I love credit cards so much!

[amalone1013]

I just realized that with DF's new CSR, he should probably qualify for the Chase Pay/Walmart deal... Why yes, I will take 10x UR on some of the minimum spend!

All of the card culling/AFs has me thinking too... We had decided to keep my CSR another year, but that was before we knew we'd get DF one. My AF will come up in October... it might depend on if I try to double dip on Chase cards for my last 5/24 spot and it works, I was thinking about trying for Marriott and CSP with CSP second. My CSR has become my main card and I've figured that after subtracting the sign up bonus/min spend UR points, I've earned about 30k UR points in 10 months. To keep or not to keep, that is the question...

With DF's CSR now, our AFs add up to $1366. 2 CSRs, 2 Personal SPGs, and a SW Biz and SW Plus. The SW cards are for sure getting cancelled. We're going to keep the SPG cards another year, their AFs just are coming up now.

 

[AmyAnne]

Thank you! I figured I wouldn't be put out too much since I wasn't at fault, but you never know with these big companies.

My uncle was in a horrible car accident last week, and I've spent much of my time at the hospital ever since. So I didn't have the energy to research all of my questions, but I knew you all would have the answers for me.

Just wanted to say I'm glad you caught the issue and it got resolved quickly. I hope your uncle is getting better.

 

[Albort]

TPG makes the Citi Prestige sound inticing. Any thoughts on it? We do take a lot of trips that are 4 or more nights but I typically check the fed rate and other rates on the hotel's site.

Citi Prestige compared to the CSR is actually better imo. Citi 4th night free as mentioned. If you do stay up to 4 nights at a lot of places, u get 25% back. Now u can book it online through citi bank's portal. Another great feature are the insurances. Citi Prestige trip delay kicks in at 4hours, CSR kicks in at 6 hours. The travel cancellation is also a lot better as they will cover flights out in case if you get stuck... For example, your in Europe, you just found out your grandma passed away. When u book your return flight same day, Citi says that they will cover that expense too, CSR insurance does not. As someone who is still working with CSR's trip cancellation insurance, chase is absolutely terrible. People say Citi has a lot better insurance results than chase. (YMMV) 2 downside of Prestige is $250 credit(vs the $300) and Priority pass is limited to 2 ppl or immediate family(priority pass only limited to lounge rules) one more, Prestige hold secondary insurance within the US(outside US, it hold primary), CSR holds primary.

I have the Citi Premier which is the $99 version one(like the CSP). The categories match up with prestige, with the exception of gas being in the 3x category while Prestige is at the 2x category. My family and I primary have this card because our airline of choice and flown most often is EVA Air, which Citi is the only partner we can transfer miles to. I have only done 1 price protection which was pretty simple and easy. On retention, they give some pretty good bonuses. i got an extra +2 points on all category for 6 month. i heard the prestige goes up to +% points on all categories.

The only thing i hate about Citi is that it doesnt relaly tell u if this makes 3x or 2x. its very vague on it.

This is... a Citibank non affiliated review.

 

[peel]

Just wanted to say I'm glad you caught the issue and it got resolved quickly. I hope your uncle is getting better.

Thank you very much! We're cautiously optimistic, but he has a very long road ahead.

 

[Alexle2007]

Citi Prestige compared to the CSR is actually better imo. Citi 4th night free as mentioned. If you do stay up to 4 nights at a lot of places, u get 25% back. Now u can book it online through citi bank's portal. Another great feature are the insurances. Citi Prestige trip delay kicks in at 4hours, CSR kicks in at 6 hours. The travel cancellation is also a lot better as they will cover flights out in case if you get stuck... For example, your in Europe, you just found out your grandma passed away. When u book your return flight same day, Citi says that they will cover that expense too, CSR insurance does not. As someone who is still working with CSR's trip cancellation insurance, chase is absolutely terrible. People say Citi has a lot better insurance results than chase. (YMMV) 2 downside of Prestige is $250 credit(vs the $300) and Priority pass is limited to 2 ppl or immediate family(priority pass only limited to lounge rules) one more, Prestige hold secondary insurance within the US(outside US, it hold primary), CSR holds primary.

