I love credit cards so much!

[SBWB48]

Thanks. It is a US Bank card, but interestingly the number and website on the back of the card is different from the $200 US Bank MGCG I used successfully.

I made some progress this evening; it turned out that MasterPass blocked this variable load MC bc of my multiple attempts to add it, so the prepaid card rep was able to unblock it on his end. Then I added it to MasterPass fine. But got an error message when I tried to use it on Plastiq (via incognito mode like I had done before) saying that my "Card Issuer has declined" my payment to XYZ Company.

So I'm going to try to make a small IRL purchase with this MCGC to see if that makes it work somehow. But first I'll try Plastiq another time tomorrow in case it's a seasoning thing.

That sounds like the same error I got with my variable load US Bank issued MCGC.

Since my MCGCs were also issued by US Bank (prepaidgiftbalance .com as the inquiry website), the only deviation I can gauge is that I ran $295 through Venmo, before finishing the remaining $205 via MP/Plastiq. Seems odd to me if using it before loading to MP/Plastiq is the key...planning on getting a variable load tonight during my grocery run. Will let you guys know once I have it in hand and have tried again.

After 5 looooong days my CIP is finally approved!!!!

CONGRATS!!



I am anxiously awaiting the status on DH's to change. Been at 30 days since last Thursday.

 

[trenty]

Credit Journey is inaccurate. According to CJ, I'm 3/24. I most definitely am not. Check Credit Karma and count the cards you've opened in the past 2 years there.

According to Credit Karma I am 5/24 until next month.

 

[GZanta77]

According to Credit Karma I am 5/24 until next month.

sounds good. Not sure why CJ has you at 5, if one of those is closed. Maybe it does count the car loan - i don't know as i don't use CJ much.

 

[miztressuz]

@GZanta77 and @WVMomof3 - I am confused. I checked Experian and am definitely at 5/24 with one closed card. Credit Journey tells me on my Home page that I have 5 opened cards within the last 24 months. If they are not counting my closed card, shouldn't that say 4 opened cards?

I cannot see how to tell where on Credit Journey those 5 opened cards are listed. When I look under credit report it lists all my cards. Is there a place where they just list what they have recorded for the 5/24 cards?

Edit: Does Credit Journey count my car loan in the 5/24? That is the only thing that makes sense.

Yes, it's counting the car loan. It looks at all credit types when giving you the open accounts. Also another reason to ignore that number and just hand count.

 

[Lain]

Ok. I am clearly lacking in some computer skills, lol. How are you changing the Internet VPN location setting? I'm not seeing any obvious way to do that in settings, etc. I'm wondering if it is because I am on my work computer. I'll try again tonight on my home computer that doesn't have firewalls, etc., but any guidance you can give as to the "how to" would be much appreciated. I did manage to pull up a 25K offer on the Everyday card, so I'm thinking I could do that and the 50K Premier Rewards Gold if I can manage to pull it up. That's a lot less annual fee, and also less MSR to meet for this gamble of being able to secure upgrades.

We subscribe to a third-party VPN (Virtual Private Network) service called Private Internet Access (there are many other VPN services). It comes as an app/plug-in that lets you pick which server to connect to. Once connected, your internet activity is essentially routed through these different servers around the world, so your actual home IP address that gives away your geolocation is obscured. I don't know all the technicalities of this, but my wife is in tech and works with a lot of user data so she's all about minimizing our digital footprint (and here I am posting on a public forum). The side effect is it can make it look like you're browsing from Seattle or Hong Kong, etc.

So, yeah, if a company is releasing test scores by time zone, you can map to an East Coast server and get a 3 hour jump if you're on the West Coast. Sometimes, we browse location locked content only available in other countries. As for Amex welcome offers, Amex can seem so random with how they target offers. Maybe they want to attract more customers in Seattle than the Bay Area, so they target folks browsing in Seattle with better offers than if I were browsing here in SF.

