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

[CyndiLouWho]

My kids are growing up to be germaphobes as well. Dh and I both are serious hand-washers, wipe down the plane before we touch anything people and we’d rather fall down the stairs than touch the handrail lol.

Well I HAVE fallen down the stairs so I use the handrail, then the hand sanitizer So if you remember, I reported having to evacuate the 32nd floor of the Hyatt due to the fire alarm going off in the middle of the night. I literally gripped the handrail so hard, I had a blister on my hand by the time I reached the bottom. I survived without falling or breaking anything and didn’t catch any communicable diseases either.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

Well I HAVE fallen down the stairs so I use the handrail, then the hand sanitizer So if you remember, I reported having to evacuate the 32nd floor of the Hyatt due to the fire alarm going off in the middle of the night. I literally gripped the handrail so hard, I had a blister on my hand by the time I reached the bottom. I survived without falling or breaking anything and didn’t catch any communicable diseases either.

Note to self: request low floor in a high-rise hotel

 

[Psychodisney]

Thanks for all of the discussion on whether or not to keep both CSRs open. I’ve somehow rationalized keeping both open but next year I think I’ll go with the @Andysol plan and cycle them

I thought I was a germaphobe with my wipes and hand sanitizer but never would have thought of a baggie for the remote!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Note to self: request low floor in a high-rise hotel

DS after trek down: No more upgrades, new rule floor 10 or lower

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Yeah - All this Universal stuff I'm booking now is in November. I'm booking it with the CSR but when we travel I will have already downgraded that card to a CF back in September.

Could somebody else second this comment. I notice nobody else chimed in and I just want to make sure I’m not overlooking any details that might matter to people.

(Probably something related to trip insurance and rental car coverage which I don’t pay attention to)

 

[Lain]

Oh, I forgot but DH did get that little tag because he got the LUX card. No chocolates here though. And to think we put 90% of our spend on his Platinum card for almost 7 years. Hey, AMEX, I'm not feeling the love...

I confess that I tossed that Beagle tag.

 

[GusGus16]

Could somebody else second this comment. I notice nobody else chimed in and I just want to make sure I’m not overlooking any details that might matter to people.

Should be fine for the 1.5 redemption, only comment would be if you have downgraded the card before the travel, the CSR trip insurance coverage would no longer be in effect, probably not a big deal for most people but just fyi especially for things like rental cars.

 

[Limes96]

DS18 is a germophobe, but I’m probably closer to the opposite. I just choose not to think about that stuff, but when I do stop to think about....ewww. Why do I ever pick up the hotel remotes with my bare hands???

Bought a $50 gc at Saks today for P2’s plat credit. It’s an hour drive so a major outing. Came home to...

RAIN! And more RAIN! Can it stop now!? Our county seat has flooded so bad, they had to briefly close the emergency room at the hospital. And more in the forecast. I’m glad our house is on a hill.

 

[speedyfishy]

Replying to myself to add this gem I took in March 2018 to send to a friend who couldn't believe I did this

View attachment 410257

Omg my SO refuses to touch the tv remotes too. He is nuts

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Omg my SO refuses to touch the tv remotes too. He is probably smarter than me and you

FTFY it sounds like I need to reconsider my relationship with the hotel remote. Lol.

 

[speedyfishy]

FTFY it sounds like I need to reconsider my relationship with the hotel remote. Lol.

My mom is a huge germaphobe. I kinda don’t care. I most likely won’t die. I mean I wash my hands and clean. I hate the apartment being dirty but I’ll eat at a buffet and I don’t wipe down the plane tray and I’ll touch the TV remote. I’m fine so far lol

 

[Andysol]

Yeah - All this Universal stuff I'm booking now is in November. I'm booking it with the CSR but when we travel I will have already downgraded that card to a CF back in September.

Yes- no car insurance OR trip delay.

And small personal note: when I was at universal just 4-5 weeks ago southwest cancelled all their morning flights for maintenance reasons and I couldn’t get out until 10:30pm since all flights were booked. I stayed at the Floridian and lived it up (although I had a horrendous dinner at Narcosees). First steak I’ve ever sent back and then the lobster was inedible. Worst lobster ever. And it was a “free” meal too on Chase, and it was so bad I turned it down.

It basically boils down to this: would you pay $150 to get trip delay insurance for this trip? (Or any other trips that won’t be covered due to PCing)? If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is no, PC it.

Can I just reiterate something...

The MCO hyatt at $426 for a random Mon night in Nov!! That’s crazy! I swear I saw it at $230 yesterday though so maybe they play with prices a lot???

I stayed at MCO Hyatt last time I went to universal. I wouldn’t do it again as I’d rather be closer to the parks earlier in the morning. There is a Hyatt place right across the street at 12k. Used to be 8k but jumped up this year. At that rate, might as well do Cabana Bay.

How many days are you staying?

That is something we want to do as well. Never been to universal or stayed at one of their resorts.

I love Universal talk. They are *much* easier to book with points than WDW and I have all sorts of tips.

The first one being, buy the biggest ticket they offer on chase UR and upgrade to an annual pass and get at least two trips out of it.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Yes- no car insurance OR trip delay.

