I love credit cards so much! v7.0 - 2025 (see first page for add'l details)

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Has anyone done a Christmas river cruise? I’m trying to come up with a trip for November 2026 (my 50th). Initially I was looking at a Greek Isles ocean cruise but that’s definitely the tail end of the season. We’ve only done ocean cruises on Disney before. I know river cruises skew older and I’m not sure if we’d be bored on the ship. Wanting to use URs. My other idea is 5 days in London and 5 days in Paris. But I’ve never been to Greece or Germany/Netherlands.

Have you thought about flying into Paris (much easier to fly into than out of) and then taking the Eurostar to Amsterdam (4.5 hours)? I really, really, really love both Paris and Amsterdam and both are easily accessible by public transit once there.
I'm not a huge fan of cruising, so if I were to do Greece and wanted to do a tour, I'd look at something like Backroads, which has tours for families with kids in their older teens and 20s, which would work well for both you and your daughter. But I'd most likely plan the trip on my own using points and miles (I think that Hilton has some nice SLH properties in the Greek Islands). What about the Maldives? You could definitely use HH points at some amazing properties there, then stop in Europe for a week on your way home (Hilton has the Narcisse Blanc in Paris which looks amazing if you really want a fancy hotel for the big 5-0!).

 

[havaneselover]

Have you thought about flying into Paris (much easier to fly into than out of) and then taking the Eurostar to Amsterdam (4.5 hours)? I really, really, really love both Paris and Amsterdam and both are easily accessible by public transit once there.
I'm not a huge fan of cruising, so if I were to do Greece and wanted to do a tour, I'd look at something like Backroads, which has tours for families with kids in their older teens and 20s, which would work well for both you and your daughter. But I'd most likely plan the trip on my own using points and miles (I think that Hilton has some nice SLH properties in the Greek Islands). What about the Maldives? You could definitely use HH points at some amazing properties there, then stop in Europe for a week on your way home (Hilton has the Narcisse Blanc in Paris which looks amazing if you really want a fancy hotel for the big 5-0!).

I think why I like cruising is it's pretty all inclusive and once you board the ship, there's not much to worry about. It's pretty much the only vacation where I can turn off my brain and relax A tour sounds appealing, but, like you, I'd rather use my points. Maldives is gorgeous, but getting there seems dreadful to me. And Le Narcisse Blanc does look amazing--adding it to my list in case I do end up in Paris next November. Thank you for the thoughtful suggestions!!! Super helpful.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

Hi all!

Hope everyone’s having a good w/e. Stopping by thanks to the advice of @gottalovepluto - I had posed a question over in the DVC group. Thankfully, I found my answer but it encouraged me to seek the advice of this crew as to how I could further maximize my card strategy.

BACKGROUND:

Currently have 4 cards and all are paid off monthly - never carry a balance.

01/98 AMEX MARRIOTT BONVOY BRILLIANT (I’ve been a personal Amex card holder since 1998 - upgraded from the basic Amex card to the earlier version of the Bonvoy sometime around 2010 and changed to this one about 4 years ago.)

08/23 CHASE BRITISH AIRWAYS (in process of closing)

03/24 CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE

12/24 AMEX CORPORATE (for use only through my employer)

Prior to getting the CSR, I would put everything on my Bonvoy AMEX - monthly average around -$6000 - paid off in full - and use the points for travel. I acknowledge that this card isn’t the best, but I’m only a few years away from lifetime platinum and would like to keep until that happens. I have around -650k Bonvoy points - we used to use these exclusively at Swan but since becoming DVC use these points for non-Disney hotel stays - usually outside of the US as the redemption tends to be stronger.

I got the CSR prior to purchasing DVC last year - put the entire contract on that card, and still use for all travel-related charges (with the exception of Bonvoy stays). I have ~300k points that I’ve been transferring into BA as Avios and then using them on AA flights to MCO (vs AA points). I also have another 175k Avios directly in BA. We are a BA/AA family.

