I love credit cards so much!

[Lain]

My plan as soon as back from this trip was to apply for CIP since as of 3 days ago finally 4/24. (But hey who is counting). With these new Amex bonuses though for Delta Gold Business and SPG Business I am conflicted. Realistically can only do one card at a time and spend organically (which is what I want to do to avoid drama). Any thoughts of what to do? Wait on CIP and go for another Amex Business? Anyone heard rumors of CIP 80k bonus going up or down?

Other possibilities for meeting MSRs on two cards might be to do some MS or bank funding with the CIP. Chase seems much more lax with these methods than Amex RATs.

 

[Alice Sr.]

Thanks guys. I know going for the SPG makes the most sense; think I just needed to hear that! I have been lusting for a CIP of my own so long it takes some thought to get used to the thought of waiting if that makes sense.

I will report back on Maui on Monday. Would like to post a couple pictures and so it will be easier to do it then when I am at work. Sad but true!

I seem to have a brain block on SPG. I get a little excited about it but it just does not hold my attention. I find myself looking at all the other shiny options, like right now I want the Delta Plat Biz but like @SouthFayetteFan mentioned it comes around more often than the SPG.

Plastiq is good for any expense or bill that you couldn’t otherwise pay with a credit card. Payee doesn’t accept credit cards? Use your credit card to pay Plastiq the amount due and a 2.5% fee, and Plastiq will send the payee a check.

The reason why I’m wondering if you have any expenses you could pay with Plastiq using a CIP is because the CIP currently earns 3x UR on all kinds of payment through Plastiq, thereby negating the fee (as with anything, the way this codes could change) and even makes this a small money maker (2.5% fee on principal vs 3% back earned on the principal and fee, then transfer to CSP or CSR for 25% or 50% greater value through Chase UR). So if you can use Plastiq for expenses you otherwise couldn’t charge to a credit card to meet MSR on the CIP, then you don’t have to worry about putting any other spend on the CIP and can free up other expenses to put on a SPG Biz.

The problem is Visa cards are generally not accepted for mortgage payments through Plastiq. If your mortgage is through a local credit union, the payee may not be blocked and you might be able to get a mortgage payment through. Otherwise, we can get creative with the wording of your recipient to try to get the payment through.

Would Plastiq work for the contractor I am hiring? The overall estimate is 60k but I was going to buy some things myself so I could use my cc's (like the AMEX Plat I just got has a 2x offer with Lowes so I'm buying cabinets and probably a tankless water heater through them). Is there a limit (other than my CIP c/l) that I could run through this process? I don't want to do anything edgy lol. I was just going to write him a check, this is in essence the same thing right? Or would Chase frown on that as I am just looking to get the points, it doesn't fall in the MS category right, since I do not need to meet a spend? Thanks

 

[Tikitoi]

IMPORTANT AMERICAN EXPRESS "DISchurners" UPDATE
New offers out today - AND update your links on DISchurners as all are available through a support link:
- SPG Biz 35k / $7k
- Delta Plat Biz 70k + $100 / $3k
- Delta Plat 70k + $100 / $3k
- Delta Gold Biz 60k + $50 / $3k (50k for $2k + 10k for add'l $1k)
- Delta Gold 60k + $50 / $3k (50k for $2k + 10k for add'l $1k)

I know we have an obsession about SPG business around here...but those Delta offers are EXCELLENT historical offers for those interested...

As I play catch up and remembering that I asked about opening a business card, I see this. Definitely one of those Delta biz cards look appealing. But just to be straight that if I went for one of those while being at 5/24 (though I go back and forth questioning that too) it won't interfere with my applying for the CSR in June this year?

 

[mistyinca]

I just checked a precious National charge on my CSR: yes, it coded as travel/3x.

Have you used your CSR to enroll for Executive status with National? You can find it on the “Card Benefits” area of Chase’s site. With Executive status, you just have to pay for a midsize (or above), and you can pick any car from their Executive (or Emerald) lane.

Thanks. I have enrolled, but we actually get a better deal using my husband’s corporate code. I have my $300 travel credit to use and the car is the only expense I haven’t covered yet.

 

[magickingdomprincess]

I'm thinking about using Plastiq for the first time to pay our gas/electric bill to help meet my SPG spend. The bills are due around the 20th of this month - should that be plenty of time to set up a new account and have them send in the check? I'm so nervous as I've never used this service! That and DH would not be happy with me if a bill posted late due to my cc habit!

