I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 & 2024 (see first page for add'l details)

[AJruns]

Thank you, group, for the Disney Visa advice you gave me a couple months ago. I'm back and trying to get a little more serious about being an efficient credit card user and am hoping someone can tell me if I'm on the right path. I'm very much still learning everything, including the language, so please bear with me! In general I'd like to maximize my useful points, but I'm also planning a trip to England with my mom in February 2025 with as minimal OOP expenses as possible. I've never booked an international flight with miles before, so this research has been interesting. My background- 1 BoA from 2001 that I've kept just because it was my first card, 1 BoA from 2018, CSP from 2019, and Disney Visa from March 2024 (zero balance on all). That should put me at 1/24 and my CSP SUB over 48 months ago. I have a handful of miles on SW, AA, and United, and a helpful amount on Delta. I have no hotel or airline loyalty and prioritize saving money over comfort- I'm short and can sleep anywhere so the cheaper the flight/hotel the better This is my plan (TL;DR- PC CSP, get CSR and then Bilt, book international trip with points):

1) this week PC my CSP to something- I just caught up on 60 pages and see this talked about a lot, but I need to figure out what to say and what I want
2) immediately after (?) apply for CSR, start GE process (my precheck expires this fall anyway)
3) book RT IAD-LHR with Delta, currently 61,000 points + $187 put on CSR
4) unrelated to trip, but a week (?) after CSR apply for Bilt MC
5) expedite CSR MSR spending, not with things I wouldn't buy, but switch orthodontist bill to CSR and pay in full for my Disney hotel in January now (also convince myself that this isn't a sign to get an AP), book the London tour I want, etc.
6) get SUB and transfer some points to Hyatt to get two nights in London. The other two nights are already booked at a Hilton through Chase portal and drained my current UR points, hence my stress I'm nervous to lose the deal I see now but I've never booked with Hyatt points so don't know how stable that availability is over time. Start saving other points for Japan 2026!
7) make a spreadsheet detailing what expenses to put on what card, mostly between CSR and Bilt. I got the Disney Visa entirely for the runDisney merch and dining discounts.
8) at some point use remaining BoA points and close the 2018 card (the value on them in London seems appalling so I think I'm saving them for a domestic trip I'd be making anyway)
9) next year PC CSR to CSP (I keep GE but lose PP, right?)

Thanks for considering all of this! And for anyone wondering why on earth I'd do 4 nights in London in February it wouldn't be my first choice necessarily My favorite artist is planning a limited anniversary tour of his first album and I'm switching jobs so won't have much PTO yet. My mom's birthday is that week and it's been a while since we've been to London so I'm planning a mix of touristy stuff/special treats we'd both like. I welcome advice how to save on the any of the following!

Saturday- arrive, walk around, Brigit's Tea Bus Tour
Sunday- walk with donkeys at Mudchute Farm, Cutty Sark afternoon tea, maritime museum, my concert at 02 Arena
Monday- Sherlock Holmes museum, British museum, Rosewood tea
Tuesday- day trip to Pooh Corner in Hartfield (by train). We are huge Pooh fans- my childhood dog was named Piglet and that's the costume I run the WDW marathon in. SkyGarden on the way back in.
Wednesday- Harrods then flights

I might add a day to the front end if the flight costs stay the same, but the 4 nights is so quick and easy that I can just pack a small backpack and do laundry at the Hyatt if I get desperate. I'm hitting all the stuff I really want in the shorter time, but the wild card New England winter weather factor with flights always makes me nervous- IAD *should* be fine but my mom will be flying out of BOS.

And to chime in on @StephPlum question a ways back- I second the Antarctic cruise option over flying. My brother planned the trip so I'm not sure what his research was (he definitely would have done it though), but we had a great time NYE 2019-2020 with Poseidon Expeditions. My highlight was an add-on where we dug our own sleeping holes to camp overnight in sleeping bags on land. I know a lot of people didn't really sleep but I had no problem. My only regret of the trip is needing to do work during our pre-trip couple days in Ushuaia. Ideally I would have had more time to spend exploring there, so someday I'd like to go back. After our cruise I flew straight to Disney for the marathon, so that was a bit of a shock to my body. All worth it though!

