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

[Disneyonmymind]

Not at all! My kid thinks I’m nuts he’s like I don’t even want a credit card! That’s what sock drawers are for, honey...

When I first got my younger DD an AU card, I didn't realize how much easier my life would become. When she would go places with her friends, I always had to come up with cash, which I never had handy. At first, I gave her the card for each planned event and then got it back. As she grew older, I decided she should just carry it with her because many times things came up unexpectedly. She is using an AU on our Disney card. That is keeping Chase happy because, otherwise, nobody would be using that card, lol. Once she starts driving and buying gas, I will have to get her a different AU card with gas points.

 

[tink1970]

Yeah, I haven't reread the Handmaid's Tale since I had kids - don't think I would be able to take it as an adult (I can't watch the show either - kids in peril/separated from parents is a hard no from me in entertainment). I love Memoirs of a Geisha - its time for me to reread that one, if I can rescue it from DD's room. My copy is falling apart - I may need to get a new one! We seem to have similar taste in books - have you read Kate Ross? Historical fiction mysteries - there are only 4, but they are amazing. The first one is Cut to the Quick.



The waiting sucks. It has been years and I am still grateful I never have to take the CPA exam ever again and that it is one exam nationally instead of the state-by-state bar exam crap.

DD had to read Handmaiden's Tale this quarter for English (senior in hs). The book club I quit had it one month and, as I tended to do, I would pretend I'd read it, ask questions and no one ever caught on (which is why I finally quit-the books stunk and no one figured out I didn't read many of them, c'mon folks...). I just can't deal with dystopian novels although I had to have a giggle when DD explained that they had a crash course in the 80s prior to reading it. I was like, if you'd just listen to ME you would have known all that.

 

[Lain]

HA! I see an Amex Offer for spend $250+, get $50 back at Trump Hotels!

 

[WVMomof3]

Jealous of all those who got the AT&T offer and don’t even have AT&T. I only got the Walmart grocery offer. Which I am unlikely to use. I haven’t had any good offers in awhile.

 

[wendow]

Anyone that joined the GrAAvy train BIZ run that we had, get their cards yet?

Nope! I got the packet of info that arrives a few days before so hopefully soon!

 

[gottalovepluto]

HA! I see an Amex Offer for spend $250+, get $50 back at Trump Hotels!

And yet anther useless Amex offer! Also, is this appropriate? I think we need a congressional investigation into Amex over this...

 

[wendow]

Jealous of all those who got the AT&T offer and don’t even have AT&T. I only got the Walmart grocery offer. Which I am unlikely to use. I haven’t had any good offers in awhile.

I'm jealous of those who got the AT&T offer and actually have AT&T lol!

 

[Ngwira]

Thanks for all your feedback and I agree. I’m probably going to use miles to book me and hubby round trip Phl to fco. Then pay cash for the kids. Looks like it’s about 2k which is the same as the Emirates flights and most convenient! I looked at buying miles but cash fares around $2200 are way better than $2900 when buying points.

I don't see any nonstop Venice fares on American, I think it's seasonal. You'd think they'd have them in the spring!

 

[GlamMistress]

Thank you to the DISer who just used my Dosh link!!!

 

[gottalovepluto]

-

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'm jealous of those who got the AT&T offer and actually have AT&T lol!

I'm thinking Amex just has a wicked sense of humor and knows darn well who doesn't have AT&T

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Hi credit card friends! Thanks for your help a month or so ago, in helping me pick the CIP card for my first foray into the credit card world. I just topped $5k in spending today and can't wait to see those 80k URs!! (And yes, I've got this thread open on 2 different browser windows so I can double-check my acronyms!)

Anyway . . . I started reading up on what I CAN do with my URs, and thinking about what I WANT to do with them, and wanted to get some advice from you experts.

Next summer (2020), my DH turns 50. He's a HUGE WWII buff, and has always wanted to go to Normandy. So for his birthday, our big family trip is going to be London/Paris/Normandy. I'd love to find a way to use my URs to wrangle first-class plane tickets for our family of 4 to London and then back home from Paris. We will most likely fly American on the way to London, and Delta on the way home from Paris (those airlines have non-stop flights to/from our home town). Since there's only one non-stop a day, unfortunately we are really inflexible as to which flights we can take, and I'm guessing those reward flights will get snatched up FAST and/or require a ton of miles. I checked the miles needed to book those flights this summer out of curiosity and was shocked - 200k to 300k miles per one-way flight per person! OUCH. Granted, hopefully the mileage required will be much lower if I jump on it as soon as flights are released for next summer, but still - given that I'm looking 4-5 months out for those sample fares, I was shocked!

