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

[afan]

Speaking of ridiculous arguments, somebody on the Restaurants board got upset because I disagreed with them about the new portion size at BOG.

It went like this:

Them: "IMO the new portion size is too small for one person"
Me: "IMO the new portion size is just right for one person"
Them: "EXCUSE ME I am very LARGE and just because it is right FOR YOU doesn't mean it is right for EVERYONE!!!"



I guess when they wrote "one person" it meant "me, as an individual," but when I did it, it meant "you're a pig." The magic of the English language!

Every so often I remember why I rarely leave this thread.

As an aside, DF & I are in the lounge waiting for our flight and sitting near us are triplet toddler girls, in matching outfits but different colors, and their iPad cases match their outfits. They are so cute. I aspire to this level of parenting.

Most of the meals at WDW are too big for one person, which is partly why you so often see people suggesting to split or buy the kids meal. Being small or large isn't also a good excuse for that person. I could be a small bodybuilder that needs 3000 cal + a day or I could be a large in height person that's good on 2000 and so it's too much. But I also find someone explaining themselves as very LARGE as someone I'm now judging because of it and they are probably eating more than they should. But really who even explains themselves as very large that just seems weird and would have been better to say they have a hearty or healthy appetite. Or maybe my two week+ of counting calories so help my clothes still fit while building muscle is getting to me. I just want the fat on my hips to go away or I'm going to stop purposely building muscle which isn't a good thing to say as we age. But ugh, I already cut out a ton of sugar, not that I miss it but it's annoying. OK I need to stop complaining and eat lunch.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Ok - I'm testing out this Plastiq HELOC strategy!! My wife's AA Biz showed up yesterday. Got it all registered...setup to transfer $500 on Thursday this week from my HELOC to my checking. Have a Plastiq payment for the same amount with a guaranteed delivery date of 6/18. If all works, I'll owe ~$.50 in interest and pay the $12.50 Plastiq Fee. This will also trigger some FFDs through the referral

 

[platamama]

@biochemgirl - I noticed your comment on DISchurners and figured I'd quote this recent comment I made about how to play the 2 player Plastiq referral game and score some FFDs!

Also - just cross-posting your questions here where there is activity:

I am looking to sign up for Plastiq. Am I reading this correct that the issues with VISA cards triggering a cash advance status and corresponding fee have been resolved? I want to use my new Chase Sapphire Preferred with $5K limit to pay a $1350 mortgage. I also need suggestions for how to mix-up the recipient of "Umpqua Bank".​

​

My thought on Umpqua is to just leave of Bank...LOL! I don't believe there is any Cash Advance issue anymore but I'd make sure a second person confirms this.

I can't answer all of those questions but can anybody help @biochemgirl? Also make sure you tag her if you respond.

@biochemgirl -

There is a handy chart of which categories you can pay with a personal Visa card. More detail can be found on this Plastiq help article. Basically, mortgages are a no-go with a personal Visa card. They are allowed with MC and Discover (and no Visa except where name tricks come into play).

Specific to the CSP as far as Plastiq payments is this detail:


- from a former biochem girl

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

I have not seen any from the promotion that ended 4/30. My only points over 10k were SUB miles though. It also says 6-8 week though, so still possible. I have read SUB have counted in the past, but so far nothing has posted. And I believe that one was only a 15% bonus.

same

 

[havaneselover]

Is boxed working for the $10 Amex gold monthly dining credit a new thing?

 

[mmmears]

We aren't going to take any *action* until June 17, so I'll know more then about the exact logistics after that, but my understanding from talking to James is that I will go ahead and transfer my Amex MR to Qantas (assuming our game plan doesn't change in the next week and a half), because he prefers that I do not give him access to my Amex account (which I totally agree with). Then I believe what will happen is that I will give him the login info for my Qantas account so he can go ahead and do the actual booking for me (since I will be on a plane when the JAL booking window opens). I am also going to give him my cc info for my CSR and my Plat so he has a couple of options to pay the taxes and fees associated with the award booking. I'm giving him multiple options because he commonly sees the cc companies send a verification code when there is a transaction in foreign currency, and unless I have access to really good wifi on my flight, I won't be able to receive a text alert and respond. If both cards ask for verification and he can't get them to go through, he offered to put the taxes and fees on his own cc, and I will reimburse him, which I thought was awesome. Obviously it would be nicer not to give him my cc info, but ccs can be cancelled if there is fraud, and I don't have any recurring payments on either of those cards that would be impacted by a cancellation (and thanks to this game, I have plenty of other cc options to use on our trip if I have to cancel one or both of those cards). And the only miles I will have in my Qantas account will be the ones for this transaction, so there is a limit to the risk there, although as I've mentioned before, everything so far seems very aboveboard. That just leaves the risk that I move my points to Qantas and he can't get me what I want, but I feel like he will make it right by getting me something else.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. It sounds like it's going to work well for you, and something I may consider in the future.

