I love credit cards so much!

[palhockeymomof2]

Speaking of restrictive language, the CIP says it should be used for business expenses only. Is there anything to this? Should we be at all careful where we use it? Working on the MSR, no MS just regular spend and maybe some RMN GC offers.

I used my CIP back in May for everything I usually do with no issues getting the bonus

 

[Lain]

Speaking of restrictive language, the CIP says it should be used for business expenses only. Is there anything to this? Should we be at all careful where we use it? Working on the MSR, no MS just regular spend and maybe some RMN GC offers.

No. Chase will not audit you, if you're wondering. (Anyway, there's a plausible business justification for almost any charge.) All business cards contain language to the effect that they should be used for business purposes only. This is because business cards are not covered by the same consumer protections available on personal cards under the CARD Act. Also, certain benefits like rental car insurance on the CIP technically applies only to rentals for business purposes.

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

Trying to decide my next move and I keep going back and forth. Do I go for more MRs, dabble in Hilton, Arrival +, maybe Citi? I know everyone’s needs and goals are different but I’m starting to become overwhelmed with the amount of cards I have and what is best to use where. Prob the only category I don’t have covered is grocery bonus. To review DH and I are both 4/24 we each recently got CIPs. Our kids are still youngish (8&12) so mostly domestic travel for a few years with Caribbean an option. We live in Boston area. Would love review which cards people are currently using and what’s on the horizon. I want to love MRs but I just don’t see it. I have about 80k right now but can’t see an immediate use.

Gas : BGR 3x
Dining: CSR or SPG biz
Miscellaneous: CFU (3x promo love it) and JB biz (to make Barclay happy)
Travel: Marriott cards if on property otherwise CSR
Wholesale clubs: CF (we have 3)

I think I’m eyeing the Arrival. I have a very old Venture that I never use so maybe I put that back into the mix....

 

[mom2elal]

Really but looking for recommendations for a book series for DS11, 7th grade to read. He just finished the Horizon series and Harry Potter. He told me to pick something since so far I've had good picks. (He really picked out the Horizon series himself when I made him get a book at the school book sale and not just crap ). We have the upcoming Fantastic Beasts on pre-order so he needs something to hold him over for the next month.

Our 11 year old likes the Wings of Fire series.

ETA: And now that I've read through the rest of the thread, I see that he's already read those!

 

[mom2elal]

I haven't read them personally, but I've seen great reviews about the Percy Jackson series. They're always near the top of the young adult/children's lists on Goodreads!

Yes! My boys both liked all the Rick Riordan series.

 

[Artygal90]

Chase doesn’t care what you buy (even gift cards, prepaid cards, and cash equivalents), bill pay services you use, bank accounts you fund, P2P transfers you make, in order to meet their cards’ MSR.

Amex has much more restrictive language in their terms. See Amex Updates Terms to Exclude Peer Payments, Cash Equivalents, & Amex GC from Earning Points.

In practice, you can still use a lot of methods that might seem to fall into these restrictive categories to meet an Amex MSR.

Plastiq payments count towards Amex MSRs, provided you can get your payment through Plastiq's restrictive terms for paying with Amex. I use Plastiq all the time to help hit my Amex MSRs.

A few days ago, I noted:

PayPal payments to merchants are fine and count towards Amex MSRs.

PayPal P2P payments to friends & family are fine too and typically don’t pose a problem with counting towards Amex MSR. I’ve made donations to my daughter’s school/pto with my Amex while trying to meet MSR using the friends & family option (to avoid the recipient incurring the fees), and the payments counted towards MSR, with no problem from the RATs.

The only instance I’ve seen Amex RATs have a problem with PayPal P2P payments is when you use PayPal to pay someone who shares the same address as you.

DPs say Venmo payments count towards Amex MSRs too.

You can usually buy third-party/merchant gift cards, prepaid gift cards like Gift of College, Visa and MasterCard gift cards, and have them count towards Amex MSR -- but to be safe, DO NOT BUY THESE FROM RETAILERS THAT PROVIDE AMEX WITH LEVEL 3 DATA. Office supply stores like Staples/Office Depot/Office Max are notorious for sharing L3 data, which discloses everything you bought in your transaction (so if you bought GCs, Amex will be able to see that and could deny you points or not count that spend towards MSR). Grocery stores and home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, which sell gift cards, generally do not share L3 data. I don't think Walgreens, CVS, Target, or Walmart share L3 data either.

However, even when merchants don't share L3 data with Amex, what you buy could still be a dead giveaway to Amex that you bought what they may consider cash equivalents. A lot of VGCs, MCGCs, and the GOC GCs have $5.95 activation fees. If you buy only a $500 VGC/MCGC/GOC GC with a $5.95 fee, and the total charge on your statement is $505.95, the Amex RATs don't have to think hard to guess what you bought, and they may not award points for, or count that transaction towards MSR or spending bonuses. So it's advised to throw these cards in with your regular shopping so your charges aren't some obvious amount that flashes gift cards.

