I love credit cards so much!

[Albort]

I thought about having him do that, but I was thinking that he needed one of the premium "fee" cards in order to access UR. Why was I thinking that (I can never remember the rules - need to go back and look)? If we can transfer from his Freedom directly to my CSR, then is there any reason for him to PC down to the Ink Cash? I already have an Ink Cash - don't think we both need one. I'm wondering if he should just cancel his Ink Preferred - especially since I want him to apply for SW Business at some point in the next 6-12 months.

premium cards are needed to point transfer. also to redeem it for 1.25 points(CSR is 1.5). Im not sure if cancelling the CIP would be beneficial when applying for another business card though. The only benefits of keeping the card around is if you spend over $25,000 in the 5x category. your best bet would probably be transfer points before cancelling i guess.

 

[wendow]

premium cards are needed to point transfer. also to redeem it for 1.25 points(CSR is 1.5). Im not sure if cancelling the CIP would be beneficial when applying for another business card though. The only benefits of keeping the card around is if you spend over $25,000 in the 5x category. your best bet would probably be transfer points before cancelling i guess.

We transferred from my dh's Freedom to my CSR before he ever had his own premium card. At that time, his only Chase cards were Freedom, SW, Amazon and Disney.

 

[pillow]

The only reason you need a premium UR card is to use the points in the UR travel site. If you don't have a premium card, they can only be taken as cash back but as long as you have a premium card, he can transfer them to your premium card.

Thank you - makes complete sense!

One more question . . . He got the CSR in Sept 2016 and earned the 100K bonus on 10/24/16. After almost a year (prior to the next year's fee), he downgraded to the Freedom. I was thinking of having him apply for the Sapphire Preferred after 10/24/18 since he would need to wait 24 months between bonuses. BUT, since he downgraded his CSR instead of cancelling, will Chase's system allow another Sapphire bonus? Am I over thinking this?

 

[wendow]

Thank you - makes complete sense!

One more question . . . He got the CSR in Sept 2016 and earned the 100K bonus on 10/24/16. After almost a year (prior to the next year's fee), he downgraded to the Freedom. I was thinking of having him apply for the Sapphire Preferred after 10/24/18 since he would need to wait 24 months between bonuses. BUT, since he downgraded his CSR instead of cancelling, will Chase's system allow another Sapphire bonus? Am I over thinking this?

Those are good questions regarding when/under what circumstances we will be eligible for a Sapphire card bonus again. I'm not sure. There are no DP's, of course, since this rule is so new. I'm curious as well how this will all shake out as I PC'ed both my CSP and CSR in hopes of being able to get one (or both) bonuses again.

 

[chattadisser]

We are sitting through one in Hawaii this September. They offered 5 nights for $600~ plus a rental car, 5,000 AA miles and a resort credit. The Westin property is about $500 - $600 a night so we weren’t going to pass it up. Our timeshare presentation is scheduled for snack in the middle of our stay. It’s supposed to be 90 minutes. I’m going to check out the TUG (timeshare users group) forum to see if there are any posts on what to expect. I can post back here once we’ve gone but I’m not sure if that will be before or after your trip and of any help by that time. So, I will suggest checking out TUG to see if there is any feedback on the presentation. Hope that helps.

Thank you @calypso726 We will be going to AZ in June and we need to book this by 2/14. We are pretty sure we are going to book it, I just wanted to check here and see if anyone had any feedback on it. Forgive my ignorance but where would I find the TUG? Is it here on the DIS or Reddit?

Thanks!

 

[azdisneylover]

create a reddit account, message either @Albort or @SouthFayetteFan with reddit username.

Thank you! Now off to reddit to join.

 

[pillow]

Those are good questions regarding when/under what circumstances we will be eligible for a Sapphire card bonus again. I'm not sure. There are no DP's, of course, since this rule is so new. I'm curious as well how this will all shake out as I PC'ed both my CSP and CSR in hopes of being able to get one (or both) bonuses again.

