I love credit cards so much!

[miztressuz]

I reached a milestone for me. Maxed out CF category for the first time! I took a screenshot for posterity of the "Max Reached" UR page
It goes in the folder with the 850 credit score screenshot, hehe. I'm more confident I'll get Max Reached again before that credit score comes back, so that was a keeper.

 

[AmyAnne]

I'm tempted by all of the chatter about the IHG card. If I understand correctly, the prime benefit of the current card is the free night once a year - correct? Can the free night be used at any IHG property? I'm looking on the IHG site at possible hotels in Seattle (one of our destinations for the fall) and the Klimpton hotels cannot be booked with IHG points. I seem to recall that several people here have this card and view it as a good value, but all I'm seeing is Holiday Inn kinds of hotels for 30,000 points per night. Not that I haven't stayed in plenty of Holiday Inn type hotels, but I'm not sure they would make me want to apply for a new card. (I'm way over 5/24 and slightly concerned about a new card from Chase because of the shut-downs.)

 

[DisneyMandC]

ETA: I'm still using YNAB4 until the wheels fall off.

Me too! I heard so many complaints about nYNAB when it first came out that I've been afraid to switch. While we are fortunate now to not have to track every dollar and really strictly budget like we did in the beginning, it is still soooo helpful to track my MSRs!

 

[linzjane88]

No exaggeration, YNAB drastically changed our financial lives for the better. I'm so thankful for that little program! New YNAB has a slightly different methodology than old YNAB, and I'm not willing to make the switch until I absolutely have to. Not to mention I don't have to pay a subscription fee for YNAB4.

I FINALLY forced myself over to new YNAB. I tried the free trials before and went back every time. I am still highly confused by the credit card payment section. I don't get it at all. I just *really* needed to be able to pay bills from the comfort of my laptop in bed while I drink my morning coffee vs going into the office to use the desktop. LOL. I essentially use YNAB for tracking and a register for all my accounts. I have yet to say "I budgeted 200 for groceries this week so no purchases until next week". Its more like "dang, we spend alot on groceries ".

 

[peel]

Me too! I heard so many complaints about nYNAB when it first came out that I've been afraid to switch. While we are fortunate now to not have to track every dollar and really strictly budget like we did in the beginning, it is still soooo helpful to track my MSRs!

I used to frequent the YNAB forums, so I'm very familiar with the negativity surrounding nYNAB! It was a big deal! I'm still very diligent about tracking every cent, mostly out of habit at this point, but also because I know how much it helped us in the beginning. Also, DH is great about using the mobile app, which I would consider a small miracle, so I'm happy to be the keeper of the budget if he's willing to put in the effort.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I'm tempted by all of the chatter about the IHG card. If I understand correctly, the prime benefit of the current card is the free night once a year - correct? Can the free night be used at any IHG property? I'm looking on the IHG site at possible hotels in Seattle (one of our destinations for the fall) and the Klimpton hotels cannot be booked with IHG points. I seem to recall that several people here have this card and view it as a good value, but all I'm seeing is Holiday Inn kinds of hotels for 30,000 points per night. Not that I haven't stayed in plenty of Holiday Inn type hotels, but I'm not sure they would make me want to apply for a new card. (I'm way over 5/24 and slightly concerned about a new card from Chase because of the shut-downs.)

Regarding shutdown: What are your */24 */12 */6 and */3 statuses? When doing this include all personal cards and any Chase Business cards (just for this purpose).

 

[DisneyMandC]

I FINALLY forced myself over to new YNAB. I tried the free trials before and went back every time. I am still highly confused by the credit card payment section. I don't get it at all. I just *really* needed to be able to pay bills from the comfort of my laptop in bed while I drink my morning coffee vs going into the office to use the desktop. LOL. I essentially use YNAB for tracking and a register for all my accounts. I have yet to say "I budgeted 200 for groceries this week so no purchases until next week". Its more like "dang, we spend alot on groceries ".

