I love credit cards so much!

[Haley R]

You are probably aware of this already, but you can buy a separate travel insurance policy if the travel protection on the cc you are using isn't sufficient. There is a website called Insure My Trip that you can use to compare various policy coverages and premiums.





In the same boat as lots of other posters on this one. I find my head getting turned by the 100k MR/$10k MSR Biz Plat offer and the opportunity for self-referrals for the other MR cards. But I try to keep reminding myself that UR are king for me, at least for now. I'm sure I'd find a use for all of the extra MR, but I couldn't meet the $10k MSR without diverting all spend away from my UR earning cards, and it would kill me to give up the bonus category UR-earning spend. Is it wrong to wish I had some kind of very large expense coming up that wouldn't otherwise fall into a bonus earning category on one of my UR cards, lol? Going to try to stay the course on this one and not fall to temptation.....



Thank you so much. I was able to do it this way and have blocked my most recent non-paying buyer, as well as adjusting some of my other buyer requirements.

Does it work the same if I’m using miles to book?

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

Ah, there’s the catch. Check that link from VFTW for the post-8/26 restrictions on the SPG Personal. If DH gets a Marriott, he can’t get the SPGs after 8/26 — and that’s when the points offers are rumored to come back.

Hmmm looks like 30 days. So maybe I can apply for Marriott and wait it out. Don’t really want SPG taking a spot in his 4/24 quite yet

 

[Lain]

Dates? Because weather plays into things also the amount of time you have. Also, it's Pike Place Market, the street it's on is Pike St. Surest way to be known as a tourist is to call it Pike's Place

Use the monorail to get from Westlake Center to Seattle Center where the Space Needle is, Chihuly (blah but I think he's way overdone and overhyped here) and MoPop (formerly Experience Music Project) which is on my list of things to do. I went to a free concert there years back and wandered around a bit but haven't actually been there.

I think the Museum of Flight is awesome if you are into planes and space travel. They have free docent tours as well which can be a better way to see a museum, less reading and more stories. I recommend this for any of the Smithsonian museums as a side note.

The falls are good but it's going to depend on when, and the amount of rain we've had. It's the dry season (shh...we don't really have one of those) and there's probably not much going over compared to spring with the snow melt or during/after a huge rain storm. But it's still good to see but if time is an issue.



The Underground Seattle tour is great! It starts in Pioneer Square, which I think is a bit of a mess with the streetcar line construction but everything is still open. It's cool because it shows parts of old Seattle that's now underground. The aquarium is also great, though I'm biased because I spent a summer there as a high school naturalist volunteering. You do want to wander the waterfront and for sure go to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, it's full of all kinds of odd things. Ivars is good for quick food but there are better seafood places if you want sit down.

The Ballard Locks (Chittenden Locks) are fun. You can watch the boats go between the sound and the lake and if it's fall the salmon will be going up the ladder to get to the river. Or you may see the sea lions eating them. Another place I've heard good things about is the observation level of the Columbia Tower it's taller than the Space Needle and you can see the needle from it. It's the stop of an office building.

I recommend Dick's Drive In, either the sit in location on Queen Anne which isn't far from Seattle Center or one of the drive in locations, that you can walk up to, there's one on Capital Hill which is also a fun neighborhood to wander in. You don't want to be driving, except to get to the falls for if you want to go down to Mt. Rainier. Another thing that's fun it to take a ferry ride, even if you walk on and only get off on the other end and get back on. But that becomes a time thing too. West Seattle/Alki Beach has great views of Seattle but you would want to drive there.

The Hyatt is in a good spot to walk to a lot of things. Along with the monorail that only goes between the two stops, there's also a light rail that you can take to/from the airport or use to get between things downtown, like down to Pioneer Square to the tour, which is about the only reason I would go there.

Tip to get to the water front from the market. There's a parking garage attached to the market, if you go in the main entrance to the right of the flying fish people towards the fresh flowers and veggies there should be a parking sign that points to a hallway. Down the hallway is the elevator to the garage. Take the elevator to the bottom and you'll be at the waterfront level. Otherwise you'll be going up/down a ton of stairs.

