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

[Artygal90]

In case no one has posted it, Target Photo is running a good sale through 12/1 with stackable discount codes for free mugs, calendars, phone cases, and ornaments with your personalized photos. I'm getting a bunch of stuff printed up for my brothers-in-law with their corgi on it. Prints are 50-60% off too. Shipping is expensive for some reason but this could be a good option if you were planning on getting a bunch of photo gifts this year.

 

[Haley R]

Ooh, sorry, you are right. I just saw all the sizes listed again and thought they restocked. They aren't available anywhere around us either still.

I also would not trust the online inventory. Last year at this time, I was trying to hunt down a blanket at target. Online inventory kept showing it available at various stores around us and so I drove to those stores only to find out that they were sold out too.

I actually ordered us some from a store 25 miles away and got an email saying someone picked the last one up....ahuh okay sure. I just gave up lol

 

[havaneselover]

Picked up our Phantom tickets for tonight which I bought through Chase UR. We got pretty good seats. Orchestra left section, 5th row (C), two left most seats (so closest to Orchestra Center). Last time DD saw Phantom it was at the Kennedy Center and she said she couldn't see what was going on.

We did Top of the Rock today (pretty cool), lots of shopping (I now know what Brandy Melville is but I still don't get it), couldn't do the Circle Line tour (sold out) so we went to Madame Tussaud's which was fun. My sister said I was trolling her of my photos of me with the Kardashians!

 

[bernina]

Nintendo Switch question. We want to get DD one for Christmas. We don't want the light version. I've read the newer model has better battery life but the previous model has a better screen (I've only read about the screen from one reviewer though so not sure if that's actually the case?). I assume it will mainly be played at home connected to TV, in car where it can be plugged in, and maybe on a plane where there may not be a place to plug it in.

Any reason not to go with the newest (better battery) model?

Can you play while it's plugged in to charge?

thanks!

 

[Albort]

Nintendo Switch question. We want to get DD one for Christmas. We don't want the light version. I've read the newer model has better battery life but the previous model has a better screen (I've only read about the screen from one reviewer though so not sure if that's actually the case?). I assume it will mainly be played at home connected to TV, in car where it can be plugged in, and maybe on a plane where there may not be a place to plug it in.

Any reason not to go with the newest (better battery) model?

Can you play while it's plugged in to charge?

thanks!

get newer model.
yes u can play while its plugged in but it can be a bit awkward to play depending on your setup.(handheld mode)

 

[bernina]

get newer model.
yes u can play while its plugged in but it can be a bit awkward to play depending on your setup.(handheld mode)

thank you!!

 

[Judique]

And, I'm sure someone posted that Safeway Gift Cards are 10x until Dec 3rd, plus Home Depot at Safeway is 10X until 12/13. The exclusions are mostly the cash products.

My question is has anyone done this deal with Disney gift cards yet? If my math is correct 10X for $100 is 1000 points which equals 10 rewards ie $25 off 25 gallons of gas at the Safeway gas bar and 4x on Rose Gold - best I've seen. My other car - the van is a gas guzzler and is almost empty. So, I'll bring a couple of cans and put maybe 15 gallons in the van.

 

[bernina]

Sorry to clog the thread with so much off topic but it's the biggest shopping weekend and you all are so knowledgeable so....

Any cool gadgets or neat houseware or garage items folks are getting? I like to get a fun (and practical and useful) gift not on their list for my parents. One year I picked up some Martha Stewart kitchen items for my mom and she still uses them. Dad loves tools but hates unnecessary items. I did order him a silly weatherstick that's made from a special twig that changes the way it points as the pressure rises and falls. It looked neat, was cheap, and he loves weather things. Got good reviews too.

I'm thinking of getting the new pioneer woman cookbook for my Mom. We both adore her.

 

[Lain]

Seems to me @Lain asked for one, or maybe it was he was trying to downgrade to the $95 card. Hopefully he'll come back and tell us.

