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

[lsutigers03]

Barclays biz AA card question:
first AF posted 10/31
Automatic credit of $95 on 11/26
Spend was met during that same statement, but bonus points aren't showing as earned or posted on that statement. When do these typically post?
When I previously messaged about the $95 statement credit, I was told that wouldn't post until the MSR had been met. So I'm confident they've registered that I've met the MSR, as they've posted the statement credit.

Have you found out when your bonus points will post? I've met the MSR and my statement closes on Dec 8 so I'm curious if I need to do anything additional to get the bonus points.

 

[AndreaDM]

On the topic of AIRBNB experiences, we did 2 about 3 years ago in Florence. One was a pasta making class, so much fun! The next day on a whim, we booked a day at an organic farm near Chianti. It was a series of bus rides with the bus stop being just the side of a road where we waited for our host to pic us up in her jalopy van. We were starting to question our decision, but it ended up being one of the best days ever! It ended with a meal of wine, bread, cheese, olives, honey... all grown there. I think it might have been $30 a person at most.

 

[wanderlust7]

In an odd twist, all 3 SW cards were approved. So now I want to check here before I make any more mistakes since I know all 3 cards should not have been approved. 5/24 is not an issue (but 1/30 for business card should have been an issue, but it was approved via email). Meeting the minimum spend on 3 cards is not an issue. Knowing that, will I really be able to get the 75,000 pts from one personal card, 75,000 points from second personal card (applied for with MDD), and 80,000 points on the business card.... so total of 230,000 points PLUS the companion pass (as long as I wait to meet the min spend on all 3 cards until the new year starts)? Caveat, both personal cards are already automatically added to my Chase account, but the business card is not (even though I got an email saying it is approved), any thoughts about that, is it really approved? Is there a chance they may cancel any of these cards since I now have 3 (which shouldn't be allowed, right?). My thought for the most likely cancellation would be the second personal card (since I shouldn't be allowed to have 2, but I tried MDD when I thought business card was denied).

Any advice is appreciated!

Congrats! 1/30 is not always a hard rule.

Now that you've been approved for 3 Chase cards close together, you'll want your next Chase card to be a long time from now. 9 months would keep with the general rule of thumb of 3 months between cards.

 

[lsutigers03]

I'm trying to sign up for the 60k MR business checking. I logged in with my personal info and selected to pre-fill the application with my existing information so that the business checking account would be associated with my existing account. After choosing the card and putting in my SSN and email it tells me the email is associated with another account and to log in with that account. I am logged in so I don't know how to proceed to have both accounts linked to a single login.

 

[platamama]

I just found this while visiting the bogleheads site; today is the last day of the offer:

https://www.fidelity.com/go/special-offer/holiday

Open a new account, deposit $50 of new money within 15 days and get a $150 bonus within 25 days. The bonus money has to stay in there for at least 90 days.

I already have a Fidelity account, so it was easy to open once I logged in since all the info was pre-filled. Then I did a mobile deposit of $50. Anyone who did the $100 bonus for a $50 deposit within the last 12 mo is not eligible. Comments on bogleheads indicate that already having a Fidelity account does not make you ineligible, you can still open a new account. I have already received an email saying that I'm registered for the $150 bonus award. I signed DH up as well.

 

[Mswiza]

Trip report: Italy: Venice and Rome

Thought I’d share a travel hacking/points based trip report for Italy. We paid points for flights and gcs for AirBNBs, while working towards an MSR. Detailed cost breakdown in post 3. This trip is up there with my favorite trips of all time.

Travel party of 7: Myself and husband, 45, our younger kids, 9 and 13, known as “the lils”, our daughter 21 and her BF and my mom, 66.

This is a trip we rebooked three times due to COVID, plus a bunch of flight changes occurred before our flight. I’d say this was maybe the hardest trip ever to keep together! About eight weeks before our trip, my mom began having some left hip pain. I strongly urged her to see an ortho asap, but she opted not to, and alas, a week before our trip, she was hobbling around on a cane. I requested courtesy wheelchairs for the airports.

