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

[CyndiLouWho]

I was looking at flights to London and I noticed that the taxes and fees were so high - I know Calypso and others have mentioned these before. For us, it makes more sense to get a cheap AA or Virgin Atlantic fare than pay the fees. I can go Thanksgiving week for $572 all in or 55k miles and $420 in taxes and fees. Miami always seems to have good London fares - does Chicago? The pricing structure is crazy for this itinerary and is definitely not worth my miles. Of course, if you are looking for business (we need too many tickets), then $400 in fees starts looking like a great deal

Yeah I’m looking at 3 biz tickets and $350-400 in fees is cheap because it’s often $1000 pp in fees to LHR. But $1000 for 3 lie flat seats seems a deal. We’ll see because hotels are looking $$$ and I can’t pay for hotels AND flights.

 

[trstno1]

I think your best bet for approval is to have her call ASAP to get it approved today. Some people have just waited it out, but with mixed results on approvals. If you’re 100% wanting approval she should really call today.

Thanks for your advice - it was spot on. Even though I had already decreased credit limits yesterday after the CSP approval, they wanted to shuffle credit limits to approve the CSR. And the rep actually offered to move some of the credit limit from the CSP to the CSR! Clearly there is little worry about the human recon rep discovering the two Sapphire applications.

 

[disfanforlife]

You can also consider upgrading to the CSR for 1.5% PYB. AF is $550, but with $300 travel credit that can be used on gas/grocery through end of the year. When it renews, you can use the credit again, then downgrade to a no fee and come out ahead $50 with the AF.

That is an interesting idea. So I could end up using the travel credit twice? And get 1.5% instead of 1.25% for my PYB....How does the travel credit work for gas/grocery? How does I use the travel credit before having paying the AF again? Does the travel credit come before the AF shows up?

 

[wanderlust7]

That is an interesting idea. So I could end up using the travel credit twice? And get 1.5% instead of 1.25% for my PYB....How does the travel credit work for gas/grocery? How does I use the travel credit before having paying the AF again? Does the travel credit come before the AF shows up?

Anything you charge that codes gas, grocery, or travel will just automatically credit until you hit $300. When the credit resets in a year, you can quickly use it again, then downgrade within 30 days of the AF for a refund. By then, it might be travel only.

 

[pinkxray]

Do I have to use my SW travel funds to buy a ticket for me or can I purchase a ticket for someone in my family?

 

[Alexle2007]

Do I have to use my SW travel funds to buy a ticket for me or can I purchase a ticket for someone in my family?

If it is a refund for a cash ticket, it can only be used by that person and can’t be transferred.

 

[becauseimnew]

Got this for my Plat...
When you add Additional Card Members,1 you can earn 20,000 Membership Rewards® points after they spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in their first 6 months of Card Membership. You're just a couple clicks away from adding Card Members. What are you waiting for?

I could add DD who is 13, I wonder if I could just add the Gold... I don’t want to pay the $175 for another Plat card.

 

[Alexle2007]

Got this for my Plat...
When you add Additional Card Members,1 you can earn 20,000 Membership Rewards® points after they spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in their first 6 months of Card Membership. You're just a couple clicks away from adding Card Members. What are you waiting for?

I could add DD who is 13, I wonder if I could just add the Gold... I don’t want to pay the $175 for another Plat card.

Yes you can. That is what I did for DS.

 

[Princess Michele]

Thank you everyone for your responses to my question. I just applied for the CSP and was approved. Now I will try for the CSR tomorrow. The credit limit seems high so hopefully it will not cause a problem for the CSR approval.

 

[miztressuz]

Got this for my Plat...
When you add Additional Card Members,1 you can earn 20,000 Membership Rewards® points after they spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in their first 6 months of Card Membership. You're just a couple clicks away from adding Card Members. What are you waiting for?

I could add DD who is 13, I wonder if I could just add the Gold... I don’t want to pay the $175 for another Plat card.

Double check the fine print, some offers were a max of 20k if you added 4 AUs, 5k for each.

