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

[pinkxray]

Can someone remind me of the Barclay website for their AA card? I haven’t used my card since meeting the MSR and can’t find the site.
This is the one I can cancel and should cancel before the year/ annual fee hits correct?

 

[Alexle2007]

D

 

[calypso726]

Love all the different examples. I can see us using several. Appreciate it!

I thought I'd post this, which I've posted in the past for you (in case you missed it previously) and others who may be new to this thread in case they have not seen it before. PC strategies to avoid annual fees are one thing and may work if one doesn't have an emergency, need to book asap and can't PC back for whatever reason. The topic of keeping a high AF card like the CSR comes up fairly often and for those newer to the game will cause a knee jerk reaction and people assume that keeping a lower AF card like the CIP or CSR is more cost effective. That well may be true in some cases. However, I think it is important to look at the big picture because it may actually cost a person more to keep the lower AF card if they are redeeming for paid travel in the UR portal. Below, I have copied, pasted and added to one of my previous posts:

I see quite often where folks can get sticker shock when it comes to the AF of a card, especially one as high as the CSR. I think it is important to look well beyond the bonus and that high AF before passing judgement with a knee jerk reaction as you may wind up paying more for not having it in the long run.

The CSR is $450 and comes with a $300 travel credit that can be triggered for a number of things. Merchants in the travel category like airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares (DVC dues), campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots, garages, Undercover Tourist etc.

If your household spends $300 per year in any combination of these categories then the travel credit will be triggered and the CSR will be a $150 AF per year card because you were spending that money anyhow with or without the card. For me, it's tolls for work and I spend well over $300 a year on those. Fortunately, I do get reimbursed on it so it is "free money" in my case. I also have DVC so even without the tolls, I am spending over $300 each year in a travel category for annual dues. Assuming that you wish to keep either a CIP or CSP for use at .0125 cpp in the UR portal or to transfer to an airline or hotel you are paying $95 per year for that card. The difference between that and the CSR is $55.

Math: $450 AF on CSR - $300 travel credit you are spending anyway = $150. Difference between $150 CSR - $95 CIP/CSP = $55.

I am not even going to go into the fact that the CSR will earn 3x vs 2x on dining and travel because I have all but sock drawered the card and the extra point earning is irrelevant with the point I am trying to make here. It's literally icing on the cake.

The important thing to look at is what does it cost you per year to redeem your UR points through the travel portal? It is very possible that keeping a CSP or CIP over a CSR is actually costing you more money. This is especially true for those who are redeeming for paid coach seats on flights via the UR portal. More often than not it costs fewer points to redeem coach airfare via the UR portal over transferring points to an airline.

Let's say you are going to redeem a $300 RT flight for a party of 2. That's $600. If you hold a CSP or CIP that should cost you 48,000 UR points. If you hold a CSR those flights would cost you 40,000 points. That is a difference of 8,000 points which is equivalent to $100 in the CSP/CIP UR portal. So holding the CIP or CSP over the CSR just cost you $100 in points. When you factor in the $55 difference then it cost you $45 to keep a card with a "lower AF". That is just one redemption example. How much is it costing a family of 4 to keep the lower AF card?

 

[amcc]

It's hard to keep current with this thread, but I didn't see anything today about the AA economy web specials currently going on. Some good values there to be had...

FM has a post on it but I'm not able to submit a link

Just saw your post but I can’t figure out what FM is and a google search for AA web specials brings lots of old stuff. I would love some good deals to stretch our points further since I’m booking for 6. Thank you!

 

[calypso726]

The Centurion card will have a $10,000 initiation fee and a $5,000 annual fee effective April 2020. If the rumored new card is positioned between the Platinum and the Centurion, we’re looking at between a $550 and $5k AF.

According to Amex, they’ve seen a 60% increase in growth in Platinum accounts in the 2 ½ years since the refresh, even after the annual fee went up from $450 to $550. Amex clearly sees a demand for ultra premium cards and seems to believe the market will bear an ultra high annual fee to match.

