I love credit cards so much!

[peel]

Awesome I was looking for a newer article as well! When I did a search initially I got their articles from 2015 when the benefit was added. I checked it against the current terms and it still seemed accurate but I like newer posting to confirm. I liked their article on the Lounge Access Myths where they listed the different rate types and what's likely to be eligible and what's not.

Oh, I didn't even notice the date on the article. Glad I could help!

 

[Judique]

We are considering staying at a Starwood when we are in FL next month (we may stay at the one you recommended in Tampa but still on the fence as to where is best location for us)...anyways, I just got dh the spg biz. Is the lounge access a part of having that card, or only certain card holders? Your daughter's story of not being given lounge access even though she has the card is something I've read a lot recently. So, I'm confused how that works. We are also Marriott Gold which I read gives us Gold with SPG too.

It's just for Sheratons with the SPG Biz and it is supposed to be a 'show your card' perk, but, she had the reservation on her SPG biz so either way it should have worked. She gets per diem and gets refunded when she submits receipts on return, so club access was not absolutely necessary, but - it's supposed to be a perk of the card! She thinks it was just an uninformed employee which is possible but I'm not sure.

Other Starwood properties will all have their own set of rules, so it will depend where you stay, and some club experiences can be pretty basic.

 

[Judique]

Do you have to book with the card? Or just have the card? My husband travels for work and must use his work visa but he has a Sheraton booked next month, I believe and wondered if he could get lounge access just by showing the card.

He should get it just by showing his card. But, properties and individual desk clerks are going to do what they want to. And some people will just move on and others will persue the perk a little more.

 

[gottalovepluto]

No, precheck was pretty much clear! My wife kept grumbling she should’ve gone into the precheck line with DD because she has Global Entry, and left me to stand in line with the mobs because I still haven’t gotten around to getting precheck or GE....

Hahaha, your wife loves you very much (or seriously doesn't trust you to behave )! I'm solidly in the group your DD is in, if I have it I'm using it, see you at the gate/lounge!

 

[wendow]

It's just for Sheratons with the SPG Biz and it is supposed to be a 'show your card' perk, but, she had the reservation on her SPG biz so either way it should have worked. She gets per diem and gets refunded when she submits receipts on return, so club access was not absolutely necessary, but - it's supposed to be a perk of the card! She thinks it was just an uninformed employee which is possible but I'm not sure.

Other Starwood properties will all have their own set of rules, so it will depend where you stay, and some club experiences can be pretty basic.

I read the article and comments that @peel posted and it seems the majority have to fight for the lounge access. Seems your daughter's experience may be more the norm that not.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

So question regarding bonus from referring someone when will it post to your account? Dh first statement has already posted. I still haven’t received the sign up bonus.

What card issuer?

 

[schmass]

Oh man, I went to WDW for 10 days at the beginning of March and haven't had a chance to read here since before my trip. I have 225 pages to catch up on!

But also, thanks to everyone here who posted about the Club at MCO. Our return flight was delayed but thanks to this thread I knew how to get to the lounge, and it was wonderful!

 

[gottalovepluto]

That’s what I keep telling myself. Maybe I’ll late fate decide and see if I can pull the 80k offer...

Fate is a funny thing they say- gotta agree! Personally fate and I aren't sure how we feel about each other right now... The last couple days I've been trying to pull the SPG personal 30k incognito offer but no matter what I did it hasn't happened. I was also really worried about applying for the card (I asked here, I asked on Reddit- I was freaking out about applying for an Amex card for heaven's sake- what was wrong with me?!) it was like something was telling me nope, stop, you don't wanna do this- but I worked really hard to ignore that little voice in my head/fate/chance/going crazy/whatever you want to call it and would have applied if I'd gotten the darn thing to pull at 30k. I tried everything the last couple days and I felt like everyone else in the world could get it to pull up. Low and behold yesterday comes around and my boss tells me they're going to be using the company spend for the next couple months to meet MSRs. (I meet MSRs by using mostly company spend) Boss = mother, who I have nudged not so gently into this little hobby and has pretty much give me free reign to use the company spend for my MSRs, so I can't really complain. I'm very proud of her actually, alas that means I'm gonna cool my heals for awhile meeting MSRs and will instead live vicariously through all of you meeting them and bagging bonuses! (As for meeting the spend another way besides work charges let's just jot that down to "it's way complicated" & suffice it to say I'm happy I'm not worried about MSing that spend when I have no plan for SPG points right now anyway.)

