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

[mmmears]

My dh's truck's a/c went out a couple of years ago and we never fixed it but he manages okay here. Now when his heat went out this past winter, that had to be fixed asap. He actually dropped the truck off today because the coolant is leaking and the tranny fluid is leaking too, but much slower than the coolant leak. Either way, we are having both fixed...to the tune of $1200 I hate sinking more money into this truck (it's a 2004) but it's cheaper than buying a new car.

I've had my a/c recharged 2-3 times because there's a teeny tiny leak. Haven't needed it yet this year but I should see if it's working. I've had my heat go out twice, same thing both times but not an expensive fix but I can't remember what it was. Most fun is the two times the car won't shift out of park. Putting all this down makes my car sounds awful and I've already knocked on wood, but it's a 2001 and I love my car. Oh wait the most fun was when the power steering went out when I was at lunch, had to call my boss and told him I'd be late so I could drop the car off. Super fun backing out and turning, thankfully there weren't too many turns to get from where I was to the mechanic by work that had a shuttle and they had it fixed by the end of the day. It helps that I'm the only owner of the car so I know everything that's been done.

Another old car(s) owner here. I dread the maintenance bills coming up later this year, but it's still cheaper than buying new cars. And we both do like the cars we have.

 

[wendow]

I've had my a/c recharged 2-3 times because there's a teeny tiny leak. Haven't needed it yet this year but I should see if it's working. I've had my heat go out twice, same thing both times but not an expensive fix but I can't remember what it was. Most fun is the two times the car won't shift out of park. Putting all this down makes my car sounds awful and I've already knocked on wood, but it's a 2001 and I love my car. Oh wait the most fun was when the power steering went out when I was at lunch, had to call my boss and told him I'd be late so I could drop the car off. Super fun backing out and turning, thankfully there weren't too many turns to get from where I was to the mechanic by work that had a shuttle and they had it fixed by the end of the day. It helps that I'm the only owner of the car so I know everything that's been done.

My dh's a/c has a teeny tiny leak too but they cannot find it so it'd be $1800 to replace it (truck is only worth about that much). SInce summer is short here, he has just been going without. Fixing his heater was about 1k, iirc. I feel like we had another pricey repair not too long again but I can't remember what it was. Overall, we've not had to spend a lot on the truck but I think if we move out-of-state in a couple of years, we will not be taking it with us.

 

[wendow]

Another old car(s) owner here. I dread the maintenance bills coming up later this year, but it's still cheaper than buying new cars. And we both do like the cars we have.

We had a 2001 Odyssey (which I loved!) but two years ago, the transmission went out for the second time. We'd replaced it once already and the idea of sinking that much money into a 17yo van was just something I couldn't wrap my brain around. So we traded it in for a new Odyssey. BIG mistake. I still miss my old van. I don't like the new one with all the high level tech stuff that I cannot even figure out how to work lol. I really only like the lane change camera and back-up camera. Everything else is just stuff I don't use or need. I wish we'd just replaced the tranny and got another 5 years at least.

We also have a 2005 civic. Love it too! So simple and basic You even have to roll down the windows with hand crank

 

[PolyRob]

I feel like this has come up on the thread before. Does anyone have a recommendation for a reliable VPN with a decent price?

 

[disfanforlife]

My dh's truck's a/c went out a couple of years ago and we never fixed it but he manages okay here. Now when his heat went out this past winter, that had to be fixed asap. He actually dropped the truck off today because the coolant is leaking and the tranny fluid is leaking too, but much slower than the coolant leak. Either way, we are having both fixed...to the tune of $1200 I hate sinking more money into this truck (it's a 2004) but it's cheaper than buying a new car.

I hate it too. For us, it always seems to be something about the brakes that we are fixing. My Jeep is going in the shop for that today. Sigh. Our local mechanic doesn’t take credit cards...

