I love credit cards so much!

[havaneselover]

Wierd. Just got an email from Chase that my bonus points from the portal went through.

Yes I got that email after it went missing from pending I think.

 

[Albort]

im really worried about the walmart purchase i made 2 days ago. Its been taking like 4-5 days for the transaction to post, since today is the last day, it would post like 12/16. it makes me wonder if that would not count since its outside the 12/14 window.

 

[Ngwira]

im really worried about the walmart purchase i made 2 days ago. Its been taking like 4-5 days for the transaction to post, since today is the last day, it would post like 12/16. it makes me wonder if that would not count since its outside the 12/14 window.

I heard that as long as you screenshot the receipt and send to chase showing it was made before or on 12/14, they will give you the points.

 

[AmyAnne]

Ok, that's what I was wondering. Does Citi do that do you know?

When I called, I was told there was no option to PC to any other Citi card. I just went ahead and cancelled - I had the card less than a year so might even help the credit score. I thought briefly about hanging up and trying with a different rep, but I didn't want another Citi card that badly.

 

[elgerber]

When I called, I was told there was no option to PC to any other Citi card. I just went ahead and cancelled - I had the card less than a year so might even help the credit score. I thought briefly about hanging up and trying with a different rep, but I didn't want another Citi card that badly.

Thank you!

 

[gottalovepluto]

im really worried about the walmart purchase i made 2 days ago. Its been taking like 4-5 days for the transaction to post, since today is the last day, it would post like 12/16. it makes me wonder if that would not count since its outside the 12/14 window.

It will count but you may have to SM Chase back and forth a bit with the order info. We placed an order on time last time we did this promo but Walmart took forever to post the charge and when they did they said the transaction date was after the promo period. Had to SM Chase proof that we'd ordered it within the time frame and then the gave us our bonus points.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I need to prep for getting a new SW CP, which involves closing down my SW premier that I have had 6 years. There isn’t anything to product change it to, correct? I hate to lose the age of the account.

If I can’t PC it, I will move the credit line over to my freedom I guess. Freedom is my oldest card and smallest limit but I use it a lot to max categories.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I need to prep for getting a new SW CP, which involves closing down my SW premier that I have had 6 years. There isn’t anything to product change it to, correct? I hate to lose the age of the account.

If I can’t PC it, I will move the credit line over to my freedom I guess. Freedom is my oldest card and smallest limit but I use it a lot to max categories.

Obviously the Plus card - but that probably doesn't help you here. I also think they have an even lesser version of the card with a $39ish annual fee and no bonus points annually. If they still offer it as a PC, It's a seriously crappy card...you can't apply for it - can only downgrade to it.

 

[Lain]

Didn’t I read about a 100k Amex Platinum offer?
I can’t fine one.

The current public offer is only 60,000 MR points. There are a number of ways to get yourself targeted for the 100k offer:

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/cardmatch-offering-people-100000-points-american-express-platinum/

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/another-possible-way-get-100000-platinum-offer/

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/incr...bonuses-incognito-mode-back-list-offers-ymmv/

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/two-new-ways-access-higher-american-express-offers/

 

[wendow]

I need to prep for getting a new SW CP, which involves closing down my SW premier that I have had 6 years. There isn’t anything to product change it to, correct? I hate to lose the age of the account.

If I can’t PC it, I will move the credit line over to my freedom I guess. Freedom is my oldest card and smallest limit but I use it a lot to max categories.

I'm also preparing my dh for CP next year. We closed his Premier, which he had for 6 years, and just moved the credit line to his Freedom. I didn't know about a no-fee/no points card (if there is one??). If there really is one, I'd have PC'ed to that.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

The current public offer is only 60,000 MR points. There are a number of ways to get yourself targeted for the 100k offer:

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/cardmatch-offering-people-100000-points-american-express-platinum/

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/another-possible-way-get-100000-platinum-offer/

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/incr...bonuses-incognito-mode-back-list-offers-ymmv/

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/two-new-ways-access-higher-american-express-offers/

Thx!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I just got an email with a bunch of retailers and Apple Pay...$5 iTunes gift card when you use Apple Pay. Can do each retailer once. Saw ebags. Don’t see minimum purchases listed anywhere...not sure where to find that info.

 

[elgerber]

I just got an email with a bunch of retailers and Apple Pay...$5 iTunes gift card when you use Apple Pay. Can do each retailer once. Saw ebags. Don’t see minimum purchases listed anywhere...not sure where to find that info.

I got that offer too. Couldn’t figure out the minimum or if it’s all online or brick and mortar too?

 

[HuskyGal]

I would suggest variable point cards. If you aren't over 5/24 then the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve. Combined one with a Freedom card and you can earn UR points much faster and then transfer the Freedom UR points to you CSP or CSR account so they are more valuable.

If you are over 5/24 then I'd look at getting under for the Chase cards if do-able. If not, Amex Membership Reward cards that transfer to airlines.

