I love credit cards so much!

[wendow]

I already have 3 metal cards (CSR, Plat, now Marriott Biz)!

Bragger

 

[unbeknownst]

Wow have you come to the right place - We surely can assist with that!

A few quick questions so we can give some good advice:

• Other than the Southwest card have you opened up ANY other cards in the previous 24 months?
• What are you attempting to get with these bonuses (future travel to Disney, future travel elsewhere, cash back, etc.)?
• Can you split the payments you owe across multiple cards?
• Are you doing this alone do you have a Fiance who also is interested in hitting up some cards as well?

You guys are all so welcoming! Thank you so much. I wish I had found this thread much earlier. My fiance is willing to also open cards.

We were trying to get the companion pass from Southwest, so we each opened a Southwest credit card to get the 60k rewards bonus they offered. Unfortunately, we had gotten some bad advice and didn't realize that the points had to be on the same account, so we ended up not being able to get the companion pass after all. It was a bummer, but it's our own fault for not reading closer and figure out a better plan. We used the points we got that from to pay for our honeymoon flights so it worked out OK in the end anyway. If there was a way to still get the companion pass, that'd be AWESOME but I think the ship sailed on that one.

In the past 24 months, I opened
- Citibank DoubleCash card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card

In the past 24 months, my fiance opened

- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card

Fiance actually only has the rapid rewards credit card, but has a long credit history through student loan payments.

We don't have any specific bonuses in mind, but we'd love stuff we can use for travel - airline miles, hotel points, etc. We can split the payments we have to make across multiple cards and make as many payments as we want. The only payment we've made so far was a 4k deposit.

As long as this thread is no judgement, the wedding itself will be 4 X 10k... and like I said, we're not going into any debt or taking out any loans, we are able to pay down any cards we open in full as we make the payments.

 

[wendow]

You guys are all so welcoming! Thank you so much. I wish I had found this thread much earlier. My fiance is willing to also open cards.

We were trying to get the companion pass from Southwest, so we each opened a Southwest credit card to get the 60k rewards bonus they offered. Unfortunately, we had gotten some bad advice and didn't realize that the points had to be on the same account, so we ended up not being able to get the companion pass after all. It was a bummer, but it's our own fault for not reading closer and figure out a better plan. We used the points we got that from to pay for our honeymoon flights so it worked out OK in the end anyway. If there was a way to still get the companion pass, that'd be AWESOME but I think the ship sailed on that one.

In the past 24 months, I opened
- Citibank DoubleCash card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card

In the past 24 months, my fiance opened

- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card

Fiance actually only has the rapid rewards credit card, but has a long credit history through student loan payments.

We don't have any specific bonuses in mind, but we'd love stuff we can use for travel - airline miles, hotel points, etc. We can split the payments we have to make across multiple cards and make as many payments as we want. The only payment we've made so far was a 4k deposit.

As long as this thread is no judgement, the wedding itself will be 4 X 10k... and like I said, we're not going into any debt or taking out any loans, we are able to pay down any cards we open in full as we make the payments.

When did you guys open those SW cards? If the points posted to your account this calendar year (so since Jan 1), you can still get the CP this year and would be good all of next year too.

Do either of you do anything that could be considered a small business (selling online or locally, giving lessons, etc)?

 

[Lain]

APPROVED!!! I just called and they were more than happy to expedite the card. Might even get it tomorrow!! So excited as this week my husband found the new dining room furniture he wants and it was killing me that I would not have this card to use. Now it looks very likely I will have it and that might be the entire min spend.

Data point for others: I used Retail: Hobby (crochet and knit handmade items) as my business and $500 as annual revenue. Credit score 800+; 0/24; Chase Freedom and Disney Cards (open forever ago) and Chase Checking/Savings (opened in January).

Congratulations! I know you have some wondrously beautiful places you'll be visiting this year, so I hope this card and points help keep you traveling.

I was waiting until March to apply for CIP but the wait is killing me! I think I am going to go for the CIP next week. I was rereading what you get extra points for (travel/phone/internet..). Are there extra points on purchases at office stores? I didn't see that. I may need to stock up on gift cards so want to know if it is better to buy at an office store or not.

The CIP does not earn any bonuses at office supply stores. That would be the Chase Ink Cash ("CIC"), to which you can product change if you'd like after you've had the CIP for a year. The CIC is a no fee card that earns 5x UR at office supply stores.

