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

[snugglebug]

I’m sorry.

I personally ended UR for Disney by starting with Chase, killed AA by starting on the train. I got 2 SW companion passes this year and bought my family WDW APs to coincide with the SW passes.... blame me for the virus. This was strike 3, hopefully I’m done ruining things for y’all.

Uh, those are my stats lol First time APers here and have only used them once so far, 2 CPs as well. Still sitting on my measly AA hoping to eventually book something with them and now I just cash out UR to cover my non-DVC stays.

 

[platamama]

I was approved for a Plat on Tuesday, it arrived yesterday, that was really quick. Good thing I printed out the instant card number on Tuesday though, because I ended up meeting the MSR before I even had the card in hand. My 5 yr old dog had been having back pain and trouble walking since the weekend, and became paralyzed in his hindquarters Tuesday night. He ended up getting an MRI and undergoing 3 1/2 hours of surgery yesterday. I hear he's doing well all things considered and his pain is being well managed. The unusual thing about veterinary care right now (at least where I am) is you stay in your car until someone (vet tech/nurse) comes out to get your pet, you never enter the hospital, and there is no face to face contact with anyone else like the doctor. All detailed conversations are on the phone. I haven't even met the doctor who performed the surgery and probably never will. It's a little surreal.

This was not my expected way of meeting MSR, but it helped on the financial aspect of the decision to pursue treatment knowing that I could cash out $1250 in MRs to go towards the cost (I used P2's support link incognito mode - he gets 20K, I get 75K + 5K spend, so that's 100K MRs and we both have Schwab Plats).

 

[snugglebug]

Chase Sapphire Reserve adds some "limited time perks" including a grocery statement credit 1.5x cash-out:

New limited-time perks:

• Pay Yourself Back, with each point worth 1.5 cents towards a statement credit used to offset purchases at grocery stores, home improvement stores and dining establishments from May 31 through Sept. 30.
• Expansion of $300 annual credit, with remaining balance automatically applied to purchases at grocery stores and gas stations from June 1 through the end of the year.
• Renewal annual fee lowered to $450 after July 1 through 2020, replacing the current $100 statement credit.

Hate the source but it's all I got right now:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/chase-sapphire-covid-perks/
The statement credit option is nice BUT it's not a true cash-out since I can't put the cash in my account and then use those expenses to hit an MSR, (so it lessens the benefit a tad vs. a true cash-out).

$300 Travel credit turning into a grocery credit is pretty awesome I guess!

Just saw this, the "cash-out" is also available on CSP.

This is great for me because I will use this on my CSR. I booked Shades of Green with the full intention of pulling URs to cover the cash price, now I can do that at 1.5 instead of 1. Great timing. I do this also for car rentals on the rare occasion it's fewer UR to book direct vs Chase portal.

 

[elgerber]

THIS.
THIS.
A hundred times
THIS.
I can’t count how many times I have heard
“ be thankful for all the times you went to Disney” or my in-laws favorite saying “you’ve been so many times, you probably didn’t need to go more”
You know what? I AM THANKFUL and no, we didn’t NEED to go. But we’re still sad to have missed Flower & Garden this year. But I’m glad we’re safe at home and well... but that doesn’t mean I’m not still sad about this. And sad we’ve waited all of these years to get a companion pass and we haven’t used it a single time. ( yes, pitty party tonight. I’ll be fine.)

Absolutely agree!!!! This year is starting to kick my butt and I am tired of it.
Disney made my decision for me on my July trip yesterday, so that's two Disney trips lost so far. I probably would have had to cancel anyway, as I am going to have to go to TN again as soon as my dad dies, and that would be too close to my Disney vacation.
At this point, I am losing any hope that our 30th Anniv Aulani trip is going to happen in Aug/Sept. I have many things to buy for that trip, but don't feel I can buy anything at this point. And then if it does get to happen, I will have to scramble for everything.
I want to reschedule my mother daughter trip that we just lost for July, but I have no idea yet when my AP will now expire, so I don't know how far I can push it. And is anything going to be better in the late fall?
Sorry between multiple lost trips, my dad and life altering issues with our beautiful dog that we waited so long to get, the last couple weeks just have me completely shot.

 

[pinkxray]

I have been going through my cards within Annual fees.
Looking at the Amex gold and realized since we cancelled our Nov. trip I can’t really take advantage of the airline credit. Does anything still work like buying gift cards? I think I have Southwest as my airline and used like $5 in Jan. for a fee.

Does the gold ever have a retention offer? I don’t earn a lot of MRs so not sure I will want to keep this if I have to pay the full fee without the credit.

 

[becauseimnew]

Chase Sapphire Reserve adds some "limited time perks" including a grocery statement credit 1.5x cash-out:

New limited-time perks:

• Pay Yourself Back, with each point worth 1.5 cents towards a statement credit used to offset purchases at grocery stores, home improvement stores and dining establishments from May 31 through Sept. 30.
• Expansion of $300 annual credit, with remaining balance automatically applied to purchases at grocery stores and gas stations from June 1 through the end of the year.
• Renewal annual fee lowered to $450 after July 1 through 2020, replacing the current $100 statement credit.

