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

[CyndiLouWho]

So to pay my cruise through Costco with gift cards, I just have to call in and ruin someone's day? Need to do 4 gift cards and 2 credit cards for a total of $4600...

They don’t care. Totally polite and pleasant. Had all their ducks in a row. (See what I did there )
I had 4 gift cards and a CC.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

My DS11 eats nothing b/c of his ADHD med and he is a disney "adult" so we just don't do the set price places except on a rare occasion. Next year DS9 will fall into the same category and he orders buttered noodles everywhere he goes. Great. Yep, no buffets for prix fixe anywhere in our near future.

My sister’s kids are like that. My DS managed a double burger, followed by popcorn, a pretzel and hot dog at the hockey game we took him and his friends to for his 10th birthday.

 

[tink1970]

I have to say I was not impressed by Poly. I found it dark, the walk from our room was kinda long, and the bathroom layout was not good.

Dating myself, but the times we stayed at the Poly were pre-renovation and had the weird lamps that reminded me of the cursed idol in the Brady Bunch when they went to Hawaii. So disturbing...I prefer POFQ to nightmares and back luck

 

[DisVegas]

All,

I’ve spent the past week reading the original board. You all rock! I made it up to page 185 and wanted to move on over here to check out the recent news. Thank you for all of your stories and advice. Like many of you, I wish I’d read this before I recently upgraded and got some new cards. I got hooked into this hobby by staying at the Hotel Indigo in Anaheim and getting the IHG Select card years ago. I then got the CSR and paid for our wedding in Cancun with the card and used the points for our honeymoon in Europe. I now see that I didn’t necessarily make the best use of the points as I directly utilized the UR portal as opposed to travel partners. Anyways, here’s what I have and here’s some questions I have about the best new cards to utilize for my future travel:

2019:
Feb - Amex Gold
Feb - Freedom
Feb - Upgraded to Southwest Priority from Premier - no bonus - had the prior card for 8 years and have never canceled it and got the bonus again - that’s a learning experience

2018:
June - Amex Platinum

2017:
August - DiscoverIt
June - Freedom Unlimited

2016:
Feb - CSR
June - IHG Select

Smith’s is our local grocery store and next month they stop accepting Visa credit cards so that’s why I got the Amex Gold. I then plan on using the Freedom @ Costco during the rotating quarter. I alternate CSR and Amex Gold for restaurants. Amex Platinum and CSR are then both used for booking travel. Freedom Unlimited is for everything else.

I live in Vegas, if you can’t tell by my name so Southwest is the primary airline I fly. Here are some questions I have;

1) Now that I’ve missed out on the bonus for the personal Southwest premier card for this year does it make sense to go ahead and try for the Southwest business now so I can go for CP again in 2 years?

2) Or is there potentially more value in going for CIP as opposed to a Southwest business card? We’ve got a newborn so I don’t anticipate traveling to WDW for at least a year or two. Southwest and Frontier are the only airlines flying nonstop from Vegas to MCO that I’m aware of.

3) Hotel wise we’re all over the place but I utilize the IHG Select frequently. This fall we’re going on a Viking River Cruise. I’ve already got a room in Amsterdam taken care of via IHG but I haven’t done so in Basel. With the current offer on Marriott Bonvoy I’m debating going for that. Make sense? Although I’m not intrigued with the Radisson Rewards card based on @calypso726’s experience in Europe. Although I haven’t read enough to determine if the new Club Carlson card is a good deal. What do you think?

4) Domestic flying I have a bit of a condrum. I fly to Maine and Kentucky each 1-2x a year, and California at least 4x a year. Southwest goes to all destinations but I’m intrigued with springing for 1st class. I could fly to Cincinnati via Delta in 1st to get to Kentucky and occasionally to California via delta. With respect to Maine, Skyscanner says our best option is American Airlines or Southwest. It seems to me based on my various destinations, going for the CP with SW is the best bet. Do you recommend any alternative card for domestic travel or another card for international travel?

5) My wife is an AU on the Amex Gold, CSR and Freedom Unlimited. She also has her own Southwest card. I suppose I could have her cancel her card and order Southwest and the business card for her? The difficulty is that we made her an AU on three cards this year.

Thanks! I look forward to joining the discussion!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Every so often, I'll just buy a mug to have something in the room with a cover on it for early morning walks. Haven't done dining plan in quite a while, but when I do, I do it on a one night DVC booking. But, I can see 'some' sense in this because by the time you spend $20ish for the mug, you might as well spend $40ish for the 2 meals and snacks assuming the regular dining plan. (Not absolutely sure what it actually costs now, but I know it hasn't gone down in price.) And, that's when I like to book a Boma or 'Ohana ADR.

