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

[Simba06]

Goal: diversify airline choices, get TSA precheck
Currently have: southwest and disney visa

We pay our balance in full every month. We only like to fly Southwest or Delta, and we live near a major Delta hub. Family of four with 2 small children. Domestic travel planned 2-3x/yr. While we love flying Southwest, we have a lot more direct flight options by adding Delta to the mix. Considering the Delta Platinum Amex over the Gold for the companion pass (after renewal? Is it as easy to use as Southwest) and TSA precheck fee being covered. Also like have the first checked bag free. Can easily spend $4-5k a mo between bills, daycare for two etc.

Thoughts?

 

[iujen94]

This is pretty niche so not sure how helpful this will be but....

We have a flight from San Jose to Maui in July on SW. SW changed the schedule and put me on a different flight. I decided I didn’t like that flight and called (because I had Early Bird Checkin already so couldn’t change online) and moved to a later flight. Fast forward and I had buyer’s remorse and wanted the earlier flight after all. I called last night and was able to change a different flight for our trip (thank you magic change window!) but it was going to be 28k miles to change my buyer’s remorse flight (which apparently wasn’t in the magic change window). I declined, in part because I didn’t have enough miles at the time and in part because paying for a SW change pains me, after using the magic change window so successfully.

But today I decided I really did want to change that flight. I moved the extra miles I needed (only about 3k) from my CSR and called SW again. Same story - 28k miles to change. I gave the guy my whole story (and started with, “I’m sure this won’t make a difference as far as paying the fare difference but...”, and he gave me a courtesy change for free! 28k miles saved!

TL,DR: if you’ve got a decent story, call back and talk to someone else if you don’t get what you want at first! Also, the SW agents I’ve talked to (and I’ve talked to them a TON for this trip), have been amazingly nice and helpful.

 

[ski_mom]

I currently have 31,489 points toward companion pass status. Meeting the $5,000 MSR would add 85,000 points: 5,000 for the spend (assuming no bonus categories) plus the 80,000 bonus currently being offered. That would bring me to 116,489 out of the necessary 125,000 points for CP. It's questionable whether I could get that done & have the points post in time to have the CP for our 7/24 trip (For once I wish my daughter's fall tuition bill was available sooner!)

Can you pre-pay your daughter's tuition? I was just online playing with my son's university payment portal. Right now he owes $20 for a parking ticket and just to see how much the fee would be (it didn't spell it out on the first screen), I put in a $500 payment. I didn't end up going through with it, but it looked like it was going to let me. It popped up with a message stating that I was paying $480 over the amount due, did I want to proceed.

Anyway, it might be worth trying to see if it would work.

 

[Shannon G]

Can you pre-pay your daughter's tuition? I was just online playing with my son's university payment portal. Right now he owes $20 for a parking ticket and just to see how much the fee would be (it didn't spell it out on the first screen), I put in a $500 payment. I didn't end up going through with it, but it looked like it was going to let me. It popped up with a message stating that I was paying $480 over the amount due, did I want to proceed.

Anyway, it might be worth trying to see if it would work.

Hmmm...I'll have to look into that. That would be perfect. I'd have to pay a fee of 2.85%, I think, but it would be outweighed by the benefit of the CP, and, if it works, I could pre-pay just enough to meet the balance of the MSR.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I currently have 31,489 points toward companion pass status. Meeting the $5,000 MSR would add 85,000 points: 5,000 for the spend (assuming no bonus categories) plus the 80,000 bonus currently being offered. That would bring me to 116,489 out of the necessary 125,000 points for CP. It's questionable whether I could get that done & have the points post in time to have the CP for our 7/24 trip (For once I wish my daughter's fall tuition bill was available sooner!)

Also check out the Southwest Shopping Portal. I like to sort by earn rate. The meal home delivery services all have great earn rates in the thousands right now plus those great introductory offers. You might be able to get the 8500 points you need that way.

I think if you can put your spend on right away and find a way to earn that additional 8500 pts, you can probably earn CP for that late July trip. Good luck!

 

[NaptownMom]

Hello all. I am almost completely new to the concept of credit cards/points and could really use guidance. I almost got a branded Disney credit card but then I saw an article saying it’s horrible for rewards and just about anything else, so here I am. We are a family of four, soon to be five. We rarely, rarely vacation, and we all agree that needs to change. It’s possible we will buy a DVC soon.

I haven’t applied for any credit card in a very long time, much longer than 24 months. I only have a Bank of America credit card (currently has a $20k limit; I got it 15 years ago because I had a bank account there) and an Old Navy credit card (tiny limit, I only use it for Old Navy purchases). My credit score is just under 800.

I pay off all my balances every month, and use my Bank of America credit card for about $3-4k/month typically. We do have kids in private school, though, and maybe we should be paying tuition with a credit card?

Usually we fly out of BWI, which has Southwest directs to just about anywhere we like to go.

I don’t use any hotel/frequent flyer program now, at all.

Please tell me what I should be doing!

