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[barkley]

Probably because of all the cards I use and pay off every month for the points/miles/bonuses.

let's not forget the security that can come with using a credit card(s) to pay routine bills and expenses that will still be paid off same month-it's MUCH easier to deal with a credit card that has been hacked or an incorrect charge on a credit card vs. a debit card (anyone whose ever had their bank accounts emptied b/c of 'overdraft protection' rabbit holes due to a compromised debit card can tell you it can take weeks and weeks to get that money back into their accounts ).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I’m an avid churner. I’ve sitting on the sidelines for about 6 months. I plan on getting back in the game starting next month. I’ll find out right away if Banks’s are limiting credit.

It’s a fantastic way to take free vacations. It takes more effort than most people are willing to do and there is still the negative stigma with credit cards.


I couldn’t afford a lot of the vacations I’ve taken over the last years without the miles or points. I’m flying to Rome in a month. The only part of the vacation I’m paying for is the cruise. Flights, hotels and excursions were all covered with miles, points and cash back rewards.

I'm like Barkley I am in awe of people who do it, y'all how it down pat really. And yes to the stigma that's the initial reason I commented.

About the vacations part totally! Well I should say it's more like the points have allowed us to take vacations we otherwise wouldn't not because of "we can't afford" but because it allowed our discretionary income to go farther which I think for some that aspect gets lost in the conversation. That was really was my intention when I made the comment that shall be known as making the thread go south the CCs themselves aren't the problem, people's spending habits are, but the CCs especially with really good points and benefits are really good for allowing trips that people look sideways at other taking. I know we could take even more trips if we got into the churning game but we aren't presently speaking. I can't fault you for taking stock of what you get out of it and using it to its fullest

And just like DLgal with her military benefits that affect her family's situation with my household the fact that my husband traveled for almost 2 years (non-consecutively but for large chunks of time each time) for work had amassed SWA points which has means we haven't paid for a plane ticket in quite a while despite traveling exclusively with SWA. I've been very blunt about that factoid in other conversations because it has meant opportunities for trips that wouldn't have occurred.

• So in 2013 we got the Delta Amex for the honeymoon that got us money off flights (plus no foreign transaction fees which was important). In 2016 we used it for 1 ticket for Hawaii and I've mentioned multiple times on the Board we always thought Hawaii was out of our reach but we did the points for 1 ticket (RT I should say) and then did a FlipKey for rent by owner condo for a week and we loved it

• In 2016 my husband was traveling for work and after accruing points he looked and discussed with me getting the SWA CC to then earn the Companion Pass (back then 110K points) so we did that. We traveled to Disney, Vegas (well I tagged along to his work trip), NYC (also a work trip) with that Companion Pass.

• In 2022 my husband got the Chase Sapphire Reserve card which has been very very helpful to us for this upcoming cruise. The travel benefits are great and this one is where the benefits are going to be the most on a cycle level with the purchasing-points earned carrying onto future trips.

• In 2023 my husband got the Chase Freedom card (the free one) to bridge the gap in benefits the Reserve card doesn't get. We didn't even think about this until we had that discussion with our DISer friend regarding getting multiple cards to bridge those gaps.

 

[BeautyBeastAndNemo]

Hopefully “no sarcasm” is not an actual rule, as being from the UK I tend to engage in that quite a lot, like when I praise Disney for their brilliant IT, for instance. “No mean-spirited sarcasm directed at other board members”, however, would be a rule that I would concur wi

"NO FIGHTING/SARCASM​

While we'd like to think that a Disney fan site is always lighthearted, there are times when there are disagreements. Let's face it, there are certain topics that can transform any of us into a raging "Donald Duck." When you sense this is happening, we ask that you step away from the discussion before it escalates into a fight. Just like Mom always said about fighting, we don't care who started the argument and we don't want it on the DIS. (Okay, she didn't say the part about the DIS, but you know what we mean.) No attacking others and no sarcasm please. Either will result in an infraction"

 

[BeautyBeastAndNemo]

Looks to me like someone was reported for having a sense of humor.

"

NO FIGHTING/SARCASM​

While we'd like to think that a Disney fan site is always lighthearted, there are times when there are disagreements. Let's face it, there are certain topics that can transform any of us into a raging "Donald Duck." When you sense this is happening, we ask that you step away from the discussion before it escalates into a fight. Just like Mom always said about fighting, we don't care who started the argument and we don't want it on the DIS. (Okay, she didn't say the part about the DIS, but you know what we mean.) No attacking others and no sarcasm please. Either will result in an infraction"

 

[georgina]

Thank you - just saw your post as well.
So dumb question, does the opening and closing of cards wreak havoc on your credit score - or is it a nominal impact?

