I love credit cards so much!

[Lain]

So just to follow up on my attempts to get a points refund for a SPG award reservation that went down in category pricing under the new Marriott charts.

I’ve tried calling several SPG numbers listed on the website, on my SPG Gold card, and every rep will go into the reservation, essentially try search for award rooms for those dates to make the adjustment. However, because the reservation is for new year’s in Hawaii, all award availability is sold out, and the SPG reps can’t help me.

I’ve been tracking this issue on FT, and some people seem to have more luck getting a points refund on their award certs and bookings, even when there’s no availability, by calling Marriott. So I call Marriott. The first rep I reach looks up the confirmation number in her system, but she keeps asking me for my name, the property name, dates, because she can’t locate the reservation in her system. I let her know that it’s a legacy SPG property, and she’s like ooooh, that’s why I can’t locate it and she transfers me to a SPG specialist. The SPG specialist is on a Platinum line, very nice really wants to help. At this point, I’m also trying to be very nice to my reps because I want them to help and can only imagine the amount of anger they’re getting from their customers. The SPG specialist tries the same method of pulling award rooms for the same dates as my reservation but can’t find any availability. She lets me know that’s how the system basically, automatically, matches the points for the same room and dates. I ask if she can’t just look up the dates on the new award chart and manually make a courtesy adjustment, and she tries something along those lines but the system won’t let her. She’s convinced that it’s more of a technical issue than anything else that’s not letting her make the adjustment, so she asked that I call back in a few days.

It’s not issue resolved, but the tone is a lot better than what I’m getting from SPG directly. (Apparently, the SPG front line reps are PISSED.)

 

[Lain]

I didn't pay much attention...have the Lux cards been expedited or are they coming snail mail?

The Lux cards are being expedited. Mine arrived in a UPS Express Envelope, which should be about 2 business days at most?

 

[Alexle2007]

Hmmm...all this Starriott talk made me check my account and it seems I also missing the SPG Biz 5 nights. I got my Marriott personal on 12/8/17 so if I can get those 15 plus 5 Biz that puts me 40 plus I have my Sat and current stay which is 4 nights plus 2 nights at SeaWorld and I’m at 46. So I just need to work in 4 more nights. We were supposed to have one Labor Day weekend in Hershey but DH hurt his foot and has been limping around since Fri so we canceled it Now to plan out how to get those nights even if it’s staying near Dave and Buster’s and enduring that torture!

 

[MrsAlexis]

Ritz-Carlton in AMEX offers today....$100 off $500, expires 12/24

 

[jhoannam]

Hmmm...all this Starriott talk made me check my account and it seems I also missing the SPG Biz 5 nights. I got my Marriott personal on 12/8/17 so if I can get those 15 plus 5 Biz that puts me 40 plus I have my Sat and current stay which is 4 nights plus 2 nights at SeaWorld and I’m at 46. So I just need to work in 4 more nights. We were supposed to have one Labor Day weekend in Hershey but DH hurt his foot and has been limping around since Fri so we canceled it Now to plan out how to get those nights even if it’s staying near Dave and Buster’s and enduring that torture!

ugh... I wonder if this was intentional?

 

[amalone1013]

I got my reservation changed!

The rep was like, it's $1.91 less and the Disney rep told me it might get applies as a resort credit, but it might not since you'll have to give them your card at check in... so then it would be refunded to us and it should get refunded back to you then. And I'm thinking, I don't even care, call it paying $2 for the extra night

Now to make sure my boss doesn't have a heart attack over me asking for an extra day off. I could either do a half day and come in after our flight lands... or just take the day off. Yeah that sounds good.

 

[Happy814]

First of all, this thread moves SO fast!

I still haven't pulled the trigger on applying for a CIP myself, and now I have a different question.

I pulled DH's Experian report today. Apparently, about two weeks ago he went to Peebles to buy a shirt for a funeral and forgot his wallet at home and "reopened" the card he used to have at Peebles to charge it. Of course, on the credit report, it's showing opened as of August 2018 . It has an embarrassing $350 limit haha! As a reminder, he has a CIP (02/18). I'm thinking that maybe I should apply for a personal card in his name to help boost his credit score? The last time I checked it was around 720ish. I would like for it to be a little higher. Thoughts on this? Right now the only thing on his credit report is the dang Peebles card.

I'm considering 3 options if I decide to add a personal card for him:

• Wait until December and apply for SW pers & biz to get the CP for 2019 & 2020 (we wouldn't be able to use the CP until summer so I don't need to have the points post in Jan).
• CSP
• Hyatt

Otherwise, I will probably refer myself from his CIP (105,000 UR total). There's also a 95% chance DH will open a new LLC by the end of the year. So i'll probably get a CIP for both of us for that business next year (210,000 UR total - if my math is right. Can you refer back and forth like that?) I would space these apps out over a year or so with the goal to obtain the points by this time next year (or a little later). Does anyone see any issues with this? I feel like I should add personal cards in there somewhere?? But maybe not?

 

[Happy814]

Now to make sure my boss doesn't have a heart attack over me asking for an extra day off. I could either do a half day and come in after our flight lands... or just take the day off. Yeah that sounds good.