I’m not a bean counter who can say where Amex will settle on the AF. I think $995 is the sweet spot to avoid the psychological shock of (and perhaps rational resistance to) paying $1k for a perks card. (Amex doesn’t have a history of setting AFs at $x99.) But if Amex decides to price their new card over $1k, I think all bets are off. Why not $1,250, $1,500, or $2k? It’s just insanity at that point.

Depending on what the perks and bonus categories turn out to offer, it could be a way to consolidate keeping other high AF cards. If the card offered uncapped 4x or 5x in groceries, dining and travel, a substantial travel credit equivalent to the CSRs proportion of fee to travel credit, 2x or better on everything else uncapped, plus MR redemption equivalent or higher than CSR via UR portal with none of that wait a month to get 35% of the points back then it would be something to consider. I highly doubt Amex would take the time to consider why people keep the CSR and offer a real competitor but one can hope.

 

[calypso726]

I think it’s difficult for some of us to fathom putting spend on the Platinum after meeting MSR when it becomes for most purposes a 1x card, or keeping the Plat after the first year, but I know several people who pay the AF year after year and charge everything to the Plat because they like idea of earning points, like what they can do with Amex points, don’t realize there are better options, it’s the shiniest thing in their wallet, and never knew they could call in for a retention offer, thought about closing the card, or that there are and they can churn other flavors of the Plat. And let’s face it, the Platinum card makes some people feel special.

Mine comes out of the sock drawer twice a year when I go to Sak's to buy a $50 gift card. It may get another outing if there's an in store Amex offer on it that warrants leaving the house.

 

[calypso726]

FM = Frequent Miler I'm guessing and this is the post

https://frequentmiler.boardingarea....m=email&utm_campaign=Frequent Miler (Instant)

 

[GlamMistress]

The benefit to not being able to sleep and waking up at 4 a.m. is the ability to get extra stuff done. So I was able to use up a stack of old Delta gift cards, $50 at a time of course.

Booked my return flights from Orlando for next year's Food and Wine trip.

Been so busy at work here and need to read back like 20 pages. Had to do an event last night and didn't even get home until 10.

TGIF!!!!!

 

[disfanforlife]

I've been out of the loop this week, but for good reason. I verbally accepted a new job today. It (hopefully!) Is a good next step career-wise, AND between PTO and buy-up PTO I can get 6 weeks of vacation time.
Hooray! I hate the descision/negotiation process. Now on to that uncertain leaving/starting period....

Unfortunately, no SW bonus point promo. However, I do have $25 off $150 at BJs on my SW Bus card, which could be helpful for Disney GC. We aren't currently members, but if they have a good GC sale this holiday shopping season it may be worth joining....

I just started a new job about 3 weeks ago. If I didn’t already have our trip booked next week there was no way my vacation would have been approved no matter how much PTO I get. Thankfully I told my new boss ahead of time and he approved it. It’s been a stressful few months leading up to this big change and I can’t wait to get away!

 

[disfanforlife]

I thought I'd post this, which I've posted in the past for you (in case you missed it previously) and others who may be new to this thread in case they have not seen it before. PC strategies to avoid annual fees are one thing and may work if one doesn't have an emergency, need to book asap and can't PC back for whatever reason. The topic of keeping a high AF card like the CSR comes up fairly often and for those newer to the game will cause a knee jerk reaction and people assume that keeping a lower AF card like the CIP or CSR is more cost effective. That well may be true in some cases. However, I think it is important to look at the big picture because it may actually cost a person more to keep the lower AF card if they are redeeming for paid travel in the UR portal. Below, I have copied, pasted and added to one of my previous posts:

I see quite often where folks can get sticker shock when it comes to the AF of a card, especially one as high as the CSR. I think it is important to look well beyond the bonus and that high AF before passing judgement with a knee jerk reaction as you may wind up paying more for not having it in the long run.