Anyway, I believe the Opera browser (free download) has a built-in VPN (which may be more limited than a third-party service) and incognito mode. If you want to sign up for Private Internet Access, I think they have very flexible plans; you can even pay with a $5 third-party gift card for like a few days worth of access if that's all you need.

 

[WVMomof3]

@GZanta77 and @WVMomof3 - I am confused. I checked Experian and am definitely at 5/24 with one closed card. Credit Journey tells me on my Home page that I have 5 opened cards within the last 24 months. If they are not counting my closed card, shouldn't that say 4 opened cards?

I cannot see how to tell where on Credit Journey those 5 opened cards are listed. When I look under credit report it lists all my cards. Is there a place where they just list what they have recorded for the 5/24 cards?

Edit: Does Credit Journey count my car loan in the 5/24? That is the only thing that makes sense.

On your credit report where it lists all your cards if you click on them they will display when the card was opened. Did you click every one and check the dates?

ETA Mine shows 3/24. I have opened 4 personal cards - closed 1 and 2 business cards. Also we just opened a HELOC so that is not counted in my count so wouldn't think car would, but not sure.

 

[trenty]

On your credit report where it lists all your cards if you click on them they will display when the card was opened. Did you click every one and check the dates?

ETA Mine shows 3/24. I have opened 4 personal cards - closed 1 and 2 business cards. Also we just opened a HELOC so that is not counted in my count so wouldn't think car would, but not sure.

Yes. I did that. I am sticking with credit karma for my counts. It is accurate. Thanks.

 

[Mopedmom1]

The Sapphire DD has been my next move and I was waiting until September but am trying to move it up to today. I am signed into the Chase app on my dh account but can't find where to generate a referral link. Anybody know where I can find it, or has it been nerfed?

 

[disneybirds]

The Sapphire DD has been my next move and I was waiting until September but am trying to move it up to today. I am signed into the Chase app on my dh account but can't find where to generate a referral link. Anybody know where I can find it, or has it been nerfed?

On the Chase Pay app, there are 3 dots beside Pay Card. When I click on the 3 dots for the CSR, the bottom option is to refer friends. I think you want to choose Invite Now since the emails take longer. You can text or email the link to yourself.

ETA: It is the Chase app, not the Chase Pay app. Thanks! @miztressuz

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

What would a 48 month Chase 2 player strategy look like?

Here is a mock up of what a 48 month Chase strategy could include. These aren’t listed in any particular order - just identifying what you could accomplish with 2 players. Sorry for the terrible formatting.

PLAYER 5/24 CARD NAME POINTS MSR

Player 1 X CSR 54000 4000

Player 1 X CSP 59000 4000

Player 1 CIP 85000 5000

Player 1 CIC 53000 3000

Player 1 CIU 53000 3000

Player 1 SW Biz 63000 3000

Player 1 X SW Pers 52000 2000

Player 1 Marriott Biz 75000 3000

Player 1 X Marriott Pers 75000 3000

Player 1 X CF 20000 500

Player 1 X CFU 18250 500


Player 2 X CSR 54000 4000

Player 2 X CSP 59000 4000

Player 2 CIP 85000 5000

Player 2 CIC 53000 3000

Player 2 CIU 53000 3000

Player 2 SW Biz 63000 3000

Player 2 X SW Pers 52000 2000

Player 2 Marriott Biz 75000 3000

Player 2 X Marriott Pers 75000 3000

Player 2 X CF 20000 500

Player 2 X CFU 18250 500


744,500 UR points

240,000 SW RR points

300,000 Marriott points

$62,000 combined MSR

EDIT: my UR and SW totals above assume referring player 2 also so that’s why the numbers don’t add up. It adds 10k SW and 60k URs.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

What would a 48 month Chase 2 player strategy look like?

Here is a mock up of what a 48 month Chase strategy could include. These aren’t listed in any particular order - just identifying what you could accomplish with 2 players. Sorry for the terrible formatting.

