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

[kmc8826]

Which brand washer did you get?

We got a GE Profile. A couple months ago we got a simpler GE dryer from Costco and it has been awesome. When it was delivered there was a dent on it on back and side. I called and they said if we wanted to just keep it they would knock off 20%…so I did that. But now I’m thinking that the dents were not just cosmetic.

Person in charge of delivery (pick up old bring new one) isn’t working to Monday. I have told everyone to stop having their clothes be dirty after one half day wearing!

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Anyone familiar with dining in the Broadway district in NYC? Staying at the Hyatt Centric, which is a block or so from our theater. Looking for a dinner before the show. We are pretty casual, pub/grill type people.

Not sure if you've all ready gone on your trip to see Hamilton. But we did this exactly at the Hyatt Centric. We arrived and left our bags with the front desk. They put tags on them and stored in a room behind the front desk area. And we walked over to Hamilton. Everything worked out great! Hope you have/had fun!

We ate here, which is pasta, not pub/grill:
https://www.trattoriatrecolori.com/

We ate at this pub:
http://mchalespub.com/

We ate here (the one on 45th Street near the Marriott):
https://www.juniorscheesecake.com/blog/restaurants/times-square/

A lot of people like www.ellensstardustdiner.com for the entertainment

Just got back from the Hyatt Centric Times Square on Thursday. My 2 reservations were linked after I emailed the hotel and we did not have to move. We stayed 4 nights. We were able to leave our luggage at the hotel when we checked in early before our Matinee, as our room was not ready yet. The hotel provided large orange umbrellas for guests to use which came in handy last week.

The room on the 19th hotel was clean and quiet. Minor issue - we found a used Q-tip on the rug under the lip of the bed. Easy to miss. I just picked it up with a tissue and threw it out. We had 2 Queens for 4 people. There was comfortable seating for 3 people, an arm chair, a desk chair, and a small bench. 2 of us squeezed on the bench during our down time in the room. It would have been perfect if there was an extra chair to sit on. We do not sit on beds when we hang out in the room.

My only complaint was that Housekeeping kept stocking the room with 3 sets of towels and not 4 full sets. Had to call guest services every day and then tip the runner that would deliver the towels. Ice machine on the 19th floor wasn't working and when I asked which floor had a working machine, guest services just replied that the runner would deliver ice to our room at the same time as the towels. So, that worked out and I wasn't sure if the out of service ice machine on the 19th floor was an isolated incident or if all the ice machines were out.

Ran into Housekeeping in the hallway on our way out the last full day and reminded her that we needed 4 towel sets. Came back to 4 bath towels but didn't notice that there were only 2 face and hand towels until late at night. Go figure. We seem to have this same problem at many hotels recently. It seems 3 bath towels and a random number of face/hand towels are the norm even when the room sleeps 4.

The Hyatt Centric TS was super convenient to all the Broadway theatres and the TKTS booth, the NYC subway stations, and a short walk from Grand Central Station. It was the perfect location for the purposes of our trip.

If we were not in NYC to watch Broadway shows I would stay away from this area. It is WAY too crowded. I'm a native NYer and was born on the island and we stay away from the area. It's full of tourists. It was fun playing tourist! But we had our fill this trip.

We watched Hamilton (purchased in advance), The Play that Goes Wrong, Six, and &Juliette. Loved Hamilton. Enjoyed The Play that Goes Wrong and &Juliette. Liked Six. Only Hamilton is worth seeing more than once, IMO. Six is super short - 80 minutes I think with no intermission. We knew this going in. We had a good time but for the price, it was lacking in comparison to other shows. We got tickets for the last 3 shows at the TKTS ticket booth.

We spent half a day at the American Museum of Natural History. It was an enjoyable outing, but not much has changed since we visited last, maybe 10 years ago?

We ate at:

Gayle's Broadway Rose https://gaylesbroadwayrose.com/
Food was decent for what it is. Pricey Diner food with entertainment. Portions were a decent size. Our server had a great voice. According to my girls, she was one of the servers that went viral on tick toc.

McDonald's
It was pouring after we got out of Six and Mickey D's is just across the street from the hotel, on the corner. Super convenient for a quick takeout back to the room. Order on multiple kiosks and pretty fast pick up.

Some pizza place near the theatres that was open late after getting out of a show. Forget the name. It was okay, not the best, but hit the spot. $4.99 a slice. Ouch.