 

[DogCat]

How is everyone using the annual $300 travel credit through Capital One Venture X?

I have no problem using up the $300 on P2's CSR card but we don't need car rentals, we are using Hyatt points for hotel stays this year, and I already purchased air tickets (via AA Citi for my parents, Amex Delta Gold for myself, and JetBlue points for my kids) already for this year. We used the branded CC for the free checked in luggage.

Only big trip I have planned this year is a staycation in NYC in August for my 55th birthday...

Any ideas for using up the CO Venture X $300. I really don't want it to go to waste and I don't want to wait until the last minute to scramble to use it... Is it ONLY for hotel, flights and/or car rentals booked through their travel portal?

TIA

I don't have that card but I use up some of my CSR travel credit by adding it to my EZ Pass toll account. Not too exciting but it's money I have to spend anyway and it will start eating up the travel credit as soon as Chase makes it available.

 

[mhautz]

Doubly annoyed today:

We have a WDW trip in July and the full payment due a month before, so figured now is a good time for a new card:

-Was getting marketing material for the Ink Unlimited, so figured might as well try even though I’m 7/24. Got rejected almost certainly because of the 7/24. Oh well, not too shocking…I’ll be 3/24 before the end of the year and try again then.

-Switched to wife who is 3/24 and decided now might be the time to go for the Venture X, our first Capital One card. I She filled out the application and provided our joint income as we always do, and marked her “unemployed”, triggering a response that they are reviewing her application and we get an email asking for proof of income. I submitted our 1040, although it seems like it might not be enough, but I never want to work too hard to push through a P2 application since she has very little patience for the whole process.

Oh well, I’m not that upset, other than I feel like if they approve it, it will be right after the final payment due date for our trip. $4000 spend over 3 months is not too difficult, but I do like the idea of being done with it almost instantly.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I don't have that card but I use up some of my CSR travel credit by adding it to my EZ Pass toll account. Not too exciting but it's money I have to spend anyway and it will start eating up the travel credit as soon as Chase makes it available.

Yeah, I love the CSR travel credit. It seems to get used up with little effort.

The CO Venture X credit HAS to be used through their travel portal to book stuff...

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I used it to book a night at a hotel and yes, must be booked through the Cap1 portal. ,

I ended up using it for some 1 way Delta flights. One RDU-LAS for part of it (cheap flight), then the rest to defray about half the cost of 2 flights from RDU-BOS before we head to DUB. These were flights we were going to take anyway, so was nice to make use of it that way.

Yeah, I forgot about it and booked a paid flight on JetBlue already on our CSR for the travel insurance...

I think I will be able to use it for flights in October this year once I decide what days I want to travel...

I just have to remember not to wait until the last minute to use it because it isn't that easy to use as the CSR travel credit...

 

[afan]

Switched to wife who is 3/24 and decided now might be the time to go for the Venture X, our first Capital One card. I She filled out the application and provided our joint income as we always do, and marked her “unemployed”, triggering a response that they are reviewing her application and we get an email asking for proof of income. I submitted our 1040, although it seems like it might not be enough, but I never want to work too hard to push through a P2 application since she has very little patience for the whole process.

Better to use homemaker than unemployed. I would imagine it's way less likely trigger the same review that unemployed does. Same money covering both but they are both viewed quite differently as to why you may want the card in the eyes of the bank.

 

[trenty]

Howdy Friends

I'm still so new to traveling with points so I'm trying to gain a better understanding. I only have a Chase FF and a lot of points!
I found two articles on how I might go about using points for travel, isn't it best to book through Chase? We don't have anything with Southwest, is there anything I need to signup for in order to get SW airline tickets and earn rewards? We have Amex Delta, which has been 99% our only means of air travel.

