I love credit cards so much!

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Mainly $50, but I've tried $10 and $25 too. I figured I'd have a better shot starting lower :( I've been waiting at least 24 hours, mostly trying every other day.

im not sure why u guys have so much problems with gyft.com I always thought u can ask them to verify you and u will be good.
i just bought 5x $50 gift cards yesterday in a span of 2 hours...
 
... but Monday was INSANE! We decided to sleep in so didn’t get to the gates until 10am and paid dearly for it! The lines into DL almost joined those for DCA. I’ve never seen that before!
At first I rather dismissed that thread started on the DL board about how much Mondays suck but it is turning out to be extremely accurate!

Ok, thanks! I will just put my name in as the name on the card. I really thought these needed to be registered but that isn't working...I have gotten these from focus groups too but I guess I always just used those locally. This one I'd like to use on Sam's club online to buy Disney GC's.
ETA: Sam's declined the card. Says it was 'declined by the issuer'. I am so over this card. I feel like I have made 50 million phone calls and I don't even understand how these continue to be sold if they are this hard to use...
Have you tried using in store at BB with SB 500 offer?

I have to give it to Disney, over the many years they have kept the experience consistent... Fastpass mornings are still always meet with Stitch, Olaf and "ERROR 500: Server Error" messages.
These mornings should really be met with a Wreck It Ralph message...

I don't have fuel points and have Costco not a Sam's membership.
Disney tickets right? FYI if you're hoping it codes as "travel" when purchasing from Disney it will only do that if you wrap them in with your room reservation and pay for it at a Disney hotel or as a package. Other than that you have to purchase from an outfit like UT to get "travel" coding. That might actually be your best bet here because you get a discount on the tickets and you get "travel" coding on your credit card (obviously you can't pay with Disney gift cards using them).

Without a CIC then the only benefit in buying gift cards is any savings you can acquire on the gift cards themselves. Check out the gift card thread for more info on that, but beware one of the current best methods is using Swagbucks at Best Buy and buying gift cards but only doing $50/day is time consuming. You end up with 12% in SB points + cc points + about .5% in BB points.

You can look into BJs Wholesale online. I think you can buy an online only membership for like $10-15 and then buy their discounted Disney gift cards. I'm not sure what their current discount is on Disney gift cards I think it's around 5% and you can use any cc to pay for it. Again, the gc thread may have update pricing info they might have dropped to 4%...

If you want 5% cashback you could buy Disney Gift Cards from Target using a RedCard. 5% will be taken off after you charge it to your RedCard. If you don't have a RedCard consider getting the debit version, it will get you the 5% off but won't hard hit your credit score or take a 5/24 slot.
 
Mainly $50, but I've tried $10 and $25 too. I figured I'd have a better shot starting lower :( I've been waiting at least 24 hours, mostly trying every other day.

ETA: Maybe on the way home I will sign up via DHs phone and give that a try.

I am convinced their support team is a hired out operation that really has just a list of possible excuses to use and has no real access to accounts ect to actually look into any problems. Not sure if it helps you any but I was also told not to use their phone app and to only use the website as it "has better processing and that the phone app is really crappy and hardly works." My first few successes were from the website using the same login ect from the mobile app...
 
Can someone tell me where to find the list of abbreviations for this thread. I have sorted out a few of them, but not all. I have tried searching for a comprehensive list. I am assuming there is a list somewhere, right?
 
I have no experience buying gift cards for extra points, so I have a question. When my CIP comes, I should buy gift cards for my upcoming Disney trip? I need to buy two parkhoppers, so that would be almost $1000, which at 5x points from Staples would give me 5k points, from what I understand.

Thanks!

Really? I thought CIP gave 5x at office supply stores. So, the gift card wouldn't help me then?

@mefordis

As others have told you, the CIP does not earn 5x UR at office supply stores. The CIC earns 5x UR at office supply stores.

I posted this to you previously — the Chase Freedom earns 5x UR at Walgreens (and gas stations and Lyft) this quarter. From July through the end of September 2018, you can earn 5x UR per dollar spent at Walgreens when you charge it to your Chase Freedom. Walgreens sells Disney Gift Cards. Don’t you now have 2x Chase Freedoms? Log into your online Chase account, click on each card account, and “activate” the bonus category.

Use your Chase Freedom cards at Walgreens to buy Disney Gift Cards, and you’ll earn 5x UR per $1; use the Disney Gift Cards to buy parkhoppers, and you’ve essentially passed on that 5x UR to paying for Disney.

Two notes:

- On each Chase Freedom, after you activate the bonus category, the 5x UR bonus applies to only the first $1,500 in qualified bonus category spend (this quarter, at Walgreens, gas stations, and Lyft), but that’s 7,500 UR points if you max out the categories on a card in a quarter.

