I love credit cards so much!

[castoral]

Sorry, I’m also coming to ask for advice on where to go next. This thread moves so fast! I’m reading and soaking it all in but don’t feel like I have enough to add YET!

Anyway, since Jan we’ve opened:
Me: CSP (1/18) and SPG Amex (2/18)
DH: IHG (2/18), SPG Amex (3/18), and CSP (4/18)

I also have a Chase Freedom Unlimited I opened in 4/16.

Original plan was to chill for a few months and work bank bonuses BUT our kitchen/basement flooded and a $1400 boat repair so it seems silly now to NOT be working on a bonus. I also originally thought I should save room for the 2 Southwest cards and get the companion pass but one, we really don’t fly much and one ticket out of 6 people doesn’t save us that much.

We do have rental properties so business card suggestions would be suitable.

Travel plans right now are Disney in Nov 18, a cruise (about $3k left to pay) in March, then possibly a road trip through Cali in Aug 19 (so flights, hotels, rental car, Disneyland) and a cruise for 2 in Nov 19 for our 15 yr anniversary (plus flights and hotel night before)

 

[calypso726]

Of course we're always thinking about our next app, so as I'm working on my 8k spend for the CSR/CSP, I'm dreaming of the Hilton Aspire card. When I go onto the Amex site, even if I'm not logged in, it doesn't offer me a bonus for the Aspire, it just has a button that says "upgrade" (I have the no-fee one). If I click on a support link that takes me to an application with the bonus, I'm going to get it, right? Amex isn't going to not give me the bonus because I have the no-fee version, are they?

@mom2elal - The Aspire is a completely different product so it should be fine. I had the Hilton Surpass card prior to getting the Aspire card and got the bonus with no problem. Amex doesn't have the "family of cards" rule like Citi and now Chase. Their T&Cs and offer terms with Platinum MR earning cards sometimes have the wording though. I have not read any DPs of people being denied the bonus on the Aspire due to holding another Hilton card. I really like this card and the benefits. I was so hoping the new SPG card would be similar. DH and I each got the Aspire. We triggered our $250 airline credit by purchasing $100 American Airlines gift cards. We will be using our free nights and our hotel credits this July. Weekend trip to NYC to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ... again. This is a card we will be keeping.

I don’t have any of the Hilton cards, so someone correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the no fee Hilton card a completely different product than the Aspire? Have you ever had the Aspire card before? If not, you should be eligible for the bonus.

That is correct!

We've never flown anything besides economy lol. I guess we've just never gone far enough to get anything but economy. The longest we have flown was 3 hours.

Oh wow! That is going to be a long flight in comparison and what an amazing experience you guys are going to have visiting so far away! After DH and I got married back in '96 my DMIL took us to visit their country of birth and meet extended family in Vietnam. We flew economy and it was about 21 hours of travel. I was in my 20's and it was also about 30 pounds ago. I am exactly 5 feet tall/short, whatever. Even for me, it was uncomfortable. I'd recommend getting up and walking to the bathroom periodically, even if you don't need to go. Also, if you have no allergies to aspirin, take one baby aspirin 30 minutes before your flight. This helps thin the blood, encourages circulation and avoid DVT which is a risk factor for some people when sitting down for very long periods of time. We still do this even when just going across the pond or to the opposite coast. Keep well hydrated and drink plenty of water. Air travel has a way of dehydrating you before you know it. We always buy a large bottle of water each before boarding.

 

[570traveler]

You got me curious so I keep trying to think of something else for the Freedom categories and haven't come up with anything else yet. Most of my thought trains ended in "nope, that worked because we were buying Best Buy GC's " But if you could find somewhere with a discounted GC (that can get you a Disney GC) that takes PayPal, that's another option for this quarter.

But as for your listed strategies I thought about it a bit and if your Best Buy restocks and you can cash out Swagbucks for PayPal, that still seems the most lucrative since you just use Chase Pay for all the purchases. If I worked my numbers right then the Sam's route edges out Grocery by a smidge, so if you could figure out how to get more use out of the grocery points that could sway it (cuz it's easier ).