You Can Now Book Southwest Flights Via Chase Travel—And Earn Rapid Rewards Points While Doing So

How to Transfer Chase Points to Southwest

Thanks so much!

@sinnika and @TheOneWithTheTriplets - Cancer sucks! I hope you're doing well.

@StephPlum Congrats on your retirement! DH has five more years to go and has been holding on with stage 2 follicular lymphoma. There are only four stages. God is Good!

Hi! Look into getting the CSP - ($95AF). You can then transfer your CFF URs to the CSP and from there transfer to travel partners - there are many airlines and hotels that you can transfer too. IMO, this is better than booking through the portal - if you need to cancel it is easier. BUT once you transfer the points, that is where they will remain.

Chase UR Travel Partners

 

[mhautz]

Better to use homemaker than unemployed. I would imagine it's way less likely trigger the same review that unemployed does. Same money covering both but they are both viewed quite differently as to why you may want the card in the eyes of the bank.

Yeah, I didn’t look too hard to see such an option. Have never had an issue with other issuers (but of course it’s Capital One), so lesson learned. I’m just hoping they won’t require a notarized letter stating she has full access to my income. Ill just let the application lapse if they require more.

 

[afan]

Yeah, I didn’t look too hard to see such an option. Have never had an issue with other issuers (but of course it’s Capital One), so lesson learned. I’m just hoping they won’t require a notarized letter stating she has full access to my income. Ill just let the application lapse if they require more.

I think PPs have said they use other and then fill in homemaker.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Yeah, I didn’t look too hard to see such an option. Have never had an issue with other issuers (but of course it’s Capital One), so lesson learned. I’m just hoping they won’t require a notarized letter stating she has full access to my income. Ill just let the application lapse if they require more.

This poster did similar a few weeks ago. You can look back to see his saga. Lesson learned for sure, I'd probably not put "unemployed" for any application regardless of issuer.

Finally a conclusion to my Venture X saga. My wife was eventually approved, more than two weeks later. They gave her a $30,000 limit so they obviously weren't too concerned about her income.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Thank you, group, for the Disney Visa advice you gave me a couple months ago. I'm back and trying to get a little more serious about being an efficient credit card user and am hoping someone can tell me if I'm on the right path. I'm very much still learning everything, including the language, so please bear with me! In general I'd like to maximize my useful points, but I'm also planning a trip to England with my mom in February 2025 with as minimal OOP expenses as possible. I've never booked an international flight with miles before, so this research has been interesting. My background- 1 BoA from 2001 that I've kept just because it was my first card, 1 BoA from 2018, CSP from 2019, and Disney Visa from March 2024 (zero balance on all). That should put me at 1/24 and my CSP SUB over 48 months ago. I have a handful of miles on SW, AA, and United, and a helpful amount on Delta. I have no hotel or airline loyalty and prioritize saving money over comfort- I'm short and can sleep anywhere so the cheaper the flight/hotel the better This is my plan (TL;DR- PC CSP, get CSR and then Bilt, book international trip with points):

1) this week PC my CSP to something- I just caught up on 60 pages and see this talked about a lot, but I need to figure out what to say and what I want
2) immediately after (?) apply for CSR, start GE process (my precheck expires this fall anyway)
3) book RT IAD-LHR with Delta, currently 61,000 points + $187 put on CSR
4) unrelated to trip, but a week (?) after CSR apply for Bilt MC
5) expedite CSR MSR spending, not with things I wouldn't buy, but switch orthodontist bill to CSR and pay in full for my Disney hotel in January now (also convince myself that this isn't a sign to get an AP), book the London tour I want, etc.
6) get SUB and transfer some points to Hyatt to get two nights in London. The other two nights are already booked at a Hilton through Chase portal and drained my current UR points, hence my stress I'm nervous to lose the deal I see now but I've never booked with Hyatt points so don't know how stable that availability is over time. Start saving other points for Japan 2026!
7) make a spreadsheet detailing what expenses to put on what card, mostly between CSR and Bilt. I got the Disney Visa entirely for the runDisney merch and dining discounts.
8) at some point use remaining BoA points and close the 2018 card (the value on them in London seems appalling so I think I'm saving them for a domestic trip I'd be making anyway)
9) next year PC CSR to CSP (I keep GE but lose PP, right?)

