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

[MrPTato]

Doc lists 2 new AMEX offers, $10 off $15 for Uber and $10 off $50 at Sam's Club online. So far I've only found uber on SPG Lux, no Sam's.

Only Sams on my Cash Magnet. I was hoping for Uber on one of them.

 

[1st*toright]

As DD's first grade teacher told us, reading at a higher grade level does not mean a child is mentally or emotionally mature enough to read books aimed at that higher age group. I totally agreed and found a local kids bookstore where they helped me find books that weren't too easy but were still on par with her maturity level and weren't inappropriate. Not surprisingly, many of those books were older ones (as in written before the 1960s). Regardless of a student's ability to read and understand the words written, teachers should not be pushing content that kids aren't ready for.

This was a big issue with our daughter- she would pick up and read random stuff we had in the house that was not appropriate. Like "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "the Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" when she was in 3rd grade. I found out about both AFTER she had already read them. We then started having conversations about how she would enjoy certain books more if she waited until she was older. She's now much older, and just decided to re-read Memoirs of a Geisha - she said that she had a feeling she missed a lot when she read it the first time...

My dad apparently had it out with my 2nd grade teacher who thought that Edgar Allen Poe was appropriate for 7 year olds...

Marriott people -- so Gold status no longer gets breakfast or lounge access? That's a bummer. Also makes the Fairfield Inn (at 25,000 pts) a lot more enticing than the Sheraton (at 35,000 pts).

Yes - makes gold status worth a whole lot less to me! Not much in the way of upgrades either. You kinda have to get to Platinum before the perks really kick in anymore.

I have read a few of Liane Moriarty's books and I enjoyed them. I'll have to check out the audiobooks of her others. I've also read The Martian, but not Artemis, and World War Z. I don't think Ready Player One is for me, but my dh loved it. I'm totally a nerd, but maybe not the right kind, lol? Thanks for the suggestions!

I would recommend Ready Player One to non-nerds too - I thought it was a fun commentary on the intersection of reality vs the virtual world and was just a light, fun adventure story too. I read it in print, but maybe I should get the audiobook too. If you like Andy Weir (nerdy, but not crazy depressing), I'd go for Ready Player One.

@DisneyMandC - There are definitely flaws in the Jim Dale HP reading - but I forgive them. I mean, none of us knew that Bellatrix and Narcissa were sisters when she first showed up in the stories. Maybe she went to live in France when she got married and picked up a new accent ala Madonna's weird British accent?

Indeed! This is a fun question to unpack. As an accountant interested in statistics, I've read a couple studies suggesting your risk of being audited in any year is less than 0.5%. The IRS simply doesn't have the manpower to catch even a fraction of a percent of the returns that come through their office. One study even posed the question of why anyone pays taxes and files returns at all when your individual audit risk is so small that it might as well be zero, and if you DO get audited, you're not going to jail - that's a very last resort for the IRS.

I would never advocate this of course. I just find it very interesting, especially during this time of adjusting valuations for referrals and annual fees. When I did our taxes, I just entered all the 1099s as they were and didn't bother with AFs or anything like that, but I had that thought - logically I know it's extremely unlikely we'd be caught.

A very interesting and thoughtful response friend! “Caught” is such a great word to use too - because I can’t even define what they can “catch” me doing. I would have clear backup for why Hilton points are worth 0.5cpp (I actually used those Hilton points on a redemption in 2018 at less value than that and can produce proof); you can also clearly show how MRs are worth 0.6cpp. I’m worried about getting “caught” doing something legal...but more so I guess it would be the hassle of proving that and the concern that even given reasonable proof that they’d argue otherwise.

It is hard to predict what will generate a notice from the IRS - the kinds of stuff you are worrying about is more likely to generate a letter asking for clarification than an actual audit. If you have the documentation, you just write a letter and provide the info and that's likely to be the end of it. I'd be surprised if they have the time to truly consider the value of credit card reward points for an additional $500 in the country's coffers. The first year of HSAs I missed answering a question on the disbursements, and the service wanted another $2k in tax. I responded with the info, and it went away - took a few months, but it got taken care of. The chances of getting noticed are much higher when the IRS has something to data match against - a W2, 1099, or whatever that gets reported to them. Those notices are just spit out when they do data checks on returns, and don't require much manpower. A full-blown audit is way less likely, especially given how strapped the service is for budget and employees - hence @striker1064 's stat on the extreme unlikelihood of audit. They are also still scrambling to try to deal with tax reform. Add in the backlog due to the shutdown... yeah, not a whole lot of audit activity likely to happen. Its a problem when you have a voluntary compliance system and people start to figure out that the enforcement arm isn't keeping pace - you wind up with a situation like Greece where pretty much no one was filing complete tax returns for YEARS. I digress.

