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

[CaptainAmerica]

Mystery: My work has a mobile-order feature in our cafeteria. My Propel card (issued by Wells Fargo but running on AMEX pipes) recognizes it as "3x points on eating out and ordering in," but my AMEX Gold calls it "Business Services - Other Services." Any idea why Propel would recognize it as dining but Gold wouldn't when they're both AMEX?

 

[miztressuz]

Not sure I can answer your question, but I will let you know our process in case it helps someone else in the future. We paid cash for a ticket on AerLingus (El) that had a British Airways portion and an Aer Lingus portion. When I bought the ticket, it gave me the option to purchase a seat for our DD on the El flight. I paid the $5 for a window seat. I had to call in since the payment didn't process (took an hour before someone picked up) and the agent then gave me the British Airways reservation number (it was also on the confirmation email). I was then able to go in on the BA website and purchase a window seat on the British Airways portion as well. Since the BA portion was first, I checked her in online through the BA site. If I remember correctly, I think I tried to check her in on El and wasn't able to do it even though they sent me an email to check-in. In terms of bags the El confirmation and BA site had different bag allowances, but she didn't have any issues checking a bag and carrying on a bag.

Our biggest issue was when she missed her flight in London and the El agents kept telling her she had to go back to the BA terminal to get rebooked, but she wasn't allowed back on the BA terminal since she had a El ticket. The El agents finally helped her and got her rebooked.

When I was looking up my check-in issue I did come across some info about award tickets being "BA stock" which is why you can't manage them on the EI site - even if it's all EI flights - so maybe the same thing happens when they codeshare/split flight. It gets ticketed through BAs back end so everything EI has to be done over the phone. And why they insisted BA had to fix it. It's not a great integration with this partnership I am beginning to see. Glad it eventually worked out for her though!

 

[darnheather]

Looking to get back into the churning game. I had a card several years ago, but the yearly price shot up so I dropped it. Starting in January 2023 I'll be making tuition payments of $10,000 every six months for 18 months. I can also use the card for gas, food, monthly flights, and rent.

Thoughts?

 

[becauseimnew]

Looking to get back into the churning game. I had a card several years ago, but the yearly price shot up so I dropped it. Starting in January 2023 I'll be making tuition payments of $10,000 every six months for 18 months. I can also use the card for gas, food, monthly flights, and rent.

Thoughts?

Can you answer the questions from the first posts… we really need to see the whole picture to make recommendations

 

[darnheather]

Can you answer the questions from the first posts… we really need to see the whole picture to make recommendations

Yes of course, sorry about that.

No credit cards applied for in the past two years.

• What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)? Rent $705, Tuition ($30,000 total over 18 months), groceries/food $400 a month, airfare $100-200 per month, gas $150 a month, internet $40 a month
• Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest? Pay them off.
• What airport(s) do you typically fly out of? Dulles
• Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program? No
• Does SOUTHWEST Airline service your airport? Yes
• Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference? No
• Do you currently have travel points or miles in any program? 82,487 points on Amazon Visa
• What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? Disney Cruise, Disneyland Trip, Trip to Europe in about 3 years
• When do you plan to take these trips? Cruise once a year, Disneyland next year
• Who does your travel party consist of? Myself and 16 year old

 

[Albort]

Trying to stay awake for a couple more hours to help with jet lag so I figured I would share about our trip to Hawaii
We were a party of 8, we paid for my parents' hotel room and flights, my sister paid for niece and nephew.

We flew TUL to Maui on Southwest, using a combination of Luv Vouchers, miles, Amex Plat airline credit and 2 companion passes.
Stayed 5 nights at Marriott Wailea Beach resort followed by 4 nights at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach.
We really LOVED Maui, would love to go back to do some real hiking, we didn't get much hiking because my parents were with us. I'm okay never going back to Oahu.

