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

[snugglebug]

Sometimes the pending charge is the reserved amount (like gas station) and before they ship the credit it then charge when it actually ships. They aren't supposed to charge until they ship. If you're MSR is soon, I wouldn't count on it.

Tks. I have time for the MSR so no worries there. I've just never seen a charge and credit sit pending at the same time. Both are gone today and I know that's typical on biz cards. Delivery is Sat. I just keep checking my order status and my email.

I spent all last week dealing with Amazon pharmacy on an order that took way too long figure out and this was "reward" for getting through it lol With the luck I had last week, having this order canceled wouldn't surprise me at all.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Hi Credit Card GURUs!

Bottom Line Up Front: Looking to get the best promo on the Chase Southwest Priority Card (mainly for the free A-list upgrades, but the perks will make up the $0-149 annual fee for me...I'm active duty military, so Chase might offer the card with no annual fee for my service). Is there anything better than 40,000 miles right now?

My Cards (last 24 months that I can remember):
09/20 - CITI BestBuy Credit Card (great offer for our TV )
10/20 - PenFed Credit Card (spouse as well)
10/21 - AMEX Hilton Aspire
04/22 - CHASE Sapphire Reserve (spouse as well)

2) Secondly we'll want to know a little bit about you. Specifically - what you spend, and what you want to earn!

• What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)?
  • Minimum to get the bonus, and then probably just Southwest purchases unless I was angling for extra points.
• Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest?
  • Yes
• What airport(s) do you typically fly out of?
  • DCA, but will be moving over to SMF, OAK, and SFO this summer
• Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program?
  • Southwest, Delta, American, United...in that order
• Does SOUTHWEST Airline service your airport?
  • Yes
• Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference?
  • Hilton, Marriott, IHG...in that order
• Do you currently have travel points or miles in any program? (if so, which programs and how much)
  • Yes, various amount in each of those.
• What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? (i.e. Disney World Trip, Cruise, European Trip, Cash Back to pay-off a mortgage or student loans, etc. - you can have multiple goals too!)
  • Perks, and Points for future travel (CSR will likely be my go-to going forward)
• When do you plan to take these trips? (Keep in mind that it can be difficult to earn points/miles to cover imminent travel...it's best to plan far in advance, especially with regards to international travel)
  • No clue
• Who does your travel party consist of? (Spouse, Kids (& ages), other relatives/friends)
  • Spouse, and 3 little kiddos (4th on the way!!)

Cheers and Thanks!
Dom

Also, check your promotions tab when you log into Southwest Rapid Rewards. Last month (I think) they were offering some people the promotion below. While you don't earn 50k points you can use to travel on, you do get 50k points credited towards companion pass. If you do end up getting a SW card with a decent SUB, you could get or be pretty close to Companion Pass.

Earn 50,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points*

Get 50,000 Companion Pass qualifying points when you register, then book, and then fly one round-trip (or two one-way) qualifying flights** between April 7 and July 31, 2022. See all terms below.

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

I love how Staples can apparently chose whatever random rules they want. Yesterday I got 5 VGCs no issue. Today (same store) I had 5 VGCs to buy w/ my CIC, and $100 Target card to buy w/ my Amex Delta Gold Biz. The cashier told me I'm only allowed $500 in total GC purchases. I said well I was able to buy $1000 yesterday. He held his ground and said no. So I bought $400 in VGC and $100 target since there was no way to buy $500 in VGCs w/ the promo. I'm going to go back after school and see if I can get the $1k. I forgot my CIC is still 0% till 11/22. So there's no rush to push these through on Serve. I'll be in NC next month, and there are FDs on every corner it feels, so it's easy to load them there. There's a $2500 limit for the month right? and $1k/day? I'm there at the end of June through the beginning of July, LOL.

Also if I have another serve card, can I activate it and use both in my name?

I can always do WM but it takes so much longer to get through those since it's $99/load. Though this weekend I'll be all over MI, thanks to my son's hockey and a school competition, so I might try and find some FD to load at this week, LOL.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Has anyone seen a good answer on what's included in the "select travel" category for Citi Custom Cash?

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

When I log into Amex, there is an "offer" on my Biz Gold card to apply for a NLL biz plat for 150k +10k for ee. Is this an upgrade offer or just an offer to apply for the biz plat? I don't think I've ever had an upgrade offer, so I don't know what it would look like.