UPCOMING GOAL/PURCHASES:
We’re going on our first combo DCL/DL trip this summer and hoping to plan a DL Tokyo/Aulani trip next summer.

I also expect to make another DVC direct purchase - potentially in May - and if that happens it would be another $35k.

Since all of my CC points have been used for travel it dawned on me that I could be doing more with my cards to help me reach these goals.

QUESTIONS:
- Are there others cards I should adding? I have yet to explore any of the Business cards though I do own real estate that we rent, so presumably that would qualify as a business?
- Are there purchases (outside of travel) that I am putting on Amex that I should move to CSR? For instance, whenever we use Instacart/Lyft I know to put them on CSR but I’m probably missing a lot!
- Any other advice to maximizing the points for travel? I also assume transferring out of Chase to BA (as an example) is better but maybe that’s not the case.

Any advice is welcome! Thanks in advance!!

 

[DisMommaBear]

No support links on the Reddit group for the venture - if anyone has one to post there, I'll use it promptly!

 

[570traveler]

No referral links on the Reddit group for the venture - if anyone has one to post there, I'll use it promptly!

I added a Venture. Not sure if that’s the card you’re looking for or not
And you should change your post to support link

 

[elgerber]

No support links on the Reddit group for the venture - if anyone has one to post there, I'll use it promptly!

One note on Cap One, I think support is only given if you have never had a Cap One card before, unless they changed it.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Update on the Pepper status for those interested: my charge already credited with American Express refunding my $30. We then saw that my husband had a $30 on his AU of that same card, which I thought was suspicious. Regardless, he used my referral code, bought his own card, and my $10 of referral points already credited and I redeemed. The only thing we're waiting on is for both accounts to get the $20 new user points, but it does clearly state those will be awarded the day after the 15 days expires, assuming you hit the spend.

We just did Amazon cards because I wanted to have a code that I could immediately redeem and not have to worry about remembering to use later..

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Thank you so much! I’m very proud and she’s just a super sweet young woman. Excited to see what her future holds. And hoping I can keep her as my travel companion for a few more years

Congrats! I remember as my kids were approaching 18, thinking they would be done traveling with us. Turns out, if you keep paying, they keep coming. Even my married son and his wife come! Here's to hoping you have many, many more years of a lovely travel companion.

 

[jenmsmith]

Chase Biz DP: P2 had instant approval on the CIC. His last card was May 2024, but last inquiry was December. Chase didn't like him the second half of 2024. He had two Biz open (and using) and two personal. So thankful to finally have an MSR again!!

 

[Cfabar1]

QUESTIONS:
- Are there others cards I should adding? I have yet to explore any of the Business cards though I do own real estate that we rent, so presumably that would qualify as a business?

We were long Bonvoy Brilliant Users.... One of the better ways to earn Bonvoy points could be to use the Blue Business Card.... 2x points on everything (like the Bonvoy basic categories), but from time to time Amex will do a Bonvoy Bonus... Of course you don't earn as much on dining and Marriott purchases, but you also avoid the steep fee... We closed ours this year also because we are using traditional hotel rooms less, and accommodations like DVC more...

- Any other advice to maximizing the points for travel? I also assume transferring out of Chase to BA (as an example) is better but maybe that’s not the case.

I always find it interesting that The Points Guy values CSR points (and Amex MRs) more than any single partner... so take with that whatever you would like...

The Amex Green Card allows you to earn 3x points on all travel purchases... In our current stage of life, I find earning points isn't the hard part, it is finding ways to redeem them...

 

[mmmears]

Does anyone have a good trip report for Norway? Planning to go next summer, might look into a cruise. Any recommendations?
Family of 4, 2 teens (15 & 18).

