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

[Zhoen]

Thank you both!!!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Never had an AA cc before. But I understand that with 2 players each getting 2 cards, we can get a good chunk of miles. Need to get to Barcelona next May and AA has direct flights from JFK. So... what's the best way to go about it? I'm wondering if there's an order we should follow. Like, if the Barclays card is more sensitive to inquiries then maybe do that one first?

 

[DCLMP]

Never had an AA cc before. But I understand that with 2 players each getting 2 cards, we can get a good chunk of miles. Need to get to Barcelona next May and AA has direct flights from JFK. So... what's the best way to go about it? I'm wondering if there's an order we should follow. Like, if the Barclays card is more sensitive to inquiries then maybe do that one first?

I would do Barclays first it's an easy spend and bonus. You can both get it. Then you can move on to Citi. I'm on my second go around with Barclay both personal and business. I think{ I kept bad records} that I'm about 6 months away from starting up with Citi AA again.
I'm flying premium economy to Rome next week and then back business class out of Zurich on AA points. I transferred chase points to United to fly Swiss Air from FCO to Zurich.

My biggest recommendation, if you get into this, is to keep records. I started doing this 4 years ago and I didn't. I'm kind of lost. I'll be under 5/24 June 1st. I got my first bonus on Saphire preferred on 3/19 so I think I'm good to go again, but a lot of my cards I lost track of. It's really important to keep track of when you got the last bonus. American Express it doesn't matter because it's one time only.

When I started 4 years seemed like such a long time, but it has really been a blink of an eye. I'm trying to remember when I got my last Citi business bonuses because there's a 4-year rule. The AA records only go back two years so I'm racking my brain on the business card which doesn't show up on my credit report.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I would do Barclays first it's an easy spend and bonus. You can both get it. Then you can move on to Citi. I'm on my second go around with Barclay both personal and business. I think{ I kept bad records} that I'm about 6 months away from starting up with Citi AA again.
I'm flying premium economy to Rome next week and then back business class out of Zurich on AA points. I transferred chase points to United to fly Swiss Air from FCO to Zurich.

My biggest recommendation, if you get into this, is to keep records. I started doing this 4 years ago and I didn't. I'm kind of lost. I'll be under 5/24 June 1st. I got my first bonus on Saphire preferred on 3/19 so I think I'm good to go again, but a lot of my cards I lost track of. It's really important to keep track of when you got the last bonus. American Express it doesn't matter because it's one time only.

When I started 4 years seemed like such a long time, but it has really been a blink of an eye. I'm trying to remember when I got my last Citi business bonuses because there's a 4-year rule. The AA records only go back two years so I'm racking my brain on the business card which doesn't show up on my credit report.

Thanks so much. I do keep a spreadsheet. I started almost 2 years ago with a CSP/CSR MDD and got that advice on here. I'm 4/24, Barclays will put me at 5/24, but then I'll drop to 3/24 in June since it'll be 2 years since that MDD. Will probably get another CIC at that point (that was actually the plan for getting rn until I realized I needed the AA miles first).

Since the AA Barclays just needs a single purchase, I wonder: is it ok to apply to that and Citi on the same day? I want to get started on the MSR with my May bills!

 

[happ]

DS(19) and I were supposed to be getting ready for a trip to Yosemite & Santa Barbara. For context, DS had never wanted to travel until a few months ago when he asked if we could go to CA. So, this is a big deal for him. Sadly, given the park conditions and closure, we've had to change our plans. He still wants to go to CA, so now we're going to San Francisco, Monterey, Solvang, & Santa Barbara. Lots of driving! I never plan last minute like this, so my head is spinning. We want to go to Muir Woods in SF and the aquarium in Monterey, but other than that I don't know. Anyone have suggestions for things to do?

 

[hsmamato2]

Ugh! I want both this card, and the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select which I got a mailer for 80K. I won't be able to do both, decisions decisions. I have no immediately plan for either the hotel points or airline miles, but we stay at IHG properties and fly quite often so I would use them within the next year for something! What would you guys do? 165K IHG hotel points, or 80K AA miles... which is more valuable? LOL ( I realize this is probably subject to different opinions, and that's okay! I'm open to all.)

