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

[Killer Fish]

I book for my family of 3, and I frequently see rooms with only 1 king bed show up, and I'm just confused by that. Maybe they assume you'll pay extra for a rollaway bed? I just stick with 2 queens or doubles.

We may not think status should matter, but the fact is that loyalty programs exist for that purpose and the marketing people have figured that out. Going outside the program may get you a better price, but you pay for it in other ways.

I wonder if hotels use the same kind of over-booking algorithm that airlines use, counting on some no-shows. I've read online that if you're going to have a late arrival to your hotel, you need to call them and let them know so that they don't give away your room. I do that even with my timeshare, and they have my money locked up in perpetuity.

We do.....we have historical no-show and cxl percentages....speaking as the Director of Revenue of a hotel in a major hotel chain we have all of this data. We never try to relocate however it happens (some places more than others) to maximize revenue. Also we oversell room types but if booked directly you will almost always get the room booked. OTA bookings do not have that guarantee or the status benefits and that is why hotels push to book direct and of course the hotels don't want to pay the OTAs the commission.

 

[amalone1013]

Also I have read no mortgages on Amex or Visa but is there a workaround with AMEX if I grab MC gift cards? Just wondering as the AMEX MSR is the one trying to work on knocking out. Thanks in advance.

I have had success paying our car loans with MCGCs I have bought with an AMEX.

 

[Alexle2007]

Got the Plastiq email overnight, just added my brand new Arriva + and the 1.5 works!!! Off to pay a couple cars and a mortgage!

Did you see the reduced fee on the payment screen? I have the email but when I go in to pay my mortgage, the fee is coming in at 2.5%.

 

[SBWB48]

Did you see this?

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/bzpu3i/_/eqvyhod

Good point about upgrading now to take advantage of the 1/1 to 6/30 Dell credit. That's another ~$100 value that helps to offset the big Biz Plat fee.

Now I've got a bit of a dilemma that I'm going to noodle through. I checked the link on DoC and got the upgrade offer on my BGR and Biz Green. I'm seriously considering the offer, but which card should I upgrade? The spend isn't an issue.

I got the Biz Green in late July 2018 and the BGR in early November 2018. Both have their AFs waived for the first year, so there's no prorated AF to be refunded on either card.

I was planning to keep my BGR another year because I actually use the 3x gas category and value the 20k support links. But, I've already used two of the BGR's 20k support clicks this year, which leaves only one 15k support click left. If I upgrade the BGR, will that reset the 55k support click limit on the card, allowing me a fresh set of 3x 15k clicks and 1x 10k click? Not sure. I couldn't find a clear answer searching reddit.

I was planning to cancel my Biz Green (it really is a sh*t card) after it hits a year next month; or I could upgrade it. If I upgrade my BGR to the Biz Plat, then I could upgrade the Biz Green to Biz Gold (BGR is no longer available) after next month to keep Amex happy and probably get some 20k support links out of it (At only 5k per click, I haven't used any of the Biz Green's 55k support click limit so that's not an issue). But with the BGR, I'm AF free until probably December. If I upgrade the BGR to the Biz Plat, I'll be on the hook for the Biz Plat's $595 AF; and if I upgrade the Biz Green to the Biz Gold, that's another $295 AF.

Yeah... leaning towards upgrading the Biz Green to the Biz Plat and keeping my BGR AF free for another half a year.

I also got the Biz Plat in late July 2018, so that's coming up for renewal.

I accepted a retention offer to keep my personal Plat for another year. (Interestingly, my personal Plat is a converted MB Plat, so even though it's now a vanilla Plat it still doesn't generate any support clicks.) If I upgrade the Biz Green to the Biz Plat, that's three Platinum cards in my wallet. Upgrading the Biz Green to a Biz Plat means I'll be canceling my existing Biz Plat after it hits a year next month. Normally, I'd call Amex to fish for a retention offer before making a decision whether to keep or close an AF card, but I don't need three Platinums. And frankly, I don't think I'd get one a retention offer. Spend on my Biz Plat has been mediocre (but apparently enough to keep Amex happy). I'm also a bit embarrassed at the thought of calling Amex for a retention offer and having the rep read off all my Amex cards, including the Plat and an upgrade Biz Plat, and ask why I'd even want or need to keep another Biz Plat. So I'll treat the upgrade offer like a retention offer; points are points.

TL;DR: I think I'm going to upgrade my Biz Green to the Biz Plat, but I don't want to make a decision while I'm sleep deprived.

@Lain I just checked and I also have the offer to upgrade my Biz Green to a Biz Plat. I wasn't planning on keeping either my Biz Green or current Biz Plat due to the AFs, but I also don't want to make Amex mad again. Now I'm thinking: upgrade Biz Green to Biz Plat and then cancel existing Biz Plat next month. Or is there something I can downgrade my Biz Plat to?

Same dilemma.

You can downgrade the Biz Plat to only the Biz Gold ($295 AF) or Biz Green ($95 AF).

