I love credit cards so much!

[SMorgan711]

Yes, like purchasing Disney gift cards at Sam's or BJs with the Freedom card for 5x points per dollar and 5% off face value during wholesale club bonus quarter. Then again at grocery stores when that is the category bonus and at Lowes when it the category bonus. Those Freedom UR points get transferred to the CSP card account so they can be used as miles when we transfer to United or British Airways. When the $1500 max is reached each quarter we purchase Disney gift cards at the office supply store with the Ink Plus at 5x points per dollar.

All non bonus category spending goes on our SPG card. It is these points that can be used to stay at the Swan or Dolphin.

Our next Adventures by Disney trip is Winter in Wyoming this December. We are paying for that trip with Disney gift cards entirely. All the Disney gift cards were purchased at 5 points per dollar and some of it with an additional 5% off the face value via Sam's. We will earn over 43,500 UR points for purchasing those Disney gift cards at 5x points/$. That is enough for two domestic round trip flights depending on the destination in economy if you transfer to BA and fly AA or another partner. On Southwest if you're flexible that will get you 3 round trip flights. Since we will be paying using our Disney Vacation Savings account we will also be getting back $160 in Disney gift cards.

We do use the shopping portals to earn extra points as well. In addition, we are joined the dining rewards program for our preferred airline. This also helps us earn extra points towards airfare.

I've never used the Disney Vacation Savings account. I'll have to google more info on that because of the extra $160 back in gift cards. Are you funding the initial account with gift cards? I have been buying them at Sam's for 5% off and then using my Freedom which gives me another 5% back.

 

[AmyAnne]

Making spend http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2016/08/30/3-easy-ways-to-meet-the-sapphire-reserve-minimum-spend-requirement
Here's one from MMS http://millionmilesecrets.com/2016/09/05/ways-to-meet-chase-sapphire-reserve-spending-requirement



Totally agree!

Could it create a problem with PayPal sending money to someone in the same household? DH and I both have PayPal accounts -- linked to different bank accounts -- but with the same mailing address. On the gift card deals thread, there have been reports of PayPal shutting down some accounts because of activity PayPal disapproves of. Just wondering if PayPal would consider my sending money to DH objectionable.

 

[calypso726]

I've never used the Disney Vacation Savings account. I'll have to google more info on that because of the extra $160 back in gift cards. Are you funding the initial account with gift cards? I have been buying them at Sam's for 5% off and then using my Freedom which gives me another 5% back.

Yes. I may have initially funded it with $10 using a credit card but I understand you can find it with a gift card initially.

Could it create a problem with PayPal sending money to someone in the same household? DH and I both have PayPal accounts -- linked to different bank accounts -- but with the same mailing address. On the gift card deals thread, there have been reports of PayPal shutting down some accounts because of activity PayPal disapproves of. Just wondering if PayPal would consider my sending money to DH objectionable.

I haven't used this method specifically but when I do something like that (back when you could MS with Amazon payments) I choose someone with a different address. If you don't want to risk pay pal then use Venmo. Or just send the payment to a friend you trust will hand over the money ;-)

 

[Albort]

I will apply for the CSR 1st and join Sam's to buy Disney GCs. My dues are a little over 4k so that should pretty much cover the spend requirements for CSR. I will then apply for the Freedom and United this year, and Southwest and possibly Alaska after the 1st of the year. That would take me to the limit on the 5/24 rule.?

Is there a site you would recommend to find additional spend options? I searched the points guy site and did not find an article. I read in a previous post someone recommended a site for prepayment for taxes (ingenious, would never have thought of that). I have a signing bonus for my new job so I am hoping that would be a good option to offset the EoY hit (will confirm with my accountant).

When applying, you should apply for CSR and Freedom at once, i think it would save u a hard pull.(i think).

IF you pay rent, there are websites that allow credit card transactions... Radpad via Apple/Android pay codes CSR as travel, earning you 3x. fee is 2.99% so it basically evens out. Theres also plastiq that does the same thing too.
You are right about prepayment for taxes... we can build on that, prepay your utility bills. Most utility companies allow prepayments. There is a list, i just cant find it. :| (no fees)
The next thing you should do is to just buy gift cards. Find out what you need and just buy those... You need gas to drive right? get some gc for the gas station, shop at mcdonalds, get those gc!
Also, some banks allow credit card funding... but its risky cuz it might code as a cash advanced. I set my cash advance to 0 so it wont hit. I was able to fund a bank account for $1000 in credit card...
After that, its just all fees with paypal and etc.