That's sort of how I am too at this point hahaha. Which I know isn't how you're supposed to use it, but I did use it to help us pay off several debts. I still have student loan debt, but I'm on the public service loan forgiveness track so I'm purposefully in the mind frame of just pay it every month and don't worry about it otherwise.

I used to frequent the YNAB forums, so I'm very familiar with the negativity surrounding nYNAB! It was a big deal! I'm still very diligent about tracking every cent, mostly out of habit at this point, but also because I know how much it helped us in the beginning. Also, DH is great about using the mobile app, which I would consider a small miracle, so I'm happy to be the keeper of the budget if he's willing to put in the effort.

My DH was NOT good about putting in his purchases. So actually churning has been beneficial to me in multiple ways because now I manage all of the credit card logins and can just put it all into YNAB myself haha! Now he just asks me what card to use before making a purchase!

 

[peel]

I have yet to say "I budgeted 200 for groceries this week so no purchases until next week". Its more like "dang, we spend alot on groceries ".

Same here. But I am still very diligent about using it, and I constantly move money around in categories to make up for overspending. If anything, it's completely changed the way I look at spending and saving, and even if I couldn't use YNAB anymore I would still approach things the same way.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Just got off the phone with Chase and I will have an IHG on its way! I had to move some credit around but they approved it. (So much for the 2 applications in 30 days rule). It makes 7 chase cards with me and makes me back up to 5/24 but I will be back down to 3 in September. My plan then is to lower some personal limits, close out the CIP, and then wait and apply for CIC. Of course plans can change...

Off to secure message them and request the 80k offer.

I am glad my advice was helpful and that you got the card approved!

I would not proactively reduce your credit limits though. There was a post a few months ago of someone who did this (can't remember who). When they lowered their limits, Chase did not give them more credit when they applied for another card. They had basically lowered the total credit Chase was willing to extend to them. And if you plan to close the CIP, call and ask if you can transfer the credit on that card to one of your other cards. That way, you still have this credit available to transfer the next time you open a Chase card.

 

[peel]

My DH was NOT good about putting in his purchases. So actually churning has been beneficial to me in multiple ways because now I manage all of the credit card logins and can just put it all into YNAB myself haha! Now he just asks me what card to use before making a purchase!

Oh yeah, I manage all of our finances including churning. We would be out on the street if I left it up to DH. He's great at a lot of things, but organization is DEFINITELY not one of them.

 

[miztressuz]

I'm tempted by all of the chatter about the IHG card. If I understand correctly, the prime benefit of the current card is the free night once a year - correct? Can the free night be used at any IHG property? I'm looking on the IHG site at possible hotels in Seattle (one of our destinations for the fall) and the Klimpton hotels cannot be booked with IHG points. I seem to recall that several people here have this card and view it as a good value, but all I'm seeing is Holiday Inn kinds of hotels for 30,000 points per night. Not that I haven't stayed in plenty of Holiday Inn type hotels, but I'm not sure they would make me want to apply for a new card. (I'm way over 5/24 and slightly concerned about a new card from Chase because of the shut-downs.)

I think that's primarily it but you also get 10% back on points redemptions and Platinum Elite status which gives 50% bonus on points earnings (if you ever choose to pay for a room) plus the 5x earning for IHG charges on the card.
The free night can be used an any IHG property. There can be availability restrictions per the terms:
"Anniversary Free Night is valid for one standard room night rate and applicable taxes only. Rooms are limited, subject to prior sale and availability of allocated resources and may be unavailable during high demand periods." But I've mostly just seen no availability at sold out hotels.

 

[1st*toright]

Me too! I heard so many complaints about nYNAB when it first came out that I've been afraid to switch. While we are fortunate now to not have to track every dollar and really strictly budget like we did in the beginning, it is still soooo helpful to track my MSRs!

I have yet to say "I budgeted 200 for groceries this week so no purchases until next week". Its more like "dang, we spend alot on groceries ".

