I love credit cards so much!

[peel]

What's the latest on the IHG annual certs for people who got the card this year? I know there were some reports of Twitter reps saying we'd get an unrestricted cert on the first anniversary, but nothing that was widely verified. Was there any kind of official acknowledgment that I missed?

 

[Lain]

Personal DP is I had inconsistent treatment on paying taxes on 2 different Amex SPG cards to meet MSR. One worked and the bonus points appeared within a couple of days and the other has not yet posted. I’m waiting for this month’s statement before I call but not looking good.

Good idea to call ahead of time but not sure it will matter because they don’t treat consistently. Hope it works out for you.

If you're looking at each transaction on the Amex beta site, it could be buggy:

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8bp0xa/daily_discussion_thread_april_12_2018/dx8kkw3

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8bfx0z/daily_discussion_thread_april_11_2018/dx6pbyf/

The negative DPs are all over the place, including a lot of legitimate spend, so the thought is the beta site may not be tracking points earned for all transactions.

 

[Lain]

What's the latest on the IHG annual certs for people who got the card this year? I know there were some reports of Twitter reps saying we'd get an unrestricted cert on the first anniversary, but nothing that was widely verified. Was there any kind of official acknowledgment that I missed?

The last I read, new IHG cardholders who opened their cards between 1/1/18 and 4/5/18 will have their free night certificate grandfathered to the prior unrestricted terms. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chas...ght-certificate-grandfathered-for-first-year/

Can’t recall if Chase ever issued an official policy on this or if it’s just a response by their social media reps.

A lot of people are still upset about this, even if true, because the restrictions go into place on 5/1/18, so people who signed up between 5/1/17 and 12/31/17 won’t have hit their first anniversary yet, won’t be included in the grandfathering, and will basically get shafted.

 

[peel]

The last I read, new IHG cardholders who opened their cards between 1/1/18 and 4/5/18 will have their free night certificate grandfathered to the prior unrestricted terms. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chas...ght-certificate-grandfathered-for-first-year/

Can’t recall if Chase ever issued an official policy on this or if it’s just a response by their social media reps.

A lot of people are still upset about this, even if true, because the restrictions go into place on 5/1/18, so people who signed up between 5/1/17 and 12/31/17 won’t have hit their first anniversary yet, won’t be included in the grandfathering, and will basically get shafted.

OK, thanks. That's the last I saw, where DoC said there were conflicting reports and he was going to try to get confirmation. It's ridiculous to exclude all those people that got the card last year. I was hoping there would be some kind of resolution by now.

 

[miztressuz]

The last I read, new IHG cardholders who opened their cards between 1/1/18 and 4/5/18 will have their free night certificate grandfathered to the prior unrestricted terms. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chas...ght-certificate-grandfathered-for-first-year/

Can’t recall if Chase ever issued an official policy on this or if it’s just a response by their social media reps.

A lot of people are still upset about this, even if true, because the restrictions go into place on 5/1/18, so people who signed up between 5/1/17 and 12/31/17 won’t have hit their first anniversary yet, won’t be included in the grandfathering, and will basically get shafted.

Yeah, if I opened in 2017 there'd be royal complaining going on. I thought it was an odd date range that only people who opened in 2018 get the benefit they signed up for but those folks who have been patiently waiting for up to 12 months get screwed? IHG really didn't do this change well. I'm sure it could have been worse, but probably not by much. Cuz, really, did no one think of this backlash to begin with? I find it hard to believe that everyone on that team really believed no one would notice (we'll put it out there and see how bad the response is, if it's quiet, woohoo we get bonuses)

 

[peel]

Yeah, if I opened in 2017 there'd be royal complaining going on. I thought it was an odd date range that only people who opened in 2018 get the benefit they signed up for but those folks who have been patiently waiting for up to 12 months get screwed? IHG really didn't do this change well. I'm sure it could have been worse, but probably not by much. Cuz, really, did no one think of this backlash to begin with? I find it hard to believe that everyone on that team really believed no one would notice (we'll put it out there and see how bad the response is, if it's quiet, woohoo we get bonuses)

Right! And I'm frankly a little surprised there hasn't been more of a prolonged outcry for an official answer from Chase. It's been over a week and we still don't know what we'll be getting.

