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

[EACarlson]

Hi. I have been following along trying to educate myself a little bit (not ready to jump in) but I am stumped by “pop up”. Will someone please explain what that means. Thanks.

When you apply for a new card from Amex, some will get a pop up on screen that says that you are not eligible for the SUB, would you still like to continue with the application.

 

[PrincessGidget]

So, in other words…

 

[wdwpluto]

It means you can book a free night starting at 20,250 points. If available. Usually it list the category under the hotel name but it seems to be missing.View attachment 861621
If available an award would look like this

View attachment 861622

Thank makes me feel better that I didn't miss something! Thank you for this!

 

[wdwpluto]

It's a Mr and Mrs Smith hotel, which is a Hyatt partnership and not a true Hyatt. It has dynamic award pricing. Hyatt hotels have categories and a fixed points chart. Looks like you'd get a little over 1 cent per point compared to the cash rate, which is poor for Hyatt redemptions.

Thank you!

 

[gottalovepluto]

New cruise AmEx offer came out yesterday

Holland America Line
Spend $750 or more, get $300 back
Expires 8/31/24

This is a good offer. I recall the last few general cruise offers were in the 20% range (NCL, RCCL) and the last ones for Holland were about 30%. For me, I only have it on personal MR earning cards. Maybe that's a good sign that there is a MR earning version? Despite having several cruises booked over the next couple years, it's tempting me to look at their schedule...

Broke my heart seeing that as my HAL trip was last year and I think I saw offers for all cruise lines but HAL lol.

 

[amcc]

I know this subject has come up before, but I never dreamed that I would be in this position. As a few of you know, four weeks ago my 54-year-old husband died suddenly and unexpectedly. Of all the many things to deal with since that horrible day, I have started to think about points/credit cards. He was an active player 2 and probably had 15 cards (including high annual fees ones that we haven't gotten all the benefits of).

Literally the day after he passed, he received an email from Southwest that he'd qualified for the companion pass. We were also $5,000 away from a 2 for 1 on BA with his Chase BA credit card

I have a few questions for anyone who might have dealt with the death of a spouse:

1. Any chance in transferring the companion pass? I know the rules say "no" but I wonder if anyone has been able to talk them into it.

2. Anything I should watch out for or be aware of?

3. I have moved the points that I can so far, and I plan to make bookings with any points I can't for myself or my kids.

4. Is there any chance of getting partial annual fee refunds on some of his high annual fee cards (especially those where I haven't used all the credits, i.e. Hilton Aspire, Amex Plat., etc).

5. Can you cancel Chase cards via chat? His Amex Gold card just came up for annual fee so I cancelled that one via chat.

6. I'm trying to keep as many accounts open for now until I come up with a plan.

Any help would be appreciated. In the realm of things this is very low priority, but I don't want to make any stupid mistakes.

My deepest condolences for you, your children and family. I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Hi. I have been following along trying to educate myself a little bit (not ready to jump in) but I am stumped by “pop up”. Will someone please explain what that means. Thanks.

If Amex decides you aren't eligible for a sign up bonus, they'll "pop up" a screen/message during your application which tells you that they haven't run your credit check but that based on Amex's reasoning, you aren't eligible to receive the sign up offer for this particular card. They then give you the option to proceed with applying without the sign up bonus. You can elect to cancel the application without them running your credit.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

What do you all know about filing a roof hail damage claim? Our roof is about 19 years old and our windstorm/hail damage deductible would be about $10,000. The contractor who looked at our roof said roofs cost about 20-30k in our neighborhood?!?!?

I will talk to our agent tomorrow before filing a claim but my primary concern is that I don't want to file a claim and have that "count against" us if it's not truly worth it.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

What do you all know about filing a roof hail damage claim? Our roof is about 19 years old and our windstorm/hail damage deductible would be about $10,000. The contractor who looked at our roof said roofs cost about 20-30k in our neighborhood?!?!?

I will talk to our agent tomorrow before filing a claim but my primary concern is that I don't want to file a claim and have that "count against" us if it's not truly worth it.

My sister had her roof replaced in this manner 2 years ago though I believe her deductible was lower. I'd get a new roof estimate from a legit contractor before discussing anything with an insurance agent. I once called to find out if I had coverage for water damage and the agent put a note in that I had experienced flooding and was then required to have the damage fixed and the cause fixed before I was allowed coverage for flooding again. It will 'count against' even if you disclose damage to an agent. If you decide not to file at this time, experience worse damage later and decide to file then, they can deny you as they will insist it was pre-existing damage.

 

[havaneselover]

What do you all know about filing a roof hail damage claim? Our roof is about 19 years old and our windstorm/hail damage deductible would be about $10,000. The contractor who looked at our roof said roofs cost about 20-30k in our neighborhood?!?!?