Yeah- I started using it just to figure out where the heck all our money went, but then DH lost his job, and our income was cut in half. So we aren't in debt (thank goodness all our student loans etc. had been paid off) but we do need to be a lot more careful about random unnecessary spending than we used to. Not so much the "we've spent $200 on groceries, so no more shopping" as "I don't feel like cooking so we're having scrambled eggs for dinner" because that costs $40 less than random takeout.

And I realized we'd have to cut back on travel, hence the churning so that we can afford more trips on our current income!

I LOVE how credit cards work in nYNAB - it actually sold me on the product. But I haven't had experience with the old version. It took a little bit to get my head around how it works, but I really like it.

 

[Artygal90]

Okay, could someone here take a look at my CC sign-up timeline and make sure I'm not making some grave planning error? I've put this together by reading the resources on Reddit and asking a few questions both here and there. Not quite understanding how business cards and what and when I can double-dip and how that affects 5/24, so any feedback would be much appreciated.

Goal: 10 Days at Disney/Universal, flight+hotel+tix mostly on points in May of 2020. Between spring 2019 and end of 2020, take a few short domestic trips (1-4 nights) using SW points, companion pass, and UR transferred to Hyatt.

Overall Strategy: Pay for flights by using points + companion pass on Southwest. Pay for tickets and hotel rooms as much as possible using Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Charge food and souvenir expenses to room to keep earning points

Limiting Factors: Want to purchase a condo in spring 2019; not doing manufactured spend methods; can charge $3k/month MAX on cards; want to avoid annual/transaction fees as much as possible.

1. Right now – get Chase Freedom Unlimited for husband to build his credit, up my credit limit on existing card to help qualify for CIP, get a better job (priority #1! But I've got some good leads so I'm hopeful).
2. June-ish 2018 – get CIP ($95 AF) – 80k
3. Mid-Oct. 2018 – get SW Business or SW Personal Plus ($99/69) – Either 60/50k [can I get BOTH the CIP and the SW Business cards? I do have legitimate businesses even if they're just me doing alterations and babysitting for friends for cash.]
4. Mid-Nov. 2018 – get SW Premier ($99) – 50k [or can I double-dip SW Biz/Premier in Oct.?]
5. PAUSE – Buying a condo in spring, no churning!
6. Early Jan. 2019 – Meet min. Spends on SW cards (not a day earlier!), get Companion Pass!
7. May 2019 – Double-dip CSR ($450) and CSP ($0) – 100k
8. June 2019 – Downgrade CIP to no-fee card
9. July 2019 (90 days after meeting spend for CSR/CSP double-dip) – should have minimum 180k UR points by now
10. Aug. 2019 – get United MPE ($0) – 40k miles OR I can start signing up my husband as Player 2 in this game, and focus our spending to meet his MSRs to churn the CSP/CSR and CIP points.
11. Mid-Oct. 2019 – Downgrade/cancel whichever SW card I like less to save on AF.
12. Nov. 2019 – get Marriott ($0) – 75k points (maybe use these at Swolphin for split stay?) OR Maybe get a Hyatt card here for non-Disney trips?
13. Nov. 2019 - Book hotels w/points
14. Dec. 2019 – May 2020 – Amass points, use them to pay for tickets, go to Disney, rejoice!
15. May/June 2020 - Downgrade whichever Sapphire card I like less to save the annual fee.

How does all that sound? I'm not quite sure how the timeline works out with staying at 5/24. After I get the Chase card bonuses and Southwest Companion Pass I'm flexible on which cards happen next. If I want to stay in mostly Hyatt hotels (looks like there are great options for UR redemption in all the places we want to travel in the next few years), is it a good idea to sign up for a Hyatt card of some kind? Or are United MPE/Marriott cards the better choices?

I'm also assuming the offers, products available, and redemption scheme stay mostly the same over the next 2 years, but of course who knows what will change between now and then.

Other questions:

1. This is SUPER basic but...I can pay off my charges on my credit card immediately with no problem, right? I ask because it makes me nervous to run up a huge balance each month and needing to have all the cash on hand RIGHT THEN to pay it all off in one chunk. Mathematically it may be the same but it psychologically feels different to me, if that makes sense?
   