- I believe Disney Gift Cards at Walgreens come in variable load, so just tell your cashier to put $500 on each card. Walgreens has a $500 per day limit on gift cards, so you’ll need to make separate trips or go to different stores.

One last thing,

- You can combine Disney Gift Cards at disneygiftcard .com up to $1,000 on each card for ease of spending on parkhoppers.
 
I'm low on ideas then :( Sorry! Maybe someone else would have an idea... Not sure how quickly you need to get tickets or how much they are.

I have fuel points to use, and I have a Costco membership but signed up for Sam's a couple months ago mainly for Disney gift cards. I've found that quite a few things are cheaper at Sam's. I did one of their deals where you got a gift card and some food items. But I cash out some reward sites for Walmart gift cards and use those to buy Disney gift cards at Sam's once a month, so it made sense for me.

Thanks for the suggestions! I just realized that I can use my new Marriott Biz card for 2x points on office supplies and chip away at my min spend!
 
@mefordis

As others have told you, the CIP does not earn 5x UR at office supply stores. The CIC earns 5x UR at office supply stores.

I posted this to you previously — the Chase Freedom earns 5x UR at Walgreens (and gas stations and Lyft) this quarter. From July through the end of September 2018, you can earn 5x UR per dollar spent at Walgreens when you charge it to your Chase Freedom. Walgreens sells Disney Gift Cards. Don’t you now have 2x Chase Freedoms? Log into your online Chase account, click on each card account, and “activate” the bonus category.

Use your Chase Freedom cards at Walgreens to buy Disney Gift Cards, and you’ll earn 5x UR per $1; use the Disney Gift Cards to buy parkhoppers, and you’ve essentially passed on that 5x UR to paying for Disney.

Two notes:

- On each Chase Freedom, after you activate the bonus category, the 5x UR bonus applies to only the first $1,500 in qualified bonus category spend (this quarter, at Walgreens, gas stations, and Lyft), but that’s 7,500 UR points if you max out the categories on a card in a quarter.

- I believe Disney Gift Cards at Walgreens come in variable load, so just tell your cashier to put $500 on each card. Walgreens has a $500 per day limit on gift cards, so you’ll need to make separate trips or go to different stores.

One last thing,

- You can combine Disney Gift Cards at disneygiftcard .com up to $1,000 on each card for ease of spending on parkhoppers.

Thank you for the info, Lain. I'm looking to put everything on my Marriott Biz and CIP to take care of that min. spend. I have to put 3k on Marriott and 5k for CIP which is a lot over three months so everything I buy is going toward those cards until min spend is accomplished. I'm goiing to use my Marriott Biz to buy the Disney gift cards at Staples for 2x points on office supplies.
 
Thank you for the info, Lain. I'm looking to put everything on my Marriott Biz and CIP to take care of that min. spend. I'm goiing to use my Marriott Biz to buy the Disney gift cards at Staples for 2x points on office supplies.

Wait. I have a better idea.

The CIP earns 3x UR in “Travel” categories.

You can use your CIP to purchase Disney parkhoppers (often at a discount) through Undercover Tourist or Last Minute Travel Club, and earn 3x UR on the purchase (on already discounted tickets)!

Last Minute Travel Club requires a membership (but there are promo codes available that give you free membership for a year). LMT is particularly good for Disneyland tickets, but I’m not sure about WDW. Undercover Tourist is the go-to for discounted WDW tickets.
 
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What I typed was vague looking back on it. I should have said...will a gift card purchase trigger the requirement or should I add on something else small so its not an even amount.
I did have a few school supplies. Not sure if matters. Probably not as it doesn’t matter at Walgreens.
 
I finally booked our flights to Puerto Rico for next February break! We're going to San Juan Feb 17-22. I used 109,544 UR points for 4 roundtrip tickets on Jet Blue ($1,643 cash price). I've been watching the prices for a while and $410 per person RT was the lowest I've seen, so I just went ahead and booked it.

For the hotel, I'm using 185,000 Marriott points for 5 nights at the Marriott on Condado beach. It would've been 160,000 but I'm using an extra 15,000 to upgrade to an ocean view room. We've never stayed at a beach resort like this and I figure what's the sense in staying on the beach if you don't have an ocean view, right? ;) Total cash price for the same room/same dates would be $3,308! There's a $30/night resort fee on points bookings (on cash stays it's 18%!) but I'll use the CSR travel credit (or SPG Lux credit if one of us ends up getting that card) to cover it.

