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

[afan]

So getting downvoted as I just told a kid on r/amex that given what he wants to use the card for and how long he wants to keep it he'd be better off with a CSR card and why.

 

[elgerber]

I might go this route. If nothing comes up - can always stay somewhere else on points for the night. Or just keep what we have and add an extra day with the Saturday Flight.... (not opposed to that either )

This plan always gets my vote!!

 

[Albort]

So getting downvoted as I just told a kid on r/amex that given what he wants to use the card for and how long he wants to keep it he'd be better off with a CSR card and why.

thats like going to r/disneyland and telling people wdw is better... :]

 

[EACarlson]

OMG...multiple offers on our house, all over list price, some with all inspections waived. While it has been well maintained and most appliances and roof are less than 5 years old, it's over 60 years old and I'm sure inspectors would come up with some things. Now there's the emotional appeal of selling to a young family vs military with VA loan, or highest offer, etc. It's a good dilemma to have and I am feeling very blessed today.

Thanks for the look into what my future holds. I just got the notifications the bank pulled credit on my wife and I for our mortgage pre-qual.

 

[afan]

thats like going to r/disneyland and telling people wdw is better... :]

Totally is but for his situation if he'd asked here we'd have done the same thing.

 

[disneybirds]

NPS travelers: Anyone been to Crater Lake? Preliminary planning for next year. I want to go once all the roads are open. Anyone know if Mid-July is highly likely for that to be true? I could not find past opening dates on the road like they have for Glacier GTTSR. I can push to late July but wasn't sure if it was necessary.

Love Crater Lake! We went years ago around Memorial Day Weekend and only the road to the Lodge was open. I have never seen so much snow piled on the side of the road! We went a few years ago the last week of July and there were still a few spots on the far side of the lake with 6 feet of snow in a couple of places but the roads were completely open. I am not an expert, but I would *think* it should be open by mid-July. Hope you can stay in the Lodge. It is really beautiful.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

For fun, for anyone who did the Marriott Bonvoy cc last year and got the (5) 50,000 point certificates, where did you use them?

We ended up booking 2 rooms for 5 nights each at Walt Disney Swan Reserve over Thanksgiving break. Looks like cash rate and taxes + extra adult charges puts the rate at $633/nt. At one point I saw the rates at more like mid-300s plus taxes. So now I feel pretty good about my redemption rate, but it would’ve been fun to really try to maximize this somewhere exotic.

Anyone else doing something really fun with theirs???

 

[wanderlust7]

For fun, for anyone who did the Marriott Bonvoy cc last year and got the (5) 50,000 point certificates, where did you use them?

We ended up booking 2 rooms for 5 nights each at Walt Disney Swan Reserve over Thanksgiving break. Looks like cash rate and taxes + extra adult charges puts the rate at $633/nt. At one point I saw the rates at more like mid-300s plus taxes. So now I feel pretty good about my redemption rate, but it would’ve been fun to really try to maximize this somewhere exotic.

Anyone else doing something really fun with theirs???

That's a great redemption! Like getting a $3000+ SUB. It looks really nice. I have it booked on points with 5th night free for January. Can't wait to hear how you like it.

 

[snugglebug]

I wasn't sure whether to like, haha, or frown so I settled for the mouth wide open look.

You and me both. Do I laugh or cry?

I did go back and try to pay the dr bill. It progressed this time, but timed out on issuing receipt. The message said to check and see if a payment is pending or wait 24 hours. So, I'm waiting...

 

[NewbieMom]

Has anyone had luck with Hilton extending the free night certificates for a specific booking? I have 2 expiring August, and no plans to travel until Nov. Wondering if they will allow me to use it to make a reservation for Nov? I will call tomorrow and ask, but just wanted to see if anyone had first-hand knowledge.

 

[Haley R]

Took a vacation day to get some random "stuff" done today.

