I love credit cards so much!

[Jen and Ashwin]

Okay I am new here and so far learning a bunch. Love this thread....kinda addicted. Can anyone help me with a question I have. So I have a pretty good plan on what cards i will open and use my DH to help in that to reach our goal to go on Disney Cruise next year. My question is, do I call Disney to book the cruise now and put a cash deposit down then pay of the cruise with UR I would have earned by then next year or do i wait util I have accumulated UR points and pay as much as possible next year? Anyone have experience with booking a Disney cruise and can help me wrap my head around how to do this?

You can book the cruise direct with Disney and pay the deposit fee. You then have to transfer your booking to Chase within 30 days of the original booking, I believe. You can then accumulate UR points and put as many as you have towards the final payment before the final payment date.

You can only apply UR points to the booking once, so if you book with Chase, then you have to use UR points when you first book and you probably don't have as many as you would like, so I would do it the way I describe above.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

This is so stupid and reckless (ronnie pickering, not you). We already know that it’s spend-side only for Amex MSRs that triggers the signup bonuses on their cards, regardless of returns. But the point is, Amex has the right to claw back bonuses if you haven’t met the MSR net of returns. I’ve seen DPs on FT that say if the triggering transaction (the purchase that put you over MSR), in particular, is refunded, Amex will claw back the points (automatically?). Then you need to spend the difference to put you back over MSR within the MSR period to get the points back.

And the fact that he did it 5 times shows that he’s trying to abuse it. He tries to justify by sayin oh I didn’t do it on all 12 cards. Oh my whatever!

That place continues to go downhill. I got downvotes yesterday for politely asking the mods to refresh a Hilton thread...

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

You can book the cruise direct with Disney and pay the deposit fee. You then have to transfer your booking to Chase within 30 days of the original booking, I believe. You can then accumulate UR points and put as many as you have towards the final payment before the final payment date.

You can only apply UR points to the booking once, so if you book with Chase, then you have to use UR points when you first book and you probably don't have as many as you would like, so I would do it the way I describe above.

This is great advice!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

@Angeliki19 You should also send a PM to @SouthFayetteFan @Albort or @Lain to get added to our Dischurners group on Reddit. There is more information on various things there, plus access to referral links from those on this board and you can share your own referral links too.

Quick reminder - we like to call those “support” links here on the DIS

 

[gottalovepluto]

...Interesting!! So thanks to the advice above, I may actually be at 3/24 since I was just an AU on one of those cards. Would you still recommend CIP? I am a little nervous about the spending limits.. its so hard for me to say. I need to be on a strict budget going forward, but I plan on spending at least $5k on new furniture, so I want to get these cards before that. Plus I want to book our Feb 2019 trip (renting points) so that will be another solid $2500. So in theory I guess I will meet them if I play my cards right and get these cards before I spend all that. But its tough waiting for the refi...

Ooh, tough. Ok, so I'm an eternal fan of the CIP because it won't affect your 5/24 but it isn't always right. You need a rough idea of when you will be spending the $5k and the $2500. Is the $5k a lump sum or will it be spread out? I don't think you're a strong candidate for the double dip csr/csp because unless you plan on spending that $7.5k all in the same 3 months that double dip MSR could be overwhelming. Can't spend cash you don't have, even to meet an MSR. My thinking:
-use the $5k furniture spend to hit the $5k CIP spend, apply for the CIP approx a month prior to your furniture purchases just in case you get denied and have to wait for a letter in the mail to see why before calling Chase recon
-use the $2.5k towards your CSR, that will leave you with only $1.5k in remaining spend. My suspicion is even on a tight budget you will spend $500/month on food, internet, phones, gas, etc. so you can meet the remaining spend on the card organically while remaining on your budget.
-remember for your cash flow/budget planning to take into account the $95 annual fee for the CIP and the $450 annual fee on the CSR. You have to pay those within the first month or two depending on how your statements end up cycling and the fees will not count toward your minimum spend. I know you get lots back in bonuses and travel credit but that is money out the door at the beginning of this process

If you'd rather drop the CIP and go for a CSR/CSP double dip you can do that as long as you're buying the furniture and the vacay rental all in the same few months and the $5k for furniture can be split between your cards, but imho you cannot do all 3 cards. Since you want a CSR (make sure you're positive you prefer a CSR over a CSP, you have plenty of time to decide on that) the choice is now CIP vs CSP for the other card.
-CIP
--yes: not count against 5/24; bigger bonus at 80k
--no: $95 annual fee; $5k spend
-CSP
--yes: once you get a sapphire of any type you won't be eligible for a sapphire bonus for another 24 months from when you get your first sapphire bonus; no annual fee first year; $4k spend
--no: smaller bonus; will count against 5/24

(I love vs lists, sometimes seeing the stuff floating around in my head laid out on a list makes decisions easier for me )

 

[eeyoreland]

When you say a few months ago, do you mean in 2018? just making sure all your points would be earned in one year to qualify for the companion pass. Good luck with it!

Yes, it was 2018 . Thanks for asking.