Tagging @mmmears.

I did not ask for a retention offer on my Brilliant because my plan was to downgrade the Brilliant to the $95 Bonvoy as soon as the 50k FNC posted. (Turns out, from recent DPs, that you can downgrade the Brilliant to the Bonvoy as soon as the AF posts and still get the 50k FNC weeks/months later. That is, you only need to have the Brilliant at your cardmember anniversary to get the 50k FNC, and your card account needs to stay open when the FNC posts even if it’s a downgraded Bonvoy by then.) Then, I’d wait for an upgrade offer on the Bonvoy to the Brilliant and accept that when it made sense to do so. I did not feel comfortable asking for and accepting a retention offer knowing that I would downgrade the card, even if I wouldn’t be closing it.

People who did ask for a retention offer on the Brilliant were getting 30k Marriott points for $3k spend in 3 months around September and October. As always, Amex retention offers are targeted and change periodically so YMMV. Some talking points you could use if the Amex reps try to play hardball is the fact that Marriott in the past year has raised the category of many hotels you stay or would like to stay at, and introduced peak pricing, which you feel has devalued their points and FNC for when and where you want to travel. There’s also the fact that the high-end Brilliant’s earn rate is the same as the basic Bonvoy card’s earn rate so you could use some incentive to spend on it.

By comparison, two weeks after I downgraded my Brilliant to the Bonvoy, my downgraded Bonvoy received an upgrade offer to the Brilliant for 50k Marriott points after spending $2.5k in 3 months. (Other Bonvoy>Brilliant upgrade offers have been 100k or 125k Marriott points for $5k spend in 3 months.) I plan to accept the offer soon, but want to space out my MSRs a little more. Since Amex requires you to keep the upgraded product open for a year after accepting an upgrade offer, which will cover my second cardmember year anniversary, I’ll get another 50k FNC if I upgrade before then. I’ve used 2x $300 Marriott credits during my first year with the Brilliant before I downgraded. If and when I upgrade, I’ll have a new set of $300 Marriott credit immediately, and I should have another $300 credit after my next cardmember anniversary. Basically, I will be able to extract a lot more value by downgrading and then upgrading again compared to just keeping the Brilliant open another year and taking a retention offer.

 

[tink1970]

I posted earlier in the week to occasionally check your reservations and see if the price (or schedule) has changed-our 1 night stay in Ocala went down around $100.

Since I'm home and have my laptop, I checked my 6 DL reservations and 1 had an impossible connection in CDG-less than 2 hours which is hard with immigration and traversing the terminals. So I was able to call in and they changed our connection to AMS (which I prefer) and we'll fly KLM in business which I've never done but I'm super excited for my first gin house!!!

I also compared prices on my flight home from Europe in July. I was scheduled to fly home from BRU but found Flying Blue fares for less, so I cancelled my United flight to BRU, the BRU to ATL flight on Delta and rescheduled Flying Blue to AMS from ZAG and then ATL from AMS. It's the same kind of plane and same seat but for 71K Flying Blue miles versus 80K Skymiles. I had utilized MRs, taking advantage of the 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue so for 65K MRs I was able to recoup 25K United miles and 80K Delta miles.

TL;DR-check your flights, hotel rates, and flexibility is your friend.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I think the difference is you have a fan running during convection roast which circulates the heat in the oven. I have a separate convection wall oven.

Yes the fan runs during convection roast or convection bake. But difference between roast and bake is unknown to me.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

And, I'm sure someone posted that Safeway Gift Cards are 10x until Dec 3rd, plus Home Depot at Safeway is 10X until 12/13. The exclusions are mostly the cash products.

My question is has anyone done this deal with Disney gift cards yet? If my math is correct 10X for $100 is 1000 points which equals 10 rewards ie $25 off 25 gallons of gas at the Safeway gas bar and 4x on Rose Gold - best I've seen. My other car - the van is a gas guzzler and is almost empty. So, I'll bring a couple of cans and put maybe 15 gallons in the van.

