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

[amalone1013]

how long do you keep the prepaid visa and mc gift cards? I have a stack sitting her and was going to throw them out then thought maybe I should wait a little longer?

What did you spend them on?

 

[alryan]

Does anyone have a like the Hilton card? Are the points good and worth getting the card for? We've seen this offered recently.

I value URs over Hilton, and wouldn't get it in place of an UR earning card, but if you need to slow down with Chase I think it's a decent option. I just got it last week and my 125,000 points will cover 4 nights at the Hilton across from Universal or 2 nights beachfront in Cocoa Beach prior to a cruise. The Hilton website will let you search by points even if you don't have any. I've found between 30000-50000 points per night.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

What did you spend them on?

plastiq

 

[amalone1013]

plastiq

I keep those ones until I can see the plastiq payment post in whatever account I sent it to. Mine have been auto loans so I know I'm not getting refunds

 

[miztressuz]

Another HIGHLY reputable DP of grAAvy train derailment:

Our own @Andysol shares on r/churning the following:

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/bs1kcm/discussion_thread_may_23_2019/eoi6smr/

I’ll be using mailers from now on.
Hit spend two weeks ago and 1st statement closed yesterday for both. No signups. I had no other cards active currently. Closed the previous one 2 months ago.
I suppose the signup could still happen, but I doubt it.
​

This is a very strong DP to me:

1. I highly trust Andy so that now gives us DPs from @platamama, u/gonzohawk and him - all people that we trust
2. He met the spend TWO weeks prior to the stmt closing date so this isn't just a delay in timing

I'm still not sure what to make of all of this... It seems like it's a huge YMMV thing. Some random thoughts on this:

• If you pursue the dummy offer you have to spend $2,000 to find out if you get your bonus. If you don't get it...you wasted $2k in MSR. If you happened to buy the $250 AA eGC and the statement credit didn't post, you could still sell it on Raise and get >$200 back so you'd be out <$50 and get no miles. This is your worst case scenario - if you get the miles and stmt credit you're in great shape. You could also wait to buy an AA eGC to see if you get the initial 40k miles and potentially not waste that $50.
• If you pursue one of the higher offers (i.e. 75k/$5k) then you're spending A LOT more to find out whether you're getting your bonus or not.
• Unless you have a solid source for a mailer code, to stay on the "safer" train you have to purchase a mailer for $40-$70. That's a cost you have to factor in and also the hassle of being the "first" to grab one since the supply is somewhat limited.
• I also should point out that there were DPs that business mailers could be used multiple times in VERY short succession. For those in 2 player mode, you could align your applications to the same day, buy one mailer code and submit the apps within seconds in different browsers I think - so this could save you $50ish on buying 2 mailers. (PLEASE don't just assume this will work without doing a little more research - I'm just loosely recalling something shared months ago here).
• The big thing to remember is that this is a once every 95 days proposition. That has nothing to do with bonuses posting but rather Citi's own application timing rules. So if you apply for a public offer and don't get the bonus you still need to wait until 95 days are up to try again.

I'm not on the train so I don't recollect all the details, but Citi amuses me so I follow along. I thought for at least one card type it mentioned in the welcome letter if the bonus was attached, if you didn't see it there then most likely it's not going to post. Now it's Citi so grain of salt and all, but this bit seemed fairly consistent I thought, I just don't recall if that was only for personal card or business cards or if both cards get it mentioned in the letter.

Also, I added an update on your post in DISchurners regarding using a mailer for multiple applications. It has worked and the post had some details about the time out (basically have to get all the apps in before the built in timeout, 5 or 10 minutes maybe?).

 

[Duck143]

There's actually 4 Hilton credit cards, each with different benefits and fees. Definitely look into the points needed for where you might want to use them for. Hilton doesn't have a set award chart so pricing fluctuates and their points have a lower average cents-per-point (cpp) value. On average a Hilton point is worth roughly .5 cpp (so half of a cent, a $300 room could be roughly 60,000 points) There are some gems out there where you get better value and some where you get worse but usually it falls somewhere in the .45 - .55 cpp range. So while 150k points sounds like a lot, depending on where you go that could be 2, maybe 3, nights.

