I love credit cards so much! v3.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[disfanforlife]

Hey, I haven’t been on forever, but I’m here lurking.

I have a few updates.

We had a first DVC stay on our own points in March at the Polynesian. We were there right before the parks closed. Our last day was March 14th. Probably wasn’t a smart idea knowing what we know now and I didn’t enjoy myself the last few days we were there. When we got back tho we put in an offer on a Poly contract at $120pp and it got accepted. Waiting for ROFR still.

We were supposed to go to Italy in April. That was canceled.

We booked a dapper day trip to Disneyland in April instead. When we realized that wasn’t happening we booked a dapper day rate for Disneyland in June. Those were both canceled.

We normally vacation with DHs family at their lake house for a week. DHs parents don’t want us all going together this year.

We have a backstage magic ABD for December. I’m not sure if we are doing this. I may move my deposit to 2021.

MS has been on hold. I’m disappointed I’m not able to take advantage of all these extra points at grocery stores.

I need to start planning my 2021 travel. I have no plans so far. Well WDW for the 50th is definitely happening lol

We were supposed to Have been there 3/14-3/18. Congratulations on the Poly! Love that resort!!!

 

[becauseimnew]

Exciting. Hope you have a great trip. Here are our favorites.
Arches - Delicate Arch. For a short hike we liked Sand dune hike
Canyonlands - island in the sky. Mesa Arch is must do but not really a hike (.5 mi)
Grand view trail was a favorite.
Zion- the Narrows followed by Angels Landing ( only went to Scouts overlook)
Bryce - due to my knee issues we did the horseback ride into the canyon. Then we just did some rim hikes and overlooks.

Thanks for sharing... we will be doing Angels Landing, the chain section is closed, so we don't have to decide if we want to go all the way too the top, it just looks scary.

Have only been to Zion, but the Narrows is the most awe inspiring place we have ever been. Two tips-go as early in the morning as possible. You will have the canyon almost to yourself. It is a totally different experience early in the day. Also do rent the walking stick and the water shoes from the outfitter. It is 25 dollars well spent and you can thank me later!

Thanks for sharing this, we weren't going to spend the money but I think we will.

so exciting!!!!! are you flying? or driving? just being nosy bc I want to travel! I LOVE your plans, I researched our trips at Trip advisor forums for ideas..... Bryce was so wonderful, we just wandered everywhere along the trails... ohhhh I want to go back so much!

We are flying, it's a direct Delta flight. They have really reduced the capacity, only half the seats can be occupied and as of now I think there are only 4 other seats sold on the flight.

The shoes are vital if you want to spend a lot of time in the narrows (we call them the jello shoes) and agree with all the above as to time etc. It's pretty crowded for the first 1/2 mile or so,those shoes will help you get past the initial crowds to the glorious beauty within.... We spent 7 hours in there exploring (with our jello shoes!)

You have convinced me. We really want to enjoy our time there. We are staying at Zion Lodge and plan to rope drop every morning.

Are you going to Capitol Reef Nat'l park? We did a couple really nice hikes there, but I've gotta go back and figure out the names. We fell in love with Capitol Reef. Gorgeous park and few people.

Bryce - not so many choices. We took the hike everyone takes, down the switchbacks, across the bottom and up the other side. I don't recall trail names, but it will be obvious I think when you're there.

Zion - we hiked Angels Landing. It was scary, and there were TONS of people. I wouldn't recommend it or do it again.

Grand Canyon South Rim - you can hike the rim which is nice, or if you're up for something harder, you can take Bright Angel down into the canyon (take lots of water!). South Kaibab is an option into the canyon, but there's no water on that one, so I'd probably avoid it.

Grand Canyon North Rim - North Kaibab is the only option down into the Canyon. The first time we visited, we hiked down a couple miles then turned around and came back. Steep! We hiked a few others on the North Rim, but I'll have to see if I can figure out which ones. Let me know if you're going there, and I'll check for you.

