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

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Okay my Citi AA Biz AF posted last money and my bill is due today. I also have the Barclay personal card (I got in March). So I still have an AA card for free baggage. Is there a reason to keep the Citi AA over the Barclay? I'll keep one of them. The only reason I can think of is the Citi ticketmaster presales, LOL.

Thoughts?

 

[mmmears]

Has anyone done a roadtrip out west that included DL or does anyone have thoughts on this? I'm trying to think of what stops we'll make without overdoing it (especially with kids) and whether to start with DL or end with DL. DH thinks we should start with DL so we're not exhausted by the time we get there. I'm thinking it would be a great way to end the trip with no driving for a few days.

How old will the kids be? I live in CA, but have done a road trip down to SoCal when DD was little. Things you could see - San Diego Zoo, Legoland (in Carlsbad) if you have younger kids, there is a nice Waldorf by the beach in Del Mar, and of course Disneyland). If you want to drive north you can go into the Sierras (Sequoia and Yosemite national parks, plus Lake Tahoe) or you can hug the shore (Carmel, Monterey Bay Aquarium). Just some ideas. It really depends what you find interesting. It's a big state, so if the kids are small it's a lot of time in the car. There quite a few lovely resorts that are child-friendly and can be booked on points, plus tons of the more mid-range places that use fewer points. Hope this helps!

 

[smallsy]

I did but my kids were 10 and 16- we took 2 weeks and ended at DL which was the perfect way to decompress after a lot of driving and activity-

Oh that's good to hear! I'm leaning towards putting it at the end of the trip. Mine will be 12 and 9, so just a little bit younger.

We kind of did one several years back. We flew to Phoenix, and from there drove to Flagstaff, then Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Vegas, thru Mojave Desert to LA for several days (including 2 at DL), and then flew to San Fran for a few days before flying back home. If I remember correctly we did this over 10 days. But we were without kids and 30 years old, lots of energy to move each day, lol.

This is similar to the path I was thinking of taking. Fly into PHX --> Sedona --> Grand Canyon -->Antelope Canyon --> Zion--> Vegas --> DL. I think if we need to make cuts we cut out Sedona and/or Antelope.

 

[smallsy]

How old will the kids be? I live in CA, but have done a road trip down to SoCal when DD was little. Things you could see - San Diego Zoo, Legoland (in Carlsbad) if you have younger kids, there is a nice Waldorf by the beach in Del Mar, and of course Disneyland). If you want to drive north you can go into the Sierras (Sequoia and Yosemite national parks, plus Lake Tahoe) or you can hug the shore (Carmel, Monterey Bay Aquarium). Just some ideas. It really depends what you find interesting. It's a big state, so if the kids are small it's a lot of time in the car. There quite a few lovely resorts that are child-friendly and can be booked on points, plus tons of the more mid-range places that use fewer points. Hope this helps!

They would be 12 and 9 & 9. DH actually wants to do something similar to what you suggested, fly in to San Fran --> Monterey Bay --> Sequoia --> DL. It would be less total driving but with a couple longer stretches and more downtime in-between. My only hesitation was the weather since we'd be coming in mid March.

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Well I guess it was good I got my new CIP when I did. I asked Chase to overnight it and they did. But UPS didn't deliver it till 2 days later GRRRR! I missed out charging $400 for my daughter's car repair, and $600 from my BF buying the new Xbox. That said, the day after we picked up my daughter's car, she got a flat and needed new tires. That was like $750 after tires, alignment, etc. She had a $600 medical bill sitting around that I needed to pay as well. My son needed a new macbook for school. So I think I've put $2400 on the card already. My taxes are due in 2 weeks, that's $3k. So I'll hit the $8k w/o issue sadly. My son needs a new hockey stick but I'm making him use his old back up for now. Just hoping he doesn't break it when we're in Nashville this weekend, LOL.

So if y'all remember my daughter had jaw surgery in Dec 23. We rushed to get it in before the end of the year because I had hit the deductible and co-insurance. The hospital never gave us an estimate. In Jan we got a bill for $4k! I was shocked and was fighting them on it, etc. I also applied for financial assistance. In April her acct showed "charity write off". We were over the moon! Well this week I got another bill for $4k. I called them and they said this was a new bill and that actually the previous $4k also wasn't paid. They claim "charity write off" is how they code accounts before sending to collections. So somehow we owe $8k! I have insurance! The deductible was met! So was the co-insurance! My BFF works in a hospital and got someone to look at the billing and they said it's coded wrong. My mom also did medical billing her whole career and is going to try and call the insurance too! But how can a hospital not give an estimate for an $8k bill? I didn't think of getting one because I figured we were covered in full. The office knew we were pushing to get it in because I met everything. My DD is 19 and is dealing with so many mental health issues, it would take her years to pay that off. I retired in June and took a $60k cut! I'm looking for something "mindless" to do for awhile, but I for sure don't have $8k. And her dad refuses to pay anything. UGH.