 

[gottalovepluto]

Oh man, I went to WDW for 10 days at the beginning of March and haven't had a chance to read here since before my trip. I have 225 pages to catch up on!

But also, thanks to everyone here who posted about the Club at MCO. Our return flight was delayed but thanks to this thread I knew how to get to the lounge, and it was wonderful!

Welcome back! I had about 50 pages to catch up on after being in DL a couple weeks ago, it just didn't happen! This stuff moves so fast, the rundown I can think of in the last week and a half is basically the CIC public offer is now 50K UR, SPG Biz 35K offer ends 3/28 (idk if that means today is the last day or tomorrow), it's been solidly confirmed BMO funding no longer gives you points or qualifies for meeting MSRs on Amex cards, and there is a Costco offer (https://www.doctorofcredit.com/costco-com-save-50-on-250-with-visa-checkout/) that ends either 3/28 or 3/30 depending on how you read the unfortunately written fine print.

 

[schmass]

Welcome back! I had about 50 pages to catch up on after being in DL a couple weeks ago, it just didn't happen! This stuff moves so fast, the rundown I can think of in the last week and a half is basically the CIC public offer is now 50K UR, SPG Biz 35K offer ends 3/28 (idk if that means today is the last day or tomorrow), it's been solidly confirmed BMO funding no longer gives you points or qualifies for meeting MSRs on Amex cards, and there is a Costco offer (https://www.doctorofcredit.com/costco-com-save-50-on-250-with-visa-checkout/) that ends either 3/28 or 3/30 depending on how you read the unfortunately written fine print.

Thanks for this! I think I'm going to apply for the SPG Business card today. Do you know if there was any discussion on 1) If gift cards bought with the card count towards the MS? or 2) any speculation as to what happens after tomorrow? The $7000 is making me a bit nervous!

 

[Judique]

Sometimes you just have to cool your jets! I'm trying hard with the 28th deadline on the SPG Biz tomorrow! Found $3500 I could easily put on it over the weekend.....

Fate is a funny thing they say

(snip snip)
& suffice it to say I'm happy I'm not worried about MSing that spend when I have no plan for SPG points right now anyway.)

 

[Judique]

Thanks for this! I think I'm going to apply for the SPG Business card today. Do you know if there was any discussion on 1) If gift cards bought with the card count towards the MS? or 2) any speculation as to what happens after tomorrow? The $7000 is making me a bit nervous!

Me also!

 

[Albort]

It's just for Sheratons with the SPG Biz and it is supposed to be a 'show your card' perk, but, she had the reservation on her SPG biz so either way it should have worked. She gets per diem and gets refunded when she submits receipts on return, so club access was not absolutely necessary, but - it's supposed to be a perk of the card! She thinks it was just an uninformed employee which is possible but I'm not sure.

Other Starwood properties will all have their own set of rules, so it will depend where you stay, and some club experiences can be pretty basic.

i had this happen to me 2 weeks ago. I told the lady that ive been here before last time, and i got the perk with my credit card. She insisted that its for platinum members only. I asked to see the manager, so she went to ask and apologies for her mistake.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Thanks for this! I think I'm going to apply for the SPG Business card today. Do you know if there was any discussion on 1) If gift cards bought with the card count towards the MS? or 2) any speculation as to what happens after tomorrow? The $7000 is making me a bit nervous!

They have been so far, but RAT is watching (I would buy gift cards at like walmart, sam's club, grocery store, office store, home improvement store, etc. personally but no one has had BMO type issues with outfits like Raise from what I've seen either)

As for after the 35k dies, the min offer should be the other referral offer of 25k for $5k spend because that has an expiry date of 4/18 in the fine print (and is what the public offer was before the 35k offer came around so wouldn't be surprised to see that come back- admittedly my Amex knowledge is tiny and new ).

