I love credit cards so much!

[jhoannam]

I had already upvoted this before I saw your comment, lol!! I didn't even recognize it was you, just thought "wow that is a helpful reminder"

Thanks! I think I’ve had 3 CSP referrals and 1 CIP, so this has been a great thing for me.

 

[wanderlust7]

Well...I don't know what to do now. I tried applying for the AMEX Schwab again today for my wife. The popup message is still there...My wife has signed up for ONE card from AMEX in the past 12 months. In 2017 she got 3 cards from them also.

In an effort to remove the poup I've done the following over the past couple of months:

• 3 Transactions and $350+ on BBP
• 3 Transactions and $150+ on Hilton
• 3 Transactions and $20 on Delta Biz
• Numerous Transactions and $2,300+ on BCP (this is about $300 above the $2k required for my upgrade offer)

At this point, I've now wasted over $800 that could have been directed at some other MSR had I gotten a different card. We put transactions and spend on every card she has and it didn't seem to make a difference. There also was this unfortunate development that even if I don't see the popup one time...that they may still deny us the bonus.

Perhaps this is a sign...I should just forget the 60k MRs...get a Schwab Plat, triple dip the airline credits and cash out all my MRs. Of course that would play really well with AMEX I'm sure (getting a card and spending $600 in reimbursables ONLY on it then closing it after 13 months, lol).

Part of my dilemma is that we have ~200k MRs. So we could get $2,000 in gift cards or $2,500 in cash. I'm going to pay a $550 annual fee to get $500 more...Of course the airline credit offset that. If I wait much longer then the triple dip goes out the window which just makes the whole thing $200 worse. This just makes SO MUCH MORE sense if I was also getting $750 from the signup bonus...but I may never get that and am I just holding on to hope for something that will never happen...

I am quite torn...would be happy to hear the thoughts of my trusted CC friends on this one...

Not an expert on this, but personally I would wait. Psychologically, I would have a problem with missing out on the 60k MRs. I would try small recurring charges on the cards and just wait. Half a year, a year? Then reevaluate. There's no rumor of the 1.25 cpp going away, right?

 

[1st*toright]

Is your world a big corporate manufacturer? I think that is our problem - blowing money on crap is a corporate problem here too, so no one has questioned it. My old boss was the same way, and she basically got this guy set up with accounts with the vendors and a corporate card when she was on her way out the door with a buy out package, so we wouldn't be stranded with no one being able to order supplies. Current management has let him continue even with all of the mistakes, because it's easier on them then trying to train/set up a new person. Though I think we are finally hitting the point where they are realizing it's actually not easier to let him continue to mess it all up... But overall I think it slides because pet food has a huge profit margin to begin with, and not only does this problem run through corporate also, but we are a national company owned by an international company who also seems to have this issue. The international company owns many things... us, candy, water, baby formula, ice cream, frozen foods, coffee products...

I forgot my favorite line from him in that post though. One day 6 cases of a chemical showed up - 1 being the normal brand we order, and 5 being another brand. He said, almost word for word: I didn't order those, I just clicked on them to look at them because they are cheaper than our current brand. PLACES DO NOT JUST SEND YOU THINGS BASED ON YOUR BROWSING HISTORY. What a stupid lie. You ordered them on accident. No one cares. Just get rid of them. We also can't just bring chemicals from new manufacturers in without going through a process. Arghhhhh

I work in the HQ of a big multinational manufacturer - so I'm sure that things would look different on the ground at one of our subsidiaries (everyone is on their best behavior when people from HQ go out to visit). Our businesses are relatively high margin, but I'm guessing if you are comparing pet food to ice cream, pet food margins are going to look pretty amazing in comparison, and one bozo in purchasing won't make much of a difference. Although most of those kinds of food products would probably be fairly high margin, I guess...

Are the gift cards Marriott branded or only work on Fairfield Inn? I have the offer and while I am sure I will stay at a Marriott in the future, unsure if Fairfield Inn, Courtyard,.... the actual brand.

I was told that they would work across the brands, but I haven't tested it. It happened that a Fairfield was most convenient place to purchase, and I randomly had a Fairfield stay shortly thereafter. Apparently not all Fairfields sell gift cards, I called a couple to find one that did. They told me that all Courtyards sell them, but that it was optional at Fairfields, for what a front desk clerk's comment is worth.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Thanks! I think I’ve had 3 CSP referrals and 1 CIP, so this has been a great thing for me.

Do you think those came from r/churning or DISchurners?

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Okay yet another Amex question as I'm getting ready to AT LEAST get the Amex Everyday Credit Card (I need the 0% balance and $0 transfer offer they have). I'll be going for that one in Jan.

