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

[DisneyMandC]

I did change my name - got married very young, so no career accomplishments etc. that I would be "leaving behind". The easier kid-name thing was a big consideration. I kept my maiden name as my middle name, so its still there. It was a big deal to me - I actually got mad at DH because he said he was fine with me keeping my name or changing it - it didn't matter to him. I told him he needed to appreciate that I was changing my name, it was important, and I wanted credit for it

I totally abandoned my maiden name It was fine, nothing complicated, but myself and my dad were the only people in our nuclear family to have that last name. I liked my middle name and wanted to keep that, so I just took DH's last name. I definitely think it's an each to their own scenario, and I fully understand and respect the many reasons women wouldn't give up their name. Honestly, it was an adjustment period for me when I changed mine and at first I wasn't totally on board with it. But I have to admit that I really like only having to sign our Christmas cards from "The Xs" haha. Plus our last name is kind of "catchy," for lack of a better word. I mainly get called by my last name at work.

DH likes to jokingly say that I had to take his last name so he can see it on the side of a law firm one day Jokes on him, I'll be a government employee for life haha.

(Japanese women can't. Or, the man has to take her name. Somebody has to give theirs up.)

What?! So weird...

 

[MKTokyo]

Remember when I said we were going to embrace slow-churning...Apparently that only lasted about 6 months, cuz I'm running HARD again

Here's a quick look back at our path since my wife got <5/24 back in Apr 2018:

04/18 - P2 - Chase Ink Preferred #1
08/18 - P2 - Chase Sapphire Reserve
08/18 - P2 - Chase Sapphire Preferred
11/18 - P2 - Chase Ink Unlimited
12/18 - P1 - CitiBusiness Aadvantage #1
02/19 - P2 - Chase Ink Cash 2/4/2019
02/19 - P2 - CitiBusiness Aadvantage #1
03/19 - P1 - Barclays Aviator Business
03/19 - P2 - Barclays Aviator Business
03/19 - P1 - CitiBusiness Aadvantage #2
04/19 - P1 - Chase Ink Preferred #1
05/19 - P2 - CitiBusiness Aadvantage #2
06/19 - P2 - Chase Ink Preferred #2

And I'm hoping to cap off June with a P1 Citi AA Biz card#3 So after getting just 3 cards over an 8 month span...I'm now on 11 cards in an 8 month span and probably targeting to do 15 cards this year...

This made me look at mine since I started churning...

08/18 - Amex Platinum 100K
09/18 - CIP #1 80K
11/18 - Hilton Aspire 150K
12/18 - Hilton Biz 125K
12/18 - CSR 50K
02/19 - United Biz 75K
02/19 - Bananaboy Biz 100K
03/19 - Delta Biz 70K
04/19 - Citi AA Biz #1 70K
06/19 - CIP #2 80K + 20K self-referral
06/19 - Barclays Arrival+ 70K

So I'm 4/24 with 11 cards open in 10 months. (Incidentally, my credit score went over 800!) No interest in hitting 5/24 unless it's for something amazing, so I'm staying on the biz train. Notice my AA Biz says "#1"

 

[chattadisser]

AccchhhhKKK! The keeping your name part is wonderful. But then when you get to the kids, it can be a pain. Daughter kept her name.

Daughter's 2 kids have hyphenated names. I add them to our Disney and some airline reservations. Not enough room for the names on many applications. And on airline reservations you end up with a hodgepodge name. I'm not sure what the compromise is here.

I didn't take my DH's name initially, somewhat for the same reasons the @Lain mentioned. I have an advanced degree and was already working in that field and was known by it. Well, my maiden name is one of the most unique names around (I can google it and I personally know everyone that shows up) and DH's name is one of the most common last names in America. We tired for the hyphenated compromise but it was such a pain in the rear end when no one could ever find it in their records. Someplaces considered the maiden name as the beginning of my last name, which I did, and then some thought that DH's last name was where my last name began (never mind the whole other name and hyphen in front of it). Eventually I gave in and just went with DH's last name. The pro is I can go incognito pretty much anytime I want as there are a ton of people with the same name, the con is that since it is such a common name I have to be very careful to make sure I am actually the person that they are looking up in the system as opposed to someone else with the same name. I've gotten other people's medical records before. But I did keep my maiden as my middle name so it is still there and does half weed me out from all the others with the same name.

