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

[hsmamato2]

You can use your visits allotment on guests. You could take yourself + 9 guests in one visit if you wanted (of course, assuming the lounge doesn't have a restriction) Anything after the 10 visits gets charged to your card at the per visit rate, I forget what it is now offhand, I know they changed it last year some time, could be $28 or $32, I have both numbers in my head for some reason.

Also just remember that starting Aug 1, PP provided by AmEx won't include the restaurant options

oh man. just saw this and it answers my question...(i was away last weekend and catching up) SO Now I have no real reason to keep my biz card...

 

[DisneyMandC]

Yes! I miss the original pricing structure. I have had some iffy Lyfts before Minnie Van rolled out and have honestly only used the Minnie Van service in WDW since it debuted back in 2017. I feel much safer knowing I am being driven by a CM trained and employed by WDW. They also know where they are driving in regards to the WDW resort hotels which I have had a TON a Lyft drivers have no idea. I even got the one driver in the Minnie Van promo commercials that play on DME and the resort TV! That was an exciting day!! Lyft coupons also work on Minnie Vans so that can sometimes help a little.

What exactly is the process of getting a Minnie Van? I'd like to use it a couple times on our September trip but don't even know how to go about getting one. Do you use the Lyft app?

 

[tink1970]

Can you tell me what date the transaction posted to his account that met the MSR? I am waiting for mine to go pending and wondering how much longer it will take.

Friday 7/5 is when I made the purchase...I’ve been checking obsessively since his 90 day deadline is 7/23.

 

[afan]

Yay! USPS shows dme tag in the mail today!

 

[Lain]

Friday 7/5 is when I made the purchase...I’ve been checking obsessively since his 90 day deadline is 7/23.

Wanted to get the bonus posted before going for another sip on 7/24?

 

[Limes96]

Whoa.... I need to reevaluate my cards then..... I have a couple of trips in the next year but only one CSR and 3-4 travelers.... this might be worth the AF if I can use it in STL and FLL for the $28 credit at the restaurants.... are these useable for that? (B/c The CSR is only good for two passes/credits,right? Or smarter just to use the two credits amongst our family ? Like 4 of us order,$56 off bill,thats how it works right?

Is this re the HHBiz PP? I don’t think it will work on the restaurants anymore, just the lounges themselves, since its Amex. I have 0 experience with using PP other than having it, but I think that’s what I read recently. Is that right? I still need to call or chat to get my PP for my Hilton biz card. But it might come in handy for me this next year so I gotta get on that.

 

[speedyfishy]

What exactly is the process of getting a Minnie Van? I'd like to use it a couple times on our September trip but don't even know how to go about getting one. Do you use the Lyft app?

Its on the Lyft app. If you pick a location on Disney property for pickup and drop-off and scroll to the right you will see the more option that has the Minnie van. I was going to use them to go resort to resort a view times but when I looked the wait was 45 minutes. We took a regular Lyft that showed up in 3 mins.

 

[Limes96]

oh man. just saw this and it answers my question...(i was away last weekend and catching up) SO Now I have no real reason to keep my biz card...

Ok, yes! That’s what I was thinking!

 

[jaysraptor]

You have come out firing in this game! Awesome start!! I bet you can’t wait to put some of these points to use too

Thanks to all of your guidance, we are starting to get a good understanding of how to play the game. There is still a LOT to learn. Even though our primary vacations using all these points don't start until 2021, we are very anxious to see what we can accumulate in the mean time. We have a family houseboat trip scheduled for Lake Powell starting next week and we plan to talk to my wife's siblings about our little adventure in churning. One of them made a major life decision to become a single income family and do the stay at home parent thing. They traveled with us to WDW in 2017 and really want to go back in 2021. We will definitely try to get them on board now so they can work the game also.

Thanks again to all who have provided great advice.

