I love credit cards so much!

[SBWB48]

i'm in class until 7:30(2 hours to go!). i can see my card on my doorstep via security cam. frustrating... lol

first world problem.

Pay attention in class and off the credit card cam

 

[mamamelody2]

I am about to put $2000 of our Disney reservation on DH's new Southwest Visa in order to meet the spend for his 50000 points.
What happens if in April free dining comes out and I have to cancel that Disney reservation and do a new one? Will that do anything to the points?

 

[Lain]

And by periodically, Lain really means once per hour.

#, 3, 1, SSN!

 

[elgerber]

I am about to put $2000 of our Disney reservation on DH's new Southwest Visa in order to meet the spend for his 50000 points.
What happens if in April free dining comes out and I have to cancel that Disney reservation and do a new one? Will that do anything to the points?

Would you immediately charge it to the same card? If you do that and it’s the same amount I think you will be fine.

 

[mamamelody2]

Would you immediately charge it to the same card? If you do that and it’s the same amount I think you will be fine.

That's the plan.

 

[calypso726]

Well this is new. I am finding myself paralyzed with indecision. I was lucky enough to get an access code this for this round of ticket sales to buy Harry Potter & the Cursed Child tickets that went on sale today for the show in New York. I loved it when we saw it in London last year so of course, I want to see it again. We got tickets for both parts and I am finding myself torn booking flights and securing the hotel. I'd love to use up some Sky Pesos that are collecting dust in the Delta account and they have direct flights. I'd also like to use up some of my AA gift cards that I've stored up and the "paid" flight would go towards earning status plus we have enough to pay for business/first class flights. I also wouldn't mind paying for economy flight with the gift cards and take my chances on the free upgrade with the gold status I somehow got this year. AA also has saver awards so I could also use BA avios to book since it is a short haul flight and would use relatively few points.

On the hotel front I'm torn between free IHG nights we have coming in March to book for our July visit. My other option is the free nights we will have from our recent Hilton Aspire cards and $500 in resort credits between both of us. Decisions, decisions.

 

[miztressuz]

Well this is new. I am finding myself paralyzed with indecision. I was lucky enough to get an access code this for this round of ticket sales to buy Harry Potter & the Cursed Child tickets that went on sale today for the show in New York. I loved it when we saw it in London last year so of course, I want to see it again. We got tickets for both parts and I am finding myself torn booking flights and securing the hotel. I'd love to use up some Sky Pesos that are collecting dust in the Delta account and they have direct flights. I'd also like to use up some of my AA gift cards that I've stored up and the "paid" flight would go towards earning status plus we have enough to pay for business/first class flights. I also wouldn't mind paying for economy flight with the gift cards and take my chances on the free upgrade with the gold status I somehow got this year. AA also has saver awards so I could also use BA avios to book since it is a short haul flight and would use relatively few points.

On the hotel front I'm torn between free IHG nights we have coming in March to book for our July visit. My other option is the free nights we will have from our recent Hilton Aspire cards and $500 in resort credits between both of us. Decisions, decisions.

Very nice problems to have and congrats on the Harry Potter tickets. I totally forgot it was coming to NY (after we thought they said it wouldn't)

I'm probably not much help deciding, and you probably have enough trips to use up all your free nights, but I would probably use the night(s) you have the hardest time finding use elsewhere to make sure they don't go to waste. We almost lost our Marriott free night last year because we kept thinking we'd have another trip to use it on but they kept working out to be in areas that only had cat 7 hotels. Normally we have our free nights used by June each year, but our annual May trip the room rate was so cheap we decided to pay OOP and save the night for a more expensive location. Plans changed and we never got to a location to use it so on the last night we booked a room with it just to use it We went to the outlets and a holiday market... it was an expensive "free" night

Barring that, a Hilton in NY has got to be nice.

