I love credit cards so much!

[Lain]

I tried free shipping on my items...since eBay really pushes that.....but I sell way more items with a lower price and shipping extra....also notice recently I had a return on an item that didn’t fit that had the free shipping and eBay didn’t allow me to do a partial refund...ugh.

Me too...I tried it since eBay pushes sellers to offer it...but for me I sell a lot more listing at a lower price and adding shipping based on location

I seem to do better with BIN and free shipping, and most times the actual shipping comes in under my estimate, which makes me happy. I always put no returns. I know that eBay policy can force a refund if item is not as described, which is why I make sure to include lots of pictures and description. I also add that in the event of a return, buyer is responsible for return shipping (and I know how much it cost for me to ship to them) so they’ll usually be out some money and that often acts as a deterrent. (I know PayPal offers free return shipping, but a lot of people don’t know that.) I haven’t had a buyer try a return in a while.

 

[mmmears]

@wendow is right about there being different numbers on the AU cards, but the AU can open up their own AMEX online account (create your own username and password) and register their AU card to that account. On BCP, DH and I (AU) most frequently get the same offers on both cards so we can double up on the AMEX offers. Occasionally there's one just on the primary cardholder's account but that's the exception rather than the rule in my experience (I've even seen an offer on the AU card that wasn't on the primary card, that was strange). So the key is to have a separate login for the AU cardholder. I have more than one card associated with my AMEX login, so if I have the offer on multiple cards, I open multiple browser tabs to add the offer to each card. If you don't do this, you'll lose the offer on the other cards once you add it to one card. I hope what I said makes sense.

Good to know. I'm the AU and I do have my own log in already. I already added these things to my card, so now maybe DH can't get them. Ugh. Good to know though since we can do things differently next time. I have the time to dip my toe in this game and see if we can make it work but he really doesn't have the time to join me.

These aren't the type of gift cards you would be buying. They are talking about bulk orders where a corp orders a ton of them or if they have some custom design. Lowe's and Staples have similar exclusions but regular gc that any of us would buy are fine.

Thank you! I was hoping that was the case! Hopefully I'll learn all the lingo soon.

 

[platamama]

Good to know. I'm the AU and I do have my own log in already. I already added these things to my card, so now maybe DH can't get them. Ugh. Good to know though since we can do things differently next time. I have the time to dip my toe in this game and see if we can make it work but he really doesn't have the time to join me.

He should still be able to get them as long as he has his own login! What I meant is that if you have multiple cards under your login, then you'll need to open multiple browser tabs if the offer is available on multiple cards for your login.

 

[LynnTH]

I booked my cruise on Friday with Carnival. Total cruise for 4 was around $3300. They had a reduced deposit sale going on so I put down $300 on my CSR that I just upgraded back from Freedom. (for the sole purpose of this cruise). So, the $300 travel credit should wipe out the deposit. I called Chase Cruise Dept this morning to transfer my cruise to them. It was so easy. I spoke to a really nice gal (Peggy). She got some basic information from me and then called Carnival while I was on hold. They instantly transferred the booking to her. I then used 200,000 UR's to pay the remaining $3000 of the cruise. There was no forms to fill out or anything - super simple. Now I only owe the gratuities which is due by December 31st. This is so awesome to get a FREE Cruise...

Now waiting on SW to release dates for Mid March and then will book our airfare on SW Points. I love this hobby!!

 

[wendow]

Occasionally there's one just on the primary cardholder's account but that's the exception rather than the rule in my experience (I've even seen an offer on the AU card that wasn't on the primary card, that was strange).

So weird how this is very different for us. We only have the BCP that my dh is an AU'er on so only that card to base our experience on but we almost always only get the offer on one card or the other. And my dh is the AU'er and he is the one to usually get the offer.

Nice that they take CC's with no fee! How are you maximizing that payment? MSR? CFU?

Well, she was taking classes through concurrent enrollment during her senior year so the school district was picking up the bulk of the tab. We only paid a small portion but I did happen to have MSR's to meet at those times. For this fall, we will be paying all of the tuition so I'm still thinking through which card I will use (guessing I will have a MSR since I am rarely without) or I may do the CIP/Plastiq route since that would be a better earner than just 1% on any other card. I don't have the CFU anymore.

 

[Lain]

Thanks! I saw that chart but the post is pretty old so I wasn't sure if the totals were the same.

Do we think the # of points are still the same as in 2016? I would love to get the Cat 8 5 nights for Hawaii. We won't be in any one place 7 days straight so 5 nights would be perfect. And all the places there are Cat 8 or higher. Looks like I would need 300K points, which after my buying Starpoints and DH buying starpoints we would be there.

I haven’t been paying that much attention to Marriott’s F&N packages because I don’t plan to redeem for one myself, but I think the vacation package charts posted on FrequentMiler from 2016 are still being referred to on Reddit. I’m assuming the numbers are still current?