Trip Insurance. I always buy trip medical insurance and did this for our travel party of 7 ($141 total). $100,000 secondary medical insurance pp, $0 deductible and $1M med evac, + more coverage. My husband and niece were once hospitalized in Mexico and during our hospital stay we met many American and Canadian families without insurance coverage who were facing bills in the tens of thousands of dollars. Over the years, I’ve filed 4 claims with various travel insurance companies and it is ALWAYS a hassle, but I’ve always been glad to have the coverage. Cost= $141

Venice- post #1

Airfare and Lounges. We scored (5) business class award tickets on Air France during a 25% Amex transfer bonus to Flying Blue, so paid just 44k points per person, OW from Chicago-Paris-Venice (ORD-CDG-VCE) +$130 taxes/fees. Plus my son got a 25% discount on that for kids under 11! The (2) young adults flew in economy on the way there (13k MRs +$74) and then did a side trip to Amsterdam with biz class on the way back.

We finally got to use a lounge at Chicago’s O’hare- the new Delta SkyLounge. It was fabulous!! Great beverage options, several bars and a really cute Chicago style hot dog cart. The Air France flight was good to Paris. The Air France lounge in 2F was actually pretty gross, with cold breakfast food and poor beverage options. I actually paid $50/pp for the YA in economy to join us because we had a four hour layover. I knew my mom would need a lot of time for traversing airports, and that was before I knew she’d need a wheelchair. I can’t even explain what a joke most of these wheelchair assistance companies are at the airports, but that would be a whole post of it’s own.

Pocket WIFI: A few trips back we invested in a pocket wifi through TravelWIFI. We bought a data plan for Italy which allowed 5 devices to be connected at once. We totally overdid it and bought 12GB of data, but only used 3GB. Even so, we paid $52 for 7 days of WIFI access for 5 people, so less than $1.50pp/day. The correct data plan would have only been $20! I definitely recommend this pocket wifi device if all your travelers are together.

Transportation. The Venice airport is pretty amazing, with moving walkways that lead you right to their pier for water transportation. We took a private water taxi from the airport to the pier nearest our AirBNB. Holy cow, what a beautiful boat and mode of transportation! It was amazing to see the Venetian islands, come through the Grand Canal and traverse tiny canals, nearly right to our doorstep.

Cost: $175

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Accommodations.

We stayed in a four bedroom AirBNB, Venice is a Fish, all bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, just above a luxury Burberry store, behind Piazza San Marco. This was perfect for our family, with elevator access that opened up right into the unit.

Cost per nt: $581, Total cost= $1743

Travel hack tip: I’ve been buying GCs for AirBNB and scoring a 14% savings (Kroger fuel points). I charge this to a Chase cc I’m working towards an MSR. What I like about GCs is that I can change my AirBNB ressie multiple times (or if the host cancels) without worrying about a clawback on an MSR from six months ago. In addition, I book through the British Airways/AirBNB link and earn 3 avios per dollar on every booking.

Experiences.

This is our first time using AirBNB to book experiences and I found them to be very authentic. We loved that we were supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Venice with Kids with Federica: This was a 2.5 hour walking tour geared towards kids and adults, in a scavenger hunt style. We learned so much about Venice we would not have otherwise known and walked away with a much deeper understanding of Venice. We explored an often flooded bookstore, Aqua Alta bookshop with it’s resident cats and got to indulge in gelato (SUSO), while making our way to Rialto bridge and market. At the Rialto fish market it was incredible to see them prepare the fish exactly as you request and wrap it for you. Now that’s fresh seafood!

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Cost: $32/pp, including gelato for the group and a cute gift for the kids

Workshop Murano Glass Experience: Located just minutes from our AirBNB, rather than on Murano island, we did this workshop with a master Murano glass craftsman. Talk about humbling! What incredible artistry it takes to make these glass works and how delicate they are. We each made a glass tile and torched a glass masterpiece, lol. My 13 yo is an artist and loved this experience. I snapped a pic of my mom and our host, Fabio, in what looked like the pottery scene from Ghost, so that was priceless. We picked these glass masterpieces up the next day and they’re such a memorable souvenir.