I'm a huge fan of IHG points b/c they have so many properties!

 

[hsmamato2]

Onto Moab, we had 3 nights booked at the Hoodoo Moab, Curio Collection by Hilton at 80k/nt.

• Upscale
• Full service restaurant and bar
• Flexible use of $15x2 f&b Diamond breakfast credit
• Upgraded to 1 bedroom suite just off of pool and hot tub
• Heated pool and rapid whirlpool plus inferno hot tub
• Air Temperature ranged from 35-62
• Rain causing pressurization issues with their sewage system- newer construction in the past few years

The Hoodoo is right across the street from a food truck park in Moab, so super accessible to walk for food options. Moab is a cute little tourist town. Food options we loved:
- Quesadilla Mobilla food truck
- Doughbird for morning pastries but in the afternoon they have hot chicken and waffle fries that sell out quickly.
- Antica Forna. OMG this Italian food is better than any food we had in Italy. They import everything from Italy and make everything from scratch, including their mozzarrella. Inexpensive and amazing quality. When does that happen?

Cute story about my husband getting hot chicken from Doughbird. Normally at Dave's Hot Chicken, DH gets the hottest heat level, called Reaper. So at Doughbird, my husband ordered the hottest, called Melt Your Cluckin Face Off. They asked him five times if he was sure. Then they wrote "Good luck" on the box. DH says Dave's is hotter while Doughbirds is spicier. I don't know what that's supposed to mean, but it means something to him. While DH was inside getting this, (poor parenting alert) I told DS (9) he could ask his Dad if he "melted his cluckin face off?" DS worked up the courage to ask and he had the best belly laugh after. My parenting style is normally me just helicoptering around and we are sort of strict, so having this autonomy was a cute moment for him.

So we loved Arches National Park. We got in free with the 4th grader pass and because we were visiting in March, we didn't have to deal with timed entries that start in April. We did pay for the Shaka app and while not nearly as good as Hawaii, we were glad we did. Our favorite stops were Balanced Rock, Double Arch, Windows and Delicate Arch. We have quite the experience at Delicate Arch.

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Delicate Arch, Arches NP's most iconic arch, gets nearly 2 million visitors a year and it's believed it will collapse in the foreseeable future. It's a 3 mile roundtrip hike with 600 feet of elevation gain (think 60 stories) up red slickrock. We tried to thread the needle on some weather... but got caught in it. The kids were kinda sluggish this day and didn't really even wanna do this hike, but we pushed forward. We thought we had this window between what looked like some light rain and some flurries, but the weather totally turned on us. But there's a point where you feel like you can't turn back, ya know? So we pushed forward. As you near Delicate Arch, you have to shuffle around the side of a cliffwall, with a steep drop. You do have about 3 feet, but by this time it's snowy and slushy on the slickrock, mixing with sand, making it slicker. As we a couple passed us in the other direction, they whispered, "You'll have it all to yourselves." Drenched in rain, snow and tears, we did it. We turned the corner and we had it absolutely all to ourselves. There was a boy scout troop coming up behind us, but for a few minutes, we were all alone there. My kids recount it as the worst experience ever, but I think it's important to do hard things. And I'm really proud of everyone for doing it in those crazy conditions. After the hike we drove to an alternate lookout point which is just a 100 foot walk from the parking lot, to torture ourselves with the question of if we shoulda just done that. By then, the snow and rain had completely stopped and the sun was shining. But it if had been easy, would it have been memorable?

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So another trip in the rearview mirror, but we loved this one and will absolutely we back to explore more of Colorado and Utah. We just scratched the surface.

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Love this report! one day I'm gonna get back out there.....

 

[hsmamato2]

I think my kitchen fridge is dying again (the fridge is too cold and the freezer is too warm). Thank goodness I have a fridge in the garage. Costco has a counter depth LG french door refrigerator with ice in the door on sale for $1400 (I swear last year I couldn't find much under $2500). I currently have an lg fridge and washer/dryer so I'm happy with LG appliances. Anyway, I think I'm going to pull the trigger since the price is right. Hopefully I'll get another 10 years + out of this one

I just repaired my own fridge last month...easy fix- the top fridge part was freezing up...I youtubed it and it turned out the little fan between the two compartments was dying,and got stuck open. $50 and a few minutes of work later and all fixed!