My 18 year old son would like to apply for his first credit card. He is a full time student during the school year, and works full time during the summer. What is the best first card that would be easiest for him to get with no credit history? He isn’t going to be churning. Just want him to start building his credit.

Do you belong to a credit union? My DD was able to get a Visa from the credit union where she had her savings account. After that she went for a Chase CFU Visa because she wants travel points.

Slightly

Can anyone recommend a good route planning tool? Something where I can plot all of our stops, calculate a route and then modify to hit a more scenic path if needed? We’re doing a road trip next month from San Francisco to Yosemite to Vegas to San Simeon and returning up the coast to San Francisco. We’ve done a similar path before but I’m trying to show our traveling companions in England what the route looks like and a chance for them to give input. So far I’ve tried Google Maps and Furkot. Thanks!!

Edited to add: if anyone has any must see spots we should hit along the way or a preferred route I’m definitely open to suggestions and new ideas.

I was going to suggest Google Maps, but you've tried it. Last time I checked AAA had some form of their road trip "triptik" thing online, but that was a few years ago. In terms of places to stop, I'd suggest leaving some time to see Carmel/Monterey if you can.

Me: Wants to use points and miles to mitigate the out of pocket cost of travel.

Also me: Books 11th Adventures by Disney trip to Japan with the fleeting thought *this should earn lots of point and miles for mitigating out of pocket costs on future travel*

I can totally relate to this, sadly.

 

[bernina]

Can't PC a charge card to a credit card (and vice versa) and there are no fee free charge cards.

Thank you, that makes total sense! BBP it is (seems like a great keeper card).

[

 

[speedyfishy]

Most of the meals at WDW are too big for one person, which is partly why you so often see people suggesting to split or buy the kids meal. Being small or large isn't also a good excuse for that person. I could be a small bodybuilder that needs 3000 cal + a day or I could be a large in height person that's good on 2000 and so it's too much. But I also find someone explaining themselves as very LARGE as someone I'm now judging because of it and they are probably eating more than they should. But really who even explains themselves as very large that just seems weird and would have been better to say they have a hearty or healthy appetite. Or maybe my two week+ of counting calories so help my clothes still fit while building muscle is getting to me. I just want the fat on my hips to go away or I'm going to stop purposely building muscle which isn't a good thing to say as we age. But ugh, I already cut out a ton of sugar, not that I miss it but it's annoying. OK I need to stop complaining and eat lunch.

A lot of QS meals aren’t enough food for me lol I’m not overweight but I’m not underweight either. I eat horribly at Disney and gain 5-10 pounds but it comes off when I get home. I try and eat chicken breasts four times a week with only salad. It’s so boring though lol

 

[WVMomof3]

On the Plastiq, can we have the same card saved on 2 different accounts? So I would support DH to plastiq and have him pay mortgage next month, then I would use my FFD to pay the next month with same card. Does that sound right? And I can't remember, does he get the FFD right away, or does he need to spend something first.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Nope - nobody can see who downvotes you, lol! It can be therapeutic to just go in and downvote jerks. Sometimes I can be a jerk over there too, but usually it's with a humorous tone - I know @gottalovepluto likes to do that too sometimes, lol!

Guilty @WVMomof3 It's where I let my frustration out! I let my sarcastic/snide streak run free, hilariously I think I've gotten more upvotes for those comments over the last couple years than I have actually useful comments.

I'm not all bad guy over there admittedly seeing as one needs happiness in all aspects of life so I tend to upvote if I recognize one of our own over there as well the rankt bot referral posts as per our Benevolent Dictator's wishes. I also upvoted our Benevolent Dictator's post on SW referrals in the DD today but dang did people crush that comment karma with some hate earlier this morning, glad to see it back to positive so it stays visible to all you SW people!

