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

[CyndiLouWho]

I have no idea. It was the first and only card of that type we have. So, basically, we didn't even need the NLL. I have no idea who he called. It's been years (like 3 maybe?)

No idea but I deleted my post to avoid drawing attention

 

[wanderlust7]

It was a very specific 150k offer.

https://milestomemories.com/reason-behind-the-amex-shutdowns/

 

[Angrose]

Hopefully. 2nd times the charm right? Also hoping for hong kong and shanghai but less hope of those. We'll see but they are still so locked down.

Good luck, I hope you're able to go next year! We were supposed to go to Japan last year over Thanksgiving week, rebooked to this year for the same week and will be cancelling again soon. They are still not open to tourists and one travel site only gives them a 15% chance of opening up by next month, so the odds are definitely NOT in our favor!

 

[mmmears]

It was a very specific 150k offer.

https://milestomemories.com/reason-behind-the-amex-shutdowns/

I'll PM you.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

FYI, to my knowledge, Adam was not on any list we circulated on DISchurners long ago. So if you called Adam you got the info from somewhere else…

 

[tink1970]

Do you have any URs (to transfer to Hyatt)? Miraval is having a BOGO sale. I've never been to one, but I'm intrigued. Includes meals and some activities.

https://onemileatatime.com/hyatt-miraval-promotion/

I've been to Miraval in Austin twice and AZ once and am heading back to Austin for Thanksgiving. Feel free to DM me if you have questions about either property

 

[tink1970]

So I am thoroughly confusing myself about hotel status. My hyatt status says good through Feb 2023. Is that a special covid policy or is it always like a companion pass where you earn for the rest of that year plus the whole following year? I couldn't find an end date for my Marriott status.

No idea about CP since I don't SW but it's good the year you earn since you're technically earning for the next year, the following year and then through Feb. So next year you'll be earning for 2023 into Feb 2024. Marriott is the same-good for the remainder of the year you earn it, the following year and then until Feb of the next year. So I earned Titanium in August and will remain so until end of Feb 2023.

 

[tink1970]

I didn’t know there was a transfer fee.
I like to transfer to Hilton, 2 Hilton pts for every MR pt.
Virgin Atlantic has some decent non-peak awards to Europe with reasonable taxes. Could be another option.

Yes, there is a $0.006/mile tax that is levied on American carriers and while Citi and Chase eat those fees, AmEx passes it along. The good news is that it's capped at $99 so if you transfer >165,000 MRs to Delta you aren't charged any more. So when I transfer MR->DL I either do a tiny amount like 5 or 6K or 200K+.

 

[miztressuz]

I didn’t know there was a transfer fee.
I like to transfer to Hilton, 2 Hilton pts for every MR pt.
Virgin Atlantic has some decent non-peak awards to Europe with reasonable taxes. Could be another option.

There is a transfer fee for domestic airlines due to some tax imposed, that AmEx is passing on to you. There's no fees for hotels or international airlines.

You'll see a warning about the fee on the transfer points page of the affected airlines.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

If your cruise is out of Miami-Dade County, testing here is very easy and very quick. This past month was busy with testing for us and we had rapid tests back within an hour and PCR tests back within 24 hours (if not within hours) every single time. Plus the largest testing place near me is now 24 hours and same-day daytime testing appointments are readily available. All the info is on the miamidade dot gov website.

Unfortunately, we’re cruising out of Jacksonville. Little vacation time between all in our group, coupled with the fact we all have dogs that have to be boarded, made us decide on a cruise that leaves closer to home. So we’ll be driving to JaX Wednesday after work, no time to even try for testing there.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

This goes without saying... but try avoid sharing your CC shenanigans on this thread. If you were abusing some loophole, remember that this thread is public, and will appear in google searches and could even be viewed by a potential mole/spy from a CC issuer*.

*Although we have no evidence or suspicion that this has ever occurred

 

[Jax1023]

Anyone done the grand canyon?

opinions on el Tovar vs the kachina lodge. El Tovar is the classic lodge, but more expensive and no view from a 2 queen room.

kachina lodge is less expensive, has partial canyon views, but no ac, only evaporative cooling, whatever that is.

I currently booked el tovar because there were only 2 rooms left, but can change.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

Anyone love their robotic vacuum? I need one to deal with all the stuff the puppy brings in the house. Sam's has the Roomba E5 on sale for $230 and Best Buy has the 694 for $250 (plus I can go through RMN).

I have a golden retriever which means a lot of golden tumbleweeds and we love our Eufys. We have the eufy robovac G30 with smart dynamic navigation. We barely use our Dyson Animal 2 anymore.

 

[mmmears]

FYI, to my knowledge, Adam was not on any list we circulated on DISchurners long ago. So if you called Adam you got the info from somewhere else…

Thanks. It took me a couple of hours to find the name, and it wasn't Adam. Thanks for posting the link, though. I don't check over there often enough.