Oooh and we did a terrific hike in Grand Staircase Escalante that ended in a GORGEOUS waterfall. It was a highlight and the hike was easy. I'll have to look that one up too. We stopped to do this hike while driving between Capitol Reef and Bryce.

View attachment 495143

I love those Utah parks. You will have a great time!

OMG That waterfall I gorgeous!

And yes, we are going to all the parks, we had not planned on going to Grand Staircase Escalante, but now we might have to make a stop. Do you recall how much it added to your travel between parks? We are too going from CR to Bryce so I'm guessing we'll take the same route as you? Do you recall the trail name or waterfall?

This was taken on a Capitol Reef Nat'l park hike. Ahhhh . . . now I'm daydreaming about Utah.

Edited: It was Chimney Rock trail.

View attachment 495147

So beautiful. We are so excited.

We are so excited, I know people think we are crazy for flying but we need to get out and see the world. I'm going crazy.

 

[Haley R]

Dh and I decided we are refinancing after all but not with chase. We’re going to use US Bank because they have lower fees.

 

[pillow]

OMG That waterfall I gorgeous!

And yes, we are going to all the parks, we had not planned on going to Grand Staircase Escalante, but now we might have to make a stop. Do you recall how much it added to your travel between parks? We are too going from CR to Bryce so I'm guessing we'll take the same route as you? Do you recall the trail name or waterfall?

The falls are called "Lower Calf Creek Falls." I recall it was about 3 easy flat miles to the falls (hot though so take water). We wore our swim suits under our clothes and packed lunch and towels. Google maps will direct you west out of Capitol Reef (route 24) to get to Bryce. It adds about 20 minutes to take the route we took below so that you pass directly by the falls. The parking lot for the falls is on route 12, so you'll drive right by. Here's more info: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...eek_Falls_Recreation_Area-Escalante_Utah.html

The water was freezing, but it was so beautiful!



Another nice (and fairly short) hike we did in Capitol Reef was the Fremont River trail.

 

[pillow]

@becauseimnew

I don't want to overwhelm you lol . . . but one more - In Capitol Reef, the views at sunset are incredible at the end of the short 1/3 mile "sunset point trail." My DD was playing Louis Armstrong's Its a Wonderful World as we sat there watching the sun set. It was magical.

 

[elgerber]

A lot going on in my head right now but just wanted to chime in that When Harry Met Sally is one of my all time favorites also!!!

 

[miztressuz]

I'm trying to figure out my next application and have a few questions. Any feedback would be appreciated!

• Anyone familiar with the US Bank Leverage biz card? $7500 MSR/4 months/$750 SUB. Which leads to my next question...
• Does anyone have experience with having two US Bank biz cards? I read on DOC that they're tough to get approval for. I have the Biz Edge and I remember having to talk to someone about it to get approved. Do they value ongoing spend? I haven't spent much on my Edge card since meeting MSR.
• For a Chase MDD, do you have to be 3/24 or can you be 4/24? I tried to find the Reddit page about it but didn't see it (but am pretty Reddit illiterate). If anyone has a link I'd appreciate it!
• For Chase referrals, do I have this correct? CSP can refer to a CSP, but not a CSR? Still thinking about having DH PC to a CSP and refer me. Seems like UR's will be harder to come by now, so maybe I shouldn't gloss over that opportunity. That's also why I'm really considering the MDD, but not sure now is the right time to go for it.
• Ok, lastly (I think, for now) - since Chase isn't currently approving Sole Prop's for biz cards, I'm thinking there isn't a huge reason to apply for a Chase card every 3 months now, agreed? There are several personal cards I'm considering, but I'm three months out from my last Chase approval so in the old way of thinking, I would pretty much always go for a Chase biz card every 3 months. Now I'm thinking it's just whatever card I think is the most valuable, and keeping in mind my 5/24 status and what future cards I may want to try for from Chase, is that how everyone else is approaching their strategy?

Sorry to be so long-winded! I'm just really indecisive on where to go from here.

No help with US Bank at all.

