I love credit cards so much!

[wanderlust7]

Any deals on AirBnB right now or for AirBnB gift cards?

If you have your eye on a particular place, have you checked if it's also listed elsewhere? I always look on AirBnb, but have never booked anything yet. I always seem to find a better deal for the same property elsewhere with better terms (VRBO/HomeAway, TripAdvisor/FlipKey, booking.com, etc). Even the most generous AirBnb cancellation involves losing the booking fee. I like VRBO the best since many are 100% refundable (up to x days before).

A couple of DPs, my VRBO/HomeAway charges (both processed through Dublin), counted as travel on CSR and CIP.

 

[speedyfishy]

I’m going to MVMCP and DAH during my three night trip in December. Chase isn’t going to stop me from having fun I’ll just pay cash. The trip is going to be me SO and my grandma. She hasn’t been to Disney since 2016 so there is lots of new stuff for her to see. I’m so excited. We are surprising her with the DAH event. She hasn’t been to the Christmas party either but she knows about that and is excited. Im worried about two late nights in a row but I asked if 1AM would be too much for her without mentioning the special event. She said she will be fine. She could always go back alone though. I know people complain about the buses but I love them lol. She will be fine getting back to the room by herself, but I think she will stay.

 

[1st*toright]

So, after going down a little bit of a rabbit hole planning a hypothetical Disney weekend add-on to the conference I'm not yet scheduled to go to, DH and I decided that we should probably make the add-on a weekend at Universal instead (our little one is Harry Potter obsessed, and her best friend just went to USO, so she really really wants to see the wizarding world). I know nothing about Universal! We will only be there for 1 day (2 hotel nights, but one park day), so I'm thinking we really need to stay on site and get the front of line thingy, so its Hard Rock, Portofino or RPH. Convenience is the most important thing, a good pool is second most important. Anyone have advice for me?

The big downside to this plan is that we will likely wind up paying for one day tickets at Disney and at Universal - not a good value at all. Also, I won't get to do any Disney parks (they will go while I'm in sessions) and we'll be visiting Universal on a Saturday, so it will likely be crowded. But, my LO (and I!) will enjoy all the HP stuff, I'm sure.

 

[1st*toright]

I’m going to MVMCP and DAH during my three night trip in December. Chase isn’t going to stop me from having fun I’ll just pay cash. The trip is going to be me SO and my grandma. She hasn’t been to Disney since 2016 so there is lots of new stuff for her to see. I’m so excited. We are surprising her with the DAH event. She hasn’t been to the Christmas party either but she knows about that and is excited. Im worried about two late nights in a row but I asked if 1AM would be too much for her without mentioning the special event. She said she will be fine. She could always go back alone though. I know people complain about the buses but I love them lol. She will be fine getting back to the room by herself, but I think she will stay.

That sounds so fun!!! Go Grandma!

 

[Haley R]

Are you in a rush? You just missed several sitewide sales on Raise that would’ve put AirBnB GCs in the 8-9% off range, and another 1% back through Ebates. 5% off at Target with a REDcard is the bare minimum savings for any GC. You can do better.

Nope no rush. Luckily our host said not to rush after I told her we are trying to save up gift cards.

 

[ericf70]

Question for those familiar with the Amex Hilton cards...

I had a Citi Hilton card that turned into the lowest Amex Hilton when they took over.

• Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product or the Hilton Honors Surpass Card

Am I locked out of any bonuses for the Aspire or the Ascend cards?

 

[Haley R]

If you have your eye on a particular place, have you checked if it's also listed elsewhere? I always look on AirBnb, but have never booked anything yet. I always seem to find a better deal for the same property elsewhere with better terms (VRBO/HomeAway, TripAdvisor/FlipKey, booking.com, etc). Even the most generous AirBnb cancellation involves losing the booking fee. I like VRBO the best since many are 100% refundable (up to x days before).

A couple of DPs, my VRBO/HomeAway charges (both processed through Dublin), counted as travel on CSR and CIP.

I didn’t even think to look on another site. All of my communication with the host has been on Airbnb. I guess I just assumes it was only available on that site. I’ll have to look and see if she has it listed anywhere else.