Ooohhh - could have him double dip both the CSR and CSP. But would be so so mad after meeting all that spend if he didn't get both bonuses. Guess we just need to wait and see DP's.

 

[wendow]

Thank you @calypso726 We will be going to AZ in June and we need to book this by 2/14. We are pretty sure we are going to book it, I just wanted to check here and see if anyone had any feedback on it. Forgive my ignorance but where would I find the TUG? Is it here on the DIS or Reddit?

Thanks!

TUG is another forum altogether...stands for Timeshare Users Group...Just google that and you will find it! (Not sure if we can link to another forum...)

 

[Alice Sr.]

apparently, Biz cards dont follow that rule and you can PC it whenever u want.

That's great info, thank you.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

I need some help determining which card(s) to get next. I’ve been playing this game wrong with AU instead of 2 player mode and trying to get it cleaned up. I’ve requested I be removed as AU on Chase Freedom and CSP. Once I am removed, I’ll be at 4/24. My wife is at 3/24.

My top priority is the SW CP, as we are planning on Hawaii in summer 2019 when SW is flying there. We already have the SW Premiere in my wife’s name and me as AU (more than 2 years old).

The other card I have my eye on is the CIP, which we do not currently own. I like the idea of 5x on our outrageous AT&T bill, along with being more strategic with gift card purchases.

So, we’ve got 3 open slots between us immediately with it being close to another year before any more slots open up. Does her already having the SW Premiere complicate this at all? Is it as easy as her applying for the SW Plus and Business to get our CP and me applying for the CIP? Should we cancel the Premiere once the new SW cards are open?

Is this the best strategy or does anyone have any better ideas to maximize points or different cards? Thanks in advance for the help.

CIP doesn’t have the 5x gift cards it’s the CIC. But the CIP has 80k bonus sign up bs CIC 30k

 

[jujubiee4]

Question for you all - has anyone ever booked one of the Westin deals received through email and sat through the timeshare presentation? I received an email for the Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale for 4 nights for $299 plus 5K SPG points if you sit through the presentation. We already have a trip to AZ planned and have a Hilton booked on points but with this we could save the Hilton points for later. We're just wonder how painful the presentation might be. Anyone experienced it or read any reviews about it?

Thanks!

I have one trip planned with the offer BUT do not have the sit through the presentation but if i do they will give
a 100 visa gift card. A resort credit is already included in the offer so i will pass.

 

[Alice Sr.]

This was a beautifully written explanation @Lain - I will address the areas where I was tagged.

@Lain said, "As @calypso726 already mentioned, the Ink+ is your cash cow. It earns 5x UR at office supply stores and phone, internet, and cable tv services. Staples and Office Depot/Office Max sells a wide variety of gift cards to retailer, restaurants, gas, online services and travel, including I think Amazon and Disney Gift Cards. Go to an office supply store, buy gift cards to merchants you were going to spend money at anyway, and earn 5x UR on every dollar spent."

This is exactly what we do, but will often take it a step further. Our grocery shopping is split up between Costco, Wholefoods and Publix. Ink+ codes at 5x for Staples. Staples sells Wholefoods e gift cards as well as other 3rd party merchants. Rather than physically going to Staples, we go through the Chase UR portal and purchase. Now the T&C's state that you don't get the extra bonus for going through the UR portal for gift cards. That is YMMV. We've gotten it by doing that. Either way, we get the 5x for using the Ink+ and save a trip to the store getting the extra UR portal bonus is icing on the cake.

Now, when I have to purchase an actual item other than e gift cards this is not what I do. I go through the United Mileage X app and purchase the gift card to whatever merchant on the app whether I am at home or physically at a store. If I'm at home, or at the store and can wait on the item to be shipped or do same day pick up, I then go through a shopping portal, UR, AA etc. and purchase my item through the shopping portal and pay using the gift card I just got on the MPX app, thus doing a triple stack on points.