Chase MDD can be done at 4/24. I think that's how the original DD started actually, to grab two cards before officially hitting 5/24 (or really 6/24).

With the Chase 3 month guidance, that was in place to promote pacing to avoid a Chase shutdown. So generally recommended putting 2-3 months between Chase cards regardless of biz or personal. If you're thinking of breaking out of 5/24 then the general pacing of other cards matters less but when you want to come back Chase then you don't want your CR to look like a risk when they pull it. Chase historically hasn't been inquiry sensitive but seeing new cards close together and recently to your application can send up a flag. So I think it was also recommended to slow up in the 2-3 months before restarting with Chase again.

I believe this was @SouthFayetteFan 's last thoughts on it. Since he's been following bustout risk shutdowns for a while, I usually look at his list of current recommendations.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...t-page-for-addl-details.3784063/post-61522461
Personally I'm not straying too far from 5/24. I'm not liking a huge gap of waiting. Last year I grabbed two personal cards within a few months of each other and then left almost a year gap before picking up 2 cards near each other again. This totally wasn't the plan but just how timing my spend worked out.

2/19 SPG (plain AmEx Bonvoy)
6/19 SW Priority
3/20 AmEx Green
4/20 AmEx Bonvoy Brilliant

So I'm waiting until next February for one to drop off once I hit 5/24. And then I have a 9 month gap. 9 months is hard, I like 6 better.

Flip side to that is load up all in one year so you have them all drop off near each other. Basically have a Chase year and a non-Chase year
I'm contemplating grabbing my 5th in the next month or so, so that in 2022 I have a string fall off at once. But if something good pops up from Chase after that I have another 8-9 month wait. So I might look at a non-Chase, non-reporting Biz card meanwhile (maybe something from AmEx) so I can get back to roughly 6 month gaps.

Eh I might be crazy but I don't go through spend very fast so I don't feel like I need to really breakout from Chase. If other banks are still "biz" friendly I might just tread water for now and watch where Chase goes.

 

[ten6mom]

For Starbucks people- I just saw new Chase offers (not huge ones) for Starbucks on all of my Chase cards.

 

[becauseimnew]

The falls are called "Lower Calf Creek Falls." I recall it was about 3 easy flat miles to the falls (hot though so take water). We wore our swim suits under our clothes and packed lunch and towels. Google maps will direct you west out of Capitol Reef (route 24) to get to Bryce. It adds about 20 minutes to take the route we took below so that you pass directly by the falls. The parking lot for the falls is on route 12, so you'll drive right by. Here's more info: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...eek_Falls_Recreation_Area-Escalante_Utah.html

The water was freezing, but it was so beautiful!

View attachment 495277

Another nice (and fairly short) hike we did in Capitol Reef was the Fremont River trail.

View attachment 495285

View attachment 495286

Thanks for all this information. We have a lot to see and not much time, this is a 10 day trip.
This is our route.

@becauseimnew

I don't want to overwhelm you lol . . . but one more - In Capitol Reef, the views at sunset are incredible at the end of the short 1/3 mile "sunset point trail." My DD was playing Louis Armstrong's Its a Wonderful World as we sat there watching the sun set. It was magical.

View attachment 495287

View attachment 495288

That's beautiful. I wonder how crowded the parks will be?

Also, has anyone flown with an ice-chest? Can we check it in?

 

[magickingdomprincess]

Cancelled our September Europe trip yesterday We are tentatively rescheduling for next April. I will be able to rebook the flights at the end of next week, but it's hard to muster enthusiasm at this point. This will probably be the first time I book a trip & don't really feel excited about it.

DH is now on an "I never want to go to China" thing because the Shanghai Disney phone operators were extremely rude to him, so who knows when will we actually get there.

2020 stinks!