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

DS(19) and I were supposed to be getting ready for a trip to Yosemite & Santa Barbara. For context, DS had never wanted to travel until a few months ago when he asked if we could go to CA. So, this is a big deal for him. Sadly, given the park conditions and closure, we've had to change our plans. He still wants to go to CA, so now we're going to San Francisco, Monterey, Solvang, & Santa Barbara. Lots of driving! I never plan last minute like this, so my head is spinning. We want to go to Muir Woods in SF and the aquarium in Monterey, but other than that I don't know. Anyone have suggestions for things to do?

LOVE Muir Woods, definitely do that! There is a little pull off parking lot on the way out of San Francisco right across the bridge that you can stop to take pics of the Golden Gate Bridge, that was novelty. We also loved walking around the Fisherman's Wharf area and the pier with all the sea lions. We took the trolleys all over and that was SO SO fun, hanging off the side. As a kid who grew up watching Full House (it was my favorite show lol) I just had to see the Full House house also while I was there. There's the extremely curvy, like hairpin curve road also that is famous. There were so many people driving down it and I was like NO way, we walked it. We also did the Exploratorium on an "adults only" Friday night type thing, where it's only adults and they had a bar setup, and the interactive exhibits are so cool. As long as you can look past the homeless, San Francisco is so fun. It's actually in our top 3 favorite cities in the US.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Thanks for the advice. We can wait for another good bonus to come around then. He has my card saved in his Apple Pay so he can use it too.

Hopefully you won't have to skip this one and you'll be able to catch the tail end of the offer.

 

[becauseimnew]

Never had an AA cc before. But I understand that with 2 players each getting 2 cards, we can get a good chunk of miles. Need to get to Barcelona next May and AA has direct flights from JFK. So... what's the best way to go about it? I'm wondering if there's an order we should follow. Like, if the Barclays card is more sensitive to inquiries then maybe do that one first?

I would jump on the Citi AA first as their SUB is currently higher, not supposed to last much longer. The Barclays is at the lower SUB, you can usually get 60K + first AF waived.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I would do Barclays first it's an easy spend and bonus. You can both get it. Then you can move on to Citi. I'm on my second go around with Barclay both personal and business. I think{ I kept bad records} that I'm about 6 months away from starting up with Citi AA again.
I'm flying premium economy to Rome next week and then back business class out of Zurich on AA points. I transferred chase points to United to fly Swiss Air from FCO to Zurich.

My biggest recommendation, if you get into this, is to keep records. I started doing this 4 years ago and I didn't. I'm kind of lost. I'll be under 5/24 June 1st. I got my first bonus on Saphire preferred on 3/19 so I think I'm good to go again, but a lot of my cards I lost track of. It's really important to keep track of when you got the last bonus. American Express it doesn't matter because it's one time only.

When I started 4 years seemed like such a long time, but it has really been a blink of an eye. I'm trying to remember when I got my last Citi business bonuses because there's a 4-year rule. The AA records only go back two years so I'm racking my brain on the business card which doesn't show up on my credit report.

I checked my spreadsheet and I last applied for the Citi AA biz on April 19, 2023, so I am eligible for another bonus! Once I finish the $6k spend on my CIU I'll apply for the Citi AA biz card.

I received the Barclays AA biz a few months ago; the SUB was 80K points for $2k MSR.

Barclays, from what I understand, is more inquiry-sensitive, so I'd probably start with them, then move on to Citi.

 

[happ]

LOVE Muir Woods, definitely do that! There is a little pull off parking lot on the way out of San Francisco right across the bridge that you can stop to take pics of the Golden Gate Bridge, that was novelty. We also loved walking around the Fisherman's Wharf area and the pier with all the sea lions. We took the trolleys all over and that was SO SO fun, hanging off the side. As a kid who grew up watching Full House (it was my favorite show lol) I just had to see the Full House house also while I was there. There's the extremely curvy, like hairpin curve road also that is famous. There were so many people driving down it and I was like NO way, we walked it. We also did the Exploratorium on an "adults only" Friday night type thing, where it's only adults and they had a bar setup, and the interactive exhibits are so cool. As long as you can look past the homeless, San Francisco is so fun. It's actually in our top 3 favorite cities in the US.

