I love credit cards so much!

[marsh0013]

(@SouthFayetteFan you can add a 1 to the "referrals you've used" part of that survey since I took it prior to this )

That reminds me. After I took the survey, I found out someone had given me love and then yesterday I gave some love as well. So add 1 to each category to and from me as well.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I used my first DISchurners link!! I pulled the trigger on SPG Biz! Now the bad news: I forgot whose I used. Very embarrassed right now on that front. I reviewed all the names and just couldn't decide whose to use so I used a random number generator to decide and by the time I finished my app and closed everything down I forgot what link I picked.

It's also my first Amex biz. Not the hottest thing but with those cards changing(?) and my lack of interest in MRs right now (feel like they might be more useful later in life, I'm on the young side ) I decided it was time for SPG Biz. I'm thinking of trying for a 2nd Barclaycard Aviator since I closed my last one in July and want to keep my personal cards down for that app, plan is to try that next followed by personal SPG in short order.

No clue what I should do with these SPG points, never had SPG points before, don't even know if I've stayed at an SPG hotel... I'm intrigued by the Sheraton Club benefit. My BFF and I are thinking of going to Hawaii. I don't want to use all my points on a single day at a St Regis but I'm wondering about using them at a Sheraton with a club. Island of Hawaii is where I'd like to visit since I've never been there! Ooh, looks like they have a Sheraton from a quick google search, I'll have to look into if club access that comes with the SPG card would work there...

Time to go back and keep trying to catch up on this thread. I'm STILL 10 pages behind!!

(@SouthFayetteFan you can add a 1 to the "referrals you've used" part of that survey since I took it prior to this )

I noticed you were "liking" posts from days ago LOL so I figured you were behind.

Based on the results of the survey it's clear you aren't the only one not telling people they used a link lol. We have significantly more "USED" than "RECEIVED" haha!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

That reminds me. After I took the survey, I found out someone had given me love and then yesterday I gave some love as well. So add 1 to each category to and from me as well.

Thanks for the heads up! I will do that.

 

[DaveL]

Good luck. I hope it works, which unfortunately means either the first three don't know the rules or didn't want the hassle.

I am leaning toward they didn't know, one of them told me they don't deal with Disney vacations... I have never transferred a reservation from Disney to a TA so not sure if I will see a difference in MDE but I still have the "Make a Payment" option so assuming it didn't get processed by Disney today. She told me 24-48hrs but the form said 1-10 days to be processed by Disney so holding out hope still.

 

[AmyAnne]

The latter. At least I hope

I would think so too -- it's not like I can take my Gift of College card into a store and use it as a cash equivalent.

I don't think I've ever seen an answer to whether Amex gets Level 3 data from Toys R Us/Babies R Us, which is the only place I'm aware of where you can buy $500 Gift of College gift cards for a $5.95 fee (1.19%). I've seen it suggested to always add something small and random to your transaction so it doesn't ring up conspicuously as $505.95, which is often the same amount as say a $500 Visa Gift Card with a $5.95 activation fee. Pretty sure if Amex RATs (Rewards Abuse Team) saw $505.95 on your statement, they'd assume you were MSing.

Is there any way to tell from the on-line account whether AmEx gets level 3 data? How do people figure that out?

 

[kmc8826]

Couple more questions...sorry all! Do you have to give your business a name? Do you think I should actually list something for sale first?
If $3k of my $5k spend was on plastiq (rent and tuition) and $1000 was on Paypal, do you think they would have a problem with that?

My husband got the Amex Delta Platinum first of October. We finished the spend middle of November. At this point over $1000 over the $4000 minimum. The bonus still has not posted and the $100 refund after the first Delta purchase has not posted. My thought has been that the $700 on insurance payment I made and the $600 for real estate (paying off balance of a townhome vacation rental) might have red flagged it. I am getting nowhere with Amex as far as when bonus will post. So at any rate, I would be cautious in the sense that if it is a larger amount right off the back for something different than a regular store they might put you on some review they aren't admitting. Just my paranoia...but that is my experience. I check every couple days to see if the 70,000 miles has posted and nothing yet.

 

[amalone1013]

We're going to LA in a few months. Just wondering were you able to use points or get any discount tickets for Universal Studios Hollywood or the Warner Bros tour as we plan to do both of these...

Sorry, that was before I got into cards so we paid full price for everything...

Looks like last minute travel has discounted tickets, $15 off studio tour and $10 to $50 off universal depending on ticket and days

 

[amalone1013]

@elgerber I used my name as business name. I'd sold a few things before Amex but my first Biz card was SW last May, before I'd sold anything. The only legitimate "business" expenses I put on that card were postage and ebay/PayPal fees

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

My husband got the Amex Delta Platinum first of October. We finished the spend middle of November. At this point over $1000 over the $4000 minimum. The bonus still has not posted and the $100 refund after the first Delta purchase has not posted. My thought has been that the $700 on insurance payment I made and the $600 for real estate (paying off balance of a townhome vacation rental) might have red flagged it. I am getting nowhere with Amex as far as when bonus will post. So at any rate, I would be cautious in the sense that if it is a larger amount right off the back for something different than a regular store they might put you on some review they aren't admitting. Just my paranoia...but that is my experience. I check every couple days to see if the 70,000 miles has posted and nothing yet.