 

[bernina]

This made me look at mine since I started churning...

08/18 - Amex Platinum 100K
09/18 - CIP #1 80K
11/18 - Hilton Aspire 150K
12/18 - Hilton Biz 125K
12/18 - CSR 50K
02/19 - United Biz 75K
02/19 - Bananaboy Biz 100K
03/19 - Delta Biz 70K
04/19 - Citi AA Biz #1 70K
06/19 - CIP #2 80K + 20K self-referral
06/19 - Barclays Arrival+ 70K

So I'm 4/24 with 11 cards open in 10 months. (Incidentally, my credit score went over 800!) No interest in hitting 5/24 unless it's for something amazing, so I'm staying on the biz train. Notice my AA Biz says "#1"

Is Bananaboy Biz some new MS method at the self check out

 

[MKTokyo]

Guessing they only let you use your legal name? I know someone that yook her husbands last name but still used her previous last name professionally but she's in real estate. 2nd marriage so she already had established with her name and with thr nature of that biz I can understand the reaaoning.

You can register your maiden name as a legal alias & use it to a point, but anything "official" has to be in your "official" name. That is what I will be doing & hopefully it won't be an issue.

What?! So weird...

Upon marriage, the wife & husband move off their parents' family registers and create one of their own. They both have to be on the same register, and everyone on a particular register must have the same family name. There was recently a court challenge brought against this policy. It failed.

As a foreigner, I can't have my own family register at all. That's why I can technically keep my name. There is nothing for me to move off or to; I just get to be a footnote like "marriage to foreigner: (my name)" But, any children of my husband will automatically be added to his family register & receive his name.

And this is all completely different from HOUSEHOLD registration, which is another matter.

 

[snugglebug]

Congrats!!



Gas stations are hard for us now too with our new plug in hybrid. I've gone over 900 miles on 9 gallons, I haven't even put gas in since buying the car. I love it.

ETA: And we get Netflix included with our TMobile service so that's worthless to us. OTOH, since I'm working on 3 MSRs for $15K I guess it's better that I'm not sidetracked with the CFs for the next 3 months. Just the Discover 5% on Paypal haha.

We don't commute, both work from home, so gas is very little. Plus softball is winding down for summer so even less driving. Netflix is covered by TMobile and Hulu is covered with Microsoft Rewards.

Giftcards at gas stations? Is that an option?

 

[elgerber]

.

 

[amalone1013]

ATTENTION:
VERY IMPORTANT INTERPRETATION OF ZODIAC SIGNS
(MORE SO THAN THE TALK THE OTHER DAY)

 

[amalone1013]

I figured it out. I do NOT understand how they work! Even though the current balance is 577.55, on a 1000 credit line, it shows the available credit at only $22.45?? So I just tried $19 in gift cards from Card cash and it went though fine, and now it shows available credit of $4.15. So when we will have the rest of the credit line available to use, after the statement ends??
Even weirder, that is the company account page, when I click on DH card page it says he has available credit of $127.29 and my card page says available credit of 990.16, but nothing over the $22 would go through, and now we clearly can't charge anything else.
Guess we won't meet that min spend until the 2nd statement cycle?

Did you get close to the limit and make a payment all during this cycle? It sounds similar to my issue.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I figured it out. I do NOT understand how they work! Even though the current balance is 577.55, on a 1000 credit line, it shows the available credit at only $22.45?? So I just tried $19 in gift cards from Card cash and it went though fine, and now it shows available credit of $4.15. So when we will have the rest of the credit line available to use, after the statement ends??
Even weirder, that is the company account page, when I click on DH card page it says he has available credit of $127.29 and my card page says available credit of 990.16, but nothing over the $22 would go through, and now we clearly can't charge anything else.
Guess we won't meet that min spend until the 2nd statement cycle?

