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

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If I make the call for the 100k AmEx Biz Plat, do they automatically expedite it? I was going to wait until later to triple dip but realized now might be a good time with upcoming expenses?

ETA: Also, does the private line to Taylor still work?
 
I got both. I met my MSR on the Gold and I'm 110.00 away from meeting MSR on the Aspire. A grocery shopping trip tomorrow will seal the deal on the Aspire. Provided the hotel I want to say at in New York is still available and I can use the free night cert in London I will get about 2100 dollars out of the SUB and 250 resort credit. I plan on keeping this card. The resort credit and free night make the AF worthwhile and the benefits from the diamond are a big plus.

I'm not really sure what I'll do with Gold card points yet, but the points add up fast and it's a really pretty medal card.

I paid for my last WDW trip with Capital one card points. I never took advantage of hotels.com because it was cheaper for me to book direct with the hotels using my AAA card.

I still think Hyatt points are the most valuable for hotel stays. I can't wait unitl I'm under 5/24.

I haven't researched IHG and I don't see it talked about that much.

IHG isn’t generally considered as good a deal as other hotel chains. We got a card because DH frequently stays there for work travel and we already had lots of points, experience with the brand, and opportunity to use the card for his work and be reimbursed later. The free nights used to be for any room, but with the newish Premier card they’re now limited to 40k points. The Indigo in Venice is 40k points so I thought it would be a good use of the free night.

What makes the decision difficult is being 3/24 and wanting to continue with Chase, this will be the only personal card I get for a while. So I want to get the one that will get me the most benefit. I’ll also probably be getting some Amex biz cards in the meantime so high value with this card is important to me in case I start to get the pop ups. I’m leaning towards the Aspire, so all the posts directed @DisneyMandC this weekend have helped me too.
 


As it relates to the UR travel portal, CIP and CSP are basically equal. Both get 1.25x on redemptions thru the portal. Did you possibly mean he should upgrade to a CSR for the 1.50x?

That could make sense, especially if he can easily use the travel credit or use the SW refundable flight trick to take advantage of the credit that way. The $450 annual fee for the CSR will post on its own timeline depending on a variety of factors (I believe mostly depending on the original open date of the card and the timing of the upgrade. If he doesn’t need the 1.50x then I can’t see a logical reason to upgrade to a CSP.
got it- thanks all!
 
:offtopic:
I am working on a paper for school.... for those of you (seems like all of you!) who frequent WDW (I only go to DL), have they done away with the plastic straws yet? I am seeing it was supposed to have been "Mid-2019". Thank you!
 


:offtopic:

There's been quite a few events going on this weekend to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Last night I braved the crowds and unbearable heat on the National Mall for a show. They projected the rocket onto the Washington Monument, accompanied by a 17-minute show featuring clips of JFK ("We do this not because it is easy, but because it is hard."), mission control, the Moon landing itself, and audio of the astronauts talking back and forth with mission control. Truly one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. The applause from the crowd when the craft landed on the Moon (projected onto the monument!) warmed my heart. I love living in DC.

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As it relates to the UR travel portal, CIP and CSP are basically equal. Both get 1.25x on redemptions thru the portal. Did you possibly mean he should upgrade to a CSR for the 1.50x?

That could make sense, especially if he can easily use the travel credit or use the SW refundable flight trick to take advantage of the credit that way. The $450 annual fee for the CSR will post on its own timeline depending on a variety of factors (I believe mostly depending on the original open date of the card and the timing of the upgrade. If he doesn’t need the 1.50x then I can’t see a logical reason to upgrade to a CSP.
got it- thanks all!
I have much deeper thoughts and feelings about this and the recent Amex clawbacks than what I'm going to type. I’ll try to get the gist of this down. I just haven't had much time to write up very many meaningful posts, analyses, or replies, while still keeping up with the conversation and providing at least cursory answers to people's questions. And to be honest, the Amex developments have left me incredibly shaken.

First and foremost, I want to apologize to everyone who had any MR points clawed back as a result of self-referral. I was the one who brought over the news from r/churning that this was possible last July, and I did it myself and I feel like I set an example for others to follow. While everyone has to consider the risks of whatever they do in this hobby, and assess their own tolerance for that risk, I know we all look to DPs and strategies from both strangers and people we trust to help make our decisions. And if any of you feel like I've steered you wrong, I am truly and deeply sorry.