 

[pillow]

Well this is new. I am finding myself paralyzed with indecision. I was lucky enough to get an access code this for this round of ticket sales to buy Harry Potter & the Cursed Child tickets that went on sale today for the show in New York. I loved it when we saw it in London last year so of course, I want to see it again. We got tickets for both parts and I am finding myself torn booking flights and securing the hotel. I'd love to use up some Sky Pesos that are collecting dust in the Delta account and they have direct flights. I'd also like to use up some of my AA gift cards that I've stored up and the "paid" flight would go towards earning status plus we have enough to pay for business/first class flights. I also wouldn't mind paying for economy flight with the gift cards and take my chances on the free upgrade with the gold status I somehow got this year. AA also has saver awards so I could also use BA avios to book since it is a short haul flight and would use relatively few points.

On the hotel front I'm torn between free IHG nights we have coming in March to book for our July visit. My other option is the free nights we will have from our recent Hilton Aspire cards and $500 in resort credits between both of us. Decisions, decisions.

We just booked the Intercontinental using free nights for late June/early July (taking my daughter as a graduation gift). I haven't been to NYC in quite a few years. So looking forward to staying there!

 

[AmyAnne]

Well this is new. I am finding myself paralyzed with indecision. I was lucky enough to get an access code this for this round of ticket sales to buy Harry Potter & the Cursed Child tickets that went on sale today for the show in New York. I loved it when we saw it in London last year so of course, I want to see it again. We got tickets for both parts and I am finding myself torn booking flights and securing the hotel. I'd love to use up some Sky Pesos that are collecting dust in the Delta account and they have direct flights. I'd also like to use up some of my AA gift cards that I've stored up and the "paid" flight would go towards earning status plus we have enough to pay for business/first class flights. I also wouldn't mind paying for economy flight with the gift cards and take my chances on the free upgrade with the gold status I somehow got this year. AA also has saver awards so I could also use BA avios to book since it is a short haul flight and would use relatively few points.

On the hotel front I'm torn between free IHG nights we have coming in March to book for our July visit. My other option is the free nights we will have from our recent Hilton Aspire cards and $500 in resort credits between both of us. Decisions, decisions.

Congrats on the tickets! I have been on "standby" for the two rounds of tickets that have been released for NY. I saw it in London and actually have mixed feelings about it -- a friend is a religion professor and she uses The Cursed Child, as well as Fantastic Beasts, to illustrate the problem of identifying canonical texts of the Bible. Of course the 7 books written by JK Rowling are part of the HP canon, but what about the others? (Sorry non-HP fans for the tangent.) But my kids would love to see it so if I ever do get tickets I will have birthdays or Christmas presents taken care of.

It sounds like you have an abundance of good choices as far as the flights and hotel.

 

[FredtheDuck]

That's a hard choice.

If you're going for the CSR, are you and/or your DH under 5/24, don't currently have another "Sapphire" card, and have not received a signup bonus on a "Sapphire" card in the last 24 months? Then, if you are eligible for the CSR's 50,000 UR signup bonus, are you planning to "double dip" and also apply for the CSP on the same day to get that separate 50,000 UR bonus and get around the "one Sapphire" rule? If so, that's a combined 100,000 UR points on a $8,000 minimum spend in 3 months, which should keep you busy! Yes, the CSR carries a $450 AF, but the CSP's $95 AF is waived the first year. And as you already know, the CSR has a $300 travel credit that is very easy to use. I also find Chase's UR points much more flexible than Amex's MR points to use.

If the above makes sense to you, you may want to hold off on the Amex Platinum offer. Some people seem to regret it if they can't pull up the 100,000 MR offer again. And, if you get other Amex cards, that could decrease your chance of being targeted for high offers like 100k for the Platinum later on. However, there are tricks to pull up higher offers so there are still chances to get a 100k offer again.

Even though the Platinum comes with a $550 AF, it's offset in part by a $200 airline fee credit (note that this is much more restrictive than the CSR’s "travel" credit), $200 Uber credits (doled out $15/month with an extra $20 in December), Pre✓ or Global Entry credit, and Priority Pass and Centurion Lounge access.