 

[vanjust14]

Can someone please tell me how the SPG free night certs work? Can you stay at any hotel in that given category? I have a cert coming for up to 35,000. I was just looking at a Residence Inn Marriott and checked off "use points" to see how many points it was, and I got a message saying "This property is not taking redemption bookings at this time." Does this also include free night certs or are those different?

ETA: I tried different dates at the same hotel and was able to pull up points. It says 70,000 points a night, but the hotel itself is listed as a Reward Category 5, which I thought was 35,000? I'm so confused, lol. ok I clearly need more coffee...it was for 2 nights so 70,000.
Still need clarification on my first question though please

 

[WVMomof3]

So, after going down a little bit of a rabbit hole planning a hypothetical Disney weekend add-on to the conference I'm not yet scheduled to go to, DH and I decided that we should probably make the add-on a weekend at Universal instead (our little one is Harry Potter obsessed, and her best friend just went to USO, so she really really wants to see the wizarding world). I know nothing about Universal! We will only be there for 1 day (2 hotel nights, but one park day), so I'm thinking we really need to stay on site and get the front of line thingy, so its Hard Rock, Portofino or RPH. Convenience is the most important thing, a good pool is second most important. Anyone have advice for me?

The big downside to this plan is that we will likely wind up paying for one day tickets at Disney and at Universal - not a good value at all. Also, I won't get to do any Disney parks (they will go while I'm in sessions) and we'll be visiting Universal on a Saturday, so it will likely be crowded. But, my LO (and I!) will enjoy all the HP stuff, I'm sure.

If you are just spending one night, I think I would go for whatever is cheapest. I am guessing you will not have time for the pool anyway? Also, you can pool hop between all the resorts if you do have time. I have only stayed at Portofino, it is usually more expensive but somehow was the cheapest every time we went. I love it there, it is beautiful. Hard Rock is the closest walk, but none of them are bad. And you can take the boat. Also, since you are staying 2 nights and only 1 park day, it may be cheaper to stay at any of the cheaper resorts and buy the front of the line pass. I have no idea, but it may work out that way if there is just 3 of you.

 

[afan]

Think I would need a reservation for Beaches and Cream for a lunch time? We had talked about going here a couple years ago. Beginning of March on a Sunday but hate to make reservations as not knowing how quick things go after landing. Wanted to check Jelly Rolls a couple years back but probably pass this round with little ones.

Yes, the place ia tiny. You could get lucky with counter space but it would be better to get an adr. We tried to eat early before our adr a couple years ago with no luck. My TA has been able to get it for us on iur 3rd day during food and wine race weekend both trips though. It's our after race meal and I've been looking forward to thr hot fudge sundae since she got the adr in May.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

My old Marriott Personal AF posted yesterday. I got my free night almost a month ago. Any chances of a retention offer?

Always worth a shot...that said, I’ve never had success with a retention on Marriott and I’ve tried multiple times. I’ve also never seen a successful DP on anybody getting a retention on these cards.

 

[striker1064]

Should we create a bank bonus thread? Not sure if those are common or not. My hunch is, they probably are and I've never paid attention to them.

Otherwise I'll move my link over to Chase.

The Chase bank account referral comes and goes from time to time. There are one or two others that have a referral as well but they're not very widespread.

The real problem with bank bonus referrals is there's no good reason for anyone to ever use them. The Chase one floating around now, for example, is a much worse offer than what anyone can get with the coupon online.

My old Marriott Personal AF posted yesterday. I got my free night almost a month ago. Any chances of a retention offer?

If you're going to cancel anyway it doesn't hurt to check, but my understanding for all of the cards with a free night is Chase considers the annual night to be the retention offer, and as such they won't try to keep you with anything else if that's not enough.