If it's a brand that you tend to stay in a lot, and pay cash for, then getting the card probably makes sense. The Ascend and the Biz version both earn 12x points for Hilton purchases plus they give you Gold member status which gets you an 80% bonus on your base points earned so it can be easier to replenish the stash. Both cards have a $95 annual fee but if you run the numbers it could be worth it in some situations. They also have a no fee card that grants Silver status and earns 7x with a 100k sign up bonus.

Hilton allows points pooling so you could get multiple cards between spouses and use all the points together. It's not a bad program if you know what you want to use it for. I wouldn't just pick it up willy nilly since the points pricing is so varied.

Thank you for your input! We like Hilton hotels and really liked the DS Hilton. We're thinking about staying there again soon!

 

[Duck143]

Yes, @Duck143 I applied for my personal SW card early March on a 50k bonus offer and just less than two weeks ago I SM’ed them to see if they’d match the newer 60k offer and they did.

I got the 20k extra points applied Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[alryan]

How do you combine chase points with family member? I vaguely remember this was a thing.

On the Ultimate Rewards site, click See More on the top banner and Combine points is an option.

 

[Alexle2007]

Meant to grab a Disney GC to bring with me to work today. DCL has updated their gifts page so you can purchase online vs old phone/fax order form, but the one day Rainforest Room passes aren't on there anymore and that was a specific request from MIL. Heard on the boards that they are doing them if you call in (vs a couple days ago when they weren't at all, said you had to buy on ship) so I wanted to do it today. Oh well, Brilliant upgrade MSR!

Hope she enjoys it! I loved my visits to Rainforest!!!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

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[palhockeymomof2]

How do you combine chase points with family member? I vaguely remember this was a thing.

Once your logged into your account...
click on ultimate rewards use your points...
then click the card you want to transfer the points from
On the top right it should say...combine points
Add the account number you want to add them to

 

[DisneyMandC]

Here's a theory on how to test your AA biz public offer before committing to the $2k spend:

• Apply for the card on the 40k + $250 stmt credit offer
• ONLY purchase a $50 AA eGC on the first statement
• If the $50 stmt credit posts you can probably assume your offer tracked
• Then spend the $2,000 on the next statement AND the additional $200 AA eGC
• Hopefully collect your 40k points and $250 stmt credit in full on your 2nd stmt
• If the $50 stmt credit doesn't post, you could just not hit the MSR and move on. Sell the $50 GC on Raise for $40 and you're out only $10 this way.

Of course, if your bonus doesn't track, you've still wasted your 95 day window in this scenario...

I'm just going with mailers but sharing this as another avenue for people who have no interest in messing with mailers and the cost of them.

Fingers crossed I’m in the clear... $250 statement credit posted on my card. I’m just going to hit MSR on both cards and see what happens. If nothing else I get a couple miles out of the spend and then will evaluate if I need to get personal cards.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

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[1st*toright]

Its incredibly easy to travel in Costa Rica on your own. Driving there is a bit tricky, but it can be done. If you don't want to drive, you can take shared shuttles from town to town - or even arrange private transportation. We flew Southwest on points and then used UR's for most hotels and a few activities. For 4 of us, our cash out of pocket was $2k for 10 days. You'd probably want to avoid the rainy season, which starts about now I believe.

Funny you should mention South Africa. I'm exploring options there now. You can self drive through Kruger park, and there are quite a few Marriott properties there. The price seems reasonable (although I may have to splurge and stay 2-3 nights at a private game reserve). First class on AA each way is 75k points into Johannesburg from the east coast. Or 80k on United/Ethiopian (and less flying time). This is a fun read - https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/south-africa-road-trip-itinerary/

Super late to comment - but just wanted to join on the Costa Rica love. Its a pretty easy country to navigate on your own - people are generally very nice and our meh spanish worked when we couldn't find someone who spoke English (which was rare). Roads are often not great, but otherwise a very navigable country.

