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

[schmass]

My last minute mother daughter Memorial day weekend WDW trip is coming together!

Flying PVD-MCO Sat May 25-Tuesday May 28: RR points and companion pass

Saturday night Swan Hotel: $272 prepaid member rate plus resort fee and tax= $340: using Bonvoy Brilliant $300 credit

Sunday and Monday night: DVC points for Standard Studio at Villas at Grand Floridian (21 points each)

Tickets: Me-AP, DD3- 30,080 TYP for a 3 day non hopper ticket (will post more on this on Dischurners)

I am so excited, I have never been to the Flower and Garden Festival! I also booked dinner at 1900 Park Fare, another first!

Sounds like a great last minute trip!! During the Flower and Garden Festival is my favorite time to go to WDW. Make sure to check out the Frushi in Japan - F&G is the only time they have it!

 

[georgina]

If you have a Chase Preferred/Reserve card the travel insurance packages (which will ususally offer health benefits) offered with your trip (if any) are expensive and not necessary for the travel portion. We do a ton of traveling - both international and domestic. Chase Sapphire Preferred/Reserve have wonderful travel insurance BUT - and this is huge - Preferred does NOT include medical travel insurance and Reserve only covers $2500 of expenses. Not nearly enough. Most people don't know that Allianz sells Medical Only travel insurance and it is quite reasonable - much cheaper to use your Chase card for your travel insurance and purchase a separate Allianz medical only insurance rider. You can find the medical only description on Allianz website BUT you have to call the company to get a quote because there is a glitch on their website and it will only quote you a package that includes travel insurance. And the medical only rider does include some minimal travel insurance like lost luggage and flight delays. The cost will depend on the age of the travelers, destinations, and length of stay. We paid $65 for 2 people under 60 for a 2 week Ireland trip this past Fall. We paid $130 for two people (one who just hit 60) for a week long trip to Aruba last month. I would never travel internationally without a separate medical insurance policy.

This is a great reminder. MY DH has annual coverage through DAN (something for divers...), but I don't.

 

[schmass]

It was a good mail day for me! I received:

- Magical Express documents
- My new CIU card
- fabric to make DD's Star Wars dress

 

[wendow]

My last minute mother daughter Memorial day weekend WDW trip is coming together!

Flying PVD-MCO Sat May 25-Tuesday May 28: RR points and companion pass

Saturday night Swan Hotel: $272 prepaid member rate plus resort fee and tax= $340: using Bonvoy Brilliant $300 credit

Sunday and Monday night: DVC points for Standard Studio at Villas at Grand Floridian (21 points each)

Tickets: Me-AP, DD3- 30,080 TYP for a 3 day non hopper ticket (will post more on this on Dischurners)

I am so excited, I have never been to the Flower and Garden Festival! I also booked dinner at 1900 Park Fare, another first!

How fun! Seems like a nice use of your points! I'm hoping to get to F&G next spring. I was so tempted to go in last week when dh & I were there but I really just didn't want to spend the money on tix since we are all going in Aug. We're upgrading our tix then to AP's so should be able to head back next spring

 

[Kaufeegurl]

Speaking of travel insurance, do you have to purchase the tickets with the CSR/CSP to get the travel insurance through the credit card or do you just have to have the card?

You must pay at least a portion of the cost with your CC. Just having the card will not cover you.

 

[Lain]

Thank you @calypso726 @Judique and @Lain for the great tips . I'll keep my SPG card then since it's not increasing to $125.
I will check out ANA and read the articles. You guys are the best! I'm so glad I found this thread. It makes me think of all the points I could have earned this whole time! LOL! Better late than never, I guess. I have so much to learn.

Speaking of travel insurance, do you have to purchase the tickets with the CSR/CSP to get the travel insurance through the credit card or do you just have to have the card?

I wish I could help further, but without knowing more about your plans I hesitate to guess. It's a little later than I'd like in the calendar to be searching for business class award space for late November and December, but I did a few searches for ANA metal on United's site/app and was able to find business saver award seats from ORD to NRT in late November.

Coming back was tougher, but since you're not flying nonstop back to DTW anyway, you can search for award seats from NRT to any of ANA's destination airports. Award availability around your travel time is spotty, but it's still available -- particularly during the weekdays. (It probably helps to view the 30-day calendar and look for the 80k award fares.)

