I love credit cards so much! v5.0 - 2022 (see first page for add'l details)

[EACarlson]

Scheduled to fly to MCO next week, currently have two flights, one on DL through ATL and one on UA through ORD. UA has issued a travel waiver through Friday, if they extend it, does this make the cancellation refund eligible? And how does UA deal with split payments for refunds? I paid cash for part of the ticket but the majority of it was paid with a credit due to losing my bag in April. If I could cancel the UA ticket and fly the DL I would in a heartbeat but I don't want to lose the $130 I paid as I probably won't fly UA on my own dime.

 

[becauseimnew]

Instacart Chase DP
Downgraded DH's CSR on Friday 9/23, when I logged in to our Instacart account this morning our Instacart membership associated with his CSR had been cancelled.
I activated my CSR Instacart benefit. We did use his $15 before downgrading, I'll use mine before the end of the month.

 

[wanderlust7]

We are planning our rough Japan itinerary, to see how many days we need and cities we'll want to visit while there. Right now we plan for 11 days there, since with travel it's really like 13 days, and most we can take off at our jobs at a time is 2 weeks. To those that have been to Japan (I think @Haley R had a great trip report that I read but it's been a few years and I forget...), can you advise on if this itin looks good, or if there is something you'd change/skip, etc? I am most uncertain on if Nara and Nikko deserve a day, or if we should skip those and add another day to Kyoto. I also know Mt. Fuji is particularly shy, that's why we're opting for Kawaguchi area as I've read that's the best place/chance you have to see Fuji, and since we'll be there in November, those chances may be a bit better too.

3 days Tokyo
2 days Kyoto
1 day Nara
1 day Osaka
1 day Nikko
1 day Lake Kawaguchi area (Mt. Fuji)
2 days for Tokyo Disney

Thanks for the input! @Haley R if your trip report is still active somewhere, I'd love to read it through again now that we're actually going to go.

ETA: I know we're going to be cramming a lot into each day, which we're fine with since we have a limited time in Japan. Mainly wanting input on city selections.

Nikko is nice, but I wouldn't put it on a first time itinerary with limited time. We took the kids there last time to go to a couple of small theme parks and to stay in a ryokan (trip report in my signature).

Don't forget to add Arashiyama. That was my favorite when I went with DH on our first trip as adults, doing the more traditional itinerary. We missed Nara that trip because I wanted to go back to Arashiyama a second day (got too late a start the first day). That's how much I liked it lol! But Nara's on the itinerary for our upcoming trip.

With the benefit of some 15 years of hindsight, the most memorable for me in Kyoto was Fushimi-Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, and Kinkaku (because it's golden!). All the temples, shrines, and castles can kind of blend together after a while, so I would be more selective rather than try to hit every sight. We went in autumn that trip and saw Kiyomizu-dera at night during an illumination event, highly recommend if your dates match up.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Nikko is nice, but I wouldn't put it on a first time itinerary with limited time. We took the kids there last time to go to a couple of small theme parks and to stay in a ryokan (trip report in my signature).

Don't forget to add Arashiyama. That was my favorite when I went with DH on our first trip as adults, doing the more traditional itinerary. We missed Nara that trip because I wanted to go back to Arashiyama a second day (got too late a start the first day). That's how much I liked it lol! But Nara's on the itinerary for our upcoming trip.

With the benefit of some 15 years of hindsight, the most memorable for me in Kyoto was Fushimi-Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, and Kinkaku (because it's golden!). All the temples, shrines, and castles can kind of blend together after a while, so I would be more selective rather than try to hit every sight. We went in autumn that trip and saw Kiyomizu-dera at night during an illumination event, highly recommend if your dates match up.

Thank you!!! Going to check out your trip report now!

We do have Arashiyama on the 2-day itin for Kyoto, so maybe we'll swap a day in Nikko for an extra day in Kyoto to fit more things in/have more time. We do only have the HIGHLIGHTS of shrines/temples at each place and frankly don't need to see them all, because yes I think we'll get temple-fatigued after awhile! The ones you mentioned in Kyoto are the ones I have on my list (plus one other - Eikando zenrinji), so I'm glad I'm doing something right here, lol. Will definitely look up the illumination event as it gets closer to see if our dates match up! I do hope all the maples still have at least some leaves when we go... which will be mid-late November.

