I love credit cards so much!

[mmmears]

AA is $100 in separate transactions. But always double check the latest DPs on FlyerTalk by googling “FlyerTalk Amex airline credit AA”.

I've spent the last hour just catching up on this thread, and I think I missed something about this. Is there a way to get the $200 AMEX travel credit and use it for something else (like an actual flight)? If so, can you please tell me more. We don't tend to use up all the credit each year since we don't check bags when we fly.

My oldest daughter is starting her first year of college in 2 weeks. Her university allows tuition/housing payments by credit card, incuding AmEx, for a flat $3 fee. I finally drop under 5/24 around 8/21, and my plan had been to apply for CIP, then pay her tuition via Plastiq, but the timing was going to be really tight. The AmEx Business Platinum + Business Gold + Business Green deal couldn't have come at a better time for me. It seems really crazy, but my wife and I have been approved for a total of 6 AmEx business charge cards (2 Blue, 2 Green, 1 Gold, 1 Platinum) in the last 7 days, and almost all the MSR will be completed by the end of the month. I haven't had a chance to total up the MR's earned, but it's a heckovalot, probably over 200,000. Thank you.

Just want to say I'm jealous! Accepting CCards was not a factor when we were looking at colleges, and my DD goes to one that doesn't take them even with a fee. 7 semesters of private tuition, room and board down, one more semester to pay for (since we have to pay for fall now) so at this point we wouldn't even get too many points if we found a way. But, ah, what might have been!

 

[wendow]

Funny, didn't even think to check today As of right now, that's correct Web says that card is not eligible for the campaign and the refer option is missing in the app.

I checked earlier but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something .Amex site can be wonky for me sometimes.

 

[miztressuz]

I am FINALLY all caught up after being on vacation last week visiting my parents in Alaska! DP on Anchorage PP...both times the AK Board Room had the sign out that PP members were not allowed due to high volume. Didn't even try to test it.

Time for a little help from the experts please! (I am CLEARLY in the 95% group. The SPG/Marriott card exclusions is giving me a migraine. ) I think we need a Marriott/SPG card. I don't think I am interested in the LUX.

History

Me:
10/17 DIS Visa 15k
01/18 CIP 12K
03/18 SPG Biz 12K

DH:
02/18 CIP 12k
05/18 CSR 27k

We also obtained a small car loan (14k) in April, somehow getting 2 hard pulls. ??? This has messed with our CS a little. I am at 785-832 depending on who you ask. I haven't checked dh other than Chase, which is at 832. We also have no traceable mortgage. My DF is carrying the contract on the family home.

Towards the end of the year I want to go for the SW DD for the CP in my name, and sometime in the spring try for CSR. (And probably not DD. We will need to recover from the SW MSR'S, and not interested in MS.)

I have 44k SPG points but don't have a Marriott account. It appears that I am shut out from getting the Nights and Flights. ???

Also if this new card is in DH name will we be able to combine points?

Thanks in advance for your help! (DH is having an angiogram tomorrow, so I may not respond back in a timely matter.)

So the only SPG or Marriott card either of you have is your SPG Biz from this year? Is that your first SPG or Marriott card?

I'm going to assume yes on both accounts. In that case you guys looks pretty good to get cards when you want them. For you, before 8/26 you can try for which ever you like. After 8/26 you would be limited to SPG cards. It seems you could get either the SPG personal or luxury while still holding the SPG Biz.

For DH, you can go SPG or Marriott. Probably comes down to if you want AmEx or Visa cards. But after 8/26 you'd pretty much be committed to cards from that issuer. Exception seems to be if DH got the Marriott Biz, then he could get both the Marriott Premier Plus and the SPG personal after 8/26 but none of the others. Otherwise you're pretty much limited to 2 cards, a Biz and a Personal within that brand, if you don't want the SPG Luxury.

I think it's going to come down to personal preference about which one to go for first. If you're interested in going Pokémon (gotta catch them all!) then probably have DH try for the Marriott Biz since that would allow 2 more personals for bonuses at some point. But the first year AF isn't waived right now so I'd weight that into the decision. On the other hand if you did the SPG personal for yourself, it's the same sign up bonus but the AF is being waived for first year. Since AmEx has lifetime bonus language you do have to think about that, but also some time next year they should stop taking applications for it so any bonus is better than no bonus. (It'd be a shame to wait on a higher offer that may never come if you could actually use the points) That'd make you 2/24 when you go for the SW CP so should still be ok for the rest of your plans. (If you have no interest in grabbing as many bonuses as possible, then you could have DH do it instead, if concerned)

You can combine points but it's probably easier to just leave them separate until you want to use them. Then you can either make separate reservations or call to use points from both account on one reservation.