 

[wendow]

Which hotel are you staying at? I currently have the Fairfield Inn booked for the end of July and trying to decide if that is a good one. Where did you get your tickets for 20% off? Nothing like planning a last minute trip from the East Coast to the West Coast. Although we are flying in and out of PHX and driving from there since my SIL is joining us and we'll be crashing at her place for part of our visit.

I'm wondering if Ava is referring to saving 20% on the tickets through discounted GC's? We bought our DLR tickets from LMTclub.com. It was the best deal I could find.

I think I remember Ava posting that they are staying at the Hotel Indigo.

 

[Lain]

Can a Marriott Package Certificate be upgraded? I want to try to buy a 5 night package, but I only have enough points for a Cat 1-5 certificate. We will have plenty once Dh's Marriot Biz bonus post at the end of the month for the Cat 8 certificate that I need.

I believe you can upgrade until 8/1.

 

[Limes96]

Ok, I applied for the CIP using one of you guys' link from Reddit. Pretty cool how we can help each other out that way. Here's hoping I get approved without any extraneous questions about my "business". Seriously though, I need to sell some stuff. Along those lines, something I learned a few years back: Playmobile holds its value really well. We've gotten most of our money back reselling ours after the kids outgrew it.

 

[tink1970]

So do you like it better than WDW? I am wanting to take DD2 back to WDW at the end of the year before she turns 3 (12/19) and am contemplating DL instead.

I kind of prefer DL, especially for "littles." You can walk between the parks, there are a lot of off site hotels that are close (although who am I fooling, I've never actually stayed off site ), and the weather tends to be better. Several Labor Day weekends ago, I'd landed and was waiting outside for the bus wearing jeans, a tank and a cashmere cardigan. "Huh, I thought, it feels rather warm, I should take off my sweater." YES BECAUSE IT WAS 100 degrees! In Orlando (or my neck of Florida), the humidity would have melted me long before those silly thoughts occurred. Also, I'm a fan of the churros, "original" Dumbo, and Alice's trippy caterpillars. With a toddler, ease wins out every time and DL just seems more compact and do-able.

@calypso726 --I'm tempted to buy DM and DF SPG points but would it be rent or "rent?"

 

[jhoannam]

I believe you can upgrade until 8/1.

That's what I thought. Thank you.

 

[jhoannam]

Ok, I applied for the CIP using one of you guys' link from Reddit. Pretty cool how we can help each other out that way. Here's hoping I get approved without any extraneous questions about my "business". Seriously though, I need to sell some stuff. Along those lines, something I learned a few years back: Playmobile holds its value really well. We've gotten most of our money back reselling ours after the kids outgrew it.

Good luck!

 

[wendow]

Ok, I applied for the CIP using one of you guys' link from Reddit. Pretty cool how we can help each other out that way. Here's hoping I get approved without any extraneous questions about my "business". Seriously though, I need to sell some stuff. Along those lines, something I learned a few years back: Playmobile holds its value really well. We've gotten most of our money back reselling ours after the kids outgrew it.

Good to know on the Playmobil. We have TONS of the sets that my boys never play with. My girls loved it but my boys are strictly Lego kids. I should list that Playmobil and get it gone!

Good luck on the CIP!!

 

[Lain]

I have those, plus something from Stapes for extra MR (same with Best Buy and Lowe's). I think some of these were new today. I came here to find out if I should be using them in a particular way (like gift cards?). Still asking N00B questions, I know. Also, when it says "only the card registered" do they mean our main AMEX user or does it apply to the AUs as well?

Since Amex issues a different number for the AU'er card, the offer only applies to the card that you received the offer for. I have the Amex BCP and my dh is an AU'er. We frequently only get the offer on one of the cards, so if it is on my card, he cannot go use his AU'er card and receive the credit. Does that make sense?

Thanks for explaining this. I thought so, but I wanted to make sure I don't mess things up.

ETA- Can we both get the same deal then? Or is it just one user per AMEX account?

If the offer shows up for both of you on different cards, then you can both get it. Even if it is the same card and one person is an AU'er on that card.

@wendow is right about there being different numbers on the AU cards, but the AU can open up their own AMEX online account (create your own username and password) and register their AU card to that account. On BCP, DH and I (AU) most frequently get the same offers on both cards so we can double up on the AMEX offers. Occasionally there's one just on the primary cardholder's account but that's the exception rather than the rule in my experience (I've even seen an offer on the AU card that wasn't on the primary card, that was strange). So the key is to have a separate login for the AU cardholder. I have more than one card associated with my AMEX login, so if I have the offer on multiple cards, I open multiple browser tabs to add the offer to each card. If you don't do this, you'll lose the offer on the other cards once you add it to one card. I hope what I said makes sense.

He should still be able to get them as long as he has his own login! What I meant is that if you have multiple cards under your login, then you'll need to open multiple browser tabs if the offer is available on multiple cards for your login.

