I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[Lain]

REMINDER:

• Fee free deal on $200 Visa Gift Cards at Staples starts today 5/5/19 through 5/11/19.
• Earn 4x fuel points at Kroger on $25, $50, or $100 fixed value Visa and Mastercard Gift Cards, and third-party gift cards, starts today 5/5/19 through 5/12/19.
• Save $10 on 2x$50 and $15 on 2x$100 Mastercard Gift Cards is back at Albertsons, Safeway et al. through 5/14/19.

 

[Natgridenergy]

Any updates on the Serve glitch today?

I’m heading to your next of the woods to hit up staples and fd. I’ll let you know.

 

[wed100105]

When we go to Disney will always do a table service for dinner and do not get the DP since it doesn't save us any $$$. One thing to note. If your child that is turning to adult age (10?), they can still order off the kids menu at Disney with no problem. When we go table service we don't order overpriced sodas and desserts, just our main meals and an appetizer or two and our bill is reasonable.[/QUOTE

I've decided that I like the dining plan more now that our oldest will be a Disney adult. We ate at Ohana on Easter. 2 adults, 2 kids, 1 infant was $215. The food was okay, not great. Our service was also good, but nothing over-the-top. I've decided that I'd rather pay for the meals while I'm at home dreaming about Disney, and then feel like I'm getting such a "value" when we go over that amount. We wouldn't order drinks and desserts at home, so splurging at Disney is a real treat. DD is excited to get to try all the delicious adult meals, too. She's a big eater though, so I don't mind

 

[platamama]

So I have a #Bonvoyed story to share.

As many of you know, Amex Offers recently came out with a Marriott Bonvoy offer for $40 off $200. On our recent stay, we did a split tender of our room charge between my Amex Plat and my wife's SPG cards. However, both charges somehow ended up on my wife's card! So we've only gotten one statement credit. Now, both my card and my wife's card have the same last 4 digits (argh! Amex!) so maybe the hotel was confused? I don't know whether to blame the hotel for getting #bonvoyed, or Amex for its stupid numbering system.

It's been a chore calling the hotel's accounting department to correct this. When I called early last week and explained the situation, went over the billing, our cards and statements, he took my name and number, said he'd talk to his supervisor, and call me back. Nope. Called again, got to lots of voicemails, finally got person, redirected a few times, talked it over, they sent me a credit card authorization form to authorize a new payment on my Plat, then they'll charge the Plat and refund the SPG, filled it out and faxed back. That was Friday. No movement since. All this trouble for $40.

Amex does drive me nuts with its numbering system.

I've found that the front desk at hotels really are flummoxed by a guest making extra payments toward the room bill, they inevitably have to go find a manager to do it. First, they think you want to change the card on the room to the new one in your hand. Um, no, that's not what I requested. It's near impossible to do if I'm just staying for one night, but if I'm staying for more than one night I can usually get a second (or third) payment in. With the auto check-out system, they've already charged the card on the reservation by midnight so you can't even take care of it on the day you check out. It's aggravating.

 

[Judique]

being overinsured is a waste of money.

If nothing disastrous happens, yes. If something happens, there is a higher benefit.

I actually agree with you. So long as my standard of living is steady and my death or loved one's death will not negatively impact the current standard of living, having extra insurance just in case is sort of like buying a lottery ticket.

I'd prefer to keep the funds in my day to day budget and not worry about increasing my standard of living - or in other words I'm happy with what I have now.

 

[kmc8826]

American Express I so don’t get you! A little over a month ago I realized that DH’s personal Delta platinum was coming up for the AF in June. Although the companion certificate is nice we now have four between us and since you can’t use gift cards with the costs it makes it difficult. Long story short I did the live chat and product changed it to the no AF Delta blue. I did not want to cancel outright since it is his longest Amex card (2011). Since I got the new Delta blue I have put 2 charges on it for dining (“see Amex don’t pop us again we love all your cards!”). Today when I got on there I have a negative balance as Amex has credited back $32.50 for the AF. The weird thing is that we have already used the companion certificate which he got with the AF last year so I did not expect a credit.

