I love credit cards so much!

[LuckyMamaInDE]

Thought about this off and on tonight while making jello shots for a baby-q (yeah, I know, that whole sentence is just wrong....)

It's not a bad strategy. I'd like to refer back to @SouthFayetteFan 's wonderful list of right ways to churn I would just caution that you have some sort of long term roadmap to see where all this goes and make sure you're not setting up dead end in the future. Let's see if I can sneak a peak into @Lain 's spreadsheet … looks like 0/24, Australia 2019 and possibly other international for DD (plus SW domestics) so may want to leave some room for co-brand cards to points stash. So I think you said you only have 2 major CC's opened a while ago, did you open any store cards in the last few years? Chase is going to look at anything revolving that shows on your CR as opened in the last 2 years. If you open a Sapphire and a Freedom that'll take 2 slots, then a SW when the bonus is right for slot 3, so only 2 more cards to go assuming you're starting from 0 Personally I think it's doable if you can get an idea of what airlines or alliances you may want to fly, and how best to accumulate points for those. But also think of that x2, if you refer each other to the same cards, then you each take away the same 2-3 slots.

I think we discussed which Sapphire before so you're still mathing that out. As for which of the Freedoms, I feel that if you can utilize at least 2 quarters of categories the CF is probably the better option. Here's an example with a random amount of annual spend on the card:
$3000 on the CFU at 1.5% gets $45 cashback (4500 UR)
$3000 on the CF with half being 5% and half at 1% gets $90 cashback (9000 UR)
So even if you don't max out the quarters, if you can get at least 15% of that spend at the higher return you'll come out ahead with the CF.
($450 @ 5% + $2550 @ 1% = $48)
[it's late but I think I did all those numbers right i'll not be offended if someone fact checks me ]

Now what would make that better is putting 5% spend on the CF and then all other spend on the CFU for 1.5%, but that's a future option, IMO. I imagine that you won't be keeping 2 of the same card, so what to do with the extra? For me, PC to the CFU so you have at least one of each amongst you. That way you're not using a 5/24 slot on another Freedom family card; unless there's absolutely no other Chase cards you care about or may care about in the future, in which case (assuming you have an opening) then apply for the little bonus

Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks for taking the time to reply with such detail while prepping very important food

Dh is 1/24 (tile store last year) and I am 0/24. I think Australia will be pushed to later in 2020 if we're going to go the points-route for airfare and some hotels.

Southwest, American, and United are the airlines that make sense of us flying out of PHL and BWI. Southwest and United are Chase, so those would be higher priority.

I've been looking into the hotel cards as well. We aren't brand-loyal at this point because neither of us travels much for work, we stay DVC at WDW/DL, and we tend to stay in national parks lodges and airbnbs/VRBOs when traveling with other family members. I think we should get some hotel cards in the future. Hyatt makes a lot of sense for visiting dd at school. The whole Marriott/SPG merger thing makes me confused so I'll be waiting to see what happens later this summer.

I'm thinking dh should get a Sapphire and then refer me when we're ready for that minimum spend. I will get one of the Freedoms but not refer him. We'll both be 2/24 then at say October, ready for Southwest and/or whatever interesting pops up.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Sounds like they are gaming the system.

Yeah it’s kind of disappointing

 

[Ngwira]

Wow! Do you share a name with a celebrity? Or win a sweepstakes? Sounds like you’re getting the VIP treatment!

Is this at MCO? You travel so fast I've lost track!

Yes Hyatt Regency MCO!!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

As a follow up, I received two online check in requests this morning (only booked one room) so emailed the concierge to make sure I wasn’t charged for a double booking. He responded that the hotel had given us a FREE second room on the house! He also said I would be “very happy” when I arrived. Wow, I’m just blown away at the gesture. I am paying 6,000 points plus $75 for 2 rooms upgraded to the 10th floor to view the planes.. plus a few surprises they have in store. So awesome.

Wait, what? So you’re really some famous celebrity hiding anonymously on DIS and that’s why you’re getting the royal treatment?

 

[Ngwira]

Awesome! Do you have status?

I have discoverist status that comes free with the credit card.

 

[Ngwira]

Wait, what? So you’re really some famous celebrity hiding anonymously on DIS and that’s why you’re getting the royal treatment?

Ha ha.. I wish. Just a normal married mother of 2 from New Jersey.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Hmm...that’s unusual that there is no points availability at all. Sometimes when you call Hyatt customer service they can reach out to the hotel directly to have them open up a night or two. I’ve seen other bloggers do this.

