I love credit cards so much!

[wendow]

Lain - great explanations, thank you so much! I’ll have DH open the CIP right away so we can use it for that tax bill...I can pay it directly w/ a cc and incur a 2.5% fee (no plastiq)...would that still code as 3% w/ CIP?
Yes, I will definitely use the member links. You’ve all been awesome!

No, as @Lain posted, you will need to go through plastiq to earn the 3% on the CIP card. If you just go straight through your county's website,you'll incur whatever their fees are for paying with a CC but you won't earn the 3%.

ETA: CIP is a very good card for you to start with. Lots of UR points for so little effort. Good luck!!

 

[Sun_soakin]

Are you talking about paying the county website directly? I'm pretty sure that won't earn you 3x UR even with CIP.

There's something particular about the way Plastiq codes on the CIP that earns all Plastiq transactions 3x UR. (Fair warning that merchant codes can and do change occasionally, so Plastiq may not earn 3x UR on the CIP forever; but all the latest data points are that Plastiq transactions made on the CIP are still earning 3x UR.) You'll have to pay your property tax bill through Plastiq with the CIP selected as method of payment to earn 3x UR.

If you need any help figuring out the CIP application or how to set up and send payment through Plastiq, don't hesitate to post and ask. We're here for you!

Last question tonight...where do I find the DIS churners thing? I swear I’d seen something before....I must be tired...

 

[wendow]

Last question tonight...where do I find the DIS churners thing? I swear I’d seen something before....I must be tired...

It's a private reddit group. You need to create a reddit account, if you don't already have one. Then send a pm to @SouthFayetteFan or @Albort and one of them can grant you access.

 

[Lain]

@Sun_soakin, a little more on timing.

Whenever you're ready to apply for DH's CIP, note that very often Chase does not approve business credit cards right away and will give you a “we’ll let you know in 30 days message.” This is typical. Over the next few days, just call the automated status line at 1-800-432-3117, follow the prompts with #, 3, 1, SSN, periodically to check the progress of DH's application. When DH gets approved, you can have DH call CIP's customer service line at 1-800-945-2028 to request the card expedited to you.

Plastiq is based in San Francisco, so if you're paying a Bay Area county tax bill, it's very likely Plastiq will already have the tax collector's information in it's "Recipient" database. This is important because Plastiq has a tendency of treating a first payment to a new Recipient as a "cash advance" on Visa cards. You won't have this problem if the Recipient is already in Plastiq's database. Alternatively, you can get around this problem by sending a small payment to a new Recipient using an Amex or MasterCard, which don't have the cash advance problem, to establish a "relationship;" then use your CIP Visa for the bulk of the balance.

Plastiq sends payments by check, which can take 8-10 business days, or electronic payment to select Recipients, which can take 3-5 days. You'll want to give yourself enough time before the due date to schedule any payment. Plastiq has a calendar function that lets you pick when you need a payment to arrive. You should always give yourself a few extra days just in case, even though Plastiq has a delivery guarantee that will pay any late fees for missed delivery.

 

[Lain]

Thank you!!! It’s crazy how many tricks there are! I’ll open CSR/CSP for me and CIP for DH and then wait a month and do the opposite. That should be a lot of UR to get me started!

Yes,

DH's CIP = 80k UR signup bonus, $5k MSR = at least 5k UR
DH refers you to CIP = 20k UR bonus
Your CIP = 80k UR signup bonus, $5k MSR = at least 5k UR

= 190k UR+

Your CSR = 50k UR signup bonus, $4k MSR = at least 4k UR
Your CSP = 60k UR signup bonus, $4k MSR = at least 4k UR

You refer DH to CSR = 10k UR bonus
You refer DH to CSP = 10k UR bonus

DH's CSR = 50k UR signup bonus, $4k MSR = at least 4k UR
DH's CSR = 60k UR signup bonus, $4k MSR = at least 4k UR

= 256k UR+

ETA: Do you have any kids? Never too young to start building credit. If you add one of them as an authorized user to the CSP within 90 days of opening the card, you can get another 5k UR bonus. (Be sure not to add a spouse who plans to get their own card and other Chase cards in the future, because Chase automatically counts authorized user accounts against their 5/24 count.)