The CIP earns 3x UR on actually a lot more than just Travel; Shipping purchases; Internet, cable and phone services; and Advertising purchases on social media and search engine optimization.

The great thing right now about the CIP is that you can pay almost any bill that might not otherwise accept credit cards through Plastiq and earn 3x UR. Plastiq charges a 2.5% fee on credit card payments, so the 3x UR (equal to 3¢/$1) already puts you ahead if you decide you want to redeem your UR points (1 point = 1¢) for cash to pay off those fees. Basically you are buying 1 UR point worth 1¢ for 0.83¢. If you decide to keep the points and transfer them to a CSR, they are worth 50% more when redeeming on the UR portal, so 3x effectively becomes 4.5x worth that more than offsets the 2.5% fee. (Since you don't have a CSR yet, you can still redeem UR points through your CIP with a 25% bonus in value.) That’s a good deal!

Many (if not all?) categories on Plastiq code for 3x UR on the CIP. I use it to pay rent, utilities, student loans, preschool tuition for my DD — all code as 3x. Plastiq has placed restrictions on using Visa and Amex credit cards to pay mortgages and some car payments. (If your card doesn’t work for your payee, people have had luck changing the name of the recipient slightly so they’re not blocked.) If you're interested in using Plastiq to help meet a minimum spending requirement or just to put regular expenses on the CIP to earn some points, there's a post in /r/DISchurners, and you should ask questions here because the setup and tricks can be a little technical.

The CIP earns 3x UR on our monthly internet and cell phone bills too, and comes with cell phone insurance if you pay your cell phone bill for that phone with the CIP.

Other things -- Cell phone, cable, some internet streaming services (e.g., Netflix) earn 3x UR when paid directly. eBay seller fees and shipping costs (USPS/UPS/FedEx, I believe Stamps .com; but not PayPal Shipping) also earn 3x UR directly.

If you're interested in Gift Cards, many gift card sites and apps also earn 3x UR, including Gyft and Swych when checking out through PayPal with CIP as the payment method, Cardcash when paid through PayPal (I believe still does), and Cashstar when paid directly. (The CIC should earn you 5x UR for these same merchants.)

P2P payments through Venmo earn 3x UR (but incur a 3% fee). P2P payments through PayPal don't earn any bonus.

If you're curious about a data point, just ask! I'm sure someone's tried it before and can report back.

Good luck!

 

[DisneyMandC]

So, first

1. Remove DH as an AU on the CSP and Freedom (“CF”). Allow a few days to a month, then check DH’s credit report to see that the accounts are gone. If they are still there, submit a dispute with Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/removing-authorized-user-accounts-credit-report/

AU accounts will appear on DH’s credit report, and because DH was added to these two accounts within the past 24 months, Chase will automatically count these two accounts against DH’s */24. If these accounts push DH to or over 5/24, Chase will automatically decline him for any cards subject to the 5/24 rule. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chas...detail-need-know/#What_Cards_Does_This_Affect

2. Before you product change your CSP, you should, possibly, take the opportunity to refer DH for his own CSP if he decides to double dip the CSR+CSP. That’s another 10k UR for the referral! (See #5 below.)

After you’ve had your CSP for 1 year, call the number on the back of the card to ask they product change the CSP to either a CFU or CF. Both are no AF cards. Whether you want a CFU or CF depends on whether you want the CFU for a straight 1.5x UR on everything or another CF if you find yourself maxing out the category limit ($1,500 or 7,500 UR) on the CF you already have. If you have 2 CFs, you could potentially earn 15k UR/quarter. You could also product change between CF and CFU if your needs change. (Keep in mind that if DH also goes for CSP, he may want to downgrade that card after the first year too, so think of what mix of no AF cards you’d want in your wallets.)

The easiest way to amassing UR points is to hit Chase’s UR-earning cards with big signup bonuses, using referrals when you can, and maximizing the bonus categories of the cards you have or can product change to.

3. CIP = 80k UR. DH should get the CIP for the 80k UR bonus. Please support a fellow DISchurner if possible! I remember DH has an eBay/Amazon side hustle, so use that. As you know, the CIP has the biggest current bonus available amongst UR-earning cards, with 80k UR after spending $5k/3 months. That could keep you busy for a few months.

