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

[AmyAnne]

When you close the account within 30 days they'll refund the AF, when you downgrade/upgrade they prorate the AFs. If you have the Plat for 60 days, they'll refund the other 305 days, and charge the gold fee for 305 days. Does that make sense?

Yes, I think so! I do want to downgrade rather than cancel (the gold is a good card for us) so I'd pay for 1/6 (or 2/12) of the AF if I downgrade after 60 days. I'll have to calculate whether the extra days of plat benefits would be worth it.

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

So after 45 min on the phone w/ BOA and them telling me it's a chase issue, I logged in later and my bank acct was there, verified! And I didn't call Chase, so it was on BOA and I guess they figured it out, LOL.

I looked to see and outside of the $10/mo phone credit last year, I saved $100 on Amex offers with the Delta Gold Biz. At this point I'll likely try for the Delta Plat Biz the next time they elevate the offer, but I hate for that to be like next week after I pay the AF. The other thing I thought about was it's my only Amex Biz, and they do get different/better offers at time. I guess I'm leaning toward keeping it for another year. And will just hope I save at least the $99 AF since I likely won't be flying Delta, or I'll have the Delta Plat Biz, LOL.

Also the CSP 80k is rumored to be expiring on 5/31. Last time it expired they launched 100k. So I'm wondering do I wait and see?

Also from reading on FT no one is getting their 6/30 FNC extended. I really wanted to extend them, but I have them holding nights in NC.

 

[AmyAnne]

Just to double check, you've had the Gold before?

Yes! Thanks for checking. Definitely don't acquire an AmEx card by downgrading without getting the SUB first.

 

[newski_mom]

Charleston is pretty walkable around King... from Hyatt to all the shopping/restaurants, the City Market, Rainbow Row, and the Battery (probably 30 min walk one way total). We've parked and walked it a few times. We've never had an issue finding free on-street parking. But if you plan on leaving the historic area, a car is best. Magnolia Plantation is 30 min drive. We've been to all the beaches you mention multiple times. Our favorite is Isle of Palms. Parking is VERY close to beach access. There's several restaurants, ice cream shops VERY close to the beach, so we'll always walk out and grab a cone or some food while spending the day. Folly is good too. Sullivan's has nothing close to the beach (restaurants or shops) and is much more a residential area, although this also makes it the least crowded. It's our least favorite out of the three. Either Folly or Isle of Palms is at least 30-40 min drive from downtown Charleston, and could take an hour during Memorial Day weekend, so I can't imagine an Uber would be very cost effective. In summary, we've never felt like a car was a burden in Charleston. We've been to many major cities, and lived in NYC for over 10 years. I would say NYC, definitely burden to have a car. Miami, San Francisco, even LA at times, definitely a burden. Charleston is VERY small in comparison and a car has always been beneficial. It has also been extremely hot here recently, and it's always hotter at the coast. Even though some places are only 20 min walk from the hotel, you may not want to walk in the heat. Just my opinion We drive to Charleston 3-4 times a year. The only place we've found it difficult to park is around the Starbucks/Apple Store and within those few blocks... always crowded.

Thanks! We'll definitely get the car then. The few times we haven't gotten rental cars due to cost, I usually regret it lol.

Thanks also for the reviews on the beaches. Charleston is always a place I've wanted to go, so I've got some notes saved about it, but since we just booked the flights last night, I really have to buckle down to figure out what we're going to do lol!

This shouldn't be the case. The points/night is based on the peak/non-peak calendar. It wouldn't vary by length of stay (unlike cash rates). When you search for availability, it shows you the lowest point value in your date range (notice the "rates from"). You have to click in or use the points calendar to see the number of points per night.

Thank you so much for posting that! I think we will go ahead and stay there and I will split the stay so we each get credit for staying in a Hyatt House. Hopefully they can tie our reservations together so we don't have to switch rooms.