@Lain said, "I believe @calypso726 uses a mix of this tactic to pay her DVC dues, which are significant, and you should do this instead of direct debit! Buy Disney Gift Cards at an office supply store using Ink+, earning 5x UR; then use those Disney Gift Cards to pay DVC. (There are other ways to get better deals on Disney Gift Cards – there’s an entire thread on the subject – but Ink+ at office supply stores is probably the most direct. You could, alternatively, buy a Walmart e-gift card using one of the apps, then use the Walmart gift card at Sam’s Club (if you’re a member) to buy Disney Gift Cards that are discounted ~4%. Or you could have taken advantage of the recently expired Chase deal that earned 10x UR when you use Chase Pay with the Freedom, CSP and CSR at Best Buy for purchases – including Disney Gift Cards – up to $300. Chase Pay also had a 10x UR deal at Best Buy and Walmart .com in December 2017)"

Once again, absolutely correct on the methods to my madness and how we are able to accumulate as many points as we do. ALL of our Disney related expenses will get us a bare minimum of 5x. Once in a while, we get 10x thanks to the BB and Walmart promotions for using Chase Pay. DH and I each maxed out both promotions. The Walmart ones also gave us the opportunity to get 10X and a 4.7% savings on the Disney gift cards since we used the Walmart GCs to purchase through Sam's. I think I've posted something similar before but I will go ahead and post our Disney vacation expenses for this year alone so those who missed it or those new to the thread can see how this adds up.

DVC dues on 1300 points - $8,000 (40,000 UR points)
APs with DVC discount this year $1118 (5,590 UR points)
3 day DCL cruise and dummy date booking - $1656 (8,280 UR points)
ABD China - $15,798 (78,990 UR points)
Deposit on next ABD booking in May - $1200~ (6,000 UR points)

138,860 UR points minimum for the year. I am not even taking into account what we will spend throughout the year while at WDW. We have our reservations booked for F&W at BCV for every weekend and will likely cancel a couple of those weekends if they conflict with other fall plans. We will be there next weekend for the Festival of the Arts and Broadway dining package at Epcot. We have reservations at VGF this Thanksgiving week and are bringing both sides of the family which will be a party of 16. We will likely be at WDW a good number of times besides those trips this year. We often get FB messages from DCL cruise friends and ABD friends we've met on vacation when they are visiting WDW and ask if we can come up and meet for lunch or dinner over the weekend and we do. All of our food and any special events will be paid with Disney GCs that we purchased for 5x at least. With that kind of UR point earning you can see why I don't bother with trying to get under 5/24. Once in a blue moon I may hold off using a Disney GC to pay some of the DVC dues if the timing coincides with minimum spend on a new card I want. That is more convenience than planning though.

@Lain said, "A different take on the above tactic is using the MileagePlus X (“MPX”) app. I see you have a United MileagePlus card. Great! Connect it to the MPX app to earn a bonus of 25% more United miles on any purchase from the app, whether you charge it with the United MileagePlus card or some other card that earns you better credit card rewards on your MPX purchases. As @calypso726 pointed out, I have a write up about using MPX with the right card(s) on the /r/DISchurners subreddit, so I won’t repeat it here."

The MPX is my new favorite toy! I can't thank @Lain enough for pointing me in the right direction and the write up on the Dischurner thread! DH sends his thanks too!

You (and @Lain, @SouthFayetteFan, @Albort and others) do such a great job of explaining and I think I get it until I try to put it all together for myself. I have, and have used MPX, and the UA card was one of my 1st and I knew there was power there (I even have it uploaded to my MPX even though I default to CSR because I have only used MPX for restaurants) but I just have not put it all together so seamlessly. I feel like I am color blind or you all see 3D but I'm stuck in 2D. Any hoo you have reignited the passion (I love your example that really brings it home) and I am off to PC my CIP to CIC and apply for the AMEX Plat. Just to confirm I want to use my CIC (when I get it) to get Disney cards at OfficeMax to pay off the dues (and all things Disney) and I should take the 100K AMEX Plat offer, correct? I would still like to apply for the BCP also I think, is that advisable (I think that breaks down to whether I value the points or cash, correct)? Thanks

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

This was a beautifully written explanation @Lain - I will address the areas where I was tagged.