   
2. Talk to me about this CSR travel credit. Let's say I'm booking the Grand Floridian (it's nice to dream, isn't it) and after points, need to spend $300 to pay the remaining balance. Could I charge the balance it to my CSR and then get the $300 statement credit so my effective out-of-pocket cost for the hotel is zero? (I mean, I paid the annual fee, but that was a sunk cost, so I'd like to get my money's worth).
   
   
3. Are park tickets a good redemption of UR points? Or would it be better to buy them with cash through Undercover Tourist to get to the minimum spend on something, get the 3x points/statement credit from the CSR, and then cash out the UR points to offset the out-of-pocket cost?
   
   
4. What would you do with 400k UR points (theoretically possible with Player 2) - spread them out over a few years worth of travel so you take trips partly on points, partly with cash? OR blow it all on 8 nights at the finest hotels Disney and Universal have to offer?

If you got to the end of this wall of text, bless you. I'll send you some cookies once I move and have a stove that actually works.

 

[Lain]

Just got off the phone with Chase and I will have an IHG on its way! I had to move some credit around but they approved it. (So much for the 2 applications in 30 days rule).

Off to secure message them and request the 80k offer.

Congratulations! And good luck with the offer match!

Chase has a “soft” rule for frequency of business and personal cards. You can get approved for 1 business card in 30 days (1/30) but you can’t have had another Chase application in the preceding 30 days (0/30). For personal cards applications, you can get approved if you don’t have more than 2 cards in a 30 day period (2/30).

That’s why when people think about applying for a business card and a personal card, it’s always recommended to apply for the business card first if they don’t have any other Chase applications in the past 30 days. Applying for the business card first won’t be an impediment to getting a personal card in the next 30 days, but going for the personal card first will likely cause a subsequent business card app to be denied.

 

[speedyfishy]

Okay, could someone here take a look at my CC sign-up timeline and make sure I'm not making some grave planning error? I've put this together by reading the resources on Reddit and asking a few questions both here and there. Not quite understanding how business cards and what and when I can double-dip and how that affects 5/24, so any feedback would be much appreciated.

Goal: 10 Days at Disney/Universal, flight+hotel+tix mostly on points in May of 2020. Between spring 2019 and end of 2020, take a few short domestic trips (1-4 nights) using SW points, companion pass, and UR transferred to Hyatt.

Overall Strategy: Pay for flights by using points + companion pass on Southwest. Pay for tickets and hotel rooms as much as possible using Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Charge food and souvenir expenses to room to keep earning points

Limiting Factors: Want to purchase a condo in spring 2019; not doing manufactured spend methods; can charge $3k/month MAX on cards; want to avoid annual/transaction fees as much as possible.

1. Right now – get Chase Freedom Unlimited for husband to build his credit, up my credit limit on existing card to help qualify for CIP, get a better job (priority #1! But I've got some good leads so I'm hopeful).
2. June-ish 2018 – get CIP ($95 AF) – 80k
3. Mid-Oct. 2018 – get SW Business or SW Personal Plus ($99/69) – Either 60/50k [can I get BOTH the CIP and the SW Business cards? I do have legitimate businesses even if they're just me doing alterations and babysitting for friends for cash.]
4. Mid-Nov. 2018 – get SW Premier ($99) – 50k [or can I double-dip SW Biz/Premier in Oct.?]
5. PAUSE – Buying a condo in spring, no churning!
6. Early Jan. 2019 – Meet min. Spends on SW cards (not a day earlier!), get Companion Pass!
7. May 2019 – Double-dip CSR ($450) and CSP ($0) – 100k
8. June 2019 – Downgrade CIP to no-fee card
9. July 2019 (90 days after meeting spend for CSR/CSP double-dip) – should have minimum 180k UR points by now
10. Aug. 2019 – get United MPE ($0) – 40k miles OR I can start signing up my husband as Player 2 in this game, and focus our spending to meet his MSRs to churn the CSP/CSR and CIP points.
11. Mid-Oct. 2019 – Downgrade/cancel whichever SW card I like less to save on AF.
12. Nov. 2019 – get Marriott ($0) – 75k points (maybe use these at Swolphin for split stay?) OR Maybe get a Hyatt card here for non-Disney trips?
13. Nov. 2019 - Book hotels w/points
14. Dec. 2019 – May 2020 – Amass points, use them to pay for tickets, go to Disney, rejoice!
15. May/June 2020 - Downgrade whichever Sapphire card I like less to save the annual fee.

