I love credit cards so much!

[Lain]

hmm... any other single players out there? :|

Any luck on finding a Player 2?

 

[DisneyMandC]

To those with concerns about employee cards needing an SSN, when I got myself one for DH's CIP back in February, I just didn't put in my SSN and it still went through.

 

[Disneyonmymind]

Evening y'all! I applied last week to have the existing credit line on my one credit card raised and it came through today! I'm hoping this means that I will look like a sure thing when filling out Chase apps...I got sick last week and that 100K CIP bonus in-branch didn't come through, so I haven't applied for that yet. I may just be lazy and stick with an online app rather than try and chase down a BRM. Actually, bringing up the online vs. BRM choice got me into an argument with my husband today over dinner, which leads me to a kind of personal question for anyone who's willing to answer...

My husband is deathly afraid of me dipping a toe into this churning world. He thinks it's really risky and is scared it will ruin the great financial progress we've made this year eliminating the last of our IRS and car debt. He knows this is irrational, since I'm objectively pretty dang good with money, so he's willing to let me try it out. However, I don't feel great about having to hide the details from him to avoid stressing him out. Actually, advance planning of any kind stresses him out - he got antsy today when I asked him if he'd like to meet Kylo Ren whenever we take our next trip to DHS :/

Has anyone else been in a similar situation with a spouse who is reluctant to start churning? Did you just keep the details from them? Sacrifice award travel for the sake of your relationship? Kidnap them from work and say "we're going to Disneyworld on awards points right now whether you like it for not!!!" ?

Argh, help. *headdesk*

From what I’ve read, it’s the norm for one spouse to be the main player for this game. TBH, it’s probably better that way, lol, because one person can be in charge of strategy without having P2 getting in their way. My DH is on a need to know basis and it’s definitely the kinder option. If I made him sit for the details, he’d might refuse to play along. So yes, i keep the details from him, but it’s for his own good. He knows about the cards of course, just not the gory details. And I do show him how our credit scores are actually going up, lol.

 

[havaneselover]

hmm... any other single players out there? :|

Me! At least I don’t ever have to worry about player 2 using the wrong card

 

[disneymagicgirl]

They’d be fine. You’re PCing to a Freedom so they just remain untouched

Oohhh, ok. So I’d just have to avid using them until he got the new csr. Easy enough!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

@disneymagicgirl — @SouthFayetteFan is right. When you PC the CSR to a Freedom, the UR points will remain on the Freedom. Since the converted Freedom card is a UR-earning card, the UR points can remain there until DH gets his new CSR, then you can move all the points to the new CSR.

But, because of rumors that Chase may end points pooling, it might be prudent as @kmc8826 suggests, to transfer the points to your CIP before you PC the CSR, so if in the unlikelihood that you are caught by any sudden change, your points are at least on a 1.25x redemption card (the CIP) instead of the converted Freedom.

EDIT: Thinking about this more, an argument could be made to keep all your UR points on the Freedom instead of transferring them to the CIP while DH is trying for the double dip. If there’s any negative change, you could PC the Freedom back to a CSR to get the 1.5x redemption rate for all your points. You can’t PC the CIP to a CSR so if points pooling were to suddenly end, all your points would be stuck on the CIP and redeemable at only 1.25x.

Thank you for explaining and esp the edit! So we know for sure I would be able to pc back to a csr from freedom in case of emergency? I am not eligible for a csr until next summer I don’t think (got csp last June) and I would probably be hysterical if I lost my 1.5x redemption.

 

[hsmamato2]

Is it one of the maui ones?

Yes...

 

[DisneyMandC]

https://cards.barclaycardus.com/cards/aadvantage-aviator-business-mastercard.html

Am I missing anything about this card? That seems like a good offer considering you just need to make one purchase, not hit an MSR.

 

[Lain]

Phew, glad to know I'm not alone! I will take the advice to avoid the overwhelm (so I'll be talking to y'all about it instead, hope no one minds ) Thanks!

Yep, you're in good company. Like most everyone's spouses here, my wife is a reluctant Player 2. She freaked the first few times I got a new credit card for me or for her; but her last two cards, she just rolled her eyes at "another one?" (Feel you on that one @GZanta77.) I have DW sign the card and tell her what to use it for; I swap out her cards when MSRs are met, category bonuses change, or she's traveling for work and needs lounge access. We come here to share stories, vent, and commiserate because no one else gets it.