Looking for some advice here. As some might recall, I was approved for the Hilton Aspire in September, and as folks have indicated, that card is not yet showing up on my credit report, at least according to Credit Karma. Credit Karma shows that I am at 5/24, which is as I expected, because I have a card dropping off on Oct. 25. I believe I have read on this thread that the credit bureaus will update as of the first of the month, so perhaps the credit bureaus are already showing me at 4/24. If I was confident this was the case, I'd go ahead and apply for the CIP today using DH's referral link. So my question is whether I should gamble on being at 4/24 and apply for the CIP today, or wait until Oct. 26 and hope that the Aspire has still not shown up on my credit report. I realize I could apply today, and if I get denied for 5/24, I could reapply in early Nov., but is that risky with the Aspire that could show up between Oct. 26 and Nov. 2? WWYD?

Do you know what credit bureau Chase pulls in your area? If it's Experian, you're golden - apply away. Experian backdates all accounts to the first of the month. Just check your pulls on the Experian app, and also on Credit Karma for Equifax and TransUnion.

 

[amalone1013]

Always worth a shot...that said, I’ve never had success with a retention on Marriott and I’ve tried multiple times. I’ve also never seen a successful DP on anybody getting a retention on these cards.

I didn't remember seeing anything.

I think really I need to decide if I want another night for next year for $85. I can't get SPG Lux Dec 2019 due to this Marriott bonus. And I can't close the SPGs and go for Marriott cards until Jan 2020 due to their bonuses.

 

[StephPlum]

DP and recap for those taking advantage of the Westin Hawaii offer

Which Westin were you at? I just got an offer for The Westin Kāʻanapali Ocean Resort Villas and thinking of taking it. Good to hear the timeshare presentation was low-key and not pressuring.

 

[vanjust14]

So, after going down a little bit of a rabbit hole planning a hypothetical Disney weekend add-on to the conference I'm not yet scheduled to go to, DH and I decided that we should probably make the add-on a weekend at Universal instead (our little one is Harry Potter obsessed, and her best friend just went to USO, so she really really wants to see the wizarding world). I know nothing about Universal! We will only be there for 1 day (2 hotel nights, but one park day), so I'm thinking we really need to stay on site and get the front of line thingy, so its Hard Rock, Portofino or RPH. Convenience is the most important thing, a good pool is second most important. Anyone have advice for me?

The big downside to this plan is that we will likely wind up paying for one day tickets at Disney and at Universal - not a good value at all. Also, I won't get to do any Disney parks (they will go while I'm in sessions) and we'll be visiting Universal on a Saturday, so it will likely be crowded. But, my LO (and I!) will enjoy all the HP stuff, I'm sure.

I've stayed at Hard Rock and Royal Pacific and prefer RPH. Great zero entry pool, great theming, easy access to parks by walking or boat (I prefer boat). My DS loves the sushi at the Orchid Lounge. Express pass is a must for him but he goes on everything. We also love Sapphire Falls but you won't get the express pass included so if that is a must for you I'd go with RPH.

 

[mmmears]

Now I’m wondering, do I not look like the type of person who’d be headed to the Centurion Lounge? TSA seems to think I’m lost or confused!

Haha. I just figured it must happen all the time in the precheck line. I guess we look starving or something.

Congrats! We love BCV and are there nearly every weekend during food and wine. Some of our favorite things to do are the lazy river in Stormalong Bay and the water slide when with the nieces and nephews. The seafood roll sandwich at Hurricane Hanna’s at the pool is always a must do. Grabbing lunch at Beaches n Cream is fun. I love their No Way Jose sundae. Salad at Beach Club marketplace is surprisingly good and makes for a nice quick meal when paired with the flat bread pizza. I like watching the turtles in the water and occasional small gator from the safety of the bridge area. Love Cape May too, have fun!

Just have to second this. Love BC and love that No Way Jose sundae. I'm not even an ice cream or sundae person but we get that one every time and share it and it's delicious.

Think I would need a reservation for Beaches and Cream for a lunch time? We had talked about going here a couple years ago. Beginning of March on a Sunday but hate to make reservations as not knowing how quick things go after landing. Wanted to check Jelly Rolls a couple years back but probably pass this round with little ones.

Yes make an ADR. It's tough to get in there. Worst case scenario you can get some sundae items through the little take out area, but somehow it's not the same.