@Lain said, "As @calypso726 already mentioned, the Ink+ is your cash cow. It earns 5x UR at office supply stores and phone, internet, and cable tv services. Staples and Office Depot/Office Max sells a wide variety of gift cards to retailer, restaurants, gas, online services and travel, including I think Amazon and Disney Gift Cards. Go to an office supply store, buy gift cards to merchants you were going to spend money at anyway, and earn 5x UR on every dollar spent."

This is exactly what we do, but will often take it a step further. Our grocery shopping is split up between Costco, Wholefoods and Publix. Ink+ codes at 5x for Staples. Staples sells Wholefoods e gift cards as well as other 3rd party merchants. Rather than physically going to Staples, we go through the Chase UR portal and purchase. Now the T&C's state that you don't get the extra bonus for going through the UR portal for gift cards. That is YMMV. We've gotten it by doing that. Either way, we get the 5x for using the Ink+ and save a trip to the store getting the extra UR portal bonus is icing on the cake.

Now, when I have to purchase an actual item other than e gift cards this is not what I do. I go through the United Mileage X app and purchase the gift card to whatever merchant on the app whether I am at home or physically at a store. If I'm at home, or at the store and can wait on the item to be shipped or do same day pick up, I then go through a shopping portal, UR, AA etc. and purchase my item through the shopping portal and pay using the gift card I just got on the MPX app, thus doing a triple stack on points.

@Lain said, "I believe @calypso726 uses a mix of this tactic to pay her DVC dues, which are significant, and you should do this instead of direct debit! Buy Disney Gift Cards at an office supply store using Ink+, earning 5x UR; then use those Disney Gift Cards to pay DVC. (There are other ways to get better deals on Disney Gift Cards – there’s an entire thread on the subject – but Ink+ at office supply stores is probably the most direct. You could, alternatively, buy a Walmart e-gift card using one of the apps, then use the Walmart gift card at Sam’s Club (if you’re a member) to buy Disney Gift Cards that are discounted ~4%. Or you could have taken advantage of the recently expired Chase deal that earned 10x UR when you use Chase Pay with the Freedom, CSP and CSR at Best Buy for purchases – including Disney Gift Cards – up to $300. Chase Pay also had a 10x UR deal at Best Buy and Walmart .com in December 2017)"

Once again, absolutely correct on the methods to my madness and how we are able to accumulate as many points as we do. ALL of our Disney related expenses will get us a bare minimum of 5x. Once in a while, we get 10x thanks to the BB and Walmart promotions for using Chase Pay. DH and I each maxed out both promotions. The Walmart ones also gave us the opportunity to get 10X and a 4.7% savings on the Disney gift cards since we used the Walmart GCs to purchase through Sam's. I think I've posted something similar before but I will go ahead and post our Disney vacation expenses for this year alone so those who missed it or those new to the thread can see how this adds up.

DVC dues on 1300 points - $8,000 (40,000 UR points)
APs with DVC discount this year $1118 (5,590 UR points)
3 day DCL cruise and dummy date booking - $1656 (8,280 UR points)
ABD China - $15,798 (78,990 UR points)
Deposit on next ABD booking in May - $1200~ (6,000 UR points)

138,860 UR points minimum for the year. I am not even taking into account what we will spend throughout the year while at WDW. We have our reservations booked for F&W at BCV for every weekend and will likely cancel a couple of those weekends if they conflict with other fall plans. We will be there next weekend for the Festival of the Arts and Broadway dining package at Epcot. We have reservations at VGF this Thanksgiving week and are bringing both sides of the family which will be a party of 16. We will likely be at WDW a good number of times besides those trips this year. We often get FB messages from DCL cruise friends and ABD friends we've met on vacation when they are visiting WDW and ask if we can come up and meet for lunch or dinner over the weekend and we do. All of our food and any special events will be paid with Disney GCs that we purchased for 5x at least. With that kind of UR point earning you can see why I don't bother with trying to get under 5/24. Once in a blue moon I may hold off using a Disney GC to pay some of the DVC dues if the timing coincides with minimum spend on a new card I want. That is more convenience than planning though.

