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

[GZanta77]

That might be the way to go then. Would I have to put so much $ on the cards to get the referral or is that just automatic for opening the new cards?

No spend usually needed - sometimes the referral points post before you have even received the card.

 

[wanderlust7]

Is there a general consensus on best hotel/point redemption in the Disneyland area? We are looking at going next May 2020 for 3-4 nights. I have URs that I could use, as well as some Marriott points. I've got plenty of time to open other cards to get more points if needed. I'm unfamiliar with the area, so just wondering if any of you all had been and what your thoughts were?

Haven't stayed there yet, but I have my eye on the Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance. It's pretty new, has a water park, bunk beds, and is across the street from the park entrance. Depends on what you're looking for though? We have kids so the water park and bunk beds would be awesome for us.

Room rates have been around $350-400 when I've looked, and costs 50,000 Marriott points. So an okay redemption. If and when I book, I'd probably debate a while using the Marriott points or URs with CSR, would depend if I had other uses for the Marriott points.

 

[miztressuz]

That might be the way to go then. Would I have to put so much $ on the cards to get the referral or is that just automatic for opening the new cards?

Automatic based on approval. As long as you're approved for the card the referrer gets the points. I got my points within a day or two for my self-referred SPG card that got the popup.

 

[wendow]

I’m really just hoping those documents didn’t get lost in the mail.

Didn't even think about that! Oh my, I hated having to mail such sensitive info.

 

[Judique]

I asked what his problem was, and she said they are protecting against people using stolen credit cards to purchase the fee free cards. I left with my one card and then went to the other Staples in town and bought $1000 worth, lol.

Lame answer - okay to steal the ones with a fee?

I make a speculative booking last night at 15k for the Tryp over Labor Day weekend, so that worked out well. Interestingly, the Wyndham Midtown 45 remains at 15k - it's a decent enough chain hotel in a prime location and usually has surprisingly high cash rates, so I'm surprised it remained the same.

Daughter booked at the Tryp for October. We will be looking forward to your review!

 

[striker1064]

Daughter booked at the Tryp for October. We will be looking forward to your review!

We stayed there a few years ago - on our honeymoon, in fact - so I can already review it for you!

At the time it was fairly new so everything was very nice. I wouldn't be surprised if things are a little more worn down, but who knows. It's definitely a funky, trendy, contemporary-style hotel with hardwood floors. I remember the bed headboard had all kinds of NYC-centric phrases on it (like "The city that never sleeps"), which was a neat touch. The standard rooms are kind of small but that's typical for NYC. It did have a desk and some extra storage compared to some other places we've been.

The area is... ok. It's right up the street from Penn Station (good for us). It says Times Square South, but that's really not accurate. Times Square is about 10-12 blocks uptown, although to me that's a positive. It's more like the Garment District. The neighborhood immediately surrounding the hotel is not particularly interesting, made up of mostly chain restaurants, but given the proximity to Penn Station you are right next to the ACE subway lines. Hell's Kitchen is also just a couple blocks west, so that opens up a huge diversity of interesting cuisines to check out.

For our honeymoon we traveled in early January so cash prices were low, but I remember I snagged it as a Hotwire Hot Rate hotel at around $97 per night, which is easily the best cash value I've ever gotten.

Oyster has a solid review of the Tryp with lots of pictures.

For IHG fans, EVEN Hotel Times Square South (again with that designation) is literally next door, and has the same funky/trendy vibe as the Tryp. What's interesting about EVEN is it's a fitness-oriented chain, so every room has fitness equipment like yoga mats, plus built-in workouts in the TV. Roughly the same room size as the Tryp. We liked EVEN a lot as well (there's another one in Midtown East, near the previously-mentioned Wyndham Midtown 45).

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

Can someone help guide me b/c my hubby is dragging his feet. He has a corporate AMEX that he uses for booking all his travel. I have read about being able to pay a fee to have possible reward points from his corporate AMEX transferred to his personal AMEX. Is there any research I can do to even find out if he has corporate reward points in the first place?