I love the CIP because it earns 3x UR on so many things, including internet and cell phone bills (and if you pay your cell phone bill with the CIP, the card offers insurance on that phone); eBay seller fees; shipping through USPS/UPS/FedEx (but not PayPal Shipping); Venmo; gift card websites, apps, and platforms like Gyft and Swych (via PayPal checkout), and Cashstar; and Plastiq for things like rent, utilities, tuition, student loans, and YMMV with mortgages and car payments. If you decide to use Plastiq, please support a fellow DISchurner. Not only does the CIP’s bonus categories cover a broad range of payments that makes it easy to put those kinds of expenses on the card to meet MSR, but if you keep paying those types of expenses with the CIP then it becomes a really fast UR earner!

4. 2nd CIP = 80k+20k UR. When DH is done with his CIP’s MSR, he should refer your horse braiding or eBay business for the CIP, which means 20k UR to him and 80k UR for you. By then, it should have been several months since your Marriott Biz approval, and hopefully that’s slow enough for Chase.

After the first year on either DH’s or your CIP, PC one of the CIPs to a Chase Ink Cash (“CIC”), which has no AF, and earns 5x UR on gift card apps like Gyft and Swych, and at office supply stores that sell third-party and Visa gift cards.

5. CSR+CSP = 50k+50k+10k UR. When you and DH are able to handle the MSR, DH should go for the CSR, but also double dip the CSP at the same time. If you can support a fellow DISchurner by using their link for CSR, great! But if DH is double dipping, hold off on product changing your CSP until you can refer DH for his CSP when he applies. This will net another 10k UR to you. Of course, double dipping means taking on two MSR at the same time, for a combined $8k/3 months, but this is the only way to get around Chase’s new rules to get signup bonuses for both the CSR and CSP, for a total of 100k UR.

You won’t be able to get the CSR because under Chase’s new rules, you can’t have more than one Sapphire product at a time (the “one Sapphire” rule) and you can’t get more than one signup bonus from a Sapphire card within 24 months. Since you have a CSP, you can’t get the CSR. Even if you PC the CSP to a CF or CFU, you can’t get the bonus for the CSR because you got a bonus for the CSP within the last 24 months. You’d have to wait til sometime after 9/19 (24 months after when your CSP bonus posted) to get the CSR bonus.

It looks like you’re planning on using the UR towards a Disney trip in Fall 2019, so you have some time to get through the spends on the above cards and won’t need the CSR in hand to make any UR redemptions until early next year. DH should get and keep the CSR, despite the fee, because it makes your UR points 50% more valuable (compared to just 25% more through the CSP and CIP).

That’s 290k UR from signup bonuses and referrals, and over 300k UR counting in MSRs! With the CSR, that’s worth over $4,500 in travel redemption through the UR portal.

6. CIC = 30k UR? Your DH could consider squeezing in one more Chase business card for its signup bonus. I suggested downgrading one of your CIPs to the CIC above, but the CIC also has a 30k UR signup bonus that might be worth going after.

It seems like from stories, Chase is pretty willing to give out 2-3 business cards before things start getting shaky. So you can decide if the CIC is worth it over Chase’s other business cards that are subject to 5/24.

By the end of the above, DH and you will have had all of Chase’s major UR-earning cards in your wallets: CSP, CSR, CIP, CF, and product changes to CF/CFU and CIC. DW and I haven't signed up for any new UR-earning cards in months, but travel and dining on our CSRs; maxing out the 5x categories on our CF; taking advantage of Chase UR promos, for example 10x UR with Chase Pay; and putting whatever else we can on the CIP through Plastiq makes for a nice ongoing stream of UR points. I know others really take advantage of the 5x UR earned on the CIC (and no longer available Chase Ink Plus) by buying gift cards on Gyft and Swych (via PayPal checkout), and office supply stores to retailers and restaurants they planned to spend money at anyway but would’ve earned <5x otherwise. Some people use the CIC and Ink+ to buy Visa gift cards when Office Depot/Office Max or Staples has them on sale or offers a rebate, earn 5x UR on the purchase, then liquidate the VCG by buying a money order (getting harder to do; don't deposit back into Chase), or using the VCG at another store that might otherwise earn them only 1x. Think creatively about maximizing the bonus categories to keep those points coming in.

It looks like you’ll also want to use some of your */24 spots for Marriott cards. Other popular targets are the Southwest cards for the Companion Pass, and United if you’re near one of their hubs.