 

[Mopedmom1]

So the only SPG or Marriott card either of you have is your SPG Biz from this year? Is that your first SPG or Marriott card?

I'm going to assume yes on both accounts. In that case you guys looks pretty good to get cards when you want them. For you, before 8/26 you can try for which ever you like. After 8/26 you would be limited to SPG cards. It seems you could get either the SPG personal or luxury while still holding the SPG Biz.

For DH, you can go SPG or Marriott. Probably comes down to if you want AmEx or Visa cards. But after 8/26 you'd pretty much be committed to cards from that issuer. Exception seems to be if DH got the Marriott Biz, then he could get both the Marriott Premier Plus and the SPG personal after 8/26 but none of the others. Otherwise you're pretty much limited to 2 cards, a Biz and a Personal within that brand, if you don't want the SPG Luxury.

I think it's going to come down to personal preference about which one to go for first. If you're interested in going Pokémon (gotta catch them all!) then probably have DH try for the Marriott Biz since that would allow 2 more personals for bonuses at some point. But the first year AF isn't waived right now so I'd weight that into the decision. On the other hand if you did the SPG personal for yourself, it's the same sign up bonus but the AF is being waived for first year. Since AmEx has lifetime bonus language you do have to think about that, but also some time next year they should stop taking applications for it so any bonus is better than no bonus. (It'd be a shame to wait on a higher offer that may never come if you could actually use the points) That'd make you 2/24 when you go for the SW CP so should still be ok for the rest of your plans. (If you have no interest in grabbing as many bonuses as possible, then you could have DH do it instead, if concerned)

You can combine points but it's probably easier to just leave them separate until you want to use them. Then you can either make separate reservations or call to use points from both account on one reservation.

Thanks for your input. I swear every time I look at those charts my eyes cross and roll back in my head!

Yes on both accounts, only the SPG Biz for me. I might just be paranoid but feel that going for a card in my name at this time would be risking the SW in a few months. I am trying to go slowly and keep us both under 5/24 but I would love to have those extra points! FOMO for sure.

 

[pinkxray]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet-
While checking my email yesterday I saw this
A PayPal offer for $10 off which can be used for the online membership. I was able to get the online membership free which is great since I had planned to load up on gift cards during Discover’s wholesale club quarter.
Check your email is you use PayPal and have been on the fence about getting the online membership.

 

[kayteekt]

Anyone have experience with the SPG offers on Amex. I've got one for spend $300/$60 back.

There this weekend. Room is on points but I wondered if my room charges (parking, resort fee, restuarants) would all count towards the $300. If so, I could justify a trip to Shula's pretty easily

 

[tink1970]

Anyone have experience with the SPG offers on Amex. I've got one for spend $300/$60 back.

There this weekend. Room is on points but I wondered if my room charges (parking, resort fee, restuarants) would all count towards the $300. If so, I could justify a trip to Shula's pretty easily

I used three or four this summer (had split payments for a couple). Definitely use it (just make sure you check out with the card that has the offer!) and have a nice dinner

 

[Judique]

This is why I bounce things off this group

After writing it out like that, it felt like a lot.



Yup, definitely feels too close like that!

CP has been big for us, so I definitely want it again. I worry about being denied for another biz card too, it's why I skipped the Marriott biz for both of us always. Prioritizing other biz cards like CIP, etc.

See, moving CIC to the end didnt cross my mind! I think I like this, if I really decide I cant live without a CIC I could change his CIP after referring me to my own in Oct. And true SW isnt a true double dip. I think I just keep thinking that way because of how they work together.

CP has been huge. Just added it up quick.. we've earned just over 133k RRs from cc spending/sign up, anniversary points, and 1 flight OOP... have 7800 left right now, and have gotten about $4300 in value. And I dont care what reddit says about overvaluing CP, we would have either paid this OOP or not gone OOP for trips we would have actually done would have ran us $1700.

I think the only reason for Marriott over CIC is to make sure I can still get CP.


Boooooo. Hope you get a better rep. I opened my card 6/26/16 and last year the AF posted 7/20.. I moved my closing date back so the current statement will close Aug 3rd. Someone was advised to do that by a phone rep to trigger the freenight, so I figured what did I have to lose...

