I love credit cards so much!

[amalone1013]

Applied for DH for CIP. Went with Used Merchandise as the category. Got the 30 day message.

Also, we're done vehicle shopping after yesterday. We were able to put $3k of our down payment on a credit card with no fee. A fee kicked in after that amount, but I didn't bother asking what it was because 1. We had no new card to put it on anyways (which made me sad/grumbly...) and 2. the sales guy didn't seem super excited about it. DH asked if we could put the payment on a card and he was like, Not that much!! Ok... can we do part? Well, I guess you can do $3k. OK! Well, you can do more than $3k but there's a fee. $3k is fine. Then DH said we just earn credit card points for travel, so we might as well since we have the cash. Sales guy goes, oh yeah, I just changed all my cards to earning mileage for when I retire. Alrighty then.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Thanks for the input. Maybe I'm being too aggressive and need to space it out more.

While I was over 5/24 and waiting to get back under, she hit Chase for 4 cards in 6 months without any trouble, but this was from August 2017 to Feb 2018 before all of the shutdown talk really started up. She is now at 5/24 and won't go under until Aug 2019, so Chase is out of the question.

Maybe I'll skip out on the CIC and just get the CIP now, another personal in August(either SW or Marriott), and double dip the CSP/CSR in Nov. That will technically be 4/6, but with the last one being a double dip.

That would probably be better (safer). When are you planning to redeem your URs? Are you transferring to a partner OR planning to do the 1.5x with CSR?

Getting the CIP first is a good idea (and the strategy I have with my reset <5/24 wife). That’s because it’s the most URs and highest MSR (which naturally can help slow the pace). I know there is heavy FOMO on this CIC offer but @wendow (and some others) helped me with advice to realize that 20k URs isn’t worth messing with my whole (safe) strategy. You might be in a similar situation to me.

 

[Budzooka]

That would probably be better (safer). When are you planning to redeem your URs? Are you transferring to a partner of planning to do the 1.5x with CSR?

Getting the CIP first is a good idea (and the strategy I have with my reset <5/24 wife). That’s because it’s the most URs and highest MSR (which naturally can help slow the pace). I know there is heavy FOMO on this CIC offer but @wendow (and some others) helped me with advice to realize that 20k URs isn’t worth messing with my whole (safe) strategy. You might be in a similar situation to me.

What's funny is I really don't know how I am going to redeem URs, but just want to stash them up for when we get ready. Our short-term plans all include SW, and we just earned the CP for the first time earlier this year. We're excited about SW starting to Hawaii and that will either be summer 2019 or 2020. We're talking about a European cruise in summer 2021 as a high school graduation present, so a good chunk of it will go to fly us over there.

I guess I would rather have them and figure out how to use them then be ready to use them and not have them.

 

[Albort]

What's funny is I really don't know how I am going to redeem URs, but just want to stash them up for when we get ready. Our short-term plans all include SW, and we just earned the CP for the first time earlier this year. We're excited about SW starting to Hawaii and that will either be summer 2019 or 2020. We're talking about a European cruise in summer 2021 as a high school graduation present, so a good chunk of it will go to fly us over there.

I guess I would rather have them and figure out how to use them then be ready to use them and not have them.

might be worth planning ahead. I was trying to find flights on a certain route, at that moment only working on UR points... i needed MR.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

What's funny is I really don't know how I am going to redeem URs, but just want to stash them up for when we get ready. Our short-term plans all include SW, and we just earned the CP for the first time earlier this year. We're excited about SW starting to Hawaii and that will either be summer 2019 or 2020. We're talking about a European cruise in summer 2021 as a high school graduation present, so a good chunk of it will go to fly us over there.

I guess I would rather have them and figure out how to use them then be ready to use them and not have them.

I don’t think you’ll regret having them! In a real pinch you can always cash out (oh the blasphemy). Since you aren’t in a rush you could delay your double dip and fit a second Biz card in there later. I’m getting CIP now and have my eyes on that new CIU in about 7-8 months (after some other cards).
Just keep that pace S L O W enough to avoid a Chase shutdown.