Perhaps I’m confused but I’m reading this as booking a night at a deluxe resort AND the dining plan. A lot more than $20 or $40ish LOL!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Has it already been shared that there are new resort mugs and popcorn buckets? I don't frequent the other subforums much these days, so I was excited to see I wouldn't be taking home the same one I already have 6 of in different colors.

Ooh what popcorn buckets? Any fun shapes? 7 days until our trip!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

My family felt led to this popcorn bucket:

Every time I got a refill I told them that Sulley was hungry!

I love that! Was that this year? So wanted a Pluto Christmas one last year. They were at Disneyland for about 5 minutes before they sold out and were on EBay.

 

[calypso726]

I shared a picture of a wallet with rubber duckies on it an hour or 2 ago...and then your picture... It was like I had some sort of premonition!!! I promise, I'm not possessed!!!

That was co-inky-dinky! No worries, I wouldn’t think you’re possessed. My BFF of 30 years is a natural born psychic. Nothing in the realm of premonitions phases me anymore.

In today's tale of STRANGE churning redemptions...

I used MRs for a Bed Bath & Beyond Gift Card to purchase a new anti-fatigue kitchen mat, dish drainer, and Cookie Press (whatever that is) for my wife...

This on the heels of using MRs for a Home Depot gift card for a Roku to replace one of my Comcast boxes...

Meanwhile, @calypso726 is enjoying a shower in the sky as I happily redeem MRs at 1cpp for gift cards to major retailers. And this my friends, is why there is truly no BAD way to churn Both of us are very happy with our redemptions...

(Mind you that all of these MRs were earned from tons of r/churning clicks last year so I didn't actually signup for cards to get them)...

I love it when everyone is happy! I will say that this resort beats shower in the sky hands down!

rubber ducks huh? I was prepping a present for a friend once, bought a bag that was way too big... turns out i didnt have any of those paper fillers to fill the bag with...
thank god i had a bag of rubber duckies... they made the perfect paper fillers...

proof:
[

This is genius! Stealing that idea.

Alright now I'm gonna have to buy a bag of rubber duckies for gift filler

Right! Me too!

A couple years ago I had a dozen rubber duckies on the dashboard of my Escape.

I was wondering where my duck was going to live after this trip. Dashboard it is!

I should've figured the duckie was yours but I think it's Kimpton, used to or still does puts a duckie in the room and you can keep it.

Kimpton is now on the list of places to try because ... rubber duckies.

 

[mfly]

Hi friends! I feel like a prodigal child returning...

I stopped following the old CC thread in June of last year, when we took a trip (with my brother who has special needs) to CA where we saw the Wiggles in concert and went to Disneyland. I then went on a month-long trip to New Zealand and Australia, but that's a story for another time. I just got too overwhelmed by how far behind I was on the thread, and I gave up. Anyway, I finally decided to jump back in!

Here's where I'm at. I currently have 7 open cards, two of which were opened in the last 24 months.

03/18 - CHASE Southwest Plus
03/18 - CHASE Southwest Premier

More than 24 months:
CHASE Sapphire Reserve
CHASE Freedom
CHASE Disney (No AF)
US BANK Cash Rewards Visa
CHASE Ink Preferred

I'm completely out of the loop and I have no idea what I should do next. I just spent a lot of URs on a cruise, so I'd like to refresh my stock of UR points. I still have a SW CP, so I primarily fly SW (although my RR balance dipped below 100k, which I'd prefer to have higher). That being said, I'd be open to any card with a significant bonus.

I currently spend ~$1000/month on my credit card. Our rent for our apartment is ~$2000/month (ugh, I know), and we can choose to pay using Visa, Discover, or AmEx, all of which charge a flat $36.00 processing fee, which comes out to 1.8%. I've tried playing with it, and it looks like we could pay more than 1 month at a time and the fee would remain at $36. I'd prefer not to incur the fee regularly as the fee essentially negates any CC benefits, but I'd be happy to do so if that would enable me to meet a minimum spend.

Does anyone have recommendations for me on a card?

I'm looking to close the CIP (the annual fee just posted - ugh) and the SW Plus and Premier, as they don't have enough of a benefit to incentive me to keep them open. Any reason I shouldn't?

Is there somewhere where I could read a summary of major changes that have happened since last June? I genuinely have no idea what's changed since then. I feel like such a newbie! It's humbling.

Missed you all. Hope you're well! I've seen some of you on other threads, but I'm going to do my best to try to follow along with you here again.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Well, some news on my families accident: 2 year old has to have another mri for the c2 fracture. Daughter just got the email for this. The tricky part is for an mri she has to be sedated. They are working with a neurologist at Children's so in good hands.

Other than that, all are doing well. Daughter is still on crutches, but will start working with a physical therapist soon to put weight on her leg. She will also return to work in another week. She can't wait for that. SIL is way ahead of her in mobility since his surgery was almost 4 weeks earlier than hers due to her swelling.

