I love credit cards so much!

[SouthFayetteFan]

Guys... no updates since 4:00?? Usually by the time I get home from work, feed the animals, and eat dinner, I'm two pages behind Surely someone met a minimum spend or book a trip in the last three hours!

I've been a little quiet lately...my recent update:
1) Failed recon with BofA on the Premium Rewards card. They reconsidered...and still denied me. Booooo!
2) Got a letter on my BofA business app looking for all kind of proof of my entity - yea not interested...so that will likely end in denial. It was a combined HP with the first denial though so no worries
3) Got AMEX to reconsider giving me 5 cards...Hoping for that BB+ card. Online Status site says In Process...waiting is soooo hard, lol.
4) If the BB+ fails my fallback is to max out the 5% categories on the Freedom this qtr and earn some URs. I hate to settle for a 7.5% return (assuming I'll redeem these through a CSR) but if that's all I can get I'll take it lol.

Huge THANKS!!!! to a couple of people who might've used my Southwest link on DISchurners. It could have come from r/churning too but I'd prefer to assume they came from one of you fine people

 

[kmc8826]

Okay today I realized I had made a #rookiemistake. For our trip where we arrive in Maui next Friday I realized this morning while I was checking rates on Costco that I had us getting in 4 hours earlier than we actually will. (I confused leaving/arriving times). So first question: if I arrive at the Alamo counter at OGG 4 hours later than the reservation any thoughts if I will get penalized? Second question: if I decide to use UR points and now book the car with points will I still have the insurance protections the CSR provides? Maybe yes if I did half and half (half points and half cash). The costco prices are just crazy now...$300 more than what originally booked.

And Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I don’t even really celebrate other than give the girls couple little things; DH and I don’t exchange gifts. BUT I have to tell you given the points possibilities and then the AMEX offers I actually did consider ordering flowers or berries or something!

 

[Psychodisney]

My DS22 ,who is hesitant to apply for cards, used my link for a Disney card. He’s going to WDW in Dec, so the $200 will come in handy. I don’t want to push him into this habit...just nudge....

 

[Angrose]

I've been a little quiet lately...my recent update:
1) Failed recon with BofA on the Premium Rewards card. They reconsidered...and still denied me. Booooo!
2) Got a letter on my BofA business app looking for all kind of proof of my entity - yea not interested...so that will likely end in denial. It was a combined HP with the first denial though so no worries
3) Got AMEX to reconsider giving me 5 cards...Hoping for that BB+ card. Online Status site says In Process...waiting is soooo hard, lol.
4) If the BB+ fails my fallback is to max out the 5% categories on the Freedom this qtr and earn some URs. I hate to settle for a 7.5% return (assuming I'll redeem these through a CSR) but if that's all I can get I'll take it lol.

Huge THANKS!!!! to a couple of people who might've used my Southwest link on DISchurners. It could have come from r/churning too but I'd prefer to assume they came from one of you fine people

I got the same letter from BofA business app. For a biz card newbie like me it was rather intimidating! I also will not be returning it.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I got the same letter from BofA business app. For a biz card newbie like me it was rather intimidating! I also will not be returning it.

I work in business banking so it's very typical stuff to request...but not from a sole prop...

This is why Chase and Amex rule Biz cards...none of this prove you have a real business crap LOL!

 

[wendow]

Guys... no updates since 4:00?? Usually by the time I get home from work, feed the animals, and eat dinner, I'm two pages behind Surely someone met a minimum spend or book a trip in the last three hours!

I've STILL not met the minimum spend on the two cards I'm working on. These are hard because both are Amex and today I dropped $400 at Costco but no Amex...last Friday, I had to pay for an eye exam and contact lenses (about $150) but they don't take Amex...It's that kind of thing it seems almost daily. I will not do two Amex at the same time ever again!!!

I did have a fun moment today though. I have been trying to buy our DLR tix before LMTclub goes up. I bought three tix the other day using my Barclay arrival+ and today, the charge posted and I got to redeem money paying for all but about $100 of almost $900 tix!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I've STILL not met the minimum spend on the two cards I'm working on. These are hard because both are Amex and today I dropped $400 at Costco but no Amex...last Friday, I had to pay for an eye exam and contact lenses (about $150) but they don't take Amex...It's that kind of thing it seems almost daily. I will not do two Amex at the same time ever again!!!