So . . . any suggestions?? My current day-to-day card is a Capital One VentureOne card (earning a measly 1.25 points per dollar). My CIP only has a $5k credit limit, and we put EVERYTHING on the credit card, so using that as our day-to-day card isn't feasible. I'm debating getting the Capital One Venture card (earning 2 points per dollar) or the CSP (if URs appear to be the way to go to accomplish my goal) as my new day-to-day card. I really don't want to get an airline-specific card, just in case we change our plans for our trip - I don't want to be stuck with a gazillion airline miles that it'll take us forever to use.

Last potentially relevant tidbit - I got the two Chase SW personal cards and a Chase SW business card early last Spring (I got the last one in February 2018, I believe) to get the SW companion pass. I'm planning on getting a SW personal and business card in February 2020 once my two-year period is up. So I need to leave room in the 5/24 rules to be able to get those. The CIP is the only other new card I've gotten in years and years.

WHEW. So with all of that, I'd love to hear any thoughts y'all may have! Thank you so much!

So when it comes to using URs, you could redeem them in one of 3 ways for this:

• Transfer to a partner airline (unfortunately, American and Delta are not UR transfer partners)
• Book through the portal (points are worth 1.25x if you have a CIP or CSP & 1.50x if you have a CSR)
• Cash out at 1cpp and buy your flights
• I'm not an expert in using URs for flights so I won't begin to tell you if the portal is a good idea on this stuff or not...

You could also switch gears and look to earn American miles (through Citi and Barclays) or Delta miles (through AMEX) and save your URs for a different use. Both AA and Delta have pretty lucrative signup bonuses on business cards right now (and business cards are where it's at since it won't touch your precious 5/24 status) If both you and your husband are willing to get cards, you could earn about 225k American Miles through 4 cards (2 each - all biz cards) with just $6k in MSR. You could probably have 225k American miles within 2 months realistically, lol. Delta could produce similar results but since they are with AMEX you'll want to tread a little more lightly there. If you want to discuss this further just ask. (I would not apply for anything before getting multiple opinions here - you don't want to pick the wrong offer)

Or you could continue to chase URs. A few thoughts on a next move with URs:

• Refer your husband to a CIP card - you get 20k URs, he gets 80k + 5k - life is good!
• You could go for a CSR or a CSP card (but since you JUST got a CIP you might want to wait another month or 2)
• With high levels of spend you could do the Modified Double Dip (MDD). This is a strategy where you get a CSR on one day and immediately apply for a CSP the next day. Then you can get both bonuses and skirt Chase's "1 Sapphire Rule". If you wanted to do this we could assist with it but keep in mind you'll want to wait 2-3+ months from your CIP before attempting this. You don't want to go too fast with Chase and have them get angry at you.
• There are also the CIU and CIC cards out there. If you max out all the high bonus cards with Chase with 2 players you can end up with over 600,000 URs (of course that also would require about $40k in spend, lol)

So in summary...there's a lot to think about

 

[liloca]

Hi credit card friends! Thanks for your help a month or so ago, in helping me pick the CIP card for my first foray into the credit card world. I just topped $5k in spending today and can't wait to see those 80k URs!! (And yes, I've got this thread open on 2 different browser windows so I can double-check my acronyms!)

Anyway . . . I started reading up on what I CAN do with my URs, and thinking about what I WANT to do with them, and wanted to get some advice from you experts.

Next summer (2020), my DH turns 50. He's a HUGE WWII buff, and has always wanted to go to Normandy. So for his birthday, our big family trip is going to be London/Paris/Normandy. I'd love to find a way to use my URs to wrangle first-class plane tickets for our family of 4 to London and then back home from Paris. We will most likely fly American on the way to London, and Delta on the way home from Paris (those airlines have non-stop flights to/from our home town). Since there's only one non-stop a day, unfortunately we are really inflexible as to which flights we can take, and I'm guessing those reward flights will get snatched up FAST and/or require a ton of miles. I checked the miles needed to book those flights this summer out of curiosity and was shocked - 200k to 300k miles per one-way flight per person! OUCH. Granted, hopefully the mileage required will be much lower if I jump on it as soon as flights are released for next summer, but still - given that I'm looking 4-5 months out for those sample fares, I was shocked!

