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

[palhockeymomof2]

Grateful to have been auto-approved for a CIC just now... I apparently have a large sum of money that I'm going to have to pay soon on my car (it's going to hit 200K miles next week!!!) so I'll definitely need a new MSR. I struggled a bit with this one last time so fingers crossed!!

I understand actual delivery has been rather slow in recent weeks but I shall hope for good luck!

Congrats ...you can SM Chase and ask them to expedite the card if you need it quickly

 

[palhockeymomof2]

I was able to add the staples offers on our 2 Bonvoy Biz cards. Do they sell Disney GC usually or just $100 VGC? I'm assuming DH will be the first one to leave the house that can stop by, so I need to know what to tell him to get.

The staples by me sells $50 Disney GCs

 

[Limes96]

Re the AAVacations pkgs, has anyone ever actually used the rental car that’s included? I’m contemplating doing this but would love to have the CSR primary rental car insurance as well. If I pay AAV with my CSR will I get the insurance?

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I posted a week or so ago about my trip to the Maldives with dd from December 28 - January 4th on points. My first choice of resorts, the St. Regis, didn't have any points bookings available. So I booked the W. But I wasn't sure if it would be my type of resort, so I also booked the JW Marriott. I must have secured the last nights on points (at the JW) because it's now 600,000 Bonvoy points PLUS $14,000.00 . First night is in a beach villa, next 6 are in an overwater villa. Cash rate is $4,857.00 per night. I am leaning towards the JW Marriott, but I have a while to decide. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get the points that I needed so last weekend I paid $1,250.00 for 150,000 points. I think that if we go it will be one of my best ever redemptions! Huge thanks again to this amazing group -- without everyone here this never would've been possible !

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Southwest has FINALLY announced their next schedule extension release date:

Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY April 22nd. For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

• Currently SW is offering flights through 8/16/21 and this next release will take their schedule out to 11/6/21.

For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times Eastern):

• The release on 12/10/20 went live at 7:15am.
• The release on 8/13/20 went live at 9:15am.
• The release on 5/28/20 went live at 9:06am.
• The release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
• The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
• The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
• The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
• The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
• The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.

 

[Alexle2007]

Southwest has FINALLY announced their next schedule extension release date:

Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY April 22nd. For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

• Currently SW is offering flights through 8/16/21 and this next release will take their schedule out to 11/6/21.

For those that care about "release timing" it's been all over the board recently (all times Eastern):

• The release on 12/10/20 went live at 7:15am.
• The release on 8/13/20 went live at 9:15am.
• The release on 5/28/20 went live at 9:06am.
• The release on 3/12/20 went live at 9:40am.
• The release on 12/11/19 went live at 9:10am.
• The release on 10/30/19 went live at 7:15am.
• The release on 9/26/19 went live at 7:30am.
• The release on 8/15/19 went live at 10:41am.
• The release on 5/30/19 went live at 9:20am.

I think you might need a friendly reminder closer too. That’s almost two months away.

 

[amcc]

Anyone have trouble with the Amex Plat paypal credit? 2 of this month's charges credited within 2-3 days but the last one to get me over $30 which was the earliest in the month has not credited. Chat tells me that it could take 8-12 weeks.

 

[wanderlust7]

Anyone have trouble with the Amex Plat paypal credit? 2 of this month's charges credited within 2-3 days but the last one to get me over $30 which was the earliest in the month has not credited. Chat tells me that it could take 8-12 weeks.

Yes, it's a known issue. It should credit eventually. I have a card I might be canceling soon. So I went and redid that one, which credited quickly.

 

[EACarlson]

When did AMEX bring the Rose Gold back? Just went to pay my bill and it was on the front page. I hate that half of my AMEX offers are "buy through this link" for things that there is no way I'm buying online at manufacturer prices.

Real question, I'm looking for a tax service that will let me file preferably federal and state for free while claiming the dependent care credit. Everyone I've started and looked up is telling me that I can't file free and get that credit, I don't want to have to fill out paper but I will if I have to. Anybody got any ideas? I've tried H&R Block and TurboTax.

 

[thevalley]

Anyone have trouble with the Amex Plat paypal credit? 2 of this month's charges credited within 2-3 days but the last one to get me over $30 which was the earliest in the month has not credited. Chat tells me that it could take 8-12 weeks.

Same situation. did a chat and was told same thing. crazy lol

 

[NewbieMom]

I was just denied for a CIC and am wondering why? Here are the listed reasons in the denial letter. Any thoughts? FICO on the letter says 810.