.........................................................Disney Amount Discount Cashback ....Final total... % off
Best Buy $710 & SB discount* .....................800 (810)........ 90.......... 38 .........672 .........16
Sam's $500 + 2x $150, $775 in WM GC's ..............800.... 29.06...... 38.75.... 732.19 .......8.47
Grocery Gas points ..............................................800........ 26........... 40......... 734 ......8.25
Sam's 6 x $150, $860 in WM GC's........................ 900.... 42.12........... 43..... 814.88 ......9.45

The last option gets you a better % off but you have more Disney money than requested. Just threw it in there for comparison. Best Buy gets a little wonky as I was trying to figure out the least amount of cash to spend to reach 800 using the Swagbucks points. But it makes it uneven for redemptions since PP is in $25 increments. So you either add in other SB to end up with 810 in Disney money or figure out another accounting method for it
The Walmart/Sam's route also assumes you can buy the variable GC's with the Chase Pay or PayPal, and just round up a smidge to cover the GC price. I know you can in store but can't remember what's available online.

Edit: Oh, and I didn't account for the $150 bonus because that's the same amount off the top for all methods.

Thanks! I just wasn’t sure if I was missing any obvious savings method with this card. I’m new to chase pay. It doesn’t have to be exactly $800 (I upgraded our hotel and said I’d pay the difference but we still owe more than that on the trip). Till the card arrives, I’ll watch for any additional gas points (sometimes I see 8X) and see if BB has restocked. There’s 2 that are fairly close so I could always give them a call before I drive over.

 

[calypso726]

What do I do at 1am ... I sit here and put down in my spreadsheet a complete 24 month plan for cards.

The good news is I see a clear plan of our next 12 cards and with my wife approaching 0/24 in June and me getting < 5/24 in 11 months...we have a lot of URs in our future.

I'd REALLY like to have my wife go on an AMEX Schwab & MR spree...but I can't justify fitting it in the strategy in the next 24 months. To max that out, it's 6 personal cards...but it's also $3,000 in cash...and this is why I'm putting the strategy clearly in writing. It will let me start overthinking credit card applications that will occur 18 months from now (I love being a churner ).

The other awesome realization I have is that by alternating P1 & P2 effectively we can support over $20k in MSRs a year and constantly remain under 5/24. I already knew this in my head, but seeing it on paper is pretty cool now!

I have more of a roadmap, instead of a spreadsheet, with lots of room for detours whenever there’s an enhanced bonus and new or discontinued cards. I’ll do a lot of notepad math to decide how to balance spend between meeting MSRs and maximizing bonus categories. What can I say? I want it both ways, even if it does slow my churn.

You two are way more organized than I am. I must say there is a sense of freedom with knowing you can't go after any Chase cards when you already have 10 of them and will always be /24. Although I will admit that staying perpetually under 5/24 is really impressive.

Like @Lain I balance bonus spend and MSR. I look at where we are going next for the bigger trips, not the long weekend or spur of the moment shiny new idea stuff, just the big ones. Then decide what will be the best plan to make it happen, plus a plan B. From there, I look at current point balances and see what needs to be beefed up if recently depleted a point currency and go from there. Of course when SPG/Marriott does something like destroy the future of my most valuable and favorite non category spending card it's like



So then I gotta revamp all of my plans.

 

[speedyfishy]

Thank you! This is the explanation I needed! I’ll have to take the time to go back and check - to be honest I wasn’t tracking my earned points. I expected it to show up in the awards activity list. I don’t understand how they have a Refer-A-Friend category (it even has its own color on the little wheel) and they don’t utilize it. Makes absolutely no sense!

