I love credit cards so much!

[wendow]

Oh, remember the Apple Watch conversation a couple of weeks ago, when I said I am on my second watch, had one since day of the first release, and I have never scratched the glass?? Yeah, well guess what? Yep, scratched it two days ago!! That'll teach me! That day started with news that I am probably losing my job, and had all sorts of crap happen all day, culminating with the scratch on the watch. Guess I should have used a screen protector LOL.

I'm so sorry. Hope all works out with your job I hate when companies do this to people at the end of the year, right around Christmas.

 

[wendow]

SWA... Plus card($69 AF) how long to wait if you have to cancel the one you currently have to app for a new one? is it 30 days? also..... I'm trying to recall the swa bonus rules-it's once every 24 mos,right? is this across all cards, or by card type? (i.e. biz,plus,premier,that new one) so If you have the plus now and cancel,got bonus 23 mos ago,can you app for the biz or the premier now and get the bonus,or must you wait?

The SW bonus is limited to once every 24 mos across all the personal cards. Which is why so many of us who want CP are trying for one pers & the biz

 

[Albort]

I finally got an email saying i trigger a Chase Offer. bought an amazon gc at Office Depot. says to wait another 7-14 days for statement to post.

this was after 8 days since purchase... chase offer is slooooow.

 

[hsmamato2]

This is 1000% why I am a slow churner! I'd churn much, much faster if we could handle the MSR's but we can't. I used to freak our about the 5k/3 mos ones but I've learned those are pretty doable for us. Anything more than that, or two MSR's going at once, and it's just too stressful for me and I start looking to spend money I wouldn't normally spend. Even with the slow churn though, we've paid for a WDW in full and about 3/4 of a DLR trip, as well as several small get-aways. I'm in 'hoarders' mode right now with my points because I'm unsure what next year's travel will look like

exactly. Our income isn't huge(which is why people are shocked we get to do what we do) and we aren't close to rich.... hence my slow churns.

 

[Judique]

If I applied myself more we probably could but I also don't want to turn it into an obsession

The 'if I applied myself more' is right on target for me. I could be out there buying up all the gift cards and doing money orders and all the programs. But since I stopped working (retired) I'm just genuinely unabashedly lazy.

I'm more obsessed with keeping up with this boards posts.

 

[miztressuz]

Churning history = none

Been doing points and rewards since 2000, have not once churned a card I just lost some street cred (if I ever had any) but I've mentioned it before. I know how to get the card, I just don't know how to churn the card, and that's really the most important part of the process, the churning. I grow attached and become what every card issuer hopes for - a keeper!
But that's going to change as I have a couple cards with AF's that are absolutely not worth the AF after the bonus... although I'm not sure we're getting rid of as many cards as we should next year, but that's another conversation

While I've always had many open cards throughout my credit history, the last year or so has been my highest new card open rate ever. Y'all are enablers!

All cards I'm 7/24 and 5/12, by Chase's count I'm 4/24 and 2/12.
P2 is 5/24 and 5/12, but by Chase's count 3/24 cuz of an AU.

P2's numbers are more impressive for me because this was the "there's no way this is not going to tank your credit score, I don't care what other people say, they lie". He was totally willing to get the BBP only "because it's a business card so it's like it doesn't exist" on his CR and so that's ok (since AmEx doesn't even HP). Whatever. If I can get him to cancel the Green card now and save the AF on that I'm happy and y'all can enable all you want, it'll be worth it

 

[hsmamato2]

The SW bonus is limited to once every 24 mos across all the personal cards. Which is why so many of us who want CP are trying for one pers & the biz

thanks. I just found that on DoC..... trying to keep all the newer rules straight is keeping me alive! And I have like 6 friends all at the same time hammering me with SWA questions at the moment (It's that magical time of year lol)

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

@speedyfishy - thanks Bancorp debit worked at stop and shop

@MrPTato - thanks for BJs tip! My Visa gc rang in with no fee! Wonder if it’s a glitch or unadvertised deal?

Churning - started slowly with our first Disney trip. I had a Delta and Cap One Venture. You can already see the error of my ways. Took about 8 years (yikes) and was able to get First family Disney trip fully paid for in 2014! I need a new DIS name because kids have been 3x since and to DLR once thanks to this hobby. Started our real churning when eBay/target was in its heyday. When that died I focused on credit cards and started with Chase. You guys gave me the courage to dabble in “business” cards. Now I’m even doing a little MS!!! So slow to moderate I’d say. DH and I are both 4/24, next is Schwab to cash out MRs. Sitting in SW points and CP, Marriott points and a bunch of URs so now I want cash!! Lol!

 

[hsmamato2]

so no other info on using a PP with 4 people? I'm feeling anxiety and I need to force myself to try this for once!

 

[trstno1]

Also, I have closed AMEX cards via online chat before, hopefully your wife won't need to call in.

Thanks! I has able to cancel her AmEx Platinum by personal chat - no phone call needed.