Hate the source but it's all I got right now:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/chase-sapphire-covid-perks/
The statement credit option is nice BUT it's not a true cash-out since I can't put the cash in my account and then use those expenses to hit an MSR, (so it lessens the benefit a tad vs. a true cash-out).

$300 Travel credit turning into a grocery credit is pretty awesome I guess!

wow... I wonder if this is the perfect time to upgrade DH's CSP to the CSR. We are traveling at the end of June, which would work great for cashing out restaurants during our trip, plus get GE for DH and the 1.5X on travel. The AF would basically be $50.

I think I just talked myself into it, now to get him to call.

 

[hsmamato2]

I’ve been at a children’s hospital for over 24 hours now. Elliott had a fever yesterday morning so we took him to the ER next to our house. They did a horrible job and couldn’t even get his iv in after 20 minutes so we left and drove to Orlando to the children’s hospital instead since they’re specialized in pediatrics. His fever was slightly higher at 101 by the time we got there (an hour drive). They took his blood samples and collected urine. They also swabbed him for Covid which was horrendous for me to watch. He screamed so bad and there was nothing I could do to help him.

Dh was not allowed into the hospital at all because they have a one parent rule. So I’ve been here by myself the entire time and he’s at home worried sick. They told us yesterday that Elliott was doing much better and likely would go home today at 2 pm. They got his culture back today and results from his kidney ultrasound. One of his kidneys is slightly enlarged from reflux with the urine. The urine culture came back and he has a rare type of bacteria that requires more testing to see what antibiotic he needs so instead of going home today I might not be going home with him until tomorrow or possibly even later. If they can’t find an antibiotic that works against the bacteria then he will stay longer, get a more permanent iv in his arm, and a nurse will have to come to our house to give antibiotics that way every 6-8 hours.

This has been a horrible couple of days and I know Dh is feeling worried stuck at home. I’m crossing my fingers they find an antibiotic so we can go home tonight but it isn’t looking good. So it had nothing to do with my diet this entire time. It was just something we couldn’t control

I'm so sorry...hugs and prayers for you

 

[pillow]

Chase Sapphire Reserve adds some "limited time perks" including a grocery statement credit 1.5x cash-out:

New limited-time perks:

• Pay Yourself Back, with each point worth 1.5 cents towards a statement credit used to offset purchases at grocery stores, home improvement stores and dining establishments from May 31 through Sept. 30.
• Expansion of $300 annual credit, with remaining balance automatically applied to purchases at grocery stores and gas stations from June 1 through the end of the year.
• Renewal annual fee lowered to $450 after July 1 through 2020, replacing the current $100 statement credit.

Hate the source but it's all I got right now:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/chase-sapphire-covid-perks/
The statement credit option is nice BUT it's not a true cash-out since I can't put the cash in my account and then use those expenses to hit an MSR, (so it lessens the benefit a tad vs. a true cash-out).

$300 Travel credit turning into a grocery credit is pretty awesome I guess!

Hmmm . . . for the month of June, $1,500 of grocery spend earns 5x, so 7,500 UR total. At a 1.5x cash out value, I could redeem that for a $112.50 statement credit? Am I thinking about this correctly?

 

[DisneyMandC]

wow... I wonder if this is the perfect time to upgrade DH's CSP to the CSR. We are traveling at the end of June, which would work great for cashing out restaurants during our trip, plus get GE for DH and the 1.5X on travel. The AF would basically be $50.

I think I just talked myself into it, now to get him to call.

Yeah, I think I'm going to upgrade my CFU to CSR

 

[DisneyMandC]

Hmmm . . . for the month of June, $1,500 of grocery spend earns 5x, so 7,500 UR total. At a 1.5x cash out value, I could redeem that for a $112.50 statement credit? Am I thinking about this correctly?

My understanding is that it's not limited to the 7500 URs you earned... I think you could cash out for the full $1500 you spent (if that's how you want to use your URs).

Unless I missed something...

 

[ten6mom]

Did i miss an update from @Haley R on how the baby is doing or if you got to go home?

 

[danceintherain]

I was approved for a Plat on Tuesday, it arrived yesterday, that was really quick. Good thing I printed out the instant card number on Tuesday though, because I ended up meeting the MSR before I even had the card in hand. My 5 yr old dog had been having back pain and trouble walking since the weekend, and became paralyzed in his hindquarters Tuesday night. He ended up getting an MRI and undergoing 3 1/2 hours of surgery yesterday. I hear he's doing well all things considered and his pain is being well managed. The unusual thing about veterinary care right now (at least where I am) is you stay in your car until someone (vet tech/nurse) comes out to get your pet, you never enter the hospital, and there is no face to face contact with anyone else like the doctor. All detailed conversations are on the phone. I haven't even met the doctor who performed the surgery and probably never will. It's a little surreal.