At some point, you’ll have to decide whether you want to stay under 5/24 to keep hitting and churning Chase cards, perhaps keeping one partner under 5/24; or if you’re going to take advantage of other cards from Chase and other issuers 5/24 be damned.

For example, Chase also offers IHG and Hyatt cards, which are not subject to 5/24, that could be used for hotels in Japan. And you can get some great redemption value from Amex’s Membership Rewards points on ANA flights to Japan.

As for Japan, that’s a whole ‘nother post. Isn’t @calypso726 planning a stopover in Japan soonish?

Ok. You officially ROCK!! Seriously, copying and saving this entire post to my desktop so I have my plan in place. Thank you SO, SO MUCH! This was exactly what I needed! Going to get started on this plan! We should definitely be in the clear with Chase for a while. I'm 3/24 and DH is 1/24, so we've got a ways to go!!

Also, received my expedited Marriott business card today! Broke it in with a $5 Amazon purchase for a cat litter scooper. Where the heck do those things run off to anyways...

 

[WardFam]

I am 2/24 do you think I would have a problem applying for a personal and business Marriott card? Which one do I apply for first? Both at the same time? We have a big purchase coming up that I can spread across a few cards. And can I have DH apply for both also? Will applying for 4 cards in one household on the same day be bad?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

You guys are all so welcoming! Thank you so much. I wish I had found this thread much earlier. My fiance is willing to also open cards.

We were trying to get the companion pass from Southwest, so we each opened a Southwest credit card to get the 60k rewards bonus they offered. Unfortunately, we had gotten some bad advice and didn't realize that the points had to be on the same account, so we ended up not being able to get the companion pass after all. It was a bummer, but it's our own fault for not reading closer and figure out a better plan. We used the points we got that from to pay for our honeymoon flights so it worked out OK in the end anyway. If there was a way to still get the companion pass, that'd be AWESOME but I think the ship sailed on that one.

In the past 24 months, I opened
- Citibank DoubleCash card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card

In the past 24 months, my fiance opened

- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card

Fiance actually only has the rapid rewards credit card, but has a long credit history through student loan payments.

We don't have any specific bonuses in mind, but we'd love stuff we can use for travel - airline miles, hotel points, etc. We can split the payments we have to make across multiple cards and make as many payments as we want. The only payment we've made so far was a 4k deposit.

As long as this thread is no judgement, the wedding itself will be 4 X 10k... and like I said, we're not going into any debt or taking out any loans, we are able to pay down any cards we open in full as we make the payments.

When did the 60k Southwest RR points post to your account? In 2017 or 2018? That will determine your Companion Pass status/eligibility.

@wendow already hit on this question - but I'll reiterate - Do either/both of you have a hobby or side job that would qualify you for a small business card?

One of the things we likely will focus on with you initially is CHASE cards and bonuses. Chase has a rule (that we call 5/24) which is that you can only get approved for certain cards from them IF you've opened LESS than 5 new cards in the past 24 months. We'll keep the discussion and advice rolling as we learn more about your situation.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I am 2/24 do you think I would have a problem applying for a personal and business Marriott card? Which one do I apply for first? Both at the same time? We have a big purchase coming up that I can spread across a few cards. And can I have DH apply for both also? Will applying for 4 cards in one household on the same day be bad?

May i ask why you are focusing on Marriott cards and not UR (ultimate rewards) earning cards like CIP, CSR, CSP? What cards have you been approved for in the past 24 months?

 

[miztressuz]

I already have 3 metal cards (CSR, Plat, now Marriott Biz)!

On the theme of metal cards, oddly enough the Amazon Prime card is metal too. So hubby has at least 2 metal cards, the Marriott personal and Amazon Prime. Started giving me an inferiority complex as I'm the one with the higher credit limits and had a better credit score (we're about even now on that one), but here he is with all the... prestige... on a Marriott and Amazon card

 

[amalone1013]

Would anyone be able to help me figure out which credit card(s) to get? We're having our wedding in WDW this summer. We have the money to pay for the wedding in full. However, Disney will let us use credit cards so I thought maybe we could get some good credit card bonuses since it's going to be such a large amount. I'm a little embarrassed to say exactly how much, but it's way higher than 10k.

Does anyone know which cards have really good bonuses right now? I got a southwest card from chase already this year, but that's the only card I've opened this year.

You guys are all so welcoming! Thank you so much. I wish I had found this thread much earlier. My fiance is willing to also open cards.