We did $500 Disney and $50 Starbucks (gifts) yesterday, and today I have 55 rewards in my account (and we used the Gold with 4x). We don't use the gas rewards because we don't use enough gas to make it worth our while even with both cars Maybe if I bought another couple cans it would work. So instead I will use the rewards on grocery staples and some treats for Christmas.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

We had to replace our dishwasher a couple months ago. First my FIL came over to see if he could help us fix it. When he couldn’t we all ran over to Lowe’s. My poor FIL he was trying to help us do it the right way, look at them all, read reviews, talk to the sales person. DH and I were on the same page though. We just bought the cheapest one they had figuring that they are all kind of the same anyway. We ended up with a Frigidaire. Honestly it does not hold as much as our old GE but it actually cleans and dries the dishes better than past dishwashers. The sales guy at Lowe’s tried to sell us on Bosch as it is reported to be the best. We didn’t have a MSR so we were okay with the cheapest.

My sister needed an emergency dishwasher the day before Thanksgiving, my BIL couldn’t fix theirs. They went to Home Depot which apparently doesn’t stock anything but floor models. They had a dented floor model for $600 and wouldn’t give more $ off so they went to Sears Outlet. Found a Whirlpool, I think, stainless interior, 3rd rack, etc for $450 which they were able to take home and have BIL install before Thanksgiving. So far, so good and I can attest it’s very quiet.

 

[mmmears]

Tagging @mmmears.

I did not ask for a retention offer on my Brilliant because my plan was to downgrade the Brilliant to the $95 Bonvoy as soon as the 50k FNC posted. (Turns out, from recent DPs, that you can downgrade the Brilliant to the Bonvoy as soon as the AF posts and still get the 50k FNC weeks/months later. That is, you only need to have the Brilliant at your cardmember anniversary to get the 50k FNC, and your card account needs to stay open when the FNC posts even if it’s a downgraded Bonvoy by then.) Then, I’d wait for an upgrade offer on the Bonvoy to the Brilliant and accept that when it made sense to do so. I did not feel comfortable asking for and accepting a retention offer knowing that I would downgrade the card, even if I wouldn’t be closing it.

People who did ask for a retention offer on the Brilliant were getting 30k Marriott points for $3k spend in 3 months around September and October. As always, Amex retention offers are targeted and change periodically so YMMV. Some talking points you could use if the Amex reps try to play hardball is the fact that Marriott in the past year has raised the category of many hotels you stay or would like to stay at, and introduced peak pricing, which you feel has devalued their points and FNC for when and where you want to travel. There’s also the fact that the high-end Brilliant’s earn rate is the same as the basic Bonvoy card’s earn rate so you could use some incentive to spend on it.

By comparison, two weeks after I downgraded my Brilliant to the Bonvoy, my downgraded Bonvoy received an upgrade offer to the Brilliant for 50k Marriott points after spending $2.5k in 3 months. (Other Bonvoy>Brilliant upgrade offers have been 100k or 125k Marriott points for $5k spend in 3 months.) I plan to accept the offer soon, but want to space out my MSRs a little more. Since Amex requires you to keep the upgraded product open for a year after accepting an upgrade offer, which will cover my second cardmember year anniversary, I’ll get another 50k FNC if I upgrade before then. I’ve used 2x $300 Marriott credits during my first year with the Brilliant before I downgraded. If and when I upgrade, I’ll have a new set of $300 Marriott credit immediately, and I should have another $300 credit after my next cardmember anniversary. Basically, I will be able to extract a lot more value by downgrading and then upgrading again compared to just keeping the Brilliant open another year and taking a retention offer.

