I love credit cards so much!

[hsmamato2]

Alaska Card would probably the best to go for ur situation. i have also read a hack on how to use ur UR Points on Alaska too, so 1.5x redemptions + companion pass. the u just need 2 tickets if u do 2 alaska cards by using the miles earned.

But just throwing it out there, there are a ton of beaches closer, ie bahamas, aruba, exuma, etc. have u considered those at all? much closer and sw flies there.

Oh yeah I forgot.... this prompted our trip to Puerto Rico a few years back too! I was considering Hi for longer than I had thought! so within 5 years we've visited Puerto Rico, Alaska,and now Hawaii (upcoming) in addition to trips to visit family,and of course Disney on both coasts a few times......

 

[hsmamato2]

dumb credit card moment of the day yesterday.... I went grocery shopping yesterday,still hadn't rearranged the proper cards in my wallet before going.....when I went to pay, no Discover IT(10%!!!) no freedom (5%!!!) ack. so I had to settle for the FrU at 1.5%....... definitely first world problems here!!!! At least it wasn't a huge shopping......

 

[castoral]

WOW this thread moves fast! I love it though! I feel like there is soooo much I can learn from you all!

Do you have other plans for the UR or are you just hoarding them? If this is your big trip for a while, then I would use your points because 1) they can always be devalued in the future and 2) you can earn more points for future trips, so you shouldn't feel like you have to horde them indefinitely. I would say using UR for the park tickets might be a good idea. Since you have the CSP, you get a 25% bonus when you redeem using that card. This is enough to cover all 4 of the kids tickets. Once you get the 53k UR, then you can redeem all of those points for $1575 in value. You could also consider getting a CSR card and get another 25% increase on your UR points value. You would get another 54k for hitting the MSR and your points would be worth $2700, enough to cover the cost of all of your tickets. For park tickets, I believe that you have to call Chase travel to purchase them.

You could tackle the food, parking and gas with a combination of travel eraser cards and bank bonuses. Getting other cards will affect your 5/24 status, so that is something you want to consider in your plan. Bank bonuses can be great (I am using them to help towards a new DVC contract), but you generally have to have enough money in savings to float for several months. So something to consider.

Yes, I have LOTS of travel plans! This Disney trip for 5-6 nights in Nov '18 (for 6), we have a 7 day cruise out of New Orleans in Mar '19 (only planning to use rewards for hotel (Hyatt Place) 3/15 and 3/16 before heading out), a 10 day California roadtrip in Aug '19 (flights for 6, combo of hotels between SPG/Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt, rental van/SUV, and Disneyland tickets), and a cruise for just us 2 adults for Nov '19. In between all that we just use our camper!

I think bank bonuses may be our next venture while we chill on cc for awhile. We have a large sum of cash sitting in accounts right now until the real estate market chills a bit (we do flips and rentals on the side). So "tying" $15k up to meet Chase's requirement isn't a huge deal. More need to figure out if I can easily change direct deposit at work easily.

Are those 2 SPG personal or business cards? If personal - one of you has opened 3 cards and 1 has opened 2 in just 4 months. You want to be cautious if you hit Chase for any more cards so you aren't perceived as running too fast. It could just result in a denial but you could also risk shutdown which wouldn't be good.

The bank account bonus option isn't a bad idea. I'd consider using your URs to purchase tickets. For the other expenses, if I were in your shoes I'd hold on to my URs (vs. cashing out at 1cpp) and just buy some discounted Disney Gift Cards and keep those points for future trips.

Yes, we plan to chill for a bit. I only needed to "run so fast" because of this whole SPG thing. I wanted to get in that Disney trip before things changed since that was the #1 reason I got into this cc game.

I absolutely LOVE bank bonuses. CASH!!! (Love CCs too obviously, but bank bonuses were my entry point into this travel hacking world and will always be my fave ) Do you follow DoC? https://www.doctorofcredit.com/best-bank-account-bonuses/ *in the spirit of tax season remember bank bonuses are taxable income reported on 1099-INT

Yes, I just learned about DoC's blog last week and have been reading up a ton on it. Thankfully we have a Chase branch, well about 5, within 10 miles of us, and that seems to be one of the best. Ironically we got a flyer yesterday and the hubby was like, I think i'm going to do this. I said no, I'M DOING IT first lol.

 

[afan]

Met my Delta biz MSR over the weekend and already have the miles, yay! Not to knock out the last 1k before Sept to get the last 10k.