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/targeted-american-express-add-an-authorized-user-get-20000-points/

 

[calypso726]

I was looking at flights to London and I noticed that the taxes and fees were so high - I know Calypso and others have mentioned these before. For us, it makes more sense to get a cheap AA or Virgin Atlantic fare than pay the fees. I can go Thanksgiving week for $572 all in or 55k miles and $420 in taxes and fees. Miami always seems to have good London fares - does Chicago? The pricing structure is crazy for this itinerary and is definitely not worth my miles. Of course, if you are looking for business (we need too many tickets), then $400 in fees starts looking like a great deal

Yes, depending on the airline going through LHR can cost quite a bit in taxes and fees. Not worth it for flying in coach. That said, if it's a lie flat seat on BA, then I'm ok with paying the taxes and using the miles for the comfort.

 

[iujen94]

I want to find hotels near a specific address. Any suggestions on the best method/resource for that?

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Thank you everyone for your responses to my question. I just applied for the CSP and was approved. Now I will try for the CSR tomorrow. The credit limit seems high so hopefully it will not cause a problem for the CSR approval.

Congrats If you want to reduce the credit limit on the CSP...you can call or send chase a SM asking them to reduce the CL to whatever amount you’d like

 

[Artygal90]

And Japan is booked. Again. Woo. It's anticlimactic the third time you book the big once-in-a-lifetime international trip - I guess I'll get excited if I'm finally on the plane next March.

I do need some advice on booking our hotels. Our original plan was 5 nights in Tokyo at the Hyatt Regency, 5 nights in Kyoto at the Park Hyatt, and 3 nights at Tokyo Disney at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. With this latest rebooking we added an extra night in Kyoto, but now I am short 30k Hyatt points for the first five nights in Tokyo. Should I 1) stick with plan A and just transfer 30k URs to Hyatt, use 170k Hilton points at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, and use my remaining 130k Hilton points on a domestic trip this fall? OR 2) switch to the Hilton Tokyo for the first 5 nights, burn most of my Hilton points, and then just figure out something else for the Tokyo Disney part of the trip (Hotel Miracosta if I win the lottery, or URs through the portal, because at least those are refundable if plans change again). Besides "earn more points" (I have PYB plans for all of my future SUBs), is there a 3rd option I'm not considering?

I'm probably overthinking this but DH hates it when I try to process all my thoughts at him so y'all get to give me your opinions

 

[calypso726]

I want to find hotels near a specific address. Any suggestions on the best method/resource for that?

Travelocity will let you type in an address and show you nearby hotels.

 

[WaltsMartini]

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster here! I still have a lot to learn and catch up on, but via another thread this group was recommended. We are going to be doing some big spending in the next few months and I want to make sure I make the right card choice to maximize benefits! Ok, here's the info for you gurus:

• Neither me nor my P2 have applied for or received any cards in the past 24 months.
• I currently put about $3000 on cards monthly; however, in the next four months, we anticipate $10k+ in additional expenditures that can be put on a card due to kid's summer camp and kitchen reno payments.
• We always pay our credit cards in full each pay period - every two weeks.
• We fly out of BWI or MDT (Harrisburg). MDT is much closer, but SW only flies out of BWI or PHL; BWI typically has cheaper SW flights than PHL.
• Speaking of SW, we currently have 82,000 in SW RR, attained by using the Chase SW card.
• We currently have $123 in Disney Rewards (and reading the benefits of some of the cards you all use, I feel like a sucker for putting my eggs in the Chase Disney Visa basket!)
• We do NOT have a preferred hotel program; we like to stay in Air BnBs/VRBOs when traveling.

Future trips:

• May 2022 - renting DVC points (so need cash), using SW points to fly, need to buy Disney park tickets
• Summer 2023 - Disneyland/SoCal - renting DVC points OR Good Neighbor Hotel, planning to use SW points but need to ensure will have enough after May 2022 usage
• 2025 OR 2026 - Hawaii - split stay between Aulani and rental on a different island. Again, planning on SW points to fly

Currently, I use a Chase Amazon card for Amazon, drug store, gas, and restaurant purchases; the Southwest card for large bills (kid's daycare, big vet bills, the like), and Disney card for everything else. I feel like there is a better way, and you guys probably know what it is

 

[becauseimnew]

Double check the fine print, some offers were a max of 20k if you added 4 AUs, 5k for each.