 

[apollodi]

I'm also a pretty new churner. I got started in April 2018 when DH and I decided that we wanted to do a combination trip in May 2019: a WDW trip with our kids (their first trip there!), followed by an anniversary trip to Barcelona for the two of us (while Grandma and Grandpa watch our girls). We could never afford both these trips back to back, so I started looking into credit card bonuses. DH's first card in this game was a an Amex Delta Gold, which gave us exactly enough extra miles to book 2 economy tickets to Barcelona with Skypesos. My first card was a CSP since I read on TPG (I know!) that it was a great starter card for travel and the CSR's high fee looked ridiculous to me. By June, I had changed my tune, and DH got a CSR.

My initial goal was to just get a couple cards to help defray our May 2019 travel costs, plus get better rewards for everyday spending. But, I found this group a couple months later and haven't looked back. I've been able to cover all flights for both trips, plus hotels in Barcelona and the surrounding area, with plenty of UR left over. I've also started collecting MR for future, undetermined trips. After starting in April at 0/24 each, DH and I are both 3/24 plus a couple of business cards. We are slowing way down for now because there's a chance we will be moving in about 6 months, but once that's settled one way or the other I'll be jumping back in! Now that our girls are 2 and 5, I'm excited to start taking them to new destinations after several years of just short weekend trips and family visits, even if I don't know where else we're going yet.

 

[DisneyMandC]

That was enough, the look and demeaner just changed where something really clicked and he understood all my nebulous talk of paying for this awesome vacation we wanted all on points and rewards was actually going to work. I continued on with what we had in other cards and bank bonuses and we then had a short conversation on what we were expecting it all to cost and where the points and cash are going. I walked him through where we already were on actual numbers and then what the projections were. I think until then he wasn't really hearing me and the cash value of the points flipped that switch. I know it'll be different for different people, but if you can equate these fake little points into something more tangible - in hubby's case it's straight $$s it looks like - I think that's what makes it click. My original grand plan was to pay for the cruise out of our vaca budget and then everything else had to come from cards, rewards, or somewhere else - all the excursions, hotels, flights, food, etc. We're on track for that but occasionally I fantasize that we can actually do it for half that even. If I applied myself more we probably could but I also don't want to turn it into an obsession

This sounds like my DH. He has been fine with me applying for whatever, but never really understood it. I think it finally started to click on our WDW/USO trip when he realized we didn't pay for 2 day PTP USO tickets, or for the Doubletree hotel we stayed in for two nights!

 

[MrPTato]

@MrPTato - thanks for BJs tip! My Visa gc rang in with no fee! Wonder if it’s a glitch or unadvertised deal?

If it is a glitch, hoping it lasts until the end of the year. Where else can I get 2000MR for only $2??

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Churning history = none ...have not once churned a card

LOL - love how you're using the literal definition of churning!

I think we can all agree now that with AMEX once per lifetime, Chase 24mo and 48mo rules, Citi and BofA restrictions...that we have to embrace that churning is just the act of opening multiple cards for bonuses...and not truly opening the same card. It's crazy, but there aren't even many cards left that you can churn rapidly.

Even I have barely "truly churned" cards - here's my list:

• ME: Southwest Plus (1 time)
• ME: Southwest Premier (1 time)
• ME: Disney Visa (2 times)
• WIFE: Disney Visa (1 time)
• ME: BankAmericard (4 times)
• WIFE: BankAmericard (2 times)

I haven't technically "churned" a card since August 2017...Wow, lol!

 

[Psychodisney]

We started into CC points after we bought DVC in 2002 but never realized you could churn! We had SW cards and the Capital One Venture card and eventually got the CSP when it was introduced. When I found this thread, we started to have some fun but haven't truly churned anything other than SW. We've stayed at or around 5/24 because we value the SW CP. We've gotten some great value out of Marriott properties when visiting our daughter at college. We also have a big vacation coming up at the Baha Mar all on Hyatt points.
Thank you to all of you for contributing and helping this group learn, earn and burn!

 

[striker1064]

@striker1064 - thanks for the info. My kids actually like Times Sq. It’s going to be insane 2 days after Xmas but i like the idea of being close to the show and we will wander for dinner etc. glad the rooms are larger. It’s tougher to find 2 beds in nyc! In April we are doing the statue (crown tour), Freedom tower, a show, maybe the hy-line. Would you book the courtyard times sq (I actually think closer to Rock center) or the courtyard Central Park? Any other suggestions?


Awesome! Did you get rockettes tix? I bit the bullet and used Today’s tix. Paid a little more than I wanted but we are going 12/27 and crowds will be super high

I personally would not choose to stay in TS again, so I'd go for the Courtyard Central Park. But they both have similar positive reviews, so it's entirely personal about where you want to stay. I'm sure you know this too, but none of your 3 activities are close to either hotel. But you're close to subway lines and that's what counts. The High Line in spring is awesome!

I didn't I kept looking and looking for a Groupon or a special rate, but couldn't find any. The best I could find were Chase preferred seating discounts. They were good seats, but the best price I could find was going to be $280 for two tickets for the 9 AM Sunday morning show! My mom agreed that was absurd, so we decided we'd either see if we could find some cheap tickets when we get there, or just not worry about it. She's never been to NYC before, so we'll have plenty to do even if we don't see a show. I just checked Today's Tix and they're definitely better prices, but it's way up in third mezzanine.

