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

[WVMomof3]

I can understand your frustration. The idea of progressives was very appealing to me a few years back and I got several pair - I think we changed them out about 3 times and they just didn't work for me. This was somewhere in my forties that my sight changed requiring a bifocal and I was working on my computer at work for a good part of each day. I eventually went to bifocals which took less time to get accustomed to. I was extremely near sighted from birth and had worn glasses all my life. Also had an astigmatism in one eye.

Fast forward to my 60ties and my eyes deteriorated to not seeing well while driving or at night - yup, cataracts! Had the surgery and it was successful and I don't need glasses after more than 60 years of wearing them - except for reading my phone and for my laptop - up close things. I can actually squint and see if I have to, but can't see tiny things.

Sight is certainly a progression. I've had 3 fails - progressive lenses, the early contacts that supposedly could be left in for a month at a time - yeah, no. I wore regular soft contacts - for almost 10 years until I had an eye injury in my doctor's office. And the glasses that darken when you go into the sun - sound good but caused problems long term. The progressives actually made me dizzy and queasy.

Now, since cataract surgery I buy readers at Costco on sale - 3 pairs for 12.99....I like it this way, and hopefully my new lenses in my eyes will last as long as I need them.

I have terrible night vision. Actually, terrible always. Lol. I had a detached retina several years ago and from that surgery they told me I would have higher chance of developing cataracts. At first I was like oh good, then I can have the surgery and get them fixed. Fortunately (or unfortunately???) it was only one eye. So now have a cataract in one eye only. They told me my choices were to fix both, paying for the “good” eye out of pocket or fix the cataract eye only but they would only correct it enough to match the bad eye so I am not lopsided in my vision. My vision is bad in both eyes (-4.5 and -6 in my contacts) so I really don’t want to do that. I just have been putting off any decision and living with it. And I do worry about getting them fixed in my 40s and wonder if they will last. I guess I should really go in for a consultation as it was just my regular eye dr telling me this. But is it bad to wish for a cataract so I can get both done? Lol

 

[disfanforlife]

First, Chase doesn't care about the credit lines on cards issued by other banks, just their own. So lowering credit lines on cards from other issuers won't really increase your chances of automatic approval by Chase. Lowering credit lines on Chase cards seem to matter more for approvals of biz cards than personal cards because (1) with most of our "businesses" reporting only 4-figure revenue, and CIPs requiring a minimum credit line of $5k to open, approval will be tight; and (2) if you don't lower your Chase credit lines or don't lower them enough and get caught on the denial end of too much credit extended, then you're probably not likely to call recon to talk about your "business" and try to get credit reallocated after the fact, where you might not have the same reluctance on a personal card app. A denial means you need to wait 30 days and try again.

Second, consider which cards you're reducing credit lines on. Are they Chase personal cards or biz cards? Lowering credit lines on biz cards will have no effect on your credit utilization ratio because biz cards, their credit lines and balances are not reported on your credit reports and therefore don't factor into your score. When lowering your overall credit lines on your Chase cards, I'd start trimming your biz card credit lines first because you're doing this with an eye on applying for another biz card, so having too much credit available on your open biz cards may not look too good (e.g., why do you need more?). After finishing MSR, I lower my and DW's biz cards to $1k, $2k, and at most $5k CL. Lowering credit lines on personal cards will affect your credit utilization ratio because personal cards, their credit lines and balances are reported, so a reduction in your credit limit without a reduction on your balance will tend to lower your credit scores. But there are some mitigating factors. If you're doing this to increase your chances of approval on a new Chase personal card, that new card will come with a credit line that may more than make up the credit line(s) you cut. If you're doing this to increase your chances of approval on a new Chase biz card, then presumably you're shifting a considerable amount of spend from your personal cards (thus lowering your credit utilization ratio on the personal cards) to biz cards where credit utilization isn't reported. When I cut my CSR limit from $32k to $20k, I barely saw a blip in my credit score because I was putting so much of my spend on biz cards.

Hope this helps (and makes some sense).

They were personal cards. AMEX Blue Cash, LlBean Visa, and Old Navy Visa. The only business card I had was a discover before I started this. I didn’t touch the CL on my oldest card which is a personal citi card that I have had for over 20 years and it has a high credit line but I don’t want to mess with that one since I have had it the longest.