Hotel recommendations for New Orleans, please. Not renting a car, so walkable or within 30 min ride share for most attractions. Thanks!

I stayed at the Kimpton and the Doubletree. Both were about a 5-10 min walk to everything. But I liked the area.

You guys would be proud of me -

I was in charge of an educational program today, and had arranged for someone from a funeral parlor to speak. I had given him a list of potential issues to discuss, including:

If someone prepays for their funeral, do they have to pay with a check, or can they put it on a credit card?

(Seemed like a great way to meet a credit card spend. Unfortunately, his answer was that they won't take credit cards for that purpose because they don't want to eat the fee.)

I signed up for the Amex Gold in the funeral home while we were planning my dad's funeral. I keep telling my mom I'm going to get the Amex Plat when she decides to prepay hers, LOL. I also used a stack of VGC I had (I was trying to funnel my dad's money while he was in the ICU....so I was spending as much as I could "legally" while he was sick before he was wiped clean), I used at the cemetery and funeral home, LOL. The director at the cemetery thought it was amazing, LOL.

SM'd Chase about a match for my CIU from July 8, based on reports here not expecting anything to come of it.


Quoting myself. I just found the same Youtube TV offer on DH's AmEx Blue Cash Preferred - $20 back 3 times through Dec 10. Still need $57.99 or more spend though, we are higher than that. Plus that card gives 6% back on streaming, worth it to switch for $60.

Did you hear back on the SM? I got my CIU in late June. I might be screwed since it's more than 90 days.

More of a silly question, but you are the right people to ask!

I am going to be in Canada in a couple of weeks for work, and will be carrying both my passport and my GE card (since I am driving back into the US... flying in and out of BUF)

Are there rules about whether I can carry those two items in some sort of 'wallet' (I don't have one for them; I was going to look on Amazon) or do they always need to be out/on their own (inside my purse) or how does that work? I don't want to buy a separate wallet for them if I'm going to have to remove them from the wallet to present them.

Have the Delta Gold card, still on the $95 annual fee. The only reason I keep it is for the free checked bag, and the 15% off on reward flights which are booked by points transferred from the AMEX Plat which we use to book flights (5pts/$). Besides that, don't use it for anything else. Was thinking about applying for the top one if flying increases but saw that they limited lounge access unless you spend some high amount on the card.

I have the Delta Gold Biz still and I can non-rev on Delta now, LOL. For now the hotel credit offsets and the 15% could be handy.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Oh that's good to hear! I'm leaning towards putting it at the end of the trip. Mine will be 12 and 9, so just a little bit younger.

This is similar to the path I was thinking of taking. Fly into PHX --> Sedona --> Grand Canyon -->Antelope Canyon --> Zion--> Vegas --> DL. I think if we need to make cuts we cut out Sedona and/or Antelope.

We did 2 road trips -

1) PHX - Monument Valley - Page - Antelope Canyon - Grand Canyon - Sedona - Back out of PHX
This was flying out on a Friday and flying home on Sunday. LOTS of driving but we made many stops. MV, Antelope Canyon and Sedona were the highlights of the trip. Grand Canyon was at the bottom. It wasn't bad, just in comparison. We stayed a night on the rim and eat dinner at the lodge. Really fell in love with Sedona. I purposely had that as the last stop before heading home in order to get some rest. We made another trip to stay there when DD went on a college visit to UAriz.

2) Vegas (1 week timeshare) - Zion/Bryce (1 night hotel) - Red Canyon - Death Valley - Disneyland (3 nights) - up the PCH all the up to Seattle passing by the redwood forests, Oregon sand dunes, Columbia gorges, Mount Rainer, etc. Met the grandparents in Seattle for a 1 week cruise to Alaska. The entire trip was about 3-4 weeks including the cruise. I forget the miles without looking at my notes.

Honestly, I wouldn't cut Antelope Canyon or Sedona UNLESS you are sure you will be back in the area in the future. The Grand Canyon is one and done for me (unless we want to visit the north rim one day). Monument Valley was worth the drive to see. We did stay one night at the reservation hotel that faced the mittens and did a guided tour with the Native American guide in the back county (reservation).

Vegas and DL maybe on another trip?

Have fun planning!