The CSR is $450 and comes with a $300 travel credit that can be triggered for a number of things. Merchants in the travel category like airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares (DVC dues), campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots, garages, Undercover Tourist etc.

If your household spends $300 per year in any combination of these categories then the travel credit will be triggered and the CSR will be a $150 AF per year card because you were spending that money anyhow with or without the card. For me, it's tolls for work and I spend well over $300 a year on those. Fortunately, I do get reimbursed on it so it is "free money" in my case. I also have DVC so even without the tolls, I am spending over $300 each year in a travel category for annual dues. Assuming that you wish to keep either a CIP or CSP for use at .0125 cpp in the UR portal or to transfer to an airline or hotel you are paying $95 per year for that card. The difference between that and the CSR is $55.

Math: $450 AF on CSR - $300 travel credit you are spending anyway = $150. Difference between $150 CSR - $95 CIP/CSP = $55.

I am not even going to go into the fact that the CSR will earn 3x vs 2x on dining and travel because I have all but sock drawered the card and the extra point earning is irrelevant with the point I am trying to make here. It's literally icing on the cake.

The important thing to look at is what does it cost you per year to redeem your UR points through the travel portal? It is very possible that keeping a CSP or CIP over a CSR is actually costing you more money. This is especially true for those who are redeeming for paid coach seats on flights via the UR portal. More often than not it costs fewer points to redeem coach airfare via the UR portal over transferring points to an airline.

Let's say you are going to redeem a $300 RT flight for a party of 2. That's $600. If you hold a CSP or CIP that should cost you 48,000 UR points. If you hold a CSR those flights would cost you 40,000 points. That is a difference of 8,000 points which is equivalent to $100 in the CSP/CIP UR portal. So holding the CIP or CSP over the CSR just cost you $100 in points. When you factor in the $55 difference then it cost you $45 to keep a card with a "lower AF". That is just one redemption example. How much is it costing a family of 4 to keep the lower AF card?

I really appreciate reading all of this information. I don’t have a CSR or CSP only CIP, but plan to get one of the two once I know we will be traveling more. And I like to research before hand so I know which one may be best for us. Right now it doesn’t seem worthwhile since we are only planning to go on one or two trips this year and currently have a SW CP.

 

[amalone1013]

I find the Sea World area to be sparse with “walkable” fun. And it’s so easy to drive there in the morning so we’ve always stayed at the Homewood Suites on I-Drive near the Pointe (ie Wonderworks area). With lots of restaurants and such walkable we enjoy it there.

That's what I was thinking about the SW area while researching. And a car rental threw in another wrench sooooo we ended up going in a different direction!

 

[monkeydawn]

Congratulations! I've turned down a couple of job offers because of not enough vacation time. Starting a new job with 6 weeks is awesome.

That's the thing we usually negotiate. With only one exception the starting salary pitch has been well within the acceptable range for us so rather than try to squeak out a little more money we generally try for a vacation match to the current job. Its always been granted.

 

[elgerber]

I’m scared to ask why as I was hoping to get mine next week?...

I am guessing because there are a few of us who desperately want it but no way we can get there before Remy is gone

Yep, that would be exactly why!!!

 

[Lain]

Bonvoy experts, I need some advice please.
I upgraded to the Bonvoy Brilliant a couple months ago. I haven’t used up the $300 credit but the other day I noticed the renewal fee hit. Does that mean I missed out on using the $300 credit? Does it roll over? Thanks in advance.

You get the $300 credit immediately (more or less, as soon as you see your card image has changed when you login) when you upgrade. You'll get your next $300 credit on the original card's anniversary. It doesn't roll over. When is your original card's anniversary?

I upgraded mine last September (14 months ago), used my $300 credit that November, got my next $300 credit in March on my card anniversary. I got a prorated refund for 4 months of the $95 AF ($31.66), and charged 4 months of the new $450 AF ($150) in November, and the full renewal AF of $450 in March. Does that fit with what you're seeing?

