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

[Haley R]

Definitely, and mobile ordering made it so much easier too since we could access most of the in park allergy options on our phones! Only a few of the resorts had mobile ordering for allergy available though, and I think most of those that we saw were for the carry out at the sit down places. Our January trip was definitely our easiest trip in regards to figuring out what to eat with DH's gluten allergy.

Do they have soy as an option?

 

[elgerber]

All this Hawaii talk, I am still mourning the loss of our 30th Anniversary Hawaii trip from last fall. I have no idea when we will ever be able to reschedule. Wouldn't even try this year, but the pup with epilepsy, I am not sure we would ever be able to be that far away from him. I will have to live through all of yours.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I can say every night when we left Epcot I was so grateful to be walking and not in the insane Skyliner line! And at that point, it had literally been open for a day (it opened in the middle of our last trip)

For those with up coming trips catching the Skyliner in the last hour of park operations/right after close is something to note. I stayed Riv and the one night I hit that time the line was backed up to BC. It was socially distanced-ish, so it kept moving but it was about 25 mins.

 

[happ]

3 schools of thought on this:

1) Super Aggressive: once 2/1/21 hits, you're good to go... probably ok, but seems risky
2) Middle of the road: Wait until 2/13/21 and then you should be ok
3) Super Conservative: wait until 3/1/21 to be ultra safe

I think most people feel good about #2 which is where you're at now.

I'm contemplating a MDD of the CSP/CSR for my next app and I'm trying to figure out the timing if I do it. April 15 will be 48 months since my CSP bonus. I would love to be able to take advantage of PYB before it ends that month. I'm thinking of applying for the CSR first on 4/16, unless I can do it sooner, and asking for it to be expedited, if I get approved. That's a big "if" since my last biz app was denied. I have since closed a biz card and lowered some limits so hopefully I'm in a better position now. Would it make more sense to apply for the CSP first since the bonus is higher even though I could potentially fail at getting the CSR if the MDD doesn't work? I'm not sure I will even take advantage of some of the CSR benefits, but I have some spending coming up and it feels like a waste not to try the MDD for the 1.5 PYB. Any thoughts?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I'm contemplating a MDD of the CSP/CSR for my next app and I'm trying to figure out the timing if I do it. April 15 will be 48 months since my CSP bonus. I would love to be able to take advantage of PYB before it ends that month. I'm thinking of applying for the CSR first on 4/16, unless I can do it sooner, and asking for it to be expedited, if I get approved. That's a big "if" since my last biz app was denied. I have since closed a biz card and lowered some limits so hopefully I'm in a better position now. Would it make more sense to apply for the CSP first since the bonus is higher even though I could potentially fail at getting the CSR if the MDD doesn't work? I'm not sure I will even take advantage of some of the CSR benefits, but I have some spending coming up and it feels like a waste not to try the MDD for the 1.5 PYB. Any thoughts?

Keep in mind that CSR is automatically expedited. It usually arrives in 2-3 days! (unless something has changed)

The rule of thumb right now is to apply for whichever card you want more... Do you currently have a CF, CFU or CFF open? You could attempt CSP first... and if the CSR happened to fail, you could just PC one of those cards up to a CSR then.

Are you in 2 player mode? Does your Player 2 have any of Freedom cards? That would even open up some other ideas possibly.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I don’t think we’ll be able to take ds on it for the trip we’re planning since we won’t be close or going to Epcot/hs

So you would have to take a bus to DHS, and then from there you could do a Skyliner loop to Epcot (w/ a transfer), and take a Friendship boat back to DHS... then bus back to resort. The Skyliner + Boat portion is always scenic and fun. The 2 bus rides are a bit of a nuisance though but might provide a nice "non-park" activity for you for a few hours.

 

[papaof3]

CIU approval data point. Applied this morning and not auto approved. Two hours later got email of approval and see card added to profile. Went below 5/24 about three weeks ago but wanted to wait until another credit check fell off my Experian report which they pull. I had 7 inquiries in last 24 months on it after the last fell off and I was worried that I would get hit with too many inquiries. Had low percentage credit open with chase compared to income. Had 1 new in 6 months and 2 new in 12 months for cards on credit report. Thanks to Amex, Barclays and citi business cards in the past year. 3k credit limit which seems common lately for sole proprietor apps. Used 10 years business with used online sales for type of business. At time of CIU app had 5 chase personal and one CIC. Previously held multiple CIP and SW biz cards.