 

[georgina]

Did you hear back on the SM? I got my CIU in late June. I might be screwed since it's more than 90 days.

No but it’s a holiday weekend so I’m not surprised

And a couple of hours later its a no - same language, must be opened between July 25 and November 17! So theres the end date;.

 

[DogCat]

timing...... I want to app for CiU - but I paid down a couple of 0% balances this am by a bit,and reduce the cl on my CiC a smidge also. Should I wait till tomorrow am to app? Ideally I'd give it a few days but I waited too long here and the support...ya know..... then again..... I think I may have to wait till 9/15 to make it a full 90 days since CiC- wwyd? or just wait for the 40k to drop to 20kand then go for it

DD just got instant approval for the CIU using a 40K referral!! She had one existing CIU and closed a older INK a few weeks ago. So I say go for it using the 40K referral link.

Also, to anyone in the know - Is there a recommended timing to ask for the match to the 90K public offer on the CIU? Should that be asap or not?

 

[StephPlum]

Also, to anyone in the know - Is there a recommended timing to ask for the match to the 90K public offer on the CIU? Should that be asap or not?

Someone else said they asked for the match right after approval on their CiP. DH did that on Friday and got confirmation today that they’ll match once he hits MSR. I was surprised they responded on a Sunday. I was thinking it would be Tuesday (first business day).

 

[djmeredith]

Once you set up the 3 different accounts on your laptop, did you also place the DoorDash orders from the laptop or were you later able to switch accounts in the DD app?

I did the orders from the laptop. I didn't try to sign into either of the new accounts on the app.

 

[PrincessGidget]

Hi all.
My 20yo CP CM is home for the weekend and has expressed interest in getting his first CC. He doesnt need miles or points or travel credits, he needs something with no AF that will help him build his credit. His money is in Citibank if that helps/matters.
Thanks

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Hi all.
My 20yo CP CM is home for the weekend and has expressed interest in getting his first CC. He doesnt need miles or points or travel credits, he needs something with no AF that will help him build his credit. His money is in Citibank if that helps/matters.
Thanks

Have heard good things about Discover student cards and Chase Freedom RISE for young adults looking to build their credit.

One could also consider making him an authorized user on an existing card, ideally one with longevity, if that card represents good credit history. Doing so would help build credit history. I did this for DD who did not initially generate a FICO score because she had no credit, and within several-six months she had a score of 705.

 

[chattadisser]

Hi all.
My 20yo CP CM is home for the weekend and has expressed interest in getting his first CC. He doesnt need miles or points or travel credits, he needs something with no AF that will help him build his credit. His money is in Citibank if that helps/matters.
Thanks

My 2nd year college student was recently approved for a Chase RISE card. Small credit limit but that's to be expected. She been an Auth user on our cards for years.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

30% transfer bonus from Amex MR to Hilton through 9/30.

 

[trenty]

I stayed at the Kimpton and the Doubletree. Both were about a 5-10 min walk to everything. But I liked the area.

Thank you. I will check these out.

 

[PrincessGidget]

Have heard good things about Discover student cards and Chase Freedom RISE for young adults looking to build their credit.

One could also consider making him an authorized user on an existing card, ideally one with longevity, if that card represents good credit history. Doing so would help build credit history. I did this for DD who did not initially generate a FICO score because she had no credit, and within several-six months she had a score of 705.

My 2nd year college student was recently approved for a Chase RISE card. Small credit limit but that's to be expected. She been an Auth user on our cards for years.

I read on here about adding him as an AU on an existing card. Unfortunately the only one we have had for a long time is my target card Would that work??
I will look at the Chase RISE.
THANKS!

 

[eticketplease]

I read on here about adding him as an AU on an existing card. Unfortunately the only one we have had for a long time is my target card Would that work??
I will look at the Chase RISE.
THANKS!

If it is the Target Visa. If it is just the store/debit card I'm not sure.

Discover is also a good card for no credit starting out but not sure if the student version matches cash back at the end of the first year like the regular one. If it does may want to hold off until January on that one.

 

[hsmamato2]

Just approved for CiU with support 40k.... I already have CiP, CiU and CiC- 3k CL (lol) Do I Sm immediately to match?I'm gonna ask for expedited first, then send another?

 

[hsmamato2]

and..... what's the wording to ask for a match? 1st time doing this.....thanks

 

[PrincessGidget]

If it is the Target Visa. If it is just the store/debit card I'm not sure.

Discover is also a good card for no credit starting out but not sure if the student version matches cash back at the end of the first year like the regular one. If it does may want to hold off until January on that one.

Great tip! I will look into that.