As for the CSR/CSP's trip insurance, you need to pay some portion of your tickets with the card -- taxes and fees will do.

 

[vanjust14]

How fun! Seems like a nice use of your points! I'm hoping to get to F&G next spring. I was so tempted to go in last week when dh & I were there but I really just didn't want to spend the money on tix since we are all going in Aug. We're upgrading our tix then to AP's so should be able to head back next spring

My AP definitely was a deciding factor in planning this trip, haha! I can't wait to hear about all your trips with your AP . Remember I was getting the Thank you points to try and transfer to Southwest but I still have enough RRs so this seemed like the way to go to use them, and at 1.25cpp I was happy with the redemption!

Sounds like a great last minute trip!! During the Flower and Garden Festival is my favorite time to go to WDW. Make sure to check out the Frushi in Japan - F&G is the only time they have it!

Thank you! Ooooh, that sounds amazing, I'm writing it down and definitely getting it!
ETA: Yes, I still make handwritten notes and carry them with me, lol.

 

[tink1970]

@vanjust14 — DD and I are in ATL right now on our way to PVD. I knew someone here used it but not having @Lain’s spread sheet I couldn’t remember who!
I’m hoping it won’t feel as cold as it sounds

 

[vanjust14]

@vanjust14 — DD and I are in ATL right now on our way to PVD. I knew someone here used it but not having @Lain’s spread sheet I couldn’t remember who!
I’m hoping it won’t feel as cold as it sounds

Oh cool!! I'm working about 10 minutes away from the airport as we speak I'm used to the cold so 45 degrees is nothing, haha!

 

[tink1970]

-45! That’s dark of winter weather!!

 

[Angrose]

My stupid Staples saga will not end. Ughhhhh I just live chatted again and the guy could not help me. He said he would get someone to call me. I said can you tell me what number will call me so I know it is legit. He said they will say they are from Staples, so you know it is us. I said the last guy said he was from Staples and the other agent told me it was not a number that I should call back. He said why would someone say they are from Staples if they were not? Seriously dude??? Smack my head, this dude obviously doesn't know what a scam is. Maybe I am being overly cautious, but I don't understand why they couldn't help over chat. I just want my Target Giftcard.

I also had a problem last year with a Target gift card that I didn't receive from Staples. I can't remember what I did, maybe called or emailed, but they did fix it right away and I received a new gift card within just a few minutes after speaking to them. I hope your issues gets resolved soon!

 

[Alexle2007]

Hi all!! I’ve been away for a bit and this is (I think?) my first post on the 2.0 thread. Love reading all of the great info and hearing about all of the trips made possible with points!!

We have a cruise tentatively booked on RCCL Allure next July out of Barcelona. Last time we flew there DH and I both got the Chased United card along with points left over from UR sign ups and transferred to United to book Lufthansa flights. It was a great experience. This was 4 years ago and I’m wondering if there is something else we should look at? We cancelled the United cards after the first year so we should be eligible for those. We have some URs left over and I don’t yet have the CSR so that could be an option to top up points. We’d need 3 tickets and are fine flying coach.

Appreciate any tips/advice. Our home airport is Detroit which is a Delta hub. We can fly out of Canada as well if it’s significantly cheaper but prefer to fly out of Detroit (we live 10 min away from DTW).

Wait, the Allure will be doing the Med? We did the Caribbean on it and loved the ship so I might need to look into this. I didn’t realize the Med ports could handle a ship this size.

 

[bernina]

Hi @bernina! Long time no see!

What's your 5/24 status like these days? Chase changed the CSP and CSR to only one signup bonus every 48 months, so depending on how long ago you received your last Sapphire bonus that's not an option. If you're under 5/24, and open to signing up for business cards, the Chase Ink Business cards (the CIC, CIU, and especially the CIP) are an option to build up some UR points, which can be transferred to United miles if you find a good redemption. If you're under 5/24, Chase also put out a new signup offer on the United Explorer card yesterday, but it's a tiered bonus that requires you to spend $8k MSR to earn 60k United miles.

