I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[StephPlum]

Very behind since starting the new thread but just wanted to give an update - I waited for the letter from Chase after getting the 7-10 day notice for my SW plus card. They needed to just verify that I had applied. Very easy, they just sent me a verification code through text. Instantly approved! Now just need to complete the spend on my SW Biz and SW and I'm on my way to the CP!!

Congratulations

Must be that time of year. I bought a new shredder and have been using it so much.

This is how I spend the week between Christmas and New Years. I'm off work so I go through the files and shred everything that is at the end of my retention limits.

I can see my CIP SUB pending!

Congratulations

Highlights to save you the click (you may want to click anyway as there's a lot of info and new card design art):

• Amex and Chase are announcing updates to their respective lineups of SPG and Marriott cards. New branding is being announced today, but you won’t see it reflected on Amex and Marriott marketing until mid-February. If you’re an existing card holder, you’ll receive the updated cards starting in March.
  
• Cards across both issuers are getting Bonvoy branding and hideous new designs (bonvoy, SPG purple!),
  
• Amex SPG personal card will be closed to new applications after 2/12/19, will become the Marriott Bonvoy Amex. The Marriott Bonvoy Amex will retain its existing perks for card holders who are approved before the 2/12/19 cutoff, and the $95 annual fee remains. SPG Amex cardholders will get a new limited-edition card design, with an abstract, city-inspired motif, by artist Tony “Rubin” Sjöman. This design will be available starting in May, and existing card members will automatically receive the new design at that point.
• SPG Personal spending bonus. For those who opened the SPG Amex before 1/23/19, you can register to earn up to 100,000 bonus points — 25,000 points for every $25,000 you spend on the card, for up to 100,000 points through the end of the year.
  
• Marriott Biz will also be ending applications after 2/12/19. Existing cardholders will keep benefits and the same $99 annual fee. The signup bonus will remain 75,000 Marriott points after $3,000 MSR.
• A new no-fee Marriott Bonvoy card will launch this summer (Chase’s mass consumer card?)
• Marriott Premier Plus card will be rebranded the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card on 2/28/19. Benefits and annual fee to remain the same. New card design.
  
• SPG Lux to be rebranded as the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. New METAL card design. New $100 luxury credit for eligible stays at St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton properties coming to the SPG Lux and Ritz-Carlton cards on 3/28/19. You must book a stay of two nights or longer and use a special rate code to get the credit; room rates are explicitly excluded.
• SPG Biz and Marriott Biz. Addition of the ability to earn a second (35k points) free award night on both business cards after spending $60,000/year. Annual fee increase to $125 on the SPG Biz, which is being rebranded as the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex.
• Limited-time 100,000-point welcome bonuses will be available for the three cards (SPG Lux, SPG Biz, and Marriott Premier Plus) that are remaining open to new applicants beyond February.
• SPG Lux and SPG Biz will have a 100k Marriott points welcome bonus after $5,000 MSR for signups between 2/13/19 to 4/24/19.
• Marriott Premier Plus will have a 100k Marriott points signup bonus after $5,000 MSR starting on 2/28/19.

Key Dates:

• 2/12/19: Last day to sign up for the SPG Amex and the Marriott Biz.
• 2/13/19: Marriott Bonvoy branding officially live; 100k points offers available on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex (SPG Lux) and Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex (SPG Biz) through 4/24/19.
• 2/28/19: 100k points offer available on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card (Marriott Premier Plus) from Chase
• 3/28/19: $100 luxury credit available on Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (SPG Lux), free night after $60k in spend available on the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex (SPG Biz), Bonvoy Business Amex annual fee increasing to $125
• 4/24/19: 100,000-point offers end on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex (SPG Lux) and Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex (SPG Biz).

Some personal thoughts:

• Obviously, FOMO. We knew when news came out that Chase was getting the mass consumer and premium consumer cards, and Amex was getting the small business and super premium consumer cards in a merged Marriott, that meant the Marriott Biz and SPG Personal would at some point no longer fit in Chase's and Amex's lineup and they'd be discontinued. We now have a date. This is your last chance to get the Marriott Biz or SPG Personal cards before they're gone for good after 2/12/19.
• Remember, effective 8/26/18, new restrictions limit getting Starriott cards across Chase and Amex. You likely have to choose a lane. If you've gotten a Chase Marriott card or bonus in the past 24 months, generally you will be ineligible for Amex's SPG cards, and vice versa. See Navigating Marriott’s Byzantine Credit Card Rules.
• I'm really debating tempting the Amex RATs and having my wife try for the SPG Personal card before 2/12/19. Last chance at an easy(ish) 75k Marriott points and another 35k FN cert eventually. We'll see if she gets a pop up.
• It's not clear from the article, but I'm guessing the SPG Biz AF will remain waived for the first year if you apply before 2/13/19, and the $95 AF may possibly be grandfathered in for the second year and increased to $125 AF after that. But if you apply for the SPG Biz before 2/13/19, then you're taking a smaller welcome offer: 75k Marriott points after $3k MSR. From 2/13/19, the SPG Biz becomes the Bonvoy Biz with a 100k Marriott points offer after $5k MSR, but likely with a $125 AF not waived.