PLAYER 5/24 CARD NAME POINTS MSR

Player 1 X CSR 54000 4000

Player 1 X CSP 59000 4000

Player 1 CIP 85000 5000

Player 1 CIC 53000 3000

Player 1 CIU 53000 3000

Player 1 SW Biz 63000 3000

Player 1 X SW Pers 52000 2000

Player 1 Marriott Biz 75000 3000

Player 1 X Marriott Pers 75000 3000

Player 1 X CF 20000 500

Player 1 X CFU 18250 500


Player 2 X CSR 54000 4000

Player 2 X CSP 59000 4000

Player 2 CIP 85000 5000

Player 2 CIC 53000 3000

Player 2 CIU 53000 3000

Player 2 SW Biz 63000 3000

Player 2 X SW Pers 52000 2000

Player 2 Marriott Biz 75000 3000

Player 2 X Marriott Pers 75000 3000

Player 2 X CF 20000 500

Player 2 X CFU 18250 500


744,500 UR points

240,000 SW RR points

300,000 Marriott points

$62,000 combined MSR

This would be:
$11,167 in URs
$3,552 in SW points PLUS 2 companion passes
$2,400 in Marriott stays

Average return 27%+ on 62k in spend.

 

[miztressuz]

On the Chase Pay app, there are 3 dots beside Pay Card. When I click on the 3 dots for the CSR, the bottom option is to refer friends. I think you want to choose Invite Now since the emails take longer. You can text or email the link to yourself.

It's the "Chase Mobile" app with the 3 dot menu. Chase Pay is a separate app without those features. (at least for Android )

 

[Mopedmom1]

On the Chase Pay app, there are 3 dots beside Pay Card. When I click on the 3 dots for the CSR, the bottom option is to refer friends. I think you want to choose Invite Now since the emails take longer. You can text or email the link to yourself.

Thank you! I just wasn't scrolling down enough.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

What would a 48 month Chase 2 player strategy look like?

Here is a mock up of what a 48 month Chase strategy could include. These aren’t listed in any particular order - just identifying what you could accomplish with 2 players. Sorry for the terrible formatting.

PLAYER 5/24 CARD NAME POINTS MSR

Player 1 X CSR 54000 4000

Player 1 X CSP 59000 4000

Player 1 CIP 85000 5000

Player 1 CIC 53000 3000

Player 1 CIU 53000 3000

Player 1 SW Biz 63000 3000

Player 1 X SW Pers 52000 2000

Player 1 Marriott Biz 75000 3000

Player 1 X Marriott Pers 75000 3000

Player 1 X CF 20000 500

Player 1 X CFU 18250 500


Player 2 X CSR 54000 4000

Player 2 X CSP 59000 4000

Player 2 CIP 85000 5000

Player 2 CIC 53000 3000

Player 2 CIU 53000 3000

Player 2 SW Biz 63000 3000

Player 2 X SW Pers 52000 2000

Player 2 Marriott Biz 75000 3000

Player 2 X Marriott Pers 75000 3000

Player 2 X CF 20000 500

Player 2 X CFU 18250 500


744,500 UR points

240,000 SW RR points

300,000 Marriott points

$62,000 combined MSR

Thanks for this list....I hadn’t put the Marriott cards in my plans yet...but my strategy...lists all the Chase cards( without the dd)...and SW cards to keep our CP.

 

[calypso726]

@calypso726 Did your SPG Lux cards come today?

Playing catch up again. Yup it came in yesterday and I already started some spend. Board shorts on the way!

 

[FloridaNative8]

What would a 48 month Chase 2 player strategy look like?

Here is a mock up of what a 48 month Chase strategy could include. These aren’t listed in any particular order - just identifying what you could accomplish with 2 players. Sorry for the terrible formatting.

