I love credit cards so much!

[hsmamato2]

I think that’s a good deal. I bought mine about two years ago and paid $59.99. It’s pretty basic with no frills.

I've had tis one for over a year (no sales) and I LOVE it..... use it 4-5 times a week

 

[hsmamato2]

Just a data point...they will not let me do this. They also said you cannot hold more than 1 sapphire card. So I'm not sure what I'll do at this point...considering requesting PC after meeting MSR or have DH apply for CSR. But back to back $4k MSRs will be difficult for me right now. Or maybe I just live with CSP awhile

nothing wrong with keeping what you have and enjoying those points! this 'game' needs to be played carefully,and within your means,so if PC'ing would be too much MSR too soon, it's ok to enjoy what you already got for a while....

 

[Lain]

what does this mean?

Marriott and SPG award categories are changing 8/1. If your award reservation is at a hotel where the points required to book are going down, you can call into Marriott after 8/1 to get the extra points refunded.

 

[hsmamato2]

View attachment 337459 Do I take that as a yes?



Seriously though, this sailing is on *GT rate and is the week of 2 if my kids’ bdays in dec. I’d use UR making it an even better deal. We’d do this in lieu of Alaska next May since that is going to be a logistical nightmare now that we are moving back to SC then. And we wouldn’t get to do DL at Christmastime this year but there is always next year.
I am so jealous of you who are married to Disney loving spouses.

my Dh is like yours..... I told him we were taking a disney break for a while...he said "great!".... meanwhile I'm trying to restrain myself in every way since my first urge is to go there for no reason on either coast..... and keeping myself busy with other trips over the next year.....

 

[hsmamato2]

I’d take it as whatever answer you prefer. So yes it is! My DH loves Disney but is still un-helpful. I do everything, I mean everything. All planning, accruing of points and $, budgeting, booking, etc. and I work too. He just packs his stuff and drives us to the airport. Voila, done!

when DH is busy hauling our luggage around while I file my nails, I tell him that I used my brains to get us there, and now he's using his brawn to do his part of the deal! he literally throws some clothes in a suitcase on the night before we leave to go somewhere...... we all have a role.....

 

[Lain]

Boo, I didn't realize the offers can disappear. I had the Best Buy offer yesterday, went to add it today and it is gone.

Most, if not all, Amex Offers have an enrollment limit. Popular Amex Offers (think any store that sells third-party gift cards, e.g., Best Buy, Staples, Lowe's, Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc.) get snatched up fast, so you need to add it to all your cards (using multi-tab, multi-browser trick) ASAP, or they'll fill up and disappear.

 

[Ngwira]

Thanks for the replies about vegas hotels, hopefully going to decide today if the trip is a go and get a reservation... I'll probably pay cash or look through the UR portal, I have marriott/starwoods points but thought I remember there aren't many good options with them close to the strip.

No new Amex offers for me this AM yet. Everyone have a good day, I have to get moving to a very busy day at work!

We’ve stayed at Mandalay Bay, Delano and Palazzo. We really love Palazzo. I’ve heard good things about the Cosmopolitan and if you have Marriot points you could possibly book using points.

 

[Lain]

You all know how I'm a big believer in waiting for historically high offers to apply for a new card. Well...

Chase Increases Starbucks Credit Card Bonus To 4,500 Stars

Chase has increased the sign up bonus on the Starbucks credit card to 4,500 Starbucks stars (up from 2,500 stars previously) after $500 in spend within the first 3 months from account opening. You also get 250 stars (2 free drinks) when using the Starbucks Visa card to load your Starbucks card in the app for the first time. This is enough for 36 free food/drinks (38 if you load the app)!!!

I don't know if we'll ever see a better offer! Now's the time to jump, everyone!

P.S. Seriously, don't get this card.