Junior's on W45th Street.
Best meal in the area. I had the matzo ball chicken soup. Everyone was fighting for some. The rest of the family ordered - Brisket, Pastrami and Corned Beef. The Brisket was the best as it wasn't as salty. I was able to eat some of everybody's sandwiches as the portions were amble. It would have been too much food if I ordered my own sandwich as well.

The Golden Unicorn in Chinatown for dimsum. https://www.goldenunicornrestaurant.com/
It's not the cheapest dimsum spot in Chinatown but the food is tasty and our dental office is nearby. My older DD wanted to visit the dentist for a cleaning while she was in NY. She still has not found a dentist in the Orlando area. We had to take the train for this.

Avra - https://www.theavragroup.com/location/avra-rockefeller-center/
Nice restaurant for my 55th birthday dinner, as recommended by a friend. The food was DELICIOUS. We had multiple appetizers, 4 entrees, 2 desserts, 3 coffees, 1 tea, a bottle of wine and multiple bottled waters. It was about $200/pp including all taxes and tips. It was money well spent. The restaurant can be noisy if you get there when all the after work folks are there having drinks at the bar but quiets down a bit after they leave.

The other restaurant my friend recommended was Quality Meats near Central Park (W58th St) but we picked the one that was a closer walk to the Hyatt Centric TS.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Best Aunt]

If we were not in NYC to watch Broadway shows I would stay away from this area. It is WAY too crowded. I'm a native NYer and was born on the island and we stay away from the area. It's full of tourists. It was fun playing tourist! But we had our fill this trip.

Pre-COVID, I went to Broadway shows in January for several years. The Times Square area was busy but not crammed.

In March 2023, I went to a Broadway show with friends. They wanted to stay afterward to Stage Door; I didn't. My hotel was not in the area so I requested an Uber. The area was deserted and scary while I waited alone.

In July 2024 I went to 2 Broadway shows (Job, and The Wiz). The area was packed. Crammed full of people. I don't know if it was the fact that it was summer, or the fact that fewer Broadway theatres are vacant now, or a combination. It wasn't scary, but it was so crowded, it was hard to walk down the sidewalk. I hadn't been there in the summer since we went to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2018; on that trip the area was not deserted but it wasn't this crowded.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Bluevua RO100ROPOT-LITE... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGK4BQ2D?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I got a glass pitcher for the fridge and one for the counter so we have water available in both. It's what we use for the dog and my reg drinking, the cold is for Kool aid because I use the liquid stuff and I'm 5 and that's what I drink

How long does it take to filter and fill a pitcher? I'd love something like this but the drawbacks are I have no counter space and we can go through 3+ liters of water per day and I'm not sure how fast most systems work.

 

[afan]

How long does it take to filter and fill a pitcher? I'd love something like this but the drawbacks are I have no counter space and we can go through 3+ liters of water per day and I'm not sure how fast most systems work.

The pitcher it comes with isn't that big and takes a few minutes. It's why we have a bigger pitcher we keep on the counter and then one in the fridge. The bigger one fills with 2 of the filters pitchers. I always empty and refill the filters tank when needed so the next time I need to filter I can just push the button. I do sometimes hit the button and go back to work or whatever I was doing and deal with it later. Just been a matter of getting used to it and remembering to deal with the tank which my mom doesn't always remember to do.

 

[wanderlust7]

@wanderlust7 @GZanta77 ultimately I would like free travel in general but definitely this trip is the first thing in my sights. I do not have a specific airline in mind, it could be Southwest, AA, United, or Delta. It ultimately depends on what I can score.

Do you recommend applying for both CSR and CSP? or try for CSP only if I get denied for CSR? also, should I wait for any promotions for higher SUB's to come in? or just make it happen? I Plan on using the card either end of October or end of November.

You can't get both CSR and CSP due to the Sapphire family rule. You'll need to wait 48 months in between SUBs. There used to be a loophole called a MDD, but it no longer works.

The SUB was elevated a couple months ago, so it may not go up again so soon, but that's just a guess. The minimum spend period is 3 months, so you'll need to time it to that.

 

[Disdood]

You can't get both CSR and CSP due to the Sapphire family rule. You'll need to wait 48 months in between SUBs. There used to be a loophole called a MDD, but it no longer works.

The SUB was elevated a couple months ago, so it may not go up again so soon, but that's just a guess. The minimum spend period is 3 months, so you'll need to time it to that.

Thanks for all of your help, I feel like I've burdened you enough, I'm planning on applying for CSR first then resorting to CSP if I get a denial. I will time it according to my DVCRequest purchase like you mentioned. Do you know how often the MODs in the Reddit get to the messages sent to them?