 

[Haley R]

We are planning our rough Japan itinerary, to see how many days we need and cities we'll want to visit while there. Right now we plan for 11 days there, since with travel it's really like 13 days, and most we can take off at our jobs at a time is 2 weeks. To those that have been to Japan (I think @Haley R had a great trip report that I read but it's been a few years and I forget...), can you advise on if this itin looks good, or if there is something you'd change/skip, etc? I am most uncertain on if Nara and Nikko deserve a day, or if we should skip those and add another day to Kyoto. I also know Mt. Fuji is particularly shy, that's why we're opting for Kawaguchi area as I've read that's the best place/chance you have to see Fuji, and since we'll be there in November, those chances may be a bit better too.

3 days Tokyo
2 days Kyoto
1 day Nara
1 day Osaka
1 day Nikko
1 day Lake Kawaguchi area (Mt. Fuji)
2 days for Tokyo Disney

Thanks for the input! @Haley R if your trip report is still active somewhere, I'd love to read it through again now that we're actually going to go.

ETA: I know we're going to be cramming a lot into each day, which we're fine with since we have a limited time in Japan. Mainly wanting input on city selections.

Here’s the link to our trip report:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/japan-vlog.3761005/

Personally I wouldn’t do Nara. We didn’t think it was worth the day trip. We absolutely loved Arashiyama and I think I saw you said you’re planning on going there. If it were my trip, I’d probably drop the Nara day and add another day to Tokyo Disney. We didn’t really like Kinkaku. It was super crowded. I felt like we were being herded like cattle through it. Maybe it was the time of year we went (beginning of June) because there were lots of school groups

 

[Haley R]

Nikko is nice, but I wouldn't put it on a first time itinerary with limited time. We took the kids there last time to go to a couple of small theme parks and to stay in a ryokan (trip report in my signature).

Don't forget to add Arashiyama. That was my favorite when I went with DH on our first trip as adults, doing the more traditional itinerary. We missed Nara that trip because I wanted to go back to Arashiyama a second day (got too late a start the first day). That's how much I liked it lol! But Nara's on the itinerary for our upcoming trip.

With the benefit of some 15 years of hindsight, the most memorable for me in Kyoto was Fushimi-Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, and Kinkaku (because it's golden!). All the temples, shrines, and castles can kind of blend together after a while, so I would be more selective rather than try to hit every sight. We went in autumn that trip and saw Kiyomizu-dera at night during an illumination event, highly recommend if your dates match up.

We loved Arashiyama so much! It’s so pretty there. We met with a school group interviewing travelers and that was super cool. I loved that it wasn’t as busy and seemed more “country” like to me

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Here’s the link to our trip report:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/japan-vlog.3761005/

Personally I wouldn’t do Nara. We didn’t think it was worth the day trip. We absolutely loved Arashiyama and I think I saw you said you’re planning on going there. If it were my trip, I’d probably drop the Nara day and add another day to Tokyo Disney. We didn’t really like Kinkaku. It was super crowded. I felt like we were being herded like cattle through it. Maybe it was the time of year we went (beginning of June) because there were lots of school groups

Thank you!! Going to re-read your trip report too! Nara and Nikko are the two that are most up in the air to us, as we're just not sure if they're "worth" spending those days doing the mini side trips, especially since we only have 11 days. We may wind up skipping both at this point, not sure. We have time to decide, and see if anyone else chimes in with their experience. DH is absolutely against more days at Disney. He doesn't even want to give me the 2 days there, lol. He's like "WHY in the world are we doing Disney in Japan. There is so many other things to see!" He doesn't understand... ugh.

 

[Haley R]

Thank you!! Going to re-read your trip report too! Nara and Nikko are the two that are most up in the air to us, as we're just not sure if they're "worth" spending those days doing the mini side trips, especially since we only have 11 days. We may wind up skipping both at this point, not sure. We have time to decide, and see if anyone else chimes in with their experience. DH is absolutely against more days at Disney. He doesn't even want to give me the 2 days there, lol. He's like WHY in the world are we doing Disney in Japan. There is so many other things to see! He doesn't understand... ugh.

Lol Tokyo Disney is on a whole other level and is pretty impressive. We had people say the same thing when we told them we were going there while in Japan but it’s amazing and there’s so much to see and do. We went to Nara for the deer and it wasn’t very fun. Probably one of my least favorite things we did in Japan. I don’t know anything about Nikko so I can’t help there. If you do decide to go to Nara we went to a garden there that was really pretty. I can’t remember the name of it but it’s in my trip report.

