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

[Jen and Ashwin]

Ok...so I'm seriously considering a cruise I found for next winter,RCCL. I would like to use a combo of CSR TC or UR to pay for this.... SHould I just call in to book,using the price I'm quoted directly from the RCCL site itself? Or do the UR reps find the dates etc and quote a price? I see two discounts applied to my choices,will the UR reps apply those also,or should I expect a different number? And... say the total is $2000 (it's not) what would the UR cost be? And..... could I call in, book, use TC + UR for deposit amount? Combine them,I mean? (I'm also considering the option of using ALL UR for this,and using the TC for something else. Thank you cruise experts! (it seems according to RCCL website that they have a pretty good cancel policy, up to about 2 months before with no penalty? Can that be right?)

I would book it through the Royal Caribbean website to use the travel credit, then call Chase and initiate a transfer of your booking over to them. You will have to pay some of the deposit cost OOP this way, but it ensures the greatest flexibility in your booking. Then you can wait until closer to the final payment date to call Chase and have them apply UR points to the final payment of the cruise. They will only let you apply UR points once and once you make final payment (pay the bill in full), then you can't make modifications to your reservation. This also allows you to take advantage of any drops in the cruise fare price. If it drops, you would have to call Chase and have them make the adjustment, but anytime the fare drops, you are allowed to match the lower price as long as they still have any availability for your specific cabin. Just make sure that you don't spend the URs that you are planning to use for your final payment or else be prepared to pay cash for whatever the shortfall is.

The cancellation policy for RC depends on the type of cruise fare that you purchase. It used to be fully refundable. Now they have a fully refundable fare or a fare that can be canceled in full minus the cruise deposit fee. You are also able to change your booking to another date for a $100 per person change fee. We did that for our cruise coming up this spring. We had originally planned to cruise in the Caribbean but decided to switch to Europe since I am hoping to be pregnant and didn't want to worry about Zika.

 

[calypso726]

I have always wanted a little blue box so maybe I just need a larger one

Oh, and DS told me he is allowed to have the glass of $300 bottle of champagne we are offered on our arrival in F class...pretty sure he'll just need to settle for a crown instead.

@calypso726 If you have any points on where to get tiaras, please do share

We need to boujie on these flights!

Well, I’ve hosted a few Pink Champagne Girls and Pink Tink-Tini events on Disney cruises over the years. I always provided the tiaras and the feather boas and participants had to wear their own pink blouse or shirt. I always invited the guys to participate too as long as they wore pink and put in the tiara and feather boa. I purchased the tiaras from Oriental trading. Don’t know if they still carry them.

 

[Alexle2007]

Well, I’ve hosted a few Pink Champagne Girls and Pink Tink-Tini events on Disney cruises over the years. I always provided the tiaras and the feather boas and participants had to wear their own pink blouse or shirt. I always invited the guys to participate too as long as they wore pink and put in the tiara and feather boa. I purchased the tiaras from Oriental trading. Don’t know if they still carry them.

Hmmm....not quite sure that is Meghan Markel look we were going for.

Although my DH and DS do look pretty hot in pink shirts.

 

[jaysraptor]

That is what I think I will do. $350 isn't that much all things considered. I will just eventually use up the credit. I just want $0 across the board

When you made the payment, did you do it for the main "Company Account"? There are 3 accounts listed in my Barclay Aviator Business account, 1.) Company account, 2.) Business owner account, and 3.) Employee account. I paid the company account total and all three show $0.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

@wendow

Not sure if this is relevant to your situation, but something to have on your radar.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50461171

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I am re-posting this information from about a month ago since we are drawing near to the time that people will be putting in that 2nd SW Business card application:

• The earliest you could attempt this is 31 days after your previous Chase Biz Card App.
• If you are in a rush to get your CP I'd try to wait at least 45 days (60 even better) but if your pacing has been good you can decide how quickly to proceed. Many people will wait 90 days between apps since that is our standard procedure around here. This is one instance where you might deviate from that approach.
• I'm generally assuming here that people applied for the SW Performance Biz Card previously and are now following the general advice of pursuing a CP via 2 SW Biz Cards. If you don't know why that is the general advice, I'd recommend reading this: A Fireside Chat with SouthFayetteFan on the Southwest Companion Pass
• Without further adieu here is the information (updated as of today):

Applying for the Southwest Premier Business Card via a DISchurners Support Link:
Earlier this year Southwest added the capability to generate ONE support link that allowed the applicant to select any of their cards (the 3 personals and the 2 business cards).