I did have a fun moment today though. I have been trying to buy our DLR tix before LMTclub goes up. I bought three tix the other day using my Barclay arrival+ and today, the charge posted and I got to redeem money paying for all but about $100 of almost $900 tix!

I've been ALL AMEX for over a year now. I totally get the frustration. Our workaround has been to buy Visa Gift cards and use those at places that didn't accept AMEX. Of course the AMEX RAT team could come after us on that so I add a layer in there - our local grocery store Giant Eagle sells VGCs and you can use a Giant Eagle gift card to buy 3rd party gift cards... Sooooo of course I go buy a GE gift card, then use that to buy a VGC and those big bad RATs are none the wiser, lol.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Well, I just got back from a weekend trip to see my BFF in San Diego, flew down on my UR points and a AS voucher. Upgraded to extra leg room economy seats (I'm tall) on their e175. Plenty of leg room, happy with the $30 upgrade even on the short flight. Hardest seats I've ever sat in, felt like they put leather over a board and called it a seat. I had flown in the plane before for a slightly longer flight, but in first class last year and also remembered thinking those seats weren't great either. Turns out all the seats on the e175 are uncomfy. Just as I was starting my weekend I remember seeing some discussion kick off here about SD so for anyone looking for cheap things to do in SD check out Balboa Park. Awesome! We didn't even go into any of the museums, just wandered around & it was really neat (right next to the Zoo) and we only saw part of it. And it was free and so was parking! It really comes alive on the weekends with street performers and such, we went Sat. (Also, there was a GENIUS girl scout selling cookies in a cart her mother was pushing, the girl wore a big sign with the cookies and prices and handled the selling- of course we had to support such an entrepreneurial girl and got a box for each of us so the excursion was not entirely free).

My other BFF called me up this weekend and asked if I wanted to go to New Orleans for an extended weekend, my very enthusiastic response with all these points and miles I've accumulated was "YES!". To which see said "great! oh, and fyi it'll be in June, that's fine right?" "yeah!" As I hung up it finally processed, I'm going to New Orleans... in June . At least the food is out of this world and a couple sazeracs into an evening and I won't care what the weather is like anymore . So, my next trip will be looking for flights and hotels for a weekend in NOLA, maybe I'll tap that SPG Biz bonus I just earned and had no plans for .

 

[bradyh]

Hey guys. I'm still getting used to the boards a bit, and I had a CC question, so figured this was the best thread for it. Lmk if you'd rather I start a new one! (tldr below)

I'm admittedly very new to utilizing CCs for miles and points as I never did travel much before being married and only focused on cash back. Now, DW and I are planning a WDW trip for November, and I figured I'd look into finally getting a good CC for miles with a decent signup bonus to help cover some of the airfare. I was hoping you guys could help steer us a little so we don't fall into the wrong rabbit hole. Here're my quick bullet points if it helps at all:

• Current (and only) CC is Citi Double Cash
• Credit is fairly stable, fluctuates around 750
• Flight rates for our date range avg ~$300/person (~$200/person on Tuesdays)
• Flying out of a regional port (Lafayette), so we're limited to Delta, United, and American
• I could certainly see us traveling more in the future (~1 "flight" trip/year), so maybe having a card for miles to pair w/ the Citi for cash back?

So with that, are there any types of cards you guys might recommend or even personally use ("these are great for miles!") or ones you wouldn't suggest or are out of my credit range ("the annual fees aren't worth it")?

TL;DR: Hoping to possibly get a recommendation on the "best" CC to save on airfare for a fall trip.

 

[wendow]

Hey guys. I'm still getting used to the boards a bit, and I had a CC question, so figured this was the best thread for it. Lmk if you'd rather I start a new one! (tldr below)

I'm admittedly very new to utilizing CCs for miles and points as I never did travel much before being married and only focused on cash back. Now, DW and I are planning a WDW trip for November, and I figured I'd look into finally getting a good CC for miles with a decent signup bonus to help cover some of the airfare. I was hoping you guys could help steer us a little so we don't fall into the wrong rabbit hole. Here're my quick bullet points if it helps at all:

• Current (and only) CC is Citi Double Cash
• Credit is fairly stable, fluctuates around 750
• Flight rates for our date range avg ~$300/person (~$200/person on Tuesdays)
• I could certainly see us traveling more in the future (~1 "flight" trip/year), so maybe having a card for miles to pair w/ the Citi for cash back?