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/targeted-american-express-add-an-authorized-user-get-20000-points/

Thanks for the info! I read the fine print and you are correct. 5k MRs for each, not worth the $2k MSR.

 

[IFlossU]

Thank you everyone for your responses to my question. I just applied for the CSP and was approved. Now I will try for the CSR tomorrow. The credit limit seems high so hopefully it will not cause a problem for the CSR approval.

I sent a secure message to Chase on the evening of my CSP approval asking them to lower the limit. When I woke up the next morning it had been done. I immediately applied, and was instantly approved for the CSR. As a point of reference, AFTER lowering the limit on my CSP my total available credit on all my Chase cards was at 25% of our household income.

 

[IFlossU]

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster here! I still have a lot to learn and catch up on, but via another thread this group was recommended. We are going to be doing some big spending in the next few months and I want to make sure I make the right card choice to maximize benefits! Ok, here's the info for you gurus:

• Neither me nor my P2 have applied for or received any cards in the past 24 months.
• I currently put about $3000 on cards monthly; however, in the next four months, we anticipate $10k+ in additional expenditures that can be put on a card due to kid's summer camp and kitchen reno payments.
• We always pay our credit cards in full each pay period - every two weeks.
• We fly out of BWI or MDT (Harrisburg). MDT is much closer, but SW only flies out of BWI or PHL; BWI typically has cheaper SW flights than PHL.
• Speaking of SW, we currently have 82,000 in SW RR, attained by using the Chase SW card.
• We currently have $123 in Disney Rewards (and reading the benefits of some of the cards you all use, I feel like a sucker for putting my eggs in the Chase Disney Visa basket!)
• We do NOT have a preferred hotel program; we like to stay in Air BnBs/VRBOs when traveling.

Future trips:

• May 2022 - renting DVC points (so need cash), using SW points to fly, need to buy Disney park tickets
• Summer 2023 - Disneyland/SoCal - renting DVC points OR Good Neighbor Hotel, planning to use SW points but need to ensure will have enough after May 2022 usage
• 2025 OR 2026 - Hawaii - split stay between Aulani and rental on a different island. Again, planning on SW points to fly

Currently, I use a Chase Amazon card for Amazon, drug store, gas, and restaurant purchases; the Southwest card for large bills (kid's daycare, big vet bills, the like), and Disney card for everything else. I feel like there is a better way, and you guys probably know what it is

You sound like another perfect candidate for a Sapphire MDD. Both cards have excellent sign up offers, and there are multiple ways to use the points, one of which, pay yourself back, could help you get either cash back or Disney gift cards. Feel free to ask more questions if need be. Also you can ask to join the Reddit group, which has a great write up on how to do a MDD.

ETA: @SouthFayetteFan is the person to contact about joining Dischurners on Reddit

 

[afan]

And Japan is booked. Again. Woo. It's anticlimactic the third time you book the big once-in-a-lifetime international trip - I guess I'll get excited if I'm finally on the plane next March.

I do need some advice on booking our hotels. Our original plan was 5 nights in Tokyo at the Hyatt Regency, 5 nights in Kyoto at the Park Hyatt, and 3 nights at Tokyo Disney at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. With this latest rebooking we added an extra night in Kyoto, but now I am short 30k Hyatt points for the first five nights in Tokyo. Should I 1) stick with plan A and just transfer 30k URs to Hyatt, use 170k Hilton points at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, and use my remaining 130k Hilton points on a domestic trip this fall? OR 2) switch to the Hilton Tokyo for the first 5 nights, burn most of my Hilton points, and then just figure out something else for the Tokyo Disney part of the trip (Hotel Miracosta if I win the lottery, or URs through the portal, because at least those are refundable if plans change again). Besides "earn more points" (I have PYB plans for all of my future SUBs), is there a 3rd option I'm not considering?

I'm probably overthinking this but DH hates it when I try to process all my thoughts at him so y'all get to give me your opinions

If you have the UR to use and don't have anything planned for them, I'd transfer them. I don't know where the Hilton is in Tokyo to comment on that.

But did want to say, the Toy Story Hotel at TDL is supposed to open later this year, so that could be an option but I don't know that it'd be on the UR portal.