I currently have 3 cards myself
SPG Biz
Delta Gold
Hilton Ascend (was Surpass or whatever).

EX-Dh hasn't closed his personal SPG Amex and I was an AU on that. Can I call to remove me, or does he need to? I'm assuming that an AU counts against the 5 Amex I'm "allowed". Once I get the Everyday and hit my AA Citi Biz and IHG spends, I was looking at doing the Hilton Biz Ascend. That would absolutely be a 1 year and close card (since I'm grandfathered into the free night on the personal Ascend). The Aspire looks nice but I don't have any absolute travel plans I'm working towards right now, so I think I'll have to pass on that one for now.

So the Everyday is slotted to take spot 4, and the Ascend Biz would take slot 5, unless there's another Amex you all think is a better one to churn? (I have the CSR (my got to when not meeting a spend), IHG, Citi AA Biz, Barlcay Red AA also rotating in my wallet). I'm outside of the 5/24 til I think 11/19 so I'm not worrying about that one, LOL. I'm not really interested in the Gold or Platinum since I'm already rocking the $450 fee on the CSR unless there is some HUGE perk I'm really missing out on. Those don't count against the 5 though, right?

 

[jhoannam]

Do you think those came from r/churning or DISchurners?

I have no idea, but I have gotten a couple of messages from DIS referrals, but none for these 4, which is why I’m thinking these are churning referrals.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Don’t you have 1M RR? Do you see yourself using those SW GCs in the near future? $2,500 in cash does sound better than $2,600 in GC, but then you’d still have to pay the $550 fee using cash.

I can’t recall her */24 status but that may lock you out of another good Chase card.

Woah woah...it's only 507,593 SW RR points We do have one trip a year on SW where my father wants me to purchase the tickets and he reimburses us. It's a family tradition trip. So I could use the GCs for that as I refuse to cash out points and then take his money.

You make good points - and the whole points/cash/gift cards thing feels like you can talk yourself in circles. Right now I'm leaning towards no, but I have probably a few more days to make a firm decision before the triple dip goes out the window.

My wife is 2/24 but with my new slow-churner plan I think her and I are just going to remain under 5/24 forever now. This is a much lower stress plan for us so I'm not necessarily opposed to using a 5/24 slot for it.

Not an expert on this, but personally I would wait. Psychologically, I would have a problem with missing out on the 60k MRs. I would try small recurring charges on the cards and just wait. Half a year, a year? Then reevaluate. There's no rumor of the 1.25 cpp going away, right?

Definitely no rumor of 1.25 going away. I appreciate your insight a lot

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I have no idea, but I have gotten a couple of messages from DIS referrals, but none for these 4, which is why I’m thinking these are churning referrals.

Yeah it's hard to tell. I'm going to say that since the whole referral blow up occured, I've gotten nothing from r/churning anymore. I'm not sure people are using them nearly as much as they used to. I typically assume that any click I get came from DISchurners (mostly because I love you all here, lol!)

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Totally understand about the accounting issues it might create.

I suppose the only thing I can think of might be if DH could apply for the Hilton Aspire today (using his Platinum referral link for the extra 15k MR or your Aspire referral link for the extra 20k HH bonus), get approved, and get the card number or a temporary card number, or even get the card overnighted to use on the hotel bill.

Amex sometimes offers a temporary card number immediately after approval that you can write down/screen cap for use. There’s also a hidden feature in your Amex online account, once you’ve added your new card, that lets you get the card number and temporary CID for a newly approved card that’s still in transit: https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/904w5b/comment/e2oclw2?st=JPO9M59W&sh=8762333f

However, there may be a low credit limit on the temporary card number, as @miztressuz experienced: https://www.disboards.com/threads/i-love-credit-cards-so-much.3528202/page-2162#post-59621012 In the end, I believe @miztressuz was able to get Amex to overnight the card to her husband to use on a contemporaneous hotel stay.

I know you kind of suggested your husband doesn’t want to apply for credit cards, but it’d be such a waste if he’s not getting the best return in rewards from a really large hotel expense, i.e., 1 MR/$1 on the Platinum or at least 14 HH/$1 for Hilton charges on the Hilton Aspire. Not to mention that the Hilton Aspire comes with automatic Diamond status, which gets him another 20 HH/$1 (10 points/$ base earn + 10 points/$ elite bonus) because of his elite status.

I think the Aspire was possibly on the table for DH, anyway, and now would be a great time to get it if you can appeal to his rational business side. I’d imagine this weekend’s hotel bill would more than hit the $4k MSR, so you’d get the 150k HH signup bonus and a whole lot of HH points from the stays.