744,500 UR points

240,000 SW RR points

300,000 Marriott points

$62,000 combined MSR

Based on this, should I change my strategy at all, based on your previous recommendation:

08/18 - P1 - CIP
11/18 - P1 - CSR/CSP double dip - so that you have a CSR and can effectively use your URs
01/19 - P2 - CIP (referred by P1)
03/19 - P1 - SW cards (1 biz / 1 personal) - earn a Companion Pass (CP)
06/19 - P2 - CSR/CSP double dip

I (P1) received my CIP yesterday (so now I'm 1/48)... we average about $3k in organic spend a month (so *most* MSRs are doable without MS - I could potentially raise that). DH (willing P2) is at 0/48.

I *think* we are okay and relatively unaffected by this change in the short term, and will need to evaluate a long term strategy to account for the 48 month rule.

 

[speedyfishy]

Can anyone make me feel better today about this 48 month thing.

We mostly wanted to stay under 5/24 to focus on SW and UR...for Disney parks and cruises. What is going to be the best strategy going forward? No more 3x on CIP to beef up earnings. Freedom 5x cats are nice, but it really isn't all that many points over a 3 month period.
How else can we get SW points once those cards (assuming likely) go 48 mths too? Is amex to marriott to SW an option? I need to look into amex points. I know nothing about them.

My plan to replinish URs once I’m done with Chase is to use the CIP and order giftcards from giftcard mall/giftcards.com it codes as 3x. I was hoping to get a CIC and upgrade to the CIP after a year. SO has the CIC that we will probably upgrade. If I can manage to get four CIPs and max the 3x category after redeeming points for fees I’m calculating a profit of 960,000 URs worth $14,400 when redeemed for travel with the CSR. If everything else fails with churning that should be enough for me every year. I’ll have to cut back on some travel, but I could survive. This will require me to purchase about 1,200 in giftcards but I can make stops everyday at grocery stores for $14,400.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Based on this, should I change my strategy at all, based on your previous recommendation:

08/18 - P1 - CIP
11/18 - P1 - CSR/CSP double dip - so that you have a CSR and can effectively use your URs
01/19 - P2 - CIP (referred by P1)
03/19 - P1 - SW cards (1 biz / 1 personal) - earn a Companion Pass (CP)
06/19 - P2 - CSR/CSP double dip

I (P1) received my CIP yesterday (so now I'm 1/48)... we average about $3k in organic spend a month (so *most* MSRs are doable without MS - I could potentially raise that). DH (willing P2) is at 0/48.

I *think* we are okay and relatively unaffected by this change in the short term, and will need to evaluate a long term strategy to account for the 48 month rule.

The first 2 steps of our plan are absolutely solid! (Although you could do player 2 on the double dip instead of P1 if you wanted).

Depending on your goals, step 3 and 4 could be reversed (and again which player does the SW cards could be up for debate).

I’d say step 5 is still ok BUT you could delay step 5 for another card. Best to wait and see if anything changes in the next 8-10 months.

But yes, overall as a newbie your plan changes very little. This 48 month rule has a more immediate affect on the old guard although it does present a challenge to everybody long term.

 

[Mopedmom1]

CSR application INSTANT APPROVAL! ($31,500 CL )
Now for the hand holding please.... Going to apply incognito mode on a different browser, any other tips?

 

[FloridaNative8]

The first 2 steps of our plan are absolutely solid! (Although you could do player 2 on the double dip instead of P1 if you wanted).

Depending on your goals, step 3 and 4 could be reversed (and again which player does the SW cards could be up for debate).

I’d say step 5 is still ok BUT you could delay step 5 for another card. Best to wait and see if anything changes in the next 8-10 months.

But yes, overall as a newbie your plan changes very little. This 48 month rule has a more immediate affect on the old guard although it does present a challenge to everybody long term.

Thank you!! We need to firm up our travel plans and goals to make sure I align our churning activity appropriately. I hate that this causes turmoil for so many! Although I'm glad to be around such capable minds to figure this all out