I love credit cards so much!

[KSR0330]

I use both. Both can be transferred to airlines. UR travel portal offers lots more options as well. This trip I booked Polynesian with UR points then Dolphin with SPG points.

Sounds great, thanks! Do you then Uber back to the airport from the Dolphin?

 

[afan]

Generally, for most people, it's not recommend to get into churning if you are in CC debt. Mostly becuase no one wants to advise you to create more debt that you might not pay off and depending on the amount and your score, etc you may have trouble getting approved for cards.

However, I broke the rule. I do have old debt, 3 cards actually at pretty low rates thankfully and I decided to give it a go. I have not had an issue getting approvals. I have actually raised my score and I've been able to make a big dent in paying off my old cards. I never put anything on my new cards that can't be paid for in cash immediately. I broke a second rule by making my husband an AU on a card and in doing so I was able to get his score up (helped his debt to income ratio) which will help a lot when we finally purchase a house, hopefully this year. Our old debt was actually due to a house that turned into a money pit and we trusted our realtor when we probably shouldn't have, long story. Churning has allowed me to concentrate on the old cards, finally travel a bit and feel much less stressed. I have learned a lot and I'm better able to guide my children. I can't say it will be the same for everyone though and I take full responsibility for the decisions I make regarding CCs. I've had approvals for Southwest Plus and Premier, CSR, CSP, Ink Preferred and SPG Biz.

So, churning while in CC debt isn't advised, but if you are diligent and stay on top of it, it can be done. It sounds like you have a plan and I think you won't have an issue with approvals based on the CC debt. I'm not advising you to proceed, just sharing my story so you can make your decision.

Now I'm going to go hang my head and hope I'm not banned and labeled a rule breaker

You're not the only rule breaker around here My theory is, I'm not charging anything I can't pay off and I still have to spend money on things so I might as well get something out of it. I don't go for spends I know I can't make or bonuses I don't use. I'm not spending extra to meet a spend because I don't have it to do. I have savings and I have debt but I have a plan that I'm good with and that's what matters. I like that people here don't judge, even if they don't agree with what someone's doing, and it's fun to read about the trips people take.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

How many business card do you have?

i have two business cards with them at the moment, but I've had three. I have two other business cards (Amex Plat and Citibank American Airlines), but I also have 6 Chase personal cards.

(edited for weird double post)

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I’m looking to book a DCL cruise on Thursday when public booking opens for new 2019 cruises.
I’m working on spend for SPG Biz, a couple hundred from finishing spend on BOA Premium Rewards Card. I also have Discover Card and CSP. Which would you put cruise deposit on? (CSP & BOA are both 2 point/$; Discover is 1% but plan is to book thru Costco which should be 5%)

 

[CyndiLouWho]

And then if you're like me you can wrack your brain for weeks trying to find a good use for it . . .

Yes, that’s why I’m thinking I’ll be canceling the card

ETA: Where is the cert listed in your account? Can’t find it, and the email I got leads nowhere.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Sounds great, thanks! Do you then Uber back to the airport from the Dolphin?

Yes. We used Uber last Sunday afternoon. It was 23.85 + tip for Dolphin to MCO.

 

[KSR0330]

Yes. We used Uber last Sunday afternoon. It was 23.85 + tip for Dolphin to MCO.

Wow, you can't beat that!

 

[snugglebug]

You're not the only rule breaker around here My theory is, I'm not charging anything I can't pay off and I still have to spend money on things so I might as well get something out of it. I don't go for spends I know I can't make or bonuses I don't use. I'm not spending extra to meet a spend because I don't have it to do. I have savings and I have debt but I have a plan that I'm good with and that's what matters. I like that people here don't judge, even if they don't agree with what someone's doing, and it's fun to read about the trips people take.

Exactly, I have a plan. I was already somewhat churning as they are all cash earning cards and I was trying to pay bills and do regular spend on them. It was hard mixing old debt with new. I knew I could be better if I could separate the two and I was right.

 

[SBWB48]

And then if you're like me you can wrack your brain for weeks trying to find a good use for it . . .

I guess I'll have 11 months to figure that out now... @calypso726 seems to find use for it at WDW (offsite) every year I believe?