My personal favorite UR card is the Chase Sapphire Reserve since I am able to maximize the annual travel credit, the 3x dining and travel bonus category that far outweighs the fee. However, without the ability to combine the Freedom, Freedom Unlimited and Ink business card, it would not be as valuable.

On the Amex side, my personal favorites are the SPG, Amex Platinum combined with the Everyday card. I vale the SPG ability to transfer to over 30 airlines. I value the benefits on the Amex Plat and the point earning on the Everyday card. If I didn't juggle so many cards, I'd have an Everyday Preferred card but since I do it doesn't make sense in my situation.

Closing newer cards doesn't affect the score much. As you open new card you lower credit utilization which raises your score. Not everyone cancels cards as some are beneficial long term. If you are perpetually LOL/24 then you can't churn a good number of the Chase cards. Amex has a "once per lifetime" bonus rule so unless there is an offer with that language missing, you can't churn their cards either.

One good card might be fine for some people to meet the goals they have for their vacation plans. I can't have one good card. That would never allow me to do the type of travel and vacations that we do. I have several good cards and exploit the heck out them. Think about what you dream travel goals are first. Where do you want to visit and how often. Then, think about how much you spend on average in certain categories like dining, travel, gas, groceries etc. Then find out if your nearest airport(s) are a hub for any airlines. Then find out exactly how many credit cards, both bank and store cards you have opened in the last 24 months and include the number of cards you were placed as an authorized user. Once you have those answers we can all point you in the right direction. I give you this advice so you can avoid the mistakes that others on this thread have come to regret because they did not take these steps first.

Thank you. Would you be able to point me to a resource for the acronyms that you used? Also, what does 5/24 mean?

 

[HuskyGal]

Going to try to keep this simple- but that’s pretty hard given the questions. This advice is given based on the assumption that you are looking to add just one or two cards.


Let's start with closing accounts. Yes, you should close them 1) if you don't use them and 2) IF they have an annual fee. If they don't have an annual fee, and the amount of available credit available is relatively high- then keep them even if they just sit in a drawer and rarely get used. Based on my score and all the fluctuations I have seen over the years to my score by doing 'x' and seeing a resultant 'y' to my score- IMHO available credit line affects your overall score a considerable amount. We have been debt free for decades and pay for everything as we acquire it, and with low utilization (which means we use a small percentage of credit available to us) my score stays well over 800 unless we are acquiring a lot of new cards over a short period of time- then 'hard pulls' (this is when an issuer accesses your credit report when you apply for a card) will drop it under 800 for a period of time. If the cards you are thinking of cancelling have an AF, open another card with the same issuer that does not have an AF- then TRANSFER your available credit to that new card before cancelling it. That will keep your utilization low (available credit high), thus keeping your score relatively the same- and prevent the lowering of your score that you are concerned about.


Some cards we keep because we use the benefits, others with no AF we keep because of utilization/available credit line as described above (the ones that stay in a drawer). Honestly, the Disney Visa is a terrible choice to use for everyday spending. We have one, and keep it for the occasional benefit we can use (and the credit line/utilization)- but we rarely use it.


Given the cards you have outlined, if you only want to get one card- I would recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred. If you travel and eat out a lot- the recommendation would be for the Chase Sapphire Reserve. For those folks that are comfortable only carrying a few cards, it is better to pick cards that have more of a ‘universal currency’. So- for example- the two Chase cards above use Ultimate Rewards. These points can be transferred to multiple airlines and other travel related businesses- and can also be used through the Chase travel portal to pay for a whole trip if enough are available. AmEx has a similar program with Membership Rewards, but Ultimate Rewards are ‘worth more’ per point, which is why the Chase cards get the recommendation. Also, there are a bunch of rules that different issuers have- so there is an order in which one should apply for cards. The smartest way to maximize return when applying for cards is to start with Chase cards and go from there. To be clear, these cards get the recommendation because of their sign up bonuses. Once you get the bonus- there would be better choices for everyday spend. But since I am trying to keep this simple- the Sapphire (either one) is a WAY better choice than the Disney card to switch your everyday spend to.


That said, if you want to jump into this travel hacking ‘game’ and pay for a bunch of your travel with sign up bonuses- then start by reading the ENTIRE thread from the beginning. Pay attention, and re-read what you don’t understand. At first, it will seem like a foreign language- but at some point the ‘system’ or ‘game’ or ‘hobby’ will become clear. At that point, you need a plan. Some of us have MILLIONS of points and miles banked for upcoming travel, which is why it is hard to recommend just one card- as between my wife and I we have many dozens of cards. Start slow, and ask questions when you don’t understand something. Save your questions, as most of them will get answered by the time you get through this thread. Yeah- it's 'homework'- but the payoff can be huge.


You should pick a card (or cards) with a goal in mind- regardless of what others are using. That’s why it is always better to start with the ‘universal currency’ cards- as they are more flexible in how you can use the points. So anyways, this has gotten a lot longer that planned- so going to end this novella

Wow. Thank you for your response , novella and all! You sound enthusiastic and knowledgeable and I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me. I’m going to check out the chase sapphire as I’ve seen it mentioned here multple times. And I’m finally going to get rid of the capital one card. I don’t think I could maintain the high number of credit cards as others do here but a hearty 3 or 4 is good for me for now. Thank you again. I will keep you posted!

