I love credit cards so much!

[CyndiLouWho]

'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 have a Discover card, 5% back this quarter at warehouse. Since no Discover cards st Costco I’ve been ordering $200 Costco GC @ Costco online where they do take Discover

ETA. Oops forgot even Costco in-line does not do AmEx

 

[gottalovepluto]

@bradyh,
...Just to modify @gottalovepluto ’s post a little: the Chase Sapphire Preferred requires a $4,000 minimum spend in 3 months, adding up to a combined $8,000 in 3 months on a CSP+CSR double dip. Otherwise solid advice!...

Hangs head in churner shame. Where did I come up with that min spend?! Fixed. Thanks for the catch!

 

[peel]

I just checked my account since I just got the bonus in January. My statement closed on 1/27 and my 87.5k bonus points posted on 1/29 along with the points from the spend. 87.5 was meeting MSR and using AU card for a purchase.

Well that blows my theory out of the water!

 

[kayteekt]

I just checked my account since I just got the bonus in January. My statement closed on 1/27 and my 87.5k bonus points posted on 1/29 along with the points from the spend. 87.5 was meeting MSR and using AU card for a purchase.

...and there's hope!

 

[CoP Luv]

I am thinking of PC my CSR this summer at the conclusion of a trip. DH recently got the CSR so we can still transfer points to his account. If we wanted to transfer points to United, can he transfer points to my United account, or does it have to be his?

After this trip, I will have about 25k miles sitting in it and am hoping to possibly use UR for airfare for a trip next February. If I close my CSR account, will all points have to go to his MP account? I don't even think he has miles in it.

Thanks!

 

[jhoannam]

double dipping now has risks now with Chase. Knowing your */12 and the # of chase cards in the past 3 months is as well.

These are my cards:
SW+ 6/18/2017
SW-P 6/18/2017
UA - 8/1/2017
Amex BGP - 11/27/2017

Plan:
3/1/18 CIP
8/1/18 Double dip CSR/CSP

Is that a good plan? DH currently has the CSP - 4/1/17 - if I don't double dip, I could use his referral for the CSP and upgrade his CSP to a CSR, is that a good plan? I really want to take advantage of the 1.5X for our Hawaii trip.

 

[miztressuz]

Hangs head in churner shame. Where did I come up with that min spend?! Fixed. Thanks for the catch!

Wishful thinking? When I read it I was hoping you had found a new offer we weren't aware of

 

[miztressuz]

I'm not sure how much help this is to anyone but if you have an BoA card with BankAmeriDeals I'm seeing a 10% back at Lowe's up to $12 back maximum on one transaction good through 3/20/2018.

 

[Lain]

I am thinking of PC my CSR this summer at the conclusion of a trip. DH recently got the CSR so we can still transfer points to his account. If we wanted to transfer points to United, can he transfer points to my United account, or does it have to be his?

After this trip, I will have about 25k miles sitting in it and am hoping to possibly use UR for airfare for a trip next February. If I close my CSR account, will all points have to go to his MP account? I don't even think he has miles in it.

Thanks!

If all your UR points are with DH's CSR, he'd have to transfer the points to his UA account, unless (1) you have, or PC your CSR to a CSP, or have a CIP (then you could transfer UR points from DH's CSR to your CSP or CIP, then to your UA account), or (2) you are an AU on DH’s CSR, then I believe you can add your UA number and transfer DH's points to your UA account. Even if UR points have to be transferred to DH’s UA account, DH could still book whatever flights for whomever you need from his UA account.

ETA: I guess I should add that it’s possible to transfer miles between UA accounts, but the fees basically negate the value of the miles.

 

[snugglebug]

Not thrilled with Southwest's Austin to Orlando flight schedule for September, but I budgeted about 110K RR points for the 7 of us and I ended up only needing 85K. The only direct flight there is late in the day and the direct home leaves earlier than I want so we have plane changes. Houston has better options, but if I make the family drive to Houston to fly again they're going to kill me. Now I can book the rental van and start on park tickets.

Still working on my SPG Biz spend. I'm right there with you Costco shoppers, I even swiped mine last week completely forgetting where I was. I could finish up today if we filed taxes right now, I think I just want to pay the fee and pay by CC.

Future planning
I used a lot of my DVC points for this upcoming trip so we'll be skipping next year. Kind of thinking it might be Hawaii time next September-ish, waiting on Southwest so I can plan better. It would be just me, the husband and the two littles. That's going to be so weird. I'm still getting used to this parenting adults thing. Any resort recommendations? The kids will be 15 and 13 (wow, not so little anymore). At the moment we have absolutely nothing in mind as far was which island and what we want to do, so open to suggestions. I will have UR points and probably SPG/Marriott. I'm thinking of double dipping Marriott and Freedom or Freedom Unlimited in the very near future to finish up my Chase slots.

 

[SBWB48]

Costco is a big black hole in our spending that earns only 1x on all our cards. So I’ve been using VGCs I buy from various promos (e.g. OD/OM/Staples sales and rebates, Freedom 5x UR categories, Chase Pay 10x UR, Amex Offers and category bonuses) to get more return out of the hundreds I spend at Costco every week. Obviously, if you have to return something to Costco, using VGCs might not be the best strategy. (Although, I've read DPs that say if you're making a return and you tell them you no longer have the card you made the purchase on, they'll refund you back onto another Visa!) Right now, I've been putting Costco purchases on my new Marriott Biz MSR, so no much juggling around VGCs.

