I love credit cards so much!

[striker1064]

Thanks! I would not have known that otherwise. Citi sent me one for 50k and another 60k. We also have a mailer from Venture for60k with $3k spend and BOA Premium Rewards for 50k with $3k spend. The BOA actually looked interesting since it has $100 annual travel statement credit which basically negates the $95 annual fee.

The BOA card is a great card, but that's the public offer so don't feel pressured to apply just because you got a mailer. Although I don't know anything about BOA's mailers - does it have a unique code? I wonder if it increases your chances of approval. BOA is getting tough.

https://www.bankofamerica.com/credi...ewards-credit-card/?campaign=4022680~35~en_US

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Crazy SW won't open any further flights until November, I'm not so patiently waiting to book flights for May...makes me wonder if they hope to open Hawaii flights at that point, otherwise not too sure why they would delay their flights so much.

I think maybe they are waiting to be able to load Hawaii flights.

With each subsequent release since Hawaii flights were announced, people have attempted to search for reasons why that particular release was tied to Hawaii. I've largely dismissed those comments (and that's obviously been correct as numerous releases have come and go without Hawaii). This one however is VERY strange...In the past 18 months, (1) Southwest has never let their inventory go under 5 months and (2) upon a new release has never gone out less than 7 months. With this new projected release date they violate both of those statements. Perhaps this one does have something to do with Hawaii and the logistics of adding those routes...or perhaps not. We'll just need to stay posted

 

[jhoannam]

DH’s 5 missing SPG nights finally reappeared. He has 42 nights total and we have 8 nights booked before the end of the year. He’ll be platinum for 2019, but at this point we don’t have any plans to stay at Marriott hotels in 2019. That status might not be used

 

[1st*toright]

@speedyfishy
How big of a wedding are you considering?

Obviously, she will have to have a huge wedding - otherwise there won't be room for all her friends from the board. @speedyfishy - when can we all expect our save the dates?

 

[amalone1013]

Looks like about 40 pages to catch up here, 200ish emails at work... hmmm, which will I prioritize...

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Looks like about 40 pages to catch up here, 200ish emails at work... hmmm, which will I prioritize...

Given what you've told us about your job...I'd prioritize the DIS! Who wants that stress of the work emails!!

 

[1st*toright]

This one is worse. And people wonder why families don’t want to be separated from kids even when kids are 10 or 12. My kid is 9, he’s sitting next to me.

While these stories are awful, these incidents are still incredibly few and far between. Its a little like the stranger-danger stuff that has meant that kids rarely do anything independently anymore - I get that people are unwilling to take even a tiny statistical risk that something bad will happen to their kids (I've got plenty of overprotective mama instincts), but I also see how beneficial a little bit of independence can be for kids. Its a hard line to walk in this day and age, and sensationalized reporting doesn't help.

 

[Alexle2007]

The BOA card is a great card, but that's the public offer so don't feel pressured to apply just because you got a mailer. Although I don't know anything about BOA's mailers - does it have a unique code? I wonder if it increases your chances of approval. BOA is getting tough.

https://www.bankofamerica.com/credi...ewards-credit-card/?campaign=4022680~35~en_US

Thanks! There is a personal secure code that I am supposed to use if I apply. I am currently at 4/24 and will soon be at 3/24 when the CSR gets removed next month. I just got the CIU a couple of weeks ago. For personal cards, I am not sure if there are any additional cards I want except maybe United and Hyatt. I would like to get the CIC at some point just for the 50k URs. My SW CP expires at the end of 2019 but then it will be DH's turn and he is only at 1/24.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I think maybe they are waiting to be able to load Hawaii flights...

I’ve given up on that at this point. SW should just make a special announcement & load then up the first day they can. I feel like every time we see schedule announcements are later we go “ooh, maybe they’re waiting for HI flights?” Fool me once SW.... (“whose this we pilgrim? You don’t fly SW...” one might ask me. Being CA I’m excited for what these HI flights will do to all other HI flight prices!!)

 

[pillow]

@szvers @disneymagicgirl I just read where the Sam's Dosh deal is dead. Sure enough, when I checked the app, the Sam's payout is back to 2%. Darn! Just as I was getting started.

 

[Alexle2007]

DH’s 5 missing SPG nights finally reappeared. He has 42 nights total and we have 8 nights booked before the end of the year. He’ll be platinum for 2019, but at this point we don’t have any plans to stay at Marriott hotels in 2019. That status might not be used

My missing 5 nights for the SPG Biz also have shown up but then the 3 nights for my recent stay at the Courtyard have gone MIA. I was at 25 + 3 nights at Courtyard = 28. Today, I am at 31 so I have no idea about their math. So I have no idea what the math is! I am getting ready to book a hotel stay for tomorrow and I think I can get the other 3 nights that would be needed before the end of the year (with the 15 nights for the Marriott Personal) to get to Platinum for this year.

 

[1st*toright]

My missing 5 nights for the SPG Biz also have shown up but then the 3 nights for my recent stay at the Courtyard have gone MIA. I was at 25 + 3 nights at Courtyard = 28. Today, I am at 31 so I have no idea about their math. So I have no idea what the math is! I am getting ready to book a hotel stay for tomorrow and I think I can get the other 3 nights that would be needed before the end of the year (with the 15 nights for the Marriott Personal) to get to Platinum for this year.

I was really hoping that the elite night mystery process would be clarified with the merger - it was much easier to see your nights on the SPG side than the Marriott side. Makes me crazy! Hopefully the system stuff will get sorted out and we will be able to track them more easily in future.