I have to say, this hobby is addicting. I started out just trying to cover the cost of a hotel stay so we could fit a trip to visit my wife's family into the budget, and now two years later I'm booking trips for my family that I'd never be able to afford without using points to cover the majority of the cost. We live on a single income in an expensive city, and it's freeing to still be able to travel and give my kids these experiences. I still think one of the best things my parents ever did for me was scrape together the money to send me on a tour of the British Isles that one of my teachers arranged the summer after my 7th grade year. It was my first time traveling beyond the beach or Disney World, and I credit that experience with giving me the travel bug. Now I want to raise my own kids to be travelers.
This sounds like an awesome vacation and for Free!:cool1::worship:
 
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Can someone tell me where to find the list of abbreviations for this thread. I have sorted out a few of them, but not all. I have tried searching for a comprehensive list. I am assuming there is a list somewhere, right?

Not on here that I know of. I liked this list here: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/knowledge-base/credit-finance-acronyms/

It's not everything, so if someone uses one you're not sure of, let us know :) I'm positive some are just made up anyway just to see if we're paying attention :laughing:
 
Thank you for the info, Lain. I'm looking to put everything on my Marriott Biz and CIP to take care of that min. spend. I have to put 3k on Marriott and 5k for CIP which is a lot over three months so everything I buy is going toward those cards until min spend is accomplished. I'm goiing to use my Marriott Biz to buy the Disney gift cards at Staples for 2x points on office supplies.

It's only 2x through Aug 25. Starting 8/26 the categories change and office stores have been removed :(
 
Exactly! A quick look in my spreadsheet tells me that I would have had to work 1300 hours over the last two years, at my average after tax rate, to have the cash equivalent of my points stash/usage. I know I didn't spend anywhere close to 1300 hours researching and applying for cards!

And I feel like $2k for a hotel is generous, depending on where you go! My friend and I spent $1400 for 11 nights here in October 2015: https://www.choicehotels.com/united-kingdom/london/comfort-inn-hotels/gb182

And then $120 a night for here: http://www.hotelcarladez.com/English--Rooms.phtml (double room with comfort shower - this one was a pretty cute place though for being cheap, I've actually looked for it on the UR portal...)

And of course these photos make everything look much larger; I'll have to see if I can find my own photos today.


We don't know what dates will be considered seasonal, but they did post a generic category chart where it showed that category S/D would be will be +/- 10k points for the high and low seasons. 50k points normally.


I'm getting really impatient for the SPG Lux card...
I think SPG Lux is next. Still trying to decide on going for it on 8/23 or waiting until 10/14 when it's been 24 months since my last Marriott bonus. Is there still uncertainty about the 8/23 - 25 period (meaning if you wouldn't qualify on 8/26 because of the rules but are approved before 8/26, will you get the bonus)?
 
does anyone know if Best buy sells visa gc? or just branded ones like Disney etc? looking to use that amex offer.....
 
Thank you for the info, Lain. I'm looking to put everything on my Marriott Biz and CIP to take care of that min. spend. I have to put 3k on Marriott and 5k for CIP which is a lot over three months so everything I buy is going toward those cards until min spend is accomplished. I'm goiing to use my Marriott Biz to buy the Disney gift cards at Staples for 2x points on office supplies.

Reposting this to catch @mefordis ‘s attention:

The CIP earns 3x UR in “Travel” categories.

You can use your CIP to purchase Disney parkhoppers (often at a discount) through Undercover Tourist or Last Minute Travel Club, and earn 3x UR on the purchase (on already discounted tickets)!

Last Minute Travel Club requires a membership (but there are promo codes available that give you free membership for a year). LMT is particularly good for Disneyland tickets, but I’m not sure about WDW. Undercover Tourist is the go-to for discounted WDW tickets.
 
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does anyone know if Best buy sells visa gc? or just branded ones like Disney etc? looking to use that amex offer.....

It’s very YMMV.

BBY sometimes sells variable load VGCs up to $200 ($5.95 activation fee?) at some stores, that they’ll keep behind the counter at the registers or customer service, so you’ll have to ask for them; but oftentimes, the BBY associates will have no idea they even sell them. I’ve only ever found VGCs at two BBYs: once in Emeryville, and another time in Hawaii, both during the holidays when trying to max out a Chase Pay promotion. When I went back to the same Emeryville store to buy VGCs a few months later to take advantage of another BBY deal, they no longer had VGCs and the associates did not think they ever sold VGCs.
 
Wait. I have a better idea.

The CIP earns 3x UR in “Travel” categories.

You can use your CIP to purchase Disney parkhoppers (often at a discount) through Undercover Tourist or Last Minute Travel Club, and earn 3x UR on the purchase (on already discounted tickets)!

Last Minute Travel Club requires a membership (but there are promo codes available that give you free membership for a year). LMT is particularly good for Disneyland tickets, but I’m not sure about WDW. Undercover Tourist is the go-to for discounted WDW tickets.

That is a great idea! Will I have an easy time connecting the tickets to MDE to make FP+? Would this be better than the Walgreens gift card idea, which I am rethinking. I think I can make min spend without the WDW park tickets on second thought.

Also, wouldn't WDW be considered a travel category, if I bought directly through them?
 
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