We were trying to get the companion pass from Southwest, so we each opened a Southwest credit card to get the 60k rewards bonus they offered. Unfortunately, we had gotten some bad advice and didn't realize that the points had to be on the same account, so we ended up not being able to get the companion pass after all. It was a bummer, but it's our own fault for not reading closer and figure out a better plan. We used the points we got that from to pay for our honeymoon flights so it worked out OK in the end anyway. If there was a way to still get the companion pass, that'd be AWESOME but I think the ship sailed on that one.

In the past 24 months, I opened
- Citibank DoubleCash card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card

In the past 24 months, my fiance opened

- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card

Fiance actually only has the rapid rewards credit card, but has a long credit history through student loan payments.

We don't have any specific bonuses in mind, but we'd love stuff we can use for travel - airline miles, hotel points, etc. We can split the payments we have to make across multiple cards and make as many payments as we want. The only payment we've made so far was a 4k deposit.

As long as this thread is no judgement, the wedding itself will be 4 X 10k... and like I said, we're not going into any debt or taking out any loans, we are able to pay down any cards we open in full as we make the payments.

Hello! We were just married in the Disney area in September We spent about $15k for 20 people, doing a non-DFTW... couldn't quite swing Disney prices, so it was Disney area/Disney Springs/Epcot Dessert Party. There are people of all budgets here and they are all super helpful! Are you DFTW? The board section here is helpful, and there is also a helpful FB group if you haven't come across it yet.

We got started in this hobby because like you, we had the cash saved up for the wedding already... so I started looking at ways to cut back on our honeymoon costs, and we put it all on cards (and still are putting other expenses on them now ). We ended up with free flights plus SW CP, 7 nights free at the Dolphin hotel (and we also earned 7 nights for DH's parents), used $800 in rewards towards our DVC rental, 1 free night in Cocoa Beach, and lots of discounted Disney gift cards for spending money. It was a two and a half week trip where we had the wedding, did Universal, 10 days at WDW, a 3 night cruise, and Kennedy Space Center. And after that, we still had tons of points left in different programs, and we're continuing to earn and use

First, I would say that if you still want a Companion Pass, you could get one that is good through the end of 2019, and if your flights currently are booked with points, you can get them back on one of the tickets. Since you both got the 60k points offer, if your points posted in 2018, you just need a 50k offer to get to the 110k points for CP. Your 110k points all must be earned in the same year. One of you can open the Premier card (the $99 annual fee one) which has a 50k offer right now, and once you hit spend and points post, they will have the CP. They can designate the other person as their CP, and then that person can cancel their current ticket - points will go back into the RR account and the $5.60 fee can be refunded to your credit card. SW points are good for 24 months, so as long as you keep an eye on the expiration, you could save that person's 60k points for whenever. Hopefully that all has made sense. I earned our CP, I opened one card in May and when those points posted, I booked our tickets just to be safe. When the second card points posted and I earned CP, I easily cancelled DH's ticket and added him as my companion.

Another thing for SW, you could also open a business card. Lots of people here will have advice on getting them for you. It can be very easy - I have sold about $50 of stuff on eBay and that is what I use as my 'business'. This would work well if your points from your SW plus cards posted in 2017... for 2018 you could get a SW Premiere with 50k points and a business card with 60k points, and you would be well over 110k points after spend. But you would have to decide if it is worth it to use two spots on SW cards with Plus and Premiere, as some card issuers limit you to 5 new cards in the last 24 months.

Definitely do some blog reading as others have suggested. Come here with questions, we're nice! We can help you get started off on the right foot. Different issuers have different rules about applications, date ranges, etc. Chase is strict about how many new cards you can get. Business cards do not usually show up on your credit report, so that is why people like them (I got a SW Business card for that reason). I think Chase's Ultimate Rewards points are easiest to understand, so I have not gotten into the world of AMEX Membership Reward points, but others here have lots of knowledge too. If you have some dream travel goals, people here can help you strategize so you could end up with a free dream trip (or a few) after your wedding Or if you have nothing specific in mind, you can pick up extra points and decide after - that is what I did... we earned extra points and have now used them to do a long weekend at WDW for Christmas stuff last December, we took a 5 day trip down there 2 weeks ago (we got APs from Jan 17 to Feb 18), are using points to cut costs for my BIL's wedding in SoCal and making a trip to Disneyland out of it, doing a weekend in Vegas, and my newest thing is I'm trying to move a Europe trip idea up to the end of this year...