As for Delta, Amex is currently running increased offers on their Delta personal and business credit cards until 5/1/19:

Increased American Express Delta Offers Now Available

Increased American Express Business Delta Offers Now Available.

I recall you have a Platinum card. You can use the Platinum card to generate a referral link, open that link in a new browser or incognito window, click through all the different cards with a referral offer, and find the Delta personal or business card with the increased signup up offer you want to apply for. You should receive the increased signup bonus and a 15k MR referral bonus on the Platinum for the self-referral.

However, as with all things Amex, you'll only qualify for the signup bonus if you don't have and never had that card product, and if you don't get the bonus denial pop up that warns you that you're ineligible for the bonus because of your "history." If you don't want new cards counting against 5/24, then you should also stick to business cards.

Thanks Lain!

I'm well under 5/24 (1/24 I believe with the Personal Delta Plat and a CIP which since business shouldn't count) and DH is at 3/24 (did the CSR, CSP double dip last year and the Personal Amex Plat). I had a CSP several years ago but it's been closed for longer than 48 months. I've been debating going for that or CSR via DH's referral. I'll look around and see which of the cards (United, Sapphires, Business) offer the best UR for the spend. I think most of those cards should be open at least to me and several open to DH as well. We've been out of the sign-up game since the 100K Platinums last year and have been filling in with bank bonuses here and there (currently player 1 and 2 are working on Wells Fargo checking $400 bonus with $3K deposit/3 months).

Award bookings aren't open for July 2020, but playing around it looks like there could be availability at the saver economy level for 30K round trip. Detroit->Frankfurt->Barcelona. That's the route we flew last time with no issues (other than a sprint through Frankfurt due to a short layover).

I usually take any opportunity to earn Delta points as well since it's our hub. I had the personal delta gold many years ago but never had the platinum or the business versions so I should still have options. DH had the silver and downgraded to the gold so he's a bit more restricted.

For Amex, if I were to apply for the gold and not receive the ineligible pop-up, would there still be a risk of the bonus not posting or being revoked?

Thank you again as always for your advice and links!!!

 

[babyready]

Hello!

I haven’t been around in several months and have lost track of new card stuff. I was wondering if you all could help me make a few choice as I try to dip my toe back in and help my parents out.

A couple of questions:

My SPG personal will have the AP hit this month. I know it recently changed to the Bonvoy. Any reason to keep this card? (EDIT: I just reread back several pages and saw the conversation happening about this. Still not sure what to do but doesn't sound like any major changes have occurred that I am not aware of)

I am trying to help my parents purchase tickets for Universal this summer. They do not have a lot of spend to put on a credit card and I don’t really think that they should get into this game, they aren’t great with money. Anyway, when we went to Disney a couple of years ago, my mom got a Disney card and made the mistake of putting my dad as an AU. I think this is a good idea for them for this trip because of the low MSR. Would my dad need to be dropped as AU or can he apply for the card while he is the AU on the same card? (EDIT: After researching a bit more, I think it will be fine?)

If not the Disney card, maybe the Savoy? Any other low MSR cards I should know about? I don’t usually look at these.

Tell me about multiple CIPs!?!

Thanks!

 

[bernina]

Wait, the Allure will be doing the Med? We did the Caribbean on it and loved the ship so I might need to look into this. I didn’t realize the Med ports could handle a ship this size.

Hi! Yes, Allure is in Europe for summer 2020. We LOVED the Oasis (so sad about the recent damage and cancelled cruises) and are super excited for another cruise on that class ship. We've done the smaller Disney ships as well as NCL Escape, and our favorite ship has been the Oasis. Nothing beats Disney for service of course, but hands down the Oasis offered more for kids of all ages to do (we traveled with 4 families on Oasis, kids ranging from 6-13). My daughter (soon to be 8) always has a great time on Disney, but she's an only child and I feel like Disney specializes in making magic for kids like that, for groups of kids that just want unstructured fun, Oasis is definitely the way to go (for us). I went into the RCCL cruise with lower expectations, and while the service definitely was not on par with Disney, it wasn't bad at all. I'd compare it to service at most all inclusive Caribbean resorts. Dinner was where we saw the biggest difference. We didn't have the same waitstaff each night and there wasn't a lot of 1:1 time spent with the staff.