@Lain said, "A different take on the above tactic is using the MileagePlus X (“MPX”) app. I see you have a United MileagePlus card. Great! Connect it to the MPX app to earn a bonus of 25% more United miles on any purchase from the app, whether you charge it with the United MileagePlus card or some other card that earns you better credit card rewards on your MPX purchases. As @calypso726 pointed out, I have a write up about using MPX with the right card(s) on the /r/DISchurners subreddit, so I won’t repeat it here."

The MPX is my new favorite toy! I can't thank @Lain enough for pointing me in the right direction and the write up on the Dischurner thread! DH sends his thanks too!

This is incredible, Calypso!!! Thank you so much for setting out the step-by-step process and the real world examples with your spend. I showed DH and he was blown away. We are bowing down Bill and Ted style right now to you and @Lain

A side note: Calfan & I are doing the F&W half marathon this year so if you are at WDW that weekend (Nov.2?) we definitely need to do a reunion drink or dinner!!! It will be our first time to F&W.

Back to cards ... I'm trying to apply my new knowledge and want to make sure I understand. I have about $1500 in DVC dues right now that I can pay off online. I'm planning to go use my Chase Ink at an office store to pick up Disney Gift Cards. I checked your new toy app and it is showing 4x miles for Office Depot. We have one pretty close so assuming they have them in stock, I use the app to pay for the cards with my Ink (that i just linked--my United card is already linked). That means I will get the 4x miles for the purchase through the app + 25%--even though its a GC?--and 5x miles from Ink. Is this correct?

Thank you all! I'm organizing my tax stuff right now so this has been great timing as i can see the categories of spend that we really need to try to work.

 

[brownhaired_girl]

Thank you @calypso726 We will be going to AZ in June and we need to book this by 2/14. We are pretty sure we are going to book it, I just wanted to check here and see if anyone had any feedback on it. Forgive my ignorance but where would I find the TUG? Is it here on the DIS or Reddit?

Thanks!

When you go to timeshare meetings be aware that you only are required to stay as long as you have signed up for. There is rarely anything they have to offer that you can’t find on the resale market for pennies on the dollar. Know that if they talk you into purchasing you have a legal right to rescind. Before you go to the meeting do your homework. Check EBay prices and prices on other timeshare resale sites. Bring this info with you and it might get you out of the meeting quicker and less painfully.
All that being said, I couldn’t travel nearly as much as I do without my little timeshare. I paid full price for my first one and purchased the next 3 resale after lots of time studying on TUG.

 

[Albort]

You (and @Lain, @SouthFayetteFan, @Albort and others) do such a great job of explaining and I think I get it until I try to put it all together for myself. I have, and have used MPX, and the UA card was one of my 1st and I knew there was power there (I even have it uploaded to my MPX even though I default to CSR because I have only used MPX for restaurants) but I just have not put it all together so seamlessly. I feel like I am color blind or you all see 3D but I'm stuck in 2D. Any hoo you have reignited the passion (I love your example that really brings it home) and I am off to PC my CIP to CIC and apply for the AMEX Plat. Just to confirm I want to use my CIC (when I get it) to get Disney cards at OfficeMax to pay off the dues (and all things Disney) and I should take the 100K AMEX Plat offer, correct? I would still like to apply for the BCP also I think, is that advisable (I think that breaks down to whether I value the points or cash, correct)? Thanks

assuming you can find Disney cards at office depot/supply store... it might be easier to find it at the grocery store using your BCP. earn 6x while your at it.

 

[Lain]

I have about $1500 in DVC dues right now that I can pay off online. I'm planning to go use my Chase Ink at an office store to pick up Disney Gift Cards.

I checked your new toy app and it is showing 4x miles for Office Depot. We have one pretty close so assuming they have them in stock, I use the app to pay for the cards with my Ink (that i just linked--my United card is already linked). That means I will get the 4x miles for the purchase through the app + 25%--even though its a GC?--and 5x miles from Ink. Is this correct?