 

[GZanta77]

Goal: diversify airline choices, get TSA precheck
Currently have: southwest and disney visa

We pay our balance in full every month. We only like to fly Southwest or Delta, and we live near a major Delta hub. Family of four with 2 small children. Domestic travel planned 2-3x/yr. While we love flying Southwest, we have a lot more direct flight options by adding Delta to the mix. Considering the Delta Platinum Amex over the Gold for the companion pass (after renewal? Is it as easy to use as Southwest) and TSA precheck fee being covered. Also like have the first checked bag free. Can easily spend $4-5k a mo between bills, daycare for two etc.

Thoughts?

I can't say I'm a huge fan of the Delta Companion Pass - it is one time use, restricted to Main Cabin unless you have status, limited to certain fare buckets and is capacity controlled. I have found that on flights that are popular it will often show sold out if I try to use the companion pass, when there are seats for sale if not using it.

In short, it is nowhere near as good or easy to use as the Southwest CP.

 

[Shannon G]

Also check out the Southwest Shopping Portal. I like to sort by earn rate. The meal home delivery services all have great earn rates in the thousands right now plus those great introductory offers. You might be able to get the 8500 points you need that way.

I think if you can put your spend on right away and find a way to earn that additional 8500 pts, you can probably earn CP for that late July trip. Good luck!

Thanks for reminder! I think I may also attempt a self-referral from my SW personal card - that could put me over the points required if it works. Anyone have any recent experience with that?

 

[ski_mom]

Curious if anyone is following cruising news for this summer?

We currently have a trip planned to fly to Denver and then to San Francisco to see the Cardinals play in each city. We have all of the days mapped out for Colorado, but not for SF yet. Just yesterday, I was able to get better deals on our flights with the SW change window. Anyway, everything is mostly falling into place for the trip.

DH get notice that the CDC has updated regulations on cruising and there will be cruises out of FL in July. We're now looking at scrapping plan 1 and booking a cruise. Now I love cruises and find them to be the most carefree relaxing vacation ever. I also think they are a very good value and basically once you've paid for the cruise, the vast majority of your costs are covered. No $100 meals out, etc. But, I'm nervous to switch gears and then have the cruise cancelled last minute because of problems that might pop up.

The trip we have planned would be hard to recreate last minute I'm afraid. We have to book entry tickets to certain things as well as purchase the baseball tickets when they become available.

Anyway, I know no one has a crystal ball, but just wondered comfort levels of other travelers lol!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I've only got a couple minutes here, but wanted to welcome you, and mention not to put each other as AUs on further cards, and in general only downgrade cards (as opposed to cancelling).
I think others may have suggestions about Southwest and maybe hotels (I'm not well versed in those). The CSP and CSR combination (a MDD) might be another option, since you have the spend for both.
We generally go for the Sign Up Bonuses (SUBs) primarily and reward points (or cash back) secondarily, because the SUB is far more lucrative.
Ask here before making any move, to make sure options haven't changed

Thanks!
Also, I thought Chase didn't allow double dips anymore? I was going to apply for CSP since the sign up bonus is greater rn but if there's a MDD strategy for both cards then I'll need to look into it more.
Yes, I am learning here that SUBs is the way to go!

 

[Shannon G]

Thanks for reminder! I think I may also attempt a self-referral from my SW personal card - that could put me over the points required if it works. Anyone have any recent experience with that?

Woo-hoo, instant approval for the SW Biz Performance - my first ever attempt at a Biz card! Can I link this to my existing Chase login that I have for my personal cards, or do I have to set up a different online user account since it is a business card?

 

[wanderlust7]

Thanks for reminder! I think I may also attempt a self-referral from my SW personal card - that could put me over the points required if it works. Anyone have any recent experience with that?

Don't self support. I think with Chase, you don't get the support points. With Amex, people lost the ability to support and some got shut down.

You can cross support to a P2.

 

[Hoosier John]

Thanks!
Also, I thought Chase didn't allow double dips anymore? I was going to apply for CSP since the sign up bonus is greater rn but if there's a MDD strategy for both cards then I'll need to look into it more.
Yes, I am learning here that SUBs is the way to go!

MDD is still working. The "M" is for Modified, so maybe the old Double Dip quit working (before my time here).
You will need to accept an upcoming invitation likely from @SouthFayetteFan to our private DISchurners group where we have the MDD strategy laid out, and discuss other topics, not allowed here. He's been swamped lately so it might take a bit, if someone else doesn't invite you first.

 

[wanderlust7]

Curious if anyone is following cruising news for this summer?

We currently have a trip planned to fly to Denver and then to San Francisco to see the Cardinals play in each city. We have all of the days mapped out for Colorado, but not for SF yet. Just yesterday, I was able to get better deals on our flights with the SW change window. Anyway, everything is mostly falling into place for the trip.