Thanks for considering all of this! And for anyone wondering why on earth I'd do 4 nights in London in February it wouldn't be my first choice necessarily My favorite artist is planning a limited anniversary tour of his first album and I'm switching jobs so won't have much PTO yet. My mom's birthday is that week and it's been a while since we've been to London so I'm planning a mix of touristy stuff/special treats we'd both like. I welcome advice how to save on the any of the following!

Saturday- arrive, walk around, Brigit's Tea Bus Tour
Sunday- walk with donkeys at Mudchute Farm, Cutty Sark afternoon tea, maritime museum, my concert at 02 Arena
Monday- Sherlock Holmes museum, British museum, Rosewood tea
Tuesday- day trip to Pooh Corner in Hartfield (by train). We are huge Pooh fans- my childhood dog was named Piglet and that's the costume I run the WDW marathon in. SkyGarden on the way back in.
Wednesday- Harrods then flights

I might add a day to the front end if the flight costs stay the same, but the 4 nights is so quick and easy that I can just pack a small backpack and do laundry at the Hyatt if I get desperate. I'm hitting all the stuff I really want in the shorter time, but the wild card New England winter weather factor with flights always makes me nervous- IAD *should* be fine but my mom will be flying out of BOS.

And to chime in on @StephPlum question a ways back- I second the Antarctic cruise option over flying. My brother planned the trip so I'm not sure what his research was (he definitely would have done it though), but we had a great time NYE 2019-2020 with Poseidon Expeditions. My highlight was an add-on where we dug our own sleeping holes to camp overnight in sleeping bags on land. I know a lot of people didn't really sleep but I had no problem. My only regret of the trip is needing to do work during our pre-trip couple days in Ushuaia. Ideally I would have had more time to spend exploring there, so someday I'd like to go back. After our cruise I flew straight to Disney for the marathon, so that was a bit of a shock to my body. All worth it though

….for # 2 you will want to wait 4 days to applying for the CSR…Hopefully others can help with most of this…

 

[afan]

My one complaint, and it's not just for this hotel, is how many higher end hotels don't have anywhere to hang a hand towel. I'm always baffled by this as I leave the towel on the counter every time I use it. There's also generally at least a couple of places something could be added for it.

Though these places often also don't have enough places to hang a bath towel without moving robes.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

My one complaint, and it's not just for this hotel, is how many higher end hotels don't have anywhere to hang a hand towel. I'm always baffled by this as I leave the towel on the counter every time I use it. There's also generally at least a couple of places something could be added for it.

Though these places often also don't have enough places to hang a bath towel without moving robes.

My first comment in a new hotel is either they got the bathroom right or wrong. I hate when thee only place to hang a bath towel so you can reach it from the shower is the toilet. Eww! I don’t want to step out of the shower dripping wet to reach my towel either.

 

[havaneselover]

I was looking on Hilton's website for hotels for next June in Rome (pre- and post-cruise) and pretty much everything is sold out. I guess I'll need to grab rooms at Marriott as soon as they open up.

 

[afan]

I was looking on Hilton's website for hotels for next June in Rome (pre- and post-cruise) and pretty much everything is sold out. I guess I'll need to grab rooms at Marriott as soon as they open up.

Are you are they are sold out vs they haven't opened?

 

[havaneselover]

Are you are they are sold out vs they haven't opened?

They seem to be sold out (that's what it says and there is some availability at airport Hiltons). I didn't realize they open up > 12 months in advance. I think Marriott is about 11 months.

 

[afan]

They seem to be sold out (that's what it says and there is some availability at airport Hiltons). I didn't realize they open up > 12 months in advance. I think Marriott is about 11 months.

I would keep checking just in case they haven't released yet. It'll show sold out or crazy prices when it hasn't been released yet. I did a search for TDLR for next June to make sure I was remembering correctly and most of tokyo is also showing sold out which is crazy.

