I love credit cards so much! v4.0 - 2021 (see first page for add'l details)

[afan]

Thought for sure I'd click over here to see this posted -

DoC amex plat $30 per month through PayPal through june 30. Not good on ptp.

Easier to use but I liked the streaming and cell better. This requires figuring out what to spend it on since it's a weird number. Why not just 25 so I could buy a gf online each month.

Ideas on how we can best use aside from Amazon? Does Target only do fixed amount 3rd party gc online?

ETA the first month I'll use it at petco. They take pp and are doing 25% off 50 if you pick up in store. Dude's dog food is only through amazon fresh now and that included a $13 price increase. So with the % off and the PP it'll be 10 bucks for his 30lb bag. Would still generally turn it into gift cards.

 

[castormom4]

I’ve been mostly a lurker on this thread for 2 yrs now. As a family of 6, we’ve taken some amazing and pretty expensive trips (nothing international but wonderful non the less). After 2020 though, I was kind of bitter and haven’t done much besides charge everything to Chase Freedom and let the points accumulate on my CSR.

Planned for 2020:
-March 3 days Miami, FL to Key West and back before 7 day Royal Caribbean cruise. URs covered $4k of cruise...all a miami and KW hotels on points...cruise cancelled 14 hrs before boarding. Spent $5k out of pocket on a last minute cancellation in Siesta Key and rented a Suburban to drive home to Ohio. Took 6 months to get refunded URs and $$ and STILL dealing with $1,000 flight credit :/
-July 16 day round trip flying into vegas and doing a big loop from Grand Canyon to Yellowstone and back (cancelled) - instead did 3 nights in Gatlinburg and 7 nights in St Pete (did not enjoy!)
-November - 15 yr anniversary trip to Grand Cayman (cancelled)

2021 planned:
*found out in July we are pregnant with #5...between this and having two teens now, traveling is becoming a tad harder
March 2021 - Siesta Key (cancelled as I’m due with baby 3/16)
July - 1 month road trip from
Ohio to My Rushmore to Yellowstone thru Utah and Colorado and back (combo of camper and free hotel stays)
Nov - ????

I think our bitterness has finally started the wear off (although getting SW CP in Mar 2020 still hurts) and we’re ready to get back into the game. Likely we’ll need to start with lowering CC limits, cancelling a few cards and then when the time comes applying again...

We also have no rental property remodels on the horizon so we may try Amazon FBA as a way to reach some of the Chase Biz MS requirements. DH had just gotten back into 4/24 zone in Apr 2020.

 

[IFlossU]

I’ve been mostly a lurker on this thread for 2 yrs now. As a family of 6, we’ve taken some amazing and pretty expensive trips (nothing international but wonderful non the less). After 2020 though, I was kind of bitter and haven’t done much besides charge everything to Chase Freedom and let the points accumulate on my CSR.

Planned for 2020:
-March 3 days Miami, FL to Key West and back before 7 day Royal Caribbean cruise. URs covered $4k of cruise...all a miami and KW hotels on points...cruise cancelled 14 hrs before boarding. Spent $5k out of pocket on a last minute cancellation in Siesta Key and rented a Suburban to drive home to Ohio. Took 6 months to get refunded URs and $$ and STILL dealing with $1,000 flight credit :/
-July 16 day round trip flying into vegas and doing a big loop from Grand Canyon to Yellowstone and back (cancelled) - instead did 3 nights in Gatlinburg and 7 nights in St Pete (did not enjoy!)
-November - 15 yr anniversary trip to Grand Cayman (cancelled)

2021 planned:
*found out in July we are pregnant with #5...between this and having two teens now, traveling is becoming a tad harder
March 2021 - Siesta Key (cancelled as I’m due with baby 3/16)
July - 1 month road trip from
Ohio to My Rushmore to Yellowstone thru Utah and Colorado and back (combo of camper and free hotel stays)
Nov - ????

I think our bitterness has finally started the wear off (although getting SW CP in Mar 2020 still hurts) and we’re ready to get back into the game. Likely we’ll need to start with lowering CC limits, cancelling a few cards and then when the time comes applying again...

We also have no rental property remodels on the horizon so we may try Amazon FBA as a way to reach some of the Chase Biz MS requirements. DH had just gotten back into 4/24 zone in Apr 2020.

