I love credit cards so much!

[jhoannam]

@Limes96
This is united business availability for next July/August. This is for 4 people.

 

[Judique]

I thought Amex bonuses posted when you meet MSR. Or do they wait for statement close too? I met MSR for Hilton Ascend. No bonus yet. I’ll spend a bit more just to make sure.

I did get a weird email from Amex saying I haven’t spent anything on my new Ascend Card and how I’m missing out on points. Meantime, my balance is over $2k.

I'd contact amex and see what is going on. My statement credit posted in 1 day.

 

[miztressuz]

For anyone chasing Stariott status, reports of status challenges are back. Like everything Stariott now it's a little haphazard if you get a rep on the phone that knows what you want, but if you want status badly enough I'm sure HUCA won't deter you:
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/9d5feb/daily_discussion_thread_september_05_2018/e5g23oe/

The one telling point in the linked article is that you may only be able to enroll in a challenge once from now until end of 2021. I guess make it count.

 

[tink1970]

@Limes96
This is united business availability for next July/August. This is for 4 people.

I think it's the flights out oF LHR on non BA where they get you...taxes on United metal out of LHR I saw ranged from $181 (economy)-$302 (business).

 

[jhoannam]

I think it's the flights out oF LHR on non BA where they get you...taxes on United metal out of LHR I saw ranged from $181 (economy)-$302 (business).

ahh... I didn't even look at outbound flights.

 

[Limes96]

I think it's the flights out oF LHR on non BA where they get you...taxes on United metal out of LHR I saw ranged from $181 (economy)-$302 (business).

I knew I had read somewhere that flying out was more expensive than flying in. So BA gets you coming and going, and others mostly get you just leaving?

So if we fly in to Dublin, find a low budget airline to fly economy to London, then coming home fly out of Paris, Nice, or Madrid (all possibilities on the itinerary) then we should be able to avoid the highest of the fees? I’m thinking maybe business or first class for DH and Me on the longer flights and economy for the teens.

Thanks for the help everybody. Trying to study while the UR stash is growing.

 

[tink1970]

I knew I had read somewhere that flying out was more expensive than flying in. So BA gets you coming and going, and others mostly get you just leaving?

Good summary.

So if we fly in to Dublin, find a low budget airline to fly economy to London, then coming home fly out of Paris, Nice, or Madrid (all possibilities on the itinerary) then we should be able to avoid the highest of the fees?

That's one good plan. Aer Lingus is fine for the hop over-I've done it from EDI to DUB and had no complaints.

I’m thinking maybe business or first class for DH and Me on the longer flights and economy for the teens.

I agree with teens in the back! My DD never seems to appreciate flying in first or business like DH, DM and I do! Of course, she's younger and more resilient.

Thanks for the help everybody. Trying to study while the UR stash is growing

If you have enough URs they can get you to London via Aer Lingus/Virgin Atlantic/Flying Blue/United's ff miles as well as just booking travel with Chase. I'm excited for you!

 

[1st*toright]

I agree with teens in the back! My DD never seems to appreciate flying in first or business like DH, DM and I do! Of course, she's younger and more resilient.

I'm thinking about sticking our kids (will be 6 and 16) in coach and upgrading DH and I for a family trip to Europe next year... Not sure they will be super excited about that, but our old bones need the comfort...

I read something about Gordon Ramsey always flying first with his wife and putting the kids in coach because they had done nothing to earn it

 

[wendow]

Anyone know how the in-flight SW offer works? Do you have to apply right then and there, or is it an offer code I can take with me and apply in a month or so? Also, if I have to apply right then and there, can I apply for my dh?

 

[Alexle2007]

Anyone know how the in-flight SW offer works? Do you have to apply right then and there, or is it an offer code I can take with me and apply in a month or so? Also, if I have to apply right then and there, can I apply for my dh?

I believe you have to apply while on the flight. I did it for DH a few years ago. I didn’t have his SW RR # with me so they issued him a new one and merged him prior RR with the new one.

 

[GZanta77]

I knew I had read somewhere that flying out was more expensive than flying in. So BA gets you coming and going, and others mostly get you just leaving?

