I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 (see first page for add'l details)

[wanderlust7]

Good morning to both of you! Curious which business card is the one that everyone is going for right now. I've been on the fence for months about applying for a business card and was seriously considering it over the weekend, but couldn't decide which one to go for. Available to me in the app is the 100k points Chase Ink Business preferred card, but I cannot meet that $15k spend!

Chase Ink Cash if you can use the 5x categories. If not, then Ink Unlimited for 1.5x everything. 75k bonus, $6000 spend, no annual fee. If you have a P2, the support is worth 40k URs.

 

[emilymad]

I keep reading how people are able to extend their Marriott FNCs. I have a Hilton FNC that's about to expire. Has anyone had any luck getting a real extension (as in not just a week or two)?

I called last week and they would only extend them if they booked the night for me. I didn't have dates set so I am not sure how far out they would have gone.

 

[platamama]

Does anyone here use the Slide app?

 

[AmyAnne]

I mean if you have no use for the miles why not use them? Yeah it’s a little low in value but only you know how much you value AA miles. For me, living in an AA hub, they’re like gold, but I’d probably still book that flight with miles. Especially if I didn’t have any immediate plans.

Generally, if you have to cancel most airlines are allowing you to redeposit the miles. A cash ticket, depending on the fare rules might get you a voucher which has an expiration date for cancellation. Then there’s the points/miles you wouldn’t be earning (up to 5x) for purchasing an airline ticket if you use miles. This of course could also be a pro vs a con as far as not spending the money. A cash ticket would earn you butt in seat miles and go towards any AA status you may be trying to get or keep while an award flight will not.

If it were me, I’d pay for the flight. I also happen to view AA miles as a potential future flight out of the country and may need them as part of a Plan A, B or C and will likely need 200k, if not more, to make it happen depending on the destination and airline partner.

If you truly have no future use for AA miles, then sure why not use them if they are there.

Thanks for the input. Maybe someday I will get to use my points for a fancy international flight but not within the next few years. And no status of any sort to maintain--our local airport is not a hub for any airline, so we fly AA, United, Delta, and Southwest more or less equally, depending on where we are going.

 

[StephPlum]

Am I the only one who hates asking for a retention offer on their cards? AF posted on Amex Marriott Biz. Of course I wait until it is due this week to chat.

It always seems like everyone else is “I chatted and boom points or a credit”. It takes me several back and forth with why, what is your business expenses, and don’t you know you get these points. Is there a retention offer or not!?! Ended with a 75 stmt credit, no spend. Good, cause I’m planning to use the FNC later this year in Halifax So that night is only 50. But I’m exhausted from the exchange

 

[DaveL]

Anyone here use AirTags on their luggage? Thinking of getting a four pack for an upcoming trip, direct flights, but heck I've traveled enough to know that even that is not safe now-a-days! Figured could toss one in each of three checked bags, and one in the electronics carryon.

 

[elgerber]

Anyone here use AirTags on their luggage? Thinking of getting a four pack for an upcoming trip, direct flights, but heck I've traveled enough to know that even that is safe now-a-days! Figured could toss one in each of three checked bags, and one in the electronics carryon.

I do. When we were waiting for our bags when we switched hotels at Disney last fall, I could see what hotel they were currently sitting at, and when they finally arrived at the Boardwalk.

 

[wanderlust7]

Am I the only one who hates asking for a retention offer on their cards? AF posted on Amex Marriott Biz. Of course I wait until it is due this week to chat.

It always seems like everyone else is “I chatted and boom points or a credit”. It takes me several back and forth with why, what is your business expenses, and don’t you know you get these points. Is there a retention offer or not!?! Ended with a 75 stmt credit, no spend. Good, cause I’m planning to use the FNC later this year in Halifax So that night is only 50. But I’m exhausted from the exchange

I try to cut it short when I can. If they ask if they can review the benefits for me I say I'm aware of the benefits, but blah blah blah (whatever I don't like about the card like the credits are a chore to use). A retention offer would really help me decide (hint hint lol).

When they ask business expenses I say it varies (which is true). I try to keep answers very short.

The question I hate is what attracted you to the card. The SUB of course! But I can't say that lol. At least we can do it by chat. Calling to ask is so much more awkward with the back and forth.

 

[wanderlust7]

Anyone here use AirTags on their luggage? Thinking of getting a four pack for an upcoming trip, direct flights, but heck I've traveled enough to know that even that is safe now-a-days! Figured could toss one in each of three checked bags, and one in the electronics carryon.

We started last year and it's great. Always a relief when I see the luggage made it on our plane. In Japan, we used the luggage delivery service and it was fun to see where our luggage was.

 

[afan]

Am I the only one who hates asking for a retention offer on their cards? AF posted on Amex Marriott Biz. Of course I wait until it is due this week to chat.