How does all that sound? I'm not quite sure how the timeline works out with staying at 5/24. After I get the Chase card bonuses and Southwest Companion Pass I'm flexible on which cards happen next. If I want to stay in mostly Hyatt hotels (looks like there are great options for UR redemption in all the places we want to travel in the next few years), is it a good idea to sign up for a Hyatt card of some kind? Or are United MPE/Marriott cards the better choices?

I'm also assuming the offers, products available, and redemption scheme stay mostly the same over the next 2 years, but of course who knows what will change between now and then.

Other questions:

1. This is SUPER basic but...I can pay off my charges on my credit card immediately with no problem, right? I ask because it makes me nervous to run up a huge balance each month and needing to have all the cash on hand RIGHT THEN to pay it all off in one chunk. Mathematically it may be the same but it psychologically feels different to me, if that makes sense?
   
   
2. Talk to me about this CSR travel credit. Let's say I'm booking the Grand Floridian (it's nice to dream, isn't it) and after points, need to spend $300 to pay the remaining balance. Could I charge the balance it to my CSR and then get the $300 statement credit so my effective out-of-pocket cost for the hotel is zero? (I mean, I paid the annual fee, but that was a sunk cost, so I'd like to get my money's worth).
   
   
3. Are park tickets a good redemption of UR points? Or would it be better to buy them with cash through Undercover Tourist to get to the minimum spend on something, get the 3x points/statement credit from the CSR, and then cash out the UR points to offset the out-of-pocket cost?
   
   
4. What would you do with 400k UR points (theoretically possible with Player 2) - spread them out over a few years worth of travel so you take trips partly on points, partly with cash? OR blow it all on 8 nights at the finest hotels Disney and Universal have to offer?

If you got to the end of this wall of text, bless you. I'll send you some cookies once I move and have a stove that actually works.

Your plan sounds great!

Getting the Freedom Unlimited is a great way to build credit for your SO, but chase does like to see some credit history. Does he have any credit?

Some people have a hard time getting two Chase buisness cards others have gotten five. It really depends,

When you go for the Southwest double dip get the buisness card first. Once that is approved get the personal. Be really careful when you meet the spend. Personally if you could hold off putting all spend on the card to January that would be great. Lots of DPs this year of people making a mistake so just be really careful and don’t go to close because chase can give the points a little early.

I’d refer you DH to the CSP/CSR unless you really want the united card. Also united offers a better bonus than 40k points a lot of the time.

Also consider referring your DH to the CIP if you can fit it in.

For the Southwest cards ask for a retention bonus when your year annual fee hits. lots of DPs of people getting statement credits equal to the annual fee. And if you keep them you can then refer your DH and get the companion pass again when yours expires.

You can pay off the charges as soon as they post.

The $300 for the grand would be covered by the travel credit.

This really depends on how much you value your UR with the CSR it would be 1.5 cents per point but you may rather use your UR for something else and get them trough undercover tourist. I think undercover tourist codes as travel so that can trigger the $300 travel credit.

Your fourth question is something I’m struggling with too. Ideally, I’d like frequent luxury vacations but points are limited. I’m trying to find a balance. Like my plan is to go to Rome. The St. Regis is so nice but if I stay at the Marriott boscolo id have enough points left over for a five night stay at the swan or Dolphin so I think we will make do with the Marriott. Also first class to Rome would be amazing but a lot of points. coach does not seem fun for an 8 hour flight when SO and I are tall with long legs. So we found a balance with Delta comfort.