Congratulations

 

[wanderlust7]

I’ve been mostly a lurker on this thread for 2 yrs now. As a family of 6, we’ve taken some amazing and pretty expensive trips (nothing international but wonderful non the less). After 2020 though, I was kind of bitter and haven’t done much besides charge everything to Chase Freedom and let the points accumulate on my CSR.

Planned for 2020:
-March 3 days Miami, FL to Key West and back before 7 day Royal Caribbean cruise. URs covered $4k of cruise...all a miami and KW hotels on points...cruise cancelled 14 hrs before boarding. Spent $5k out of pocket on a last minute cancellation in Siesta Key and rented a Suburban to drive home to Ohio. Took 6 months to get refunded URs and $$ and STILL dealing with $1,000 flight credit :/
-July 16 day round trip flying into vegas and doing a big loop from Grand Canyon to Yellowstone and back (cancelled) - instead did 3 nights in Gatlinburg and 7 nights in St Pete (did not enjoy!)
-November - 15 yr anniversary trip to Grand Cayman (cancelled)

2021 planned:
*found out in July we are pregnant with #5...between this and having two teens now, traveling is becoming a tad harder
March 2021 - Siesta Key (cancelled as I’m due with baby 3/16)
July - 1 month road trip from
Ohio to My Rushmore to Yellowstone thru Utah and Colorado and back (combo of camper and free hotel stays)
Nov - ????

I think our bitterness has finally started the wear off (although getting SW CP in Mar 2020 still hurts) and we’re ready to get back into the game. Likely we’ll need to start with lowering CC limits, cancelling a few cards and then when the time comes applying again...

We also have no rental property remodels on the horizon so we may try Amazon FBA as a way to reach some of the Chase Biz MS requirements. DH had just gotten back into 4/24 zone in Apr 2020.

Congratulations! You'll need to change your user name.

 

[570traveler]

When is the best time to cancel personal SW card? Annual fee posted 2/1 of last year. It was opened on 1/17/2020. We never would have started getting cards with fees, but this board has shown me the value in them

Also wanted to say and Happy New Year to everyone on this board! Although I’m mostly a lurker, I’ve learned a lot and it’s helped us travel much more!

 

[chattadisser]

Thought for sure I'd click over here to see this posted -

DoC amex plat $30 per month through PayPal through june 30. Not good on ptp.

Easier to use but I liked the streaming and cell better. This requires figuring out what to spend it on since it's a weird number. Why not just 25 so I could buy a gf online each month.

Ideas on how we can best use aside from Amazon? Does Target only do fixed amount 3rd party gc online?

ETA the first month I'll use it at petco. They take pp and are doing 25% off 50 if you pick up in store. Dude's dog food is only through amazon fresh now and that included a $13 price increase. So with the % off and the PP it'll be 10 bucks for his 30lb bag. Would still generally turn it into gift cards.

Thanks for posting this. I might never have thought of using PP at Petco and I just told DH that I needed to order dog food tonight.

 

[Minnie368]

So I took the plunge on the email offer for amex biz plat 100k and was approved and happy to see the T&C show no AF for the first year. The uncertainty there was what was making me hesitate the most, so glad that worked out! Now to tackle the 15K MSR when we already have a 4K MSR for the citi AA biz card we just got DH 2 days ago. I think we'll be ok, but I'll really have to watch. Any DP on citi with purchasing giftcards to meet MSR?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

So I took the plunge on the email offer for amex biz plat 100k and was approved and happy to see the T&C show no AF for the first year. The uncertainty there was what was making me hesitate the most, so glad that worked out! Now to tackle the 15K MSR when we already have a 4K MSR for the citi AA biz card we just got DH 2 days ago. I think we'll be ok, but I'll really have to watch. Any DP on citi with purchasing giftcards to meet MSR?

Citi doesn't seem to mind anything!

 

[afan]

Thanks for posting this. I might never have thought of using PP at Petco and I just told DH that I needed to order dog food tonight.

Also 6% back at topcashback, it was the highest. It's ready to pick up already but they give you 5 days so I'll get it Sunday when I get groceries, same spot. The 25% off for pick up made it the best price of anywhere even without the pp. Just hope by the time I need the next bag it's back on reg Amazon.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Any tips on flights to England are welcome. Had a strategic planning family meeting this morning. Vacation requests include Costa Rica, Washington DC, and China. DS requested London to see his fave soccer team. I am thinking maybe spring 2022, so I have time to plan and acquire points.