We're booked for July 5 2020 and it's a very similar itinerary as we had on the Magic in 2015. I think there's one extra port in Spain this time and a slightly different port in the south of France.

**Edited to add: Allure is also going into dry dock I think in April or May next year to get "amped-up" which we're pretty sure includes adding the multi story slide at the back of the ship. A bit of mixed feelings about that since we booked the very far aft Boardwalk view balcony on deck 8 which has great views of aquatheater and ocean. With the slide we may just have great views of a slide.... I might switch us to a regular oceanview balcony once we learn more about the changes being made.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

If you have a Chase Preferred/Reserve card the travel insurance packages (which will ususally offer health benefits) offered with your trip (if any) are expensive and not necessary for the travel portion. We do a ton of traveling - both international and domestic. Chase Sapphire Preferred/Reserve have wonderful travel insurance BUT - and this is huge - Preferred does NOT include medical travel insurance and Reserve only covers $2500 of expenses. Not nearly enough. Most people don't know that Allianz sells Medical Only travel insurance and it is quite reasonable - much cheaper to use your Chase card for your travel insurance and purchase a separate Allianz medical only insurance rider. You can find the medical only description on Allianz website BUT you have to call the company to get a quote because there is a glitch on their website and it will only quote you a package that includes travel insurance. And the medical only rider does include some minimal travel insurance like lost luggage and flight delays. The cost will depend on the age of the travelers, destinations, and length of stay. We paid $65 for 2 people under 60 for a 2 week Ireland trip this past Fall. We paid $130 for two people (one who just hit 60) for a week long trip to Aruba last month. I would never travel internationally without a separate medical insurance policy.

Thanks for sharing this information! I was just going to look at travel insurance today for a trip to Rome in November

It was a good mail day for me! I received:

- Magical Express documents
- My new CIU card
- fabric to make DD's Star Wars dress

Where did you get the fabric? I'm always looking for good fabric! My girls (24 and 19) and I were discussing whether or not we'd Disney Bound next March.

 

[vanjust14]

-45! That’s dark of winter weather!!

Welcome to RI!

 

[calypso726]

Thank you @calypso726 @Judique and @Lain for the great tips . I'll keep my SPG card then since it's not increasing to $125.
I will check out ANA and read the articles. You guys are the best! I'm so glad I found this thread. It makes me think of all the points I could have earned this whole time! LOL! Better late than never, I guess. I have so much to learn.

Speaking of travel insurance, do you have to purchase the tickets with the CSR/CSP to get the travel insurance through the credit card or do you just have to have the card?

You’re welcome. I saw @Lain searched flights to NRT. Keep in mind although Virgin award flights on ANA must be booke RT your departures cities and arrival cities do not need to be the same. So you can search for a return from HND also.

You just pay for part of the trip with the card. I always use the CSR to pay for taxes and fees on my award flights.

 

[WVMomof3]

I also had a problem last year with a Target gift card that I didn't receive from Staples. I can't remember what I did, maybe called or emailed, but they did fix it right away and I received a new gift card within just a few minutes after speaking to them. I hope your issues gets resolved soon!

Actually still have not received it. Not very happy.

 

[snugglebug]

CIP overnight approval for P2. I need to replenish my UR, so CIP #2 for me in a month or so.

Let's say you're planning a spur of the moment super short trip to Costa Rica (San Jose) due to an expiring SW voucher and a CSR travel credit to use (and a desire to use your new passport and GE). Anything I should know, plan for, specific place to stay? Thanks to the military I have to squeeze in my mommy-daddy getaway next month before my daughter is unable to help with the littles.

Day 1- Fly in to San Jose, arrive around 7:40pm.
Day 2- book a tour (I think I found one I want to do, will cover this fee with CSR)
Day 3- maybe a little local shopping, then relax a bit
Day 4- fly out early

Plan to use hotel shuttle service (hopefully) from airport, most tours seem to pick up at most hotels, then we'll need shuttle back to airport. I don't have any free night certs yet. I have a lot of IHG points, some Bonvoy, and UR. I don't think my Hilton points are going to hit in time to get this booked.