 

[speedyfishy]

I went to Walmart and they have a bill pay service. You can pay your credit card bill with a debit card. The fee was $1.50 the cashier said there was no limit on how much you could do. I just did $495 to try a VGC. It went through no problem and no asking to see my card. I want to also use my discover debit card and pay off my credit cards. Discover checking gives 1% cashback in debit card purchases up to 3,000 every month. This would mean if I pay a credit card bill for 3,000 I’d get $30 in cashback for $1.50 in fees. Discover has been so much better than my Chase account. I have their savings account too with 1.5% interest.

 

[amalone1013]

Still catching up... I did add up where we're at on DH's SPG biz spend : About $4600 now, at a month in, and I've got about $1400 in monthly bills and a couple annual fees before the 90 days are up. For a moment I was like, how did we spend $4600 in two weeks, because we didn't use the card until almost two weeks after the application date... Then I remembered taxes ($1800) and then buying gift cards before our trip ($1000 - $800 Disney and $200 wedding gift).

THIS!! I'm going to be honest, I've become almost downright rude about snapping at people who get up too early and then want to block the jetway to everyone who should be getting on earlier. It is extremely frustrating, especially if you're traveling with anyone who is handicapped and therefore you need potentially additional space and time to get on the plane. You're already at the gate which means the plane is not going to leave without you as long as you don't leave the general vicinity of boarding. Why do you need to stand on top of the gate agent?!

Plus, I've never understood why all of these people are so desperate to get on the plane earlier... why do you want to sit cramped in a sardine tin for longer than necessary? Even if you're mega diamond platinum elite (to quote @SouthFayetteFan), my idea of a great time is not to sit on a plane, no matter how big or luxurious my seating arrangements are.

I hate this! And DH is one of these antsy people... I scold him he's one of those who likes to get there hours early, then starts pacing/lingering 20 minutes before boarding time. I don't let him do that now. I had flying down to an art in college, I arrived at the airport with just enough time for security, the bathroom, a coffee, and got to my gate as boarding started - and only did carry - on

Man, that is a really good deal and I'm going for two nights in November... I set up an alert. Doubt I could get it, but it would be great to get it for that price with it including the express passes.

I wish you luck! I got it for our honeymoon - I just got on the page like 10 minutes before and kept refreshing.

Fwiw got my Costco Cash Cards in the mail today that I ordered on that Visa promo. Waiting and watching now, the charge posted outside of the time frame stated but I still expect to see the $50 when credits start posting since I ordered it on time.

I'm glad you posted this because I spaced it already... My cards came last Tuesday or Wednesday, I was surprised how fast they came. I can't remember the deal timeframe, I just ordered the first day before the offer was removed, my charge posted 3/31.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I wish you luck! I got it for our honeymoon - I just got on the page like 10 minutes before and kept refreshing.

That's really good to know! Any issues with booking once you got it? The only restriction I see is that it has to be a standard room. Looking at the hotel website there are standard rooms available for Friday and Saturday night (which is fine), but not Saturday and Sunday night (preferred).

 

[gottalovepluto]

...I feel like Holiday Inn is probably a little nicer than the QI by the prison (that sounds super sketchy but I promise it's really not)...

 

[platamama]

I went to Walmart and they have a bill pay service. You can pay your credit card bill with a debit card. The fee was $1.50 the cashier said there was no limit on how much you could do. I just did $495 to try a VGC. It went through no problem and no asking to see my card. I want to also use my discover debit card and pay off my credit cards. Discover checking gives 1% cashback in debit card purchases up to 3,000 every month. This would mean if I pay a credit card bill for 3,000 I’d get $30 in cashback for $1.50 in fees. Discover has been so much better than my Chase account. I have their savings account too with 1.5% interest.

Thank you for this! So if you max out the grocery category with your Discover card at 5%, you get $75. You pay off your $1500 Discover bill using your debit card to do Walmart billpay and get $15. Costs to do this is 3(5.95 VGC purchase fee) + 3(1.50 billpay fee) = $22.35. So you net +$67.65 for maxing out Discover Q2! Sweeeet. I have so much AMEX MSR to meet and it's a serious bummer to forego Chase and Discover's bonus categories. This helps a lot. And as much as I avoid Walmart, this could get me in the door. Do you have to give any identifying information to use billpay there?