My husband has a corporate Amex for company travel...he has a separate log in, I just looked on his there are no MR points listed anywhere....I’m sure his company opted to keep the points ....going to guess the women running the travel department uses them, since my DH is always saying she takes amazing trips

A little late seeing this, but I hope that this helps:

I have a corporate AMEX that I spend a LOT of money on.

I pay a $90 AF to keep my corporate AMEX points (the $90 AF hits my corporate AMEX, but I mark that expense as a private expense and they deduct it from my check. I set it up by calling the number on the back of my AMEX card (you can call this number - AMEX membership rewards direct number: 1-800-297-3276) and simply asking them if I could keep my points and they said yes. I use my corporate AMEX login to go to this website and view my rewards: www.membershiprewards.com

1 point earned/$1 spent

Redeeming - flights/hotels booked through AMEX - can transfer points to flight Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Choice Privileges, gift cards, etc.

Also can transfer points to personal platinum or gold or green cards, but not cobranded cards.

 

[Lain]

I went to a couple of Staples over the weekend for the fee free promo. One place insisted I could only buy one, and as soon as the (rude) manager heard me ask about them, he came over and asked to see the card I was going to use and my ID before allowing the cashier to ring me up. I asked what his problem was, and she said they are protecting against people using stolen credit cards to purchase the fee free cards. I left with my one card and then went to the other Staples in town and bought $1000 worth, lol.

I hit staples hard last week. 8k total. Each time they let me do 2k transactions even with the new limit one sign up.

Fun story from r/churning this morning made me think of you guys:

Convo with the cashier at OD:

"You know there's a scam going on with this gift card"

"Oh really?"

"People are using stolen credit cards and buying these gift cards. One guy tried to buy $2,000 of giftcards and we told him cash only and he walked out. The stores here send around their pictures and it's the same people trying to buy giftcards."

"Oh wow."

So whoever is buying 2k worth of gc at one time at OD and Staples in Kentucky, please slow down. You're scaring the cashiers.

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/b8wj1i/discussion_thread_april_03_2019/ek0lizu

 

[speedyfishy]

That might be the way to go then. Would I have to put so much $ on the cards to get the referral or is that just automatic for opening the new cards?

You don’t need to spend on the cards. I already got my self referral points for cards that I opened on Monday.

 

[saltyjules]

01/18 - Chase Marriott Business
03/18 - 7 - Amex Everyday
03/18 - 6 - Amex Platinum Mercedes
04/18 - Amex Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business
06/18 - Barclay AAdvantage® Aviator™ Business Mastercard
06/18 - Citi CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard
06/18 - Amex Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
07/18 - 5 - Chase Ritz Carlton
08/18 - 4 - Amex SPG Lux
09/18 - 3 - BOA Virgin Atlantic
10/18 - 2 - Citi Thank You Premier
12/18 - 1 - Amex Platinum

2) I am doing about $2000-$4000 a month of natural spend. I plastiq my mortgage with MC.
I fly out of the DC area but sometimes will travel to PHL or JFK for a good deal.
I don't have a preferred FF program, I go for the cheapest flight deals available
Southwest serves my area but I'm over 5/24.
This year I am Marriott platinum due to credit card elite night credits from merger last year.

My specific travel goal is to reduce the cost of a Disney cruise. I want to go around May 2021 with my friend and my two kids who will be 4 and 5 then. My friend is resistant to getting lots of credit cards but she does let me pay her online bills with my cards to meet minimum spends. I really want to do the transatlantic cruise so I will also need airfare. And I want to do the AA train but I haven't had time to figure it out.

I was thinking my next card would be Barclay Arrival but super unsure if I would be approved for it. Credit score is around 765.

 

[vanjust14]

Fun story from r/churning this morning made me think of you guys:
Convo with the cashier at OD:

"You know there's a scam going on with this gift card"

"Oh really?"

