I love credit cards so much!

[kmc8826]

I totally feel the urge to squeeze in another Amex via BGR referral before the end of the year too.

I haven’t tried having my wife apply for the Amex Gold again after she got the pop up in October, and I’m not sure it makes sense to (other than possibly triple dipping the Gold airline fee credit and FOMO on the limited edition Rose Gold color that ends on 1/9/19). She’s shown that she won’t be using it over her CSR for dining, and I know she won’t bother going by The Cheesecake Factory every month to use up the $10 credits. So I kind of don’t want to get her another Amex that she’ll barely use just for 50k MR, a 20k MR referral for me, and have her end up on Amex’s naughty list again.

I may try to fit in the BBP for myself this month. Sad, but true, we’ve already allocated the $3k spend to meet MSR on my wife’s yet-to-arrive CIC, and I’ll be done with my BGR’s $5k MSR by the end of the month.

So you’ll get no judgment from me about going for a personal Platinum when you already have the Biz Plat. (I’m guilty of the same thing!)

The thing that sucks is you’d be paying two large AFs ($550 for a personal Plat, and $450 for the Biz Plat) for a lot of overlapping benefits, some of which you don’t even get to enjoy out of SLC (most notably, the Centurion Lounge). You do have a larger family so maybe the additional Precheck/GE credit may come in handy, and another Priority Pass for more guests too?

Have you looked at the Ameriprise Platinum? First year AF is waived, but it comes with the $200 airline fee credit per calendar year, $200 Uber credit ($15/month, $35 in December), and $100 Saks credit ($50 in the first half of the year, $50 in the latter half of the year), and 5x MR on flights booked directly with airlines. @Ngwira, @GlamMistress, and I think @Albort have this card.

However, I don’t think you can refer to the Ameriprise Plat and it does not have a signup bonus. It is considered a separate product, so going for the Ameriprise now shouldn’t disqualify you from getting the vanilla Platinum, Morgan Stanley Plat, or Charles Schwab Plat (or their bonuses) later on, say when your “free trial” with the Ameriprise is up next year and you decide to downgrade or cancel your Biz Plat, based on having or having had the card product. (However, there is occasional speculation that Amex may one day consider all the personal Plat flavors one product for the purposes of the once per lifetime bonus restriction. And there’s no telling if you’ll end up on Amex’s naughty list and get a pop up when you try to apply for another Plat next year. ETA or if and when Amex kills the ability to self-refer.)

Hope this helps, or at least informs your thinking.

No that is helpful. And a really good point about about annual fees. As much as a lot of us (except those that are especially sensible like @palhockeymomof2) just excuse and minimize AF’s they are real money you are paying outright. Just in the last couple months I will have paid the $450 on my Reserve, the $250 on the Amex Gold and soon the $450 on the Biz Plat. As much as we say you get credits etc that is still money you are laying out up front.

The Ameriprise Plat is tempting and I had thought about it since would get the 5 times MR and credit but again that is a good point about the possibility of the Plat’s merging and also one more card to not use enough and risk getting on the bad pop up list. But if anyone else wants to chime in on the different Plat’s please do!

My husband just texted me with the three cards he is carrying right now. “Which one again for everyday spending?” He tries but has zero interest in the game. Maybe it is a blessing for now that Amex doesn’t like him.

Not to mention if or when Amex will kill self-referrals or change the referral bonuses/referrable cards.

That is my issue! This whole self referral and the fact that the 20k is on the BGR almost seems like a fluke or a mistake that Amex is going to figure out. I think it is almost a little too customer/churner friendly. Soon someone will figure it out and that will be it.

I've never been able to use more than 1 gc at a time (which is a pain) but others have called in and used up to 3, I believe.

Unexpectedly, I have had the credit trigger for things I wasn't expecting such as taxes and fees on award flights ($5.60) and change fees (when I had to call in and rearrange flights). I couldn't exactly remember so just found the receipt from Delta online (they do a good job of that now that the website is working). IIRC, I thought it was a credit from pay with miles but was from the change fee instead...apparently I was making a lot of reservations/changes in July so sorry for that incorrect advice.

I have to agree with @Lain that there's a lot of overlap between the biz and personal. Fortunately, I suppose since I'm canceling my biz in Feb!

Things to consider:
Lounges-Your girls are a little younger than my DD but where I've really found the Plat personal to be helpful is adding 3 AUs (DD, DH and DM) for $175 and having that many more Amex Offers AND Centurion/Skyclub lounges. I doubt that would be as enticing if your DH has a plat and/or with your girls being a little too young for AU status (?maybe in the future?). I can't lie, one of the tipping points before they raised the biz AF was @mmmears description of the PHL Centurion lounge I've never had time to spend in the SLC skyclub and I know y'all fly a lot to MCO (there's is kind of old but okay) so not sure how important the lounge is to you.

Saks-as I've said before, I use a ton of expensive sunscreen so this (and other beauty items) are a nice gratuitous perk twice a year. Could you find something you could use?

Uber-I've never used it but if my credit ever loads on my app it will be nice to use. Would you use this or UberEats?

I probably have been no help at all but with a $550 AF best to cover as many things to consider as possible. The 20K referral plus 60K with MSR would be conservatively worth $800-some would value it even more--so that's something to add into the first year benefits as well.

Okay, ending my essay now

I appreciate the essay! Maybe I should just sit tight for now with the Plat. My oldest is 12; don’t they have to be 13 for Amex? I don’t see myself keeping the Biz Plat with the added fee now so next year at this time I could maybe look at getting the personal. I might just have to console myself with the 3 times for airfare on the Gold or even (gasp) use one of the Delta cards. We have Priority Pass on the CSR and that has worked for using a lounge at MCO.

