I love credit cards so much! v5.0 - 2022 (see first page for add'l details)

[AmyAnne]

My first card was a discover. I think it’s a good starting card

Two of my kids started with the Discover secured card. The best thing about this card is that once you've had it for a certain amount of time (I can't recall if it's six months or a year) with regular on-time payments, Discover automatically converts it to an unsecured card and it appears on your credit report as if it's always been an unsecured card (at least that's how it worked--it's been several years).

 

[StephPlum]

She's never had a card? Maybe. Does she have anything else like a car loan or a student loan she's been paying?
Worth a try. Chase likes to see some credit history it seems, at least with college students. As you said, she has graduated and is employed.

If denied, try Discover.

Thanks. She does have a student loan in good standing.

My DD had some issues, with a decent credit score and a good job a few years ago. She finally started with a Cap One Quicksilver, they had something on the website that would tell you if you would be approved without a hard pull.

Thanks.

My first card was a discover. I think it’s a good starting card

Thanks. I thought I remembered that a lot of folks start with discover but wasn’t sure. That one is not in my wallet so I am not as familiar.

Two of my kids started with the Discover secured card. The best thing about this card is that once you've had it for a certain amount of time (I can't recall if it's six months or a year) with regular on-time payments, Discover automatically converts it to an unsecured card and it appears on your credit report as if it's always been an unsecured card (at least that's how it worked--it's been several years).

Thanks.
I think I’ll suggest the chase freedom first but if that doesn’t work, the discover.

I just have to thank you all again for the advice to add kids as AUs. DS has no loans but by adding to my CF and IHG as an AU, his score is in the 800s, was able to get a CSP and just applied for a car loan with very favorable terms. Now it is up to him to keep it up but glad I could jump start his credit journey.

 

[Psychodisney]

I just have to thank you all again for the advice to add kids as AUs. DS has no loans but by adding to my CF and IHG as an AU, his score is in the 800s, was able to get a CSP and just applied for a car loan with very favorable terms. Now it is up to him to keep it up but glad I could jump start his credit journey.

I think it is so important to get kids a credit history while they are in college. Teach a man to fish..... It helps with apartments, car purchases, etc once they graduate.

 

[newski_mom]

I think it is so important to get kids a credit history while they are in college. Teach a man to fish..... It helps with apartments, car purchases, etc once they graduate.

Agreed - I'm sure I learned about it on this thread years ago, but I added all of my kids as AU when they were kids and they all have great credit history. Our oldest DD was talking about it the other day because most of her friends have to have parents co-sign on everything for them. She's grateful at this point in her life that we did that.

 

[elgerber]

I think your Venture X provides the PP membership that includes unlimited access for you and 2 guests like the CSR. Maybe your Altitude is like my Amex Hilton, which only gives the "Select" PP level membership which is 10 passes per year. It would seem that the free Select membership would actually be more beneficial to families with more than one child since you can bring more than 2 guests by using up to all 10 multiple passes in one visit.

This is my US Bank benefits, does this mean, I could bring 4 guests at once (one time in a year)?
And can I enroll in 2 PP memberships with my same name and email?

Enjoy VIP access at over 1,200 airport lounges around the globe

Whether you’re traveling for business or leisure, make your time at the airport an absolute pleasure this year. As a U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® cardmember, you can access a worldwide network of airport VIP lounges with your complimentary 12 month Priority Pass™ Select Membership. Regardless of the travel class or airline you’re flying, you can escape the airport crowds and enjoy these benefits:

• Four free individual visits and four free individual guest visits to over 1,200 VIP lounges in more than 130 countries and 500 cities worldwide

 

[Jax1023]

The Venture X PP is a good one since you can add up to 4 AUs for free and they get their own PP. Plus I think they still include restaurants, unlike the Amex ones.

@FreeDiningFanatic That would be another option for you assuming 5/24 isn't a concern. Google tells me there's no minimum age for Cap One AUs, so you could even add kids.