Cost: $49/pp

Row like a Venetian. Thanks @WardFam for this experience recommendation. This is a young group of entrepreneurs, passionate about the tradition of Venetian rowing and sailing. We learned so much about the incredible craftsmanship of Venetian watercraft and the hand carved forcola, which is the rowlock that an oar locks into on a gondola. We learned to row and explored beautiful canals. Such incredible story-telling about the history of the canals and rowing in Venice. If you ask, you’ll also get to hear all about the controversy surrounding their work and the politics that go into protecting the gondola industry. We really enjoyed experiencing this for ourselves, rather than being taken for a gondola ride. It did make us appreciate the talent of the gondolier, as well.

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Side note: We had to climb down a ladder backwards and then step into the rowboats. So picture a ladder off a pier, and then picture yourself not gripping it, but walking down it like steps. Afterwards, there were people hanging out right where we were docking, and I thought I might die at the thought of having to climb out of this rowboat and up the ladder for an audience. Turns out ladders are much easier when you climb them and can use the rungs!

Cost: $48/pp

Travel hack tip: Same tip from above works on AirBNB experiences.

Venice impression: We loved, loved Venice’s quaint beauty and charm. The temps were perfect, 45-55 degrees and not a drop of rain. The slower pace and pedestrian lifestyle is enviable. Venice deserves a slot on anyone’s travel bucket list.

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Thanks so much for sharing. What pocket Wi-Fi device do you have? Thanks

 

[chattadisser]

Thank you for the feedback. When I'm writing these long winded reports, I wonder if it helps anyone. If nothing else, it's sort of a record for me to look back on. This trip planning really did almost get the best of me, but mostly just because of the airline cancellations and booking with points in multiple programs, originally.

Are you planning a trip to Italy or a big trip? LMK if there's anything I can answer.

I've started planning a couple of European trips but the lack of rooms for 4 people always complicates the planning. Getting multiple rooms is an option but I think we would be better off in the an AirB&B.

I just recently found about the AirB&B experiences as we are doing one for work for our "holiday party". We were given the option of a few virtual experiences, one is a tour of street art in Barcelona another is a sign language class. While not an actual experience it is a better option than another zoom call with the same people you're on business calls with all day. I think the actual experiences sound wonderful and even better with getting points by buying gift cards for them.

 

[wanderlust7]

I just found this while visiting the bogleheads site; today is the last day of the offer:

https://www.fidelity.com/go/special-offer/holiday

Open a new account, deposit $50 of new money within 15 days and get a $150 bonus within 25 days. The bonus money has to stay in there for at least 90 days.

I already have a Fidelity account, so it was easy to open once I logged in since all the info was pre-filled. Then I did a mobile deposit of $50. Anyone who did the $100 bonus for a $50 deposit within the last 12 mo is not eligible. Comments on bogleheads indicate that already having a Fidelity account does not make you ineligible, you can still open a new account. I have already received an email saying that I'm registered for the $150 bonus award. I signed DH up as well.

Thank you!! I saw this while on vacation, made a note to do it when we got back and promptly forgot.

 

[wanderlust7]

Thanks so much. My county doesn't take Amex (but they are considering it next year) and I think I'm finally gonna pull the trigger on the NLL biz plat bundle of 230k MR! My math puts that as a $4k SUB after recouping AF. I'll just need to be able to pay my property taxes to hit that $15k MSR- so thanks for the Plastiq rec. I'll pay it forward on Dischurners.

Just did the bundle. Glad I didn't do the biz checking when it was 30k+10k with a gold biz. Procrastination pays off lol.

Loved your trip report! Great photos! I have a pandemic canceled Italy trip that I haven't replanned yet. So many places, so little time.

 

[havaneselover]

My CRV is in transit. 37 MPG, here I come!!! I'm cleaning out my Odyssey this weekend in anticipation.