That's what I was doing too. I picked up the Barclays JetBlue card with the 60K bonus. I want to stay under 5/24 so I will be ready if/when Chase starts approving sole props again. I was 3/24 & didn't want to just do nothing. I figured the 60K would come in handy at some point. I'll be back at 3/24 in August & at that point will either do an IHG card or whatever else I think we could get some value from. Hopefully by November we will see some movement on the Chase biz front. It's lousy having absolutely no plan.

I can't help on the US Bank, but you are not alone in questioning where you go from here. I believe you can be 4/24 and do the MDD. I think in this environment that option is definitely worth considering. And yes, CSP can only refer to CSP, so I'd definitely take advantage of the cross support from DH.

To your last point I would agree that will be my approach. But some will see no reason to stay under 5/24 without Chase biz cards in play. Personally I'm not quite ready to go there yet. One thing I will be looking at is if I go over 5/24 how much longer until I get back under. So if there is a card out there that I think is a good value I'd be willing to go over if my next card will drop off in say the next six months. But I'd think harder about it if it was a year or more. While we know that Chase business cards are off the table right now, no one knows how long that will last and until more time passes I don't want to lock myself out of Chase for a year or more in case it does change.

No help with US Bank at all.

Chase MDD can be done at 4/24. I think that's how the original DD started actually, to grab two cards before officially hitting 5/24 (or really 6/24).

With the Chase 3 month guidance, that was in place to promote pacing to avoid a Chase shutdown. So generally recommended putting 2-3 months between Chase cards regardless of biz or personal. If you're thinking of breaking out of 5/24 then the general pacing of other cards matters less but when you want to come back Chase then you don't want your CR to look like a risk when they pull it. Chase historically hasn't been inquiry sensitive but seeing new cards close together and recently to your application can send up a flag. So I think it was also recommended to slow up in the 2-3 months before restarting with Chase again.

I believe this was @SouthFayetteFan 's last thoughts on it. Since he's been following bustout risk shutdowns for a while, I usually look at his list of current recommendations.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...t-page-for-addl-details.3784063/post-61522461
Personally I'm not straying too far from 5/24. I'm not liking a huge gap of waiting. Last year I grabbed two personal cards within a few months of each other and then left almost a year gap before picking up 2 cards near each other again. This totally wasn't the plan but just how timing my spend worked out.

2/19 SPG (plain AmEx Bonvoy)
6/19 SW Priority
3/20 AmEx Green
4/20 AmEx Bonvoy Brilliant

So I'm waiting until next February for one to drop off once I hit 5/24. And then I have a 9 month gap. 9 months is hard, I like 6 better.

Flip side to that is load up all in one year so you have them all drop off near each other. Basically have a Chase year and a non-Chase year
I'm contemplating grabbing my 5th in the next month or so, so that in 2022 I have a string fall off at once. But if something good pops up from Chase after that I have another 8-9 month wait. So I might look at a non-Chase, non-reporting Biz card meanwhile (maybe something from AmEx) so I can get back to roughly 6 month gaps.

Eh I might be crazy but I don't go through spend very fast so I don't feel like I need to really breakout from Chase. If other banks are still "biz" friendly I might just tread water for now and watch where Chase goes.

Thanks for the feedback! I think I'm not really ready to "break out" of 5/24 yet, especially since my current 2/24 cards won't drop off until May and June of 2021. I think it does make sense to wait on the CSP, so that I don't lock myself out of the CSP/CSR MDD. For now I'll roughly plan on going for it when I'm 4/24, hopefully around Spring 2021. I think I'll try for the USB biz card, and if that doesn't work out I'll try for the Citi Premier (personal). Either of those should keep me busy for a while. Thanks for the responses! I really appreciate it!

 

[afan]

Also, has anyone flown with an ice-chest? Can we check it in?

I'd check with the airline you are flying with but I think it's ok as long as you do'nt use dry ice. My friend and I did when we went to Maui for our senior trip from HS, sounds crazy but it saved us money and we had a condo so we did cook some meals. Worked great for bringing back the stuff we bought too.

