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

[SouthFayetteFan]

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?

This can come down to a lot of factors. Primarily, level 3 data is AMEX's #1 indicator of gift card purchases. Suspect amounts also can tip them off. My feeling is that generally, you're going to be fine doing this as long as you don't do it at a super large scale. When I buy GCs at a grocery store, I always try to buy something that makes the total not an even number of ending in $4.95 or something like that.

 

[gottalovepluto]

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

With the walk-up ice cream window closed the outside seats at B&C are now used for outdoor ADR seating, saw that just a couple weeks ago when I was there. However- ADRs are still hard to snag. If you see one that would potentially work snag it right away (window is 60+ trip now I think) then cancel it later if you guys decide not to go.

 

[staceychev]

Mental note--don't call mom in Naples and ask how the weather is because I will be jealous.

UGH! I hear you! Dad and step-mom have been in Naples since January and won't be coming home at least until my dad gets his second shot in March.

 

[disfanforlife]

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!

How exciting!! If you don’t mind me asking because I am starting to look into this too. What did you book for the California to Hawaii part? Hawaiian airlines? And just used SW to get to Cali?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

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:
View attachment 557201

View attachment 557202

EDIT: Better Charts added.

@stitchfan18 and @jenmsmith - Edited to add better charts and here is a way more thorough article for you on Marriott Points:

Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide (frequentmiler.com)

Added bonus... got rid of TPG link! LOL!

 

[palhockeymomof2]

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

Comgrats ...you can either call or SM chase asking for it to be expedited

 

[jenmsmith]

@stitchfan18 and @jenmsmith - Edited to add better charts and here is a way more thorough article for you on Marriott Points:

Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide (frequentmiler.com)

Added bonus... got rid of TPG link! LOL!

Thank you!

 

[lsutigers03]

This can come down to a lot of factors. Primarily, level 3 data is AMEX's #1 indicator of gift card purchases. Suspect amounts also can tip them off. My feeling is that generally, you're going to be fine doing this as long as you don't do it at a super large scale. When I buy GCs at a grocery store, I always try to buy something that makes the total not an even number of ending in $4.95 or something like that.

Thanks. I was asking because I'm looking at the AMEX Platinum with the 100k bonus and 10x bonus on gas and supermarket purchases for 6 months. I can keep the purchases low and add a few other items to have the total come to a random amount.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Amex: Statement Credit Offer w/ Hilton Points
I'm not sure if these are new or not, but I noticed yesterday while updating some things that there are some decent Hilton offers out there right now via support links (DISchurners Amex Thread):

Hilton Honors Card
Earn a $100 Statement Credit after your first purchase PLUS earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 month. (No AF)

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Earn a $150 Statement Credit after your first purchase PLUS earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months. ($95 AF)

Hilton Honors Business Card
Earn a $150 statement credit after your first purchase PLUS earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months. ($95 AF)

And the Hilton Aspire Card is offering a 150k bonus (no stmt credit though) for spending $4k - that's the $450 AF premium personal card.

These seem like some pretty attractive offers. I'm looking at that business card offer personally - pretty low MSR and my wife's stash of Hilton points is under 100k right now. As always - Amex "rules of thumb" apply - keep spending on your cards to keep them happy. Pay your annual fees and don't cancel cards too quickly!

Apologies if anybody already pointed these out or if I missed discussion on them!

 

[wanderlust7]

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!

Exciting!

There's the Hyatt Residence Club that's similar. But availability seems hard to find on points for the Maui location. There's also the Destination Residences in Wailea that can be booked through Hyatt. Quite a few resorts all in the same general area. I think they're individually owned condos, so the decor is all different. Cash rate is not that expensive though, so may not be a good use of Hyatt points.

On Oahu, we've stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village complex on timeshare exchange. Several towers there are part of the Hilton Grand Vacation Club. You can probably find them through the Chase portal. Or if you don't mind sitting through a timeshare tour, they have a package (make sure you actually get a HGVC unit though).