That's at least 446,000 UR, worth $4,460 in cash, or $6,690 towards travel redeemed on the CSR through Chase's Ultimate Rewards travel portal or agents.

It's a lot to think about. Good luck!

 

[jhoannam]

I was approved for the CIP!! What’s the number to have the # to have it overnighted? I used DH’s referral, 100k UR for our Hawaii trip!

 

[calypso726]

I’ve never done plastiq before, but I understand it to be a vehicle that allows you to pay other bills, like your mortgage w/ a cc. And it’s worth the fee incurred?? I need to figure out cash value of the points to better understand these concepts. Like the $6k property tax installment I have to make next month, I think they offer an option to pay w/ your cc but you incur the fee...what % fee would you accept to get points on CIP?
So it seems I need to do CSR and CSP on the same day. Can DH do them same day too? When do we do CIP? How far apart should these be spaced?

I see that some of our regulars provided excellent explanations so I’m moving on to the following...

So much great help here!!! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain things.
I’ll find the DIS churners and get on that for the links. I’ll start with the CSP and CSR for both me and DH. I’ll have to look at CIP further...not sure it would make sense to even try getting my mortgage through since it’s with Chase and that seems pretty obvious. Maybe I’ll want the freedom unlimited at some point. I don’t think the regular freedom would be worth the trouble since we don’t spend a whole lot on gas (and the 4% we get back using our Costco card is pretty good) and I hardly buy any groceries outside of Costco.

Do not underestimate the value of the Freedom quarterly bonuses even if you think you don’t spend much in those categories. Successful travel hacking and maximizing points earning often involves a little creativity and thinking outside the box.

DH and I do not have kids and therefore do not spend much on groceries compared to a family of 4. I do no grocery shopping at all. Ever. DH works exactly 2 miles away from home and doesn’t spend much in gas. I use a company work vehicle and have to use the company’s fleet gas card so I don’t spend much in gas either. I am still able to max out the quarterly Freedom category bonuses. DH has 2 Freedom cards and maxes those out every quarter. Between our 3 Freedom cards we are getting 22,500 UR points every quarter between us. That’s 90,000 UR points per year. It’s not a bad haul for a no fee card. Now to the how we do it. Let’s Grocery stores are the quarterly bonus category. Well, grocery stores sell 3rd party merchant gift cards. I will go to the grocery store and pick up gift cards to use on my spending. Usually it is Disney gift cards. Between annual DVC dues, annual passes, a Disney cruise or 2 each year and an Adventures by Disney trip each year, DH and I spend a lot on Disney. Purchasing Disney gift cards at 5x allows me to earn 5x on most of our vacation budget.

 

[miztressuz]

Been super-dee-duper busy lately! Had my fav painter back today. He still doesn't take CC's but his price is so reasonable and I only had him paint my 2-story foyer so I just sucked it up (unlike last time when I about fainted that he didn't take cc's after his website said he did and he painted my whole house and the cost was $3500...but really, I'm over it...).

Gotta decide on my next card. It's keeping me up at night. I think they call this an addiction, and I need some kind of intervention lol. I'm so torn. I want the spg biz. I'm just scared of the 7k spend. If I can use plastiq to pay my mortgage, it's doable. Without that, no way. Would you guys risk the RATs and also would you risk plastiq starting to deny letting me pay my mortgage with the nifty work-around we've been doing?

Speaking of plastiq, did you gals who were having trouble get anywhere with yours...I think @disneymagicgirl and @pillow is who I am thinking of...?

That's too weird, there was another poster before that had a painter not take a CC even though they advertised it... wait... @wendow is that you in there? Hehe, a picture really does throw you off, didn't realize how much I got used to identifying folks in the periphery by the pictures while reading the posts. For me, I figure eventually I'll be the only one on the boards with a question mark so then that'll be my picture

probably to discipline those Virgin pilots for using the wrong call signs /s

That's too funny, I think they did really well considering how many time a day they use their call sign. If only they could have hyphenated it as a transition they'd be all set!