I’m glad they are doing better. So hard, especially with the little ones. When I broke my knee, I wasn’t allowed back at work until off crutches (crutches are considered a fall hazard) It was torture. I ended up using a wheelchair part of each day because I couldn’t stand for 4-5 hours (not to mention I didn’t drive for 4 months) Hugs to all!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I love that! Was that this year? So wanted a Pluto Christmas one last year. They were at Disneyland for about 5 minutes before they sold out and were on EBay.

Yep - bought it less than 2 months ago Not sure if they still have them but hopefully they do (if you want one )

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Hi friends! I feel like a prodigal child returning...

I stopped following the old CC thread in June of last year, when we took a trip (with my brother who has special needs) to CA where we saw the Wiggles in concert and went to Disneyland. I then went on a month-long trip to New Zealand and Australia, but that's a story for another time. I just got too overwhelmed by how far behind I was on the thread, and I gave up. Anyway, I finally decided to jump back in!

Here's where I'm at. I currently have 7 open cards, two of which were opened in the last 24 months.

03/18 - CHASE Southwest Plus
03/18 - CHASE Southwest Premier

More than 24 months:
CHASE Sapphire Reserve
CHASE Freedom
CHASE Disney (No AF)
US BANK Cash Rewards Visa
CHASE Ink Preferred

I'm completely out of the loop and I have no idea what I should do next. I just spent a lot of URs on a cruise, so I'd like to refresh my stock of UR points. I still have a SW CP, so I primarily fly SW (although my RR balance dipped below 100k, which I'd prefer to have higher). That being said, I'd be open to any card with a significant bonus.

I currently spend ~$1000/month on my credit card. Our rent for our apartment is ~$2000/month (ugh, I know), and we can choose to pay using Visa, Discover, or AmEx, all of which charge a flat $36.00 processing fee, which comes out to 1.8%. I've tried playing with it, and it looks like we could pay more than 1 month at a time and the fee would remain at $36. I'd prefer not to incur the fee regularly as the fee essentially negates any CC benefits, but I'd be happy to do so if that would enable me to meet a minimum spend.

Does anyone have recommendations for me on a card?

I'm looking to close the CIP (the annual fee just posted - ugh) and the SW Plus and Premier, as they don't have enough of a benefit to incentive me to keep them open. Any reason I shouldn't?

Is there somewhere where I could read a summary of major changes that have happened since last June? I genuinely have no idea what's changed since then. I feel like such a newbie! It's humbling.

Missed you all. Hope you're well! I've seen some of you on other threads, but I'm going to do my best to try to follow along with you here again.

Woooah!!! I honestly didn’t read past the first sentence (yet). Just had to reply and say WELCOME BACK!!! When people disappear from the thread I feel like I miss you guys!!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Dating myself, but the times we stayed at the Poly were pre-renovation and had the weird lamps that reminded me of the cursed idol in the Brady Bunch when they went to Hawaii. So disturbing...I prefer POFQ to nightmares and back luck

OMG yes, it does kinda remind me of that episode! Wasn’t there a spider in that one too?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Yep - bought it less than 2 months ago Not sure if they still have them but hopefully they do (if you want one )

I’d love that one! Which park? HS?
I’m not sure if it’s fun, or weird, but we have one from every stay. Plus a couple extra we just HAD to have. We’ve also had Six Flags APs and always get their popcorn bucket since it’s good all season.

 

[mfly]

Woooah!!! I honestly didn’t read past the first sentence (yet). Just had to reply and say WELCOME BACK!!! When people disappear from the thread I feel like I miss you guys!!

Thank you for the warm welcome! I really have missed you all. There's nothing quite like this community anywhere else on disboards (or the rest of the internet). Everyone here is so friendly and helpful!

 

[MrPTato]

Be the DP!
Navy Federal Flagship - 2 TSA fees and 2 TSA credits, both are AU.

(yes, I watermarked my image in case it gets shared)

Thanks for the DP!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I’d love that one! Which park? HS?
I’m not sure if it’s fun, or weird, but we have one from every stay. Plus a couple extra we just HAD to have. We’ve also had Six Flags APs and always get their popcorn bucket since it’s good all season.

It’s actually sold at Animal Kingdom believe it or not.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

It’s actually sold at Animal Kingdom believe it or not.

Wouldn’t have guessed, but that’s great. AK is our first park, a week from tomorrow. I’ll be looking.
ETA Showed it to DS and his reply “Sold!”

 

[MrPTato]

I have to say I was not impressed by Poly. I found it dark, the walk from our room was kinda long, and the bathroom layout was not good.

Dating myself, but the times we stayed at the Poly were pre-renovation and had the weird lamps that reminded me of the cursed idol in the Brady Bunch when they went to Hawaii. So disturbing...I prefer POFQ to nightmares and back luck

The updated DVC studios are beautiful and a lot brighter. Can't beat a double bath.