@platamama is right. The $300 Marriott credit is use-it-or-lose-it before your next original cardmember anniversary, not the anniversary from when you upgraded to the Brilliant. The credit doesn't roll over. (In fact, Amex's credits on various cards are designed to expire to encourage breakage.) So depending on your original card's anniversary date (when you opened the original card), you may have had less than a year to use up the Brilliant's $300 credit after you upgraded. My guess is if you've been billed a renewal fee, your original card's anniversary date was sometime in October and you would've had to use your last set of $300 credit before then. If you use the Brilliant credit going forward, qualifying Marriott charges will apply against your new set of $300 credit. (Because of the way Amex credits the $300 Marriott benefit – one set of $300 credit every cardmember year, the almost one-month delay it takes to bill a second year AF, and the 30 days they give you after the AF posts to cancel or downgrade your card, it's possible to use two sets of $300 Marriott credits in that time but pay little more than one AF.) For future reference, if you aren't able to stay at a Marriott to use your $300 credit before it expires, DPs say buying an eGC or a shipped GC from Marriott Gift Cards triggers the Brilliant's Marriott credit. Losing out on $300 sucks. I'm really sorry about that. But you should be seeing a 50k FNC deposited in your Marriott account in about 2 months. Overall, you should still come out ahead of the AF.

 

[IFlossU]

Does Amex still include the wooden card holder/phone stand with the Platinum card? (I think @IFlossU was the most recent Platinum card approval, so can she let us know?)

I moved up my Schwab Plat application, got approved, and my card arrived yesterday but there was no wood block anywhere in my fancy packaging!

I was really hoping to flip it on eBay for $15 to help cover the fee and increase my business revenue.

No wooden box for me ☹ but it did come in a nice blue cardboard box with a little recessed cut out for the card to gently lie in like the princess it is. And do I feel special now? You bet I do. (This is a joke)

 

[tink1970]

Oof! I still remember my parents were SO glad I didn’t go the school that required the CSS so they only filled it out once. Kept their FAFSA griping to a minimum I think because anytime they’d say something about the FAFSA it was quickly followed up with at least it’s not CSS!

DH filled out both last year and I've never heard him swear as much in our 24 years as he did that one weekend. Fortunately her merit scholarships don't require it for her subsequent years so it was a one and done for undergrad!

I feel special when I don't have to fly in an uncomfortable seat for those 12 hour flights. And when I can take more family vacations and see more of the world. And I honestly couldn't do this often if I hadn't found this group.

ETA - and I also like having lounge access. It's not necessary, but it is nice.

It's the lounge access I worry about if they're introducing the new card. I can see "regular" plats having their hours excluded or curtailed even more...that might end the plat love for me, tbh.

 

[tink1970]

And...y'all are looking at the newest member of the group to be under 5/24 as of Weds and today I received the sweet sweet news of my CiP approval!!!

 

[ep1229]

Thank you @platamama and @Lain for the explanation. That helps a lot. I did call Amex and they said that my card anniversary is March 12. I think what I'm seeing is the adjustment like what @platamama had, so phew!! I will get a gift card asap to use the credit. I will remember to downgrade in March or after I get my FNC.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

And...y'all are looking at the newest member of the group to be under 5/24 as of Weds and today I received the sweet sweet news of my CiP approval!!!

Congrats

 

[Lain]

Thank you @platamama and @Lain for the explanation. That helps a lot. I did call Amex and they said that my card anniversary is March 12. I think what I'm seeing is the adjustment like what @platamama had, so phew!! I will get a gift card asap to use the credit. I will remember to downgrade in March or after I get my FNC.

So glad it worked out! It's kind of weird to see an adjustment months after your upgrade. Here are the DPs I mentioned: 1 and 2.

One more thing: DO NOT downgrade until at least one year after your upgrade. Amex really frowns on downgrades or cancellations within a year of accepting an upgrade offer and has been known to clawback the upgrade bonus in these cases.