I bought my WDW tix this morning. The other day when I checked, park avail was wide open... and this morning that was not the case. So instead of 5 day tickets I ended up getting 3 days (hopper of course). I was able to get a reservation at Magic Kingdom even though the reservation checker said the park wasn't available the day I wanted. The plan is to hop Epcot at night and do the other three parks on their respective reservation day.

I also booked the Waldorf Astoria with a Hilton FNC - and I sat on hold 30 minutes waiting for the email confirmation to come through. It was absurd but it is done.

June trip is basically sorted at this point. The best news? DH and I got our second covid shots on Thursday! And...I got my first haircut today in 16 months. Over 7 inches, gone! My hair is still collarbone length. #pandemicprogress

I got my second shot yesterday and Dh got his today! I’m so excited for our wdw trip in May. I’m planning to go get my haircut sometime in the next month. I’ve been cutting my own ever since we moved down here but my layers need to be fixed

 

[mmmears]

I go to Maui 3-5 times a year (my mom owns a place in the townhomes connected to the Grand) and we are Kulana members at the Grand Wailea (paid membership). Since the pandemic hit, we've visited over Thanksgiving and the week before Easter. IMO the service and amenities are severely restricted and they are doing the typical thing of blaming it on COVID when it is really about cost cutting. The GW was purchased by Blackstone group a couple years ago. Many of the owners and people we know who work there feared that there would be a lot of cost cutting so Blackstone could flip it. It certainly seems as if that is what is happening. Many of the services that we pay a premium for have been cut, including the free shuttles which are very important to us up at the Ho'olei. When I tweeted about it, they claimed COVID, even though the Four Seasons is running theirs. I'm very glad to see they are getting hit about it on TripAdvisor--they deserve it. As others have mentioned the seat reservation system is a joke. You log on at 4 and then crash out or can't get on. I finally just learned to stay on it even after the error messages and eventually it may go through. The main restaurant is still closed as is Huma Huma. Basically, there is Kula cafe (quick serve type place that has pizza at night) and the restaurant connected to the pool. We know some of the workers around the pool, and they are severely understaffed. I love the Grand, but if I were paying I'd go to the Four Seasons.

It's sad to read this, but it's been going on for a very long time. We were members, too, back before it was a Hilton. The resort was amazing the first time we were there, and there were cost cutting measures taken after the first trip but it was still amazing. Our last time there it was a Hilton, and they took away the value of the membership (and were extremely rude on the phone when I called), so we canceled it and got our money back. Now it sounds like things have slipped yet again. I'm glad they are getting hammered on TA, but I feel sorry for the long-time staff, some of whom we remembered by name and they remembered us as well. The pool chair thing sounds like Aulani and that's the end of it for me - I don't want to have to fight to get a place to sit every day.

We still have fond memories of the place and want to go back, but it sounds like this is not the right time. Also now, without having a little kid who loves the slides, the 4S is looking better.

 

[djmeredith]

For fun, for anyone who did the Marriott Bonvoy cc last year and got the (5) 50,000 point certificates, where did you use them?

We ended up booking 2 rooms for 5 nights each at Walt Disney Swan Reserve over Thanksgiving break. Looks like cash rate and taxes + extra adult charges puts the rate at $633/nt. At one point I saw the rates at more like mid-300s plus taxes. So now I feel pretty good about my redemption rate, but it would’ve been fun to really try to maximize this somewhere exotic.

Anyone else doing something really fun with theirs???

That's a great use! I got the 5 FNCs. I want to use them at a Rtiz on a beach somewhere, but so far it looks like I will end up using them for mediocre hotels this summer for baseball tourneys. I look forward to hearing what others have planned.

 

[EACarlson]

I know we have some mortgage industry folks, I'm hoping that one of you has an answer for me. The bank pulled credit and processed our application today and found a judgement against my wife that we thought we paid six years ago. Obviously we will get this paid immediately. The LO said that we would have to wait a year after satisfaction of the judgement is entered into the court before we can get a Sec. 184 loan. Can any of you tell me if that is a HUD requirement or just this bank?