Thanks for sharing all the information. Trying not to let FOMO take over but Stick. To. The. Plan. Locked out of Marriott Biz since I have SPG biz. I was going to go for SPG personal but not ready to pull that trigger by 2/12. I was eyeing the Lux as well.
This might make me cancel my SPG biz after I get my free night. I was thinking it was a good value for $95 AF but I need to look closer to see if it still makes sense at $125. I'm feeling like it doesn't.

I'm feeling stupid...even checked the page 1 glossary....what is SUB?

Ha, it was mainly a joke since some have been joking we should add SUB for sign up bonus to the glossary

In our heads, we're all hearing @SouthFayetteFan saying "Stop trying to make SUB happen" ala mean girls.

 

[wendow]

Poor thing. This trip is completely out of her comfort zone, but she will do anything to be present for her 1st grandbaby's milestones.

That's really so awesome of her to make this trip!!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Wow, your experience at the Fairfield was completely different than ours, and we’re both Gold Elite? The staff barely acknowledged our presence much less my status, and I thought our room was just meh — we got a second floor room overlooking a noisy pool and the bathroom was so tight there was a, let’s just say, “brown” stain on the white shower curtain. The room was fine, but the renovation looked rushed and the fixtures weren’t very high quality. For a motel-like experience, I felt like the Candy Cane Inn up the street is cleaner, quieter, with much nicer staff and a complimentary breakfast.

Best Disneyland deal for us is sharing the fried chicken plate at the Plaza Inn. We also do like the country fried chicken at Carnation Cafe, and have had several debates which chicken is better.

We do the Blue Bayou Fantasmic Dining Package for the seats, and this is our favorite nighttime show. We’ve got 9? seat cushions (at least 3 of the old design and the rest in the new motif), which I debated purging this weekend but they bring me “joy.” Our most recent dinner at the Blue Bayou was a terrible experience. My wife’s ribeye was undercooked, my lamb was overcooked, and our waiter was so blasé, chatty with his coworkers and inattentive to his guests, and practically dropped our dishes onto the table. When he brought us the wrong dish, he was like oops. I always try to tip well because I’ve worked food service when I was younger, but I couldn’t. For a ~$200 meal, I expect my waiter to at least care about his guests. The waiter’s attitude just infuriated me and my wife all night. He got a complaint to Disney instead.

My guess why the River Belle Terrace is dead in the mornings is everyone is taking advantage of the short lines at the attractions. We keep meaning to try the new breakfast options at River Belle, but from about 8-10:30/11 am, we’re on rides.

How do you plan on saving on the Grand Californian stay? I’ve been planning our Thanksgiving trip to Disneyland, which for the past two years we booked the Disneyland Hotel using UR points. With that option out, I planned to pay for it using discounted Disney GCs, but Disney won’t take Disney GCs as payment on a deposit for a room-only reservation.

I HATE when these hotels don’t acknowledge your status. It’s literally a FREE way to make me feel appreciated. I love the ones that go out of the way to make you feel important. I feel like Hilton has always done good at that. Marriott (although I am most loyal to them) does a crappy job for me most times.

 

[tink1970]

A common strategy is to intercept a check in the mail. Take a picture of it, then move it on to it’s destination. Then you sit on the information briefly and print counterfeit checks a little later.

My uncle had his truck stolen and his guns, chainsaws and checkbook were in the truck, so the thieves didn't even have to go to that much trouble. He's in his 70s and lives in Mid-MO so that should account for the odd combination of items. Apparently the thieves took the checkbook and wrote check(s) at the WalMart where my aunt had worked as a butcher for decades so they knew the checks didn't match the person and there is video (good news). The guns and chainsaws are still stolen (bad news) and the truck was found abandoned and wrecked (bad news-not totaled). Mom said she isn't sure if they've found the guys yet but I figure if they're dumb enough to write checks at a small town Wal Mart, they should get caught soon. Apparently my uncle is most upset about the guns and chainsaws...you know the things he loves .

PS- no he's not a serial killer, just has a lot of land, I swear

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Congratulations


This is how I spend the week between Christmas and New Years. I'm off work so I go through the files and shred everything that is at the end of my retention limits.


Congratulations


Thanks for sharing all the information. Trying not to let FOMO take over but Stick. To. The. Plan. Locked out of Marriott Biz since I have SPG biz. I was going to go for SPG personal but not ready to pull that trigger by 2/12. I was eyeing the Lux as well.
This might make me cancel my SPG biz after I get my free night. I was thinking it was a good value for $95 AF but I need to look closer to see if it still makes sense at $125. I'm feeling like it doesn't.




In our heads, we're all hearing @SouthFayetteFan saying "Stop trying to make SUB happen" ala mean girls.

That is literally what I was thinking. Also on Wednesdays we wear pink!! Sweatpants are all that fits me right now!!

 

[mhartman09]

I guess I need to concede on this one and add it LOL!

