I love credit cards so much!

[GusGus16]

I will have to lower my limits then before October. My Bank of America and Amex limits are too high. Something like 19,900. Is there a minimum limit on the Amex blue Preferred?

Chase only cares about the limits it has extended to you, so you don't have to worry about lowering Amex or BOA, just if your overall chase limits including chase business cards are over 50% your income.

 

[Lain]

What's the rule of thumb on what % of income your credit limits should be under? And it doesn't include the biz cards, right?

My understanding is under 50%. Could be completely wrong though! I do know for certain that Chase looks across the board at business and personal limits. And if too high on personal you can’t transfer credit from personal/business.

I will have to lower my limits then before October. My Bank of America and Amex limits are too high. Something like 19,900. Is there a minimum limit on the Amex blue Preferred?

We need to narrow your question, because @kmc8826 was answering as it pertains to Chase.

If you're wondering what's the rule of thumb on what % of income your Chase credit limits should be to increase your chances at automated approval for Chase cards, it's generally recommended to be under 50% of your reported total household income (the income you put on your application) across both business and personal cards -- but only count Chase cards. This rule of thumb doesn't count your credit lines from other issuers like Amex of BofA.

It's not a firm rule, because there are many DPs here of people well over 50% of income on their Chase cards. But as you're being approved for more cards, you may begin to see the credit limits on new cards decreasing, which may be a sign you're reaching the end of what Chase may be willing to extend to you in credit. You may want to proactively reduce credit lines if you want to keep opening Chase cards. Some may suggest leaving credit lines as is so you can offer to move credit to open a new card if you have to recon or your app is stuck at pending. But if you're planning to apply for a biz card or double dip cards and not have to speak to a human with eyes on your account at recon, where you'd offer to move around credit, then you might want to proactively reduce credit lines to improve your chances at automated approval. A good compromise between the two is to proactively lower your Chase credit lines, but leave $5k extra on some card that you can offer to move to open a Visa Signature card like the CSP and $10k extra that you can offer to move to open a Visa Infinite card like the CSR.

If you feel like you're at the edge of what Chase might be willing to extend to you in credit, and want to proactively lower your credit lines to improve your chances at auto approval, send an SM request to do so with enough time for your statement to close for the change to be reported to your credit report, before applying for a new Chase card, or else Chase may see old information on your credit report and count the higher credit limit against you on an application for a new card.

 

[Gwmw1210]

How fast does Staples send their e-giftcards? I need them by Weds, and the email is promising and says less than 1 business day so that works. But worried now that I just relooked at website where it says 1-10 business days.

Saw on DoC that Staples has Lowe's eGCs on discount $100/$90 (limit 3), so since I'm buying from there anyway figure I'll pick up some discounted GC's using my Staples 10% off and then pay the balance using the Lowe's 10%. But kind of afraid to buy all that I need and not get them in time to be useful; and I don't really want to float that much in Lowe's GC's. Hoping someone can confirm they usually come within that 1 business day.

I placed my order at 9:03am received the cards at 11:37am.

 

[Lain]

That's annoying. Now that you mention it, I'm not even sure the orthodontist takes amex. Hope they do, but if not I have the SW to finish anyway. My fallback is DH's grad school tuition, I'd prepay one of the courses (last resort, don't want to pay school any earlier than I have to), they take amex.

Call the orthodontist and DH's school's bursar (or equivalent) to check what cards they accept. Fingers crossed they take Amex. If not, you could use your Amex to buy Visa or MasterCard gift cards at a grocery store that doesn't report Level 3 data to Amex, and use those to pay the orthodontist bill. There's a small fee of, usually, $5.95 per $500 variable load card (1.19%) (you may want to mix it up with regular grocery spend so the purchase doesn't show up on your statement with the telltale $505.95). I've paid my medical copays with a Visa gift card at practices that don't accept Amex. No shame.

 

[Lain]

I need help! @speedyfishy, @DaveL and/or whomever else!