I will talk to our agent tomorrow before filing a claim but my primary concern is that I don't want to file a claim and have that "count against" us if it's not truly worth it.

We had a hail storm maybe 8 years ago and honest to goodness 90% of the houses around me got new roofs. I had gotten one a year or two earlier and mine was fine but I was kind of irked because if I'd waited, it would have been "free." That said my roof was only $5,000 or $6,000 (dimensional shingles and I think it was about 2000 sq ft on a 2200 sq ft two-story house with a fair amount of peaks). I personally wouldn't worry about this counting against you--this sounds extreme and that's what insurance is for.

 

[Judique]

What do you all know about filing a roof hail damage claim? Our roof is about 19 years old and our windstorm/hail damage deductible would be about $10,000. The contractor who looked at our roof said roofs cost about 20-30k in our neighborhood?!?!?

I will talk to our agent tomorrow before filing a claim but my primary concern is that I don't want to file a claim and have that "count against" us if it's not truly worth it.

My sister had her roof replaced in this manner 2 years ago though I believe her deductible was lower. I'd get a new roof estimate from a legit contractor before discussing anything with an insurance agent. I once called to find out if I had coverage for water damage and the agent put a note in that I had experienced flooding and was then required to have the damage fixed and the cause fixed before I was allowed coverage for flooding again. It will 'count against' even if you disclose damage to an agent. If you decide not to file at this time, experience worse damage later and decide to file then, they can deny you as they will insist it was pre-existing damage.

We had a hail storm maybe 8 years ago and honest to goodness 90% of the houses around me got new roofs. I had gotten one a year or two earlier and mine was fine but I was kind of irked because if I'd waited, it would have been "free." That said my roof was only $5,000 or $6,000 (dimensional shingles and I think it was about 2000 sq ft on a 2200 sq ft two-story house with a fair amount of peaks). I personally wouldn't worry about this counting against you--this sounds extreme and that's what insurance is for.

I would say get plenty of estimates. At least 3-4 as they vary wildly. Smaller house here and I paid outright, plus my roof was ready for replacement. No storm involved. My roof got done in 2019.

As far as insurance, it also may depend on the type of coverage you have. I have a full replacement policy with a high deductible and my roof was not super expensive for architectural shingles. Got an SUB on some card at the time. I've managed to keep my premium low but it's creeping up there. My goal is to pay insurance in the event of a catastrophe and cover minor stuff as it happens, so no calling when the upstairs shower pan leaked and slightly damaged the ceiling in a downstairs bedroom. Dry wall repair and paint about $50. Plumber about $200. Of course, noticing the problem very quickly helped. I had been cleaning the room and lay back on the bed and saw a bubble that didn't look right. No one sleeps in there except guests so a bit longer might have created a much larger problem.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

What do you all know about filing a roof hail damage claim? Our roof is about 19 years old and our windstorm/hail damage deductible would be about $10,000. The contractor who looked at our roof said roofs cost about 20-30k in our neighborhood?!?!?

I will talk to our agent tomorrow before filing a claim but my primary concern is that I don't want to file a claim and have that "count against" us if it's not truly worth it.

I have experience with this, but don't know if I'd say that I "know" much.

On my Hurricane Harvey hit house - USAA covered the entire new roof ($30k roof).

I sold that home, and on the next home USAA refused to cover leaking even though we had had a hail storm come through and the flashing was leaking somewhere, and the roof was leaking into our chimney, and then subsuquently into the house. I had to pay for that repair out of my pocket.

On my current home I opted to use Safeco for homeowners (much cheaper than USAA as they're trying desperately to get out of homeowners insurance in Texas I was told). I live in Texas -- so hurricanes, hail, tornadoes, etc. are what we deal with.
We had a bad storm last year in April. I had some hail damage to an older roof. I had our roofer come out and look at the roof and gave us a quote. I submitted it to Safeco and they approved it (no questions asked) and I got it replaced (2% deductible). Once renewal came around this year my rate tripled. So I shopped around and found a new homeowners insurance company. Hope this helps.

*One thing that I will note is that while I had my new roof put on in April, immediately following the storm, a lot of my neighbors waited until after hurricane season was over to put new roofs on their houses just in case we were hit with anything more damaging to the roofs later in the year.

 

[platamama]

What do you all know about filing a roof hail damage claim? Our roof is about 19 years old and our windstorm/hail damage deductible would be about $10,000. The contractor who looked at our roof said roofs cost about 20-30k in our neighborhood?!?!?

I will talk to our agent tomorrow before filing a claim but my primary concern is that I don't want to file a claim and have that "count against" us if it's not truly worth it.