Also, got my CP for SW yesterday and added DH to me/kids flights that we'd already booked for our June WDW/UO/beach trip. So excited and grateful for all the advice/info from this thread!

 

[speedyfishy]

We haven't flown much recently, so I have no favorites, but I believe Southwest would be a likely airline using BWI. Most of our travel has been road trips during the last few years. We travel a lot for the kids' sports plus a few family road trips that we tack on where possible. We have spent a small fortune (for us) on hotels, rental cars, gas, meals, etc. with no points to show for it! We drive to Florida (but not always WDW) every year or so. We might have flown but we were deterred by the cost for 4 of us. We also try to get some time at the beach every summer (Myrtle is our favorite). We would certainly be open to air travel if I can make it affordable.

My short term goal is to save money on the sports travel and/or earn points to pay for family travel. Stretch goal is I would love to go to WDW during Thanksgiving break. It would be a shorter trip that would require us to fly. Previously, I thought it would never happen but, after reading and learning, I am thinking it may be possible LOL!

The only recent card we have added is Chase Disney (DH with me as AU) about 1+ year ago. I don't currently have a business but I could be thinking of starting one. Can I get approved in advance of getting the business rolling? There's no branch around here so I'd have to apply online. How good does your credit have to be? What's the best way to check it? (there are so many LOL) How to decide if it would it be better for me to apply or DH?

I would definitely start with Chase UR earning cards. They can be transferred to Southwest if you wanted to fly, can also be used to book Disney hotels and packages and may even have some of the hotels that you stay at when you travel for sports. Plus you can transfer to hotel loyalty programs.

For the CIP I said I had $5 in business revenue and got approved, however I have been banking with chase for years. If you can say you have a business I’d definitely do this and then refer your DH. Or your DH first and then have him refer you. I think both people should be getting the cards. For the CIP a lot of people don’t get automatically approved my approval came a view days latter so don’t get nervous. If you have big expenses and can swing 8k in 3 months I’d also consider the CSP and CSR. If you can’t its very easy to open a PNC bank account online and you can fund up to 4k with a credit card.

 

[Lain]

Would Plastiq work for the contractor I am hiring? The overall estimate is 60k but I was going to buy some things myself so I could use my cc's (like the AMEX Plat I just got has a 2x offer with Lowes so I'm buying cabinets and probably a tankless water heater through them). Is there a limit (other than my CIP c/l) that I could run through this process? I don't want to do anything edgy lol. I was just going to write him a check, this is in essence the same thing right? Or would Chase frown on that as I am just looking to get the points, it doesn't fall in the MS category right, since I do not need to meet a spend? Thanks

Yes! Plastiq absolutely would work for a contractor and they even advertise that on its homepage. Unlike mortgages, paying a contractor is not restricted on any of the credit card networks (Visa, MC, Amex, or Discover). If he can invoice you (and is willing to accept payment by check in the mail in about 8-10 business days), you can use Plastiq to pay him.

So yes, it’s just like writing your contractor a check, except you’re paying Plastiq with your credit card to write him a check. You’d set your contractor up as a new recipient and probably categorize the business as “other,” since I can’t think what other category would fit. Keep in mind that when you’re making a payment to a new recipient for the first time, Visa cards have a tendency to treat it as a cash advance. So (1) you should send a secure message to Chase on your CIP account (or whatever Visa account you’re planning to use) requesting that they lower your cash advance limit to the lowest amount possible (I believe it’s $200) so when you try to make any payment more than that, it’ll get rejected if it codes as a cash advance; and (2) establish a “relationship” with the new recipient, your contractor, by using another kind of card, like your Amex Platinum, to make a small — let’s call it a “deposit” — payment of like $100. Once you’ve paid your new recipient, your contractor is in the system, and you shouldn’t have any more trouble with cash advances on a Visa.

