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

[IFlossU]

Help with AMEX Plat. I'm considering opening one as I'm going to be traveling on OPM quite a bit this year and my wife is taking her mother to Hawaii. Am I reading correctly that if I designate United as my airline I can use the airline credit to feed the travel bank? And that bank is good for five years? I'm seriously considering the 100k offer.

Yes, United travel bank works. I believe there’s a 150k offer on the personal platinum. I would see if you can pull it up in different browsers Incognito etc. Maybe someone else here has recently gotten the offer and can give more information.

 

[afan]

Hope you finally got a comfortable night of sleep. I once had a non working thermostat and didn't figure it out until after I got cold in the night. Got the blanket/sheets from the second bed and cocooned until morning as I wasn't dealing with maintenance at that point. In the morning, a wash basin bath, no shower until I got back home. This was a Marriott and when I reported my problem during my very early checkout, they seemed less than interested. Wrote off that particular hotel.

I did wake up cold at one point and couldn't figure out why since I heard the air and it was set at 70. Mattress sucks which was more the issue. Got up at 815 and the room temp was 60...

Turned it off and on and it was still blowing cool air but got up to 61! Took a nice hot shower and used the blow dryer to warm up as I got ready. Stopped at the fd on my way out and asked them to check it again. Hoping I don't have to move again but as I do plan to spend a bit of time in the room after lunch I'd rather not be cold.

Too bad cauae it's a nice property though it does need a bit of upkeep to paint and things. It's a historic building, hotel de anza. Getting my 5th hyatt brand!

Going shopping and to In & Out. Hockey.game tonight. # retirement ceremony starts at 530 so dinner at the arena. Uber driver is typical CA driver which isn't as fun when you're the passenger.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Help with AMEX Plat. I'm considering opening one as I'm going to be traveling on OPM quite a bit this year and my wife is taking her mother to Hawaii. Am I reading correctly that if I designate United as my airline I can use the airline credit to feed the travel bank? And that bank is good for five years? I'm seriously considering the 100k offer.

Yes, for now the travel bank works. Try to keep current on DPs as the RAT may shut this method down at some point. I used the plat credit to put $200.00 in my travel bank in January and received the credit. FT has a thread with current DPs.

 

[wanderlust7]

Help with AMEX Plat. I'm considering opening one as I'm going to be traveling on OPM quite a bit this year and my wife is taking her mother to Hawaii. Am I reading correctly that if I designate United as my airline I can use the airline credit to feed the travel bank? And that bank is good for five years? I'm seriously considering the 100k offer.

Yes, United travel bank works. I believe there’s a 150k offer on the personal platinum. I would see if you can pull it up in different browsers Incognito etc. Maybe someone else here has recently gotten the offer and can give more information.

Public link incognito works for me to pull up the 150k offer. DoC post

If P2 can support, worth trying that first.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Heading to London tomorrow via ORD and FRA, portion from ORD to FRA is on the Lufthansa 747 in first class. I hope they will allow me to have a medium top and large pants. I am not abnormally large on my bottom half, but the medium pants I received in the fall are too tight for my liking (I prefer loose-fitting pajamas). Checked the menu for the flight and it sounds divine. Will be visiting the United Polaris lounge in ORD and hoping to get a seat in their restaurant-style area.

Staying 6 nights at the Conrad St James (2 rooms -- ds's on points, mine cash and 1 night URs). Was thinking of changing last minute to something less expensive, but I really prefer to have separate rooms and I didn't want to pay cash in London for ds to have his own room.

Next Saturday we are going to an Arsenal game at Emirates stadium. I booked Hospitality tickets in the fall as I didn't want to join the fan club and try to get tickets when I knew that booking flights on points needed to be done as far from the dates of travel as possible (ds flying biz class on AC with 56.3k pts and we are coming home on BA in Club World Suites using Avios). The hospitality experience sounds amazing, so it should be a fun experience. I booked a tour of the stadium at 10:40am, match starts at 3:00pm and we can head up to the suite 2.5 hours before the game (and stay for 90 minutes after it's over). We get a 3 course lunch and unlimited beer and wine, though not premium brands. They also serve crudites during half-time and nibbles after the game.

I have a ticket to see Six on March 1st; ds wants to try to stream the Arsenal game (it's not being televised). We will visit the Churchill War Museum and Sir John Sloane's Museum. Borough Market is a must visit for us. No other plans for the week, figure we will decide as we go. Ds has never been to London and I've been a few times; I want him to choose what he wants to see / do, but since he isn't doing any research we will be winging it there. I was trying to load our Oyster cards yesterday (had to use a VPN), but since they haven't been used in over 8 weeks I have to load at a terminal at Heathrow.