I shared the self-referral and cross-referral methods with the intention that this could help folks here earn a lot more points themselves and within their household once they already had one or two Amex cards, instead of settling for public offers or having their clicks go to someone else. I think this succeeded for a time as I, and I'm sure many others, saw a significant drop in their support clicks on Amex cards coming from other DISchurners. Self-referral or cross-referral became the de facto advice on r/churning and here, because if someone wasn't recommending you do it, then they weren't watching out for your interests and likely fishing for your support click. And so everyone was doing it. (I think the fact that MRs cannot be transferred or pooled among spouses or within a household also affected calculations to self-refer rather than refer from P1>P2 or P2>P1.) I’m devastated that this method, in the end, cost some people real money if you paid taxes on points that Amex ultimately took away with no indication how they’re going to fix this mess.

I can't recall anyone raising any flags that Amex would claw back these support bonuses. Just as I try to relay useful information to this thread, I’m always on the lookout for negative DPs. In late April, we shared a DP from a r/churning claiming that Amex clawed back a self-referral bonus. We advised caution and to wait and see if there were any further DPs of such clawbacks. I waited until June to self-refer to a BBP. There were no more negative DPs, and that report in April appeared to be a one off, perhaps prompted by eyes drawn to the OP's account for other reasons, or maybe the OP was just mistaken. Nothing suggested Amex would go back a year and claw back literally millions of MRs. We should have done better, kept our tinfoil hats on, and always remember Amex's modus operandi. Amex froze accounts and clawed back millions of MR from those who it believed abused the leaked Thanksgiving 2016 100k MR Platinum link. More recently, Amex clawed back the Saks credits from people who returned their purchases – even on closed card accounts, and charged people's cards hundreds of dollars for using multiples of the Staples Amex Offers.

What Amex giveth, Amex can taketh. It’s a real love/hate relationship with Amex. Amex has some of the biggest and best bonuses, solid co-brand and transfer partners and thus a lot of value to their programs, some cards that are actually worth keeping and putting ongoing category spend on, generous and useful Amex Offers (I’m looking at you Chase and your max $4 back at Rite-Aid), and hands out cards like candy. But Amex is also incredibly high maintenance, sensitive to perceived abuse, and downright schizophrenic. I’m sure all of us could come up with a list of 10 Things I Hate About Amex (h/t @SouthFayetteFan). If Amex thinks you’re not spending enough on them – pop up! Gaming their Amex Offers or credits? Don’t be surprised if Amex charges your statement for returns or refunds on which you got that credit, even if it’s months or more than a year later. The RAT has a long memory. MS their SUB? Bonus denial or clawback. But don’t do enough organic spend so you MS to keep Amex happy? That’s perfectly fine, have some more cards! Glitch holding up your bonus or credits? It’s not our fault, it’s yours! Just keep spending until you hit the bonus! And now the self-referrals…

You all might not know this from my irreverent chatter on the thread in the past week, but I haven’t felt this low since probably Plastiq 3x died on the CIP. I was a major cheerleader for the CIP, aside from its SUB, and Plastiq because of the ability to actually make money paying your bills. And when Plastiq stopped coding 3x the first time, and then a second time, I know several of you had just paid your bills before the DPs caught up but would only get 1x on the payment and you folks had to eat the fee. Then Chase kept killing all the other things that I happily told you coded 3x on the CIP…

And now we come to the CIPpy cup. I feel some amount of joy, but also responsibility for bringing news about the CIPpy cup here. I had been monitoring chatter and DPs on r/churning about multiple CIP approvals using only a SSN, but did not share the news until there was confirmation the bonuses were posting. I realized this is a way for us to turbocharge our UR balances, which is probably the favorite currency for most of you, at a time when Chase had killed the DD and imposed 48-month restrictions on the Sapphire cards. Come to think of it, I also shared the MDD.