 

[hsmamato2]

Ah yes. I mostly just decide our destinations. DH loves WDW though. I’m the one who hates lines and heat so no busy times, no summer for me.
I decided we should do something for our anniversary next year. So I was thinking Hawaii or Alaska. DS doesn’t want to go to Hawaii. Alaska it is. I told DH more than I asked. I researched cruises and gave DH a few details. I told him we could do DCL for $$$ or another cruise line for $. His only input: just do Disney, I don’t care if it’s more $$

hahaha I'm glad I'm not the only one here.... DH and I have come to an understanding... I get to play the travel churning game,and all it's details as long as I stay under his random cost per year,(under 10% total income)and he just goes wherever I happen to choose.... that random number always makes me laugh.... he chose it hoping that I would get to plan less trips.... he had NO idea how cheap I was getting things,and his 'limit' actually ramped up my planning ideas!!! we decided this fater losing a few great deals b/c I was trying to get a yes or no out of him..... he ends up liking whatever I pick overall,tho Disney is his least fave thing.

 

[hsmamato2]

I offered to stick with the Alaska cruise and figure out the logistics around our out of state move that is at the same time. I would think he'd love Alaska...fishing, hiking, nature stuff...not my cup of tea at all. But I'd do it. He just doesn't seem terribly interested. I'm convinced he doesn't like things specifically because I do like them. Well, I am going to ponder this VGT rate a bit longer. In the mean time I will keep asking DH where he would like to vacation, and he won't answer, and I will give up and plan what I want to do. Then he will complain about going on Mickey's boat again. Then this cycle will repeat again next year.

what is a VGT rate?

 

[jhoannam]

I get annoyed b/c he doesn't want wdw/dl b/c crowds/lines. He doesn't love cruising either, but out of my disney habits he tolerates it best. So I said, we use our URs for this and we still have a 7 night marriott cert and plenty of hilton points...I am open to suggestions....where would you like to vacation. Crickets...so around and around we go.

DH loves Disney, maybe not as much as me, I always try to get his input and he never has any suggestions, so we keep going back to Disney.

 

[Lain]

20% off iTunes gift card Lightning Deal on Amazon: http://a.co/9YNuR0c

$50 gift card for $40. The usual discount is 15%. If you select no rush shipping, you may get an extra $5 to use on Prime Now

Good for music, movies, tv shows, apps, iCloud services, in-app subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, etc.

Won't last!

 

[hsmamato2]

Yeesh, I go on a Netflix binge last night and come back to five pages from you guys

Plastiq charged my CIP this morning for my student loan payment, so that should be the last thing I need to put my CIP over $5000. I'll see if my 80k URs show as pending next week and then call in to Chase to get my extra 20k applied.

I'm going to apply for the Citi AA biz here in a few since I'll be leaving to go out of town again for a horse show tomorrow morning. I'll have internet access, but am likely to forget what with everything else going on.

As to SOs and vacations, I've finally gotten DH on track for going to Arizona next April. All I had to do was talk about it what I wanted to do repeatedly until last night he blurted out "when we go to Phoenix next year, I want to go to this BBQ restaurant." Success... now I need to plan out how I want these flights to work/accumulate some more hotel and rental car points.

that's my plan too! see you there... already booked my hotel on points, now just have to get airfare

 

[DisneyMandC]

DH loves Disney, maybe not as much as me, I always try to get his input and he never has any suggestions, so we keep going back to Disney.

This is my DH too. For a bit he was all "I want to go other places, I don't want to just go to Disney." And then before we took our Asheville trip this spring he was like "can't we cancel that and go to Disney instead?"

I think we've now worked out that our optimal time without a Disney park in our lives is about 1 year. By that point we really want to go back again, and it doesn't feel like we were just there. We went in April 2015, January 2016, August 2017, and will go back in less than two weeks. Fitting WDW in this November was kind of aberrant as really that was supposed to be a Universal trip. We already have it planned so that we'll go back to WDW in September 2019, Tokyo Disney in August 2020, and DH has already informed me that he wants WDW in 2021 for the 50 year celebration.