 

[disfanforlife]

We had a 2001 Odyssey (which I loved!) but two years ago, the transmission went out for the second time. We'd replaced it once already and the idea of sinking that much money into a 17yo van was just something I couldn't wrap my brain around. So we traded it in for a new Odyssey. BIG mistake. I still miss my old van. I don't like the new one with all the high level tech stuff that I cannot even figure out how to work lol. I really only like the lane change camera and back-up camera. Everything else is just stuff I don't use or need. I wish we'd just replaced the tranny and got another 5 years at least.

We also have a 2005 civic. Love it too! So simple and basic You even have to roll down the windows with hand crank

I thought we were keeping our vehicles a long time. That’s great you had your van that long. We had two dodge grand caravans in a row - kept each 8-10 years and loved them. We just traded in our 2010 Ford Flex on a new Subaru Forester. Used one of my new SW cards for $2K down payment on it which was nice.

 

[magickingdomprincess]

Disneyland is still dead even though you no longer need a reservation to Galaxy's Edge. What is going on? I really wish I just went lol

Everyone is waiting until July 20th when we're there

 

[hsmamato2]

I stumbled across the CP years ago selling on eBay...way before I found out about this group.....use to put everything I bought to resell on my SW card and buying through the SW RR portal .....one year hit the jackpot buying and reselling a J.Crew vest that people were going crazy for and received an email I earned the CP....had no idea what is was...
No one else I know is aware of it or of credit card sign up bonus....so hopefully it will live on for a long time

yeah..when I share this little gem with people,most of them are still like..."whatttttt how can this be legal??"

 

[hsmamato2]

Window clings? The window stickers that aren't really sticky. An easy solution if it works, and not a big commitment if it doesn't.

as a huge bird lover I vote for clings...I actually cut a few out of some black contac paper for my big window..... I made them bird silhouettes to protect them from flying into it

 

[WVMomof3]

My dh's a/c has a teeny tiny leak too but they cannot find it so it'd be $1800 to replace it (truck is only worth about that much). SInce summer is short here, he has just been going without. Fixing his heater was about 1k, iirc. I feel like we had another pricey repair not too long again but I can't remember what it was. Overall, we've not had to spend a lot on the truck but I think if we move out-of-state in a couple of years, we will not be taking it with us.

I just took our 2006 Accord that the kids share in for the AC. They said it would be $1500 and I said never mind they can roll the windows down. Then I felt bad, told the kids I would do half if they paid half and they said no thanks. So I guess it is OK. Also have taken my 2009 Odyssey in twice in last year for $500 and $1200. DH really wants me to get a new car and we have been looking, but I am just not ready. Hoping the Odyssey makes it another year or two.

 

[havaneselover]

Does Dosh work with Amex? I still have 5% at Kroger and have almost maxed out both of my CFs. Wondering if my Rose Gold will work.

 

[WVMomof3]

Does Dosh work with Amex? I still have 5% at Kroger and have almost maxed out both of my CFs. Wondering if my Rose Gold will work.

I tried Kroger again yesterday and still not seeing activity on my Dosh. Just sent a ticket in, will see if anything comes of it. How do you see the max amounts?

 

[palhockeymomof2]

yeah..when I share this little gem with people,most of them are still like..."whatttttt how can this be legal??"

Last year when I found this group and was telling DH about it...he said the same thing...it has to be illegal and your credit score is going to go way down.

Now a year he is totally onboard with any cards we open

 

[magickingdomprincess]

@gottalovepluto or anyone else who have done the Chase business checking bonus, were you able to open the account online? Do you just sign up for the account and then request the promo be added after the fact? That seems a little risky, is there a chance they won't attach the promo? The nearest Chase branch to me is about 3 hours away so would much rather do this online, although I have driven to OKC from Wichita twice to open a personal checking for the same bonus amount. It expires 7/1 so I’d have to do it this Sat. Online would be much easier and cheaper so hoping to make that work!

 

[havaneselover]

esterday and still not seeing activity on my Dosh. Just sent a ticket in, will see if anything comes of it. How do you see the max amounts?

Did you use Amex?
If you click the offer, then click "More Info" it says "$10 max cash back per day."