So with that, are there any types of cards you guys might recommend or even personally use ("these are great for miles!") or ones you wouldn't suggest or are out of my credit range ("the annual fees aren't worth it")?

TL;DR: Hoping to possibly get a recommendation on the "best" CC to save on airfare for a fall trip.

Which airline do you typically fly? Is Southwest an option for you and your DW? Their cards are my fav for airline miles. Give us some more details about which airport you fly out of and preferred airline and we can try to help! No need to start a new thread. You are in the right place

 

[Albort]

Which airline do you typically fly? Is Southwest an option for you and your DW? Their cards are my fav for airline miles. Give us some more details about which airport you fly out of and preferred airline and we can try to help! No need to start a new thread. You are in the right place

@bradyh what wendow said. we need to know what airport is closest to you. the reason for that is because a certain airline might have a hub there so more flights. Also, your spending breakdown might help us know what card you should get to maximize point earning. Are you also perhaps interested in hotels? If you WDW, a majority of the members of this thread will say swan/dolphin which is an SPG property... might be worth looking into as well.

 

[bradyh]

Which airline do you typically fly? Is Southwest an option for you and your DW? Their cards are my fav for airline miles. Give us some more details about which airport you fly out of and preferred airline and we can try to help! No need to start a new thread. You are in the right place

@bradyh what wendow said. we need to know what airport is closest to you. the reason for that is because a certain airline might have a hub there so more flights. Also, your spending breakdown might help us know what card you should get to maximize point earning. Are you also perhaps interested in hotels? If you WDW, a majority of the members of this thread will say swan/dolphin which is an SPG property... might be worth looking into as well.

Ah, sorry, guys. Knew I forgot something. Edited my OP, but will also add here:

We generally use a regional airport here (Lafayette, New Orleans is a bit too far), so our options are usually limited to Delta, United, or American. Believe me, I would love to have access to Southwest, but c'est la vie!

 

[bradyh]

@Albort, a spending breakdown of our trip? Hopefully this helps! Admittedly haven't looked into hotel cards or programs much. Never really needed to until now!

WDW (7 nights)
• Airfare: $500-600 (would love to save big here)
• Dining: $300-400 (no dining plans)
• Souvenirs / Misc: $200
• Resort: $2,000-3,000 - Looking at moderates or DVCs. We looked into Swolphin, but ultimately decided against due to lack of DME and no real theme.
• Tickets: Paid for

General Spending
• Groceries
• Gas
• Dining
• House, car notes
• Splurges (electronics, clothes, etc)
• 1 small vacation/year (eg. beach, skiing)
• 1 larger vacation/year - usually involves flying (eg. WDW, NYC, cruises)*

*Would love to somehow do Europe or Ireland in the future. Dreams!

 

[Albort]

Ah, sorry, guys. Knew I forgot something. Edited my OP, but will also add here:

We generally use a regional airport here (Lafayette, New Orleans is a bit too far), so our options are usually limited to Delta, United, or American. Believe me, I would love to have access to Southwest, but c'est la vie!

i cant figure out which airport that is... haha. google failed me. or i failed myself.

 

[bradyh]

i cant figure out which airport that is... haha. google failed me. or i failed myself.

No worries! Here's the link: http://lftairport.com

It's a fairly small regional port with the closest international one being Louis Armstrong in New Orleans, and that one's a healthy 2 1/2 hour drive away.

 

[Albort]

No worries! Here's the link: http://lftairport.com

It's a fairly small regional port with the closest international one being Louis Armstrong in New Orleans, and that one's a healthy 2 1/2 hour drive away.

toughfy toughy. it seems like delta would be your best choice flying to WDW. Amex cards would be the way to go for that. Only Amex cards i know are SPGs... someone else need to chime in on that.
Most people will recommend you the Ultimate Rewards credit card line. although they have been tightening up their apps. A mix of UR and MR might be a good choice for you. Business cards okay with you? i probably do a Freedom Card, Amex SPG biz, CIP, then maybe a CSR. Then hit like the delta card. I ask about the spendings because sometimes so cards have a higher percentage return. Blue Cash preferred returns 6% back. You can probably buy airline $$ from a grocery store and earn 6% back!
Someone else will chime in with their thoughts! :]

 

