I love credit cards so much!

[GusGus16]

When I went on Sat, one of the trams was designated for International so there were International flights arriving but those people had their own connection to the main building and went off towards customs. I had actually went to the SW gates first with DH and DS took the tram back to the mail building, walked around to the other set of trams to get to PP lounge and never went back through security going to the lounge or back to the SW gates.Super easy and quick!

Thanks so much!

 

[Judique]

No downside! Easiest 10,000 MR ever. I received a flier Monday and had no idea for what card since I’ve signed up 2 cards (likely personal and biz plat). I broke down and called- the CSR was super helpful and now my (rose) gold card is enrolled- 24 hrs later the 10,000 MRs posted. I recommend calling (with the flier in front of you- there’s a code that tells their computer which card is targeted). Easy peasy!

Yes - I'm waiting for this offer. They keep offering me the option but not the points. I have no balances, so maybe that's it. 'Spend over $100 and you can pay with time'. Sometimes I'm making a $3K payment after meeting a minimum spend and they want me to pay over time. Not going to happen but I do want those points!

 

[striker1064]

Share your churning history...fun little exercise to pass the time this week...
Another group I'm in has been doing this recently as we approach the end of the year - people sharing a little bit about how long they've been at this game and how many cards they've gotten during that time. This could help @Lain update his spreadsheet too At any rate, if you want to share I think we'd all be curious. I'll start!

Here's some facts on me (which many of you are probably familiar with):

• I've been at this hardcore for 4 years (played the game for 5 years in total)
• Always been in 2 player mode since the start, my wife and I got 2 cards in 2011...then started actually playing in late 2013.
• At my high point I was 29/24 (34/24 with biz cards) in Oct of 2017
• At her high point my wife was 16/24 (no biz cards at that time) in June of 2016
• My wife is now down to 2/24...and those 2 are one of the last successful CSR/CSP double dips in August before that got killed (or at least drastically limited with this new modified method)
• I've made it back to 6/24 (yes down from 29...) and will be under 5/24 in just 92 days

We have fairly simple and consistent travel preferences and and an abundance of points in URs, SW RRs, and Marriott so I'm moving to slow churner mode.

We got 5 cards total this year (would be 6 if AMEX would lift the popup on the Schwab Plat). That's after getting 13 cards in 2017, 29 cards in 2016, and 14 cards in 2015. Next year I'd say we're gonna get another 5-6 cards. I'm really enjoying being a slow-churner - I find it less stressful and we're still able to support all the travel we want.

Fun idea!

I've had a Chase Freedom for a while... according to my notes, since mid-2012. Our first real churn was in late 2012, when both P2 and I got the CSP for $400 back. Knew nothing about travel, just wanted cash back. I started to realize how lucrative rewards-earning could be from credit cards further down the line, and got the now defunct Chase Amtrak card in 2014. According to my Amtrak Guest Rewards history, the sign-up bonus was 12,000 points.

Our first churn for a specific redemption was in early 2016. We both got the CSP and Hyatt cards, and I added the Amex Hilton cards shortly thereafter. These became a trip to NYC, then Washington DC, then back to NYC at the end of 2016. 4 free nights from the Hyatt card at the Park Hyatt NYC over Christmas, 2 nights at the Hyatt US Capitol in DC late December while we hunted for apartments (this wasn't part of the original plan but it worked out just fine), and 3 more nights back in NYC over New Year's Eve at the Hilton Times Square (never again). Back home to Mississippi via Amtrak, then moved to DC 2 weeks later.

Anyway, once we accumulated the points for that trip, it was off to the races. I was over 5/24 and never looking back. My all-time high matches my current high, which is 24/24, 30/24 with biz cards. P2 is 9/24, 14/24 with biz cards.

 

[DisneyMandC]

The Marriott Marquis is the big hotel in Times Square right? For 4 of you it's probably the most comfortable. Rooms are big for NYC (meaning about average size anywhere else). It's literally in the middle of Times Square though, so it'll be very busy all the time. But the nice thing is you can walk to Radio City Music Hall for the show, it's only about 10 minutes. And you're well-connected via subway lines to anywhere else you want to go.