The biz gold is coming up for renewal in the next couple of months and I will most likely cancel...

 

[wanderlust7]

When I log into Amex, there is an "offer" on my Biz Gold card to apply for a NLL biz plat for 150k +10k for ee. Is this an upgrade offer or just an offer to apply for the biz plat? I don't think I've ever had an upgrade offer, so I don't know what it would look like.

View attachment 668243

The biz gold is coming up for renewal in the next couple of months and I will most likely cancel...

That offer is for a new application, not an upgrade.

 

[Mswiza]

I love how Staples can apparently chose whatever random rules they want. Yesterday I got 5 VGCs no issue. Today (same store) I had 5 VGCs to buy w/ my CIC, and $100 Target card to buy w/ my Amex Delta Gold Biz. The cashier told me I'm only allowed $500 in total GC purchases. I said well I was able to buy $1000 yesterday. He held his ground and said no. So I bought $400 in VGC and $100 target since there was no way to buy $500 in VGCs w/ the promo. I'm going to go back after school and see if I can get the $1k. I forgot my CIC is still 0% till 11/22. So there's no rush to push these through on Serve. I'll be in NC next month, and there are FDs on every corner it feels, so it's easy to load them there. There's a $2500 limit for the month right? and $1k/day? I'm there at the end of June through the beginning of July, LOL.

Also if I have another serve card, can I activate it and use both in my name?

I can always do WM but it takes so much longer to get through those since it's $99/load. Though this weekend I'll be all over MI, thanks to my son's hockey and a school competition, so I might try and find some FD to load at this week, LOL.

$2500 per day, $5000 per month for Serve

 

[perugiagirl]

Okay... I am brand new to this all! I think I am 1/24 possibly 2/24...(I need to look up when I got my Costco credit card). Before I started looking at all this stuff I applied for a Disney VISA on 5/4/22 (and was approved). Now I want to apply for CSP while it still has the 80,000 bonus. I also am purchasing a car which will arrive towards the end of June. I would really like to use that purchase to reach my minimum spend on the CSP if possible. I know the recommendation is three months between chase applications. Is there any way I can make this work?

 

[AmyAnne]

$2500 per day, $5000 per month for Serve

So the Visa GCs that Staples sells can be loaded to Serve at Walmart but only $99 or less per transaction, is this correct? (Tagging @LilSweetPeaPhoto since I think she mentioned this in an earlier post.)

 

[Arcades]

Okay... I am brand new to this all! I think I am 1/24 possibly 2/24...(I need to look up when I got my Costco credit card). Before I started looking at all this stuff I applied for a Disney VISA on 5/4/22 (and was approved). Now I want to apply for CSP while it still has the 80,000 bonus. I also am purchasing a car which will arrive towards the end of June. I would really like to use that purchase to reach my minimum spend on the CSP if possible. I know the recommendation is three months between chase applications. Is there any way I can make this work?

3 months is a recommendation, not a rule. With personal cards, you can apply for 2 every 30 days, so the Disney card won't prevent you from getting the CSP. The only issue is that if you're relatively new to Chase and jump the velocity of your applications and credit limits too quickly, sometimes you can trigger what they refer to as a "bust out" score -- meaning a risk factor that is more than they want to tolerate and they can close all of your accounts before you have a chance to max them out (not that you would).

So, monitor various credit blogs and if you hear of the CSP offer ending soon you can apply as necessary. Sapphires carry the one-per-family restriction AND a 48 month restriction before you could ever get another. So, you may want to consider the modified double dip of the CSP one day and the CSR the next business day (if you can meet the 8k spend). Of course, to do that you would have to wait 30 days from your Disney card application and you should probably wait 2-3 months. Also, only do the MDD if you're not already at or close to Chase 50% credit limit to income ratio (e.g. if you report income of $100,000/year Chase typically will give you up to $50,000 in total credit lines before they begin denying applications).

 

[MouseOfCards]

3 months is a recommendation, not a rule. With personal cards, you can apply for 2 every 30 days, so the Disney card won't prevent you from getting the CSP. The only issue is that if you're relatively new to Chase and jump the velocity of your applications and credit limits too quickly, sometimes you can trigger what they refer to as a "bust out" score -- meaning a risk factor that is more than they want to tolerate and they can close all of your accounts before you have a chance to max them out (not that you would).

