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

[Judique]

Thanks! I was actually looking forward to the 90s. It’s actually a little too cool for my liking, especially since I only brought shorts and tanks.

Thanks for the Saltgrass recommendation! We had a late lunch there today and everyone enjoyed their meal. DS had the 9 oz filet plus a 1/3 of my filet.

Saltgrass is a Landry's restaurant. I don't know if you know that there is one right outside of Disney on Vineland.

 

[ten6mom]

So regarding re-booking for WDW at a lower rate... I checked again and lo and behold the (room-only) lower rate was back today! (Not as low as it originally was, but better than nothing) so I just now went ahead and made a new reservation, and then tried the GS number that someone had mentioned upthread. I was only on hold a few minutes before someone picked up, but sadly, I need to call GROUP reservations to cancel the original Dapper Days rate (so the number I tried yesterday likely wouldn't have helped me anyway...).

However, I'll be saving a total of $163 on the rooms after I am able to cancel the original, so that's a couple churros and a "First Visit" t shirt or something, right?

 

[ten6mom]

So regarding re-booking for WDW at a lower rate... I checked again and lo and behold the (room-only) lower rate was back today! (Not as low as it originally was, but better than nothing) so I just now went ahead and made a new reservation, and then tried the GS number that someone had mentioned upthread. I was only on hold a few minutes before someone picked up, but sadly, I need to call GROUP reservations to cancel the original Dapper Days rate (so the number I tried yesterday likely wouldn't have helped me anyway...).

However, I'll be saving a total of $163 on the rooms after I am able to cancel the original, so that's a couple churros and a "First Visit" t shirt or something, right?

Editing to add (because I had seen some discussion about it on another thread, although I cannot remember which one):

I am not sure why it defaulted to the "Magic is Here" price, because the selection was actually on just "room" and the room-only Magic is Here is only supposed to be for residents of certain states (not mine) so I saved a screen shot just in case they give me a hard time later.


The Dapper Day rate was $235 a night so it's a bit of a savings.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I think I’ve seen a few others have issues with Chase bank accounts with transfers and wanted to see if anyone could offer suggestions on an issue I’m having. I opened new Chase checking and savings accounts recently. The savings requires $15k so I tried to transfer (pull) funds into Chase from BoA ($9k) and Discover ($6k), but the transfers were rejected by the Loss Prevention department. I tried talking to them to see why they were rejected, and basically they were no help at all and told me to just try the transactions again. I need to make sure the funds are in the savings account within 20 days, which only gives me about 2 weeks to get them there. I’m wondering if I should try to write a check for the BoA amount and do a mobile deposit into the Chase savings account? Should I make the amounts smaller, maybe under $5k and do multiple transactions from each? Should I push the money from BoA and Discover instead? I was hoping to avoid doing that because I think BoA charges a fee (not sure about Discover). All of the accounts are in my name so that shouldn’t be an issue. Any advice would be appreciated!

I think you got a few answers but I'll chime in as I just did this. Opened the Chase account 8/23 and set up transfers (pulled) from BOA. I did 3 consecutive dates with $5000 each on 8/25, 8/26 & 8/27. No issues at all. There is even a new account "checklist" which shows steps to your bonus. Mine has Open a Chase Savings account and Depost $15.000 checked off already

 

[snugglebug]

Thanks! Any dinner or activity recommendations? We plan to visit The Alamo tomorrow.

I remembered stopping at little Mexican restaurant on the way home from Laredo a few years ago so I went through my Facebook posts until I found it lol
Tito's Mexican Restaurant, 955 S Alamo St.
It doesn't look too far from the Alamo. I just remember it being so good and wanting to go back there.

 

[magickingdomprincess]

I think you got a few answers but I'll chime in as I just did this. Opened the Chase account 8/23 and set up transfers (pulled) from BOA. I did 3 consecutive dates with $5000 each on 8/25, 8/26 & 8/27. No issues at all. There is even a new account "checklist" which shows steps to your bonus. Mine has Open a Chase Savings account and Depost $15.000 checked off already

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's probably what I should have done is try smaller amounts but I already added the Chase account to to Discover and BoA and set up the transfers to push from BoA and Discover. Now I'm just waiting to make sure everything goes through.

 

[ten6mom]

For those of you familiar with MRs and how fast they take to "post"... does anyone have any feedback on this? I am interested in finding out why some of my much older purchases (all at the exact same Quiktrip location... some are fuel and some are inside purchases (the inside purchases are currently a bonus earn on my card) have been "earned" but some older transactions are still "pending."

Is this just an Amex thing (with them being "earned" out of order)?

 

[EACarlson]

The earned look to be AMEX Offers and the pending are the actual transactions that will post to your MR account when the bill is paid.

 

[hlhlaw07]

Thanks! Any dinner or activity recommendations? We plan to visit The Alamo tomorrow.

