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

[SouthFayetteFan]

Off topic (not credit card and not even Disney ). We're headed to Orlando after New Years for 4 nights to meet up with SIL and her family and friends of ours. We're staying at Hyatt Grand Cypress (on points so maybe that keeps it on topic a bit more) and doing one night at Universal Portofino to take advantage of express pass for our 2 park days.

We'll be in the parks Jan 3 and 4 and they are going to be nuts. Any tips or advice on how to manage the crowds and navigate and make best use of express pass? I've only done Universal twice and this is our first time with express pass. I love that I don't have to pre book things but I also feel like I'm going in blind.

We'll be with kids ranging from 8-14. They like thrill rides. We'll try to get to park pre opening on the 4th to get in line for Hagrid's Motorbike (since we can walk over from hotel that day). Any other ride tips or must do items?

For food, there will be 12 of us, any tips for eating dinner together?

Hagrid’s first is a good plan. I’d try to show up at the game 75 minutes before opening if you’re those kind of people. Then with express pass I’d honestly just go around the park in a circle. Personally I try not to waste steps or back track - and express pass makes it easy to not waste time walking.

 

[Alexle2007]

Quick question for anyone who does tandem fill ups. Heading to Kroger. 1st trip with dd's car and my van. Both fuel tanks are on the driver's side. Should she pull in behind me or across from me facing the opposite direction?

DH pulls up behind me and then I move my car and he quickly moves his up.

 

[Judique]

Does anyone have a really great way to keep track of their Amex offers? I am the post it queen when it comes to these but have a tendency to not carry them with me, forget which one I've used, forget when something will expire. I am also juggling 10 Amex cards if we include AUs.

The short answer is no. And I'm only juggling 6 cards, 5 of my own plus an authorized user.
But really, I just try to not miss the cards that give Disney card discounts for the most part. As in I have to get out and use my Best Buy offer plus 2 of the Lowes $50 offers before the month ends.

I do put all restaurant offers on my rose gold card. Recently it seems I get the exact same offer on all my cards. That makes it easy to pass the rose gold to daughter to pick up take out food.

 

[Judique]

My main thing is I try to be good about listing them in a google doc... with store, offer, what % savings that equates to, what card, who's card/account, expiration date, and then I try to mark the date used. That way I can always pull it up on my phone, and also I can filter it and see how much I saved in AMEX offers on each card to evaluate if the AF is worth it.

I just click on the savings tab on the website for this.

 

[amalone1013]

Interesting. I was also repeatedly exposed to someone with shingles during that same timeframe. Never had anything happen. I guess I should ask my doctor at some point about it.

Type of vaccine plays into it. Live vs killed, etc. That's why there are one's where they may still recommend boosters as adults... of course I say all this and the last vaccinations I got were meningitis and HPV at the start of college.

 

[KPK02090]

Yes. $1 is max.
15 gallons will still cost 2 rewards for 20Cents off at other stations, 10 rewards at Safeway gas station for $1 off.
Your husband can also fill up at a different time.

I had 50 rewards at one time and I had my daughter fill up once because I couldn't use it all myself, then used the rest on groceries.

Now I keep it to about 20-30 rewards if I get the opportunity to accrue them. Right now I'm sitting on 20 rewards but have until end of January to use them.

Thanks for the explanation!

 

[amalone1013]

I just click on the savings tab on the website for this.

Sometimes I am making a run to use up offers at multiple stores, between me and DHs account, so I find it easier to have the list on the google doc vs switching cards and accounts in the amex app or website. Otherwise sometimes I will pull up the savings tab to double check if it's just one offer. The tracking to analyze the AF is a big part for me.

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

I also had shingles in my mid 30s. In this one case it was doctor google for the win! I kept feeling this odd burning sensation on the side of my chest but there were no marks of any kind on my skin. After a few days a barely noticeable cluster rash appeared but it was super faint. Google kept telling me my symptoms were shingles. I went to dr and described symptoms to the nurse. Doctor came in and asked what I think I had. I sheepishly said shingles and he said I was absolutely right. I went on the antiviral meds and it was gone in a few days. I was super lucky that I caught it very early. We had returned from an overseas trip and I slept very little on the return flight home. No clue if it was related or maybe I was just worn down from the trip (12+ hr whirlwind day in Rome I'm looking at you!).

I had a very mild case of chicken pox when I was a senior in highschool. The chicken pox vaccine wasn't in wide use when I was younger so I never received it.

Funny! I got a mild case of shingles in my 30s too. The best way I could describe it was when you were little and friends gave you an “Indian sunburn” - it felt like that!!