I’m still relatively new to this. I joined reddit but I have absolutely no idea how to use it! I haven’t shared any referral links yet, this referral was the first one I’ve ever done. It was actually for a family member, so I know it was used. I just couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t see the bonus listed on my account! I’ve been transferring my points to my CSP card every once in awhile, so I have to go back and do the math to make sure the points were there.

Thanks for being so much more helpful than the Chase SMs were lol!

I didn’t realize until you pointed it out that it was showing on the Refer-A-Friend page idk why Chase would have that:

I’m trying to figure out what is the next card I should get. I’m 5/24 w chase. I have csr both southwest personals and the southwest biz and the ink preferred. I have the spg personal and biz. I have the Amex delta gold (its super old but maintaining my longevity for reporting purposes). I need to venture into new territory. I was thinking another business Amex but not sure. No immediate travel plans. I’m hoarding points on southwest and UR. I have a companion pass but also have a toddler so I’d like her a little older before we leave her behind and the same to bring her along.

Amex Biz cards are the way to go the issue is which one lol. You can go for MR which can be cashed out if you have a schwab plat. (See the Reddit post) you can get more Delta points, Hilton??

Sorry, I’m also coming to ask for advice on where to go next. This thread moves so fast! I’m reading and soaking it all in but don’t feel like I have enough to add YET!

Anyway, since Jan we’ve opened:
Me: CSP (1/18) and SPG Amex (2/18)
DH: IHG (2/18), SPG Amex (3/18), and CSP (4/18)

I also have a Chase Freedom Unlimited I opened in 4/16.

Original plan was to chill for a few months and work bank bonuses BUT our kitchen/basement flooded and a $1400 boat repair so it seems silly now to NOT be working on a bonus. I also originally thought I should save room for the 2 Southwest cards and get the companion pass but one, we really don’t fly much and one ticket out of 6 people doesn’t save us that much.

We do have rental properties so business card suggestions would be suitable.

Travel plans right now are Disney in Nov 18, a cruise (about $3k left to pay) in March, then possibly a road trip through Cali in Aug 19 (so flights, hotels, rental car, Disneyland) and a cruise for 2 in Nov 19 for our 15 yr anniversary (plus flights and hotel night before)

I’d get the CIC or CIP next. Maybe both lol if you get the CIP and then refer your DH that’s 190,000 UR.

 

[disneybirds]

You got me curious so I keep trying to think of something else for the Freedom categories and haven't come up with anything else yet. Most of my thought trains ended in "nope, that worked because we were buying Best Buy GC's " But if you could find somewhere with a discounted GC (that can get you a Disney GC) that takes PayPal, that's another option for this quarter.

But as for your listed strategies I thought about it a bit and if your Best Buy restocks and you can cash out Swagbucks for PayPal, that still seems the most lucrative since you just use Chase Pay for all the purchases. If I worked my numbers right then the Sam's route edges out Grocery by a smidge, so if you could figure out how to get more use out of the grocery points that could sway it (cuz it's easier ).

.........................................................Disney Amount Discount Cashback ....Final total... % off
Best Buy $710 & SB discount* .....................800 (810)........ 90.......... 38 .........672 .........16
Sam's $500 + 2x $150, $775 in WM GC's ..............800.... 29.06...... 38.75.... 732.19 .......8.47
Grocery Gas points ..............................................800........ 26........... 40......... 734 ......8.25
Sam's 6 x $150, $860 in WM GC's........................ 900.... 42.12........... 43..... 814.88 ......9.45

The last option gets you a better % off but you have more Disney money than requested. Just threw it in there for comparison. Best Buy gets a little wonky as I was trying to figure out the least amount of cash to spend to reach 800 using the Swagbucks points. But it makes it uneven for redemptions since PP is in $25 increments. So you either add in other SB to end up with 810 in Disney money or figure out another accounting method for it
The Walmart/Sam's route also assumes you can buy the variable GC's with the Chase Pay or PayPal, and just round up a smidge to cover the GC price. I know you can in store but can't remember what's available online.

Edit: Oh, and I didn't account for the $150 bonus because that's the same amount off the top for all methods.