I have the Citi Premier which is the $99 version one(like the CSP). The categories match up with prestige, with the exception of gas being in the 3x category while Prestige is at the 2x category. My family and I primary have this card because our airline of choice and flown most often is EVA Air, which Citi is the only partner we can transfer miles to. I have only done 1 price protection which was pretty simple and easy. On retention, they give some pretty good bonuses. i got an extra +2 points on all category for 6 month. i heard the prestige goes up to +% points on all categories.

The only thing i hate about Citi is that it doesnt relaly tell u if this makes 3x or 2x. its very vague on it.

This is... a Citibank non affiliated review.

Thanks. We are looking at a trip to Australia and see Quantas is on the Citi list to transfer which was nice. That is who we flew with when we went 17 years ago.

 

[Albort]

Thanks. We are looking at a trip to Australia and see Quantas is on the Citi list to transfer which was nice. That is who we flew with when we went 17 years ago.

looks like its 60k round trip. seems pretty good! I checked it at awardace and looks like if you dont have enough from citi, you can transfer MR/SPG to Asia Miles(Cathay Pacific) and redeem Qantas from there...

also AA might be a good choice. 60k as well with lower fuel surcharge.

 

[Lain]

I don't think my Uber egift card orders from Walmart .com for the 10x UR promo tracked on Shop through Chase. It's been just about 2 weeks since my order, and it's never taken this long for my Shop through Chase points to post. The terms do exclude gift cards so I'm not surprised.

 

[Ngwira]

The thing with the Ultimate Rewards earnings cards is that it is so easy to downgrade to a no fee version. If you ever want the higher benefits again, you just call to upgrade and no credit pull. Over the past year my husband and I had 3 premium cards between us, not counting all the excess cards we all have in this hobby. So that meant paying fees on two Amex plats and a Citi Prestige. It's absurd and that's where I drew the line. I think it's really easy for people to master the accumulation part of this hobby and even the award redemptions ... but cutting cards is part of churning too and its often neglected... or you get attached to one benefit and hate to let it go but it really isn't worth the money (Centurion lounge access, I'm looking at you).

Yes, my Platinum card and PRG are dunzo come October.

 

[Ava]

Is there any harm in adding my minor child as an authorized user on my CC account? I have an offer on my AmEx Blue Cash for a $25 statement credit for adding a new user and spending $250 on their card in the first 3 months (limit of 4 offers). My DW is already an AU on this account so I can't add her, but if there is no harm to anyone's credit report (and it will be allowed) I could add my 2 kids to get an easy $50 back for $500 in spend. The card also has no AF so I could just sock drawer the kids' cards after I make the initial spend.

PS - I love AmEx offers. DW got both the cell phone and cable 10% back up to $30 offers on her BC account. We have a family plan with my MIL for our cell phones so our bill is over $100/month, and I set our cable bill to pay $100/month even though the bill is less so we can max out that credit too. Got the first of both of those credits back, and at the end of the 3 months I'll have enough credit on my cable bill to almost cover the next 2 months. (And the cable one worked even though we only subscribe to internet through the cable company, not TV.) I also got $15 back on a $50 purchase at Petco online, and have the $50 back on $50 at Hulu on 2 cards. I added that offer to both cards and once I hit the $50 on the first card, I'll change the billing over to the other card. I upgraded to the "no commercials" plan to be able to max out the offer on both cards and will end up getting almost 10 months of free Hulu once it's said and done.

 

[AmyAnne]

Is there any harm in adding my minor child as an authorized user on my CC account? I have an offer on my AmEx Blue Cash for a $25 statement credit for adding a new user and spending $250 on their card in the first 3 months (limit of 4 offers). My DW is already an AU on this account so I can't add her, but if there is no harm to anyone's credit report (and it will be allowed) I could add my 2 kids to get an easy $50 back for $500 in spend. The card also has no AF so I could just sock drawer the kids' cards after I make the initial spend.

PS - I love AmEx offers. DW got both the cell phone and cable 10% back up to $30 offers on her BC account. We have a family plan with my MIL for our cell phones so our bill is over $100/month, and I set our cable bill to pay $100/month even though the bill is less so we can max out that credit too. Got the first of both of those credits back, and at the end of the 3 months I'll have enough credit on my cable bill to almost cover the next 2 months. (And the cable one worked even though we only subscribe to internet through the cable company, not TV.) I also got $15 back on a $50 purchase at Petco online, and have the $50 back on $50 at Hulu on 2 cards. I added that offer to both cards and once I hit the $50 on the first card, I'll change the billing over to the other card. I upgraded to the "no commercials" plan to be able to max out the offer on both cards and will end up getting almost 10 months of free Hulu once it's said and done.

