either or both of you could open one of those before the double dip if you wish. As a newbie I was scared of biz cards and had to warm up to the idea. That is why I suggested the CSR/CSP DD first, but you could flip the order if you wish. Do you have any side gigs you could consider as biz? Mine is selling crap from around my house on facebook. lol. it is a "business" as we tenderly call them.

Welcome to the group! And ask the experts here before you make any moves. It is easy to make a mistake. I've been at this probably 6 months now and I still ask before I do anything.

 

[miztressuz]

Remember that you can take it slow at first. You don't have to dive in at the same level that many here are doing. Do your research. Ask questions. Your first step is to decide if you want to earn primarily UR (Chase) or MR (Amex) or specific points to a specific airline or hotel chain (co-branded cards). Do you want low/no AF cards or are you willing to pay high AF for greater rewards?

^^^This!

Having a goal is so helpful. Otherwise it's very easy to get distracted by all the offers out there and then you may wind up with a hodge podge of points that don't get you anywhere, or almost worse, you have to pay more to augment what you have just to get the right redemption. If you have 200k Hilton points and 240k Marriott points and the only hotel chain in the area is Hyatt, now what?

The other part of that is how much can you realistically spend to get those points? We have modest expenses. While I love @calypso726 so Sky Suite and ABD trips, I have no where near the same kind of expenses to be able to amass those kind of points to do that. (although her upcoming Antarctica trip is on my must do list, and given enough time it's obtainable. so I'm looking forward to that TR too while jealously following along her current China trip!)

I've been doing this on a small scale for a number of years now, like @trenty , picking up keeper cards as I go along. But I have a good confluence of events to kick me off into the next level now: I'm during some home improvement projects this year and I have a big, specific trip we are planning Fall 2019. I started thinking about this last year, so more than 2 years before the actual trip and forming a specific goal. I want to pay for the cruise out of our budget and have all the rest of it paid for with points or other found money. We have a solid foundation of IHG, Marriott and SW points to get us started and now I'm looking for things to augment that to align with the upcoming trip. Having UR points are flexible in that regard as I can either transfer them to travel partners to book direct with them (if you have certain cards), use them to book travel itself through Chase's TA, or worse case use them as a statement credit to erase charges we pay in cash. And that's why I'm only now willing to pay the high AF's for greater rewards, at least temporarily, because the timing is right. I'm making my expense work for me for once

 

[Lain]

View attachment 324650

LOL, Oh my gosh where has that meme been all my life?! That's priceless, I can't believe I've never seen it before. I am so finding that link now!

I love Captain Picard memes

 

[jhoannam]

Is there some reason everyone seems to be going for the Cat. 8 package? Is there an advantage to that over going for a Cat 6 and then upgrading the cert later if you want to stay at a higher Cat. property?

We are using it for Hawaii and those at Cat 8 and higher (at least until Aug.).

 

[Lain]

So if you call chase recon do they approve or deny you while on the call?

Yes, most times they’ll be able to give you a decision either way.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Nope, I do not. Like, not even a little bit of anything that would qualify as a business, but I have seen you guys talk about the Chase Ink Preferred all over the place!

It is a top favorite around here, especially after we dig deep within our recent experiences and remember that thing we sold on ebay, or that stuff we mean to sell on ebay... yes, it's a fine line when we get into our "businesses" but it works for most of us. That said, it's not for everyone. We do have a couple people who absolutely will not go the business card route without what they feel is a completely legit business and that's totally fine. We each do what we're comfortable with Now, fwiw imho you can claim a business with your remodeling. You remodeled a house (reasons don't matter) and now you are selling it. That's a business transaction. Did you intend to make money off of it by remodeling it? yes? That's literally business. You are definitely a candidate for the CIP for your re-modeling business. That said it's just imho and only you can determine if you're cool with running with that idea. Most of us come around to being cool with it, but like I said no everyone and that's ok.

wow, it looks like you have lots of expenses coming up and you're both 1/24- excellent place to be (minus the flood part of course, so you definitely deserve something great after all you've gone through!). (The Double Dip allows you to skirt Chase's one Sapphire card per person rule)
-CSR/CSP Double Dip, total result: $8k spend for 100,000 URs, $65 in fees (if you use the $85 tsa pre-check on the csr), can redeem URs at 1.5x
-CIP: $5k spend, 80,000 URs, $95 fee

Super tempting to get all of them for each of you but imho that's a bad idea due to Chase shutdowns. I'd pick whichever you want most and do that first and then in a couple months go for the other one.

There is something else you should consider since you'll be in 2 player mode. Referral bonuses!!! CIP offers 20,000 UR per referral and CSP and CSR both offer 10,000 per referral so if P1 were to get cards and then refer P2 to the same cards you're looking at...
Double Dip: $16k spend for 220,000, $130 in fees (if you use the 2 tsa pre-checks on the CSRs)
CIP: $10k spend, 180,000 URs, $190 in fees

Much to think about I'm sure that will keep your head swimming I can't delve into Amex for you because my knowledge there is super limited so I can't say for certain these are "the best" for you but others here have Amex experience!