Thank you! These are great ideas. We're actually staying in the wharf area. Marriot had a Pointsavers rate and now I'm able to use the expiring Marriot FNC I had tried to get extended. It's funny how that worked out. How do the trolleys work? Do you buy a pass or pay per ride?

 

[afan]

There's the extremely curvy, like hairpin curve road also that is famous. There were so many people driving down it and I was like

Drove down it in college. Maybe more fun for the pax but as the driver it wasn't fun because we were just a line of cars going down. It's the only time I remember even seeing it. Didn't play tourist in SF as much as I probably should have during college.

 

[DCLMP]

I checked my spreadsheet and I last applied for the Citi AA biz on April 19, 2023, so I am eligible for another bonus! Once I finish the $6k spend on my CIU I'll apply for the Citi AA biz card.

I received the Barclays AA biz a few months ago; the SUB was 80K points for $2k MSR.

Barclays, from what I understand, is more inquiry-sensitive, so I'd probably start with them, then move on to Citi.

I wish I could pull up my business cards on credit report. I don’t know if there’s a way to do that.

 

[havaneselover]

I just repaired my own fridge last month...easy fix- the top fridge part was freezing up...I youtubed it and it turned out the little fan between the two compartments was dying,and got stuck open. $50 and a few minutes of work later and all fixed!

I had the compressor replaced last year. I'm just the opposite of handy and the fridge is 12 years old I believe so I may let it die. But it's now acting normal. Costco has a nice sale on through Thursday, so I'll keep my eye on it.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I would do Barclays first it's an easy spend and bonus. You can both get it. Then you can move on to Citi.

I would jump on the Citi AA first as their SUB is currently higher, not supposed to last much longer.

Barclays, from what I understand, is more inquiry-sensitive, so I'd probably start with them, then move on to Citi.

Hm. Not really sure which to do first, then

Also, there are so many AA CC options, it's confusing.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

How do the trolleys work? Do you buy a pass or pay per ride?

We bought an unlimited pass for a set amount of days. I think we did like 5-day or 7-day, I don't remember exactly. It was 2016, so they may not even have the same passes now. But with those, we could ride all the trains, buses, trollies, etc. during that period.
Oh we also did Alcatraz, which my DH thought was extremely interesting, being a history nut that he is. I liked the ferry ride there and back, lol. The stories they tell you in the headset on the self-guided tour are pretty interesting though... about escapes and such.

 

[wanderlust7]

Hm. Not really sure which to do first, then

Also, there are so many AA CC options, it's confusing.

The Citi AA Platinum personal card has a high SUB right now. But from the denial reports, it seems that they've tightened up approval. But I can't tell from the DPs what it takes to be approved. The denials have cited inquiries, new accounts, and low utilization. But sometimes cc denials will have multiple things listed when it's really one that matters. The Citi Premier is also hard to be approved for. The consensus on r/churning seems to be that it's inquiries in the last 6 months (best to be 0/6).

The Barclays AA business card had a great SUB at 80k and $95, but I'm not sure if it's still around.

Barclays pulls Transunion for most people. For Citi, Experian is more likely, then Equifax. So it may not matter which you do first. If you're going for the Citi AA personal with the high SUB, I'd probably do that one first just in case.

 

[lsutigers03]

Never had an AA cc before. But I understand that with 2 players each getting 2 cards, we can get a good chunk of miles. Need to get to Barcelona next May and AA has direct flights from JFK. So... what's the best way to go about it? I'm wondering if there's an order we should follow. Like, if the Barclays card is more sensitive to inquiries then maybe do that one first?

I would jump on the Citi AA first as their SUB is currently higher, not supposed to last much longer. The Barclays is at the lower SUB, you can usually get 60K + first AF waived.

I would also try for the Citi card first . They seem to be very strict with their approvals and not having additional cards on your credit will help with getting approved. The Barclays card should be easy to get after you do the spend on the Citi card.