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

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Ha! I forgot to add when the Tim Tracker talk was going on... last night we saw him at Halloween Horror Nights. We were near the entrance to a haunted house in line when the line got stopped, and they pulled probably 30 people back out through the entrance, for about 20 mins we all just waited. Not 100% what happened. But TT was one of the people they pulled out and people started getting super excited and going to meet him. We couldn't see who it was originally, but eventually my Disboard friend we were with was like, oh it's TT! Me: :confused3 I didn't know who he was lol.

This looks like such a fun thing for your girls!! I want to stay in this room lol. I also get hung up with optimal points value... the other night aunt came over and we were giving her details of our trip. This is the same aunt who went to Orlando last month with her son/his wife/grandson, and she told us they actually sprung for express pass :faint: Just the one time EP, that alone is shocking her son did that, and she said how it was soooo expensive (because her son, even though he and his wife make very good money, will pressure aunt into going on these trips but not help with even a penny, though aunt is on a fixed income - after aunt left that night I guess MIL asked DH if he thinks it's weird that they never help aunt :rolleyes: ). So now I can't wait to have her and MIL staying in a hotel with unlimited EP (which is probably the same per night for the room as it would be to buy them each the EP)
Trip report on HHN?
 
Does anyone have any experience flying the Middle Eastern Airlines? Specifically, Qatar, Emirates or Etihad? We have a trip next year flying Emirates and to say I’m excited is an understatement.
 
I’m alive and made it LAX. The guy was nice and asked if we wanted anything from the store. I never take things from drivers but that was nice. It was legit the third gas station we pulled into though because the first two were closed.

DD said she had some scary Uber experiences in South Africa. She said one of her friends was in one that got pulled over for some reason and it turns out the guy didn't even have a driver's license!
 


OT but if anyone wants to help me think through this I'd appreciate it.

Buying DD a car in the next three months. Was looking at a 2016 or 2017 Honda Civic LX with low mileage and no accidents. Price with dealer fees looks to be about $15,000 or so (don't want to do a private sale). Carvana and Carmax are closer to $17-$18k. I can get a new 2019 Civic LX for $18.8k including dealer fees. I know giving a new driver a new car is insane. But the 2019 Civic LX has Honda Sensing which the older models don't (unless you go up a trim level). So would you pay $4k more to get a brand new car with a warranty and Honda Sensing? I know insurance and personal property taxes will be higher on the new car.

My parents bought me a brand new red civic when I got a car. They wanted it to have side airbags which were new at the time.

I drove it til I was 30 and had a baby and the car seat didn’t fit in the back. It was a 2 door.
 
Safeway/Vons/Randall’s/Albertsons/Tom Thumb/Acme/Jewel/Shaw’s is running a deal on Visa Gift Cards, now until 9/28/19.

• Save $10 on $100+ VGC ($5.95 activation fee/each, $4.05 savings). This coupon has worked on variable load VGCs up to $500, which is your best bet to maximize the rewards you’ll earn on the fee and savings.

Add the Just4U coupon on the Safeway app, or create an online account and add the offer there. Add the offers to your account(s) ASAP, as Safeway et al. has been known to pull a coupon before the expiration date. Limit 1 per account.

Pay with a credit card that earns a high bonus at supermarkets, like the Amex Gold for 4x Membership Rewards Points, Amex Hilton Surpass for 6x Hilton Honors Points, or Amex Blue Cash Preferred for 6% cash back; another card that has supermarkets as its quarterly bonus category; or a card on which you're working on the MSR. Amex cards on which you're working towards MSR are generally fine to use for gift cards at grocery stores as long as you mix in some actual grocery items to give your purchase an odd number.