So, monitor various credit blogs and if you hear of the CSP offer ending soon you can apply as necessary. Sapphires carry the one-per-family restriction AND a 48 month restriction before you could ever get another. So, you may want to consider the modified double dip of the CSP one day and the CSR the next business day (if you can meet the 8k spend). Of course, to do that you would have to wait 30 days from your Disney card application and you should probably wait 2-3 months. Also, only do the MDD if you're not already at or close to Chase 50% credit limit to income ratio (e.g. if you report income of $100,000/year Chase typically will give you up to $50,000 in total credit lines before they begin denying applications).

Can you explain:

– the Sapphire one per family restriction

– the modified double dip

 

[Judique]

Can you explain:

– the Sapphire one per family restriction

– the modified double dip

The Sapphires are a family of cards. Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire (no longer available for apps). For the purpose of one per family the first two are included for application purposes and Chase allows one or the other every 4 years. Other personal Chase cards - every 2 years.

If you are interested in learning about MDD, we have a Reddit private board where you can ask to join and go read about it. Sign up for a Reddit name and send it to @Albort or @SouthFayetteFan and they will get you onto the board.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Okay... I am brand new to this all! I think I am 1/24 possibly 2/24...(I need to look up when I got my Costco credit card). Before I started looking at all this stuff I applied for a Disney VISA on 5/4/22 (and was approved). Now I want to apply for CSP while it still has the 80,000 bonus. I also am purchasing a car which will arrive towards the end of June. I would really like to use that purchase to reach my minimum spend on the CSP if possible. I know the recommendation is three months between chase applications. Is there any way I can make this work?

Hello and welcome. Do you have another person in your household who is interested earning travel rewards? If so, they could certainly apply for the CSP, then in a month or 2 or 3 (whenever you feel comfortable applying) they could generate a support link for you to apply for the CSP. They would earn 20k UR for your approved application, in addition to the 80k SUB you'll earn.

This is called being in 2 player mode and it's a way to sort of double the rewards you could earn, as well as earn rewards through support links.

 

[havaneselover]

Recovering from a panic attack. Informed delivery showed I had a package coming from US Dept of HHS. Finally figured out its covid tests. I've been testing nonstop with my cruise coming up (one of my direct reports tested positive this week and my boss’ daughter's family who she babysat for last week has it).

 

[Judique]

Recovering from a panic attack. Informed delivery showed I had a package coming from US Dept of HHS. Finally figured out its covid tests. I've been testing nonstop with my cruise coming up (one of my direct reports tested positive this week and my bosses daughter's family who she babysat for last week has it).

Aww. You don't need this stress. Hope all goes well for your cruise.

 

[hsmamato2]

Asking for a bit of advice for those of you who have planned trips to Asia.... Do you recommend getting extra travel insurance for trip to South Korea? It'll mainly be flights,as DS has a friend over there to stay with.... using CSP for all expenses... right now I'm eyeing Star Alliance flight options after transferring UR...perhaps thru United, he doesn't care if it cheapo seats as long as it get s him there..... advice/opinions? thanks

 

[pinkxray]

Why is it so hard for me to plan a trip to WDW?
I am trying to book the week after Thanksgiving. We have limited DVC points for this trip so I have us booked Mon-Thursday at BLT. I was hoping to do a cabin at Fort Wilderness Fri and Sat. Disney won’t let me book just the Fri and Sat. I’d have to add the Thursday. Don’t really want to spend $1600 on a cabin just because I think the kids would like the bunk beds and gold cart. I also had no plans to do the parks this trip other than a night at the Xmas party.
DS7 saw the new guardians ride and wants to go. He is in a GOTG phase right now watching the movie and playing a video game. It is his birthday on so it would be nice.
My luck though I buy a day ticket to Epcot and I can’t get the ILL$ for it.

Part of me just wants to use up my Amex resort credits on my two Platinums and book two nights at Portofino. Do the Orlando informer event and stop giving Disney my money they dont seem to want to make it easy to take. Kids are 5 and 7 so I am leaning towards sticking with the misery of booking Disney but man, Universal is so much easier. I just know as they get older we will spend more time at Universal so get in Disney now right?