 

[Budzooka]

might be worth planning ahead. I was trying to find flights on a certain route, at that moment only working on UR points... i needed MR.

Good point. I haven't ventured out into MR at all. Had been strictly with URs until I got the SPG business card for both of us, but transferred all the points to Marriott. I think the majority of our travel points will be used by Southwest and Marriott, but understand we need to be prepared for a trip when that isn't an option.

 

[pillow]

I haven’t booked yet, but have researched and many of the excursions for our Alaska cruise are available in Chase portal with URs.

I've seen that as well. But check the cash prices when booking direct. Some prices on the UR portal are HIGHLY inflated!!

 

[trenty]

Which are better for earning points for flights to Europe - Amex MR or Chase UR?

Can use any airline that flies out of JFK. Fly into London, Paris, Venice or anywhere really......

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

The closest I get to Europe is EPCOT World Showcase. I fly Southwest when headed there.

Sorry, I can’t help you but at least I had a “thought” on it.

 

[pillow]

Just sold another sewing machine! My profit is $108 plus 4k UR.

I also wanted to mention a service that has saved me a lot of money. I bought a storm door and handle set last week from Home Depot. They went on sale, a total of $56 savings. I probably would have never known except that Paribus sent me an email alerting me to the price drop. I paid with gift cards, so I had to go into the store yesterday to get the refund, but now I have $56 more to spend towards other home improvement things. My brother's company developed the analytics for Paribus and I have been using it for several years since I was in the beta program. It has saved me a lot of money over the years, including a couple hundred when the price of a washer/dryer unit I bought from Costco dropped in price last year.

FYI . . . I know I saw a Swagbucks deal for Paribus when I was looking for a way to round up my points.

 

[pillow]

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I know its 60k round trip to Europe on United (saver fare), and I believe you can do a stopover and open jaw, but confirm since it was a long while ago when I researched this. You can transfer to United from UR. I'm clueless about MR. I'm sure others will be able to direct you better, but the 60k on United seems cheap to me.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

@calypso726 might be able to help

 

[havaneselover]

FYI . . . I know I saw a Swagbucks deal for Paribus when I was looking for a way to round up my points.

I just got $10 back from macy’s thanks to Paribus.

 

[Natgridenergy]

I just got $10 back from macy’s thanks to Paribus.

Love Paribus -- saved me 120 on a Home Depot purchase a couple weeks ago.

 

[Haley R]

It's Saturday morning, and my family's heading out in a bit, so I won't go too in-depth right now and I'll take this in pieces. There are so many helpful people here who can give you great advice on which cards will get you where you want to go.

How many are in your travel party?

My then-girlfriend/now-wife and I visited Japan a few years back and did Tokyo>Kyoto (with day trips to surrounding areas, including Osaka when we were in Kyoto). My wife occasionally has to travel to Tokyo for work. April/May is a good time to visit. It won't be too cold, or too hot and humid yet. You'll miss the cherry blossom season (and the crowds and high prices), of course, but you'll be there at the perfect time to see the wisterias if you're open to some travel:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wisteria-tunnel
https://www.tourismontheedge.com/hidden-places/asia/wisteria-tunnel-kawachi-fuji-gardens-japan
https://www.tsunagujapan.com/11-great-locations-to-enjoy-wisteria-arbour-in-japan/

Tokyo is a massive, fast-paced, crowded megalopolis that can be a bit overwhelming, and we really appreciated making day trips out of the city and winding down our trip in the much calmer, peaceful surroundings of Kyoto.