I've done one night searches before to figure out what they've opened to. It didn't seem they had a true 12 mo release date when I booked TDLR. I have confirmation emails from mid Nov for both hiltons I booked for sept 23 and I'd been watching. Was able to do hyatt in Oct.

 

[havaneselover]

I would keep checking just in case they haven't released yet. It'll show sold out or crazy prices when it hasn't been released yet. I did a search for TDLR for next June to make sure I was remembering correctly and most of tokyo is also showing sold out which is crazy.

I've done one night searches before to figure out what they've opened to. It didn't seem they had a true 12 mo release date when I booked TDLR. I have confirmation emails from mid Nov for both hiltons I booked for sept 23 and I'd been watching. Was able to do hyatt in Oct.

Thank you. I'll keep checking. I'm just desperate to start planning something. It's been two years since my last real vacation.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

My dates aren't open yet but narrowing down hotels for Switzerland and Italy for next year (will take any recommendations for Rome, Florence, Interlaken, Lucerne and Zurich). Found this interesting on Chase Portal. They had two hotels which said you could book on Chase portal and get benefits hotel loyalty program. The current price was 1000 a night so out of my range. Maybe they've always had this and I look at much cheaper places so I never noticed.

View attachment 863149

in Zurich -- Hotel St. Gotthard. Location, location, location. We stay here when I travel to Switzerland for work.

We liked The Bed and Breakfast in Lucerne - maybe a 15 min walk from the train station and close to a bus stop. Hotel Baren in Wengen (up the mountain from Interlaken) has an amazing restaurant and is just down the hill from the tram to Interlaken. Would happily stay at both again. Lucky timing on our part - the day after we arrived (early June) the local farmers were moving their cows thru town and up into the mountains for summer grazing - awesome to hear those cowbells, so SWISS!

Those cowbells!!! In October 2016 we were driving from Zurich to Thun and were staying in Emmental for a few days They were just bringing their cows down from the mountains and were having a parade. It was LOVELY. We stayed at an Airbnb there and each day.. COWBELLS... it was amazing. It was like a fairytale without the Disney and without the princesses.

 

[LynnTH]

Watch out for putting in the exact dates you want for a DVC reservation, if a mod sees it they will delete it.

A DVC owner can put in a request for a waitlist. For example: the owner can request days 1-4 of a particular month at resort XYZ. If the owner does that, the waitlist will only come through if all 4 days at XYZ are available.

As an alternative, the owner could put in a request for days 1-2 and resort XYZ and a different request for days 3-4 at resort XYZ. The owner might think that the shorter waitlists are more likely to get filled. Reason: somebody might cancel days 3-6 at Resort XYZ. If they do, then maybe the Owner's request for days 3-4 could be filled. Then maybe somebody else would cancel days 1-2. Or maybe somebody else would cancel days 30 of the prior month through day 2 of the desired month.

If both waitlists come through, and you have back-to-back reservations for the same type of unit at the same resort: DVC can merge them.

If only one waitlist comes through, then you could be looking at a split stay.

I would book Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve as a backup. Just make sure you book a reservation which can be cancelled.

I think you said, in your prior post, that the owner is a friend. If the owner is not a friend, then don't expect the owner to do this for you. If I were renting out my points, I could get the same amount of money by booking something which is currently available (assuming somebody wanted it). I wouldn't mess around with waitlisting for someone who wanted to rent my points. Too much effort for the same amount of money.

Thanks for this. Yeah the DVC Guy is a friend. If he is not using all his points then he will rent to friends only. I just booked Dolphin for this trip.

Currently I have 2 Extra Tickets in my account. 6 Day PH and 5 Day PH. I think I am going to upgrade these to an Annual Pass (cost about the same as buying new 4 Day PH tickets...). So, working around DD's schedule - we should be able to fit in a few more 3-5 day trips using these. Would like to stay at Poly once - so will see if he has points available for one of our other trips.