I'd stress asking questions here first before applying for your next cards though, as there's a lot of experience here and people can help you from making a silly mistake - such as applying for the Disney Visa too early..

 

[jujubiee4]

Can someone please please help a fellow Dismember out who is experienced with booking flights??

I'm looking at this flight to Rome from LAX nonstop this summer. I don't want to transfer any miles.
I see the amex offer for 120 off a Delta flight 600 or more. I run a search through Kayak and the only
NON STOP flights say Air France...Klm...Alitalia..and Delta. So i go to delta site and it says OPERATED
by ALITALIA. The other sites all say the same. So Basically it is a codeshare. The delta price
is around 700. If i go to Alitalia the same flight same time is 200 LESS. The other lines is 200
less also for the same flight. So why would anyone book DELTA? Am i missing something?

My husband says it is because you get Delta miles when booking and those are easier use than
the other ones you probably wont ever use again?

Again all the airlines for that date and time say operated by Alitalia (whom I have never heard of)

* Forgive me I hope what i'm asking makes sense

 

[jujubiee4]

Hello! We were just married in the Disney area in September We spent about $15k for 20 people, doing a non-DFTW... couldn't quite swing Disney prices, so it was Disney area/Disney Springs/Epcot Dessert Party. There are people of all budgets here and they are all super helpful! Are you DFTW? The board section here is helpful, and there is also a helpful FB group if you haven't come across it yet.

We got started in this hobby because like you, we had the cash saved up for the wedding already... so I started looking at ways to cut back on our honeymoon costs, and we put it all on cards (and still are putting other expenses on them now ). We ended up with free flights plus SW CP, 7 nights free at the Dolphin hotel (and we also earned 7 nights for DH's parents), used $800 in rewards towards our DVC rental, 1 free night in Cocoa Beach, and lots of discounted Disney gift cards for spending money. It was a two and a half week trip where we had the wedding, did Universal, 10 days at WDW, a 3 night cruise, and Kennedy Space Center. And after that, we still had tons of points left in different programs, and we're continuing to earn and use

First, I would say that if you still want a Companion Pass, you could get one that is good through the end of 2019, and if your flights currently are booked with points, you can get them back on one of the tickets. Since you both got the 60k points offer, if your points posted in 2018, you just need a 50k offer to get to the 110k points for CP. Your 110k points all must be earned in the same year. One of you can open the Premier card (the $99 annual fee one) which has a 50k offer right now, and once you hit spend and points post, they will have the CP. They can designate the other person as their CP, and then that person can cancel their current ticket - points will go back into the RR account and the $5.60 fee can be refunded to your credit card. SW points are good for 24 months, so as long as you keep an eye on the expiration, you could save that person's 60k points for whenever. Hopefully that all has made sense. I earned our CP, I opened one card in May and when those points posted, I booked our tickets just to be safe. When the second card points posted and I earned CP, I easily cancelled DH's ticket and added him as my companion.

Another thing for SW, you could also open a business card. Lots of people here will have advice on getting them for you. It can be very easy - I have sold about $50 of stuff on eBay and that is what I use as my 'business'.

Definitely do some blog reading as others have suggested. Come here with questions, we're nice! We can help you get started off on the right foot. Different issuers have different rules about applications, date ranges, etc. Chase is strict about how many new cards you can get. Business cards do not usually show up on your credit report, so that is why people like them (I got a SW Business card for that reason). I think Chase's Ultimate Rewards points are easiest to understand, so I have not gotten into the world of AMEX Membership Reward points, but others here have lots of knowledge too. If you have some dream travel goals, people here can help you strategize so you could end up with a free dream trip (or a few) after your wedding Or if you have nothing specific in mind, you can pick up extra points and decide after - that is what I did... we earned extra points and have now used them to do a long weekend at WDW for Christmas stuff last December, we took a 5 day trip down there 2 weeks ago (we got APs from Jan 17 to Feb 18), are using points to cut costs for my BIL's wedding in SoCal and making a trip to Disneyland out of it, doing a weekend in Vegas, and my newest thing is I'm trying to move a Europe trip idea up to the end of this year...

I'd stress asking questions here first before applying for your next cards though, as there's a lot of experience here and people can help you from making a silly mistake - such as applying for the Disney Visa too early..

