I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[disneymagicgirl]

So what rides will be tier 2? Only Star tours? The rest are shows so that doesn’t count.

Basically, yes. ST, VLM, DJ stage show, Frozen.

 

[miztressuz]

I'm not sure anyone here had an issue with this but I know it was pointed out before that the AmEx Gold card only earned 4x points at US restaurants. Reports now that effective 6/6 it'll earn 4x on restaurants worldwide.
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/amer...-at-restaurants-worldwide-not-limited-to-usa/
Per the latest summary of MR program changes on someone's statement, it's listed in with a bunch of other stuff. I actually found the next box of the summary interesting where it says the Blue for Students card would be removed from the MR program. Guess I shouldn't feel as bad about the involuntary PC from that to the Everyday card they did to me a couple years back.

There's a bigger clip of the statement summary on TPG (https://thepointsguy.com/news/amex-gold-4x-points-dining-worldwide/) and shows that effective 9/1 AU cards have to be issued 90 days prior to being used to transfer to a FF account.
Also if they don't receive your payment by the due date, rather than the statement closing date, you'll forfeit your MR points. For folks with CC's I'm sure that wouldn't be an issue for anyone because there are other reasons to hit that due date but probably more important for folks with charge cards to pay attention to.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I have to admit...DH and I watch the frozen singalong....each trip now....we ever use to....but went last May when we had 4 littles ones with us....really enjoyed it...the narrators are funny and their dialogue is different every time

I love that one too!

 

[Alexle2007]

D

 

[palhockeymomof2]

The one guy is great! I follow him on instagram

The guy last week was younger than any of the previous narrators we had see...he was also the best one so far

 

[speedyfishy]

Whhhaaaaatttttt??? Do my eyes deceive me......

I’m in the minority here I’ll go in the corner lol

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Denied again by AA Biz for the 20k. I thought for sure, it had worked that time. Now to try again tonight. Glad I did the 70k for DH.

I tried twice on my account...denied both times.....DH received the match the same day I requested mine and was denied...so

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Total: $3,190 in value assuming 1.0 cent per point. This is definitely the most lucrative side hustle ever lol especially because I'm not spending that much time doing this.

Pending
This weekend we are going to Chase to open a Biz checking account for $300 each.

That side hustle definitely needs its own cc.
Let us know how the Chase biz checking goes. I’m too intimidated to try.

Barclays has me tearing my hair out - their website SUCKS.
I regularly check it and it opens to my account summary, last 4 digits. I’ve been keeping track of spend and I thought I was - few $$ off from meeting MSR. I get a call a few days ago from 1-866-469-5975. Googling led to “fraud impersonating Barclays” etc. Today I get it again, pick up, and it’s Barclays. Girl tells me an amount I’m past due, willingly gives me her extension and I go online to check my account.

Turns out all my charges are under a different account - a company account that you have to hunt for on the site and that has a random 4 last digits! What is that? And yes, that one has me over the $1k credit limit, has a $15 min payment, and the balance is just as she says! We had paid last month as shown on my account page which obviously was wrong.

Now to call and figure out why are two accounts set up and hope I get the SUB (will this mess affect me receiving it - ugh)??? And put that Barclay away to never see the light of day.

Does it do that even if you don’t have an employee card? This card is just me. I hope the payment goes to my card - the company card where the charges are showing has another 4 digits that aren’t my card. Will call at lunch and see what they say.

Yeah that’s Barclay’s. It’s not a “company card” per se, it’s a master account and your card plus any others are all under that master account. Total PIA. Same thing happened to me first month. Ask if they can waive any fees you were charged since you weren’t aware. I also did not get any emails telling me my account was due (even though they were set up) nor a statement

 

[Psychodisney]

 

[Sarah_B]

I think there was a loop around at some point to buy DisneyLAND tickets with UR. Did that die?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I follow Patrick Dougall on Instagram and I saw he got one there so I had to get one lol. We got the one with just 3 flavors but the biggest one had 6! For anyone not on Instagram I’ll put the picture on this post.

ETA: can someone tell me how to turn my picture? Idk why it keeps turning all of my pictures now

They had that cotton candy at Epcot when we were there in March. Huge line though, so we skipped it.

