I love credit cards so much! v5.0 - 2022 (see first page for add'l details)

[wiscbugs]

Well I just opened a Citizen's account w/ a bank bonus for "my dad". He had $3k in cash in his house. So I took that and put it where Medicaid won't find it, LOL. I'm sure he has more hiding in his place, so it'll be good to have somewhere to hold his money. We're joint on his everyday account, but from what I've read I need to make sure any spending is "legit" and since it's his SS that is deposited in there, I don't think I can "steal" all his money, even though legally it's both of ours. So I'm getting creative, LOL. Hopefully I'm able to help save some of his assets, and I'm coming to terms with the fact I can't save everything. I need to figure out if in Michigan he can "gift" $500/mo as that would help some of this too, LOL. I'm not finding anything for Michigan when I google. But I am for other states.

On Monday I'm supposed to go to NOLA for work for the week. This was planned way back in June. My mom still wants me to go and she'll handle my dad (who will likely get a pacemaker on Monday and discharged Tues/Weds). My school bought my ticket on Delta. But I'm thinking of cancelling and getting the credit and then flying Spirit, LOL. Delta issues an e-credit right? I booked my ticket using the school credit card. I'm also thinking of possibly flying out Tuesday morning instead, so that's what triggered this idea. I can use my flight benefits on spirit for free

And you'll get fired if the school finds out.

 

[Judique]

Good luck with all of it. I'm not looking forward to cleaning out my moms house when she dies. She can't /won't do anything now and my sister and I were going to work on it this past summer but I broke my shoulder and derailed the plans.

I'm trying to clean out my stuff. I don't expect to be leaving soon but who knows? Anybody can be gone in a flash.

 

[AmyAnne]

Arizona people (or maybe people who have visited Arizona recently): Can anyone recommend an airport hotel in Tucson? I have all manner of points . . . only definite requirement is an airport shuttle.

 

[AmyAnne]

I'm trying to clean out my stuff. I don't expect to be leaving soon but who knows? Anybody can be gone in a flash.

This is me too. I was inspired by the Marie Kondo books, and then a book about "Swedish Death Cleaning." Still nowhere near through everything I'd like to be, but I've made some progress. "Would my kids want to deal with this?" and "Do I want my kids to have to deal with this?" are at least somewhat motivating questions.

 

[havaneselover]

I just visited Rome last month. We stayed at Margutta 19 (Hyatt) on points. It was a nice boutique hotel in a great location and it included breakfast. We got a mini suite with a large balcony overlooking the back garden for the lowest points redemption amount. The breakfast staff was SO nice. Subway was easy to navigate. I only used Uber once because it's expensive. Rome doesn't have regular Uber, it's Uber Black.

Must dos: Colosseum and Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain. Trying to get tickets to the Colosseum through the official site was a nightmare because they they sold out quickly when they were released (30 days out if IIRC). Maybe you will have better luck since it is less busy in Nov. I ended up splurging big time and doing a private tour that included the underground. The underground is not included in all tickets/tours because access is limited to a much smaller number of visitors, so make sure you know which tix you are buying. Even if you do not do a private tour, I would recommend doing a group tour. I toured it on my own years ago and enjoyed it, but we learned so many details from our guide. Not sure if I am allowed to post the name of that company, but feel free to PM me if you want it. Tours usually also include the Roman Forum, and I was also glad to have the tour guide there too. There's so much to see, just walking around exploring is fun. Let me know if you have any questions.

ETA: Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's is also a must do. Every restaurant we went to served large bottles of water for the table to share, no tap water.

We did Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum. All were fabulous. Sistine Chapel was my favorite.

 

[elgerber]

I'm trying to clean out my stuff. I don't expect to be leaving soon but who knows? Anybody can be gone in a flash.

We want to do that too. Sadly got started then we just stopped . We have so much stuff.

 

[IFlossU]

Finally headed to Venice and Rome in November, a trip which has been twice rescheduled. I'd love to hear suggestions:
1. Dining recommendations
2. Must Dos
3. What should I absolutely buy in Italy? I'd love specific details, if you say shoes or linens, etc.

My brother and I essentially did a food tour of Rome, Venice, and Florence.