 

[uksaint]

I’m looking to book a DCL cruise on Thursday when public booking opens for new 2019 cruises.
I’m working on spend for SPG Biz, a couple hundred from finishing spend on BOA Premium Rewards Card. I also have Discover Card and CSP. Which would you put cruise deposit on? (CSP & BOA are both 2 point/$; Discover is 1% but plan is to book thru Costco which should be 5%)

Are you sure Costco travel gets the 5%? The Discover Ts&C's say travel may be excluded from the 5% but not sure if there are DPs out there that prove it is OK.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Are you sure Costco travel gets the 5%? The Discover Ts&C's say travel may be excluded from the 5% but not sure if there are DPs out there that prove it is OK.

Yeah I’m not sure either. And Discover doesn’t itemize their bonus like Chase does, so its hard to track.

 

[calypso726]

I am ready to jump into this game. I feel the NEED to get started ASAP with a BONUS-earning card!! I have read enough to know that every charge or expense I pay now is an opportunity lost. It’s killing me, LOL. I believe I can meet the minimum spend by using my actual spending plus I am willing to get creative, where needed. I checked Credit Karma – DH and I both have 3 open CC accounts. Scores are ‘good’ but would improve by decreasing utilization. And opening more accounts (LOL).

Me (1/24- Chase Dis, 2/2017, AU); Citi Visa, owner, Credit Union Visa
DH (1/24-Chase Dis, 2/2017, Owner); Citi Visa, AU, Credit Union Visa

I want to open a 0% APR, $0 BTF card to transfer an existing balance that had a low rate but expired. We will make the new card 1 owner so the balance does not show on both reports.

Our DS wants to purchase an inexpensive used car as he just turned 16. We can get a low interest used auto loan from our credit union. Credit Karma said an auto loan will increase our credit score, LOL. Is that really true?

Travel Habits:

Lots of sports-related road trips throughout the year - hotel, food, gas expenses. (His teams seem to favor Marriott, but all are used. We have to stay where team stays).

Family road trips to Florida or Myrtle every year (visiting WDW, US, or SW/DC) plus shorter road trips when we can squeeze them in. We often take “extra” kids lol which is another reason why we drive.

Would love to fly if we can get free/cheap air fare. We often use rental cars.

Goals – 1) Save money on existing travel. 2) Build points for a BIG trip (Dis cruise or trip to Hawaii or Alaska).

Plan – ASAP
DH - get AMEX Everyday Credit Card (0%APR, $0 BTF, no AF) plus 15K point sign up bonus/or 25K if I can get the offer through” incognito mode,” whatever that is, then transfer our joint balance to him only. His utilization should remain the same or improve with overall CL increase. Mine will improve because balance no longer on my report.

Me – get the SPG biz card (if I can get it before 3-28). If not, then go for CIP Related Question – I can use AMEX to pay county real estate taxes with plastiq, correct?

NEXT - After meeting the minimum on first biz card, then start in on the CHASE cards. DH will be 2/24. I will remain 1/24.

Everyone - Please give me your honest thoughts, advice, critique, etc.

Thanks, but the only way I would consider paying off that balance now is if that was the only way I would be approved for new cards. And I don't think it is the case, or at least I hope not. I could pay it off right now but that's not what it's for and I'm not going to spend my money on it when I don't have to. (Long story but suffice it to say that it will be paid by someone else, not me, in the not too distant future.) It is not costing anything because it is on a 0% card. (I just need to move it to another one soon.) In the meantime, I am spending money every month and getting no travel benefit.

I'm sure you know your situation best and no one here is going to be Judgy McJudge-alot. General rules of thumb are provided so you may proceed with your eyes wide open so to speak.

Is there a particular hotel chain you frequent on your road trips? A card that offers benefits for a specific chain you frequent or has points that transfer to that chain may be advisable. You mention you rent cars a lot so a card that offers primary car rental insurance would also be advisable. While the CIP does, it is only for business rentals. I have no problem getting a credit card for my "business" but I sure wouldn't want to have to explain my "business car rental" if there was a claim issue. CSP and CSR both offer primary car rental.

I advise the CSR over the CSP due to the added 3x over 2x bonus points on travel and dining as well as the $300 travel credit which could be used to easily offset a car rental or hotel stay. This would also allow you to begin accumulating points that can be used at 1.5 on travel purchase or transfer to hotels and airlines. When your AF for the CIP hits I'd PC to a CIC and then you can start earning 5x UR on purchasing Disney gift cards at office supply stores to pay for your WDW trips and save towards that future Disney Cruise. Make sure you add a Freedom to the mix so you can take advantage of the 5x quarterly bonuses and beef up your UR stash.

AH! I just checked and now my flights are 60k each - so I need 75k more points. Think I will be paying cash for at least 1 ticket.