If you haven't already considered it, the number one piece of advice I have is to look into getting the JR (Japan Rail) Pass before getting to Japan. Japan is so well connected by rail, the JR Pass was invaluable to getting around Tokyo and Kyoto, making day trips around those cities, and taking the Shinkansen around the country. It's pricey, but you'll get more value out of it than its cost. However, I would wait until you've dipped your toes into the credit card game before buying your JR Passes. Why? Because like I said, they're pricey so the cost will make a big dent in any minimum spending requirement ("MSR") on a new card to get you (closer) to the signup bonus. And you'll probably purchase the JR Pass from a travel agency, which will code as "travel" and trigger the travel bonus category on cards like the Chase Ink Business Preferred ("CIP"), the Chase Sapphire Preferred ("CSP"), and the Chase Sapphire Reserve ("CSR"), earning you 2x or 3x the points on the purchase price.

By the sound of it, it looks like you are 1/24 and your husband is 0/24 -- meaning you've opened up 1 card in the past 24 months, and DH has opened up 0 cards in the past 24 months. The reason why this matters is because, since you're just starting out, the usual (and best) suggestion is to focus on Chase credit cards first. Chase has some of the best travel cards out there: their signup bonuses can be very generous; their Ultimate Rewards ("UR") points system is very easy to earn, use, and understand; and they have a lot of airline and hotel travel partners that you can move your points to; or you can redeem your points through their Ultimate Rewards travel portal (think Expedia) to book your flights or hotels if that's easier or a better value. However, Chase has a so-called "5/24 rule," which restricts approval for many of their most valuable credit cards only to applicants who have opened less than 5 credit cards in the past 24 months.

Relatedly, are you open to signing up for business credit cards? Do you have an actual business or a side "business" like selling things online, tutoring, teaching music, consulting, independent contracting, baby sitting, dog sitting, blogging, driving Uber/Lyft, etc. that might qualify as a business? Business cards offer some of the biggest signup bonuses and best spending bonus categories and often don't count against Chase's 5/24 rule.

There are a lot of rules like this, and we can help you strategize and navigate around the different card issuer restrictions, so please run any questions or plans by us before submitting any applications. We don't want you making any mistakes! Oh, and are you on Reddit? We have a community on Reddit called DISchurners with helpful tips and links that support fellow DISers in this thread. If you're interested, PM @SouthFayetteFan or @Albort to join.

Our travel party is just DH and I.

The wisterias look beautiful! We may see if we can see some in one of the cities that we are already planning on visiting. What you said about ending in Kyoto/Osaka makes so much sense. Did you then fly out of Kyoto/Osaka or go back to Tokyo and fly out from there?

We are definitely planning on buying the JR pass. I think we plan on using the trains quite a bit to get around because then we can rely on ourselves since we don't know a lot of Japanese.

My husband is 1/24 and I am 0/24. He is the one with the Musician's Friend card. I'm open for signing up for business cards as long as there are no AF or the AF is really low. I will be nannying all summer long and DH and I also play in a band on the side. Would both of those count as businesses?

 

[AmyAnne]

So what other budget or general finance sites do you all read? I'm looking to get a handle on our retirement plans this summer. DH and I have probably five or six from various jobs, which we probably should have rolled over to our current plans, but for one reason or another that never happened. I'm wondering whether we should roll them over now or open new accounts to consolidate them.

 

[Haley R]

to the group! @Lain has given you some sound advice to start. The recommendation is always to start with the Chase cards due to the 5/24 rule. I would highly suggest joining the private reddit group for the Disers since there are a number of excellent explanations and how to’s that we keep there since the thread moves quickly and important info is easily buried.

While researching flights to travel hack next year’s Japan ABD, I found it a lot easier to find flight option that flew into Tokyo over Osaka.