Some of my favorites in Rome
1) Roscioli Pizza
2) Roscioli Salumeria-reservation required
3) La Romana Gelato
4) Alice Pizza
5) Forno Campo de’ Fiori (panini)
6) Trapizzino
7) Pasticceria Boccione (bakery in the Jewish Ghetto) amazing Ricotta e Visciole. It doesn’t look even remotely appealing, but it tasted like the most heavenly cheesecake I’ve ever had. This place had very inconsistent hours while we were there. I think we tried for 3 days and they were only open 1.

Yelp is a great source for finding some excellent off the beaten path places. I highly recommend at least a cursory look.

I enjoyed Venice, but after Florence and Rome, the food didn’t really blow us away.
Dal Moro’s was good and Rossopomodoro was pretty good too.

As far as sightseeing Venice is small. We liked just wondering around and exploring. Also loved stopping for Apertivo at the local restaurants for small plates and Aperol spritz (we love food tourism )

​

 

[hsmamato2]

This is me too. I was inspired by the Marie Kondo books, and then a book about "Swedish Death Cleaning." Still nowhere near through everything I'd like to be, but I've made some progress. "Would my kids want to deal with this?" and "Do I want my kids to have to deal with this?" are at least somewhat motivating questions.

as a person who has gone through this with grandparents and then parents at least 3-4 times...... I'm slowly but surely working on making sure that my house/possessions aren't a burden to whomever comes after to clean up and out.....there is nothing like cleaning out a hoarders paradise to make you look carefully at your own life and what's stuffed in the closets.....

 

[chattadisser]

We want to do that too. Sadly got started then we just stopped . We have so much stuff.

I started this during the beginning of the pandemic when we were stuck at home. Unfortunately, I seem like the only one in the house motivated to do it and its mentally exhausting to deal with alone. We have an extra room in which everyone in my family seems to just leave whatever they don't want anymore for me to deal with. Outgrown clothes, old toys, random items. I feel like I should resell some of the items but to deal with that while working and dealing with life is overwhelming. I feel like loading it all up and donating it.

 

[happ]

The water from the aqueducts in Rome is about as good as it gets.

Maybe when you get it directly from the source. It's not quite the same when it's been collected, in used bottles, from a fountain that tourists are tossing coins in and birds are landing in.

 

[havaneselover]

Maybe when you get it directly from the source. It's not quite the same when it's been collected, in used bottles, from a fountain that tourists are tossing coins in and birds are landing in.

Oh, not from the fountains but from the little spigiots that are all over the city. And I had my own water bottle so that definitely sounds gross.

https://anamericaninrome.com/2019/06/can-you-drink-the-tap-water-in-rome/

 

[reliev]

My brother and I essentially did a food tour of Rome, Venice, and Florence.

Some of my favorites in Rome
1) Roscioli Pizza
2) Roscioli Salumeria-reservation required
3) La Romana Gelato
4) Alice Pizza
5) Forno Campo de’ Fiori (panini)
6) Trapizzino
7) Pasticceria Boccione (bakery in the Jewish Ghetto) amazing Ricotta e Visciole. It doesn’t look even remotely appealing, but it tasted like the most heavenly cheesecake I’ve ever had. This place had very inconsistent hours while we were there. I think we tried for 3 days and they were only open 1.

Yelp is a great source for finding some excellent off the beaten path places. I highly recommend at least a cursory look.

I enjoyed Venice, but after Florence and Rome, the food didn’t really blow us away.
Dal Moro’s was good and Rossopomodoro was pretty good too.

As far as sightseeing Venice is small. We liked just wondering around and exploring. Also loved stopping for Apertivo at the local restaurants for small plates and Aperol spritz (we love food tourism )

​

I'm a huge foodie its what I spring for I buy clothes from Costco and outlet stores I know my life has changed when a nice meal is a priority for me lol.

 

[leeniewdw]

I started this during the beginning of the pandemic when we were stuck at home. Unfortunately, I seem like the only one in the house motivated to do it and its mentally exhausting to deal with alone. We have an extra room in which everyone in my family seems to just leave whatever they don't want anymore for me to deal with. Outgrown clothes, old toys, random items. I feel like I should resell some of the items but to deal with that while working and dealing with life is overwhelming. I feel like loading it all up and donating it.