Don’t know if you are still looking for restaurant recommendations, but I have a few. Mi Tierra is an iconic restaurant for Tex-mex. You won’t be disappointed. And if you are willing to drive a little, the Gristmill In Gruene is also a not to be missed if you’re in the area. Plus, Gruene is a really cool little town to walk around.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Well, we watched Mulan last night. We didn't pay the $30, someone else did, so I can't be *that* mad, BUT I was very disappointed with this live action. To me, this is a totally different movie than Mulan. I absolutely love the original. To call this one Mulan too I think is bad taste. It was okay as a stand-alone film, not to be compared to the original. Ok, rant over. Who's seen it?

 

[Haley R]

Well, we watched Mulan last night. We didn't pay the $30, someone else did, so I can't be *that* mad, BUT I was very disappointed with this live action. To me, this is a totally different movie than Mulan. I absolutely love the original. To call this one Mulan too I think is bad taste. It was okay as a stand-alone film, not to be compared to the original. Ok, rant over. Who's seen it?

Dh wants to pay and watch it. Mulan is one of my favorites so I have a feeling I’ll be super disappointed. The only live actions I’ve liked is Aladdin and beauty and the beast

 

[GPC0321]

Late to the Freedom Flex party. I just found out about it today...I've been out of the credit card loop for a while it seems. Naturally, I just got a new Freedom in June and totally missed the awesome new SUB with the 5% back on groceries for a year. It seems that I can still get the SUB for the Flex if I get approved though, so it's all good. I'm 3/24 now, and I just reduced two of my credit limits on my Unlimited and my CSP to hopefully make room for the Flex. It's going to be kind of a redundant card in the long run since I already have the CF and CFU, but I'm excited about the 5X on groceries for a year! Fingers crossed I get it.

Hope everyone is well here on the ILCCSM thread!

 

[ten6mom]

Just looked over some of the "reservations accepted" WDW restaurants. A few questions for my experts:

Generally speaking, if a restaurant has a food menu AND a cocktail/drinks menu, is it usually possible to get a cocktail without actually sitting down for a meal? In some cases the drink menu looks interesting but the food menu doesn't, and we would hate to be locked into a meal we don't necessarily want (or won't necessarily be hungry for).

Also, if just getting a beverage is an option, do we have to make reservations for that?

We are also thinking that because the parks close so early (6 or 7 pm in most cases), we would be best served doing dinners at the resorts rather than in the parks, just to have something to do in the evenings. Is this a good strategy, do you think?

Restaurants with interesting decor or neat drink menus we are looking at right now:

• Liberty Tree Tavern (because husband likes the idea of sitting in a Tavern and enjoying a drink- not necessarily for the food)
• Teppan Edo (we would probably eat here regardless)
• Rose & Crown
• Yak and Yeti
• Kona Cafe
• Sanaa

 

[calypso726]

Well, we watched Mulan last night. We didn't pay the $30, someone else did, so I can't be *that* mad, BUT I was very disappointed with this live action. To me, this is a totally different movie than Mulan. I absolutely love the original. To call this one Mulan too I think is bad taste. It was okay as a stand-alone film, not to be compared to the original. Ok, rant over. Who's seen it?

We watched the live action Mulan last night. We both enjoyed it very much. Seeing as the original story, “The Ballad of Mulan“ dates back to the 6th century, I don’t have a problem with it being called Mulan. I imagine some of the Chinese people weren’t too thrilled about the changes made to the original story in the animated feature. Can’t make everyone happy all the time. With that said, it definitely does not feel like a typical Disney movie. I did miss the singing throughout but accepted what was being portrayed pretty quickly. I enjoyed the addition of Gong Li’s character in the film and some of the other storyline changes as well. I had not looked into the details of the cast beforehand so I had no idea Jet Li and Jason Scott Lee were in the movie so that was a pleasant surprise for me. We also kept it going while the credits were rolling and enjoyed listening to Liu Yufei sing Reflection in Mandarin.

 

[calypso726]

Update to churning and playing tourist in our home state:

A few weeks ago we visited Bakers Cay in Key Largo booked with Hilton points. Love this place and have plans to go back a couple more times this year. Great use of Hilton points IMHO.

Last weekend we used our final unrestricted FN certs with IHG at the Crowne Plaza La Concha in Key West. The location was excellent and the upgraded room had me wondering how bad a standard room would have been. Safety precautions (masks) were not taken seriously and very lax by the staff. Even if that wasn’t the case we would not choose to stay there again. We enjoyed the a relaxing weekend but I’d sooner book elsewhere next time.

This weekend we are at The Sanibel Inn using UR points in a one bedroom with a balcony that faces the ocean. So far, so good. We had a maintenance issue this morning and sent a text. The response was immediate and the problem was fixed within minutes. The staff is friendly. The room is dated but that doesn’t bother me. We are enjoying our stay.

Next weekend will bring us to Vero Beach using DVC points in an ocean view studio. Looking forward to that.

We pretty much have the rest of the year‘s weekends booked using some form of points or free night certs. That’s about the only normal thing in our lives at the moment

We used Diamond status through the Hilton Aspire to match a status challenge with Marriott To Platinum Elite for whatever that is worth. Either way PlanePrincess would be hitting it by year’s end with the current stays we have.