Can you use two PP memberships in one visit? I have a csr and a venture x. DH has neither and is uninterested in this whole situation.

Can I use both my memberships to bring in my husband and 2 kids?

 

[wanderlust7]

Can you use two PP memberships in one visit? I have a csr and a venture x. DH has neither and is uninterested in this whole situation.

Can I use both my memberships to bring in my husband and 2 kids?

My understanding is you can't. But the Venture X comes with free AU and no minimum age as far as I know, so you could add your DH or one of the kids. Or add everyone and you can bring in a group of 12 lol.

 

[djmeredith]

This is my US Bank benefits, does this mean, I could bring 4 guests at once (one time in a year)?
And can I enroll in 2 PP memberships with my same name and email?

Enjoy VIP access at over 1,200 airport lounges around the globe

Whether you’re traveling for business or leisure, make your time at the airport an absolute pleasure this year. As a U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® cardmember, you can access a worldwide network of airport VIP lounges with your complimentary 12 month Priority Pass™ Select Membership. Regardless of the travel class or airline you’re flying, you can escape the airport crowds and enjoy these benefits:

• Four free individual visits and four free individual guest visits to over 1,200 VIP lounges in more than 130 countries and 500 cities worldwide

You can have 2 PP accounts at the same time in your name. I am assuming that can be with the same email address, but I am not sure since I do not have confirmation of my second account through Amex yet. It sounds like those benefits only give you a total of 8 passes that you can use individually or all at once, or any other combination. However, I am basing that solely on the wording you quoted and what I have read online on other soures.

Can you use two PP memberships in one visit? I have a csr and a venture x. DH has neither and is uninterested in this whole situation.

Can I use both my memberships to bring in my husband and 2 kids?

No, a person cannot use more than 1 membership account per visit. That's why I think my Hilton Honors bus card with 10 passes is a better value for families with one more than child. Because apparently you can use the 10 passes with no max number of passes per visit. Again, I have not yet tested this but that is what I read on TPG.

 

[wanderlust7]

This is my US Bank benefits, does this mean, I could bring 4 guests at once (one time in a year)?
And can I enroll in 2 PP memberships with my same name and email?

You can have 2 PP accounts at the same time in your name. I am assuming that can be with the same email address, but I am not sure since I do not have confirmation of my second account through Amex yet. It sounds like those benefits only give you a total of 8 passes that you can use individually or all at once, or any other combination. However, I am basing that solely on the wording you quoted and what I have read online on other soures.

You have to create a new PP account for each membership, but I think you can use the same e-mail. I'm not sure if you really need the online account if you just use the physical card, but you need it for the mobile pass. You'll need to pick a username, so would be good to pick one that reflects which card it came from. I also put a sticker on the back of the card. There were times when I forgot and it got very confusing!

 

[miztressuz]

Hi Credit Card GURUs!

Bottom Line Up Front: Looking to get the best promo on the Chase Southwest Priority Card (mainly for the free A-list upgrades, but the perks will make up the $0-149 annual fee for me...I'm active duty military, so Chase might offer the card with no annual fee for my service). Is there anything better than 40,000 miles right now?

My Cards (last 24 months that I can remember):
09/20 - CITI BestBuy Credit Card (great offer for our TV )
10/20 - PenFed Credit Card (spouse as well)
10/21 - AMEX Hilton Aspire
04/22 - CHASE Sapphire Reserve (spouse as well)

2) Secondly we'll want to know a little bit about you. Specifically - what you spend, and what you want to earn!