So . . . any suggestions?? My current day-to-day card is a Capital One VentureOne card (earning a measly 1.25 points per dollar). My CIP only has a $5k credit limit, and we put EVERYTHING on the credit card, so using that as our day-to-day card isn't feasible. I'm debating getting the Capital One Venture card (earning 2 points per dollar) or the CSP (if URs appear to be the way to go to accomplish my goal) as my new day-to-day card. I really don't want to get an airline-specific card, just in case we change our plans for our trip - I don't want to be stuck with a gazillion airline miles that it'll take us forever to use.

Last potentially relevant tidbit - I got the two Chase SW personal cards and a Chase SW business card early last Spring (I got the last one in February 2018, I believe) to get the SW companion pass. I'm planning on getting a SW personal and business card in February 2020 once my two-year period is up. So I need to leave room in the 5/24 rules to be able to get those. The CIP is the only other new card I've gotten in years and years.

WHEW. So with all of that, I'd love to hear any thoughts y'all may have! Thank you so much!

Just want to say that this is the exact trip me and my DH (also a big WWII buff) did for our 5th anniversary (before kids) and he talks about this trip at least once a week. We did some semi-private tours that were so worth the money! He is going love it.

 

[pinkxray]

I just applied for the Citi AA business card and got instant approval!!

I’m also thinking of going for the $400 bonus for opening an account with Wells Fargo. Thanks to whoever posted that one.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'm considering applying for a Frontier Mastercard. Currently they have a 40,000 bonus miles sign up. We're taking two trips this spring/summer and I'd really like to capitalize on those miles. However, I won't have $20,000 in spending in the next two months!

Is there a reason I shouldn't do this? If I could unlock family pooling, I would earn almost 10,000 miles each trip since we have to buy 5 tickets. This is one of the main reasons I'm considering the card.

It has a $79 annual fee, but if you spend $2500 in the year (which we would), you get a $100 airline credit.

I know nothing about Frontier or their cc offering. That said when I initially consider a new cc the first thing I do is run the math to see if I would make money with it. You will. Then I consider what other credit cards I could put my spending on and how much I would "make" with those. (Any others on your radar right now?) After that I go with what card will make me the most money, if one of the cards is running a historically high offer I might chose it over one that would make me a bit more with the idea being after I hit the minimum spend on the historically high offer I can go back and hit the offer on another credit card.

The Frontier Mastercard would count against your 5/24 with Chase and 6/24(ish, not as hard a rule as 5/24 Chase) with Barclays so consider that as well if you get this card. Barclays can be especially stingy so I would math out the Arrival+ first and see if that is a better offer for you.

 

[havaneselover]

Slightly off-topic but so disappointed with DCL's summer 2020 itineraries

 

[platamama]

I don't see any nonstop Venice fares on American, I think it's seasonal. You'd think they'd have them in the spring!

I wondered if it was seasonal too, but I saw a nonstop VCE-PHL last night in mid-April 2019 (since you can't check out April 2020 yet). Trouble is, it was a mid-week flight, and I don't know if your dates are fixed or flexible. Like I said before, the availability changes all the time. Best case scenario I can figure for you is if you can convince your DH to allow one layover on the way back, and you find an acceptable routing from VCE-PHL using miles. If you book that award flight, you can change the date/times/route for no penalty (within 1 yr of booking) - AA allows changes as long as the origin & destination remain the same. Then you can check back frequently and if your desired VCE-PHL nonstop becomes available, get on the phone and make the change asap.

 

[happ]

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

Now that we got AA biz and BBP coming I’ve been thinking about our next move. This will be a 6k MSR total but I’ll do most organic and a little MS to finish off. Between paying my mortgage on Plastiq and going slow with Amex (still want to make RAT happy) it shouldn’t be too bad.
End of March we will both be 4/24. I want to go slow with DH and Chase since I want him to get CP for 2020/21. He will be back at 4/24 in June if I get him one more Chase card now (Hyatt) and then hold off until the fall for SW cards.
Was thinking I’d go for CIU. Wait 2-3 months and get Hyatt. I also want arrival + and need to get Schwab (while I’m in amex good graces). Both would take up personal spots. Stats to be more clear.