Yes, this. In 2020, I had very little hope for anything normal. I mean I tried to rebook some canceled stuff, but any hopes were quickly dashed. I received covid vaccination 1 before Christmas and it literally gave me hope and excitement for the future. Second vaccine in a week.

Lucky you on the second vaccine! I can't wait, but I suspect I'll have a while. My doctor BIL and sister are getting theirs this week. Super jealous!

You definitely want to have points in place a year out. The route you go depends on your airports, the class you want to fly, and your willingness to pay significant $$ in taxes. I can mostly speak to BA. I don't follow United anymore or American. I also will probably not be flying Virgin again after their horrible response during the pandemic. It took months to get my money for an award ticket back. BA charges a lot in taxes for award seats. It's worth it to me for business and first, but it can add up. You may be able to find cheaper tickets just using points via the portals, but you have to do the math (i.e. it may take less URs just buying a premium economy ticket on their portal versus transferring to BA for avios to buy an award flight). From the west coast it can be $500-600 per ticket depending on direction in taxes for business/first seats. I know @calypso has mentioned she pays less from the east coast. If you do want to take BA, they are transfer partners for both Amex and Chase and also easy to earn on shopping portals. Right now Amex is having a transfer bonus for BA(30%) and those can be really nice. DH and I both also opened the BA Chase credit card. In addition to a nice # of bonus avios, you can get a statement credit against some of the taxes for award flights. I have had some difficulty in getting those credits to post, which is annoying as it took multiple phone calls. My recommendation for the card would be a lot stronger if the credits had posted automatically.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

I’ve been mostly a lurker on this thread for 2 yrs now. As a family of 6, we’ve taken some amazing and pretty expensive trips (nothing international but wonderful non the less). After 2020 though, I was kind of bitter and haven’t done much besides charge everything to Chase Freedom and let the points accumulate on my CSR.

Planned for 2020:
-March 3 days Miami, FL to Key West and back before 7 day Royal Caribbean cruise. URs covered $4k of cruise...all a miami and KW hotels on points...cruise cancelled 14 hrs before boarding. Spent $5k out of pocket on a last minute cancellation in Siesta Key and rented a Suburban to drive home to Ohio. Took 6 months to get refunded URs and $$ and STILL dealing with $1,000 flight credit :/
-July 16 day round trip flying into vegas and doing a big loop from Grand Canyon to Yellowstone and back (cancelled) - instead did 3 nights in Gatlinburg and 7 nights in St Pete (did not enjoy!)
-November - 15 yr anniversary trip to Grand Cayman (cancelled)

2021 planned:
*found out in July we are pregnant with #5...between this and having two teens now, traveling is becoming a tad harder
March 2021 - Siesta Key (cancelled as I’m due with baby 3/16)
July - 1 month road trip from
Ohio to My Rushmore to Yellowstone thru Utah and Colorado and back (combo of camper and free hotel stays)
Nov - ????

I think our bitterness has finally started the wear off (although getting SW CP in Mar 2020 still hurts) and we’re ready to get back into the game. Likely we’ll need to start with lowering CC limits, cancelling a few cards and then when the time comes applying again...

We also have no rental property remodels on the horizon so we may try Amazon FBA as a way to reach some of the Chase Biz MS requirements. DH had just gotten back into 4/24 zone in Apr 2020.

Congratulations

 

[3 DD love princesses]

When is the best time to cancel personal SW card? Annual fee posted 2/1 of last year. It was opened on 1/17/2020. We never would have started getting cards with fees, but this board has shown me the value in them

Also wanted to say and Happy New Year to everyone on this board! Although I’m mostly a lurker, I’ve learned a lot and it’s helped us travel much more!

Wait till the bonus points post before you cancel

 

[magickingdomprincess]

@CyndiLouWho - I can't quote the old thread but thanks for the response on the Citi portal for Disney tix. I had originally tried the Cruise and Tours Dept and the rep said she couldn't book tickets and transferred me. I'll try again, probably on Monday when I'm hoping I'll be more likely to get a good rep. I don't need the tix right now luckily.