And small personal note: when I was at universal just 4-5 weeks ago southwest cancelled all their morning flights for maintenance reasons and I couldn’t get out until 10:30pm since all flights were booked. I stayed at the Floridian and lived it up (although I had a horrendous dinner at Narcosees). First steak I’ve ever sent back and then the lobster was inedible. Worst lobster ever. And it was a “free” meal too on Chase, and it was so bad I turned it down.

It basically boils down to this: would you pay $150 to get trip delay insurance for this trip? (Or any other trips that won’t be covered due to PCing)? If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is no, PC it.

I stayed at MCO Hyatt last time I went to universal. I wouldn’t do it again as I’d rather be closer to the parks earlier in the morning. There is a Hyatt place right across the street at 12k. Used to be 8k but jumped up this year. At that rate, might as well do Cabana Bay.

How many days are you staying?


I love Universal talk. They are *much* easier to book with points than WDW and I have all sorts of tips.

The first one being, buy the biggest ticket they offer on chase UR and upgrade to an annual pass and get at least two trips out of it.

We are spending our last night at the Hyatt before catching a 7:30am flight home Tues morning. This is a super short trip. Touch down at 4pm Sat and head out at 7:3am Tues.

Sat/Sun night are at Hard Rock.

 

[PolyRob]

And small personal note: when I was at universal just 4-5 weeks ago southwest cancelled all their morning flights for maintenance reasons and I couldn’t get out until 10:30pm since all flights were booked. I stayed at the Floridian and lived it up (although I had a horrendous dinner at Narcosees). First steak I’ve ever sent back and then the lobster was inedible. Worst lobster ever. And it was a “free” meal too on Chase, and it was so bad I turned it down.

It basically boils down to this: would you pay $150 to get trip delay insurance for this trip? (Or any other trips that won’t be covered due to PCing)? If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is no, PC it.

Do you have to pay for the entire trip on the CSR to be covered? Wondering if you did a deposit on the CSR, booked flights via UR portal from the CSR, and paid off the remainder some other way (like Disney gift cards...)

 

[mmmears]

We are spending our last night at the Hyatt before catching a 7:30am flight home Tues morning. This is a super short trip. Touch down at 4pm Sat and head out at 7:3am Tues.

Sat/Sun night are at Hard Rock.

I've stayed there a few times before a 7am flight out and in that particular circumstance I think it's a really good place to stay. Leaving the hotel before 5am is just brutal and not so much fun.

 

[wendow]

Me too with the handrails! The kids love touching them even when they don't need do. It drives me nuts! Guess I take after my germaphobe mom. The kids take after DH who subscribes to the belief that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Once when my dd19 was 15 mos, I put her in the shopping cart at the grocery store and she immediately put her mouth on one end of the handle and slid her mouth all the way down Guess who was throwing up 24 hours later?? I remind her and her siblings of that story ever so often lol.
I do think all the germs are probably good for the immune system but I just cannot get over the ick factor!!

 

[wendow]

Well I HAVE fallen down the stairs so I use the handrail, then the hand sanitizer So if you remember, I reported having to evacuate the 32nd floor of the Hyatt due to the fire alarm going off in the middle of the night. I literally gripped the handrail so hard, I had a blister on my hand by the time I reached the bottom. I survived without falling or breaking anything and didn’t catch any communicable diseases either.

I've actually fallen down stairs a few times myself. Not fun! If the stairs are 'mean stairs', meaning concrete or tile, I will have my hand ready to grab the handrail should I fall and risk the communicable disease lol

 

[gottalovepluto]

For anyone looking use Citi Pestige 4th night free in next couple months... VFTW (I have issues with this blogger but he claims this is based on reader comments) is saying Citi no longer allows access to special Citi concierge discounted hotel rates on 4th night free bookings like they used to when booking via phone. This wasn’t expected to go into effect until Sept 1.

 

[afan]

Is anyone familiar with the workings of the ankle? I haven't done a thing to it but have a pain. It made itself known earlier today once and then stopped. Ran at the gym after work for 30 min without issue but it now has a kind of stabbing pain by the knob on the side. Ice didn't make it stop. From my googling what it seems to be it shouldn't because what I read said it's hard to hurt and is most often done with an ankle sprain. No problems walking, standing, no swelling.

Once when my dd19 was 15 mos, I put her in the shopping cart at the grocery store and she immediately put her mouth on one end of the handle and slid her mouth all the way down Guess who was throwing up 24 hours later?? I remind her and her siblings of that story ever so often lol.
I do think all the germs are probably good for the immune system but I just cannot get over the ick factor!!

Grocery carts are the worst. I seem to either get sick from not wiping a cart or hand basket with a wipe or from some not nice word coughing and not covering their mouth. If there aren't wipes and I don't have a wet one with me I will skip the cart/basket if I can. Lady in the restroom at SFO last Sept coughed without covering her mouth and you could tell she was sick. I knew she'd gotten me and did, so annoying.

Also didn't know until last year that long distance running may weaken your immune system, which I believe because when I started doing half's I'd get sick more than once a year which had been my norm. All the more reason to not do them Though I am getting an itch for it but haven't found one worthy of breaking down and doing it.

 

[kandb]

Can someone explain why after meeting MSR, the cc company may refuse to give the bonus as promised? I see that a few on the boards (@elgerber) have mentioned that this has happened to them but cannot find the reason why. Just want to know if we should avoid doing something that may cause this. Thanks.