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

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Can't answer any of your questions, but just came to say I admire those of you who can pull together international trips in such a short time! I am a very Type A over planner. If I can't plan the trip 8-11 months out, we are not going! I am envious of those who can take advantage of last minute type deals as well. My brain just cannot function like that.

I just realized I never responded to this. You get a different mindset I think when you know you can just hop on a plane whenever. You don't worry as much about making sure you do and see everything. There is always a change to come back, LOL. And the investment is MUCH lower. Now granted, dropping $1k for Munich wasn't in my budget. But when you think that over 1/2 was the castle tour, it really wasn't super expensive.

In the next few years many will lose jobs because of AI, but some will get them back after they realize that AI can’t do them well.

My husband is a Senior VP in charge of AI, and he’s worked with machine learning for many years so he knows what can and can’t be done. He has put the brakes on many projects the C suite wants to do because it just won’t work with AI. But many (most?) companies don’t have that. They just have yes men that want to jump on the AI bandwagon. He sees that a lot.

I use AI so much in my new job. Which honestly I could easily be replaced by. But the company is super small (8 people) so I think I'm okay right now, LOL.

Not sure if it's the same, but I've had 2 personal AmEx HH cards at once (second using NLL link on DoC). I did cancel the first one as soon as it came up for renewal.

I was wondering if Delta is the same as Hilton. I guess it doesn't hurt to try, LOL.

 

[djmeredith]

Actually you are only allowed to transfer out 100k per year. You can receive via transfer up to 500k per year.

Thank you for clarifying.

 

[havaneselover]

Other than rain, what were the temps like in Norway? I’m leaving Wed for London and then cruise to Norway and Iceland. I’m really excited!

Temps have been great in Norway besides yesterday. Today we are in Kristiansand and I think the high is 73. Weather has been perfect except for Pulpit Rock. Norway is just majestic. Such a special trip—enjoy!

 

[reliev]

DW has had an Amex personal platinum but DDG has some NLL links. If she is approved before the change she should be charged the $695 AF and get the new benefits when they kick in?

yeah thats how amex does it.

 

[hsmamato2]

I haven’t booked with points, but once booked a rental under DHs name with my card on file. At the Avis rental counter they would not let him give my card, but did let him switch to one of his. Not sure if this is YMMV depending on the agent or not

So I'm searching all over and all I can come up with is this plan.... DS is the "nominated" driver on the res.,so I'm going to assume that means he's good to pick up and put his own cc down for the rental extras etc. (since I don't have much choice) I think it's so weird that this rental is a Hertz/Thrifty booking at our airport, the Local Thrifty ph# is disconnected (!),the local Hertz # just goes to voicemail- but I did verify the rental res at the 800# for Thrifty.....

 

[hsmamato2]

...And To add to above 'plan' I booked a basic rate at another company that is free to cancel as a backup.... and I'll just pay myself back...of course if the first booking doesn't work as planned, then I'll be fighting to get my points back so there's that

 

[reliev]

@lsutigers03, one thing to consider, too, is that Amex might have a better sub, though, because of the once-in-a-lifetime language, the AF could be more sure, but so can the sub.
Also, might want to consider green and gold for more points in that order. Not sure what cards they had in the past but I probably left 50k points on the table.

 

[miztressuz]

I have a World of Hyatt card that I want to cancel because it just doesn’t work for us anymore. MCO Hyatt is not eligible anymore for the FNC and finding a Hyatt on road trips is hard. I just paid the annual 95.00 fee in July and I have a FNC to use. When should I attempt to cancel this, I’ve never canceled a card before and I’m in my 60s. Thanks for the help.

I guess it depends on when the statement closed that had the AF. You have 30 days from the statement it was charged to get a refund of the AF if you cancel. So even if the AF posted on July 1, you may still have some time to get the refund depending on the statement date. You can confirm with a phone rep before you cancel.

The AF terms are listed on the back of your statements. ( If you get electronic statements you can download the PDF to see it.)

"The annual membership fee is non-refundable unless you notify us that you wish to
close your account within 30 days or one billing cycle (whichever is less)
after we provide the statement on which the annual membership fee is
billed. "

If you can't get a refund then may as well keep it (you paid for it already!) until you get the next FNC and then cancel in the refund window.

 

[DCLMP]

Dd and I survived Pulpit Rock—not my favorite excursion. Weather was lousy—rainy and so foggy so absolutely no view. But the rest of the cruise has been fabulous. Highly recommend a fjords cruise.

Any thoughts on the best lounge in lhr terminal 3? I have priority pass and Amex platinum.

Congratulations on surviving. That's pretty much how I felt when I got to the bottom.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Dd and I survived Pulpit Rock—not my favorite excursion. Weather was lousy—rainy and so foggy so absolutely no view. But the rest of the cruise has been fabulous. Highly recommend a fjords cruise.

