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

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Apologies if this card has been discussed, it's tough to keep up and my searches pulled up a lot of unrelated discussion. I'm just wondering what people think of this offer.

I was targeted (via email) for the Bonvoy Business AmEx. 95k point for $3k in 3 months. AF is $125 and not waived.

I have the old SPG personal card and used to love Starwood points, but am less enthusiastic about them since the merger--I've kept the SPG for the free night, but I haven't been actively seeking more points. I would have use for them down the road (we stay at Fairfield when we go to DLR, and we loved our stay at a Westin property in Maui we'd like to revisit). But that vagueness in my Marriott plans makes me a little hesitant to pay the AF if this isn't a great offer.
 
Noticed we met our Plat MSR because Amazon just showed me we have over 100k points. Also reminded me to go ahead and unenroll for now for shop with points.

Now I kind of feel weird without a MSR! We are refinancing our mortgage though (amazingggg rate) so need that to close first sometime in August before we do anything else in terms of signing up for a new card.
 


I keep waiting for there to be a power limit here, since its been so warm. Then we have to keep our usage below a certain limit which for us basically means shut it down... sometimes we can buy our way through though. Ah, capitalism :rotfl:

I don't understand any of this. You mean they stop making your electricity work? I have never heard of such a thing!
 


I've been doing a similar search for my family of 4 for 2020 but we're flying from BOS. I am having a really hard time finding a way to get us all there in first on points. It's just so many points! My thinking now is that maybe we'll fly first class to the west coast and then from there on SW since we have the companion pass, but even still I'm having difficulties finding routes that might work. I found a first class fare on the Hawaiian Airlines website for about 2,000 and when I went to search for it on the UR portal, the price was closer to $7000 for the same flight. Maybe from NYC it will be easier since you have 3 major airports you can be looking to fly out of.

I have been looking at 2020 just to get an idea of pricing and I’m seeing the same thing. The amount of points needed is crazy 8-900,000. I am willing to pay main cabin and use points to upgrade as well, but I’m not sure which card will do that for me the least expensive. The Hawaiian chart is very confusing only giving a range and then is lists main cabin 1, 2, 3; 4 and then first 1, 2, 3.
 
I feel like a dummy asking but what exactly is a dummy booking?
You start booking a flight on aa.com. Once they show you the options/pricing, you click on the credit card link at the bottom. It's a different offer than the one on the homepage. I wanted the one with the credit to test it with a gift card purchase.
 
Conversation starter: do you value simplicity at all? Do you think you would earn as many rewards with fewer cards but more focused spending or do you enjoy the chase of new bonuses? Do you value not having to log into several different accounts and remembering due dates or do you think this is just part of the trade-off?
The nerdy in me loves it! But it can get overwhelming sometimes, but you get so much value back that is totally worth it. Now my DH would never do it! He thinks I am crazy but loves and appreciates how much free stuff we have gotten so far!
 
Apologies if this card has been discussed, it's tough to keep up and my searches pulled up a lot of unrelated discussion. I'm just wondering what people think of this offer.

I was targeted (via email) for the Bonvoy Business AmEx. 95k point for $3k in 3 months. AF is $125 and not waived.

I have the old SPG personal card and used to love Starwood points, but am less enthusiastic about them since the merger--I've kept the SPG for the free night, but I haven't been actively seeking more points. I would have use for them down the road (we stay at Fairfield when we go to DLR, and we loved our stay at a Westin property in Maui we'd like to revisit). But that vagueness in my Marriott plans makes me a little hesitant to pay the AF if this isn't a great offer.

This targeted offer just came out:

Your targeted offer is better than the current public offer of only 75k Marriott Bonvoy points for $3k MSR in 3 months. In comparison to the usual “high” offer of 100k Marriott Bonvoy points for $5k MSR in 3 months, this targeted offer has a lower MSR of only $3k for a slightly lower bonus of 95k points.

However, if and when the public offer goes back up to 100k Marriott Bonvoy points, likely for $5k MSR in 3 months, you should be able to refer to it if you have a P2 with an Amex or Amex Bonvoy card, and that referral bonus should be factored into your calculus. Similarly, you could at any other time have a P2 refer you to the Bonvoy Biz under the current public offer of 75k points for $3k MSR, and have P2 net a 20k Marriott Bonvoy points or 10k-20k Membership Rewards support bonus, which would put that on par with the targeted offer.

The $125 AF is now standard for this card. A few months ago, Amex stopped waiving the first year AF on the SPG Biz (which became the Bonvoy Biz). While the Bonvoy Biz does come with a 35k FN certificate, Amex does not deposit that cert into your Marriott Bonvoy account until 6-8 weeks after they charge you a second year AF, meaning you won’t be able to wait until the FN cert deposits and still have time to cancel this card to avoid the second year AF. So in effect, you’d be paying 2x$125 AFs for the 95k points and a 35k FN cert. You’ll probably still come out well ahead, but it’s not as good of a deal if you only had to pay one $125 AF.