My recent new cards:
5/19 Chase SW Biz
6/19 Chase Premier Visa
6/19 Citi AA Biz

P2 6/19 CIP
P2 6/19 Citi AA Biz

I plan to apply for a CIP for myself in October or November from my DH’s referral. I will reduce my SW Biz CL before then. I already met my MSR on that one. Thank you for explaining that to me. I will keep it in mind. I did get a pretty High CL on my both of my new Chase cards so the personal does partly make up for the others I lowered.

 

[amalone1013]

I'm still on the fence. They were discounted last night still. Guess I should check. Having MSR to meet causes me to spend money more easily.

ETA: Yep, still at the $865 rate...taunting me. What to do, what to do? What portal is that and can you confirm it posted for you?

EATA: It is only about a $114 per pass savings to buy from sams now as opposed to renewing later. BUT, it allows me to not have wasted months if I renew in Jan but don't travel until, say May....so that could be considered a savings too.

STILL there and I am so tempted for that exact reason...

 

[Alexle2007]

Since we ended up canceling our trip to Punta Cana for Aug (after watching a show about all of the deaths that have been occurring), I just booked flights to Orlando instead. I am actually thinking of booking Cabana Bay for the lazy river and to try someplace new. My mom was originally going with us so I booked her airline ticket also. I think debating between the family suite that we could all share or booking two rooms so she can have her own and we each have our own space. I’ll upgrade our APs to Premier so we can have the EP after 4 pm. Hopefully Hagrid’s is running better. (Yesterday it was supposed to open midday so we got there at 10:30 am, noon came and went and middday soon became late midday anytime between 12-4 pm. We left and enjoyed the pool.)

 

[kmc8826]

Someone posted about using plastiq to pay their heloc... how does that work? Can I use a chase card or do I need amex or mc since it’s mortgage related?

Ahem... so... if one was rejected hard by citi biz, what other MC options should one go for? I’m apparently only good enough for chase.

If you really want Chase you could get the IHG card...it is a MasterCard. Depends if the card itself and IHG points have any value for you though.

 

[mmmears]

No. But which one? Aren’t there like two Hyatt’s up there, and one’s a timeshare? I’m wondering if you pick the timeshare whether there’ll be a timeshare presentation opportunity for points or a gift certificate.

The resort one. We aren't timeshare people. I was just looking at using points for a last minute getaway, but we can't decide if it's worth it or not. Until 2020 is figured out it's hard to spend down the points we do have. This place looked pretty and we rarely get to the mountains anymore.

 

[Lain]

If you really want Chase you could get the IHG card...it is a MasterCard. Depends if the card itself and IHG points have any value for you though.

Will count against 5/24 though...

Tagging @smallsy.

 

[Lain]

The resort one. We aren't timeshare people. I was just looking at using points for a last minute getaway, but we can't decide if it's worth it or not. Until 2020 is figured out it's hard to spend down the points we do have. This place looked pretty and we rarely get to the mountains anymore.

I have a confession. I have some hoarding tendencies, so I totally understand holding onto points for future plans. But points are meant to be spent. You can always figure out ways to get more points. But if you think your family will enjoy a trip, make some indelible memories together, and it sounds like your last chance before your DD heads off to Norway for a while, I'd say do it. Aren't you overdue for another CIP anyway? That's 100k UR just waiting for your application.

 

[Haley R]

Chase is taking their sweet time approving Dh. We have some more big purchases coming up and I’d like to put them on his new card if he gets approved.

 

[mmmears]

I have a confession. I have some hoarding tendencies, so I totally understand holding onto points for future plans. But points are meant to be spent. You can always figure out ways to get more points. But if you think your family will enjoy a trip, make some indelible memories together, and it sounds like your last chance before your DD heads off to Norway for a while, I'd say do it. Aren't you overdue for another CIP anyway? That's 100k UR just waiting for your application.

Yes, overdue, but helping DD with her CIP so my Citi card is waiting for me to meet its own MSR. Thankfully for our bank account (but not for our points bank) spending is way down from what it was when we started playing this game. So we can't meet these larger MSRs as quickly as we did in the past. But that's a good thing. And yes, we are debating an overnight vs. doing more day trips to the beach, Carmel, etc. The issue is that 2020 plans won't work without lots of points and I'm worried about spending them down right before I am able to book for that trip (Europe) and then struggling to piece that trip together.

