I love credit cards so much!

[jhoannam]

Now the proud owner of a 7 night category 1-5 with 120,000 sw points. Hope I did the right thing. That depleted all of our Marriott points. Really hoping they cash those back in for points. It went smoothly, on hold for 16 minutes and I think the actual call was maybe 2 minutes. She was quick.

I did the same thing. Trying to convince the family spend Christmas in San Diego. Use the CP before it expires.

 

[bernina]

Staples has $100 MC gc on sale for $101.95.

https://m.staples.com/mastercard-10...=AFF:6146859:6146859:10463300&CJPIXEL=CJPIXEL

Thinking of getting a few to use the 10% offer on DH’s Amex Delta Gold (old card, not trying to meet MSR). Does anyone have experience with MC from Staples? I could cash out via MO but was thinking of paying a few bills via Plastiq and the Masterpass promo or discounted Disney gc at Sam’s Club.

 

[MrPTato]

FYI - Southwest has pushed back their next release to august 30th.

https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html

No!!!

 

[gottalovepluto]

CA peeps who chase bank account bonuses: The Fremont offer here https://www.doctorofcredit.com/ca-o...ecking-promotion-direct-deposit-not-required/ looks to be a go, exp 8/15. I was an early DP that said they denied for chex sensitivity but that has since turned out to be untrue. They deny and then call you a few days to a week or so later to ask some general q's and get everything set up. Doesn't appear cc funding works fyi, my banker told me it had "expired" out of the app and she set up an ach instead. (Their gig is they are a cross-selling type bank ("relationship" bank ala US Bank), the rep made certain I knew they were a full service bank- from checking accounts to HELOCs to commercial lending. That's why I suspect they're going for that personal touch method of opening the accounts.)

ETA: For my non-CA peeps I hope you don't mind me highlighting this one, whole state CA only bank offers are few and far between

 

[Alexle2007]

Without having to open another Amex, meet another spend or spend a penny, I am now the proud recipient of 38k free SPG points! For some reason SPG did not reduce DH’s balance when I transferred his points to my account in June so I decided to see if it would work to move those points to my account. And yep, it did! They did remember to subtract them from his account this time but that’s ok since I have extra now for doing nothing Now to decide if I need a SPG Lux or Marriott Biz to grow that bucket even more.

 

[PolyRob]

They may not do a second hard pull.

They did for me, but I did it in reverse. Double dip and then 32 days later the CIC. Got 1 hp each on TU and EX for the sapphires. And then next month 1 HP on EX (I think EX) for the ink. It'd be nice if they don't though

Ok, so it may or may not happen. I only get my score through the CC portals that I currently have. I do not have a monitoring service, but maybe I should once I enter this realm.

If you're not in too much of a rush, I would get the CIP first. And, ideally wait a 2-3 months before doing the double dip. We've been leary on this board about going too hard too fast with Chase cards due to reports of Chase shutdowns, and Chase has only been getting more strict over the years. Chase has a 2cards/30day rule, so technically you would be ok at 31 days. I did read one blogger state he got a business card first, then got two personal cards at the end of the 30 days but there's more of a risk with that approach.

Once you have the CIP, you'll still be at 0/24 with one hard pull. If you go for the CIP now in early August, then do the double dip in mid October (so you can get those sweet Apple watches) then you would be at 2/24 with two hard pulls total, and still in good shape for other cards (take a break from Chase though, many of us do an AMEX Business card to keep us busy). You could still get the JetBlue if you want then, or a Citi card, just keeping in mind that those are going to add to your x/24 count. Once you're in the UR collecting mode that a lot of us are, you are probably going to want the Freedom (I'd go for this one first) and the Freedom Unlimited which are subject to the 5/24 rule.

Do you have a Player 2 (known around here as P2)? Referring others to cards you have will boost your points balances too.

I am not really in a rush. The priority pass would be nice, but I only have one planned trip that I would not be able to have it for. Spacing out the MSRs would also be helpful. I am waiting for Disney to contact me about a DVC waitlist purchase so CIP or CSR would both give me the 3x points on the "travel" category depending on when I was contacted. The singular $95 annual fee would also be easier to swallow since I would not be redeeming anything just yet. I would wait until I had the CSR in my wallet to pool them. My only concerns would be: (1) If Chase closed the double Sapphire application loophole by the time I was ready to apply. Has this been around for a decent amount of time? It is my understanding that the CSP really does nothing for me besides earn the 50,000 so I guess losing that would be ok. (2) If I was outright denied for the Sapphire Reserve down the line.

What do people do with the CIP once they are past the first year? Do they downgrade it, close it, etc? I see the Ink Business Unlimited would give 1.5% back on all purchases so it seems similar to the Freedom Unlimited (I could be missing something).