DH got gout around the same time - we joked to start booking our nursing home beds now

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

Hagrid’s first is a good plan. I’d try to show up at the game 75 minutes before opening if you’re those kind of people. Then with express pass I’d honestly just go around the park in a circle. Personally I try not to waste steps or back track - and express pass makes it easy to not waste time walking.

Except minions for some reason EP isn’t fast with minions so I’d do that one early but it’s at the front of the park so that’s easy

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

https://milestomemories.boardingarea.com/jetblue-vacations-statement-credit-free-hotel-night/Interesting read for JetBlue fliers. Of note you can use JB miles for packages but the flight portion only. If you do that you can’t reduce the number or hotel nights online. But maybe you could call in?

 

[IFlossU]

I managed to pull an elevated offer going through LTE on my iPhone incognito safari.

This made me laugh! It’s like you have to be a stealth CIA operative to have an offer reveal itself. Ha!

Quick question for anyone who does tandem fill ups. Heading to Kroger. 1st trip with dd's car and my van. Both fuel tanks are on the driver's side. Should she pull in behind me or across from me facing the opposite direction?

@Alexle2007 already mentioned, but we just pull up closely behind one another

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

Sometimes I am making a run to use up offers at multiple stores, between me and DHs account, so I find it easier to have the list on the google doc vs switching cards and accounts in the amex app or website. Otherwise sometimes I will pull up the savings tab to double check if it's just one offer. The tracking to analyze the AF is a big part for me.

Great idea you are sooo organized!!!

 

[IFlossU]

Apparently I wasn’t completely denied for the Barclay Hawaiian Biz card, even though the “we can’t approve you for this card” message sounded a lot like a denial I received their letter a couple of days ago requesting proof of identification. I’d already moved on, and was honestly not upset, as you all make the Barclay Biz website sound like a nightmare. Then I figured WTH they already did a hard pull I might as well follow through. So I mailed off my info yesterday and maybe in another month I’ll actually have the card.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I thought you couldn't get shingles if you've never had chicken pox and were vaccinated? I also got the vaccine and never had chicken pox.

*I not a health professional*
Yes. You can get shingles even if you only had the chicken pox vaccine. The vaccine contains a weakened version of the virus. That virus is what causes shingles years later. They say you’re less likely to get shingles if you were vaccinated vs having chicken pox but since the vaccine was not licensed in the US until ‘95 I personally do not believe there is enough data to know sure. Check back in 2040-2045.

My cousin only had the vaccine. Got shingles around 20.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Apparently I wasn’t completely denied for the Barclay Hawaiian Biz card, even though the “we can’t approve you for this card” message sounded a lot like a denial I received their letter a couple of days ago requesting proof of identification. I’d already moved on, and was honestly not upset, as you all make the Barclay Biz website sound like a nightmare. Then I figured WTH they already did a hard pull I might as well follow through. So I mailed off my info yesterday and maybe in another month I’ll actually have the card.

If you want accelerate your time table call in a week and they might be able to pull your docs from the line up and review them right then. They did for me.

 

[calypso726]

Updated the Hotel thread with out Waldorf Astoria stay last weekend.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...-so-much-thread.3680669/page-10#post-61357543

 

[snugglebug]

Does anyone have a really great way to keep track of their Amex offers? I am the post it queen when it comes to these but have a tendency to not carry them with me, forget which one I've used, forget when something will expire. I am also juggling 10 Amex cards if we include AUs.

I use Google spreadsheet so I can access it anywhere. First column is store alphabetized so I can quickly locate the store. Then each card has 2 columns- offer and exp. I strikethrough when I use an offer on a card, delete them when they expire. I have a second page where I track offers credited so I can see my yearly (card member year) savings via offers.

 

[havaneselover]

So we tried her pulling up behind me but I didn’t think that would work. Worked better for her to pull up next to me facing the opposite direction. This was a long awaited day!

 

[bernina]

Funny! I got a mild case of shingles in my 30s too. The best way I could describe it was when you were little and friends gave you an “Indian sunburn” - it felt like that!!

DH got gout around the same time - we joked to start booking our nursing home beds now

yes, that's exactly what it was like and I even remember using that as an explanation to DH on what it felt like.

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

I use Google spreadsheet so I can access it anywhere. First column is store alphabetized so I can quickly locate the store. Then each card has 2 columns- offer and exp. I strikethrough when I use an offer on a card, delete them when they expire. I have a second page where I track offers credited so I can see my yearly (card member year) savings via offers.

Wow !!!!