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Thanks for this! I think I'm going to apply for the SPG Business card today. Do you know if there was any discussion on 1) If gift cards bought with the card count towards the MS? or 2) any speculation as to what happens after tomorrow? The $7000 is making me a bit nervous!

It should go back to the standard offer of 25,000 SPG points for $5,000 MSR

 

[amalone1013]

How did you find this so late in the day? My BIL was looking for it around 7 pm ET and it was GONE from the website.... I read on DoC it was dead around 4 pm ET....

I think I just clicked through the link someone posted here or on DOC. I just went to Costco the first time but couldn't find it.

Daughter ate at Timberline last Thursday on her way back from Colorado. She had the chicken cordon bleu sandwich and they also ordered wings and the mac and cheese (2 little ones plus Dad came through security with her to help her get on the plane.) Her evaluation was that it was 'just okay'. She said the mac and cheese was Kraft dinner, but of course the girls loved it, so no biggie.

Last night she checked into her Sheraton in Chicago for her work trip. She has the SPG business and asked about Club access. The desk clerk said, no, you don't get it.

So when she got to her room she called me, and after rechecking the website while she was on the phone I suggested she bring the subject up with someone else ie a manager. She didn't want to deal with that so instead, she tweeted Starwood.

In 7 minutes, she had a call from the manager that they were sending up a new set of room keys. I would have asked for a manager the first time around and gave the hotel the opportunity to keep the issue in house, but not everyone rolls the same.

I ate there a couple of weeks ago - definitely just OK. But they were reasonably speedy. Think we are going to try to eat there again on our way through Denver next week, provided our flight is on time (not much of a layover).

I think Timberline is decent - I wasn't too into their pulled pork sandwich, but I think the steak quesadilla and nachos are really good. Last time we just shared those. I'm very happy with it just costing a $10 tip. We'd spend more than that at a fast food place at the airport.

 

[jhoannam]

Oh man, I went to WDW for 10 days at the beginning of March and haven't had a chance to read here since before my trip. I have 225 pages to catch up on!

But also, thanks to everyone here who posted about the Club at MCO. Our return flight was delayed but thanks to this thread I knew how to get to the lounge, and it was wonderful!

So jealous of your 10 days. The CIC bonus is up to $500, which is awesome.
Good luck catching up.

 

[Judique]

I think Timberline is decent - I wasn't too into their pulled pork sandwich, but I think the steak quesadilla and nachos are really good. Last time we just shared those. I'm very happy with it just costing a $10 tip. We'd spend more than that at a fast food place at the airport.

There will be more trips to Denver - she goes 2-3 times a year because her father is there.

So I will let her know those items are good.

Are there other lounges in the airport?

And, for the cost of a tip, absolutely!

 

[Albort]

There will be more trips to Denver - she goes 2-3 times a year because her father is there.

So I will let her know those items are good.

Are there other lounges in the airport?

And, for the cost of a tip, absolutely!

Theres a Amex Centurion lounge coming soon according to VFTW. Article says to expect a Plaza Premium Lounge as well which i know the Priority pass includes at the other airports. so maybe?

 

[calypso726]

What age is AARP down to now for being a member? I did hear they lowered it, but never followed up on how low... didn't expect 40's. Mom signed up sometime early to mid fifties and we thought that was low for a "senior citizen" program I guess the upside to starting young is when you get to be a senior citizen you don't feel like it, ease you into it She keeps forgetting to ask for the senior rates at everyday places.
We've got AAA so most times I thought the Senior/AARP rate was the same or similar but they're supposed to have discounts other places. Do you find a lot of use outside of travel?

You can join at any age. You just cant get their insurance until you are 50.

Thank you! I was reading some of this on DOC's site last night but hadn't seen his actual write up. That's really helpful and answers some of my questions.

For the debit card transactions, these can be tiny, like a pack of gum or $1 reload to Amazon, right? And is that 10 per month or just 10 and then the commitment fulfilled for those?

I didn't check for PNC it is different for each bank. But is should be listed on the offer.