I love credit cards so much!

[disneymagicgirl]

Hi all,

You guys are so amazing. I have just tried reading the latest 10 pages in the thread, but just the acronyms are confusing me. I have no idea what is going on but am hoping for some advice!
We only use one credit card at a time, it just works easier for our budget. Last spring, I opened an Amex to get the bonus points for a pair of plane tix. Worked beautifully. Went back to old card, mainly because a lot of places don’t take Amex.
So, now I’m looking to get points for American flights in Dec. and possibly Southwest next summer. And what about the hotel points??? Does credit card hopping get you in trouble?
Again, we carry one card at a time. Might could manage two, but my brain doesn’t work that way.
Looking to maximize airline and possibly hotel points.
No business travel whatsoever. Usually hit $2500-3000 a month on the card.
We both have awesome credit scores.

TIA!

PS - if anyone wants to post a list of common abbreviations that would be super cool too

Hi there and welcome!
I’m not familiar with American but if you don’t fly them frequently, you could always just book them through the chase portal using ultimate rewards (URs). There are a number of cards you could get to rack up URs.
If you spend a lot of travel and restaurants, I would suggest the chase sapphire reserve (csr).
URs also transfer to southwest easily.
Another good option is a business card, chase ink preferred (CIP). It is offering a 80k sign up bonus!
It sounds like you haven’t opened many cards in the past 24 months, correct? Can you list what you have opened?

 

[miztressuz]

Hi all,

You guys are so amazing. I have just tried reading the latest 10 pages in the thread, but just the acronyms are confusing me. I have no idea what is going on but am hoping for some advice!
We only use one credit card at a time, it just works easier for our budget. Last spring, I opened an Amex to get the bonus points for a pair of plane tix. Worked beautifully. Went back to old card, mainly because a lot of places don’t take Amex.
So, now I’m looking to get points for American flights in Dec. and possibly Southwest next summer. And what about the hotel points??? Does credit card hopping get you in trouble?
Again, we carry one card at a time. Might could manage two, but my brain doesn’t work that way.
Looking to maximize airline and possibly hotel points.
No business travel whatsoever. Usually hit $2500-3000 a month on the card.
We both have awesome credit scores.

TIA!

PS - if anyone wants to post a list of common abbreviations that would be super cool too

I like this list for acronyms
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/knowledge-base/credit-finance-acronyms/

You're in a nice spot to meet minimum spend requirements with that monthly spend. For flights in December that might be close, but American has two credit card issuers - Citi and Barclays - plus alliance partners and points transfer partners. Do you know how many points you need for the flights?

 

[hsmamato2]

All 4 of my RMN purchases went thru!!!(this is a first for me) HD,CVS,WG,Staples- already redid Staples and CVS yesterday,Dh is out at HD right now redoing that one....this has been an easy way to make $40-
PRG question alert!!! So I followed the link and instructions thru incognito for the link- and I keep pulling up 50k/2k....in spite of the promised 50k/1k .... should I just go for the one I'm getting? Or wait and try again...ugh.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I like this list for acronyms
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/knowledge-base/credit-finance-acronyms/

You're in a nice spot to meet minimum spend requirements with that monthly spend. For flights in December that might be close, but American has two credit card issuers - Citi and Barclays - plus alliance partners and points transfer partners. Do you know how many points you need for the flights?

Thanks for the acronym list. It doesn’t have RMN, which has been a hot topic here this last week. What is an RMN?

 

[havaneselover]

Thanks for the acronym list. It doesn’t have RMN, which has been a hot topic here this last week. What is an RMN?

Retail Me Not. It's an app that has had a lot of great in store cash back offers like spend $25 at CVS, get $10 back. A lot of us have been using them to buy Disney gift cards.

 

[KPK02090]

Has anyone done the Citizens bank checking acct bonus?
I opened it at the end of May, followed all of the requirements and still don’t have the bonus. I’m guessing I need to call?

I opened Citizens in June and haven't received my bonus yet. It's the only bonus I'm still waiting for. I thought I remember DP's saying it took about two months for bonuses to post, so we should have received them by now. If you call, let me know how you make out!

I’m right at the 60-day mark since my “direct deposit” from CapitalOne 360. It’s listed as a direct deposit, but no $400 bonus yet. I’m reluctant to call since it wasn’t a real direct deposit - although DPs on DoC said CapOne worked.
I’m worried about this one because there are fees on the account ($25/month). I haven’t been charged one yet and read they usually take a few statements to kick in, but I wanted to downgrade the account as soon as possible before they do. Have either of you been hit with fees?

 

[Haley R]

RMN: My Kohl’s, cvs & (new) Walgreens finally became payable! Still (old) Walgreens, Home Depot and Macy’s pending.

Woke up this morning and I have $40 payable and Dh has $50! We won’t be getting as much next time now that we know which stores have Disney.

 

[hsmamato2]

Remember when I said I got a targeted mailer for $400 to open a Key Bank account - with just one $500 deposit? There seems to be $300 offers floating around online. Keep your eyes peeled.