Tagging @amalone1013. :thumbsup2
 
So.... unsure if this belongs here or over on strategies,but I don't think this is advanced or anything... I want to help DS,who is very interested in various types of future travel with friends. Background is working at his own biz currently,about to start barber/hair schooling. Has been paying his own insurance/phones etc for a couple of years- CK score is around 800, has 2 cc's he got last year (one by accident due to my mistake lol) a BCE and BoA cashback which he currently gets 3% back on gas and groceries(I think). His goal in life is simplicity-and he doesn't buy a lot,yet he really wants to travel for cheap. Either driving or flying or a combo. What's a good step for him? I know Freedom,and possible one of the inks or sapphires, but looking for some advice. He can't do a huge spend on his own, but I can assist with that if he needs a boost,if an MSR requires it,or help him time it to a large insurance payment,etc. thanks.

Have you thought about a CIP for him? It is just so hard to pass up the SUB on that one. He can even Venmo to get some of the spend in if needed. There will be a fee for it, but can be worth it for the 80K in points.
 


OT but if anyone wants to help me think through this I'd appreciate it.

Buying DD a car in the next three months. Was looking at a 2016 or 2017 Honda Civic LX with low mileage and no accidents. Price with dealer fees looks to be about $15,000 or so (don't want to do a private sale). Carvana and Carmax are closer to $17-$18k. I can get a new 2019 Civic LX for $18.8k including dealer fees. I know giving a new driver a new car is insane. But the 2019 Civic LX has Honda Sensing which the older models don't (unless you go up a trim level). So would you pay $4k more to get a brand new car with a warranty and Honda Sensing? I know insurance and personal property taxes will be higher on the new car.

We bought a brand new Honda Civic for our DD when she was learning to drive at 15. It didn't make sense for us to buy the used version since the price difference wasn't that much and there were more safety features on the new one. It is 5 years old now and has been a great car for both girls to drive. They only let us put $2k down on a CC, but we took them up on the offer.
 
Safeway/Vons/Randall’s/Albertsons/Tom Thumb/Acme/Jewel/Shaw’s is running a deal on Visa Gift Cards, now until 9/28/19.

• Save $10 on $100+ VGC ($5.95 activation fee/each, $4.05 savings). This coupon has worked on variable load VGCs up to $500, which is your best bet to maximize the rewards you’ll earn on the fee and savings.

Add the Just4U coupon on the Safeway app, or create an online account and add the offer there. Add the offers to your account(s) ASAP, as Safeway et al. has been known to pull a coupon before the expiration date. Limit 1 per account.

Pay with a credit card that earns a high bonus at supermarkets, like the Amex Gold for 4x Membership Rewards Points, Amex Hilton Surpass for 6x Hilton Honors Points, or Amex Blue Cash Preferred for 6% cash back; another card that has supermarkets as its quarterly bonus category; or a card on which you're working on the MSR. Amex cards on which you're working towards MSR are generally fine to use for gift cards at grocery stores as long as you mix in some actual grocery items to give your purchase an odd number.

Tagging @amalone1013. :thumbsup2
It's like they knew :cloud9:
Have you thought about a CIP for him? It is just so hard to pass up the SUB on that one. He can even Venmo to get some of the spend in if needed. There will be a fee for it, but can be worth it for the 80K in points.
What do the fees run on Venmo?
 
Seriously typed in Google what does POAS mean, then I am like Ohhhhhhhh. lol Got it as I was typing it in, didn't need google after all. :rotfl2: But Yes, I agree. It was my first thought after the weird dreams and not sleeping well also.
I had to google that too. I did not get what you do for a pregnancy test, but the other thing you would do in the restroom... on a stick :confused3 But I did figure out what @wendow meant from there


ETA: Wait, we have an emoji for this now, don't we? 💩
 
@havaneselover yep I would.

1. Any safety advantages a new driver can have is key. Also if you can negotiate or it comes with an extended warranty (or really anything past the 3 year trouble making point) that is huge.

2. I think teaching her that if she cares well for this car it can last her a long time and give her a huge savings in the future is great. My brother still drives the car my parents got him in HS and not having a car payment as a PhD student is huge. My BIL also JUST traded in his car from HS and hes 30!
 
Safeway/Vons/Randall’s/Albertsons/Tom Thumb/Acme/Jewel/Shaw’s is running a deal on Visa Gift Cards, now until 9/28/19.