AMEX = we won’t credit you for a very long time or ever OR we will give you a credit when it does not really make any sense.

Oh and yes the numbering of cards is the worst! Twice now I have put the monthly sewer charge on my Delta personal plat instead of Biz Plat which was my intention. They both end the exact same way!

 

[Albort]

Me:
2/2019 Chase Ink Preferred Business
2/2019 Barclay's Frontier Airlines Mastercard
2/2019 AU on DH's AMEX Ascend Should have never done that. Doh!
9/2017 AMEX Hilton Ascend

I also have Kohls, CSR, Disney Visa, Gap Visa, Pottery Barn, GM Card, and some older cards that I don't use much if at all.

I was worreid about the bust out. Yikes. That'd be awful to get all my cards shut down. We could wait on the Southwest companion pass until next year. I don't have to have a new card now. I just have a big chunk of spend coming up and want to maximize it the best I can.

whats your listed AOA?

 

[amalone1013]

Amex does drive me nuts with its numbering system.

I've found that the front desk at hotels really are flummoxed by a guest making extra payments toward the room bill, they inevitably have to go find a manager to do it. First, they think you want to change the card on the room to the new one in your hand. Um, no, that's not what I requested. It's near impossible to do if I'm just staying for one night, but if I'm staying for more than one night I can usually get a second (or third) payment in. With the auto check-out system, they've already charged the card on the reservation by midnight so you can't even take care of it on the day you check out. It's aggravating.

I was worried about this on our trip but luckily we got good people at the front desk at Dolphin and Pop and they had no issues. I did both the morning of checkout.

 

[WVMomof3]

Ok now I'm looking into WAEPA, and using the calculator I can get up to $650k in coverage for the same bi-weekly cost as FEGLI. What am I missing here? This seems like a tremendously better idea. Is FEGLI a bad deal? I suppose I know what I am doing today.

FEGLI is a bad deal. Like I said, we dropped it 20 years ago. For us at the time, in addition to being pricey, did not offer enough coverage. We wanted a $1million policy and with FEGLI only going to 5x salary that was not near enough of we wanted. I think the 5x salary was also comparable to what we ended up paying for the much higher policy. Also, if you are not aware, and probably should not be a problem, but once you get out of FEGLI it is not that easy to get back in. They do not have open periods every year, they are few and far between, unless you have a qualifying life event. I think I am going to go ahead with the WAEPA, but DH is actually concerned about privatization in the next few years, so I may need to look into something else. Though, we have been hearing that for a long time, so hopefully not, but I think if the current administration goes for round 2 he doesn't think he will be fed by the end of it.

 

[tink1970]

a bit noisy with all of the Navy jet flyovers

That would be the best part for me! Of course I sit outside by my pool and watch the Blue Angels practice and am fond of Navy jet noise

 

[wed100105]

whats your listed AOA?

What's an AOA?

 

[tink1970]

If nothing disastrous happens, yes. If something happens, there is a higher benefit.

Having a grandfather who passed away at 44 leaving DGM with nothing but bills, I agree. Also, just found out an acquaintance of mine was just diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic cancer (colon, putatively). He and his wife just dropped a cool $250K on renovation and now the main bread earner will be down for a while...or permanently (he's 50). So...like all insurances, it seems like a rip off until you need it.

 

[wed100105]

FEGLI is a bad deal. Like I said, we dropped it 20 years ago. For us at the time, in addition to being pricey, did not offer enough coverage. We wanted a $1million policy and with FEGLI only going to 5x salary that was not near enough of we wanted. I think the 5x salary was also comparable to what we ended up paying for the much higher policy. Also, if you are not aware, and probably should not be a problem, but once you get out of FEGLI it is not that easy to get back in. They do not have open periods every year, they are few and far between, unless you have a qualifying life event. I think I am going to go ahead with the WAEPA, but DH is actually concerned about privatization in the next few years, so I may need to look into something else. Though, we have been hearing that for a long time, so hopefully not, but I think if the current administration goes for round 2 he doesn't think he will be fed by the end of it.