I think AmEx has a minimum age for an authorized user - 13 or 15 maybe? But being an AU on my and DH's cards did give our kids' credit scores a boost (it's not the same as having credit in their own names because the banks can see that they are not responsible for paying, but it still is a plus).

 

[Albort]

I think AmEx has a minimum age for an authorized user - 13 or 15 maybe? But being an AU on my and DH's cards did give our kids' credit scores a boost (it's not the same as having credit in their own names because the banks can see that they are not responsible for paying, but it still is a plus).

there was a reddit post about that, how people put their child as AU before they were born. when they turn 18, they had 800 credit scores.

 

[Lain]

Is there any harm in adding my minor child as an authorized user on my CC account? I have an offer on my AmEx Blue Cash for a $25 statement credit for adding a new user and spending $250 on their card in the first 3 months (limit of 4 offers). My DW is already an AU on this account so I can't add her, but if there is no harm to anyone's credit report (and it will be allowed) I could add my 2 kids to get an easy $50 back for $500 in spend. The card also has no AF so I could just sock drawer the kids' cards after I make the initial spend.

The minimum age for an AU on an Amex card is 15. I believe you also have to provide the AU's SSN within 60 days of the card issuing.

As far as I know, there is no minimum age for AUs on Chase cards and people even add their pets. I guess the only consequence would be your child could have a credit history almost as old as he/she is.

 

[Ngwira]

100,000 points posted to my IHG account. Statement just closed yesterday so that was fast. Also got "Platinum" status by virtue of having the card.

I'm also doing my first "mattress run" to get 27,000 points in my Wyndham account. That's enough for almost 2 nights at any WYNDHAM hotel. May use it at Bonnet Creek next year. Wyndham sent a targeted promotion to certain account holders to earn 10,000 points after a single stay. I stacked that with another Wyndham promo which gives you 7500 points when you stay and use masterpass to pay for your room. You can get up to 15,000 points by staying twice. They are also giving you an extra 1000 points with each paid stay.
I booked two nights at the Knights Inn 15 minutes from my house. Total for both stays is $120. I will check in, view the room and check out. I think $120 for 27,000 points is a no brainer.

 

[Alexle2007]

looks like its 60k round trip. seems pretty good! I checked it at awardace and looks like if you dont have enough from citi, you can transfer MR/SPG to Asia Miles(Cathay Pacific) and redeem Qantas from there...

also AA might be a good choice. 60k as well with lower fuel surcharge.

Thanks for checking the pricing! I had looked at United since I have lots of UR points and it was 80k round trip from D.C. to Sydney. I'll check some others.

 

[nhgirl]

i thought i read something about not using the Ink+ on price protection or insurance or something of that sort... considered that if your not actually using it for business... Ill try to dig up about it. i cant seem to find it.

PS, does anyone know how to activate the walmart GC? i got both my cards but for some dang reason, they are inactive... :\ Clicking on the links, they still show up inactive even after 6 hours.

I got an email from Walmart after I ordered the GC. It said for security purposes the GC in not active until I clink on the link in their email. It said to wait until I received the GC then go to their email to activate it.

 

[lark]

100,000 points posted to my IHG account. Statement just closed yesterday so that was fast. Also got "Platinum" status by virtue of having the card.

I'm also doing my first "mattress run" to get 27,000 points in my Wyndham account. That's enough for almost 2 nights at any WYNDHAM hotel. May use it at Bonnet Creek next year. Wyndham sent a targeted promotion to certain account holders to earn 10,000 points after a single stay. I stacked that with another Wyndham promo which gives you 7500 points when you stay and use masterpass to pay for your room. You can get up to 15,000 points by staying twice. They are also giving you an extra 1000 points with each paid stay.
I booked two nights at the Knights Inn 15 minutes from my house. Total for both stays is $120. I will check in, view the room and check out. I think $120 for 27,000 points is a no brainer.