You will likely need to position to LAX or SFO to get the best availability.

Saw this a few days ago, but not sure how many award seats there might be
https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/travel/2019/06/04/qantas-non-stop-chicago/

 

[CyndiLouWho]

BUT IT MAKES ME HAPPY!!!!

You being you.

 

[vanjust14]

Just used a whole bunch of AA miles to book Club Level at Portofino Bay for one night in July and I'm okay with that! Also cashed out UR's to cover a night at Sapphire Falls at AP rate. Flights with RR's of course. Will have to pay $100 to upgrade AP's to use in July as the whole month is blocked out with seasonal pass but not too bad for a quick weekend away for our anniversary.

 

[vanjust14]

@wendow , I asked about the rental car when I booked on AAvacations just now because I was considering actually using it. She did confirm the taxes and fees are not including in the package, just the daily rate. I asked her what would happen if I didn't pick up the car and she said I wouldn't pay the taxes or fees but I would also not be able to get a refund on the daily rate already included. I'm not going to pick the car up, only because I want it for two nights but only booked the hotel for 1 night with miles and the rep said the car has to match the hotel reservation.

 

[wanderlust7]

Called this morning to ask about our SWGE entry time. Was told Tuesday 8 am. CM said they do it on check-out date for one night reservations, which makes sense. I asked for Monday 8 pm and got it. Have been second guessing myself maybe we should go on Sunday since deluxe APs are blocked out. But I like the slot, so going to leave it alone. Will probably go to DCA on Sunday and hopefully crowds are low. Think I don't want to spring for hoppers....

Have been reading the SWGE super thread backwards (since so much was just speculation in the beginning). First and last slots should be the best since it only has 1 hour overlap with other slots instead of 2. We're not early people, so the 8 am one would be painful. Should be pretty magical to see SWGE at night. Someone was able to get a walk through of Cantina right before closing, maybe we'll get lucky too. Otherwise, not going to put that high priority. Droid Depot first - DS's very early birthday present. Then Smuggler's Run however many times we can, maybe 2 if we're lucky? We can do single rider the second time since DS is old enough.

Have been wanting to do a trip with only 1 kid for a while. The dynamic is so different. Finally got the logistics to work out.

 

[Albort]

Called this morning to ask about our SWGE entry time. Was told Tuesday 8 am. CM said they do it on check-out date for one night reservations, which makes sense. I asked for Monday 8 pm and got it. Have been second guessing myself maybe we should go on Sunday since deluxe APs are blocked out. But I like the slot, so going to leave it alone. Will probably go to DCA on Sunday and hopefully crowds are low. Think I don't want to spring for hoppers....

Have been reading the SWGE super thread backwards (since so much was just speculation in the beginning). First and last slots should be the best since it only has 1 hour overlap with other slots instead of 2. We're not early people, so the 8 am one would be painful. Should be pretty magical to see SWGE at night. Someone was able to get a walk through of Cantina right before closing, maybe we'll get lucky too. Otherwise, not going to put that high priority. Droid Depot first - DS's very early birthday present. Then Smuggler's Run however many times we can, maybe 2 if we're lucky? We can do single rider the second time since DS is old enough.

Have been wanting to do a trip with only 1 kid for a while. The dynamic is so different. Finally got the logistics to work out.

if you look into /r/disneyland on reddit theres someone in there thats currently tracking the wait time every day. gives u an idea on when its the most busiest and least busiest...

 

[amcc]

Shoot, can't quote a quote. This was for @lmhall2000

It might help us if you tell us what you want the points to do for you. It looks like you have some United certs to use. Does that mean you have airfare covered and looking for lodging? Do you have a Player 2 that is willing to open cards? Are you looking to open many cards for the sign up bonuses or are you looking for one card? Do you have anything that would qualify as a business (many things qualify) and are you open to business cards? I too am looking to bring my 3 college age kids next year to Europe and have not gotten very far at all. I think I need Air B&Bs instead of hotels and not sure the best way to go about it. But if you know what you are wanting the points to cover, we may be able to help better.