I'm staying at the Marriott Marquis in two weeks for one night. I'll do a report on it when I get back!

 

[elgerber]

I got the 10k for pay over time offer in the mail too, over the weekend. Problem is, I added it to that card already, a couple of months ago :-(. Dh gets a mailer too, for pay over time, with no offer at all. So annoying, I keep hoping it pops up for me, and it never does.

On another note, it is now officially 2 weeks, since I applied for the SW personal card, and still nothing! Still the two week message. Grrrrrrrrr.

 

[mmmears]

These became a trip to NYC, then Washington DC, then back to NYC at the end of 2016. 4 free nights from the Hyatt card at the Park Hyatt NYC over Christmas, 2 nights at the Hyatt US Capitol in DC late December while we hunted for apartments (this wasn't part of the original plan but it worked out just fine), and 3 more nights back in NYC over New Year's Eve at the Hilton Times Square (never again). Back home to Mississippi via Amtrak, then moved to DC 2 weeks later.

I have the Park Hyatt booked right now (with points). Would you please let me know if you liked it there?

 

[hsmamato2]

I probably would have dropped my personal since I didn't get a free night back in August, because I'd only saved $75 with AMEX offers over the year. I just made myself a spreadsheet so I could easily filter by card and year to see how much I've saved with them.

I REALLLLYYYY need to sit down and force myself to do this very soon..... I keep avoiding the process! I just got my AF on SPG personal, this means I won't see a free night in my acct for another 8 weeks,right?

 

[Haley R]

Yes the money spent is all regular expenses or Christmas but it adds up so quick. Any of you not working on a minimum soend right now more power to you. My one solace in spending so much in one week is that it is good headway into the 10k spend for the Plat Biz.

It’s been helping us meet my and dh’s MSRs for our Hilton cards. Dh should get his southwest card soon so we can start our spend on that

 

[Eeyore2142]

So I have officially entered 2 player mode with DH applying for the SW business card (going for CP since ours ends in December). He got an email that says "We'll let you know our decision as soon as possible".

Any idea what this one means? I have never seen that one and google is not helping. Thanks

 

[amalone1013]

I REALLLLYYYY need to sit down and force myself to do this very soon..... I keep avoiding the process! I just got my AF on SPG personal, this means I won't see a free night in my acct for another 8 weeks,right?

That seems to be about the timeline unfortunately.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I love all these stories of how long people have been at this game. We definitely have a wide variety of strategies too with people under and well over 5/24. I think that's cool because it brings different perspectives to the advice that's handed out here. Sometimes (most times?) on r/churning the advice is, get over 5/24, don't look back, board the GrAAvy train, get 40 cards, book your trip to Thailand in first class. While I have no issue with those doing that, I'm just glad we have people that realize there are OTHER ways to play this too

 

[Albort]

So I have officially entered 2 player mode with DH applying for the SW business card (going for CP since ours ends in December). He got an email that says "We'll let you know our decision as soon as possible".

Any idea what this one means? I have never seen that one and google is not helping. Thanks

means, our system is too slow to process your app, we need time.
call status line for updates. 30 days - give us even more time, 2 weeks - i think we are gonna approve u, or 7-10 day - ehhhhh, bad news, *insert reason here*...

 

[striker1064]

I have the Park Hyatt booked right now (with points). Would you please let me know if you liked it there?

This is going to sound like the first-worldiest problem of first-world problems, so here goes.

We stayed at the PH for 4 nights in 2016, so I would guess some things have changed. I'd always heard the PH is the premier brand and one of the nicest chain hotels you can book, so that's why we went for it. It was... I dunno, underwhelming. It's hard to exactly put a finger on what it was, but the hotel was a little worn and tired. It's very nice, don't get me wrong, but if I were booking another high-tier Hyatt hotel in NYC, I would opt for the Andaz Fifth Avenue (but it's a totally different style too).

I'm looking through my pictures, and apparently I only took a picture of the bathroom. TBH, it's a really nice bathroom.