I had my hail damaged roof replaced in 2018, so my numbers are going to be dated compared to today's dollars. The total cost for the roof replacement was $27,756 for 3107 sq ft of roof surface area (although I had additional damage to windows, fencing, gutters, etc. which brought my total claim to over $37K which is what my insurance paid). My annual home insurance premium has gone up from $1312 back then to $5395 for current year (keeping my deductible the same at $2500). Since my total premiums paid come to $17,855 which is less than what insurance paid out, I've been lazy about finding a new insurance company. I should at least see what increasing my deductible would do to my premium. There was a super destructive fire nearby (over 1000 homes burned down) in 2021 which I believe has really impacted premiums here.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (C.L.U.E.) report which follows you and also your property. So there should be some caution exercised when calling your agent and/or filing a claim. Repeat offenders, i.e. those who actually make a claim to be covered for what they're paying for, could find themselves or their home uninsurable in the future (which I find kind of bogus). Here's a brief article if you're interested. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/homeowners-insurance/clue-report/

I would definitely get quotes for replacement that don't involve insurance paying for it since you have a high deductible; if there's no water dripping into living spaces then there's not necessarily an urgency to have it fixed right away.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

@CyndiLouWho @havaneselover @MsOnceUponATime @platamama @Judique

Thank you for all the good advice on the roof hail damage- definitely some really good takeaways, like waiting til the end of the season, multiple quotes, etc. I spoke to our insurance broker today. It was helpful to speak to someone who isn't employed by our insurance carrier and it reminded me I'm glad to have a broker (is that still a term used? lol). Some insights from him:

- many insurance companies are moving towards "actual cash value" of your roof. Think Kelly Blue Book value on your roof. So rather than pay the replacement cost, they'll give you a cash value for the depreciated age of your roof.
- luckily, our ins company policy is one of the few that will cover full replacement cost. But that's also why our separate hail/wind deductible is $9800. Good reminder to check your policies and these details when comparing companies. Also where I think a broker comes in handy.
- Was told if the claim isn't paid out it won't impact our premiums, but that we also get one "free" weather related claim before premiums would be impacted. Said if this ends up being a $0 claim, it does count as that one freebie, so that's something to keep in mind.
- Asked if roofs are truly $20-30k and he said that they weren't pre-pandemic in our area, but post-pandemic, they are. And that's why so many companies are moving to this "actual cash value" payment model.

I take everything brokers, agents, contractors tell me with a grain of salt. I also know insurance rates are going to continue to rise regardless.
In my ideal world if insurance pays for it, I'd like to be paid directly, shop around, and then use a cc to pay the contractor. Am I thinking about this correctly and is this possible to be paid directly?

 

[Judique]

@CyndiLouWho @havaneselover @MsOnceUponATime @platamama @Judique

Thank you for all the good advice on the roof hail damage- definitely some really good takeaways, like waiting til the end of the season, multiple quotes, etc. I spoke to our insurance broker today. It was helpful to speak to someone who isn't employed by our insurance carrier and it reminded me I'm glad to have a broker (is that still a term used? lol). Some insights from him:

- many insurance companies are moving towards "actual cash value" of your roof. Think Kelly Blue Book value on your roof. So rather than pay the replacement cost, they'll give you a cash value for the depreciated age of your roof.
- luckily, our ins company policy is one of the few that will cover full replacement cost. But that's also why our separate hail/wind deductible is $9800. Good reminder to check your policies and these details when comparing companies. Also where I think a broker comes in handy.
- Was told if the claim isn't paid out it won't impact our premiums, but that we also get one "free" weather related claim before premiums would be impacted. Said if this ends up being a $0 claim, it does count as that one freebie, so that's something to keep in mind.
- Asked if roofs are truly $20-30k and he said that they weren't pre-pandemic in our area, but post-pandemic, they are. And that's why so many companies are moving to this "actual cash value" payment model.

I take everything brokers, agents, contractors tell me with a grain of salt. I also know insurance rates are going to continue to rise regardless.
In my ideal world if insurance pays for it, I'd like to be paid directly, shop around, and then use a cc to pay the contractor. Am I thinking about this correctly and is this possible to be paid directly?

There is a possibility of that if you own your home outright, which I do. Still, as you are finding out, companies are changing terms to protect themselves. My company actually has a copy of my recent roof contract which I provided to them when I was reviewing my policy with them.

An insurance check may come with your mortgage company's name as well as your name on the payment, if you have a mortgage. The mortgage company may just sign off on the check to allow you to proceed, depends on your lender. This happened while I still had a mortgage with respect to a plumbing leak inside walls - copper pipes, pinhole leak. Past practices may also have changed since I had to deal with this.