 

[Albort]

Okay, could someone here take a look at my CC sign-up timeline and make sure I'm not making some grave planning error? I've put this together by reading the resources on Reddit and asking a few questions both here and there. Not quite understanding how business cards and what and when I can double-dip and how that affects 5/24, so any feedback would be much appreciated.

Goal: 10 Days at Disney/Universal, flight+hotel+tix mostly on points in May of 2020. Between spring 2019 and end of 2020, take a few short domestic trips (1-4 nights) using SW points, companion pass, and UR transferred to Hyatt.

Overall Strategy: Pay for flights by using points + companion pass on Southwest. Pay for tickets and hotel rooms as much as possible using Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Charge food and souvenir expenses to room to keep earning points

Limiting Factors: Want to purchase a condo in spring 2019; not doing manufactured spend methods; can charge $3k/month MAX on cards; want to avoid annual/transaction fees as much as possible.

1. Right now – get Chase Freedom Unlimited for husband to build his credit, up my credit limit on existing card to help qualify for CIP, get a better job (priority #1! But I've got some good leads so I'm hopeful).
2. June-ish 2018 – get CIP ($95 AF) – 80k
3. Mid-Oct. 2018 – get SW Business or SW Personal Plus ($99/69) – Either 60/50k [can I get BOTH the CIP and the SW Business cards? I do have legitimate businesses even if they're just me doing alterations and babysitting for friends for cash.]
4. Mid-Nov. 2018 – get SW Premier ($99) – 50k [or can I double-dip SW Biz/Premier in Oct.?]
5. PAUSE – Buying a condo in spring, no churning!
6. Early Jan. 2019 – Meet min. Spends on SW cards (not a day earlier!), get Companion Pass!
7. May 2019 – Double-dip CSR ($450) and CSP ($0) – 100k
8. June 2019 – Downgrade CIP to no-fee card
9. July 2019 (90 days after meeting spend for CSR/CSP double-dip) – should have minimum 180k UR points by now
10. Aug. 2019 – get United MPE ($0) – 40k miles OR I can start signing up my husband as Player 2 in this game, and focus our spending to meet his MSRs to churn the CSP/CSR and CIP points.
11. Mid-Oct. 2019 – Downgrade/cancel whichever SW card I like less to save on AF.
12. Nov. 2019 – get Marriott ($0) – 75k points (maybe use these at Swolphin for split stay?) OR Maybe get a Hyatt card here for non-Disney trips?
13. Nov. 2019 - Book hotels w/points
14. Dec. 2019 – May 2020 – Amass points, use them to pay for tickets, go to Disney, rejoice!
15. May/June 2020 - Downgrade whichever Sapphire card I like less to save the annual fee.

How does all that sound? I'm not quite sure how the timeline works out with staying at 5/24. After I get the Chase card bonuses and Southwest Companion Pass I'm flexible on which cards happen next. If I want to stay in mostly Hyatt hotels (looks like there are great options for UR redemption in all the places we want to travel in the next few years), is it a good idea to sign up for a Hyatt card of some kind? Or are United MPE/Marriott cards the better choices?

I'm also assuming the offers, products available, and redemption scheme stay mostly the same over the next 2 years, but of course who knows what will change between now and then.

Other questions:

1. This is SUPER basic but...I can pay off my charges on my credit card immediately with no problem, right? I ask because it makes me nervous to run up a huge balance each month and needing to have all the cash on hand RIGHT THEN to pay it all off in one chunk. Mathematically it may be the same but it psychologically feels different to me, if that makes sense?
   
   
2. Talk to me about this CSR travel credit. Let's say I'm booking the Grand Floridian (it's nice to dream, isn't it) and after points, need to spend $300 to pay the remaining balance. Could I charge the balance it to my CSR and then get the $300 statement credit so my effective out-of-pocket cost for the hotel is zero? (I mean, I paid the annual fee, but that was a sunk cost, so I'd like to get my money's worth).
   