This convo is making me nervous. We've always had SGLI for Dh and a small policy (free I think) for me. We have whole-life, too. I don't talk about it much because so many people are against it, but we needed long-term planning with the farm. We have I think more life insurance than most our age. We each have it through our work, policies through Country Companies, and a 50K whole life policy with guaranteed options to increase for the kids. DH has a Modern Woodsman policy as well. We pay $3400 a year plus whatever is taken out of our checks for the SGLI and kids' policies at my work (minimal ~ maybe $10 a month for all 3 kids). It's enough that either of us could live comfortably with the kids and keep the farm.

 

[Albort]

What's an AOA?

Age of Accounts.

 

[Limes96]

I won’t have a problem making an $1100 charge on my new Arrival+ today would I? I activated it Thursday and made one charge Friday and two yesterday, each under $50. This is my first ever Barclay card.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I second this! But also want to add that its important to evaluate whether you really need it. If you're a 2 income family and can easily live off 1 income, then it may not be necessary. It really depends on where you'd be financially if you lost an income. Commissions on life insurance policies are quite large, so advisors love to sell them. While I certainly don't advocate being underinsured, being overinsured is a waste of money.

That is definitely worth mentioning. All of your insurance should have a defined purpose (i.e. what am I replacing with this money). My wife is a SAHM. Here's our approach on our term policies:

• The policy on her is to allow me to hire a nanny or housekeeper, etc. if something were to happen to her. This would allow me to continue to support the family as I do now without having to cut back my hours or switch jobs. We reduced the amount of insurance on her each of our past 2 re-assessments because as our daughter's get older, the expenses would be less there. The idea of needing a full-time nanny for a 1 year old and 5 year old seems a lot more necessary than for a 5 year old and 9 year old. At one time we had $1MM on her policy and are now down to $500k. I don't think I'll reduce it further as the premium is very affordable ($285 annually) but I'm not sure we will extend the 20 years again. Her policy will expire around the time our youngest turns 25.
• The policy on me is to replace my long-term income. This would basically provide enough money that my wife would not have to turn to full-time work to support the family. It should also set her up to pay for college for our girls and assumes that at some point when the girls are teenagers, she would resume some level of work and provide some income. As our net worth has grown and our mortgage approaches $0, I've also adjusted some there. At one time I had $2MM (which based on my income at the time required me to justify why we wanted that much to the insurance companies believe it or not!, LOL). I've cut back to $1.4MM now which has helped reduced the premium cost (although that's been more than offset by my whole life policies and those costs). If something happened to me now, my wife would have $70k per year to live on using a very conservative 3% SWR (safe withdrawal rate). That's over $20k more than we spend currently each year lol (perhaps I should watch my back!)
• And then of course I have those whole life policies which I spoke about yesterday...The purpose of this is to be diversify my investments, and they also are a part of my tax planning/estate planning and early retirement strategy.

So I wholeheartedly agree with @pillow that you shouldn't be over-insured. It is a waste of money. You should have a purpose for your insurance. Your GOAL for term life insurance is to burn that check every year. I NEVER want to collect a dollar from that. I hope that 20 years from now I was happy to spend $15k over the last 20 years on term life and not collected a dime from it.

 

[vanjust14]

I’m heading to your next of the woods to hit up staples and fd. I’ll let you know.

Thanks. I actually just went and all is well at FD.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Me:
2/2019 Chase Ink Preferred Business
2/2019 Barclay's Frontier Airlines Mastercard
2/2019 AU on DH's AMEX Ascend Should have never done that. Doh!
9/2017 AMEX Hilton Ascend

I also have Kohls, CSR, Disney Visa, Gap Visa, Pottery Barn, GM Card, and some older cards that I don't use much if at all.

