I love credit cards so much!

[SBWB48]

Just set up a second Apple Pay account using another iPhone 6 we had (dad didn’t need it anymore after he upgraded). Will be using Apple Pay/Cash to send money back to myself as a means to wrap up the 1Q category spending on FOUR CFs thanks for the idea @SouthFayetteFan and @Albort. Thought I could max out by prepaying and use Apple Pay organically, but it’s tough with 4 and I prepaid a bit previously to finish up the SPG Biz.

Think I should be putting through roughly 2K for a small gain with the 3% fee, but all from the couch

 

[speedyfishy]

Please help me decide which credit card to get to earn the best points. I read through many post and I'm confused. I don't know what CSR, CIP, MSR...... means. I just started thinking about using credit cards for points. What about Southwest? How about Discover? I want to use points for traveling. Thanks.

What are your travel goals? What airlines are out of your home airport? How many cards are you comfortable in getting? A lot of us here get a card for the sign up bonus and then open a new card. Are you comfortable doing that?

MSR means minimum spend requiement. That’s a reference to how much you have to spend on the card to get the bonus.

CSR is chase sapphire reserve. This is a premium travel card that comes with a $450 annual fee, but has lots of benefits like $300 travel credit a sign up bonus of 50,000 UR points and comes with a $100 global entry credit.

CIP is the chase ink preferred. It’s a business card with an annual fee of $95 but comes with 80,000 UR points.

 

[amalone1013]

Geez, there were like 15 pages from when we were driving last night and I couldn't check the boards! Well, I could have.... it's just that driving across the Midwest using internet tends to eat phone data

EDIT: Now that I think about it, if I didn't have a CF but was in 2 player mode I'd even consider burning a 5/24 slot on it...P1 applies, earn 20,000 URs (15,000 + 2,500 AU + 2,500 5% category) then refer P2, earn 30,000 URs (15,000 + 2,500 AU + 2,500 5% category + 10,000 refer). 50k combined URs for spending $1,000...pair it with a CSR and you earned $750 back on $1,000 in spend... I think in single player mode this doesn't make as much sense. But in 2 player mode, it's very interesting.

I have serious regrets getting CFU over CF, this isn't helping haha. I would be happy just getting one in DHs name and putting it in my mobile wallet.

I wasn't sure if anyone here had seen that meme so I'm glad someone got it! lol. Of course I just went down a rabbit hole rereading the blog that's from now...

Excellent blog! She has a book too. I wish she still updated!

MPX is another app entirely! Since Amex killed 5x MR with the Plats on MPX, you have to do a little thinking to decide (1) whether to use MPX vs. Gyft/Swych, and (2) what's the best card to use with MPX.

1. With Gyft/Swych, you currently earn 3x UR when using CIP or 5x UR when using CIC through PayPal checkout. That's 3x/5x on every card you see on those apps. Very easy to figure out.

2. With MPX, you need to look at the merchants whose gift cards are available on the app, then think of their merchant code (Starbucks=restaurants/dining, Uber=travel, Amazon=merchandise?). Does the merchant you want to buy a gift card for fall into a bonus category on the credit card you want to use?

For example if you want to buy a Starbucks gift card, you'd use the CSR to earn 1 mile/$ (+25% bonus if you have a MileagePlus credit card connected to your MPX account) + 3x UR/$1 because Starbucks triggers the dining category bonus (or if you're using a CIC, then that's 2x UR/$1). Likewise with Uber, you'd want to use a CSR (for the travel category) or CIP (travel) to earn 3x UR/$1 and 1 mile/$ (+25% bonus if you have a MileagePlus credit card connected to your MPX account).

For merchants who don't fall into a bonus category, you might just want to use a card that earns a high point value on every dollar spent, like the CFU or a SPG, and earn at least the miles for that merchant on MPX. But then you have to decide, is 1 SPG point or 1.5 UR + the UA miles > 3x or 5x UR through Gyft/Swych?