Called Chase a week ago Wednesday to move my existing WDW package to Chase and use UR’s. The agent I talked to a Renitia (sp) seemed a little confused but willing. She took the information and said she would fill out the form herself. Based on stuff here I expected an emailed form but she didn’t want my email just a phone number and said she would call when transferred. I have been checking and it is not transferred yet.

I finally had a chance to call again today. Agent I talked too this time said former agent “on break.” But he said that “no way what you are asking cannot be done.” I left a message for Renitia anyway. Still no call.

Any recommendations of who to talk too? You can PM me if easier. It looks like room rate is still available under offer (AP offer not out yet so I haven’t even dealt with that). I guess I could call and try to get them to just book it and cancel what I have now. But I would assume not do that as it is 2 rooms under one reservation.

30 days is coming up Friday. And I really want to use the UR’s to pay for this trip. I just sent a wire transfer for my DVC resale and I am feeling poor. Points are the way to go for this October trip! Thanks...

Just out of curiosity. I read so many hit or miss stories about Chase cruise and tour dept. travel agents. Some are pros with Disney reservations and tickets, others don't even know what they can or can't do. Why are we leaving our vacations up to chance? Don't we have a running list of "pro" travel agents and their extensions? Can't we call in to these travel agents who know what they're doing?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I’ve heard many reputable people mention Delta as the worst for these “adjustments”. (I personally have no experience though).

Since I’m all about showing the LUV for Southwest (pun intended!) I’ll plug them here. Schedule adjustments and cancellations are VERY rare with Southwest. This is by design and also why while other carriers will release flights almost a year out, SW typically only has 90-180 days of fights released at any given time. They attempt to finalize a workable schedule and then hold to it!

Welp, we’re 20k URs out for the extra hotel (yeah, we could have gone cheaper for 2 rooms but... we love those Hyatt beds...) and $80 for the car rental change so SW is looking pretty nice...

 

[wdwcindy]

1. Log into your Amex SPG account.
2. At the top nav bar, click Statements & Activity.
3. Next to the tabs, click the Preview New Version button.
4. On the popup, click the Try New Version button.
5. Click at each transaction to see the details. Here, you should see a box for STARPOINTS® earned.
6. To the left, under Card Activity, you can click for Previous Billing Statements and go through each transaction there.
7. If it's a recent transaction, your STARPOINTS® box may not reflect any points yet.[/QUOTE

Will this show me the level 3 data reported to Amex? It appears that I have received the points (except for those early April transactions that others had problems with too) but Amex says I haven't met the spend requirements due to unqualified purchases. Thanks again.

 

[Lain]

Will this show me the level 3 data reported to Amex? It appears that I have received the points (except for those early April transactions that others had problems with too) but Amex says I haven't met the spend requirements due to unqualified purchases. Thanks again.

Just checked my own account.

I've been taking advantage of the Staples Amex Offer. I know Staples shares Level 3 data with Amex.

On the current interface, when I click on a Staples transaction, I get the following details:

Doing business as:
STAPLES
View Details on Merchant Website
STREET ADDRESS
-
CITY
STATE
ZIP CODE
UNITED STATES
800.333.3330
Additional Information: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

$25 AMAZON

Reference: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Category: Business Services - Office Supplies
Dispute/Inquire about this Charge

On the beta/new version, it doesn't show what I bought.

The early April transactions not earning points is a known issue with Amex. I'd start with that and escalate if you have to. Amex needs to get you those points from that period. If they continue to insist certain transactions didn't qualify, press them to detail which transactions did not qualify and why.

 

[miztressuz]

Will this show me the level 3 data reported to Amex? It appears that I have received the points (except for those early April transactions that others had problems with too) but Amex says I haven't met the spend requirements due to unqualified purchases. Thanks again.

Click on the transaction and it expands to show all the details. @Albort showed us what each level of data looks like here: Albort's L1-3 screenshots

So far the only place I've made a purchase that sends L3 data is the USPS. (s'alright with me, since it just says Postal Svcs) But if you have transactions that show cash equivalents or GC's they may not be counting towards your bonus, even if you got normal points for it.

