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

[wanderlust7]

Thank you, that is very helpful. I decided to do CSP because the fee is lower. My husband is skeptical so I don’t want him to freak out.

It sounds like it may be worth it to look for a card that will do GE or start trying to earn companion passes on southwest (which I don’t know how to do yet). I don’t think we could get a business card though. The specific promo link is really helpful because it gives me something more clear and concrete to note as a benefit.

How do people handle using different cards? Do you do all the spend on one and then switch to another? How do you know what card to use?

Here's info about the SW CP: link. The current personal SUBs are a bit low at 50k, so with 2 cards you'd still be 25k short. You could get there with a support bonus of 20k. If your DH also got 2 SW cards, you could get 2 CPs by using each other's support links.

If you do the CSP now, you should wait until January to go for the SW cards to space out the Chase apps.

 

[platamama]

Well, I got the pop up on the Amex Biz Marriott which isn't totally unexpected since I opened the SPG Biz in 2018 (closed in 2020). So there go any plans for those extra 15 elite nights per year. I guess I can try again in a couple years if Marriott Platinum doesn't become the equivalent of the current Gold status due to all the Platinums walking around with their Brillant cards. lol

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

How do people handle using different cards? Do you do all the spend on one and then switch to another? How do you know what card to use?

I do exactly what you laid out because I am always working on an MSR. But with your situation, you have so much organic spend that I think it's unlikely that you'll always be working towards an MSR. In that case, you have two options:

Easy option: Spend on the new card until you reach MSR, then switch back to your regular cc habits, maximizing those category bonuses
More effort option: You could aim to earn the most points from your new card by putting spend on that card in the highest category bonuses. So for the CSP, perhaps you have a big travel purchase coming up and you can put all $4,000 of your spend on that, you'll earn 2x the $4,000 spend, or 8,000 points in addition to the sub of 80k points. Or if you have smaller travel purchases coming up, you put all of them on this card until you meet your $4k MSR. Use your other cards to maximize their category bonuses.

Some people buy stickers to put on their cards to help them remember which card to use. Since you have so much organic spend, that might be perfect for you!

 

[havaneselover]

Just preordered ds a ps5 bundle which releases 10/28. He's paying for it but I'm his new best friend today. He's watching my dogs for five days next week when I go to Cleveland. He watched them for two days when I went to Atlanta and they all seemed stressed when I got home!

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

For those that live close to Chicago.... looking into possibly attending a concert at Soldier Field next year. Would you guys recommend the stadium? My other option is Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta, which is the closest for me, but I saw two concerts here this year and am not a huge fan of the stadium, plus I have to drive 2 hours to get there anyways. So instead of the drive, I'm thinking about either flying two hours to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (been to several shows there) or Chicago if there are good things to say about that stadium. I really like MetLife; we've seen several big names there over the years and it's always a great experience, and sound has always been good which I can't say is true for Atlanta.
Unfortunately we don't have a card for MSR right now, and this will likely be a $1000 purchase, ouch! These always hurt a little.

 

[reliev]

ACK! Just a few days ago I was on the fence between award tickets and cash fares and had to make a pros/cons chart, lol. I decided on the award tickets and already purchased them- grrr. I have this offer on both P1 and P2 cards. At least it's through the end of the year!

did you check their refund policy? might be worth doing ?

 

[chattadisser]

Just preordered ds a ps5 bundle which releases 10/28. He's paying for it but I'm his new best friend today. He's watching my dogs for five days next week when I go to Cleveland. He watched them for two days when I went to Atlanta and they all seemed stressed when I got home!

I had to laugh at the "all seemed stressed when I got home" part! When they have to take care of the animals they realize how much work it is! Good for them all.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

So glad it was something simple like this. During that limbo period, I feel like I would have been fretting, considering transferring all my points out, etc. I always go full in on the worst case scenario

They replied today and reinstated the account. I asked that the cards be expedited which they agreed to so hopefully I'll see them soon. Ive already lost 2 weeks to meet the MSR.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I checked reddit but didn't see any dps on this. On like 3 Chase cards I have an offer for $20 off YouTube TV when you spend $54.99 or more. I have an existing subscription. Any reason to think this wouldn't work on an existing subscription? Either the Chase offers have been pretty good lately or I haven't been paying enough attention.


--------------------------------------------------------
Earn $20 back on your YouTube TV subscription, when you spend $54.99 or more.