 

[papaof3]

Now that is approved. Can I call chase to get CIU expedited or do they not send this fast for free? I know CSR does auto and I think I did for CIPs but cannot remember and want that card ASAP to work on that 7.5k MSR. thanks

 

[Hoosier John]

So you would have to take a bus to DHS, and then from there you could do a Skyliner loop to Epcot (w/ a transfer), and take a Friendship boat back to DHS... then bus back to resort. The Skyliner + Boat portion is always scenic and fun. The 2 bus rides are a bit of a nuisance though but might provide a nice "non-park" activity for you for a few hours.

And buses suck with strollers. As do the smaller boats.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Now that is approved. Can I call chase to get CIU expedited or do they not send this fast for free? I know CSR does auto and I think I did for CIPs but cannot remember and want that card ASAP to work on that 7.5k MSR. thanks

CIU will not be auto-expedited, but you could call and request it! Good Luck! Congrats on your new card!!

 

[stitchfan18]

When you have multiple allergies mobile doesn’t work. I’ve always had to talk to the chef. But they don’t seem to mind and it hasn’t been a long wait

That's true, they've definitely made strides with food allergies lately, but we only have one allergy to look out for. When we did have to order in person it was always quick since they make most people mobile order!

Do they have soy as an option?

You can go through the process of starting a mobile order and see the allergy menus on the app for many restaurants. We live in the gluten allergy world, so I'm not sure how other & multiple allergies would work, but you may be able to cross reference what options are available for each allergy on the app. You'd have to order in person at the restaurant, but since most people are told to mobile order, the wait to order in the restaurants is super quick now!

 

[stitchfan18]

What's the best way to accumulate Marriott/Bonvoy points? Neither of us have ever had an AmEx. We are each currently 3/24. I just got the SW Performance Biz so I'll be working on that MSR. Thoughts?

I'd love to know this too! We have about 250K from the Amex biz cards, but I'm not sure how we will continue to grow that number with Amex & Chase transfers to being less lucrative & points at the places we are interested being at least 50K a night. We originally planned to use them at S/D, but decided to do DVC instead. Now I'm scared to spend them anywhere because I may never be able to earn them back!

 

[Haley R]

So you would have to take a bus to DHS, and then from there you could do a Skyliner loop to Epcot (w/ a transfer), and take a Friendship boat back to DHS... then bus back to resort. The Skyliner + Boat portion is always scenic and fun. The 2 bus rides are a bit of a nuisance though but might provide a nice "non-park" activity for you for a few hours.

We probably won’t get on a bus. It’s too enclosed for us. We’re just not comfortable with that yet. I guess we could try making a dining reservation somewhere and parking our car. Then taking the skyliner while we’re there but that might be too much stress with a 1 year old.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

RE: The Swan Reserve: When we were at BWV in late January, I came down with a stomach virus (from DH and his work, I believe). Anyway, that meant two days of me hanging out in our room and DH exploring the Boardwalk area at his leisure. (Which, though he didn't wish for me to be sick, he really enjoyed the laid-back start to vaca.) Anyway, he poked around the Swan and Dolphin and then checked out the construction at the Swan Reserve. He was really intrigued by it and definitely wants to try a stay there. So, he didn't think the extra distance was a big deal as far as walking to parks. Also, he did mention how we could stay on CC points. LOL! He's enjoying this hobby of mine.

What's the best way to accumulate Marriott/Bonvoy points? Neither of us have ever had an AmEx. We are each currently 3/24. I just got the SW Performance Biz so I'll be working on that MSR. Thoughts?

I'd love to know this too! We have about 250K from the Amex biz cards, but I'm not sure how we will continue to grow that number with Amex & Chase transfers to being less lucrative & points at the places we are interested being at least 50K a night. We originally planned to use them at S/D, but decided to do DVC instead. Now I'm scared to spend them anywhere because I may never be able to earn them back!

First off - we stayed at the Swan on Marriott points a few weeks ago and it was very nice. It was NOT my previous Yacht Club BUT it was acceptable to us, and I think we will be back due to my enormous stash of Marriott points (we have over a million currently). A 5 night stay at the Swan (w/ the 5th night free benefit) will cost you between 160k and 240k points.

As far as how to earn a bunch of them... well that's not as easy as it used to be. Back in the day, Chase had a full lineup of Marriott cards and Amex had a full lineup of SPG cards and you could get all of them! So some people (like me) still have a large stash of Marriott points from pre-merger. I earned a bunch from getting the SPG cards at all-time high bonuses and then they transferred to Marriott at 3:1.