 

[Lain]

Chase is taking their sweet time approving Dh. We have some more big purchases coming up and I’d like to put them on his new card if he gets approved.

Chase approvals move slowly to not at all over the weekends. Check again tomorrow morning.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

@Haley R I like your new profile picture!

 

[miztressuz]

AmEx Amazon Biz cards can create support links now.

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/c7bvn9/_/esfjqkq

Not a great incentive, $25, but it's a start. I think @speedyfishy and @GlamMistress have this?

 

[Lain]

PSA: More mixed/negative DPs from r/churning and FlyerTalk of the Amex airline fee credit not reimbursing Delta and Southwest gift card purchases:

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/c7bvn9/_/esfrg60

 

[Haley R]

Chase approvals move slowly to not at all over the weekends. Check again tomorrow morning.

He’s been approved! Can I call this late to expedite? I hate calling

 

[Haley R]

@Haley R I like your new profile picture!

Thank you!

 

[usakiwi]

Holy cow, that looks gorgeous! I can't wait to hear what you think!

I really want to stay in an overwater bungalow somewhere

Wow! Can't wait to hear about it. That place looks incredible!

(Hopefully I have done this multi quote correctly!)

I will be very honest and say, hopefully without sounding like a total brat, that I have rather limited expectations of what it will be like ha ha, but I will be with DH and our girls, and we make the best out of anything!

The reviews are VERY mixed, and I really had my heart set on doing something that I was REALLY excited about with the 7 night cert. I actually originally planned to book Atlantis (before reading recent reviews) because I had grown up going there and was really excited to share the experience with my family. But after reviews weren't that good of Atlantis (it sounds very different from the way I knew it), I was sort of stuck with this 7 night cert and spent A LOT of time searching A LOT of places trying to find ANYwhere to use it that I was looking forward to and that I felt wasn't us just using it to use it. In the end we settled on Fiji because it fit into already existing travel plans and we were running out of time.

We are very fortunate that we were able to experience an amazing trip to Bora Bora last August, and we also stayed at IC Fiji last June and LOVED it (despite the same TPG reviewer from the linked article giving it a rather poor review. Yes, we did have kids with us which seems to be a big issue for him that there were so many families there, but we definitely didn't find it to be overrun with kids and we thought 2 nights there for free using our last unrestricted IHG free nights was AMAZING value!!! In fact, I think our experience there is why hubby wants to go back to Fiji because if it was up to me we would be going somewhere new to us) So the standards have been set pretty high for the Marriott Momi Bay to follow! But I will let you know what we think!!

 

[PolyRob]

He’s been approved! Can I call this late to expedite? I hate calling

Doesn't DH have an online business account? You can send an SM for the new account number requesting it to be expedited. You can also call at this hour. I expedited my first one by phone at like 2am because I was excited I had finally been approved.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I have a confession. I have some hoarding tendencies, so I totally understand holding onto points for future plans. But points are meant to be spent. You can always figure out ways to get more points. But if you think your family will enjoy a trip, make some indelible memories together, and it sounds like your last chance before your DD heads off to Norway for a while, I'd say do it. Aren't you overdue for another CIP anyway? That's 100k UR just waiting for your application.

I love this answer. I’m not exactly earn and burn but things keep changing and the points might not do what you want them to by the time you get there. Disney is case in point. Anyone hoarding points for Disney got stuck.

I try to plan a couple years out, then have plan A & B. Although lately I have changed directions a number of times, due to lack of availability, denials, and changes in terms. I was planning to focus on AA miles, and CIP. Then AA gave up all their flights from Chicago to China, so their points aren’t quite as important. Plus we like to fly SW as well. Trying to plan for the CP for 2020/2021 made me think, what if they changed CP suddenly and I couldn’t get it, so I’m going for it now, knowing I’ll have 15 months at best. If it’s still there by end of 2020, we’ll go for it again.

 

[MrPTato]

Jumping on the GrAAvy train. Approved for AA card. 50,000 miles. Maybe that is good for a sign-on bonus?? Flying out on them on Wednesday to Los Angeles (first time that far west. Anyone know if I call Citi if they will rush that card to me? Not sure if I can even use the perks for Wednesday like free checked bag and better boarding group.