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

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I can't believe that my trip to Europe for the Christmas markets is a go this year! I leave on Tuesday and ds will join me in Vienna on the 28th!

Super excited yesterday when my SNAs came through for me at the Matild Palace in Budapest! I will be staying in the Elisabeth Suite for 4 nights (hoping they upgrade me for my last night, which I had to book separately because I only had 4 SNAs left). I am going to ask if I can switch to the Loft Suite when I get there, but if not then I'm thrilled to have the Elisabeth Suite. With the suites at this hotel all items (including alcohol, which I don't drink) are included! There is something about a free mini bar that I just LOVE at hotels (maybe because I'm waaaay too frugal to pay for anything from the minibar).

Here's a link to the suite for anyone that's curious! I'll try to post pics when I get home!

 

[ibob52]

With that said, I've got to figure out what's a smart way of "investing" this money

IIRC you can do $10K of the i bonds each again ~ January 2023

 

[maria's_mommy]

Lurker for last 6 months or so, so far in last year I've opened for myself and for DH and chase sapphire preferred and a Citi American airline. Managed to get the 4 of us to Yellowstone on points with the citi for 7/23. Now I'm planning on a trip to London in 2024. Looks like for me flying out of ATL easiest but delta american express points for June of 23 are like 175K, don't think I could get nearly that many so looking at Chase INk hoping to use the points to book flights through URs? Don't have a true business but saw somewhere selling on ebay counts? Any other suggestions?

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Lurker for last 6 months or so, so far in last year I've opened for myself and for DH and chase sapphire preferred and a Citi American airline. Managed to get the 4 of us to Yellowstone on points with the citi for 7/23. Now I'm planning on a trip to London in 2024. Looks like for me flying out of ATL easiest but delta american express points for June of 23 are like 175K, don't think I could get nearly that many so looking at Chase INk hoping to use the points to book flights through URs? Don't have a true business but saw somewhere selling on ebay counts? Any other suggestions?

Welcome!

The best value for URs and MRs for flights is transferring to airlines. The reason points for June, 2023 are showing so high is due to dynamic pricing. If you book as soon as the airlines open award seats then you will (most likely) get a way better redemption value. The trick is knowing where you want to go, when and when the airline(s) you are eyeing release award seats. It's a bit of a game, but there is a lot of info online on how to do this and plenty of bloggers who spell out the details, review airlines, etc.

True business you say? Do you sell anything on e-bay? Maybe you plow your neighbor's driveway in the winter or mow their lawn in the winter? Just be creative and I'm sure you can come up with something.

The current offer on the CIU for 90k pts for $6k spend is a great place to start. If you apply, receive your card, then refer your dh, then you get referral points, plus 90k URs for each of you, which you can combine. Or you can chase Delta cards if you are sure that you want to fly with them. Some of us like to collect for multiple airlines (we have AA, Avios and Aeroplan pts) so that we have options and flexibility for booking. AA and Avios usually have plenty of award seats to London and back, but the taxes are high. For example, I can get biz class seats for dd and I to London at the end of April, 2023 for 57.5k AA pts but the taxes are over $550.00 pp.

Good luck with your journey. It's a fun game and I LOVE free travel!

 

[afan]

Got my last two hotels booked for Japan. Only thing left to do is my rail pass but I'll wait til spring to get it. And then my park tickets in July if they stick to 2 month.

 

[georgina]

Argh! DH was told he should get a hip replacement ASAP. Lots of upcoming travel planned, we‘ll have to see when he can get scheduled. If he gets a cortisone shot he can’t get surgery for 3 months. Something may get canceled. Doctor said recovery time is only 6 weeks?

 

[amcc]

Lurker for last 6 months or so, so far in last year I've opened for myself and for DH and chase sapphire preferred and a Citi American airline. Managed to get the 4 of us to Yellowstone on points with the citi for 7/23. Now I'm planning on a trip to London in 2024. Looks like for me flying out of ATL easiest but delta american express points for June of 23 are like 175K, don't think I could get nearly that many so looking at Chase INk hoping to use the points to book flights through URs? Don't have a true business but saw somewhere selling on ebay counts? Any other suggestions?

We are flying nonstop to London next year on AA; 6 of us on economy so it was 30k AA miles and $5.60 each. The taxes are really high on BA (bookable through AA) but if you find an AA flight, the fees are $5.60. There seems to be one nonstop from ATL but its BA so $224 in taxes. If you are willing to do one stop, there are quite a few of the cheaper options. Of course, if you are looking for Business or above, ignore me. We've only traveled as a family and there's no way I can accumulate enough points for 6 upper class fares.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Argh! DH was told he should get a hip replacement ASAP. Lots of upcoming travel planned, we‘ll have to see when he can get scheduled. If he gets a cortisone shot he can’t get surgery for 3 months. Something may get canceled. Doctor said recovery time is only 6 weeks?