Wow... $60k in planned spend. So many points there! There’s no limit on Plastiq’s side that I’m aware of. I know you plan to trim that amount by buying a lot of things yourself, e.g. on your Amex Platinum to work on that MSR. But still, even if you have $30k, or $40k left, that’s 3x UR on the CIP for 90k-120k UR. (Keep checking in to this thread for recent DPs on how CIP codes on Plastiq, especially before you make any payment! I’d hate for you to make a payment if you won’t get 3x anymore.) and yes, the only limit would be the credit limit on your CIP. So the thing you would have to do is (1) have the contractor bill you in installments; (2) break up the bill into separate checks, and basically pay down your CIP credit card balance in between each check to make the next one (this is called cycling, and it’s generally thought that done in excessive amounts or frequency could trigger a shutdown and/or financial review); or (3) consider signing up for multiple cards (!!!) like the Delta AND SPG Biz, and pay that big bill using Plastiq on three or more cards, e.g., the CIP up to its limit, then hit the MSR for the Delta and SPG Biz!

If you plan to use Plastiq, please consider signing up through a DISchurner’s link. This will give you $500 “fee free dollars” — basically, Plastiq will waive the fee on your second $500 spent through them after you’ve made your first $500 in payments.

Wow, I never thought I’d get so much kick out of spending $60k of someone else’s money.

ETA: Another option for payment might be Venmo. It’s a peer-to-peer payment app like PayPal (in fact, PayPal owns Venmo) that allows you to send money to friends, family, people you owe money to like your contractor. Venmo charges a transaction fee of 3% (compared to Plastiq’s 2.5%), but also earns 3x UR on the CIP. So basically, the points negate the fee, and you’re essentially paying the amount of the fee into your “vacation account.” If you can get your contractor to accept Venmo, this might be a backup if anything with Plastiq changes.

 

[kayteekt]

I was waiting on that Amex Biz offer to go up, so I applied and was approved for that card. @Albort I used your referral.

Can I add DH for an "employee card" without messing anything up? We would want to get this card for him in the future.

 

[SBWB48]

Sorry for such a huge post so late at night, but I finally just got all my thoughts together (as you'll see if you keep reading, I tend to overthink things... drives hubby crazy)

I'm looking for advice on jumping into this points game full time. Cashback has been mostly my focus as it never felt like we could earn enough points to make using them worthwhile. Since we do 1 bigger trip each year, the cashback saved up since the last trip is used for this trip. So far I only have a CF for UR points, and we have a AmEx Green and Everyday card for MR points.

I’m in a little application paralysis but need to get something started soon as I have some home improvement projects coming up that I can use to meet minimum spends. Here goes:

Short term Goal: Anniversary Alaska cruise trip Sep 2019. We’ll do a 7 night northbound cruise starting in Vancouver, so we’re planning 2 nights pre-cruise Vancouver, 2-3 nights post cruise Alaska, fly back to the west coast for another 2 or 3 nights somewhere (probably California but so many choices even there) before heading home. Since we’re doing Alaska at the end of the season not sure if we want to stay there longer yet, so we’re flexible still.

Long term Goals: Amass some flexible points for bucket list trips. We’re not sure exactly the order but every couple years we’d like to do a big trip to see the sights while we’re still young enough to really enjoy it. I have a personal goal to step foot on every continent, we have a whopping 2 down so far

Things like, Antarctica (@calypso726 I am so looking forward to a recap of your trip, NatGeo is on my short list of options), Hawaii, Rhine or Danube river cruise, Panama Canal cruise, British isles tour (with possible layover in Iceland), snorkel/dive the Great Barrier Reef, etc etc

What we have so far is

• SW points to get back and forth from east coast to west coast
  
• IHG and Marriott for various hotel nights
  
• Norwegian for some OBC and shore excursion credits
  
• Discover it card cashback match (completes 12/18)

What I think we need is

• A nice place to experience Alaska (not just the cheapest IHG room I can find )
  
• Flights from Alaska back to lower 48
  
• Depending on where in CA we decide on, might want to stay at an experience (like DL maybe )
  
• How to do tours or meals (is there any values out there other than cashback?)

Current 5/24 status:
Me...............................................Hubby

5/17 Norwegian BoA........................5/17 AU on Norwegian
11/17 Discover IT..........................12/17 SW Plus
....................................................1/18 AmEx Blue Cash

1. Was interested in the CSR/CSP double dip as with the projects I could pull off 2-3 cards in the same period. But since I don’t really need the CSR right away is it a wasted slot/AF? Original plan was to do it later this year so the trip next year was included in the one AF. Aside from who knows what will happen in the future, what’s the disadvantage to doing just a CSP now and then keeping a slot open for hubby to do a CSR later in the year? Not sure we’d have the spend later this year for both so I don’t think we can both double dip (but I hate missing out on both bonuses) I had toyed with my double dip now, then see where the landscape is next year and get one (or both) sapphires for hubby then. I’d keep one and downgrade the other to a CFU so we only have one CSR at a time.