DW's first card since I got her into churning was the CSR while it was still at 100k UR. Word got out that Chase would be lowering the signup bonus, and that 100k UR was too sweet not to get a second bite. My wife was so upset about the(/another) $450 annual fee, but I was able to break down the cost value of the benefits for her and she calmed down a bit. It helped that she started noticing all her coworkers also have the CSR and were pulling it out for everything. To this day, DW's biggest hangup about getting new cards (or keeping old ones) are the annual fees and any transaction fees that gets charged to pay with a credit card. She does not want to be spending any more money than we would've spent with cash. That's fair. For no fee cards like the Freedom, that's a no brainer. Cards with their annual fee waived in the first year, she gets it and just makes a note to cancel when the second year fee posts. Cards that carry fees, and payment services like Plastiq, PayPal, and Venmo, I'll sit down with her and do some dining table math to show her why we should or shouldn't be paying those fees.

I think the moment the lightbulb switched on for DW was when we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel over Thanksgiving last year all on UR points. The cash price of that stay would've been well over $2,000; we only paid for parking. DW (and DD) loved staying on property so much, we're doing it again this Thanksgiving. For Christmas and New Year, I booked two Starwood hotels in Waikiki with SPG points, which otherwise would've cost nearly $6,000. DW's really looking forward to that.

DW was also worried we'd end up with poor credit. But since starting this game, her credit score has gone up about 20 points and is hovering in the mid-810s to mid-820s. Mine has gone up about 30 points and is in the high-830s to mid-840s. Signing up for new cards has significantly increased our available credit; but since we try not to spend any more than we would've spent before, our credit utilization ratio remains very low. I think dipping into business cards has really helped with that too. We started paying a lot of our most expensive recurring expenses on the CIP, and shift otherwise personal spend to business cards on which we're working towards MSR. Since most issuers don't report business cards to your personal credit report, the balances on those cards are also not reported and that helps to keep the credit utilization low on our personal cards that are reported. We always pay off every credit card statement when due and never carry a balance.

DW is still more comfortable being a slow churner, so I keep her */24 count low and Player 2 in reserve in case we need to tag team a really awesome offer with referrals. It works for us.

 

[speedyfishy]

https://cards.barclaycardus.com/cards/aadvantage-aviator-business-mastercard.html

Am I missing anything about this card? That seems like a good offer considering you just need to make one purchase, not hit an MSR.

I am thinking about going for this too. I just don’t have any plan for AA miles and the fee isn’t waived the first year. DCA has so many AA flights though I’m sure I could find somewhere to go. Lol

 

[DisneyMandC]

I am thinking about going for this too. I just don’t have any plan for AA miles and the fee isn’t waived the first year. DCA has so many AA flights though I’m sure I could find somewhere to go. Lol

I don't either currently lol. I've flown AA out of RIC multiple times though, so I would certainly get use out of them eventually. I would probably cancel after the first year since I won't ever spend enough on the card for the pitiful $99 companion fee. I've never gotten a Barclays card, anyone here have any tips on applying for business cards with them? Offer closes July 29 so I'm thinking I will wait until July to apply so I can space it out from my recently acquired CIP.

 

[Lain]

Thank you for explaining and esp the edit! So we know for sure I would be able to pc back to a csr from freedom in case of emergency? I am not eligible for a csr until next summer I don’t think (got csp last June) and I would probably be hysterical if I lost my 1.5x redemption.

Thinking about it more, we don’t know that. What we know is that you can PC a Freedom (back) to a CSR now. You can’t PC a CIP (biz) to a CSR (consumer). I could imagine a change where Chase might not allow a PC from a “cash back” card to a “UR” card (or vice versa since downgrading is how people avoid the AF), but as we speculated here two weeks ago — why would Chase deny a PC if you’re upgrading and want to pay them a $450 fee.

I’m sorry this is so complicated.

Maybe you could upgrade your CSP to a CSR for a month or two to hold all the points while your husband downgrades and tries for a double dip?

 

[speedyfishy]

I don't either currently lol. I've flown AA out of RIC multiple times though, so I would certainly get use out of them eventually. I would probably cancel after the first year since I won't ever spend enough on the card for the pitiful $99 companion fee. I've never gotten a Barclays card, anyone here have any tips on applying for business cards with them? Offer closes July 29 so I'm thinking I will wait until July to apply so I can space it out from my recently acquired CIP.

I don’t have any Barclay card, but the personal cards are recommended right after you get over 5/24 because they can be difficult. I’ll apply today for my SO and see how that goes. He just got the CIP and the CIC.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I don’t have any Barclay card, but the personal cards are recommended right after you get over 5/24 because they can be difficult. I’ll apply today for my SO and see how that goes. He just got the CIP and the CIC.