 

[amalone1013]

And the fact that he did it 5 times shows that he’s trying to abuse it. He tries to justify by sayin oh I didn’t do it on all 12 cards. Oh my whatever!

That place continues to go downhill. I got downvotes yesterday for politely asking the mods to refresh a Hilton thread...

Downvote.

 

[Gwmw1210]

I'm in the initial stages of planning our first trip to Niagara Falls. Any particular hotels you recommend? Does it really make a difference (view wise) if you choose your hotel on the US side or Canada. Can you still get the full experience even if you stay at a nearby non Fallsview Hotel. Remember, first timer so any and all advice is welcome.

Also, this will help me with my point building strategy.

Thanks

 

[miztressuz]

Just beware that if you have money in your PayPal account, PayPal will automatically draw from that balance regardless of your preferred method of payment.

I think they fixed it if you set your credit card to preferred/default payment. I have a small balance in my PayPal and I've checked out several times for less than the balance and only my default CC was selected for payment. The PayPal balance was there and I could do a checkbox or something to use it, but it wasn't automatically checked like they used to do. I've been pleasantly surprised with some of the PP changes, so far I haven't felt like I have to immediately transfer money out of it or remove my bank account to avoid accidents like I used to do.

However, it is a good reminder to ALWAYS check what PP wants to charge before submitting. Don't want any surprises, they can be tricksy

 

[Alexle2007]

I haven't had a chance to catch up on the new pages of this thread since last night, but just wanted to pop in to share my excitement that DH has been APPROVED for the CIC!! Called the status line this morning hoping for two weeks, and it was an approval instead! Woo hoo! I've wanted this card both for the bonus but also the 5x categories, so super excited. We actually got a car insurance bill in the mail yesterday, so I've asked DH to call to expedite the card so we can get a good chunk of the MSR taken care of with that bill payment. Question for the experts: I know the CIC gets 5x on phone and cable/internet and at office supply stores (and 2x on gas). Does it also get 5x for purchases of gift cards on Gyft or Swych using PayPal at checkout? How about eBay seller and shipping fees and Netflix? And am I correct in thinking that Plastiq only works with the CIP for bonus spend? Thanks!

Thank you for reminding me that we have car insurance due in June so I just went into Geico and changed the CC to help finish up DH's AmEx SPG Biz spend.

 

[miztressuz]

Okay I am new here and so far learning a bunch. Love this thread....kinda addicted. Can anyone help me with a question I have. So I have a pretty good plan on what cards i will open and use my DH to help in that to reach our goal to go on Disney Cruise next year. My question is, do I call Disney to book the cruise now and put a cash deposit down then pay of the cruise with UR I would have earned by then next year or do i wait util I have accumulated UR points and pay as much as possible next year? Anyone have experience with booking a Disney cruise and can help me wrap my head around how to do this?

I second @Jen and Ashwin . You want to book the cruise asap with Disney because prices generally only go up. If you do like she suggests you get the best of both worlds: locking in lower pricing and using your UR to knock it down further. Just make sure you transfer the booking within those 30 days or else you're stuck with GC only discounts

 

[trenty]

I think they fixed it if you set your credit card to preferred/default payment. I have a small balance in my PayPal and I've checked out several times for less than the balance and only my default CC was selected for payment. The PayPal balance was there and I could do a checkbox or something to use it, but it wasn't automatically checked like they used to do. I've been pleasantly surprised with some of the PP changes, so far I haven't felt like I have to immediately transfer money out of it or remove my bank account to avoid accidents like I used to do.

However, it is a good reminder to ALWAYS check what PP wants to charge before submitting. Don't want any surprises, they can be tricksy

I have a small balance in Paypal from Ebates and Swabbucks. I have made a few purchases and each time Paypal takes me to a screen that shows my CF card being used as payment. I have the option to continue or to change payment method.

 

[StephPlum]

Ack - I am 6 pages behind and I am leaving on vacation tomorrow so it will only get worse.

A few things have gone on. DH has been having issues with his currently vehicle and been looking but we had no timelines for replacement. Well, he found exactly what he wanted and it was a last minute decision for a new car purchase. My recently opened CCs did not impact our ability to get a good loan! And best news they took 1,500 of the down payment on the CIC. Now my plans are to fund a bank account for the remainder of the MSR.

I am holding on any new cards until June. Mostly because I am on vacation for a week but also need to slow my roll!! I am planning to move to bank bonuses and then an AMEX business card. If anyone has a recommendation, let me know. I am looking at the 100K Hilton as a possible first card. I have to do more research to know what a good sign-up bonus is on the other biz cards.

Tough decisions ahead: With no MSR, I need to look at using the right CC on my upcoming trip. I've never had to think about it when I only had one CC!! Thinking CIP for hotels and tours (3x); CIC for gas and restaurants (2x).

 

[speedyfishy]

I got a money order at Walmart without any problems today with a VGC. No one threatened to shoot me either. Ever since the whole rumor that Walmart was stopping VGC’s I haven’t had the chance to go. I’m done with school now so I hope I can still max the Discover grocery category on SO’s card.