I will likely be PCing my CSR to another Freedom this month to prepare for a PC to Freedom Flex. Then, in a few months I will be applying for a CSP for a bonus. Never thought in a million years I’d PC the CSR. But, the strategy works in my quest to accumulate the URs I need for a few more bucket list trips.

 

[afan]

We watched the live action Mulan last night. We both enjoyed it very much. Seeing as the original story, “The Ballad of Mulan“ dates back to the 6th century, I don’t have a problem with it being called Mulan. I imagine some of the Chinese people weren’t too thrilled about the changes made to the original story in the animated feature. Can’t make everyone happy all the time. With that said, it definitely does not feel like a typical Disney movie. I did miss the singing throughout but accepted what was being portrayed pretty quickly. I enjoyed the addition of Gong Li’s character in the film and some of the other storyline changes as well. I had not looked into the details of the cast beforehand so I had no idea Jet Li and Jason Scott Lee were in the movie so that was a pleasant surprise for me. We also kept it going while the credits were rolling and enjoyed listening to Liu Yufei sing Reflection in Mandarin.

I haven't seen it but it was said a long time ago that it wasn't a remake of the animated version and that there were changes. I can't remember how much info about the changes was released but enough to know it wouldn't be the same.

Interesting but not surprising that the story of mulan is so old.

I'll probably eventually watch it but I just cancelled d+ so I can get HBO max. It has way more of the movies I want to watch so I'll keep it through the end of the year. Also have Netflix on a free month and at least one more month. Rewatching gossip girl during work. Still in season 1 but so far enjoying it the 2nd time through. We'll see if I still feel that way as I get into season 4 to the end.

 

[georgina]

Just looked over some of the "reservations accepted" WDW restaurants. A few questions for my experts:

Generally speaking, if a restaurant has a food menu AND a cocktail/drinks menu, is it usually possible to get a cocktail without actually sitting down for a meal? In some cases the drink menu looks interesting but the food menu doesn't, and we would hate to be locked into a meal we don't necessarily want (or won't necessarily be hungry for).

Also, if just getting a beverage is an option, do we have to make reservations for that?

We are also thinking that because the parks close so early (6 or 7 pm in most cases), we would be best served doing dinners at the resorts rather than in the parks, just to have something to do in the evenings. Is this a good strategy, do you think?

Restaurants with interesting decor or neat drink menus we are looking at right now:

• Liberty Tree Tavern (because husband likes the idea of sitting in a Tavern and enjoying a drink- not necessarily for the food)
• Teppan Edo (we would probably eat here regardless)
• Rose & Crown
• Yak and Yeti
• Kona Cafe
• Sanaa

I'm not a whole lot of help with the drinks only question. I have seen reports on the restaurant board threads that the bar at Rose & Crown is open for drinks, but I am not sure if that is only to go. I know Sanaa and Yak & Yeti have a separate bar area where pre-covid you could sit down, but no clue how they are working now.

I have a planned trip in October, and made only resort and DS reservations - no parks. Still not sure we are going, and whether we will fly or drive if we do go, but I don't want to commit myself to eating in any of the park restaurants.

 

[havaneselover]

Did my first cash out of MR points to Schwab. Once I figured out how to do it, it was super easy.

 

[Hoosier John]

Just looked over some of the "reservations accepted" WDW restaurants. A few questions for my experts:

Generally speaking, if a restaurant has a food menu AND a cocktail/drinks menu, is it usually possible to get a cocktail without actually sitting down for a meal? In some cases the drink menu looks interesting but the food menu doesn't, and we would hate to be locked into a meal we don't necessarily want (or won't necessarily be hungry for).

Also, if just getting a beverage is an option, do we have to make reservations for that?

We are also thinking that because the parks close so early (6 or 7 pm in most cases), we would be best served doing dinners at the resorts rather than in the parks, just to have something to do in the evenings. Is this a good strategy, do you think?

Restaurants with interesting decor or neat drink menus we are looking at right now:

• Liberty Tree Tavern (because husband likes the idea of sitting in a Tavern and enjoying a drink- not necessarily for the food)
• Teppan Edo (we would probably eat here regardless)
• Rose & Crown
• Yak and Yeti
• Kona Cafe
• Sanaa

I'm not a whole lot of help with the drinks only question. I have seen reports on the restaurant board threads that the bar at Rose & Crown is open for drinks, but I am not sure if that is only to go. I know Sanaa and Yak & Yeti have a separate bar area where pre-covid you could sit down, but no clue how they are working now.

I have a planned trip in October, and made only resort and DS reservations - no parks. Still not sure we are going, and whether we will fly or drive if we do go, but I don't want to commit myself to eating in any of the park restaurants.

I was gonna say that at least Rose & Crown and Yak & Yeti have separate bars, but georgina beat me to it. No idea what their status is during COVID.

 

[happ]

Alibris (online store/reseller for books, movies, music) purchases count for the Amex Shop Small offer. I'm trying to use up my Amex offers this weekend by shopping small businesses online since I don't have many places nearby where I shop. Does anyone have recommendations for interesting small businesses online? Besides the books, so far I've purchased some fancy running socks that I wouldn't ordinarily purchase at full price and ordered garden seeds twice.