If anyone has suggestions for things a 30-ish guy would enjoy please let me know as I have no clue other than what's mentioned above!

For only the second time in her 12.5 yrs of life I have to board the dog. She is a very anxious dog (about people, other dogs, places and pretty much everything), so I am dreading dropping her off and leaving her for a week.

 

[wanderlust7]

I was trying to load our Oyster cards yesterday (had to use a VPN), but since they haven't been used in over 8 weeks I have to load at a terminal at Heathrow.

I was reading that you can just use contactless payment now. Any advantage to using the Oyster? Link

Have a great trip!

 

[trenty]

Anyone else subscribe to the Panera Sip Club that Amex offered for 6 months free maybe a year or more ago? I did as I have many Panera restaurants to choose from in the greater area that I live in plus a few along the way when I drive south to Disney World.

I started paying after 6 months and was ok with 8.99 plus tax as this basically paid for my drinks during visits. In January it jumped to 11.99 plus tax, which I paid but just now I decided to cancel.

The website offered 3 months at 3,33 a month so I kept it, at least for the next 3 months. In summer I like their agave lemonade and I will always get coffee in the morning when I'm out and about.

I did get the Amex offer. I think I used it twice. LOL. I canceled when the 6 months were up.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

For only the second time in her 12.5 yrs of life I have to board the dog. She is a very anxious dog (about people, other dogs, places and pretty much everything), so I am dreading dropping her off and leaving her for a week.

One of our dogs is the exact same way. Anxious about everything and everyone. I felt so bad when I had to board him and it made me a nervous wreck the whole time, coupled with the fact that we were on a cruise without cell service if something happened! Thankfully we've only boarded him once so far in his 2 1/2 years of life, otherwise I have family house/dog sit. But when we go away later in the year I have no one to watch the dogs and I may need to board them, and it's already stressing me out thinking about it!

 

[Judique]

I did get the Amex offer. I think I used it twice. LOL. I canceled when the 6 months were up.

My freedom to wander is the reason it works for me. If I were still employed I wouldn't be able to use it very often. Retirement and close proximity work in my favor. I also like the bowls, the salads and the orange scones, so I do eat some of the food.

 

[afan]

In room 3 now. Back in a junior suite and above the room I was in last night. Opened the door to heat which was fantastic.

Shopping was a bust and the mall had the a.c. so high I think it was warmer outside.

Alaska cancelled my flight tomorrow morning. Thankfully I booked delta as a back up on Thurs when the weather was looking iffy. Also way more miles for san jose to seattle than it should be but I don't want to drive home or be stuck til Monday. Only flights with alaska with seats are the 1st flights out of sfo and oak or have 1 or 2 stops in lax or slc, neither of which is want to go to now either.

Found out an old roomate with be at the game tonight so hopefully we can meet up to say hi. Going to nap now

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Heading to London tomorrow via ORD and FRA, portion from ORD to FRA is on the Lufthansa 747 in first class. I hope they will allow me to have a medium top and large pants. I am not abnormally large on my bottom half, but the medium pants I received in the fall are too tight for my liking (I prefer loose-fitting pajamas). Checked the menu for the flight and it sounds divine. Will be visiting the United Polaris lounge in ORD and hoping to get a seat in their restaurant-style area.

Staying 6 nights at the Conrad St James (2 rooms -- ds's on points, mine cash and 1 night URs). Was thinking of changing last minute to something less expensive, but I really prefer to have separate rooms and I didn't want to pay cash in London for ds to have his own room.

Next Saturday we are going to an Arsenal game at Emirates stadium. I booked Hospitality tickets in the fall as I didn't want to join the fan club and try to get tickets when I knew that booking flights on points needed to be done as far from the dates of travel as possible (ds flying biz class on AC with 56.3k pts and we are coming home on BA in Club World Suites using Avios). The hospitality experience sounds amazing, so it should be a fun experience. I booked a tour of the stadium at 10:40am, match starts at 3:00pm and we can head up to the suite 2.5 hours before the game (and stay for 90 minutes after it's over). We get a 3 course lunch and unlimited beer and wine, though not premium brands. They also serve crudites during half-time and nibbles after the game.

I have a ticket to see Six on March 1st; ds wants to try to stream the Arsenal game (it's not being televised). We will visit the Churchill War Museum and Sir John Sloane's Museum. Borough Market is a must visit for us. No other plans for the week, figure we will decide as we go. Ds has never been to London and I've been a few times; I want him to choose what he wants to see / do, but since he isn't doing any research we will be winging it there. I was trying to load our Oyster cards yesterday (had to use a VPN), but since they haven't been used in over 8 weeks I have to load at a terminal at Heathrow.

