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

[mousehappync]

Ok, Dis-experts. Would love your input. We are both about to be back under 5/24, and I’m starting over with building a travel portfolio. We plan to add 2 cards a month starting in May. We both have access to business cards, and I like to accrue points/miles and bank for future travel. We would love two SW companion passes for next year, so holding spots for those cards, a I have a CSP, and got Starwood/Marriott bonuses in the past (those are all closed now.) I have zero experience with Citi, but would love a big stash of thank you points. Want a big bank of flexible points so we can start upgrading class on long-haul flights. Also want a stash of Hyatt and IHG. Can you help me plan my travel wallet? I’d like to be adding as many business cards as possible while holding space for the two SW cards that we plan to apply for in Nov and Dec of this year. I’m trying to figure out what cards to get in whatcirder to maximize our spend while watching our 5/24 status!

 

[hsmamato2]

points fail last weekendI used my FU instead of Fr to buy a bulk purchase at grocery store.... I forgot it was Q2! oh well....
and I closed my PNC accts since I couldn't deal with the slow pace of working with them any longer..... I forgot and withdrew all funds before closing, will they send me a bill for the $25 that I owe them? (it was easy to close, just did it by SM)

 

[speedyfishy]

points fail last weekendI used my FU instead of Fr to buy a bulk purchase at grocery store.... I forgot it was Q2! oh well....
and I closed my PNC accts since I couldn't deal with the slow pace of working with them any longer..... I forgot and withdrew all funds before closing, will they send me a bill for the $25 that I owe them? (it was easy to close, just did it by SM)

I don’t believe they charge the fee if your balance is 0.

 

[punkin]

.

 

[tink1970]

So I drove down to Norfolk today for a work conference to stay at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott again. Some of you long timers may remember my stay here last year when I didn’t get a room until 11 pm. In good news, I had a room when I checked in at 3:30 today. I was about to come on here and say that the hotel has improved a lot with some refurbishments and that I’m getting free buffet breakfast every day with gold status.

In bad news, I walked out to my car in the parking garage at 10:15 to get my makeup bag out and realized that my car had been broken into My driver’s side door lock doesn’t always catch so I try to make sure I push it locked every time I get out. I guess I didn’t get it locked all the way and someone went through my car. The only things they took were my 11 year old iPod which I’m pretty sure doesn’t work at all anymore and has been sitting in my center console for approximately 6 years and, more frustratingly and bizarre, MY HORSE BRAIDING BAG I was more mad about that than the iPod lol. I told Marriott, even though it’s not their parking garage and is owned by the city, and called non emergency PD and reported it. Trying to describe what the horse braiding bag contained was hilarious.

My friends (who were of course sympathetic) also found it hysterical because my car is notorious for being a DISASTER. I don’t care about car cleanliness at all so current miscellaneous items in my car include a box of Christmas ornaments, 2 day old remnants of an iced mocha, and a half eaten chicken salad sandwich on my passenger seat. So I’m sure whoever broke in had some choice three letter thoughts about my car lol.

Ironically, I parked in a terrible part of Richmond for a year while I worked there and never had one problem, but twice in Norfolk now my car has been broken into.

I lived in Old Town Portsmouth for my internship and learned the hard way to never leave even a window cracked! Fortunately I was poor so there wasn’t much for them to take!

OT...

my dd16 wants to go to Hampton VA to visit a friend who just moved there. Wanting to go this summer. It looks like Newport News is the closest airport but SW doesn't fly there and the flights in on Delta and AA are $$$. What airport would be the biggest airport that is close by? Hopefully somewhere SW or Frontier flies into...?

ETA: Also only want a non-stop as this would be my dd and another friend or two but all teen girls so don't want them trying to navigate another airport to change planes.

And trying to get to Langley AFB if that helps at all.

Agree with pp, ORF but it doesn’t have many nonstop either. PHP (Newport News) is much closer AND the traffic isn’t as bad nor would whomever driving have to deal with the tunnel AND the same road construction that’s been ongoing since I was in high school .

 

[hsmamato2]

Everyone here is now in my collective friends group. Even if I imagine you all like this in my mind:

View attachment 393195

Thought it would be funnier to use avatars that aren't actual photos of people...

 

[hsmamato2]

Yellowstone is amazing. It is like nowhere I have ever been before. The park is quite large and has a bunch of different types of areas from geysers to canyons to hot springs to valleys. IMO it is worth it to stay in the park to cut down on drive time. You'll still be driving a lot since the park is soooo big so saving any drive time is a good idea. If you want to stay in the park, you'll want to mark May 1 on your calendar. The accommodations for the entire next year open on May 1 the year prior. They go really quickly especially for the popular summer month.