It seems somebody missed page 1 here...Benevolent Dictator is not pleased when people don’t read the stickies. LOL

I still can't get used to SUB. Every time I read it I get hung up trying to think of what's it's referring to. Guess I'll need to get with the program around here.

 

[tink1970]

I HATE when these hotels don’t acknowledge your status. It’s literally a FREE way to make me feel appreciated. I love the ones that go out of the way to make you feel important. I feel like Hilton has always done good at that. Marriott (although I am most loyal to them) does a crappy job for me most times.

I totally agree...with Mariott/SPG and Delta. Seriously, would it hurt to say "thanks for being platinum?" No, no it would not.

 

[elgerber]

oh my. I am scared one of us will end up with this problem.

I am afraid of this too, if we ever go somewhere. Between my motion sickness and vertigo, I think this would surely happen to me.

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Still doing the same thing, nothing new and more likeable, but it's the exact same pay and I get to work from home still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GlamMistress]

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Still doing the same thing, nothing new and more likeable, but it's the exact same pay and I get to work from home still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I totally agree...with Mariott/SPG and Delta. Seriously, would it hurt to say "thanks for being platinum?" No, no it would not.

My daughters thought I was a king when we checked in at a Doubletree by Hilton one time. They were so over the top with the passionate “thank you for honoring us with your presence mr gold elite”

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I am afraid of this too, if we ever go somewhere. Between my motion sickness and vertigo, I think this would surely happen to me.

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Still doing the same thing, nothing new and more likeable, but it's the exact same pay and I get to work from home still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Work from home is KING! (I say as I put about 200 miles on my car today visiting clients LOL). Congrats!!!!!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I am afraid of this too, if we ever go somewhere. Between my motion sickness and vertigo, I think this would surely happen to me.

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Still doing the same thing, nothing new and more likeable, but it's the exact same pay and I get to work from home still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also - if I had started that “news” thread on DISchurners, this would definitely be NEWSWORTHY!!!

 

[wendow]

I am afraid of this too, if we ever go somewhere. Between my motion sickness and vertigo, I think this would surely happen to me.

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Still doing the same thing, nothing new and more likeable, but it's the exact same pay and I get to work from home still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay!!!!! Many congrats!!!

 

[FloridaNative8]

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Still doing the same thing, nothing new and more likeable, but it's the exact same pay and I get to work from home still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay!!!! Congrats!!! I'm sure that's such a relief for you

 

[brownhaired_girl]

quoting myself to say I sent this to my mom:

She replied: "do you have a recent picture of me? You will need it for the missing persons poster."

Poor thing. This trip is completely out of her comfort zone, but she will do anything to be present for her 1st grandbaby's milestones.

This made me smile inside and out. It would be so like my mother.

I am afraid of this too, if we ever go somewhere. Between my motion sickness and vertigo, I think this would surely happen to me.

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Still doing the same thing, nothing new and more likeable, but it's the exact same pay and I get to work from home still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am VERY happy for you my friend. Very scary to lose a job, but it sounds like life is going to be even better than before.
Oops I see you did work from home before. Well, still a win for you

 

[tink1970]

I am afraid of this too, if we ever go somewhere. Between my motion sickness and vertigo, I think this would surely happen to me.

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Still doing the same thing, nothing new and more likeable, but it's the exact same pay and I get to work from home still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATS!!!!! So relieved and happy for you!

 

[wendow]

oh my. I am scared one of us will end up with this problem.

No guarantees but something to try - my family are all from sea level and come out here a lot, and we head to Breck mainly (not for skiing). They have learned to start taking advil preventively and drink LOTS of water even before you arrive here. If you drink alcohol, I'd avoid as it intensifies the altitude sickness.

 

[schmass]

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Still doing the same thing, nothing new and more likeable, but it's the exact same pay and I get to work from home still!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!

 

[havaneselover]

My gosh I never connected it before when you went through all that but I think my Dad's account was also with Wells Fargo at the time. (it was a Wachovia account that converted so I'm fuzzy on the timeline) I'm pretty sure the same thing happened to him then too. But what was worse was these were fake checks! They were supposed to have closed it and flagged it or something to not allow checks and yet they kept cashing fake checks. It's just another reason I try to avoid Wells Fargo. Have been tempted to open a checking account with them just for the bonus, as they finally sent me an offer with a bonus attached, just to stick it to them but have mortgage with them because of the Wachovia Mortgage buy out and not sure I want to rock the boat there.

Yes—mine also was Wachovia converted to WF and they were completely incompetent and majorly added to my stress.

 

[amalone1013]

No guarantees but something to try - my family are all from sea level and come out here a lot, and we head to Breck mainly (not for skiing). They have learned to start taking advil preventively and drink LOTS of water even before you arrive here. If you drink alcohol, I'd avoid as it intensifies the altitude sickness.

I would like to try this sometime... I didn't do anything before Breck because I'd been to Winter park in college and had no issues, and I also used to get bothered by windy mountain roads (like the canyon up to Estes) when I was young but that hasn't bothered me since high school, so I thought I was growing out of it. Apparently not