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

[mmmears]

I hear ya. I cancelled my CSR after 2 years and dh's is 2 years now. I do like the $300 travel credit and I certainly get the effective $150 AF vs the $95 AF of the CSP but I'm at a point we are simply not using this card! There is rarely a redemption of points, other than cash back, that makes sense. We don't eat out much or travel a ton (where we actually pay for the travel haha!) so we are not earning many points those ways. I put most of my everyday spend on a card I'm working to meet MSR on. I think, of everything, we'd miss the lounges the most.

I understand. We keep having travel expenses that aren't covered by points so the $300 comes in handy. But if you don't have those expenses it makes sense not to pay the high AF. I don't even really think about the lounges as a benefit of the CSR since we have a stack of platinum cards at the moment.

 

[havaneselover]

Stayed there a couple times a few years ago - walkable to Terminals but it is a bit of a hike. If you are going to use the shuttle bus - the Embassy Suites or HGI are also worth considering.

Thanks--my parents are 75 so that's helpful information

 

[striker1064]

I hear ya. I cancelled my CSR after 2 years and dh's is 2 years now. I do like the $300 travel credit and I certainly get the effective $150 AF vs the $95 AF of the CSP but I'm at a point we are simply not using this card! There is rarely a redemption of points, other than cash back, that makes sense. We don't eat out much or travel a ton (where we actually pay for the travel haha!) so we are not earning many points those ways. I put most of my everyday spend on a card I'm working to meet MSR on. I think, of everything, we'd miss the lounges the most.

I downgraded mine to a CFU. When I want to make a redemption or transfer, I just call and upgrade it back to a CSR. The process couldn't be easier. I think in your shoes that's what I'd do - and avoid any AF at all. If Disney hotels ever come back, they won't go away again in the short amount of time it takes to call and upgrade.

 

[calypso726]

@calypso726 I posted my review of the JW Marriott Marco Island on the hotel thread !

Thank you! Looks like a nice weekend!

 

[speedyfishy]

thanks for responding! If I can't get approved for the Arrival, would you do one of the cap one cards?

I haven’t been able to get approved for a capital one card but it seems like a good choice.

 

[hsmamato2]

This is what I'm doing for Lowe's purchases right now . . . it's a bit convoluted I'll admit. I'm buying a Kroger gift card at Lowe's using my SPG Biz 10% Amex offer. Then I go to Kroger during a 4x promo deal and purchase a Lowe's gc to get the fuel points, paying with the Kroger gc (stacking those 2 deals = 24% for me). I can't recall if you have the Amex offer or not - or if your Lowe's carries Kroger cards, but if not, perhaps you could stack a 4x fuel promo with Dosh?? Although I think that Kroger Dosh deal is capped per day - maybe $5??

Then go through a rebate portal to purchase your dryer on the Lowe's site. You should be able to get a 10% off coupon for Lowe's from "quik coupons" (I've had great luck with them - use code VIP40 for a 40% discount on your coupon price). Pay on the Lowe's site with up to 5 Lowe's gift cards.

Your rebate portal cash back may not track since you'd be using a quik coupon. Sometimes I get lucky but not always.

Good luck!

This is diabolical! Wow I must be really tired lately my mind never even went this far on savings...... Now if only I could easily translate a move like this into dis gc's REALLY quickly to max my savings... I have the 10% offer at Lowes....any quick ways to max it this way? Let's see, Q2 for freedom is grocery and home improvement, we also have the BCE card for another 3% at grocery.....hmmmm

 

[miztressuz]

Update on the NCL AmEx offer, spend $500+ and get $150 back - I added prepaid gratuities and a few shore excursions to my cart to make a $502 charge on 3/31. I got the email right away that I used my offer but the cart was actually split into two charges, one for my gratuities and one for the shore excursions, so I've been waiting for the credit. While the app said the charges were still pending yesterday, when I checked today it shows them posted and the statement credit is dated 4/2.

Both NCL charges came in as "Norwegian Cruise Line - Reservation" so it looks like anything you can buy from the website will trigger the offer!

 

[WVMomof3]

Has anyone done an online Staples Egiftcard purchase lately? Just wondering how long it should take to get the giftcard. I did it in January and I ordered at 10 pm and had the email with the Egiftcard by 5:30 the next morning. Yesterday I did one at 10 am and still have not gotten the giftcard.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

My thinking leans this way too. I really am concerned that Disney will come back or some other great redemption and I'll be 'stuck' and not able to get back to a CSR. It's worth the $95af, I think.