I remember you did this. I'm going to let DH know again, and see if he wants to play with this. One more question if that's ok - what about retention offers on the Biz Plat? That one is posting any day now. I know you closed yours but we might want to keep this one open to use the "book with MRs and get a % back on international flights" thing. We don't want to push things with AMEX, but it sure would make it easier to keep this card. We do have plans for the Dell credits at least.

I posted earlier in the week to occasionally check your reservations and see if the price (or schedule) has changed-our 1 night stay in Ocala went down around $100.

Since I'm home and have my laptop, I checked my 6 DL reservations and 1 had an impossible connection in CDG-less than 2 hours which is hard with immigration and traversing the terminals. So I was able to call in and they changed our connection to AMS (which I prefer) and we'll fly KLM in business which I've never done but I'm super excited for my first gin house!!!

I also compared prices on my flight home from Europe in July. I was scheduled to fly home from BRU but found Flying Blue fares for less, so I cancelled my United flight to BRU, the BRU to ATL flight on Delta and rescheduled Flying Blue to AMS from ZAG and then ATL from AMS. It's the same kind of plane and same seat but for 71K Flying Blue miles versus 80K Skymiles. I had utilized MRs, taking advantage of the 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue so for 65K MRs I was able to recoup 25K United miles and 80K Delta miles.

TL;DR-check your flights, hotel rates, and flexibility is your friend.

I love how you manage to keep making trips better even after you book them! Aren't MRs great?

 

[DisneyMandC]

My sister needed an emergency dishwasher the day before Thanksgiving, my BIL couldn’t fix theirs. They went to Home Depot which apparently doesn’t stock anything but floor models. They had a dented floor model for $600 and wouldn’t give more $ off so they went to Sears Outlet. Found a Whirlpool, I think, stainless interior, 3rd rack, etc for $450 which they were able to take home and have BIL install before Thanksgiving. So far, so good and I can attest it’s very quiet.

We bought our oven from the Sears Outlet a couple years ago. I can't remember how much we paid, but I don't think it was more than $600 and it's a nice convection oven. It's crazy how fast it cooks things. I'm not sure what about it is "scratch and dent" other than maybe one wonky foot on it, but it doesn't wobble or anything.

 

[disfanforlife]

Amazon Prime members, there's a 10% discount on the Gift of Prime annual membership. Comes down to $107 + tax.
You can gift it to yourself and you can use Amazon GC to pay for it. Doing the gift of prime is a nice way to pay for Prime with discounted Amazon GC's. (or use up all your .50 reloads from bank requirements! paying for prime 50 cent at a time...)

It says one per account but DoC says you can do it multiple times, just have to check out separately.

Can I use the gift membership to renew my own membership when it comes due?

 

[tink1970]

I love how you manage to keep making trips better even after you book them! Aren't MRs great?

Thanks, kind friend!
Yes, I find a whole lot of value out of MRs. I do sort of feel like I want to squeeze every penny out of them. This redemption (a $6417 ticket for 56,800 MRs) was pretty good

Also, I plan to use my Hilton FNC from my Aspire for my overnight in AMS. It really just keeps getting better and better!

 

[bernina]

Can I use the gift membership to renew my own membership when it comes due?

you can and there's a Doctor of Credit post with details. Basically you have to cancel your membership (so it doesn't auto renew) and then when it expires you use the discounted renewal you purchased. When you cancel your membership you won't loose any time, it will still expire when it would have normally. I decided it wasn't worth the hassle for less than $10 savings but it's great if you're going to gift someone a membership.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Don't think I saw this posted here today, but I've been out shopping so sorry if I missed it-

DoC reports $200 no fee MCGC starting tomorrow at Staples.

 

[mamathompson]

Our kitchen looks to apparently have been remodeled 10-15 years ago. All the appliances are starting to show their age. The microwave has already gone out, the dishwasher leaks, and the fridge makes a funny noise. When we moved in 6 months ago everything worked great, but we knew it was all older. I'm enjoying all the appliance talk and adding notes for when we have to start replacing.