 

[miztressuz]

So much great help here!!! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain things.
I’ll find the DIS churners and get on that for the links. I’ll start with the CSP and CSR for both me and DH. I’ll have to look at CIP further...not sure it would make sense to even try getting my mortgage through since it’s with Chase and that seems pretty obvious. Maybe I’ll want the freedom unlimited at some point. I don’t think the regular freedom would be worth the trouble since we don’t spend a whole lot on gas (and the 4% we get back using our Costco card is pretty good) and I hardly buy any groceries outside of Costco.

The Freedom card probably isn't worthwhile for you to apply for, but since it's a no fee card definitely worthwhile to downgrade to. The 5% categories rotate quarterly and I'm sure there's something you'd find a quarter to use. There's always a quarter each year for restaurants. Sometimes movie theaters, amusements, Amazon pops up a lot, lately wholesale/warehouse clubs have come up, this quarter it's anything mobile payment (Apply Pay, Android/Google Pay, Chase Pay) that means everywhere that you can tap is 5%! Even if you're not maxing out the category each quarter, anything that gets 5 UR adds up quickly. It's my only UR card (so far!) and I routinely get around 20,000 UR a year even without maxing out the category each quarter.

 

[Lain]

I was approved for the CIP!! What’s the number to have the # to have it overnighted? I used DH’s referral, 100k UR for our Hawaii trip!

Congratulations!!!

If you haven’t found the answer already, you can call CIP's customer service line at 1-800-945-2028 to request the card expedited to you.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Been super-dee-duper busy lately! Had my fav painter back today. He still doesn't take CC's but his price is so reasonable and I only had him paint my 2-story foyer so I just sucked it up (unlike last time when I about fainted that he didn't take cc's after his website said he did and he painted my whole house and the cost was $3500...but really, I'm over it...).

Gotta decide on my next card. It's keeping me up at night. I think they call this an addiction, and I need some kind of intervention lol. I'm so torn. I want the spg biz. I'm just scared of the 7k spend. If I can use plastiq to pay my mortgage, it's doable. Without that, no way. Would you guys risk the RATs and also would you risk plastiq starting to deny letting me pay my mortgage with the nifty work-around we've been doing?

Speaking of plastiq, did you gals who were having trouble get anywhere with yours...I think @disneymagicgirl and @pillow is who I am thinking of...?

Plastiq update for me...

My 2nd test payment I sent on MC got the same flag. Grrr. I emailed and was a tad snappy b/c I was in a mood. Basically said... what’s the deal...u are asking for an invoice which I don’t have to answer all the same questions that I already inputted when I added the biller. (I get an invoice monthly but throw it away immediately so I wasn’t lying. Ha.) Anyway, after her replying and me replying again I got an email that my payment was sent. So there ya go. Lol. I checked my citi account to see how it coded since I put it on that MC. It says utilities/?/?/?. Nothing about mortgage. I did tell the gal it is a house payment in the email. So next up I try to send april’s Mortgage on the CIP. I’m not attempting to hit my SPG biz msr with that mortgage. That is too risky for me.

 

[MrPTato]

I've always preemptively reduced the credit lines just because I want to avoid having to call in at all costs.It's worked so far, but then we haven't applied for a ton of Chase cards (Between the two of us, we've only had two Southwests, a Freedom, a Disney and 2 IHGs in the last few years. Denied for a Marriott, but that was because of 5/24.)

How far in advance would you call to reduce before applying for a new card?

 

[Lain]

Plastiq update for me...

My 2nd test payment I sent on MC got the same flag. Grrr. I emailed and was a tad snappy b/c I was in a mood. Basically said... what’s the deal...u are asking for an invoice which I don’t have to answer all the same questions that I already inputted when I added the biller. (I get an invoice monthly but throw it away immediately so I wasn’t lying. Ha.) Anyway, after her replying and me replying again I got an email that my payment was sent. So there ya go. Lol. I checked my citi account to see how it coded since I put it on that MC. It says utilities/?/?/?. Nothing about mortgage. I did tell the gal it is a house payment in the email. So next up I try to send april’s Mortgage on the CIP. I’m not attempting to hit my SPG biz msr with that mortgage. That is too risky for me.