 

[Ngwira]

Yes I got that email after it went missing from pending I think.

Got 2300 points each for my ebags purchase on my freedom and freedom unlimited.

 

[mousehappync]

Just have to share a success story-- we were planning to go to Florida for Spring Break to visit my dad and hit up WDW, which honestly I was really not looking forward to because of crowds, but our AP's would make it a pretty cheap vacation, especially since we were redeeming UR to pay for most of the hotel costs.

So Wednesday I saw a press release that Southwest was offering flights to Turks and Caicos-- a spot I've always dreamed of. Just out of curiosity, I plug our dates for WDW into the flight calculator, and flights from Ft Lauderdale are 2,100 points per leg for the days we need!!!!! I jump on the UR portal, and our points cover all but the taxes and fees for four nights in a 1-br ocean-front suite on South Caicos, which is exactly the kind of quiet place we like. After a five minute consult with the hubs, we book SW flights, paying only the fees (which are a bit higher because of the international flight) but I also had some saved funds to apply to that, so not too bad. We will need to take an island-hopper flight from Provo to South Caicis, but our Barclay points stash will scrub half the cost of that flight. We will have to pay the hotel tax and fees oop, but it's still less than the cost of one airplane ticket from our usual home airport to T&C. We are going to tack a day or two on WDW at the end of the trip, too, just dropping to a value room to save costs. I LOVE that our points gave us the ability to book a vacation to a "bucket list" spot on the fly when the opportunity presented itself--what a great hobby!!!

 

[Alexle2007]

Ha, I guess Chase needed my business needed additional credit and nearly doubled my credit limit I only had the card for 2 months. Too bad, the card is in the sock drawer since the spend has been met.

 

[anita46]

I have a $100 airline/airport incidental fee offer on my gold AMEX which expires this year. I'm not flying out till early 2018.
Has anyone had any luck taking advantage of this offer outside of the airport?
I use primarily Southwest and United
TIA

 

[calypso726]

Thank you. Would you be able to point me to a resource for the acronyms that you used? Also, what does 5/24 mean?

Couldn't resist an excuse for a Moana meme

5/24 is a Chase rule for for certain cards. If one has opened 5 credit cards from ANY bank over the last 24 months, Chase will automatically deny the applicant on certain cards regardless of credit score, income or relationship with Chase banking. The cards that fall under the 5/24 rule are all Chase Southwest, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Ink Preferred, Chase Ink Cash, Chase United and Chase Slate. In order to be approved for any of these cards you must not have opened 5 or more credit cards or become an authorized user on any card from any bank or store.

Therefore, the rule of thumb when starting out is to get all of your Chase cards first while you are still under 5/24. Some of us *raises hand* will never be under 5/24 as we've been playing the game for a long time and have other fish to fry so to speak and are likely opening up 5, 10, 15 credit cards a year. LOL/24 refers to that group. Some are able to wait patiently until they are back under 5/24 to get more Chase cards or reapply for ones they have cancelled. I applaud their restraint. I'd be in withdrawal and contemplate therapy sessions while wondering if there's any card with a bonus for that category.

CSR = Chase Sapphire Reserve
CSP = Chase Sapphire Preffered
CF = Chase Freedom
CFU = Chase Freedom Unlimited
CIP = Chase Ink Preferred business card
SPG = American Express Starwood Preferred Guest
MR = Membership Rewards which is the points system from Amex

UR = Ultimate Rewards is the Chase point earning system. Only points that are in one of the premium cards can be used to purchase travel or transfer directly to partner airlines and hotels. UR points that are in a CSR, CSP and CIP are the only 3 Chase cards accounts that allow you to transfer your UR points directly to an airline or hotel or to purchase travel through the UR travel portal. CSP and CIP UR points are worth 1.25 for travel purchase through the UR portal. CSR UR points are worth 1.5. CF and CFU UR points can be transferred to the CSR, CSP and CIP accounts in order to make them more valuable. On their own they are only worth .01 cents per point to purchase gift cards or a statement credit.

I hope this helps. We have an awesome group of people here that are always happy to answer questions. The group is also diverse in travel habits, point systems and airline experience and how they make the best use of points for their needs. Some are experts in making the most of their points on super budget friendly travel and the priority is to get where they are going with the fewest amount of points and cash necessary. Some know how to work and exploit the heck out of a Southwest Companion Pass. Some actually know how to make the most of Delta Sky Pesos which is pretty impressive. Then there are some *raises hand* that do this strictly for affording (through points) a bit more on the travel experience. We prioritize a little more luxury on flights and the ability to do absurd things with our points. Like international first class flights, flying to Europe for the weekend just to see the Harry Potter play, flying across the country to see Hamilton etc. So no matter what your goals are, someone on this board will be able to help and guide you.