I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 (see first page for add'l details)

While this is totally true, I have limited PTO so can only take 5 days at a time which gives us 9 days. If it takes 2 days there and 2 days back I’m not willing to travel that much for 5 days. We went to London a few years ago and I absolutely hated the flights, too long and too uncomfortable even in biz class. Just my personal preference. I really want to take DS to China but am dreading flights. For him though I’ll do it, plus I’ll somehow I’ll finagle 2 weeks off.
That’s a situation that puts a serious crimp on positioning and what not. Work seems to have a tendency of getting in the way of fun yet it is a necessity to live and have some fun.

China is definitely a long flight. I do hope the seats you wind up getting are more comfortable than the ones you had on your London flight. :flower3:
 
Disney World trip coming up this spring break. We are staying at Conrad Orlando for 3 nights, 2 nights on points and one night using FNC. Then moving over to Shades of Green for 3 nights to utilize the Deluxe Evening Extended hours at Epcot and MK.

Need some help with G+ vs $LL
Here is my current plan, based on minimal research.
$612.00Saturday MKSunday HSMonday EpcotTuesday MKWednesday AK
G+$116$116$116$116
$LL$48 (SDMT)$100 (ROTR)EEHMK EEH

I'm really not even sure if it is worth it to buy G+, if I picked the right parks to use G+.
That's a lot of money for fast passes, so I'm trying to figure out what I can cut. I'm estimating $29 for G+
Should I skip G+ on the last day and switch to FoP $LL?
I think whether you need G+ at AK depends on what time you plan to be there. It it is first thing in the morning then you probably do not need G+. We were there during the last week of July last year. We went in the afternoon and skipped Dinosaur becasue we were not willing to wait in the long line. The safari and Everest had short waits. You might not need it on your second MK day depending on what you did on the first day and what you want to want to ride again on the second day.
 
I'm sorry to hear this. You may be covered with the CSP under this section:
"Accidental Bodily Injury, Loss of Life, or Sickness experienced byYou or Your Traveling Companion which prevents You or YourTraveling Companion from traveling on the Trip"

They do cover cruises, up to $10k/person, and your daughter is covered as well. Here's the guide to benefits: link.
Thank you so much. I will look into it.
 
Hope your biopsy is better than what you suspect and that you are able to get through this. Sorry to hear it.

Have you tried to rebook your cruise further out? Not sure that can be done but perhaps you can buy some time? Disney has been known to be fairly sympathetic to family issues.
I booked through Costco and did tell them that I was interested in applying whatever the cruise cost was to a future cruise that I already had booked for March 2025. And I wanted to add a second cabin for my daughter and her family. Disney was actually going to make me cancel my current 2025 cruise and pay the prevailing rate. And I would still have a higher penalty than what was actually due according to the terms that Costco gave me. Costco was a lot more sympathetic than Disney was. I was surprised. But that affirmed my reasons for continuing booking with Costco. I’ve booked over a dozen DCL cruises through Costco.
 


That’s a situation that puts a serious crimp on positioning and what not. Work seems to have a tendency of getting in the way of fun yet it is a necessity to live and have some fun.

China is definitely a long flight. I do hope the seats you wind up getting are more comfortable than the ones you had on your London flight. :flower3:
Well China is still in a hopeful planning stage but I doubt we'll afford biz class so I'll just prepare myself. I have done it before though things have changed. The points I spent for biz to LHR on AA were originally intended for China but COVID happened and AA discontinued all non stop flights to China from ORD, so I used them for a fun trip. Don't get me wrong, the seats were fine, I just can't sleep on a plane and am uncomfortable sitting that long anywhere.
Working for sure put a crimp in travel plans. 😂
 
I booked through Costco and did tell them that I was interested in applying whatever the cruise cost was to a future cruise that I already had booked for March 2025. And I wanted to add a second cabin for my daughter and her family. Disney was actually going to make me cancel my current 2025 cruise and pay the prevailing rate. And I would still have a higher penalty than what was actually due according to the terms that Costco gave me. Costco was a lot more sympathetic than Disney was. I was surprised. But that affirmed my reasons for continuing booking with Costco. I’ve booked over a dozen DCL cruises through Costco.

I love Costco.
 


