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

[magickingdomprincess]

Last minutes tickets also is a good place to check for DL tix. They were the cheapest when I bought ours last fall when the big price hike hit.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

Is there a way to get credit from United for Lufthansa flights booked through Lufthansa or would I need to book directly with United for the Lufthansa flight?

If I have to book through United, how do I choose seats on the Lufthansa flights?

(The India saga continues ... some people are leaning toward Lufthansa with the 5-6 hour layovers in Frankfurt because they'd be able to fly in Economy Plus which the nonstop United flight does not have. I just want to book the %$#*& flights )

 

[Haley R]

We earned $75 in interest from our Heritage bank account for July. Not bad!

 

[Albort]

Is there a way to get credit from United for Lufthansa flights booked through Lufthansa or would I need to book directly with United for the Lufthansa flight?

If I have to book through United, how do I choose seats on the Lufthansa flights?

(The India saga continues ... some people are leaning toward Lufthansa with the 5-6 hour layovers in Frankfurt because they'd be able to fly in Economy Plus which the nonstop United flight does not have. I just want to book the %$#*& flights )

you should be able to credit miles on whatever airline you like as long as the alliance is the same.
As for if you booked on United, u should get a 2nd confirmation number that can be used on Lufthansa to pick your seat.

 

[Haley R]

I am also MSR-less and it is painful. I was torn when starting with Amex. The BBP is a good starter card because it doesn't have an AF and since it earns MRs you can use it to hold MRs from other Amex credit and charge cards down the line if you want to cancel them for the AF. I see myself getting one eventually, but the 0% over 12-months on a business card (rather than personal so it can't affect utilization and score) is very tempting and I want to hold out on applying until I need it to float something large. Not sure what that may be, but its a nice option to have. I know CIU also has this, but I don't want to give Chase any ammunition to avoid issuing me cards. You can always open it and use it to refer DH to something so you guys can refer each other back and forth.

I'm still really tempted to go for the BBP, but Dh and I talked tonight and we're just gonna hold out until I can apply for a CIC (as painful as that is lol). We'll probably just use our CSR for most expenses and mix in the Discover when needed for category spend.

 

[tink1970]

@DisneyMandC -I think I forgot to tell you I was thinking about you last week-DD was selected for jury duty. We gave her a hard time about being the Youngest Juror and she was so excited and anxious to do a good job. She's a little/lot bit of a bleeding heart so she was distressed it was a criminal trial and someone young could be sentenced "It will ruin his life." Dear, dear sweet child.

Disappointingly (to her) after sitting for a while and eating snacks (I'm sure there was a little more to it), the accused took a plea so she was home early. I remember your saying how important for the process it is to serve if called and I stressed that to her. That said, hopefully she won't get called anytime in the next four years since she's off to university in 2 weeks.

 

[kandb]

I have the Marriott Bonvoy AmEx, I signed up for the offer which states if you spend $200 on room rate and incidentals, you get $40 credit. Does anyone know if this can be $200 on 2 different Marriott hotels on 2 different dates? The wording is vague and doesn't specify. Thanks.

 

[DisneyMandC]

So I've been thinking about my next step since I'm finishing up my CIP 2 and DH's Hilton Biz. DH's CIP3 is under way and his Hilton Surpass should hopefully be here soon. I think I'm going to try to carefully MS with these cards some, mainly at Kroger, in order to get the free weekend nights for the year. I will get one with MSR with the Surpass which I'm planning to use in Japan next year for a two night stay in Osaka. It would be nice to have another one to go with it and not burn either 70k for the Hilton Osaka or 90k for the Conrad Osaka. I figure this may be a good way to keep DH in Amex's good graces too. Neither of us will be getting anymore Chase cards this year- I'm thinking maybe either a Marriott or United card for DH in January depending on what the offers look like. I need to accrue some United points or some points with transferability for Hawaii flights next year. I'll have 160k URs coming in before the end of the year so I can use those if needed. The only other thing I'm thinking about is a Capital One Venture card just to have another points currency to play with. I think I'm going to wait on more Citi AA biz and see if the train totally derails or what. I've been successful with two public offers and got what I wanted out of them- first class round trip to Japan- but I feel like I may not be so lucky in the future.

 

[Haley R]

That’s how I am this year with reading, but for me it’s been getting into puzzles and cross stitch lol. I’m way behind on my reading goal.

My goal for the year is 100 books and apparently I'm one book ahead of schedule so that's better than I thought!

 

[amalone1013]

Can anyone comment on whether paying for parking (at a public pay lot in San Diego, if it makes a difference) happens to a be a 3x category on the CIP?

And,

I don't suppose there is any way to tell what the 4th Q bonus categories are going to be for the CF? I swear one time it was Theme Parks and it made me very happy!

I cant speak to San diego specifically, but all lots, garages, and meters have for me around denver

 

[amalone1013]

DH had another good story. Some guys at work were telling him how the Cabelas card is the very best card ever. One guy has a friend with his own business and puts all of his diesel purchases on it because it earns the most rewards. And that you have to have an incredibly good credit score to get it.

 

[DisneyMandC]

@DisneyMandC -I think I forgot to tell you I was thinking about you last week-DD was selected for jury duty. We gave her a hard time about being the Youngest Juror and she was so excited and anxious to do a good job. She's a little/lot bit of a bleeding heart so she was distressed it was a criminal trial and someone young could be sentenced "It will ruin his life." Dear, dear sweet child.

Disappointingly (to her) after sitting for a while and eating snacks (I'm sure there was a little more to it), the accused took a plea so she was home early. I remember your saying how important for the process it is to serve if called and I stressed that to her. That said, hopefully she won't get called anytime in the next four years since she's off to university in 2 weeks.

