I love credit cards so much!

[Lain]

Just curious: Is anyone still using Plastiq at all after the loss of 3x? I was crunching numbers trying to find a way to make it work. Best I can come up with is the Arrival+ but even then at 2 years it looks like it will only net me $309 after factoring in the AF & Plastiq's fees. I don't think $150 a year is worth a 5/24 slot.

I hit the Plastiq Masterpass promo pretty hard starting in late-August up until this week.

I bought MCGCs at grocery stores for just a 1.19% fee or less to work on my Amex MSRs, and took advantage of the Office Max/Depot no fee and $15 off MCGC deals using my CIC, then liquidated them on Plastiq towards student loans (a restricted category on Amex) for no fee using the Masterpass promo.

I still use Plastiq to pay bigger bills directly with Amexes on which I’m working on MSRs. (I didn’t use the Masterpass promo for these because they’re the kind of bills that I didn’t want being paid in $250 increments.) I think Plastiq is still useful for hitting MSRs with bill payments that don’t otherwise take credit cards. But I have not put a cent of Plastiq payments on my CIP since 3x died.

 

[speedyfishy]

I understand about the $10 off if you spend $20 or more, and that you won’t save much with multiple purchases, but...the RMN for staples expires today anyway. I receive 5% back from Chase at Staples with my CIC, but I didn’t know if there was a limit for the % back for gift cards?

$25,000 a year.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Tried to post this earlier but my phone was going nutso.

When you get a flu shot at CVS, you get a $5 off $25 coupon. Can't use for giftcards but you can stack with their in store offers and RMN if you're looking to buy actual products. If you get a shot at CVS in Target, you get a Target coupon.

I got my shot (and my arm hurts still) and just did another Disney gift card. I will save my coupons (DH got his shot too) for Black Friday deals on things like detergent, candy and wrapping paper. The coupon expires 12/31.

Publix gives a $10 GC too. We did it last year. Went in to get mine this year and she said my insurance doesn't pay for it. How in the world does a flu shot not count as preventative. So now I lean towards skipping it. Cost was about $45.

 

[amalone1013]

Plastiq will get all of the $5k MSR from my CIP (which i will apply for on monday )...

Because I've hoarded up an extra $5k to put towards my car loan. Specifically while waiting for this card, because 80+5+20 from referral is greater than the 3x pts I could have gotten using DHs before it died.

But I've got almost $3k in FFD so that helps.

i will back off...
please dont shun me...

More friends in shun-dom...

 

[GlamMistress]

Publix gives a $10 GC too. We did it last year. Went in to get mine this year and she said my insurance doesn't pay for it. How in the world does a flu shot not count as preventative. So now I lean towards skipping it. Cost was about $45.

Your health insurance is required to pay for your flu shot without any co-payment because of the ACA if you're with an in network provider. I would check at another place.

Otherwise I think you can get one at Costco for $20 or so.

 

[Albort]

Plastiq will get all of the $5k MSR from my CIP (which i will apply for on monday )...

Because I've hoarded up an extra $5k to put towards my car loan. Specifically while waiting for this card, because 80+5+20 from referral is greater than the 3x pts I could have gotten using DHs before it died.

But I've got almost $3k in FFD so that helps.

More friends in shun-dom...

would recommend doing PNC 2k loads so u dont need to pay the 2.5% fee...

 

[Albort]

I understand about the $10 off if you spend $20 or more, and that you won’t save much with multiple purchases, but...the RMN for staples expires today anyway. I receive 5% back from Chase at Staples with my CIC, but I didn’t know if there was a limit for the % back for gift cards?

whatever your card is limited to... if you got an office depot, there is a 3% back up to $5 with ebates...

 

[Lain]

whatever your card is limited to... if you got an office depot, there is a 3% back up to $5 with ebates...

AFAIK, you can’t stack Ebates and RMN. Ebates is also highly YMMV whether you’ll get cash back on gift card and prepaid gift card purchases.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Plastiq will get all of the $5k MSR from my CIP (which i will apply for on monday )...

Exciting!! Good luck!!!!

 

[gottalovepluto]

would recommend doing PNC 2k loads so u dont need to pay the 2.5% fee...

Don't forget good ol' BMO $3k...