It always seems like everyone else is “I chatted and boom points or a credit”. It takes me several back and forth with why, what is your business expenses, and don’t you know you get these points. Is there a retention offer or not!?! Ended with a 75 stmt credit, no spend. Good, cause I’m planning to use the FNC later this year in Halifax So that night is only 50. But I’m exhausted from the exchange

I agree with what @wanderlust7 said. I do the same unless I feel like being nice or a pain. Like when the gold didn't categorize Fred Meyer as grocery I said the card doesn't help because of that. I'll give them stuff that doesn't work otherwise I just say I know the benefits and want to know if there's an offer. Easier being blunt on chat. I've only ask for retention on personal cards.

 

[GZanta77]

Anyone here use AirTags on their luggage? Thinking of getting a four pack for an upcoming trip, direct flights, but heck I've traveled enough to know that even that is not safe now-a-days! Figured could toss one in each of three checked bags, and one in the electronics carryon.

Yes - and used Tile before that. AirTags vastly superior though.

 

[IFlossU]

Am I the only one who hates asking for a retention offer on their cards? AF posted on Amex Marriott Biz. Of course I wait until it is due this week to chat.

It always seems like everyone else is “I chatted and boom points or a credit”. It takes me several back and forth with why, what is your business expenses, and don’t you know you get these points. Is there a retention offer or not!?! Ended with a 75 stmt credit, no spend. Good, cause I’m planning to use the FNC later this year in Halifax So that night is only 50. But I’m exhausted from the exchange

I try to cut it short when I can. If they ask if they can review the benefits for me I say I'm aware of the benefits, but blah blah blah (whatever I don't like about the card like the credits are a chore to use). A retention offer would really help me decide (hint hint lol).

When they ask business expenses I say it varies (which is true). I try to keep answers very short.

The question I hate is what attracted you to the card. The SUB of course! But I can't say that lol. At least we can do it by chat. Calling to ask is so much more awkward with the back and forth.

I agree with what @wanderlust7 said. I do the same unless I feel like being nice or a pain. Like when the gold didn't categorize Fred Meyer as grocery I said the card doesn't help because of that. I'll give them stuff that doesn't work otherwise I just say I know the benefits and want to know if there's an offer. Easier being blunt on chat. I've only ask for retention on personal cards.

All of this. I’m a bit of all 3 of these comments. I hate asking, but after several chats I have learned to become more direct. I actually just come right out and ask if there are any offers associated with my account. To which they generally reply that they would like to review the card benefits with me. I try to keep it simple and to the point.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Wanted to write a re-cap on my trip to Brussels, Amsterdam & Paris. I have provided a brief overview of my hotels (Marriott Grand Palace in Brussels AVOID, The Domincan Brussels: highly recommend, College Hotel Amsterdam: LOVE this hotel and would def stay here again and Dress Code Hotel Paris: loved this hotel, but don't expect full service (which I don't need); excellent location, clean, comfortable and yummy breakfast -- will def stay again.

Some may recall I was to take the A380 home in first class with Singapore Air. This was my intention until I got a reminder from AC to check-in for my flight the day before my departure (a flight which I forgot that I had booked). A day before I left I found out that my long ago ex, ds's dad, has been diagnosed with stage 4 secondary liver cancer (primary colo-rectal). Ds is absolultely devastated -- he is his dad's only child, his dad never married and doesn't have a partner, so ds is his sole caregiver (a lot for a 31 yr old). His dad started chemo for liver cancer last week (they will treat the colo-rectal, which they caught fairly early) afterwards. I knew that ds, who is my dog-sitter, wanted to get back to his dad's (he lives in a basement apartment at his dad's house), so I pondered taking the AC flight home as it would take a full day off my travel. Also, ds and I had to fly down east to pick-up dd at university (he drives her car back and she and I fly home), so I made the difficult decision to skip the flight with Singapore (which would have required me taking a 4 hour train ride to FRA and an overnight stay at the airport). I called Singapore Air and they re-deposited the points to my account. Looked like my desire to fly in the A380 was gone (since they are not flying the A380 on the SIN-FRA-JFK route past May).

For anyone traveling home from Paris summer please leave A LOT of time at the airport. I don't know if I've ever seen a busier, more congested airport. It was chaos. It took my taxi 20 mins to go .5 miles to drop me off (the one and only time I took a taxi on the trip and glad that I did). Checked-in with AC (no line at the priority desk), got to the customs line and it was HUGE. Like I couldn't even tell where it ended. There was a much shorter line for priority thank goodness (a couple in the regular line told me they had been in line for 2 hours and they weren't even close to the front). It took me close to 25 minutes to get through the priority line, then I had to get to security. It was not my lucky day because just as I was approaching the escalators to head up to security, they closed the area (I was the first one stopped). Turns out some idiot left a suitcase behind, which is extremely serious. How serious you wonder? Well, serious enough to close the entire area, call in the army and the bomb squad. I was standing at the front of a mob of hundreds of people, if not more, for almost an hour before the bag was disposed of (bomb squad cleared it). Though the airport announced that all airlines would be delaying flights due to this disruption, there was no indication of how long flights would be delayed. It was clearly not my day because when I asked the security personnel where the customs office was to get my VAT forms stamped I was advised that it was on the other side of security (meaning I'd have to back-track and clear security again); since I didn't know how long the AC delay was, I made the difficult decision to skip getting my VAT back (first time ever). Maybe I should've taken the train to Frankfurt.