We are empty nesters and while we've done some decluttering during the pandemic (we completely cleaned out one of our attics and ended up with 2 small boxes, 1 for each of us, of sentimental things that now reside in a bedroom closet), we also have an empty bedroom that has collected things. It's mostly me (photo equipment) and some of our camping gear that just hasn't made it to it's final resting place. We have realized that 1 bedroom and walk in closet have somehow filled up with "stuff' that clearly didn't reside there when a person was occupying that room! Our other spare bedroom is fine, ready for a guest and has an empty closet, but boy we've got work to do in that other one!

It's good to read this thread, now that our neighborhood pool is closed for the year, we are starting to look at fall/winter projects. Need to put this on the list as a priority. (during pandemic winter #1, we sat down in front of our fire and wrote down all kinds of 'projects' we'd like to do and assigned an estimated time to complete. we put them on sticky notes and placed them inside our broom closet door. each weekend we'd decide how much time we had available and how motivated we were and then pick a project/chore off the sticky notes. When we completed it, we'd take the note off and throw it away. it worked really well!)

 

[Narnia_girl]

as a person who has gone through this with grandparents and then parents at least 3-4 times...... I'm slowly but surely working on making sure that my house/possessions aren't a burden to whomever comes after to clean up and out.....there is nothing like cleaning out a hoarders paradise to make you look carefully at your own life and what's stuffed in the closets.....

I started this during the beginning of the pandemic when we were stuck at home. Unfortunately, I seem like the only one in the house motivated to do it and its mentally exhausting to deal with alone. We have an extra room in which everyone in my family seems to just leave whatever they don't want anymore for me to deal with. Outgrown clothes, old toys, random items. I feel like I should resell some of the items but to deal with that while working and dealing with life is overwhelming. I feel like loading it all up and donating it.

We are empty nesters and while we've done some decluttering during the pandemic (we completely cleaned out one of our attics and ended up with 2 small boxes, 1 for each of us, of sentimental things that now reside in a bedroom closet), we also have an empty bedroom that has collected things. It's mostly me (photo equipment) and some of our camping gear that just hasn't made it to it's final resting place. We have realized that 1 bedroom and walk in closet have somehow filled up with "stuff' that clearly didn't reside there when a person was occupying that room! Our other spare bedroom is fine, ready for a guest and has an empty closet, but boy we've got work to do in that other one!

It's good to read this thread, now that our neighborhood pool is closed for the year, we are starting to look at fall/winter projects. Need to put this on the list as a priority. (during pandemic winter #1, we sat down in front of our fire and wrote down all kinds of 'projects' we'd like to do and assigned an estimated time to complete. we put them on sticky notes and placed them inside our broom closet door. each weekend we'd decide how much time we had available and how motivated we were and then pick a project/chore off the sticky notes. When we completed it, we'd take the note off and throw it away. it worked really well!)

This is a subject that's important to me. I am a "cozy minimalist" at heart and get nervous when there is too much clutter. My mother-in-law died this year and we had to clean out her house. My mother moved to assisted living and we are still in the process of cleaning hers.
I've read tons of books on the subject and for me the absolute best, most helpful is Dana K. White's "Decluttering at the Speed of Life." It actually works for people who live in their homes. She has a blog also.
Close behind that is "The More of Less" by Joshua Becker. I also like The Minimalists. I'm not a Marie Kondo fan. And this relates to this thread because we sometimes sell stuff and use that for our travels.

 

[Haley R]

We are hoping to fly to Japan before ds starts kindergarten which won’t be until 2025 but we want to make sure we plan enough in advance to fly business/first. Will it be impossible to get 3 seats in business or first?

We have enough UR to book through virgin but now I’m looking at JAL as a backup. We currently have no points to transfer to JAL so we need to start thinking about ways to make that work if anyone has any ideas

 

[chattadisser]

It's good to read this thread, now that our neighborhood pool is closed for the year, we are starting to look at fall/winter projects. Need to put this on the list as a priority. (during pandemic winter #1, we sat down in front of our fire and wrote down all kinds of 'projects' we'd like to do and assigned an estimated time to complete. we put them on sticky notes and placed them inside our broom closet door. each weekend we'd decide how much time we had available and how motivated we were and then pick a project/chore off the sticky notes. When we completed it, we'd take the note off and throw it away. it worked really well!)

