I love credit cards so much!

[DisneyMandC]

Just got an email from Google Flights that the price dropped on our return flights from LAX-IAD! In searching through a lot of Google Flights from LAX to IAD on the same day of the week, I haven't seen the price go any lower than this ($144 pp for redeye on Alaska). Signed us up for Alaska mileage accounts and purchased two tickets on my CIP!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

So quiet on this thread today. Everyone busy doing ?

 

[1st*toright]

Heading out on a road trip in a couple of days - mostly non-chain hotels (booked pre-churning, but still probably the best choices for the trip we are doing), but I seem to have done pretty good on points with our one chain stay- a Fairfield Inn and Spring Hill Suites that are right next to each other. Got a super cheap rate at the Fairfield 'cause I booked forever ago ($100- current price online is $220), just for the Friday night- the rate went way up for Saturday night, so I reserved a the SHS for that night (brand new hotel and a bit more space for not much more $$$). My rate at the SHS is a good $130 below what the current online price shows. I get to pay with my new SPG Biz (meeting MSR and getting 2x points), plus there is a Marriott promotion where you get 3000 bonus points per weekend stay - so since we are in 2 different hotels, that's another 6000 Marriott points, because one stay is Friday night, the other includes Saturday night!

I didn't really plan this out for points purposes, it was all just based on room rate when I booked (like, last summer), but it seems to be working out reasonably well!

Marriott Points for hotel stay ($540*10)= 5400
+25% (Gold Status)=1350
SPG points for payment (converted to Marriott points) (540*2*3)= 3240
Bonus Points for weekend stay* (3000*2)=6000

For a total of earning 15,990 points for my stay, which isn't bad. I'm bummed they changed the rules and I lost my Platinum status this year, or it would have been a little more.

*bonus starts with second stay during promotion period - already stayed at at least one Marriott for work travel, so I qualify already).

 

[amalone1013]

Turns out most hotels on Harbor won't take free nights from hotels.com. I really shouldn't be that surprised but... jerks

You sound like me I don't consider myself a coffee 'snob'...that title definitely goes to someone like @CyndiLouWho's dh who grinds his beans daily (that is my step-dad!!)...But a good cup of coffee is super important to my day. I do take my own coffee, creamer and I've been known to take my Keurig if I don't like what is probably lurking in the room under the 'guise' of coffee. It's just that big of a deal to me. I also don't like having to hunt down coffee. I need it quickly so if there isn't a good coffee shop in the hotel or right outside, I take my mini Keurig. Drives my dh crazy but without good coffee, I'll be even crazier lol!

I really like to have it as I get ready in the morning because sometimes when you get on the go on a trip, it's not always easy to carry a cup along... or on a disney trip, you're not supposed to take it on the bus and I'm a rule follower, then we get to the park and I opt to skip Starbucks because it's always so crazy and I don't want to waste park time in there.... if I get my own desk/office again, either at my current job or the next, I'm totally getting a mini Keurig to keep there.

 

[afan]

So quiet on this thread today. Everyone busy doing ?

It's only 712 here, trying to get going at work. Would rather be doing laundry

 

[Lain]

I know some of you are interested in this card.

From DoC: Barclays Arrival Premier Now Live – Doesn’t Transfer 1:1 (1.4 or 1.7 to 1)

Card Basics

• No sign up bonus
• Card earns 2x miles per $1 spent
• Ability to transfer miles to Barclays travel partners
• $150 annual fee
• Annual spend bonuses:
  • Spend $15,000 in a card membership year and get 15,000 bonus miles
  • Spend an additional $10,000 and get an additional 10,000 bonus miles (total of $25,000 spend for 25,000 miles)
• Global Entry credit
• No foreign transaction fees
• Lounge Key access (basically just Priority Pass, but you have to pay for lounge access at $27 per entry)
• In early May existing Barclays Arrival/Arrival Plus cardholders will be able to convert to this product. Points earned on the Arrival/Arrival Plus do not carry over to this card

Travel Partners
One of the most exciting things about this card in the lead up is the possibility to transfer the miles this card earns into other programs. The transfer partners are:

• Aeromexico
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• China Eastern
• Etihad
• EVA Air
• Japan Airlines (JAL)
• Jet Airways
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas

The transfer rate is 1.4 arrival miles = 1 miles with all of these programs apart from Japan Airlines. Japan Airlines requires 1.7 arrival miles per Japan airlines mile.

Other Redemptions Options
You can still redeem miles for 1¢ per point like you can with the Barclays Arrival/Arrival Plus products. This card does not carry the 5% rebate the Arrival Plus does.

 

[jhoannam]

I know some of you are interested in this card.

From DoC: Barclays Arrival Premier Now Live – Doesn’t Transfer 1:1 (1.4 or 1.7 to 1)

Card Basics

• No sign up bonus
• Card earns 2x miles per $1 spent
• Ability to transfer miles to Barclays travel partners
• $150 annual fee
• Annual spend bonuses:
  • Spend $15,000 in a card membership year and get 15,000 bonus miles
  • Spend an additional $10,000 and get an additional 10,000 bonus miles (total of $25,000 spend for 25,000 miles)
• Global Entry credit
• No foreign transaction fees
• Lounge Key access (basically just Priority Pass, but you have to pay for lounge access at $27 per entry)
• In early May existing Barclays Arrival/Arrival Plus cardholders will be able to convert to this product. Points earned on the Arrival/Arrival Plus do not carry over to this card

Travel Partners
One of the most exciting things about this card in the lead up is the possibility to transfer the miles this card earns into other programs. The transfer partners are:

• Aeromexico
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• China Eastern
• Etihad
• EVA Air
• Japan Airlines (JAL)
• Jet Airways
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas

The transfer rate is 1.4 arrival miles = 1 miles with all of these programs apart from Japan Airlines. Japan Airlines requires 1.7 arrival miles per Japan airlines mile.