 

[ski_mom]

42k is a good deal for Hilton points. You can get 3 nights on one SUB. The Hilton biz SUB is at 130k, the Surpass and Aspire at 150k. When is tuition due? You might get a temporary number after approval, but it doesn't always work. The Aspire would ship the fastest, but AF is $450 (which the benefits far outweigh). After you meet the spend, the points usually post within a few days.

ETA: if you can get enough points for 4 nights, you can do 5th night free. Making it an even better deal.

Thank you! After some afternoon research, I think I'm going to go for the Surpass, unless AmEx Biz cards are easy to get. DH and I just have "businesses". We're both sitting OK on our 5/24, but we did just both get the AmEx Personal Platinum in Nov (me) and Dec (DH). From what I can tell, AmEx is just one card in 5 days and 2 in 90, so I'm thinking we should be ok. Some of the benefits of the Aspire sound good, but I'm not sure we'd use them on this trip and not sure what's on the horizon at this point.

Was thinking of doing the free card, but the free breaksfasts at Baker's Cay would basically be a wash for the annual fee plus we'd be getting more points from the SUB at this point anyway.

I will be going to reddit to show some love to a traveling friend!

 

[snugglebug]

I love seeing the posts on how much people saved and where they went with churning and every year I say I'm going to start tracking it, but never do. I know it shouldn't be that hard, but anyone want to share how they track their savings? I've done it for one or two trips, but then never put it all together.

Here's mine. For the first $ Value I either check price when I book and put that in or I'll use rack rate or estimate. I add columns for point currency as I use it, so I didn't use any Bonvoy pts last year. The $ is my actual out of pocket cost (airline fees) and CC Promo is where I put things like airline credit. I also leave myself notes like last year after Chase canceled my Riviera reservation I booked OKW via David's and then cashed out UR via PYB to cover that. Same with car rentals last year, I booked them on cash, then did PYB that way I was earning UR on my CSR and also covering the cost. I noted FNC under the point currency but in green so I can see them easily. I note flights all in one line like this: SW AUS-MCO x2 + 2CP ($115) then put the total $ amount in the $ Value column ($482.40).

 

[magickingdomprincess]

So I took the plunge on the email offer for amex biz plat 100k and was approved and happy to see the T&C show no AF for the first year. The uncertainty there was what was making me hesitate the most, so glad that worked out! Now to tackle the 15K MSR when we already have a 4K MSR for the citi AA biz card we just got DH 2 days ago. I think we'll be ok, but I'll really have to watch. Any DP on citi with purchasing giftcards to meet MSR?

I have an email office from 12/13 from Amex for a biz plat. I had dismissed it before because of the $595 AF that's listed in the email. But, now I'm wondering if this is the same that others have gotten with the $0 AF. Do you (or anyone else) happen to know if the email subject says "apply to add a Business Platinum Card, earn more rewards"? It's very tempting if it's $0 AF, although I have no idea how I'd meet a $15k MSR.

 

[alryan]

This is my heading on my spreadsheet and the first entry to show you what I put in there. I try to use the cash price of when I would have booked the trip, but sometimes I use an estimated price based on average price I would have paid had I not had points, for example one time we did a last minute stay in DC and the price was like $400+, I think I put the value as $200. My total value since this May 2017 flight has been $25,356.49. Small potatoes to some, but I am very happy with it! We only added one redemption this year. So sad.

Date of spend	What	Details	Cash Equivalent	Points used	Type of Points
29-May-17​	Flights	5 flights Pit-Vegas (4 on pts +1Companion)	$ 665.00	31,824	Southwest RR

Thank you! I started one like that and one for MS expenses. Now to see if I can keep up with it

 

[wanderlust7]

Thank you! After some afternoon research, I think I'm going to go for the Surpass, unless AmEx Biz cards are easy to get. DH and I just have "businesses". We're both sitting OK on our 5/24, but we did just both get the AmEx Personal Platinum in Nov (me) and Dec (DH). From what I can tell, AmEx is just one card in 5 days and 2 in 90, so I'm thinking we should be ok. Some of the benefits of the Aspire sound good, but I'm not sure we'd use them on this trip and not sure what's on the horizon at this point.

Was thinking of doing the free card, but the free breaksfasts at Baker's Cay would basically be a wash for the annual fee plus we'd be getting more points from the SUB at this point anyway.