One thing to be aware about with Wyndham, though, is that there are not too many ways to earn points if you don't have the credit card. So, 27,000 points is good, but anything that doesn't divide by 15,000 means you're going to either need to do something to get some more points (like use a portal) or you'll end up making a sub-optimal redemption. Your 12,000 left over points are not worth very much if you don't have a cost-effective way to accumulate another 3,000 in the future. For that reason, I would give some thought to doing a second mattress run for an additional 7,500 points to get you over the 30,000 barrier. Is 7,500 points worth a $60 mattress run? You can't really look at Wyndham (unless you have the credit card or plan to stay at Wyndhams frequently) like other points where you figure out a points per cent acquisition cost, because the simple fact is that the incremental value of 1,000 points depends on how many you already have. If you have 1,000 points, an additional 1,000 is not worth much, but if you have 14,000 points, then 1,000 points is very valuable.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

One thing to be aware about with Wyndham, though, is that there are not too many ways to earn points if you don't have the credit card. So, 27,000 points is good, but anything that doesn't divide by 15,000 means you're going to either need to do something to get some more points (like use a portal) or you'll end up making a sub-optimal redemption. Your 12,000 left over points are not worth very much if you don't have a cost-effective way to accumulate another 3,000 in the future. For that reason, I would give some thought to doing a second mattress run for an additional 7,500 points to get you over the 30,000 barrier. Is 7,500 points worth a $60 mattress run? You can't really look at Wyndham (unless you have the credit card or plan to stay at Wyndhams frequently) like other points where you figure out a points per cent acquisition cost, because the simple fact is that the incremental value of 1,000 points depends on how many you already have. If you have 1,000 points, an additional 1,000 is not worth much, but if you have 14,000 points, then 1,000 points is very valuable.

Interesting. I have not looked into Wyndham much but just signed up for an account since Six Flags passholders were offered Gold status. I have no idea if this is good or how I'll use it but I figured it couldn't hurt.

 

[lark]

The best way to think of Wyndham rewards is like one of those punch cards you get at fast food or other restaurants, where when you get 10 punches you get a free sandwich. A card with 9 punches is not worth anything on its own, until you buy another sandwich. But, on the other hand, even if you bought 10 super cheap sandwiches, you can redeem your punch card for the most expensive sandwich on the menu.

That's Wyndham, sort of. Every hotel takes 15,000 points for a reward night. It doesn't matter if it's a $40 rodeway inn or a times square $500 room. So, if you have 15,000 points, they can be redeemed for over three cents a point, but if you have 14,000 points, you've got pretty much zilch. The only other worthwhile redemption that gives you value -- and it is psychic not monetary -- is to donate them to charity. The other main redemptions are 6,000 points for a small number of airline miles or 12,500 points for $50 gift card. To complete the punch card analogy, if you're on 14,000 points, there aren't many ways to get that last 1,000 for most people other than staying at a hotel.

One last point, and this one is purely speculation on my part. These recent promos are definitely good, and, if you have a cheap Wyndham brand near you, mattress run worthy. But I probably would not do it unless I had a specific redemption in mind in the near to mid future. I don't think the current Wyndham system is sustainable. They are giving points away like candy and the $500 hotels are eventually going to balk. It feels to me a bit like the Club Carlson program did when you could get 2 nights for 1 if you had the credit card, and points were easy to accumulate. It was too good to be true, and sure enough it disappeared. I would not be surprised to see a Wyndham devaluation, or to see higher end hotels find ways to block award rooms that are tolerated by Wyndham. Hopefully, they would give notice of any devaluation, but it's not like Wyndham has a long rewards track record that gives comfort that they are trustworthy.

 

[GlamMistress]

Yes, my Platinum card and PRG are dunzo come October.

I'm keeping my PRG. While I rotate around on other cards to hit minimum spend, I always go back to the PRG as my ride or die. It has the best earning for me and all my bills go to it as well. For an effective $95 fee, I feel it's a no brainer.

 

[Ava]

The minimum age for an AU on an Amex card is 15. I believe you also have to provide the AU's SSN within 60 days of the card issuing.

As far as I know, there is no minimum age for AUs on Chase cards and people even add their pets. I guess the only consequence would be your child could have a credit history almost as old as he/she is.

Darn, my kids are only 8 and 4 so that won't work. Oh well. I guess I could ask my mom and MIL if I can add them, although that would probably result in having to explain what exactly I do with credit cards, and that I'm not ruining anyone's credit score or going into debt.