• What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)?
  • Minimum to get the bonus, and then probably just Southwest purchases unless I was angling for extra points.
• Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest?
  • Yes
• What airport(s) do you typically fly out of?
  • DCA, but will be moving over to SMF, OAK, and SFO this summer
• Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program?
  • Southwest, Delta, American, United...in that order
• Does SOUTHWEST Airline service your airport?
  • Yes
• Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference?
  • Hilton, Marriott, IHG...in that order
• Do you currently have travel points or miles in any program? (if so, which programs and how much)
  • Yes, various amount in each of those.
• What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? (i.e. Disney World Trip, Cruise, European Trip, Cash Back to pay-off a mortgage or student loans, etc. - you can have multiple goals too!)
  • Perks, and Points for future travel (CSR will likely be my go-to going forward)
• When do you plan to take these trips? (Keep in mind that it can be difficult to earn points/miles to cover imminent travel...it's best to plan far in advance, especially with regards to international travel)
  • No clue
• Who does your travel party consist of? (Spouse, Kids (& ages), other relatives/friends)
  • Spouse, and 3 little kiddos (4th on the way!!)

Cheers and Thanks!
Dom

Specifically for the SW personal cards, there's a fairly consistent offer of 50k/2k as an in-flight promo. So if you are flying SW soon or know anyone that is, you have been able to email yourself the promotion link to apply later. Some airports had the offer in the past so even if you're not flying SW but passing through the terminal might be worth a look.

US CC Guide tracks sign up offers for many cards. You can generally see a pattern to SW offers where a few times a year they up the bonuses. For the last couple years around June/July they had higher offers, 60k-65k instead of the typical 40k.

https://www.uscreditcardguide.com/chase-southwest-priority-credit-card

If you can wait a bit you might get a better offer. Since Chase has the 24 month restriction between bonuses on any SW personal card, if it's not urgent I'd see what happens in a few weeks.

There's also the SW Biz cards which are separate from personal cards for bonus timing. You can get a personal card and both business cards at the same time. (I don't recommend getting all three at once since they all also have 24 months between bonuses, but you could. Each business card is counted as a separate product whereas the personal cards are considered a "family" which means getting one personal locks you out of the other personals for 24 months.) But business cards would not be eligible for your military waiver of fees. They do offer higher bonuses so you'd want to do the math to see if paying the fee is worth it.

Looking at your CCs, have a question about the CSR you just got, did you and your spouse each get a CSR or is your spouse an AU on the card? If your spouse doesn't have a Sapphire card of their own, the CSP has a high offer currently. In a worse case scenario you could transfer UR 1:1 to SW for booking if needed. But in general it's not a bad card to look at to generate more UR points, assuming your spouse is also under 5/24 as your list suggests. (And there's a strategy to get both Sapphires depending on your risk tolerance.)

And like clockwork SW has increased the offer on the personal cards. I just got the email today and remembered your question. Hope you can take advantage!

Offer ends July 11. For the Plus, Premier, and Priority cards 75,000 Bonus Points After You Spend $5,000 On Purchases In The First 3 Months From Account Opening.

 

[djmeredith]

And like clockwork SW has increased the offer on the personal cards. I just got the email today and remembered your question. Hope you can take advantage!

Offer ends July 11. For the Plus, Premier, and Priority cards 75,000 Bonus Points After You Spend $5,000 On Purchases In The First 3 Months From Account Opening.

I just saw that offer! Too bad I need to wait and get my SW cards later this year so I can earn my CP for next year. Hopefully, they will have another good offer later this year.

 

[catsinawindow]

Not sure if I saw a reply for you. For EBCI, you want to buy it sooner than later. Your $75 SW credit from the card with take care of that as a statement credit. For the upgraded boarding, pay at the gate. Same thing, appears as a statement credit.

Thanks, will add it this weekend!

 

[havaneselover]

Cruise is over It was amazing. About 1200 passnegers and 1000 crew members. Excellent service. Favorite day was Rome followed by Capri/Sorrento/Pompeii.

Boarding was a mess. DCL had computer problems. Then the covid results were emailed to you. Of course their wifi didn't work and many didn't have service. The sweet family we sat next to had a positive test, retested, and couldn't board. Had come from TX. My worst nightmare. We had an arrival time of 11:30 and were onboard by 2 so not terrible but it was very stressful at the time.