I can be the DP on this, multiple DPs actually. When I was working on my CapOne Spark MSR and had to return at Costco (and generally most places that actually ask for "the card you used") either I will try to insert a different card, or tell them my prior card was closed. Costco had no issues letting me apply it to a different card.

 

[CoP Luv]

If all your UR points are with DH's CSR, he'd have to transfer the points to his UA account, unless (1) you have, or PC your CSR to a CSP, or have a CIP (then you could transfer UR points from DH's CSR to your CSP or CIP, then to your UA account), or (2) you are an AU on DH’s CSR, then I believe you can add your UA number and transfer DH's points to your UA account. Even if UR points have to be transferred to DH’s UA account, DH could still book whatever flights for whomever you need from his UA account.

Thanks! I figured that was the case. I was thinking of PC'ing to the FU and then only having one CSR in the house. I received my CSR bonus in Spring 2017 so I might apply again next year for the CSR so DH can drop his.

 

[Lain]

I can be the DP on this, multiple DPs actually. When I was working on my CapOne Spark MSR, and had to return at Costco (and generally most places that actually ask for "the card you used") either I will try to insert a different card, or tell them my prior card was closed. Costco had no issues letting me apply it to a different card.

I smell a M$ opportunity ;-)

Seriously, what would happen if you put the refund back onto a debit card?

 

[disneedee]

I'm not sure how much help this is to anyone but if you have an BoA card with BankAmeriDeals I'm seeing a 10% back at Lowe's up to $12 back maximum on one transaction good through 3/20/2018.

not on mine.

 

[Budzooka]

When did SW make that change? Changed DH's reservation to Punta Cana and Orlando online in Nov and Dec without any problem and his reservation was made with my SW points.

Not sure it's been an official change, but I've had horrible luck with it. Seems like everything I have used my points for one of my kids and needed to change the reservation, I've had to call in even though the original reservation was made online. You guys give me some hope that maybe it's not always the case.

 

[Albort]

These are my cards:
SW+ 6/18/2017
SW-P 6/18/2017
UA - 8/1/2017
Amex BGP - 11/27/2017

Plan:
3/1/18 CIP
8/1/18 Double dip CSR/CSP

Is that a good plan? DH currently has the CSP - 4/1/17 - if I don't double dip, I could use his referral for the CSP and upgrade his CSP to a CSR, is that a good plan? I really want to take advantage of the 1.5X for our Hawaii trip.

you should be fine. CIP only checks for 5/24, but it doesnt go against your 5/24. I believe business and personal are separate. Most shutdowns are 4/12 with chase alone, and 2-3/3 with persona lcards. i havent seen a DP with a business card yet.

edit: i take that back, last DP on flyertalk says hes got 3 Biz cards.
i still think your fine though.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I had $400 in fee free dollars sitting in my Plastiq account that said they expired a couple hundred days ago. Made a payment last week and it asked if I wanted to apply my fee free dollars so I did. They worked! So, even if your fee-free dollars are showing as expired try to apply them to a payment. You'll see before you process the payment if they'll apply.

 

[Hatwriter456]

I've had my new Marriott card for 5 days and I'm done with my spend thanks to the orthodontist.

FYI - Sam's Club has increased the price on their Disney gift cards. A couple of weeks ago the $500 gc was $480 and now its $485.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I wasn't aware of the unintended consequences of removing myself as an AU on the CSP. Now, we can only transfer points to the cardholder (my wife) and not to my account. While I understand that we can still purchase an airline ticket for me with her points on SW, the problem lies in that any changes to that reservation have to be made over the phone instead of online. I don't know that is a "policy", but has been my experience on multiple occasions. As someone who is always checking fares for a drop, it's a huge hassle to then have to call in to make that change. Now I know, but may consider adding myself back as an AU, as I travel much more than my wife does.

I make changes to 20+ Southwest flights a year booked using my points or my wife's points for our family of 4. I've never faced this issue and have done it as recently as a few weeks ago on 4 flights. For those managing accounts for multiple people, you do need to remember whose account you used to book the flight AND you need to be logged into that account to make the change. If you're not able to change those flights, something else is in play here because that isn't a policy.

 

[Livelovedance]

-Chase Sapphire Reserve -a little more complicated- has a $450 AF not waived the first year and will be charged on the first of the month following your approval. 50,000 point bonus after $4K spend in 3 months (worth $750 on travel booked through Chase's portal due to 1.5x redemption rate). This card also comes with 1 statement credit for TSA pre-check or global entry and a $300 travel credit that will be automatically applied anytime you have a travel charge (including Disney RESORT charges- not in park dining charges, for those to count you must charge them to the room for them to be deemed "travel").
---Bottom line: $695 bonus (if you get TSA pre-check or global entry, otherwise it's $600) for $4K spend

I want to make sure I’m understanding this correctly. Anytime you make a travel charge on the CSR you get a $300 credit? How does that work? I think I’m misunderstanding - it’s either too good to be true or I really should’ve applied for this card!