You have too many active accounts or too much available credit - total credit is 10% of income
Business too new - 2 years Ebay sales
New Chase business card recently opened - one and only opened Biz card is the CIU from 10/2020.

When can I try again? And what should I fix before doing so? TIA!

 

[GZanta77]

Yes, it's a known issue. It should credit eventually. I have a card I might be canceling soon. So I went and redid that one, which credited quickly.

P2 had a Plat we were going to cancel so had been busy jamming in as many credits as possible. Her statement is hilarious - almost looks like there is more credits than charges.

Anyway, was offered 30k MRs (via Chat) to keep it for another year which we are happy to accept especially as Amex has really stepped up with some decent offers for the Plat over the last several months.

 

[elgerber]

I can't even believe I am asking this LOL, but do AA cardholders still get reduced points on UseAAMiles and the AA vacations pages?

 

[Hoosier John]

When did AMEX bring the Rose Gold back? Just went to pay my bill and it was on the front page. I hate that half of my AMEX offers are "buy through this link" for things that there is no way I'm buying online at manufacturer prices.

Real question, I'm looking for a tax service that will let me file preferably federal and state for free while claiming the dependent care credit. Everyone I've started and looked up is telling me that I can't file free and get that credit, I don't want to have to fill out paper but I will if I have to. Anybody got any ideas? I've tried H&R Block and TurboTax.

First I heard about it was Feb 8th, when I responded to @*WDW*Groupie* here

 

[softballpooh]

Southwest has FINALLY announced their next schedule extension release date:

Okay, so I normally scroll past these announcements because I don't know why they are important After you shared your first post yesterday on SW free change windows, I'm realizing these two announcements are related. Is that accurate? So can you walk me through when and why I want to pay attention to these SW dates more closely for say a flight I want to take in August. If I wanted an August 11 flight it appears I've missed an opportunity to get cheap(er) flights?

I'm so confused about how this works. If you have another post somewhere that you've already explained this, then I'm happy to read up as much as I can.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Okay, so I normally scroll past these announcements because I don't know why they are important After you shared your first post yesterday on SW free change windows, I'm realizing these two announcements are related. Is that accurate? So can you walk me through when and why I want to pay attention to these SW dates more closely for say a flight I want to take in August. If I wanted an August 11 flight it appears I've missed an opportunity to get cheap(er) flights?

I'm so confused about how this works. If you have another post somewhere that you've already explained this, then I'm happy to read up as much as I can.

So these actually aren't really related - Southwest is just a favorite airline around here for a lot of reasons, and especially due to their flexibility. I guess I could try to give a highlights of Southwest post... let me work on that!

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

My daughter flew to Texas just before the crappy weather hit to visit her "other family" (her best friends). She's 15. It's her 4th flight solo. She was on an RJ on Delta which means it was 3/2. She was on the 2 side and they weren't distancing. She ended up in the last row window. Well the man next to her was SUPER stoned. The FAs asked if he wanted to move, but he kept saying no and passing out. They never thought to ask my DD. She has social anxiety and didn't want to be a burden. I kept texting her to ask the FAs, the pilot BF kept telling her too as well. But she was too scared. She ended up getting a terrible headache and it took 3 washes to get the smell out of her clothes.

I wrote a complaint to Delta. I understand it was on her to speak up, but I think the FAs should have also saw her and extended the offer for her to move. Delta got back to me and gave me $100 for her experience. I had the option of many different retailers, I ended up choosing an Amazon GC. I told my DD she can use at least $50 of it, LOL. I am glad Delta did something. They did say it sounds like the passenger should have been denied boarding.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

From the ever-popular Fireside Chat With @SouthFayetteFan series comes the latest installment: Why is Southwest Airlines (SW) a favorite of many on the I Love Credit Cards thread!

I'm not even sure where to start here - there's basically a million directions I could go with this... but I'm going to give it a go! And while we're at it - let's make it fun and add some Mean Girls GIFs!

Popular and Easy to understand points system that provides a good value:

SW is popular with some people because it uses a revenue based rewards system. Rapid Rewards are earned based on the cost of a flight (although most here are earning through CCs) and when you redeem them, they are tied to the cost of the flight. (More expensive flight = more points; Less expensive flight = less points!) This makes it easy to understand! They also have no blackout dates - if ONE seat is available on a flight, you can use points to snag it! It's also worth noting that points are worth roughly 1.5cpp (it's usually slightly less than that actually) making these a valuable currency!