Be careful there and don’t mix up cards and tricks.

The Ink+ earns you 5x back at office supply stores directly. So practically speaking you’d walk into your nearby Office Depot, pick up some Disney Gift Cards, and pay with your Ink+, earning you 5x UR just like that. (I checked the Office Depot website to see if they sold Disney Gift Cards online so that maybe you could order them online, going through a shopping portal for the extra points. Not available.)

What it sounds like you have in mind is connecting your United MileagePlus card to MPX, then using your Ink+ to purchase an Office Depot gift card for 4 miles/$ + 25% miles bonus on the app, and 5x UR on your Ink+. While, yes that’s the United miles you’d earn on an Office Depot gift card by buying it on MPX, and I think you would earn 5x UR if you used the Ink+ on that purchase (because on a Visa, MPX would pass how the gift card purchase is coded to Office Depot’s merchant category code — office supply stores) (remember, Amex codes MPX differently), the fatal flaw is you’re buying an Office Depot gift card on MPX, not Disney, and ... Office Depot does not allow you to use Office Depot gift cards to buy Disney or any other third-party gift cards!

So in your example, you would cut out MPX because you can’t use MPX to buy an Office Depot gift card to use to buy a Disney gift card. Just go to Office Depot and buy a Disney Gift Card with your Ink+ directly for 5x UR.

ETA: I feel like I need to walk back my caution about mixing up cards and tricks.

Conceivably, you could buy a gift card from MPX, Gyft, or Swych to a merchant to buy a Disney Gift Card, IF that merchant allows their gift cards to be used to pay for other/third-party gift cards. These are kind of exceptions to the general rule. You shouldn’t presume that all stores allow the use of their gift cards for other gift cards, and you need to learn which ones do allow it.

Off the top of my head, merchants that do allow their gift cards to pay for other gift cards are Amazon, Target, Walmart (can be used in Walmart or Sam’s Club), Best Buy (although I had a cashier tell me their policy is changing this month, people are still reporting that gift card for gift card works), Bed Bath & Beyond (their POS systems allow it, but cashiers and managers do not seem informed of this and may refuse you), Safeway (again, their POS systems allow it, but frontline cashiers may not know it’s allowed and stores may have their own policies regarding gift card purchases). These stores also happen to sell Disney Gift Cards (Amazon doesn’t sell Disney, but does sell Safeway, which sells Disney). So if you can buy gift cards for any of these stores at a discount or earn at least 5x credit card rewards, you can probably turn that store’s gift cards into Disney Gift Cards.

But keep in mind how MPX, Gyft, and Swych code on different credit cards so you don’t miss out on triggering a bonus category:

Gyft and Swych work well with Chase Ink cards when checking out via PayPal (Ink+ and CIC earn 5x UR on e-gift cards to any merchant; CIP earns 3x UR).

By contrast, MPX passes how a particular gift card purchase codes on to the merchant’s MCC (merchant category code) for Visa cards, so gift cards to restaurants trigger the 3x UR dining category bonus on CSR, but only 2x on CSP, and 1x with Freedom this quarter; and I think Office Depot gift cards would code as office supply stores on Ink+ and CIC for 5x UR, but earn you only 1x on a CSR.

If you were to use an Ink+ or CIC to buy an Amazon or Best Buy gift card on Gyft or Swych, you’d earn 5x UR. But if you were to buy an Amazon or Best Buy gift card on MPX using any of Chase’s Visa cards, you’d earn only 1x UR because Amazon and Best Buy’s MCC don’t trigger any bonus categories.

As for how these apps code differently with Amex cards, Gyft and Swych don’t earn any extra bonus that I’m aware of with Amex cards. MPX works really well with certain Amex cards.

 

[Lain]

assuming you can find Disney cards at office depot/supply store... it might be easier to find it at the grocery store using your BCP. earn 6x while your at it.