At Wailea Beach Resort we were in building 7 ground floor, the pool was right off our patio it was perfect for us. DH and I are both platinums,no room upgrades but each room received breakfast vouchers for everyone. The breakfast is at Starbucks or the Beach bar, includes a tall drink, cup of fruit and a pastry, all which can be upgraded at Starbucks. You can upgrade the drink size, pastry to a sandwich and fruit cup to a parfait. Starbucks opens at 5:30AM which is perfect for all those early mornings.
The first day we watched the sunrise at Haleakala, we left the hotel at 3AM made it there at around 4:30, we didn't get a parking spot at the top crater parking area but plenty of parking at the second lot. The temperature was in the upper 30s, so pack a jacket. Stayed until about 6ish, then went back to Wailea for breakfast. We spent the rest of the day at the resort.
The next day we did Road to Hana, used the Shaka App and it was perfect. We left the hotel at 7AM and got back to Paia at 7PM, where we had dinner. Didn't make it to the resort until 9PM. Very long day.
On day 3 the kids took surf lesson in Lahaina, booked through the Chase portal. I called all the vendors to confirm our reservations. Kids liked it but they aren't in a hurry to surf again.
Day 4 we did a morning snorkel tour to Molokini and Turtle town booked on the Chase portal, the weather didn't cooperate so we didn't make it to turtle town. It was nice, they had pastries for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, nothing special but kept us from starving.
Day 5 we slept in and moved to Oahu. I am Hyatt Globalist, both rooms were upgraded to Ocean View and we all had access to the lounge. We took advantage of the free valet benefit. That night we had dinner in Waikiki and enjoyed the area.
Day 6, spent the day at Waikiki Beach and Paradise Cove Luau for dinner. We booked the Luau and Kualoa Ranch through the Navy's MWR office so we saved a little money. For those able to use the MWR make sure you call them at least 6 weeks in advance, the current call back wait is 2 weeks. The Luau food was not good, I didn't enjoy it at all. The show was nice, glad we did it just because of FOMO, but never again.
Day 7 we booked an Intro to Scuba Diving tour on the Chase portal for everyone but my parents. We all loved this, thinking about getting certified, we just need to find time to do it.
Day 8 we headed to Kualoa Ranch for the Hollywood Movie set tour, I had originally planned on doing the Jurassic adventure tour but it was sold out by the time the MWR got to my order. The tour was fun, wasn't impressed. Then we tried to hit some beaches on that side of the Island but the weather was terrible. It was raining and the tide was strong.
Day 9 was our last day, our flight departed at 7PM. We started super early with a 6AM hike at Diamond Head. Then we went back to the hotel to shower, finish packing and check out. We had 11:30AM reservations for the Arizona Memorial, I am so grateful we were able to experience this.
How we paid for this:

Marriott Wailea Beach Resort	2 rooms	480,000	$400
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach	2 rooms	178,000	$0
Cars - Chase portal	2 Suburbans	130,000	$131
Scuba - Chase portal	6 people	32,000	$0
Snorkel - Chase portal	8 people	59,000	$0
Surf Lesson - Chase portal	4 people	15,000	$0
SW Flights TUL to OGG	6 people	46000	$0
SW flight to HNL	8 people	7920	$0
AA flights home	6 people	135000	$34
Hawaiian Luau	8 people		794
Kualoa Ranch	8 people		339
			$1,698

Our family of 4 spent about $3,000 on food, gas, parking, souvenirs and clothes shopping. Because my parents were with us we spent more time in Waikiki instead of hiking, therefore spent more money shopping then we normally spend on vacation.

Glad to have checked off Hawaii from our travel list. Next big vacation in Paris & Disneyland Paris.

did you take the backside of Road to Hana? im planning on spending 2 days on road to hana.

 

[wanderlust7]

did you take the backside of Road to Hana? im planning on spending 2 days on road to hana.

Nice! We did it our last trip and enjoyed it. Very different scenery driving the backside. You'll want to check road conditions, especially if it's been raining. Sections of the road can get washed out there. It was very dry when we went, but we saw parts that were washed out before.