Awesome information, thank you!

 

[mom2elal]

I'll second the rec for the Percy Jackson series. Lemony Snickett series. There's a great podcast called What Should I Read Next and I know there's been a few episodes in the past that focused on middle grade reading that you may want to check out!

Ooh, definitely checking out that podcast! Does anybody else listen to "I Don't Even Own a Television"? It's about bad books and they are hilarious!

 

[mom2elal]

Interesting because I think my nieces teacher recommended it when she was in 4th or 5th grade. I think Hunger Games is pretty dark (based on the premise, I haven’t read it) but our district has 4th graders reading Macbeth, so what do I know.

I agree that Hunger Games is too dark for many 11 year olds. I know that my ds would find it disturbing.

 

[Limes96]

14 days probably means just verification.

You can check your application status here: https://www262.americanexpress.com/eaol/welcome.do

If you want to call Amex to get your application moving, call: 1-866-314-0237 (Mon-Fri 6am-8pm MST)

GOOD LUCK!

Thanks, I did get an email that further verification was needed. Today was such a crazy day, not sure what day will work for me to get P2 to call. Email says we have 30 days though. Hopefully a few days won’t matter too much. It might be next week before we can get time to call.

 

[mom2elal]

YES. I love the Golden Compass series!! I thought about recommending it, but I hesitated because I know there have been some objections around the books' strong religious/atheistic overtones. I figured I wouldn't try to convert anyone's kids one way or the other on here

And I read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe as a kid, and then read the whole series for the first time last year. I read it in chronological order starting with The Magician's Nephew. Honestly, that's probably my favorite book of the whole series.

I know I've asked this on here before, but are either of you (or anyone else) on Goodreads? I've connected with a couple people on this board on Goodreads, but just thought I'd ask since I love getting more friends on there!

I am! Here's my link
https://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?...mN2FjMjEtOWE3NS00ZWM1LWEzMTYtMjI3MDdmYTYxNjRk

I don't know why I can't figure out what my user name is.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

This is really discouraging. I hope you're able to find something. We did a private excursion in Juneau on the glacier with Above and Beyond Alaska BTW. They are amazing.

We used Above and Beyond Alaska in Juneau, too! The glacier hike was the best excursion of our cruise

This is the hike we did https://beyondak.com/trips/mendenhall-glacier-trek/

 

[afan]

So I guess Expedia just sucks.

This is the reason why I'm really not likely to redeem with UR and just transfer them elsewhere. I'm not a fan of expedia except for checking flight prices all at once (for the most part) and then go to the airline to book. I've heard of too many issues and if I have a problem I don't want to have to go through them to get it fixed. In a lot of ways they are a TA but one that doesn't help you and that's not what I want.

Def makes me ready to downgrade to CSP once I use up my travel credit. But with that, not that I'm ready for one, but what other cards have lounge access as I did like that esp if everything else is good too.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Nice to see TPG bashing my family’s favorite hotel ever. (Kauai Marriott Resort) Literally, I’m super happy they didn’t love the place. It was interesting to read another perspective on the property and basically paragraph after paragraph my reaction was “you did what?! Of course that was disappointing!” (Although I’ve never seen the water brown! Idk what that was all about!)

I just expect that anything I recognize that hits a blog at this point will be destroyed so it was nice to see something that won’t! (If anyone finds themselves considering Kauai Marriott Resort hit me up I’m more of a pro on that property than I knew!)

 

[mmmears]

This is the reason why I'm really not likely to redeem with UR and just transfer them elsewhere. I'm not a fan of expedia except for checking flight prices all at once (for the most part) and then go to the airline to book. I've heard of too many issues and if I have a problem I don't want to have to go through them to get it fixed. In a lot of ways they are a TA but one that doesn't help you and that's not what I want.

Def makes me ready to downgrade to CSP once I use up my travel credit. But with that, not that I'm ready for one, but what other cards have lounge access as I did like that esp if everything else is good too.

I use Expedia the exact same way. Great for general flight info, I hear they are not so great if you book through them and something goes wrong. For lounge access, we use our AMEX Platinums, but then that might not be a card you would like, either.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I agree that Hunger Games is too dark for many 11 year olds. I know that my ds would find it disturbing.

I found it disturbing and I’d graduated from college at that point! Not that I didn’t love it but still...

 

[afan]

I use Expedia the exact same way. Great for general flight info, I hear they are not so great if you book through them and something goes wrong. For lounge access, we use our AMEX Platinums, but then that might not be a card you would like, either.