I don't know if it's new but I don't remember seeing anyone mention it, but I had an etsy offer on the card for $10 back on $40 that some might be interested in. There was also a California Pizza Kitchen offer but it said it was online only which didn't make sense.

 

[Lain]

dumb credit card moment of the day yesterday.... I went grocery shopping yesterday,still hadn't rearranged the proper cards in my wallet before going.....when I went to pay, no Discover IT(10%!!!) no freedom (5%!!!) ack. so I had to settle for the FrU at 1.5%....... definitely first world problems here!!!! At least it wasn't a huge shopping......

Not that it's a competition for dumbest move, but I once used my Chase debit card to pay for groceries during a Freedom 5x grocery stores quarter because the two cards just look too damn alike! I had to hide my debit card in a side slot after that.

 

[DisneyMandC]

3. Once you've bought your AirBnB gift cards, go to the Delta/AirBnB portal at https://www.deltaairbnb.com, click through and make the booking on AirBnB to earn 1x Delta SkyMiles/$1 on stays. I see this program is also offering 1,000 bonus SkyMiles for new guests and a $25 coupon for first bookings.

Shoot... I wish I'd known about that back when I booked our Airbnb in January. I did get to take advantage of Apple Pay wiht CF which gave me 1500 UR points, but those Delta points would have been nice!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Anyone who does decide to try for a CIP in branch (if this 100K offer is accurate) don't forget to consider opening a checking account for your biz as well, currently offering a $300 bonus
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-business-total-checking-300-bonus-no-direct-deposit-required/
https://accounts.chase.com/consumer/business/online?id=418300
*you must get a coupon code from the Chase link to take with you, you can't just mention the offer the banker needs a code, codes can only be used once so if you have an SO who is also opening one make sure you get 2 codes to 2 different emails

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

WOW this thread moves fast! I love it though! I feel like there is soooo much I can learn from you all!



Yes, I have LOTS of travel plans! This Disney trip for 5-6 nights in Nov '18 (for 6), we have a 7 day cruise out of New Orleans in Mar '19 (only planning to use rewards for hotel (Hyatt Place) 3/15 and 3/16 before heading out), a 10 day California roadtrip in Aug '19 (flights for 6, combo of hotels between SPG/Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt, rental van/SUV, and Disneyland tickets), and a cruise for just us 2 adults for Nov '19. In between all that we just use our camper!

I think bank bonuses may be our next venture while we chill on cc for awhile. We have a large sum of cash sitting in accounts right now until the real estate market chills a bit (we do flips and rentals on the side). So "tying" $15k up to meet Chase's requirement isn't a huge deal. More need to figure out if I can easily change direct deposit at work easily.



Yes, we plan to chill for a bit. I only needed to "run so fast" because of this whole SPG thing. I wanted to get in that Disney trip before things changed since that was the #1 reason I got into this cc game.



Yes, I just learned about DoC's blog last week and have been reading up a ton on it. Thankfully we have a Chase branch, well about 5, within 10 miles of us, and that seems to be one of the best. Ironically we got a flyer yesterday and the hubby was like, I think i'm going to do this. I said no, I'M DOING IT first lol.

Do you guys hit Biz cards at all?

 

[Calfan]

Was playing catch-up on the thread this morning, but wanted to post to say I stayed at POP in what I believe was a refurbished room in Feb. for the runDisney Princess half marathon. I had gone through a TA to get my bib, so the room (discounted) was part of the deal (didn't have any DVC points to use at the time -- for my next two runDisney race weekends, I'm staying at BLT on points). I was very pleasantly surprised with my room at POP, especially compared to All Start Sports, which is where I had stayed for the 2017 Dark Side half marathon (also on a TA package due to a very late decision to do that race). I had a huge bed (I guess it was a queen, but I would believe it if someone told me it was a king), that was *really* comfortable, and I'm a horrible sleeper, especially in hotels. The flooring was also some kind of pseudo wood instead of carpet that I liked much better than the typical nasty hotel room carpeting. Granted, I was staying solo so wasn't sharing the room with anyone, but I would definitely consider staying there again if the circumstances called for it.

 

[Disneyonmymind]

You could try.

Here's a successful DP from a few weeks ago with the wording they used: https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/c...central_thread_week_of_april_05_2018/dwuvyuf/

Note that several people on reddit and in this thread tried to get matched via SM and were told to talk to their Business Relationship Manager (because the 100k UR in branch offer is typically available only via application through a BRM).