 

[afan]

Lol Tokyo Disney is on a whole other level and is pretty impressive. We had people say the same thing when we told them we were going there while in Japan but it’s amazing and there’s so much to see and do. We went to Nara for the deer and it wasn’t very fun. Probably one of my least favorite things we did in Japan. I don’t know anything about Nikko so I can’t help there. If you do decide to go to Nara we went to a garden there that was really pretty. I can’t remember the name of it but it’s in my trip report.

Preface this by saying, I'm not saying this is what you guys did But I follow r/japantravel and people post their itineraries for suggestions etc. I like to look both for idea and to see if there's any comments/info about places on my list. I also search Pinterest for info and I feel like it's the blogs that are part of this problem.

All these lists or blogs of the top things or don't miss stuff. Most itineraries I see include these things and unless they hike or something don't seem to do different stuff. Not saying these aren't good/fun things to do but don't feel like you should do something of you don't want to. It's part of why I will still get a guidebook or several from the library so I can read about more than I find on blogs. Some of the stuff on my list is things I've never/rarely seen people talk about.

I also don't see the fascination with trying to catch a glimpse of mt Fuji but then I have to remind myself that most people don't see mt rainier in their daily travels so it isn't just another mountain to them

 

[Haley R]

Preface this by saying, I'm not saying this is what you guys did But I follow r/japantravel and people post their itineraries for suggestions etc. I like to look both for idea and to see if there's any comments/info about places on my list. I also search Pinterest for info and I feel like it's the blogs that are part of this problem.

All these lists or blogs of the top things or don't miss stuff. Most itineraries I see include these things and unless they hike or something don't seem to do different stuff. Not saying these aren't good/fun things to do but don't feel like you should do something of you don't want to. It's part of why I will still get a guidebook or several from the library so I can read about more than I find on blogs. Some of the stuff on my list is things I've never/rarely seen people talk about.

I also don't see the fascination with trying to catch a glimpse of mt Fuji but then I have to remind myself that most people don't see mt rainier in their daily travels so it isn't just another mountain to them

We did a lot of the “must do” places and I feel like a lot of them were our least favorites. One thing we did in Tokyo that really surprised us was the Edo Tokyo museum. We both really enjoyed it. I love Tom Bricker’s blog called travel caffeine. They’ve been lots of times and he talks about places that aren’t as well known. I think one of my favorite parts of being in Tokyo was just walking around the Yoyogi park area where we stayed. We always talk about this playground we would walk by to the train station that had hammers and nails out for kids

 

[afan]

We did a lot of the “must do” places and I feel like a lot of them were our least favorites. One thing we did in Tokyo that really surprised us was the Edo Tokyo museum. We both really enjoyed it. I love Tom Bricker’s blog called travel caffeine. They’ve been lots of times and he talks about places that aren’t as well known. I think one of my favorite parts of being in Tokyo was just walking around the Yoyogi park area where we stayed. We always talk about this playground we would walk by to the train station that had hammers and nails out for kids

That's one of the places on my list from your tr since it was before I'd gotten books. I do follow his blog, he had the most up to date info on opening before my trip. Just wish he'd use twitter or something more so I would know when there's new posts.

I'm hoping with having to wait another year that some of the museums on my list will reopen by then.

 

[Haley R]

That's one of the places on my list from your tr since it was before I'd gotten books. I do follow his blog, he had the most up to date info on opening before my trip. Just wish he'd use twitter or something more so I would know when there's new posts.

I'm hoping with having to wait another year that some of the museums on my list will reopen by then.

I’m subscribed to his Disney tourist blog and get emails when he posts new blogs

 

[Psychodisney]

App'd for a CIC for DH today and got the we'll let you know message. He's under 5/24. Hoping he gets approved otherwise might get him a Amex gold. Probable rip to Scotland and Germany next fall and we have big spend coming up.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Preface this by saying, I'm not saying this is what you guys did But I follow r/japantravel and people post their itineraries for suggestions etc. I like to look both for idea and to see if there's any comments/info about places on my list. I also search Pinterest for info and I feel like it's the blogs that are part of this problem.