 

[chattadisser]

Anyone done the grand canyon?

opinions on el Tovar vs the kachina lodge. El Tovar is the classic lodge, but more expensive and no view from a 2 queen room.

kachina lodge is less expensive, has partial canyon views, but no ac, only evaporative cooling, whatever that is.

I currently booked el tovar because there were only 2 rooms left, but can change.

Can't speak to Kachina Lodge as we stayed at Bright Angel when we went but we went to dinner at El Tovar and I would pick there if I could the next time. It's just so national park classic to me. Even if you don't have a room with a view you can walk right outside and your on the rim.

 

[disneybirds]

Kinda off topic but looking for some recommendations. I still have 6 days of vacation time that have to be used by the end of the year, no rollover. I'll probably use 2 of them as random days which leaves 4 for a vacation, looking at mid-November. Just got back from WDW last week so looking for something more relaxing, will be just 2 adults. Have enough United points for 2 to go just about anywhere (from Ohio), but no hotel free nights (yet) and not looking to use our MR points on that either, so will pay for hotel or airbnb out of pocket. Anywhooo, thinking about Napa/Sonoma for wine country, thoughts? Possibly Charleston or Savannah, but have been there already. We don't want to go anywhere where we have to test for Covid, we did that for our Iceland trip and want to skip the whole anxiety of waiting for results, etc. (we are vaccinated). It's frustrating because I have 2 events in Jan/Feb that I'll need to dip into next year's vacation right away for, and feel stressed having to use these days in the next 2.5 months. So guess what I'm asking is, where in the US is a good 4-5 night adult only laid-back vacation option (not Florida)?

We enjoyed Napa and love Charleston. How about Hilton Head Island? November should be fine and lots of great places to eat!

 

[Lain]

This goes without saying... but try avoid sharing your CC shenanigans on this thread. If you were abusing some loophole, remember that this thread is public, and will appear in google searches and could even be viewed by a potential mole/spy from a CC issuer*.

*Although we have no evidence or suspicion that this has ever occurred

Seriously, people don’t get this by now?

Even after the Amex shutdowns, Chase shutdowns, Citi shutdowns, and AA shutdowns?

ETA: That’s why there’s a private DISchurners subreddit.

 

[twincruisers]

Anyone done the grand canyon?

opinions on el Tovar vs the kachina lodge. El Tovar is the classic lodge, but more expensive and no view from a 2 queen room.

kachina lodge is less expensive, has partial canyon views, but no ac, only evaporative cooling, whatever that is.

I currently booked el tovar because there were only 2 rooms left, but can change.

El Tovar would be my vote. We just got back from a GC visit in July. Kachina is decent housing, but El Tovar is an iconic GC building with probably the best food on the park grounds. Evaporative cooling works in low humidity locations by adding water to the air to cool the air. Think of how sweat cools your skin with a breeze. Doesn’t work in high humidity times like when it’s raining.

We stayed at Bright Angel Lodge. One of our friends filmed this at the Bucky Cabin to show you how close everything is from the rim hotels.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Unfortunately, we’re cruising out of Jacksonville. Little vacation time between all in our group, coupled with the fact we all have dogs that have to be boarded, made us decide on a cruise that leaves closer to home. So we’ll be driving to JaX Wednesday after work, no time to even try for testing there.

Quoting myself because, today has had a turn of events. Our cruise for January was cancelled. Super bummed. Now we need to see if a different port and different dates will work for all. On top, just found out my cousin is getting married in January and it’s a destination wedding that we’ll have to travel to, so this cruise may be on hold permanently cuz we don’t have time to take off for both.

 

[Kjdisney]

Anyone done the grand canyon?

opinions on el Tovar vs the kachina lodge. El Tovar is the classic lodge, but more expensive and no view from a 2 queen room.

kachina lodge is less expensive, has partial canyon views, but no ac, only evaporative cooling, whatever that is.

I currently booked el tovar because there were only 2 rooms left, but can change.

I have stayed at both, and for our next trip we will stay at Kachina and eat meals at El Tovar. No lodging at Grand Canyon is deluxe, even El Tovar, the rooms are 3* quality. Everything is really clean, but unless you are getting the more expensive large rooms or suites, you will be glad you didn’t spend the extra money. Kachina is very basic hotel room right next to El Tovar. We don’t go during peak summer months, so evaporate cooling is fine. Bed quality is about the same in both lodges. Bathrooms were nicer in El Tovar, at Least in the room we had but it wasn’t any bigger and was twice as much a night.

The lobby and and dining room is the best part of the El Tovar Hotel in my opinion, but the dining room is pricey, which is why I would save the money on the room. Be sure and make reservations for meals, and try for window tables with canyon views. Food is great. You are there to be outside, and regardless of where you pick, you won’t be spending much time in the room. It’s just too beautiful!

Lodge parking is terrible. I don’t know how long you are staying, but I would make sure you have everything you need before heading into the park, and if you are lucky enough to find a space near lodging leave your car and use the shuttles Until checkout. If there are things you want to see outside the park, I would split the stay, a couple of days in the park and the rest outside of the park.