I love credit cards so much!

[afan]

Total dumb question but I saw on DoC that they were supposed to be there on the Hyatt and I can’t see them on my Chase page. Where are they located?

Pretty sure he, or a different blogger I follow on twitter, posted the link. Its' a Visa thing with Chase, so it's not on your Chase acct. I didn't get the email. You have to register your card number.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Anyone else having issues adding their new spg card to their amex online account? I have tried multiple times yesterday and today and different browsers. Even tried adding to current log and as well as creating whole new one. I keep getting an error saying try again in 15 mins.

Mine added automatically...

 

[gottalovepluto]

@calypso726 can you travel hack this so we can live vicariously through you & your Plane Princess? TIA! https://thepointsguy.com/news/worlds-first-underwater-villa-opening-in-late-2018/

 

[Lain]

From TPG's interview with Marriott’s SVP of Loyalty:

TPG: Probably the number-one negative thing that I’ve heard from legacy SPG cardmembers is that with the new conversions, you’re paying more for a card that offers less base earn on everyday spending. Currently, you earn 1 point per dollar, which would be 3 in the new program, and now with the non-premium SPG Amex cards it will be 2 points, which is a 33% decrease in everyday spend. How do you explain that to cardmembers? And David, by the way, launched the SPG co-brands years ago.

DF: Most cardmembers spend under $35,000 [on the card], so if you spend under that amount, the card just got richer. On your everyday spend, it’s true, it’s going to 2 points per dollar, but you also get a free night certificate up to 35,000 points, which is why it gets richer for anyone who spends under $35,000. For those who spend more, we have the new luxury card, which has a free night certificate up to 50,000 points, a $300 statement credit when you stay in our hotels, $100 for Global Entry. And all of our cards now have 15 night credits toward status, which we never had before.

That's some spin. Marriott reduces base earn by effectively 1 point per dollar on the SPG cards, but claims it's a good deal because cardholders get a free night certificate for a stay worth up to 35k points even though most people spend less than $35k/yr. on their SPG card. We went over this with the IHG cards: a certificate for a free stay capped at 35k points is not the same as 35k points.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I debated whether to warn my wife of the Southwest news and tell her to avoid it. She typically would avoid anything like that on her own so I elected to not bring it up. Unfortunately, she caught wind of the incident and read an article. She is in a very dark place right now with this whole situation - she has never enjoyed flying and at best has tolerated it while sitting silently petrified in her seat during flights.

I’m trying my best to remain positive and encourage her - largely to no avail. Our next flight isn’t for about 3 months so I hope she will be able to overcome this setback and enjoy our next trip. Her fear is always a topic leading up to any trip and I’m sure it will be a bigger issue this time. In light of the very real situation at play here this may seem like a slightly insensitive request but if any of you are willing please say a prayer for my wife and her airplane anxiety as well as for my patience with her in this situation.

 

[Albort]

From TPG's interview with Marriott’s SVP of Loyalty:

TPG: Probably the number-one negative thing that I’ve heard from legacy SPG cardmembers is that with the new conversions, you’re paying more for a card that offers less base earn on everyday spending. Currently, you earn 1 point per dollar, which would be 3 in the new program, and now with the non-premium SPG Amex cards it will be 2 points, which is a 33% decrease in everyday spend. How do you explain that to cardmembers? And David, by the way, launched the SPG co-brands years ago.

DF: Most cardmembers spend under $35,000 [on the card], so if you spend under that amount, the card just got richer. On your everyday spend, it’s true, it’s going to 2 points per dollar, but you also get a free night certificate up to 35,000 points, which is why it gets richer for anyone who spends under $35,000. For those who spend more, we have the new luxury card, which has a free night certificate up to 50,000 points, a $300 statement credit when you stay in our hotels, $100 for Global Entry. And all of our cards now have 15 night credits toward status, which we never had before.

That's some spin. Marriott reduces base earn by effectively 1 point per dollar on the SPG cards, but claims it's a good deal because cardholders get a free night certificate for a stay worth up to 35k points even though most people spend less than $35k/yr. on their SPG card. We went over this with the IHG cards: a certificate for a free stay capped at 35k points is not the same as 35k points.

i know at the end, the 3x is a bit high, 2x does seem fair. honestly, if the points are still not bad, i may continue to swipe it as my non cat. I am still sad my SPG biz losing its lounge access though. I got 2 cards being discontinued and hoping they offer a nice bonus to upgrade. SPG Personal --> the new SPG luxury card(hopefully 50k+ free AF for the rest of the year) and Marriott too.

