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

[reliev]

@reliev and anyone else getting the AS Summit. Do you think the extra 10% is worth getting a BoS checking or Merrill account? Even if all my MSR spend is at 3x, the relationship 10% bonus would only net an extra 1,800 points. I'm not currently feeling like going through the hassle for that amount and I don't think I'll put much more spend on the card beyond the $6K for the SUB

If you're going to use it past the sub, yeah, but just for the sub, no. Also, from what I remember, BoA is a pain to get approvals from, so I figure it's worth it for the small deposit if I go after the card.

 

[happ]

I'm planning to close my CIP but haven't used the $50 travel portal credit/coupon they recently issued. Are there any creative ways to "bank" this for future use if I don't have exact dates for travel? It seems a shame to waste it.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

I'm planning to close my CIP but haven't used the $50 travel portal credit/coupon they recently issued. Are there any creative ways to "bank" this for future use if I don't have exact dates for travel? It seems a shame to waste it.

Not sure on a way to bank it for future, but could you use it for an attraction in your city/town? For example, a museum or zoo close to you, if you don’t have travel to use it for?

 

[StephPlum]

Thanks you! DH is still working, so we do have to contend with his PTO but his was always more flexible than mine. I needed to burn through all of mine before December so this year has been a bit travel heavy.

Next year is low key. This Christmas and through the New Year’s weekend we are doing Paris, Edinburgh and London. I’m calling that my retirement trip. I knew if I booked NYE (Hogmany) in Edinburgh then I wouldn’t change my mind about retirement for the umpteenth time. Later in January we are going to Disneyland for the 70th. February is a long weekend in NYC. Somewhere there I will squeeze in a trip to Epic Universe. In March, we have an 11 night cruise on Virgin with 10 of our besties. June is a graduation Disney cruise and WDW trip for our nephew. Toying with heading to the NE to see fall
leaves again in October. November is our annual big family trip to WDW. This will hopefully be followed up by a Christmas markets trip to Vienna, Prague, Strasbourg and Colmar. Then heading to Paris for New Year’s Eve, followed by Disneyland Paris and a visit to the Champagne region with friends. The latter two December trips are still in the planning stages. I imagine there will be some long weekends to visit out of state friends throughout the year. Of course there will be the usual WDW trips all year long but including weekdays now!

Congrats and welcome to retirement. Just hitting my one year retired anniversary and LOVE it.

 

[calypso726]

Congrats and welcome to retirement. Just hitting my one year retired anniversary and LOVE it.

Thank you! Looking forward to it!

 

[Princess Michele]

Congrats! We both picked up the Strata Elite. As AA hostages combined with the double dip of the hotel credit and splurge credit we figured it was good to have for the first year.

Then, we picked up the Aviator at the elevated 70k AA miles because it’s the last hurrah for that card.

Summit was next but just for DH, we don’t need 2 of them and I’m trying to stay under 5/24 for a bit. So, depending on how that 25k off companion award goes it may be a keeper. I’ve decided to retire in December so I should have more flexibility to jump on open partner awards I find on AS for a spontaneous trip moving forward. I’ll probably pick up the business card at the elevated offer. With all the changes and offers in the credit card game coming in so fast and furious, I feel like I need spreadsheets for my spreadsheets lol

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement! Your plans sound amazing. Looking forward to when I can do this.

 

[calypso726]

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement! Your plans sound amazing. Looking forward to when I can do this.

Thank you!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

If there’s a decent bank bonus too then why not. If you are also planning to pick up any other AS cards like the business one, then the bank relationship helps. But solely for 10% if you aren’t going to go for the additional 100k award on a companion, then no.

If you're going to use it past the sub, yeah, but just for the sub, no. Also, from what I remember, BoA is a pain to get approvals from, so I figure it's worth it for the small deposit if I go after the card.

Got immediate approval, whew. I've had an old BoA CC for a long time, it was my first card ever when I went to college, maybe that helped. But I'll still think about the checking account for relationship because I'd like the biz card later on. Need to lie low on personal cards because I'm now at 5/24 until October

 

[Princess Michele]

After reading @calypso726's trip report of her safari it's time to begin planning mine. DH and I have never had any Marriott or Starwood credit cards so we are eligible for any of the current products. It looks like the AMEX Marriott cards would start us in the right direction with their elevated offers currently.

After reading up on the Chase/AMEX rules for the Marriott cards here is my thinking on the best course of action.

1. I will apply for the AMEX Bevy first in August.
2. After approval if there is a support option with the elevated offer I would support DH for his own AMEX Bevy card. Otherwise he will apply on his own.
3. Since AMEX will typically approve 2 cards in 90 days we would both apply for the AMEX Brilliant before the offer ends on 9/24/25. If we don't get approved for the Brilliant then wait until an eleveated offer returns in 2026.
4. When there is another eleveated offer in 2026 for the Bonvoy Business card apply for it.