All this, as with anything in this hobby, is not without risk. @SouthFayetteFan highlighted many of the risks in his original post. I will add that the Chase could stop refilling the CIPpy cup at any time. Although it’s a general rule that Chase will not approve a card without the bonus attached, Chase could conceivably deny the bonus. I’ve yet to see that on a UR-earning card, but I remember there was chatter about going for the Chase Marriott Biz card before it was discontinued just to hold it for the anniversary FNs, even if you weren’t eligible for the bonus under the fine print restrictions. Chase could, as they did when they were shutting down the Sapphire DD loophole, unilaterally close cards without notice. Personally, I think the risk of this is minimal because you’re not doing a DD with the CIPpy cup, and actual businesses have legitimate reasons for multiples of the same card. I remember seeing an open browser of Tesla Guy’s Chase account with all his cards and spotted several CIPs. But for someone like TPG, who is all about bonus category spend nowadays and spends millions on advertising, it would make sense to have multiple CIPs and BGR/Biz Golds since their bonus categories are capped at $150k/yr. If Chase were to target all their customers with multiples of the same product, they would upset a lot of non-churning clients and businesses. But what if they just targeted those who received SUBs on multiples of the same product within, say, a two-year span. That would also sweep in non-churning clients and businesses with legitimate reasons to hold multiple Ink cards and received bonuses on them. Again, what’s Chase’s modus operandi? Chase isn’t known for clawbacks. I can’t recall ever seeing a DP about a Chase clawback. As I posted recently, Chase’s weapon of choice is a shutdown, whether it be to close specific cards or shut down all card accounts. This is something we typically see in a bust-out situation (due to velocity and balances), the DD purge, or for whatever reason Chase or its affiliates decides to end their relationship with you. I want to be clear, as @SouthFayetteFan already pointed out, in all of these cases Chase never clawed back any points and allowed the customer 30 days to either cash out, redeem it, or transfer the points to a travel partner. (It’s not recommended to transfer points from a shut down account to P2 and risk P2 getting shut down.)

I’ve discussed Amex and Chase, but there’s also Citi. Many of us are riding the GrAAvy train, but there’s a risk with every application that the bonus won’t post, especially if you’ve used a public link. I can only imagine how terrible @SouthFayetteFan and @speedyfishy must have felt when we discovered public links to the GrAAvy train were a lot more YMMV, without apparent rhyme or reason, after sharing information that they were a way to bypass mailers and possibly save some money.

@SouthFayetteFan and I, and I’m sure many of the active contributors to this thread share information we come across with only the intention to benefit other members of this community. Personally, I try to vet the information I post, consider the risks and be thorough about explaining it, and I continue to be on the lookout for DPs that say a method has changed, ended, or something else adverse has happened so that I can share that too. But please note that there’s a built-in delay to all DPs, and a DP reported today might have come too late to change something you did yesterday and may not be an accurate predictor of how something works tomorrow. This hobby, its rules, and how the issuers apply those rules are constantly changing. We do our best to keep up and keep you all informed, but we’re not omniscient or infallible. I know we can all be cheerleaders and enablers sometimes, but I have to trust that you consider the benefits and risks as it relates to your own situation, assess your own tolerances, and come to the right decision for you. But please, don't be scared off from this hobby because, I think for almost everyone here, you've notched a lot more wins than losses.

I know several of you have asked if anyone’s gotten CIP4. I think what they’re looking for is a green light and an all-safe to go ahead and apply for CIP4. I can’t give you that. I don’t think anyone here has gone for CIP4 all with only their SSN, but I also don’t doubt there are folks on r/churning pushing that envelope and beyond. I’ll say under the current way things work, if you go for CIP4, provided you’ve watched your velocity and managed your credit lines, you’ll probably get approved and you’ll likely get your SUB. I can’t make any predictions or assurances what Chase will do with that in the future (maybe nothing!) other than muse about the risks as I did above.

What does my own strategy look like for the rest of 2019? DW’s CIP3 SUB and the support bonus from my CIP2 just posted this week. DW has two open CIPs from March and June, a CIU from last September, and a CIC from last December. I recently closed my 1+ year old CIC, got approved for CIP3 this week, have an open CIP2 from April, and a sockdrawered Marriott Biz. (Interestingly, I did apply for DW’s and my CIP3 with our FN MI LN and SSN but, as @SouthFayetteFan suggested, with a different business category to at least make a plausible case for different businesses between different CIPs.) With 2 open CIPs each, I’m thinking we’ll both cool off with our CIP apps for the next few months.