 

[magickingdomprincess]

Also, another question please! Is there a phone number or way to chat with anyone from Chase for UR portal questions? I’m looking to purchase Sea World San Diego tickets for our July trip. They have weekday tickets for 4,948 pts ($61.86) that are nonrefundable, however the fine print says “valid for a single day admission only through September 28, 2018.” I’m wondering if it’s a typo and should really be 2019, however I’d hate to buy expired non-refundable tickets! They also have 7 day length of stay tickets for 666 more UR’s that don’t have the 9/28/18 date, but I really doubt we’d go for more than 1 day so it seems like a waste to buy those. I’m hoping if I ask before buying I could confirm the expiration date. Thoughts?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

We had a 2001 Odyssey (which I loved!) but two years ago, the transmission went out for the second time. We'd replaced it once already and the idea of sinking that much money into a 17yo van was just something I couldn't wrap my brain around. So we traded it in for a new Odyssey. BIG mistake. I still miss my old van. I don't like the new one with all the high level tech stuff that I cannot even figure out how to work lol. I really only like the lane change camera and back-up camera. Everything else is just stuff I don't use or need. I wish we'd just replaced the tranny and got another 5 years at least.

We also have a 2005 civic. Love it too! So simple and basic You even have to roll down the windows with hand crank

I think We had this discussion once before, but we also have an odyssey and a civic. Lol!

 

[Psychodisney]

So, I can tell from reading that even when you book a flight (or hotel, I suppose) on points or miles, there are still fees that are paid out of pocket. Do you all have a preference which card(s) you use to pay those fees? I see that my CIP has some included travel benefits- would those benefits apply even though the bulk of the (hotel/air) was paid with points instead of money?

And, do most of the credit cards give you points/miles for the money you spend on those fees?

I use my CSR for the travel insurance benefit. (Which I used last month!) I think if you use the CIP, the insurance might only be valid for business travel.
The fees code as travel so, yes, you will earn points on the cost of the fees.

 

[miztressuz]

I've been working on mapping out a rough outline of future trips so that I can collect appropriate points. We want to do a land/sea in Nov 2020 but the price of a Disney Cruise is shocking me. We need two staterooms. Is there any savings for Disney Cruises? AA I'm assuming but Citi doesn't like us yet. Any other way?

Oddly enough, for as expensive as they are, I found DCL the easiest to discount due to the discounted gift cards. For the last one I worked Swagbucks to earn extra "free" money (just took time) and used the sales and whatnot to discount what we did buy. I'll have to check the sheet but I thought we hit at least 30% on that one. I probably wouldn't recommend Swagbucks at the moment because it's not as easy to earn quickly right now but any type of program like that would help.
Best strategy is usually opening day pricing. There is such high demand for DCL, prices really don't go down as a rule. There's always exceptions but very rarely. If a sailing isn't selling as well as they like they do put out specials, but they aren't usually better than opening day, but can be close. Sometimes you get last minute pricing but it doesn't happen for every sailing so it's a gamble if you have limited dates. That's the *GT rates people talk about.

So I'm such a novice at this. What is a *GT rate?

This article hits the highlights of IGT/OGT/VGT rates. They guarantee you'll get a stateroom in at least that class you book but it could be anything within that class. Just ignore point #3 and don't limit yourself to Target for point #4
https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-crui...money-on-your-disney-cruise-line-vacation.htm

Are Bonblah points transfers usually instant? I called in to have 3000 points transferred to DH's account to top his off for a 2 night stay I'd like to book. This was about 2 hours ago. The points are showing in his activity, but it does not reflect in his point balance.

That's a little different than our experience the other week. The points were there immediately for the rep to book but didn't reflect in our balance or activity until the next day. Will it let you book the stay anyway? Maybe they are there and the interface just hasn't caught up?

Well finally caught up.

@Haley R glad you made it to your new house and all is going well besides the bugs.

@SouthFayetteFan so glad your wife is able to enjoy your vacation with you and your DDs. The beach looks great!

So Harris teeter was doing a $5 off a $50 visa or mc gc this weekend. Got the mc and tried to use it on plastiq and it’s not coding as 1%. So I’ll just save it now to use in July for groceries.