2. I’m also interested in getting the CIP. Is the 80k bonus fairly common? Is this this something we should think about sooner rather than later to capitalize on that? I have no biz cards, we only dabble in “businessy” things, but I am thinking about making it more formal and opening an Etsy shop to attract a better class of buyers.

3. Those Hilton cards are tempting. I wouldn’t mind adding a third hotel brand into our repertoire. And since we have 2 stays in May booked at Hilton properties, I was thinking of getting hubby to sign up for one of them beforehand (he has the existing Hilton account we booked the stays under). Still deciding which but something with the 100K option. I’m assuming the offer is so good because they are new, how long do you think that would last best educated guestimate?

4. I’d also like some SPG cards since we already have a decent Marriott account going, I think earning some SPG bonuses would be helpful long term for both that and travel in general. I was thinking of getting a Marriott for myself at some point and pool the points. But again, how soon should we jump on this given the SPG landscape changing, try to squeeze in now or see what the new products do?

Initial thoughts was to do the CSR/CSP for me and get hubby to do a Hilton now. That’s probably all we can safely do at once as most places will take a deposit for large projects on credit but like the balance in cash. Then look at some biz cards like CIP or SPG, Marriott to keep some slots open. What am I missing? Should we look at this in another way and go for cards that might not be around later first? Is there an advantage to picking out any airline cards for the flight back from Alaska or about the same using UR, MR or maybe SPG points for that?

TL;DR Paralyzed, Help! What should I apply for first?

If the home improvement are something you can charge to an Amex, I would def consider the SPG 35K offer first. Many have found meeting the spend on Amex cards difficult just given the acceptance rates of merchants. If your home improvement expenses can easily knock out a chunk or all of the 7K required on the new SPG offer, you could be sitting happily with 42K in SPG points fairly soon and maybe even refer DH. As someone else mentioned, the transfer partners could help you with your bigger trips down the road or even Alaska coming up. Don’t forget SPG gives you 5K bonuses for every 20K in transfers. Because the offer expires 3/28, I would advocate the SPG Biz slightly over the double dip for now since it doesn’t affect your 5/24 and still can put you in a position to double dip later (or maybe shortly thereafter if your home improvements far exceed 7K for the SPG). If you are worried about the spend if coupling with the double dip, there’s certainly creative ways to do it as @Lain has shared with another poster via Plastiq or bank funding. But this is all dependent on whether your home expenses are Amex eligible.

I'm thinking about using Plastiq for the first time to pay our gas/electric bill to help meet my SPG spend. The bills are due around the 20th of this month - should that be plenty of time to set up a new account and have them send in the check? I'm so nervous as I've never used this service! That and DH would not be happy with me if a bill posted late due to my cc habit!

Also, got my CP for SW yesterday and added DH to me/kids flights that we'd already booked for our June WDW/UO/beach trip. So excited and grateful for all the advice/info from this thread!

You should be in good shape if you start the process with Plastiq now. In fact, it seems Plastiq already has a lot of the big utilities set up to receive payments via ACH. When I set up my water payment, after I inputted my water utility company, it gave me the option to send via an electronic deposit/check. Payment arrived within 3 days and posted 2 days later.

 

[Lain]

I'm thinking about using Plastiq for the first time to pay our gas/electric bill to help meet my SPG spend. The bills are due around the 20th of this month - should that be plenty of time to set up a new account and have them send in the check? I'm so nervous as I've never used this service! That and DH would not be happy with me if a bill posted late due to my cc habit!

Also, got my CP for SW yesterday and added DH to me/kids flights that we'd already booked for our June WDW/UO/beach trip. So excited and grateful for all the advice/info from this thread!

Congrats on getting your CP!

As for using Plastiq to pay your gas/electric bill, have you checked to see whether your utility accepts credit card payments directly on its website? Some utilities charge no fee, a flat fee, or a lower percentage fee than the 2.5% that Plastiq charges. You need to do some research and figure out the math. It might make more sense to pay your utility directly if they accept credit cards and any fee they charge amounts to less than 2.5% of your gas/electric bill.