I do like Discover's products. I have the cc and a savings account, I should just go ahead and open a checking acct!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Still 20 pages behind, but more decisions to make... Another cousin is getting married Memorial Day weekend. I now have $350 in hotels.com gift cards, and a free night worth $110. But I see that the daily getaways deals have started, and I could buy enough IHG points to stay at the Holiday Inn Express next to my cousin's apartment (different cousin) for $10 less than it would be to stay at the Quality Inn we usually stay at, which is slightly more inconvenient (by 5-10 minutes) and I feel like Holiday Inn is probably a little nicer than the QI by the prison (that sounds super sketchy but I promise it's really not). QI is about $80 a night and HIE about $160 for our nights. But I have no plans for the hotels.com gift cards and already have them... but this charge could go towards SPG biz spend... I'm so indecisive.

I'd be inclined to spend the money I already had sitting around in hotels.com gift cards, however if you are going to potentially have issues meeting the spend on your SPG Biz I can see where you might want take a swing at getting the IHG points. Quite the conundrum you have there! Honestly, I don't think you'll really go wrong either way (unless you get blocked out of using the points due to availability I guess).

 

[speedyfishy]

Thank you for this! So if you max out the grocery category with your Discover card at 5%, you get $75. You pay off your $1500 Discover bill using your debit card to do Walmart billpay and get $15. Costs to do this is 3(5.95 VGC purchase fee) + 3(1.50 billpay fee) = $22.35. So you net +$67.65 for maxing out Discover Q2! Sweeeet. I have so much AMEX MSR to meet and it's a serious bummer to forego Chase and Discover's bonus categories. This helps a lot. And as much as I avoid Walmart, this could get me in the door. Do you have to give any identifying information to use billpay there?

I do like Discover's products. I have the cc and a savings account, I should just go ahead and open a checking acct!

Lol I hate Walmart too. They were banned in NYC lol. But this is connvient and a few minutes from my apartment. I haven’t tried using the discover card yet with Walmart bill pay yet to see if I will get cashback, but when I bought a money order at giant and Harris teeter I got cashback for that purchase so I’m assuming it will work the same. I was maxing the $30 cashback by buying money orders, but this has lower fees and will take less time. I’m going to go tomorrow to pay off another credit card using the discover debit.

Do you plan on paying the credit card off with the discover debit card or the visa gift cards? If you use the visa giftcards you won’t get the cashback but will get cashback for the purchase.
You could pay off the credit card with the debit card though and use the VGC for something else.

When I went to Walmart I had to give the credit card number I was paying off, an address and a phone number.

I really recommend all the Discover products. If you have the savings and credit card the checking can be on the same login. Also the transfers from the savings into checking are instant.

ETA- if you are using the discover debit card to pay the bill you should only have one $1.5 charge. If you use VGC you may need to have three separate transactions and three fees. I only tried one swipe since it was my first time and I was nervous lol.

 

[miztressuz]

Still 20 pages behind, but more decisions to make... Another cousin is getting married Memorial Day weekend. I now have $350 in hotels.com gift cards, and a free night worth $110. But I see that the daily getaways deals have started, and I could buy enough IHG points to stay at the Holiday Inn Express next to my cousin's apartment (different cousin) for $10 less than it would be to stay at the Quality Inn we usually stay at, which is slightly more inconvenient (by 5-10 minutes) and I feel like Holiday Inn is probably a little nicer than the QI by the prison (that sounds super sketchy but I promise it's really not). QI is about $80 a night and HIE about $160 for our nights. But I have no plans for the hotels.com gift cards and already have them... but this charge could go towards SPG biz spend... I'm so indecisive.

LOL OMG I didn't even think about it. I've lived not too far from a prison/detention institution of some type (I forget what exactly it was) and it's in a pretty decent area. There's a bunch of shopping centers right before it and otherwise it's in the middle of fields/woods, nowhere I would have considered sketchy. Heck, there was an elementary school just a couple miles away. So it didn't even phase me when @amalone1013 assured us it's not sketchy.