Did you figure out a work-around? My auto draft is in 3 days and I just tried to pay and got the dumb pop-up, so I don't have time to order a gift card this month.

Do you know if paying at the Kisko still works? I have a verizon store a couple miles away so it isn't a big deal for me to stop by this month and pay with my card.
I paid at the kiosk on Sunday because of the new pop-up online. Worked fine.
 
He would not get the bonus. It's just another card that charges to your account. The bonus is linked to the account. Occasionally there will be offers of bonus points to add an Authorized User. His spend would count towards your totals.

I disagree, it depends entirely on what your goals are. If the goal is to maximize SUBs then yes, it makes much more sense to open accounts in each name. If the goal is to get cards to maximize the rewards and keep them. It makes more sense to get AU cards for spouses. My wife is an AU on all of my cards but one, makes it easier when I tell her to use a specific card for something to maximize the rewards.
You are correct; some people might find the AU option works better for them. My answer assumed OP was looking to maximize SUBs because of they way phrased the question about P2 getting extra pts as an AU.
ohhhhhhh So it's the food credit or the points? I didn't know that...we really didn't need that food credit, we were just buying snacks to use it up daily. oh well live and learn.
The My Way Benefits are the individual bonus options you choose for each brand. In your acct, navigate to the My Way Benefits section and it will allow you to select from specific choices for each brand.
I am canceling a Disney cruise during the penalty period and will lose my deposit. Same for my daughter. I did not buy travel insurance as I usually get it closer to travel date. I got a serious test result and am going for a biopsy on Friday. I paid a small part of the cruise with my CSP and the rest with Disney gift cards. Does anyone know if the travel insurance cover cruises? I’ve learned a valuable lesson to always get travel insurance (which I always purchase for cruises) before the penalty period.
I'm sorry to hear about your health issues. Hope you get the best news possible and have a quick and full recovery.
 
Yesterday I applied for another Cdn card for 35k points, which will be transferred to BA (when a 30% bonus hits -- usually twice / year). This card is amazing because you can apply every 90 days and the only requirement is 1 purchase. Hopefully this card never tightens up because the AP cards here have been completely neutered and AC has implemented a strict new rule about no more than 2 cc bonuses per year (several people have had their accounts frozen, so I won't take any kind of risk, especially since I got 2 cc SUBs last year).
What's a cdn card? Sounds like a good deal!

I can't do another INK until September also, but it's because I'm 5/24 😟
 
DD is doing a bucket list for the next week and a half, flying to Peru. She just came by so younger DD could drop her off at Dulles for her middle of the night flight. A friend will be meeting up with her in Peru and then they will climb the mountains to visit Machu Picchu.

I'd always had it in the back of my mind as a place I would visit some day but the right time never came along for me. I'm glad my DD is going ahead and doing it now. Her cousin went a few years ago and marveled at the whole experience. I'm living vicariously through their experiences, somewhat as I do when I read about trips on here. My anxiety is too much for heights to allow me to do these things now.

No fancy hotels, just IHG, Hilton and Marriott.
Please share more about how her trip is going. Peru has been on our list for several years, but it is a complicated trip and extra complicated when traveling with a large group.

There are several Marriotts in Peru which are supposed to be excellent. And really a very good use of points.
 
Would love some advice!
DS getting married in April. He'd really like his former nanny to be there. She lives in Budapest. 2 years ago we flew her and her 2 boys o Paris so we could take them to Disney. My son has an extremely close relationship with her.

she's going to try to get her new passport expedited and apply for evista vs a visa.

I'm paying her airfare.

several options:

pay with my Ink to finish SUB, pay with or use MR (amex Plat) for insurance, if it would cover her, use chase portal to book or transfer points to airline to book. (CSP)

no non stops to ewr, phl or jfk. united has code share with lufthansa and swiss air but looks like a little over 1 hour connection in Munich coming which seems too close, (although all EU so no customs), all on lufthansa, then back is on swiss air thru zurich . guessing since 1 ticket, bag is checked thru.

looked at AA (i have a lot of miles), they route thru LHR with a 3 hour layover making a long travel day! (into phl or ewr)

I wish I knew in January he really wanted her there! oh well, will try my best. I love the idea of her being here helping him get ready for his wedding day. I had also flown her here for his Bar Mitzvah.

and I'm off to see the mouse in the morning!