• Save $10 on $100+ VGC ($5.95 activation fee/each, $4.05 savings). This coupon has worked on variable load VGCs up to $500, which is your best bet to maximize the rewards you’ll earn on the fee and savings.

Add the Just4U coupon on the Safeway app, or create an online account and add the offer there. Add the offers to your account(s) ASAP, as Safeway et al. has been known to pull a coupon before the expiration date. Limit 1 per account.

Pay with a credit card that earns a high bonus at supermarkets, like the Amex Gold for 4x Membership Rewards Points, Amex Hilton Surpass for 6x Hilton Honors Points, or Amex Blue Cash Preferred for 6% cash back; another card that has supermarkets as its quarterly bonus category; or a card on which you're working on the MSR. Amex cards on which you're working towards MSR are generally fine to use for gift cards at grocery stores as long as you mix in some actual grocery items to give your purchase an odd number.

Tagging @amalone1013. :thumbsup2
TY! This will help with DH’s Hilton Surpass MSR!
 
I have a data point about booking basic economy fares on American Airlines when traveling with kids. Most people worry about not being seated with their family since you cannot pick seats on a be fare. I purchased 4 basic economy fares using AA gift cards and it appears that American’s computers recognized the ages of my children (13 and 10) and chose seats for us all in the same row and right next to each other. This happened on both legs of our trip- PHL to MCO and MCO to PHL.

I do plan to check and see if we can move closer to the front of the plane, which basic economy allows one week prior to your flight. But, this is good news for people who were hesitant to book those cheaper fares based on fear of being separated from their kids.

I also have an AA premium card so I get Boarding group 5 instead of 9 which is when be fares board and 4 free checked bags on domestic flights.

The basic economy fare was $80 pp one way while the economy fare was $182, so huge savings. Also, AA wanted 20,000 miles one way for such a cheap fare so it was a no brainer to use AA gift cards.
 
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My parents bought me a brand new red civic when I got a car. They wanted it to have side airbags which were new at the time.

I drove it til I was 30 and had a baby and the car seat didn’t fit in the back. It was a 2 door.
This is what I'm thinking. DD knows this is the only car I'm buying her but it should last her through college and possibly through her 20s.
@havaneselover yep I would.

1. Any safety advantages a new driver can have is key. Also if you can negotiate or it comes with an extended warranty (or really anything past the 3 year trouble making point) that is huge.

2. I think teaching her that if she cares well for this car it can last her a long time and give her a huge savings in the future is great. My brother still drives the car my parents got him in HS and not having a car payment as a PhD student is huge. My BIL also JUST traded in his car from HS and hes 30!
Yep--totally agree. Assuming dd goes to college in state, she should graduate with no debt. She should be in a great place with no student loans and no car loan when she graduates.
 
Safeway/Vons/Randall’s/Albertsons/Tom Thumb/Acme/Jewel/Shaw’s is running a deal on Visa Gift Cards, now until 9/28/19.

• Save $10 on $100+ VGC ($5.95 activation fee/each, $4.05 savings). This coupon has worked on variable load VGCs up to $500, which is your best bet to maximize the rewards you’ll earn on the fee and savings.

Add the Just4U coupon on the Safeway app, or create an online account and add the offer there. Add the offers to your account(s) ASAP, as Safeway et al. has been known to pull a coupon before the expiration date. Limit 1 per account.

Pay with a credit card that earns a high bonus at supermarkets, like the Amex Gold for 4x Membership Rewards Points, Amex Hilton Surpass for 6x Hilton Honors Points, or Amex Blue Cash Preferred for 6% cash back; another card that has supermarkets as its quarterly bonus category; or a card on which you're working on the MSR. Amex cards on which you're working towards MSR are generally fine to use for gift cards at grocery stores as long as you mix in some actual grocery items to give your purchase an odd number.

Tagging @amalone1013. :thumbsup2
I have a totally different offer on my Safeway account.
EARN 8X REWARD POINTS

Visa® Gift Cards
When you buy TWO $50 Visa gift cards. Limit 1 per transaction.*

And the same offer for $100 VGCs.
 
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