Waiting for our flight to London. Tonight we go to Mama Mia and tomorrow we have a full day tour. Praying for negative covid results Sunday night.

 

[thevalley]

What is the recommended amount of time to apply for a cic and a csr/csp? I am thinking about the cic but just in case I get denied, I wound then want to do a mdd. Thanks

 

[sinnika]

Cruise is over It was amazing. About 1200 passnegers and 1000 crew members. Excellent service. Favorite day was Rome followed by Capri/Sorrento/Pompeii.

Boarding was a mess. DCL had computer problems. Then the covid results were emailed to you. Of course their wifi didn't work and many didn't have service. The sweet family we sat next to had a positive test, retested, and couldn't board. Had come from TX. My worst nightmare. We had an arrival time of 11:30 and were onboard by 2 so not terrible but it was very stressful at the time.

Waiting for our flight to London. Tonight we go to Mama Mia and tomorrow we have a full day tour. Praying for negative covid results Sunday night.

Glad you loved your cruise! We did a 10 night DCL Med cruise in 2010 and 2011. We are flying into London in September for another DCL cruise leaving from Dover. Were there any upgrades at port? We plan to get to the port early using private transportation as there are 5 (maybe 6) of us including a 9 month old baby. I just flew back from Frankfurt last Saturday and got tested at the airport. There were testing sites at pharmacies and near major grocery stores in Germany. I paid 29 euros for a rapid test. For those that have AT&T, I paid $10 extra per day to use my cellular data. Only used Wi-Fi on my iPad at my daughter’s home since I did some remote work from my job.
Safe travels back to the US!

 

[becauseimnew]

My understanding is you can't. But the Venture X comes with free AU and no minimum age as far as I know, so you could add your DH or one of the kids. Or add everyone and you can bring in a group of 12 lol.

I think you have to be 18 to have a PP membership.

 

[djmeredith]

I think you have to be 18 to have a PP membership.

That is correct. I read that in the official PP terms and conditions.

 

[becauseimnew]

I have to make reservations for black sand beach on Road to Hana… what time should I select 10-12:30pm or 12:30-3pm… we plan to hit the road at about 7am. What would be best?

 

[havaneselover]

Glad you loved your cruise! We did a 10 night DCL Med cruise in 2010 and 2011. We are flying into London in September for another DCL cruise leaving from Dover. Were there any upgrades at port? We plan to get to the port early using private transportation as there are 5 (maybe 6) of us including a 9 month old baby. I just flew back from Frankfurt last Saturday and got tested at the airport. There were testing sites at pharmacies and near major grocery stores in Germany. I paid 29 euros for a rapid test. For those that have AT&T, I paid $10 extra per day to use my cellular data. Only used Wi-Fi on my iPad at my daughter’s home since I did some remote work from my job.
Safe travels back to the US!

I asked and the woman had no idea what I was talking about. We were the first Disney cruise out of Barcelona since 2019 and things weren’t going smoothly. But there should have been. Two forward was for covid quarantine. But at 40% capacity there were lots of empty rooms. We only had two sea days so I wasn’t sure it would have been worth it but dcl “upgraded” us from a 9c to a 9b connecting cabin and the noise was an issue (both when docking and from the neighboring cabin). 1st cruise of seven with noise issues.

And I bought us Airalo esims for Europe but we must not have set them up right. Oh well. We had wifi on port days.

 

[mom2febgirls]

Does anyone have suggestions for points/miles for a trip to Ireland?

In the last year we opened 2 CSP, 2 AMEX Delta (Gold/Reserve), Citi Premier, Chase Bonvoy, SWA Biz (earned CP). We're using these points for a trip to Hawaii in March 2023.

I'm planning for 2024 so hopefully have enough time to earn points/miles.

Thanks!