Lots of good advice.

I’ll just add that Amex Offers are targeted to individual cards (both primary and AU can get them, and an AU might get an offer that the primary doesn’t get, or vice versa, and sometimes both primary and AU will get the same offer). Amex Offers can be widely available or very narrowly targeted. For really popular Amex Offers like Samsclub, Staples, Best Buy, Lowe’s, Home Depot — basically places where you can redeem the Amex Offer by buying gift cards — it’s best to add them to your card ASAP, because some offers do “fill up.” You just have to check the offers tab on each card.

Each Amex card (primary or AU) can sign up for its own Amex online account, but you can add more Amex cards to existing accounts if that makes it easier to manage your cards. However, Amex Offers are usually limited to 1 per online account. So like @platamama said, say you have more than 1 card on your Amex account, and you got the Sam’s Club offer on, say, 3 Amex cards, once you click to add the offer to 1 card, that offer will disappear on the 2 other cards it was on. Adding an Amex Offer to a card on your login will not make the Offer disappear on DH’s card if DH’s card is on another login.

You can get around this limitation by opening up new tabs or windows for each of your cards, go down to their Offers, and click to add the same offer in the different tabs or windows. @calypso726 wrote up a good guide (with pictures) showing you how to do this: https://www.disboards.com/threads/i-love-credit-cards-so-much.3528202/page-897#post-58922317

These aren't the type of gift cards you would be buying. They are talking about bulk orders where a corp orders a ton of them or if they have some custom design. Lowe's and Staples have similar exclusions but regular gc that any of us would buy are fine.

THIS.

P.S. you always refer to your card as the AMEX. I’m guessing that’s your Platinum, but it would really help us keep our advice straight if you tell us what Amex you’re referring to, especially as you get more Amexes.

 

[wendow]

I kind of prefer DL, especially for "littles." You can walk between the parks, there are a lot of off site hotels that are close (although who am I fooling, I've never actually stayed off site ), and the weather tends to be better. Several Labor Day weekends ago, I'd landed and was waiting outside for the bus wearing jeans, a tank and a cashmere cardigan. "Huh, I thought, it feels rather warm, I should take off my sweater." YES BECAUSE IT WAS 100 degrees! In Orlando (or my neck of Florida), the humidity would have melted me long before those silly thoughts occurred. Also, I'm a fan of the churros, "original" Dumbo, and Alice's trippy caterpillars. With a toddler, ease wins out every time and DL just seems more compact and do-able.

I agree that DLR is easier with littles! And the churros are so fun there. We loved all the different ones! Love the Alice ride too

 

[amalone1013]

So if I'm finally going to use URs for our Disney World tickets today, and I call into the Travel dept, am I going with activities or travel packages when given the option in the menu? Does it matter?

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Looks like there are 3 spaces on the app for name. I fill in all three with my name? This is a "business", not so much an actual business. I have sold a few things on eBay but do have plenty more to sell and would like to get back into it. I put business category as retail.

ETA Tax id number? No idea on that one.

All 3 places put your name the same way each time....
Tax I’d number is your social security number

 

[palhockeymomof2]

I seem to do better with BIN and free shipping, and most times the actual shipping comes in under my estimate, which makes me happy. I always put no returns. I know that eBay policy can force a refund if item is not as described, which is why I make sure to include lots of pictures and description. I also add that in the event of a return, buyer is responsible for return shipping (and I know how much it cost for me to ship to them) so they’ll usually be out some money and that often acts as a deterrent. (I know PayPal offers free return shipping, but a lot of people don’t know that.) I haven’t had a buyer try a return in a while.

I just do BIN with instant payment required....the issue I had with the recent return..(.thank goodness usually get only a few each year..which is why I offer them) was eBay changed their return policy so if I offer free shipping...I can’t take the actual shipping cost off the return, my only option was a full refund....so I ate the cost of the original shipping
I also require the buyer pay for return shipping....lots changes on eBay over the 10 years I’ve been selling and most not good for sellers

 

[peel]

So if I'm finally going to use URs for our Disney World tickets today, and I call into the Travel dept, am I going with activities or travel packages when given the option in the menu? Does it matter?

Ask for the Cruise and Tours Department. They're the only ones who seem to know how to book tickets with UR.

 

[Lain]

Ok, I applied for the CIP using one of you guys' link from Reddit. Pretty cool how we can help each other out that way. Here's hoping I get approved without any extraneous questions about my "business". Seriously though, I need to sell some stuff. Along those lines, something I learned a few years back: Playmobile holds its value really well. We've gotten most of our money back reselling ours after the kids outgrew it.

The CIP earns 3x UR on eBay sellers fees and eBay shipping through PayPal. Add the CIP as the payment method on your eBay account and select and preauthorize the CIP in PayPal as the preferred method of payment for eBay shipping.

Good luck!