All these lists or blogs of the top things or don't miss stuff. Most itineraries I see include these things and unless they hike or something don't seem to do different stuff. Not saying these aren't good/fun things to do but don't feel like you should do something of you don't want to. It's part of why I will still get a guidebook or several from the library so I can read about more than I find on blogs. Some of the stuff on my list is things I've never/rarely seen people talk about.

I also don't see the fascination with trying to catch a glimpse of mt Fuji but then I have to remind myself that most people don't see mt rainier in their daily travels so it isn't just another mountain to them

Definitely feel this, since every single travel blog and site says "you can't miss Nara", "you can't miss Nikko", "you can't miss (insert city here)". So that's just another reason why I like to get real people I know opinion if they've actually been there (well, I don't know you guys IRL but sometimes feel like I do... and I trust ya'll more than a random blog, lol).

Super jealous you get to see Mt. Rainier in your daily travels. I am especially fascinated by volcanoes, so Mt Fuji had to make the list, haha.

 

[afan]

Super jealous you get to see Mt. Rainier in your daily travels. I am especially fascinated by volcanoes, so Mt Fuji had to make the list, haha

Yes but there's also the daily worry you don't realize you have that it could blow at any time. Should've seen twitter a few weeks ago when a cloud made it look like the mountain was smoking.

I live on a hill so most of the time I'm good but I do have reasons to go down into the valley. Am probably far enough north that I'd have time to get across the river and back up the hill though. Traffic would be more of the issue. But all the evac routes as you go further south just get you to the base of my hill.

 

[wanderlust7]

Definitely feel this, since every single travel blog and site says "you can't miss Nara", "you can't miss Nikko", "you can't miss (insert city here)". So that's just another reason why I like to get real people I know opinion if they've actually been there (well, I don't know you guys IRL but sometimes feel like I do... and I trust ya'll more than a random blog, lol).

Super jealous you get to see Mt. Rainier in your daily travels. I am especially fascinated by volcanoes, so Mt Fuji had to make the list, haha.

We found Owakudani volcanic valley in Hakone pretty interesting.

 

[Sheree]

Just had $5200 "wasted" spend, used my Amex surpasss. Have about 7k in spend coming up plus normal stuff. DH and I each have csp, and CIU. I also have a freedom from when I downgraded my CSR
DH also has Venture x. He's 5/24, I'm 4/24 but we have our son who could be p3. he owns a condo, has a sw visa he doesn't use anymore and an amazon visa he uses and pays in full monthly. owns a condo free and clear, 700+ fico. he's self employed, low taxable income. I tried several months ago to get a marriott for him when it was 5 night after spend. Got a wait and see. He never got anything in the mail or email and nothing on his chase account and of course didn't call.
he'd like hotel rewards to stay in nyc and fll. I'd meet the spend. any thoughts? I saw surpass waives AF first year but 125k points doesn't go far with hilton.

he's flying jetblue in December on my points, could fly on United or American if theyy make sense. SW got rid of most non stops to FLL o that's a no go.

 

[4Hawks]

Follow up question:

If I want both the Chase Sapphire Preferred AND the Freedom Flex, can I apply for both at once? Or should I wait a few days/weeks/months between applications?

Only CC in last 24 months: 04/21 AMEX Delta Skymiles Gold

 

[elgerber]

I just had two packages delivered from Target. Two day shipping, not shipped. They slowed down while driving by my driveway and threw them out the window. One was a jar of pickles. Amazingly they didn’t break. I have no idea how. The sheriff happened to be driving by (which is incredibly weird in itself since we have two sheriffs in the entire area and I live on a cul de sac) and he stopped and got out to make sure someone didn’t steal the packages and toss them.

 

[wiscbugs]

I swear I'm cursed w/ VGC! Today apparently 1 of my cards didn't activate when I was buying them. The cashier was so flustered and didn't know what he was doing. He had rung up the same cards 3 different transactions and he had to keep refunding me. So I had to drive back and get him to refund the inactive card. The receipt even said to refund it. Again, he was so flustered he asked me to just call my bank and ask them to give me $200. Like WHAT? LOL Luckily he finally figured it out and refunded me. But it was a mess!



Well considering school KNOWS what is going on with my dad. AND knew there was a HUGE possibility I wasn't going to go AT ALL! And they weren't going to get refunded if I flat out cancelled....I don't think they will be upset if I stay one more day to make sure my dad is okay before I go (since he's getting a pacemaker). I don't think I'm going to get fired for changing my flight because of my dad who's been in the ICU for a month.

Good luck with that!