Once I was past opening these cards, I would probably go to Citi to see about changing my current cards without opening the new accounts. I know it should not affect me and I could probably do it sooner, but I guess I want to play it safe. I am entering this plan solo, but I could probably try and get a family member interested haha

 

[gottalovepluto]

...I only get my score through the CC portals that I currently have. I do not have a monitoring service, but maybe I should once I enter this realm....

You can monitor all the important aspects of your credit score using Credit Karma and Experian. Use the free versions each of them offer. They both have apps and will alert you to credit changes, like hard pulls and new accounts. In my view these are essential financial monitoring tools for everybody- even people who aren't really into credit cards because even they have credit scores and the potential to have their identity stolen. These apps will make a basic early warning system for you. I don't recall if Experian was easy to set up but credit karma was so easy I told my friend about it and she got out her phone right then, downloaded the app and signed up in like less than 2 mins. (Credit Karma will cover TransUnion and Equifax.)

 

[Judique]

They did for me, but I did it in reverse. Double dip and then 32 days later the CIC. Got 1 hp each on TU and EX for the sapphires. And then next month 1 HP on EX (I think EX) for the ink. It'd be nice if they don't though

Wow! I got the Marriott Biz end of June and the Freedom last week and no pulls from either.
Bank of America pulled from Experian and actually sent me a copy, but that was my first card from them.

Amex didn't pull either, but they've been repeatedly sending me offers and trying to increase my credit limits on the cards I do have.

 

[gottalovepluto]

...My only concerns would be: (1) If Chase closed the double Sapphire application loophole by the time I was ready to apply. Has this been around for a decent amount of time? It is my understanding that the CSP really does nothing for me besides earn the 50,000 so I guess losing that would be ok. (2) If I was outright denied for the Sapphire Reserve down the line.

What do people do with the CIP once they are past the first year? Do they downgrade it, close it, etc? I see the Ink Business Unlimited would give 1.5% back on all purchases so it seems similar to the Freedom Unlimited (I could be missing something).

Once I was past opening these cards, I would probably go to Citi to see about changing my current cards without opening the new accounts. I know it should not affect me and I could probably do it sooner, but I guess I want to play it safe. I am entering this plan solo, but I could probably try and get a family member interested haha

(1) It's been around since they introduced the rule, maybe a year ago? Not quite? Thing is Chase does stuff overnight. The 1 Sapphire rule came out overnight, no rumors. Same happened to the SW cards, overnight and no rumors. When this loophole dies no one can say. I suspect it's a technical limitation and once they figure out how to fix it it'll be gone. Where that is on their priority list for IT, who knows?
(2) Denials happen. But if you don't violate 5/24 or have a bad relationship with Chase and have a couple years of credit history and a decent FICO you should get approved for a CSR.

People around here mostly keep the CIP for 3x on Plastiq. If you don't have a CSP or CSR, you would keep the CIP for 1.25x redemptions and/or ability to transfer to travel partners. It also has cell phone insurance if that's of any value to you.

CIU is exactly like CFU except the bonus is higher and it won't report to credit bureaus. I'm happy I went CFU because I'm on the young side and expect this card to age very well over the coming decades on my personal credit report.

Churning with family is... interesting... I churn for me and basically manage my parents churning and only point them towards top level type offers. It has special challenges that are definitely not worth the referrals but are very much worth their happiness when I see them doing trips they wouldn't otherwise do. If you're looking at churning for a reluctant SO, there are others here in the same boat who can undoubtedly give you some advice if you want any

 

[Lain]

My only concerns would be: (1) If Chase closed the double Sapphire application loophole by the time I was ready to apply. Has this been around for a decent amount of time? It is my understanding that the CSP really does nothing for me besides earn the 50,000 so I guess losing that would be ok. (2) If I was outright denied for the Sapphire Reserve down the line.

Chase implemented the “one Sapphire rule” suddenly, without notice, as @gottalovepluto noted, at the end of August 2017. The concept of the “double dip” had been around for much longer before the one Sapphire rule took effect, but it had been used primarily when someone was at 4/24 to “double dip” two cards with that final slot and end up at 6/24. Otherwise, if they had gone for just one card with their final slot, they would have likely needed to wait months for their next oldest card to drop off 5/24. When the one Sapphire rule hit, people immediately applied the double dip as a workaround to the new restriction, because the mechanics are the same. You want to get approved for the second card before the system updates to recognize you’ve already been approved for a first card that should be preclusive.

If the loophole were to close, you’re right that it’s not the end of the world. It’s 50k UR you’ll be missing out on, but those points would have come at a cost of one under 5/24 slot. And that would free you to get other cards with comparable value.

What do people do with the CIP once they are past the first year? Do they downgrade it, close it, etc? I see the Ink Business Unlimited would give 1.5% back on all purchases so it seems similar to the Freedom Unlimited (I could be missing something).

