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

[mmmears]

This year is a tough decision. My iPhone X is my primary camera (the one I have with me always), so I appreciate the significant upgrade to the cameras, but true 5G wireless won’t come out until next year’s model and I don’t do phone upgrades every year anymore.

It's always a tough decision here. We used to update every 2 years and pass down our phones to DD and DM. But we're on year 3 of our 7 (with 256GB so no issues there) and just feel so unmotivated to upgrade. We do both want a better camera for next summer's trip, though, but it sounds like waiting one more year would be better. I'm just annoyed with Apple at this point. DH was listening to the Apple thing last night and was complaining as well. I guess it's time we upgrade, but I can't get excited by anything they said. I guess we will have to look into it when we get back home. Purple sounds nice and all, but I put a case on my phone anyway and usually just go with basic black.

Weve always done a carry-on for both wife and I and backpacks for everyone else. My now 6 (today, happy bday Ellie!) year old has done a backpack but it gets heavy after a while and I've second guessed myself on her not simply getting a carry-on instead. I think if I were to do it all over again, I'd get her a carry-on and then when she is around 10-12, getting a backpack to supplement the carry on.

This was our setup (kids are on the floor- little one for 6 year old and big one for 10)

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Love your setup and how you travel light! We've been doing the same since we passed the whole need to bring diapers, baby stuff, and toys and it's been great.

I do think the Animators Collection is adorbs, and my DD even has a few of the dresses; but *gasp* DD told us recently that she’s not really into princesses anymore because all that love stuff is “goofy.” What happened to my baby girl?!

If we get her the blush pink Away carry-on, I think she’d totally put Hello Kitty stickers all over it.

When my DD was younger we got her a pink Roxy Hawaiian print rolling carryon (because that was a thing back there and I found it for a really good price). It was smaller than ours were, but so much cuter. But it wasn't rolling as nicely as the Briggs ones were, and eventually we just got her one that matched ours. It was definitely fun for her for quite a few years, though. I love the idea of a pink Away bag covered in Hello Kitty stickers. Whatever you do will work, I think.

@mmmears - I thought I had added your post to my response with @ten6mom's post but realized it didn't attach. I didn't want you to think I wasn't responding to your question. Quoting my response below.

Thank you. I guess my question is, if I am staying at what they consider a resort, can I use that credit for another night? Or just on resort fees?

 

[mmmears]

My Ccard update:

We met my CSP MSR here (hotel bill), helped DD finish up her CIP MSR (dinner out), and DH's Hilton Biz is still not met because lots of places here don't take AMEX. DD is worried about the CIP and her putting mostly food bills on it and Chase getting annoyed, but from what I've been reading there must be more to that FB story than just normal spend? We were going to suggest trying to get a Gold card since most of the spend is food related, but since the grocery place near her doesn't take AMEX that's out.

As for luggage:

Not checking bags means I don't have to worry much about how the airline abuses them (I know, it does happen on those tiny regional planes). We still have the 2-wheeled carry-ons because the Briggs bags just last and last. I think the first one was bought in 2007 and the third in 2011, and only one has needed (free) repairs at this point. I get jealous of the pretty hard sides sometimes (esp. Tumi) and the spinners when I see how easy it is to move them in the airport, but then I have also seen them stuck on the cobblestones here and elsewhere, struggling with carpet, etc. so I think as long as mine lasts I'm just going to keep it. They weren't cheap, even on sale, but we've certainly gotten our money's worth at this point. The ones I really think are pretty are the aluminum ones, but I'm not a fan of scratches and dents.

So many Away bags at LAX tonight. It’s like I’m in NY

Totally a millennial thing. Everyone I know who uses Away is more my DDs age than mine. They do look nice, though. I've heard both good and mixed reviews from the "kids" I know who use them, because of course I ask about luggage and travel.

 

[ten6mom]

I'll get right on that, Chase.

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

Approved for CIP (less than 24 hours later). This was my quickest approval yet and least painful. First was without question the worst.

And the 20k points from my support to DH for his new Amex Gold posted yesterday. I just applied on Saturday. When Amex is good it is very very good...

And when it is bad it is horrid!!!!!!!

My staples credit on the freedoms just posted. Took over a week but glad they credited.

