I love credit cards so much!

[palhockeymomof2]

Me too...just hoping for good bonus points! Curious about the rumored new SW card too.

Agree...I’m waiting as well to see which to open for my husband

 

[jujubiee4]

Just curious what grocery store(s) you shop at?

Usually Ralphs or Stater bros. Or even Walmart supercenter. Im in California. However one month i did a side by side comparison of
a grocery store that doesn't take credit cards and they consistently came in under the others even taking
the 5x or 6x off so wondering if i should do that.

I have to admit i really use any grocery store for gift cards as i buy online at Amazon regularly and ebay
few times a month.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

"Most Chase certificates will convert to the equivalent "Up To" Points amount as they are today in Marriott Rewards. As an example, a Chase Category 1-5 certificate will convert to up to 25,000 points. Travel Packages are being updated to reflect the new award chart pricing. They will be available to book at all hotels participating in Loyalty after our programs become one."

So chase certs will convert to points and n/f packages will map?

 

[jujubiee4]

Can anyone figure out why DH's transunion score on CK would've dropped 23 points to 788? Here is the snapshot. No new personal cards since 9/2017. His current accounts are attached. Are mortgages included in AAoA, because we did move a year ago? In addition to his personal accounts, he also has a couple of my older accounts showing from when he was AU. For usage, he has one card reporting $894 balance.

ETA: He is going to close the 2 SW accounts when the anniversary points post. Wonder if that will bump up the AAoA...but really the AAoA hasn't changed since his last personal card, so still shouldn't be the reason for the drop.

I wonder if there is a glitch in their system. I closed a barclay card beginning of the month. Last week i went on CK
and transunion dropped my score (as expected) but it said the credit line of the closed card was reduced to 500. Huh?

This morning i checked and none of that info is there anymore. Now it just says closed. Check back next couple of days.
This just happened on Transunion also.

 

[StephPlum]

Need to already be thinking of the next card(s). Reminder on stats in case Lain's spreadsheet is not updated
CIP 2/18
SPG Biz 3/18
IHG 4/18
CIC 5/18
Hilton Biz 5/18

DH CIP 4/18
DH Hilton Biz 6/18
He plays but is a little reluctant.

Will be putting next semester tuition on my Hilton BIZ and DH Hilton Biz which will finish those up.
Next up is my Glacier trip which I would love go get a new card for hotels/food/car. That trip starts Aug 25.

I really want the CSR/CSP. When do you think the earliest I could go for it? If not in time for Glacier, I'll probably have DH get CIC and add me as employee to use that!

 

[ctinct]

OH, Chase, I can't figure you out. The last card I opened, IHG, pretty much put me on notice that I'm reaching my Chase credit limit. When I did the application, it asked if I had any other sources of income I wanted them to consider, so I "remembered" some. Got the card, but with a low limit. I have both Sapphire cards, and those have ridiculously high limits. i want the option to apply for the new SW card when it comes out, so I recently canceled the one I had and was planning on lowering my limits on some of my other cards. However, cancelling that SW card must have freed up some credit space, because when I signed into my accounts yesterday, I noticed they had RAISED the limit on my IHG. I'm planning on lowering my limits, but Chase is raising them.

 

[magickingdomprincess]

Lot's of math, not totally my strong suit on the fly, but I just wanted to point out your price for Swolphin is currently 12k SPG. That will equate to 36k Starriott points (points post merge). So if you book now you'd get 3 nights for your 36k SPG points.
ETA: Those same 36k SPG post merge would be 108k and would get you 2 nights (50k per night) Sorry, totally left part of the thought out.

Likewise, if you are looking at a Marriott n/f I don't believe you can use that to book Swolphin until after Aug 1 because the points systems are still separate until then. You'd have to look into a SPG package for pre 8/1 bookings. I'm not familiar with those, we were Marriott folks so I'm still learning the ins and outs of the current SPG program.

@gottalovepluto Thanks so much!!!