 

[Lain]

I am planning to move to bank bonuses and then an AMEX business card. If anyone has a recommendation, let me know. I am looking at the 100K Hilton as a possible first card. I have to do more research to know what a good sign-up bonus is on the other biz cards.

Since you’re a bit behind, did you see that Amex increased the bonus on the Hilton Biz card from 100k to 125k HH points after a $5k/3 months MSR? Offer ends 6/27/18.

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/hilton-honors-american-express-business-card-125000-point-offer/

 

[gottalovepluto]

Wow, this is great info. Thanks for the plan... I have to admit this is more cards than I was thinking about ha!!! But I am intrigued.. I have some questions.

1)...I *have* sold before on eBay, but literally like 1 or 2 things. I'm such a rule follower... is this ok or should I be nervous?
...
5) I guess it would also help me if I could understand the sort of "overall strategy" of this approach. Would you say the goal is to apply for as many cards as you can to maximize the sign up bonuses ? And then you have this big bank of rewards that you cash out for a while until you are eligible to cancel these cards and do it all over again? Or is it more of a rolling thing? I do have a few particular trips I would like to fund, but I also am looking for just a solid long-term plan.

1) You're totally fine. I always tell myself if I have to recon that $2k anticipated revenue I'm expecting good holiday sales this year Anticipated revenue is a beautiful thing.

5) Our strategies are each different. I bank a lot and spend some. Some people bank it all because traveling isn't something they'll be doing for a couple years but they want to be ready to go when it's time, others churn and burn asap. The danger of banking points is devaluations. You can wake up any morning to the points redemption of any program having changed, it's part of the game and you have to accept that. The upside to having some points banked here, some there, is that when a trip pops up you have more ability to go if you have a broader variety of points to draw from. Lay out where you want to go and when and then research what points you would need to get there and what cards you would need to get the points.

Personally I'm over 5/24 and not looking back so I get an AA card with the transferable 9 digit code when no other cards catch my eye to put spend towards. I like my big AA bank because I know if I get a call from my crazy cousin in Europe saying "omg can you do my teaching job for the next month I screwed up my visa" (true store, alas she got her visa straightened out so I've still not gone to europe yet) or if some awesome hotel redemption pops up halfway around the world I can throw tons of AA miles at it and just go. I'm also on my way to a decent amount of SPG points being banked so I day-dream about spending those and my AA miles are probably what I'll use to get there to spend the SPG points! This type of goal works for me because: I'm single, no kids, flexible work schedule, I can meet spends using work spend. I literally have no idea what my life plan is a year from now so I spend points when I want to see friends and take them/my family to Disney and I bank the rest of the points for adventures down the road Our group here on the DIS is full of people with unique goals from churning. Some people want CASH, cash is king so cool, that's a plan too! Some people OMG NEED SW COMPANION PASS, that's a beautiful thing for those it's applicable to!, some people accumulate and use points for international first class flights because it's a splurge they love but don't want to pay the crazy cash prices. Are strategies are each different depending on our goals and circumstances

 

[Michelle smith]

You can book the cruise direct with Disney and pay the deposit fee. You then have to transfer your booking to Chase within 30 days of the original booking, I believe. You can then accumulate UR points and put as many as you have towards the final payment before the final payment date.

You can only apply UR points to the booking once, so if you book with Chase, then you have to use UR points when you first book and you probably don't have as many as you would like, so I would do it the way I describe above.

how do I transfer to Chase?

 

[GZanta77]

Discover Identity Verification:
According to your credit profile, you may have opened a (CHASE CARD) credit card. Please select the year in which your account was opened.

Thank god they all fall into the same two years!

ETA: $200, soon you will be mine! *evil laugh*

I had the same verification question but for Amex cards - the correct answer could have been 3 out of the 4 options they provided. I took a guess.

@amalone1013 - did you receive any email confirmation of your savings acct? I applied yesterday - got the account number at the end of the app, but didn't receive any emails and can't see the account online.

 

[miztressuz]

I have a small balance in Paypal from Ebates and Swabbucks. I have made a few purchases and each time Paypal takes me to a screen that shows my CF card being used as payment. I have the option to continue or to change payment method.

That's right, it does depend on the checkout process the site's using. I remember seeing it both ways now that you mention it. But either way only my CF is selected and I'd have to select the checkbox or scroll down to pick the PP balance (or other CC) . I made sure wherever I could in the account the CF was selected as the default option to avoid problems this quarter.

 

[miztressuz]

I'm in the initial stages of planning our first trip to Niagara Falls. Any particular hotels you recommend? Does it really make a difference (view wise) if you choose your hotel on the US side or Canada. Can you still get the full experience even if you stay at a nearby non Fallsview Hotel. Remember, first timer so any and all advice is welcome.

Also, this will help me with my point building strategy.

Thanks

I can't help with hotels because we stayed in Buffalo and did "day" trips over to the falls when we visited, but I will say if you want a view of the falls from your hotel room then book the Canadian side. Because the falls are in the US you only get a kind of side view. I imagine from a tall hotel you'd get a top down view. The best view of the falls head on is from Canada.

When I can get to the pictures I can post the differences.