Wow! You go @disneymagicgirl! This has got to be the best data point about getting around Plastiq that I've read in a long time!

 

[jhoannam]

Congratulations!!!

If you haven’t found the answer already, you can call CIP's customer service line at 1-800-945-2028 to request the card expedited to you.

Thanks Lain, the card should be shipped today! We are going to Texas de Brazil with my cousins this weekend, I’m in charge of going to Costco and buy $300 in GCs, I love having other people help us meet MSR.

 

[miztressuz]

I'm assuming I got targeted for the AA promo because I haven't earned miles on AA since it was US Air... and it's another program I lost track of time and lost all my miles (really sad about that one as some of those I actually paid for many year ago ) Got an email last night to register for:

"free American Airlines AAdvantage® Platinum status through July 8, 2018. You'll experience all the benefits of Platinum status. Plus, we'll give you twenty 500-mile upgrades just for registering "

I registered, of course, because you never know when you might actually use something but realistically probably won't get to use it. But thought I'd throw it out there to keep an eye on your emails might get something if you're not using them a lot.

 

[WardFam]

Calling to PC my CSR today and I can't decide between the two Freedom cards!

 

[GlamMistress]

I see that some of our regulars provided excellent explanations so I’m moving on to the following...



Do not underestimate the value of the Freedom quarterly bonuses even if you think you don’t spend much in those categories. Successful travel hacking and maximizing points earning often involves a little creativity and thinking outside the box.

DH and I do not have kids and therefore do not spend much on groceries compared to a family of 4. I do no grocery shopping at all. Ever. DH works exactly 2 miles away from home and doesn’t spend much in gas. I use a company work vehicle and have to use the company’s fleet gas card so I don’t spend much in gas either. I am still able to max out the quarterly Freedom category bonuses. DH has 2 Freedom cards and maxes those out every quarter. Between our 3 Freedom cards we are getting 22,500 UR points every quarter between us. That’s 90,000 UR points per year. It’s not a bad haul for a no fee card. Now to the how we do it. Let’s Grocery stores are the quarterly bonus category. Well, grocery stores sell 3rd party merchant gift cards. I will go to the grocery store and pick up gift cards to use on my spending. Usually it is Disney gift cards. Between annual DVC dues, annual passes, a Disney cruise or 2 each year and an Adventures by Disney trip each year, DH and I spend a lot on Disney. Purchasing Disney gift cards at 5x allows me to earn 5x on most of our vacation budget.

I'm also childfree. I drive a pure electric, DH drives a Volt so we hardly buy any gas. I am more curious how you never buy groceries, ever. How do you get milk and cereal in your home? I don't buy many groceries either comparatively but we still definitely eat food. Sorry to threadjack, but your comment fascinated me. [I used my Amex PRG for gas/grocery spend].

 

[wendow]

Plastiq update for me...

My 2nd test payment I sent on MC got the same flag. Grrr. I emailed and was a tad snappy b/c I was in a mood. Basically said... what’s the deal...u are asking for an invoice which I don’t have to answer all the same questions that I already inputted when I added the biller. (I get an invoice monthly but throw it away immediately so I wasn’t lying. Ha.) Anyway, after her replying and me replying again I got an email that my payment was sent. So there ya go. Lol. I checked my citi account to see how it coded since I put it on that MC. It says utilities/?/?/?. Nothing about mortgage. I did tell the gal it is a house payment in the email. So next up I try to send april’s Mortgage on the CIP. I’m not attempting to hit my SPG biz msr with that mortgage. That is too risky for me.

Awesome! You get em'!

When I used my Arrival+ MC to pay my mortgage last year, it coded:
UTILITIES - GAS, WATER, SANITARY, ELECTRIC
That may be norm with MC?? Hope it goes smoother this time paying with your CIP.

 

[amalone1013]

@Lain @SouthFayetteFan
No CIP here, sounds crazy right? DH just dropped to 4/24 in January or maybe December, and since I was still neck deep in SPG biz spend I didn't bother looking into his next card until now.