I'm not canceling all my cards. The Amex Gold is a keeper. I've already kept my MB Plat, SPG Biz and SPG past a year. I've been trying to get good retention or upgrade offers and weighing the monetary value of a card's benefits to justify keeping them open. I will be canceling some cards, likely the Hilton Biz later this month (I just don't put that much spend on it) and the Biz Plat next month (especially if I upgrade the Biz Green to a Biz Plat). I plan to keep my SPG Lux and BGR (at least another year). I'm hedging that Amex values spend over closures.

Hearing this is like reading what has been on repeat in my head lol. @Lain we are continuing to track 1:1. Except, i don’t have the Biz Gold, but will likely be canceling the Hilton Biz and keeping the SPG Lux as well.

 

[mamathompson]

Glad my CIP 2 came in the mail just in time to put the deposit down on oldest DDs braces I made myself sick estimating what my total cost to the orthodontist will be once we get through all the kids.
DH is 5/24 but needs some new cards. I think he will apply for the graavy train. I'm considering looking at hotel cards, but we would need 2 rooms (usually). Can you book multiple rooms on points? Would it be worth it to get hotel cards when we travel with so many people?

 

[elgerber]

Did you see the reduced fee on the payment screen? I have the email but when I go in to pay my mortgage, the fee is coming in at 2.5%.

Yeah I spoke too soon, it worked on both car loans but it's not working on the mortgage. I am in line to chat with support, number 17 in line!

 

[platamama]

Ok finally going to sign up for Plastiq because the 4 current MSRs I am working on now are giving me anxiety (even though pretty sure we would easily do it organically).

Best thing for a first time user would be to grab a referral off dischurners???

Also I have read no mortgages on Amex or Visa but is there a workaround with AMEX if I grab MC gift cards? Just wondering as the AMEX MSR is the one trying to work on knocking out. Thanks in advance.

Yes, there are support links on Dischurners. It's a little confusing, since you have to submit an email to Plastiq first to sign up (with no code), but then you have an opportunity to use the code BEFORE your first payment to get the 500 FFDs.

Re: MCGCs, it's possible, but first check with your mortgage company to see how they will handle multiple payments of $500. Mine told me that I couldn't pay less than my full mortgage amount and be allocated properly, it would all go toward principal only. But others have reported calling in to "reclassify" their payments for the month. And recently I spoke with another rep from my mortgage company and was told that funds less than the full mortgage amount would go into a "suspension account" and I can call to have my full mortgage payment come out of that when I had enough funds in it. I don't know if this is a new policy or if the first rep I talked to didn't know about it, and I haven't actually tested it out.

ETA: You might wait a little after you sign up before signing up P2 for Plastiq. Plastiq sends out targeted promos on occasion; I got one where I got 10K FFDs if someone used my link and spent in 10K on business cards. I had a "Doh!" moment when I realized that I'd already signed P2 up for a Plastiq account thru my link early on. Of course, there's no guarantee they'll do something like that again, it was a complete surprise to me when I got that promo email.

 

[bernina]

Did you see the reduced fee on the payment screen? I have the email but when I go in to pay my mortgage, the fee is coming in at 2.5%.

Yeah I spoke too soon, it worked on both car loans but it's not working on the mortgage. I am in line to chat with support, number 17 in line!

DH and I both received the 1.5% email but it's not showing at all for him and for me it's only showing on some existing cards. When I added the new card I wanted to use it went to 2.5%. I had this happen with the last promo and am in the queue (#5) to chat with them now. They were able to manually correct it no issues. I think many folks are having this issue, normally their chat is only 1 or 2 folks ahead of you. I started at 12.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

.....If anyone is interested...sign up ASAP

Today the FAA opened a no experience public job vacancy announcement for air traffic control specialist trainees. This off-the-street job bid — requiring no previous air traffic control experience — will only be open until the maximum number of applications are received, so apply now! www.usajobs.gov
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/536694900

 

[Albort]

im gonna shun myself into the corner after i somehow made an amazon purchase using my MR points.
see you guys next week!

 

[wanderlust7]

Only thing it says .... SOUTHWEST AIRLINES (MASTE

It would be to the right of where it says that. Under "Document Type".

Here's what it looks like for AA (sorry to link TPG):
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/amex-airline-fee-credit-american-airlines-gift-cards/

 

[AmyAnne]

So it looks like this DP is saying if you upgrade two months early, then yeah you get charged 14 months at the $595 AF, 2 prorated months under the new $595 AF and the full $595 on the statement following the original anniversary date.

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/c04ffr/_/er1il5e

I would add during that time, you’d also get 3 or 4 $100 Dell credits.

Sold! Actually I had pulled the trigger a bit before I read this. I was slightly worried that the upgrade hadn't processed because I didn't receive any kind of notice, but this morning my green card is gone from my login and the biz plat is there.

I'm still frustrated that I can't generate a referral link for the improved Delta gold biz offer but this will give me somewhere productive to put MSR spend until I can apply for a CIP.

