I love credit cards so much!

[kmc8826]

DH hasn't even received his INK card yet and the $95 AF has hit. I can't find that in the terms and conditions. Is that because it's a business account??

Same for us! The physical card arrived yesterday and when we got onto the business account there was the $95 fee showing as due on the next statement. A little annoying...I am used to having an annual fee show up but usually not before you even get the card itself!

 

[Ngwira]

Got the targeted 70k United offer but way over 5/24 so no go....

 

[eeyoresmom]

Two more questions regarding the CSR. You have to first charge at least $300 in travel related expenses to receive the credit correct? When does the $300 travel credit become available? Also if DH has the CSR can he bring a travel companion (me !) into the the lounge as well?

 

[Lain]

Two more questions regarding the CSR. You have to first charge at least $300 in travel related expenses to receive the credit correct? When does the $300 travel credit become available? Also if DH has the CSR can he bring a travel companion (me !) into the the lounge as well?

1. Yes. Although it's more like an "up to $300" in travel credit. This appears as a statement credit whenever you charge something that codes as travel, up to $300 for the year (ending with the close of your December statement). So if you charge garage parking at $12, you'll see a $12 statement credit, and so on until you use up the $300. If you don't use it, you lose it.

2. Available immediately when you receive the card. And again for the next year after the last statement of this year closes in December.

3. Yes. Priority Pass under the CSR allows the passholder to bring in unlimited guests from his or her traveling party. However, there are reports that Priority Pass lounges have experienced overcrowding. The lounges always reserve the right to deny entry due to capacity issues.

 

[Lain]

1. Apply for both the United personal and business. I will then be 3/24, if approved for the United personal?​

​

The deadline to apply for the United MileagePlus Explorer card with the 50k or 70k bonus miles (+$50 statement credit) offer has been extended again to 4/30/17.

 

[mhartman09]

Curious as to whether many of you receive referral bonuses for the cards you have. I know we can't post referrals here on the Dis and I am in no way asking anyone here to use my referrals. I just have a genuine question regarding them. Do you pretty much just rely on people you know to get referrals?

The only place I've really found to post them publicly is over on reddit. However, as many of you know, you must attain a certain amount of karma in order to do so. I've been doing well with my comment karma over there, but definitely needed to get my post karma up in order to post mine. Tried making my first real post today about an offer I received via email on the Citi AA Platinum and I was hosed almost immediately. Obviously the offer I posted about today didn't go over well with the churning sub.

There are just not enough people in my life interested in cards enough to really gain anything for referrals. I've gotten about 2 Disney referrals, but that's pretty much it. Figured I'd check with you guys to see how it generally works out for you.

 

[Alice Sr.]

The United MileagePlus Explorer card is offering an enhanced signup bonus right now, 50k miles (public offer) or 70k miles (targeted) for $3k minimum spend, which is supposed to end on 4/15/17. See http://www.doctorofcredit.com/march...plus-explorer-increased-bonus-70000-miles-50/

I don't know your current application situation, but you might want to get in on this offer if you can. This offer seems to come around once a year (I found a similar offer from 2016). You've got time til 2019, so if applying doesn't work for you in the next 10 days, then perhaps wait until this offer comes around again.

I already have a MileagePlus Select card and am sitting on a large stash of miles, and I only got the 50k offer; tried repeatedly to trigger a 70k offer with dummy bookings but could only get a 50k miles + $50 statement credit offer to show. My wife who flies United occasionally for business, has a MileagePlus account but not their credit card, received the 70k offer in her MileagePlus account. But my wife hates flying United and can't be convinced that signing up for the Explorer card even with an enhanced bonus is a good deal. I didn't fight it because my understanding is that transferring (or pooling) United miles can be costly.

Yes, I received the 70k offer this afternoon, and it is good through 4/30 which should work for me (30 days up 4/19). I think (but who knows) I got the offer because I just purchased two cheapo accent chairs (and an end stand) from Ashley Furniture through the United shopping portal. I paid $280 and got 760 points. Try making a small purchase, maybe you will get the offer. Wasn't aware of a transferring/pooling issue, thanks for the heads up, I will research that.

 

[amalone1013]

Balance transfers are easy. Generally, they can send you a check that you can deposit into a bank account and you fill it out for the amount of the transfer. You can take that cash and pay off the SW card balance. Chase would have no idea that the balance was transferred to another card.

See, I didn't even think about the check from the balance transfer card being able to go to an account and then making a payment... Was thinking check straight to SW account... d'oh!

I'll have to run the idea by my fiance and see what he thinks, and then his parents... even if we paid the balance transfer fee and split the SW points with them (because they'll need flights in April too, it's his brother's wedding), if my math is right we'd still get a lot of value from 55k points with the Companion Pass - 55k pts x 1.5cpp = $825 x 2 people flying - balance transfer fee = definitely enough for 3 RTs for us

I mean, technically we could just pay off the SW card and let them pay us back over 1-2yrs, but much as I love my soon to be in-laws, we've got some other goals going on that make me not want to float $7k to them right now... like some student loans, etc that you may remember from another thread

 

[Alice Sr.]