Do you already have a CF or CFU? I’d downgrade the CSR to a CF or CFU personally. You can upgrade to a CSR at anytime with a 5 minute phone call. If you have a CIP you already have 1.25x at your fingertips for anything you want there. As long as you can still pool and transfer points why pay any AF?

EDIT: it appears @striker1064 and I are on the same page

 

[miztressuz]

Couple new AmEx offers for travel that showed up yesterday/today -

Mandarin Oriental US Hotels
Spend $500 or more, get $100 back in room charges at Mandarin Oriental U.S. hotels from 4/3/19 to 5/30/19.

Qantas Airways
Spend $1200 or more, get $250 back on purchases made directly at qantas.com by 6/30/2019. Purchase must be made on Qantas’ US website in USD. Flights must originate in US.

A couple others that I don't recall seeing before -

MAC Cosmetics, spend $75 get $15 back from online purchase by 5/15.
Barkbox, spend $20 get $5 back, x3, by 6/30.


There's such varied interests on the thread here, maybe that's useful for someone?

 

[speedyfishy]

Couple new AmEx offers for travel that showed up yesterday/today -

Mandarin Oriental US Hotels
Spend $500 or more, get $100 back in room charges at Mandarin Oriental U.S. hotels from 4/3/19 to 5/30/19.

Qantas Airways
Spend $1200 or more, get $250 back on purchases made directly at qantas.com by 6/30/2019. Purchase must be made on Qantas’ US website in USD. Flights must originate in US.

A couple others that I don't recall seeing before -

MAC Cosmetics, spend $75 get $15 back from online purchase by 5/15.
Barkbox, spend $20 get $5 back, x3, by 6/30.


There's such varied interests on the thread here, maybe that's useful for someone?

Nothing that I use. I also had a $20 back for spending $100 at crate and barrel.
Meh, more staples, Lowe’s and Best Buy please lol

 

[miztressuz]

Nothing that I use. I also had a $20 back for spending $100 at crate and barrel.
Meh, more staples, Lowe’s and Best Buy please lol

Seconded!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Refresh your CSP support links. 60k with AF offer now gives 15k per “support” with a 75k cap. Old links are dead.

 

[schmass]

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.

This is where we booked for our trip later this year. I'm hoping that it will be warm enough for the kids to use the water park when we're there (first week of November). We ended up using UR points to book.

 

[platamama]

I hear ya. I cancelled my CSR after 2 years and dh's is 2 years now. I do like the $300 travel credit and I certainly get the effective $150 AF vs the $95 AF of the CSP but I'm at a point we are simply not using this card! There is rarely a redemption of points, other than cash back, that makes sense. We don't eat out much or travel a ton (where we actually pay for the travel haha!) so we are not earning many points those ways. I put most of my everyday spend on a card I'm working to meet MSR on. I think, of everything, we'd miss the lounges the most.

Wouldn't you get the difference in AFs ($55) back in one visit to Timberline??

 

[amalone1013]

Wouldn't you get the diffference in AFs ($55) back in one visit to Timberline??

Timberline is big for me personally in my CSR consideration. I value a visit at $30 when DH and I go because we typically spend about $40 at another place at DEN, and we live ~$10 tip at Timberline depending on what we order.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Bank of the West cc funding now coding as cash advance seems to have started last week. Another reminder bank funding via cc is always a fingers crossed sort of situation.

 

[amalone1013]

If I got the email that my payment was sent by Plastiq, I'm definitely in the clear, yes?

 

[trenty]

I think you mean nonstop flights (not direct)

Unfortunately, I don’t think that anything meaningful can be gleaned on nonstop routes vs routes w/stops from the anecdotal commentary I’ve read.

Thanks. My thinking is that it would be more involved on SW's part to rebook flights with stops/connections than non-stop flights.

 

[miztressuz]

Refresh your CSP support links. 60k with AF offer now gives 15k per “support” with a 75k cap. Old links are dead.

My link was redirecting to the "new" offer BUT I noticed the new links are "6a" rather than "6" on the old link. So might be a good enough reason to get a new one anyway, maybe that's tied to the higher 15k incentive? IDK, figured new links all around can't hurt

In that vein, I noticed the old SPG Biz links aren't working for most everyone (aka AmEx Marriott Bonvoy Business). I think after the 3/28 deadline they were cutoff and you have to do a new one.