Here is my trip report on tripadvisor from 3 years ago when we went. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...llowstone_National_Park_Wyoming.html#76385973 I would definitely add on Grand Tetons since it is practically attached to Yellowstone.

@Haley R
Agree with this 100%! we had a lovely trip to Tetons/Yellowstone a few years back.... We stayed in a combo of tent cabins(tetons,worth it for the views) and cheap cabins in the park itself,we stayed a couple of nights in each on around the big 'circle' road so we could see each section. This place is so amazing. My fave accomodations were the basic budget cabins next to Old Faithful,cheap(had to use the campground bathroom) and so sweet! I highly recommend staying within the park too,it's huge.

 

[hsmamato2]

Add Capitol Reef Nat’l park to that. Its not popular but we liked it more than both Bryce/Zion.

We’ve been to the Grand Canyon south rim over spring break. Made stops at the Meteor Crater near Flagstaff and spent time in Page AZ to do a float trip and see Rainbow Bridge and Antelope Canyon. Sedona was included on that trip too.

we had gotten lost on our Capitol reef section of our trip,so we could only do a stop in for part of a day visit.... I LOVED the apple orchards! free lunch,and then we paid like 1.00 a bag to take some with us! (we sort of missed the turn to get there and ended up at Lake Powell by accident,and had to backtrack,b/c the gas station on that corner was built into a cave!) I Love road trips in that part of the country.....

 

[hsmamato2]

I am actually seeing a lot of availability for July. I might look into this more. Would it be better to pick one place and stay 3 days or move around the park to different lodges?

move around the driving loop if you can....

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Ok, Dis-experts. Would love your input. We are both about to be back under 5/24, and I’m starting over with building a travel portfolio. We plan to add 2 cards a month starting in May. We both have access to business cards, and I like to accrue points/miles and bank for future travel. We would love two SW companion passes for next year, so holding spots for those cards, a I have a CSP, and got Starwood/Marriott bonuses in the past (those are all closed now.) I have zero experience with Citi, but would love a big stash of thank you points. Want a big bank of flexible points so we can start upgrading class on long-haul flights. Also want a stash of Hyatt and IHG. Can you help me plan my travel wallet? I’d like to be adding as many business cards as possible while holding space for the two SW cards that we plan to apply for in Nov and Dec of this year. I’m trying to figure out what cards to get in whatcirder to maximize our spend while watching our 5/24 status!

I would suggest starting with Chase business cards...first the Chase Ink Preferred CIP...since it has the highest sign up bonus 80k URs after a $5k spend in the first three months....if you get one then refer to P2 after both spends are met you would have 190k URs....then every 2-3 months apply for the other Chase business cards CIC and CIU...and a second CIP
if you meet the spend on the Chase cards before it’s time to apply for another one....you could look at Amex business cards to fill in

 

[pillow]

ORF is correct, as @pillow said. Even then, it can be hard to get a nonstop there.

Make sure they lock their car doors when they’re here



That’s my store! I’m in Norfolk until Wednesday afternoon but I’ll check on the way home. Actually I can swing in to the one behind Chesterfield Town Center too since I’m going to stop at the Staples over there. That one is at least closer to y’all.

Yes it is a little closer. I hope they have them, as I need another $1K.

Be safe in Norfolk!

 

[pillow]

we had gotten lost on our Capitol reef section of our trip,so we could only do a stop in for part of a day visit.... I LOVED the apple orchards! free lunch,and then we paid like 1.00 a bag to take some with us! (we sort of missed the turn to get there and ended up at Lake Powell by accident,and had to backtrack,b/c the gas station on that corner was built into a cave!) I Love road trips in that part of the country.....

The orchard was closed when we were there, but I thought the scenery was stunning. The hiking there was phenomenal! I agree about driving in Utah - so pretty.

 

[miztressuz]

@GlamMistress My condolences for your loss and so sorry for everything you are going through.