That is the tough decision HIE vs QI (which I assume is booked through the hotels dot com money). If you have no other plans for any trips the rest of the year, I'd be inclined to just use up the Hotels money. Otherwise you become like us where I don't even want to tally up how much money is sitting in GC's in our safe right now. But if you're only going to be there a short time, and HIE is more convenient, for short trips convenience is starting to win out for us. As you know weddings are a usually a different trip than a normal visit with family, so if we can't stay in the same place we try to get as close as possible. All assuming you can get the IHG points for the price you want (or worse, some strange cosmic quirk they don't take AmEx ). If not then you have a fall back.

 

[peel]

Lol I hate Walmart too. They were banned in NYC lol. But this is connvient and a few minutes from my apartment. I haven’t tried using the discover card yet with Walmart bill pay yet to see if I will get cashback, but when I bought a money order at giant and Harris teeter I got cashback for that purchase so I’m assuming it will work the same. I was maxing the $30 cashback by buying money orders, but this has lower fees and will take less time. I’m going to go tomorrow to pay off another credit card using the discover debit.

Do you plan on paying the credit card off with the discover debit card or the visa gift cards? If you use the visa giftcards you won’t get the cashback but will get cashback for the purchase.
You could pay off the credit card with the debit card though and use the VGC for something else.

When I went to Walmart I had to give the credit card number I was paying off, an address and a phone number.

I really recommend all the Discover products. If you have the savings and credit card the checking can be on the same login. Also the transfers from the savings into checking are instant.

ETA- if you are using the discover debit card to pay the bill you should only have one $1.5 charge. If you use VGC you may need to have three separate transactions and three fees. I only tried one swipe since it was my first time and I was nervous lol.

I'm so confused by this service. Who are the intended target customers? If you have a debit card you probably have checks and/or an online bill pay service through your bank that you can pay your credit card bill with. Why would you need Walmart as a go between? I know there must be an obvious answer.

 

[peel]

LOL OMG I didn't even think about it. I've lived not too far from a prison/detention institution of some type (I forget what exactly it was) and it's in a pretty decent area.

The immediate area around a prison is probably the safest place in town!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I'm so confused by this service. Who are the intended target customers? If you have a debit card you probably have checks and/or an online bill pay service through your bank that you can pay your credit card bill with. Why would you need Walmart as a go between? I know there must be an obvious answer.

You can probably also pay in cash. So debit or cash. It is targeted at people without a checking/savings account or online bill pay service.

 

[speedyfishy]

I'm so confused by this service. Who are the intended target customers? If you have a debit card you probably have checks and/or an online bill pay service through your bank that you can pay your credit card bill with. Why would you need Walmart as a go between? I know there must be an obvious answer.

I really have no idea. Idk why people would pay a fee if they have a bank that offers free bill pay or checks. Walmart also has a service where you can pay someone and they can pick up cash at Walmart. The fees are ridiculous I didn’t even think about trying a VGC. Maybe some people can’t get a bank account and pay their bills with cash through them?? I’m only doing it for MS and to max my discover checking cashback. Discover doesn’t give cashback for non debit payments and I can’t pay my credit card with a VGC. Maybe other people have rewards for debit purchases too? I really don’t know, but I hope this continues to work for me lol

 

[peel]

You can probably also pay in cash. So debit or cash. It is targeted at people without a checking/savings account or online bill pay service.

I really have no idea. Idk why people would pay a fee if they have a bank that offers free bill pay or checks. Walmart also has a service where you can pay someone and they can pick up cash at Walmart. The fees are ridiculous I didn’t even think about trying a VGC. Maybe some people can’t get a bank account and pay their bills with cash through them?? I’m only doing it for MS and to max my discover checking cashback. Discover doesn’t give cashback for non debit payments and I can’t pay my credit card with a VGC. Maybe other people have rewards for debit purchases too? I really don’t know, but I hope this continues to work for me lol

Cash makes total sense. It's the traditional debit cards I can't figure out. You'd only be issued one if you had a bank account.
Anyway, who cares as long as you're able to take advantage!
You can also max out the Freedom by buying VGC at grocery stores and heading to Walmart.

 

[Alexle2007]

Yay! Just got the Florida 2-Day ticket for the 3 of us on Daily Getaways for $75 each.