I do need to catch up on the Dell credit. I recall that headphones and ceiling lights are two possibilities -- anything else (useful but not a computer) that I should look for?

 

[vanjust14]

@wendow and @vanjust14- I believe you are fellow Provident mortgagers- Do think if I put in memo Aug Payment in the memo but have it sent at the end of June, Provident would credit it properly? It’s on a MC so no monkeying with the name or anything. Trying to make the most of 1.5% fee.

I'm behind so not sure if @wendow answered you but from my recent experience, what they will do is apply it to principal and then you can call to have them apply it correctly after the due date. Do not put "do not apply to principal". Since you won't have a payment due at the time, the only thing they can do with it is apply it to principal. If you say not to, they will have nowhere to put it and send it back.

 

[Killer Fish]

It would be to the right of where it says that. Under "Document Type".

Here's what it looks like for AA (sorry to link TPG):
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/amex-airline-fee-credit-american-airlines-gift-cards/

Mine does not look like the example on TPG site....on the right on mine all it shows is:

Flight Details
Ticket Number: 5260015351649

No mention of gift certificate.

 

[striker1064]

I think this has been discussed before but interesting DP on my SPG lux or Bonbon Boundless or whatever it’s called. Booked a hotel in VA beach they charge the first night as a deposit ($425) got my $300 credit. Canceled the room, refund processed and credit not clawed back.
So for anyone unsure if you could use the $300 credit this is a good loophole. This puts the card at $150 fee including the 50k night very which i value at way more than $150. Plus the global entry credit helps too

This is (or was) how the Hilton Aspire $250 resort credit as well, booking a rate that required one night deposit. Amex is changing the Aspire credit terms though.

 

[platamama]

Mine does not look like the example on TPG site....on the right on mine all it shows is:

Flight Details
Ticket Number: 5260015351649

No mention of gift certificate.

This is what my Amex Gold SW gift card purchase and credit looked like:



Someone on FT posted that they got the credit for a $100, but not for a $150 egc purchase on SW, so maybe the amount impacts the reimbursement?

 

[Killer Fish]

I guess I should have tried only $100 at first....oh well lesson learned if it does not credit....guess I will just need to have some cocktails on upcoming flights.

 

[Lain]

I have had success paying our car loans with MCGCs I have bought with an AMEX.

As you know, the benefit to this is you can usually get $500 MCGCs from grocery stores with a ~1.19% activation fee or less considering promos for $ off or fuel points, and Metabank MCGCs are currently coding like debit cards on Plastiq resulting in only a 1% fee. So total is less than Plastiq’s regular 2.5% fee.

 

[wanderlust7]

Mine does not look like the example on TPG site....on the right on mine all it shows is:

Flight Details
Ticket Number: 5260015351649

No mention of gift certificate.

This is what my Amex Gold SW gift card purchase and credit looked like:

View attachment 409062

Someone on FT posted that they got the credit for a $100, but not for a $150 egc purchase on SW, so maybe the amount impacts the reimbursement?

Oh, interesting. My Southwest GC charge from February has Document Type under Ticket Number. So that's no longer there. No wonder no one's mentioned it on Flyertalk.

Flight Details
Ticket Number:
Document Type: SPD/AIR FREIGHT

 

[ten6mom]

Our DD has only my surname. Not sharing a last name with any kid(s) we'd have was actually my DW's biggest worry. But she also didn't want to give our kid(s) hyphenated last names. My last name is very basic and not at all hard to pronounce or terrible sounding, so she was ok with DD taking it. Turns out DD is my little mini-Me anyway, so it worked out. My DW just didn't want to give up her identity and accomplishments by taking my last name. My DW has a MFA that she worked really hard and paid a lot of money for, and had kind of developed a career and reputation by the time I got around to proposing. She didn't want the complications of changing any of that, and I didn't want her to. Besides, I've always known her as First Name Maiden Name, and fell in love with her as such; the thought of her changing her last name to mine just felt so weird.

AccchhhhKKK! The keeping your name part is wonderful. But then when you get to the kids, it can be a pain. Daughter kept her name.

Daughter's 2 kids have hyphenated names. I add them to our Disney and some airline reservations. Not enough room for the names on many applications. And on airline reservations you end up with a hodgepodge name. I'm not sure what the compromise is here.

Not @Lain, but I kept my name, too. DD has DH's last name because I didn't want her to have to deal with an extra long one.

I'm on marriage #2. My kids are from marriage #1 and they both have a combination of last names (no hyphen). From a legal perspective and insurance, etc, they use both but, sadly for me, both of them use just ex-husband's last name on school things and such. His falls earlier in the alphabet so I'm going with that as the reason.

I have never changed my last name and both husbands are just a touch irritated with me about it (no professional accomplishments or anything... I felt like I'd be giving up my identity if I changed it). I really like @Lain 's answer. I will have to show that to my husband...