I love credit cards so much! v3.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[SouthFayetteFan]

Chase freedom support link question! Both dh and I are 0/24, and I’m wondering about supporting each other for a freedom unlimited card since that would give us 60k URs (spacing them out appropriately of course.) My question is: we both have freedom cards, and would be supporting each other for freedom unlimited (the email I got says “any freedom card”) BUT we are both AUs on each other’s existing freedom cards. Would this be considered a self-support? We have separate chase logins, and the respective cards are tried individually to those logins if that matters.

The AU won’t affect anything. Just use each other’s links and you’ll be fine - that’s cross support to a T right there.

 

[Brandilla]

I see SW points pending today.

Sorry for the newb question, but does SW mean Southwest? And if so, where do you view pending points?

 

[punkin]

I need some hotel help. As you may recall, I got bonvoyed for my European trip this summer when my booked hotel left Marriott. At this point the only thing I could book was a Courtyard. It's fine in a pinch, but this is my big anniversary trip and I want a nicer hotel that's more centrally located. There is a nice Hilton but too expensive for cash. I have no Hilton points and no status but I have MR and UR to trasfer or use points to buy. Any ideas for the best use of points.

 

[WVMomof3]

Sorry for the newb question, but does SW mean Southwest? And if so, where do you view pending points?

Yes. As far as I know it is only on the App. Hit the 3 dots under your card, then “see reward details and redeem”. It will show you pending points for next statement.

 

[hsmamato2]

Holy cow, the end is almost here. Once this month is over, I will be under 5/24 for the first time since 2012! Next on the list, a CIP and a Hyatt card. I can also start to hope for an upgrade offer on the no fee Hilton card I picked up last year and cross my fingers that a second Aspire card will be in the cards so to speak. I was able to PC my Chase BonBlah to a Ritz card. The plan is to get another Chase BonBlah card once I'm back under 5/24 to replace the Amex BonBlah biz card and open up a slot with Amex and follow the maze of what card to have or not have when sending the app, eventually PC the Brilliant to a personal BonBlah since I have the Ritz card now and then wait for an upgrade. I need to draw myself a diagram LOL

wait,I thought you couldn't get the chase bonvoy after holding the amex version(which is preventing me from taking them up on the newest big offer) ?

 

[disneedee]

Are you keeping your MR card? If so you can park them.

HH points expire after a year and I've lost them repeatedly, but thankfully not that many.

Do HH points expire after a year or do they expire after a year of no activity? I have lots just sitting after plans fell through.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

I need to do this........I keep putting it off even though I know I shouldn't.

Please do this as soon as possible. Dh sees many situations of people who did not adequately plan (he's a CFP).

That really sucks. All I got from Niece's program was an email on (I believe) February 28th saying that they are monitoring the situation and will inform us of any changes. and nothing since then.

ETA: This is on the school's website: "At this time, we do not anticipate making any changes to our summer study abroad programs outside of China. Therefore, you may progress as normal through the pre-departure [] Study Abroad process. Should this change, we will send follow-up communication with our plans. As you know, this situation is fluid, and we will reevaluate summer programming on a location by location basis over the course of the next few weeks. "

Her university is planning on all summer programs except in China happening. The China programs are US-government-sponsored. She's going to be doing an internship in Vienna but working through her university. We're planning on everything going forward without a problem.

A basic will is important when you have children! Gotta name guardians, trustees, etc. Ours was last done in 1990, and we have been talking to an elder law atty about making a new one, with the whole end of life documents, power of atty, etc. I have been calling around for quotes, and with a special elder lawyer, will plus supporting documents, the lowest I could find was $1100. Trusts are significantly more, but I am not looking for that now. You shouldn't need that level of lawyer, so it should be less than that, and could probably draw something up online.

I'm sure lawyer pricing is dependent on the region you live in also. I've been dragging my feet on it since I heard the cost, but DH is 65, grandchildren on the horizon, we need to do something.

Travel concerns - DH has a scuba trip to the Philippines in May. He's flying direct to Manila from the US, some of his group are going through Hong Kong. Curious how that will go.

We'll get our stuff redone after our youngest is 25 (or 26?) because of the wording in some trust documents. My parents used this same attorney for their work, so that after they died our lawyer knew exactly what was what.

 

[punkin]

I really need to redo our wills as well. We had them done when I was pregnant with DD2, so there are trusts and guardianship provisions in there we no longer need.

 

[fsjking]

I need some hotel help. As you may recall, I got bonvoyed for my European trip this summer when my booked hotel left Marriott. At this point the only thing I could book was a Courtyard. It's fine in a pinch, but this is my big anniversary trip and I want a nicer hotel that's more centrally located. There is a nice Hilton but too expensive for cash. I have no Hilton points and no status but I have MR and UR to trasfer or use points to buy. Any ideas for the best use of points.

Depending on Which Chase card you have and how many points, it might be best to book through their portal. Definitely don't transfer them to Marriott. Marriott hotels way overcharge for points IMO.