Marty's mom

I would do a pointsyeah free search. What's great about pointsyeah is you can search a window of several dates in seconds. And it will clearly show if Chase is a transfer option. There look like there are some good options on Flying Blue into JFK. If you go that route, you can transfer Chase UR to Air France or KLM.

A 3 hour layover in LHR doesn't seem too long to me.
 
Please share more about how her trip is going. Peru has been on our list for several years, but it is a complicated trip and extra complicated when traveling with a large group.

There are several Marriotts in Peru which are supposed to be excellent. And really a very good use of points.
They are using points for a Luxury Collection, Tamba del Inka in the Sacred Valley for a few nights. She is not there yet as they just arrived in Lima a couple of hours ago.

Looks like that is one of the better Marriott options. She says she got it for 40K, and I see it's 85k now. We'll probably be doing whatsapp later this weekend from there, when I have the grands. Have to remember to charge up the phone with the app on it. I keep my old S10+ just for the girls to use to call their parents when they are with me.

Her text woke me up after they got to their Lima hotel. She knows I always want step by step when she's traveling.
 
Question about CSR rental insurance. Does it still work/apply when you booked car through Costco? Do we just need to be sure to pay with CSR? Also, we listed DH as the primary driver (his Sapphire), but it also says additional free driver included so I'll add myself when we get there and I will be the main driver. I understand the CSR rental insurance covers additional drivers if listed on the rental agreement, right? Even if I'm not an AU?
 
Once again 11 pages to read....but update first.

Pretty sure Ireland is cancelled. In Vegas I hurt my hip. I mentioned throwing out my back. On 2/22 I woke to the hip pain. on 2/25 I threw out my back. On 2/26 I went to urgent care where they gave me Flexeril and 800 Ibuprofen. On 2/28 I went to the ER. They gave me Robaxin and pain patches. Well on 3/3 I went back to a different ER and was admitted. They pumped me w/ morphine which did nothing. Finally Oxy took the pain away. But all the meds led to insane nausea. So I actually wished back the pain. I got my wish :( I'm home now, the MRI showed bulge in my discs. I'm waiting on PT. The DR felt I could still pull off Ireland, but I think I'm too paranoid to go w/ just my 19yo if something happened. I offered to make it up, and do a weekend in Dublin ASAP. She said she'd rather do Mexico, LOL. So I guess we'll look at that.

I haven't been to school much in the last 2 weeks. I went in Tuesday and Friday the first week. This week I've been out all week. The DR was hoping I could get into PT right away, but I can't :( That's why I think I have to put off Ireland. I'm still in pain. I'm taking Tylenol and Robaxin at home, but not getting much relief.

Just wanted to mention that I do understand these feelings of frustration with your DD. In my experience and after a lot of studying, I came to understand what looks like anger and lack of ambition are classic signs of depression and anxiety in young adults. And young adults can tend to self medicate rather than regularly take their prescriptions. It's part of the illness. At the peak of my frustration, a conversation that went something like "I see that you're really struggling..." went far better than one of judgement. It probably won't be your last conversation or the end of this cycle, but I hope that she'll get the help she needs.
My daughter for sure is depressed. I do an annual calendar w/ photos from the year before. There is a photo of us on the plane to BOS last year (before it got cancelled). She doesn't remember that AT ALL! She doesn't remember that we almost missed the flight, that we were on the plane, that we had to exit the side emergency exit, etc. She spent yesterday talking to her therapist about it. I try to talk to her, but it depends on the version of her I get. Right now, she's been taking her meds, so I get the "good" version of her.
 
What's a cdn card? Sounds like a good deal!

I can't do another INK until September also, but it's because I'm 5/24 😟
I believe that is a Canadian card. IIRC PP has addresses in both Canada and the US, so is able to obtain cards in both countries.
Question about CSR rental insurance. Does it still work/apply when you booked car through Costco? Do we just need to be sure to pay with CSR? Also, we listed DH as the primary driver (his Sapphire), but it also says additional free driver included so I'll add myself when we get there and I will be the main driver. I understand the CSR rental insurance covers additional drivers if listed on the rental agreement, right? Even if I'm not an AU?
That's all correct. As long as you pay the rental company directly it's not a problem. Yes, you must pay for the rental with the CSR. Who actually drives doesn't matter as long as the name on the contract matches the name on the card and the driver is listed on the contract as an additional driver.
 