That definitely seems like an issue with the offer not being tied properly to your application/account. I say that because the $100 refund not posting is especially odd and telling. Has AMEX told you that the bonus is tied to your account? Are you calling or chatting (or both)? Have you tried shaming them on Twitter?

 

[kmc8826]

That definitely seems like an issue with the offer not being tied properly to your application/account. I say that because the $100 refund not posting is especially odd and telling. Has AMEX told you that the bonus is tied to your account? Are you calling or chatting (or both)? Have you tried shaming them on Twitter?

I did three separate chats weekly in December. And then we called between Christmas and New Years. They say the offer is on the account. They even acknowledge that I have met the spending. The online chats ended with them stating it was up for review. The phone call was more than a little frustrating. He just read the fine print of every offer that it is up to the discretion of Amex and that it can take 6 to 8 weeks to post and that I should not expect it until mid February! When I made the argument that such a slow posting has not been mine or anyone else’s experience with Amex and that I was frustrated and disappointed with the whole process he was not at all sympathetic. When I brought up again that the $100 had not posted after Delta ticket purchases in middle of October he was like “yeah that is the same deal as the bonus miles.”

I am a Twitter novice...I joined for the contests (Marriott) and then follow some stuff but never post. That might be a good idea to figure out how to do though. The stupid part is I would like to get an SPG business before it goes away but right now I am pretty bitter with Amex and their customer service.

 

[calypso726]

I forgot AS had a business card. Is it just as easy to get a business card with BofA as it is the others? Do they report like the others so it wouldn't could as 5/24? It's the same offer as the personal 30k for 1k spend, but I could do that without issue. The cards with the 4-5k spend aren't realistic for me without huge purchases and I've already got my travel that I'm paying for mostly paid for this year.

I don't know how easy it is to get but I do plan to pick one up soon. Yes, the offer is the same. DPs suggest that they won't impact your 5/24 status.

I feel semi knowledgeable about booking and taking domestic trips and/or to Mexico and the Caribbean, but DH and I are going to be flying to Europe (probably Germany) and then flying home with our oldest DD this spring. I know we're not booking nearly as early as we should have to get the best deals, but at this point, it is what it is...

DD is finishing up her study abroad semester in Germany, so we are flying over and spending about a week with her before we all fly back home. I wish we had more time, but similar to many on this thread, we are restrained by the amount of vacation time we have.

Where do I even begin looking - I looked at American and they have quite a few choices for 30,000 points each way for the basic (cheapest) seats. I'd love to go first class, but will need points later this year for other things, so trying to conserve points as much as I can.

As far as points, we have around 460,000 UR points; 108,000 TY points from Citibank; and 78,000 points from Am Exp. We will be flying out on either the 18th or 19th of April and returning April 29th. Any advice on where to search or what might work best would be great.

Edited to add that we will be flying out of St Louis (STL).

None of the points you have transfer directly to AA. You would need to transfer to another One World partner if you find saver seats available on AA if that is the airline you wish to fly. Where are you flying out of?

That is good to know you're seeing SOMETHING - they've been having issues with Cathay showing up properly (the message on the site says to call as they are not booking though they show as available). My husband has his own points that he has been working on, the 140K I have is just for one ticket.

Cathay Pacific award space isn't really searchable on AS. You would need to search for the CX award space on BA's site or Quantas' site. JAL works too. I found CX business award space on Quantas from LAX-JNB. You can add the SEA-LAX for free on the award. Here's an article that may help with booking CX using AS miles https://www.travelmiles101.com/booking-cathay-pacific-alaska-american-airlines-miles

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I did three separate chats weekly in December. And then we called between Christmas and New Years. They say the offer is on the account. They even acknowledge that I have met the spending. The online chats ended with them stating it was up for review. The phone call was more than a little frustrating. He just read the fine print of every offer that it is up to the discretion of Amex and that it can take 6 to 8 weeks to post and that I should not expect it until mid February! When I made the argument that such a slow posting has not been mine or anyone else’s experience with Amex and that I was frustrated and disappointed with the whole process he was not at all sympathetic. When I brought up again that the $100 had not posted after Delta ticket purchases in middle of October he was like “yeah that is the same deal as the bonus miles.”

I am a Twitter novice...I joined for the contests (Marriott) and then follow some stuff but never post. That might be a good idea to figure out how to do though. The stupid part is I would like to get an SPG business before it goes away but right now I am pretty bitter with Amex and their customer service.

