I love credit cards so much!

[*WDW*Groupie*]

@calypso726 and @Lain I'm sure you will feel my pain on this -- my dh is having about 20 of his out-of-town staff stay at the Embassy Suites for his annual holiday party this weekend (some staying 2 nights and some staying 3 nights). I will get the points on my new Honors account (I called them yesterday). Imagine the points we'd get if he had the Hilton credit card . I checked with the hotel and last year there was no Honors account given for points, so they are going to see if they can credit my account for the points from last year. I hope he's at least putting the total bill on his AmEx platinum (which would give him 5X points I think?). The hotel is making me give my Honors number to his COO to give to them just in case I'm not who I say I am !

 

[Lain]

@calypso726 and @Lain I'm sure you will feel my pain on this -- my dh is having about 20 of his out-of-town staff stay at the Embassy Suites for his annual holiday party this weekend (some staying 2 nights and some staying 3 nights). I will get the points on my new Honors account (I called them yesterday). Imagine the points we'd get if he had the Hilton credit card . I checked with the hotel and last year there was no Honors account given for points, so they are going to see if they can credit my account for the points from last year. I hope he's at least putting the total bill on his AmEx platinum (which would give him 5X points I think?). The hotel is making me give my Honors number to his COO to give to them just in case I'm not who I say I am !

Ugh... where to begin?

Well, DH would only earn 5x MR on the Platinum if he booked Embassy Suites as a prepaid hotel on amextravel .com. If he's using a Business Platinum, he'll earn 1.5x MR on charges $5k+.

I'm not even kidding how ridiculously easy it can be to stack and earn Hilton points with actual Hilton stays. Check this TPG article from earlier this year: Earn up to 54 Points per Dollar at Hilton With New Double and Triple Points Promotion. Some of these promotions have probably ended, but it's always a good idea to check what Hilton's current promotions are.

Is there any way you can get DH to put the rooms on your new Hilton Aspire? The Aspire would earn 14x Hilton points/$1. (Even if you don't have the card on hand, you may be able to get the card number and a temporary CID.)

 

[amalone1013]

That sounds insane! Is it just incompetence, or is there some kind of malfeasance? It seems crazy that no one would be all over this - its the kind of dumb waste that can really affect profit margins - in my world (a manufacturer that squeezes every penny at the operations) heads would be rolling!

Is your world a big corporate manufacturer? I think that is our problem - blowing money on crap is a corporate problem here too, so no one has questioned it. My old boss was the same way, and she basically got this guy set up with accounts with the vendors and a corporate card when she was on her way out the door with a buy out package, so we wouldn't be stranded with no one being able to order supplies. Current management has let him continue even with all of the mistakes, because it's easier on them then trying to train/set up a new person. Though I think we are finally hitting the point where they are realizing it's actually not easier to let him continue to mess it all up... But overall I think it slides because pet food has a huge profit margin to begin with, and not only does this problem run through corporate also, but we are a national company owned by an international company who also seems to have this issue. The international company owns many things... us, candy, water, baby formula, ice cream, frozen foods, coffee products...

I forgot my favorite line from him in that post though. One day 6 cases of a chemical showed up - 1 being the normal brand we order, and 5 being another brand. He said, almost word for word: I didn't order those, I just clicked on them to look at them because they are cheaper than our current brand. PLACES DO NOT JUST SEND YOU THINGS BASED ON YOUR BROWSING HISTORY. What a stupid lie. You ordered them on accident. No one cares. Just get rid of them. We also can't just bring chemicals from new manufacturers in without going through a process. Arghhhhh

 

[jen7233]

Is there more benefit to putting Disney dining on a CSP or CSR vs. buying the Disney cards at Target on debit Red Card for 5%? I know it's a stretch of a question, but wondering if anyone has ever considered what benefits more. I recently got approved for a CSP, and DH is going to go for the Plat or the CSR in a few months.

 

[LynnTH]

So, I applied for CIP#2 with EIN on 12/1. Was 2 weeks for a few days then went to 7-10 days. I needed a card right away for some expenses coming due so I applied for the Capital One Venture card and was applied right away. So, I got the card and have already put on $3500 of the $5000 needed so that will be easy. Getting this card put me at 5/25.

I just got the letter in from Chase on the CIP. They are just looking for verification of address/EIN. So, I just faxed all that to them and hopefully that will be approved also.

Will me getting the Capital One have any impact now or not since they would have already pulled credit report?

I don't know how I am going to spend another $5000. So need help with MSing (never done this). So, I have read a bit about PNC bank and that I should be able to fund a checking and savings account with $2000 each. Also heard it is kind of pain to open. (and I need to lower my cash advance to $100 or whatever they will let me correct?)