I was at 4/24 when i applied for the SPG because of the bonus offer. its expiring tomorrow. I picked it because of the redemption rate for hotels. its like 2000 for low tier, 10,000 for mid tier, and 30,000 for top tier. Marriott is almost 25k-30k just for mid tier. I have plans for a Hyatt card but i was told it wasnt under the 5/24 rule so thats off the table.
If you like united, get a United card. You shouldnt need to have 2 airlines because by overusing 1 airline, you should gain status pretty quickly. Getting a United card has its good points, free bags, Mileage X is great! u can double dip that with a CSR. A card to also hold ur points. the card doesnt allow the miles to expire.

i barely touch my IT card, Sams club is great card, but they are all cash back. i rather earn UR points. I believe u still pay a $55 fee a month. Sams club membership is always on sale for $25.

Curious, how are u paying for your hotels? Perhaps the Prestige would be a good choice with it's 4th night free.

Well United surely helped me make up my mind with the 70k offer, plus emailing me that I received 760 points for using their shopping portal to satisfy my SW spend, lol. I need to decide if I want to try to grab United personal and business at the same time, I'm nervous about that. I think 30 days later I would go for Ink and then hold out for a bigger bonus from CSP with the intent of PC to Freedom for the 5% quarterly options. Good to know about the discount for the Sam's club membership. I have DVC so have not needed to pay for hotels on the trips I pay for, but good to know the value difference between SPG and Marriott. Thx!

 

[Alice Sr.]

Planning for Grand Canyon first week of June 2018 as soon as school is out, so can't book yet.
For Seattle we are considering a short trip to Vancouver and back while we're there. Will look at Portland if I can't make Seattle work.

I agree with Jen, be prepared to book as soon as the window opens for the best options. My DD and I flew into PHX on SW (super cheap), we were able to take our sleeping bags, tent and minimal camping equipment along with our luggage thanks to SW 2 bags free. I traded DVC for a week at Sheraton Scottsdale, from there we visited Sedona, Red Rock Slide, stayed overnight in Flagstaff one night, camped on the rim and hiked the Grand Canyon, camped in Payson, tubed down the Salt River, came across wild mustangs drinking in the river as we floated by within 10' of them, and no one else in sight. One of my all time favorite trips. We went the week after Labor day and the weather was great during the day but the two nights we camped it was cold, the second night we got up and got in the car. I have not been to Portland but I went to Vancouver 5 or 6 years ago for a conference. It blew me away, maybe because I was not expecting much but what a great city and surrounding area. I flew out of ORD on, I think, Air Canada, but they considered it a commuter, tiny little plane to be going that far away but it was a great experience. I know it was the least expensive non-stop flight I could find. So maybe look into reversing your trip to fly into Vancouver and driving to Portland or Seattle. I have know idea of the cost or drive just throwing out another options and voting up for Vancouver. Sounds like a great adventure!

 

[Alice Sr.]

DH hasn't even received his INK card yet and the $95 AF has hit. I can't find that in the terms and conditions. Is that because it's a business account??

The same with my SW personal, that was just approved a few days ago, kind of crazy.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I agree with Jen, be prepared to book as soon as the window opens for the best options. My DD and I flew into PHX on SW (super cheap), we were able to take our sleeping bags, tent and minimal camping equipment along with our luggage thanks to SW 2 bags free. I traded DVC for a week at Sheraton Scottsdale, from there we visited Sedona, Red Rock Slide, stayed overnight in Flagstaff one night, camped on the rim and hiked the Grand Canyon, camped in Payson, tubed down the Salt River, came across wild mustangs drinking in the river as we floated by within 10' of them, and no one else in sight. One of my all time favorite trips. We went the week after Labor day and the weather was great during the day but the two nights we camped it was cold, the second night we got up and got in the car. I have not been to Portland but I went to Vancouver 5 or 6 years ago for a conference. It blew me away, maybe because I was not expecting much but what a great city and surrounding area. I flew out of ORD on, I think, Air Canada, but they considered it a commuter, tiny little plane to be going that far away but it was a great experience. I know it was the least expensive non-stop flight I could find. So maybe look into reversing your trip to fly into Vancouver and driving to Portland or Seattle. I have know idea of the cost or drive just throwing out another options and voting up for Vancouver. Sounds like a great adventure!

I'll look at flights to Vancouver again, but when I originally looked it was much more $ to fly round trip to Vancouver or in to Vancouver & out from Seattle.

Your Grand Canyon trip sounds great! 20 years ago I might have made it lol. I'm hoping to do it next year because I have a bad knee & am afraid I won't be able to hike very far in a few years. Disney about kills me with all the walking. No camping for us (outside of a tent in the backyard with the kiddies) & we need to go when DS is not in school so that means end of May/beginning of June. I have my calendar marked to start checking availability at the Park hotels

 

[eeyoresmom]

but good to know the value difference between SPG and Marriott. Thx!

Can someone explain??

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Can someone explain??