 

[leeniewdw]

I feel like this has been discussed before but I can't find it. I've had a Hertz rental for 8 days out of BZN reserved for months. Due to Delta's 5th itinerary change, we had to change our return flight to the night before in order to get home in time for a concert we have tickets for. Anyway, should I just leave my Hertz reservation and return it about 12 hours earlier (the date prior to our reservation reflects). I can't seem to modify it at all w/o it forcing me to select an SUV for about $2k. I guess I should just leave it and even if we have to pay the full rate, it's cheaper than anything I can book now for a month from now.

 

[wanderlust7]

Playing around with Amex support links. They are so weird! Generating a support link from View All Cards (on top) gets a different link from the individual card page. The View All Cards support link got higher offers even though they're tied to the same card. No idea if this is always true (probably not?), but happened on 2 cards for me.

@becauseimnew maybe something else to try.

 

[becauseimnew]

Playing around with Amex support links. They are so weird! Generating a support link from View All Cards (on top) gets a different link from the individual card page. The View All Cards support link got higher offers even though they're tied to the same card. No idea if this is always true (probably not?), but happened on 2 cards for me.

@becauseimnew maybe something else to try.

I can't get any of them to generate the 90K link, even pulling it in incognito.
I'll keep trying for another week. I just don't want to wait too long that they pull the offer.

 

[afan]

The Barclays biz cards do go in your personal account now. You have to click the view all accounts button to see it (wasn't obvious to me at first). You'll probably get a thanks for going paperless e-mail when it's approved too.

You may get a call from their Delaware number. If you ignore it, might get approved after the first or second call.

Got my thanks for going paperless email only thing I've gotten. They didn't call and their app status still said they didn't have an app for me.

 

[Psychodisney]

Unfortunately we're flying SW out of MDW. I didn't see anything for hotels near MDW. Thanks for looking though.

I’ve done sleep and fly at the MDW Marriott and Courtyard. Not on points but reasonable cash rates.

 

[wanderlust7]

CSP travel delay claim approved!

I was worried because the Southwest reason for cancellation said FAA and not weather. Process took 40 days. They even added in the car rental (flew into Tampa and drove to Orlando) that I forgot when I first submitted it. Plus the expensive surge pricing Uber we took to dinner. Total a little over $600. Very happy with Chase!

 

[StephPlum]

I feel like this has been discussed before but I can't find it. I've had a Hertz rental for 8 days out of BZN reserved for months. Due to Delta's 5th itinerary change, we had to change our return flight to the night before in order to get home in time for a concert we have tickets for. Anyway, should I just leave my Hertz reservation and return it about 12 hours earlier (the date prior to our reservation reflects). I can't seem to modify it at all w/o it forcing me to select an SUV for about $2k. I guess I should just leave it and even if we have to pay the full rate, it's cheaper than anything I can book now for a month from now.

I’d just return early. I’ve returned cars a few hours early and got a partial refund based on the hourly/ daily rate in the original booking.

 

[Frwinkley]

I know the Chase Sapphire Card is great for travel, but has anyone just used it for the statement credit? I'm very leery of booking any travel through a 3rd party, given all the flight cancellations, COVID restrictions, etc. I'd much rather just book directly with an airline (although I would lose the extra percentage in points) and use the statement credit to offset that charge. Even with $800, that's still the best bonus around.

 

[elgerber]

Delta is crazy, but I love it. We are doing Tampa in January and I booked a connecting flight home because the direct flights were more miles than I wanted to use. Well today I see a note in my flight that there has been a change, so because they made the change, I can pick any non stop flight for my return, not matter how much! Then I look to see how much the flight changed...2 minutes on one leg and 3 minutes on the next!

 

[mmmears]

Noticed a new Amex Offer for Celebrity, spend $500 get $175 back.

Tag @mmmears since I know she was looking.

Thank you so much for tagging me! Ironically, I was looking for this a few days ago, then yesterday we decided we are leaning towards taking a DCL cruise instead. But it's not a done deal yet. I grabbed that offer on a few of our cards.