So if we fly in to Dublin, find a low budget airline to fly economy to London, then coming home fly out of Paris, Nice, or Madrid (all possibilities on the itinerary) then we should be able to avoid the highest of the fees? I’m thinking maybe business or first class for DH and Me on the longer flights and economy for the teens.

Thanks for the help everybody. Trying to study while the UR stash is growing.

The UK has a departure tax called Air Passenger Duty (APD) which is levied on all departing flights. It is cheapest for economy short-haul and most expensive for long-haul first/business. It is not specific to airline.

As for the other stupid fees airlines levy on award tickets - some airlines minimise the fees but charge you more miles (United/Delta), whereas others charge higher fees but require a lower number of miles (BA/Virgin). If you have an abundance of miles then clearly your preference will be for lower fees, but sometimes you don't have a sufficient stash of miles and are happy to pay the higher fee.

 

[Angrose]

I want to thank everyone here for the tremendous outpouring of love and support during my DMIL’s time in the hospital and all your heartfelt condolences upon her passing.

We had her funeral in Hawaii last Friday, and had a more intimate farewell ceremony on Saturday. The turnout amazed and humbled us. My DMIL lived a very ordinary life, but so many family and friends who we hadn’t seen in a long time came from all over the island and flew in from the neighbor islands, and all her old colleagues from work came that we swore they must’ve closed the office for the day. And they all shared stories about how strong my DMIL was, because even though she battled a chronic illness for much of her later years, she never complained, and always radiated optimism and positivity; and most of all, how much she loved her daughters and granddaughter. Being surrounded by so much family and friends last weekend really helped start the healing process. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, too. Hurricane Lane lashed Oahu with heavy winds and rain a week earlier, but there was no sign the storm had even happened. The morning of the funeral started out with some passing showers that gave way to a rainbow, and it was sunny and breezy the rest of the day. We said our final goodbyes off a small beach that’s meant a lot to my wife’s family, where her parents had many dates, and the family enjoyed picnics, potluck, and fishing. That afternoon was beautiful. But as soon as we finished, a sudden sunshower came out of nowhere and drizzled on us for a minute. We took that as a sign from mom.

We’re still trying to get back to our routine, and you can all go back to our regularly scheduled program. To bring it all back to churning, I had to book four roundtrip tickets [twice for my wife] between SFO and HNL this summer and went through about 77.5k HawaiianMiles, 22.5k United miles, about 36k UR points, and a few dozen dollars in fees. Not too bad, considering most of the travel was booked last minute or just a few days before the long Labor Day weekend. I do not want to have to go through this again. But I'm thankful to have a diverse and deep enough pool of points and miles that we didn't have to worry at all about last minute travel costs.

I am so sorry to hear about your DMIL passing. She was obviously loved by many and it sounds like she was smiling down on all of you that day. Glad you could piece together the points for the trip, and yes, let's hope you don't have to worry about this type of thing again.

Funny thing, we were in the city over the weekend and drove by the Bed, Bath and Beyond on 9th and Bryant. I didn't have any of my AMEX cards with me to use the deal and thought it was so funny because you had suggested I come down that way since I couldn't find any stores in my area...D'oh!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Got a couple mailers today for DH...

Citi thank you premier 60k bonus

And

Some weird black card MasterCard that appears to be from Barclays. It looks like you get a 1.5x redemption even when you cash out....that’s intriguing. I have never heard of this card though.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Ugh. The new RMN cash back bonuses are underwhelming. I have a $5 off $50 Walgreens but other than that, not worth my time.

Literally LOL'd at the new Staples offer.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Since a bunch of people got Hilton cards recently and are maybe staying there to meet spends, I thought I’d share this promotion.

I don’t know what Lufthansa miles will do for me, but hey, free miles. I’ll take them! Set up DH a Lufthansa acct and linked it to Hilton and voila! His last couple stays posted the 2500 with no extra effort on my part. So easy! I suppose now I should research what good they are to me.

https://www.hiltonhonors.com/en_US/HHCM/lufthansa-25/landing

ETA: this is a stackable promo...so he is still getting the base points, diamond bonus, and quarterly promo bonus too! The airline points are just the cherry on top!

