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

[ten6mom]

Are you an Amex virgin?

Such a personal question!

Yes, yes I am.

 

[GZanta77]

Well, I suppose if I do end up going somewhere before next summer (a year from when I opened the card) I might check a bag (gosh I hate checking bags!) But I think at most we would check only one (if my husband I went somewhere). Surely you can check ONE bag on AA these days with no charge?

Basically I'm just trying to avoid keeping the card long enough for the annual fee to post (it was waived the first year).

Errr......NO. Unless you have status (or are flying J/F) its $30 per bag.

Still not worth paying the card AF if you would only be checking one bag.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Right now weve got Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning, and Tuesday afternoon.

you’ve got all the bases covered. I’d at least stay to Sunday. Maybe Monday - keep an eye on the forecasts and enjoy yourselves

 

[afan]

Poor DH is fielding all of the calls from family demanding we come home. We are debating between tomorrow morning or sunday morning

I agree wih @SouthFayetteFan it's changed again. I'd cancel tomorrow's flight and use one of the others. Send them @striker1064 s post. Then tell them to stop contacting you cause dh won't be answering. Geez it's not like you're in rhe bahamas there's still 2 days to prep and you are both adults without kids with you.

Eta stupid name popup was over the post button and of course disappeared when I tapped it so it posted instead of tagging. Stupid supposed to be more mobile friendly but is actually worse disboards site.

 

[Fischstick]

Huh... I just bought an Amazon GC last week sometime to give as a gift (along with a few groceries and a Roblox GC) and paid with a credit card. Wonder when they got that email.

DEFINITELY think its new.....I loaded up on Amazon the last time they ran 4X....which was, like, last week?

 

[miztressuz]

Well, I suppose if I do end up going somewhere before next summer (a year from when I opened the card) I might check a bag (gosh I hate checking bags!) But I think at most we would check only one (if my husband I went somewhere). Surely you can check ONE bag on AA these days with no charge?

Basically I'm just trying to avoid keeping the card long enough for the annual fee to post (it was waived the first year).

If you spring for First class, sure!
Well, technically "Premium Economy" and up on domestic flights gets 1 checked bag but I haven't seen PE options in my limited searches, so I'm not sure what routes that's even available on. Otherwise you need status or an international flight.

 

[ten6mom]

Errr......NO. Unless you have status (or are flying J/F) its $30 per bag.

Wow... I had no idea. (Clearly). Just... wow!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I agree wih @SouthFayetteFan it's changed again. I'd cancel tomorrow's flight and use one of the others. Send them @striker1064 s post. Then tell them to stop contacting you cause dh won't be answering. Geez it's not like you're in rhe bahamas there's still 2 days to prep and you are both adults without kids with you.

Eta stupid name popup was over the post button and of course disappeared when I tapped it so it posted instead of tagging. Stupid supposed to be more mobile friendly but is actually worse disboards site.

I love this!! HAHA! @striker1064 - we need you to start producing an individual forecast for @amalone1013's family. If things continue to slow down maybe she can stay until Monday or Tuesday even, haha!

 

[ten6mom]

Yes, I'm still supposed to be doing homework. But this one is for @Haley R

 

[ten6mom]

Errr......NO. Unless you have status (or are flying J/F) its $30 per bag.

Still not worth paying the card AF if you would only be checking one bag.

If you spring for First class, sure!
Well, technically "Premium Economy" and up on domestic flights gets 1 checked bag but I haven't seen PE options in my limited searches, so I'm not sure what routes that's even available on. Otherwise you need status or an international flight.

I guess this is why Southwest is popular? They don't charge you for a checked bag, right?

When the 12 of us went to Japan last year we flew Southwest from PHX>LAX. It's a good thing! We had... gosh.... at least 12 checked suitcases (many were filled with omiyage (gifts) for family). Man, that would have been a lot of baggage fees on American!

 

[WVMomof3]

Since it's a savings account they're not necessarily looking for a direct deposit, just any deposit of funds, so you could pull it into Discover (set up the transfer from Discover to pull money from your CU) and still count if that's faster than waiting for your CU to push it. When I initiate transactions from the Discover account it's usually complete in 2-3 business days. In theory if you estimated a week for each transaction you could pull it off by 9/23. I do believe the cancel trick is still working, if you get down to the wire.

I'm sure it would look suspicious to a human, but they have a computer checking and unless a human built in a rule that this wasn't allowed, the computer doesn't care.