Thanks for the analysis! Looking at the % off makes me love the AmEx offers even more, but they aren't as consistent. I tried to buy a WM GC yesterday with the CF through Chase Pay and it was cancelled. Anyone have experience in getting these to go through? Thanks!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

They see potential in you haha

That's a nice thought, but I doubt I will be putting $250k into Chase anytime soon or ever. I am pretty happy with my Vanguard investments.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Few things to report.

The bonuses for DH and my Memory Bank accounts just posted! That was a pretty easy $200. I just pushed $200 from our Chase checking to each Memory Bank account, once per day for 3 days in a row. For those interested in trying out bank bonuses, this is a great one to start with since it has no fees and you can fund $500 with a credit card. Find info here: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/memorybank-100-signup-bonus-earnmore-1-6-apy-checking/

My bestie is turning 40 next January and to celebrate she wants to go on her first cruise. Something short and inexpensive, but lots of fun. I just booked us a stateroom on Mariner of the Seas for January. I have yet to go on one of the new, really big ships, so I am pretty excited. 3 nights in the Bahamas leaving out of Miami. We plan to do 1-2 nights in Miami as well. Any recommendations for Miami hotels? We both have SPG/Marriott and UR points and I have IHG and MR points.

I booked the cruise direct through RC, but I am thinking about transferring it to Chase or even Costco. I don't think that I would pay in URs, so the Costco cash card would be a nice benefit. Any thoughts?

 

[miztressuz]

If you're married to another travel hacker, no explanations either. I mentioned to DH that I got a new Amex Blue Business card and he immediately asks if he needs to go get one too.

Wow, that's the kind of "How High?!" response I aspire to He's been trained well.

 

[miztressuz]

Oh okay so we need to wait until we actually get the card?

Yeah - once you have the card you'll activate it, setup an online account, etc. and Secure Message will be an option in the menu.

My recent CIP was approved 4/11/18 and I was told via SM I have until 8/4/18 to meet the spend (which is 115 days in line with what others have said too )

This was personal cards but they asked me to setup an online account right away, like right after the application was approved, and then I'm pretty sure they sent me an email about doing it before the card came too. But since they're smart and I already had an online account, when I logged in the cards were there. So not the same love for business cards? Have to wait for the card to show up before creating an account?​

 

[DisneyMandC]

Few things to report.

The bonuses for DH and my Memory Bank accounts just posted! That was a pretty easy $200. I just pushed $200 from our Chase checking to each Memory Bank account, once per day for 3 days in a row. For those interested in trying out bank bonuses, this is a great one to start with since it has no fees and you can fund $500 with a credit card. Find info here: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/memorybank-100-signup-bonus-earnmore-1-6-apy-checking/

My bestie is turning 40 next January and to celebrate she wants to go on her first cruise. Something short and inexpensive, but lots of fun. I just booked us a stateroom on Mariner of the Seas for January. I have yet to go on one of the new, really big ships, so I am pretty excited. 3 nights in the Bahamas leaving out of Miami. We plan to do 1-2 nights in Miami as well. Any recommendations for Miami hotels? We both have SPG/Marriott and UR points and I have IHG and MR points.

I booked the cruise direct through RC, but I am thinking about transferring it to Chase or even Costco. I don't think that I would pay in URs, so the Costco cash card would be a nice benefit. Any thoughts?

Well I didn't get to stay at the JW Marriott due to my ill-fated February Miami trip... BUT it did look really nice haha. Not sure what the point valuations or anything look like for it. It's in downtown Miami and not Miami Beach. I believe its directly across from the Carnival Cruise port?

 

[speedyfishy]

The bonuses for DH and my Memory Bank accounts just posted! That was a pretty easy $200. I just pushed $200 from our Chase checking to each Memory Bank account, once per day for 3 days in a row. For those interested in trying out bank bonuses, this is a great one to start with since it has no fees and you can fund $500 with a credit card. Find info here: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/memorybank-100-signup-bonus-earnmore-1-6-apy-checking/

Thanks for sharing it posted. I just looked and mine posted too. This was definitely an easier bonus to get.

