I love credit cards so much!

[kayteekt]

Wanted to see if you all could give me some pointers.

I had a Marriott rewards account before I got my Mariott CC (not too many points in there) but I would assume I need to link my CC with this account?

ETA: I think I had to put in MR account # when I applied for credit card, but no points have posted from my CC.

So I quickly met the MS for the Marriott, so I can transfer to SPG and book at the dolphin before points increase. Statement cut yesterday. I see the points for my spend (and it's showing 3798, MS was $3k for 80k points), but not the bonus points. The other chase cards seem to post immediately/with the first statement. Am I missing something?

 

[Alexle2007]

I wasn't aware of the unintended consequences of removing myself as an AU on the CSP. Now, we can only transfer points to the cardholder (my wife) and not to my account. While I understand that we can still purchase an airline ticket for me with her points on SW, the problem lies in that any changes to that reservation have to be made over the phone instead of online. I don't know that is a "policy", but has been my experience on multiple occasions. As someone who is always checking fares for a drop, it's a huge hassle to then have to call in to make that change. Now I know, but may consider adding myself back as an AU, as I travel much more than my wife does.

When did SW make that change? Changed DH's reservation to Punta Cana and Orlando online in Nov and Dec without any problem and his reservation was made with my SW points.

 

[WVMomof3]

Thanks so much for all the advice, guys!

I only have the Citi right now, opened a year ago.

My DW unfortunately doesn't have much credit, so it's very doubtful she'd qualify for CSP, maybe Freedom.
That said, I could still hit the $8k spend for the double dip pretty easily, but is that better than a CIP? Is the $150 + $95 annuals worth it?

I'm admittedly a bit nervous about trying straight away for a CSR or CIP (no owned business). If the app happens to be rejected, wouldn't that greatly hinder trying to get others like the Amex?

Unsure what you mean by your wife doesn't have much credit. Have you checked her score lately? On apps you would put combined income, so should be the same for both of you. If you can hit the spend, I would go for the double dip. You could cash out your points for $1000 cash, but will be worth much more if used as travel through portal or transferring so no brainer on the fees. Plus, the CSP waives the $95 the first year. I would downgrade one or both after one year to avoid the 2nd year fee. We planned on downgrading the CSR, but have found the fee worth it and just downgraded the CSP. That was on my husbands account, I just did the double dip, so will need to decide in December which one I will keep or downgrade. I don't think we need 2 CSRs, so mine will probably downgrade to another CFU.

 

[WVMomof3]

Wanted to see if you all could give me some pointers.

I had a Marriott rewards account before I got my Mariott CC (not too many points in there) but I would assume I need to link my CC with this account?

ETA: I think I had to put in MR account # when I applied for credit card, but no points have posted from my CC.

So I quickly met the MS for the Marriott, so I can transfer to SPG and book at the dolphin before points increase. Statement cut yesterday. I see the points for my spend (and it's showing 3798, MS was $3k for 80k points), but not the bonus points. The other chase cards seem to post immediately/with the first statement. Am I missing something?

I seem to recall my Marriott not posting bonus points until the next month after spend. I think some say it depends on how soon before statement closing the spend was met.

You should be able to combine your Marriott accounts if you have 2. I know we did this for SPG, accidently had 2 accounts so they combined and canceled one of them.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Perhaps someone has insight... has Barclay Arrival changed how you can use miles? Last time I could redeem exactly the number of miles I wanted as long as I hit the $25/2500 miles threshold (no fee card)... I'm trying to redeem my $43/4300 miles against a $96 charge and it's only giving me 2500 miles as an option...

In Nov they let us redeem for the exact amount we wanted, the charge was just over $300. In Dec they only let us redeem in $25 increments. (Such a weird program. For some reason my notes from when we got the cards said redemptions had to start at $100 and then occur in $25 increments, so that was their fine print at one point.)