So, after going down a little bit of a rabbit hole planning a hypothetical Disney weekend add-on to the conference I'm not yet scheduled to go to, DH and I decided that we should probably make the add-on a weekend at Universal instead (our little one is Harry Potter obsessed, and her best friend just went to USO, so she really really wants to see the wizarding world). I know nothing about Universal! We will only be there for 1 day (2 hotel nights, but one park day), so I'm thinking we really need to stay on site and get the front of line thingy, so its Hard Rock, Portofino or RPH. Convenience is the most important thing, a good pool is second most important. Anyone have advice for me?

The big downside to this plan is that we will likely wind up paying for one day tickets at Disney and at Universal - not a good value at all. Also, I won't get to do any Disney parks (they will go while I'm in sessions) and we'll be visiting Universal on a Saturday, so it will likely be crowded. But, my LO (and I!) will enjoy all the HP stuff, I'm sure.

We've only been to US once, and it was to see the HP stuff. Yes, definitely get the FOTL pass. We stayed at RPH, in part because it was cheaper but also because we thought the theming looked the most fun, and after walking around it was the right choice for us. I thought the walk to the parks wasn't bad at all. That said, we didn't love US and were more than ready to head over to WDW afterwards, but I know lots of people who love US so it must just be my family. If you like HP and get to London, check out the HP studio tour. That was amazing!

 

[happ]

Denied by Barclays for Jetblue biz... I'll probably try to call this afternoon and see why. I suspect they don't like my biz income or too many recent inquiries.

I was initially denied for Jetblue biz because I already had two Barclay cards. When I called, the csr was able to lower the credit limit on one of my cards to get approved for the biz. He recommended me for approval and then I spoke with a 2nd person that asked a few questions about my business. My approval email came the next day. Good luck.

 

[Calfan]

Do you know what credit bureau Chase pulls in your area? If it's Experian, you're golden - apply away. Experian backdates all accounts to the first of the month. Just check your pulls on the Experian app, and also on Credit Karma for Equifax and TransUnion.

Thanks! The DOC master list has a blank for Idaho, but I saw another source suggesting Equifax. I just checked my Equifax credit report on Credit Karma and still see the card that falls off after 10/25/18. I'd hate to apply and get denied, so I think I'll take my chances that the Aspire won't have reported by 10/26 and apply then. If it has, worst case is that I have to wait until January to apply for the CIP, which I knew when I decided to go ahead and apply for the Aspire.

 

[jhoannam]

I’m going to MVMCP and DAH during my three night trip in December. Chase isn’t going to stop me from having fun I’ll just pay cash. The trip is going to be me SO and my grandma. She hasn’t been to Disney since 2016 so there is lots of new stuff for her to see. I’m so excited. We are surprising her with the DAH event. She hasn’t been to the Christmas party either but she knows about that and is excited. Im worried about two late nights in a row but I asked if 1AM would be too much for her without mentioning the special event. She said she will be fine. She could always go back alone though. I know people complain about the buses but I love them lol. She will be fine getting back to the room by herself, but I think she will stay.

I had to call chase UR yesterday to transfer points to my Hyatt account, I mentioned that I was unhappy with the Disney issue - she said she would take note and sent it to the appropriate department... I don't think anything will come but I guess if we don't complain they won't know we aren't happy.

 

[wanderlust7]

Has anybody ever gotten more hotel availability by calling Chase than they can see on the UR travel portal? I'm looking for hotels in Besalu, Spain, near Barcelona. The UR travel portal doesn't have any Besalu hotels listed, but I have seen them on other websites. I also mapped the hotels that came up in a search for Girona, another nearby city, and only one of them was near Besalu. If DH calls (since it's his card), is it possible there will be hotels the agents can see that I can't see on the portal? I just don't want to ask him to call if there's no chance of success. Thanks!

I wondered about this too. There was a hotel in Iceland I couldn't get to come up even though others in the chain were on the portal. Found this article (a bit old), it doesn't seem promising for calling. Is the hotel available on Expedia? If so, you could wait until the Sapphire rollout (assumed you're using Sapphire portal?).

https://thepointsguy.com/2016/12/ultimate-rewards-for-any-hotel/

Loved Besalu and Girona. Enjoy!