I love this idea, I might steal it! The thought of being able to pick off a project and then throw out the sticky note is so motivating to me. The clutter around the house drives me nuts and increases my anxiety. But with 3 other people, plus 2 dogs and a cat, in the house I feel like I'm fighting a loosing battle.

 

[4Hawks]

Hi All! I'm new here. I've been churning Disney gift cards for a while and have seen this thread referenced several times in the Gift Card thread. I have the Chase Disney Visa card, 1 BOFA card that doesn't offer any rewards, the Citi Custom Cash Card, and 2 Amex cards, including one that I opened less than 24 months ago:

04/21 - AMEX Delta SkyMiles Gold Card

My DH also has a Chase Slate and a different BOFA card. We put about $6K across all our CC per month, mostly groceries, food delivery, gas, a few bills, travel expenses, and all online purchases. We pay all cards in full every month and have excellent credit.

We don't fly as much anymore, but when we do, we fly Delta out of ATL. We're part of the Skymiles program. We're signed up for several hotel reward programs, but don't really use any of them. We prefer airbnbs and stay on property when we go to Disney (stayed at the Dolphin hotel once and did not like it).

We travel to Disney once or twice a year, so I'm always looking for deals on Disney GC and want a new card that will help maximize those savings and/or get more cash back. I'm thinking maybe the Chase Freedom Unlimited card.

Thanks in advice for your help!

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I just visited Rome last month. We stayed at Margutta 19 (Hyatt) on points. It was a nice boutique hotel in a great location and it included breakfast. We got a mini suite with a large balcony overlooking the back garden for the lowest points redemption amount. The breakfast staff was SO nice. Subway was easy to navigate. I only used Uber once because it's expensive. Rome doesn't have regular Uber, it's Uber Black.

Must dos: Colosseum and Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain. Trying to get tickets to the Colosseum through the official site was a nightmare because they they sold out quickly when they were released (30 days out if IIRC). Maybe you will have better luck since it is less busy in Nov. I ended up splurging big time and doing a private tour that included the underground. The underground is not included in all tickets/tours because access is limited to a much smaller number of visitors, so make sure you know which tix you are buying. Even if you do not do a private tour, I would recommend doing a group tour. I toured it on my own years ago and enjoyed it, but we learned so many details from our guide. Not sure if I am allowed to post the name of that company, but feel free to PM me if you want it. Tours usually also include the Roman Forum, and I was also glad to have the tour guide there too. There's so much to see, just walking around exploring is fun. Let me know if you have any questions.

ETA: Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's is also a must do. Every restaurant we went to served large bottles of water for the table to share, no tap water.

My brother and I essentially did a food tour of Rome, Venice, and Florence.

Some of my favorites in Rome
1) Roscioli Pizza
2) Roscioli Salumeria-reservation required
3) La Romana Gelato
4) Alice Pizza
5) Forno Campo de’ Fiori (panini)
6) Trapizzino
7) Pasticceria Boccione (bakery in the Jewish Ghetto) amazing Ricotta e Visciole. It doesn’t look even remotely appealing, but it tasted like the most heavenly cheesecake I’ve ever had. This place had very inconsistent hours while we were there. I think we tried for 3 days and they were only open 1.

Yelp is a great source for finding some excellent off the beaten path places. I highly recommend at least a cursory look.

I enjoyed Venice, but after Florence and Rome, the food didn’t really blow us away.
Dal Moro’s was good and Rossopomodoro was pretty good too.

As far as sightseeing Venice is small. We liked just wondering around and exploring. Also loved stopping for Apertivo at the local restaurants for small plates and Aperol spritz (we love food tourism )

​

Thanks so much for the specific recommendations. @djmeredith I'd love to hear your tour guide. It's fine to share here but feel free to pm me if uncomfortable. My mother definitely wants access to the underground and we do want to do a tour for sure. It's a matter of balancing a long tour (kids can only take so much) and my mom who likes to putter and look at all manner of details.