I’d also caution that if you haven’t been putting consistent spend on your Amex cards, you may get the bonus denial pop up. So if this is a card you’re going to open only for the SUB, then sock drawer and not put ongoing spend on, you risk getting yourself on Amex’s naughty list. The Bonvoy Biz does have decent 4x Marriott points categories at gas stations and restaurants, so I put those kinds of spend on my SPG/Bonvoy Biz occasionally to keep Amex happy.

Hope this helps.
 
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I don't understand any of this. You mean they stop making your electricity work? I have never heard of such a thing!
My utility company calls from time-to-time asking if I want to opt-into a program like that. It will save me money, but reduce the amount I can use at different times of the day. I like it cold and sometimes work remote so I politely decline every time. If the power goes out I also have an automatic backup generator on the house so AC all day 😂
 
Conversation starter: do you value simplicity at all? Do you think you would earn as many rewards with fewer cards but more focused spending or do you enjoy the chase of new bonuses? Do you value not having to log into several different accounts and remembering due dates or do you think this is just part of the trade-off?

I do value simplicity...to a point. If for some random reason I had to hold only x number of cards, I could pretty quickly narrow them down, since there are 2 I use almost daily (BBP/Amex rose gold), 1 I use primarily for flights (Amex Plat) and for the non amex accepting places (I'm looking at you GYM) then a no AF visa.

That said, I also enjoy the mental stimulation of figuring out which card gives me the most bang for the buck and earns its keep. I review my profile fairly regularly and some are definitely being cancelled when their AF comes up.

ETA- oh my, the number of logins just for Amex (personal, biz and AUs)...is 10! Chase is fortunately 1 for me, 1 for DH, 1 for DH's biz. Barclay 1, Discover 1, Citi 1, Cap 1 only 1 so a low low login of ...17. I'm sure it could be worse :o
 
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Conversation starter: do you value simplicity at all? Do you think you would earn as many rewards with fewer cards but more focused spending or do you enjoy the chase of new bonuses? Do you value not having to log into several different accounts and remembering due dates or do you think this is just part of the trade-off?

I prefer to keep it simple. I have focused spending on a few cards. I know I do not get as many points this way, but do maximize what I can get from each active card that I have. I log into four accounts:
  • my chase
  • DH's chase
  • my amex
  • my discover
I use these cards regularly and focus on bonus categories or offers to decide which card I use each time:
my cards - CSP, CF, Amex Everyday, Discover It
DH's cards - United (hardly used; may cancel soon); CFU

I put all my everyday spending on my cards. I do not pay all my bills with cards, but do pay many - cell phone, car insurance, streaming services, cable are the major ones that I pay. I log onto each CC account every day and pay the balance, so that it feels as if I am using a debit card. DH does not put all his everyday spending on his cards, but I make sure they get used.

I am not opposed to adding more cards in the future, but have no plans to do so immediately. DH just got the CFU - once we spend the 3x bonus ($20,000 or one year), I may look to add to my CC portfolio. But I do not chase cards just for the bonus.

I have earned enough points and cash back for my family's travel needs. I also focus on survey opportunities (and other earning sites like swagbucks) to add to my points and cash for travel (including not paying DVC dues OOP).

ETA - the only card I have with an AF is my CSP and I try to pay the AF with my Discover IT cash each year. My main goal is truly free travel.
 
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I’m only gold. I thought about transferring his points to me but it looks like I have to pay for that now. SPG always let you transfer to your spouse for free. Bonvoyed again! Paying for the transfer pretty much negates the point of the free nights, so I’ll just prob leave it alone.

I've also got gold status from the Amex $$$ card. Don't remember what Marriott calls it now.
 
I'm planning to knock out my Citi#2 spend with the MCs from Staples this weekend. However, I'll be going to Family Dollar and Dollar General. I don't believe they will work at Walmart.

ETA: tagging @LilSweetPeaPhoto

I'm having so much trouble replying these days!

Are you loading on a Serve? Have you done MC before? I thought my local mall was Simon's but it's the one 30 min away. I'll be there tonight to meet friends for dinner, but I prefer FREE, LOL. The question is will my Staples have enough cards, LOL.
 
Do you have the application or approval emails? IIRC there was a reference number included in one or both of those that's used in the "setup your account" email link so you can do it before you get the card.

I got the link from the approval email. I don't see any numbers there other than the last 5 of the card. I can be patient and wait for the card.
 
Are you loading on a Serve? Have you done MC before? I thought my local mall was Simon's but it's the one 30 min away. I'll be there tonight to meet friends for dinner, but I prefer FREE, LOL. The question is will my Staples have enough cards, LOL.
Yes, I'm loading on Serve and I have done MCs before with no issues at both FD and DG. I have a particular Staples I go to that allows me to buy more than one and I've never had an issue with them running out, even toward the end of the sale.
 
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