Previously, the popular thought was to eat the $95 AF for the big bonus, then cancel or product change the CIP (to a CIC) after a year. But, the CIP’s 3x earning ability on Plastiq, Gyft, Swych, Venmo, eBay fees and shipping, etc., the 1.25x redemption bonus if you don’t have the CSP or CSR, and ability to generate referral bonuses (the CIC and CIU don’t have referrals) has made it a keeper card for a lot of people. In addition, with the CIC and CIU each having 50k UR signup bonuses, the shift in thinking is to hold on to the CIP if the numbers work out, cancel the CIP if not, and apply for the CIC and/or CIU separately so you can get the signup bonus. You don’t get a bonus for product changing your CIP to the CIC/CIU.

3 business card on your one SSN (without resorting to signing up for EINs), with applications sufficiently spaced out, and keeping overall credit lines low to increase your chances of auto-approval, seems to be about the upper limit of what Chase will approve.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Without having to open another Amex, meet another spend or spend a penny, I am now the proud recipient of 38k free SPG points! For some reason SPG did not reduce DH’s balance when I transferred his points to my account in June so I decided to see if it would work to move those points to my account. And yep, it did! They did remember to subtract them from his account this time but that’s ok since I have extra now for doing nothing Now to decide if I need a SPG Lux or Marriott Biz to grow that bucket even more.

CONGRATS! I've had my fair share of mistakes in favor of the customer in this game - those are the best!

 

[PolyRob]

You can monitor all the important aspects of your credit score using Credit Karma and Experian. Use the free versions each of them offer. They both have apps and will alert you to credit changes, like hard pulls and new accounts. In my view these are essential financial monitoring tools for everybody- even people who aren't really into credit cards because even they have credit scores and the potential to have their identity stolen. These apps will make a basic early warning system for you. I don't recall if Experian was easy to set up but credit karma was so easy I told my friend about it and she got out her phone right then, downloaded the app and signed up in like less than 2 mins. (Credit Karma will cover TransUnion and Equifax.)

I think I should start looking at it. I haven't since the Target data breach in 2013 when I got the complimentary monitoring. I have to say, it was great seeing all of the information.

(1) It's been around since they introduced the rule, maybe a year ago? Not quite? Thing is Chase does stuff overnight. The 1 Sapphire rule came out overnight, no rumors. Same happened to the SW cards, overnight and no rumors. When this loophole dies no one can say. I suspect it's a technical limitation and once they figure out how to fix it it'll be gone. Where that is on their priority list for IT, who knows?
(2) Denials happen. But if you don't violate 5/24 or have a bad relationship with Chase and have a couple years of credit history and a decent FICO you should get approved for a CSR.

People around here mostly keep the CIP for 3x on Plastiq. If you don't have a CSP or CSR, you would keep the CIP for 1.25x redemptions and/or ability to transfer to travel partners. It also has cell phone insurance if that's of any value to you.

CIU is exactly like CFU except the bonus is higher and it won't report to credit bureaus. I'm happy I went CFU because I'm on the young side and expect this card to age very well over the coming decades on my personal credit report.

Churning with family is... interesting... I churn for me and basically manage my parents churning and only point them towards top level type offers. It has special challenges that are definitely not worth the referrals but are very much worth their happiness when I see them doing trips they wouldn't otherwise do. If you're looking at churning for a reluctant SO, there are others here in the same boat who can undoubtedly give you some advice if you want any

I have to look into Plastiq better. I read something with Visa's limiting to 20% or cash advance or something, but I really need to research it fully.

It is my hope that once I have the reserve and preferred, I can downgrade the preferred to the freedom or freedom unlimited after the first year. I think the reserve will be good to hold onto for future travel. Is it harder to get the CIP after doing the double sapphire?

I see where family could get messy. I would probably do it for my mom since she charges everything and is not really utilizing her card program to its fullest potential (well neither am I at this moment haha)

 

[PolyRob]

Chase implemented the “one Sapphire rule” suddenly, without notice, as @gottalovepluto noted, at the end of August 2017. The concept of the “double dip” had been around for much longer before the one Sapphire rule took effect, but it had been used primarily when someone was at 4/24 to “double dip” two cards with that final slot and end up at 6/24. Otherwise, if they had gone for just one card with their final slot, they would have likely needed to wait months for their next oldest card to drop off 5/24. When the one Sapphire rule hit, people immediately applied the double dip as a workaround to the new restriction, because the mechanics are the same. You want to get approved for the second card before the system updates to recognize you’ve already been approved for a first card that should be preclusive.

If the loophole were to close, you’re right that it’s not the end of the world. It’s 50k UR you’ll be missing out on, but those points would have come at a cost of one under 5/24 slot. And that would free you to get other cards with comparable value.