Chase has some of the most valuable cards and a fantastic points earning system called Ultimate Rewards (UR). These UR points can be redeemed for cash back on the no fee cards like the Chase Freedom aka CF (5x UR earning on up to $1500 in spending on rotating quarterly bonus categories) Chase Freedom Unlimited aka CFU (1.5X UR on everything), Chase Ink Cash business card aka CIC (5x UR on office supplies, cable, internet and phone up to $50K spending). These cards and points are more valuable when paired with a premium UR earning card which carry an annual fee (AF). The fact that they make the points more flexible (transfer 1:1 to airlines, hotels and more valuable >.01 pr rpoint and can earn UR at a faster rate makes it worth paying the AF long term. Of course, there are other cards we get just for the bonus and then cancel when the AF comes due the following year. What makes paying an AF fee worth it or not depends on the person, their travel style and goals. I believe on this board I have been crowned the reigning queen of annual fees. My travel style and goals warrant the title, so it doesn't bother me.

Chase airline and hotel transfer partners include: United, Southwest, Korean, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Singapore, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, Marriott, IHG, Hyatt, Ritz Carlton. The airline partners span all 3 airline alliances and can be used to fly on partner of that airlines alliance as well.

The premium Chase cards are Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) $450 AF with very flexible $300 travel credit which makes it a net $150 card. Earns 3x on travel and dining categories. UR points are worth 1.5 cents per point when used to purchase travel in the UR portal. 50,000 UR points after $4,000 in spend in the first 3 months.

Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) $95 AF Earns 2x on travel and dining categories. UR points are worth 1.25 cents per point when used to purchase travel in the UR portal. 50,000 UR points after $4,000 in spend in the first 3 months.

If it is at all possible for you to make the $8,000 spend, and we have creative ways to help you do that, it is advised to double dip these 2 cards. You can not hold two Sapphires at the same time anymore. Many have been able to get both if they apply for one card, get instant approval and then apply for the other card on an incognito browser. Player 2 then does the same thing 3 months later. When the AF comes due for both the following year, then you would product change one of the Sapphires to a CF and the other to either another CF or a CFU.

Chase Ink Preferred business card (CIP) $95 AF 80,000 UR after $5,000 in first 3 months. 3x UR on travel, shipping, internet, cable phone and Plastique which can be used to pay your mortgage. There is an excellent write up on the reddit thread. Points worth 1.25 on UR portal when used to purchase travel.

If you and your DH each did a CSR and CSP double dip and picked up the CIP card you would earn a total of $5,790 worth of UR points when used to purchase travel through the UR portal. Pick up a couple of bank bonuses that allow credit card funding to help make your minimum spend requirements (MSR) and you can easily top $6,000 towards your trip.

I'm not sure how we are going to do flights yet. DH thinks we should fly into and out of Tokyo no matter what and then take the train back and forth from Osaka. I feel like that will waste more time, but it may be easier/cheaper.

All of the different Chase cards sounds confusing to me so hopefully you can help clear some of that up. I guess I am just worried about the AF with those bottom cards you mentioned. Are we able to use the UR pretty much anywhere? For example, we are wanting to stay at the Hilton Tokyo Bay and try to get at least one night at the MiraCosta. Would we be able to use points for those?

 

[Haley R]

You’ve gotten some great advice already. I’ll add that if you are going for the CIP to do that first before the double dip if CSR and csp since business cards hVe a 0/30 day rule meaning no apps in the last 30 days.

That makes sense. Would we be able to get the CIP just from my nannying and our band that we play in on the side?

 

[Lain]

I know there is heavy FOMO on this CIC offer but @wendow (and some others) helped me with advice to realize that 20k URs isn’t worth messing with my whole (safe) strategy.

It's not a big FOMO opportunity.

The CIC is currently at an all-time high public offer of 50k UR. The 50k offer is rumored to end on 5/20, but word is the CIC as a product is not being replaced.

On 5/20, Chase is introducing the CIU with a 50k UR offer.

If all one cares about is the bonus, going for either the CIC or CIU is just as good, and putting more time between your last application by going for the CIU might be better.

If one prefers the CIC's 5x office supply store and cable/internet/phone categories more than the CIU's 1.5x everywhere, you can still hold off to apply for the CIU at 50k UR (if the CIC offer drops back down to 30k UR) then product change to a CIC after a few months.

 

[Haley R]

Are there any downsides to getting a Disney Visa Card?