I debated whether to warn my wife of the Southwest news and tell her to avoid it. She typically would avoid anything like that on her own so I elected to not bring it up. Unfortunately, she caught wind of the incident and read an article. She is in a very dark place right now with this whole situation - she has never enjoyed flying and at best has tolerated it while sitting silently petrified in her seat during flights.

I’m trying my best to remain positive and encourage her - largely to no avail. Our next flight isn’t for about 3 months so I hope she will be able to overcome this setback and enjoy our next trip. Her fear is always a topic leading up to any trip and I’m sure it will be a bigger issue this time. In light of the very real situation at play here this may seem like a slightly insensitive request but if any of you are willing please say a prayer for my wife and her airplane anxiety as well as for my patience with her in this situation.

did u tell her this is the first fatality in the aviation since 2009 in the US? The likelihood of this happening again is slim to none. Your chances of driving in a car and dying is still a lot greater than flying.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

did u tell her this is the first fatality in the aviation since 2009 in the US? The likelihood of this happening again is slim to none. Your chances of driving in a car and dying is still a lot greater than flying.

While I appreciate the thought, Unfortunately for somebody with aviophobia - no amount of "logical" statements will ease their fears and anxiety. It is a deep-seated emotional response. I attempt to provide facts such as this but they provide little consolation to her.

 

[Budzooka]

I debated whether to warn my wife of the Southwest news and tell her to avoid it. She typically would avoid anything like that on her own so I elected to not bring it up. Unfortunately, she caught wind of the incident and read an article. She is in a very dark place right now with this whole situation - she has never enjoyed flying and at best has tolerated it while sitting silently petrified in her seat during flights.

I’m trying my best to remain positive and encourage her - largely to no avail. Our next flight isn’t for about 3 months so I hope she will be able to overcome this setback and enjoy our next trip. Her fear is always a topic leading up to any trip and I’m sure it will be a bigger issue this time. In light of the very real situation at play here this may seem like a slightly insensitive request but if any of you are willing please say a prayer for my wife and her airplane anxiety as well as for my patience with her in this situation.

That’s tough and hope you both move past this to enjoy many more free flights together!

My wife has some flight anxiety. It’s not horrible, but she always get a bit of a panic attack after we get on or about to take off. She’s ok once we get going, but it’s a struggle at the start.

When we talked about the SW situation tonight, I just reminded her how many car crashes there are every day and she still drives without any hesitation. Something bad can happen to any of us at any time and you can sit at home in your basement to try to avoid it or get out and enjoy life. Don’t be careless, but don’t let fear control you.

It’s hard to relate when you don’t have the same fears or mental state, but we all have our own quirks. She has to put up with me always reminding which card to use!

 

[kmc8826]

First @SouthFayetteFan my thoughts are with you and your wife. It is funny how spouses sometimes balance each other out. I didn’t meet my DH until we were both in our twenties and in established careers. I wanted someone who loved to travel. He had been in the USMC for 6 years and was traveled out. He will put up with some travel but not much as he would rather just be home. I think that is why we have ended up at WDW so much. It is my happy place and for him it is an acceptable alternative. He does not have the phobia your wife faces but has zero desire to go to the exotic places I could travel hack our way too. But that is fine. As @Budzooka said above we put up with “our own quirks.” Or in our case “his crazy balances out my crazy.”

Second, just got on Dischurners for SPG Amex business. Couple of the referrals were expired. (Even those that had been changed to the 25k). So I don’t know what that is about at this point maybe it does not matter as the cards days are numbered and probably pretty much everyone else who was smart applied when it was the 35k.

Third, I did apply and was automatically approved! Thank you @Lain and everyone for once again patiently coaching me through the whole process. I did just do it as my “business.” Amex evidently did not care. (Talking to you Chase!)

 

[GZanta77]

After some careful consideration of upcoming spend requirements, I decided to jump on the Amex PRG 50k incognito offer - approved!! I couldn't justify going for the Plat at the moment even if I could have pulled the 100k offer, and the PRG is a better fit for me anyway.