Now I want to go to South Africa!!!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Fingers crossed I’m in the clear... $250 statement credit posted on my card. I’m just going to hit MSR on both cards and see what happens. If nothing else I get a couple miles out of the spend and then will evaluate if I need to get personal cards.

If you get the statement credit but not the miles (which seems HIGHLY unlikely ) it's still a decent use of an application. It's like $200 cash back for a $2k MSR - that alone is a decent return. lol!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

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[miztressuz]

Here is a comment with all the details from the person who did the "biz mailer" double up:

(credit to @miztressuz for providing the initial link on DISchurners that let me follow this whole story)

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/ax5ijh/question_thread_march_04_2019/ehs3ss9/?context=1

Was wondering if you opened an app using the same Citi AA biz mailer code in multiple browsers and submitted both apps at about the same time (obviously one has to go first) do you think both would go through? Wondering if they check for a code’s prior usage again before submission. Guessing they don’t - it’s Citi. Might be a way for people to get more mileage out of mailers but obviously only works in P2 (or more) mode or if you have a friend you trust.

Anyone willing to try it out? I’ll be out of 1/90 in about ten days and will try it then if nobody beats me to it. Another way to try might be with a personal mailer - those are much easier to get.
​

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/b0kp0f/discussion_thread_march_13_2019/eifgoux/?context=1

Follow up to this post on submitting two apps from the same mailer at almost the same time:

Applied using biz mailer open in two browsers at the same time, one for me and one for P2. Both apps submitted and both resulted in application ID emails. I don’t see a hard pull for me (second submitted app) so I’m mildly concerned but not 100% sure they didn’t pull - might be a delayed notification). Will update when I’m sure what happened and with app results. I’m at 93 days since last app P2 is a few days more (~97).

Edit: called, was approved after a fraud verification callback. Will have P2 call tonight. Still was not notified of a hard pull but since I was approved I assume it’s just a delayed notification. Also note left last citi AA biz open for this app instead of closing made no difference.

Edit 2: couldn’t get P2 to call last night or tonight. Exasperating. Have a deal to call tomorrow night. Who knew it would be more difficult to get your wife to make a phone call than to get approved for the fifth of the same card in 12 months.

Edit 3: P2 approved, rep actually mentioned the welcome offer herself before we got off the call.

Edit 4: Did get a hard pull notification eventually.​

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/b1dk34/discussion_thread_march_15_2019/eimf2nt/

Follow up to double app with citi biz mailer - both of us were approved. Rep actually mentioned the welcome offer to P2 after announcing approval.​

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/bo225b/discussion_thread_may_13_2019/enbnqag/

Delayed follow-up to double mailer app, both me and P2 got the bonus from applying with the same biz mailer at the same time (different windows). Unfortunately I couldn't meet spending in first month due to a cashflow issue) but met in month 2 and both got bonus plus a match to 75K (from 65K) via backdoor secure message while it was still working.​

Yep that's the trail. Between the last two updates there were 2 other confirming DP's in those comments so it seemed like a thing. (for now at least)

 

[DisneyMandC]

If you get the statement credit but not the miles (which seems HIGHLY unlikely ) it's still a decent use of an application. It's like $200 cash back for a $2k MSR - that alone is a decent return. lol!

Very true! I bought DH’s $250 GC but his statement doesn’t close until 6/6. He’s at $950 on the card now and will put about $500 on it this weekend so I’m just going to try to pay in advance on a bunch of bills next week and see what happens.

 

[elgerber]

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[amalone1013]

When will you be there, and are you an AP holder?

I just did the App check-in for our St Louis weekend trip at the Embassy Suites, booked with my AA miiles (rental car too). That went smoothly, hopefully the car does also!

I missed this til now! We will be there June 20-23. And I am an AP holder