Any thoughts on the best lounge in lhr terminal 3? I have priority pass and Amex platinum.

I’m sorry to hear about the lousy weather. Can’t imagine the hike was much fun in the fog and rain, but perhaps a reason to go back to Stavangar!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Approved for CIC with DH's referral (and DH got one, too, a couple of weeks ago). So looking forward to fee free Visa week later this month. I guess these will be our last INKS with referral kickbacks, sad about that. I guess it might be worth it to try for one more for DH in early October (2.5 month velocity), though Chase might not like that

I missed this, are Chase supports going away?

I have not researched any of the other Serve like cards, the 3 family dollars were so convenient, the Walmart by me is not and the times I have gone there is very chaotic……
haven’t had the time to see how any of the other cards work yet…DHs company was bought in April and since they they have been laying off people, he was laid off last week so I’ve gone down the rabbit hole looking into Medicare

I can relate to the sudden loss of security! Until the summer, I worked for a research center that has existed since 1915. It was the oldest of its kind in the country. All our federal grants were cancelled and we were indirectly barred from getting private grants. People in my field could never have fathomed it not existing but here we are... it's crazy how quickly things can change for sure.

Sorry about the layoffs. It's awful and stressful. DH was laid off after 29 years at the same company and over 35 years in the same industry. He was able to find new job in a different industry.

 

[chattadisser]

I missed this, are Chase supports going away?

Not entirely but the supports will only count for "new" businesses or accounts. Theoretically ending the ability to support each other ongoing. So you should still be able to get new Inks, you just won't be able to get as many supports as before.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

So DS has decided his graduation trip (2027) will be to Hawaii (& mom will likely add a couple days at DLR on the way back.)
Please explain like I'm 5 all about Hawaii vacations.
I'm thinking 7 nights. Is that an appropriate amount?
Which islands do people prefer? Inter-island travel, is it easy or should we stick with one island? DS is a history buff and has mentioned Pearl Harbor for sure.
What sites or activities do people love? Preferred areas/hotels?
I have bookmarked previous posts here mentioning hotels and such but am open to any/all information and recommendations.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

So I'm searching all over and all I can come up with is this plan.... DS is the "nominated" driver on the res.,so I'm going to assume that means he's good to pick up and put his own cc down for the rental extras etc. (since I don't have much choice) I think it's so weird that this rental is a Hertz/Thrifty booking at our airport, the Local Thrifty ph# is disconnected (!),the local Hertz # just goes to voicemail- but I did verify the rental res at the 800# for Thrifty.....

I think you have a good plan…weird about the phone numbers

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

So DS has decided his graduation trip (2027) will be to Hawaii (& mom will likely add a couple days at DLR on the way back.)
Please explain like I'm 5 all about Hawaii vacations.
I'm thinking 7 nights. Is that an appropriate amount?
Which islands do people prefer? Inter-island travel, is it easy or should we stick with one island? DS is a history buff and has mentioned Pearl Harbor for sure.
What sites or activities do people love? Preferred areas/hotels?
I have bookmarked previous posts here mentioning hotels and such but am open to any/all information and recommendations.

We did the 4 main islands over 2 weeks. If we do it again, which we talk about often, we'll skip Kauai and Oahu entirely (they weren't for us). Oahu had nice things, but it was a one and done for us after seeing the main tourist attractions like Pearl Harbor, the Dole Plantation, and Kualoa Ranch, and hiking Diamond Head. Kauai was just a letdown for us in general. We had bad weather, there wasn't much to do, and we didn't get to see the Napali Coast because of the weather, so I was super bummed.
Inter-island travel was super easy and short, and cheap. We flew Big Island>Maui>Kauai>Oahu. Our fave islands were Maui and the Big Island. For us, these two had the best beaches, best snorkeling, and best parks (Volcanoes and Haleakala). The beaches were diverse, we did black sand, green sand, red sand, and the islands themselves were just so diverse. There is one place you can drive around the island, I forget which, but you are driving through like 13 subclimates or something like that, you see eucalyptus trees, etc. It's just cool. There were waterfalls galore that we hiked to, and of course the national parks. We did Mauna Kea observatory; a seriously impressive night that lives in my memory, seeing the milky way stretched out before our eyes. And the Road to Hana... I want to go back and do it over and over and over again.
I realize this is very geared towards our specific likes, however. We're very outdoorsy. So YMMV. I guess see what he's interested in doing. For a teenager and history buff, he might love Oahu attractions. For us, we know if we go back, we want to see beautiful beaches, nature and amazing sealife.