[bradyh]

toughfy toughy. it seems like delta would be your best choice flying to WDW. Amex cards would be the way to go for that. Only Amex cards i know are SPGs... someone else need to chime in on that.
Most people will recommend you the Ultimate Rewards credit card line. although they have been tightening up their apps. A mix of UR and MR might be a good choice for you. Business cards okay with you? i probably do a Freedom Card, Amex SPG biz, CIP, then maybe a CSR. Then hit like the delta card. I ask about the spendings because sometimes so cards have a higher percentage return. Blue Cash preferred returns 6% back. You can probably buy airline $$ from a grocery store and earn 6% back!
Someone else will chime in with their thoughts! :]

Thanks for all the feedback! I hadn't considered the Amex route. Do you not have to prove ownership of a business to qualify for some biz cards?

 

[MarBee]

Hey all! So I’ve been lurking here for some time. I wanted to see if you had any advice- I’m trying for the SW companion pass. I opened a Chase SW premier card and got the 50k bonus RR points back in 2015. I still have the card open but don’t really use it.
Last month I got a Plus card and will get the 50k bonus points.
Last month I also tried for a Business Card and was shot down. The reasons given were that I have too many personal cards open (5 through Chase though but only 3 were in the last 24 months), my credit score was too low (they listed it as 790), and my business was “too new” (I used my side gig of direct sales of educational games through an MLM company.)

Where can I go from here in order to get the Companion Pass? I’m not going to charge $50k worth of points, but I reeeeeally want that CP!

Some scenarios I have been thinking of...
1)My husband has about 130,000 RR points. I can’t figure out if I would qualify or not if he were to transfer 50,000 points to me. Would this work? (He obviously qualifies for the CP.)
2)should I call and cancel my personal cards so that I have less and ask to reconsider my Business card application?
3) if I were to close the Premier card, how long would I have to wait to reapply for it? Would I get caught “churning” and be banned as a Chase customer as web sites have warned?
4) Can I/should I apply for a different business? I have no other actual “business” and would assume I’d be flagged since it’s my social security number attached to both apps.

Any plan of action you experts see fit? Any advice is welcome

Thanks in advance!

 

[Alexle2007]

Hey all! So I’ve been lurking here for some time. I wanted to see if you had any advice- I’m trying for the SW companion pass. I opened a Chase SW premier card and got the 50k bonus RR points back in 2015. I still have the card open but don’t really use it.
Last month I got a Plus card and will get the 50k bonus points.
Last month I also tried for a Business Card and was shot down. The reasons given were that I have too many personal cards open (5 through Chase though but only 3 were in the last 24 months), my credit score was too low (they listed it as 790), and my business was “too new” (I used my side gig of direct sales of educational games through an MLM company.)

Where can I go from here in order to get the Companion Pass? I’m not going to charge $50k worth of points, but I reeeeeally want that CP!

Some scenarios I have been thinking of...
1)My husband has about 130,000 RR points. I can’t figure out if I would qualify or not if he were to transfer 50,000 points to me. Would this work? (He obviously qualifies for the CP.)
2)should I call and cancel my personal cards so that I have less and ask to reconsider my Business card application?
3) if I were to close the Premier card, how long would I have to wait to reapply for it? Would I get caught “churning” and be banned as a Chase customer as web sites have warned?
4) Can I/should I apply for a different business? I have no other actual “business” and would assume I’d be flagged since it’s my social security number attached to both apps.

Any plan of action you experts see fit? Any advice is welcome

Thanks in advance!

1. Transferring your DH's points to your RR account will not count towards CP.
2. What order did you apply for the business and personal cards? In order to even to potentially qualify for the business, you need to be 0/30 (0 apps in 30 days) and under 5/24. So you needed to have the business card approved first then applied for the personal card.
3. Since it has been over 2 years since you received your bonus for the Premier, you can close it and get that bonus again. Before closing it, you may want to move the credit to another Chase card so you will have that credit available to move around, if needed. I would wait a month, although you can probably wait less time, to reapply for the Premier. What you don't want is for them to just re-open your former account.

 

[havaneselover]

So irritated with chase. My cf statement closed yesterday. Bought $480 goc Card at tru using Apple Pay. Point balance was 0 (transfer points monthly to csr). New point balance is -275??? No returns. I call chase and they have no idea why but will get me an answer in 7-10 days. Ugh.