We are 6 people going to Europe this summer so Airbnb are really the best option for us. As with so many travel things, the earlier you book an Airbnb the better BUT with the huge array of places, I’ve also found that booking within 2-3 months of arriving works out well too. Chase has had a 5% back offer for Airbnb now for a couple of months and we’ve taken advantage. I really need to see about getting discounted Airbnb gift cards (I think they exist) to pay the balances.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Next stop on my trip reports- South Africa Safari! (Stop 1 was the Seychelles). This one made possible with bank bonus money, sometimes cash is King!

Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa. Located in Welgevonden Game Reserve (about 3 hours from Johannesburg by car). 4 nights, $2200, 5 star luxury lodge, all-inclusive. (As a solo traveler many lodges will charge you double so you need to find one that offers a “single supplement”. This did so I only paid 150% the going per person rate and got in on a deal to buy 3 nights get one free.) ANYONE GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA GO HERE! 100%. Absolutely. If you have to give up a Disney trip to make this happen? Do it. (Did I just cause an earthquake saying that? Sorry guys.) This was literally one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I cannot wait to go back- but I need more bank bonuses first lol! I found this place off a suggestion from someone in Reddit award travel. There are lots of safari lodges to chose from so I was lost. This isn’t Kruger, but on the bright side no malaria and no extra flight needed to get there. I arranged a transfer via Mhondoro that picked me up at Hyatt Regency Johannesburg and dropped me at the airport after.

Arrival- waited at front gate of Welgevonden about 20 mins for my pickup by a Mhondoro ranger (my driver drove like a bat out of hell and I got there half an hour before I was supposed to, the ranger felt really bad I’d been waiting as they really do pride themselves on giving guests the best experience). He set up a table with homemade snacks (chocolate truffles & biltong were my faves) red & white wine, Amarula & gin and tonic.


Obviously just the necessities to tide one over for the trip to the Lodge where lunch awaits

A couple showed up (at the right time, haha) and after everyone enjoyed drinks and food we loaded into the game drive vehicle (think Indiana Jones/ Dinosaur with elevated seats as you go back but much more comfortable seats than Disney) for the hour drive across the Reserve to the Lodge. At check in they inquire about allergies and dining preferences (I said I don’t really like spicy food and the kitchen always kept that in mind for me) they even asked if I’d like to have someone from the Lodge dine with me for meals as I was alone. (At first I said no, not wanting to be a bother, but after the first night I decided yes and I loved getting to know more about South Africa and some of the people who worked there. Wonderful hosts to a solo traveler like me. For meals you dine with your family/friends/whoever you are traveling with so this was a great touch of guest service.) And then they served lunch on the Lodge Deck overlooking their watering hole...


Still not sure how they got me to leave
Each day offered a morning and afternoon Game Drive of about 3 hours each driving around the Reserve looking for animals. It’s about 90k acres so plenty of ground to cover. Lots of rhinos (they are the only Reserve in South Africa to never have had a Rhino poached), also saw elephants, cheetahs, giraffes, baboons, hippos, warthogs, zebras & so much more. Lions on the last day from a distance, they had been easy to spot the week before- had even been at the Lodge’s watering hole right before I arrived!- but while I was there the cheetahs were the ones easy to spot. It’s nature, you just don’t know! We even saw a mama cheetah feeding on her kill with her 4 cubs right by the roadway one day! They have leopards but we never saw one. Last one seen by our rangers had been a month prior. The rangers are very knowledgeable about bird and plant life (in addition to animals of course!) if that’s your thing. I’m limiting myself to 2 animal pics!


While family of Rhinos on my first afternoon game drive. Crazy close!


*sigh* the pics were inserting so well until now Anywho, over Sundowners one day the ranger calmly says something like “get in the vehicle. Everyone get in the vehicle now.” From the vehicle we see this fella coming down the road. The rangers had us stay quiet and still and the elephant walked right by and stopped a couple times next to the vehicle to smell us and moved on. Seriously close encounter. (For those wondering about safety one of the rangers had his rifle out and would have shot the elephant if he had started to attack, thankfully he did not.)