 

[Albort]

AFAIK, you can’t stack Ebates and RMN. Ebates is also highly YMMV whether you’ll get cash back on gift card and prepaid gift card purchases.

true... i was thinking after RMN expire haha. they work for amazon gift cards though, ive been doing that for awhile...

 

[gottalovepluto]

Citi ThankYou to Etihad update: Transferred my points 9/17. From reading on FT miles should take 7-8 days to post. Beyond that they will require manual assistance- an unfortunately common occurrence. If you contact Citi after the 8 day mark they will tell you to wait another week (technically Citi says allow 15 days) and drive you crazy after the 15 days eventually telling you go talk to Etihad. Etihad will say go talk to Citi, etc. But someone on FT said they contacted Etihad via Twitter DM and they had it resolved in a day. On day 9 I DM'd Etihad on Twitter, told them I transferred X miles on 9/17 from Citi but they weren't showing in my account. They reached out to Etihad Guest Services and I had my miles a day or two later (I was traveling idk exactly how long that took).

I wanted Air Seychelles SEZ-JNB. Etihad prices out different partners differently so read the website very carefully to know exactly how many miles to transfer. I'd read the flights were priced roundtrip but I could do one way for half the price from a blogger so I called Etihad to verify this prior to moving miles over (waited on hold 15 mins) and while she initially quoted me the roundtrip price after I pointed out it was one-way she gave me the half price quote I was expecting. In order to find award availability I used expert flyer. According to the blogger biz seats were easily available (last year) but I saw no business seats available on any dates on this particular flight and the reps confirmed there were no biz seats available for award redemptions. 5 hours in economy but I'll be on my way to South Africa so who cares?!

Booking process: have to call, no wait today, she took down all the info very carefully told me what flight she saw which was what I saw on expert flyer, then priced it at the roundtrip price. I said that's round trip ("return journey"? seems to be the phrase they use there was a bit of confusion but we got there) and it should be half that price. She put me on hold and came back with the 1/2 price quoted. The taxes and fees were about $150 so that did catch me off guard but now I see these are the same t&f Kayak shows ($50 Seychelles Airport fee + 100 in fuel surcharges). Cash price on the flight $450 t&f included so in the end I did ok with $150 + 22,000 TY points. Flight immediately confirmed and ticketed and I was able to select my seat on the air seychelles website.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

The @SouthFayetteFan Disney trip update...

So as you know we are BOOKED now for Yacht Club & Grand Floridian! 4 nights at Yacht (those will be our Epcot & Hollywood Studios days...yay no buses!); Then 3 nights at GF (3 days at MK with 1 AK day in there).

Yesterday the refunds processed back to my Disney Rewards cards from the Agency Exclusive I cancelled. Today the TA put the deposit on my Disney Rewards Card and initiated the refund back to my Disney Visa CC. I still think she thinks I'm crazy...I tried to explain why earning 1% back on that Disney Visa was a bad thing and I preferred to use Disney GCs purchased with a better CC. Oh well...She can think I'm crazy...I'm the one saving 18-30% on these GC purchases. I ain't about to settle for 1% even on $350 of my trip cost!

So we're all set now until final payments due in December and January respectively. Now I just have to purchase $4,700 in Disney GCs at the best discount possible. Waiting on a Double Fuel Perks promo now at the Grocery store!!

 

[gottalovepluto]

The @SouthFayetteFan Disney trip update...

So as you know we are BOOKED now for Yacht Club & Grand Floridian! 4 nights at Yacht (those will be our Epcot & Hollywood Studios days...yay no buses!); Then 3 nights at GF (3 days at MK with 1 AK day in there).

Yesterday the refunds processed back to my Disney Rewards cards from the Agency Exclusive I cancelled. Today the TA put the deposit on my Disney Rewards Card and initiated the refund back to my Disney Visa CC. I still think she thinks I'm crazy...I tried to explain why earning 1% back on that Disney Visa was a bad thing and I preferred to use Disney GCs purchased with a better CC. Oh well...She can think I'm crazy...I'm the one saving 18-30% on these GC purchases. I ain't about to settle for 1% even on $350 of my trip cost!

So we're all set now until final payments due in December and January respectively. Now I just have to purchase $4,700 in Disney GCs at the best discount possible. Waiting on a Double Fuel Perks promo now at the Grocery store!!