I have paid some of my Mortgage with Mastercards (Citi AA Business). Is it possible to buy MasterCard Gift Cards with the CIP and then pay Mortgage that way - or is that not allowed or not a good idea?

Also I know very little about Venmo - but you just transfer money to someone else. So, I could possibly transfer $ to my son under his bank account and then I can just transfer from his account back to mine. Will that work or is that kind of iffy too.

Looking for any suggestions. Don't want to lose out on these UR's if I get approved after sending in verification info. ( and I used DH's CIP for referral so another 20,000 points there) Thanks Everyone...

 

[Alexle2007]

Who is going to the movies on Dec 19 just to see Lin Manuel Miranda in Mary Poppins Returns?

Pretty sure, Aquaman and Bumblebee are more on our list. Along with Mortal Engines, although I told DS he had to finish reading the book first. (Since seeing the movies ruined his enjoyment of reading the Hunger Games.)

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Ugh... where to begin?

Well, DH would only earn 5x MR on the Platinum if he booked Embassy Suites as a prepaid hotel on amextravel .com. If he's using a Business Platinum, he'll earn 1.5x MR on charges $5k+.

I'm not even kidding how ridiculously easy it can be to stack and earn Hilton points with actual Hilton stays. Check this TPG article from earlier this year: Earn up to 54 Points per Dollar at Hilton With New Double and Triple Points Promotion. Some of these promotions have probably ended, but it's always a good idea to check what Hilton's current promotions are.

Is there any way you can get DH to put the rooms on your new Hilton Aspire? The Aspire would earn 14x Hilton points/$1. (Even if you don't have the card on hand, you may be able to get the card number and a temporary CID.)

He didn't do prepaid nights and it's good that he didn't -- there have been cancellations for 2 of the rooms. His COO is handling the room reservations (my dh doesn't like dealing with these kinds of things). I have pondered asking the COO if they would use my new Aspire (I got an e-mail this morning that it's on its way to me), but my dh is very picky about how things like this are paid (due to the IRS and business / personal expenses). If I put the hotel on my cc and then the company reimbursed me things could get murky tax-wise (I think?) and I doubt he'd want to risk it. Is there a work-around that maybe I'm missing? I'm all for 14X points on my new card!

 

[Haley R]

Pretty sure, Aquaman and Bumblebee are more on our list. Along with Mortal Engines, although I told DS he had to finish reading the book first. (Since seeing the movies ruined his enjoyment of reading the Hunger Games.)

We just saw the new Spider-Man last night and it was super cool! The animation was impressive

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Well...I don't know what to do now. I tried applying for the AMEX Schwab again today for my wife. The popup message is still there...My wife has signed up for ONE card from AMEX in the past 12 months. In 2017 she got 3 cards from them also.

In an effort to remove the poup I've done the following over the past couple of months:

• 3 Transactions and $350+ on BBP
• 3 Transactions and $150+ on Hilton
• 3 Transactions and $20 on Delta Biz
• Numerous Transactions and $2,300+ on BCP (this is about $300 above the $2k required for my upgrade offer)

At this point, I've now wasted over $800 that could have been directed at some other MSR had I gotten a different card. We put transactions and spend on every card she has and it didn't seem to make a difference. There also was this unfortunate development that even if I don't see the popup one time...that they may still deny us the bonus.

Perhaps this is a sign...I should just forget the 60k MRs...get a Schwab Plat, triple dip the airline credits and cash out all my MRs. Of course that would play really well with AMEX I'm sure (getting a card and spending $600 in reimbursables ONLY on it then closing it after 13 months, lol).

Part of my dilemma is that we have ~200k MRs. So we could get $2,000 in gift cards or $2,500 in cash. I'm going to pay a $550 annual fee to get $500 more...Of course the airline credit offset that. If I wait much longer then the triple dip goes out the window which just makes the whole thing $200 worse. This just makes SO MUCH MORE sense if I was also getting $750 from the signup bonus...but I may never get that and am I just holding on to hope for something that will never happen...

I am quite torn...would be happy to hear the thoughts of my trusted CC friends on this one...

 

[jhoannam]

Can I get some upvotes? My Karma dropped to 38 and my referral links were removed. I was trying to get 4 Karmas a week but I guess I slacked off.
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/a63w1x/comment/ebs9cuk?st=JPO94BA6&sh=66c3387a

Thanks for the love!

 

[StephPlum]

As long as you buy the gift card at a hotel, it does seem to work. I bought a $200 Fairfield Inn card a couple of weeks ago (wasn't staying at the hotel, just went in and bought a $200 even card from the front desk), and the credit went through on Amex right away. I then tried to use my gift card at a Fairfield Inn

Are the gift cards Marriott branded or only work on Fairfield Inn? I have the offer and while I am sure I will stay at a Marriott in the future, unsure if Fairfield Inn, Courtyard,.... the actual brand.