 

[nhgirl]

I booked 2 nights at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel in July for our 20th anniversary with DH’s Plat to use the FHR. His AF came up in June and we cancelled the card. I just assumed we won’t get the $100 dining. But is there anything I’m not thinking about? I’m hoping they won’t need the Plat at check in. We just stayed at the Samoset Resort in Rockport Maine. I was able to switch the card from my CSP to DH’s CSR a week prior to arrival to get the travel credit but when we checked in they asked for the CSR. So now I’m worried they will ask for the Plat at the OMWR.

 

[reliev]

I didnt get any chase offers besides 5% back on lyft. I get 10% back on csr..

 

[gottalovepluto]

Yes of course, sorry about that.

No credit cards applied for in the past two years.

• What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)? Rent $705, Tuition ($30,000 total over 18 months), groceries/food $400 a month, airfare $100-200 per month, gas $150 a month, internet $40 a month
• Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest? Pay them off.
• What airport(s) do you typically fly out of? Dulles
• Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program? No
• Does SOUTHWEST Airline service your airport? Yes
• Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference? No
• Do you currently have travel points or miles in any program? 82,487 points on Amazon Visa
• What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? Disney Cruise, Disneyland Trip, Trip to Europe in about 3 years
• When do you plan to take these trips? Cruise once a year, Disneyland next year
• Who does your travel party consist of? Myself and 16 year old

Why the Amazon points? I’m not too familiar with the card but Chase says the points can be redeemed at Amazon, for gift cards or for cash. IF the cash redemption rate is the same as the gift card rate of .01/point and the Amazon redemption rate (is that .01/point?) then cash those points out for $800+ today and drop them in your savings account. No reason to leave the points sitting there if they’re always just redeemable for $.01/point.

Gotta run this morning so I’ll leave others for the CC recommendations!

 

[reliev]

Yes of course, sorry about that.

No credit cards applied for in the past two years.

• What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)? Rent $705, Tuition ($30,000 total over 18 months), groceries/food $400 a month, airfare $100-200 per month, gas $150 a month, internet $40 a month
• Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest? Pay them off.
• What airport(s) do you typically fly out of? Dulles
• Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program? No
• Does SOUTHWEST Airline service your airport? Yes
• Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference? No
• Do you currently have travel points or miles in any program? 82,487 points on Amazon Visa
• What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? Disney Cruise, Disneyland Trip, Trip to Europe in about 3 years
• When do you plan to take these trips? Cruise once a year, Disneyland next year
• Who does your travel party consist of? Myself and 16 year old

from nova myself
I think if you fly enough of southwest/united I would get the chase unlimited no fee for 1.5x on that tuition if there is no fee or if the fee makes sense for you. Pick up the flex for groceries and be in that ecosystem. not sure based on your travel if a Chase Sapphire Reserve is worth it but a Chase sapphire preferred is worth looking into. With chase you can transfer to united, southwest and hyatt/marriot easy peasy.

 

[gottalovepluto]

from nova myself
I think if you fly enough of southwest/united I would get the chase unlimited no fee for 1.5x on that tuition if there is no fee or if the fee makes sense for you. Pick up the flex for groceries and be in that eco system. not sure based on your travel if a Chase Sapphire Reserve is worth it but a Chase sapphire preferred is worth looking into. With chase you can transfer to united and southwest easy peasy.

That’s waaaay too much spend throw on a CFU. OP should be getting a new cc every time the payment comes up to maximize their return and not waste a 5/24 slot on CFU.

 

[nhgirl]

I got NCL spend $1000 get $250, RCL spend $500 get $125, American Queen spend $1000 get $300 and Celebrity spend $500 get $125 all on my Amex BCP. Also just noticed Double Tree spend $225 get $45.

 

[reliev]

That’s waaaay too much spend throw on a CFU. OP should be getting a new cc every time the payment comes up to maximize their return and not waste a 5/24 slot on CFU.

haha, not for me! I'm not a churner though but good point.
that much is a good 5+ sign up bonus's

 

[becauseimnew]

did you take the backside of Road to Hana? im planning on spending 2 days on road to hana.