Morning drive has a “coffee break”. This “bush coffee” consists of hot chocolate mix, French Press coffee the ranger does right then & Amarula. Delicious! Gourmet snacks again, they were always a little different. One morning a couple Mhondoro chefs were at a pre-determined spot making fresh pancakes for our morning snack! Aside from pancake morning all other breaks happen wherever/whenever the ranger thinks it seems like break time (he always asked if we were ready to break before stopping) out on the Reserve. Afternoon game drive has “sundowner” break with red or white wine, beer, Amarula or Gin and Tonic and, of course, gourmet snacks enjoyed somewhere on the reserve as the sun sets...


Incredible right? Standing around with a glass of wine, eating amazing snacks... 5 o’clock at home just doesn’t measure up!
Food: 5 Star. Blew me away. After return from morning drive it’s time for breakfast (lol right? Cup of coffee and a morning snack and I’m good to go). Breakfast was a spread of fruit, cheeses, pastries & toast to enjoy while you wait for your order. They do a new menu each day with a few different choices. Your time is your own after that to swim, sleep, have a spa treatment (extra cost), whatever! Lunch is whenever you want it from like noon-2. They ask at breakfast when you want lunch so they can have your table set for you. Lunch was a variety platter each afternoon. With wine of course. Afternoon game drive an hour or so later! After that we would have cocktails at their bar/lodge area and then dinner. They give you a menu with a few options for appetizer, meal and dessert. My favorite dinner was the last night where I had Crocodile Carpaccio & perfectly cooked Ostrich Fillet with wine sauce.



A couple of the lunch platters


Ostrich fillet. Their presentations were so beautiful I almost felt bad eating them. Almost.

Things they do to improve on the guest experience beyond game drives include “Boma night” with a big fire and dinner buffet of all sorts of food where some of the staff sang songs and did some dancing. Fun and delicious! One day they did a bushwalk between breakfast and lunch where the rangers took us on foot through some bush area near the lodge. A herd of Zebra ran by, we came across a sleeping Rhino- very cool. Another day on game drive they took us to see some Caveman drawings from like thousands upon thousands of years ago (a bit of a hike to access but even the older couple were able to make it just fine).


Boma night- not like any campfire I’d ever been too!

I did discover luxury safaris involved lots of booze lol. Bush coffee, wine with lunch, Sundowners, cocktails on return, drink/s of choice with dinner. And the staff are great about top ups and refills lol. Staying hydrated is SUPER important! Obviously if you don’t drink, or only want to drink a bit that’s totally fine. They’re family friendly after all! The butlers even made a rose tonic drink for a non-drinker in my group that she adored.

This lodge has an emphasis on guest experience and to their credit I’ve never felt so catered to and the staff were incredibly nice, not stuffy at all. Lots of places say they’re all about their guests, this is the only time I’ve seen that be the reality. From the managers to the butlers to the rangers, the whole team is focused on you having an excellent experience. The butlers have hot or cold towels (depending on the weather at the time) to greet you upon return from the game drives. Housekeeping was spectacular, came through twice a day. Even the rangers were happy to chat and answer q’s. You have the same Ranger the whole time which is great because they know what animals you’ve already seen. (Or unfortunate if you were my ranger, haha. He put me up front the first day and I loved being able to chat away and ask a million questions about animals and South Africa and I decided I’d happily stay there given the chance on following drives!) It was slow season and on my last morning the other guests departed early so I had the whole game drive to myself- and they didn’t make me feel bad for only being 1 person or tell me the drive was cancelled because their weren’t enough people. (Good thing- we finally saw the lions that morning!)

Room: I booked their “standard” suite which looked awesome on its own but I got upgraded to the Honeymoon Suite which gave me my own plunge pool! It was the furthest out from the Lodge but worth it. If you’re a couple splurge on this! Bathroom had a rain shower, an outdoor rain shower & a big corner tub- it’s the first time I ever faced a bathing question behind “bath or shower?”


Balcony of the Honeymoon Suite. To the left is a view of the watering hole. A bit away but you can tell what animals are or aren’t there.

If anyone has questions about the place feel free to message me here or on Reddit!

 

[elgerber]

Soooo, what do you think are the odd of getting approved for Arrival + when I got the Barclays Biz in March? Other inquiries were car inquiries back in November? Had an Arrival + a few years ago, closed mid last year.

 

[wanderlust7]

@gottalovepluto

#lifegoals

Thanks for sharing.