If anyone has suggestions for things a 30-ish guy would enjoy please let me know as I have no clue other than what's mentioned above!

For only the second time in her 12.5 yrs of life I have to board the dog. She is a very anxious dog (about people, other dogs, places and pretty much everything), so I am dreading dropping her off and leaving her for a week.

I sympathize with you on the dog front, my 14 year old Shorkie had only been watch by my daughter in her home or our neighbor who came to our house. Last September we had a family trip and our neighbor was going away the same week, thankfully I found a dog sitter who came to our house 4 times a day to take care of her, she sent pictures each time and I was able to enjoy our vacation.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I was reading that you can just use contactless payment now. Any advantage to using the Oyster? Link

Have a great trip!

I'm not comfortable taking my cc out and putting it away, then the reverse at our termination point. I'd feel way more comfortable losing my Oyster card than my cc. Usually I keep my Oyster card in a pant or jacket pocket until we've exited the station nearest our destination, something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing with my cc, being a tourist on the tube where pickpockets thrive.

 

[Princess Michele]

My points earning goals are always to fly in first or business class. Therefore, variable points with transfer partners are my focus for non bonus category spend if I’m not working on an MSR. I will fluctuate which card I use depending on which points need to be beefed up for planned travel.

If I need to generate Membership Rewards from Amex which is my go to for most airline transfers, then I use my Blue Business Plus card since it is 2x up to $50k a year. I keep an Amex business Platinum as well and I can also use that to book reasonably priced business or first seats with an Insider fare with the MR points and get 35% back through Amex Travel.

@calypso726 I am starting to research airline options for future trips. Is there any downside to purchasing flights through Amex Travel rather than directly through the airline? I know several have mentioned difficulties when booking flights through Chase's travel portal and needing to make changes but have not seen anything about Amex. An Amex Business Platinum is one of the next cards on my list to get. Thank you.

 

[mmmears]

Help with AMEX Plat. I'm considering opening one as I'm going to be traveling on OPM quite a bit this year and my wife is taking her mother to Hawaii. Am I reading correctly that if I designate United as my airline I can use the airline credit to feed the travel bank? And that bank is good for five years? I'm seriously considering the 100k offer.

As said upthread, it works for now. I assume at some point it won't work, but we have a stack of cards with airline credits and it's worked for us.

Heading to London tomorrow via ORD and FRA, portion from ORD to FRA is on the Lufthansa 747 in first class. I hope they will allow me to have a medium top and large pants. I am not abnormally large on my bottom half, but the medium pants I received in the fall are too tight for my liking (I prefer loose-fitting pajamas). Checked the menu for the flight and it sounds divine. Will be visiting the United Polaris lounge in ORD and hoping to get a seat in their restaurant-style area.

Staying 6 nights at the Conrad St James (2 rooms -- ds's on points, mine cash and 1 night URs). Was thinking of changing last minute to something less expensive, but I really prefer to have separate rooms and I didn't want to pay cash in London for ds to have his own room.

Next Saturday we are going to an Arsenal game at Emirates stadium. I booked Hospitality tickets in the fall as I didn't want to join the fan club and try to get tickets when I knew that booking flights on points needed to be done as far from the dates of travel as possible (ds flying biz class on AC with 56.3k pts and we are coming home on BA in Club World Suites using Avios). The hospitality experience sounds amazing, so it should be a fun experience. I booked a tour of the stadium at 10:40am, match starts at 3:00pm and we can head up to the suite 2.5 hours before the game (and stay for 90 minutes after it's over). We get a 3 course lunch and unlimited beer and wine, though not premium brands. They also serve crudites during half-time and nibbles after the game.

I have a ticket to see Six on March 1st; ds wants to try to stream the Arsenal game (it's not being televised). We will visit the Churchill War Museum and Sir John Sloane's Museum. Borough Market is a must visit for us. No other plans for the week, figure we will decide as we go. Ds has never been to London and I've been a few times; I want him to choose what he wants to see / do, but since he isn't doing any research we will be winging it there. I was trying to load our Oyster cards yesterday (had to use a VPN), but since they haven't been used in over 8 weeks I have to load at a terminal at Heathrow.

If anyone has suggestions for things a 30-ish guy would enjoy please let me know as I have no clue other than what's mentioned above!