P1 - 5/24, back to 4/24 in March
03/17 AMEX spg lux (1)
01/18 CHASE sw premier (2)
01/18 CHASE sw plus (3)
05/18 CHASE Marriott premier (4)
08/18 AMEX biz gold (BIZ)
08/18 AMEX biz green (BIZ)
08/18 AMEX spg (BIZ)
09/18 CHASE ink preferred (BIZ)
09/18 BARCLAY jetblue business (BIZ)
12/18 AMEX BBP (BIZ)
12/18 CHASE ink cash (BIZ)
12/18 AMEX personal gold rewards (5)
02/19 CITI AA BIZ PLAT (BIZ)

*Older cards: CSR, Capitol one venture visa, cap one MasterCard, CFx2
*09/20 will be 48 months for sapphire

P2 - DH 5/24 will also be 4/24 in March
03/17 AMEX spg lux (au) (1)
06/17 CHASE F (pc’d from CSP) (2)
05/18 CHASE FUL (3x) (3)
06/18 CHASE Marriott (4)
08/18 AMEX spg biz (BIZ)
08/18 AMEX biz green (BIZ)
09/18 CHASE ink preferred (BIZ)
09/18 BARCLAY jetblue biz (BIZ)
12/18 BARCLAY arrival + (5)
02/19 BBP (BIZ)

Also AU on my CF,and both Cap Ones (all old)
06/21 will be 48 months from Sapphire

So for me get CIU. Wait get Chase Hyatt for 2-3months. If I go arrival + and/or Schwab should I apply same day as Chase? Probably get arrival first then wait on Schwab? Or should I skip arrival and just get Barclay aa biz?

For DH get Chase Hyatt and then an AA biz at some point.

 

[GZanta77]

Hi credit card friends! Thanks for your help a month or so ago, in helping me pick the CIP card for my first foray into the credit card world. I just topped $5k in spending today and can't wait to see those 80k URs!! (And yes, I've got this thread open on 2 different browser windows so I can double-check my acronyms!)

Anyway . . . I started reading up on what I CAN do with my URs, and thinking about what I WANT to do with them, and wanted to get some advice from you experts.

Next summer (2020), my DH turns 50. He's a HUGE WWII buff, and has always wanted to go to Normandy. So for his birthday, our big family trip is going to be London/Paris/Normandy. I'd love to find a way to use my URs to wrangle first-class plane tickets for our family of 4 to London and then back home from Paris. We will most likely fly American on the way to London, and Delta on the way home from Paris (those airlines have non-stop flights to/from our home town). Since there's only one non-stop a day, unfortunately we are really inflexible as to which flights we can take, and I'm guessing those reward flights will get snatched up FAST and/or require a ton of miles. I checked the miles needed to book those flights this summer out of curiosity and was shocked - 200k to 300k miles per one-way flight per person! OUCH. Granted, hopefully the mileage required will be much lower if I jump on it as soon as flights are released for next summer, but still - given that I'm looking 4-5 months out for those sample fares, I was shocked!

So . . . any suggestions?? My current day-to-day card is a Capital One VentureOne card (earning a measly 1.25 points per dollar). My CIP only has a $5k credit limit, and we put EVERYTHING on the credit card, so using that as our day-to-day card isn't feasible. I'm debating getting the Capital One Venture card (earning 2 points per dollar) or the CSP (if URs appear to be the way to go to accomplish my goal) as my new day-to-day card. I really don't want to get an airline-specific card, just in case we change our plans for our trip - I don't want to be stuck with a gazillion airline miles that it'll take us forever to use.

Last potentially relevant tidbit - I got the two Chase SW personal cards and a Chase SW business card early last Spring (I got the last one in February 2018, I believe) to get the SW companion pass. I'm planning on getting a SW personal and business card in February 2020 once my two-year period is up. So I need to leave room in the 5/24 rules to be able to get those. The CIP is the only other new card I've gotten in years and years.

WHEW. So with all of that, I'd love to hear any thoughts y'all may have! Thank you so much!

I see @SouthFayetteFan has given you some good advice on potential routes to earning miles/points, so I just wanted to chime in on the practicalities of what you want to do.....

Firstly, you mentioned reward seats. I would suggest it will be nigh on impossible to find first class reward seats for 4 people at the same time. At best, you would have to book 2 and then hope the others came available at a later date. There would be no guarantee they ever would - this is not helpful for planning a family trip, I know.

Second, if you were looking at cash fares through the UR portal - you have to consider that trans-atlantic flights do not price the same way as domestic when it comes to one-way tickets. One-way fares to Europe often cost double what a return fare would cost. Doesn't seem right, but that is how it has always been. You mentioned flying out on American and back on Delta. These airlines do not have a codeshare arrangement so you would have to make separate one-way bookings. The cost would be astronomical.

You may find that you really need to consider a return fare on Delta/Virgin or American/BA/Iberia/other oneworld partner to get the most reasonable cost, and that may require routing through London or another US city to get the best value.

Or get a return flight from US to Paris or London - then use the train or plane to get between the two. Might work out cheaper - particulary if the trans-atlantic portion is a return to Paris which would negate some of Londons excessive air passenger duty tax.

Good luck with your plans.