I will be going to reddit to show some love to a traveling friend!

Amex biz cards are super easy to get! They haven't cracked down like Chase. The 1/5, 2/90 criteria are for credit cards. The plat is a charge card, you're totally fine.

ETA: @ski_mom I noticed you mentioned breakfast. Your plat comes with Gold Hilton status. So don't let that be a reason for choosing the Surpass. The no fee SUB is only 100k though. Point earning is a little less, and no option for earning a free night for spending 15k (both the Surpass and biz have that).

 

[alryan]

Thought for sure I'd click over here to see this posted -

DoC amex plat $30 per month through PayPal through june 30. Not good on ptp.

Easier to use but I liked the streaming and cell better. This requires figuring out what to spend it on since it's a weird number. Why not just 25 so I could buy a gf online each month.

Ideas on how we can best use aside from Amazon? Does Target only do fixed amount 3rd party gc online?

ETA the first month I'll use it at petco. They take pp and are doing 25% off 50 if you pick up in store. Dude's dog food is only through amazon fresh now and that included a $13 price increase. So with the % off and the PP it'll be 10 bucks for his 30lb bag. Would still generally turn it into gift cards.

That's awesome, I'll take $30 through PayPal. I'm really surprised there is any credit, I'd have thought that they would have announced it sooner. But I'll take it

 

[alryan]

Here's mine. For the first $ Value I either check price when I book and put that in or I'll use rack rate or estimate. I add columns for point currency as I use it, so I didn't use any Bonvoy pts last year. The $ is my actual out of pocket cost (airline fees) and CC Promo is where I put things like airline credit. I also leave myself notes like last year after Chase canceled my Riviera reservation I booked OKW via David's and then cashed out UR via PYB to cover that. Same with car rentals last year, I booked them on cash, then did PYB that way I was earning UR on my CSR and also covering the cost. I noted FNC under the point currency but in green so I can see them easily. I note flights all in one line like this: SW AUS-MCO x2 + 2CP ($115) then put the total $ amount in the $ Value column ($482.40).

Thank you!

So I took the plunge on the email offer for amex biz plat 100k and was approved and happy to see the T&C show no AF for the first year. The uncertainty there was what was making me hesitate the most, so glad that worked out! Now to tackle the 15K MSR when we already have a 4K MSR for the citi AA biz card we just got DH 2 days ago. I think we'll be ok, but I'll really have to watch. Any DP on citi with purchasing giftcards to meet MSR?

Congrats!! And yes, Citi doesn't care.

I have an email office from 12/13 from Amex for a biz plat. I had dismissed it before because of the $595 AF that's listed in the email. But, now I'm wondering if this is the same that others have gotten with the $0 AF. Do you (or anyone else) happen to know if the email subject says "apply to add a Business Platinum Card, earn more rewards"? It's very tempting if it's $0 AF, although I have no idea how I'd meet a $15k MSR.

Yes, this sounds like the exact email. Mine came with my BBP account number listed in the right top corner. It would be nice if they'd say up front that the AF is waived, but I thought it was worth the risk. The $15K is a big number. I had to get creative and even paid some fees to help. I was even crazier and got DH one too

Thank you! After some afternoon research, I think I'm going to go for the Surpass, unless AmEx Biz cards are easy to get. DH and I just have "businesses". We're both sitting OK on our 5/24, but we did just both get the AmEx Personal Platinum in Nov (me) and Dec (DH). From what I can tell, AmEx is just one card in 5 days and 2 in 90, so I'm thinking we should be ok. Some of the benefits of the Aspire sound good, but I'm not sure we'd use them on this trip and not sure what's on the horizon at this point.

Was thinking of doing the free card, but the free breaksfasts at Baker's Cay would basically be a wash for the annual fee plus we'd be getting more points from the SUB at this point anyway.

I will be going to reddit to show some love to a traveling friend!

Yes, no problem with AmEx biz cards. Even with your 5/24 in good shape, I prefer to get a Biz card whenever possible. One other thing I really liked about the Hilton Biz is the Priority Pass benefit. Instead of cardholder plus 2 guests its a straight 10 visits per year, so if your family is more than 3 people you can get everyone into lounges. It came in handy on my girls trip when our flight got delayed on the way to the airport and I got all 6 of us in the lounge for free food and drinks.