I've been away from this thread for 60+ pages due to my own family situation. My mother passed away quite unexpectedly on March 29 at age 79. She had congestive heart failure, but I don't think my sister and I (or any of my parents' friends) knew quite how serious it was. My family had been in CA to visit my Mom and Dad for Spring Break just the week before and my Mom seemed fine; maybe just a little run down and stressed out with everything that has been going on with my father. But the end stages of her heart failure just came on very suddenly at the end of last week. I spent the last week in CA making arrangements for my Mom and helping my Dad get settled at home (for those who remember my posting about his being ill, he is FINALLY home after 6 weeks in hospitals and rehab facilities), but with everything that had to be done, especially for my Dad, I'm not sure how much I've really even processed my Mom's death. My Dad is healthy now but very weak from lying in a hospital bed for 6 weeks. He now has 24-hour care at home and will be getting physical therapy etc. to hopefully get him back on his feet. I was really worried about how my Mom's death would affect him (they had been married for almost 59 years), but he took the news of her passing much better than I had feared (I was so worried he might just spiral downward). I don't think he was as surprised as the rest of us by her death since he saw her every day and could see her getting weaker. And then on top of everything else, my sister slipped and broke her wrist on Friday, so there we were, back in the same ER where my mother had passed away almost exactly a week prior. Just unbelievable! So it's been a trying 6 weeks for my family, but we will get through it.

And in actual cc news, I "Bonvoyed" Bonvoy and cancelled my former Amex SPG biz card today.

I liked your post for sticking it to Bonvoy, obviously not for the other news. My sincere condolences for your loss. Even knowing the eventual outcome can't prepare you for the sudden loss, it's still a shock. So sorry it came too soon for you and your family.

 

[pillow]

@Calfan So sorry about your mom. I hope your dad continues to improve. Life gets difficult when parents age.

 

[havaneselover]

Yes it is a little closer. I hope they have them, as I need another $1K.

Be safe in Norfolk!

I need $1,360!

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

@Calfan I am so sorry for your loss and your mountainof burdens all at once. Wishing peace for you.

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

Tomorrow is the 11th month window for our 2 bedroom suite request at Davids. Starting March 8 but 2020 is a leap year, so i imagine we will hear tomorrow. Yes, we put it in very early hoping against hope for epcot resort. And yes, it will go on my new csp not yoda! Cross your fingers for us!

 

[snugglebug]

@GlamMistress My condolences for your loss and so sorry for everything you are going through.

I've been away from this thread for 60+ pages due to my own family situation. My mother passed away quite unexpectedly on March 29 at age 79. She had congestive heart failure, but I don't think my sister and I (or any of my parents' friends) knew quite how serious it was. My family had been in CA to visit my Mom and Dad for Spring Break just the week before and my Mom seemed fine; maybe just a little run down and stressed out with everything that has been going on with my father. But the end stages of her heart failure just came on very suddenly at the end of last week. I spent the last week in CA making arrangements for my Mom and helping my Dad get settled at home (for those who remember my posting about his being ill, he is FINALLY home after 6 weeks in hospitals and rehab facilities), but with everything that had to be done, especially for my Dad, I'm not sure how much I've really even processed my Mom's death. My Dad is healthy now but very weak from lying in a hospital bed for 6 weeks. He now has 24-hour care at home and will be getting physical therapy etc. to hopefully get him back on his feet. I was really worried about how my Mom's death would affect him (they had been married for almost 59 years), but he took the news of her passing much better than I had feared (I was so worried he might just spiral downward). I don't think he was as surprised as the rest of us by her death since he saw her every day and could see her getting weaker. And then on top of everything else, my sister slipped and broke her wrist on Friday, so there we were, back in the same ER where my mother had passed away almost exactly a week prior. Just unbelievable! So it's been a trying 6 weeks for my family, but we will get through it.

And in actual cc news, I "Bonvoyed" Bonvoy and cancelled my former Amex SPG biz card today.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[speedyfishy]

Update: The Ebates card gave me 3% for my qualifying GCM gift card purchase. It took a few days to go from 1-3% back. Very weird.

 

[1st*toright]

Anyone have any experience with cancelling a hotel stay that was prepaid with MR points? I had redeemed a bunch of MR for a 1 night stay in NYC, then found an inexpensive (for NYC) room for cash, so I cancelled the room I had paid for with MR. When I originally booked the prepaid room it showed as a charge for $300 (making up numbers) and then a MR credit of $300 to cover the charge (for this redemption I was getting .01 per point). I cancelled the reservation, and now I have a vendor credit for $300, and my MRs haven't been returned. Is this a thing? Did I just inadvertently cash out MRs at .01 per point? Trying to decide if I want to call them and see if I can get my MRs back - I have a use for them, but I could also use the $300 cash, so not sure I want to correct it.