Instead of the Marriott Biz, how about the SPG Biz with their new offer? Same points in the long haul....just a higher spend.

 

[Lain]

I know this ship has sailed, but I really want to thank @Lain again for the tip about the 100K/10K AmEx Business Platinum offer, and about self referring for the Business Gold and Business Green. I also want to thank those of you who provided supporting info about the offer. I generally have fear about calling in for credit card applications, but it helped knowing that the process had been so painless for all of you.

I am about a month away from cancelling personal platinums for myself and for my wife. Late last week we both obtained Blue Business Plus cards to hold our MR points, not knowing about the business platinum deal. My oldest daughter is starting her first year of college in 2 weeks. Her university allows tuition/housing payments by credit card, incuding AmEx, for a flat $3 fee. I finally drop under 5/24 around 8/21, and my plan had been to apply for CIP, then pay her tuition via Plastiq, but the timing was going to be really tight. The AmEx Business Platinum + Business Gold + Business Green deal couldn't have come at a better time for me. It seems really crazy, but my wife and I have been approved for a total of 6 AmEx business charge cards (2 Blue, 2 Green, 1 Gold, 1 Platinum) in the last 7 days, and almost all the MSR will be completed by the end of the month. I haven't had a chance to total up the MR's earned, but it's a heckovalot, probably over 200,000. Thank you.

Thank you for your thank you.

I thought it was an offer (really, several offers) too good to pass up myself, so I passed it along. I was so happy to see so many of you jump at the opportunity, and then share your experiences and encourage others to go for it. I know we're all about helping each other find good deals, but I didn't know until now how great this offer worked out for you! And I'm deeply moved. I mean, WOW!!! You're about to cancel your personal Platinums, and you're re-upping most of those benefits with a Business Platinum at just about the right time, and you've got those big college expenses with such a small fee to put toward the MSRs on all these cards at the perfect time. And all of this has no impact on your plans to get under 5/24. (Did you even receive any inquiries on all those business cards?) By my rough count, you and your wife are up about 245k MR from the welcome bonus, spend, and referrals on just the Biz Plat, BGR and Biz Greens, then another 20-30k+ MR from the BBP. That is quite a haul!

And congratulations to your daughter!

 

[Lain]

I've spent the last hour just catching up on this thread, and I think I missed something about this. Is there a way to get the $200 AMEX travel credit and use it for something else (like an actual flight)? If so, can you please tell me more. We don't tend to use up all the credit each year since we don't check bags when we fly.

The Amex Platinum $200 airline fee credit, the Amex Premier Rewards Gold's ("PRG") $100 airline fee credit, and the Amex Hilton Honors Aspire's $250 airline fee credit are supposed to apply only to incidental charges like checked bags and in-flight amenities, not airline tickets. However, buying a gift card on AA, Delta, or SW up to certain denominations is known to trigger the airline credit reimbursement. For Delta, you can buy up to a $50 gift card in one transaction and do it in however many separate transactions as you need to max out the credit; for AA, the maximum gift card value per transaction is $100; and for SW, buying a $200 gift card works on the Platinum's $200 travel credit, and I believe you can even do a single $250 gift card on the Hilton Aspire.

Two caveats: (1) the airline fee credit only triggers when you are purchasing a gift card for the airline you selected in your member benefits, so you need to make that selection when you first get your card, in January, or leave it from year-to-year. This is a calendar year benefit that resets every January 1. You may be able to chat/contact Amex to request to change your airline selection if you "forgot" to change it in January and you haven't yet used any of the credit for the year. (2) Of the airlines selections on Amex, this only works on AA, Delta, and SW. I recall United used to have a TravelBank gift card registry that worked, but it went down in late 2017. Hawaiian Airlines gift certificates used to work, but that also changed sometime in late 2017. Because things can change, it's always recommended to check the latest data points on places like FlyerTalk before buying a gift card if you expect to see a reimbursement.

One last thing, there are scattered DPs that cheap flights, like under $100, may get reimbursed under the Amex airline fee credit, but they can be hyperspecific blips to the more general pattern above.

 

[speedyfishy]

My 40,000 MR after I referred myself and SO to the BGR posted today.

My $30 Discover cashback from buying MOs posted too. Despite their terms changing they have no way of knowing yet.....

 

[Lain]

If you're interested in going Pokémon (gotta catch them all!)