Still got a sizable chunk of CIP MSR to acheive, so the $2k MSR on the PRG and waived annual fee just felt a lot better to me right now. Think that is it for me for the next six months, but will be jumping into player 2 mode in June when DW drops to 4/24 with chase. Eyeing that CSR/CSP double dip.

 

[Lain]

Third, I did apply and was automatically approved! Thank you @Lain and everyone for once again patiently coaching me through the whole process. I did just do it as my “business.” Amex evidently did not care. (Talking to you Chase!)[/USER]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I had no doubt that you’d be approved!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

After some careful consideration of upcoming spend requirements, I decided to jump on the Amex PRG 50k incognito offer - approved!! I couldn't justify going for the Plat at the moment even if I could have pulled the 100k offer, and the PRG is a better fit for me anyway.

Still got a sizable chunk of CIP MSR to acheive, so the $2k MSR on the PRG and waived annual fee just felt a lot better to me right now. Think that is it for me for the next six months, but will be jumping into player 2 mode in June when DW drops to 4/24 with chase. Eyeing that CSR/CSP double dip.

What are your plans for your MRs? I'm always interested to hear the different ways people use those

 

[Lain]

After some careful consideration of upcoming spend requirements, I decided to jump on the Amex PRG 50k incognito offer - approved!! I couldn't justify going for the Plat at the moment even if I could have pulled the 100k offer, and the PRG is a better fit for me anyway.

And CONGRATULATIONS to you, too! The Platinum is certainly shinier (and metal!) with bigger offers, but I have a soft spot for the PRG. It was my first Amex card way back when, and back then I remember it was the big rewards earner before all the other issuers started beefing up their own rewards cards lineup. It’s still a solid earner with 2x MR on restaurants, gas and groceries. And don’t forget to select SW, AA, or Delta to redeem those airline fee credits for gift cards.

 

[calypso726]

@calypso726 can you travel hack this so we can live vicariously through you & your Plane Princess? TIA! https://thepointsguy.com/news/worlds-first-underwater-villa-opening-in-late-2018/

I just showed the post and the article to the Plane Princess. He asked how he became the "Plane Princess" and I asked him if he was being rhetorical. He was amused. His bucket list item has been over-water bungalows with beautiful clear water. Specifically, not the ones at the Poly with flesh eating bacteria infested water. Anyhow, Bora Bora or Maldives was fine by him. I've been working on it for a few years and leaning towards Bora Bora. Well he took one look at this article and immediately asked how we could travel hack it. I explained that Conrad was part of Hilton and his next response was, "Let's rack up more Hilton points!" So now, it looks like the goal will be Maldives over-water bungalows and at least one night in the underwater villa. I hope it will be bookable with points and I'm almost scared to see how many points that will be! I see another couple of Hilton credit cards in our future.

 

[Disneyonmymind]

My head is spinning. I’m about to apply for a new card. I was trying to decide on either a second CIP or the CIC. But now I keep reading about everyone getting SPG cards before the new deal in August. I can’t figure out if I should jump on board or nah. If I do go for SPG, I think it should be the biz as I am just getting started with Chase. Are they still handing out the old cards till August? And will they be converted or grandfathered? Is this a good or bad idea?

 

[calypso726]

I debated whether to warn my wife of the Southwest news and tell her to avoid it. She typically would avoid anything like that on her own so I elected to not bring it up. Unfortunately, she caught wind of the incident and read an article. She is in a very dark place right now with this whole situation - she has never enjoyed flying and at best has tolerated it while sitting silently petrified in her seat during flights.

I’m trying my best to remain positive and encourage her - largely to no avail. Our next flight isn’t for about 3 months so I hope she will be able to overcome this setback and enjoy our next trip. Her fear is always a topic leading up to any trip and I’m sure it will be a bigger issue this time. In light of the very real situation at play here this may seem like a slightly insensitive request but if any of you are willing please say a prayer for my wife and her airplane anxiety as well as for my patience with her in this situation.

While I appreciate the thought, Unfortunately for somebody with aviophobia - no amount of "logical" statements will ease their fears and anxiety. It is a deep-seated emotional response. I attempt to provide facts such as this but they provide little consolation to her.

