I love credit cards so much!

[kmc8826]

Last night I got an email on my Amex Business Gold. Titled “Card replacement coming. Attention Required.” Language in body of email said “your card may have been intercepted by a third party.” What is weird about it is that I watch my transactions closely enough that it is not a situation where I can see a possible fraudulent charge. Email also talks about how you can keep using old card until replacement. Did anyone else get something similar?

 

[amalone1013]

One of my deal sites posted 2 pairs of scissors for $4, after a $1 off coupon code. I am in need of new crafting scissors and they have good reviews, so I go to order. Go to check out as a guest, because I don't want an account with this site. It says FYI you can't use coupon codes when checking out as a guest, after clicking. Darn it. So I clear my cart, reopen site (through Ebates of course), and do it all over again... and before I sign up for an account, is $1 really worth my sanity after spending 2 hours clearing out one of my four email inboxes this morning?

No, no it is not.

I checked out as a guest.

 

[wendow]

What do you tell them your "business" is then? I'm asking because I'm still a scaredy-cat when it comes to applying for a Biz card.

Don't be afraid! It's really not hard. You just choose from the drop down options they give you in the app. The main thing is to apply using your own name as your business name, as a sole proprietor and with your SSN.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Has anyone stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in Grand Cayman? I might have just booked it for one of our summer vacations...My thinking...the points price will be jumping so 240k points + $425 for resort fees when the room would cost $5321 is a pretty good value for my points. And with being Platinum. I am hoping that gets us free perks. Plus I choose the dates where SW had the lowest fares. Now to sell the idea to DH and DS when they wake up.

My inlaws have stayed there. They are both lifetime plat with marriott. They were very unhappy and ended up moving down the beach to the marriott. However, they are very fancy people with high expectations and not the easiest to please. Not that I am sayin that is bad or good, just a footnote.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Picked up my Disney GCs from Staples today with my Chase offers on CFU and CF. They only had $50 GCs so I just did one on each card. Past offers I’ve used have been mixed on me getting any notification that I’ve used it, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a notification from using the same offers from BoA. I’ve been checking my BoA card, but unfortunately haven’t seen the Staples deal.

@afan let me know what you think of Ocean’s 8! DH and I watched it and liked it. I thought all the harsh reviews were unfair.

We also loved Crazy Rich Asians! I actually liked the movie better than the book. Also, I turned on the show Fresh Off the Boat for the first time last night and reaalized the lead in that is Constance Wu from CRA. That show is really funny!

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Instant Approval for DW on the Citi AA Biz - 70k AA miles to look forward to.

That also nicely clears the path for the cancellation of the Barclays AAviator - doesn't seem worth keeping, although I think new benefits are in the pipeline judging by a survey they sent me recently.

If you actually fly on your miles, the Barclay is better. I have both but I'll be ditching the Citi Biz. Barclays offers 10% back on miles. So a RT flight to my BF should normally be 25k RT. But normally one of the many tiny airports near him (or DTW) is a reduced mileage airport. The Barclays gives 10% back. So that 25K flight costs me 15,750! Citi Biz doesn't give 10% back.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

I was just checking the CF and CSR...hopeful, I guess...but I cannot generate a new CIP or Disney. I was going to update my links since @SouthFayetteFan suggested we do that. My old links work still as well. Just wondering what is going on with generating links. I could get a new one in the app until recently and now that is gone for me too.

I was just able to generate a new CIP link from the refer a friend site

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

@disneymagicgirl your son plays hockey right? We got our tournament schedule. Are you in that Nashville tournament? Wonder if we're playing your son's team. Though my love 13yo DD fractured her brother's wrist over break. As it stands he is missing the rest of their games Kills me as he never got his mo-jo this season or with this team. The team in general never gelled. He hasn't scored a goal

 

[Mopedmom1]

And the wait begins on the SW biz approval.

I apped the personal in flight just after you, Dec 3rd. I am being a scaredy cat on applying for the biz. I dont know why, having survived the DD shut down of my CSP in September. Can't imagine a denial would be worse than that. Lol

Guess it's time to pull up the big girl britches and soldier on......