@IFlossU We are doing Venice first and I've mostly heard the food is very touristy and expensive. I love to shop at open markets or supermarkets in other countries. We are staying in an AirBNB and we are a group of 8, so I don't mind getting some fresh goodies from the market and enjoying in our AirBNB. Thanks for the great Rome recommendations. I'll look into them for sure.

Loving everyone's input. Please keep it coming!

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Hi All! I'm new here. I've been churning Disney gif cards for a while and have seen this thread referenced several times in the Gift Card thread. I have the Chase Disney Visa card, 1 BOFA card that doesn't offer any rewards, the Citi Custom Cash Card, and 2 Amex cards, including one that I opened less than 24 months ago:

04/21 - AMEX Delta SkyMiles Gold Card

My DH also has a Chase Slate and a different BOFA card. We put about $6K across all our CC per month, mostly groceries, food delivery, gas, a few bills, travel expenses, and all online purchases. We pay all cards in full every month and have excellent credit.

We don't fly as much anymore, but when we do, we fly Delta out of ATL. We're part of the Skymiles program. We're signed up for several hotel reward programs, but don't really use any of them. We prefers airbnbs and stay on property when we go to Disney (stayed at the Dolphin hotel once and did not like it).

We travel to Disney once or twice a year, so I'm always looking for deals on Disney GC and want a new card that will help maximize those savings and/or get more cash back. I'm thinking maybe the Chase Ultimate Rewards card.

Thanks in advice for your help!

Since you are considering a Chase UR card, you can't go wrong with either Chase Sapphire card. For your needs, the Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) is likely sufficient. Right now the SUB is 60k, but there are some targeted mailers for 80k (my DD's BF just received one). What's nice about UR is that it's really versatile, meaning you can transfer it to several airline and hotel programs, like Southwest, IHG, Hyatt etc, or you can cash out the points.

Right now, Chase offers something called Pay Yourself Back. With the CSP, you can cash out your points for 1.25 cents when you spend on an AirBNB. Not sure if that will be extended past 9/30. The way PYB works is you put charges on in an eligible category, like AirBNB, and then erase that charge with the points you've earned. So if you earn the SUB of 60k, you could "erase" $750 in AirBNB charges. Or cash out at 1 cent each.

CSP	1.25 cent per point.	Airbnb.	Sept. 30, 2022.
CSR	1.5 cents per point.	Airbnb and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services).	Sept. 30, 2022.

Other people might have better recommendations on cash back cards.

Do not add your spouse as an AU, as that counts towards their 5/24. You have plenty of organic spend, so instead, you can always sign up for a card and then send a support link to your spouse to sign up for the same card. You generate that link from your account. You get extra points for doing that. Your spouse will then earn his own SUB, worth between $600-750. Since your spouse has a Chase login already, he might try logging in and see if he has any special offers towards the CSP. I think there might be a 70k special offer floating around by logging in.

Let us know if you have other questions.

 

[becauseimnew]

We are hoping to fly to Japan before ds starts kindergarten which won’t be until 2025 but we want to make sure we plan enough in advance to fly business/first. Will it be impossible to get 3 seats in business or first?

We have enough UR to book through virgin but now I’m looking at JAL as a backup. We currently have no points to transfer to JAL so we need to start thinking about ways to make that work if anyone has any ideas

We have 4 JAL RT J tickets booked. Booked with a combination of AA and BA.
Departure is booked via AA for 60k + $5.60 each, home airport to LAX to KIX. When looking it was easy to get 4 tickets to KIX via AA, 4 tickets to HND and NRT were more difficult because they are more popular routes and we were booking via AA which are booked 331 days in advance. If you aren’t bAAned, you could easily get 180k AA miles. You can churn Barclay cards, at least for now.
Return is booked HND to DFW, via BA 92,750 + $335 each. I booked them on the same day because even though BA release flights 355 days in advance they only release 2 J seats at that time about 5 days later they release more seats some days at total of 4 seats some 5. I’m not sure how many miles you need to fly to/from the east coast via BA but you should be able to collect enough miles. I think tickets from the west coast are 72k miles. The great thing about BA is that you can transfer from several credit card companies, including Chase and Amex.