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

As someone who had their PayPal account shut down I would be very wary of going the route. It's a total pita and they tie up your money for 180 days. Maybe because I have a family of 4 but I'm just switching all my expenses to the CSR until I hit 4K it will take probably a month. Plus we just had a big purchase we need (dishwasher) and a large utility bill to pay.

 

[AmyAnne]

Applied for the CSR and got the "we need more time" response. Is there any point in calling now or should I just wait to see what the decision is?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I've never used the Disney Vacation Savings account. I'll have to google more info on that because of the extra $160 back in gift cards. Are you funding the initial account with gift cards? I have been buying them at Sam's for 5% off and then using my Freedom which gives me another 5% back.

Might also want to search for more info on the Disney Vacation Account, or DVA, here on the DIS. It works great for some people (like the earlier poster here) while other people have horror story experiences with accounts disappearing (for a month or two and then it comes back), customer support not being able to help when their account disappears, DVA double dipping on those who automatically send money via their bank accounts & money that doesn't come out in time for their trip, are all experiences I've read just here on the DIS. Not to be a Debbie Downer, as I said many use it successfully, just thought I'd mention it since you're going into research mode.

 

[CaterFamily]

As someone who had their PayPal account shut down I would be very wary of going the route. It's a total pita and they tie up your money for 180 days. Maybe because I have a family of 4 but I'm just switching all my expenses to the CSR until I hit 4K it will take probably a month. Plus we just had a big purchase we need (dishwasher) and a large utility bill to pay.

This is my favorite way to hit Spend requirements! Our bills are always $5k/mo. And they all take CC!

 

[Alice Sr.]

When applying, you should apply for CSR and Freedom at once, i think it would save u a hard pull.(i think).

IF you pay rent, there are websites that allow credit card transactions... Radpad via Apple/Android pay codes CSR as travel, earning you 3x. fee is 2.99% so it basically evens out. Theres also plastiq that does the same thing too.
You are right about prepayment for taxes... we can build on that, prepay your utility bills. Most utility companies allow prepayments. There is a list, i just cant find it. :| (no fees)
The next thing you should do is to just buy gift cards. Find out what you need and just buy those... You need gas to drive right? get some gc for the gas station, shop at mcdonalds, get those gc!
Also, some banks allow credit card funding... but its risky cuz it might code as a cash advanced. I set my cash advance to 0 so it wont hit. I was able to fund a bank account for $1000 in credit card...
After that, its just all fees with paypal and etc.

Got home from work and applied for the CPR and received online approval, very excited. I just saw your suggestion on applying for the Freedom and wonder if too much time has lapsed. As it turns out I will be staying in a hotel for the next 60 days until the apartment I will be renting becomes available, luckily the hotel will be 100% reimbursable so no problem meeting the CPR spend requirement. I just read an article on the points guy's site about the United Mileage Plus X app which sounded good when used in conjunction with the United card and FF account. I need to go back and read the benefits to compare with Freedom unless you think I should stick with the Freedom.

Thanks

 

[Albort]

Got home from work and applied for the CPR and received online approval, very excited. I just saw your suggestion on applying for the Freedom and wonder if too much time has lapsed. As it turns out I will be staying in a hotel for the next 60 days until the apartment I will be renting becomes available, luckily the hotel will be 100% reimbursable so no problem meeting the CPR spend requirement. I just read an article on the points guy's site about the United Mileage Plus X app which sounded good when used in conjunction with the United card and FF account. I need to go back and read the benefits to compare with Freedom unless you think I should stick with the Freedom.

Thanks

It should work if you apply now, but it's YMMV... I actually find the freedom card pretty powerful, (I still think ink+ is the best). right now, it's 5x up to $1500 on restaurants. It's one of the easier ways to earn UR. in the past, it's 5x in Groceries(2nd quarter), Gas/public transportation(1st quarter), restaurants (3rd quarter) and Amazon (4th quarter). Because Discover IT card is also 5x on Amazon 4th quarter, Chase made it 10x on Amazon.... You can earn a ton of UR points quickly covering a wide category. CSR(3x on travel), Freedom(5x rotating catagories), Freedom Unlimited (1.5x on everthing), and ink+(5x on office supplies).

United Mileage Plus + dining is pretty cool app to use, although I find it annoying to use because it shows the GC number. But in terms of earning bonus, it works well. You can still use your chase cards and the coding is passed on to the credit card company... So let's say, ur eating at Olive Garden, not only do u get the miles from Mileage Plus, but u also get the 3x for the CSR. I think the United card also gives u more points on top of that as well. Also makes your mileage not expire... mine all expires in 3 years. .

 

[calypso726]

Applied for the CSR and got the "we need more time" response. Is there any point in calling now or should I just wait to see what the decision is?