I didn't write up a TR, but we've been there 3 times since I joined this thread. Took a Disney cruise when DD was close to your older DD's age, spent a week in Oslo the year that DD was living there, and then this past summer we took a Celebrity cruise because it stopped at the ports that I really wanted to see (and Disney isn't stopping there). All in all, we have toured Kristiansand, Stavanger, Alesund, Oslo, Bergen, Geiranger, and Flam. DD loved it there because she loves the outdoors and Norway is gorgeous. Highly recommend. There are pros and cons to both land and sea trips there. Please feel free to PM me if you want more detailed info.

 

[Best Aunt]

Sometimes when I buy something on www.amazon.com, I choose the option to wait a few days for my delivery. I am supposed to get "no rush delivery credits."

Does anybody know where I can see these credits, if I am logged into my account for that website on my computer?

(I do not have a credit card for that company, if it makes a difference.)

 

[Haley R]

For those of you that have done a day flight from the east coast to London, did you wake up late London time the next morning? I’m trying to figure out our first day of touring and I’m thinking we’ll wake up later because we will land at 8 pm their time which will feel like 3 pm to us.

 

[wiscbugs]

For those of you that have done a day flight from the east coast to London, did you wake up late London time the next morning? I’m trying to figure out our first day of touring and I’m thinking we’ll wake up later because we will land at 8 pm their time which will feel like 3 pm to us.

Nope, we did the hop on hop off bus tour the next morning at 9:30! I think we made it to the hotel around midnight after the long flight day.

 

[Haley R]

Sometimes when I buy something on www.amazon.com, I choose the option to wait a few days for my delivery. I am supposed to get "no rush delivery credits."

Does anybody know where I can see these credits, if I am logged into my account for that website on my computer?

(I do not have a credit card for that company, if it makes a difference.)

Click on the little person in the top right corner next to your name. Scroll down to Your Account and click See All. Scroll down under Payments and you’ll see a spot that says No-Rush reward balance

 

[Haley R]

Nope, we did the hop on hop off bus tour the next morning at 9:30! I think we made it to the hotel around midnight after the long flight day.

Thanks! I’m trying to decide what to do our first day. I’m leaning towards doing the London eye since we’ll be right there then taking a clipper boat to do the Tower and Tower Bridge. Ds is really excited for both the Eye and the Tower Bridge

 

[hsmamato2]

I don’t like to drive overseas, esp when I’m solo. Stavanger and Bergen are both very walkable, but if you want to venture further afield I can see how a car would be beneficial. I did take a tram, then walked a distance to see an original stave church in Bergen. I also able to take a tram to the airport.

I've enjoyed reading a lot of your TR...do you usually go solo? I'm looking into starting some solo travel....

 

[wiscbugs]

Thanks! I’m trying to decide what to do our first day. I’m leaning towards doing the London eye since we’ll be right there then taking a clipper boat to do the Tower and Tower Bridge. Ds is really excited for both the Eye and the Tower Bridge

I really suggest doing the Hop On Hop Off Bus that first day to get lay of the land. It is so cool to be able to see everything in a short time period. We did the Bus and then the London Tower in the afternoon our first day. The Yeoman tour at the London Tower was so fun...you guys will love it!

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

I really suggest doing the Hop On Hop Off Bus that first day to get lay of the land. It is so cool to be able to see everything in a short time period. We did the Bus and then the London Tower in the afternoon our first day. The Yeoman tour at the London Tower was so fun...you guys will love it!

Thanks! I’m trying to decide what to do our first day. I’m leaning towards doing the London eye since we’ll be right there then taking a clipper boat to do the Tower and Tower Bridge. Ds is really excited for both the Eye and the Tower Bridge

We did something similar - we did Brigit's Bakery Bus, and really enjoyed it. It went out of the Victoria Coach Station.
https://b-bakery.com/

 

[Haley R]

We did something similar - we did Brigit's Bakery Bus, and really enjoyed it. It went out of the Victoria Coach Station.
https://b-bakery.com/

I saw a Paddington afternoon tea bus that looked cute but I’m thinking a hop on hop off bus might work better for us