Let me know if you have any other questions or things your interested in.

Ahhh... Seattle. DW graduated from UW, and she's been talking about wanting to visit Seattle and swing by the Quad during cherry blossom season.

 

[happ]

So I just logged into my DDs tuition portal. My Plastiq check posted OK, yay! In fact, the description of payment is Plastiq. Wasn't expecting that, lol. For my first Plastic payment I sent the dentist a check just to make sure I knew what I was doing. I then sent one to Metlife for life insurance and the 3rd to tuition. My first payment I did get an email to let me know the check was cashed. I did not get anything for the other two. Do you usually get an email for each transaction that it was cashed?

I've received an email notice for each Plastiq check that's been cashed for my account. You can also log into your Plastiq account and it shows in the payment history whether it's been cashed.

 

[MrsAlexis]

Considering getting DH the Hilton Ascend....not exactly sure why, other than we have a road trip coming up where we will be staying at a different Hilton property probably 4 times and it would be nice to have status when we check in. We also live near a vacation destination and if we steal away to the beach at random, Hilton property would be our go to. DH just applied and was approved for CSR and we are working on MSR for that. If approved for Ascend, he will be at 5/24, but could be at 4/24 if I get him removed as AU from my CSP. I think we could also swing the Ascend MSR, as it's only $1k or $2k. His next card doesn't drop off the 24 months roll until June 2019. I've mapped out what I foresee for future cards for us, and don't really have anything planned for the next year, except perhaps a biz card if I get the courage to apply. Thoughts?

 

[Lain]

Hmmm looks like 30 days. So maybe I can apply for Marriott and wait it out. Don’t really want SPG taking a spot in his 4/24 quite yet

Remember Amex now, supposedly, has a tool when you apply that checks and tells you if you qualify for the welcome bonus. That may give you some indication before actually submit your application.

 

[Calfan]

Does it work the same if I’m using miles to book?

You would need to check the policy coverage, but I believe you can get coverage for any re-deposit fee for a mileage booking that you cancel and want to get the miles redeposited into your account. The basic travel coverage for travel delays, etc. should still be applicable.

 

[Lain]

Any inkling on how late we have to call AMEX today? I thought I'd get a chance to do it on my break at work but ha! So it won't be til I'm home.

No idea, but it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. I think the call center is in Phoenix.

 

[afan]

thanks. I finish summer class Aug 5th, so between then and Aug 25th.

Good dates! It should be try and you have about a 50/50 chance on the temps. This summer has been trending higher than average but Thurs or Fri is supposed to be under/around 70. However this time of year it doesn't change as much so what the 5 day forecast says you can pack off of, but do bring a light jacket/sweatshirt etc. The mornings and evenings can get chilly esp if it's windy. No different than going to SF in the summer but you see less Seattle sweatshirts than you do SF sweatshirts there Plus if you go up to the falls it could be 80 or it could be 60. The mountain temp isn't tied in as much to the lower temp because of the wind and convergence zones.

If you like baseball, the Mariners have been doing well this year and Safeco is a nice park. Seafair will be over by then and the next big thing is Bumbershoot labor day weekend, so there won't be anything other than Mariners, Sounders or Seahawks games that bring in a ton of locals to the city. Lots of tourist though.

There is one other thing, it's on my list of things to do this year. The Amazon Sphere's. They've opened them to the public but you have to get your tickets online beforehand but they are free. It's only the 1st and 3rd Sat of the month and nevermind cause the 18th is already full. But in case you come again or someone else is interested. When they opened back in April they didn't fill up that quickly but tourists have probably found out about them.

Ahhh... Seattle. DW graduated from UW, and she's been talking about wanting to visit Seattle and swing by the Quad during cherry blossom season.

That's always something I think about doing when they show the quad on the news, the cherry trees are so pretty. Plus it's easier than getting to DC Maybe I'll get there this spring.

 

[Haley R]

You would need to check the policy coverage, but I believe you can get coverage for any re-deposit fee for a mileage booking that you cancel and want to get the miles redeposited into your account. The basic travel coverage for travel delays, etc. should still be applicable.