 

[Angrose]

Perhaps someone has insight... has Barclay Arrival changed how you can use miles? Last time I could redeem exactly the number of miles I wanted as long as I hit the $25/2500 miles threshold (no fee card)... I'm trying to redeem my $43/4300 miles against a $96 charge and it's only giving me 2500 miles as an option...

I only have the Arrival+ (the AF card) and that one I believe you have to use at least $100/10,000pts at a time. I'm wondering if your card requires you to redeem in multiples of $25/2500pts. The AMEX Blue Cash card is like that which is really annoying.

 

[kayteekt]

I seem to recall my Marriott not posting bonus points until the next month after spend. I think some say it depends on how soon before statement closing the spend was met.

You should be able to combine your Marriott accounts if you have 2. I know we did this for SPG, accidently had 2 accounts so they combined and canceled one of them.

Well dang, I really hope that isn't the case I did meet the spend right at the end there. Was trying to squeeze in so I could get them over to SPG before the 6th when the rate increases go into effect.

 

[wendow]

Perhaps someone has insight... has Barclay Arrival changed how you can use miles? Last time I could redeem exactly the number of miles I wanted as long as I hit the $25/2500 miles threshold (no fee card)... I'm trying to redeem my $43/4300 miles against a $96 charge and it's only giving me 2500 miles as an option...

I redeemed yesterday and it only gave me $50 increments as an option. I have $43/4300 miles remaining. Not sure if it's gonna let me use them.

 

[wendow]

Amazon Business - has anyone 'upgraded' to their business account? I got an email today because I added a Biz Marriott to the account.

I got the email also from them because i added the amex BRG to my account but I did not upgrade.

 

[wendow]

Let me commiserate! I’ve still got about $120 left on my SPG Biz MSR but it’s been a slog even with some Plastiq thrown in. I’m at Costco about once a week, and how many times have I stared at my SPG Biz like I could have totally finished you off by now if only Costco still accepted Amex!

Costco is a big black hole in our spending that earns only 1x on all our cards. So I’ve been using VGCs I buy from various promos (e.g. OD/OM/Staples sales and rebates, Freedom 5x UR categories, Chase Pay 10x UR, Amex Offers and category bonuses) to get more return out of the hundreds I spend at Costco every week. Obviously, if you have to return something to Costco, using VGCs might not be the best strategy. (Although, I've read DPs that say if you're making a return and you tell them you no longer have the card you made the purchase on, they'll refund you back onto another Visa!) Right now, I've been putting Costco purchases on my new Marriott Biz MSR, so no much juggling around VGCs.

I wouldn’t risk using the SPG Biz (or any Amex card) to buy VGCs while trying to meet MSR (don’t want to anger the RATs), but I would totally use the SPG Biz after meeting spend to buy VGCs at a discount or with a rebate (something to negate the activation fee) to spend where they don't accept Amex as a way to rack up SPG points.

Yes! I've even gone to mostly Sam's recently just so that I could use the Amex but yesterday, I needed things that only Costco sells. Just about killed me though to put it on my Costco citi, which earns more, but I need that spend on my Amex's.

Thankfully, or not thankfully, my dh is having eye surgery here soon and that will be almost $1000. Then both my dd's are having their wisdom teeth out in March. One is $1200 an the other is $900. Those expenses will get us really close on the spends!

Good idea though going forward to buy the VGC's and use those at Costco!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Hey guys. I'm still getting used to the boards a bit, and I had a CC question, so figured this was the best thread for it. Lmk if you'd rather I start a new one! (tldr below)

I'm admittedly very new to utilizing CCs for miles and points as I never did travel much before being married and only focused on cash back. Now, DW and I are planning a WDW trip for November, and I figured I'd look into finally getting a good CC for miles with a decent signup bonus to help cover some of the airfare. I was hoping you guys could help steer us a little so we don't fall into the wrong rabbit hole. Here're my quick bullet points if it helps at all:

• Current (and only) CC is Citi Double Cash
• Credit is fairly stable, fluctuates around 750
• Flight rates for our date range avg ~$300/person (~$200/person on Tuesdays)
• Flying out of a regional port (Lafayette), so we're limited to Delta, United, and American
• I could certainly see us traveling more in the future (~1 "flight" trip/year), so maybe having a card for miles to pair w/ the Citi for cash back?

