I love credit cards so much!

[CyndiLouWho]

so, I was wondering if most people pay off their many credit cards each month? If not, that would negate much of the gain I would suppose. We only have a couple of credit cards by choice and use them very specifically and pay them off each month. We are debt free including no mortgage and tend to pay cash for everything. HOWEVER....we would be disciplined enough to work the "hacking" i we understood it more clearly.

Yes, I would say pretty much everyone here pays off cc monthly as if paying cash. No benefit to points if you're paying interest. There are a number of websites and blogs which many here follow like Doctor of Credit, The Points Guy, Frequent Miler, and Mommy Points. Plus lots of others

 

[wendow]

Darn, my IHG card was compromised already. This is the 5th card since April.

Sorry to hear that. A couple of years ago, we were on a roll with a Chase card getting compromised every couple of months but now, we've not had this happen in over a year. I'm in shock really that it's been so long. I'm sure we are due soon.

 

[Albort]

This is all new to me. The extent of it I mean. We've gotten plenty of free flights, and sign up bonuses, but had no idea there was so much else out there! How did you get started? Are there websites to check to learn the ins and outs? I don't think I could ever achieve your expertise, but I would very much like to improve my knowledge.

Also, I was wondering if most people pay off their many credit cards each month? If not, that would negate much of the gain I would suppose. We only have a couple of credit cards by choice and use them very specifically and pay them off each month. We are debt free including no mortgage and tend to pay cash for everything. HOWEVER....we would be disciplined enough to work the "hacking" i we understood it more clearly.

This has been quite an eye opener!

i started reading reddit's /r/churning. i learned most from there. They are great for reading but only ask questions in the daily discussion. I think most posters here learned it here. Most of them are all pros now.
i started about 2 years ago September with the CSP...
only cards u dont really need to pay off are those with 0% APY cards. You still need to pay minimum. but there isnt much reason to keep the balance if you have the funds to pay for it.
There is also a lot of information that goes into the grey area as well. You gotta find it though... :]

 

[GlamMistress]

That stinks. I'm thinking of signing up for Life Lock. Anyone tried it?

I had it for years. Was handy for churning because you knew immediately when you got a hard pull, etc. Canceled it to save money.
I froze my accounts last week after the Equifax breach.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I had it for years. Was handy for churning because you knew immediately when you got a hard pull, etc. Canceled it to save money.
I froze my accounts last week after the Equifax breach.

I get alerts from Chase, Capitol One, Credit Karma and my employer's credit monitoring program whenever there is a hard pull or new account opened in my name. I don't think it is even necessary to pay for credit monitoring for the most part.

 

[hsmamato2]

Yes, I would say pretty much everyone here pays off cc monthly as if paying cash. No benefit to points if you're paying interest. There are a number of websites and blogs which many here follow like Doctor of Credit, The Points Guy, Frequent Miler, and Mommy Points. Plus lots of others

And my favorite for newbies millionmilessecrets I started out reading that one, and I still think they've got some great and step by step explanations of doing this stuff.... (I owe them a lot for all I learned) and you should ALWAYS pay your cc before any fees,ALWAYS. If you aren't,then you're overspending. It's a balance, figuring out which cards work for your own budget.

 

[peel]

Click "Activities" enter "Anaheim, California" (should autofill), and date(s). Disneyland tickets should pop up right after Knott's Berry Farm tickets.

I can put in dates for December and see DL tickets but if I put in our May 2018 dates, nothing comes up. I am wondering how far out they have tickets. I'd want to be buying ours as soon as my CSR travel credit is available.

I tried a bunch of random dates and never saw DL. I don't have plans to go there right now, I was just poking around. But it seems odd that you'd have to choose "the right" dates to even show DL tickets when they aren't actually issued for specific dates.

Edit: And today I'm getting DL results for the same dates I put in yesterday. Maybe the site is glitchy. In any case, good deal! Thanks for the heads up, everyone!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Also, I was wondering if most people pay off their many credit cards each month? If not, that would negate much of the gain I would suppose. We only have a couple of credit cards by choice and use them very specifically and pay them off each month. We are debt free including no mortgage and tend to pay cash for everything. HOWEVER....we would be disciplined enough to work the "hacking" i we understood it more clearly.

This has been quite an eye opener!

I absolutely pay it off every month. I would suggest starting slow, do one card and see how it goes for you. You can pay your credit card off before the statement even post if you want. I was so scared when I had my first credit card in college that I would pay off any charges on the day they posted Now, I use autopay to pay my statement balances on the due dates and stay very organized making sure there is enough money in my bank account to cover all of them. I suspect you'll find this is up your alley but unnerving. Financial self-discipline is the NUMBER ONE rule in this game, if you have that- come play!