Does anyone know how it works if you cancel your CSR but have trips booked on those points? Thinking of changing DH CSP to a CSR. Which then means I don’t need the CSR.

I just rebooked my planned trips (if price was same and obviously won’t work on flights) to the upgraded CSR and canceled them on the old card. The trips stay intact but you lose the CIP protection which you may want/need. Since my prices were the same that made the most sense but I think I’d roll the dice if it costs more

Has anyone cancelled yet? When I called my option was to cancel the entire package (tickets included) and get a voucher, but tje insurance cost was non refundable. I was OK with that (although I prefer to keep the tickets) BUT they calculated the insurance cost at 4x the cost I paid on my receipt! So instead of $148 it was almost $600. The person I spoke to couldn't do anything for me except reschedule or cancel the whole package and give me the reduced voucher. She suggested I call back during business hours to speak with finance team.

My other option is to cancel the travel insurance (you have 10ndays to cancel the insurance) and just eat the cost of the flight/hotel ($256) and keep the tickets.
I wonder if they'd refund $148 or $600?!?!?

I called Delta AGAIN tonight (I have the number memorized now) and got the same rep as yesterday. She said she was mistaken yesterday (ok, was anyone going to let me know???).

I swear, every day I call I get a different story.

So, even though my receipt says $148 for insurance, apparently their cost was $171 (?), so my choices are:
- Voucher for $2678 OR
- Insurance refund of $171, leave the flight and hotel as is (throwaway) and hope that the they don't somehow cancel the WDW tickets. This has a cash value of $2615

DH is more done with Delta than I am and just wants to do option 2 and never deal with them again.

I am worried something will get messed up with the WDW tickets (although they are already linked in MDE) and we will loose all those points and end up with $171, so I am leaning towards the voucher. BUT we typically fly SW, so I may have to get creative to use it.

We have 2 days to decide before the option to cancel the insurance expires.

Honestly it sounds like you’re wasting your time and breath not speaking to the finance team. It should be easy to figure out the refund. Delta CSRs all seem pretty clueless.

I canceled less than 24 hours but got the insurance and that was deducted. My trip total was $3949.49 - $2852.22 for Disney tix -$232 insurance. I got a voucher for $713.75 via snail mail and the amount I put on my cc $149.46 was put back on my cc I used for the balance I owed. So your voucher should be total trip cost- tickets-insurance.

They can’t claw back the tickets they are nonrefundable - delta buys them from Disney I don’t see anyway they could “take them back”

You can’t use the voucher for a hotel stay in Disney or somewhere else?

@kidsfirsttrip How did you receive your Delta voucher- snail mail or email? I think I cancelled a day or two after you so I should be getting mine soon.

I wasn't expecting to get the insurance cost refunded. I thought that amount was taken out of the voucher value...?

Snail mail exactly one week after cancelation! So keep eyes open the next day or 2!

Yes my insurance was taken out the the voucher value. BUT technically I think we can ask for it to be refunded since we canceled under 24 hours. Might be more of a hassle dealing with Delta but I’m happy either way.

 

[orangecuse]

@SouthFayetteFan @afan my CIP bonus tracker is in the app on the bottom. Its under the purchases and such, only above the card member name. Just adding because it sounds like it may be different for you SFF?

 

[mfly]

If somebody in the know wants to game the system and "cut it closer", they could probably just tell DME a flight time about an hour after their actual flight and make that work. (I don't know that this works or not, just suggesting it).

This does work, for the record. DME doesn’t care when you’re actually flying and won’t ask for any real proof of a flight/ticket.

We used this method once when they were doing pickups waaay too early around Christmas - I just found a flight number that would get us to the airport at the time we actually wanted to be there, and I gave that info to DME.

If I remember correctly, we did it another time when they gave us an earlier pickup time than we expected - so we just went to talk to the front desk and told them our flight had changed (a little lie - it had changed, just not that morning) and they moved us to a later DME bus.

Unrelated to DME, but related to the phone conversation: as someone who worked in a school, please don’t give your kids phones before they actually need them for safety purposes. Don’t give into pressure. Once you do give them phones, be vigilant about ensuring they’re only being used for safety purposes. 99% of the bullying/social issues that we had were related to things that were said/done on kids’ phones.