I found a flight back to FRA on May 13th on the A380 in first for the same points (I want my VAT back). Was also able to book a direct flight home on AC using eUpgrades on May 16th. I have a FNC with Marriott which I can use at the Westin Frankfurt and 1 night using URs. Not sure that I will go through with this as there is still food to pay for and cash for whatever activities I do (thinking of a day trip to Cologne or Heidelberg, both places I've visited). Dd will be here to dog-sit as ds doesn't want to leave his dad right now (understandably) -- not sure if he will pull be able through this or not (I sure hope so).


Not a fun day at CDG for me.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I keep reading how people are able to extend their Marriott FNCs. I have a Hilton FNC that's about to expire. Has anyone had any luck getting a real extension (as in not just a week or two)?

I called last week and they would only extend them if they booked the night for me. I didn't have dates set so I am not sure how far out they would have gone.

I'm interested too. I have one expiring at the end of the year and while I do have a poor value use for it, I'd prefer to extend it about a month. @emilymad Did you call the Diamond desk to request the extension?

 

[platamama]

I'm interested too. I have one expiring at the end of the year and while I do have a poor value use for it, I'd prefer to extend it about a month. @emilymad Did you call the Diamond desk to request the extension?

Also tagging @mmmears and @emilymad -

My advice is to make a dummy booking for the expiring FNC as far out as they'll allow. Ahead of the call, I would pick a booking two weeks out (which has a high likelihood of being approved) as the backup booking, and one farther out (one month? two months?) to see if they're willing to extend it that far. Ask to extend the FNC to the one furthest out, and if they can't, then request the other one. Once the FNC has been extended that's a one-and-done, no backsies. But once they extend it, it takes on the new expiration date and you can cancel it and it goes back into your account.

As an example, I extended an expiring FNC by two days expecting I would use it that weekend. Turns out the family weekend ended up scheduled the next weekend, and I couldn't use the FNC because I had already extended it once. So I ended up losing that FNC.

If you're Diamond, in the same area that your FNC resides there's a blue button "Request a Call" to be called by Hilton and I've found the reps much more helpful than the usual.

 

[happ]

Am I the only one who hates asking for a retention offer on their cards? AF posted on Amex Marriott Biz. Of course I wait until it is due this week to chat.

It always seems like everyone else is “I chatted and boom points or a credit”. It takes me several back and forth with why, what is your business expenses, and don’t you know you get these points. Is there a retention offer or not!?! Ended with a 75 stmt credit, no spend. Good, cause I’m planning to use the FNC later this year in Halifax So that night is only 50. But I’m exhausted from the exchange

I don't like it either. I tried today for that same card, third attempt, and still no offer for me. I'm not surprised though because I got one last year. I'm glad it worked for you. I think I'm going to cancel the card. I may try for another Amex card beforehand though in case I get put in pop up jail.

 

[leeniewdw]

Anyone here use AirTags on their luggage? Thinking of getting a four pack for an upcoming trip, direct flights, but heck I've traveled enough to know that even that is not safe now-a-days! Figured could toss one in each of three checked bags, and one in the electronics carryon.

As I sit in the Centurion Club at CLT (first time, VERY crowded), I realized I did not put my AirTags in my luggage. I got them for Xmas and just completely forgot. Granted I was planning to carry on, but the aircraft was jammed from RDU-CLT and they gate checked it thru to BTR. I should have known this and planned better (this is a somewhat sudden trip to help a family member who is having major surgery).

As an aside, this is my first time here at the Centurion — it’s packed. Better than sitting in the terminal for sure though.

 

[mmmears]

Also tagging @mmmears and @emilymad -

My advice is to make a dummy booking for the expiring FNC as far out as they'll allow. Ahead of the call, I would pick a booking two weeks out (which has a high likelihood of being approved) as the backup booking, and one farther out (one month? two months?) to see if they're willing to extend it that far. Ask to extend the FNC to the one furthest out, and if they can't, then request the other one. Once the FNC has been extended that's a one-and-done, no backsies. But once they extend it, it takes on the new expiration date and you can cancel it and it goes back into your account.

As an example, I extended an expiring FNC by two days expecting I would use it that weekend. Turns out the family weekend ended up scheduled the next weekend, and I couldn't use the FNC because I had already extended it once. So I ended up losing that FNC.

If you're Diamond, in the same area that your FNC resides there's a blue button "Request a Call" to be called by Hilton and I've found the reps much more helpful than the usual.

I'll give it a try if I can come up with something. I really need to push it back months, and was hoping for something like that. If I can only get a week or two it's not going to get used at all.

 

[platamama]

I'll give it a try if I can come up with something. I really need to push it back months, and was hoping for something like that. If I can only get a week or two it's not going to get used at all.

All you can do is try. It doesn't have to be a stay you actually want to use, just a pretend one and then you can cancel and book something else you actually want. I hope they're willing to do it for you.

 

[jujubiee4]

Just a heads up to any cruisers. Logged onto my Amex today and under offers
saw spend $1000 on NCL and get 25k points.