I remember when I got my SPG biz it wouldn't let me use it to pay Toyota. I never tried doctoring the recipient name, think that would be risky with AMEX? I'm a worrier. My Marriott Visa went through just fine.

I'm thinking that "worst case" scenario would be putting it all through CIP... do you mind checking my math? $15k total is $375 in fees, but would earn 45k points plus the 80k sign up points = 125k UR points, worth $1875 when transferred to one of our CSRs. Did I miss anything?

I could even sit on the last $5k of it until I'd be eligible for a CIP... DH refers me (20k) plus I get bonus points, we'd be at 225k or $3375... It's a 0% loan so no extra costs with that.

Just be aware that auto payments through Plastiq with Amex are hit or miss.

And you and DH don’t have a CIP?! Have DH apply for the CIP! 80k UR for $5k MSR. Put at least some of your auto payment on the CIP using Plastiq to hit the MSR, earn that big signup bonus. The payment amount and transaction fee should earn 3x UR, which more than negates the 2.5% fee. After that, it’s up to you whether you want to use the balance of your car loan to hit MSRs on other cards for bonuses, or pay the rest using CIP for 3x UR.

A quick tip - I'd pick a currency and express your Marriott and SPG points combined as one or the other, lol. I usually go the Marriott route because it makes me feel more awesome!

Shhh, that would make it too easy haha! I was just going down my award wallet account and didn't even think of it

If you're talking about spending $15k...then you're looking for big MSRs probably...have you considered entering the world of AMEX Membership Rewards (MRs)? You could (each) look to get the Business Gold Rewards & Blue Business Plus cards (or go real big with a Business Platinum). None of these cards will affect you or your husband's 5/24 status. I know that not many of us here are well versed in MRs (I claim to be the king of the Schwab Cashout)...I'd imagine @calypso726 has some understanding of the travel partners based on her area of expertise. On the personal card front, you could look to get Arrival Plus and/or BofA Premium Rewards cards if you aren't worried about your 5/24 status anymore...but you'll be back to 4/24 in 6 months sooooo that's a tough call.

EDIT: I also like @Lain's suggestion of getting a CIP for your husband!

I've been leaning towards getting under 5/24 got a CIP for myself, plus maybe a cobranded card that falls under it. Biz cards are tempting for that I've thought about MRs, need to do some reading. I was going to awhile back, and then the SPG biz bonus went up. I'd like to get one Freedom between the two of us for the rotating categories, so I might downgrade my CSR after I get GE. I used @wendow's trick to get a second one in DH's name for myself. He won't use a card in my name, he's a bigger worrier than I am.

Southwest RR won’t help you get to Europe, so depending where you live I would consider either a United card or Delta. I am not familiar with United, but I know our flight to Maui was on one of the big jets that had just returned from Amsterdam and in it economy was bearable because it was 2 seats, 3 in middle, other 2 on side. There are a lot of Delta non stops to Europe too. You could get both Delta business cards right now with the added bonus and that wouldn’t impact your status with Chase and add 150,000 skymiles.

If you needed more skymiles you could always convert some of the SPG (easy to do and gives you a 5,000 bonus for every 20k).

I have not delved into Membership Rewards so I can’t speak to that (something to look forward to I guess). I have read though that if you convert those to airline miles you do have to pay a minor excise tax. If you could get the 100,000 offer might work well though.

I need to do some reading on MR points. We live near Denver. SW is almost always the best deal/times for us, so it's been really nice to have the points and CP with them the last year or so, that's why I'd like to get it for DH for future domestic travel. Beyond them for flight points I'm haha! I think Denver's a United hub... I'll have to look into it because I've never paid it any mind. I am liking the idea of business cards especially for myself so I could get maybe CIP around the end of the year.

 

[wendow]

Calling to PC my CSR today and I can't decide between the two Freedom cards!

Do you have either of them right now? I have both Freedom cards, and I rarely use the CFU.

The only charges I put on that card are a handful of purchases that come up that don't fall in any other category, and I only put them on the CFU if I am not trying to meet a MSR. If you are not usually working on a MSR, you may have a lot more for the CFU card than I might. I'm not sure what your 'churning style' is so it's kind of hard to advise.