 

[jujubiee4]

edit

 

[jujubiee4]

Hello! We were just married in the Disney area in September We spent about $15k for 20 people, doing a non-DFTW... couldn't quite swing Disney prices, so it was Disney area/Disney Springs/Epcot Dessert Party. There are people of all budgets here and they are all super helpful! Are you DFTW? The board section here is helpful, and there is also a helpful FB group if you haven't come across it yet.

We got started in this hobby because like you, we had the cash saved up for the wedding already... so I started looking at ways to cut back on our honeymoon costs, and we put it all on cards (and still are putting other expenses on them now ). We ended up with free flights plus SW CP, 7 nights free at the Dolphin hotel (and we also earned 7 nights for DH's parents), used $800 in rewards towards our DVC rental, 1 free night in Cocoa Beach, and lots of discounted Disney gift cards for spending money. It was a two and a half week trip where we had the wedding, did Universal, 10 days at WDW, a 3 night cruise, and Kennedy Space Center. And after that, we still had tons of points left in different programs, and we're continuing to earn and use

First, I would say that if you still want a Companion Pass, you could get one that is good through the end of 2019, and if your flights currently are booked with points, you can get them back on one of the tickets. Since you both got the 60k points offer, if your points posted in 2018, you just need a 50k offer to get to the 110k points for CP. Your 110k points all must be earned in the same year. One of you can open the Premier card (the $99 annual fee one) which has a 50k offer right now, and once you hit spend and points post, they will have the CP. They can designate the other person as their CP, and then that person can cancel their current ticket - points will go back into the RR account and the $5.60 fee can be refunded to your credit card. SW points are good for 24 months, so as long as you keep an eye on the expiration, you could save that person's 60k points for whenever. Hopefully that all has made sense. I earned our CP, I opened one card in May and when those points posted, I booked our tickets just to be safe. When the second card points posted and I earned CP, I easily cancelled DH's ticket and added him as my companion.

Another thing for SW, you could also open a business card. Lots of people here will have advice on getting them for you. It can be very easy - I have sold about $50 of stuff on eBay and that is what I use as my 'business'. This would work well if your points from your SW plus cards posted in 2017... for 2018 you could get a SW Premiere with 50k points and a business card with 60k points, and you would be well over 110k points after spend. But you would have to decide if it is worth it to use two spots, as some card issuers limit you to 5 new cards in the last 24 months.

Definitely do some blog reading as others have suggested. Come here with questions, we're nice! We can help you get started off on the right foot. Different issuers have different rules about applications, date ranges, etc. Chase is strict about how many new cards you can get. Business cards do not usually show up on your credit report, so that is why people like them (I got a SW Business card for that reason). I think Chase's Ultimate Rewards points are easiest to understand, so I have not gotten into the world of AMEX Membership Reward points, but others here have lots of knowledge too. If you have some dream travel goals, people here can help you strategize so you could end up with a free dream trip (or a few) after your wedding Or if you have nothing specific in mind, you can pick up extra points and decide after - that is what I did... we earned extra points and have now used them to do a long weekend at WDW for Christmas stuff last December, we took a 5 day trip down there 2 weeks ago (we got APs from Jan 17 to Feb 18), are using points to cut costs for my BIL's wedding in SoCal and making a trip to Disneyland out of it, doing a weekend in Vegas, and my newest thing is I'm trying to move a Europe trip idea up to the end of this year...

I'd stress asking questions here first before applying for your next cards though, as there's a lot of experience here and people can help you from making a silly mistake - such as applying for the Disney Visa too early..

Congratulations on your new marriage! May you two be very happy

 

[Lain]

On the theme of metal cards, oddly enough the Amazon Prime card is metal too. So hubby has at least 2 metal cards, the Marriott personal and Amazon Prime. Started giving me an inferiority complex as I'm the one with the higher credit limits and had a better credit score (we're about even now on that one), but here he is with all the... prestige... on a Marriott and Amazon card

It's all fun and "look at me and my fancy metal cards," until those metal cards don't read when swiped and the cashier is tearing up scrap paper to wrap around the fancy card to give it some thickness/grip (?). Never had that problem with plastic cards.

 

[WardFam]

May i ask why you are focusing on Marriott cards and not UR (ultimate rewards) earning cards like CIP, CSR, CSP? What cards have you been approved for in the past 24 months?

