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

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Dh and I bought our tickets for frozen 2! I’m so excited. We normally see new releases on Thursdays but stupid AMC is charging full price for their tickets. I miss Marcus theatres so bad. Their Thursday new releases were $5 because of student Thursday’s. And no theaters near us have the recliners 😭
We bought ours too! We can't go see on Thursday cause one dd has dance til 8, both dd's work all day on Fri & Sat so we are going to our early church service on Sunday and then an 11am show. It's really the only time that works and we get the $5 tickets! When you are buying 6, this becomes even more critical!! So excited to see it!
 
We found the big diaper bag was good for the first 6 months or so, but then we switched to a diaper clutch and it had been amazing. I highly recommend that over a big diaper bag, especially for travel.
The one I bought is a backpack. I’m not a purse/bag carrying person normally and wanted something both dh and I can carry. This is what I got:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q293TZT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_A1f1DbVFKGWJ9
The lightning deal is almost over but they’ve all been claimed
We used a backpack back in the dark ages :laughing: I actually used it for years as my carryon after we were past that stage!
 


Flew home from MCO on SW last night. Went to the lounge first, we have always been able to go from the gates 70-99 shuttle over to the other SW concourse without going through security again, but there was some construction so we got stuck going again. AND precheck was closed! A bit stressful but we made it just in time for the A boarding. Watched Toy Story 4 on the plane and thought it was quite funny.
 
You could have mine. No use for either.

If you haven’t fixed it yet, maybe Twitter will work. Twice SW Twitter team has fixed tickets for me with misspellings.

I don’t know, but I’d like this twice for you if I could.

Keep looking. When I was looking earlier this year for Spring Break next year, all I saw was high high high. A month or 2 later, suddenly more inventory and lower points required. They fluctuate a lot.

Yay! I have tickets for Frozen 2 and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood for Saturday and Sunday. 2 different theaters because neither had the $5.60 tickets for both shows. But we never go weekdays. Always Saturday or Sunday and usually before noon for the cheap seats.

I totally use more points/pay more for better flights. I don’t even recall the other options, but we flew non stop to China in Economy Plus or whatever they called it back then and bought then one year old DS his own seat because I value my comfort and sanity. We paid cash for that too (and sadly, let the points earned expire because I had no idea how to use them 😣 )

And your kids love you for it.

Me neither. No desire whatsoever especially after seeing the price tag.
Our movie tickets were $6.60 or something like that. It isn’t horrible and we bought them on fandango because they had a deal going on
 
Thank you.

Does Hilton allow you to rebook and use fewer points if I booked at a higher rate? I cancel and remake paid hotel reservations all the time if that happens but I am not sure how it would work with points.
We were able to do this when we went to japan. Our room at Hilton Tokyo bay was originally 80k per night and we cancelled and rebooked when it went down to 55k per night. As long as there are still rooms available it will work
 
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I have an email offer to upgrade my Bonvoy to "Brilliant" for 50,000 points which expires 1/31. I was hoping for a higher offer as I (and DH) are not eligible for any new Marriott cards for at least 6 months (from what I can figure out from the convoluted charts) Does anyone have any suggestions, should I take this offer, or increase spend on the card and hope for a higher offer? I'd love to go back to swolphin spring 2021.
 
Just curious how others treat this. Do you only redeem your points if it is a best redemption or do you sometimes take a less than the best redemption for something that is more convenient? I am still looking for flights to Glacier for next July. I had to choose my dates and hotels before flights were available. Now the dates I picked, have the highest cost for the flights I want. I am looking at different days and may be able to move things around. But I am finding I am not willing to take a less than optimal flight for less points. Example: the flight I want is from Columbus to Minneapolis to Whitefish. It is a total of 6 hours with 1.5 hour layover in MSP. Also the first flight is at 9:30 AM. I could pick a flight with 2 layovers or something where the first flight is at 6 AM for less points. But don't want to add a lot of travel time (up to 2+ hours) or have to get up well before dawn to get to the airport. It might because I am older, but I do feel like my time and comfort is worth something and I don't want to compromise too much. Anyone feel the same way?