I'd call. I helped my mom apply for hers last night. Got the 7-10 day message and called since I know she is under 5/24 and pretended to be her while she sat next to me. Spent an hour on the phone due to lots of red tape having nothing to do with 5/24 and an inaccuracy on the Equifax report. Moved around some credit from other Chase cards and she was approved. Totes jelly!

Might also want to search for more info on the Disney Vacation Account, or DVA, here on the DIS. It works great for some people (like the earlier poster here) while other people have horror story experiences with accounts disappearing (for a month or two and then it comes back), customer support not being able to help when their account disappears, DVA double dipping on those who automatically send money via their bank accounts & money that doesn't come out in time for their trip, are all experiences I've read just here on the DIS. Not to be a Debbie Downer, as I said many use it successfully, just thought I'd mention it since you're going into research mode.

While we have had no serious issues with any of the DVA accounts, I have read similar horror stories. We do not do any auto payments and just load the gift cards on to them. I do keep the gift cards and write the amount and date loaded to the DVA with a sharpie on the back. We keep he confirmation emails in a digital file as well.

It should work if you apply now, but it's YMMV... I actually find the freedom card pretty powerful, (I still think ink+ is the best). right now, it's 5x up to $1500 on restaurants. It's one of the easier ways to earn UR. in the past, it's 5x in Groceries(2nd quarter), Gas/public transportation(1st quarter), restaurants (3rd quarter) and Amazon (4th quarter). Because Discover IT card is also 5x on Amazon 4th quarter, Chase made it 10x on Amazon.... You can earn a ton of UR points quickly covering a wide category. CSR(3x on travel), Freedom(5x rotating catagories), Freedom Unlimited (1.5x on everthing), and ink+(5x on office supplies).

United Mileage Plus + dining is pretty cool app to use, although I find it annoying to use because it shows the GC number. But in terms of earning bonus, it works well. You can still use your chase cards and the coding is passed on to the credit card company... So let's say, ur eating at Olive Garden, not only do u get the miles from Mileage Plus, but u also get the 3x for the CSR. I think the United card also gives u more points on top of that as well. Also makes your mileage not expire... mine all expires in 3 years. .

Freedom is also 5x on wholesale clubs this quarter and next quarter. Some of the wholesale clubs sell Disney gift cards at a discount. Ink+ is my favorite though.

 

[gocolts]

Question for you experts out there!!
I have a Capital One World Elite MC (am from Canada) and have a bunch of travel points to redeem. The problem is I am not staying at Disney for my upcoming vacation. Condo is someone else's timeshare and flights were already paid with points. I was thinking of buying a Disney Gift card (to use for meals etc at WDW) somewhere in WDW where it would be classified as a "travel expense" so I could use my points to pay for it.

Would an on site hotel sell me one if I am not a guest? What about guest services at Disney Springs? Anyone tried this or have any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[calypso726]

Question for you experts out there!!
I have a Capital One World Elite MC (am from Canada) and have a bunch of travel points to redeem. The problem is I am not staying at Disney for my upcoming vacation. Condo is someone else's timeshare and flights were already paid with points. I was thinking of buying a Disney Gift card (to use for meals etc at WDW) somewhere in WDW where it would be classified as a "travel expense" so I could use my points to pay for it.

Would an on site hotel sell me one if I am not a guest? What about guest services at Disney Springs? Anyone tried this or have any suggestions?

Thanks!

According to TPG: Capital One defines travel expenses as purchases made from airlines, hotels, rail lines, car rental agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents and time shares. These terms do not appear to include things like theme parks and other tourist attractions.

 

[ski_mom]

Is there a way to see the chase booking portal without having a chase reserve / saphire / etc card? I do have the chase freedom if that helps any. I'd love to be able to see what all options are there. I'm assuming you cannot book a cruise through there?

 

[Alice Sr.]

I would not recommend opening up the United card since you'd get more points opening up a CSP or CSR card and the points can transfer to United :1. With the CSR you'd also earn 3 points per dollar for the airline ticket purchase and it would also trigger the $300 travel credit. You could get lucky and still find something with miles though.

So if I burn through the spend requirement the 1st month will the 100k CSR points be applied then? Is there a way to tell what the point requirements are for the flight I am planning to book?

Sounds like a good plan. I would replace the Freedom application with the CSP unless you are definitely planning on keeping the CSR despite the $450 annual fee. You will need a CSR, CSP or Ink+ to transfer UR points to air miles and hotel points. If questioned, why you would want the CSP when you have a CSR tell them it is to keep business and personal expenses separate. You can then product change the CSR to a Freedom when the AF hits again next year. When I apply next year for the CSR I will be product changing my CSP to a Freedom unlimited since I plan to keep the CSR. Having done the math on what I spend yearly on dining and travel I come out ahead with the CSR.