 

[gottalovepluto]

According to DoC the Barclaycard Arrival+ 50,000 sign up bonus could be ending in the next couple days ("few days" was posted yesterday). He mentions the bonus started 9/16/16. Rumor at this point but anyone thinking about it... (this is such an easy $500+ bonus if you're buying travel in the next year) https://www.doctorofcredit.com/barclay-arrival-now-50000-point-bonus-worth-525-travel/

 

[Dugette]

According to DoC the Barclaycard Arrival+ 50,000 sign up bonus could be ending in the next couple days ("few days" was posted yesterday). He mentions the bonus started 9/16/16. Rumor at this point but anyone thinking about it... (this is such an easy $500+ bonus if you're buying travel in the next year) https://www.doctorofcredit.com/barclay-arrival-now-50000-point-bonus-worth-525-travel/

Ugh, I hope not! DH has the card (just got the bonus!), but we were waiting for me to get it after getting the CSP (I'm at 5/24 until Dec.) Grrr.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I had it for years. Was handy for churning because you knew immediately when you got a hard pull, etc. Canceled it to save money.
I froze my accounts last week after the Equifax breach.

But that cost $ too, correct?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

According to DoC the Barclaycard Arrival+ 50,000 sign up bonus could be ending in the next couple days ("few days" was posted yesterday). He mentions the bonus started 9/16/16. Rumor at this point but anyone thinking about it... (this is such an easy $500+ bonus if you're buying travel in the next year) https://www.doctorofcredit.com/barclay-arrival-now-50000-point-bonus-worth-525-travel/

I wish I could but just got Aviator and Hyatt cards. 3/4 done with spend but not quite. This is next on my list.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I get alerts from Chase, Capitol One, Credit Karma and my employer's credit monitoring program whenever there is a hard pull or new account opened in my name. I don't think it is even necessary to pay for credit monitoring for the most part.

My employer doesn't have a credit monitoring program, so what do Chase and Capital one offer?

 

[wendow]

Is it totally dumb to go for the Barclay Arrival+ if I am only 4/24? I finished my spend on SW premier a few weeks ago but have just been debating what to do next. I want the IHG card but I don't need to be under 5/24 for that one. I am going to PC my CSR to a CFU and my CIP to a CIC. Already have CF and CSP. Not sure why I would bother with a Hyatt card since we never stay with them. Marriott might come in handy but there is no rush on it for sure.

Also, anyone know if you can use Mastercard with plastiq? I know Visa has cracked down.

 

[Eighty8Keys]

Also, anyone know if you can use Mastercard with plastiq? I know Visa has cracked down.

Yes, you can. In fact they have a promotion running right now where you'll pay lower fees (down to 1.5%) if you schedule three recurring mortgage payments between now and the end of year and pay with a MasterCard. It's paid out in the form of a rebate and the amount is reduced if you use FFD's. I'm paying with my Barclaycard Arrival+ so I'll be ahead .5% on each mortgage payment.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

My employer doesn't have a credit monitoring program, so what do Chase and Capital one offer?

Chase's program is called Credit Journey and Capitol One's is called CreditWise. It is the same program that allows me to check my score. They both send alerts if there are changes to my report. Here is what Capital One sent this afternoon:

"Great news! No big changes to your TransUnion® credit report. There’s nothing new going on this month, but when events we monitor affect your TransUnion credit report—like credit inquiries, opened accounts or delinquencies—CreditWise® from Capital One® will let you know."

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

But that cost $ too, correct?

It costs money to freeze your accounts. You have to do it at all 3 bureaus to be effective, each charging their own fee. And you also have to pay to unfreeze them when you want to do anything, like apply for a credit card or a loan.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Is it totally dumb to go for the Barclay Arrival+ if I am only 4/24? I finished my spend on SW premier a few weeks ago but have just been debating what to do next. I want the IHG card but I don't need to be under 5/24 for that one. I am going to PC my CSR to a CFU and my CIP to a CIC. Already have CF and CSP. Not sure why I would bother with a Hyatt card since we never stay with them. Marriott might come in handy but there is no rush on it for sure.

Also, anyone know if you can use Mastercard with plastiq? I know Visa has cracked down.

IMHO no.... What is most valuable to you? $500 towards travel in the next 12 months + or 80,000 Marriott points (idk if that's the best offer out there) and Marriott Elite Status? If your answer is Arrival+ I see no reason to keep that "5" spot open for a Chase card. (FWIW reports in the comments on that DoC link are Barclaycard is cracking down on people who are getting lots of cards and many are getting denied. One person said they were told 6+ cards opened in past 24 months will now lead to denial. So, it may not be one you can pick up easily in the future either.)

 

[gottalovepluto]

Speaking of dropping bonuses, DoC also reporting that after Oct 4 the Southwest 60K bonus will be reduced. There is also commentary on timing the Companion Pass. Here's the link: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/time...uthwest-cards-60000-bonus-ending-october-4th/

 

[Calfan]

Chase's program is called Credit Journey and Capitol One's is called CreditWise. It is the same program that allows me to check my score. They both send alerts if there are changes to my report. Here is what Capital One sent this afternoon:

"Great news! No big changes to your TransUnion® credit report. There’s nothing new going on this month, but when events we monitor affect your TransUnion credit report—like credit inquiries, opened accounts or delinquencies—CreditWise® from Capital One® will let you know."

Thanks. Just signed up for Chase Credit Journey. We had Lifelock for a while after my SSN was used on fraudulent tax returns in 2014 and 2015, but it turned out to be more of a pain than helpful.