 

[wweazel]

There is a possibility of that if you own your home outright, which I do. Still, as you are finding out, companies are changing terms to protect themselves. My company actually has a copy of my recent roof contract which I provided to them when I was reviewing my policy with them.

An insurance check may come with your mortgage company's name as well as your name on the payment, if you have a mortgage. The mortgage company may just sign off on the check to allow you to proceed, depends on your lender. This happened while I still had a mortgage with respect to a plumbing leak inside walls - copper pipes, pinhole leak. Past practices may also have changed since I had to deal with this.

I have a mortgage, and my roof replacement in 2020 was 50% covered by insurance. The insurance payment was just under $10K, and because it was below $10 K, my lender did not want it co- issued. The ins co. deposited directly into my checking account. I opened a plat and BBP (12 months 0%) and split the payment to my roofer between the 2 - that's the only time I would ever have been able to meet the Plat Spend.

 

[Judique]

I have a mortgage, and my roof replacement in 2020 was 50% covered by insurance. The insurance payment was just under $10K, and because it was below $10 K, my lender did not want it co- issued. The ins co. deposited directly into my checking account. I opened a plat and BBP (12 months 0%) and split the payment to my roofer between the 2 - that's the only time I would ever have been able to meet the Plat Spend.

That's good to hear. @FreeDiningFanatic - the other twist I encountered was my contractor would only take the first $5k by credit card.

I pulled up my contract to look at it and saw that was part of the terms. Smaller, regional company so may be different with bigger players.

Window replacements - has anyone used Renewal By Andersen? Getting ready to upgrade and they are one of the options around here. I haven't called anyone for estimates yet.

 

[chattadisser]

@CyndiLouWho @havaneselover @MsOnceUponATime @platamama @Judique

Thank you for all the good advice on the roof hail damage- definitely some really good takeaways, like waiting til the end of the season, multiple quotes, etc. I spoke to our insurance broker today. It was helpful to speak to someone who isn't employed by our insurance carrier and it reminded me I'm glad to have a broker (is that still a term used? lol). Some insights from him:

- many insurance companies are moving towards "actual cash value" of your roof. Think Kelly Blue Book value on your roof. So rather than pay the replacement cost, they'll give you a cash value for the depreciated age of your roof.
- luckily, our ins company policy is one of the few that will cover full replacement cost. But that's also why our separate hail/wind deductible is $9800. Good reminder to check your policies and these details when comparing companies. Also where I think a broker comes in handy.
- Was told if the claim isn't paid out it won't impact our premiums, but that we also get one "free" weather related claim before premiums would be impacted. Said if this ends up being a $0 claim, it does count as that one freebie, so that's something to keep in mind.
- Asked if roofs are truly $20-30k and he said that they weren't pre-pandemic in our area, but post-pandemic, they are. And that's why so many companies are moving to this "actual cash value" payment model.

I take everything brokers, agents, contractors tell me with a grain of salt. I also know insurance rates are going to continue to rise regardless.
In my ideal world if insurance pays for it, I'd like to be paid directly, shop around, and then use a cc to pay the contractor. Am I thinking about this correctly and is this possible to be paid directly?

We had our roof replaced pre-pandemic when we had a wind storm go through. It wasn't bad but a large enough size limb fell on part of the roof and knocked a shingle or two sideways. I called a roofing company to assess the damage and give me an opinion. I really thought they would just nail them back and that would be the end of it. They said they could fix it or he gave me an estimate for a new roof and said to call the insurance come look at it as sometimes they'd approve a new roof. I didn't think they would but they did! This was State Farm and the check came directly to me. I ended up doing a few other things at the same time (gutters, painting) so my total cost spent was more and I don't remember our rates going up too much after that. Now, our auto rates have gone through the roof the past two years. That's a whole different conversation.

 

[djmeredith]

I know there has been a lot of chatter here about Tokyo hotels, but I'm now all confused about which ones people actually recommend. I read the hotel threads and I'm still a bit confused. A friend recommended the Conrad, but I'm curious about the Grand Hyatt since we have Globalist status. I'm not sure what a good location is there. (Also looking at the Andaz).

Anyone have an opinion they'd like to share?

I'm in Japan now. We stayed at the Hilton Tokyo (in Shinjuku) and I can highly recommend it. Great location with nice rooms. Diamond The airport limousine bus has a stop at the hotel, so it is extremely easy to get to/from the airport without using the trains.

 

[StephPlum]

This is new (to me). Signed DH up for GE. Next appointment at the nearest location is October. Not really a problem as his TsA precheck doesn’t expire until early Dec and we don’t have any travel until April 2025. But I’ve gotten 2 email notifications from that location about earlier appointments. That is a nice change so I don’t have to stalk the appointments like I did for mine. Slightly bad as they been like the same or next day and that make it tough to plan time off from work.