I did call and they confirmed no standard rooms thus no points availablity. I didn’t push hard but the girl on the phone also seemed a little mystified that they were no rooms. She first managed to book it for me...in the wrong year. When she went back and looked for 2019, no go. When I look at other dates with availability, some offer club level for 17k points. I have enough points for that and it would be perfect for our trip. Alas it is never been available

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Ha ha.. I wish. Just a normal married mother of 2 from New Jersey.

Can you call and ask for dates in May 2019? Lol.

 

[DaveL]

Oh. my. goodness. I would be livid! This is exactly what I was concerned with when these checks started. I have been reading about them on another thread and others are having trouble as well. Then there is a thread about early knocks on check out day if you are DVC. Ummm, no. Checkout is 11, don't wake me up at 8am. And certainly don't wake my toddler during a nap!!!

Definitely send an email about it. That is unacceptable. The Swolphin is looking more and more appealing.

I plan on sending an email, I saw in the past there was an address that is responsive I just need to find it. Have not had time to look yet. Yeah we also had the checkout day fun! I requested late checkout so my DD could get some extra sleep and we could pack ect but at 8AM maintenance knocked on the door, as I opened it I heard one telling the other "Oh they are still there I hear them" and they were walking away as I opened it and they just said nevermind. Then around 10 mousekeeping stopped by and I told them we'd be out by 1:30. They stopped by again at 11 and were kinda rude "You have to request late checkout" we replied we did and they were like "Well did you at least tell the front desk?" HAH. Oh then when we left I made sure the account was $0, the next morning I get a notice from my CC that they charged $50 to the card on file so had to call and figure that out, turns out their system has a glitch and will charge people who get 'complimentary late checkout' anyway. Lady was nice and said she can see the notes but it was a glitch and they will refund it, but its just annoying to have to call after all this.

Did they come in every day?! No matter what that seems supper annoying. I will be bring a toddler that needs her naps and would be furious if that happens to us as well!

Pretty much, most times we were awake still so let them walk in but 3 times they woke us after being told not to come between 12-4.

*Off Topic** There is no excuse for them to insist on entering while you are in the shower and your child is sleeping. I would eviscerate them in your guest services complaint. Post on Trip Advisor as well. I would use words such as “disturbing” & “stranger danger” and hopefully some better ones I can’t come up with right now (mention how the hell will a child take the importance of Stranger Danger seriously when Disney insists I allow strangers into the room to look at my child while they are IN BED). And don’t forget to mention how the manger and front desk repeatedly lied to your face about your requests to room check another time of day.

And fwiw (I suspect your wife was trying to get the kid back to sleep & didn’t want them back so just wanted them out asap) but like hell Mousekeeping is entering my room while someone is sleeping. Call security, I’ll let them enter. Each day? Sure, try me. I’m not scared of security, I have nothing to hide. (Security is who should be doing this job anyway, not Mousekeeping!* Disney is just being cheap.) My theory wonders how dedicated is Mousekeeping to not having to come back later, enough to stand there & call security every day? I think not, but if Disney sees security being called in their hotels all the time for room checks because housekeeping won’t come back later they’ll make a change.

ETA *doesn’t take an expert to see that if something bad was happening and the housekeeper insists on entering the bad people will do what bad people do and the housekeeper will pay the price. Housekeepers are not trained or paid enough for that type of risk!

...stepping down from soapbox. I think I better stay far away from that other thread on this topic.

My wife was woken up and not really thinking when she opened the door so it really never crossed her mind to tell them to leave. They surely didn't offer or suggest coming back when they could see DD was sleeping. I am not sure who is doing the checks because my wife asked for some towels (there was a cart next door) and she was told to call and request them. I just walked out and got what we needed, was fed up at that point.

@DaveL I checked out the thread they have going on the Resorts board and it looks like you were a victim of bad housekeeping and bad hotel management. Most all the recent reports are people who didn’t notice it or had people willing to return at another time. Only one in the last couple pages who insisted on entering while people were sleeping. (And one report who said security did the check! And that point I’d be stuck and have to let them in, I’m willing to tell housekeeping to take a hike but I’m not doing that to Security.)