JJ

 

[KPK02090]

I've been working towards an April 2020 trip with extended family and am ready to reserve some rooms. I'm going to book two or three rooms, So the question is what should I use for the deposit?
My choices are
a) discounted Disney gift cards, I currently have about $700 worth
b) Barclay Arrival+ eraser, I'm working on MSR for the 70,000 bonus, so after spend that should give me ~$800 I can erase (right?) I have about $1,500 to go to meet spend. If I put three rooms on the card, will that count towards spend and I can then erase it?
c) put it on my CSR and use URs towards the statement (I have 600,000 URs which I plan to cash out at some point for this trip)
d) some other way I haven't thought of?

Also should I even be booking now or should I wait until discounts come out? I think I'm going to use a popular magical agency, so that they can be on the lookout when the deals do come out.

Any thoughts?

 

[Alexle2007]

DH's CiP MSR has been made and his pending URs are a lovely, lovely 85,349! He'll have almost 89K after the statement closes in 2 weeks so . We'll have enough URs to transfer to United for our flights to Copenhagen next summer for our cruise!

I'm also down $5600 of my Delta Reserve $6000 MSR (tuition!) so that's exciting. Nothing like an MSR to make me excited about bills.

I know, isn't kind of ridiculous? I am waiting for DH's HH Biz to arrive so I can pay DS's next tuition installment.

I actually have no MSR we are working on and I have a laptop, uniforms, homeowner's insurance...I feel like I am running out of Biz options since I am trying to get back under 5/24 and I need to make sure DH can get the SW CP for 20/21.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Its on the Lyft app. If you pick a location on Disney property for pickup and drop-off and scroll to the right you will see the more option that has the Minnie van. I was going to use them to go resort to resort a view times but when I looked the wait was 45 minutes. We took a regular Lyft that showed up in 3 mins.

Oh that's good to know because I was planning on using them from Pop to AKL for breakfast and Pop to Contemporary for dinner. Thanks!

 

[PolyRob]

What exactly is the process of getting a Minnie Van? I'd like to use it a couple times on our September trip but don't even know how to go about getting one. Do you use the Lyft app?

I believe the activation is automatic now. Back when I first used it, it was only rolled out to certain resort guests so you got a special link from MDE based on your profile. Now anyone on property can use it.

It works just like regular Lyft. You open the app, select your pickup and drop off spot, but the car type is Minnie Van. It would be like changing to Luxe or something from the base car. The pricing is much higher and has a $15 minimum rate and like $3 per mile charge in top of that. You cannot charge it to your room or use Disney gift cards. The only time that can happen is if you call an accessible Minnie Van because it is booked out side of the Lyft app.

Minnie Vans will also pick you up and drop you off in places regular Lyfts can’t. For example, if you were at CSR in the cabanas section and wanted to go to MK, it would pull up to the cabanas section at CSR and drive you to the MK bus stop. Regular Lyft would have to meet you at the CSR lobby and drop you at TTC or the Contemporary.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I've been working towards an April 2020 trip with extended family and am ready to reserve some rooms. I'm going to book two or three rooms, So the question is what should I use for the deposit?
My choices are
a) discounted Disney gift cards, I currently have about $700 worth
b) Barclay Arrival+ eraser, I'm working on MSR for the 70,000 bonus, so after spend that should give me ~$800 I can erase (right?) I have about $1,500 to go to meet spend. If I put three rooms on the card, will that count towards spend and I can then erase it?
c) put it on my CSR and use URs towards the statement (I have 600,000 URs which I plan to cash out at some point for this trip)
d) some other way I haven't thought of?

Also should I even be booking now or should I wait until discounts come out? I think I'm going to use a popular magical agency, so that they can be on the lookout when the deals do come out.

Any thoughts?

I've never had a problem booking and getting a discount applied later. Actually, before I even really got involved here on the Dis, I booked our April honeymoon at rack rate and then called well into the discount availability period to get that applied and saved a ton of money. I booked a magical trip for September. It was an exclusive rate, but free dining came out January 2 and was a better deal. Because the early release caught everyone off guard and I knew how fast it would go, I took it upon myself to just rebook the trip with Disney, and then canceled my original magical booking. I then moved my Disney booking to the agent though, because she was very nice and had been so helpful so far. I felt bad for her, I'm pretty sure she was on vacation when free dining dropped and I'm sure it probably ruined her trip because she had a million people contacting her to get the discount.