ETA: For example, I need to buy dog food from Petco, but that's not in any bonus category. I could buy a Petco gift card on Gyft in $10/25/50/75/100/200 denominations and earn 3x UR with CIP or 5x UR with CIC/Ink+. Or, I could use MPX to buy a Petco gift card in the exact amount that I need at the cashier, earn 5 miles/$1 through the app (+25% bonus miles because I have a MileagePlus card added to my account) and earn 1 SPG point/$1 because I used my SPG Biz. I usually choose MPX in that case.

I've got a question here. How do you use the gift cards? Are they ones you can pull up on your phone and they can scan?

 

[Lain]

I've got a question here. How do you use the gift cards? Are they ones you can pull up on your phone and they can scan?

Depends on the merchant and their pos. Some eGift cards are generated with a scannable barcode that you present on your phone. They all come with a code (and occasionally pin) that can be copied/pasted during checkout, loaded to an online account, or typed in by a cashier.

 

[wendow]

Question about the PNC checking accounts. Does anything fulfill the “direct deposit” requirement for the bonuses besides an actual direct deposit? Mine isn’t easy to change with my employer so I don’t really want to mess with changing it for a bonus and then having to change it back in a few months. If I can’t easily get a bonus I may just do the basic checking account since you only have to keep $500 in that one to avoid a fee.

@speedyfishy Sorry if you already answered this! Do you know the answer to this? I know you were doing the BMO funding but have you done PNC? I feel like I remember reading that a Cap 1 transfer worked but I've not done any of this yet so I don't want to give wrong info.

 

[Lain]

Question about the PNC checking accounts. Does anything fulfill the “direct deposit” requirement for the bonuses besides an actual direct deposit? Mine isn’t easy to change with my employer so I don’t really want to mess with changing it for a bonus and then having to change it back in a few months. If I can’t easily get a bonus I may just do the basic checking account since you only have to keep $500 in that one to avoid a fee.

@speedyfishy Sorry if you already answered this! Do you know the answer to this? I know you were doing the BMO funding but have you done PNC? I feel like I remember reading that a Cap 1 transfer worked but I've not done any of this yet so I don't want to give wrong info.

Maybe this helps: List Of Methods Banks Count As Direct Deposits

 

[Ava]

Maybe this helps: List Of Methods Banks Count As Direct Deposits

Thank you!! That’s definitely helpful.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Please help me decide which credit card to get to earn the best points. I read through many post and I'm confused. I don't know what CSR, CIP, MSR...... means. I just started thinking about using credit cards for points. What about Southwest? How about Discover? I want to use points for traveling. Thanks.

Hi there! Can you answer the following:

• Who all is in your travel party (and ages)
• Where do you want to travel to?
• Do you have a spouse that will also be signing up for cards?
• How many cards have you been approved for in the last 24 months (if any)?

 

[platamama]

did u get a prepaid one? I bought one online through a random person since california doesnt have any prepaid redbird card... till this day, every time i use it, the cashiers are like, where did u get this card!?

Wait, you're still using it??

How do you check your Amex account to see if gift cards are earning rewards? I have the Amex BCP which gives me 6% at grocery stores. I have been getting a Disney gc with my weekly grocery store trip for a few years and just assumed I was earning 6% on the gc.

When you log into your AMEX online account, for BCP you should see your cash back rewards in the upper right corner, and you can click the "track rewards" (or something like that). But, it is delayed by at least a month so it's only barely helpful. You can also look on your statements, but those too are at least one month behind. As a DP, I've gotten 6% on my BCP on gift cards, both VGC and 3rd party gc.

 

[speedyfishy]

@speedyfishy Sorry if you already answered this! Do you know the answer to this? I know you were doing the BMO funding but have you done PNC? I feel like I remember reading that a Cap 1 transfer worked but I've not done any of this yet so I don't want to give wrong info.

I funded PNC with a CIP. But, I didn’t try for the bonus because I wasn’t in a target state at the time. I think people have gotten the bonus without being a target state, but I didn’t try.