I feel the same. It cost us more points to fly home CDG>SFO next summer than to fly from another city, stop at CDG, and then take the same flight home. But we keep flying through CDG and not stopping in Paris, and it's been almost 10 years since our last trip there, and we can so easily take the train there from Dover vs. going to another airport in the UK and taking yet another flight to another city, so we just sucked it up and paid extra for the convenience. Maybe it's because we are getting older, since I know years ago we actually chose to have a 12 hour layover in LHR and then spent that day in London (ok, it was tough even in our early 20s, but now, no way). So yes, my time and comfort matter (well if it didn't matter I'd be flying in economy with 2-3 stops, too). Vacation time is precious and I don't like to waste much of getting from place A to place B.
 
For those of you using 1 password, does that work on your mobile devices also?
This is what we use and yes, it works on all our mobile devices as well. We like LastPass too and have been talking about going back to that. My dh is always on the fence about which is better. Lately he is in a LastPass has updated theirs more so they are better. I think either one works fine for my purposes lol.
 
Thank you.

Does Hilton allow you to rebook and use fewer points if I booked at a higher rate? I cancel and remake paid hotel reservations all the time if that happens but I am not sure how it would work with points.
As long as you book refundable rates, you can cancel and rebook. The points usually are back in your account in a couple minutes.
Same. Plus I rarely use ear phones. I know that alone makes me weird but I just don't like them that much 🤷‍♀️
I find them uncomfortable and they sometimes give me a headache. I don’t use them except plane rides and occasionally at work when I’m trying to listen to a webinar or something.
 
This is what we use and yes, it works on all our mobile devices as well. We like LastPass too and have been talking about going back to that. My dh is always on the fence about which is better. Lately he is in a LastPass has updated theirs more so they are better. I think either one works fine for my purposes lol.
Is there a charge for LastPass? I see a free app, but is there a service fee?
 
The Dell credit for the Biz Plat is twice a year right? I made a purchase on November 14th and it still has not credited. Any data points of how long it is taking these days?

I don't really want to contact them and get eyes on my account so honestly if it is not going to credit I am going to be sending the item back.
 
Hi gang! I apologize for the drive-by posting, but work has had me swamped, leaving little to no time for my DIS brain break.
I know I've missed a ton, but I did read back to see the Disney+ breach :sad2: hitting the news right at the same time our state's systems were subject to a ransomware attack. Hmm... maybe I should be avoiding any & all computers right about now!

Throwing caution to the wind, I'm hoping someone here can help with a MSR/ cashback question (please & thank you!)
Part A - If paying for a group tour via Paypal, does it code as travel with either Chase or CapOne ?
Part B - If it does not, is there any way I can do better than my basic % cash back? No Chase Freedom in my wallet for the 4Q 5% benefit, and I missed Discover's 3Q 5%.

Took a look at that Bonvoy matrix posted upstream. WOW! Glad I'm not having to navigate that process right now.
 
A quick Rome trip report!

Flights
We received $1000 AA vouchers from taking a voluntary bump MIA-PHL in March. That covered the economy seats. I used dh's Amex Gold credit and my Plat credit to upgrade those seats to Main Cabin Extra. The extra legroom was appreciated.

Lounges
On departure, we visited the PHL Centurion Lounge :woohoo: We arrived at 3:30ish and found a table for two right away. It was pretty crowded in the section with the food and the bar---I didn't see what it was like at that time in the comfy chair section. The food was excellent, lots of veg options plus some really good chicken thighs. We each had 2 beverages, scotch for dh and 2 different IPAs for me. We were there for about an hour.

On the return, we visited the Plaza Premium Lounge, a Priority Pass lounge, courtesy of my CSR. This is the PP lounge that is upstairs---the other two are much smaller, apparently. It is HUGE, one very large space with sections of high back upholstered chairs, almost like wing chairs, sections of lower club chairs with tables between, couches (people sleeping lol), lots of different types of work spaces (long tables, individual cubbies, etc), and regular 4 top tables and chairs. The bathrooms were immaculate, and there are also showers (though I didn't see them). We were there at breakfast time---the food consisted of meats/cheese/vegetables, hot things like eggs, sausage, potatoes, breads and yummy pastries, yogurt and cereals, and fruit. Coffee drinks (and alcoholic ones) were from the bar, and there were self-service fancy coffee machines, juices, and waters.