We would have no problem making the MSR if we both get the 2 cards now. The only AMEX credit card I have is the BBP. We both have a variety of AMEX charge cards. Does this plan sound doable to the experts here or am I missing something? Is there a better coures of action I should consider? I think it makes the most sense to try for both personal cards now in case AMEX makes a change to restrict it to one per family like they and Chase have done for other card brands.

I have a few questions.

1. If I am not approved for the Brilliant in September how long would I need to wait before I should try to apply for the Bonvoy Business card? It's elevated offer ends 10/22/25.
2. If we wanted to try to get one of the Chase Marriott cards in the future do we just need to cancel the appropriate AMEX cards and wait until it has been 24 months since getting the AMEX subs? I know we also would need to meet the 5/24 rule for Chase.

Thank you for any comments or suggestions. I have hesitated jumping into the Marriott cards ecosystem because of their convoluted rules and trying to decided if points or FNA's would be the best option for us but I think points win out if I want to try to use them like calypso726 did.

 

[happ]

Not sure on a way to bank it for future, but could you use it for an attraction in your city/town? For example, a museum or zoo close to you, if you don’t have travel to use it for?

Thanks. I live in a small town and there's nothing close. A museum or zoo would be great if I could find one within driving distance. I'll keep searching.

 

[wanderlust7]

After reading @calypso726's trip report of her safari it's time to begin planning mine. DH and I have never had any Marriott or Starwood credit cards so we are eligible for any of the current products. It looks like the AMEX Marriott cards would start us in the right direction with their elevated offers currently.

After reading up on the Chase/AMEX rules for the Marriott cards here is my thinking on the best course of action.

1. I will apply for the AMEX Bevy first in August.
2. After approval if there is a support option with the elevated offer I would support DH for his own AMEX Bevy card. Otherwise he will apply on his own.
3. Since AMEX will typically approve 2 cards in 90 days we would both apply for the AMEX Brilliant before the offer ends on 9/24/25. If we don't get approved for the Brilliant then wait until an eleveated offer returns in 2026.
4. When there is another eleveated offer in 2026 for the Bonvoy Business card apply for it.

We would have no problem making the MSR if we both get the 2 cards now. The only AMEX credit card I have is the BBP. We both have a variety of AMEX charge cards. Does this plan sound doable to the experts here or am I missing something? Is there a better coures of action I should consider? I think it makes the most sense to try for both personal cards now in case AMEX makes a change to restrict it to one per family like they and Chase have done for other card brands.

I have a few questions.

1. If I am not approved for the Brilliant in September how long would I need to wait before I should try to apply for the Bonvoy Business card? It's elevated offer ends 10/22/25.
2. If we wanted to try to get one of the Chase Marriott cards in the future do we just need to cancel the appropriate AMEX cards and wait until it has been 24 months since getting the AMEX subs? I know we also would need to meet the 5/24 rule for Chase.

Thank you for any comments or suggestions. I have hesitated jumping into the Marriott cards ecosystem because of their convoluted rules and trying to decided if points or FNA's would be the best option for us but I think points win out if I want to try to use them like calypso726 did.

Sounds like a good plan.

You don't necessarily need to use a Bonvoy support. The non-cobrands can support to any card. So you can pick whichever charge card is the highest.

Approval isn't usually an issue with Amex, but the pop-up is.

To get Chase Bonvoy cards in the future, you need to wait 24 months from the last Amex Bonvoy SUB. Whether you need to close it depends on the card. Chart

 

[mmmears]

The sign up bonus for the CSR increased to 125,000 points after $6,000 spend no more travel credit of $500.

Is is still possible to downgrade a current (old) CSR and apply for a new one and get the SUB?

 

[wanderlust7]

Is is still possible to downgrade a current (old) CSR and apply for a new one and get the SUB?

There's Chase pop-up now instead of the 48 months SUB rule. Before 8/14 there were mixed approvals with past Sapphire. After 8/14 it is all pop-up or denial. There's a DP thread here.

 

[djmeredith]

I applied for the Marriott Brilliant on Aug 9 and got the PUJ message. Today I logged into my AmEx account and the Marriott Bevy was recommended for me, so I applied and got instant approval with the SUB offer. Starting to earn the points for the safari!

 

[mmmears]

There's Chase pop-up now instead of the 48 months SUB rule. Before 8/14 there were mixed approvals with past Sapphire. After 8/14 it is all pop-up or denial. There's a DP thread here.

Thanks. And Boo! I've been preoccupied with life and haven't been keeping up with the points game lately and everything seems to have shifted in the last few months.

 

[djmeredith]

I applied for the Marriott Brilliant on Aug 9 and got the PUJ message. Today I logged into my AmEx account and the Marriott Bevy was recommended for me, so I applied and got instant approval with the SUB offer. Starting to earn the points for the safari!

I'm quoting myself because something weird happened. Despite using the link in my account, it didn't associate this new card with my existing acct. Instead, it sent me an email asking me to set up a new acct. It appears from what I found that I can just add it to my existing account when it arrives. I also entered my existing Marriott acct number when I applied. Then I also got an email this morning saying that they created a new Marriott acct for me, but it gave directions on linking an existing acct if I had one. I clicked on that link and followed the prompts but Marriott sent me a completely separate third account number. One of the emails said you can combine existing accounts after 30 days, so I guess I will wait and try to do that. Anyone else experience something similar and have insight?