What I earn per dollar is somewhat more important than redeeming through a portal but I'd like an option I would use. What does Amex use? I don't remember ever seeing anyone talk about it.

I'll keep working with UR's because I can transfer them to Hyatt. Debating on changing my CFU to CF and moving everyday spend to a different card. Not sure what exactly.

 

[mmmears]

What I earn per dollar is somewhat more important than redeeming through a portal but I'd like an option I would use. What does Amex use? I don't remember ever seeing anyone talk about it.

I'll keep working with UR's because I can transfer them to Hyatt. Debating on changing my CFU to CF and moving everyday spend to a different card. Not sure what exactly.

I haven't tried to book through a portal with AMEX, but I think they have their own. We have used MRs for flights and we have also transferred some to hotel chains like Hyatt. I was really hoping to use URs to book future trips but it's not looking good right now.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Trying to decide my next move and I keep going back and forth. Do I go for more MRs, dabble in Hilton, Arrival +, maybe Citi? I know everyone’s needs and goals are different but I’m starting to become overwhelmed with the amount of cards I have and what is best to use where. Prob the only category I don’t have covered is grocery bonus. To review DH and I are both 4/24 we each recently got CIPs. Our kids are still youngish (8&12) so mostly domestic travel for a few years with Caribbean an option. We live in Boston area. Would love review which cards people are currently using and what’s on the horizon. I want to love MRs but I just don’t see it. I have about 80k right now but can’t see an immediate use.

Gas : BGR 3x
Dining: CSR or SPG biz
Miscellaneous: CFU (3x promo love it) and JB biz (to make Barclay happy)
Travel: Marriott cards if on property otherwise CSR
Wholesale clubs: CF (we have 3)

I think I’m eyeing the Arrival. I have a very old Venture that I never use so maybe I put that back into the mix....

What’s your focus? It seems you’re focus is to maximize your cashback with each purchase. If that’s it I’m going to push back and say you’ll get much better bang for buck sock drawering most all of your cards and working on minimum spends to get bonuses. Like the A+, useless as an everyday card but sweet bonus!

At 4/25 my biggest concern is do you want anymore Chase cards that fall under 5/24? Have a CIC in the arsenal for 5% cashback at office supply stores? Just be certain before you leap to 5/24. A+ is rumored to have a 6/24 so I’d prioritize that when you’re done with Chase.

 

[Lain]

Nice to see TPG bashing my family’s favorite hotel ever. (Kauai Marriott Resort) Literally, I’m super happy they didn’t love the place. It was interesting to read another perspective on the property and basically paragraph after paragraph my reaction was “you did what?! Of course that was disappointing!” (Although I’ve never seen the water brown! Idk what that part of the article was all about!)

I just expect that anything I recognize that hits a blog at this point will be destroyed so it was nice to see something that won’t! (If anyone finds themselves considering Kauai Marriott Resort hit me up I’m more of a pro on that property than I knew!)

Different day, different reviewer, same theme: find something to complain about.

Seriously, for the past month, TPG has been running reviews of flights to and from Hawaii, and hotels and resorts in Hawaii — first Maui, Oahu, and now apparently Kauai, and they’ve picked the most inane things to complain about in every piece.

Last week was a doozy.

The Royal Hawaiian: It’s too pink! I’m a solo traveler and wish they hadn’t upgraded me to a junior suite when I much rather preferred an ocean view.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village: It’s too big, with too many families with kids, and as a solo traveler, I didn’t feel catered to; they didn’t have my room ready when I showed up an hour before check-in time and then they gave me a dated room with *gasp* two beds!

The Laylow Waikiki: I’m a solo traveler who requested one king bed but got two queens; the hotel is cozy but can get suffocating; my view was of another hotel and it’s not on the beach!

Even the commenters, who are usually TPG Kool-aid drinking cultists called out the reviewer as complaining about everything.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Different day, different reviewer, same theme: find something to complain about.

Seriously, for the past month, TPG has been running reviews of flights to and from Hawaii, and hotels and resorts in Hawaii — first Maui, Oahu, and now apparently Kauai, and they’ve picked the most inane things to complain about in every piece.

Last week was a doozy.

The Royal Hawaiian: It’s too pink! I’m a solo traveler and wish they hadn’t upgraded me to a junior suite when I much rather preferred an ocean view.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village: It’s too big, with too many families with kids, and as a solo traveler, I didn’t feel catered to; they didn’t have my room ready when I showed up an hour before check-in time and then they gave me a dated room with *gasp* two beds!

The Laylow Waikiki: I’m a solo traveler who requested one king bed but got two queens; the hotel is cozy but can get suffocating; my view was of another hotel and it’s not on the beach!

Even the commenters, who are usually TPG Kool-aid drinking cultists called out the reviewer as complaining about everything.

ROFL!! The Royal Hawaiian was too pink?!! Omg