 

[WVMomof3]

Staying at a Marriott resort (Hilton head) right now. They said due to current situation they were not offering free breakfast to Platinum members. Instead they offered a one time $10 F&B credit. We are staying 4 nights so that is not even remotely comparable. I wasn’t very happy about that so I DMd Marriott on Twitter expressing my disappointment. I understand when things were closed down and limited seatings but all of their restaurants are currently open unrestricted. They offered me a $100 F&B credit instead. I was happy with that.

 

[georgina]

Thanks for the look into what my future holds. I just got the notifications the bank pulled credit on my wife and I for our mortgage pre-qual.

Sorry! We ended up with 8 offers. Took the highest of the 2 that waived all inspections. It was interesting, I have never sold a house before. There were a couple offers that had a rider that they would pay a certain amount if the appraisal came in lower than the sale price. Now fingers crossed it all goes smoothly from here.

 

[GBRforWDW]

thats like going to r/disneyland and telling people wdw is better... :]

Totally is but for his situation if he'd asked here we'd have done the same thing.

So if you were on r/Disneyland and someone said they wanted an 8 day vacation and visits to several disney parks including possibly experiencing live animals in the wild, would you recommend they spend a few days in Disneyland and then head to san Diego zoo? Or would you say, you know, disney world may offer more of what you're looking for?

Haha. Sorry, don't know the original conversation, but if you think someone might be able to get more out of something else, it makes sense to at least offer up an option. Lol. Not trying to cause a stir, just having fun here.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

It's sad to read this, but it's been going on for a very long time. We were members, too, back before it was a Hilton. The resort was amazing the first time we were there, and there were cost cutting measures taken after the first trip but it was still amazing. Our last time there it was a Hilton, and they took away the value of the membership (and were extremely rude on the phone when I called), so we canceled it and got our money back. Now it sounds like things have slipped yet again. I'm glad they are getting hammered on TA, but I feel sorry for the long-time staff, some of whom we remembered by name and they remembered us as well. The pool chair thing sounds like Aulani and that's the end of it for me - I don't want to have to fight to get a place to sit every day.

We still have fond memories of the place and want to go back, but it sounds like this is not the right time. Also now, without having a little kid who loves the slides, the 4S is looking better.

It is such a bummer. We knew a ton of people, too, but sadly with COVID they got rid of tons of employees (including many longtime ones) and have not rehired many of them. When Blackstone came in they also cleaned house and got rid of a number of the bigwigs. It's super sad, and demoralizing to the employees that are still around. It was a great program when we first started (cocktail parties, etc.), but they've whittled things away every year. They also practically doubled the dues last year right before COVID so it's even more of a gut punch. We love the GW, and it's super disappointing to see what Blackstone is doing.

 

[StephPlum]

Love Crater Lake! We went years ago around Memorial Day Weekend and only the road to the Lodge was open. I have never seen so much snow piled on the side of the road! We went a few years ago the last week of July and there were still a few spots on the far side of the lake with 6 feet of snow in a couple of places but the roads were completely open. I am not an expert, but I would *think* it should be open by mid-July. Hope you can stay in the Lodge. It is really beautiful.

Thanks for sharing. Planning to stay at the lodge or cabins in the park.

 

[disneybirds]

Staying at a Marriott resort (Hilton head) right now. They said due to current situation they were not offering free breakfast to Platinum members. Instead they offered a one time $10 F&B credit. We are staying 4 nights so that is not even remotely comparable. I wasn’t very happy about that so I DMd Marriott on Twitter expressing my disappointment. I understand when things were closed down and limited seatings but all of their restaurants are currently open unrestricted. They offered me a $100 F&B credit instead. I was happy with that.

Wow! We just stayed there last week and I expressed my disappointment to the front clerk, but she just shrugged. I should have DMd Marriott on Twitter!! Were you there on Saturday night? There were 2 large events and they woke me up at 2:30 am out in the hallway.