So with that, are there any types of cards you guys might recommend or even personally use ("these are great for miles!") or ones you wouldn't suggest or are out of my credit range ("the annual fees aren't worth it")?

TL;DR: Hoping to possibly get a recommendation on the "best" CC to save on airfare for a fall trip.

you found the right thread for sure! Since you're just dipping your feet in right now I would keep it simple. Things to remember when evaluating a card: when will the bonus post (will it be soon enough for your trip) and can you meet the minimum spend and pay the card off 100% each month. Don't forget to stay discipline and only buy what you normally would have bought, it's easy to be like "ooh, I'm going to buy that because I'm meeting this min spend anyway" and then before you know it the savings you get from the bonus goes out the window with those extra purchases.

I'd chose something versatile and easy to redeem instead of straight up airline miles since finding the right flights available with miles with Delta, American, United can tough. No fun to work for the bonus and then be unable to use it.

Ok, all that out of the way- what to get?! Along the keeping it simply lines I recommend Chase as well. BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CREDIT HISTORY OF AT LEAST 6 MONTHS, PREFERABLY 1 YEAR, TO GET A CARD WITH CHASE.

-Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 AF waived the first year and a 50,000 point bonus right now (worth $625 due to 1.25x redemption rate on travel booked through Chase's portal which for you could be flights or hotels) after you spend $4K in 3 months.
---Bottom line: $625 bonus for $4K spend

-Chase Sapphire Reserve -a little more complicated- has a $450 AF not waived the first year and will be charged on the first of the month following your approval. 50,000 point bonus after $4K spend in 3 months (worth $750 on travel booked through Chase's portal due to 1.5x redemption rate). This card also comes with 1 statement credit for TSA pre-check or global entry and a $300 travel credit that will be automatically applied anytime you have a travel charge (including Disney RESORT charges- not in park dining charges, for those to count you must charge them to the room for them to be deemed "travel").
---Bottom line: $695 bonus (if you get TSA pre-check or global entry, otherwise it's $600) for $4K spend

-The Double Dip. Can you handle $8K in spend in 3 months? If not, move on. If yes, check into it. You could net $1,445 for $8K spend (you transfer the CSP bonus to the CSR to redeem the points at 1.5x). The idea is apply for them on the same day, start early in the day on a business day. Get approved for the one you want the most, if you aren't approved immediately call reconsideration and try to get it approved asap (why it must be a biz day). After approval apply for the 2nd card in the same day. The system won't deny you for already having a sapphire because it doesn't fully process through the system. So far everyone has gotten both bonuses, obviously this could change any day but it's worked so far. Do you have the cash to meet a $8K spend but not the expenses? Prepay utility bills, internet bills, phone bills, look into plastiq, pay taxes, donate to charities you already had on tap to donate to this year (a number of them take cc these days), etc. If you don't have the cash for this, that's fine! It's too much for a number of people to take on so you're better off just concentrating on one cc.

These strategies are if you are just one person applying for a credit card. If you have an SO and can do "2 player mode" rock on, here's what you can do: refer them! Both of these cards have referrals of 10,000 points. So, you could get a CSP netting $625, refer SO and they get the same offer as you and net $625 plus you get the 10,000 point bonus which is $125 with CSP so at the end of the day you net $1,375 for $8K spend. The nice part about this is you can spread the spending out. CSR works the same way! Along those lines if you know someone with one of these cards already they can refer you or if you want come join our closed DIS churners group and use someone's link there to spread the chase love, they get 10K points and you get the same offer as if you had applied through the public Chase link. DM @SouthFayetteFan or @Albort to get hooked up. (We're nice over there, it's a closed group so no trolls, no reddit experience needed just an account.)