Now that we've been married for a couple years, we're starting to fall into a pattern of doing about two to three trips each year. We always do one on our anniversary (last year NYC, this year Asheville, next year Arizona), one for my birthday (last year WDW, this year DL), and one for his birthday (WDW/USO this year). His birthday fell on Thanksgiving last year so that's his own fault lol. Next year it'll probably just be Arizona and WDW since we'll be taking 4 other people on the WDW trip.

 

[DisneyMandC]

that's my plan too! see you there... already booked my hotel on points, now just have to get airfare

Yay! I've only perused the Marriott website in terms of hotels so far. I've got some tentative flights picked out. AA Economy Saver tickets are available for flying into both PHX and TUS, so I need to decide which one I'd prefer to fly into. Flights out are equally crappy from both. I'm thinking I'd prefer TUS so I can start at the bottom of the state, rent a car, and drive our way up it and back again.

 

[havaneselover]

Anyone know how this buy $25 Amazon GC, get a $5 credit is supposed to work? I purchased the $25 and put in the promo code and sent it to myself, but I'm not seeing the $5 anywhere. Maybe it doesn't show up yet?

Yes. Did it last night. Add the card. Use the code. The card gets emailed and the promotional code for $5 gets added in a few days since they don't want you using it on their prime day deals (and getting a bigger discount).

 

[Judique]

Since I'm up early I was able to check for more Amex offers. I have no good ones but DH has 10% off up to $20 for groceries plus 10% off up to $10 for department stores as well as $15 off Macy's. On one of mine plus 2 AUs also got 3x MR at Amazon. The deals just keep coming

I got the 3x Amazon mr offer and the Plated offer showed up today as well. I already had the Macy's.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Same here...my husband told my daughter this the other day...it got me thinking I should write down a list of online accounts and passwords for him

I have a notebook full of info, plus spreadsheets on my iPad. But DH would still be lost.
On a serious note, write everything down clearly. For 50 years, my dad did everything. Paid all bills, kept track of all accounts, utilities, etc. When he passed away 5 years ago, my mom was lost. She had never paid a bill in her life. He had a notebook full of accounts and passwords but things crossed out, added, updated. Not super organized. Months later I was still going thru the info. Even after 6 months, I found active bank accounts we hadn’t known about. I’m sure I still missed some.

 

[Judique]

I got them too! Plus a 10% back from Office Supply stores... man they are really trying to stop me from using my CIC! First with the 10% back at Staples and now 10% back anywhere (up to a whopping $5, but still 10% is 10%.) Also, there's one for 3x back on Amazon until 8/28. (2 additional pts for a total of 3x)

The department store one is good only at these stores: Bealls, Belk, Bloomingdale’s, Boscov’s, Century 21, Dillard’s, J.C. Penney (JCP), Kohl’s, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Stein Mart.
Sounds to me like it should stack with the Macy's offer too.

From yesterday's offers I have Kimpton and Choice hotels, Banana Republic, and Cole Haan today that I know weren't there yesterday. Could be because I checked the phone app but I thought I looked online later but not sure.

No. I've seen people on here saying they got an offer and I've jumped on and nothing for me. Then a day or two or even later, I've got the offer. I've also seen offers disappear when I didn't add them.

I've been following Amex offers for quite a while because it's the real reason I kept my SPG card around before the free night. The offers were cancelling out the annual fee. And, I will never forget the Home Depot offer from about 4-5 years ago - $75 of $250 up to 5 times. My daughter and I stood at the Home Depot checkout buying $250 in gas cards and getting declined and calling amex to get approval while in line, 5 times! We saved 30% off $1250 in gas!

 

[amalone1013]

I was really hoping for a Hotels.com gift card for Prime Day. Maybe it will still come, I know American Eagle wasn't on there when I first looked.

Debating trying to get a few of these and resell. It's not a lot, but it's basically taking $X and turning it into $X + $6-$36 plus some SPG points...

I'm actually surprised at how long the Apple gift card is taking to sell. I've been watching almost an hour and it's sold maybe 20%? A spotify one just went life and is going kind of fast.

P.S. Seriously, don't get this card.