DW is 1/24 and I’m seriously considering referring her from my Biz Plat (20k MR>20k Hilton) to the Hilton Surpass before we cancel her Hilton Biz next month to avoid the AF. That will probably push DW out with Chase, if not for a velocity issue (because, historically, Amex doesn’t report a new personal card until the close of the second statement), then because of juggling the MSRs on several new cards. I was just approved for CIP3, so that’s a $5k MSR in the next 3 months; and I’ve barely made a dent in the Biz Plat upgrade offer for $10k spend in the remaining 4½ months. The Surpass would come with another $4k MSR in 4 months. Then, when DW goes back to Chase, I’m looking at the Hyatt card. At 2/24, another personal card for DW is not a problem. We’ve been meaning to earn some Hyatt points towards a possible Japan redemption so that we don’t have to transfer out of our UR stash, but the CIPpy cup has sidelined those plans. Meanwhile, I’m 4/24 until next spring so I need to stick with biz cards to keep playing in Chase’s playground. I think I’ll have DW refer me from her CIC/CIU to my own CIU, probably in October. That’s a 50k UR SUB and a 15k UR support bonus. Not CIPpy cup money, but also not another open CIP. Afterwards, we’ll probably close DW’s CIU since it will have passed a year. Around the end of the year, I’ll probably refer DW from my CIU to back to CIU2. We’ll see where I am at the end of the year, but I am also eyeing a Hyatt card and that’ll be the card that takes me to 5/24 for a while.
THis is very thoughtful. You,along with @SouthFayetteFan and some others are very diligent about news,and keeping up with what's going on. You posted this in a very kind way,as I believe SFF and the others here approach things. All of what You say is true, but it doesn't change the essence of what this 'game' actually is. You (and SFF) just said it in a WAY nicer way than I've heard it expressed before on the 'net.
I think you bring too much weight on your own self for sharing info and news,honestly. This 'game' has always been sort of about "hear some info,do some research,test the waters and see if it works/keeps working" kind of game.
Just b/c you share some of these great deals with us in general doesn't bring you the responsibility for the actual outcome.... this game is YMMV. That is the ONE constant that anyone starting out here(or anywhere) and seeking advice needs to know!
So don't be 'down' if something goes sideways unexpectedly- I've won some,I've lost some playing this but I ALWAYS take responsibility for what I choose to pursue, it's not your,or any other posters responsibility beyond sharing the info.
So I appreciate the detailed thoughts on CIP as that's my current interest,but know this, you should just be enjoying what you do,and I personally want to thank you and the others (@SouthFayetteFan ) for being a whole lot nicer about this game than most other places online!!! And FWIW I'm still enjoying (in my own way) all the deals I can still get from all the daily info here!
 
Amex (again) so yesterday I was trying to get the two replacement upgrade cards confirmed, finally did it thru chat...then another MSR fail when I neglected to notice the low credit limit on this upgraded card of $1000(!) so I've been merrily spending away,and yesterday DH wanted to buy his workboots which he gets reimbursed for...I thought 'great! another $150 spent for MSR and I don't have to actually pay!'....not. Card declined at swipe....(!!!) and when I called in thinking it was a confirm issue? nope. over the spend limit. I'm sorry but $1000 is laughably tiny,so I think I might be in the Amex timeout corner right now...... I guess I'll just pop in and pay it down 3x weekly till I get the MSR done. (I usually just let it build and PIF when I've hit my spend) And still waiting for 3 out of 4 Bonvoy replacement cards to come in the mail. And FWIW in my spacey brain, while trying to get m AMex to work at the store I realized I had left my Discover cc at the restaurant we had just left.... too hot to concentrate properly LOL
 
If you like pizza (or just "American style" casual Italian food) try Filippi's Pizza Grotto, several locations around the San Diego area.