I would do a pointsyeah free search. What's great about pointsyeah is you can search a window of several dates in seconds. And it will clearly show if Chase is a transfer option. There look like there are some good options on Flying Blue into JFK. If you go that route, you can transfer Chase UR to Air France or KLM.

A 3 hour layover in LHR doesn't seem too long to me.
Thank you.

I'm looking at all options!

Main concern is if I use amex Plat will insurance cover her

Is a ticket on Lufthansa with a 1+ hour layover in Munich sufficient since both EU, no customs.

I'm shocked how inexpensive
flights are.
 
Okay quickly skimmed the 11 pages. Looks like there are several of us cancelling or moving trips around :( I hate that Ireland once again is not happening. But again, the fear of one wrong move and feeling like this has me paranoid! Maybe I should look and see if I can get any last minute cruises on MSC (since I have a free cruise with them still, LOL) and do that over SB. Hmmmm.

What Marriott level is needed for "free breakfast" and which card can get that? My BF wants to get status that gets free breakfasts now. I know which he needs for Hilton, but I'm not a Bonvoy girlie (beyond the 5 FNC which I know doesn't get you any real status).

Delta Plat Biz AF posted. I was holding out on doing anything as I wanted to use the $200/$250 (whatever it is) in Ireland. Now that Ireland isn't happening. Does anyone know can I book and pay now for something? And get the credit? I'd rather do that than lose it. I think I am going to downgrade to the Delta Gold Biz (I've had that before), to keep the 15%. Or should I do the free Delta and "upgrade" when I need the 15% bennie? I don't need the free baggage anymore, since the BF, LOL. WWYD?

And finally just double checking, the Hilton GC is still working for the quarterly credit, right?

My Hilton Amex is acting so odd. There's a gas charge pending from Saturday and my Hampton Inn stay is pending for $50. I tried to apply $100 in gift cards and they had no clue how to do it. It looks like they did charge the gift cards and my card and credit my Amex back $25 (applied the other $75 to the pet charge) but the room charge isn't on my Amex still.

I'm about to cancel Japan. My plane tickets are refundable because of a flight change. Everything else is Hilton points, FNCs, and a deposit at Disney. Down with my parents and there's absolutely no way I would feel good about being out of the country in two months. Things are really, really rough at the moment:(
Sorry you are cancelling. Sorry about your parents too!

Hi, so a quick question... I used to use JetBlue, and so i got a JetBlue Barclays card, but since the Pandemic JetBlue doesn't fly out of my local airport anymore, so i no longer have a reason for that card (i have recently applied for a Chase/Southwest Biz card), but I'm wondering what to do with the JetBlue card, do i cancel it or keep it as a back up, i mean i may use it some day down the road, but is it worth using and even keeping for that long shot?
I just cancelled my JB card. I got it last year to get flights from DTW to BOS. Had the JB/NK merger gone through I may have kept it. But JB has so few flights from DTW it isn't worth it.

If you're willing to game the system, you can hold a CSR fee free forever. You need two personal UR cards (CSR and one other like the Freedom Flex). The CSR's travel credit resets each card anniversary. So, you spend $300 in the first year, then spend $300 right after the 1 year mark. If you don't have travel plans, you can book a refundable ticket, get the travel credit, then cancel the ticket and use the money for other things.

To keep this cycle going, you can product change the CSR after 1 year to a different no annual fee product. In turn, you product change your Freedom Flex up to a CSR (needs to have $10,000 credit limit, so you may have to reallocate your credit line). Rinse and repeat with the "new" CSR. You're actually making $50, plus enjoying all of the travel benefits and multipliers on the CSR.

If all of this is too much of a hassle, then just do it for the first year and decide if the benefits are worth $250 to you for years 2, 3 and beyond.
Do you do this? I have a FF and the OG Freedom (which I won't touch since costco gas needs visa, LOL). I kept the CSR because of the Ireland trip this year, but I'm totally open to doing this next year!
 

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