I want to go for the business since I'm 4/24 and might want to go for one of the United or Southwest cards eventually. Let me know how it works for you!

 

[speedyfishy]

I want to go for the business since I'm 4/24 and might want to go for one of the United or Southwest cards eventually. Let me know how it works for you!

Yeah SO and I are both under too so we would go for the business. I was just saying Ik the personal can be tricky so I imagine the business might be too.

I just submitted the business app for SO and they said they need additional information and will call him. He is not going to answer the phone. lol They said if they can’t reach him they will send a letter requesting the additional information. Maybe this is to verify our new address again?

 

[disneymagicgirl]

@wdwcindy these guys changed my mind! I was ALL in on the “hit the big bonus CIP first” camp but then the reminder this is the best public offer seen on the CIC flipped my vote to CIC. Well played @kmc8826 @wendow & @Lain !

I’m must be the only instant gratification person around here because I’d still want the 80k UR vs the 50k. I think either isn’t wrong and it is probably personal preference.

DH just got a CIP and I got one in Jan. Can I pc one to cic now? Does it matter which one?

 

[disneymagicgirl]

My husband wasn't 100% on board at the beginning but I'd already been doing GC churning for almost two years previously, and he was quite impressed with how that turned out, so he agreed to let me play the CC game a bit. Once he saw that our credit scores were only going up and we weren't taking on debt, he relaxed about it. Now, he is fine with it but I don't share much. He doesn't care for the nitty-gritty details. Basically, he just wants to know which card to use Oh, and he doesn't want to call the CC company. He's done it when I have asked but he's much happier if I don't ask him to do that.

So, I recommend you start slow, and don't overwhelm him with details or anything you know stresses him out. Let him know it's very easy for one person to manage both spouse accounts so he really needs to do nothing.

Sounds like my hubs. He was reluctant but I proved my score was increasing so he now says “you’re the boss” when I ask him if I can app him for something. I don’t share all the details as his eyes would glaze over. Every so often I share “hey, we are up to 400k chase points. That’s $6k towards a vacation!” Or something similar so he sees the progress.

 

[speedyfishy]

DH just got a CIP and I got one in Jan. Can I pc one to cic now? Does it matter which one?

Why not apply for the CIC then downgrade the CIP and you can have two CICs.

 

[thevalley]

What is an appropriate amount of time before getting another biz card? I got the CIP 3-21. I was thinking about going for the CIC. Is

I don’t have any Barclay card, but the personal cards are recommended right after you get over 5/24 because they can be difficult. I’ll apply today for my SO and see how that goes. He just got the CIP and the CIC.

So you went for the CIC. Was there any issues. I think we got the CiP around the same time.

Is Barclay picky about our “biz”. I do have an old Upromise card with them. Not sure if that helps with getting any other cards.

I got to figure out my next step. Lol 2 kids bdays and vacation coming up soon.

 

[mfly]

hmm... any other single players out there? :|

DH started out as a reluctant participant. He argued that our credit scores would drop and we'd be in debt. I argued that he was not allowed to make up facts to suit his narrative and I showed him articles from financial publications on how credit scores work. I asked him what he'd think if a financial expert decided to explain to him how computer networks and security systems for computers work (this is his profession) based on assumptions they made and they had no experience in the area. I said that he was doing the same thing. I asked him to explain in detail how we would go in debt by using a credit card to purchase the exact same things we were currently getting, like groceries and paying household expenses. He was unable to do that. I asked him to explain exactly what he was getting in return by paying cash for things. Then, I showed him what he'd be getting by using a credit card and then paying it off right away and treating it like a debit card.

After our very first international first class flight in lie flat seats where we got turn down service on the plane, DH became a very willing participant and a plane seat snob. I said he turned into a princess when it came to airline seats. He earned the nickname "Plane Princess" here on this thread. I don't remember who gave it to him, but I showed it to him and he cracked up.



That was my threat when the Plane Princess did not want to call recon He called.

I always read every word of your posts, even when you’re talking about things I don’t have any plans/interest in - you never fail to engage me/make me laugh! I wish you’d start a blog (and I don’t even read blogs)!

DW is still more comfortable being a slow churner, so I keep her */24 count low and Player 2 in reserve in case we need to tag team a really awesome offer with referrals. It works for us.

...he says as he plots on disboards to get DW a CIC before the bonus drops...