Here goes nothing.

ETA: And the wait begins for me as well.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

https://milestothemagic.com/how-to-book-disney-vacations-with-city-national-bank-rewards/

Sounds like a great option for points for Disney trips...like Chase before the darkness descended and Disney left. Hitch is that it is not an easy credit card to get. (So don’t get too excited). No online applications and have to visit branch in person.

In theory this is a good replacement - just like TY points are a potentially acceptable replacement...

The problem is I don't think they are scale-able. These programs have limited cards with meh signup bonuses. What kind of spend would it take to get a free Disney trip with those cards. I of course am comparing that to what we had with Chase:

• CIP, CIC, CIU, CSR, CSP, CF, CFU all earning URs
• Ability to cross-refer between spouses
• Ability to combine points
• Ability to redeem at 1.50x through CSR
• If you ran through those 7 cards in 2 player mode, cross referring wherever available you would earn a min. of 723,000 URs worth $10,845 towards Disney
• ...And the combined MSR for all of that was $40,000 so you were basically getting a 25%+ return
  
• You'd also get $1,200 in travel credits to offset ~ $1,100 in 1st year AFs
• Both players could also get free TSA Pre or GE

Unfortunately it's now dead...and we can't refer to CSR or CF anymore...and CSR/CSP have a 48 month rule...and the only way to get both is through a modified double dip which is difficult and possibly risky...

CNB, TY points...and even the AA strategy we're talking recently just can't replace that. It just makes me said whenever I think of what we had...and I NEVER had a chance to even take advantage of it.

EDIT: @kmc8826 - definitely appreciate you sharing this. Comments not directed at you, just frustrated that the golden goose died and there really isn't an acceptable substitute out there.

 

[striker1064]

ouch, i took a trip up the 395, man, US forest service were furloughed and damn, everything was closed... My main purpose was to see Manzanar... closed :'(
I feel for you guys... was reading that TSA workers were calling in sick in record numbers because they werent getting paid...

Yeah I saw that too about TSA. Hard to blame them. The upside of being excepted for a furloughed agency is you are guaranteed to be paid, back pay law or not. The downside is you won't be paid until the shutdown ends, so as of right now, not knowing how long this lasts, everyone is in the same boat.

 

[AmyAnne]

AmEx experts, can you all talk about how you use your MR points? I have a fairly decent supply and I'm trying to decide whether I might want to go the Schwab cash-out route or whether there are good travel uses that I don't know about. Are there good travel partners to transfer to? Is booking travel direct through AmEx ever a good deal? Back when I first got my Biz Plat I took advantage of the 50% MR points back on flights but that's now 35% and only on the selected airline (or first-class, which is really not on my radar--I usually have too many people to buy tickets for). What am I missing?

 

[palhockeymomof2]

What do you tell them your "business" is then? I'm asking because I'm still a scaredy-cat when it comes to applying for a Biz card.

I’ve never had to actually speak with anyone after applying....I was scared when applying for my first business card the CIP, when the application went pending, since my personal cards were instantly approved.
You should be fine applying with your name and SS number as business name and EIN.., sole proprietor and ..since I sell on eBay ..I select Retail..books...hobbies music...then other Miscellaneous store retailers.....All other Miscellaneous Retailers

 

[Albort]

AmEx experts, can you all talk about how you use your MR points? I have a fairly decent supply and I'm trying to decide whether I might want to go the Schwab cash-out route or whether there are good travel uses that I don't know about. Are there good travel partners to transfer to? Is booking travel direct through AmEx ever a good deal? Back when I first got my Biz Plat I took advantage of the 50% MR points back on flights but that's now 35% and only on the selected airline (or first-class, which is really not on my radar--I usually have too many people to buy tickets for). What am I missing?

MR is great for ANA redemption. Other than that, just when Delta has their flight discounts...