Both my DH and i have been opening cards for the sign up bonuses for several years now. We both have excellent credit scores and have only been denied once that I recall, for trying to open another card a bit too soon. Some cards we close after a year, some we downgrade to a no annual fee version of the card and keep it longer. I keep an eye on our overall utilization, we have some cards with high credit limits and low usage, which seems to help some.

I have opened 19 cards in the last 6 years, DH has opened 18. There is often a referral bonus if I have a card and refer him to get the same one. Definitely takes some keeping track, but i am very organized!

Oh - also, I NEVER pay interest on credit card charges. Have taken advantage of some 0% offers on purchases, because, why not? but I always have the cash to pay them off.

 

[john7994]

Both my DH and i have been opening cards for the sign up bonuses for several years now. We both have excellent credit scores and have only been denied once that I recall, for trying to open another card a bit too soon. Some cards we close after a year, some we downgrade to a no annual fee version of the card and keep it longer. I keep an eye on our overall utilization, we have some cards with high credit limits and low usage, which seems to help some.

I learn something every day on here ... thanks all! Learned about Churning and Yurts!
I guess since I travel for business, I was just used to using our corporate travel and the miles, so never crossed my mind with this other alternative - that and a dark CC debt past

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Both my DH and i have been opening cards for the sign up bonuses for several years now. We both have excellent credit scores and have only been denied once that I recall, for trying to open another card a bit too soon. Some cards we close after a year, some we downgrade to a no annual fee version of the card and keep it longer. I keep an eye on our overall utilization, we have some cards with high credit limits and low usage, which seems to help some.

I have opened 19 cards in the last 6 years, DH has opened 18. There is often a referral bonus if I have a card and refer him to get the same one. Definitely takes some keeping track, but i am very organized!

lol and that is so totally why I felt like my husband and I were late to the game. Not about the churning (already said we don't want to do it) but just the opening up of cards. We focused too long I think on just the SWA CC which is great enough mind you what really prompted my husband to look for something else was wanting a travel card that encompasses a lot more than say a branded one like our Delta and SWA one. In terms of travel and wanting to be able to take multiple trips (or at least hoping too) if you're going to get a CC get a good all-encompassing (or as much as possible) one.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I learn something every day on here ... thanks all! Learned about Churning and Yurts!
I guess since I travel for business, I was just used to using our corporate travel and the miles, so never crossed my mind with this other alternative - that and a dark CC debt past

When my husband was with his prior company he had to use the corporate cc for all travel which sucked because we could have gotten a lot more SWA points. With his current company they are more like use your personal cc and we'll reimburse you which has been really nice. Downside is because he does airline fueling systems some of his travel (which is primarily to airports now) is non-revenue flights like his last two SWA trips were paid by SWA themselves so no points earned

Def. be careful about the debt part (I'm sure you are )

 

[HopperFan]

I learn something every day on here ... thanks all! Learned about Churning and Yurts!
I guess since I travel for business, I was just used to using our corporate travel and the miles, so never crossed my mind with this other alternative - that and a dark CC debt past

And that is why it is okay to let threads become diverse when we are outside the Park Operations threads. Lots of us learn new things, lots of new things. I saw churning and googled. I DID NOT KNOW that Amazon sells small butter churns and now I am so interested in getting one!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

And that is why it is okay to let threads become diverse when we are outside the Park Operations threads. Lots of us learn new things, lots of new things. I saw churning and googled. I DID NOT KNOW that Amazon sells small butter churns and now I am so interested in getting one!

That probably would have been useful in the beginning of the pandemic when everyone was a home baker out of boredom.

But seriously I actually watched a video on how they made butter with a small churn and then used one of those textured paddles to form the butter. Neat stuff really!

 

[john7994]

And that is why it is okay to let threads become diverse when we are outside the Park Operations threads. Lots of us learn new things, lots of new things. I saw churning and googled. I DID NOT KNOW that Amazon sells small butter churns and now I am so interested in getting one!

True that!
On the butter churn, go for it - way too ambitious for me. I am going to stick to the old-fashioned way and buy butter from the store

 

[john7994]

When my husband was with his prior company he had to use the corporate cc for all travel which sucked because we could have gotten a lot more SWA points. With his current company they are more like use your personal cc and we'll reimburse you which has been really nice. Downside is because he does airline fueling systems some of his travel (which is primarily to airports now) is non-revenue flights like his last two SWA trips were paid by SWA themselves so no points earned

Def. be careful about the debt part (I'm sure you are )

We have similar rules on what gets charged where - but we are allowed to use personal credit cards for all expenses other than the flight - I still get the miles for the flights - just not the purchase points.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This is the DIS. Nothing stays on topic!

The only time I've ever seen the on topic be relevant from a moderation standpoint is the official threads (like the Here/Back thread) and every now and then threads where something can get way political fast. For the time when covid first stopped being able to be talked about like it used to that did happen a lot about staying on topic. Otherwise generally threads go where they go.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We have similar rules on what gets charged where - but we are allowed to use personal credit cards for all expenses other than the flight - I still get the miles for the flights - just not the purchase points.