 

[speedyfishy]

Ugh, OT but I’m having wedding frustrations already! I want a dessert party. Apparently Disney doesn’t count the dessert party towards the food and beverage minimum required for weddings. I swore I saw reports that it does if it’s the same day as the reception. The main reception meal for what I want is 105ish a person. I don’t want to increase it to $165 by adding alcohol and pre-reception food for a lunch ceremony!! I want DESSERT and alcohol there! @amalone1013 help me lol also, apparently Disney weddings charge $6 for every glass of Soda???

Anyway, I’m now considering Disneyland. It seems cheaper. Since my family has to fly from the east coast my dad is asking what card he should get. He only wants one, but I’m pushing him to double dip. He also doesn’t seem comfortable with a business card. And grandma is basically saying I’ll give you my information and wants me to just apply for cards for her. Have I entered 3 player mode? My grandma has no clue when I talk about credit card stuff but always pays her bills. She has a Disney credit card and one through her credit union. She will need hand holding, but my dad is doing his own research and knows the difference between the CSP/CSR I just have to get him comfortable with a double dip. Hoping I get some referral bonuses soon.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Got a couple mailers today for DH...

Citi thank you premier 60k bonus

And

Some weird black card MasterCard that appears to be from Barclays. It looks like you get a 1.5x redemption even when you cash out....that’s intriguing. I have never heard of this card though.

Is it this one: http://www.luxurycard.com/blackcard I got a few mailers for it last year and was just like...What The...

$495 Annual Fee with no signup bonus

The card is stainless steel and is a symbol of my excessive awesomeness! Also make sure you view the "unboxing video" from the link in the bottom right It's a can't miss! Even if this isn't the card you got the mailer for you need to check it out.

 

[afan]

Ugh, OT but I’m having wedding frustrations already! I want a dessert party. Apparently Disney doesn’t count the dessert party towards the food and beverage minimum required for weddings. I swore I saw reports that it does if it’s the same day as the reception. The main reception meal for what I want is 105ish a person. I don’t want to increase it to $165 by adding alcohol and pre-reception food for a lunch ceremony!! I want DESSERT and alcohol there! @amalone1013 help me lol also, apparently Disney weddings charge $6 for every glass of Soda???

Anyway, I’m now considering Disneyland. It seems cheaper. Since my family has to fly from the east coast my dad is asking what card he should get. He only wants one, but I’m pushing him to double dip. He also doesn’t seem comfortable with a business card. And grandma is basically saying I’ll give you my information and wants me to just apply for cards for her. Have I entered 3 player mode? My grandma has no clue when I talk about credit card stuff but always pays her bills. She has a Disney credit card and one through her credit union. She will need hand holding, but my dad is doing his own research and knows the difference between the CSP/CSR I just have to get him comfortable with a double dip. Hoping I get some referral bonuses soon.

Have you been on the Dis wedding board? I'm pretty sure it's very active with helpful info.

 

[mmmears]

Is it this one: http://www.luxurycard.com/blackcard I got a few mailers for it last year and was just like...What The...

$495 Annual Fee with no signup bonus

The card is stainless steel and is a symbol of my excessive awesomeness! Also make sure you view the "unboxing video" from the link in the bottom right It's a can't miss! Even if this isn't the card you got the mailer for you need to check it out.

OMG that unboxing video. Are you sure this isn't one of those "fake" commercials like the kind on SNL?


ETA - It says "luxury card" on it and it's black and steel. I must have it.

 

[kayteekt]

Life has just been so hectic and this board moves so quickly,which is great bc there's such a wealth of information, but I am literally incapable of keeping up.

So, just found out DD 10 has to go ahead and start with braces. I thought i had more time than this . So, in usual fashion, I'm trying to figure out how to maximize cc rewards.

Not working on any min spend right now. Just finished up citi aa biz. Wanting to hold back on any chase cards for time being and anything that would count towards 5/24.

So, another biz card. DH could do an app this time i suppose. Ortho charges for cc payments though. So, i could run through plastiq.

I could also just use plastiq with one of our CIPs for 3x, it is the CIP, right? I just hate paying the fee. I have a plastiq, i could refer DH and do $500 (pay the fee), then $500 (fee free), then i would get some fee free $ from his referral, right? Then pay the balance off of mine. So essentially, i could get 1k of the 3k fee free? Would that work?