Unfortunately, you won't be able to book the swan/dolphin with a current Marriott flight and night certificate until after August 1st, so many unanswered questions with the flight and nights cert's. I think it is a gamble, you may or may not be able to come out ahead, but what we know is that you won't be able to use the fight and night cert 1-5 after Aug 1st at swan/dolphin because of the category change (unless you upgrade the cert-still not entirely clear how they are going to handle that). The flight and nights cert may be worth it depending on your valuation of RR, and whether you are willing to not use the actual night cert. If you are only interested in booking swan/dolphin my opinion is book it now before Aug 1st, you could use all your current points plus the points earned from your Marriott biz and potentially still buy 30,000 starwoods points. If my math is current you would potentially have enough for 6 nights with the 5 night booked free.

I'm also debating buying a flight and nights certificate, would only be interested in the 5 nights, but would have to buy 30,000 starwood points. There is so much unknown, I do highly value RR points and could get the value from the RR points alone to justify the purchase, but I also know that I always have a use for these hotel points and could easily book individual nights at hotels of my choice instead of trying to optimize a 5 night certificate. Would make me happy to get points for my certificates, I already have 1 night 1-5 certificate from my anniversary from my Marriott card.

Thanks, I figured I was missing something! I think I've decided for now to go ahead and buy 3k SPG pints and book 3 nights at S/D. I'm looking at either Oct or Jun, and Oct availability is getting less and less. If I change my mind or if it seems like I would be able to do the 5n f/n when I actually get my bonus points, I might cancel and rebook. I'm assuming that the points are refundable and don't take long to get back? I guess I have more research to do.

I don’t have any advice as to whether or not to book a Marriott travel package, but I would say that if you want to do a 5 nights package to do it ASAP. Whenever something hits Reddit like this, it’s only a matter of time before TPTB catches on and it gets shut down.

Thanks, that a major concern too since I don't even have the Marriott card yet, and my statement doesn't close until 7/24. I wonder how long it takes for the bonus points to post to the Marriott account?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I’m eyeing the CitiBusiness AA card with 70k mile bonus. Can’t find how long this will be around. Any found an expiration for this offer?

 

[miztressuz]

You think it would be smart for DH to get it? The sign on bonus sucks, but the 2 stay & 5 night would stack, until 8/1. That would put him at 51 nights, if I’m correct he would be gold until 2020? Can anyone confirm that?

Actually Gold is the new Platinum (or new Platinum is basically old Marriott Gold). When you reach 50 nights you'll be Platinum until 2020. So check out what the new Platinum benefits are and see if they are worth the lackluster sign up bonus. https://members.marriott.com/benefits/

If you get the card before Aug 1 you will get the 2 stay/5nights, on Aug 1 when the new program starts and until 12/31/18 you may get the 15 nights.

I should have taken screenshots of the terms pages because I swear they are changing them. Well I know they are because the Marriott Premier card page now says not taking applications and that wasn't there the other week, even though we knew they weren't. Now I'm not so sure about the SPG nights stacking if you get a card after Aug and you got nights on the Marriott card already. (Before Aug should be fine because they're still 2 separate programs)
They added language to the "For Card Accounts opened before 12/31/2018" section that don't recall before that includes the "You will receive a maximum of 15 Elite Night credits per calendar year even if you have more than one Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Consumer or Small Business credit card account or have more than one Marriott Loyalty Program account." language now. With the changes it's got me doubting if we may get our anniversary nights for the first card because they come after Aug.

We are chasing Platinum just because this is the closest we'll ever be to it With them eliminating rollover nights, after this year there's no way we'd get there again since we don't have to travel much for work and leisure on a busy year we might do 10; so new Gold's within reach but that's about it. When the programs merge Aug 1 we have 38 nights so we'll be new Gold and I'm hoping our anniversary nights from the Marriott Premier will post and push us over 50.

ETA: Is there any other way to get the nights? Putting spend on a card or doing some stays until end of the year? Sounds like you only need 4 nights to get exactly 50? Might want to weigh that against the so-so bonus on the current card.

 

[miztressuz]

OH, Chase, I can't figure you out. The last card I opened, IHG, pretty much put me on notice that I'm reaching my Chase credit limit. When I did the application, it asked if I had any other sources of income I wanted them to consider, so I "remembered" some. Got the card, but with a low limit. I have both Sapphire cards, and those have ridiculously high limits. i want the option to apply for the new SW card when it comes out, so I recently canceled the one I had and was planning on lowering my limits on some of my other cards. However, cancelling that SW card must have freed up some credit space, because when I signed into my accounts yesterday, I noticed they had RAISED the limit on my IHG. I'm planning on lowering my limits, but Chase is raising them.