I’m jealous of all the staples offers for chase. Don’t have any on my cards or DHs. I could use staples to actually buy school supplies. I’m hoping it will be available after I buy them this week.

Of course I threw out the packaging, but the $200 one I bought at Staples that came up as "MC debit" for my bill pay (which I assume would also trigger the 1% on Plastiq) was a Metabank with the www.mcgift.giftcardmall .com site.

So, I can tell from reading that even when you book a flight (or hotel, I suppose) on points or miles, there are still fees that are paid out of pocket. Do you all have a preference which card(s) you use to pay those fees? I see that my CIP has some included travel benefits- would those benefits apply even though the bulk of the (hotel/air) was paid with points instead of money?

And, do most of the credit cards give you points/miles for the money you spend on those fees?

Yes you'll earn points on those fees. As for what card to use, your CIP should work since the terms
don't state the entire fare needs to be charged to the card. That's a selling point for the Chase cards since some cards add that limitation. But definitely read the benefits guide for each card as you get it. The CIP does have some differences for car rental insurance being a business card. For domestic trips it's only covered if it's a business trip. For international it covers personal as well. For general trip delay/cancellation/ etc they don't call out a difference so you should be good to use it on a non biz trip without getting the 3rd degree if you have to file a claim Some DPs in the thread of successful claims from the CIP.

 

[havaneselover]

Oddly enough, for as expensive as they are, I found DCL the easiest to discount due to the discounted gift cards. For the last one I worked Swagbucks to earn extra "free" money (just took time) and used the sales and whatnot to discount what we did buy. I'll have to check the sheet but I thought we hit at least 30% on that one. I probably wouldn't recommend Swagbucks at the moment because it's not as easy to earn quickly right now but any type of program like that would help.
Best strategy is usually opening day pricing. There is such high demand for DCL, prices really don't go down as a rule. There's always exceptions but very rarely. If a sailing isn't selling as well as they like they do put out specials, but they aren't usually better than opening day, but can be close. Sometimes you get last minute pricing but it doesn't happen for every sailing so it's a gamble if you have limited dates. That's the *GT rates people talk about.

This article hits the highlights of IGT/OGT/VGT rates. They guarantee you'll get a stateroom in at least that class you book but it could be anything within that class. Just ignore point #3 and don't limit yourself to Target for point #4
https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-crui...money-on-your-disney-cruise-line-vacation.htm

That's a little different than our experience the other week. The points were there immediately for the rep to book but didn't reflect in our balance or activity until the next day. Will it let you book the stay anyway? Maybe they are there and the interface just hasn't caught up?


Of course I threw out the packaging, but the $200 one I bought at Staples that came up as "MC debit" for my bill pay (which I assume would also trigger the 1% on Plastiq) was a Metabank with the www.mcgift.giftcardmall .com site.

Yes you'll earn points on those fees. As for what card to use, your CIP should work since the terms
don't state the entire fare needs to be charged to the card. That's a selling point for the Chase cards since some cards add that limitation. But definitely read the benefits guide for each card as you get it. The CIP does have some differences for car rental insurance being a business card. For domestic trips it's only covered if it's a business trip. For international it covers personal as well. For general trip delay/cancellation/ etc they don't call out a difference so you should be good to use it on a non biz trip without getting the 3rd degree if you have to file a claim Some DPs in the thread of successful claims from the CIP.

I could have written much of this. I try to consider other lines but with being able to book onboard, transfer to costco, use gift cards, not have to pay for soft drinks, etc. it just never makes sense. I did talk to kids about trying RCI next summer and dd who is super easy shut down. Their new island looks great, but makes it even less of an all inclusive vacation since the water park is extra.

And after my divorce I had one cruise booked that I transferred and my mom joined us. After that my budget was too tight but Swagbucks made another one possible in 2016 (back when the three of us could sail on the Fantasy in August for $3,600). I don't rely on Swagbucks as much these days but it used to make a big difference for me.