 

[smallsy]

ATL as in Atlanta? If that is the case I would focus on Delta as Atlanta is their hub. That is especially the case if you want international travel options. If that is the case I would look at the Amex Delta cards and Amex membership reward cards. UR’s are not really helpful with Delta.

The CSR has trip insurance that is quite good. Is that what you mean with perks?

I guess by perks I mean things like the CP, free upgrades, free drinks, clubs, any extras that make flying a little less of a pain. I see people talking about all these things here but I’m not sure how to access them. I’m the chump who searches sites like kayak for the best economy deal and gets stuck in the back. I don’t know how to fly well.

 

[maybe later]

Hi and welcome! I didn't want you to think that we were ignoring you. Glad to see you come out of "lurkdom".

Your post earlier today referenced an advanced strategy. We have a private group called DISchurners on reddit that is open only to DISboards friends from this thread. We are currently in the process of moving discussions on "advanced strategies" to the reddit group. You likely have realized how lucrative they can be so this is an attempt to keep this information more protected. If you ask the same question over there we'd be glad to provide more insight.

You're welcome to join that group (typically I'd send you a PM invite but you can't do PMs on the DIS since you've only made 1 comment). To join I just need your reddit name or you can register at reddit.com.

Thanks! My reddit name is deb7069

 

[calypso726]

Advice please!

No credit card use this year. Stagnant, unused lowes card(for sudden house fixes), at least 4 years old. Nothing else out.

Would starting with a business southwest card be ideal? Husband buys his tickets monthly for work trip.

Houston is our SW hub.

His work pays for Hilton hotels only. Hilton has their best reward point business right now. The idea is adding more points to the free from work trips points.

Any idea if starting with cip works out better?

Goals would be flights paid for. Hotels I'm not as worried over. Not a luxury hotel aficionado. Hotels are more all over the place in what brand is good deal. Flights not so much.

Extreme long term goal japan for the parks there. Buisness flight. 2023 I could see Japan.

I'd suggest starting with UR earning cards due to the 5/24 rule. CIP using you first and last name as your "business" name and applying as sole proprietor. Use your SS# instead of an EIN. UR points can transfer to Virgin Atlantic (VS). VS is a partner with All Nippon Airways (ANA) and they fly out of IAH to Japan. You can get a RT flight in first class for 120k VS miles or business for 95k miles. You would need to search for award space on United, write down the flights and call VS and tell them you want to book a partner award. Unfortunately you do have to book RT. My suggestion is to book the outbound with a same day return to secure the outbound trip. When the return award space is released call and change the fake return to the real one. There is a $50 change fee which is not too bad for a $20,000 flight.

As an aside, Amex MR cards also transfer to VS and to ANA directly. Generally speaking though, most of us advise waiting on getting Amex cards until one is past 5/24.

If your DH can use any credit card for his Hilton stays you may want to look into the Aspire to maximize Hilton point earning once you are past 5/24.

 

[Lain]

We met my CSP MSR here (hotel bill), helped DD finish up her CIP MSR (dinner out), and DH's Hilton Biz is still not met because lots of places here don't take AMEX. DD is worried about the CIP and her putting mostly food bills on it and Chase getting annoyed, but from what I've been reading there must be more to that FB story than just normal spend? We were going to suggest trying to get a Gold card since most of the spend is food related, but since the grocery place near her doesn't take AMEX that's out.

I really wouldn’t worry about using the CIP for primarily dining – other than DD is earning only 1x UR on those purchases. If some of this concern was sparked by @iujen94's post yesterday relaying some horror stories from a Facebook group, I want to say that I really debated whether to include that discussion in the DISchurners news thread and I've added some additional thoughts in the reply.

Since DD is just starting out with credit cards, I probably wouldn't worry too much about 5/24 and would look into diversifying her wallet so she gets better category bonuses for the things she spends on. Since she's abroad for the next year (or two?), any new card now will have fallen off or will be falling off by the time she gets back to the US. You're right that the Gold is great for dining, especially now that it earns 4x MR at restaurants worldwide, but it's no good for groceries abroad. (But Amex could be tough if a lot of places don't accept it.) My other thought is the $250 AF. That's offset by a $100 airline fee credit, which DD could probably use when traveling; but the $120 dining credit would probably go to waste unless you set up DD's Gold card in your Apple Pay and redeem the $10 credit every month via Grubhub. You could add DD as an AU on your Gold for no extra fee, which could net you DD's points from dining (and the bill), and another 5k MR if you have an add an AU bonus offer. Or you could support DD to her own Gold from a Biz Plat while the support bonus is still 20k MR (until 9/25/19), and hopefully pull a 50k MR SUB offer and get her started earning her own MRs. Again, since she's abroad for the next year or two, she's probably not going to be opening too many credit cards, and those that she does open will be falling off by the the time she comes home, and she'll have some useful (hopefully, keeper) cards in her wallet.