 

[Lain]

If you're married to another travel hacker, no explanations either. I mentioned to DH that I got a new Amex Blue Business card and he immediately asks if he needs to go get one too.

 

[WVMomof3]

Can I open a bank account for my DD with my credit card? Just wondering if names need to match for any reason. Was thinking that I could deposit all her graduation gift money in my account then CC fund her a new PNC account. Would this work?

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Can I open a bank account for my DD with my credit card? Just wondering if names need to match for any reason. Was thinking that I could deposit all her graduation gift money in my account then CC fund her a new PNC account. Would this work?

For Memory Bank, the names did have to match on the bank account and credit card.

 

[speedyfishy]

Can I open a bank account for my DD with my credit card? Just wondering if names need to match for any reason. Was thinking that I could deposit all her graduation gift money in my account then CC fund her a new PNC account. Would this work?

Some need to match, I forgot if PNC requires it. Can you order your DD an AU or employee card and use that to fund the account?

 

[WVMomof3]

Some need to match, I forgot if PNC requires it. Can you order your DD an AU or employee card and use that to fund the account?

She is on my CSP card so I guess I can use that if it requires a match.

 

[Haley R]

@mom2elal - The Aspire is a completely different product so it should be fine. I had the Hilton Surpass card prior to getting the Aspire card and got the bonus with no problem. Amex doesn't have the "family of cards" rule like Citi and now Chase. Their T&Cs and offer terms with Platinum MR earning cards sometimes have the wording though. I have not read any DPs of people being denied the bonus on the Aspire due to holding another Hilton card. I really like this card and the benefits. I was so hoping the new SPG card would be similar. DH and I each got the Aspire. We triggered our $250 airline credit by purchasing $100 American Airlines gift cards. We will be using our free nights and our hotel credits this July. Weekend trip to NYC to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ... again. This is a card we will be keeping.



That is correct!



Oh wow! That is going to be a long flight in comparison and what an amazing experience you guys are going to have visiting so far away! After DH and I got married back in '96 my DMIL took us to visit their country of birth and meet extended family in Vietnam. We flew economy and it was about 21 hours of travel. I was in my 20's and it was also about 30 pounds ago. I am exactly 5 feet tall/short, whatever. Even for me, it was uncomfortable. I'd recommend getting up and walking to the bathroom periodically, even if you don't need to go. Also, if you have no allergies to aspirin, take one baby aspirin 30 minutes before your flight. This helps thin the blood, encourages circulation and avoid DVT which is a risk factor for some people when sitting down for very long periods of time. We still do this even when just going across the pond or to the opposite coast. Keep well hydrated and drink plenty of water. Air travel has a way of dehydrating you before you know it. We always buy a large bottle of water each before boarding.

Thank your for the helpful tips! Flying that far will be all new to us and I get anxiety going new places anyway so I might have to take some benadryl or something to zonk me out for a little bit.

 

[Lain]

I’m trying to figure out what is the next card I should get. I’m 5/24 w chase. I have csr both southwest personals and the southwest biz and the ink preferred. I have the spg personal and biz. I have the Amex delta gold (its super old but maintaining my longevity for reporting purposes). I need to venture into new territory. I was thinking another business Amex but not sure. No immediate travel plans. I’m hoarding points on southwest and UR. I have a companion pass but also have a toddler so I’d like her a little older before we leave her behind and the same to bring her along.

Are you trying to get back under 5/24?