 

[speedyfishy]

I went to Walmart and asked for a money order for 999.12 in two swipes and she said no giftcards after I said that number. Nobody else was showing cards. i gotta do a normal amount I guess.

 

[Lain]

I went to Walmart and asked for a money order for 999.12 in two swipes and she said no giftcards after I said that number. Nobody else was showing cards. i gotta do a normal amount I guess.

$1000 and pay the fee in cash?

 

[Albort]

I went to Walmart and asked for a money order for 999.12 in two swipes and she said no giftcards after I said that number. Nobody else was showing cards. i gotta do a normal amount I guess.

$1000 and pay the fee in cash?

$1000 is also a trigger... it needs to be some very random number like $945.00. but its always based on the cashier. go back tomorrow! lol

 

[disneedee]

So the CIC bonus has me thinking in that direction. DH has CFU and CSP, I Have CF. We transfer the UR to CSP. If DH gets CIC, it will transfer to his CSP and still let me transfer from CF?

Also, anyone has BOA Premium Rewards Card, what triggers the $100 credit? Airline GCs?

I used it for seat upgrade on Alaska but haven’t used it for gc

 

[speedyfishy]

$1000 is also a trigger... it needs to be some very random number like $945.00. but its always based on the cashier. go back tomorrow! lol

I went to a Walmart that was further south from DC since I was going out to eat in that area. But I’ll try a different Walmart closer to me eventually. If I knew GCM for Amex wouldn’t be a problem I’d just do that since it would be hard saying it’s a giftcard when it has my name on it. Also, I’m thinking after I go to a place a few times and show them a card with my name on it they will recognize me and stop asking.

 

[Albort]

I went to a Walmart that was further south from DC since I was going out to eat in that area. But I’ll try a different Walmart closer to me eventually. If I knew GCM for Amex wouldn’t be a problem I’d just do that since it would be hard saying it’s a giftcard when it has my name on it. Also, I’m thinking after I go to a place a few times and show them a card with my name on it they will recognize me and stop asking.

yeah, but they cost a lot more... :\ I rather take the risk of using Simons at $3.95 instead of the $6.95. Plus they take like a week or 2 to ship to u.
i made a joke with a friend on what would happen if you change your name to "Especially for you." or whatever is on the card...

 

[speedyfishy]

yeah, but they cost a lot more... :\ I rather take the risk of using Simons at $3.95 instead of the $6.95. Plus they take like a week or 2 to ship to u.
i made a joke with a friend on what would happen if you change your name to "Especially for you." or whatever is on the card...

I’m paying $5.95 now at Giant. Going through a cashback portal would help with the fees. I am worried about not receiving the card. I get a lot of things “lost” in the mail. Two weeks is also a long time to wait.

 

[speedyfishy]

SO got the CIP I called in to activate the card I thought it would just be an automated line. The guy kept calling me ma’am even though my SO has a male name. The guy kept grilling me with security questions. I of course knew all the answers since SO and I have been together since HS, but I feel like he was suspicious. Oh well, if my SO gives me permission to call and Ik the security questions end it. After, asking for the birthdate he was even like how old are you??? Maybe trying to trip me up.

 

[karmomof3]

Hi there! Can you answer the following:

• Who all is in your travel party (and ages)
• Where do you want to travel to?
• Do you have a spouse that will also be signing up for cards?
• How many cards have you been approved for in the last 24 months (if any)?

My travel party are three children 16, 15, and 8 and myself
We want to travel to London, Jamaica but mostly Florida
No spouse signing up for cards
I have not applied for any cards within the last 24 months.
How does getting a card and canceling it affect your credit? My credit is very good to excellent.
Several airlines fly out of our airport.
Thanks

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Anyone been to Park Hyatt Beaver Creek and/or the Hyatt at Lake Tahoe that could give me their thoughts on going over Christmas break. They are currently both avail on points so I need to book ASAP. I lean Hyatt because we need 2 rooms and that seems most economical with UR points.