 

[GlamMistress]

05/18 - CITI Costco (Mine)
10/18 - CHASE Amazon Rewards (Wife)
12/18 - SYNCB Old Navy Card (Mine and My Wife)
05/19 - Kohl's (Mine)
09/19 - Capital One Venture Rewards (Mine)

I'm sure someone said this to you earlier in the thread but if not - I would gently advise you to avoid signing up for more store cards. And remember do not add your spouse as an AU or vice versa as that counts toward 5/24.

I guess by perks I mean things like the CP, free upgrades, free drinks, clubs, any extras that make flying a little less of a pain. I see people talking about all these things here but I’m not sure how to access them. I’m the chump who searches sites like kayak for the best economy deal and gets stuck in the back. I don’t know how to fly well.

There is no one right way to travel and don't let sites like The Points Guy make you feel less than if you're not always flying first class to Switzerland for vacation.

There is something to be said for simplicity and ease of choice and using Kayak lets you pick the exact flight that fits your vacation timing. No shame. You can keep on traveling this way - use a Barclays Arrival or CapOne Venture to erase the flight charge and forget it. But lots of folks here are experts on lounge access, first class redemptions and the companion pass.

The lounge access is easy - just sign up for a credit card that offers Priority Pass and boom! no more gate waiting!

 

[calypso726]

It is very hard for me to justify expensive luggage (which is why I don't currently have any) LOL. I almost always check a bag for WDW because I just need so much! If I had a nice carry-on and it was gate checked I would probably have a heart attack. My checked bags have scuffs, sticky remnants from tags, and massive yellow lines (I assume from the baggage carousel?). My checked/carry-on set was $99 on sale from Costco and if it breaks, I will probably replace it with something similar.

I used to feel the same way about pricey luggage. After going through several sets of checked luggage that wore out due to baggage handler abuse and carry ons with poor wheel design that made it harder and harder to drag around with use I changed my mind. After a ton of research and not wanting to spend the money for a Briggs & Riley CX I settle on the Travel Pro Platinum Magna 2 international sized spinner.

https://www.ebags.com/product/trave...-expandable-spinner/299555?productid=10377646
I have dragged that thing all over the place over the last 2 years and it is awesome. It still rolls like it was brand new and is super sturdy and holds quite a lot. I also wound up getting the domestic sized carry on and checked 25 inch too.

On out trip to Scotland over the summer my mom brought her carry on and I realized how spoiled we'd become with our Travel Pro bags excellent design and maneuverability. Keep in mind we were changing locations every night for over a week. I kept fantasizing of what I wanted to do with my mom's bag once we got home ... throw darts at it, then use it for archery practice, drop it from the tallest building in Miami, run it over with a truck, set it on fire etc. This all amused my mother of course. She asked about our luggage since it was so easy to roll around with just a finger but we all decided it wasn't practical price-wise for her since she doesn't travel nearly as much as we do. Well her birthday was last weekend and we bought her a new carry on from the Travel Pro family and it spins just as easily as ours, is designed very well and costs much less than ours. She absolutely loved it and said she loves how it just dances with the push of a finger. It is a Travel Pro Maxlite spinner.

https://www.ebags.com/product/trave...al-carry-on-spinner/365104?productid=10700184

Hope this helps others who are looking for luggage. Most of you know how much PlanePrincess and I travel beyond just our trips to WDW nearly every month or more. I love our Travel Pro bag and think the Maxlite we got my mom is perfect for someone who travels less than we do and wants a bag that will last and is easy to roll around.