That's a bummer because flights can be the big ticket item! That's why I was bummed about my husband's prior company because they were like that too. Had we been able to use the SWA CC we would have gotten at least 2X the points.

 

[ArielFlounderSebastian357]

And that is why it is okay to let threads become diverse when we are outside the Park Operations threads. Lots of us learn new things, lots of new things. I saw churning and googled. I DID NOT KNOW that Amazon sells small butter churns and now I am so interested in getting one!

at least we now know what a yurt is

i know now it would be between that or a cabin for me and my friend teepee and tent are out

 

[DLgal]

let's not forget the security that can come with using a credit card(s) to pay routine bills and expenses that will still be paid off same month-it's MUCH easier to deal with a credit card that has been hacked or an incorrect charge on a credit card vs. a debit card (anyone whose ever had their bank accounts emptied b/c of 'overdraft protection' rabbit holes due to a compromised debit card can tell you it can take weeks and weeks to get that money back into their accounts ).

Exactly. To date, I've had about 9 credit cards used fraudulently and have had ZERO liability or impact to my cash on hand. The card companies just close the card and reissue a new number. When you have bill pays set up, you get something like a 60 day grace period where the charges will still go through on the old account number. I just make sure to update them as needed when this happens. I pay all but 2 bills on credit cards. Never had a late fee on anything. The 2 bills I cannot pay via credit card are my electric bill and my gas bill. Neither will accept a credit card for autopay and charge a $5 fee for credit card payments anyway.

 

[afan]

Some people launder money through their cc buying visa gift cards and some other techniques.

That's not what money laundering is and buying visa or MasterCard gc with a cc isn't illegal.

 

[DCLMP]

too complicated for me but i'm in awe of those who do it well. that said-anyone who does it should make detailed notes in the event someone has to deal with their finances short or long term. a family member had to deal with his in-law's finances at one point and apparently the guy was a world class churner but my family member couldn't make sense of what was going on ('the credit cards keep coming, there are fees coming due on cards i didn't know he had, why does he have auto pay set up on so many different cards...').

Lol my husband has one credit card that he uses. He could never figure out what I have going on. You bring up a good point.

 

[DCLMP]

That's not what money laundering is and buying visa or MasterCard gc with a cc isn't illegal.

It was a figure of speech. Never stated anything was illegal.

 

[DCLMP]

I'm like Barkley I am in awe of people who do it, y'all how it down pat really. And yes to the stigma that's the initial reason I commented.

About the vacations part totally! Well I should say it's more like the points have allowed us to take vacations we otherwise wouldn't not because of "we can't afford" but because it allowed our discretionary income to go farther which I think for some that aspect gets lost in the conversation. That was really was my intention when I made the comment that shall be known as making the thread go south the CCs themselves aren't the problem, people's spending habits are, but the CCs especially with really good points and benefits are really good for allowing trips that people look sideways at other taking. I know we could take even more trips if we got into the churning game but we aren't presently speaking. I can't fault you for taking stock of what you get out of it and using it to its fullest

And just like DLgal with her military benefits that affect her family's situation with my household the fact that my husband traveled for almost 2 years (non-consecutively but for large chunks of time each time) for work had amassed SWA points which has means we haven't paid for a plane ticket in quite a while despite traveling exclusively with SWA. I've been very blunt about that factoid in other conversations because it has meant opportunities for trips that wouldn't have occurred.

• So in 2013 we got the Delta Amex for the honeymoon that got us money off flights (plus no foreign transaction fees which was important). In 2016 we used it for 1 ticket for Hawaii and I've mentioned multiple times on the Board we always thought Hawaii was out of our reach but we did the points for 1 ticket (RT I should say) and then did a FlipKey for rent by owner condo for a week and we loved it

• In 2016 my husband was traveling for work and after accruing points he looked and discussed with me getting the SWA CC to then earn the Companion Pass (back then 110K points) so we did that. We traveled to Disney, Vegas (well I tagged along to his work trip), NYC (also a work trip) with that Companion Pass.

• In 2022 my husband got the Chase Sapphire Reserve card which has been very very helpful to us for this upcoming cruise. The travel benefits are great and this one is where the benefits are going to be the most on a cycle level with the purchasing-points earned carrying onto future trips.

• In 2023 my husband got the Chase Freedom card (the free one) to bridge the gap in benefits the Reserve card doesn't get. We didn't even think about this until we had that discussion with our DISer friend regarding getting multiple cards to bridge those gaps.

I use r/churners on Reddit for all the rules for each card and bank. Just having great credit score doesn’t always guarantee an approval. There’s also plenty of info online. TPG can be a good resource also.