 

[IFlossU]

I'm trying to sign up for the 60k MR business checking. I logged in with my personal info and selected to pre-fill the application with my existing information so that the business checking account would be associated with my existing account. After choosing the card and putting in my SSN and email it tells me the email is associated with another account and to log in with that account. I am logged in so I don't know how to proceed to have both accounts linked to a single login.

Weird huh? Same thing happened to me. I have a couple of email addresses so I tried my 2nd one and it accepted that. I haven’t finished my application, so I’m not much help, but yeah it’s weird it won’t let us use the email associated with the logged in account.

 

[IFlossU]

@FreeDiningFanatic
I love that you were able to get reservations at Roscioli. Truly a highlight meal of my trip. I even kept a little box of matches from the restaurant as a keepsake. Never to be used of course Thanks for remembering to let me know. Your trip report put a smile on my face.

 

[amylovesdamon]

Help/encouragement needed! It hasn’t been the recommended 3 months, but I’m ready for a new MSR and have a tuition deadline approaching. Do you think it would be okay to apply for CIC #3 right now? (The actual date of last app was 10/14/2022 so about 45 days out; would it make a difference if i waited until after 12/14 to apply or should i just shoot for it today?)

Currently at 3/24
5/2021 CSP
9/2021 CFF
9/2021 CIC
1/2022 CIU
5/2022 CIC #2
10/2022 Amex Gold
10/2022 CIU #2

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Thanks so much for sharing. What pocket Wi-Fi device do you have? Thanks

We have the Sapphire 2, bought for $99 during a special on the TravelWifi site.

 

[becauseimnew]

Thanks so much for sharing. What pocket Wi-Fi device do you have? Thanks

We've used eSIM for our trip to France, it was expensive $20/phone but at least we don't all have to stick together to have data.

 

[newski_mom]

We have the Sapphire 2, bought for $99 during a special on the TravelWifi site.

I've never heard of that - does it then work off of your phone plan? Any specific carrier you have to use?

 

[elgerber]

I'm trying to sign up for the 60k MR business checking. I logged in with my personal info and selected to pre-fill the application with my existing information so that the business checking account would be associated with my existing account. After choosing the card and putting in my SSN and email it tells me the email is associated with another account and to log in with that account. I am logged in so I don't know how to proceed to have both accounts linked to a single login.

On the topic of 60k MRs (I just did mine for the 30k, bummer) but dd would love some. She would love to transfer to Delta. She does not have an MR card at all right now. If she got the checking with no MR card, would she be able to transfer to Delta, or would she need a card?
And on that note, if she needed a card, if she can get approved for one (last card she tried was a pop up), can she just get the card and not bother to meet the minimum spend and have the checking MR's go to that account? She can't make the spend on any business MR cards, unless she could pay rent with Venmo ( which is how they pay him) but I don't think Amex would like that). I was just thinking this would be a good way for her to get Delta miles without having to meet a big MSR and being in pop up jail.

I just found this while visiting the bogleheads site; today is the last day of the offer:

https://www.fidelity.com/go/special-offer/holiday

Open a new account, deposit $50 of new money within 15 days and get a $150 bonus within 25 days. The bonus money has to stay in there for at least 90 days.

I already have a Fidelity account, so it was easy to open once I logged in since all the info was pre-filled. Then I did a mobile deposit of $50. Anyone who did the $100 bonus for a $50 deposit within the last 12 mo is not eligible. Comments on bogleheads indicate that already having a Fidelity account does not make you ineligible, you can still open a new account. I have already received an email saying that I'm registered for the $150 bonus award. I signed DH up as well.

So all our retirement funds are in Fidelity. I could open us each one of these cash management accounts to get that bonus?

 

[Haley R]

For those of you that booked JAL through AA, what was your process? I saw a blog post saying to check Alaska first then see if BA has that same flight available. Then calling AA to book.

 

[platamama]

So all our retirement funds are in Fidelity. I could open us each one of these cash management accounts to get that bonus?

Yes!

 

[afan]

For those of you that booked JAL through AA, what was your process? I saw a blog post saying to check Alaska first then see if BA has that same flight available. Then calling AA to book.

Searched on AA shortly after midnight pst and booked. There's nothing complicated about it.