My two cards are csr and cip so I figure I'm out of luck for awhile on those! I am going to downgrade my csr to a freedom card and use my DH csr.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

My two cards are csr and cip so I figure I'm out of luck for awhile on those! I am going to downgrade my csr to a freedom card and use my DH csr.

Well that's a perfect response then lol

You can potentially apply for both marriott personal and Biz same day. Apply for the Biz card first and make sure it gets approved. If it goes pending it might make sense to wait out for an approval a few days before applying for the personal card.

 

[Lain]

I am 2/24 do you think I would have a problem applying for a personal and business Marriott card? Which one do I apply for first? Both at the same time? We have a big purchase coming up that I can spread across a few cards. And can I have DH apply for both also? Will applying for 4 cards in one household on the same day be bad?

You may want to get more feedback from the thread before applying.

But to part of your question:

Conventional wisdom says double dipping a business card and a personal card on the same day does not combine hard pulls; Chase will pull credit reports twice for the business line and the personal line of credit. So there's not really any advantage to applying for the Marriott business and personal cards on the same day other than it'll get you two cards in hand at or about the same time.

You can apply for the Marriott business and personal card on the same day if you can manage the combined minimum spending requirements, or space out the applications, but you should apply for the Marriott business card first, especially if you plan on applying for two Marriott cards on the same day or within 30 days.

Apply for the Marriott business card first because Chase has an informal 0/30 rule that denies approval for a business card if you've had any other credit card applications with Chase in the past 30 days. If you apply for the Marriott personal card first, that would count as 1/30 and push your business application out another 30 days. Make sure the business card is approved before you go for the personal card. If you aren't auto-approved and perhaps got the we'll let you know in 30 days message, call the automated status line at 1-800-432-3117 after an hour to check the status of your application. If you still aren't approved, you could either wait it out to see if you'll be approved within the next few days, putting your Marriott personal application on hold until then; or call recon at 1-888-270-2127 to get the Marriott business card approved. If you call recon on a business card application, be sure you're comfortable about the possibility of talking about your business.

Start applying early during regular business hours of a non-holiday weekday in case you need to call Chase reconsideration or verification departments. For Chase business cards, it's typical to get a "we'll let you know our decision in 30 days" response to your application.

After the Marriott business card is approved, then go for the Marriott personal card. If you are applying for a second card on the same day, use a different internet browser or an incognito window for the second application, otherwise Chase may combine the apps thinking they're accidental duplicates. If it isn't auto-approved, call the automated status line after an hour. If you still aren't approved, you can keep checking the automated status line and wait it out, or call recon to get it approved. Chase has an informal 2/30 rule that limits you to only two applications every 30 days or else you’ll be rejected automatically.

 

[afan]

ETA: Tickets purchased from Disney will not code as travel unless you buy them at your resort and charge them to the room. Then they will be lumped into your resort bill.

Thank you for this! I thought it would code as travel and I wanted to use a cc because it's easier. Off to combine enough gift cards to buy an ap.

 

[tink1970]

Can someone please please help a fellow Dismember out who is experienced with booking flights??

I'm looking at this flight to Rome from LAX nonstop this summer. I don't want to transfer any miles.
I see the amex offer for 120 off a Delta flight 600 or more. I run a search through Kayak and the only
NON STOP flights say Air France...Klm...Alitalia..and Delta. So i go to delta site and it says OPERATED
by ALITALIA. The other sites all say the same. So Basically it is a codeshare. The delta price
is around 700. If i go to Alitalia the same flight same time is 200 LESS. The other lines is 200
less also for the same flight. So why would anyone book DELTA? Am i missing something?

My husband says it is because you get Delta miles when booking and those are easier use than
the other ones you probably wont ever use again?

Again all the airlines for that date and time say operated by Alitalia (whom I have never heard of)

* Forgive me I hope what i'm asking makes sense

Not sure why Delta is $200 more, especially if they are the same flight. Alitalia is a partner airline (based in Italy). We've flown it from Amsterdam to Rome, fairly unremarkable flight and service.

AFAIK, you'll still get miles and MQMs if you fly a code share... Delta changed the amounts last year but we were in economy plus flying KLM over New Year's and earned the same mqms/mqds/miles as we would have on Delta (it was for delta medallion platinum so I was watching closely!). I don't know if regular economy or the new basic economy (beware- no checked bags with basic economy) are 1:1. There's a chart on Delta's website with codeshare earning percentages.

Hope you enjoy Rome