 

[hsmamato2]

Another AMEX lux DP. So I charged my Swan Feb 2019 Ressie for one night to my newly upgraded Amex Lux. The total was $341. I then canceled it under my name and booked it under DH instead because I remembered that he had the Marriott $60 off $300 spend. What I forgot is both of my cards still had the SPG spend $300 get $60 offer that expired over the weekend.

The $60 off hit both charges! One I’m sure will be clawed back once the cancelation goes through. However the $300 credit hit also in spite of the charge being $341. I’ll keep you posted what happens when the second charge is refunded but right it looks like my room was -$20. I also still have the Marriott deal on x2 cards and since the merger it should work with a Swolphin booking.

I wonder can you prepay a night as far ahead as the calendar is open?(and this will work to trigger the Luxe credit)

 

[PrincessMom98]

I have been 30-40 pages behind since vacation in July but I am jumping ahead to ask for advice on booking AA award flights. My window has just opened for our flight out but I still have a few days before I can book our flight home. It will be myself and 2 boys flying from PHL to MHH for a scout trip. Should I book 2 one way trips or wait for the round trip to open? The troop will be getting trip insurance as it is hurricane season, any advice for insuring a trip booked on points? Anything else I need to know? I have cancelled and rebooked SW flights several times, but this is more intimidating.
TIA

 

[disneymagicgirl]

You DO NOT give yourself enough credit. You are totally not clueless! You dish out some great advice around here at times!!


I'm also shocked at that one...that release is much more delayed than normal, and even then they are barely getting back up to 6 months of inventory available. Maybe they will further update it and release more flights on that same date...It is something to keep an eye on for sure.

Thank you!

I wonder if the flight release delay is b/c of Hawaii. Makes it hard to plan though. I have a hotel lined up Easter/househunting in Charleston so that is easy enough to just grab flights for. But I also am thinking about Hawaii late next summer. I guess I should just get the hotel lined up and hope flights on whatever days I choose work out ok. It may be hard to shuffle my hotel to match up with the best flight prices with such little notice.

 

[miztressuz]

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.

I've gotten this mailer a few times in the last year or so and I laugh every time, including the latest one the other day. First thing that gets me is the "46 patents" on the stainless steel/carbon card design... cuz that's totally important to me on an item that sees the light of day for 30 seconds while I swipe it. (although it probably would look a mite better coming out of the wallet than the poor plastic Discover card hubby's been sitting on all day) That'll make me pay the $500 for the privilege of carrying it around each year, totally. Oh and let me get hubby an AU card for the low low price of $195 per user. Next is the selling point they decided to close on - LUXURY MAGAZINE! Why that's a value, how much would it cost me each year to get a magazine from all these categories, travel, fashion, RE, vehicles AND technology?! That's a steal to get all that 4 times a year, but shhhh, it's members only, how exclusive!
But with all that what really gets me is how mum they are on EARN rates. Yeah 2% redemption on flights beats all the competition but if I'm earning .25% per $, am I really going to have anything worthwhile to redeem??? They do put in very fine, grey on black, print that the "The earn rates at which points can be accumulated vary among these credit card products and can impact the relative dollar value of the redemption" under the very giant bar graph of how much the Black Card redeems so much higher than the CSR, Citi Prestige and AmEx Plat. Maybe I need to check out the video and miraculously they'll tell me there...

ETA: OMG the post card didn't even tell me about the art picture on the cover of the quarterly LUXURY MAGAZINE making it a limited edition collectors item! How did they miss that opportunity in the mailer to point me to the unboxing video with that clincher?!
But I'm especially liking the YouTube company this card keeps:

I may actually have to click on Credit Shifu's ladder system... to see if the Luxury card made it to the top, of course.

 

[miztressuz]

DH’s 5 missing SPG nights finally reappeared. He has 42 nights total and we have 8 nights booked before the end of the year. He’ll be platinum for 2019, but at this point we don’t have any plans to stay at Marriott hotels in 2019. That status might not be used

Yea, nights!!!
about using them. However, I sense perhaps some points weekends when they run some saver promos. May as well get the perks of the status while you have it rather than it just being a Lifetime stat. ​

 

[disneymagicgirl]

@szvers @disneymagicgirl I just read where the Sam's Dosh deal is dead. Sure enough, when I checked the app, the Sam's payout is back to 2%. Darn! Just as I was getting started.

ooohhhh no! Well maybe it will cycle back soon enough. Thats a bummer.

 

[amalone1013]

And, she can't use points from my account and let me get elite nights - I have to be there and stay in the room with Marriott's rules to get elite night credits!!!

@amalone1013 did a points booking for her grandfather several months ago and he was able to stay. Not sure if she collected nights or not, or if things have changed since the merger.

Slowly working through. I did receive nights for this stay I booked for my grandpa, I just had it under my name and added him as the second guest so he could check in on his own... you know, because he was arriving before me... This was at the beginning of July. I never actually stopped at the desk or anything.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Banking question...

As I have been opening accounts for bonuses, I have been moving accounts over from Wells Fargo and closing them. For example, DH's discover account for bonus is now on of our kids' savings accounts and I closed the WF one. So I am doing it slowly so I get a bonus each time. Our main savings is at ally. I also have a discover savings that I keep my bonuses in. I am trying to decide where to move out checking account to. I am leaning discover b/c of the 1% rebate. We obviously rarely (never) swipe a debit card, but it is nice to have in case debit is required somewhere. The other one I was considering is ally since our main savings account is there. I also could do fidelity since I did the bonus savings thing there recently and also have rollover IRAs there. Anyone have experience with any of these checking accounts? I'm not so worried about getting a bonus for this particular account opening, just want a good checking account to get away from Wells Fargo.