 

[MrPTato]

Is boxed working for the $10 Amex gold monthly dining credit a new thing?

I believe it was just announced this week.

 

[platamama]

On the Plastiq, can we have the same card saved on 2 different accounts? So I would support DH to plastiq and have him pay mortgage next month, then I would use my FFD to pay the next month with same card. Does that sound right? And I can't remember, does he get the FFD right away, or does he need to spend something first.

Yes, that's no problem to have the same card paying from different Plastiq accounts. His 500FFD will post after his account makes $500 worth of payments, and you'll get your 1000FFDs, it's pretty quick within 24 hr IIRC.

 

[bernina]

Try road trippers dot com. I think they have an app too. It should fit what you want. I have a friend that uses it to plan all their national parks trips and you can decide how much (hotels, restaurants, ect.) that you want to show up. I think you can also get suggested routes on the site as well. Play with it a bit and see if it fits what's you're looking for.

Thank you so much, this looks great! Playing around with it now.

 

[biochemgirl]

Getting lucky with the Citi matching lately . . . received a letter today that they're adding the 20k on my new Citi AA personal card.

Did you just SM a generic request like, "I saw an offer for 75K. Can you match that on my new account?"

Or does the request for a match require naming a specific comparison card?

Thanks

 

[amalone1013]

For anyone looking at going to Vegas this summer, there are some great Amex offers for Caesars properties, Wynn, and MGM. Some are being offered in both cash back and MR forms so it's possible they will stack.

I did a status match this week for P1 and P2 from Marriott (P1 is Plat, P2 is Gold) to Wyndham to get Wyndham Diamond (very fast match, it was processed overnight) then matched to Caesar's Rewards Diamond (this took two days).

Booked 1 night for P1 and 1 night for P2 using separate Amex offers ($40 off $200+). We will each receive a $100 dining credit and 2 free show tickets and waived resort fees & parking fees, courtesy of being Caesar's Diamond status. So $200 free food and 2 shows for the 2 days we are there. And we'll check out the Centurion lounge in LAS on the way home.

Switched my SW CP to DH, so flights are $22.40 OOP. The value of the free food and show tickets should mostly offset what we spent for the hotel rooms. This weekend getaway for me and DH is probably going to cost less than the petsitter for the weekend!

Now this feels like an excuse I need to go to vegas... I do have Marriott plat...

...Ahem... .........

(totally kidding FYI, it's good for something to be posted a second time)

Psh, that was like years ago the way this thread moves

 

[DisneyMandC]

Is boxed working for the $10 Amex gold monthly dining credit a new thing?

That definitely makes me even more interested in that card... I need to decide what I'm going to get in addition to CIP 2 later this month.

 

[StephPlum]

Basically, mortgages are a no-go with a personal Visa card. They are allowed with MC and Discover and business Visas.

How did I miss this? So you can pay a mortgage with a CIP? I thought all Visas blocked mortgages (other than people doing tricks with names).

 

[punkin]

I understand that chase cards shouldn't be churned more than once every 3 months, but does that apply to the co-branded cards also?

 

[Lain]

@ten6mom, were you in this?

 

[tink1970]

Thank you, that makes total sense! BBP it is (seems like a great keeper card).

This really is a great keeper card-after my (rose) gold this is my second favorite card.

In my churning news...
I paid off our VIking cruise to Australia/NZ today.

It was $15,598 so...

$10K on new Amex Biz Plat (--the upgrade offer was 50K MRs for 10K spend plus the 1.5x on >$5k spend)-> 62.5MRs
$4K on mom' shiny new CSP (68k URs)
$1K on DH's CSR (I didn't have other cards yet when I made the ressie) so 3K URs
$598 on DH's CiP (still working on the MSR...he's so slow...this brought us to ...$2800 of $5000, sigh)->but without SUB 1797 URs

My friends with whom we're traveling made it a point to remind me that Viking charges 3.3% less for payments made with checks. That would equal a savings of $514.73. I'd say using MSRs for SUBs easily covered that (double if not tripled, depending on how one values MRs). Definitely worth opening a cards and upgrading another for the returns. I feel sorry for people who can't be bothered to learn the tricks of this game but to each his/her own.