Save on cable-free live TV when you sign-up for YouTube TV. No long term contracts or hidden fees. Enjoy 85+ top channels of sports, news, and shows live. Plus unlimited DVR space and 6 household accounts included.

Visit Site

Offer expires 11/16/2022. Must make first payment by 11/29/2022. Offer valid one time only. Payment must be made directly with the merchant. Offer not valid on subscriptions through other providers. Offer not valid on third-party services. Offer available on YouTube TV English base plan. Terms apply.
----------------------------------------------------------

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

did you check their refund policy? might be worth doing ?

It would be a $50 each way, so $100, as I understand it. I think I'll track cash prices and if I see a drop, I might go that route. Otherwise, it has me thinking about where we can fly next year, lol. I'm gonna get my 20k MRs no matter what it costs me, sheesh!

 

[AmyAnne]

Ack I just realized that tomorrow is the last day to use my Chase flash deals at Best Buy and Home Depot. If it were AmEx I wouldn't even consider it but I seem to recall that Chase might be different--that these deals will credit even if they post after the deal has expired. Does anyone have a recent data point confirming or denying (that Chase will credit so long as the purchase is made/pending by the expiration date, even if the purchase posts on a later date)?

 

[Judique]

Ack I just realized that tomorrow is the last day to use my Chase flash deals at Best Buy and Home Depot. If it were AmEx I wouldn't even consider it but I seem to recall that Chase might be different--that these deals will credit even if they post after the deal has expired. Does anyone have a recent data point confirming or denying (that Chase will credit so long as the purchase is made/pending by the expiration date, even if the purchase posts on a later date)?

I did my Best buy and Home Depot on Oct 2, Sunday and the purchases have already posted as October 2, so, I think you will be fine. It may take a week or more to get the credits.

 

[havaneselover]

I checked reddit but didn't see any dps on this. On like 3 Chase cards I have an offer for $20 off YouTube TV when you spend $54.99 or more. I have an existing subscription. Any reason to think this wouldn't work on an existing subscription? Either the Chase offers have been pretty good lately or I haven't been paying enough attention.


--------------------------------------------------------
Earn $20 back on your YouTube TV subscription, when you spend $54.99 or more.


Save on cable-free live TV when you sign-up for YouTube TV. No long term contracts or hidden fees. Enjoy 85+ top channels of sports, news, and shows live. Plus unlimited DVR space and 6 household accounts included.

Visit Site

Offer expires 11/16/2022. Must make first payment by 11/29/2022. Offer valid one time only. Payment must be made directly with the merchant. Offer not valid on subscriptions through other providers. Offer not valid on third-party services. Offer available on YouTube TV English base plan. Terms apply.
----------------------------------------------------------

It's super confusing. I added it and will hope for the best. My next payment is around 10/25.

 

[Psychodisney]

For those that live close to Chicago.... looking into possibly attending a concert at Soldier Field next year. Would you guys recommend the stadium? My other option is Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta, which is the closest for me, but I saw two concerts here this year and am not a huge fan of the stadium, plus I have to drive 2 hours to get there anyways. So instead of the drive, I'm thinking about either flying two hours to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (been to several shows there) or Chicago if there are good things to say about that stadium. I really like MetLife; we've seen several big names there over the years and it's always a great experience, and sound has always been good which I can't say is true for Atlanta.
Unfortunately we don't have a card for MSR right now, and this will likely be a $1000 purchase, ouch! These always hurt a little.

I saw Kenny Chesney there this summer. IMO, the sound was not good. Stage was in the north end zone, we were in the south end zone. Lots of reverb. Very difficult to hear anything he was saying between songs.
The stadium itself is nice. I felt safe. I'd recommend staying at the Chicago Athletic Association (Hyatt). Long walk but doable.

 

[calypso726]

Thank you, that is very helpful. I decided to do CSP because the fee is lower. My husband is skeptical so I don’t want him to freak out.

It sounds like it may be worth it to look for a card that will do GE or start trying to earn companion passes on southwest (which I don’t know how to do yet). I don’t think we could get a business card though. The specific promo link is really helpful because it gives me something more clear and concrete to note as a benefit.

How do people handle using different cards? Do you do all the spend on one and then switch to another? How do you know what card to use?