I'm sorry and I will keep you both in our good thoughts and prayers. I totally understand about irrational fear and how no amount of logic will help. I suffer from an irrational fear of sharks. The sight of one, even on tv or a movie trigger it. I won't go swimming in the ocean. The idea is terrifying and panic inducing for me. I know on a logical level that shark attacks are not very common and I deliberately studied and learned about sharks, hoping that knowledge would overcome the fear response. Nope. No amount of rational knowledge or logic will curb the fear. On a vacation to Australia many years ago, DH went on a guided dive around the Great Barrier Reef. I was convinced he would be eaten by a great white and I was going home a widow.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

My head is spinning. I’m about to apply for a new card. I was trying to decide on either a second CIP or the CIC. But now I keep reading about everyone getting SPG cards before the new deal in August. I can’t figure out if I should jump on board or nah. If I do go for SPG, I think it should be the biz as I am just getting started with Chase. Are they still handing out the old cards till August? And will they be converted or grandfathered? Is this a good or bad idea?

The rumor is that the signup bonus on the SPG cards will decrease. (I say rumor but I guess this is pretty much accepted as fact at this point - the only question is WHEN will the offer decrease). The 25k biz offer is a good deal...but when comparing it to a CIP or the current 50k CIC offer it'd be a toss-up in a vacuum. Of course the CIP and CIC offers should be there later and the SPG offer will not. Whether it's a good or bad idea really depends on your goals and what you plan to do with the points. The unknown here is what categories all the hotels will fit into as well - that could really affect the redemption value of these SPG/Marriott points. It's a tough call but you probably can't go wrong either way.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Mine added automatically...

Even applying incognito?

 

[Lain]

My head is spinning. I’m about to apply for a new card. I was trying to decide on either a second CIP or the CIC. But now I keep reading about everyone getting SPG cards before the new deal in August. I can’t figure out if I should jump on board or nah. If I do go for SPG, I think it should be the biz as I am just getting started with Chase. Are they still handing out the old cards till August? And will they be converted or grandfathered? Is this a good or bad idea?

If you plan to jump on the SPG bonuses, you need to act ASAP. Per DoC’s source, the current 25k (public)/30k (incognito) Starpoints offer on the SPG Personal, and the 25k Starpoints offer on the SPG Biz will disappear any day now and will be replaced by a $200 statement credit signup bonus. The cards will remain, but the signup bonus of a statement credit is widely viewed as significantly worse than the current offers. The rumor is the SPG Personal card will remain as a grandfathered Amex credit card. The SPG Biz may eventually be converted to a new Amex Marriott small business card, but it looks like Marriott/SPG/Ritz-Carlton will keep their separate branding, including on credit cards, until 2019.

Effective 8/1/18, Starpoints will convert 1:3 to the new Marriott points. The current offer on the SPG Biz is 25k Starpoints after $5k MSR/3 months, first year AF waived. This is the equivalent of 75k Marriott points, which is the same amount of points you’d get from signing up for the Chase Marriott Biz, which carries a lower MSR at $3k/3 months. But by applying for the SPG Biz, you take some heat off Chase so you can go ahead with the CIP or CIC and not worry about having gotten another Chase Biz card recently or tying up what limited credit that Chase is willing to extend to you in the Marriott Biz.

I guess the question is can you meet the required $5k spend on the SPG Biz, the $5k MSR on the CIP, and/or the $3k MSR on the CIC, and what does that timing look like. Also, UR points from the CIP or CIC are extremely versatile, but do you have a use in mind for the 25k-30k Starpoints you’ll get from the SPG Biz?

 

[GZanta77]

What are your plans for your MRs? I'm always interested to hear the different ways people use those

Nothing exotic - most likely transfer to airlines. DS is planning to go to college in the UK so plenty of miles will be useful.

And CONGRATULATIONS to you, too! The Platinum is certainly shinier (and metal!) with bigger offers, but I have a soft spot for the PRG. It was my first Amex card way back when, and back then I remember it was the big rewards earner before all the other issuers started beefing up their own rewards cards lineup. It’s still a solid earner with 2x MR on restaurants, gas and groceries. And don’t forget to select SW, AA, or Delta to redeem those airline fee credits for gift cards.

Thanks. Bigger offers on the plat, but I use Uber maybe 3x/year. Already have Global entry and many of the other things covered by CSR, SPG gold is about to be devalued and don't travel enough to be too worried about centurion lounges. Already have $300+ in SW gift cards left from DW's Amex plat, but will probably get some more as my supply of SW points is drying up.