They have fairly continuously offered a bonus for the last 2 years so, while nothing is guaranteed, it's likely they'll run it again when this term expires. It's very easy if you open near the beginning of the window, but if you're scrambling near the end without a large deposit, then it can feel like work. I was fortunate to have the full 25k to deposit in one go when I did mine so I didn't have to worry about the dates too much. (It was the last hurrah for that cash before I spent it. I miss it )

I just set it up with $9000. We will see how long that takes to post. I guess I will at least get the $150, and try for the $200. What is the cancel trick?

 

[DisneyMandC]

I forgot to mention this earlier this week when I saw it: my Kroger is now carrying Norwegian Cruise Line and Amtrak gift cards. I don’t use either of these options, but I know some people here do. They had a little sign next to them on the display that said “new!”

 

[calypso726]

We spent the majority of yesterday and the day before wondering if our 3 night cruise would be cancelled due to the incoming hurricane. We had splurged on concierge level for the first time to celebrate our 20th Disney Cruise and even had a Cabana to share with our friends. There are 9 of us traveling together and only one couple has done concierge level and one couple has never experienced a cabana. Well it is no longer a 3 night cruise but a 5 night cruise. There are rumors that the pattern and speed or lack thereof, the storm may cause the 5 nights to be a 6 or 7 night cruise depending on how the storm moves. So no more Nassau cruise it’s now Cozumel and Castaway Cay. I’m so psyched we get to enjoy concierge level for 2 extra nights!

 

[WVMomof3]

Dosh at Kroger is now 3% for me with a max of $5 per day.

This reminds me that I have never gotten Dosh to track. I just sent a support ticket for the whole month of August. lol We will see if that works.

 

[striker1064]

I agree wih @SouthFayetteFan it's changed again. I'd cancel tomorrow's flight and use one of the others. Send them @striker1064 s post. Then tell them to stop contacting you cause dh won't be answering. Geez it's not like you're in rhe bahamas there's still 2 days to prep and you are both adults without kids with you.

Eta stupid name popup was over the post button and of course disappeared when I tapped it so it posted instead of tagging. Stupid supposed to be more mobile friendly but is actually worse disboards site.

I love this!! HAHA! @striker1064 - we need you to start producing an individual forecast for @amalone1013's family. If things continue to slow down maybe she can stay until Monday or Tuesday even, haha!

Noooo I'm just a dude on the internet and no one should be listening to me!

@amalone1013 just give them a little Taylor Swift - YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN

 

[Lain]

NOW do I need to run out and get a fancy-schmancy EXTRA AMEX so I can try this?

Just a few things you should know that may put you off from getting an Amex Platinum card. It’s a personal card, so it will add to your */24 count with Chase, but you’ve been sticking to biz cards and your count was low to begin with (and I think a card or two may have dropped off since you started). The personal Platinum cards also carry a $550 annual fee.



So why do we get this card?!

Well, if you’re completely new to Amex, they tend to target new customers with a 100k Membership Rewards Points offer after spending $5k in 3 months. This is what we call the Platicorn. The only way to get this offer is to be targeted by Amex via their website, mailer, or on Cardmatch. (And since Amex SUBs are generally once per card product per lifetime, you’ll want to always try to apply only for the highest and best offers.) However, don’t try to tempt this offer until you’re ready to apply because if you somehow manage to pull it up and don’t apply right then and there, you may never see the Platicorn offer again.

So what is 100k MR worth? Amex’s Membership Rewards points are a lot harder to understand and place a value on than Chase’s Ultimate Rewards points. A MR point is worth only 0.6 cents as a statement credit, 0.7 cents on Amazon, about 0.8 cents when booking hotels through Amex Travel, 1 cents when booking flights through Amex Travel and select hotels through the Fine Hotels & Resorts programs, and 1.25 cents if you later get an Amex Charles Schwab Platinum card and cash out to a Charles Schwab account. We never advise spending MR points at less than 1 cent per point value. So, a 100k MR SUB should be worth no less than $1,000.

Amex MR is a transferrable currency like Chase UR. Amex has their own group of airline and hotel transfer partners to which you can transfer MR to the airline or hotel’s miles or points. So diversifying your points with Amex MR, in addition to Chase UR, gives you access to more options in airlines and hotels to get where you want to go. Amex also runs transfer bonuses to many of their partners a lot more frequently than Chase, so a 25% transfer bonus would be if you transferred 1,000 MR to an airline that typically transfers 1:1, the bonus would result in 1,250 miles. Remember I said MRs transfer to VS? Amex MRs also transfer to ANA (although you can’t really combine miles from the two airlines to buy one ticket, but you could transfer MR points from Amex to VS if you’re short UR points from Chase to VS). Partner transfers are where you can get outsized value from your points and Amex has some really good airline partners (not so much with their hotel partners). By comparison, travel portals like the Chase UR portal or Amex Travel will use your points at a fixed redemption rate and you can’t extract more value out of that.