I can't vouch personally but they do get people up and walking asap. My SIL had horrible pain for over a year and limped a lot. She said her post op pain was nothing compared to how much pain she had before so she never even used pain meds. She did have a pretty quick recovery although I can't say if it was more or less than 6 weeks. Good luck to him.

 

[afan]

Argh! DH was told he should get a hip replacement ASAP. Lots of upcoming travel planned, we‘ll have to see when he can get scheduled. If he gets a cortisone shot he can’t get surgery for 3 months. Something may get canceled. Doctor said recovery time is only 6 weeks?

Sounds about right, just make sure he follows instructions and does any exercises etc after.

My grandpa would have been up much quicker after his but managed to dislocate it, I think getting out of bed, so ended up in a cast for like 6 weeks first. Happened shortly after he had it done. He was late 60s to 70 when he had it done. Once he fully healed he was good for over a decade until age caught up.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Argh! DH was told he should get a hip replacement ASAP. Lots of upcoming travel planned, we‘ll have to see when he can get scheduled. If he gets a cortisone shot he can’t get surgery for 3 months. Something may get canceled. Doctor said recovery time is only 6 weeks?

Sorry you guys are going through this; hope you can get something to work out in between travel. Seems in some areas it's hard to get in for procedures due to demand and staffing. The end of the year is typically the worst time, because everyone and their brother are trying to get in before their deductibles reset. January is typically light for the reverse reason.

My mom has been having some mobility issues and it's just flaring up intensely now, just as we head to Italy. It's gonna be what it's gonna be, I guess...

We are flying nonstop to London next year on AA; 6 of us on economy so it was 30k AA miles and $5.60 each. The taxes are really high on BA (bookable through AA) but if you find an AA flight, the fees are $5.60. There seems to be one nonstop from ATL but its BA so $224 in taxes. If you are willing to do one stop, there are quite a few of the cheaper options. Of course, if you are looking for Business or above, ignore me. We've only traveled as a family and there's no way I can accumulate enough points for 6 upper class fares.

We've had great luck with Flying Blue (AirFrance/KLM), scoring biz class flights OW to Europe for 55k. I've been lucky to get transfer bonuses around 25%, so sometimes have paid around 44k +$130-230 taxes, pp. And good availability. For example, five of us in biz class. So don't rule it out! But it does still eat up a lot of points. Biz class to Europe and then economy for return can be a good middle ground.

 

[maria's_mommy]

We are flying nonstop to London next year on AA; 6 of us on economy so it was 30k AA miles and $5.60 each. The taxes are really high on BA (bookable through AA) but if you find an AA flight, the fees are $5.60. There seems to be one nonstop from ATL but its BA so $224 in taxes. If you are willing to do one stop, there are quite a few of the cheaper options. Of course, if you are looking for Business or above, ignore me. We've only traveled as a family and there's no way I can accumulate enough points for 6 upper class fares.

Thanks , 30K is a lot more reasonable, I just used up my AA points with my citi AAdvantage I opened but it looks like there is a Barclay AA card I might could open? I briefly entertained the idea of trying for Upper class but with 4 of us I quickly realized I'll be proud of my economy seat. Would be willing to do a flight that's not nonstop to save substantial $.

 

[georgina]

Sounds about right, just make sure he follows instructions and does any exercises etc after.

My grandpa would have been up much quicker after his but managed to dislocate it, I think getting out of bed, so ended up in a cast for like 6 weeks first. Happened shortly after he had it done. He was late 60s to 70 when he had it done. Once he fully healed he was good for over a decade until age caught up.

Well DH is 68, so right in that age range. Hope for no dislocations, although I did read that could be a complication. Technology keeps improving so hopefully it will last him 20 years.

 

[afan]

Well DH is 68, so right in that age range. Hope for no dislocations, although I did read that could be a complication. Technology keeps improving so hopefully it will last him 20 years.

My grandpa had his done in the early to mid 90s, I think I was in jr high. So I'm sure it's also improved a lot since then.

 

[Psychodisney]

Argh! DH was told he should get a hip replacement ASAP. Lots of upcoming travel planned, we‘ll have to see when he can get scheduled. If he gets a cortisone shot he can’t get surgery for 3 months. Something may get canceled. Doctor said recovery time is only 6 weeks?

See if you can find a surgeon who does anterior hip replacement if your husband is a candidate. Initial recovery is faster than posterior and fewer restrictions post op.