I was worreid about the bust out. Yikes. That'd be awful to get all my cards shut down. We could wait on the Southwest companion pass until next year. I don't have to have a new card now. I just have a big chunk of spend coming up and want to maximize it the best I can.

Thansk @Lain for tagging me - I'd like to share some specific thoughts for this user but also some general comments that I think could benefit all of our friends here...

First off @wed100105 I am confused - did you get the CIP in 03/19 or 02/19? Your comment just before this said March but this says February? (This has nothing to do with my comment to follow, just make sure you are being SUPER accurate with these dates as people giving you advice will assume you are listing them correctly).

At any rate, earlier this week you seemed set on the fact that you would not get a lot of use out of the SW CP in 2020 and you had decided to not do it this year.

You are falling into a trap that ALL of us fall into from time to time (ugh...that Citi Hilton card I got back in May of 2015.....) and that is Churning FOMO! These new shiny "best ever" offers come out and you just have to have it! (I am not saying this in a demeaning way, it literally happens to all of us). Here's what you need to remind yourself:

• The Companion Pass has a limited shelf life...you get it for the rest of this year and all of next year. The earlier in the year you earn it, the better!
• The Companion Pass value is both unlimited and also worth nothing! (Huh???!!?) What I mean is...
  • You could earn your your CP on Jan 1st and use it everyday on a $500 flight for the next 2 years and it would be worth $365,000! (although you'd have to also buy $365k in flights to make that work...but you get what I'm saying, lol!)
  • OR you could earn your CP in July and use it on 3 round trip flights (say $400) over the next 18 months and get $1,200 in value out of it.
  • OR you could earn a CP and never use it, and it was worth $0 to you
• 60,000 Points on SW personal cards are exciting - yes, absolutely! BUT there is a 50k offer available through in-flight links all year round. And the 60k biz offer is their standard offer now. So while FOMO says "Oh no, I'm missing out on 120k SW points and a CP"...you're potentially only "missing out" on 10k SW points. Wouldn't it be better to earn that CP in early 2020 and have it for 22+ months and then make full use of it in 2020 and 2021? 10k SW points are only worth ~$150 which the longer duration (and better planning) for a CP could blow that away!

@SouthFayetteFan's Summary Comment on the Updated 60,000 Point Southwest Offers (this is for anybody considering this): Don't get caught up in FOMO here. If you were planning to earn CP in early 2020 then stay the course. Don't let 10,000 SW points change your strategy! By the same token, if SW cards weren't on your radar at all OR if you don't go for Biz cards, perhaps these offers are worth considering. In general, I'd consult with the thread here on your situation and we'll be happy to help.

@wed100105 - It's hard for me to state with certainty what you should do here...BUT IMHO, I don't think 10k SW points should change your approach that you decided on earlier this week, I'd pass at this time... (Or if it's the right move, I'd go for it, LOL - just not solely because this offer popped up)...

 

[Alexle2007]

REMINDER:

• Fee free deal on $200 Visa Gift Cards at Staples starts today 5/5/19 through 5/11/19.
• Earn 4x fuel points at Kroger on $25, $50, or $100 fixed value Visa and Mastercard Gift Cards, and third-party gift cards, starts today 5/5/19 through 5/12/19.
• Save $10 on 2x$50 and $15 on 2x$100 Mastercard Gift Cards is back at Albertsons, Safeway et al. through 5/14/19.

I also had $10 off Kohl’s GC offer on my Safeway Just for U.

 

[wed100105]

I won’t have a problem making an $1100 charge on my new Arrival+ today would I? I activated it Thursday and made one charge Friday and two yesterday, each under $50. This is my first ever Barclay card.

I used my Barclay's Frotnier mc for an $11,000 payment after I received it and had no issues.