 

[calypso726]

I like my luggage to stand out and border on obnoxious if possible so I'm totally getting one of those suitcase cover things @calypso726 posted about ages ago for our trip to Asia. (and yes I realized I used an excessive amount of parenthesis in this post)

Oh I love mu luggage covers and we always get compliments and comments at the airport about them. I put these on my Christmas list each year for my family.

Thank you. I guess my question is, if I am staying at what they consider a resort, can I use that credit for another night? Or just on resort fees?

Yes you can use it for another night. You just need to make sure the h=resort is on Hilton's official list of resorts hotels and that you are not booking an advance purchase rate as that will not trigger the credit.

 

[1st*toright]

How old Lain?

If you're going to get one, get the actual carry-on. Or honestly, even the big carry-on. Not much bigger, it's 4 wheels so moves about the same w/ adjustable heigh handle, but they can use it for years and years. Whereas the kids is done with after they outgrow it.

Trying to emulate your luggage set up . We are doing a trip to Europe (including an intra-Europe leg), and I'm trying to make sure what we have will work on international flights with more restrictive bag policies. Were you able to carry on your backpacks (a mother-lode and a junior maybe?) in addition to your Away Carry Ons (did the backpacks count as personal items)? We are in personal item + carry on territory (no crazy budget airlines), and three of us have backpacks we were planning to use. Thinking of getting an Away carry on for our little one (and maybe our teen too).

 

[ten6mom]

Yes you can use it for another night. You just need to make sure the h=resort is on Hilton's official list of resorts hotels and that you are not booking an advance purchase rate as that will not trigger the credit.

The resort credit... does it automatically apply if you have that card, or do you have to tell the hotel to apply it? (I'm so far away from this but I really think this card might be in my future!)

 

[WDWRook]

Need so direction for new cards. I have a kitchen remodel coming plus a new furnance/ac, so we have a lot of charges to use for minimums, around $50k. Here is where I'm at now.

Chase Amazon
Chase Disney
CSR (my main card)
CF
CFU
CIC (for a legit bus)
CIP (same bus)
Delta Amex Person
Delta Amex Bus
Two old Credit Union cards.

I'm at 2/24 per my credit report with the Deltas being new but one not showing on my personal report. I have too much credit line overall and might drop my Delta cards which are at $35k and $25k. My plan was to drop the CIP in February when it's annual due comes up. I have around 400k URs and 130k Delta points. I generally like URs (less so since they dropped Disney as a travel option). Our main airport is a Delta hub, thus why I started those cards but I see now that accumulating Delta points will take a lifetime. We don't have an immediate use planned, but we are starting to think about Hawaii / Aulani.

Wife isn't as fond of this game and just has CF and CIP (for what was a legit bus, and now defunct). She had a CSP 2 years ago and converted it to the CF.

What would you target?

EDIT to add: I'm thinking to get a hotel card. Almost got a Bonvoy, but I'm not the biggest fan of Marriots. Looking at Hyatt vs Hilton brands and plus the IHG for some international travel that may take a while to save up for.

 

[Judique]

Thank you for the help Judique! I managed to apply the $250 to what I owe! Looking forward to repeating again next time this 8x offer comes back (when I need fuel again)

I watch for the Amex offers and the Chase Staples offers. They tend to give a higher percentage off on Disney cards. Staples was 20%, but up to $13. I bought a $50 Disney card and a box of coffee pods that I use at a reasonable price (with 20% discount). That was $10 saved on my dues off $50. I probably average 10% off dues this way. I also have family geared now to just give me a Disney card for birthday, or xmas as I really don't need most of the stuff they would come up with.

And, I was looking at that NFCU Amex as well. I have the Flagship. I think it is a reasonable card once you've maximized other cards outside NFCU. It is a personal card that would take a 5/24 spot, but in itself it is not subject to 5/24 to get it. I got Flagship at 7/24 and I have 2 other NFCU cards with about $60K credit on them that I don't need, so NFCU is very generous.

The MORE REWARDS are NOT Amex's Membership Rewards or MR's that we talk about here. However, like the Flagship, you can redeem them at 1 point =1 cent value just as you can Flagship rewards and have them directly deposited in your NFCU account. Overall, I think it is a great card for no fee. After all, it has 3 of the 3x desired categories.