EDGT0718 is the offer code. If you google that you'll see this offer has cycled through early summer too. I've never seen the $400 offered online tho. I would think being logged into google and then clicking around the Key Bank site would get you that targeted mailer for $400.

I got that but from the terms it seems I would have to pay a $30 service fee plus 18 per month for 3 months (1st 3 free) for the advantage checking(I can't switch a 'real' DD over to there so would have to pay those)

 

[wisconsinmom]

Our summer travel plans had a sudden change on Friday. It's a good change but I'm trying to figure out how to leverage rewards.

We will be traveling to Switzerland and Paris, we booked paying cash. The tickets were an amazing deal ($465 ORD to Zurich during high summer season) and when I checked the Chase UR portal they wouldn't come up. I didn't want to miss out so I booked directly on my CSR. I'm glad I moved quickly because less than 24 hours later the prices were up to $1600 pp.

So plane tickets are cash.

We booked an Airbnb in Switzerland, used DH's Venture card that has a $595 reward that we'll use toward the price, the rest will be cash. So OOP will be about 600 for 6 nights in the Alps.

I booked an Airbnb in Paris. I'm second guessing a little bit. We love Airbnbs and having a kitchen. The place is a great price at just under 500 for 3 nights. I'm considering booking a hotel through the Chase UR site since that would be "free". Both kids want to do the Airbnb though and having the kitchen will save us money.

We will have 2 1 nights stays in Zurich and I will be booking those on points through the UR portal.

Our other main OOP expense will be train tickets.

Is there a card we could apply for to offset some of our costs? It was nice using DH's Venture points for part of the Airbnb.

Here are our current card stats-

DH is 2/24-
SPG-4/18
CIP-5/18
Venture-7/18

I am 3/24 but holding two spots to do a SW DD for a companion pass-
CSP 1/17
CSR 5/17 PC'd to FU
Freedom 1/18

What about bank bonuses? With 10 months until the trip maybe I could do some of those. I've never done one and would like to start out easy.

 

[MKTokyo]

Ok update(I finally got ds at home to do this!) did the credit karma verification with the license etc- so ds has a score of 791, age of oldest acct is over 11 years(mine) !!! so why did discover deny him? is it recommended we call back to ask, or just let it ride and try again in 30 days? I'm really wondering if maybe a freedom card isn't better for Ds on his first card now since his 'history' is already with chase? wwyd?

Thankfully it doesn't seem to be an issue of fraud & you can isolate it to an Equifax issue. Discover probably denied him because they pull Equifax & that particular bureau has messed up your son's file in some way. Now that you know his credit itself is safe, you should be okay to just mail in the documentation they asked for and see if you can access his file online in a month or so. If not, then you might have to call. I hope it's resolved ASAP.

 

[hsmamato2]

Thankfully it doesn't seem to be an issue of fraud & you can isolate it to an Equifax issue. Discover probably denied him because they pull Equifax & that particular bureau has messed up your son's file in some way. Now that you know his credit itself is safe, you should be okay to just mail in the documentation they asked for and see if you can access his file online in a month or so. If not, then you might have to call. I hope it's resolved ASAP.

I'm done trying to contact equifax at the moment those phone umbers are a circle of dead ends as far as I can tell..... I'm going to have ds call Discover itself and inquire as to why he was denied...

 

[MKTokyo]

Those cornfields creep me out I'd be too afraid of those to even watch the movie!

Would be worse if the movie was Children of the Corn

Seriously, all this love for Hocus Pocus and yet nobody understands the brilliance of Spooky Buddies

Has anyone done the Citizens bank checking acct bonus?
I opened it at the end of May, followed all of the requirements and still don’t have the bonus. I’m guessing I need to call?

I was looking at that bonus the other day & everybody was saying that it took an insanely long time to post.

I'm done trying to contact equifax at the moment those phone umbers are a circle of dead ends as far as I can tell..... I'm going to have ds call Discover itself and inquire as to why he was denied...

They are probably going to tell him "based on information from Equifax" & that should entitle him to a free credit report from Equifax, but you've seen how well they do there.

 

[Albort]

Ok can someone help me please? @Lain @calypso726 maybe?

I just booked a one way, CVG to MIA using Avios for the Disney cruise I decided to book yesterday. (11,000 MR points, got the transfer bonus!)

Should I select British Airways or American for my Plat credit to pay for the bags? I obviously ticketed on BA but will be flying American...


This is end of January... now I've got to figure out my return trip home. It's a little more tricky...

amex plat, u pick domestic partners, not internationally. so Southwest, AA, Delta, United, etc.
you selected American to pay for your baggage fees. You pay AA the fees, not BA. I did exactly this when i booked BA on AA metal from LAX to SEA.

returning home, why couldnt it be the same route?

 

[AmyAnne]

I booked an Airbnb in Paris. I'm second guessing a little bit. We love Airbnbs and having a kitchen. The place is a great price at just under 500 for 3 nights. I'm considering booking a hotel through the Chase UR site since that would be "free". Both kids want to do the Airbnb though and having the kitchen will save us money.