If you've been approved for a CIP in the last 90 days, don't have a branch in state or reasonably nearby, I would try again via SM this week and next because Chase is supposed to be running an in-branch 100k offer for Small Business Week that doesn't require a BRM: https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8eseme/daily_discussion_thread_april_25_2018/dxxvqjw/

When SMing, I would use similar language to the first DP, and add reference to the Small Business Week in-branch offer (don't reference DoC, reddit or any blog directly) and hope they don't tell you to talk to a BRM.

Thank you. I will read this stuff and try it tonight or tomorrow

 

[shairpdrh]

Met my Delta biz MSR over the weekend and already have the miles, yay! Not to knock out the last 1k before Sept to get the last 10k.

I don't know if it's new but I don't remember seeing anyone mention it, but I had an etsy offer on the card for $10 back on $40 that some might be interested in. There was also a California Pizza Kitchen offer but it said it was online only which didn't make sense.

Thanks for the Etsy heads-up. I can use that one!

 

[jhoannam]

I think that's what I'll have to do if I want to give this a try. Now the waiting and wondering will get to me lol I'm impatient!

I read on flyertalk that the category updates would be published in June. And hopefully package updates in July.

 

[hsmamato2]

Anyone else tempted by FD'ing today? We don't ever do FD'ing even though we travel at FD'ing times because we aren't big eaters and do much better paying OOP. But the temptation was so strong today. We are not planning to go to WDW this year so I think that is the only thing that held me back. I get all caught up in everyone else's excitement over FD'ing even though I know the numbers don't really work for us I think, in reality, I just want to carry around a resort mug and feel like everyone else...

nope. I think it's a pretty dismal offer..... personally I think it's disney's way of slowly easing people out of the FD idea altogether..... It's a much better deal to book RO and then deal with food separately. (that said, I did it a couple of times back in the day and got great value out of it for our 4 'adults' at a mod and TS dining....)

 

[castoral]

Do you guys hit Biz cards at all?

Oh yes, forgot to answer that question. No, we have not done any Biz cards yet. We have chose to not get an EIN for our rental business (so we don't have to hire a lawyer when we do evictions) but it is a legit business showing on our tax return for at least the last 5 years. I was thinking I should only hit this AFTER we hit 5/24, is that wrong?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Oh yes, forgot to answer that question. No, we have not done any Biz cards yet. We have chose to not get an EIN for our rental business (so we don't have to hire a lawyer when we do evictions) but it is a legit business showing on our tax return for at least the last 5 years. I was thinking I should only hit this AFTER we hit 5/24, is that wrong?

I hesitate to ever say anything is wrong...but you may be wrong haha!

First, you don't need an EIN - you can just apply using your social and name as a sole prop.

Second, MOST Business Cards are amazing because they don't add to your "5" count. AMEX and CHASE don't report business cards to your personal credit report! For some of the most popular Chase Biz Cards (CIP, CIC, SW) you need to be under 5/24 to apply but they don't add to your "5". For AMEX cards it's all fair game! The things you want to be careful of is risking Chase shutdown by hitting them too hard, and getting too many inquiries on your report.

I don't exactly recall your stats/situation but you probably are a prime candidate for some AMEX biz cards while you cool down with Chase.

 

[castoral]

I hesitate to ever say anything is wrong...but you may be wrong haha!

First, you don't need an EIN - you can just apply using your social and name as a sole prop.

Second, MOST Business Cards are amazing because they don't add to your "5" count. AMEX and CHASE don't report business cards to your personal credit report! For some of the most popular Chase Biz Cards (CIP, CIC, SW) you need to be under 5/24 to apply but they don't add to your "5". For AMEX cards it's all fair game! The things you want to be careful of is risking Chase shutdown by hitting them too hard, and getting too many inquiries on your report.

I don't exactly recall your stats/situation but you probably are a prime candidate for some AMEX biz cards while you cool down with Chase.

LOL! I'm totally good being wrong for now!

Stats are:
Hubby - Toro CC 1/18 (ugh, for a $500 Visa GC on a $10k mower!), IHG MasterCard 2/18, CSP 3/18, SPG Amex 3/18
Me - CSP 1/18, SPG AMEX 2/18

We are still meeting MSR on hubby's CSP ($1400 to go) and SPG Amex $3k to go but buying $2k appliances today and $1k towards Carnival cruise in Mar '19 lol

So maybe I'll apply for an AMEX biz in Jun/July timeframe for our summer travel and back to school expenses.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

LOL! I'm totally good being wrong for now!