Have you thought about venturing into Amex Membership Rewards points? As we've discussed on here, MR is a flexible points program similar to UR that allows for point transfers to airline and hotel partners, redemptions through their travel portal, redemptions for gift cards and cash, statement credit and at online retailers like Amazon. However, MR can be more difficult to figure out how to use than UR, and has a wider range of value depending on the redemption. MR offers the best value when transferring directly to airline partners, paying with points for travel with a Business Platinum rebate, or just cashing out to Schwab with a Schwab Platinum. I've usually done points transfers to airlines we tend to fly when Amex runs a transfer bonus. We also have a toddler, so right now I'm in stockpiling mode with my MR and plan to do an airline transfer at some point when DD is older.

If you're trying to get back under 5/24 (which might be why you're considering a business Amex), you'll be looking at the Amex Blue Business Plus (BBP), Business Green Rewards (Green Biz), Business Gold Rewards (BGR), and the Business Platinum (Biz Plat). @SouthFayetteFan also has a guide on DISchurners to Amex business cards.

We talked about the BBP recently:

The Blue Business Plus (BBP). There's a targeted offer out there for 20,000 MR after $5k MSR/3 months: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/amer...lus-20000-point-offer-2x-purchases-50000-cap/

I've gotten an "offer not available" message when clicking the links and logging into my Amex account(s); but I've been able to pull up the 20k offer several times by going into incognito mode first then clicking the links.

There offer through support links is 10,000 MR.

Probably a few additional things worth noting:

• It earns 2x MR on every purchase up to a $50,000 cap
• So the "targeted" offer is 20,000 MRs for $5k MSR (as noted)
• The support offer is 10,000 MRs for $3k MSR (for those intimidated by "large" MSRs with AMEX)
• The real sweet spot here is in 2 player mode - since P1 once they have a card can refer P2 and you each get 10k and the lower min. spend AND don't have to try to get "targeted"
• This is an AMEX Biz card which as we already joked...they approve everybody
• It also has a 0% interest period...AND since it's a biz card won't affect your utilization/credit score...so that's pretty cool that you could not pay things off for 15 months if you want to float the money elsewhere (maybe earn some interest).

Thanks for the write up! I forgot to add that the 10,000 MR "support" offer comes with a lower $3k/3 months MSR, which I would totally “settle” for if I couldn't get the 20,000 MR targeted offer. It's not a big signup bonus, but I think anyone building up a stash of MRs should add this card because it's no fee, has solid earning power as an everyday card, and as a biz card won't affect your 5/24 count unlike the other popular no fee option Amex EveryDay (personal) card.

And I believe @speedyfishy was looking at the Green Biz recently:

Business Green Rewards (Biz Green)

• TYPE: Charge Card
• STANDARD BONUS = 5,000 MRs: Earn 5,000 Membership Rewards® points after your first purchase on the Card within the first year of Card Membership
• REFERRALS: N̶o̶ Yes, 5,000 MRs for the referrer
• HIGHER OFFERS: No
• ANNUAL FEE: $95 WAIVED YEAR 1
• COMMENTS: This is a great card to "keep your MRs active". You would ideally get it if you had large annual fees posting soon (maybe on a BGR, PLAT or PRG) and didn't want to lose your MRs. You literally can put $1 on this card and earn the 5,000 MRs. Of course it too has an annual fee so it only buys you a year then.

@SouthFayetteFan do you know what the refer a friend bonus is for the Amex Biz Green card? Is there one?

5k MRs for the referrer. 5k MRs for the referee for making one purchase.

Thanks. I think this maybe next for SO and I. 15k MR for buying two packs of gum?

Exactly - it’s amazing!

I did one for me at the same time as another AMEX app in case it triggered a hard pull (it didn’t). Next time my wife signs up for a card I’m going to refer her for sure.

Neither the BBP or Green Biz will get you the kind of big bonus that'll take you across the ocean for free, but they're solid low cost cards if you want to start building up your MR wallet. The BBP in particular is a no-fee card that your can park your MR points in whenever you get around to churning through the rest of the MR-earning cards. As business cards, they won't affect your 5/24 count.

 

[speedyfishy]

She is on my CSP card so I guess I can use that if it requires a match.

Are you working on MSR for that card?