Since MANY folks here may be pursuing the 60k/$3k MSR offer to cap off their CP, I wanted to quickly do a guide on HOW to apply for this card using a support link. IF you apply for this card and are NOT able to use a spouse or friend's link, PLEASE PLEASE consider using a reddit support link from a DISer who you've found helpful. It costs you NOTHING.

1) First Select a link from THIS PAGE

2) Once on the landing page you will likely default to the SW Personal PLUS card (no matter what link you select). Navigate to the SW Premier Business card by clicking the header for that card (circled in red below):



3) Your screen should change to reflect the 60,000 bonus point offer for a $3k MSR. Verify that it does and click Apply Now under the card and proceed with your application. (Picture below)



Again - please consider using a support link for this offer but make sure you are careful and apply for the intended card! Good Luck to everybody on earning your SW CPs!

 

[wendow]

@wendow

Not sure if this is relevant to your situation, but something to have on your radar.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50461171

Thank you for sharing! Even though I set it up with a unique password, I do think this is a real possibility. I’m still not quite sure how to handle it since Disney has been so unresponsive about it.

 

[punkin]

The end of the year is fast approaching and I still have $140 of amex United airline credit. I will have a legitimate use for $40. It's killing me to leave $100 on the table. Any ideas to use them up?

 

[CODisFan]

Welcome to the thread! @tink1970 gave you lots of great info. It can be overwhelming, but getting free vacations is so gratifying. Your monthly snapshot is similar to mine, as well as DEN being my home airport too.

If you've really laid out all your cards, so to speak, you are sitting right at 4/24 (because the Barclay card you closed still counts as a new account in the past 24 months) and the next move you make will affect what you can do for the next 6 months to a year or more. If you go with a personal card application now with any financial institution, be aware that shuts you out of getting any more Chase cards for you until Apr-May 2020 because of their 5/24 rule (24 months from your Barclay 4/18 card that you opened). When was the Citi Costco opened?

If you max out your BCP with the 6K annual cap on groceries, you're netting $265 after the annual fee. The SUB for the CSP is worth $600 cash for $4K spend, or $505 after subtracting the annual fee. That's a $240 difference in cash. For spending $4K instead of $6K. The strategy for CSP that @tink1970 laid out is very compelling.

Something that may have not struck you in your research is that business cards do not show up on your credit report (with some exceptions) so if there is any business you have (it's craigslist/ebay sales for me) then you can apply for business credit cards. You don't need to make a lot from it for it to count as a business. There are some great Chase business cards, and the funny thing with Chase is that even though it issues the business credit cards and obviously knows about them, those cards do not get counted in your 5/24 status. However you need to be at <5/24 in order to nab a Chase business card.

Which brings me to my final point I want to share - Southwest cards, issued by Chase in both personal and business versions. We are very fortunate that DEN is a SW hub. Southwest has the Companion Pass program, which is one of the best travel deals out there, where your companion flies for free with you. For the past five years, my family has flown on SW around the country for $5.60 taxes/fees one way per ticket (next week we're flying SW to Costa Rica for $84.54 total for 3 travelers), using SW Rapid Rewards points (transferrable from Chase UR, just like you can transfer to United). Timing wise, you could get a business SW card now, wait until Jan to finish up the MSR (not technically necessary to wait til Jan, but I want to make it easy for you to remember) and then get a different SW card early next year to set you up for a Companion Pass for the rest of 2020 and all of 2021. But you need to decide first if you have a business, even a "business." Please ask here for advice before you decide to go apply for one.

I see you say that SW is not your fav. I'll just point out that with using SW points to travel, you can make changes to your plans without penalty whereas United will charge you upwards of $125 per ticket to change award tickets. And the first two checked bags are free with SW (not because of the credit card, it's just because that's how SW rolls); they'll cost you $40 for your 2nd bag with United (since your first bag is free using your United MPE card to purchase the tickets).