TPG didn't write the article it was Frequent Miler http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/the-complete-guide-to-bluebird-redcard-serve-and-softserve I'd check to see if he updated the info though.

Making spend http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2016/08/30/3-easy-ways-to-meet-the-sapphire-reserve-minimum-spend-requirement
Here's one from MMS http://millionmilesecrets.com/2016/09/05/ways-to-meet-chase-sapphire-reserve-spending-requirement

There seems to be a pretty good Chase Marriott Rewards card offer right now 80K points/$3k in 90 days/5x @ $1 at participating Marriott's. I will being staying in a hotel for the next 60 days and one of the choices is a Fairfield (will need to confirm if it is a participating hotel). Would these points transfer to United without an additional fee or any issues? Also, thanks for the articles.

It should work if you apply now, but it's YMMV... I actually find the freedom card pretty powerful, (I still think ink+ is the best). right now, it's 5x up to $1500 on restaurants. It's one of the easier ways to earn UR. in the past, it's 5x in Groceries(2nd quarter), Gas/public transportation(1st quarter), restaurants (3rd quarter) and Amazon (4th quarter). Because Discover IT card is also 5x on Amazon 4th quarter, Chase made it 10x on Amazon.... You can earn a ton of UR points quickly covering a wide category. CSR(3x on travel), Freedom(5x rotating catagories), Freedom Unlimited (1.5x on everthing), and ink+(5x on office supplies).

United Mileage Plus + dining is pretty cool app to use, although I find it annoying to use because it shows the GC number. But in terms of earning bonus, it works well. You can still use your chase cards and the coding is passed on to the credit card company... So let's say, ur eating at Olive Garden, not only do u get the miles from Mileage Plus, but u also get the 3x for the CSR. I think the United card also gives u more points on top of that as well. Also makes your mileage not expire... mine all expires in 3 years. .

"Because Discover IT card is also 5x on Amazon 4th quarter, Chase made it 10x on Amazon...." Is this all Chase cards or just the Freedom? Re: the UM+ it's kind of confusing that's why I wanted to go back and reread the details but I understood it as you explained it above, it seemed too good to be true.

 

[Albort]

Applied for the CSR and got the "we need more time" response. Is there any point in calling now or should I just wait to see what the decision is?

you should always call and talk to recon. The only exception are business cards, if you get the "we need more time" response, WAIT for the letter, then call. All personal cards, call whenever u like!

Is there a way to see the chase booking portal without having a chase reserve / saphire / etc card? I do have the chase freedom if that helps any. I'd love to be able to see what all options are there. I'm assuming you cannot book a cruise through there?

You should be able to book for the portal. You just wont get the 20% discount the CSP gives you(50% discount? for CSR). you should see a UR portal on the right side of your online account. you can also login directly via this link -->
https://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp...lty&jp_cmp=cc/ultimaterewards/off/na/multiple

So if I burn through the spend requirement the 1st month will the 100k CSR points be applied then? Is there a way to tell what the point requirements are for the flight I am planning to book?

There seems to be a pretty good Chase Marriott Rewards card offer right now 80K points/$3k in 90 days/5x @ $1 at participating Marriott's. I will being staying in a hotel for the next 60 days and one of the choices is a Fairfield (will need to confirm if it is a participating hotel). Would these points transfer to United without an additional fee or any issues? Also, thanks for the articles.

"Because Discover IT card is also 5x on Amazon 4th quarter, Chase made it 10x on Amazon...." Is this all Chase cards or just the Freedom? Re: the UM+ it's kind of confusing that's why I wanted to go back and reread the details but I understood it as you explained it above, it seemed too good to be true.

You will receive your 100k at the end of your statement. As for point requirement for flights, it is best that you search for your flights first before you send your points over to whatever carrier you go with. UA/SW both have options to search flights based on points.

As for Chase Marriott, Marriott's redemption rate isnt that great. The lowest i can find are always 25k+(or $250). Honestly, it isnt worth it imo. I would suggest the Hyatt for better redemptions or ritz carlton. You do however get a free night stay, but most other cards also have the same stipulation. another good hotel card is starwood card(SPG). Im not familiar with this card, but i just know Marriott redemption suck majority of the time...

10x on amazon only applies to the Freedom card... not to be confused with the Freedom Unlimited card. Sorry, if im not clear, let me know what part and ill try to explain it again. :]

Edit: link didnt work.