Marriott recently acquired SPG, so you are now able to transfer points between each. They are at a 1 SPG to 3 Marriott point valuation, so if you transfer 333 SPG points, you get 1000 Marriott points. The rates vary by category, but the cheapest SPG room (category 1) can be booked at 2000 SPG points on a weekend and 3000 on a weeknight, which equals roughly 6000 Marriott points for weekend and 9000 Marriott points for a weeknight.

Marriott also have rates that vary by category, so for a category 1 Pointsaver rewards, you can get a room for 6000 Marriott points, which is equivalent to 2000 SPG points. The standard category 1 room is 7500 Marriott points, which is roughly 2500 SPG points.

The categories aren't fully equivalent though. SPG has 7 categories, while Marriott has 9 categories. Something to also keep in mind when considering the value in transferring points.

It takes a little math to go back and forth to ensure that you are getting a good deal. Generally, I like the flexibility of being able to transfer points based on need. As I mentioned before, I have a trip to Copenhagen but there are no SPG hotels there. So I transferred SPG points to Marriott to book at the Marriott Copenhagen. This is a Marriott category 8 hotel, which requires 40,000 Marriott points per night. I keep checking back to see if a Pointsaver rate opens up (35,000 points), but haven't had luck yet. 40,000 Marriott points is equivalent to 13,320 SPG points. This puts in an equivalence to a SPG category 5 room, which cost between 12,000-16,000 SPG points per night. I think this is probably a fair estimation.

 

[eeyoresmom]

Thank you

 

[Psychodisney]

I found an interesting page on reddit about the value of SPG points and a little info on transferring SPG to Marriott to get a better value on United points. Not sure if it is ok to post the link. Look on the reddit churning page, sidebar on the right, click on SPG.

 

[Pooh2]

For the expert churners out there, how many cards would you apply for in a year?
I am 3/24 on Chase and Authorized user 2/24, so Chase is out for me for awhile.
Just got rejected for Southwest, so applied for and was approved for Jetblue. Was thinking of applying for the SPG before this week before the offer expires but did not know if that is pushing it..
Any thoughts?

 

[Alexle2007]

As I expected, DS received his condition Global Entry approval before DH and I. BWI is our next location and there are not available until 6/28. DC has availability in early May so I thinking I am going to wait until a couple of days hope DH and my approval come through and then look at DC for all of us since there is currently plenty of availability there. It's a 1 1/2-2 hour trip so it would be nice to get them all completed at once and then we would have them in time for our June vacation.

 

[jujubiee4]

For the expert churners out there, how many cards would you apply for in a year?
I am 3/24 on Chase and Authorized user 2/24, so Chase is out for me for awhile.
Just got rejected for Southwest, so applied for and was approved for Jetblue. Was thinking of applying for the SPG before this week before the offer expires but did not know if that is pushing it..
Any thoughts?

Not an expert but i'm also sitting at 5/24. At least until October when 2 fall off. I can't wait
as seems like Chase has all the good offers.

I was also going try for the SPG card but i would not have needed it anytime in the next 18 months
so didn't bother. Research the cards you REALLY want/need then take it from there.

 

[Albort]

Curious as to whether many of you receive referral bonuses for the cards you have. I know we can't post referrals here on the Dis and I am in no way asking anyone here to use my referrals. I just have a genuine question regarding them. Do you pretty much just rely on people you know to get referrals?

The only place I've really found to post them publicly is over on reddit. However, as many of you know, you must attain a certain amount of karma in order to do so. I've been doing well with my comment karma over there, but definitely needed to get my post karma up in order to post mine. Tried making my first real post today about an offer I received via email on the Citi AA Platinum and I was hosed almost immediately. Obviously the offer I posted about today didn't go over well with the churning sub.

There are just not enough people in my life interested in cards enough to really gain anything for referrals. I've gotten about 2 Disney referrals, but that's pretty much it. Figured I'd check with you guys to see how it generally works out for you.

i recently used a disboard member to referral me. it gives her 5k SPG points from the referral. As for reddit, /r/churning is very sensitive. They like their info pretty quiet and dont particularly like to spread their information. The more people the more, the quicker things get shut down. If you post a single thread by itself, it get shut downed. Just recommend reading and if u need to post, post in the daily threads accordingly. For referral, there is a thread per card in contest mode where your can be on top or bottom randomly.

I found an interesting page on reddit about the value of SPG points and a little info on transferring SPG to Marriott to get a better value on United points. Not sure if it is ok to post the link. Look on the reddit churning page, sidebar on the right, click on SPG.

reddit is more of a news site then anything else. If u want like, real information, i suggest u read at flyertalk. they have a lot more datapoints and a lot more wikis on the topics.

For the expert churners out there, how many cards would you apply for in a year?
I am 3/24 on Chase and Authorized user 2/24, so Chase is out for me for awhile.
Just got rejected for Southwest, so applied for and was approved for Jetblue. Was thinking of applying for the SPG before this week before the offer expires but did not know if that is pushing it..
Any thoughts?

apply as many as u want as long as u can make minimums. i know ppl apply like 1-2 times a month. it depends on strategy as well. if you got a trip planned, hit the cards u want to plan it. Chase is usually the first cuz of its ruling on 5 credit cards per every 24 months. Hit those first! You can go for SPG but make sure u can hit the minimums!