Note to others- start accumulating points early. The flights are 7 months from now and the point price went up. I think a week ago (or 2) it was 47,500 each. So book early if you can!

From what I can tell, there is no limit to award seats, but then again, I can't even try yet. I'll let you know!

There is always a limit to award seats. Sorry that happened to you. This is why I always advise to plan 2 years out. One year to gather up and accumulate points and have them in place a year out so you can book flights as soon as they pop up. Some airlines release limited saver award seats if any right away. Then, if the flight doesn't sell well they may release more closer towards the flight date.

On the topic of MR points, I think I’m going to cancel my personal Platinum when it comes time to pay the AF next month and churn the Mercedes-Benz Platinum.

The way I’m thinking about this is at best Amex retention will offer me 30k MR to keep the card. I put a good amount of spend on the personal Plat this past year (over $25k) but nothing extravagant, and most of that spend was 5x MPX so I don’t really want eyes on my account. Meanwhile I’ve already double dipped the airline fee credit for the first and this year; if I pay another AF, I won’t be able to utilize the credit again until next January.

If I’m going to pay another $550 AF, I might as well go for the MBZ Plat because (1) it carries a 60k MR signup bonus (>30k MR, at best, retention offer), and I won’t be able to get those 60k MR ever again because the card is being discontinued; (2) I’ll get another bite at the $200 airline fee credit this year, and again next year (and possibly two more times next year if I dip when the card is still a MBZ Plat and again if the benefit resets upon conversion to another product); and (3) the best guess is Amex will convert the MBZ Plat to a personal Plat in or after January 2019, leaving me back with a personal Platinum anyway.

The downside is another $5k MSR under the oppressive rule of the RATs and a 5/24 slot. Mitigating factor is a card drops off in April 2018, leaving me at just 2/24.

I may be picking this one up too before it goes away permanently. Man, I miss that MPX and Plat combo!

Generally, for most people, it's not recommend to get into churning if you are in CC debt. Mostly becuase no one wants to advise you to create more debt that you might not pay off and depending on the amount and your score, etc you may have trouble getting approved for cards.

However, I broke the rule. I do have old debt, 3 cards actually at pretty low rates thankfully and I decided to give it a go. I have not had an issue getting approvals. I have actually raised my score and I've been able to make a big dent in paying off my old cards. I never put anything on my new cards that can't be paid for in cash immediately. I broke a second rule by making my husband an AU on a card and in doing so I was able to get his score up (helped his debt to income ratio) which will help a lot when we finally purchase a house, hopefully this year. Our old debt was actually due to a house that turned into a money pit and we trusted our realtor when we probably shouldn't have, long story. Churning has allowed me to concentrate on the old cards, finally travel a bit and feel much less stressed. I have learned a lot and I'm better able to guide my children. I can't say it will be the same for everyone though and I take full responsibility for the decisions I make regarding CCs. I've had approvals for Southwest Plus and Premier, CSR, CSP, Ink Preferred and SPG Biz.

So, churning while in CC debt isn't advised, but if you are diligent and stay on top of it, it can be done. It sounds like you have a plan and I think you won't have an issue with approvals based on the CC debt. I'm not advising you to proceed, just sharing my story so you can make your decision.

Now I'm going to go hang my head and hope I'm not banned and labeled a rule breaker

Ah, many of us here are rule breakers when you look at the advice from most of the bloggers and what people say and do on other forums. Most of here aren't doing multiple mathematical equations to make sure we got the most value possible out of each point redeemed and opportunity cost. Besides me, most of us here aren't playing this game to ONLY fly in first class on all flights. Most of us here aren't MSing thousands every week. Most of us here aren't earning and burning points as fast as we can. So, hold your head up high and stand proud with the rest of us in the "land of misfit travel hacking toys."

And then if you're like me you can wrack your brain for weeks trying to find a good use for it . . .

I swear if it wasn't because I am only 3 hours away from WDW and can easily use the certs for quick weekend getaways, I'd have no use for the card.

 

[Lain]

I may be picking this one up too before it goes away permanently. Man, I miss that MPX and Plat combo!

You and me both, at least! Just be aware that the MBZ Plat has the following language:

• This offer is not valid for existing Platinum Card Members from American Express.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Ah, many of us here are rule breakers when you look at the advice from most of the bloggers and what people say and do on other forums. Most of here aren't doing multiple mathematical equations to make sure we got the most value possible out of each point redeemed and opportunity cost. Besides me, most of us here aren't playing this game to ONLY fly in first class on all flights. Most of us here aren't MSing thousands every week. Most of us here aren't earning and burning points as fast as we can. So, hold your head up high and stand proud with the rest of us in the "land of misfit travel hacking toys."