 

[WVMomof3]

TPG posted a new SW post in his SW giveaway with instructions to comment with your favorite vacation picture. And there is no way to add a pic to the comments. TPG fail.

 

[jhoannam]

TPG posted a new SW post in his SW giveaway with instructions to comment with your favorite vacation picture. And there is no way to add a pic to the comments. TPG fail.

Glad it’s not working, I really didn’t want to share a picture.

 

[jhoannam]

Well...I don't know what to do now. I tried applying for the AMEX Schwab again today for my wife. The popup message is still there...My wife has signed up for ONE card from AMEX in the past 12 months. In 2017 she got 3 cards from them also.

In an effort to remove the poup I've done the following over the past couple of months:

• 3 Transactions and $350+ on BBP
• 3 Transactions and $150+ on Hilton
• 3 Transactions and $20 on Delta Biz
• Numerous Transactions and $2,300+ on BCP (this is about $300 above the $2k required for my upgrade offer)

At this point, I've now wasted over $800 that could have been directed at some other MSR had I gotten a different card. We put transactions and spend on every card she has and it didn't seem to make a difference. There also was this unfortunate development that even if I don't see the popup one time...that they may still deny us the bonus.

Perhaps this is a sign...I should just forget the 60k MRs...get a Schwab Plat, triple dip the airline credits and cash out all my MRs. Of course that would play really well with AMEX I'm sure (getting a card and spending $600 in reimbursables ONLY on it then closing it after 13 months, lol).

Part of my dilemma is that we have ~200k MRs. So we could get $2,000 in gift cards or $2,500 in cash. I'm going to pay a $550 annual fee to get $500 more...Of course the airline credit offset that. If I wait much longer then the triple dip goes out the window which just makes the whole thing $200 worse. This just makes SO MUCH MORE sense if I was also getting $750 from the signup bonus...but I may never get that and am I just holding on to hope for something that will never happen...

I am quite torn...would be happy to hear the thoughts of my trusted CC friends on this one...

I wouldn’t get it without the bonus, no point on having another account on your credit report for a tiny benefit.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Can I get some upvotes? My Karma dropped to 38 and my referral links were removed. I was trying to get 4 Karmas a week but I guess I slacked off.
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/a63w1x/comment/ebs9cuk?st=JPO94BA6&sh=66c3387a

Thanks for the love!

I had already upvoted this before I saw your comment, lol!! I didn't even recognize it was you, just thought "wow that is a helpful reminder"

 

[StephPlum]

TPG posted a new SW post in his SW giveaway with instructions to comment with your favorite vacation picture. And there is no way to add a pic to the comments. TPG fai

Yeah, I just commented which says a lot since I have a facebook account but I think the last time I logged in was 2016!

Glad it’s not working, I really didn’t want to share a picture.

I always share something that you can't identify me in. Not really big on posting my or my family's pictures out there! I'm assuming these things are randomly drawn not that they pick the picture they like the best. Too many ways for that to go south.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I wouldn’t get it without the bonus, no point on having another account on your credit report for a tiny benefit.

You're right...WOW I am completely discounting the 5/24 slot I would use. That adds another wrinkle.

All in, the math says the following:

• Pay $550 Annual fee
• Get $600 in SW Gift Cards (spread over 13 months)
• Get $2,500 in Cash
• I could attempt to figure out that whole UBER Eats thing and get food too...but I wouldn't attribute actual $$ to this benefit

Not doing it leaves me with $2,000 in gift cards. So I do actually come out ahead by $550+ by getting the Schwab Plat (without the bonus). AND I don't have to spend anything towards an MSR to do so. It really has been a tough decision for me...

 

[wanderlust7]

So, I applied for CIP#2 with EIN on 12/1. Was 2 weeks for a few days then went to 7-10 days. I needed a card right away for some expenses coming due so I applied for the Capital One Venture card and was applied right away. So, I got the card and have already put on $3500 of the $5000 needed so that will be easy. Getting this card put me at 5/25.

I just got the letter in from Chase on the CIP. They are just looking for verification of address/EIN. So, I just faxed all that to them and hopefully that will be approved also.

Will me getting the Capital One have any impact now or not since they would have already pulled credit report?

I don't know how I am going to spend another $5000. So need help with MSing (never done this). So, I have read a bit about PNC bank and that I should be able to fund a checking and savings account with $2000 each. Also heard it is kind of pain to open. (and I need to lower my cash advance to $100 or whatever they will let me correct?)