 

[calypso726]

So DS has decided his graduation trip (2027) will be to Hawaii (& mom will likely add a couple days at DLR on the way back.)
Please explain like I'm 5 all about Hawaii vacations.
I'm thinking 7 nights. Is that an appropriate amount?
Which islands do people prefer? Inter-island travel, is it easy or should we stick with one island? DS is a history buff and has mentioned Pearl Harbor for sure.
What sites or activities do people love? Preferred areas/hotels?
I have bookmarked previous posts here mentioning hotels and such but am open to any/all information and recommendations.

I have visited the Big Island, Maui, Oahu and Kauai. Kauai is my favorite.

I love Aulani so that is the main draw in Oahu for me and the only place I have stayed. If you are doing 7 nights then my advice would be to stick with one island and it should be Oahu if he is into history. Besides Pearl Harbor, we have gone to the North Shore to turtle bay and made food truck stops. Lots of places to hike for cool views etc. On our first trip we booked a private tour with a local and had an outstanding day trip that we still talk about to this day.

There's plenty to experience in 7 nights just on Oahu. We have done 7 nights there on each visit and every time I have said I should have made it longer. Then again, we also hit DLR on the way back each time too. Not sure if you have DVC and are planning to use points for Aulani or the Disneyland Hotel but both have a transient tax on top of the DVC points required which is collected separately at the end of the stay. The Grand California also has a transient tax but it built into the dues so there's no bill at the end.

If I were to do two islands then I would divide it between Oahu and Kauai just for the different vibe of each and extend the trip to 8-9 nights for the Hawaii portion.

In Kauai we stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai and it was a fabulous use of points. I adore landscapes, scenery and views and Kauai checks those boxes for me. We absolutely loved doing a scenic zodiac boat tour of the Na Pali Coast and the caves and mountain tubing.

The Big Island has amazing scenery as well, two sides of the island are totally different in topography but it definitely requires more than 7 days IMO. It has one of the only four green sand beaches in world.

Maui was lovely and I do plan to return. At both Maui and the Big Island we took advantage of timeshare offers for 5 of our nights. Maui turned out to be an awesome experience with what they offered, The Big Island, not so much. Therefore, I would not recommend rolling the dice on a timeshare deal. I would do another timeshare deal again, just not if I was bringing a family member for a special trip. In Maui we did the road to Hana drive and did eat at Mama's Fish House.

So there's some food for thought. With all that said, for 7 nights, I'd stick with Oahu. Definitely make sure to catch a sunset. My favorite sunsets have always been in Hawaii. Something magical about a Hawaii sunset.

 

[mrandmrsthomas0618]

Oh and I guess I have a question too! So Amex, NLL Delta Gold Biz. Since I used my $150 credit for this year, I'm open to getting another card, LOL. Do I have to cancel my current when the offer for the new card is NLL? I know w/ Hilton I didn't have to. I'm shocked the stay credit was applied the same day I booked the hotel! I'll cancel if I must (I have 4 open amex cards right now). But if I can keep both I'll keep both since my AF doesn't renew until like April next year. I'll use the credit again, then cancel.

TBH, at some point, I might just apply for the Delta Gold personal again. I think we get the AF waived if we use the employee link. But that might only be for my BF. I've debated keeping the card, but the AF is a wash. And it gives me back up if needed, LOL.

My wife and I both got second Delta gold business cards while still keeping the first one open. The first ones haven't hit a year yet so we'll cancel those when the annual fee is due but currently have 2 active

 

[CyndiLouWho]

For a teenager and history buff, he might love Oahu attractions. For us, we know if we go back, we want to see beautiful beaches, nature and amazing sealife.

I love the nature part but he loves history. I have been to more history museums than I care to because he enjoys them. Thanks for the info!
ETA Which airlines are cheap for inter island travel? Any other way like a ferry available?

The Grand California also has a transient tax but it built into the dues so there's no bill at the end.

Great info! We do not have DVC and never heard of transient tax. Does it also apply if you rent DVC points? Grand Californian is definitely on my list.

 

[calypso726]

I love the nature part but he loves history. I have been to more history museums than I care to because he enjoys them. Thanks for the info!

Great info! We do not have DVC and never heard of transient tax. Does it also apply if you rent DVC points? Grand Californian is definitely on my list.

My understanding is that it does apply when renting points too. If you are doing Grand California then you would not have a bill at the end. Here is the transient tax applied per night for the Disneyland Hotel. The higher transient tax is what prevented me from even considering another DVC contract there. I tend to do 3 - 4 nights in a 2 bedroom at DLR which would be an additional $600+ out of pocket for the time of year I tend to visit. Uncharacteristically, we are going in January - low season - and that would have been $500+ oop. I will keep taking my chances at snagging Grand California at the 7 month window, challenging as that may be.