Because the airline fee credit is a calendar year benefit, the best time to apply for the Platinum is in late November and December, so you have the opportunity to triple dip that benefit (worth a total of $600) for one annual fee ($550). If you get the card in December, you can utilize that benefit in December 2018, then double dip again starting January 1, 2019, and triple dip in January 2020 before possibly canceling this card and getting a refund of your second year AF. You'd also get $35 Uber credit in December, compared to the usual $15/month, which you can use towards Uber rides as well as UberEATS food delivery.

To utilize your airline fee credit, you have to select your airline, then make qualifying charges that are eligible to be credited back. Again, this is not like CSR's travel credit, which covers very broad kinds of travel expenses. Technically, Amex will credit you for only airline fees like checked and overweight/oversize bags, change fees, seat assignment fees, in-flight amenities, etc. But a lot of people successfully use this airline fee credit to buy gift cards with certain airlines. As of last month, I know buying Southwest, AA, and Delta gift cards in certain denominations still worked to trigger the credit.

Pay close attention to recent data points on FlyerTalk and reddit for what works with what airlines. You have to be very careful doing this because it's technically not how the airline fee credit is supposed to work. Often, you have to keep your gift cards denominations small and separate, like $50 or $100 at a time; sometimes the full $200 will work (check FlyerTalk). If you don't get credited, you can't exactly call up Amex and plead, I should have received the airline fee credit for my gift card purchases (nope).

If your home airport has a Centurion Lounge and you do enough traveling to take advantage of this perk, then a Platinum card might be worth having a place to go before and after flights. We find the Centurion Lounge to be a lot nicer with better food (and alcohol) options than a lot of domestic Priority Pass lounges.

Another option might be the Amex Platinum for Ameriprise. The AF on this card is waived for the first year (and the card is supposedly very churnable). The Ameriprise Platinum comes with Uber credits, access to Centurion Lounges, and 5x MR earned on flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel and hotels booked with Amex Travel; but does not include the airline fee credits, GE or Pre✓, or any signup bonus. Signing up for the Ameriprise Platinum will also probably lower your chances of being targeted for a high signup bonus on the other flavors of Platinum and Amex cards.

One last thing, Amex typically reports new cards to the credit bureaus at or about the close of your second statement, so you have about 2 months from when you open a new card where Chase, for example, doesn’t see or count a new personal Amex card against you.

This is an incredibly helpful post, I really appreciate the time you took to break this down for me. I love the idea of the chase double dip, but I’m having a hard time seeing our way to making the minimums on both cards based on the current chargeable expenses I foresee. I know we could for sure make one. It sounds to me like Chase might be a better starting point for us based on what you’ve outlined (especially since both credits and rewards are more flexible) but I want to give some thought to a strategy that would get us both offers for our Germany trip while not being super blind to annual fees. I am also looking at the BarclayCard Arrival+ (thanks to a suggestion here)... so lots of great options to try to puzzle through.

Thanks for so much food for thought. I’m really enjoying thinking through everything!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Well I got declined for BofA Premium Rewards card...autodenied . Pertinent stats for those interested:

• I should have been ok under BofA's 2/3/4 rule. I opened the following BofA cards historically: 2 cards in Jan 2016 (shouldn't count now); 1 card each in Mar, Apr, Jul 2016. NO BofA cards in the past 18 months.
• 24 new cards in the past 24 months (24/24 lol)
• Only 4 new cards in the last 12 months
• Only 2 new cards in the last 6 months
• Inquiries: 2 in Sept 2017; 1 in Aug 2017; 2 in May 2017; 17 inquiries prior to that (total 22 inquiries)

Interested to see what reason they put on the letter - I assume it will say too many recent accounts even though I've been pretty chill in the last year.