 

[afan]

This made me think of everyone here but I can't agree with it if you look at it from Joey's point of view.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

If I want to eventually churn my Southwest card should I wait to cancel until the AF hits? Or should I cancel now? I’ve had the card since 2012 and the AF hits in August. I will not apply for the new card until Fall at the earliest. So cancel now, or wait until AF hits? Will I get the annual points bonus if I wait?

I know this was already discussed but I just wanted to chime in for the benefit of all:

Never cancel a card if you have no reason to do so. The best way to regret cancelling a card is to do it for no reason. Reduce CL and leave it dormant. You can cancel if you are preparing to churn the card, you can cancel to avoid an AF, you can cancel if there’s a reason to clean up your credit file, you can cancel if you hate the website. Don’t cancel for no reason, or at least really think it over and make sure you 100% want to cancel. If you can’t come up with a reason why... maybe don’t cancel. Also in this case you have anniv points coming of course!

 

[wendow]

Dh and I decided we are refinancing after all but not with chase. We’re going to use US Bank because they have lower fees.

We jumped on the refi train this past Friday. We are going with better.com. We got a 3.125% rate for a 30yr (paying $663 in points). We get a free appraisal and $2500 statement credit by using the Amex offer. I've loved their transparency and the people I've talked to so far.

 

[wendow]

Also, has anyone flown with an ice-chest? Can we check it in?

You should be able to fly with an ice chest. Use newspaper to wrap your frozen items in and use newspaper to fill all air space. No dry ice or ice packs. Tape the ice chest shut and it should be fine. Check with your airline, jic, but we've done it.

 

[hsmamato2]

@becauseimnew

I don't want to overwhelm you lol . . . but one more - In Capitol Reef, the views at sunset are incredible at the end of the short 1/3 mile "sunset point trail." My DD was playing Louis Armstrong's Its a Wonderful World as we sat there watching the sun set. It was magical.

View attachment 495287

View attachment 495288

those orange rocks are my heartsong

 

[hsmamato2]

Thanks for all this information. We have a lot to see and not much time, this is a 10 day trip.
This is our route.
View attachment 495323

That's beautiful. I wonder how crowded the parks will be?

Also, has anyone flown with an ice-chest? Can we check it in?

just looking at this is making me want to plan something.... also of note (in the right season) Capitol Reef has all the orchards with free fruit.... Dangit I need to go back now to convince DH to fly somewhere

 

[becauseimnew]

I'd check with the airline you are flying with but I think it's ok as long as you do'nt use dry ice. My friend and I did when we went to Maui for our senior trip from HS, sounds crazy but it saved us money and we had a condo so we did cook some meals. Worked great for bringing back the stuff we bought too.

With the exception of Zion Lodge all our hotels include free breakfast, the plan is to eat sandwiches lunches & dinner from a restaurant.

You should be able to fly with an ice chest. Use newspaper to wrap your frozen items in and use newspaper to fill all air space. No dry ice or ice packs. Tape the ice chest shut and it should be fine. Check with your airline, jic, but we've done it.

awesome. We plan to fly with it empty on the way there and then just schedule a walmart pickup for when we arrive.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

Wondering if refinancing is possible for churners. I believe the advice I've seen here in the past was that it is is best to "cool it" for a while before applying for auto/home loans. We weren't considering it until recently since the rates are pretty low. Both of us have CS over 800, P1 has gotten 12 (9 biz 3 personal) cards in the last 24 months and P2 has gotten 10 (9 biz 1 personal). Should we even try?

We haven’t had any problems with vehicle loans. Didn’t change strategy for those. Mortage I’m not sure on

 

[pillow]

awesome. We plan to fly with it empty on the way there and then just schedule a walmart pickup for when we arrive.

I've never thought to do this. You plan to check it? We usually stop at Walmart and buy either one of the white styrofoam coolers or one of the $1 insulated bags if no coolers are available. I'm looking forward to hear how your trip goes. Your itinerary looks ambitious! We're planning Moab for spring 2021 and have booked the same Hyatt as you. Please let me know what you think. Have fun!!!