They are a conundrum. For hubby they approve him with low limits, like maybe the minimum and then start raising them... even within a couple weeks. I think the SW Plus he opened in Dec was raised like 2 weeks after he got it. We're confused, what changed in those 2 weeks???? Looks like they may have done it again with the Marriott Biz as he was approved for the min limit, even though he applied this time with household income which he's never done before. So even with a bump in income and still got the min. We can't understand it as he's got similar credit stats to me now (and has been for several years now) and I pretty much get the max they care to extend me right off the bat; so is right!

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

So dh and I are finally in the Chase game (and we used dischurners referrals)---he got the CSP and I the Freedom. Slow and steady is our motto! Thanks to everyone for your help during the past couple weeks

 

[mmmears]

So dh and I are finally in the Chase game (and we used dischurners referrals)---he got the CSP and I the Freedom. Slow and steady is our motto! Thanks to everyone for your help during the past couple weeks

We just started this week, too (using the same spot for referrals, too) with DH signing up for the CSP and CSR. Planning to go slowly with this game. Isn't it amazing how many helpful people there are here on this thread?

 

[miztressuz]

So dh and I are finally in the Chase game (and we used dischurners referrals)---he got the CSP and I the Freedom. Slow and steady is our motto! Thanks to everyone for your help during the past couple weeks

Congratulations!

​

Party time, excellent!

 

[wendow]

We just started this week, too (using the same spot for referrals, too) with DH signing up for the CSP and CSR. Planning to go slowly with this game. Isn't it amazing how many helpful people there are here on this thread?

So dh and I are finally in the Chase game (and we used dischurners referrals)---he got the CSP and I the Freedom. Slow and steady is our motto! Thanks to everyone for your help during the past couple weeks

Love that you both have joined us in our fun and rewarding 'hobby'! Thanks for supporting fellow DIS'ers through the use of referrals!

 

[Lain]

Trying to catch up.

I see there’s a lot of chatter about Marriott’s nights and flights packages, here are more successful DPs of people booking the 5 nights packages (YMMV):

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8us9xz/comment/e1ior1f?st=JJ1AG9G1&sh=a05a5ba0

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8us9xz/comment/e1ibwq3?st=JJ1ALUZ1&sh=50b4bcd4

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8us9xz/comment/e1itssf?st=JJ1AH046&sh=54c21ec9

Even more DPs:

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8v155j/comment/e1kqdx7?st=JJ26GQM1&sh=b933e056

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8v155j/comment/e1kh2lu?st=JJ26I8WB&sh=178b6a7f

 

[brownhaired_girl]

Even more DPs:

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8v155j/comment/e1kqdx7?st=JJ26GQM1&sh=b933e056

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8v155j/comment/e1kh2lu?st=JJ26I8WB&sh=178b6a7f

I got a 7 night cat 6 certificate a short while ago. I was happy to get it done then, but looking at the 5 night certs I think the miles are better. I’m having a tiny bit of buyers remorse but I’ll get over it quickly.

 

[Albort]

CIP here i come!?

30 days...

 

[DisneyMandC]

Reconciling everything from last month in YNAB this morning. $1700 into my CIC spend, $400 left on my CIP spend, and halfway through my Hilton Biz spend. Phew. Remind me not to juggle this many cards at once again!

 

[striker1064]

@Lain I saw your post about your use of cards. Great advice! I was curious
why you keep your amex prg? This is one card im debating on cancelling end of year.
I like the amex offers but not sure if it is worth the 195.

The PRG is a great card with too high of an AF, I think. The $100 airline credit is nice, plus you get 3x airlines and 2x restaurants, groceries, and gas. If you get any kind of retention offer at all, I think it's worth keeping. As it is, if the AF were just a little lower, it would be a keeper.

 

[GlamMistress]

Anyone have the Fidelity 2% card. It's been on my radar forever but other rewards have always seemed better. Now it sort of makes sense to pair with that cash account so many of us opened for the $200 bonus. We have ALL our retirement/investment funds at Fidelity so this would be another consolidated account. Just wondered what the group's opinion is on this... makes sense for my FIRE goals I think.