   
3. Are park tickets a good redemption of UR points? Or would it be better to buy them with cash through Undercover Tourist to get to the minimum spend on something, get the 3x points/statement credit from the CSR, and then cash out the UR points to offset the out-of-pocket cost?
   
   
4. What would you do with 400k UR points (theoretically possible with Player 2) - spread them out over a few years worth of travel so you take trips partly on points, partly with cash? OR blow it all on 8 nights at the finest hotels Disney and Universal have to offer?

If you got to the end of this wall of text, bless you. I'll send you some cookies once I move and have a stove that actually works.

Are you buying the condo with all cash or planning on taking out a loan?

 

[Artygal90]

Are you buying the condo with all cash or planning on taking out a loan?

We will be taking out a loan (1st time homebuyers). We'll likely be looking at a mortgage between 90-110k, depending on how much downpayment we can scrape together and exactly how much condo we purchase.

 

[Albort]

We will be taking out a loan (1st time homebuyers). We'll likely be looking at a mortgage between 90-110k, depending on how much downpayment we can scrape together and exactly how much condo we purchase.

the advise for loans is to NOT apply for cards from 6 months to a year. my timeframe could be wrong, but i know you shouldnt apply for any credit cards if you plan to be part of the loan. if its your DH applying only, then your credit is free from applying for cards...

ironically, you should get cards after your condo purchase, if you have repairs for your condo, u should have some cards to meet MSR with it... :]

edit: this article says a full year
this forum says six month, if cards app in 4 months, they want an explanation.

 

[Artygal90]

Your plan sounds great!

Getting the Freedom Unlimited is a great way to build credit for your SO, but chase does like to see some credit history. Does he have any credit?

...Your fourth question is something I’m struggling with too. Ideally, I’d like frequent luxury vacations but points are limited. I’m trying to find a balance. Like my plan is to go to Rome. The St. Regis is so nice but if I stay at the Marriott boscolo id have enough points left over for a five night stay at the swan or Dolphin so I think we will make do with the Marriott. Also first class to Rome would be amazing but a lot of points. coach does not seem fun for an 8 hour flight when SO and I are tall with long legs. So we found a balance with Delta comfort.

He had a secured credit card for about a year but closed the account maybe a year or two ago? I think right around the time we got married (can't remember). Besides that, no car or student loans. We did take out a loan to replace his car in September, but I was the primary borrower. When we were applying for that loan I believe his credit score was 750 or so, which was weird. He used to have a problem with spending impulsively (and still does overspend his Chipotle budget on the regular :/ ) so it's a good thing on balance that he didn't have a credit card when he was younger as he would have gotten into a LOT of debt!

See to me the Marriott looks sooooo much nicer than where I would normally stay when traveling (hostel or AirBnb, probably) that I would definitely go for that! Plus it's Rome and there's so much to do I know I wouldn't be hanging out in the room very much. But then I'm the kind of person who drinks a gallon of coffee a day and stayed at the Louvre open to close when we were in Paris so you may value R&R a little higher than me

 

[Judique]

I think that's primarily it but you also get 10% back on points redemptions and Platinum Elite status which gives 50% bonus on points earnings (if you ever choose to pay for a room) plus the 5x earning for IHG charges on the card.
The free night can be used an any IHG property. There can be availability restrictions per the terms:
"Anniversary Free Night is valid for one standard room night rate and applicable taxes only. Rooms are limited, subject to prior sale and availability of allocated resources and may be unavailable during high demand periods." But I've mostly just seen no availability at sold out hotels.

AND, the booking website is wonky right now. I am not a fan of the new website layout. I put in Seattle, Wash and it gave me the 'rooms are not available for one or more of the dates', yet, when I clicked 'view available dates', they only had 2 days blocked, neither of which is a day I did the dummy booking for. Looking at April, they would have let me use 50 K points to book most nights. The fall of 2018 is wide open. You can book up until mid March of 2019. If you have a problem booking something you can always call IHG. If a standard room is available you should be able to book it. I looked at all 3 Kimptons.