So from what I've read the chats are useless. Your phone call is discouraging to me too and I would call again and escalate - something is obviously wrong here. I have gotten 17 signup bonuses from AMEX in the past 18 months (I know that sounds ridiculous)...and except for the first time MR bonuses which are delayed (numerous DPs support this) all have posted within 3ish days of hitting min spend. The $100 reimbursement not hitting is crazy odd. I'm working on a delta bonus right now and my reimbursement posted the next day. I'm not saying this to make you feel bad - Obviously you're doing the right things bringing it to their attention but I'd keep escalating until somebody actually helps you. The twitter angle is good too because if you tweet at them publicly they seem to get involved quickly to avoid negative publicity.

Sorry you're going through that and you have every right to be frustrated. And if those points don't post after 6-8 weeks then everybody lied to you all along and that's even more frustrating.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Best Buy Online: Use the Freedom with Chase Pay to max out Q1, using the Chase portal for an additional 1x (I’d only do this if there was a substantial sale price at BB)

WARNING< WARNING!
...I bought my MacBook on Black Friday thru Best Buy b/c of the shopping portal reward instead of B&H, even though B&H was a better price (no tax) . It was to make Best Buy the best net deal. WELL, I didn't get the shopping points because apple is excluded in the tiny print. GGRRRR. I was so annoyed.

ETA: I did get some Best Buy rewards tho. I don't know much about them, but I got an email saying I had some dollar amount and I used them to order my DD a new charger for her MacBook.

 

[afan]

I don't know how easy it is to get but I do plan to pick one up soon. Yes, the offer is the same. DPs suggest that they won't impact your 5/24 status.

Thanks! It's not one you see much about, at least on the travel blogs I read. I figure it'll be a good way to get some more Alaska miles though.

 

[ski_mom]

None of the points you have transfer directly to AA. You would need to transfer to another One World partner if you find saver seats available on AA if that is the airline you wish to fly. Where are you flying out of?

we'll be flying to Germany from St Louis (STL). It looks like united flights are available too which it looks like UR transfer to. That might be better for our situation.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I hear you. I actually had no intention of keeping the CSR. But dh & I both got it and now, we'll be keeping his. The $300 travel credit is money I will spend anyways, so it's a nice gift imo and makes the AF $150 really. The difference between the CSP and the CSR's AF is now $55. We don't even eat out that much or travel a ton but that $55 difference, combined with the 25% better redemption, is not hard to make up. It would be at least worth working the numbers to see if it might make more sense.

I redeemed UR for 9 nights (2 rooms) at WDW this past Sept and the difference in redemption between the CSR and CSP was just over $400.

Another one- well 2 actually- who had no intention of keeping CSR. I'm keeping mine because the redemptions & lounge access, had no intention of keeping it when I got it. My parents are keeping one of their 2 for the same reason, had no intention of keeping either of them. Chase is 2/3 on my fam when this time last year I would have told you it would be 0/3 keeping it for sure!

 

[disneedee]

Don't forget the transportation cost to Disneyland. If you rent a car or 2 don't forget to calculate in parking costs of your hotel. Some are free, some (Disney properties) are $20/day. It's not going to be cheap to fly to SoCal at New Years, or anywhere for that matter imho. It's just not so start looking at prices now to get an idea of what you could be looking at and keep checking a couple times a week.
Christmas season in Jan? Kinda cutting it close fyi. Last couple years Xmas was over by Jan 6-8 depending on the year. (Last year's Holiday dates were released Sept 5.)

Expensive and crowded but early Jan sounds better than Christmas week.
I did check jet blue a little but even at 60000 pts at that time of year I could be looking at only 1 -2 rt tickets. We usually drive. It is so much cheaper for a big group.

 

[wendow]

Another one- well 2 actually- who had no intention of keeping CSR. I'm keeping mine because the redemptions & lounge access, had no intention of keeping it when I got it. My parents are keeping one of their 2 for the same reason, had no intention of keeping either of them. Chase is 2/3 on my fam when this time last year I would have told you it would be 0/3 keeping it for sure!

Yep, same here. I talked my aunt into the card for the sign-up bonus. She had no intention of keeping but now she is. She's used the lounge access twice whereas I have not at all lol and she is HOOKED Loves the lounges, loves the redemption (she is about to take trip #2 to WDW using CSR redemption) and they eat out a ton so she is earning plenty of UR points.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I got SPG Biz Amex with $200 as my revenue and was instantly approved with a $15k limit. I was nervous applying but didn't need to be! I just had very occasional ebay sales as my business.

Well darn. Same biz but I put 2K and got a 10K limit. That's what I get for inflating my biz income...

 

[Tikitoi]

Sorry, that was before I got into cards so we paid full price for everything...

Looks like last minute travel has discounted tickets, $15 off studio tour and $10 to $50 off universal depending on ticket and days

Thanks for that. Will look into them.