Good for her, thank her for her service, and thank you for listening to my frequent jury diatribes! I know it can be frustrating/disappointing to sit around and wait and nothing happens, or to be an alternate and hear the evidence but then not get to decide, but it is sooo important to the process. Jurors often don't understand how important who they are/their life experiences/what they say during voir dire are to us. We once had a jury pool come in and during voir dire, a juror said something that caused us to have to dismiss the entire jury pool right there and start the trial over another day.

We had a jury trial last week and had a predominantly young jury, which is unusual for our jurisdiction. It was also 80% women on the jury. It gave me some pause that they were fairly young (even though I am too), since we are one of the few states in which a jury actually determines guilt or innocence and also sentences the defendant. I'll just say that those young ladies had no problem putting someone where they belong!

One day I'll stop subjecting you all to my lectures on jury service

 

[DisneyMandC]

My goal for the year is 100 books and apparently I'm one book ahead of schedule so that's better than I thought!

I usually set my goal at 100, but I knew I'd be lower this year since I'm doing history/classics. I'm only at like 20 right now I've enjoyed what I've read this year, it just hasn't been a very productive year for me.

 

[tink1970]

Is there a way to get credit from United for Lufthansa flights booked through Lufthansa or would I need to book directly with United for the Lufthansa flight?

If I have to book through United, how do I choose seats on the Lufthansa flights?

Hopefully if you book through Lufthansa directly you can add your United Miles number. I know with the SkyTeam Alliance that's an option-scrolling down to the different alliance members and entering the applicable one, so when I flew Air France, KLM, and Czech Air this summer they all credited to Delta. The same works for United, I'm pretty sure.

Question two has many answers, according to the internet. Ideally, you would be able to access the PNR which is a code for Lufthansa once you book through United and it's in the "details" section of your reservation. Then call Lufthansa with the PNR and request to chose seats-and if it's in economy, you'll have to pay but apparently not for Premium Economy. The folks on flyertalk are split on whether the Lufthansa system will allow this...lots of back and forth...and back...and forth...so I don't feel comfortable giving you a definitive answer. I can say that booking Swiss you cannot chose your seat in advance, whereas for some other *Alliance members you can.

Sorry I'm no giving a clear cut answer but apparently there have been successes and failures so I'd hate to give you a definitive answer when it's your (and others') money and not an insubstantial amount.

 

[bernina]

.

 

[tink1970]

We once had a jury pool come in and during voir dire, a juror said something that caused us to have to dismiss the entire jury pool right there and start the trial over another day.

Wow, I can only imagine!

One day I'll stop subjecting you all to my lectures on jury service

Please don't...many people view it as a burden when it's truly a gift to live in a society where we have the system, flawed as it is, that we do.
Can you tell they never pick me?

 

[Albort]

I have the Marriott Bonvoy AmEx, I signed up for the offer which states if you spend $200 on room rate and incidentals, you get $40 credit. Does anyone know if this can be $200 on 2 different Marriott hotels on 2 different dates? The wording is vague and doesn't specify. Thanks.

i dont think u can split it into 2 different marriott hotels... i think it needs to be 1 charge only.

 

[kmc8826]

Decent savings for any DVC Dooney & Bourke fans!

The DVC Dooney & Bourke bags on shopDisney are on sale. I noticed the wallet, crossbody and shopper have a sale price equal to 40% off. This stacks with the 20% DVC discount, and the free shipping on $75+ discount code. RMN is 6% on shopDisney at the moment AND you can use PayPal on shopDisney (Discover 5% quarter!)

I'm not sure if the regular bags are on sale too but this was a fun find!

ETA: Is there a limit to the number of RMN cash back offers you can do in the same day for the same retailer? I'm noticing more things I might want to buy...

Thanks for posting. Oh I am so tempted! I needed one night before our October trip and by chance was able to grab the one night at Poly on points. So that $200 saved means I need to spend it on a bag right?!? Ebates/Rakuten is 10% at ShopDisney too.

Edited to add: you also get the 20% off the sale price with the discount for DVC merchandise...I cannot confirm or deny that I dipped into my precious gift card stash.

 

[afan]

I usually set my goal at 100, but I knew I'd be lower this year since I'm doing history/classics. I'm only at like 20 right now I've enjoyed what I've read this year, it just hasn't been a very productive year for me.

I could never do 100 books, though I think one year that I didn't work much I had 70. But I always do a mix of stuff, reading a non fiction now. Because if I don't I'd never get through them, I need to know that at the end of the interesting non fiction is an easier/quicker to read fiction. I do have to finish the one I'm reading now before I leave Tuesday night because it's due Wed and I can't renew it. I ended up buying the book on woman's suffrage because it was such a slow read. Taking it with me to read at the airport and on the plane home. Ok back to the book that I've been meaning to start reading for the past 4 hours.

 

[bernina]

Just an update on the airfare to Barcelona I need to book for our cruise on RCCL Allure next July.

I haven't booked anything but right now it's looking like a strong option could be Air Canada out of Windsor. They have flights with just 1 stop (usually Toronto) for under $800 which since I have the CSR would be around 53K URs with the 1.5 multiplier. I can't book yet as our dates aren't available but they appear to have much better flight options than using United Miles on Lufthansa (requires at least 2 stops). Since I don't have any United Miles I'd have to transfer from Chase and the absolute minimum that would cost would be 60K URs plus surcharge fees. L

We live less than 40 minutes from Windsor so depending on flight time could even drive over the night before after work and get a hotel near the airport (in case there are delays crossing the border).

Thank you to @amcc for the reminder to check cash prices. I'm still going to look into the Miami option as well.

Decisions, decisions....