If you go the Plastiq route, Plastiq has a calendar available to pick when you want your payment to arrive by when you schedule your payment. You’ll probably want to schedule a payment 10 days or more in advance to pick a delivery date on or before your due date. Checks can take about 8-10 business days to arrive. For payments due on the 20th, you should have more than enough time in the next few days. I’d also add that a number of utilities are already in Plastiq’s system, and if that’s the case for yours then Plastiq may even be able to send an electronic payment instead of a check, which can take only 3-5 days.

If you plan to use Plastiq, please consider applying through a DISchurner’s link. This will give you $500 “fee free dollars” — basically, Plastiq will waive the fee on your second $500 spent through them after you’ve made your first $500 in payments.

 

[GlamMistress]

DVC Rental Store does code as travel for the Barclay Arrival. So I'll be able to wipe out half my rental for Food and Wine in October, score! Now I either need to get DH the Arrival or CapOne Venture to wipe out the other half of the rental.

Thought I'd share since no one knew how this would code - handy dandy.

*edit. Put Aviator first because I was just reading about that card. Yes, we've both had it before too, natch.

 

[havaneselover]

So my 80,000 CIP bonus posted this morning (already transferred to CSR) and I was approved for SPG Biz yesterday. Making great progress toward Europe for next summer! I've come up with a decent list of things I can pre-pay (Verizon, electric bill, EZ Pass) plus I'll be paying my car insurance bill and buying 30,000 SPG points with my new card as soon as it arrives. $7,000 is a lot for me for 3 months but it just really forces me to shift spending which thankfully I can do.

 

[pillow]

So my 80,000 CIP bonus posted this morning (already transferred to CSR) and I was approved for SPG Biz yesterday. Making great progress toward Europe for next summer! I've come up with a decent list of things I can pre-pay (Verizon, electric bill, EZ Pass) plus I'll be paying my car insurance bill and buying 30,000 SPG points with my new card as soon as it arrives. $7,000 is a lot for me for 3 months but it just really forces me to shift spending which thankfully I can do.

Is buying GOC cards at TRU off the table due to the Amex RAT team (still crack up at that name)? Given the amount of $505.95, does that throw up flags?

 

[havaneselover]

Is buying GOC cards at TRU off the table due to the Amex RAT team (still crack up at that name)? Given the amount of $505.95, does that throw up flags?

I'll try it if I'm desperate. Personally, I interpret prepaid cards narrowly (visa and mc gift cards, for example) (not that it matters how I interpret it!). Does anyone know if there any data points where someone has been denied their bonus for buying a normal gift card? I've only read about the Simon gift cards. Also, I'd probably put some random amount on the GOC card like $489.52 just in case. Or throw in a candy bar. But I thought Amex has access to very detailed level data so that probably doesn't matter.

ETA: Yikes I just read that they actually say gift cards too! I'd probably avoid GOC but I'm pretty risk averse.

 

[pillow]

Help me think through the math on paying bills via Plastiq when NOT in min spend mode . . .

For example, my electric company only charges $1.65 per cc payment up to $1k. Even though the fee is tiny, it may make more sense to pay via Plastiq/CIP:

$1,000 payment
$25 Plastiq fee (2.5%)
UR earned 3,075
value of UR $46.13 (@1.5 - assume xfer to CSR)
Net value $21.13 ($46.13 less $25 Plastiq fee)

$21.13 = 2.1% net cash back

If I pay direct to the power company - even with a 2% cash back card, I would earn:

$20.03 (2% cash back x $1,001.65)
-$1.65 fee
$18.38 Net = 1.8% net cash back

Of course, how one values UR matters + in the above case (since the difference in cash back isn't large), one could argue that cash back now is more valuable vs points used later (and potentially devalued). Curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

 

[GlamMistress]

This post is why I'm leery of collecting more Delta points - even though I want the plat for the new signup. And I predominantly focus on MR for Delta transfers... but look at this. Insanity.

https://twitter.com/RenesPoints/status/969578732737454080

To save you the click, Delta wants nearly a million miles for first between Singapore and Buenos Aires... for one person. Yikes.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

This post is why I'm leery of collecting more Delta points - even though I want the plat for the new signup. And I predominantly focus on MR for Delta transfers... but look at this. Insanity.

https://twitter.com/RenesPoints/status/969578732737454080

To save you the click, Delta wants nearly a million miles for first between Singapore and Buenos Aires... for one person. Yikes.