 

[wweazel]

I can't get any of them to generate the 90K link, even pulling it in incognito.
I'll keep trying for another week. I just don't want to wait too long that they pull the offer.

try the one on US Credit card guide dot com

 

[wweazel]

DH and I are in the middle of planning a last minute quick trip to Charleston, SC over Memorial Day weekend. I have our flights booked and want to thank everyone for the discussion on booking car rentals through UCT. Our rate through Chase using UR points (how we typically book rental cars) was $510 (34,000 pts) and it's $199 through UCT ($206 with the ticket added in)!

So, I'm happy with the rate, but got thinking if we need a rental car in Charleston? Due to points, I'm booking at either Hyatt House or Place on King Street. From reading reviews, it says they are right by the free bus stop that takes you downtown. In addition to walking that area, we plan on going to a plantation or two and also to one of the beach areas - possibly Isle of Palms, Folly Beach, Sullivan's Island or something like that.

After the parking fee, it would be about $275. You can take a lot of Uber rides for that, but I kind of like the freedom of having a car. But, I also know that in some cities a car is more of a pain than it's worth, so not sure which way to go.

I will probably book the Hyatt House because DH and I both have stays recorded at Hyatt Place and this would check another box toward earning a free night. I looked into splitting our stay so each of our accounts could get credit for a new property, but the points are 3,000 more points per night when it's split into a two night and a one night stay, so we probably wouldn't do that unfortunately.

We were in Charleston last summer - I agree with OP about the car - Don't forget the Charleston Tea Plantation. Its the only place in the US where tea is grown. A nice couple hours tour and tasting...
https://charlestonteagarden.com

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I know the Chase Sapphire Card is great for travel, but has anyone just used it for the statement credit? I'm very leery of booking any travel through a 3rd party, given all the flight cancellations, COVID restrictions, etc. I'd much rather just book directly with an airline (although I would lose the extra percentage in points) and use the statement credit to offset that charge. Even with $800, that's still the best bonus around.

The rule here is do what works best for you. Yes, I've taken statement credits and may do it for the new dishwasher we recently bought. Lots of people used Pay Yourself Back when the categories were more favorable.
I've used the portal for hotel and activities. I agree I would not use them for flights. URs do transfer to SW, UA and a few other airlines plus some hotel chains.

 

[AmyAnne]

Has anyone used the Dell credit from the AmEx biz plat lately? Did you go through the /amex website or just the regular Dell website? The headphones I want to order are $100 off on the regular website but not on the special link website.

I'm pretty sure I've ordered through the regular website and received the credit in the past, but I'm curious if there are recent data points.

 

[WaltsMartini]

I know the Chase Sapphire Card is great for travel, but has anyone just used it for the statement credit? I'm very leery of booking any travel through a 3rd party, given all the flight cancellations, COVID restrictions, etc. I'd much rather just book directly with an airline (although I would lose the extra percentage in points) and use the statement credit to offset that charge. Even with $800, that's still the best bonus around.

I got the Sapphire card last year based on this group’s recommendation. At the time they had PYB for a number of categories, including groceries. Doing that plus the sign on bonus I was able to take $1,200 cash and use towards renting DVC points. That plus my SW card took $2,100 total off our recent trip - stayed at the Poly which has been a lifelong dream for me!

 

[havaneselover]

Having breakfast outside in Barcelona now. Weather is unreal. Dd just went to the room to shower. We leave for the port in about 90 minutes.

Arrived yesterday morning at 8. Cleared customs quickly, showed them our QR code, grabbed a taxi and was at our hotel before 9. I had used my Amex fhr credit and booked cotton house. It’s a special property for sure and staff are amazing. They upgraded us to a king room but the room didn’t end up being ready until 5 we had a tour booked for Sagrada familia and park guell using chase points. We enjoyed it but it was such a long day because neither of us slept on the plane. The hotel restaurant didn’t serve dinner until 8 and we just wanted to eat and go to bed so we ate off the tapas menu. Beds were heavenly.

Taxis have been easy to use. I have no clue who to tip what though. After all of the jumping through hoops everything has come together perfectly (so far).