I juggle about 25-30 cards at any given time and so does DH. We generally will focus all spend on whatever card’s MSR we are working on. Post it notes with the bonus categories written down is a good strategy starting out so you know what card to use out of your wallet. I only keep cards in my wallet that offer bonus categories I regularly use. I will add in sock drawer cards if there is a Chase offer or Amex offer I am going to take advantage of and then back in the sock drawer they go.

A good number of the cards I keep are sock drawer cards. I don’t put frequent spend on them because the bonus categories arent as valuable to me as a same bonus category on a different card with a different point structure and ecosphere. For example, I keep two Aspire cards and so does P2. The annual free night certificate on each one combined with the annual resort statement credit and annual airline credit make it worth keeping. They stay in a drawer until I visit a Hilton property.

Other sock drawer cards are kept for a given benefit that holding the card offers. Every January, I will pull out the sock drawer cards and reload an Amazon gift card with each one so that I can keep them active. I highly recommend keeping a spreadsheet that details when you opened a card, when sign up the bonus posted, what was the bonus when you closed the card, the statement closing date, annual fee, credit limit and other details. When you get to juggling multiple cards and begin churning cards, this information will be helpful.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

I saw Kenny Chesney there this summer. IMO, the sound was not good. Stage was in the north end zone, we were in the south end zone. Lots of reverb. Very difficult to hear anything he was saying between songs.
The stadium itself is nice. I felt safe. I'd recommend staying at the Chicago Athletic Association (Hyatt). Long walk but doable.

Thanks for your input on this! I hate to hear that it was bad sound! And it’s always difficult to know, is it the artist’s setup/sound system or is it the venue.
The problem with our home stadium in atlanta is that it’s closed, so the sound has no where to go, it can get so loud and muffled, and there is terrible reverb and can’t hear anything when they are talking either. If they open the top up though the sound can be decent. You just never know what’s gonna happen with that. And this is one of my favorite artists and I don’t want to risk it being bad sound again. We saw The Weeknd a few months back and the sound was so terrible, we said it was the worst concert we’ve been to ever (and we’ve been to 30+). I’ll probably look into flights to New York at this point, as I’m pretty happy with all the concerts I’ve seen at MetLife stadium. Hopefully some URs and AA miles will be put to good use.

 

[AndreaDM]

Has anyone ever seen any Princess Cruise offers on either Chase or Amex? I have had nearly every cruise line on one or the other, but can't recall Princess. We are getting ready to book one to Alaska next year and was hoping for some kind of offer!

 

[disneybirds]

Just wanted to give you some data points on the American Express phone insurance. My DD had her phone stolen from her purse on 6/4. According to the police, she wasn't the only one to have her phone stolen that night from the establishment. Called to get the paperwork from American Express and it was received promptly. For payments - I paid my Mom's portion on 6/1 from her checking account (about 15% of total bill) and the remainder autopaid on the American Express on 6/4. For the 7/4 payment, everything autopaid on the American Express. Sent the paperwork into American Express on 8/26. Didn't receive any type of confirmation of receipt and then didn't hear anything back from them until 9/21 when they requested more information. Approved on 9/23 and check was received on 9/30. They paid for the phone plus the activation minus the $50 deductible. The receipt we submitted did not have taxes on it, but it would have made the phone more than $800 allowed.
In general, it was lots of information to gather and my DD did have to file a police report but it was nice to get the reimbursement. Hope this helps someone!

 

[reliev]

Has anyone ever seen any Princess Cruise offers on either Chase or Amex? I have had nearly every cruise line on one or the other, but can't recall Princess. We are getting ready to book one to Alaska next year and was hoping for some kind of offer!

yes, I saw one in march i wanna say it wasn't much like 100-150. My parents were on that famous princess cruise during the beginning of this I finally got them to do a CSR (it took 10 years). All they do is that and Viking i want to say also amex platinum has a benefit too.

 

[platamama]

Ack I just realized that tomorrow is the last day to use my Chase flash deals at Best Buy and Home Depot. If it were AmEx I wouldn't even consider it but I seem to recall that Chase might be different--that these deals will credit even if they post after the deal has expired. Does anyone have a recent data point confirming or denying (that Chase will credit so long as the purchase is made/pending by the expiration date, even if the purchase posts on a later date)?

Yes, I used a Staples offer that expired Sept 4 for a purchase on Sept 4, and it credited 17 days later. I actually split the transaction on three cards, and the same expiring Staples offer was on the other two cards that I used, and those cards showed the credit within 5 days.