ETA: I don't suppose the April transactions add up to the missing MSR?

 

[WVMomof3]

I think the best policy with apple products is looking for price protection/warranty vs points. I would go for a card with warranty than points unless u plan to buy applecare. If points is what u have in mind, id probably go the best buy route. 5x on gift card, maybe save another $100 if ur DD has an edu account to play with.

I’ve purchased 2 on sale at BB as well.
Also, do you have that Best Buy Amex offer?

I do not have the Best Buy offer. I had it, then went to add it later and it was gone. But I just opened the Hyatt card so was hoping this would go to a big chunk of the MSR. Should I not use this card? Was thinking I could possibly get other miles or something else in addition by going through a portal. I didn't' think ebates or other cashback portals works with Apple products, maybe the miles don't either. I do not see the free beats on the Best Buy page, do you have to go through Apple to get them?

 

[miztressuz]

...

On the beta/new version, it doesn't show what I bought.

...

I totally missed that when I was using the beta. I was just digging that I could confirm the points pending. But otherwise I dislike how it opens a new page to show that little bit of detail and it definitely doesn't show anything but the top category; no clue now what they can or can't see.
Not that I MS or anything to be concerned about but I like knowing all that I can to kinda level the playing field.

 

[Calfan]

That is serious making lemonade out of lemons!! It’s rather important to check the cost of First and it’s just not something one normally thinks of. I’m still kicking myself over an AS flight I booked and then paid for extra legroom upgrade on only to later find out first would have been cheaper! And first class for a HI flight? Your family will love you just a little bit extra

Random thought: did SW entry to Maui have a little something to do with UA’s demotion?...

Yes, definitely lemonade! I was pretty surprised at the relatively small differential between coach and first class. Of course, I somehow managed to focus on the differential for just one direction when I should have been doubling it (the fare was just so large in general that I think I was in disbelief that I had to multiply by two to get the roundtrip on the screen I was seeing when I was selecting my outbound flight -- my brain just assumed it was roundtrip, lol), so the difference was a little larger than I first thought, but you are right that both my family and I are going to have a much better experience, and it will be our only significant out of pocket cost for this trip since my parents treat us every two years (they have a timeshare in Kaanapali).

And I definitely had that same thought: that maybe United got fired from the better day routes to make room for Southwest which might have offered the airport a better deal or something. I was leaning toward waiting for Southwest, but my Dad is a worrywart and strongly encouraged me to purchase the Alaska flights. I felt bad about it, but he really didn't seem fazed.....

You are an enabler! Lol. But seriously I’m leaning toward holding but will probably wait as long as possible to decide.

I'm in the hold camp, but I also had no particular use in mind for the hotel portion of the package when I bought it and will have a hard time using the certificate for a week's stay.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Many thanks to those who answered my many DL questions! We are loving our trip. We have a room on the 11th floor of Sheraton Park facing DL so we watched the fireworks from there last night. Club Access is awesome and I am so going to miss that perk with SPG Biz We enjoyed the free wine, beer and apps last night and the buffet breakfast at the restaurant. Yesterday learning MaxPass took a minute but it worked awesome today! So worth the $10 per person to just be able to do the next one in line after we used it. It is hot, hot, hot! So not looking forward to the drive back to Phoenix on Wed. Thanks again for all of your help!

When someone from Phoenix says it’s hot you know it’s HOT! Hope you can cool down with Splash & Grizzly

 

[afan]

All this talk about flight changes got me to check my flights since I hadn't in over a month. My Delta flights changed again but only a couple of minutes so not enough to mess up my valid connection again thank goodness. Alaska changed too, and I'm surprised I didn't get an email since I normally do from them. This one was good too, instead of leaving at MCO at 530pm now it's 655pm. I'll take the extra park time. It's a Saturday so getting in at 1030pm isn't a big deal. Hopefully I'll be able to use one of the PP lounges for dinner.