Stats are:
Hubby - Toro CC 1/18 (ugh, for a $500 Visa GC on a $10k mower!), IHG MasterCard 2/18, CSP 3/18, SPG Amex 3/18
Me - CSP 1/18, SPG AMEX 2/18

We are still meeting MSR on hubby's CSP ($1400 to go) and SPG Amex $3k to go but buying $2k appliances today and $1k towards Carnival cruise in Mar '19 lol

So maybe I'll apply for an AMEX biz in Jun/July timeframe for our summer travel and back to school expenses.

Are you a DISchurners member? I have a writeup on our reddit group that details all the available AMEX biz cards. Might be worth a read (if you aren't a member just PM me to join)! Another good thing about AMEX is they sometimes don't do an inquiry if you've recently applied.

 

[WardFam]

Thinking about signing up for the Chase bank bonuses this week, but I am a little worried about the Direct Deposit requirement. I have tried to read up on Doc of Credit, but the only bank account we currently have is our local credit union. Any advice?

 

[linzjane88]

lolol I just called and pretended to be DH last week too. I am not sure he has ever called any issuer. I really throw off the rep when I say my email is myname@live and it is clearly a female name, and not the name of the account holder.

Same here- I use my secondary email for everything churning I do in DH's name to keep things straight and it's my first+middle+last name. I've considered getting one thats a little more ambiguous but, meh, I'm lazy. It's already a ton of work to update all of my online accounts with my current MSR flavor of the week. Changing emails might just do me in.

This is my plan for a family of 4:
Late May/early June 2019, 15 days in Hawaii - 7 nights on Maui, 4 nights on the Big Island & 4 nights Oahu
Flights: TUL to OGG, OGG to KOA, KOA to HNL, HNL to TUL is 52K miles per person on United. I need 208K miles.

Marriott Hotel & Flight package for Maui 360K Marriott points: Cat 8 + 132K United miles. We only have 220K Marriott points now. Plan: Either Marriott Biz or SPG Biz next month. That should get us another 78K minimum. I will need 68K more, I have 80K MRs, I'll transfer 68K to complete. I need to do this all before August to secure that package before anything changes.

I have 75K United miles from last year's 70K sign up bonus + 132K from the package. That's 207K United miles. I'll transfer 1,000 URs to United.

4 nights Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island - 240K Hilton points. DH and I will each get a Hilton Card - one of them Aspire to help cover the $40/resort fee + parking.

1-2 nights at Hale Koa military hotel - probably pay cash since it's only $156/night.
We will have 180K URs after I finish the spend on my CIP (almost done). We will spend our last 2-3 nights relaxing at Aulani - plan is to rent points and pay it with a statement credit.

I'll get the CIC and CSP this year, that should be another 110K UR to help with car rental and the other 1-2 nights we need in Hale Koa.

How much is this costing:
$95 from my CIP
$95 Hilton Ascent
$450 Hilton Aspire
$640 for air & hotel

Just curious as to why you wouldn't use your 7 night Marriott certificate for your hotel stay? Or did I miss that?

British airlines may be your friend here. I would call them and ask them to search for the saver fares you found. They have to be the 17.5 Alaska awards each way for this to work. This is a sweet spot in the Avios redemption chart and my favorite use. Assuming those Alaska flights are still available they will only cost you 150k UR total for all 6 rt (25k avios each RT). You can Insta transfer once they have confirmed availability from chase to your British air account while on phone to book. They should waive any booking charges as you can’t do this online. I’m assuming you have a British air account. If you don’t, you’ll want to set one up and then double check that there isn’t a wait time for new accounts before transferring points.

That was my first thought too, I got so excited to tell her! Then I remembered that's our little West Coast trick. I felt bad but then remembered the everyone else is way closer to the other cool beaches (Caribbean, Mexico, etc). One (of the very few) perks to living in Wa is being a perfect split between HI and FL--5 hours either way.

 

[babyready]

So the only difference is you don't have to go through a BRM but you still have to apply in branch.

P.S. I want to see people who don't have any Chase branches in state (or the closest one is hours drive away) to see if they can get matched via SM if you've been approved for the CIP in the past 90 days.

DH was approved about three weeks ago. I fully intend to SM and see if I can get him matched to the 100,000 offer. Will keep you posted!

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/kohl...-small-appliances-free-after-rebate-stacking/

Has anyone done this or thinking about this? I don’t need 40 appliances but it would help with my SPG minimum spend. I just don’t know if it’s worth my time.

I think it is totally worth it if you need to hit spend on a card. It is not a huge hassle, just some of your time and they are free after all is said and done. Even if they aren't great quality. You can just donate them but still have that spend on your card. I think it is a win!