It is a lot to take in, it's great that you are trying to learn more about the best ways to maximize your rewards.

Thank you! It is a lot to absorb, which is why I’ve been reading through as much of this forum, DoC, MTM and others I can’t remember right now I did see the info about business cards, and while there’s nothing going right now, I have thought about some sort of side hustle for some extra cash, so it may come in the future.

The Citi card was opened when Costco switched, in 2016, probably about the same time we opened the BCP Card.

In the (distant) past I’ve opened Frontier and SW cards to get the miles for one or two free tickets, but that was a younger time. We haven’t been on a SW flight in a long time, so I don’t remember their seat layouts. DW is tall and has bad knees, one of which was just replaced. She very much likes the extra legroom in the United Economy Plus seats, so for her it’s worth the extra $$. But, I do see your point, and am aware of how much more cost effective it would be to fly SW. Maybe on a short flight we can try it again...

I did have one other question...If we are thinking about a refi in the next few months, should we hold off on more applications until that is done? Or does one affect more than the other and we should apply before the refi? I’d like to move forward with the CSP for DW in the next month or so, but don’t want to risk screwing the refi up.

Thanks so much - you all are awesome!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I am really confused about the Marriott cards now. I got a Chase Marriott personal card in April 2017 and closed it after the first year. I currently have the Amex Bonvoy Business card (applied as the SPG Business card) which I got in April 2018. When might I be eligible for a bonus on the Chase Bonvoy Brilliant card? Reading through the fine print makes my head spin and I feel like I would have to draw myself a diagram to fully understand it.

 

[punkin]

I am re-posting this information from about a month ago since we are drawing near to the time that people will be putting in that 2nd SW Business card application:

• The earliest you could attempt this is 31 days after your previous Chase Biz Card App.
• If you are in a rush to get your CP I'd try to wait at least 45 days (60 even better) but if your pacing has been good you can decide how quickly to proceed. Many people will wait 90 days between apps since that is our standard procedure around here. This is one instance where you might deviate from that approach.
• I'm generally assuming here that people applied for the SW Performance Biz Card previously and are now following the general advice of pursuing a CP via 2 SW Biz Cards. If you don't know why that is the general advice, I'd recommend reading this: A Fireside Chat with SouthFayetteFan on the Southwest Companion Pass
• Without further adieu here is the information (updated as of today):

Applying for the Southwest Premier Business Card via a DISchurners Support Link:
Earlier this year Southwest added the capability to generate ONE support link that allowed the applicant to select any of their cards (the 3 personals and the 2 business cards).

Since MANY folks here may be pursuing the 60k/$3k MSR offer to cap off their CP, I wanted to quickly do a guide on HOW to apply for this card using a support link. IF you apply for this card and are NOT able to use a spouse or friend's link, PLEASE PLEASE consider using a reddit support link. It costs you NOTHING.

1) First Select a link from THIS PAGE

2) Once on the landing page you will likely default to the SW Personal PLUS card (no matter what link you select). Navigate to the SW Premier Business card by clicking the header for that card (circled in red below):

View attachment 453468

3) Your screen should change to reflect the 60,000 bonus point offer for a $3k MSR. Verify that it does and click Apply Now under the card and proceed with your application. (Picture below)

View attachment 453469

Again - please consider using a support link for this offer but make sure you are careful and apply for the intended card! Good Luck to everybody on earning your SW CPs!

I'm thinking of doing this in January, which would be 3 months after my last card because I am wary of having 2 spends (5k and 3k) at the same time. Am I correct in remembering that the points need to post in 2020 for a CP, which would then be valid until the end of 2021?

 

[MountainsAreCalling]

Check your paperwork she gave you from opening the account. There should be a page that has the promo code or the bonus listed IIRC. If it isn't, can ask over SM to confirm she got it added and if it's not it can still be added.

I just looked at the paperwork and it does show a tracking number for the bonus with directions on what to do to receive it. Yeah!

So since my DH has his own business cards he could sign up for his own biz checking account, since it would be only in his name as sole proprietor? I do have a separate code for him to use. He is very hesitant to sit and talk to the banker so I won't push it. DH is great P2 as he just forwards me e-mails saying... "Guess I got a new card. "

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I'm thinking of doing this in January, which would be 3 months after my last card because I am wary of having 2 spends (5k and 3k) at the same time. Am I correct in remembering that the points need to post in 2020 for a CP, which would then be valid until the end of 2021?