In La Jolla, be sure to stop by the Children's Pool. There are tons of harbor seals living in the area, and very often they come right up onto the beach to hang out--the lifeguards just put up a simple rope to discourage people from getting too close, but you can walk right out onto the sand to see them. And there's a concrete breakwater that lets you walk out and stand right above them. We also sometimes see dolphins swimming in the area.

la_jolla_childrens_pool.jpg


Edit to add: I just saw that you're spending a couple of days in La Jolla. We go to Pacfic Beach (right next door) every summer. What do you have planned for SD so far?

We're planning SeaWorld on the Thurs since my little ones have never been, plus my ds8 loves penguins and sharks! Fri I figured we'd explore the beaches, maybe a kayak ocean tour but not sure about that yet. We'll check out the Childrens Pool you suggested, thanks for that pic! I've read the tide pools are neat, so thought we'd try to find th hose too. Other than that hadn't really planned anything. We fly out on Sat so not a lot of time to do much then.

Thank you for the pizza suggestion, I love pizza but there's usually some many it's hard to know where to try in a new place!
 
:offtopic:

There's been quite a few events going on this weekend to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Last night I braved the crowds and unbearable heat on the National Mall for a show. They projected the rocket onto the Washington Monument, accompanied by a 17-minute show featuring clips of JFK ("We do this not because it is easy, but because it is hard."), mission control, the Moon landing itself, and audio of the astronauts talking back and forth with mission control. Truly one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. The applause from the crowd when the craft landed on the Moon (projected onto the monument!) warmed my heart. I love living in DC.

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Super cool! They were showing it on the Baltimore news Friday morning.
 
Safeway/Vons/Randall’s/Albertsons/Tom Thumb/Acme/Jewel/Shaw’s is running a deal on Visa Gift Cards until 8/3/19.

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/safe...alls-albertsons-tom-thumb-acme-jewel-shaws-3/
• Save $10 on 2x $50 VGC ($4.95 activation fee, $0.10 savings)

• Save $15 on 2x $100 VGC ($5.95 activation fee, $3.10 savings)

Check your Safeway app for Just4U coupons.

Pay with a credit card that gets you a bonus at supermarkets (e.g., Amex Gold for 4x Membership Rewards, Amex Hilton Surpass for 6x Hilton Honors points, Amex Blue Cash Preferred for 6% cash back).
 
Ok - I think I am finally done with all the DISchurners updates for the night! Whew - that was a lot of updates! But our main feed is in great shape now. Whenever somebody joins, I have a standard welcome message I share. I'll post it here for all the veterans to see what I mention in there. Thanks everybody for supporting our community both here and over on r/DISchurners!

Welcome to DISchurners!
You're approved and all set! Access the main page here.
You may find this thread: DISchurners - Walt Disney World Tips! to be pretty interesting if you're planning a Disney World trip!
This is a thread we have that highlights the major news events on the main thread: DISchurners - NEWS Thread! This can be especially helpful if you can't keep up with all the comments here on the DIS!
As a reminder most of the discussion does happen here on the boards. On r/DISchurners you can post your own support links and/or use others' support links here:

And of course there's other info there too including some of our best tips from the thread that you might want to explore! Welcome, thanks for joining!
thanks! I don't get here every day,and when I miss a week due to vacation or whatever I go straight to the news thread!
 
:offtopic: Is the new lion king movie good? Hearing mixed reviews. I’m wanting to see it but news wasn’t saying very positive reviews. Trying to figure when we can see it before DH surgery

Back on topic
I can close AA citi biz through chat now that my statement shows the bonus points correct? Thinking I’ll get DH a card since his surgery will knock out the spend.

I think the DPs on this have been mixed. Some have had success whereas others have been told to call. No harm in trying tho..... :)
 
:offtopic: Is the new lion king movie good? Hearing mixed reviews. I’m wanting to see it but news wasn’t saying very positive reviews. Trying to figure when we can see it before DH surgery

Back on topic
I can close AA citi biz through chat now that my statement shows the bonus points correct? Thinking I’ll get DH a card since his surgery will knock out the spend.
Yeah - you can close through a chat. Sometimes you have to try a few times to find an agent who will do it though.
 
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