 

[SBWB48]

Finally closed my Vanilla Plat that I got last May. This was one of 10 Amex cards I have, so now I’m down to 9, which also includes the new Schwab Plat I got a few weeks ago and two Biz Plats. One was from last july via the call-in offer and will be canceled once the AF posts and after I use up the July-Dec dell credit (12% CB from Topcashback today!) and the other is the Biz green that was upgraded recently. Wallet was getting heavy for a small period lol.

The closure of my first Vanilla Plat yielded this for me in one year:

100K MR
Two Centurion lounge visits
$150 Saks credits
$400 SW GCs
$100 uber credits (despite getting $215’s worth, some months were used on Uber eats, so I don’t value at 1:1)

Pretty satisfied

Now, will be looking to close the first Biz Plat next month once the AF hits and likely the Hilton Biz as well to make room for a BBP. Since I’ve been putting a decent amount of spend between the new Schwab and now upgraded Biz Green MSRs (along with the Lowe’s and Staples offers), it seems like Amex should still like me following two cancellations. Hopeful!

 

[elgerber]

Wanted to get the bonus posted before going for another sip on 7/24?

Should I be worried that my bonus is not yet pending when the purchase that put me over $5000 posted on 6/29?

 

[SBWB48]

Should I be worried that my bonus is not yet pending when the purchase that put me over $5000 posted on 6/29?

Keep an eye out for it tmrw. They generally go pending on Tuesdays and my guess is 6/29 was too close to the subsequent Tuesday, so it should post Tuesday if MSR was met.

 

[amalone1013]

I know this has been lightly discussed, but any reports on someone who has upgraded a Freedom or CFU to a CSR? And how the travel credit worked? Did it reset on the original anniversary date/statement?

With everything with BIL, we have scrapped the US/Disney Halloween plans with ILs for this year, for now. DH and I may still go for HHN... We'd rather go in September than October. I see his CSR travel credit will reset Sept 14th, so if we stay at a US hotel we can charge to the room for the credit. My original CSR travel credit was resetting on Oct 19 (anniversary date Oct 12, AF charged Nov 1, statements close on 18th). I PC'd to a Freedom back at the beginning of February. I also have my Freedom that was opened 9/5/17, statements close on 18th. I'm thinking ideally I'd like to PC DHs CSR after using the credit, and upgrade one of my Freedoms... and if I'd be able to use a TC towards that trip, that would be pretty awesome. Maybe the 2nd Freedom would be better to do that with since I only downgraded my CSR in Feb. But I'm trying to figure out when the TC would reset...


ETA: Ok, finally finding the posts discussing this a bit

 

[platamama]

Whoa.... I need to reevaluate my cards then..... I have a couple of trips in the next year but only one CSR and 3-4 travelers.... this might be worth the AF if I can use it in STL and FLL for the $28 credit at the restaurants.... are these useable for that? (B/c The CSR is only good for two passes/credits,right? Or smarter just to use the two credits amongst our family ? Like 4 of us order,$56 off bill,thats how it works right?

I've used my CSR PP for a party of 3 at DEN and got up to $84 taken off the bill (usually my total comes to less than $84). As an experiment, we used DH's new Amex Plat PP in DEN on 7/4 and got up to $84 taken off that bill. His PP came with a letter specifying his card would cover him plus two guests, i.e. 3 people at all participating PP lounges. But as you know, Amex PP won't cover restaurants starting August 1. CSR PP has no such language (and I hope Chase doesn't follow Amex's lead). If STL and FLL only allow PP cardholder plus 1 guest, then you will receive a max $56 off the bill no matter the size of your party.

 

[schmass]

I finally finished the Toy Story outfits for my kids so we saw the movie yesterday! I was a little nervous about how we’d like it after seeing some of the reviews, but we really liked it!