 

[softballpooh]

I'm not sure who would be among us that's interested in this offer who has NOT yet applied... but if you are "that person" and you feel like I'm talking to you right now... then what are you waiting for?

OH.MY.WORD @SouthFayetteFan I'm going to need you to stop with these updates This wasn't on my radar at all a month ago since I was planning to wait until fall to try for SW and then all of the posts on this offer really had me in FOMO mode. So I contemplated going ahead and making the move to do it. Then I talked myself out of it and the deadline passed and I was satisfied with my decision. And now here you go reminding "that person" every.single.week. that you're talking to me about taking advantage of this great offer!!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

OH.MY.WORD @SouthFayetteFan I'm going to need you to stop with these updates This wasn't on my radar at all a month ago since I was planning to wait until fall to try for SW and then all of the posts on this offer really had me in FOMO mode. So I contemplated going ahead and making the move to do it. Then I talked myself out of it and the deadline passed and I was satisfied with my decision. And now here you go reminding "that person" every.single.week. that you're talking to me about taking advantage of this great offer!!

Haha! These offers will likely come back - or something like them will be back. Applying in Oct/Nov for a 2022/2023 Companion Pass is a great move - applying now for some people is a great move too... It is definitely a challenge in this game, balancing all the cards you WANT with what's realistic!

 

[iujen94]

How exciting!! If you don’t mind me asking because I am starting to look into this too. What did you book for the California to Hawaii part? Hawaiian airlines? And just used SW to get to Cali?

I booked everything on SW. Raleigh to San Jose, CA. San Jose to Maui. Maui to Honolulu. Honolulu to San Jose. San Jose back to Raleigh!

it took forever to book all of those individual legs, but totally worth it given the final price!

 

[Haley R]

With the walk-up ice cream window closed the outside seats at B&C are now used for outdoor ADR seating, saw that just a couple weeks ago when I was there. However- ADRs are still hard to snag. If you see one that would potentially work snag it right away (window is 60+ trip now I think) then cancel it later if you guys decide not to go.

That’s what I was planning on doing just in case and if we don’t go I can always cancel

 

[happ]

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.

Thanks. I'm in 1P mode. I do have a CF, but I would want the sub to make the numbers work. Decisions, decisions...

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

If you tend to only fly once a year, is it worth it to try to get a CP? My travel party usually consists of myself, the hubs, and our son.

 

[disfanforlife]

I booked everything on SW. Raleigh to San Jose, CA. San Jose to Maui. Maui to Honolulu. Honolulu to San Jose. San Jose back to Raleigh!

it took forever to book all of those individual legs, but totally worth it given the final price!

That is fantastic, glad you were able to do that! Thanks for sharing, I am going to check those flights out just to get a feel for it.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

If you tend to only fly once a year, is it worth it to try to get a CP? My travel party usually consists of myself, the hubs, and our son.

You might not find the CP to provide a ton of value in that instance... BUT if those flights are on Southwest, the points are VERY valuable! I've always said that my SW points stash is more valuable to me than the CP. As a family of 4, getting 1 flight free is nice... but getting 4 flights free is better haha!

Plus there are a TON of benefits in terms of flexibility when booking SW on points. I can hardly remember what it's like to have cash flights at this point, and the lack of flexibility that can come with that.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Thanks. I'm in 1P mode. I do have a CF, but I would want the sub to make the numbers work. Decisions, decisions...

Well the good news is that you can go for the CSP first and take the larger bonus if that's your preference and at least PC to a CSR if that doesn't come through... Not as a primary plan, but as a backup if the MDD fails.

 

[Albort]

If you tend to only fly once a year, is it worth it to try to get a CP? My travel party usually consists of myself, the hubs, and our son.

nope, ur better off earning a transferable currency to use on whatever airline u want in the future. at the very least, use portal.