Since the merger, the card lineup has been trimmed slightly. And there are numerous eligibility restrictions to navigate. Basically, it's way harder now than it used to be to earn a LOT of Marriott points quickly.

Here's this super simple (sarcasm) chart to figure out if you're eligible:




EDIT: Better Charts added.

 

[Haley R]

That's true, they've definitely made strides with food allergies lately, but we only have one allergy to look out for. When we did have to order in person it was always quick since they make most people mobile order!


You can go through the process of starting a mobile order and see the allergy menus on the app for many restaurants. We live in the gluten allergy world, so I'm not sure how other & multiple allergies would work, but you may be able to cross reference what options are available for each allergy on the app. You'd have to order in person at the restaurant, but since most people are told to mobile order, the wait to order in the restaurants is super quick now!

Thanks! I don’t think Dh is wanting to go inside any restaurants at all. He’s very cautious about everything still. We may have to just bring meals for ds. It isn’t a big deal. Otherwise we can maybe find some things that should be dairy and soy free

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

We probably won’t get on a bus. It’s too enclosed for us. We’re just not comfortable with that yet. I guess we could try making a dining reservation somewhere and parking our car. Then taking the skyliner while we’re there but that might be too much stress with a 1 year old.

That sounds like a lot of fun actually! A dining reservation at the Boardwalk or Yacht Club would work for that! You could do a nice lunch at Beaches and Cream or a breakfast at Trattoria. I believe both even offer some outside seating if you wanted to request that specifically.

 

[Haley R]

That sounds like a lot of fun actually! A dining reservation at the Boardwalk or Yacht Club would work for that! You could do a nice lunch at Beaches and Cream or a breakfast at Trattoria. I believe both even offer some outside seating if you wanted to request that specifically.

We love beaches and cream and have never eaten at trattoria. I’ll have to look and see if they do have outdoor seating. A lot of this will be outside dh’s comfort zone so I need to talk to him about what he feels okay doing. I really wanna take ds on the skyliner if we can. I’m not sure we will be able to ride anything at MK unless it’s outside and has a short line

 

[lsutigers03]

Is AMEX really strict about buying gift cards from supermarkets for the additional bonus? Is it better to add a gift card or two to a normal grocery purchase?

 

[disfanforlife]

This is the exact trip I'm hoping to take next year when I turn 50 and my mother turns 80. I'm hoping my brother and his family will join us but he's one of those misguided "I hate Disney" people (lol) so I doubt he'll want in for the Aulani part.

Wonderful! I already had my 50th a few years ago and we were supposed to go for our 25th anniversary but that didn’t work either. So now I am just planning to go whenever we can, seriously hoping for 2022! I know our kids would love to go with us too, but I am thinking maybe the next trip....

 

[iujen94]

I BOOKED A TRIP!!!!

Hawaii July 2-14!

Thank you thank you thank you to this thread and especially @SouthFayetteFan since I was able to book $3472 worth of flights for $112! And $840 worth of those flights cost me zero points, since they were booked with my SW CP (YAY! Finally getting some use out of it!) (And I've still got 56k SW points left over!) I'll spring for Early Bird check-in when the time gets closer, so it'll end up costing me another couple hundred dollars, but still a huge bargain.

Since we are on the East coast, flying SW to Hawaii was tricky - there aren't any flights that arrive in California early enough to catch the California-Hawaii flight, so I had to book all of our legs separately. And we'll fly NC-California the day before we fly California-Hawaii. Coming back, we'll fly Hawaii-California and then California-NC the next day. In a way it's kind of nice because we avoid a painful redeye, which you have to take if you fly Hawaii-NC.

Next up - resorts! We'll be in Maui for about 5 days and Oahu for about 5 days. I'D LOVE ANY SUGGESTIONS (particularly Hyatts so I can use my URs) - we've got two teenage boys (15 and 17) if that factors into your recommendations. (Edited to add: I'd love to find someplace with multiple bedrooms and a kitchen, like a Marriott Vacation Club-type property. Does Hyatt have something comparable?) I don't think we are going to spring for Aulani - I looked at prices and had a mini heart-attack. And I don't think it would be worth it given my boys' ages.

I'd also love any suggestions for unique active activities!

Thank you again awesome CC people!