Whether it is the best card for you depends on what your game plan is and what kind of extra (beyond DVC) travel you want to achieve. For me, I'm probably never going to need a lie flat seat, lol, or another hotel free night other than maybe the Hilton card. But, maximizing credit cards to pay dues or to buy a lawn mower are right up my alley. Right now I've got enough points of various kinds to replace appliances when needed. I also collect Southwest points when I can to fly kids and friends to help out - costs me very little. So all our goals are not the same, but some goals are definitely more aspirational. Enjoy! I've been collecting rewards for many years (20+) on a small scale, but it has definitely increased because of this thread.

 

[Andysol]

How do you like the backpacks - those are the professional slim, right? I have been eyeing that as well. Which size do you have and how does it fit under the seat? Can you get a water bottle in the side pocket?

we have two motherload junior (wife and 10), a prof slim (that’s mine) and a prof slim jr (6).

I needed a cushioned laptop section as I work here and there when we travel (the only way I can travel ~100 days a year).

Were you able to carry on your backpacks (a mother-lode and a junior maybe?) in addition to your Away Carry Ons (did the backpacks count as personal items)? We are in personal item + carry on territory (no crazy budget airlines), and three of us have backpacks we were planning to use.

Mother-lode would not fit under seat. We have two Juniors and they just barely do. Because of that, they count as a personal item.
Although my wife almost always puts hers in overhead (if room). 10 year old doesn’t because she doesn’t need the leg room.

So technically when we fly it’s 2 Carry-ons; which are the “bigger carry-on” from Away. Note: we’ve never had to check them even flying Asian airlines. And 4 personal items. So we could still bring two more things.

Carry-on is easy for me w/ packing cubes and tight packing, even with my bigger clothes.
I end up carrying the “just in case” medicines: Laxative, Pepto, Tylenol, Dramamine, Benadryl, etc. Both adult and kids versions as well as the toiletries (we use this).
Kids are also fine as they just have their clothes in cubes. Shoes are the crux for them. They wear tennis shoes on plane and only have saltwater sandals which are necessities. Side note: If you have kids and you don’t have these shoes (or something similar), you’re missing out. Waterproof, go with anything, and dry out immediately. Even for my cheap self, spending $30 on toddler shoes is worth it.
My wife was the hard one originally, but she has gotten it down to a science. I’ll attach a couple pics. But take note that she’s a typical Texas girl- big hair and makeup always. So her makeup set is very small and specific for traveling. Likewise, she only brings black/white/grey bottoms and interchanges her tops for outfits, which can be colors or whites/greys. Everything can be worn with everything. She usually brings 1 pair of jeans and one sundress (or 2, if light). Her crux is the shoes, which I usually end up having one shoe or a pair in my carry-on.

Small dress:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Neutral bottoms:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

We’re flying out tomorrow and packing tonight, so I’ll take a pic of our medicine bag, wife’s makeup and our toiletries if anyone cares.
It’s just an Orlando/Vero Beach/Bahamas trip, but I’ll post clothes too if anyone cares there either.
I’ll do the same for clothes for Peru next month as it will be more hiking and require a layer or two. So more complex than a simple beach/Orlando trip.

 

[MKTokyo]

I have a 64 with 1 GB available. I def need to size up. I'm glad to see I do not have the oldest phone here. Mine is a 6 and I bought it in September of 2015 right after the 6s came out. My kids like to tell me THEY have the oldest phones ever and I am like well they are newer than mine, so they can't be that old. lol Though 2 of them will also be 4 years old at Christmas and the other will be 3 at Christmas so they probably do have older than most of their friends. I am really surprised at the price point of the 11, it is not that bad I think. I can't believe I am saying a $700 phone is not that much...

Mine is a 6S & would have been gone already, but I got the battery replacement deal and it was like having a brand new phone, so I didn't upgrade it. I will be upgrading this year for Christmas, though.

I don't like the cameras on the 11 and I HATE the colors. Colored phones always look cheap to me. Where is gold?! I will just have to go with the Pro.

 

[Judique]

I’m in St. Louis on a layover and a Southwest gate desk is having a competition and giving away prizes. For example someone who has a flashlight that isn’t on their phone, the person with the most pennies the winner had 52. What is this?? I’m not sure what they are giving away maybe a giftcard? I have never seen anything like this lol

I've played that game before! But not with Southwest. It's a lot of fun! Are you playing? Hope you win!