DH get notice that the CDC has updated regulations on cruising and there will be cruises out of FL in July. We're now looking at scrapping plan 1 and booking a cruise. Now I love cruises and find them to be the most carefree relaxing vacation ever. I also think they are a very good value and basically once you've paid for the cruise, the vast majority of your costs are covered. No $100 meals out, etc. But, I'm nervous to switch gears and then have the cruise cancelled last minute because of problems that might pop up.

The trip we have planned would be hard to recreate last minute I'm afraid. We have to book entry tickets to certain things as well as purchase the baseball tickets when they become available.

Anyway, I know no one has a crystal ball, but just wondered comfort levels of other travelers lol!

I've been following a little. No plans to cruise until next summer though. This summer feels very up in the air to me. Celebrity agreed to CDC requirement of 95% vaccinated. But Florida has a ban on vaccine passports. So how's that gonna work?

 

[Hoosier John]

I'm trying to find a 140k or 150k Amex Biz Platinum offer trying to rack up MR for the next year for international travel for the family. Any ideas on how to find one? Best I've seen is 130k.

Goal: diversify airline choices, get TSA precheck
Currently have: southwest and disney visa

We pay our balance in full every month. We only like to fly Southwest or Delta, and we live near a major Delta hub. Family of four with 2 small children. Domestic travel planned 2-3x/yr. While we love flying Southwest, we have a lot more direct flight options by adding Delta to the mix. Considering the Delta Platinum Amex over the Gold for the companion pass (after renewal? Is it as easy to use as Southwest) and TSA precheck fee being covered. Also like have the first checked bag free. Can easily spend $4-5k a mo between bills, daycare for two etc.

Thoughts?

Hello all. I am almost completely new to the concept of credit cards/points and could really use guidance. I almost got a branded Disney credit card but then I saw an article saying it’s horrible for rewards and just about anything else, so here I am. We are a family of four, soon to be five. We rarely, rarely vacation, and we all agree that needs to change. It’s possible we will buy a DVC soon.

I haven’t applied for any credit card in a very long time, much longer than 24 months. I only have a Bank of America credit card (currently has a $20k limit; I got it 15 years ago because I had a bank account there) and an Old Navy credit card (tiny limit, I only use it for Old Navy purchases). My credit score is just under 800.

I pay off all my balances every month, and use my Bank of America credit card for about $3-4k/month typically. We do have kids in private school, though, and maybe we should be paying tuition with a credit card?

Usually we fly out of BWI, which has Southwest directs to just about anywhere we like to go.

I don’t use any hotel/frequent flyer program now, at all.

Please tell me what I should be doing!

both of you!!

I gotta go, but wanted to welcome you both and mention that if you wish to pay-forward any help someone gives you, we have a DISchurners group where you can reward one of your fellow DISsers, and discuss more advanced strategies. You will likely get an invitation from @SouthFayetteFan or possibly a different moderator of our private group.

My vote right now for either of you would be the Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) and then Modified Double Dip (MDD) the Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR), if you can tolerate the Minimum Spend on two cards and can swallow the Annual Fee (AF), especially on the CSR. AFs are generally offset by various credits toward certain purchases.

The MDD is useful for y'all mainly because the Sapphire cards have a once every 48 month Sign Up Bonus (SUB), so you could get that clock started now.

I'm sure others will chime in with what they see for each of you.

Happy Churning!

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Woo-hoo, instant approval for the SW Biz Performance - my first ever attempt at a Biz card! Can I link this to my existing Chase login that I have for my personal cards, or do I have to set up a different online user account since it is a business card?

Separate logins has been my experience.

 

[Simba06]

I can't say I'm a huge fan of the Delta Companion Pass - it is one time use, restricted to Main Cabin unless you have status, limited to certain fare buckets and is capacity controlled. I have found that on flights that are popular it will often show sold out if I try to use the companion pass, when there are seats for sale if not using it.

In short, it is nowhere near as good or easy to use as the Southwest CP.

One time use as in for one flight only? Yeah thats no comparison.

 

[NaptownMom]

both of you!!

Okay just like that, with an online application, I got a CSR card! Thank you!

 

[chattadisser]

I can't say I'm a huge fan of the Delta Companion Pass - it is one time use, restricted to Main Cabin unless you have status, limited to certain fare buckets and is capacity controlled. I have found that on flights that are popular it will often show sold out if I try to use the companion pass, when there are seats for sale if not using it.

In short, it is nowhere near as good or easy to use as the Southwest CP.

One time use as in for one flight only? Yeah thats no comparison.

I just used two Delta companion certificates and while it was great to use them, I don't think it's as great as the SW companion program overall. The Delta ones are one time uses whereas SW you have a companion for every flight you take for the year or two. When we had the SW companion we got 5-6 free flights a year out of it vs the one with Delta. Now on the flip side, I can fly Delta from my local airport whereas I can't with SW so I think your location and travel plans determine which is best for you.

 

[hsmamato2]

to the super smart UR peeps here....please refresh my memory- I had a couple of recent charges on CSR- that were redeemed with the TC immediately, yet I can still use PYB at 1.5% for these purchases....what is the benefit of doing this?