I have paid some of my Mortgage with Mastercards (Citi AA Business). Is it possible to buy MasterCard Gift Cards with the CIP and then pay Mortgage that way - or is that not allowed or not a good idea?

Also I know very little about Venmo - but you just transfer money to someone else. So, I could possibly transfer $ to my son under his bank account and then I can just transfer from his account back to mine. Will that work or is that kind of iffy too.

Looking for any suggestions. Don't want to lose out on these UR's if I get approved after sending in verification info. ( and I used DH's CIP for referral so another 20,000 points there) Thanks Everyone...

Congrats on the Venture instant approval! I'm still waiting on mine and it's been over a week. My P2 was instant denial (too many inquires).

I read a bunch of DPs of problems with PNC too, but it worked fine for me. The only issue I had was the online account set-up. They say that it's available 24-48 hours after account opening, but it didn't work for me until I got my debit card. For P2, I waited until the welcome e-mail (about a week later) and it worked. Got the debit card the next day - so I suspect it's when the debit card is sent out (not when it's activated).

I funded with the CIP. Sent a SM to reduce the cash advance to zero or whatever is lowest ($100). Looks like it counted as a direct deposit too. Did 10 Amazon reloads of varying small amounts for the debit requirement - easy. Now just waiting for the $300 bonus to post.

 

[Lain]

He didn't do prepaid nights and it's good that he didn't -- there have been cancellations for 2 of the rooms. His COO is handling the room reservations (my dh doesn't like dealing with these kinds of things). I have pondered asking the COO if they would use my new Aspire (I got an e-mail this morning that it's on its way to me), but my dh is very picky about how things like this are paid (due to the IRS and business / personal expenses). If I put the hotel on my cc and then the company reimbursed me things could get murky tax-wise (I think?) and I doubt he'd want to risk it. Is there a work-around that maybe I'm missing? I'm all for 14X points on my new card!

Totally understand about the accounting issues it might create.

I suppose the only thing I can think of might be if DH could apply for the Hilton Aspire today (using his Platinum referral link for the extra 15k MR or your Aspire referral link for the extra 20k HH bonus), get approved, and get the card number or a temporary card number, or even get the card overnighted to use on the hotel bill.

Amex sometimes offers a temporary card number immediately after approval that you can write down/screen cap for use. There’s also a hidden feature in your Amex online account, once you’ve added your new card, that lets you get the card number and temporary CID for a newly approved card that’s still in transit: https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/904w5b/comment/e2oclw2?st=JPO9M59W&sh=8762333f

However, there may be a low credit limit on the temporary card number, as @miztressuz experienced: https://www.disboards.com/threads/i-love-credit-cards-so-much.3528202/page-2162#post-59621012 In the end, I believe @miztressuz was able to get Amex to overnight the card to her husband to use on a contemporaneous hotel stay.

I know you kind of suggested your husband doesn’t want to apply for credit cards, but it’d be such a waste if he’s not getting the best return in rewards from a really large hotel expense, i.e., 1 MR/$1 on the Platinum or at least 14 HH/$1 for Hilton charges on the Hilton Aspire. Not to mention that the Hilton Aspire comes with automatic Diamond status, which gets him another 20 HH/$1 (10 points/$ base earn + 10 points/$ elite bonus) because of his elite status.

I think the Aspire was possibly on the table for DH, anyway, and now would be a great time to get it if you can appeal to his rational business side. I’d imagine this weekend’s hotel bill would more than hit the $4k MSR, so you’d get the 150k HH signup bonus and a whole lot of HH points from the stays.

Also, remember the Aspire comes with a $250 airline fee credit that can be used every calendar year (including on AA, Delta, and Southwest gift cards in certain denominations per transaction — let us know if you need help using up this benefit on your or hopefully DH’s cards), so there’s still 2 weeks to dip this benefit in 2018, before it resets for another $250 in 2019.

 

[jhoannam]

You're right...WOW I am completely discounting the 5/24 slot I would use. That adds another wrinkle.

All in, the math says the following:

• Pay $550 Annual fee
• Get $600 in SW Gift Cards (spread over 13 months)
• Get $2,500 in Cash
• I could attempt to figure out that whole UBER Eats thing and get food too...but I wouldn't attribute actual $$ to this benefit

Not doing it leaves me with $2,000 in gift cards. So I do actually come out ahead by $550+ by getting the Schwab Plat (without the bonus). AND I don't have to spend anything towards an MSR to do so. It really has been a tough decision for me...

Don’t you have 1M RR? Do you see yourself using those SW GCs in the near future? $2,500 in cash does sound better than $2,600 in GC, but then you’d still have to pay the $550 fee using cash.

I can’t recall her */24 status but that may lock you out of another good Chase card.