I actually want to just call and cancel these cards now. That website is so terrible, And there is no lack of comments like yours about how ridiculously awful the whole card program is. I remember they were rude to me when I tried to activate the card too. Normally I'd keep something open a year but this one has me wanting to just cancel now and move on.

 

[platamama]

We don't commute, both work from home, so gas is very little. Plus softball is winding down for summer so even less driving. Netflix is covered by TMobile and Hulu is covered with Microsoft Rewards.

Giftcards at gas stations? Is that an option?

When I've looked before, I've only seen the One Vanilla cards and those are hard for me to liquidate where I am. Might work for someone else though!

 

[MKTokyo]

Is Bananaboy Biz some new MS method at the self check out

It's when you leave your phone face-up on the counter, showing multiples of this guy:



The cashier is so distracted that they don't notice your payment method & you are free to MS as you like!

 

[punkin]

Awesome! What did you do for your DD? I think we are hyphenating. With mine first lol

I gave my DDs his name. It's shorter and easier. If we were to hyphenate with my very long and unusual name, it would be 21 letters not including the hyphen. I love my children too much.

 

[MKTokyo]

ATTENTION:
VERY IMPORTANT INTERPRETATION OF ZODIAC SIGNS
(MORE SO THAN THE TALK THE OTHER DAY)

Boo. I never eat those lollipops. I used to call them unicorn pops but at Disney I feel like they're called something else.

What is Sagittarius? Is there such a thing as a Disney pickle?

 

[havaneselover]

ATTENTION:
VERY IMPORTANT INTERPRETATION OF ZODIAC SIGNS
(MORE SO THAN THE TALK THE OTHER DAY)

Ew--I got the gross turkey leg.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Ew--I got the gross turkey leg.

When I think of you, I will always think of the turkey leg now

 

[amalone1013]

Boo. I never eat those lollipops. I used to call them unicorn pops but at Disney I feel like they're called something else.

What is Sagittarius? Is there such a thing as a Disney pickle?

I think it's bigger in Disneyland?

DH got the popcorn, which is ridiculously appropriate out of everything on here

 

[vanjust14]

The government secret has been released for Quarter 3...

Chase Freedom Q3 Bonus Categories: Gas Stations and Streaming Services.

Courtesy of OMAAT and TPG. (and I found it from LumpyLump76 on reddit)​

Figures, just Pc'd my CSP to a Freedom and I won't really use either of these (free gas card from work).

 

[snugglebug]

ATTENTION:
VERY IMPORTANT INTERPRETATION OF ZODIAC SIGNS
(MORE SO THAN THE TALK THE OTHER DAY)

Maybe we need to remake this one lol I'm actually not a fan of the Mickey Waffles, probably because the gluten free ones really aren't that great.

 

[bernina]

I actually want to just call and cancel these cards now. That website is so terrible, And there is no lack of comments like yours about how ridiculously awful the whole card program is. I remember they were rude to me when I tried to activate the card too. Normally I'd keep something open a year but this one has me wanting to just cancel now and move on.

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve had a wonderful experience for many years with Barclays personal cards (Arrival +, former Sallie Mae MC and my everyday when not working on MSR grandfathered 2% Priceline). This Aviator card is enough to make me run for the hills.

DH has the full history log but after 10+ phone calls, 3 email addresses (2 that were wrong and bounced back) and 3 different fax numbers (only 1 of which was actually received) he finally got connected to the fraud or verification department that does the review.

They said his personal taxes were not good enough but the CSR admitted she was a sole prop at one point and agreed what they were asking for did not always apply. So she is attempting to escalate.

To top it off the $95 annual fee is due in a few days and I know if we don’t pay it will incur fees and be a nightmare to deal with.

We’re beyond exhausted and frustrated with this one.