Do Rockettes tickets ever show up at the TKTS booths?

Yep! Have them listed up to 50% off for shows today. The app lists where you can get them (which booths) and percent off!

Are y'all signed up for emails from the Rockettes website? We've gone the last two years so I get their emails. I frequently get 50% off offers. There's also almost always either a 50% off one ticket or buy one get one free offer for any performance except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You should never have to pay full price for tickets if you can go any other days.

Right now, BroadwayBox has "up to 50% off" with code BBOXN2:

https://www.broadwaybox.com/shows/radio-city-christmas-spectacular/

This TA thread has a ton of useful information. Several discount codes scattered throughout. Just apply it on the Christmas Spectacular website where it says "Apply Offer Code" to see which dates they work on.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...018_discount_code-New_York_City_New_York.html

https://www.rockettes.com/christmas/calendar/

 

[mmmears]

I guess the question I had about the AMEX 10K points for pay over time had to do with wondering if it would negatively affect our credit scores or make it harder to get more cards in the future since we'd be turning it from a charge card to a credit card. This platinum is our main card and has seen most of our spend for the last 7 + years. (More on that when I find a chance to write up my "story").

 

[trstno1]

Has anyone else noticed a change with Amazon's pay-with-points? On Black Friday, I was able to apply $0.01 AmEx MR points and pay the remainder with Amazon gift cards, purchased at ~20% discount. Now when I apply MR points I am required to put the remainder on my AmEx card. I wonder if this is new or if I started doing something wrong.

 

[wendow]

so no other info on using a PP with 4 people? I'm feeling anxiety and I need to force myself to try this for once!

Here is my, probably not too helpful for your situation, DP...We took our fam of 6 to the PP restaurant at DIA a couple of weeks ago. I have PP through my Amex plat good for me and 2 guests and dh has PP with his CSR good for him and 2 guests. They allow $32/pp and our bill was only $84 total (for all 6!) so the server only ran one of our cards. Not sure if all the restaurant PP lounges work this way or not.

And I missed if you are trying to hit a lounge or restaurant. I think in a lounge you will need to pay the $32 for the fourth person.

 

[mmmears]

This is going to sound like the first-worldiest problem of first-world problems, so here goes.

We stayed at the PH for 4 nights in 2016, so I would guess some things have changed. I'd always heard the PH is the premier brand and one of the nicest chain hotels you can book, so that's why we went for it. It was... I dunno, underwhelming. It's hard to exactly put a finger on what it was, but the hotel was a little worn and tired. It's very nice, don't get me wrong, but if I were booking another high-tier Hyatt hotel in NYC, I would opt for the Andaz Fifth Avenue (but it's a totally different style too).

I'm looking through my pictures, and apparently I only took a picture of the bathroom. TBH, it's a really nice bathroom.

I do remember we stayed on the (now no longer available) 2 free nights from the Hyatt card sign up bonus. The front desk offered us an upgrade to a Deluxe room for $50/night, which we took (expiring CSR travel credit, yeah!). I'm glad we did, because the room we got was still pretty small. The decor was... dark, I guess? I'm having a tough time putting into words what we didn't like about it, but we both agreed that while it was a very nice hotel it just wasn't for us and we would prefer a different Hyatt in the city, even on points.

I also did not particularly prefer the area. It's not terribly interesting. It's north of Times Square, Theater District-ish I guess. If you're seeing Broadway shows it should be pretty convenient. It's only a block away from the 57th and 7th subway, served by the Broadway (yellow NQRW) line. The immediate restaurant options are okay at best. The nice thing is you're within easy walking distance to both the hugely diverse choices of Hell's Kitchen, and in the other direction, the 53rd and 6th Halal Guys (plus 5th Ave shopping).

The more I think about it, I probably would have enjoyed the hotel more as a whole if it were in a better area. We like to try new foods when we travel and get things we can't at home. I'll find the good values and the hole in the wall places. There just isn't much of that in that area.

I think we're likely a unique case. You'll probably enjoy the hotel a lot. And to reiterate, it is really nice. It's a little tired yeah, but a lot of NYC hotels are. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts when you go!

I really appreciate your take on this. It helps me to lower my expectations. I've stayed at the Palace (top part, the towers) a few times over the years and that's the area (midtown, across from St. Patrick's) I'm used to. It's become too expensive lately, so I decided to use some points instead and this Hyatt looked nice and in an ok location. The only Park Hyatt we've ever stayed at is the one in Paris and that one was really nice. But this trip isn't until May so I have plenty of time to switch if it's not that great a place. I'd love to use those Hyatt points in Sydney, but I don't think we will get there any time soon. I want to go to the Moma and the Met this trip, plus maybe walk the highline. I don't expect another trip to NY anytime soon. I'm just adding these few days in NY onto a trip we are taking to Philadelphia.