Saks I could use I think your idea on skincare is awesome. Of course I am a skincare/sunscreen snob.

I will continue to ponder. For now I am leaning toward at least trying to get the BBP. I am sure I will dream about it all night. This credit card thing is such an addiction sometimes.

 

[Albort]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

so sorry to hear that. we're here if ya need anything!

 

[Judique]

Unfortunately the only thing I have ever done is mortgage work, and that industry is FAR from in a hiring crisis, thus the reason I got let go.

You'd probably do well in the banking and credit card field.

 

[1st*toright]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

I am so sorry to hear that. Wishing you all the best as you reassess and figure out what is next - we went through this recently (my P2) and it was hard.

 

[kmc8826]

@Judique good job getting rid of the cat towers. We already had two and then in a trip to Costco a couple months ago we ended up with a third. I am not a fan but the rest of my crew is. I was just glad that it was another cat tower and not another cat or the number one item on all the girls’s Christmas list...a dog.

@elgerber post again something else just so we can all like it to show our solidarity and sad feelings for you. I know a lot are like me and can’t like your post where you say you lost your job. At least we can give you electronic validation of a lot of likes!

 

[platamama]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

I'm really sorry. I hope you find a new (better!) opportunity soon.

 

[Limes96]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

So sorry to hear this. Worst possible time of year for that. My thoughts and prayers go out for you.

 

[elgerber]

[USER=9730]@elgerber post again something else just so we can all like it to show our solidarity and sad feelings for you. I know a lot are like me and can’t like your post where you say you lost your job. At least we can give you electronic validation of a lot of likes![/USER]

I do have a room booked on points this weekend for one night, dh and I are going up north to see a huge outdoor lights display. I figured I needed something happy, and well, yep sure enough I do. Thank goodness for credit cards, or we would not be going.
Hilton and their points are nuts though LOL.

 

[StephPlum]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

Sorry to hear this.

 

[miztressuz]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

Support Like

I know it seems bad now, and it's ok to feel bad for a while - it sucks, but something will come up. My mom changed jobs in her mid-fifties, it took a little longer to find the right fit but she's been at her current place for over 10 years now. So it's not impossible and most skills are transferrable into slightly different roles. Wishing you much luck during the transition.

 

[Judique]

Southwest is killing me right now. I had to do multiple fare searches and now it won't book what I found.

Replying to my own post: Lots of drama in my family right now. Little almost 2 yo grand daughter fell on her arm and may have a fracture. Happened yesterday at daycare and she went to emergency where it was splinted after xrays and then today she saw an orthopedist. Apparently seeing an actual fracture in a toddler is not easy. So, now she has a cast just in case and will wear it for 2 weeks and then be reexamined to see whatever changes takes place that tell the medical professionals whether it is a fracture. Her older sister helped her fall. One is almost 2 and the other almost 3, and they are both busy busy busy! So sometimes there is pushing and shoving and horseplay and lots of giggles, but this time it turned to tears.

Anyway, while she was on the way to the doctor, I'm making reservations on Southwest for daughter so that they would fly to see her father instead of driving because of the injury. I get the outbound flights and then SW won't let me book the one way returns. I'm booking separately on daughters request. Eventually I change browsers and it goes through.

Half hour later daughter is cancelling all of it because the cast must be reevaluated right before Xmas....

So, we will wait and see how it all goes. Love SW!

 

[Lain]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

I’m so sorry.

 

[calypso726]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

Oh no, I am so sorry. While this door may have closed for you, I have faith that another door leading to a path with a brighter and happier future will open soon.

 

[mhartman09]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

I am so sorry to hear this. Not that it would be a good thing a another time of year, but how awful for this to happen at holiday time.

 

[tink1970]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

So very sorry!

 

[DisneyMandC]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

I'm so sorry My mom lost her job at 55. I know how tough it was on her. Now is the time to call on your friends and contacts to put the word out that you're looking for a job. You'll be surprised at how many people want to help or know somebody who has something!

 

[tink1970]

@kmc8826 - yes, AUs for Amex must be 13+. Trust me, the time will fly by!

@Judique - young bones are tricky; DH has been an orthopedic surgeon for more than 20 years and a possible fracture in a 2 year old would have him refer to a specialist (peds ortho). Glad SW is so flexible!

 

[brownhaired_girl]

And, that's it, I just lost my job. Almost 50 and unemployed, Merry Christmas to me.

I'm so sorry my friend . My heart hurts for you. Losing a job is scary and difficult, please give yourself time to grieve. Your friends here that have read your posts know how bright and sensible you are. I for one am confident you will land on your feet. Know you have many friends here.

 

[Judique]

@kmc8826 - yes, AUs for Amex must be 13+. Trust me, the time will fly by!

@Judique - young bones are tricky; DH has been an orthopedic surgeon for more than 20 years and a possible fracture in a 2 year old would have him refer to a specialist (peds ortho). Glad SW is so flexible!

I know she saw an orthopedic surgeon, but I can't say for sure if it was a pediatric specialist. I will ask her when I speak to her later. They put the cast on for 2 weeks and will check 'bone growth' in two weeks. Hopefully I am repeating correctly what daughter said. Thank you for your response.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I just logged into DH's Chase personal account and was given an offer to switch his checking out (which I signed up for for the bonus) to paperless statements and I'd be given $5 for it. I didn't realize I hadn't selected the paperless option to begin with- works for me!