Yes, any points that post in 2019 would NOT count towards your 2020/2021 CP. In 2020 you need to earn 125k SW RR points to then have a CP valid for the rest of 2020 and ALL of 2021.

It should be noted that there are also some people here going for a 2019/2020 CP and the lower requirement of 110k still, so everybody needs to read things carefully and not get confused by other folks strategies. The window to earn a 2019/2020 CP is closing quickly though....

 

[mickey squared]

I wouldn't cancel. I would do the four and have 3 do the standby line, but in order to get the standby seat, you need to be in line early. Then I would chat up the CM about your daughter and the 3 in standby. Which restaurant did you get? Try to find a corresponding 'regular' reservation for the other 3 and show up together - sometimes you may get lucky and at the least you might eat near each other. When I went they gave us a big tag to wear to identify us at the show.

My experience with this type of reservation is they save a certain number of rows up front for the reservations - maybe 3-4 and they keep them open until show starts. Also, I've seen Gary Sinese, Whoopi and a few others and the CP is a very moving experience. I wouldn't give up the opportunity to have 4 people up front, especially with your daughter as part of it. And I'd probably get seats for the adults and have the 3 kids wait it out in line. You will want to snap a few pics of your daughter and those up front seats will be best.

This is spot on advice. Do not cancel. His show is extremely popular and with good reason. It is truly breathtaking. I have seen people in the standby lines as early as 10 am when the narrators are the popular ones. Enjoy the experience! My daughter and her friends have sang in them and had great experiences.

 

[havaneselover]

Weird raise issue. I listed a $150 and a $50 AA gift card on raise on 10/3. Today I got an email from Raise saying I had to edit my listing because the value of both cards as of yesterday was $0. I went back and retrieved the cards and checked the balance and they had balances of $150 and $50. So I "updated" the information in raise. Don't get what the issue was.

 

[Judique]

I am really confused about the Marriott cards now. I got a Chase Marriott personal card in April 2017 and closed it after the first year. I currently have the Amex Bonvoy Business card (applied as the SPG Business card) which I got in April 2018. When might I be eligible for a bonus on the Chase Bonvoy Brilliant card? Reading through the fine print makes my head spin and I feel like I would have to draw myself a diagram to fully understand it.

It's the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant and looks to me like you are eligible now. Or you could apply for the Chase Bonvoy Boundless card if you are under 5/24.

The Brilliant has a $450 af and just 75K point bonus right now and a 50K free night cert after a year and 10-12 weeks.

The Boundless has a $95 af and just 75K point bonus and a 35K free night cert after approximately 1 year.

Editing to add there is an additional Chase card. The Bold - with no fee and 30k sub and no free night.

 

[Alexle2007]

I'm thinking of doing this in January, which would be 3 months after my last card because I am wary of having 2 spends (5k and 3k) at the same time. Am I correct in remembering that the points need to post in 2020 for a CP, which would then be valid until the end of 2021?

That's correct. The points count for the calendar year they are earned.

 

[disneybirds]

I’ll have grandparents in tow and I’m not sure my mom can stand the whole show but your post gives me hope we will get a seat. Thanks for the encouragement! Where do we go to line up?

The line for standby is to the right of the stage if you are looking at the stage (i.e. Italy side). I hope you get to see your DD in the performance!

 

[Alexle2007]

I have 11 upcoming flights on SW through March and besides taxes I have “paid $” for exactly 0 of them. Keep on churning!

 

[wendow]

I have 11 upcoming flights on SW through March and besides taxes I have “paid $” for exactly 0 of them. Keep on churning!

Love it!! That's awesome and what makes this 'hobby' so great! Our fam of 6 hasn't paid for a SW flight in like 5 years. We plan to have at least 2-4 flying down to WDW to see our dd at least once a month starting in Feb-Aug. I'm realizing, that for the first time in years, we may actually (gulp) have to pay for some flights. I'll move all my UR's over and hopefully, I can keep earning those but we are going to chew through our stash pretty quickly I'm thinking.