I don’t think @CaliforniaGirl09 has the Amex Blue Cash Preferred, although it is a good card to consider with 6% cash back at grocery stores. However, the 6% cash back is in reward dollars or statement credit, right? Her focus is UR and MR points, so I pointed her to maximizing use of the Ink+ and Platinum 5x bonus categories.

 

[calypso726]

Thank you @calypso726 We will be going to AZ in June and we need to book this by 2/14. We are pretty sure we are going to book it, I just wanted to check here and see if anyone had any feedback on it. Forgive my ignorance but where would I find the TUG? Is it here on the DIS or Reddit?

Thanks!

Not here or on reddit but I learned about it on the DIS in the DVC member forum. The web site is tugbbs dot com I rarely go there since I have desire to purchase another timeshare. I have enough with our DVC points. However, I did read something on one of the travel hacker blog comments that piqued my interest has me wanting to investigate a little further. Not for purchasing a TS but for further travel hacking. If I find the info I think I might, and it is what I think it is, I'l report back here.

You (and @Lain, @SouthFayetteFan, @Albort and others) do such a great job of explaining and I think I get it until I try to put it all together for myself. I have, and have used MPX, and the UA card was one of my 1st and I knew there was power there (I even have it uploaded to my MPX even though I default to CSR because I have only used MPX for restaurants) but I just have not put it all together so seamlessly. I feel like I am color blind or you all see 3D but I'm stuck in 2D. Any hoo you have reignited the passion (I love your example that really brings it home) and I am off to PC my CIP to CIC and apply for the AMEX Plat. Just to confirm I want to use my CIC (when I get it) to get Disney cards at OfficeMax to pay off the dues (and all things Disney) and I should take the 100K AMEX Plat offer, correct? I would still like to apply for the BCP also I think, is that advisable (I think that breaks down to whether I value the points or cash, correct)? Thanks

You are welcome. I like step by step examples. I used to love MMS because of those when I was starting out. If I were in your shoes, I would use the CIC for all Disney gift cards purchased at an Office supply store. It is what I do with my Ink+. You do not need to pay your MPX purchases with your UA card. I sure don't. You get the 25% bonus simply because you have the card. It is tied to the profile of your UA FF account. I have never paid my MPX purchases with the UA card. I always get my 25% bonus just because I have a UA card. If you go to the reddit thread and read the MPX write up @Lain has there, it may help you see in 3D a little better. I would take the 100k Amex Plat offer.

I am very biased on the value of points vs miles due to our travel goals and the ridiculous things miles allow me to do and get away with which still baffle me to be honest. But I'll add another example to show what I mean. If I want to book another one way, standard award flight on Singapore Air in the first class suites to Hong Kong will cost me 250,000 Kris flyer miles.

250K Kris Flyer miles = 250,000 UR, MR, TYP points or 187,500 SPG points because I get a bonus for every 20K I transfer.

If I were to pay for that flight with points, which is $11,479. I would need 765,266 UR points if I have a CSR. I would need 918,322 if I only had a CSP. With TYP it would be 863,082 and MR points would be 1,147,900 MR points and if I have an Amex Business Plat card I'd get 401,765 MR points (35%) back about a month later. I simply can't afford to do cash back cards or points for cash on a consistent basis. Don't get me wrong, I do use points as cash from time to time, but only if the numbers work in my favor for the circumstances. Everyone's travel goals, needs and style is different and what works for me may not work for others. I just like everyone to know there is more than one way to meet the goals and to look at their options and run the numbers before they leap.

This is incredible, Calypso!!! Thank you so much for setting out the step-by-step process and the real world examples with your spend. I showed DH and he was blown away. We are bowing down Bill and Ted style right now to you and @Lain

A side note: Calfan & I are doing the F&W half marathon this year so if you are at WDW that weekend (Nov.2?) we definitely need to do a reunion drink or dinner!!! It will be our first time to F&W.

Love the Bill & Ted reference. SO-CRATES is the man ... "I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing."

Yup, we'll be there that weekend and a drink or dinner sounds awesome!