If the AF on the card is $550 and the SUB is worth $1,000, that’s pretty good, but that $1,000 is in the form of points that aren’t easily cashed out and you may not have an immediate redemption in mind. How else can you justify the high AF?

The Amex Platinum includes a $200/calendar year airline credit that can be used for incidental fees, like seat upgrades, baggage fees, in-flight amenities, etc. You need to “select” your airline to use the credit on. It used to pretty easy to spend this credit on gift cards, but Amex put a stop to that a month or two ago. It’s still possible to buy cheap flights on certain airlines and get credited that way. Or you can use the credit like it was intended for on incidental fees. The thing about this $200 airline credit is it’s a calendar year benefit, so you can double dip, and potentially triple dip the credit if you time your application right. This means you can get $400-$600 worth of airline fee credits by paying just one $550 AF.

There’s also a $100 Saks 5th Avenue credit that’s divvied up $50 in January-June and $50 in July-December. I’m not a Saks kinda guy, but you can usually find cosmetics at Saks for the same price you’d find at Macy’s or anywhere else. I bought a nice S’well water bottle with one semi-annual credit, some Christmas presents for my niece and nephew with another credit, and I used this semi-annual credit towards a really nice Miyabi chef’s knife. I always stack the credit with other promo codes and high shopping portal (Ebates/Rakuten) payouts to maximize value.

And there’s the $200 Uber credit, divvied up $15/month and $30 in December. If you use Uber, at home or on vacation, this is a nice savings. If you don’t use Uber, you can use it towards a meal delivered or for pick up via Uber Eats. Always stack with discount codes and pick up if you can to minimize fees.

A lot of people don’t value these credits at exactly face value, since Amex makes them hard to use and you may find yourself spending money you otherwise wouldn’t have spent to get the value out of those credits. It’s up to you how you want to assign value to these benefits and weigh it against the $550 AF.

The Platinum card is definitely a perks card. My favorite perk is access to the Centurion Lounge. We fly out of SFO (moreso now with travel hacking) and often fly United in Terminal 3 (where the Centurion Lounge is), so it’s super convenient for us to grab a hot meal, coffee, tea, water, fruits and cookies on our way out. I only travel with my family these days, so no drinking — but the SFO Lounge has a nice bar and good selection of wine gratis. Thing is, the popularity of travel hacking and general affluence of the Bay Area means a lot of people have the Platinum card and the Centurion Lounge can get pretty crowded depending on time of day. Amex has restricted entry to 3 hours prior to departure, and requires an outbound boarding pass (no dropping in on your return flight). A Platinum cardmember is allowed only 2 guests.

The Platinum also gets you complimentary Gold status with Hilton and Marriott, which may get you some room upgrades and late checkout, and additional bonus points on your stay if you pay for any of it in cash. At Hilton, Gold status gets you free breakfast too.

Beyond MSR, the Platinum has a very poor base rate of earning only 1x MR on most spend. It earns a 5x MR bonus on flights and fees made directly with an airline, and on Fine Hotels & Resorts, but how often are you buying airplane tickets or booking fancy resorts in cash? And that’s the difficulty with this card, because you may have heard about the Amex RAT (Rewards Abuse Team). The prevailing theory is if you open a card and don’t put ongoing and consistent spend on it after meeting MSR and getting the big SUB, then the RATs may flag you as a “gamer” and give you the pop up on subsequent applications for new cards. But the Platinum’s poor bonus structure makes it a hard card to want to keep spending on.

One more thing, and I’ll end on a positive note, all Amex cards including the Platinum, get Amex Offers, and these are usually spend $xxx, get $xx back or xxxx MR. Some of these offers are actually really good for saving money on Disney Gift Cards and other things you may buy or use!

 

[wendow]

Just read MCO will close at 2am Monday. Not sure if that helps some of y’all with flight uncertainties!

 

[afan]

Just read MCO will close at 2am Monday. Not sure if that helps some of y’all with flight uncertainties!

Was just cominh to post that for @amalone1013 and @disneymagicgirl. Weathet channel also said wdw is continuing with reg hours for now.

Eta yeah it got me again and posted mid tag.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Noooo I'm just a dude on the internet and no one should be listening to me!

@amalone1013 just give them a little Taylor Swift - YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN

@amalone1013 - maybe take the Sunday flight. Airport is shutting down Monday at 2am.

 

[wendow]

Was just cominh to post that for @amalon

Yep. She needs to jump on the Sunday morning if it’s not booked yet.