 

[amcc]

I’m getting a banner on amazon for $20 off $50 when you use AmEx points. It lets me activate but won’t apply so I figure it’s the last one I used. It’s worth keeping an eye out if you didn’t take advantage before.

 

[becauseimnew]

I’m getting a banner on amazon for $20 off $50 when you use AmEx points. It lets me activate but won’t apply so I figure it’s the last one I used. It’s worth keeping an eye out if you didn’t take advantage before.

I used it last time and it worked for me again today, you just have to make sure you use items that qualify. Try a Whole Foods, $50 GC. That works for me.

 

[disfanforlife]

Does anyone have any advice for Cirque de Soleil in Disney. I am just missing the opening of the new show by a few weeks for our next trip. But would like to go in November. Is it better to get tickets way ahead of time? What seats do you recommend?

 

[elgerber]

Now as for mortgages.....Does anyone know this.....I got to keep the VA loan on the house when we got divorced. But our divorce decree does state that he can force me to refi when/if he wants it back. For those that don't know you can "give away" your VA loan now w/ a house, but you only get one. I don't foresee him wanting it soon, and he's not one to screw me over. We did a total refi back in 2016 and took everything out of the house. Thanks to the market going WAY up, I'm probably sitting on $70-80k in equity. My rate is 3.25%. BUT I'm seriously looking at a rental/income property in the near future. Would I be shooting myself in the foot right now if I refi'd (non-VA to open that back up for him), when it comes to getting another property? Will lenders approve "back to back" mortgages?

I would probably be looking at taking out some (or all) of the equity, to use as a down payment on the rental property. I don't care about refi-ing back to another 30 year again. I have plans on selling this house in probably the next 10 years (or turning it into a rental income). I will either then take my mom's house (paid off) or be moving down south.

People actually do this all the time. A Cash out refi on the primary and then buy a rental/2nd home. As long as you can qualify with all the payments, it's not an issue at all.

For the travel, like I said, we are going, unless stuff closes. For DVC I am sure they would put our points back, and waive the holding requirement. For the AP, no clue what they would do. Extending the expiration dates would be nice. I have one trip in April and am maybe booking a 2nd one there in July.

 

[punkin]

Depending on Which Chase card you have and how many points, it might be best to book through their portal. Definitely don't transfer them to Marriott. Marriott hotels way overcharge for points IMO.

I have plenty of Marriott points. There are just no hotels available for my dates that I like. For chase, I don't have a CSR, so I will be booking for 1.25 cents per point. I could also transfer Amex points to Hilton and book that way.

 

[Haley R]

I need to do this........I keep putting it off even though I know I shouldn't.

We most likely won’t get it done before he’s born. That was our plan but we need to find some other lawyers and review all their prices. Dh also mentioned wanting to do it online on his own. The guy we saw yesterday was recommended to us by our realtor

 

[Haley R]

A basic will is important when you have children! Gotta name guardians, trustees, etc. Ours was last done in 1990, and we have been talking to an elder law atty about making a new one, with the whole end of life documents, power of atty, etc. I have been calling around for quotes, and with a special elder lawyer, will plus supporting documents, the lowest I could find was $1100. Trusts are significantly more, but I am not looking for that now. You shouldn't need that level of lawyer, so it should be less than that, and could probably draw something up online.

I'm sure lawyer pricing is dependent on the region you live in also. I've been dragging my feet on it since I heard the cost, but DH is 65, grandchildren on the horizon, we need to do something.

Travel concerns - DH has a scuba trip to the Philippines in May. He's flying direct to Manila from the US, some of his group are going through Hong Kong. Curious how that will go.

We were quoted $2100 for the two of us to receive all of the documents as a package. Otherwise he jacks up the price if you do certain documents by themselves. $2100 seems high to us

 

[Brandilla]

Yes. As far as I know it is only on the App. Hit the 3 dots under your card, then “see reward details and redeem”. It will show you pending points for next statement.

Thank you! I downloaded the app (which I'd been meaning to do anyway) and found it! My dh supported me on my southwest card in Jan and I wondered when points would post. They are there.

 

[Haley R]

I used it last time and it worked for me again today, you just have to make sure you use items that qualify. Try a Whole Foods, $50 GC. That works for me.

How do you get the offer to show up?

ETA: I found a link and we aren’t eligible. We’ve missed out on quite a few of these because we’re always ineligible.

 

[GlamMistress]

I'm surprised by the Fed's emergency cut--kind of makes me nervous about what I don't know. The FOMC meeting isn't too far away so the fact they had to move now makes me wonder. Plus the news about Ford basically eliminating travel (including domestic) makes me think the economy is going to take a serious hit. And the 10-year under 1.00% today--that's insane. It's down 86 basis points since 1/2. I try not to be an alarmist, but there's a lot going on and not much of it is good.

I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that we'll at least see a technical recession within the next six months.
Google canceled their developers conference and that was HUGE. Twitter is making employees work at home. And now Amazon has a sick employee in Seattle, not to mention all the new cases in New York and California in the last 8 hours...

 

[Haley R]

Here’s our new Japan vlog: