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

[CaliforniaGirl09]

You don’t need to use an Amex to earn MR thru the Rakuten portal.

Awesome, thanks. I didn't think so, but just wanted to make sure.

 

[wendow]

I don’t eat anything that folks bring in to the office. It goes back 20 years ago when some one brought in a cake and it had a giant cat hair ball in the middle. Now I can’t eat if I know that the person has pets. The other thing is a woman On my team thinks she is a good cook but it never tastes good. Just easier not to eat anything than chance it.

I had some very lovely neighbors in our last house. They would bring over these BEAUTIFUL decorated sugar cookies and you would take a bite, and see an animal hair in the cookie. Blech! One year, they went away for Christmas, and asked us to feed their cats. Sure enough, I quickly saw why there was cat hair all in the cookies. These cats lived on the kitchen counters. Yuck. We had cats prior to our kids and cats on the counters was never, ever allowed.

 

[Haley R]

I had some very lovely neighbors in our last house. They would bring over these BEAUTIFUL decorated sugar cookies and you would take a bite, and see an animal hair in the cookie. Blech! One year, they went away for Christmas, and asked us to feed their cats. Sure enough, I quickly saw why there was cat hair all in the cookies. These cats lived on the kitchen counters. Yuck. We had cats prior to our kids and cats on the counters was never, ever allowed.

We have two cats and I always yell at them for getting on the counters. Now they rarely get up there. That’s pretty darn gross to find their hair in cookies

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I just received an email from Amex with offers linked to save 10% off select department stores and save 10% off home improvement stores. I thought maybe my luck was changing.

Nope, the links are broken. An Amex chat rep told me they are on it and to try again in a couple of hours.

I got the same email. I just figured the offers were gone already.

I don’t eat anything that folks bring in to the office. It goes back 20 years ago when some one brought in a cake and it had a giant cat hair ball in the middle. Now I can’t eat if I know that the person has pets. The other thing is a woman On my team thinks she is a good cook but it never tastes good. Just easier not to eat anything than chance it.

One of my coworkers is seriously OCD and a germophobe. But the office legend goes that she brought a frosted cake in and one corner was smushed in. Someone asked what happened and she said “Oh don’t eat that corner, my cat stepped on it.” Now this woman won’t eat food that she thinks someone has breathed or talked over because molecules. But she says her cats don’t count, they’re her babies. She also makes and sells decorated cookies, made in her home. Bleh. Fortunately she usually buys something to bring to work (we take turns for birthdays) and I trust everyone else. We all hold food sanitation certificates, including crazy cat lady.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

We have two cats and I always yell at them for getting on the counters. Now they rarely get up there. That’s pretty darn gross to find their hair in cookies

I get that cats get on the counter but I expect you to wash the counter before you cook. I sanitize my counters before I start cooking every time (I don’t have cats.) Same as washing my hands. Drives the kids nuts. I helped my niece bake a birthday cake and had her washing her hands every couple minutes, every time she touched something. She touched the back of her hand to her nose, then looked over at me. She went right to the sink to wash, “I know, Aunt Cyndi”

 

[Judique]

I get that cats get on the counter but I expect you to wash the counter before you cook. I sanitize my counters before I start cooking every time (I don’t have cats.) Same as washing my hands. Drives the kids nuts. I helped my niece bake a birthday cake and had her washing her hands every couple minutes, every time she touched something. She touched the back of her hand to her nose, then looked over at me. She went right to the sink to wash, “I know, Aunt Cyndi”

Hey, that's what I do! Dust settles and I don't want it in my food. Plus I have animals in my house. Cats are not allowed on counters. But, at home when I was a kid I was expected to wash the prep area before doing any cooking or baking. So, habit.

I have an aversion to eating food before I know the habits of the family preparing it. I have no problems with animals in the home provided I know that the appropriate steps are taken to keep everything sanitary.

 

[wendow]

I get that cats get on the counter but I expect you to wash the counter before you cook. I sanitize my counters before I start cooking every time (I don’t have cats.) Same as washing my hands. Drives the kids nuts. I helped my niece bake a birthday cake and had her washing her hands every couple minutes, every time she touched something. She touched the back of her hand to her nose, then looked over at me. She went right to the sink to wash, “I know, Aunt Cyndi”

We don't have any pets with fur (only a turtle). I also wash my hands and clean my counters before I start cooking. I'm actually pretty hyper about it. I am a bit of a germaphobe as well so I tend to not eat anything that comes from a home I am not sure how things have been cooked.

 

[WVMomof3]

College bowl games were not on my radar when I decided to go to Tampa over New Years. Not even teams we care about but thinking it will make the whole area crowded. Busch Garden "fast pass" things are going for $99 those days. Yikes. I said I would never go to Disney during Christmas break, not really sure why I thought this would be better. lol

 

[wendow]

I don’t eat anything that folks bring in to the office. It goes back 20 years ago when some one brought in a cake and it had a giant cat hair ball in the middle. Now I can’t eat if I know that the person has pets. The other thing is a woman On my team thinks she is a good cook but it never tastes good. Just easier not to eat anything than chance it.

I can relate to your post lol! A potluck is like my worst nightmare. Our church had one the weekend before Thanksgiving (we always do) and they have a sign-up for dishes. I always sign up to take multiple dishes cause I know, if I don't, I won't eat and neither will my dh, cause I have taught him that food from outside of our house or our friend's houses is BAD. Poor guy. His work does potlucks a lot and he eats nothing. This is all my brainwashing lol!

 

[Haley R]

College bowl games were not on my radar when I decided to go to Tampa over New Years. Not even teams we care about but thinking it will make the whole area crowded. Busch Garden "fast pass" things are going for $99 those days. Yikes. I said I would never go to Disney during Christmas break, not really sure why I thought this would be better. lol

My dad texted me today saying Iowa state is playing in Orlando on December 28. I would totally go but of course we’ll be in IOWA instead of Florida lol.

 

[Haley R]

I can relate to your post lol! A potluck is like my worst nightmare. Our church had one the weekend before Thanksgiving (we always do) and they have a sign-up for dishes. I always sign up to take multiple dishes cause I know, if I don't, I won't eat and neither will my dh, cause I have taught him that food from outside of our house or our friend's houses is BAD. Poor guy. His work does potlucks a lot and he eats nothing. This is all my brainwashing lol!

Wow I must be weird because I always eat at potlucks. I guess I just don’t think about that kind of stuff. I’m far from being a germaphobe

 

[wendow]

Wow I must be weird because I always eat at potlucks. I guess I just don’t think about that kind of stuff. I’m far from being a germaphobe

I used to. I worked on campus during college and the older ladies in my office loved potlucks and I always ate at them and never thought about it. Then, I graduated and was in the workplace for a few years and we'd have potlucks and I'd occasionally find a hair or something else weird and I'd start to think about it so I became more cautious. I really think the 'straw that broke the camel's back' was my neighbor's cookies. These were beautiful. Like pinterest worthy beautiful. She did very elaborate cut-outs and gold and silver beading on the icing. Seriously. I've never seen more beautiful cookies. But there were several cat hairs in each one. It was disgusting. This would have been like 15 years ago...so I think that set in motion a lot of thinking about and processing what exactly is going on in people's kitchens and their cleanliness. AND potlucks became a really questionable thing for me lol...

 

[wendow]

Wow I must be weird because I always eat at potlucks. I guess I just don’t think about that kind of stuff. I’m far from being a germaphobe

I don't think you're weird. You are normal. I'm weird but okay with my weird lol. I watched my church family chow down on my dishes at the potluck and it made me happy. I knew I made everything with love and clean hands

 

[wendow]

Update to a few Amex things...Finally got my BB credit today and it took 3 weeks. Wow. Crazy. Other thing is the dining credit. Amex and I were about to go the mat over this. So, to recap, I spent $25 in CCF on Nov 29. The charge did not post until Dec 1. Today, on Dec 8, the dining credit of $10 hit. Clearly using Dec's credit.

So, I contacted Amex. Yes, they unapologetically used Dec's credit and they think they are very much justified in doing so. They could care less that I used the card and made the purchase in Nov. I am, somehow, supposed to know that all dining charges should be placed at least 2 days before the end of the month if I hope to get that month's credit. Is this in the T&C's, I ask? Uh, no, but I should know this is how it works. So, I continue to argue how disappointing this is. I am a 'long time customer' after all. Those are the golden ticket words, my friends! As soon as I said that, I was thanked for being a long time customer and told they would see what they could do. Put on hold and CSR came back with a 1-time $10 credit for the mix up. And asked again to make sure I use my restaurant credit at least 2 days prior to the end of the month. To that, I loudly rolled my eyes over the phone. Hope they heard me...

 

[miztressuz]

I had a similar situation a few weeks ago with instore pickup. I was certain they hadn't credited me. Then I went back penny by penny using the order emails and the gift card transactions and figured out it had been done instantly and I was incorrect. The horror! Hopefully they actually owe you money!

Mine is pretty straight forward. Had a $50 GC, ordered 2 items for ~$47 so I have a ~$3 balance. Since I cancelled the one item I should have much more available but it is still showing only ~$3. You can see the activity on the card and it has just one transaction for the $47 (even though it should only be ~$12 for the one item I picked up)
Hopefully it rights itself tomorrow, otherwise I guess I'm calling.

 

[ten6mom]

OK experts:

Let's say I cannot manage to find award tickets for either business or first on ANA nonstop to Japan. Right now I can't even find Premium Economy, so I can't imagine I'm going to have any better luck in the next week or so (which is when I expect my travel date to open).

I'm not terribly flexible on dates, as all vacations work on seniority around here and I already know people above me will be requesting the first couple of weeks in November and then again in December. So it's either around mid- month or not at all. That also means I don't have a whole lot of time to reposition by flying far away and having to stay over a night in each direction without cutting into actual Japan time. I can't see us flying all the way from Phoenix to NYC (and there isn't any availability out of NY either, so it's moot at the moment).

What would your recommendation be, considering I only have Chase URs to work with? Is there another airline that would be reasonable, even though it's not as great of a redemption as ANA business?

Or would you just scrap the whole plan?

 

[Alexle2007]

Transfer directly.

Thanks!

 

[calypso726]

OK experts:

Let's say I cannot manage to find award tickets for either business or first on ANA nonstop to Japan. Right now I can't even find Premium Economy, so I can't imagine I'm going to have any better luck in the next week or so (which is when I expect my travel date to open).

I'm not terribly flexible on dates, as all vacations work on seniority around here and I already know people above me will be requesting the first couple of weeks in November and then again in December. So it's either around mid- month or not at all. That also means I don't have a whole lot of time to reposition by flying far away and having to stay over a night in each direction without cutting into actual Japan time. I can't see us flying all the way from Phoenix to NYC (and there isn't any availability out of NY either, so it's moot at the moment).

What would your recommendation be, considering I only have Chase URs to work with? Is there another airline that would be reasonable, even though it's not as great of a redemption as ANA business?

Or would you just scrap the whole plan?

Not sure if your dates are specific but I did a search for 2 adults LAX-TYO. ORD-TYO and IAH-TYO and can see dates in October with availability.





ORD has availability



IAH also has availability

 

[Judique]

College bowl games were not on my radar when I decided to go to Tampa over New Years. Not even teams we care about but thinking it will make the whole area crowded. Busch Garden "fast pass" things are going for $99 those days. Yikes. I said I would never go to Disney during Christmas break, not really sure why I thought this would be better. lol

I did the Xmas thing too many times and since I drive, the last 10 mile back up in North Carolina sent me to never again land. More than 10 years ago I think as daughter is 27 now. Plus the crowds in the parks, at the restaurants when we used to eat Disney restaurant meals every day, not a vacation to me anymore. My first DVC purchase was enough points for a 5 night week at Xmas and Easter. Added on but switched my focus to less busy times. We were caught up in the school schedule then. It's coming around again as 1st grandchild will be four on NY's eve. So barely a year left of reasonable freedom for DD. Unless she takes them out of school, haha. I used to do it for ski vacations in winter, but not for Disney.

Does Busch Gardens in Tampa have any hotel that gives a sort of fast pass like when you stay at a hotel near SeaWorld you get some kind of pass? I was just thinking if there is one, book a night for your BG's day? I have no idea if it's a thing or not.

 

[disfanforlife]

I have 4X MR offer on my personal Amex at Sam’s. I added it a couple months ago and it says it expires 12/31/19. There is no limit posted so I used it a few times there in October, November and now in December too but only see a 4X credit posted for end of October not one for end of November. So now I am wondering if it really is only good for one month or just slower to post. Not that big of a deal except I need to go this week and have a long list. Don’t want to put more spend on that card if I’m not going to get the 4X points. Anyone else have this offer and know?