No, if it would have been just our immediate family in a Jeep, we would have done it. DH and I talked and said we would totally do it again because there is so much more to see.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

No, if it would have been just our immediate family in a Jeep, we would have done it. DH and I talked and said we would totally do it again because there is so much more to see.

My boss went to Maui earlier in the year. He did the Road to Hana there and then the backside on the way out. He said that it was beautiful and well worth it. I, on the other hand, was too chicken to drive the back way out and void my rental car (Camaro - not by choice, but it was all that was left) warranty so we did not drive the back way when we went.... I'm regretting that now. Might go ahead and do it on our upcoming Maui trip though.

 

[becauseimnew]

Yes of course, sorry about that.

No credit cards applied for in the past two years.

• What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)? Rent $705, Tuition ($30,000 total over 18 months), groceries/food $400 a month, airfare $100-200 per month, gas $150 a month, internet $40 a month
• Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest? Pay them off.
• What airport(s) do you typically fly out of? Dulles
• Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program? No
• Does SOUTHWEST Airline service your airport? Yes
• Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference? No
• Do you currently have travel points or miles in any program? 82,487 points on Amazon Visa
• What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? Disney Cruise, Disneyland Trip, Trip to Europe in about 3 years
• When do you plan to take these trips? Cruise once a year, Disneyland next year
• Who does your travel party consist of? Myself and 16 year old

I would consider the Citi Premiere, specially since you haven’t applied for any cards in the past 2 years.

• 
  
  Three Times
  Restaurants
• 
  
  Three Times
  Supermarkets
• 
  
  Three Times
  Gas Stations
• 
  
  Three Times
  Air Travel and Hotels
• 
  
  One Time
  All Other Purchases
• 
  
  Annual Hotel Savings Benefit

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I would consider the Citi Premiere, specially since you haven’t applied for any cards in the past 2 years.

• 
  
  Three Times
  Restaurants
• 
  
  Three Times
  Supermarkets
• 
  
  Three Times
  Gas Stations
• 
  
  Three Times
  Air Travel and Hotels
• 
  
  One Time
  All Other Purchases
• 
  
  Annual Hotel Savings Benefit

You can meet or beat all of those categories with no AF cards.

US Bank Altitude Go - 4X dining, no AF
Amex Blue Cash Everyday - 3X groceries, no AF
Amex Blue Cash Preferred - 6X groceries, 3X gas, $95 AF
WF Propel, WF Autograph - 3X gas, 3X dining, 3X hotels, 3X flights, no AF
Citi Double Cash, WF Active Cash - 2X everything, no AF
Citi Custom Cash - 5X on a category you choose (I use it for gas), no AF
US Bank Cash+ - 5X on two categories you choose (I use it for Utilities and Internet), no AF
BOA Customized Cash - 3X on a category you choose (I use it for online shopping), no AF
Alliant FCU Cashback - 2.5X everything, no AF

 

[leeniewdw]

I'm have a brain cramp. Need to purchase 4 one way tickets on Delta (to MCO). I've decided I don't want to use UR or Cap 1 points, so not sure best way to do it to maximize points earning. Use Chase or Cap 1 portals? Or use my Delta Amex Gold or Amex Plat?

I don't have a ton of Delta points after our June vacation, but I may have enough for one of those tickets.

Guess I should just write it all down to see what makes the most sense. But if anyone has thoughts....

 

[Psychodisney]

I booked 2 nights at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel in July for our 20th anniversary with DH’s Plat to use the FHR. His AF came up in June and we cancelled the card. I just assumed we won’t get the $100 dining. But is there anything I’m not thinking about? I’m hoping they won’t need the Plat at check in. We just stayed at the Samoset Resort in Rockport Maine. I was able to switch the card from my CSP to DH’s CSR a week prior to arrival to get the travel credit but when we checked in they asked for the CSR. So now I’m worried they will ask for the Plat at the OMWR.

Do you have any other AMEX cards? That might work.