Previously, the popular thought was to eat the $95 AF for the big bonus, then cancel or product change the CIP (to a CIC) after a year. But, the CIP’s 3x earning ability on Plastiq, Gyft, Swych, Venmo, eBay fees and shipping, etc., the 1.25x redemption bonus if you don’t have the CSP or CSR, and ability to generate referral bonuses (the CIC and CIU don’t have referrals) has made it a keeper card for a lot of people. In addition, with the CIC and CIU each having 50k UR signup bonuses, the shift in thinking is to hold on to the CIP if the numbers work out, cancel the CIP if not, and apply for the CIC and/or CIU separately so you can get the signup bonus. You don’t get a bonus for product changing your CIP to the CIC/CIU.

3 business card on your one SSN (without resorting to signing up for EINs), with applications sufficiently spaced out, and keeping overall credit lines low to increase your chances of auto-approval, seems to be about the upper limit of what Chase will approve.

Ok, I feel a little better knowing the double dip has been around for a decent amount of time. I read it is best to attempt it during a weekday in the event you need to call to get the application pushed through. My Disney Visa went through immediately 2 years ago so I think this one would be ok too.

Are there any cons to doing the CIP after the Sapphire double dip? I guess I want to make sure the CIP will benefit me and that I am actually going to go the business card route prior to potentially losing the 2 sapphires. If I went the business route, I would probably only start with the one and see how it played out.

 

[Haley R]

Dh is going to try moving up our next statement date. How soon is too soon? What should he move it to? It’s currently set for August 25

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Dh is going to try moving up our next statement date. How soon is too soon? What should he move it to? It’s currently set for August 25

The only option I saw when looking to do this a few months ago was to move the payment due date...which changes the statement close date...but it would not change the current statement due date..in your case in August....just the next one in September

 

[gottalovepluto]

Swalphin help- anyone familiar with the Java Bar? We’re staying Beach Club and I’m having images of my espresso addicted family awake at 7am unable to get to the French bakery in Epcot until 9am... They don’t end well! I need a backup plan! (I once tried a mocha at the AKL QS and it was the most disgusting mocha I’d ever had so want to avoid BC QS pseuedo-espresso bar.) Can you get a semi-decent latte at the Java Bar at Swan? (My bar isn’t high, I swear! Give me a Starbucks and I’m a very happy camper ) OH- and can you bring drinks with you on a Friendship Boat to the parks?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Swalphin help- anyone familiar with the Java Bar? We’re staying Beach Club and I’m having images of my espresso addicted family awake at 7am unable to get to the French bakery in Epcot until 9am... They don’t end well! I need a backup plan! (I once tried a mocha at the AKL QS and it was the most disgusting mocha I’d ever had so want to avoid BC QS pseuedo-espresso bar.) Can you get a semi-decent latte at the Java Bar at Swan? (My bar isn’t high, I swear! Give me a Starbucks and I’m a very happy camper ) OH- and can you bring drinks with you on a Friendship Boat to the parks?

We haven’t been stopped with drinks on the boats but there may be a no food or beverage sign, so ymmv. As for the other, you could ask on the Swolphin thread. Dan over there is super nice and helpful
https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...olphin-resorts-information-questions.3264274/

 

[wendow]

Staples has $100 MC gc on sale for $101.95.

https://m.staples.com/mastercard-100-gift-card/product_2473138?storeId=10001&AID=10463300&PID=6146859&SID=jkfylipdxk002d7s009bn&cvosrc=affiliate.cj.6146859&cvo_campaign=Subaffiliate&cm_mmc=CJ-_-6146859-_-6146859-_-10463300&CID=AFF:6146859:6146859:10463300&CJPIXEL=CJPIXEL

Thinking of getting a few to use the 10% offer on DH’s Amex Delta Gold (old card, not trying to meet MSR). Does anyone have experience with MC from Staples? I could cash out via MO but was thinking of paying a few bills via Plastiq and the Masterpass promo or discounted Disney gc at Sam’s Club.

I actually just bought one of these using the Amex offer. I think main thing is use right away for fraud prevention. I'll be using the day it arrives to buy Disney GC's from Sam's.

 

[wendow]

Has anyone done the Retailmenot offer for Staples, and received a pending notice? I bought the mastercard GC but no pending notice. Wondering if it takes longer since it's online only??

 

[wendow]

If I want to go for the SPG biz and the Marriott biz, does it matter which order I apply? Thinking no but want to make sure I'm not missing something.

I'm really, really tired. I've not been around much this past week. Here is why:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/w71BK1wfTV1oNbo39
This is my ds9 in his first play/musical. I spent all week running around looking for costume pieces and working with him on his song and lines