 

[Disdood]

Can anyone confirm if Davids/dvcrequest.com logs as a travel purchase through Chase?

 

[SleepyatDVC]

How long does it take to filter and fill a pitcher? I'd love something like this but the drawbacks are I have no counter space and we can go through 3+ liters of water per day and I'm not sure how fast most systems work.

The pitcher it comes with isn't that big and takes a few minutes. It's why we have a bigger pitcher we keep on the counter and then one in the fridge. The bigger one fills with 2 of the filters pitchers. I always empty and refill the filters tank when needed so the next time I need to filter I can just push the button. I do sometimes hit the button and go back to work or whatever I was doing and deal with it later. Just been a matter of getting used to it and remembering to deal with the tank which my mom doesn't always remember to do.

We drink a lot of filtered water in our house. First thing we install in each place (NY house, FL condo, parent's condo and DD's townhouse) is this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I0ZGOZM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

We use the water to cook etc. too.

Hardest part is to drill the hole for the dispenser. In NY (2009), we used the pre-existing hole that was originally for the soap dispenser. DH got a special bit and drilled the hole for the FL condos and townhouse. While they/we waited for him to do the work, they just had the dispenser spout in a bucket under the sink and pulled it out to use to dispense water when needed.

ETA: If DH wasn't handy, I think it would be worth it to get a handyman or plumber to do the install. It was the first thing our DD asked for in her new home.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Hi @Disdood and

Apologies if you thought you had accidentally stumbled into a Kitchen Appliance forum but it is a friendly group here and the discussion can sometimes drift wherever life takes us.

Congratulations on your new addition to the family. We did WDW often in those early years, including one trip where our DD was 6mo and DS 3y. Everyone told us we were wasting money taking them to WDW as they wouldn't remember it, but I can tell you that the memories (and photos) from those trips are treasured by DW and I. Staying on Disney property is a real bonus with kids that age as it makes it easier to return to the hotel for a mid-day nap. WDW is sensory overload for young kids and planning some downtime to relax and recharge is so important. A one bed apartment is great if you can swing it, but if not a room with a balcony is helpful so you and DW can have somewhere to hang whilst kids are napping. I am not a DVC expert, but many here are and there are also DVC specific boards on the DIS which I am sure you have found.

As for credit cards, you mention that you have only 1 new card in the last 24 months. You do not state how many new cards your wife has, if any. One of the best ways to maximize earnings from new credits is for you (P1) and your wife (P2) to refer each other. For example, P1 applies for a CSP earns 60k Chase UR points. Then P1 refers P2 for a CSP which earns P1 10k points referral bonus and P2 gets the 60k for the new card. The level of referral bonus varies by card and changes from time to time.

There are so many paths you could take right now subject to your credit score and monthly spend. As you are currently 1/24 in terms of Chase, I would probably start there with either a CSP or CSR. The CSR annual fee scares many people but it comes with an easy to use $300 travel credit, better benefits and UR points are worth 50% more when used through the Chase travel portal. If you hold a CSP those same points are worth only 25% more. Points can also be transferred to hotel and airline programs. You would probably also look to add a Chase freedom card to take advantage of the 5% rotating categories. AFAIK, Disney hotels are no longer available on the Chase portal.

Depending on how often you anticipate flying in the future, you could look at the Southwest cards (also thru Chase) with a view to earning a companion pass that allows you to take a companion for free. However, as you state you haven't flown in quite some time, I am not convinced this is the right path unless you anticipate a significant change.

If you prefer to stick with Amex, then I like the Gold offer you mentioned. Again the P1/P2 referral strategy can be used. Avoid having each other as authorized users on your accounts. This will hurt your 5/24 count for Chase. Just be aware that Amex cards have a 'one bonus per lifetime' rule - and whilst there are occasionally ways around this rule - Amex cards are typically more difficult to churn than Chase. Capital One VentureX is another card you might consider. I even like the Citi Strata Premier, but many folks seem to hate anything Citi.

Bottom line - it is difficult to get specific with recommendations as you have so many options. The key is to start opening cards as often as your ability to meet the spend for the sign up bonuses allows, but maintain a reasonable pace - one card every 90-120 days or so for both P1 and P2 might be reasonable if you can meet the spend requirements. Seek to maximize referral bonuses and do not try to earn bonuses beyond your ability to pay off your credit cards in full every month. It is not worth getting into debt pursuing bonuses.

.

 

[georgina]

Can anyone confirm if Davids/dvcrequest.com logs as a travel purchase through Chase?

David's definitely codes as travel.