 

[calypso726]

After reading @calypso726's trip report of her safari it's time to begin planning mine. DH and I have never had any Marriott or Starwood credit cards so we are eligible for any of the current products. It looks like the AMEX Marriott cards would start us in the right direction with their elevated offers currently.

After reading up on the Chase/AMEX rules for the Marriott cards here is my thinking on the best course of action.

1. I will apply for the AMEX Bevy first in August.
2. After approval if there is a support option with the elevated offer I would support DH for his own AMEX Bevy card. Otherwise he will apply on his own.
3. Since AMEX will typically approve 2 cards in 90 days we would both apply for the AMEX Brilliant before the offer ends on 9/24/25. If we don't get approved for the Brilliant then wait until an eleveated offer returns in 2026.
4. When there is another eleveated offer in 2026 for the Bonvoy Business card apply for it.

We would have no problem making the MSR if we both get the 2 cards now. The only AMEX credit card I have is the BBP. We both have a variety of AMEX charge cards. Does this plan sound doable to the experts here or am I missing something? Is there a better coures of action I should consider? I think it makes the most sense to try for both personal cards now in case AMEX makes a change to restrict it to one per family like they and Chase have done for other card brands.

I have a few questions.

1. If I am not approved for the Brilliant in September how long would I need to wait before I should try to apply for the Bonvoy Business card? It's elevated offer ends 10/22/25.
2. If we wanted to try to get one of the Chase Marriott cards in the future do we just need to cancel the appropriate AMEX cards and wait until it has been 24 months since getting the AMEX subs? I know we also would need to meet the 5/24 rule for Chase.

Thank you for any comments or suggestions. I have hesitated jumping into the Marriott cards ecosystem because of their convoluted rules and trying to decided if points or FNA's would be the best option for us but I think points win out if I want to try to use them like calypso726 did.

This sounds like a good plan. I don't have the answers to the questions as I have been shut out of those convoluted rules for some time since I have had all of the cards and still hold the Ritz which I refuse to downgrade or cancel and take the chance that they stop allowing upgrades. I also keep the Amex Bonvoy for upgrade/downgrade game with Amex. Currently utilizing a P3 and P4 for strategic situations once in a blue moon. This was one of them and at the time having each of them get a Bevy was fine.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

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.

View attachment 994073

Just getting caught up ... but yes, the very high OT when staying there with points has kept me from adding on there. It was shocking to stay in a studio one night on points and have to pay almost $50 in OT. I have 320 VGC points purchased when it opened (paid a ridiculous $92pp), but our Disneyland trips have upped in the past year+ so I find myself staying at the VDH a few times since it's hard to get VGC last minute. I've been using my BLT points for that but the extra OT fee hurts. My understanding is in order to get it approved by a less friendly Anaheim board than when VGC was built, they couldn't get the reduced OT rate. And wrapping it into dues would obviously have those way out of whack compared to other resorts. I wonder how many people haven't bought because of it. I also wonder how many unsuspecting buyers who didn't research much were surprised.

Is Chase making everyone call in to combine points now? Looks like I/DH will have to do that once the referral points post. Is it automated or do you talk to an operator?

I've had all my chase cards linked for a long time (10 years or so) and recently I've had to call in every time I combine even after the text (and even when I'm doing the second card in the same session!). Incredibly frustrating.

I just realized that I missed the 30 day deadline to drop my SWA card before the offer expires on Sep. 17th. Is it still worth it or is the 30 days a hard limit? I will be A list as soon as the changes come into affect due to the spend I put on the card, so I can float for a while on that--but I really wanted to go for the companion pass again.

I envy those of you who can break up with SWA. I would love to do it, but I fly out of OAK (SFO is a PITA as I have to cross the bridge) and there isn't anyone that does as many direct flights to SNA, LGB, or OGG.

 

[calypso726]

Reflecting back and taking a look "behind" on that safari trip

I do want to take the opportunity to express to anyone even thinking about a safari, it is absolutely worth the effort. I say this despite the level of fear and anxiety that I developed regarding lions and big cats shortly before we left and while we were there. I still can't get over what this trip experience was like. I don't think I have quite recovered from the impact and doubt I ever will and that's ok. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to do a safari with points and miles. The only other trip I have done that was a complete wallop to the system - in terms of experience like this - was Antarctica. That one is not as easy to travel hack as a safari.

For now, I will be turning most of my travel hacking efforts to my current obsession of Christmas markets.

 

[wanderlust7]

Thanks. I live in a small town and there's nothing close. A museum or zoo would be great if I could find one within driving distance. I'll keep searching.

How about those audio tours you download? It wouldn't matter when you go and you can buy a bunch to get to $50.

Or a City Pass type thing, though the ones I looked at had to be used within a year.