I know you asked about new cards, but I think we forget here that UR points can be redeemed for a statement credit. Of course it's not the best use of points, in the abstract, but if the airbnb works for you, I wouldn't use UR points to book a hotel. Depending on how expensive hotels are in Paris, it might cost you fewer points to use them for the airbnb.

 

[tink1970]

I am 3/24 but holding two spots to do a SW DD for a companion pass-

If you mean a literal DD, then that loophole ended last week.

If you mean getting a Biz/personal over 3-4 months then that still works as usual.

I'm sure there are people who can tell you how to do this best but off the top I'd recommend the Barclaycard arrival plus for your DH:
https://cards.barclaycardus.com/cards/barclaycard-arrival-plus-world-elite-mastercard/

This is a true chip and pin (which is helpful in Europe at train stations/subway stations/fast food kiosk ordering...and if you meet the MSR of $5000 in 3 months you'll earn $600 cash back which can be used for travel charges (I'd think that would more than cover train tickets but I haven't looked up their prices recently).

I suspect AirBnB would also code as "travel" but I'd fact check that one a little bit more.

Or...you could keep DH with chase...you could refer him to his own chase freedom (referral points)or he could obtain another chase business card.

It looks like there are lots of options.

 

[StephPlum]

I'm not a Hawaii expert but I've been at different times of the year. I personally wouldn't go during September because our August trip was too hot for me. I'd guess that October would be cooler. December was pleasant, April, May, and June were lovely. July was hotter but not awful. Love Kona and Maui (it's been too long since I've been to Oahu to have a valid opinion).

it’s been a while since we’ve been in Hawaii in September or October, but I don’t think you’ll see much weather variation in that month and a half period. I agree with @mmmears that October would tend to be cooler and less humid, with it being on the tail end of the dry season and moving into the rainy season around November. Rain is generally unpredictable. You might get morning and passing showers and nice hot days, but there’s always a chance of rain for a few days’ stretch. Good luck!

Thanks, all. I was thinking October at first and then for some reason September entered my mind. Sounds like I will move back to October. Actually May would be ideal if not for family reasons. I have no idea where DS will be next summer. School is out at the beginning of May and then he'll start a new internship or go back to the same place as this year. I do not know if we have to move him to another state or he will still be living at home.... If I knew, I could plan better.

 

[calypso726]

Ok can someone help me please? @Lain @calypso726 maybe?

I just booked a one way, CVG to MIA using Avios for the Disney cruise I decided to book yesterday. (11,000 MR points, got the transfer bonus!)

Should I select British Airways or American for my Plat credit to pay for the bags? I obviously ticketed on BA but will be flying American...


This is end of January... now I've got to figure out my return trip home. It's a little more tricky...

I see @Albort already answered. If you have already selected your preferred airline you can’t change it. You are allowed to select once per year. I have never used the incidentals airline credit for anything other than purchasing AA gift cards. Between the AA Citi card and/or using miles, gift cards and points to fly in first, we always wind up with a free checked bag or two or three depending on the flight. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful but glad you still got the right answer.

 

[StephPlum]

You get the free checked bags because of both reasons - First class tickets include bags, and the card gets you free checked bags simply by being a cardholder. [This is somewhat different from the United card that requires purchase of the fare on the United card to qualify for free checked bags.] With AA you don't need to pay any part of the fare with the card, you get free 1st checked (domestic) bag simply by being a cardholder (at least 7 days prior to travel your FF number has to be on your reservation). You don't even have to show it to anyone. I would pay for the fees/taxes with your CSR since it has superior travel protections.

A personal Barclays would get you a 10% redeemed miles back per calendar year up to a maximum of 10,000 miles. The 60K mile offer on it right now is pretty good.

You can gain more miles through AA's shopping portal and dining program. In a pinch, you can always buy AA miles (although wait for a sale) to top off your account. The cheapest I've seen works out to $0.015 per mile if you buy enough miles (usually though it will be around $0.019 per mile). I can MS and have it end up being $0.014 per mile.

Are there Chase cards you prioritize that are making you watch your 5/24 status?

Thanks.

I was thinking using CSR would be best for the travel insurance.

On my 5/24 status, I want a SW CP next year for other travel. So saving a spot for SW personal and SW Biz (won't add to 5/24 but need to be under) and then would like a Marriott card. I am looking at anytime awards so not in a rush to buy. If for some reason the flight I want is a saver, I have enough miles for that.

 

[Haley R]

Would be worse if the movie was Children of the Corn

Seriously, all this love for Hocus Pocus and yet nobody understands the brilliance of Spooky Buddies


I was looking at that bonus the other day & everybody was saying that it took an insanely long time to post.


They are probably going to tell him "based on information from Equifax" & that should entitle him to a free credit report from Equifax, but you've seen how well they do there.

Lol spooky buddies? Like with the puppies?

 

[palhockeymomof2]

That is one early flight! have fun!

Yes it was...but now we are by the boardwalk pool....clown never bothered me ..celebrating our kids birthdays