The average person is kinda freaked out by the idea of being audited, but I work for a company that is constantly under audit by both the IRS and various states. Most large companies are audited all the time, not because we do anything wrong, its just more worth it for revenue agents to check up on a company paying millions of dollars in tax than a person paying a few thousand.

 

[striker1064]

The odds.....well after my parents got divorced, my dad started to do his own taxes (and still does, by hand and paper...ugh). And I guess the IRS was interested in his $50k in donations of cash to the local church, LOL. I exaggerate, but let's just say my dad as a salesman w/ lots of write-offs and the guts to go crazy on donations and write-offs got audited for atleast 7 years in a row! This year he was pissed he can't get the deductions he once did.

I recall always being taught in my tax accounting course that large charitable donations are one of the biggest IRS flags. No idea if that's still true (or if it even was before, could easily have been hot air).

I've been out of the loop a few days so trying to catch up as I am sitting on my taxes as well. Are people trying to subtract the AFs to offset the referral 1099s?

Yes, there was some chatter that since you had to pay the AF to get the referrals, you should be able to subtract the AF from the value of the referrals. I didn't do this because I think it's pretty nuanced. You probably can only do it if you subtract the entire AF and maxed out referrals. And then maybe you'd get into a discussion about what other benefits paying the AF got you - Uber/airline/Saks credits, for example - and whether you can really offset the referrals with the entire AF if that's the case. Rather not let the IRS get any more involved than necessary. Our ~$3k in referrals hurt quite a bit, but almost all of that was either self-referrals or bouncing between the two of us, so we saw all the benefit.

 

[amalone1013]

Also possible use chase pay via samsung pay 3x, get 1500 urs

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chas...when-using-3-times-with-samsung-pay-3-1-3-31/

 

[miztressuz]

Doc lists 2 new AMEX offers, $10 off $15 for Uber and $10 off $50 at Sam's Club online. So far I've only found uber on SPG Lux, no Sam's.

Ugh, very disappointed to not get the Sam's Club, wish you hadn't mentioned it While I'm not a fan of shipping stuff from online, the in-club pickup worked out so I was going to do that for future trips. I got the Walmart grocery one on every card I think, no Sam's. Have to bug hubby to check his.

 

[Judique]

I thought about it last night...not sure I will make the trek to Cheesecake for a $10 gift card with 2 kids in tow and having to park in a mall parking garage and use elevators...it becomes quite the process when elevators are involved...but who knows.

I try to do mine near the first of the month so I don't forget and I try to combine it with some necessary errand. I will either do takeout this weekend or wait until a dr's visit in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking take out as I still have some free slice cards to redeem as well and a few gift cards.

 

[amalone1013]

Ugh, very disappointed to not get the Sam's Club, wish you hadn't mentioned it While I'm not a fan of shipping stuff from online, the in-club pickup worked out so I was going to do that for future trips. I got the Walmart grocery one on every card I think, no Sam's. Have to bug hubby to check his.

I just wanted Disney GCs lol. Nothing for ILs either

 

[Artygal90]

I don’t have detailed records but I was doing about $20,000 a month. 10,000 on my CIP and 10,000 on SO’s I wanted to upgrade him to a third CIP in May. That was giving me $600ish a month. Some months I took off tho like these last three. I had lots of MSR and bar prep. Now of course I finished the bar exam yesterday and was just about to start hitting it hard again lol.

Boo on losing an MS avenue but congrats on finishing the bar!

 

[GZanta77]

I got an email saying it was froze from someone trying to repeatedly access it.

Ah - I guess that puts my theory to rest then.

 

[1st*toright]

Most days I'd like to give my 7th grader away OMG, he is so disorganized and everything I have tried to do to help has failed. And to think to ask to actually study for a test? I am hoping his new school can assist since his current teachers are no help. I have asked and asked for suggestions from them with no response. It's like they would rather see the kids do bad.

Middle school sucks. For everyone. Parents, kids. Oy. We did private school for middle school, which helped some, I think, to mitigate the chaos of that time period (teachers generally had a better handle on the students because classes were small). Academically, the private school focused on different things than the public school system, so DD was ahead in some ways but behind in others when she went back to public school for high school (our district's public schools are very competitive if you're in the AP/honors track). Her study habits were just barely ok in middle school, a bit better in 9th grade, but focus was still a struggle. She seems to be hitting her stride in 10th grade, and it is so much easier for her to be organized and focused than it was a couple of years ago.

As I keep reminding myself with my 6 year old, all phases pass eventually. Good luck with the next couple of years!

 

[jhoannam]

AmEx offers -

Walmart Online Grocery, spend $50 or more get $10 back, exp 4/22/19

Uber/Uber Eats, spend $15 or more get $10 back, exp 3/31/2019

And check your Biz cards for this one:

AT&T Wireless for Business, spend $175 get $100 back, x2 ! exp 6/8/2019

I got the Walmart, Sam's, and ATT on my Hilton Biz.