 

[calypso726]

So if I burn through the spend requirement the 1st month will the 100k CSR points be applied then? Is there a way to tell what the point requirements are for the flight I am planning to book?


There seems to be a pretty good Chase Marriott Rewards card offer right now 80K points/$3k in 90 days/5x @ $1 at participating Marriott's. I will being staying in a hotel for the next 60 days and one of the choices is a Fairfield (will need to confirm if it is a participating hotel). Would these points transfer to United without an additional fee or any issues? Also, thanks for the articles.



"Because Discover IT card is also 5x on Amazon 4th quarter, Chase made it 10x on Amazon...." Is this all Chase cards or just the Freedom? Re: the UM+ it's kind of confusing that's why I wanted to go back and reread the details but I understood it as you explained it above, it seemed too good to be true.

As Albort mentioned, check the airline you plan to use to see what the point requirement will be. Compare that to what booking through the Chase portal will be. Choose based on how you value your points.

Fairfield is a Marriott property. To transfer Marriott points to United miles it will cost you 8,000 Marriott points in order to convert them to 2,000 United miles. DH and I each keep a Marriott card an IHG card and a Club Carlson Card. The annual nights and anniversary points far outweigh the fee. For the Marriott it would be an additional weekend at WDW without using our DVC points or for a a last minute trip and there are no DVC rooms to be had. IHG gives you an annual night at any property which is amazing and CLub Carlson gives you 40,000 points each year plus gold status. The last one has given us over $2,000 in hotel stays saved in Europe for a mere $75 a year. Can't beat that.

another good hotel card is starwood card(SPG). Im not familiar with this card, but i just know Marriott redemption suck majority of the time...

This is arguably one of the best travel card and points to have. The SPG card's points transfer to over 30 airlines and most of them 1:1. For every 20,000 SPG points you transfer to an airline you will receive a bonus of 5,000 SPG points. The point cost for Starwood properties is also pretty nice. A night at the St. Ermin's in London costs us 40,000 Marriott points. A night there next August is about $325. A night at the Sheraton in London next August is 20,000 SPG points and out of pocket would be $420. Combining nights and flights is also a great value. You can redeem 5 nights at a category 4 hotel and 50,000 airline miles for 70,000 SPG points. I am hoping that the merger of Starwood and Marriott doesn't affect the value of the SPG card.

 

[SMorgan711]

Might also want to search for more info on the Disney Vacation Account, or DVA, here on the DIS. It works great for some people (like the earlier poster here) while other people have horror story experiences with accounts disappearing (for a month or two and then it comes back), customer support not being able to help when their account disappears, DVA double dipping on those who automatically send money via their bank accounts & money that doesn't come out in time for their trip, are all experiences I've read just here on the DIS. Not to be a Debbie Downer, as I said many use it successfully, just thought I'd mention it since you're going into research mode.

Thank you!! good to know! Information is power and I like to hear all sides

 

[AmyAnne]

Called this morning and approved for the CSR!

I'll share what happened during the call because it might help someone else. When I called, I explained that I had applied online yesterday and gotten the "pending" result, and that I was calling because I wanted to see if perhaps reducing some of the credit limits on the Chase cards we already have would help with approval for the Reserve. I specifically mentioned the Disney card, which had a $10,000 credit limit that we never used. I thought maybe we could transfer some of that to the Reserve card.

At this point, the guy I was talking to put me on hold (he obviously was not the decision-maker). He came back and said that the minimum credit limit for the Reserve is $10,000 and asked if I was willing to cancel the Disney card and transfer the $10,000 limit to the Reserve. I said "of course!" We really never use the Disney card and only keep it because we have had it for a really long time, and so it probably helps our credit score. He put me on hold again. Came back and said they were going to reduce the credit limit of the Disney card by $5,000 and approve the Reserve card! I guess they figured they could give us $5,000 more in credit.

So if anyone is thinking of applying for the Reserve card and has a credit limit on another Chase card that you are not using, it might work to transfer some or all of that credit to the Reserve card.

Thanks to all who post here! I really am going to have to figure out some kind of manufactured spending or else we will be stocking up on grocery store and gas gift cards.

 

[hsmamato2]

DH and I each keep a Marriott card an IHG card and a Club Carlson Card. The annual nights and anniversary points far outweigh the fee. For the Marriott it would be an additional weekend at WDW without using our DVC points or for a a last minute trip and there are no DVC rooms to be had. IHG gives you an annual night at any property which is amazing

Question, what are the best hotels for WDW nights on the Marriott and IHG cards respectively? I love my IHG perks (free nights at DL this year!) but unsure of options near WDW for these brands.... (as for Starwood,hello Swan and Dolphin!)