When you go to timeshare meetings be aware that you only are required to stay as long as you have signed up for. There is rarely anything they have to offer that you can’t find on the resale market for pennies on the dollar. Know that if they talk you into purchasing you have a legal right to rescind. Before you go to the meeting do your homework. Check EBay prices and prices on other timeshare resale sites. Bring this info with you and it might get you out of the meeting quicker and less painfully.
All that being said, I couldn’t travel nearly as much as I do without my little timeshare. I paid full price for my first one and purchased the next 3 resale after lots of time studying on TUG.

Thanks! That is good to know about the presentation time obligation.

We've got 1300 DVC points (most purchased on resale market) so we are fully aware of direct and resale purchases. We also have 6 hotel award nights each year between various hotel credit cards so I can't imagine adding another timeshare. I love my DVC points and it is still the best investment we ever made. It works perfect for us, we never have left over points. I'll definitely have a plan going into it. Thanks!

 

[Lain]

You (and @Lain, @SouthFayetteFan, @Albort and others) do such a great job of explaining and I think I get it until I try to put it all together for myself. I have, and have used MPX, and the UA card was one of my 1st and I knew there was power there (I even have it uploaded to my MPX even though I default to CSR because I have only used MPX for restaurants) but I just have not put it all together so seamlessly. I feel like I am color blind or you all see 3D but I'm stuck in 2D. Any hoo you have reignited the passion (I love your example that really brings it home) and I am off to PC my CIP to CIC and apply for the AMEX Plat. Just to confirm I want to use my CIC (when I get it) to get Disney cards at OfficeMax to pay off the dues (and all things Disney) and I should take the 100K AMEX Plat offer, correct? I would still like to apply for the BCP also I think, is that advisable (I think that breaks down to whether I value the points or cash, correct)? Thanks

@Alice Sr., check out my follow up post to @CaliforniaGirl09 about using the Ink+ at Office Depot/Office Max. It’d apply to the CIC, too, since the office supplies category works the same way with a lower spending limit.

But yes, for a 100k MR signup bonus, I think the Amex Platinum is definitely worth getting (and taking up a */24 slot if you ever want to go back for Chase cards).

Despite the $550 AF, I think you can justify that in value back in the first year. I think a lot of people would easily value 100k MR at $1,000 or more worth in travel (or $1,250 if you eventually decide to cash out via Schwab). The personal Platinum also comes with a $200 airline fee credit every calendar year, which can be used to buy Southwest, AA, and Delta gift cards (check how from recent data points on FlyerTalk). So you can dip this $200 benefit for 2018 when you get the Platinum, and dip again for another $200 worth of airline gift cards in 2019 before a second AF hits and you consider canceling the card. The Platinum also comes with $200 in Uber credit, doled out $15/month and an extra $20 in December (I don’t know how useful that is to you). It also comes with Global Entry/Pre-check credit, which extends to authorized users. The Platinum also comes with access to Centurion Lounges and Priority Pass Lounge (although the Platinum’s PP perk is less generous than the CSR’s PP). It also gives you automatic Gold status with Hilton and SPG (and by extension Marriott). When you decide you don’t want to pay another AF, you could cancel the personal Platinum and apply for the Ameriprise Platinum, which has a lot of the same benefits but has its AF waived the first year.

 

[calypso726]

assuming you can find Disney cards at office depot/supply store... it might be easier to find it at the grocery store using your BCP. earn 6x while your at it.

I've only had a problem finding Disney GCs at an office supply store once. It was because DH was there earlier and cleaned them out He didn't give me a heads up like he normally does. I returned the favor some months later when the Freedom 5x bonus was Lowe's. I cleaned out the closest Lowe's and didn't tell him. He literally got there 10 minutes after I left, called me sounding somewhat and said, "I'm at Lowe's and just asked the cashier if they had any Disney GCs in the back that weren't out. She told me a red head just bought all the Disney GCs. Was that you?" After doing this a handful of times to each other we've gotten better about telling each other which store we cleaned out or which one we plan to clean out so neither of us wastes a trip and can just go to the next closest store instead. Communication is key to a happy marriage and happy travel hacking.