 

[KPK02090]

Question #2
Disney hotel discounts seem to now be contingent/linked to D+ or the Disney cc. I used the D+ discount last summer. I hope to get a discount on a Disney hotel, should one become available, for next summer.

I only have one cc from Chase (United Explorer) that I just got in July of 2022. I am wondering if I should get a Disney card in case a discount is offerred only for card holders.

My question is: will this mess up my chance to get other Chase cards prior to July of 2024? I think you guys mentioned a max amount of new Chase cards or another issue.

TIA

Chase has a 5/24 rule, which means they will not approve you for a new personal or biz Chase card if you have opened 5 or more personal cards (from any bank - not just Chase) within the last 24 months.
If the United card is the only card you’ve opened within the last 2 years, then you are 1/24. If you decide to open the Disney visa, you’ll be 2/24. Most business cards do not add to the x/24 count, but any personal cards will. In July 2024, the United card will not count anymore.
So, opening a Disney visa won’t effect your chances of getting other Chase cards on its own, but it adds to your count. Once you get to 5, you won’t be able to get any chase cards at all until that first one drops off. That’s why you need to choose wisely which cards you want to open and when.
Hope that answer your question.

 

[calypso726]

Interesting DP to share. We are now flying back from our trip to Dubai and Al Maha. When I initially booked the flights there were only business class seats on the way over. The return had business and one first class seat. I booked myself in first and DH aka PlanePrincess in business. We checked for upgrade availability to first for him up until the day of departure. Nothing for an award ticket. There was one first class seat available for purchase. Uh that flight was over $14,000 one way lol When we checked we asked if it was possible to upgrade him to first. They said we could go on the request list but he had to have enough miles in his account to be put on the list. He was short by 19k miles. So we quickly transferred Amex MR to his Emirates account. We figured if he didn’t get the upgrade we could always book something with them on Star Alliance partners. Instant transfer and then checked with the gate agent from the First class lounge. He got the upgrade which is great because the flight back home is 16.5 hours I love the enclosed suites since they offer privacy and contribute to a more restful sleep on the plane.

I know many folks advocate business on the way towards your destination and coach or premium economy on the way back to conserve miles. Nothing wrong with that. I’d advise taking a good look at your trip, what you have planned on arrival and what things look like on the way back. Time change and jet lag on each way should factor into your decision. Our flight was 14 hours on the way over and over 16 back. There’s a 9 hour difference between the UAE and south Florida. I factored in arriving after 7 pm and having nothing planned until late the next day to adjust. Business class lie flat was fine for that journey. Coming back, our flight was at 3:25 am local Dubai time and arriving home before noon and needing to work the next morning after a 16+ hour flight. I definitely wanted more comfort in first class on the way back if I could get it and so did DH.

Breakfast order for me on the plane today consisted of caviar, an omelette and vintage 2003 Dom Perignon which of course I had to try. I’m not a big champagne drinker but the flight attendant convinced me that a nearly 20 year old vintage is not something to be missed. It was good but I prefer the Krug on SQ. That said, I may or may not have turned this into a bougee mimosa. Don’t judge me

 

[disneyfan150]

Chase has a 5/24 rule, which means they will not approve you for a new personal or biz Chase card if you have opened 5 or more personal cards (from any bank - not just Chase) within the last 24 months.
If the United card is the only card you’ve opened within the last 2 years, then you are 1/24. If you decide to open the Disney visa, you’ll be 2/24. Most business cards do not add to the x/24 count, but any personal cards will. In July 2024, the United card will not count anymore.
So, opening a Disney visa won’t effect your chances of getting other Chase cards on its own, but it adds to your count. Once you get to 5, you won’t be able to get any chase cards at all until that first one drops off. That’s why you need to choose wisely which cards you want to open and when.
Hope that answer your question.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question that I am sure has been asked in some form many times.

 

[disneyfan150]

Does anyone have an idea how long it takes to get approved for a Disney Visa and have an account number ready to be used to book a Disney hotel?

I have great credit - I just need to remember to unfreezed my credit report to get approval.

 

[Psychodisney]

Does anyone have an idea how long it takes to get approved for a Disney Visa and have an account number ready to be used to book a Disney hotel?

I have great credit - I just need to remember to unfreezed my credit report to get approval.

You won't have your number until you get the card in hand. I'm not sure they would expedite a Disney card so expect about 10 days after approval (maybe a little extra due to holiday weekend).

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Does anyone have an idea how long it takes to get approved for a Disney Visa and have an account number ready to be used to book a Disney hotel?

I have great credit - I just need to remember to unfreezed my credit report to get approval.

If you get an instant approval…you can secure message or call chase and see if the card can be expedited,that way you’ll have it in a few days…if they can’t it usually takes around 2 weeks