 

[Lain]

@bradyh,

Just to modify @gottalovepluto ’s post a little: the Chase Sapphire Preferred requires a $4,000 minimum spend in 3 months, adding up to a combined $8,000 in 3 months on a CSP+CSR double dip. Otherwise solid advice!

I also like the idea of starting off with flexible, transferable points like Chase’s Ultimate Rewards, Amex’s Membership Rewards, or SPG’s Starpoints rather than being tied to one airline’s miles. Of these, Chase’s UR points program is probably the most straightforward and easiest to redeem. If you build up only miles, it can be hard to find saver awards depending on airline, routes and time of year, as well as how far in advance you’re looking to redeem.

 

[platamama]

I need some help determining which card(s) to get next. I’ve been playing this game wrong with AU instead of 2 player mode and trying to get it cleaned up. I’ve requested I be removed as AU on Chase Freedom and CSP. Once I am removed, I’ll be at 4/24. My wife is at 3/24.

My top priority is the SW CP, as we are planning on Hawaii in summer 2019 when SW is flying there. We already have the SW Premiere in my wife’s name and me as AU (more than 2 years old).

The other card I have my eye on is the CIP, which we do not currently own. I like the idea of 5x on our outrageous AT&T bill, along with being more strategic with gift card purchases.

So, we’ve got 3 open slots between us immediately with it being close to another year before any more slots open up. Does her already having the SW Premiere complicate this at all? Is it as easy as her applying for the SW Plus and Business to get our CP and me applying for the CIP? Should we cancel the Premiere once the new SW cards are open?

Is this the best strategy or does anyone have any better ideas to maximize points or different cards? Thanks in advance for the help.

I wasn't aware of the unintended consequences of removing myself as an AU on the CSP. Now, we can only transfer points to the cardholder (my wife) and not to my account. While I understand that we can still purchase an airline ticket for me with her points on SW, the problem lies in that any changes to that reservation have to be made over the phone instead of online. I don't know that is a "policy", but has been my experience on multiple occasions. As someone who is always checking fares for a drop, it's a huge hassle to then have to call in to make that change. Now I know, but may consider adding myself back as an AU, as I travel much more than my wife does.

I would consider all the implications before making yourself an AU again. Also, I'd make sure that AU is off your credit report before you assume you're sitting at 4/24.

As long as you're 4/24, I suggest you get the CIP, that will get you the nice sign up bonus and the ability to transfer UR to your SW account. After you get it, you'll still be 4/24 per other people's reports that business cards don't count toward your 5/24 status.

Then, refer your wife for a CIP, capturing the referral bonus, and she gets the CIP bonus and stays at 3/24.

If you want to get the most amount of time with a SW CP I would wait til Oct. 1 before applying for any SW cards, and not completing your MSR until Jan. 1 of 2019 so that you can have it for two full years. That's my plan for myself. As long as you're at 4/24, I don't see why you couldn't double dip the SW applications (unless the rules change by then and in this miles/points game that is certainly a possibility) in Oct. to get the CP. You say you travel more than your wife, so I would think you'd want to be the CP holder. Maybe you can look at hotels in Hawaii that you'd like to stay at, and have your wife apply for the pertinent credit cards to decrease your costs in that area.

 

[miztressuz]

@bradyh,

Just to modify @gottalovepluto ’s post a little: the Chase Sapphire Preferred requires a $4,000 minimum spend in 3 months, adding up to a combined $8,000 in 3 months on a CSP+CSR double dip. Otherwise solid advice!

Beat me to it, that's the only thing I was going to mention about @gottalovepluto great post is both CSP and CSR are 4k in 3 months. They really need to make an easy way to favorite individual posts for reference later. A lot of folks here have great posts with good detail I could use in the future. (For now I keep a spreadsheet of links.)