Maybe I'm not regretting that Target gift card decision after all...

 

[SBWB48]

Help me think through the math on paying bills via Plastiq when NOT in min spend mode . . .

For example, my electric company only charges $1.65 per cc payment up to $1k. Even though the fee is tiny, it may make more sense to pay via Plastiq/CIP:

$1,000 payment
$25 Plastiq fee (2.5%)
UR earned 3,075
value of UR $46.13 (@1.5 - assume xfer to CSR)
Net value $21.13 ($46.13 less $25 Plastiq fee)

$21.13 = 2.1% net cash back

If I pay direct to the power company - even with a 2% cash back card, I would earn:

$20.03 (2% cash back x $1,001.65)
-$1.65 fee
$18.38 Net = 1.8% net cash back

Of course, how one values UR matters + in the above case (since the difference in cash back isn't large), one could argue that cash back now is more valuable vs points used later (and potentially devalued). Curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

I agree with your thought process that cash today is generally more valuable than cash tomorrow (i.e. points), and it depends, like everything else, how one plays this game and the end goals. The reason the majority of us 'chase' (no pun intended, but then realized it lol) sign up bonuses is because of how quickly we can amass points for better redemption/return rates and value extraction. The CIP/Plastiq method is essentially another way to synthetically do that (i.e. buying/amassing points, but at a cost/discount, versus a pure 'bonus', but both with spend involved).

However, I'd also throw in the fact that depending on whether you have the inclination to transfer to a Chase partner, the 1.5 cpp could be higher and thus, making the incremental difference skewed slightly more towards the Plastiq/CIP. Case in point is my redemption for our trip to DL in June. Was able to get 2.2 cpp by transferring to Hyatt (think it is well known by now that Hyatt is a valuable redemption partner, but that may not be the case for all), so it worked in my favor. Another way of looking at is would be you are essentially buying the points at a deep discount and similar to the discussion previously on the SPG points offer that some have participated in, it really comes down to whether you feel you can extract more valuable out of the 'cost of the points' since this method allows you to earn UR 3x as fast, despite the true earnings being less on a cash basis netting the fee, but can be made up with the 1.5 redemption via CSR or transfer partners.

 

[hsmamato2]

question-opinions re: my SW cards and chase relationship (as noted in earlier post,I'm hoping to get 2 more personals next Dec for DH (2 player) I just paid and got extra bonus for my sw cc last month making it worth keeping another year, AF for premier card just hit (as did the points) now I want to call in and cancel....or should I? I'm concerned about how this will 'look' when we go for Dh's apps in 2019 if cancel both? WWYD? I ned some opinions here,I have another week before I have to pay AF.... (if I cancel this one,I still have my other sw cc for a year tho)

 

[peel]

DUDE! I just realized something awesome...I can go under 5/24 in February of 2019 if I don't get another personal card!! I had been so focused on my wife being under 5/24 in April of this year and wasn't totally comprehending that I was within a year of that myself...I even think I kind of realized it but wasn't grasping how close 2019 really is. I've gotten 4 AMEX Biz cards in the past 12 months so while it hadn't felt like I slowed down...I really was This is a huge epiphany for a guy who has opened 37 cards in the past 3 years and is currently 26/24 but yes I have 22 cards falling off in the next 11 months, haha!

What are you going to do for fun now??? If you have to hold off on new cards for yourself until 2019, you should find another hobby to occupy yourself!

Thanks. I have enrolled, but we actually get a better deal using my husband’s corporate code. I have my $300 travel credit to use and the car is the only expense I haven’t covered yet.

You don't have to use the Chase corporate code to take advantage of Executive status. Book with whatever code you want, and reserve a Midsize car. If the location has an Emerald Aisle it will also have an Executive Aisle. Go straight to the aisle and pick any car, then show your Executive card when checking out. You should also have the Executive status linked to your National account, so I'm not sure you even need the card, but it's better to carry it. If the location doesn't have an Emerald Aisle where you choose your own car, I believe you will be upgraded at the counter with your Executive status, but I haven't been through that myself so I can't be positive.