 

[gottalovepluto]

With absolutely no hard math to back me up on this, it is worth my while to pay with Marriott card for Marriott stays and Hilton card for Hilton stays- especially when there's a promotion running. There are 3x points on my Hilton card this month when I pay for my stay with that, so I'll come out pretty well on that cash booking. With Marriott at 5x and about to jump to 6x in August, I think that's a good value so long as you know you will be using that Marriott points. People on Reddit may have concrete math to prove me wrong, but I think for a lot of us we support just using it for the value we actually appreciate.

Couldn’t agree more! I don’t have much use for a few Marriott points or a few Hilton points so I skip using my hotel cards in favor of the CSR because I know those points I’ll use (unless I’m close to something I want with a hotel currency obviously).

 

[gottalovepluto]

Got all excited to finally see a FedEx 10% back offer on my SPG Biz! Then was just as quickly deflated as I see it's on FedEx Office purchases. So I have 25% back on Freight and 10% back on Office, neither of which I have any plans to use this year. It's cruel roller coaster of AmEx offers...

Was stoked to see the FedEx 25% offer show up on another card- thankfully I realized it was FedEx Freight before I tried to use it for shipping...

 

[gottalovepluto]

...Seriously though there should be a 530 flight you can get moved too and not have to do the red eye.

That was our flight. Idk why/logistically how DL dropped the 530 that day. When I searched for replacement flights it was the late morning or overnight. The late morning departure we’re on now is a widebody 737 with a 2-3-2 config vs the A321 with the 3-3 config we were scheduled on for the 530 (and we took a A321 on this same late morning flight last year actually). Maybe they’re positioning the widebody and dropped our flight for it? ...You know what? If they’re doing this for their convenience they can darn well read my complaint letter! I’m going to write one after all! (Was gonna skip that because I know this just happens sometimes, but this really threw a monkey wrench in stuff.)

 

[disneybirds]

I need help! @speedyfishy, @DaveL and/or whomever else!

Called Chase a week ago Wednesday to move my existing WDW package to Chase and use UR’s. The agent I talked to a Renitia (sp) seemed a little confused but willing. She took the information and said she would fill out the form herself. Based on stuff here I expected an emailed form but she didn’t want my email just a phone number and said she would call when transferred. I have been checking and it is not transferred yet.

I finally had a chance to call again today. Agent I talked too this time said former agent “on break.” But he said that “no way what you are asking cannot be done.” I left a message for Renitia anyway. Still no call.

Any recommendations of who to talk too? You can PM me if easier. It looks like room rate is still available under offer (AP offer not out yet so I haven’t even dealt with that). I guess I could call and try to get them to just book it and cancel what I have now. But I would assume not do that as it is 2 rooms under one reservation.

30 days is coming up Friday. And I really want to use the UR’s to pay for this trip. I just sent a wire transfer for my DVC resale and I am feeling poor. Points are the way to go for this October trip! Thanks...

I booked rooms for Christmas today and talked to two good people. Crystal at x1118203 booked my first reservation and even looked into getting AP discounts for me, but none were available. Odelia at x1112731 booked the second one and was very proficient. In between these two calls, I talked to a Renesha (sp?), who told me the room I wanted disappeared when booking??? I called back and Odelia was able to book it for me.

 

[gottalovepluto]

For the Marriott Travel Package FOMO support group:

Sharing is caring so here is another blogger with fuel for the indecision fire https://tinyurl.com/yahaeguz

I’ve had too much wine to understand all that potential mapping right now I feel like I’m that person in the movie who can’t decide what direction to run so I’ll end up being eaten by the dinosaur first.

 

[magickingdomprincess]

For the Marriott Travel Package FOMO support group:

Sharing is caring so here is another blogger with fuel for the indecision fire https://tinyurl.com/yahaeguz

Thanks for the article, very interesting! I'm leaning towards not attaching it (assuming I get it).