Okay thanks. I have a couple things I need to ask Virgin. I just haven’t had the time to call them yet

 

[Lain]

In churning news, after much hemming and hawing about my next card, I pulled the trigger on the Amex Biz Platinum this morning - I've been trying to pull the 100k personal card via cardmatch with zero luck, so this seemed like a good way to go. Instant approval.

Thanks - I did see the biz green chatter in the previous pages (I did try to catch up). Because these are Biz's, no /24 implications, right? I'm up for more points by cheating with Amex, but my is all for chase.

AHHHH I did it! I was totally shaking as I called in but it was super easy and I got approved for the 100k Biz Plat!

@Lain I had your post with what you said during your call in front of me -thank you!

Reposting the info on self-referral to the Biz Green and BGR from your new Biz Plats:

@SBWB48, @kmc8826, @amalone1013, and anyone else considering the 100k MR Amex Biz Platinum call-in offer,

and @calypso726, @tink1970, @platamama, @CaliforniaGirl09, and whoever else has the Biz Plat but has never had the BGR or Biz Green,

READ THIS: https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/92bkky/daily_discussion_thread_july_27_2018/e34qs6j

Last month, I posted about a loophole that /r/churning discovered where you can use your Biz Plat (or other [Amex] biz charge cards) to refer yourself to Amex's other MR business charge cards (the BGR and Biz Green), and earn the [Biz Plat's 20k MR] bonus for self-referral and the other card's sign-up bonus, assuming you don’t have and haven’t had that other card before. The big points are with self-referrals from the Biz Plat because a referral bonus from that card is worth 20k MR.

I didn't think much about it at the time because I didn't have a Biz Plat. Now I do. Redditor l3veraged put two and two together and has an excellent write-up [READ THIS, above] about how to maximize the MRs you can get out of these two deals before the call-in offer is supposed to expire at the end of this month and the 20k referral bonus ends on 8/8/18.

The sweet spot seems to be to get the 100k MR/$10k offer on the Biz Plat, refer yourself (and hey, maybe even P2) to the Biz Green for 20k MR per referral; make a single purchase on the Biz Green for another 5k MR and sockdrawer that card [edit: the Biz Green seems to have a quirk that double credits the 5k MR]; meet the $10k MSR on the Biz Plat for another 10k MR. ~140k MR.

Personally, I'm holding off on referring myself or applying for the BGR. The BGR has a public/referral offer of 50k MR (add another 20k MR for the self-referral), but requires another $5k MSR in 3 months, which is not in our budget. While applying for the Biz Plat, the Amex rep pitched me on a 75k MR/$10k/4 months offer on the BGR, and told me to call in for that offer when I'm ready. I don't know if the 75k offer will still be around when I'm ready (it comes and goes), but I know I'm not ready to tackle an additional $5k or $10k MSR on the BGR when we've already got the Hilton Biz and Biz Platinum to work on, and am considering the CIU or SPG Lux for DW and Marriott Premier Plus for me next month.

Check your "Congratulations! You've been approved" e-mail that you received following approval.

Click the "Get Started" button.

Confirm your birth year and zip code.

You can either set up a new account for the Biz Plat or add it to an existing account.

Once set up, from your "Home" screen, scroll down to the "Refer Friends. Get Rewarded" section, confirm You can earn: 20,000 Membership Rewards® points for each approved referral – up to 55,000 points per calendar year.* Limited Time Offer! Ends 08/08/2018. Terms Apply, and click the "Refer Now" button.

Copy the referral link.

Paste the referral link into an incognito window. You should see a checkmark in a circle next to "You've been referred!"

Scroll down to where you see the Biz Green and BGR. You should see the message:

More American Express OPEN Cards
Looking for something different? Both you and your friend can still get rewarded if you select one of the cards below.

Click the card you want to apply for, and Apply!

Congratulations!

I referred myself for the Biz Green on Saturday morning, and received a 20k MR referral bonus in my account by about midnight Monday morning.