 

[amalone1013]

I feel really weird SMing to close my no fee Arrival... Which is silly. I put $188 on it in 2018... 2 travel purchases to use the last of my miles, and 1 purchase of other stuff through their portal to get my miles over the redemption minimum.

 

[jhoannam]

For those who were discussing Delta cards, just a reminder that there are currently targeted 75,000 mile offers available for both the personal and business cards with no lifetime language, so you can receive the bonus even if you have had the card before. Apparently a new round of people were targeted on 1/2. You can use the link on this DOC page to see if you are targeted: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/ymmv...es-200-statement-credit-no-lifetime-language/

I need to be target! How do I get on this spcial list?!?

 

[amalone1013]

@disneymagicgirl has inspired me to add up my redemptions for 2018: $13,473!

Without points we would have taken like one trip. And not as fancy of a trip as we did...

 

[snugglebug]

App'd DH for SW Biz today, his first biz, and he went pending. I may or may not have been closing my eyes and holding my breath. I called in and got 2 weeks. I know that's promising right? Two weeks is also all he has left before furlough. Or, he has the option of using vacation days. Bleh. Hawaii, so close and yet so far away.

 

[mmmears]

Don't be afraid! It's really not hard. You just choose from the drop down options they give you in the app. The main thing is to apply using your own name as your business name, as a sole proprietor and with your SSN.

Both times DH has applied for B cards he ended up having to talk to them, so that's why I'm scared. I did some consulting work a few years back (for about 2 years) so I have actually made business income, but I'm still worried.

AmEx experts, can you all talk about how you use your MR points? I have a fairly decent supply and I'm trying to decide whether I might want to go the Schwab cash-out route or whether there are good travel uses that I don't know about. Are there good travel partners to transfer to? Is booking travel direct through AmEx ever a good deal? Back when I first got my Biz Plat I took advantage of the 50% MR points back on flights but that's now 35% and only on the selected airline (or first-class, which is really not on my radar--I usually have too many people to buy tickets for). What am I missing?

I'm not an expert by any means, but I'll tell you what we've used them for so far. Flight to Hawaii, moved MRs to Hyatt to top off DHs points since we had almost the amount we needed but not quite, but our best redemptions have been transferring to airline partners and getting business class seats. We moved a bunch to Flying Blue and booked Air France flights to Copenhagen. And we used the great "sale" on Avios to book flights home from London. There is no way we would ever have paid cash for those flights. There are enough travel partners that we have been able to find a way to use them. IMHO the best deals are the ones where there's something like 30% off when you transfer points. But of course, the best use is the one that makes you happy, and the one that works with your personal travel plans. Hope this helps.

I’ve never had to actually speak with anyone after applying....I was scared when applying for my first business card the CIP, when the application went pending, since my personal cards were instantly approved.
You should be fine applying with your name and SS number as business name and EIN.., sole proprietor and ..since I sell on eBay ..I select Retail..books...hobbies music...then other Miscellaneous store retailers.....All other Miscellaneous Retailers

That's nice. See above - my DH ended up having to talk to them, but he did get the cards.


ETA: I think DH had to talk to Chase about the CIP because his credit was locked which meant they needed more info, etc. As for the AMEX Plat, since it was a call in offer he had no choice. We keep having issues with the credit being locked... something we clearly need to work on. It's been an issue with a couple of the personal cards, too. Churning fail.

 

[Alexle2007]

Yeah I saw that too about TSA. Hard to blame them. The upside of being excepted for a furloughed agency is you are guaranteed to be paid, back pay law or not. The downside is you won't be paid until the shutdown ends, so as of right now, not knowing how long this lasts, everyone is in the same boat.

DH and I were excepted employees when they had the shutdown many moons ago over Christmas. We already had tickets to go to AZ for the holiday so we said heck with it and went to AZ. The nice part was getting our use or lose annual leave restored since you couldn’t use it. I thought Congress had already passed something for everyone to get back Pay? Although I know many in my agency who live paycheck to paycheck so not getting one would be extremely hard.