I do remember we stayed on the (now no longer available) 2 free nights from the Hyatt card sign up bonus. The front desk offered us an upgrade to a Deluxe room for $50/night, which we took (expiring CSR travel credit, yeah!). I'm glad we did, because the room we got was still pretty small. The decor was... dark, I guess? I'm having a tough time putting into words what we didn't like about it, but we both agreed that while it was a very nice hotel it just wasn't for us and we would prefer a different Hyatt in the city, even on points.

I also did not particularly prefer the area. It's not terribly interesting. It's north of Times Square, Theater District-ish I guess. If you're seeing Broadway shows it should be pretty convenient. It's only a block away from the 57th and 7th subway, served by the Broadway (yellow NQRW) line. The immediate restaurant options are okay at best. The nice thing is you're within easy walking distance to both the hugely diverse choices of Hell's Kitchen, and in the other direction, the 53rd and 6th Halal Guys (plus 5th Ave shopping).

The more I think about it, I probably would have enjoyed the hotel more as a whole if it were in a better area. We like to try new foods when we travel and get things we can't at home. I'll find the good values and the hole in the wall places. There just isn't much of that in that area.

I think we're likely a unique case. You'll probably enjoy the hotel a lot. And to reiterate, it is really nice. It's a little tired yeah, but a lot of NYC hotels are. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts when you go!

 

[Eeyore2142]

means, our system is too slow to process your app, we need time.
call status line for updates. 30 days - give us even more time, 2 weeks - i think we are gonna approve u, or 7-10 day - ehhhhh, bad news, *insert reason here*...

Duh, that makes sense. LOL.

I called. He's approved!!!!

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

@striker1064 - thanks for the info. My kids actually like Times Sq. It’s going to be insane 2 days after Xmas but i like the idea of being close to the show and we will wander for dinner etc. glad the rooms are larger. It’s tougher to find 2 beds in nyc! In April we are doing the statue (crown tour), Freedom tower, a show, maybe the hy-line. Would you book the courtyard times sq (I actually think closer to Rock center) or the courtyard Central Park? Any other suggestions?

I'm staying at the Marriott Marquis in two weeks for one night. I'll do a report on it when I get back!

Awesome! Did you get rockettes tix? I bit the bullet and used Today’s tix. Paid a little more than I wanted but we are going 12/27 and crowds will be super high

 

[hsmamato2]

Argh, Sam's Club got me again. I ordered a couple things on Cyber Monday because they had the same price as other sites but we had AmEx offers for samsclub .com on two cards. I had the 5 off 15 and hubby had a 10 off 50, so it'd make a better gift the same price as the 'just ok' version if we used them. They had a promo if I spent x amount they'd give me a discount so I threw a couple other things in the cart to get them practically for free and off I went... I wasn't thinking how close we are to the end of the month when the AmEx offers expire! After the Gift Card fiasco where they arrived a full week after promised (they didn't even process the order until after they were supposed to arrive ) I was only thinking about delivery dates and not the charge dates. As I check the order again where the gift is sitting in "Ready to Ship" for the 2nd day and the other 2 items are still "Order received" I'm starting to doubt I'll get the charges in by the 30th if they're holding shipping for those. I should have known better but normally ordering something a week before the expiration date isn't even a thought so I didn't put two and two together like I should have.

This may be a $15 lesson learned unless AmEx takes pity and adjusts it for order date.

AH! thanks for the reminder...... I was about to do some shopping..... I wanted to go instore to ruby tuesday,pf chang and 5 guys to buy gc...think it'll trigger the offer? I'm also not seeing the sams club x3 offers I saw the other day...then all the pages went wonky and showed no offers....I'd better leave it alone till it sorts out (this is ridiculous)

 

[hsmamato2]

Exactly! Swolphin is the whole reason I went after the first spg cards we picked up. If these nights were good there, the AF would be a no-brainer. I also still have a cat 1-4 F&N's cert I have no idea where we will use. I think I'll be cancelling the cards and saving $500 instead.

I feel the same..... I think in my mind I'm still trying to hang onto the fantastic roller coaster that Swolphin/SPG once was and I'm having a hard time understanding that it's over..... But I am going to cancel my spg personal,I just don't see a use for it at all right now.

 

[happ]

Share your churning history...fun little exercise to pass the time this week...
Another group I'm in has been doing this recently as we approach the end of the year - people sharing a little bit about how long they've been at this game and how many cards they've gotten during that time. This could help @Lain update his spreadsheet too At any rate, if you want to share I think we'd all be curious. I'll start!