I'd like to think of us as the ones doing it right!

 

[calypso726]

I guess I'll have 11 months to figure that out now... @calypso726 seems to find use for it at WDW (offsite) every year I believe?

Yup! This year I actually have 4 nights to use instead of the normal two (one from each of our Marriott cards). I managed to earn an extra couple of free nights by hitting some promo bonus or other Marriott had going on for staying a couple of times at when traveling for work. We are using 2 nights of the free night for Dapper Days weekend in April. The other two free nights will be used for another weekend during Flower & Garden festival. Still juggling our work schedules to see where we are squeezing that in. There's a Marriott village near WDW that has a Courtyard Marriott, Fairfield Inn & Suites and Spring Hill Inn & Suites. All are cat 5 or 4. We've stayed at all 3 several times with our free nights. We drive up to WDW anyhow so have no problem driving to the parks and we have APs so we don't pay for parking.

 

[calypso726]

You and me both, at least! Just be aware that the MBZ Plat has the following language:

• This offer is not valid for existing Platinum Card Members from American Express.

Dang! I've got two Plat cards at the moment. Sigh ...

I'd like to think of us as the ones doing it right!

I think so. At least what's right for us! But I gotta say ... I don't need to be MSing thousands each week but I'd really like to gear up to a few thousand each month.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Yup! This year I actually have 4 nights to use instead of the normal two (one from each of our Marriott cards). I managed to earn an extra couple of free nights by hitting some promo bonus or other Marriott had going on for staying a couple of times at when traveling for work. We are using 2 nights of the free night for Dapper Days weekend in April. The other two free nights will be used for another weekend during Flower & Garden festival. Still juggling our work schedules to see where we are squeezing that in. There's a Marriott village near WDW that has a Courtyard Marriott, Fairfield Inn & Suites and Spring Hill Inn & Suites. All are cat 5 or 4. We've stayed at all 3 several times with our free nights. We drive up to WDW anyhow so have no problem driving to the parks and we have APs so we don't pay for parking.

My wife's cert was going to expire this month. I called in a couple weeks ago and before I could even finish asking the rep extended it for a year. Works out nice because we have another cert from my card and will earn a new cert for my wife this month so we can use the 3 of them to string together a long weekend.

 

[kmc8826]

How long do we think SPG biz offer will last? Any guesses? We're one week in to the CIP MSR and have spent $1000 and will spend several hundred more this weekend traveling. I really wouldn't feel comfortable going for the SPG until we're later in the game with the CIP spend though.

Offer expires 3/28/18. Hopefully that works with your plans.

Another day where this thread moves so fast...jeez guys work is busy right now I don’t have any time for fun stuff!

At any rate feel vaguely silly posting this so far after OP post, but wanted to make point. When I opened the Delta Amex Business for DH this fall the 70k offer was expiring the first week of November. BUT I emailed the referral link to myself and when I did so the email gave until January 31st for the offer to be open. Is it possible the SPG offer is the same way (emailed offer gives longer to accept)? I can’t check as don’t have card yet, but maybe someone who has one could see?!? I know me having a few more months before I took the offer helped. Of course then they just offered it again now, but such is my luck.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Another day where this thread moves so fast...jeez guys work is busy right now I don’t have any time for fun stuff!

At any rate feel vaguely silly posting this so far after OP post, but wanted to make point. When I opened the Delta Amex Business for DH this fall the 70k offer was expiring the first week of November. BUT I emailed the referral link to myself and when I did so the email gave until January 31st for the offer to be open. Is it possible the SPG offer is the same way (emailed offer gives longer to accept)? I can’t check as don’t have card yet, but maybe someone who has one could see?!? I know me having a few more months before I took the offer helped. Of course then they just offered it again now, but such is my luck.

These increased SPG offers have very short shelf lives. The Public offer and referral bonuses both appear to be expiring on 3/28 and I would be surprised if that's extended. Sorry to be mr. Bad news.

EDIT: Just to confirm, the referral email also shows expiration of 3/28/18

 

[kmc8826]

These increased SPG offers have very short shelf lives. The Public offer and referral bonuses both appear to be expiring on 3/28 and I would be surprised if that's extended. Sorry to be mr. Bad news.

Even if the referral sign up for the bonus is coming in the form of a direct email to the person being referred?

It doesn’t matter to me either way but just curious.