Other Redemptions Options
You can still redeem miles for 1¢ per point like you can with the Barclays Arrival/Arrival Plus products. This card does not carry the 5% rebate the Arrival Plus does.

None of that is appealing.

 

[miztressuz]

Just bought GC's at speedway with my discover to max out the 5% category, you can use them at the pump just like a credit card, they sell GC's for gas, merchandise, and gas & merchandise, so just make sure you get the type of gift card you want. If you have a speedy rewards card you also get additional bonus points!

Haha..ikr too many rewards points programs can drive me nuts. But yes definitely get points for gas purchases with Speedway as well as I like it when I get surveys from them to earn say a hundred points. I have an account with them so get to choose which way to earn points for that month. So of course i go with the one that will earn me the most from them. It's especially good when it works in coordination with the CF.

Thank you for the Speedway info! (and everyone else for all the gas GC info in general!)

I waited until last week to see what I'd need to max out the quarter and headed to Speedway to pick up the Speedy card. I needed about $170 to finish it out so when I go to pick up the card they have a promo for 300 Speedy points for every $25 and $1 off. So my $175 card I loaded only cost $168 AND I have 2100 points. When I setup the app I have a bonus offer for 500 points if I use the app to scan instead of the plastic card. Now I just need to get hubby to remember to do it before he fills up. It'll be a slow earn but something is better than nothing! I missed maxing out Discover by $2 but I'm ok with it

Since hubby is the one that uses Speedway on a regular basis I asked him why he didn't check out the rewards program... I got the It's been a few years since the Hess' turned into Speedway, I'm trying not to think of what all we missed

 

[BamaBoy]

So I have the Arrival Plus and the annual fee is due at the end of May. What are my options? Are they going to keep the Arrival Plus, or will you be forced to convert to the new Premiere card? I would like to PC to a no annual fee card, but will they even have that product option?

 

[Calfan]

Ugh!!! My husband is winding up a multi-day golf trip with some friends at a golf resort in Oregon, and I've now seen two (not small) charges for this trip come through on our CFU. Pretty sure the charges would code either as a hotel or restaurant based on the Visa Supplier Locator, so WHY ISN'T HE USING THE CSR???? I've texted him to see if he can get the charges switched when he checks out. Why, oh why, is it so hard for him to use the right card?

 

[miztressuz]

None of that is appealing.

Ok, it wasn't just me who thought that

 

[areno79]

I have a question about the SW card. I referred DH for the plus card (which I have), and he was approved with a very high credit limit. The same day, he applied for a SW business card (we're trying to get the companion pass), but was put in application pending, and ultimately denied. Is it because he applied for both cards on the same day? He was trying to avoid multiple credit report pulls. He does have a small business so it's legit, but he applied as a sole proprietor so not sure if that would have been it? I don't understand why they would have approved him for a regular card with a huge limit and denied him for the business card. Should he have applied for the biz card on a separate day? TIA

 

[peel]

I have a question about the SW card. I referred DH for the plus card (which I have), and he was approved with a very high credit limit. The same day, he applied for a SW business card (we're trying to get the companion pass), but was put in application pending, and ultimately denied. Is it because he applied for both cards on the same day? He was trying to avoid multiple credit report pulls. He does have a small business so it's legit, but he applied as a sole proprietor so not sure if that would have been it? I don't understand why they would have approved him for a regular card with a huge limit and denied him for the business card. Should he have applied for the biz card on a separate day? TIA

You have to be at 0/30 to be approved for a business card, so he should have flip flopped the applications.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Short notice work trip to Illinois which should give me another $600-$800 spend on my CIP. Less than $2k to go on that card and then I will focus on DH's IHG card (which hasn't even arrived yet).

 

[peel]

DH got an offer to upgrade his no-AF Hilton Honors to an Ascend with a $95 AF, earning 75K points after $2K in spending. He has until 5/30 to take the offer, so I can knock out the IHG MSR first and then start working on this one. This is a no brainer, right? No adding to 5/24, no hard pull, and we can downgrade back to the free version to after a year to avoid a second AF.

 

[dygaar]

I have a question about the SW card. I referred DH for the plus card (which I have), and he was approved with a very high credit limit. The same day, he applied for a SW business card (we're trying to get the companion pass), but was put in application pending, and ultimately denied. Is it because he applied for both cards on the same day? He was trying to avoid multiple credit report pulls. He does have a small business so it's legit, but he applied as a sole proprietor so not sure if that would have been it? I don't understand why they would have approved him for a regular card with a huge limit and denied him for the business card. Should he have applied for the biz card on a separate day? TIA

Chase Business cards are subject to 0/30. He would have needed to apply for the business card before the personal card. He should be able to wait until he is 0/30 and reapply for the SW Business again. Also, business and personal applications will not combine hard pulls.

 

[areno79]

You have to be at 0/30 to be approved for a business card, so he should have flip flopped the applications.

I'm sorry, what does 0/30 mean? 0 card applications in 30 days? If so, does that mean he could reapply?

 

[dygaar]

Correct 0 applications in 30 days. After the 30 days, with 0 applications, he should be able to reapply for the SW business card.

 

[areno79]

Correct 0 applications in 30 days. After the 30 days, with 0 applications, he should be able to reapply for the SW business card.

Thank you! I'm fairly new to this process and trying to quickly learn as I go!

 

[thevalley]

IF i apply the fee free dollars to my plastiq account when paying a bill that is over the referral amount how does that work. will i pay the remaining balance of the transaction fee?