Need to finalize my bookings by the end of the month so I can know which dvc points to bank.

@Haley R - I saw your post about the dirty cabin. How was the rest of your trip at Fort Wilderness? For some reason I have always wanted to stay there and with my kids ages it seems like now is a great age to take them. I am afraid I’ve build it up in my mind though and will be disappointed

 

[leeniewdw]

Does anyone have recent experience renting a car from Hertz? That's always been our go to due to a discount thru our employer and generally good service (with an exception of last summer in DEN). Anyway, I booked a sedan for our Bozeman trip several months ago -- price was high (obvously), around 700+ for a week. A month or so ago I checked the reservation and the price had dropped to $431. I've NEVER had a booking price change like that (I made no modifications). I printed the reservation out so I could use it if the price changed again. Today I checked and it's $526 now.

I have never know there to be "variable pricing" once you book (we never pre-pay). I'm not sure if I should bother calling or just hope for the best when showing up with the print out from when it was $431. I mean, I'd rather it be the cheapest possible, but I'm also afraid of showing up and it being $900 or something. Anyone see this happen with a booking?

 

[leeniewdw]

Recovering from a panic attack. Informed delivery showed I had a package coming from US Dept of HHS. Finally figured out its covid tests. I've been testing nonstop with my cruise coming up (one of my direct reports tested positive this week and my boss’ daughter's family who she babysat for last week has it).

I know more people now that have (or are just getting over) COVID than any other time since this began. This includes me. I attended 2 nhl hockey games last week, mostly unmasked, and started having symptoms on Friday, tested positive on Saturday (I work from home and went nowhere else). The numbers reported by the state's HHS have to be off by a gigantic magnitude due to everyone home testing.

I would be *very* careful about masking in public if you are traveling or have a big/important event on the near horizon. I only missed a tennis lesson, my book club, a hockey game, and another social event due to this, but I would have been heartbroken if it impacted more important/expensive/travel plans.

 

[Judique]

Why is it so hard for me to plan a trip to WDW?
I am trying to book the week after Thanksgiving. We have limited DVC points for this trip so I have us booked Mon-Thursday at BLT. I was hoping to do a cabin at Fort Wilderness Fri and Sat. Disney won’t let me book just the Fri and Sat. I’d have to add the Thursday. Don’t really want to spend $1600 on a cabin just because I think the kids would like the bunk beds and gold cart. I also had no plans to do the parks this trip other than a night at the Xmas party.
DS7 saw the new guardians ride and wants to go. He is in a GOTG phase right now watching the movie and playing a video game. It is his birthday on so it would be nice.
My luck though I buy a day ticket to Epcot and I can’t get the ILL$ for it.

Part of me just wants to use up my Amex resort credits on my two Platinums and book two nights at Portofino. Do the Orlando informer event and stop giving Disney my money they dont seem to want to make it easy to take. Kids are 5 and 7 so I am leaning towards sticking with the misery of booking Disney but man, Universal is so much easier. I just know as they get older we will spend more time at Universal so get in Disney now right?


Need to finalize my bookings by the end of the month so I can know which dvc points to bank.

@Haley R - I saw your post about the dirty cabin. How was the rest of your trip at Fort Wilderness? For some reason I have always wanted to stay there and with my kids ages it seems like now is a great age to take them. I am afraid I’ve build it up in my mind though and will be disappointed

I've done Fort Wilderness a few times, once tent camping and also in the cabins. We enjoyed it in the cabin but I wasn't as happy in the tent as I got ate up by noseeums.

The golf cart was fun. We didn't do the pool there, but ate at Trails End. Also did take out and shopped and rented a bike. I think the pony rides might be fun for my grands now 5 and 6. Also have never done Hoop De Do and some trip it will happen. We did go to the campfire and were underwhelmed, at least I was, but I've camped in other areas and enjoyed campfires more.

I used to want to do FW to save money and be at Disney. Now it's pretty high cost versus my DVC, with no more AAA discounts that I know of.

All that said, many people absolutely love it. I like it. So, I would go back and I'm glad that I've done it. Choosing between there and a villa? Villa first. YMMV.