Yeah it was a combo of all sorts of stuff, the first day I complained the front desk was like "Who wanted to enter your room? No one should be just wanting to look around! Did they have a Disney badge? Were they with Disney?" I replied that sure scary that you have no clue whats going on... He came back after a small group huddle and must have been informed of their policies and said he'd resolve it... One of the last times I came up to the front desk the CM blamed it on miscommunications between the front desk system and housekeeping.

I barely noted them when we were there in January of this year. Being a DVC room, they were coming in under the guise of providing trash service. That meant they came to the kitchenette area only, emptied the trash and left. I think I actually was in the room twice during the week we were there when they came in.

Maybe DVC is a bit different but these people would continue to knock constantly until you opened the door even if you are tell them to hang on as you get dressed!


I really am not sure what we are going to do for our Oct trip. We have a current reservation for Pop but unless I can get an assurance that this wont happen I am going to have to look for somewhere else that is not Disney. I do not have a problem with the checks, and many of them we were awake and let them in, its just the entering when people are sleeping and showering as well as waking my DD after we specified her nap times. Because frankly we 'lost' valuable park time because she could not make it through our plans after having her nap interrupted.


Sorry for the off topic, I didn't know there was a thread on this and prob should have vented on that one.

 

[amalone1013]

They ran the MMS story about buying the car on business insider

 

[Psychodisney]

Simple question that I should know the answer too. If you want to downgrade your CSP to a Freedom product, do you zero out your points first? Or will they still be in the new Freedom account?

 

[Lain]

They ran the MMS story about buying the car on business insider

Oh ****.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Simple question that I should know the answer too. If you want to downgrade your CSP to a Freedom product, do you zero out your points first? Or will they still be in the new Freedom account?

They will stay in your account but will be redeemable as cash only unless transferred to CSP or CSR

 

[calypso726]

If you find out elsewhere, please post here. I would like to do exactly that with my flight package.

I did find out that you cannot credit the airline miles portion to someone else's account. That doesn't mean I'm giving up. There's gotta be a way to do this and I will figure it out somehow. I'll let y'all know once I come up with a plot that will work.

They ran the MMS story about buying the car on business insider

And this is why we can't have nice things

 

[Calfan]

CT.... I've never seen any of these names on stores...just read about them online lol

Do you have ACME or Shaw's near you in CT? I think they are linked to Safeway somehow. If I go to the Safeway website, they bring up these two.

Yes, Acme, Shaws and Star Market are all owned by Albertsons (as is Safeway).

 

[miztressuz]

They ran the MMS story about buying the car on business insider

well there goes the neighborhood...

 

[Judique]

I really am not sure what we are going to do for our Oct trip. We have a current reservation for Pop but unless I can get an assurance that this wont happen I am going to have to look for somewhere else that is not Disney. I do not have a problem with the checks, and many of them we were awake and let them in, its just the entering when people are sleeping and showering as well as waking my DD after we specified her nap times. Because frankly we 'lost' valuable park time because she could not make it through our plans after having her nap interrupted.

I think the whole 'room' check thing is ridiculous. It's obviously inconvenient for people who may be showering, napping or even working in their room. That said, I haven't had many DVC stays where maintenance has not had to come to my room at least once, usually because I'm calling for dead light bulbs (something I find annoying in hotel rooms) or the maid is bringing towels, or room service, etc. Stuff I've initiated, and where I expect the visit. Next we will be going through detectors and searches just to enter the hotel. They already search your stuff at the parks.

Sorry it impacted your little ones nap time and your overall privacy.

 

[Judique]

I did find out that you cannot credit the airline miles portion to someone else's account. That doesn't mean I'm giving up. There's gotta be a way to do this and I will figure it out somehow. I'll let y'all know once I come up with a plot that will work.

I guess if I get a package with southwest miles/points (is that possible?) I could just do as I do now and book flights for family.

 

[speedyfishy]

SO’s CSR came yesterday. Time to open some BMO accounts.

 

[AmyAnne]

Well I just re-booked my identical package. Tomorrow, I will cancel the first one. I was too stressed about the 30 day window to transfer it to Chase. Now I can just worry about my 180 day ADRs first and then do the transfer. Plus, the new $200 deposit will go against the MSR on my new CSR. It’s a Win-Win for me, lol.

I might end up doing that too. Slightly off-topic, but how the heck do people make ADR plans at 180+ days if the park hours aren't released? It looks like Disney posts park hours 180 days in advance, but that doesn't really help for planning the whole stay. I don't recall having this issue before, although it has been about 5 years since we've been to WDW. Do I just guess what parks we will want on which days?