 

[afan]

We drink a lot of filtered water in our house. First thing we install in each place (NY house, FL condo, parent's condo and DD's townhouse) is this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I0ZGOZM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

We use the water to cook etc. too.

Hardest part is to drill the hole for the dispenser. In NY (2009), we used the pre-existing hole that was originally for the soap dispenser. DH got a special bit and drilled the hole for the FL condos and townhouse. While they/we waited for him to do the work, they just had the dispenser spout in a bucket under the sink and pulled it out to use to dispense water when needed.

ETA: If DH wasn't handy, I think it would be worth it to get a handyman or plumber to do the install. It was the first thing our DD asked for in her new home.

We talked about doing that but ultimately my mom didn't want another hole and didn't want the cost. I just wanted to stop having to buy bottled water, esp since the price went up. It was a  good compromise but I would def consider something like that in the future.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

If I am able to find a flight on AA.com for Japan Airlines and my parents have enough points in their individual accounts, should I book them separately on each of their accounts?

Are there a luggage fees for international tickets booked with miles? Mom has the AA credit card that gives her a free checked in bag.

Would that even apply for an international flight on Japan Airlines?

 

[SleepyatDVC]

If I am able to find a flight on AA.com for Japan Airlines and my parents have enough points in their individual accounts, should I book them separately on each of their accounts?

Are there a luggage fees for international tickets booked with miles? Mom has the AA credit card that gives her a free checked in bag.

Would that even apply for an international flight on Japan Airlines?

I think they get luggage in business class on JL. I have the tickets reserved right now. I think we should pay for the fees with their CSR card and not their AA credit card? I don't think there is any advantage to using the AA card for the fees...

 

[iujen94]

I’m flying Air France for the first time in a few weeks. RDU-CDG-EDI. I booked as round trip (taxes were cheaper that way) using Flying Blue miles. We (two of us) are in economy which makes me sad. I’ve been checking business class prices pretty much every day since I booked, just in case.

Questions - if I do find a cheaper price for business, can I somehow modify my reservation to move to business? I really only care about the flight over, but since I booked round trip, maybe I’m stuck?

I’ve also heard about upgrades potentially being available at check-in. How does that work exactly? Do I need to check in exactly 24 hours in advance and be prepared to click away like crazy to snag one if available? Just want to be prepared!

If you’ve got any other tips about upgrade possibilities on Air France, I’d love them!

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I’m flying Air France for the first time in a few weeks. RDU-CDG-EDI. I booked as round trip (taxes were cheaper that way) using Flying Blue miles. We (two of us) are in economy which makes me sad. I’ve been checking business class prices pretty much every day since I booked, just in case.

Questions - if I do find a cheaper price for business, can I somehow modify my reservation to move to business? I really only care about the flight over, but since I booked round trip, maybe I’m stuck?

I’ve also heard about upgrades potentially being available at check-in. How does that work exactly? Do I need to check in exactly 24 hours in advance and be prepared to click away like crazy to snag one if available? Just want to be prepared!

If you’ve got any other tips about upgrade possibilities on Air France, I’d love them!

If seats are available (EF will show if there are open seats in biz class) then AF would offer a paid or points upgrade. Pricing is dynamic but could be anywhere from $750 - $1,000 pp. Points cost to upgrade would likely be outrageous, so cash would be the best option. If you want biz class seats be sure to check-in as soon as your window opens to snag the seat(s) you want.

 

[Limes96]

Are Chase ink support points posting running late these days? I have one from an automatic approval on June 30 that isn’t even showing pending yet. I haven’t had one take this long before.

 

[georgina]

Are Chase ink support points posting running late these days? I have one from an automatic approval on June 30 that isn’t even showing pending yet. I haven’t had one Thales this long before.

They are taking longer, my July 8 app support credited last week. It credited on the supporting account closing date.

 

[elgerber]

Are Chase ink support points posting running late these days? I have one from an automatic approval on June 30 that isn’t even showing pending yet. I haven’t had one Thales this long before.

I was auto approved on 7/15, actually got an email with the pending support points on 8/8. They may have been there before that, I forgot to check on them, because we were camping. It was after 8/4 because that was the date his statement cut, so the points wouldn't be pending if they hit before then.

 

[wanderlust7]

Thanks for all of your help, I feel like I've burdened you enough, I'm planning on applying for CSR first then resorting to CSP if I get a denial. I will time it according to my DVCRequest purchase like you mentioned. Do you know how often the MODs in the Reddit get to the messages sent to them?

Not sure who's adding to Dischurners these days. Maybe @miztressuz or @gottalovepluto