Here's some facts on me (which many of you are probably familiar with):

• I've been at this hardcore for 4 years (played the game for 5 years in total)
• Always been in 2 player mode since the start, my wife and I got 2 cards in 2011...then started actually playing in late 2013.
• At my high point I was 29/24 (34/24 with biz cards) in Oct of 2017
• At her high point my wife was 16/24 (no biz cards at that time) in June of 2016
• My wife is now down to 2/24...and those 2 are one of the last successful CSR/CSP double dips in August before that got killed (or at least drastically limited with this new modified method)
• I've made it back to 6/24 (yes down from 29...) and will be under 5/24 in just 92 days

We have fairly simple and consistent travel preferences and and an abundance of points in URs, SW RRs, and Marriott so I'm moving to slow churner mode.

We got 5 cards total this year (would be 6 if AMEX would lift the popup on the Schwab Plat). That's after getting 13 cards in 2017, 29 cards in 2016, and 14 cards in 2015. Next year I'd say we're gonna get another 5-6 cards. I'm really enjoying being a slow-churner - I find it less stressful and we're still able to support all the travel we want.

I still consider myself a newbie. I started in Jan of 2017 for the sole purpose of a "free" Disney trip which, God willing, will happen in 2019. I've opened 14 cards so far & I'm in 1 player mode. I'll be back under 5/24 next April and I'm eyeing the CIP (I should have gone for this when I had the chance.) unless things change again with Chase. I'm biding time with other business cards for now. Love this community!

 

[Judique]

Share your churning history...fun little exercise to pass the time this week...
Another group I'm in has been doing this recently as we approach the end of the year - people sharing a little bit about how long they've been at this game and how many cards they've gotten during that time.

Well, first of all, I'm not a churner. I'm a card hoarder, because I never get around to canceling them!

That said, my first credit cards are from the late 80ties - Navy Federal Visa. No churning there, but eventually a little rewards collecting when they started a gift card points program.

Then in 2001, I got myself an Amex Optima Platinum (according to @miztressuz Amex's first MR credit card) for the presale benefits. Quickly added SPG to collect points after my brother told me about this excellent program. It was really great back in the day.

After that, no cards for about 5-6 years when I got a Chase cobrand card with airplanes on it from a stand at an air show at Andrews. I signed up to get a t shirt. Chase eventually closed that card because of lack of use. At some point I was DENIED for the Chase Disney card and I think it was around this time, and probably because of the non use and closing of the airplane card. I still really don't know why I suffered the one denial and was pretty offended, because that was the Since Day 1 card . It never occurred to me to call or recon, and I've never had to with any card.

Somewhere around 2010 and continuing on to now, I started getting more cards for points: a NF master card, 2 southwest cards, 2 Disney cards, IHG card, Hyatt Card, 2 Marriott cards(Chase must have forgiven me), 2 more SPG cards, Amtrak, Radisson, Amex Gold, Lowes, Freedom and Costco Citi. I've canceled the 2 Southwest and 1 (fee) Disney.

So, looks like I've got 17 'keeper' cards that I probably won't churn. But, these companies are still giving me bonuses and I've got a long way to go before I've maxed out my credit line, so we'll just keep on collecting points and bonuses! I use all of them occasionally when I'm not doing a required spend.

In the middle of all this I've had other store cards: Macy's and Belk, Kohl's, Target, and what not but I've let them all lapse and be closed for non use and now I'm smart enough not to bite on just a tshirt!

Looking forward, I will keep my hotel cards so long as I'm using the benefits. I may try to get more Chase if I get back under 5/24. But now that I have the Rose Gold Amex, I'm thinking churn the Biz Plat but 10K, oh my!

 

[hsmamato2]

That's awesome that your travel destinations work so well with the FN's. In our case, we don't take very many trips so it's hard to use these nights. Maybe in a different stage of life

ETA: if I could find a 35k hotel by DLR, that would be an option. I need to look at that.

you know what? That's a good point...... I see 4 points sheraton is a cat 3....that might be a fun use of a free night