This was not my expected way of meeting MSR, but it helped on the financial aspect of the decision to pursue treatment knowing that I could cash out $1250 in MRs to go towards the cost. I used P2's support link incognito mode (he gets 20K, I get 75K + 5K spend, so that's 100K MRs and we both have Schwab Plats).

Poor puppy!

 

[pillow]

My understanding is that it's not limited to the 7500 URs you earned... I think you could cash out for the full $1500 you spent (if that's how you want to use your URs).

Unless I missed something...

Oh I see. Interesting - will have to think about this one.

 

[elgerber]

I was approved for a Plat on Tuesday, it arrived yesterday, that was really quick. Good thing I printed out the instant card number on Tuesday though, because I ended up meeting the MSR before I even had the card in hand. My 5 yr old dog had been having back pain and trouble walking since the weekend, and became paralyzed in his hindquarters Tuesday night. He ended up getting an MRI and undergoing 3 1/2 hours of surgery yesterday. I hear he's doing well all things considered and his pain is being well managed. The unusual thing about veterinary care right now (at least where I am) is you stay in your car until someone (vet tech/nurse) comes out to get your pet, you never enter the hospital, and there is no face to face contact with anyone else like the doctor. All detailed conversations are on the phone. I haven't even met the doctor who performed the surgery and probably never will. It's a little surreal.

Oh no, poor baby! Do they know what the cause was, and will he recover completely? I have spent a lot of time at the vet lately too, and while I appreciate sitting in the car, instead of in a waiting room it is really strange to do it all over the phone, and not meet the doctors.

 

[KPK02090]

I need to product change my mother's CSP to a CF. Normally I would go to her house and call with her right there. With covid I'll probably just do it on my own and pretend to be her (with her blessing - she hates calling). What information should I have before I call. SSN? card number?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Hmmm . . . for the month of June, $1,500 of grocery spend earns 5x, so 7,500 UR total. At a 1.5x cash out value, I could redeem that for a $112.50 statement credit? Am I thinking about this correctly?

My understanding is that it's not limited to the 7500 URs you earned... I think you could cash out for the full $1500 you spent (if that's how you want to use your URs).

Unless I missed something...

Yeah - it's kind of hard to analyze this one because there's a lot of variables and hidden opportunity cost. But it's a decent deal for sure!

 

[wanderlust7]

I hadn’t had the Preferred card before. I looked and the public offer is 35000. So you mean essentially I could apply for a new card with the public offer and then get the upgrade too? I don’t understand how that would work if I get the new card I would already have the card that the offer is to upgrade to.

This works. I did it when DH got an upgrade offer to the Plat. You would apply for the new card first, after approval quickly take the upgrade offer before it goes away. If you have a P2, use a support link for the new card.

The new card would take up an Amex credit card slot (don't count charge cards in this) and a 5/24 slot. The upgraded card would not. For the new card, you may need to unlock your credit reports, though Amex often doesn't do hard pulls on existing customers. If you've gotten other Amex cards recently, that would give you a good idea.

 

[pillow]

Yeah - it's kind of hard to analyze this one because there's a lot of variables and hidden opportunity cost. But it's a decent deal for sure!

Yes I think it comes down to whether you plan to get more than 1.5x value for your UR points. Help me with the math here . . . if what @DisneyMandC mentions is correct, I'd be able to cash out 100,000 UR points to reimburse myself for the $1,500 June grocery spend. In other words 100,000 points = $1,500 statement credit. Not sure why I'm having such a hard time wrapping my head around this.

 

[Albort]

I have been going through my cards within Annual fees.
Looking at the Amex gold and realized since we cancelled our Nov. trip I can’t really take advantage of the airline credit. Does anything still work like buying gift cards? I think I have Southwest as my airline and used like $5 in Jan. for a fee.

Does the gold ever have a retention offer? I don’t earn a lot of MRs so not sure I will want to keep this if I have to pay the full fee without the credit.

there is. here are some of the latest DP.

11/4/19 - AF posted, 1st yr anniversary, Offerred 20k points or $150 Statement Credit for $3k spend in 3 months. Accepted the Points ($1k annual spend on the AF posted,1st year renewal. Offered 15K $100 statement credit $2K spend in 3 months. Took the points. (~$25K -AF posted, multiple years. Same offer as 1/14, took the points ($20k annual spend).
2/20/20 -AF posted, 1st year renewal. Same offer as 1/14, Offered 15K $150 statement credit $2K spend in 3 months. Took the points. (~$11K
5/12/20 - AF posted in March, 1st year renewal. offed 30k points w/o spending requirement, but has to keep the card open for another year, otherwise will be severe penalty.

 

[hsmamato2]

Yes I think it comes down to whether you plan to get more than 1.5x value for your UR points. Help me with the math here . . . if what @DisneyMandC mentions is correct, I'd be able to cash out 100,000 UR points to reimburse myself for the $1,500 June grocery spend. In other words 100,000 points = $1,500 statement credit. Not sure why I'm having such a hard time wrapping my head around this.

so is the prevailing wisdom that this is a better deal than redeeming for travel?