Endless Flexibility in booking, changing, and canceling flights:

​

That's right - there is NO limit to how many changes you can make to a Southwest Flight!! And it virtually feels like there's no limit to their flexibility. Many people already understand that there are no change fees on Southwest. When you book a flight and pay cash, you can change that flight to any other flight, pretty much at any time, and only pay the fare difference. Even better, if the fare is lower, you actually can keep the price difference in the form of a credit. This credit is tied to that person specifically and expires one year from when the flight was originally booked (except in some circumstances when combining credits you received previously it can actually inherit an even earlier expiration date). This also works if you need to cancel, you would keep the entire cost of that flight in a future credit with the same rules.

Now when you add points into the mix this flexibility grows EXPONENTIALLY! Suddenly, when you need to change or cancel a flight, instead of receiving a future flight credit tied to a person with an expiration date... you get your points back! Yes... all of them! AND you even get the $5.60 in taxes back. It feels nuts how flexible it is! If you have a large stash of SW points and even remotely think you might take a trip you can go ahead and book that flight and sit on it while you figure you plans out. As long as you cancel before departure... you will get your points back. (Honestly you can even let it go, not cancel and you might get your points back but don't be a jerk, lol!)

Now one rule to remember when booking flights and using this flexibility to your advantage is DO NOT book flights on the same day. (For example if you aren't sure if you want to take the 9am or the 2pm flight, do not book both until you figure it out... SW's system can pick up on that and they will cancel one, and it might be the one you wanted more).

What's this about the "Free Change Window"?
I thought the rules said you had to pay the fare difference?

​

Yep that's right, during certain times (typically 2-4 months before your flight) the "change rules" as we know them might get suspended if you see a red banner on your flight. This is a loophole that we assume will go away eventually yet somehow has been around for 2 years now. I found it back in early 2019 when playing around with some things. I initially was scared to fully exploit it (when I realized just how powerful it could be) but I finally tested it out a few times and then shared it with this group. I really think we were using this before it became mainstream in most churning groups - and boy did we run with it! It was initially tied to the MAX planes that were removed from service, and now is being used to consolidate flights due to varying demand levels with COVID in play.

You should consult our other posts on this loophole, but just understand that this makes the flexibility I shared EVEN BETTER. Now, instead of paying the fare difference when making a change, inside this window and within 30 days on either side of the window, you can change a flight with NO fare difference. You can even book a new flight inside the change window and then change it as necessary.

Why is everybody so obsessed with the Companion Pass?

​

So I obviously have a fireside chat specifically for the Companion Pass but I'll give a high level mention of that here.
The CP allows you to choose one person to fly with you, free of charge (except for the $5.60 fee) every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight and you can qualify by either (a) fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or (b) earn 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Once you qualify for the CP, you will have it for the remainder of that calendar year and ALL of the following calendar year. And most people earn the CP via one or more SW credit cards which help them attain the 125k point requirement. (Also of note in 2021 this requirement is only 100k IF you had a SW Rapid Rewards frequent flyer account active on 12/31/20 because SW gifted everybody 25k points in their ticker).

I always like to say that the value of the CP is both nothing and infinite… “Huh??” … What I mean is that if you never use it, it will be worth nothing to you. And if you used it every day it would have an insane value. It’s hard to put a number on it, but if you aren’t planning to fly Southwest multiple times while holding your CP, it’s possible that it’s not even a good strategy for you. It only saves you money (or points) if you use it!

Last note on this - be aware that not all points earned qualify towards a companion pass. Namely, transfers from hotel programs or Ultimate Rewards.

What other benefits does Southwest have - what about this "open seating" thing?

​

You can't sit with us??? Well, that is sort of true - when you board a Southwest Plane - you can pick any seat you want! There is no assigned seat... and if you're lucky enough (we've all experienced it), you'll see some seat saving going on! Many people enjoy the open seating, some hate it - but it is definitely a part of flying Southwest.

Certain SW credit cards offer a benefit of 4 upgraded boardings per year so you can be the first on the plane. Many choose to buy Early Bird Check-in (EBCI) to secure a good boarding position. And others just chance it and try to check-in right at that 24 hour mark (t-24) to secure a good seat. IF sitting next to each other is important to you you highly want to consider family boarding! If you have children 6 or under you can utilize family boarding which is after the A group and generally will get you seated beside each other unless some strange circumstances occur.

Southwest also charges no bag fees - again making it popular with families traveling to WDW and other locations who can't possibly think of doing a carry-on only trip with children! Southwest also has free entertainment on board most of their flights and other amenities you might expect from a major airline these days. And I've personally found their flight attendants are super friendly, and will bring you extra snacks or refills if you're nice!