OMG I lol’ed so hard. I was thinking, “I gotta get them all” (but not Pokémon) yesterday as I was plotting when to go for the Marriott Premier Plus! I already have the SPG Biz and Personal, and Marriott Biz, and I’ll be shut out of the SPG Lux unless it comes out before 8/26, so I need the personal Marriott to complete my Starriott quadfecta. (I let the Ritz-Carlton slip by or else I’d have a pentafecta. And with the SPG Lux, I could’ve made an Infinity Gauntlet out of those six cards. Or at least close to a free week of stays.)

 

[kayteekt]

I used three or four this summer (had split payments for a couple). Definitely use it (just make sure you check out with the card that has the offer!) and have a nice dinner

Great! May I ask you what you mean by split payments? I'd been toying around with something else. We're driving down tomorrow night, we'll stay at an SPG property in Jacksonville. I booked one for maybe 3k points, but DH is picky and wants to stay where we have before. It's 7k points or $150ish. I think it's a better cash value than points. What if I pay for that room on my SPG Amex, wondering if that will combine with our Swan expenses.

 

[carimeli]

Looking for advice to maximize rewards on purchasing a pool (over $10K). I currently have the Chase Freedom, Disney, IHG. I've had and closed the Chase Sapphire Reserved about a year ago. I'm over my 5/24 for about 6 more months and can't really wait for the pool at this point (long story), but have excellent credit. Ideally I'd like a card that has 0% for at least 12 months. doable?

 

[striker1064]

Denied for PNC account, again. Bleh. Now I need to figure out what to do about the $4k spend for the Ritz card. Very frustrating, P2 has opened only 4 checking accounts this year and 1 in the last month. Guess PNC is really becoming Chex sensitive.

 

[speedyfishy]

Denied for PNC account, again. Bleh. Now I need to figure out what to do about the $4k spend for the Ritz card. Very frustrating, P2 has opened only 4 checking accounts this year and 1 in the last month. Guess PNC is really becoming Chex sensitive.

BMO? Also look for local credit unions in your area. I found a lot of credit unions allow funding.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I used to go there quite often and I would stay in the Sheraton. I agree about the Boardwalk - concrete versus wooden planking. Do they still have the plastic palm trees? I did like the trolley rides - the hotel used to give us tokens for free rides. OMG - I'm realizing that its probably 15 years since I've been there! Time flies when you are busy!

@Alexle2007 - I would probably throw the points at those nights unless I knew I needed them fairly soon for a higher value redemption and I would keep my cash in my pocket.

The Sheraton is actually where my work conference is! I’ve never stayed there because the rooms sell out in minutes once we receive the email with the conference rate for rooms. I’m not sure what the rooms look like, but the outside has started to look a little dated. Plus not all the rooms are ocean facing. My coworkers never have any complaints staying there though.

Thanks! It was only $10 more to include breakfast for the 3 of us so we’ll be having breakfast at the hotel. I am guessing the pizza place has pasta? I think I have the only child who doesn’t like pizza. We might hit Captain George’s there also. And I know DH has plans to go to Dave and Buster’s on Wed, his obsession.

I’m almost positive it does. It’s a full sit down place and I’ve gotten salads there before and everything.

 

[1st*toright]

Anyone have experience with the SPG offers on Amex. I've got one for spend $300/$60 back.

There this weekend. Room is on points but I wondered if my room charges (parking, resort fee, restuarants) would all count towards the $300. If so, I could justify a trip to Shula's pretty easily

I think a trip to Shula's is justifiable in any case . I was wondering the same thing - my best guess is that anything charged through as a room charge will work, but I have no DP to back that up (it does say room charges, which typically includes anything and everything charged to your room - the way that your Shula's charge will get you however many X Marriott points if you charge it to your room vs. none if you just pay by credit card at the restaurant).

I go to a conference at WDW every year, and typically one of the vendors I work with takes a big group of us to Shula's for dinner - oh, the points I would get if I were staying at the Swan and charging that meal to my room...

 

[speedyfishy]

Looking for advice to maximize rewards on purchasing a pool (over $10K). I currently have the Chase Freedom, Disney, IHG. I've had and closed the Chase Sapphire Reserved about a year ago. I'm over my 5/24 for about 6 more months and can't really wait for the pool at this point (long story), but have excellent credit. Ideally I'd like a card that has 0% for at least 12 months. doable?

Amex Blue Biz? Won’t add to 5/24 so you can get another Chase card in 6 months. The offer is small though.

 

[striker1064]

BMO? Also look for local credit unions in your area. I found a lot of credit unions allow funding.

Yep, BMO is a possibility, that will cover half of it at least.