So your refund to the Disney Rewards Card only took a couple days instead of the 7 days she said? (And CONGRATS!!)

 

[deide71]

The @SouthFayetteFan Disney trip update...

So as you know we are BOOKED now for Yacht Club & Grand Floridian! 4 nights at Yacht (those will be our Epcot & Hollywood Studios days...yay no buses!); Then 3 nights at GF (3 days at MK with 1 AK day in there).

Yesterday the refunds processed back to my Disney Rewards cards from the Agency Exclusive I cancelled. Today the TA put the deposit on my Disney Rewards Card and initiated the refund back to my Disney Visa CC. I still think she thinks I'm crazy...I tried to explain why earning 1% back on that Disney Visa was a bad thing and I preferred to use Disney GCs purchased with a better CC. Oh well...She can think I'm crazy...I'm the one saving 18-30% on these GC purchases. I ain't about to settle for 1% even on $350 of my trip cost!

So we're all set now until final payments due in December and January respectively. Now I just have to purchase $4,700 in Disney GCs at the best discount possible. Waiting on a Double Fuel Perks promo now at the Grocery store!!

It makes me yearn for those salad days in 2015 when we could churn eBay to Target back and forth...I earned enough for a week at the Contemporary (garden wing...but still) churning gift cards, makes me a little misty just thinking about it

 

[jhoannam]

Just curious: Is anyone still using Plastiq at all after the loss of 3x? I was crunching numbers trying to find a way to make it work. Best I can come up with is the Arrival+ but even then at 2 years it looks like it will only net me $309 after factoring in the AF & Plastiq's fees. I don't think $150 a year is worth a 5/24 slot.

I use it to meet MSR, but I have lost of free dollars from referrals. I still need it to meet the MSR, specially those $5k .

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

So your refund to the Disney Rewards Card only took a couple days instead of the 7 days she said? (And CONGRATS!!)

Yeah, LOL. She initiated the cancellation Thursday and the money was back on my Disney Rewards card by sometime yesterday evening.

I still agree with the deposit on the Disney CC though, I'd have hated to lose my GF room type and discount if we had delayed.

 

[mmmears]

The @SouthFayetteFan Disney trip update...

So as you know we are BOOKED now for Yacht Club & Grand Floridian! 4 nights at Yacht (those will be our Epcot & Hollywood Studios days...yay no buses!); Then 3 nights at GF (3 days at MK with 1 AK day in there).

Yesterday the refunds processed back to my Disney Rewards cards from the Agency Exclusive I cancelled. Today the TA put the deposit on my Disney Rewards Card and initiated the refund back to my Disney Visa CC. I still think she thinks I'm crazy...I tried to explain why earning 1% back on that Disney Visa was a bad thing and I preferred to use Disney GCs purchased with a better CC. Oh well...She can think I'm crazy...I'm the one saving 18-30% on these GC purchases. I ain't about to settle for 1% even on $350 of my trip cost!

So we're all set now until final payments due in December and January respectively. Now I just have to purchase $4,700 in Disney GCs at the best discount possible. Waiting on a Double Fuel Perks promo now at the Grocery store!!

Congrats on being all booked! I love that YC/GF split, too, it's great. So are you getting the Disney Visa discount without putting the room deposit on the Disney Visa?

 

[miztressuz]

the first name = your actual name.
the 2nd name = your business name.

its common to see this on a business card.

Maybe someone can tell me why I have 3 on my AmEx statements

The card is fine, just 2 there, but on my statement it's listed 3 times. Although I may be the only crazy one here that looks at actual statements.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Congrats on being all booked! I love that YC/GF split, too, it's great. So are you getting the Disney Visa discount without putting the room deposit on the Disney Visa?

When those discounts come out you can qualify by either putting the deposit on the Disney Visa Credit Card OR a Disney Rewards Redemption Card (from the credit card). I had a bunch of money on Disney Rewards Redemption Cards earned from referrals (free money ) so I wanted to use those for my deposit.

Also worth noting: whenever I get a referral on my Disney CCs I always keep that money on the Redemption Card. I try not to use those funds at the Disney store so that I have those funds for a deposit when Disney Visa discounts are released to Disney World.