SO then I went and applied for a BofA business card...hard pulls will be probably be combined soooo what the hey! That one went pending so we'll see!

I only have $300 left to spend on my AMEX Delta Gold Biz...I could possibly be without a minimum spend for the first time since Sept 2014. It's just an empty feeling guys, lol!

I guess my alternate plan would be to hit up the Freedom 5% category. Via Gift Cards I can run everything through the Gas Station category and I seem to recall that grocery is a likely Q2 category. Since we plan to get a CSR later this year that would give me a 7.5% return on those purchases...definitely below my target (lol) but still better than 99%+ of normal people!

 

[Albort]

I guess my alternate plan would be to hit up the Freedom 5% category. Via Gift Cards I can run everything through the Gas Station category and I seem to recall that grocery is a likely Q2 category. Since we plan to get a CSR later this year that would give me a 7.5% return on those purchases...definitely below my target (lol) but still better than 99%+ of normal people!

im prayin the mobile pay would be valid all year...

 

[wendow]

im prayin the mobile pay would be valid all year...

Me too. Do you think there is a realistic chance? It's killing me that I'm losing so many UR's while trying to meet spend on Amex cards

 

[wendow]

@SouthFayetteFan Sorry you got denied. That stinks! Seems like getting approved for cards, even outside Chase, is getting harder and harder.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

@SouthFayetteFan Sorry you got denied. That stinks! Seems like getting approved for cards, even outside Chase, is getting harder and harder.

Thanks - luckily in April wife is sub5/24 and I have a strategy to keep us busy for 2-3 years lol!

 

[wendow]

Well this is new. I am finding myself paralyzed with indecision. I was lucky enough to get an access code this for this round of ticket sales to buy Harry Potter & the Cursed Child tickets that went on sale today for the show in New York. I loved it when we saw it in London last year so of course, I want to see it again. We got tickets for both parts and I am finding myself torn booking flights and securing the hotel. I'd love to use up some Sky Pesos that are collecting dust in the Delta account and they have direct flights. I'd also like to use up some of my AA gift cards that I've stored up and the "paid" flight would go towards earning status plus we have enough to pay for business/first class flights. I also wouldn't mind paying for economy flight with the gift cards and take my chances on the free upgrade with the gold status I somehow got this year. AA also has saver awards so I could also use BA avios to book since it is a short haul flight and would use relatively few points.

On the hotel front I'm torn between free IHG nights we have coming in March to book for our July visit. My other option is the free nights we will have from our recent Hilton Aspire cards and $500 in resort credits between both of us. Decisions, decisions.

This is totally a 'first world problem' but I love it! I guess I'd use whatever rewards are hardest to use elsewhere. I certainly don't have these kinds of points that collect dust but if I did, and in your shoes, those would be the ones I'd try to use first. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great time and take us along a bit by posting some pics

 

[gottalovepluto]

Well this is new. I am finding myself paralyzed with indecision. I was lucky enough to get an access code this for this round of ticket sales to buy Harry Potter & the Cursed Child tickets that went on sale today for the show in New York. I loved it when we saw it in London last year so of course, I want to see it again. We got tickets for both parts and I am finding myself torn booking flights and securing the hotel. I'd love to use up some Sky Pesos that are collecting dust in the Delta account and they have direct flights. I'd also like to use up some of my AA gift cards that I've stored up and the "paid" flight would go towards earning status plus we have enough to pay for business/first class flights. I also wouldn't mind paying for economy flight with the gift cards and take my chances on the free upgrade with the gold status I somehow got this year. AA also has saver awards so I could also use BA avios to book since it is a short haul flight and would use relatively few points.

On the hotel front I'm torn between free IHG nights we have coming in March to book for our July visit. My other option is the free nights we will have from our recent Hilton Aspire cards and $500 in resort credits between both of us. Decisions, decisions.