"People are using stolen credit cards and buying these gift cards. One guy tried to buy $2,000 of giftcards and we told him cash only and he walked out. The stores here send around their pictures and it's the same people trying to buy giftcards."

"Oh wow."
So whoever is buying 2k worth of gc at one time at OD and Staples in Kentucky, please slow down. You're scaring the cashiers.
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/b8wj1i/discussion_thread_april_03_2019/ek0lizu

That's hilarious!

Lame answer - okay to steal the ones with a fee?

Haha, yes apparently the no fee is causing a mass scare! See Lain's post above!

 

[miztressuz]

A little late seeing this, but I hope that this helps:

I have a corporate AMEX that I spend a LOT of money on.

I pay a $90 AF to keep my corporate AMEX points (the $90 AF hits my corporate AMEX, but I mark that expense as a private expense and they deduct it from my check. I set it up by calling the number on the back of my AMEX card (you can call this number - AMEX membership rewards direct number: 1-800-297-3276) and simply asking them if I could keep my points and they said yes. I use my corporate AMEX login to go to this website and view my rewards: www.membershiprewards.com

1 point earned/$1 spent

Redeeming - flights/hotels booked through AMEX - can transfer points to flight Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Choice Privileges, gift cards, etc.

Also can transfer points to personal platinum or gold or green cards, but not cobranded cards.

Can you explain the "transfer" concept here? My understanding was that you'd use your own membership rewards account so points earned would be pooled in that account just like your personal MR earning cards. Do you have a separate MR account number for the corporate card that's linked to your personal account where you have to initiate a transfer from one account to the other?

It's been a few years since I had my corporate AmEx but I had it added to my personal login and it looked like if I forked over the AF the points would just be pooled into my existing MR account -from what I recall. The AF was also $75 when I first got the card so I know things have changed in the intervening years after we switched to Visas

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

Can you explain the "transfer" concept here? My understanding was that you'd use your own membership rewards account so points earned would be pooled in that account just like your personal MR earning cards. Do you have a separate MR account number for the corporate card that's linked to your personal account where you have to initiate a transfer from one account to the other?

It's been a few years since I had my corporate AmEx but I had it added to my personal login and it looked like if I forked over the AF the points would just be pooled into my existing MR account -from what I recall. The AF was also $75 when I first got the card so I know things have changed in the intervening years after we switched to Visas

Actually, I cannot explain it as I don't carry a personal AMEX. That is the info that I received from AMEX when I called them. You could call that number that I listed above and ask questions if nobody here knows the answer. Sorry!

 

[speedyfishy]

01/18 - Chase Marriott Business
03/18 - 7 - Amex Everyday
03/18 - 6 - Amex Platinum Mercedes
04/18 - Amex Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business
06/18 - Barclay AAdvantage® Aviator™ Business Mastercard
06/18 - Citi CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard
06/18 - Amex Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
07/18 - 5 - Chase Ritz Carlton
08/18 - 4 - Amex SPG Lux
09/18 - 3 - BOA Virgin Atlantic
10/18 - 2 - Citi Thank You Premier
12/18 - 1 - Amex Platinum

2) I am doing about $2000-$4000 a month of natural spend. I plastiq my mortgage with MC.
I fly out of the DC area but sometimes will travel to PHL or JFK for a good deal.
I don't have a preferred FF program, I go for the cheapest flight deals available
Southwest serves my area but I'm over 5/24.
This year I am Marriott platinum due to credit card elite night credits from merger last year.

My specific travel goal is to reduce the cost of a Disney cruise. I want to go around May 2021 with my friend and my two kids who will be 4 and 5 then. My friend is resistant to getting lots of credit cards but she does let me pay her online bills with my cards to meet minimum spends. I really want to do the transatlantic cruise so I will also need airfare. And I want to do the AA train but I haven't had time to figure it out.

I was thinking my next card would be Barclay Arrival but super unsure if I would be approved for it. Credit score is around 765.