Ground transportaion
A few days before we left, I convinced dh that we'd be better served by paying for a car transfer instead of trying to figure out the train situation while exhausted. We booked with Rome Cabs (currently top rated on tripadvisor). Our driver was waiting for us, despite our plane arriving 45 minutes early. We paid extra for a driving tour of Rome and a guaranteed English-fluent driver on arrival. She took us all around and stopped at several places we wouldn't be able to reach on foot. Our ride back to the airport was perfectly fine, despite the driver having no English. Rome Cabs is not on the UR portal.

Hotel
We stayed at Condominio Monti, a boutique hotel (maybe 25 rooms?) in the Monti district. It is literally on a street leading to the Colosseum---we could see it from our room when we looked to the left! We were able to walk everywhere---the Vatican, Trastevere, the Jewish Quarter, Borghese Gallery, National Museum of Rome. Everyone we interacted with, from the concierge, to the baristas, to the housekeeping staff, to the restaurant staff, was friendly and helpful. We booked directly (rate included breakfast) though it is available on the UR portal, last time I checked. Highly recommend.


...I'm going to need to continue tomorrow as life calls right now
 
I cannot find any GE appointments in Richmond. So I grabbed two at Dulles once the kids get out of school. I'll tie it in with taking my son to the National Air and Space Museum. Wish these appointments weren't so hard to come by. Had no issue getting DD's in Richmond.

So frustrating that there haven't been any available. I asked DH about it recently and he told me he'd scheduled his for Dulles. I think I'm going to have him cancel it though until I submit my application next month so at least we can go together. The only other thing I can think is maybe I could get one at MCO when we go in February? Not sure what the wait time is like on those appts though, or if I'll even have my GE stuff back by then.
 
Hi gang! I apologize for the drive-by posting, but work has had me swamped, leaving little to no time for my DIS brain break.
I know I've missed a ton, but I did read back to see the Disney+ breach :sad2: hitting the news right at the same time our state's systems were subject to a ransomware attack. Hmm... maybe I should be avoiding any & all computers right about now!

Throwing caution to the wind, I'm hoping someone here can help with a MSR/ cashback question (please & thank you!)
Part A - If paying for a group tour via Paypal, does it code as travel with either Chase or CapOne ?
Part B - If it does not, is there any way I can do better than my basic % cash back? No Chase Freedom in my wallet for the 4Q 5% benefit, and I missed Discover's 3Q 5%.

Took a look at that Bonvoy matrix posted upstream. WOW! Glad I'm not having to navigate that process right now.
Which chase cards do you have?
 
Which chase cards do you have?

CIP, CSR & a socked away Disney.

A quick Rome trip report!

Flights
We received $1000 AA vouchers from taking a voluntary bump MIA-PHL in March. That covered the economy seats. I used dh's Amex Gold credit and my Plat credit to upgrade those seats to Main Cabin Extra. The extra legroom was appreciated.

Lounges
On the return, we visited the Plaza Premium Lounge, a Priority Pass lounge, courtesy of my CSR. This is the PP lounge that is upstairs---the other two

Ground transportaion
A few days before we left, I convinced dh that we'd be better served by paying for a car transfer instead of trying to figure out the train situation while exhausted. We booked with Rome Cabs

Hotel
We stayed at Condominio Monti, a boutique hotel (maybe 25 rooms?) in the Monti district. It is literally on a street leading to the Colosseum---we could see it from our room when we looked to the left! We were able to walk everywhere---the Vatican, Trastevere, the Jewish Quarter, Borghese Gallery, National Museum of Rome. Everyone we interacted with, from the concierge, to the baristas, to the housekeeping staff, to the restaurant staff, was friendly and helpful. We booked directly (rate included breakfast) though it is available on the UR portal, last time I checked. Highly recommend.
...I'm going to need to continue tomorrow as life calls right now

I'm so glad you posted! This is perfect timing, as I'm finalizing our IT trip plans as we speak (hence the Paypal - tour payment = code as travel question). Thanks for sharing!
 
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