Can I use the Walmart or Sam's for Disney gift cards?

ETA: DH's card had: ATT on SPG Biz, Uber and Sam's on SPG personal.

 

[speedyfishy]

Boo on losing an MS avenue but congrats on finishing the bar!

Thanks! I hope I never have to do it again. lol

 

[Judique]

Doc lists 2 new AMEX offers, $10 off $15 for Uber and $10 off $50 at Sam's Club online. So far I've only found uber on SPG Lux, no Sam's.

I've got a 10 Of 50 Walmart grocery online offer and the Uber offer. Got excited when I read Sam's as I just got the $45 free Sam's club offer and haven't shopped yet although I have my card. Store was just too busy when I went in plus the clerk said the free $45 wouldn't load for 3 business days. Now is the time.

 

[Lain]

AmEx offers -

Walmart Online Grocery, spend $50 or more get $10 back, exp 4/22/19

Uber/Uber Eats, spend $15 or more get $10 back, exp 3/31/2019

And check your Biz cards for this one:

AT&T Wireless for Business, spend $175 get $100 back, x2 ! exp 6/8/2019

We got only Walmart online grocery. Would love that AT&T offer! DoC mentioned a Sam’s Club offer that I don’t have on any of our cards either.

 

[Lain]

Can I use the Walmart or Sam's for Disney gift cards?

Sam’s, yes.

 

[1st*toright]

Thanks! I hope I never have to do it again. lol

Ha ha - we moved from one state to another literally the day after DH found out that he had passed the bar in the first state. Fortunately he didn't have to re-take the multistate, but taking a second state's bar was PAINFUL! How long do you have to wait until you get the results?

 

[jhoannam]

Sam’s, yes.

I'm guessing I'll need to buy the $75 pack to get the credit? Or can I order the $150 pack and split the payment between 2 cards?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I haven't checked ILs cards for Amex offers in a while. Nothing useful really. MIL has an upgrade offer to the Lux Brilliant

I want that offer so bad! And yet no luck & I’m up for renewal next month. Amex needs to reconfigure their targeting!

 

[DisneyMandC]

AmEx offers -

Walmart Online Grocery, spend $50 or more get $10 back, exp 4/22/19

Uber/Uber Eats, spend $15 or more get $10 back, exp 3/31/2019

And check your Biz cards for this one:

AT&T Wireless for Business, spend $175 get $100 back, x2 ! exp 6/8/2019

Oh man, I really hope I get that AT&T one! March will be the first time paying a full AT&T bill for me in a long time. I did get the Sam's Club offer on two cards so I'll order some Disney GCs soon.

This was a big issue with our daughter- she would pick up and read random stuff we had in the house that was not appropriate. Like "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "the Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" when she was in 3rd grade. I found out about both AFTER she had already read them. We then started having conversations about how she would enjoy certain books more if she waited until she was older. She's now much older, and just decided to re-read Memoirs of a Geisha - she said that she had a feeling she missed a lot when she read it the first time...

Haha Memoirs of a Geisha is one of my favorite books! I actually just finished rereading. I always cry at the last two pages of it. I do agree it's a book you should read when you're much older though lol. I had a conversation with my 16 year old niece recently who was asking me if she should read The Handmaid's Tale. While I do think she is mature enough to read it, I told her I thought she should wait until she was a little older to really get the full impact of it. I read it for the first time when I was 19, and even then I don't think I fully grasped all of the concepts until I reread it when I was a little older.

I would recommend Ready Player One to non-nerds too - I thought it was a fun commentary on the intersection of reality vs the virtual world and was just a light, fun adventure story too. I read it in print, but maybe I should get the audiobook too. If you like Andy Weir (nerdy, but not crazy depressing), I'd go for Ready Player One.

@DisneyMandC - There are definitely flaws in the Jim Dale HP reading - but I forgive them. I mean, none of us knew that Bellatrix and Narcissa were sisters when she first showed up in the stories. Maybe she went to live in France when she got married and picked up a new accent ala Madonna's weird British accent?

Haha my BFF and I had a "fight" about this when I texted her and was like why in the world does Bellatrix have a French accent. She was like "umm because she is French?" NO SHE IS NOT!! At most, she married a Frenchman!!

 

[amalone1013]

I'm full of random questions today. What is going on for those who took the SPG Lux upgrade from personal cards? The AF is being weird right, like the $450 hasn't posted yet? Or am I just confusing with Marriott personal upgrades...

MIL has upgrade offer, her last AF posted on 10/9. FIL has upgrade offer, his AF just posted 2/22. Both the normal $5k/100k points offers. I'm thinking, if they want extra points but don't want to open as many cards, they could hopefully use one offer on their septic repair bill which I believe is $7k-$8k. Maybe they could even split it and hit both. Need more info on what they want the points for...