It’s rumored Barclay may have a 6/24 rule for the Arrival. If you want it I think that would make sense to go for that one next. I’d do that and get on the AA train to start the clock.

 

[Ngwira]

Is there a general consensus on best hotel/point redemption in the Disneyland area? We are looking at going next May 2020 for 3-4 nights. I have URs that I could use, as well as some Marriott points. I've got plenty of time to open other cards to get more points if needed. I'm unfamiliar with the area, so just wondering if any of you all had been and what your thoughts were?

We have a 2 night stay in 2020 booked at the Hyatt House Anaheim. I booked when it was 12,000 Hyatt points but it's now 15,000 Hyatt points. 10 minute walk tot he park and free breakfast cannot be beat.

 

[Ngwira]

Lame answer - okay to steal the ones with a fee?



Daughter booked at the Tryp for October. We will be looking forward to your review!

I will be at the TRYP Times Square in less than 3 weeks. I'll let you know how it is.

 

[LynnTH]

You don’t need to spend on the cards. I already got my self referral points for cards that I opened on Monday.

Well that leaves a lot more options then - since we are both in the shunned zone with AMEX. I could just self refer to some of the Business Cards that have $0 annual fees or $0 the first year and just get 20,000 points for basically doing nothing.... I looked at all the cards that came up under the referral and it looks like I have the No Fee options of Blue Business Plus, Plum Card ($0 the first year), Simply Cash Blue and Lowes. So I could get 80,000 points for myself and or DH. What is the limit for referrals on a card and do they reset each year? I am pretty sure I have not done any referrals on this card. How spread out should the apps be and you can only have 4 Charge and 4 Credit Cards open correct?

 

[Ngwira]

We stayed there a few years ago - on our honeymoon, in fact - so I can already review it for you!

At the time it was fairly new so everything was very nice. I wouldn't be surprised if things are a little more worn down, but who knows. It's definitely a funky, trendy, contemporary-style hotel with hardwood floors. I remember the bed headboard had all kinds of NYC-centric phrases on it (like "The city that never sleeps"), which was a neat touch. The standard rooms are kind of small but that's typical for NYC. It did have a desk and some extra storage compared to some other places we've been.

The area is... ok. It's right up the street from Penn Station (good for us). It says Times Square South, but that's really not accurate. Times Square is about 10-12 blocks uptown, although to me that's a positive. It's more like the Garment District. The neighborhood immediately surrounding the hotel is not particularly interesting, made up of mostly chain restaurants, but given the proximity to Penn Station you are right next to the ACE subway lines. Hell's Kitchen is also just a couple blocks west, so that opens up a huge diversity of interesting cuisines to check out.

For our honeymoon we traveled in early January so cash prices were low, but I remember I snagged it as a Hotwire Hot Rate hotel at around $97 per night, which is easily the best cash value I've ever gotten.

Oyster has a solid review of the Tryp with lots of pictures.

For IHG fans, EVEN Hotel Times Square South (again with that designation) is literally next door, and has the same funky/trendy vibe as the Tryp. What's interesting about EVEN is it's a fitness-oriented chain, so every room has fitness equipment like yoga mats, plus built-in workouts in the TV. Roughly the same room size as the Tryp. We liked EVEN a lot as well (there's another one in Midtown East, near the previously-mentioned Wyndham Midtown 45).

Thanks for the excellent review, striker. We'll be here for our one night in NYC Easter week. We are arriving (and leaving) via Amtrak Penn Station so sounds like we made a good choice. I have a premium family room booked using 15,000 Wyndham points.

 

[Haley R]

I just checked and both our departing and returning flights are all 737-700s. I was either looking at a wrong flight last time or it changed, but I'm really happy that all of our scheduled flights are 700s!

 

[amalone1013]

Can't get plastiq to take my temporary Citi AA Biz numbers... womp womp. At least I tried. Will go back to waiting for them to come in the mail like a peasant.