Definitely take the day off!

 

[liloca]

Sapphire UR Portal has been updated and I see Disney hotels!

At least CC, WL, OKW, BRV in addition to the Poly,

I just went in and no Disney hotels pop up for October

 

[liloca]

Sapphire UR Portal has been updated and I see Disney hotels!

At least CC, WL, OKW, BRV in addition to the Poly,

I just went in and no Disney hotels pop up for October

 

[3 DD love princesses]

So if you product change a csp to a freedom can I later apply for a freedom and get the bonus? I’ve never had a Freedom wondering if I should just cancel the csp or change it.

 

[wendow]

@wendow - what is the anniversary of your SPG cards? You may be same as me - anniversary year not ended yet, but first year nights gone as it was 2017 for your first SPG application? If so, they may be coming on your anniversary! Before this year ends.

I got the personal in 4/18 and the biz in 8/18 so I've not hit a year anywhere.

 

[Happy814]

I just went in and no Disney hotels pop up for October

I was able to get ASMu, AK and AoA to pop up for the last 3rd week in July.

 

[wendow]

Same here, I should have 42 nights, but 5 nights from my SPG account aren't being counted. I need to call - school started last week and our schedule is soooo crazy. Let me know what they say about those 5 nights if you call before me.

It sounds like I am not eligible to get 5 nights from my spg biz based on when I got it Which is ok for me...I'd only get gold which doesn't sound that exciting.
My dh was platinum with marriott for a couple of years and then gold (so had spg gold) but he converted over to silver elite.

 

[amalone1013]

I just went in and no Disney hotels pop up for October

I was able to get ASMu, AK and AoA to pop up for the last 3rd week in July.

This is so weird, I got really excited because of the updated look. But I can't see anything for this weekend that I know is open with Disney, I'll have to compare it to Expedia in a bit.

 

[amalone1013]

Booking flights through UR portal will still fall under the 24 hour cancellation window for normal flights, right?

 

[miztressuz]

Ritz-Carlton in AMEX offers today....$100 off $500, expires 12/24

I got this on both SPG and ED cards. Giggles and kicks I tried to add it to both, since I actually remembered to sign into both this time, and no multi cards on this one Has the "Limit 1 enrolled Card per Card Member across all American Express offer channels." language and it is enforced.

Side note, got 10% back on Insurance up to $20 back, good through 12/31, on my ED. I think my car insurance that's up in Jan actually gets charged in Dec so I may try to figure out how to do a partial payment.

 

[pillow]

that was me....thanks for the link. I'm still debating my choices here...as I have to figure out if I can make this AF worthwhile...I'm trying to wrap my mind around the benefits of this card...it's pay $450(!) get a $300 credit so effective $150 cost....which is only $55 higher than current AF. So if I upgraded,I would get another 100k in my acct for an effective $55? (do I have this right?) plus a free 50k nite on anniversary next year? My current AF is due this month. So it's essentially getting 100k on my acct for $55....right? I guess my big question is can I use that $300 credit for gift cards at a front desk,and use them later one?(like after next year's anniversary date) So that by Aug/Sept 2019 I would have paid an extra $55,gotten 100k points,plus the ann. free night,and then I could cancel card after free night gets dropped in for a prorated AF refund on the next years $450? what do you numbers experts think? If I don't upgrade,I'm canceling this card anyway,so..... (sigh) ETA and fix all my acronym mistakes before I drank enough tea today

Do you know your exact anniversary date? Its possible that if you upgrade right now, then use the $300 credit before your anniversary date, you could come out WAY ahead. What I'm trying is this . . .

Upgrade DH today. His anniv date is 10/7, so we pay a prorated fee of only $43(ish) less a small amount we would get back from the "old" card - about $9. Use the $300 credit by buying a gift card at the front desk (I read somewhere this works but I haven't researched extensively). So profit is $266.

Then on 10/7, we get hit with a $450 fee but we also get another $300 credit. Plus a free night worth $50k.

If this works how I think it will, this is a no brainer. The issue for me will be the MSR. Amex is hard!

 

[magickingdomprincess]

After the discussions here a few days ago regarding escrow, I finally called our mortgage company and asked if we'd be able to pay the insurance and property taxes ourselves. At first the rep said yes, but it would be a one time fee of $350. I was just like, ok thanks. Not worth it. But, he just called me back and said the fee recently changed to a one-time fee of $150. Now I'm considering it. But, they just paid our homeowners insurance for the year earlier in August, so not worth it at this point. Maybe next summer if I'm still into this hobby. I remember from my car property tax it's a pretty high fee to pay those with a credit card so not worth it for that.

 

[pillow]

So . . . for those with the SPG Luxury card AND the $300 Amex offer . . .

If I charge exactly $300 at the Marriott front desk, will I get $60 back from the Amex offer AND the $300 Lux credit? Or, would my Marriott spend be netted as $240 for Lux credit purposes. Just wondering if I should charge $360 at the front desk, which would net me $300 in order to use up the Lux credit.

Scrambling to try and figure this out before we leave town tomorrow. Marriott res tomorrow night!