What is this deal with the Southwest "release day"? Why do I care?

​

So now that you understand Southwest's amazing flexibility - if you have a healthy stash of Southwest Points - release day is your friend! Anecdotally, you might find that flights are least expensive upon their initial release. When you book with points, you can monitor those flights and rebook if the price (and points required) drops so there is NO risk to booking on release day. If you're paying cash then you can also rebook but you'll have to deal with those a travel credit if you change or cancel your flight later so be careful there!

Again, I will say that any answer to the question "Is Southwest cheapest on release day" is PURELY ANENCDOTAL. Factors such as your city pairings, day of the week, time of day preference, etc will all factor in there. And just because somebody else says their flight was cheapest at time of release does NOT mean yours will be (and vice versa).

Southwest has always had a somewhat predictable pattern to their release timing dating back to 2017 and even prior (I've only kept good records since 2017). For example, their big holiday release (covering Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years) typically occurs right around the end of May and most of their extensions added a few months of flight "inventory" at a time. Other airlines will often be MUCH further out than Southwest with their flight inventory so you might have to wait to book your Southwest flight - but for fans of SW this is often worth it (due to all of the reasons detailed here).

The reason SW has operated this way historically was because they RARELY would adjust their schedule after it had been released. Consumers and business travelers liked this because they could depend on that schedule to get them to their destination at their desired time vs the other major airlines which often changed their flight times much more frequently. Of course the 737-Max and COVID environment has completely thrown that out the window and now they will change and tweak their schedule after release more than ever before. I know we all want things to get back to normal on so many levels, but hopefully one of those "back to normal" things is Southwest getting their schedule process under control so that releases occur in a timely fashion and schedule changes once again become a rarity!

Lastly, what all cards should I be considering if I want to build a Southwest "stash"?

​

Easy answer... ALL of them! Ok... so I push Southwest Cards on people, but it's only because I LOVE SW and they are truly amazing in many ways! If Southwest does not provide good options from your airport, then they're probably not for you - so keep that in mind and check before you start clicking apply!

That said, Southwest offers 3 personal cards and 2 business cards. I'm not going to go into details in this post on which cards you should get and why - that's a huge topic in and of itself. BUT if you play your cards right (pun INTENDED) you can possibly get 4 of those 5 cards in a 2 year span. Because of this, it's easy to earn LOTS of Southwest points!

Also of note, Ultimate Rewards transfer to Southwest 1:1 and there are also hotel currencies that transfer too (although not always at a preferred transfer rate). So cards like the Chase Freedom, Sapphire and Ink lines can help pad that Southwest stash BUT be careful to only transfer to Southwest if that's your final decision. Once you transfer there, you cannot send them back to URs!

So now you hopefully know a lot more about Southwest... If you have more questions after reading this, jump in on the thread as we have a ton of Southwest experts!

Ok... I'm hungry

For those who are loyal to United or Delta but still read this far...

And to those of you who learned something today just remember...

 

[Judique]

My daughter flew to Texas just before the crappy weather hit to visit her "other family" (her best friends). She's 15. It's her 4th flight solo. She was on an RJ on Delta which means it was 3/2. She was on the 2 side and they weren't distancing. She ended up in the last row window. Well the man next to her was SUPER stoned. The FAs asked if he wanted to move, but he kept saying no and passing out. They never thought to ask my DD. She has social anxiety and didn't want to be a burden. I kept texting her to ask the FAs, the pilot BF kept telling her too as well. But she was too scared. She ended up getting a terrible headache and it took 3 washes to get the smell out of her clothes.

I wrote a complaint to Delta. I understand it was on her to speak up, but I think the FAs should have also saw her and extended the offer for her to move. Delta got back to me and gave me $100 for her experience. I had the option of many different retailers, I ended up choosing an Amazon GC. I told my DD she can use at least $50 of it, LOL. I am glad Delta did something. They did say it sounds like the passenger should have been denied boarding.

Glad you complained to Delta. My 28 year old would have had anxiety about complaining also.

But, come'on, Mom! Give that poor baby that whole $100!! She suffered enough to deserve it!

 

[softballpooh]

I'm not even sure where to start here - there's basically a million directions I could go with this... but I'm going to give it a go! And while we're at it - let's make it fun and add some Mean Girls GIFs!

Brilliant!!! Thank you, thank you! So many dots have finally connected and I now have a complete picture of SW! I also may or may not have just copy/pasted that post into my "Favorites" Google folder ☺