For only the second time in her 12.5 yrs of life I have to board the dog. She is a very anxious dog (about people, other dogs, places and pretty much everything), so I am dreading dropping her off and leaving her for a week.

I guess it depends on what he likes, but the more obvious places like the British Museum (their Egyptian gallery is pretty amazing) and the Tower of London come to mind. Tower Bridge is fun, too - you can go in and see how it works, plus go to the top where there is a glass floor and a great view of the Thames. There's also the WB Harry Potter Studios tour which everyone in my family enjoyed. Have a great time!

@calypso726 I am starting to research airline options for future trips. Is there any downside to purchasing flights through Amex Travel rather than directly through the airline? I know several have mentioned difficulties when booking flights through Chase's travel portal and needing to make changes but have not seen anything about Amex. An Amex Business Platinum is one of the next cards on my list to get. Thank you.

Not Calypso, but my advice is to carefully look at the difference you'd need when paying through Amex. We've booked flights by moving points because we needed to use far fewer points at times, but not always. On the other hand, there's also the risk of moving your MRs and then getting them stuck at an airline if for some reason you don't end up taking the flight.

 

[calypso726]

@calypso726 I am starting to research airline options for future trips. Is there any downside to purchasing flights through Amex Travel rather than directly through the airline? I know several have mentioned difficulties when booking flights through Chase's travel portal and needing to make changes but have not seen anything about Amex. An Amex Business Platinum is one of the next cards on my list to get. Thank you.

If this were a couple of years ago, I’d say not really. However, lately there’s been a lot of flight cancellations and delays for a myriad of reasons and when that happens, you’re stuck dealing with Amex as opposed to the airline. I would take my chances if it’s a trip where there’s plenty of flexibility and I have a plan B or C in place. If say for example, I’m looking at a quick trip to New York from Miami for a weekend or something, I’d do it because if the airline cancels or delays my flight, there’s plenty of other options to hop on another flight if the airline won’t accommodate me and I can deal with Amex travel later.

I’ve got a friend dealing with an issue but for booking via Chase UR travel portal. Her flight was cancelled by the airline and Chase wasn’t refunding the UR points. They wanted to charge her $200 and the flight wasn’t much more than that, plus it was a fully refundable flight which the airline cancelled. Chase kept blaming the airline but the airline said it wasn’t them causing the problem. This went on back and forth for weeks. So yes there is definitely a potential downside.

Until things are back to normal with the airlines and staffing etc. I’m not planning on doing anything other than direct airline transfers with Amex unless it’s a flight where I’ve got tons of flexibility if things go sideways. I wouldn’t let any of that dissuade you from getting an Amex business Platinum. I will happily pick up another when the next NLL offer for one comes around.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I would really like an NLL for another Amex Biz Plat! Love that card for the occasional insider fare + 35% points back

 

[georgina]

I was reading that you can just use contactless payment now. Any advantage to using the Oyster? Link

Have a great trip!

We used our contactless cards in London last summer, found it quite easy and didn’t have to worry about loading a certain amount on an Oyster card. Turns out DH and I couldn’t both use a sapphire card with the same number, so I used a different card.

 

[havaneselover]

Used my $30 Staples reward to buy five reams of paper. I print things occasionally for grad school so it won't go to waste.

Still sitting on $2000 of visa gift cards. I'm thinking I'll use them for my personal property tax bill in March. I may also see if Chase will stop escrowing my property tax but not sure that's worth the hassle.

 

[afan]

At one of the 2 The Clubs in San Jose. I know now many/if anyone goes through this airport but they have you order your food via qr code. It's a decent selection. Interesting since neither SEA or MCO were doing that during covid. May not have been self serve but you didn't order. It didn't make the food any warmer than if you'd been able to get it yourself which is a bummer.

Nice and big, esp compared to SEA. Prob about similar to MCO but less crowded. Too cold though, which seems to be the theme of this weekend

 

[afan]

Also, room issue this weekend. I booked on points and my issue was resolved and if it it had just been 1 room move before I unpacked I'd be ok with it all. Also that I had to go up to my room when I got back yesterday and then back down to the fd because there was no message on the phone or anything other than the heat being turned off to let me know what's going on. Then I had to pack up and move, at least it was same floor and I was only there 2 nights but still.

Is it out of line to think I should get some points back? It was 15k per night. I have the card of someone cause they left me a welcome note and bottle of wine, which I left since I don't drink wine. Wish there was a way to say I don't drink wine but would appreciate a can of coke or bag of m&ms

Should I email them or see if they do something first, though I'd think they would have by now. I also didn't raise a stink and yesterday even said I don't want to complain I just want to be warm.