 

[1st*toright]

Reposting the info on self-referral to the Biz Green and BGR from your new Biz Plats:

This is a biz card, and therefore doesn't add to your /24 count, right?

Edited to add- Thank you sooooo much, Lain, for the detailed instructions - I've got the referral open in front of me, thanks to your post!!!

 

[Lain]

This is a biz card, and therefore doesn't add to your /24 count, right?

Yes. It won't add to your 5/24 count. I didn't even get a hard pull from Amex for the Biz Green (or my Biz Plat, or my Hilton Biz from June). So Chase has no idea I've picked up 3 Amex biz cards while we're supposed to be on a break.

 

[Calfan]

That's always something I think about doing when they show the quad on the news, the cherry trees are so pretty. Plus it's easier than getting to DC Maybe I'll get there this spring.

We stumbled on this when we took a trip to Seattle this past spring break so DD could check out Udub. The cherry blossoms were beautiful! We couldn't believe how many tourists were in the quad to check them out though....

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Just checked into Hyatt Place Minneapolis Downtown. Nice place, room is huge. 2 queen beds separated from a “living room” by the bathroom. Booked on points, naturally. Hyatt cc gets me free parking and 2 bottles of water daily. Headed to International Champions Cup soccer game at US Bank Stadium tonight. We can see the stadium from our room.

 

[elgerber]

We move so fast here I can't keep up LOL. I'm not sure my last question got answered, but I'm asking another. This one has probably been answered. So just did the self refer for Biz Green. It wouldn't let me add it to our existing BGR logins, so I just didn't set up the online yet. When we get the cards will we be able to? Or will it have to be separate, and in that case, will the MR be combined somehow with our existing, or will they be separate (and if that way, can they been combined or transferred somehow, from the same person not from one person to another).

Thanks!!​

Just checked into Hyatt Place Minneapolis Downtown. Nice place, room is huge. 2 queen beds separated from a “living room” by the bathroom. Booked on points, naturally. Hyatt cc gets me free parking and 2 bottles of water daily. Headed to International Champions Cup soccer game at US Bank Stadium tonight. We can see the stadium from our room.

You are in my neck of the woods!! Enjoy!!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

You are in my neck of the woods!! Enjoy!!

Unfortunately no time to enjoy it. Nearly 8 hour drive today from Chicago with construction. Headed back tomorrow morning. Just came up for the game. Would love to stay a week.

 

[Lain]

So just did the self refer for Biz Green. It wouldn't let me add it to our existing BGR logins, so I just didn't set up the online yet. When we get the cards will we be able to? Or will it have to be separate, and in that case, will the MR be combined somehow with our existing, or will they be separate (and if that way, can they been combined or transferred somehow, from the same person not from one person to another).​

I think some other people reported having the same problem. I haven't tried to add the Biz Green to any of my Amex accounts yet. Don't feel the need to poke a sleeping bear. I'll try once I receive the card, but if I can't, and I have to set up a new account for it, no big deal. I'll put one purchase on the Biz Green, pay it off, and sock drawer the card until the AF comes up next year when I'll cancel it. MR points are automatically pooled from all your MR-earning cards into one MR account. You just need to keep an MR-earning card open at all times to keep your points alive. No need to transfer points between cards every month like we have to with Chase. Unfortunately, there's no household transfers or pooling of MR.

 

[elgerber]

I think some other people reported having the same problem. I haven't tried to add the Biz Green to any of my Amex accounts yet. Don't feel the need to poke a sleeping bear. I'll try once I receive the card, but if I can't, and I have to set up a new account for it, no big deal. I'll put one purchase on the Biz Green, pay it off, and sock drawer the card until the AF comes up next year when I'll cancel it. MR points are automatically pooled from all your MR-earning cards into one MR account. You just need to keep an MR-earning card open at all times to keep your points alive. No need to transfer points between cards every month like we have to with Chase. Unfortunately, there's no household transfers or pooling of MR.

Thank you, this is perfect info!

 

[platamama]

Instant approval for Biz Plat! Yippee! Then it will be onto self referral for Biz Green.

Thanks, @Lain, for laying it all out in detail!!!