That's awesome!!! Love Harry Potter! So, I'm a list and opportunity cost person (yeah, yeah my Econ nerd self is showing). So, I'd list out the options and then I'd list what else I would do with each set of miles/points. Pick which one you like the least and those are the miles/points to use today.

 

[Albort]

Me too. Do you think there is a realistic chance? It's killing me that I'm losing so many UR's while trying to meet spend on Amex cards

i hope so. I feel like its like the wholesale warehouse category from 2 years ago... fingers crossed!

 

[3 DD love princesses]

I don't have a Disney card, yet. I want one for no particular reason than it's Disney, not a good enough excuse really. Maybe some time in the fall.

Disney is fun to change your card design for free as much as you like. I got it before starting to collect rewards. Unless you don’t want any other chase cards or have what you want. I wouldn’t waste a spot on it though.

This week's update is mostly good news.
Today I received the email that my 529 Plan had a transaction. The GOC finally deposited (13 business days). That will help out with any MS that I need to do on new cards.
I can't believe I joined twitter but I did to get Marriott Reward points - up to 2,125. I am not sure how I got 625 just for linking and following on Twitter but not going to complain. Those were easy points to accumulate. Thanks to everyone who pointed out it was going on and the answers!

Applied for the CIP. I used a link on the dischurn reddit group to do this. Was wondering if the person will get points right away or only if I am approved? I didn't message anyone as I was not sure if I should wait until I was approved.
Got the 30 day message. I am going to wait it out. I was hoping for instant gratification, so that is the mostly good part!

Good luck getting approved and hope you find out soon!

Well this is new. I am finding myself paralyzed with indecision. I was lucky enough to get an access code this for this round of ticket sales to buy Harry Potter & the Cursed Child tickets that went on sale today for the show in New York. I loved it when we saw it in London last year so of course, I want to see it again. We got tickets for both parts and I am finding myself torn booking flights and securing the hotel. I'd love to use up some Sky Pesos that are collecting dust in the Delta account and they have direct flights. I'd also like to use up some of my AA gift cards that I've stored up and the "paid" flight would go towards earning status plus we have enough to pay for business/first class flights. I also wouldn't mind paying for economy flight with the gift cards and take my chances on the free upgrade with the gold status I somehow got this year. AA also has saver awards so I could also use BA avios to book since it is a short haul flight and would use relatively few points.

On the hotel front I'm torn between free IHG nights we have coming in March to book for our July visit. My other option is the free nights we will have from our recent Hilton Aspire cards and $500 in resort credits between both of us. Decisions, decisions.

I would use the AA if you would benefit from the increase in status. Otherwise use the points you use the least often. As for hotels use the one that would wouldn’t use on another trip. Do both free nights expire at the same month if not use the one that will expire First that way you don’t have to plan a last minute vacation even though I know you are awesome at planing lots of vacations. Congrats on the tickets.

 

[calypso726]

Disney is fun to change your card design for free as much as you like. I got it before starting to collect rewards.


I would use the AA if you would benefit from the increase in status. Otherwise use the points you use the least often. As for hotels use the one that would wouldn’t use on another trip. Do both free nights expire at the same month if not use the one that will expire First that way you don’t have to plan a last minute vacation even though I know you are awesome at planing lots of vacations. Congrats on the tickets.

Same here. I miss picking different designs. Mine sits in a drawer now.

This is what I wound up doing. We booked the flights using the gift cards. If we get status again it may help in getting a one time status match with Alaska and upgrades for Hawaii flights I am planning in 2020. Assuming of course everything works out including the timing of booking flights. Plus the AA flights were more convenient.

Great idea on choosing the hotels. I hadn’t thought of that. I will wait until we get our free nights from both programs in the accounts and see when each expires. Yes, we always do hotel card applications the same month so they are received and expire at the same time. Thank you for the feedback and thanks on the congrats! I was thrilled to get a code!

Thank you also @miztressuz @pillow @AmyAnne @wendow @gottalovepluto as well for helping me through the thought process and options!