 

[miztressuz]

I wasn't aware of the unintended consequences of removing myself as an AU on the CSP. Now, we can only transfer points to the cardholder (my wife) and not to my account. While I understand that we can still purchase an airline ticket for me with her points on SW, the problem lies in that any changes to that reservation have to be made over the phone instead of online. I don't know that is a "policy", but has been my experience on multiple occasions. As someone who is always checking fares for a drop, it's a huge hassle to then have to call in to make that change. Now I know, but may consider adding myself back as an AU, as I travel much more than my wife does.

I buy all my husband's tickets with my SW points (until recently he didn't have enough in his account to even get a OW) and as long as I made the reservation online I can make changes online. Used to be if we called to make a reservation you had to continue to call in to make any changes/cancel. Which is why we don't usually call in to make the reservations anymore. But could that be part of the reason why you couldn't make changes online?

 

[peel]

Well dang, I really hope that isn't the case I did meet the spend right at the end there. Was trying to squeeze in so I could get them over to SPG before the 6th when the rate increases go into effect.

I seem to recall that it can take longer for bonuses to post when they're for cobranded cards because there are two entities involved, whereas a Chase card would be credited faster because it's all an internal process. I don't have the Marriott card, but I do have 2 SW cards and I didn't receive my miles until the following statement after I met my minimum spends.

You should probably verify that you put your rewards number on the application though. It isn't a requirement, and if you didn't they would generate a new rewards number. You MAY have points going to another Marriott account.

 

[amalone1013]

In Nov they let us redeem for the exact amount we wanted, the charge was just over $300. In Dec they only let us redeem in $25 increments. (Such a weird program. For some reason my notes from when we got the cards said redemptions had to start at $100 and then occur in $25 increments, so that was their fine print at one point.)

So weird. Do you have the plus? DH has $300 on his + card but no recent charges coded as travel so I couldn't see what options his account had. I was under the impression that it was $100 minimum to redeem, at least originally.

I only have the Arrival+ (the AF card) and that one I believe you have to use at least $100/10,000pts at a time. I'm wondering if your card requires you to redeem in multiples of $25/2500pts. The AMEX Blue Cash card is like that which is really annoying.

Ugh. That will be very annoying, not only was I planning on it all going towards this charge, but if I can only redeem in increments of $25 I would have to put almost $300 of travel/dining spend or $600 of other spend on it to use the other points, or just leave $18 sitting there. I don't use this card anymore. I redeemed almost all of my points last January, and then didn't use it for over 6 months, until I got an offer for 3x points on gas/grocery/dept stores. That's where most of the current points are from.

I redeemed yesterday and it only gave me $50 increments as an option. I have $43/4300 miles remaining. Not sure if it's gonna let me use them.

Why do they do this to us?

 

[Alexle2007]

Well dang, I really hope that isn't the case I did meet the spend right at the end there. Was trying to squeeze in so I could get them over to SPG before the 6th when the rate increases go into effect.

I just checked my account since I just got the bonus in January. My statement closed on 1/27 and my 87.5k bonus points posted on 1/29 along with the points from the spend. 87.5 was meeting MSR and using AU card for a purchase.

 

[Alexle2007]

With one swipe of DS's card, thanks to a hefty orthodontics' bill, DH has spent his Marriott personal spend and got his AU transaction so 87.5k points should be coming as soon as his statement closes. We still owe the 1/2 next year so we'll put that on another new card to meet MSR when the time comes.

 

[gottalovepluto]

So weird. Do you have the plus? DH has $300 on his + card but no recent charges coded as travel so I couldn't see what options his account had. I was under the impression that it was $100 minimum to redeem, at least originally.

Why do they do this to us?

Ohh- yes, I have the Arrival+ I forgot they had a different one!

Why? Honestly, sometimes I think it's for kicks and giggles for their redemption teams. Wicked sense of humor!