Also, remember the Aspire comes with a $250 airline fee credit that can be used every calendar year (including on AA, Delta, and Southwest gift cards in certain denominations per transaction — let us know if you need help using up this benefit on your or hopefully DH’s cards), so there’s still 2 weeks to dip this benefit in 2018, before it resets for another $250 in 2019.

Well damn after my post about thinking about getting the Biz Ascend because I don't have any travel plans worthy of the Aspire....I've followed a little bit the perks on the Aspire. You're saying for the $450 fee I could buy the AA giftcards (I think it's $50 increments, if I remember) now, and do another $250 in Jan, all under the $450 fee? And then there's the resort credit too? I'm not 100% on how that works, but I'm guessing there's no way to get that now (with no travel planned for 2018) and again in 2019.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Well damn after my post about thinking about getting the Biz Ascend because I don't have any travel plans worthy of the Aspire....I've followed a little bit the perks on the Aspire. You're saying for the $450 fee I could buy the AA giftcards (I think it's $50 increments, if I remember) now, and do another $250 in Jan, all under the $450 fee? And then there's the resort credit too? I'm not 100% on how that works, but I'm guessing there's no way to get that now (with no travel planned for 2018) and again in 2019.

FYI there is not a Biz Ascend. There is an Ascend (personal card) and Business card...two separate products. Just be careful when applying cuz you'd hate to use a personal slot unintentionally

 

[jhoannam]

Yeah it's hard to tell. I'm going to say that since the whole referral blow up occured, I've gotten nothing from r/churning anymore. I'm not sure people are using them nearly as much as they used to. I typically assume that any click I get came from DISchurners (mostly because I love you all here, lol!)

I hope they are coming from DIS, but I haven’t been very active on here so I didn’t think they would come from here.

Things are so touchy over there, but there is always fresh blood that has no idea what’s going on the might click on those links. I always try to answer questions from what seem like newbies.

 

[amalone1013]

DH just got off a call for his big Reno job. This should have been the seal the deal call if they were going to go for it, until he got an email this morning... that a higher up wanted to talk about using the space less efficiently on the call. So I was secretly hoping this would be the deal making call so I could see if I should pull the trigger on the AMEX plat for DH, since that will mean 5-10 trips to Reno for him. But no, now he gets to quote more. Don't these people know I have credit cards to churn???

 

[amalone1013]

Oh, DH also found out he probably has to go to Kansas City next week. To see another warehouse for this customer (they already did a job for them in the Denver area, so I think it's a good sign that they're at this point on Reno and want him to go to KC). But he'll be disappointed there is no PP lounge

He asked me, did you know Kansas City is in Missouri????


Yes, I grew up like an hour from the NE-KS border, I understand how KC works.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I hope they are coming from DIS, but I haven’t been very active on here so I didn’t think they would come from here.

Things are so touchy over there, but there is always fresh blood that has no idea what’s going on the might click on those links. I always try to answer questions from what seem like newbies.

Cool - well glad to hear that r/churningreferrals is serving a purpose. With the AMEX self-refer change and all the drama I was almost wondering if it was worth all the effort

 

[hsmamato2]

Quick question- which is a better return-3x UR or 6x Marriott? I need to decide which cc to use for my hotel asap....

 

[Lain]

Well damn after my post about thinking about getting the Biz Ascend because I don't have any travel plans worthy of the Aspire....I've followed a little bit the perks on the Aspire. You're saying for the $450 fee I could buy the AA giftcards (I think it's $50 increments, if I remember) now, and do another $250 in Jan, all under the $450 fee? And then there's the resort credit too? I'm not 100% on how that works, but I'm guessing there's no way to get that now (with no travel planned for 2018) and again in 2019.

Yes, the Aspire has a $450 AF, but comes with a $250/calendar year airline fee credit that works the same as the Platinums’ and Gold’s airline fee credit, i.e., works on Delta GCs in $50 increments, AA in $100 increments (+$50, although there are DPs that say you can do up to $200 AA GC in one transaction), and on a $250 SW GC. As a calendar year benefit, it resets on 1/1/19 and again on 1/1/20, which should allow you to triple dip $250 before your second $450 AF is due sometime in January/February 2020.

The $250 Hilton resort credit is a cardmember year credit, so one now, then it’ll reset sometime after next December. You may be able to double dip this credit depending on when the credit resets relative to when your second year AF posts, after which you’ll have 30 days to cancel your card for a full refund (no refunds after that, but you can still downgrade for a prorated refund of the AF). The resort credit is somewhat restrictive. You can only use it at select Hilton resorts. Even if you don’t have a resort stay planned right now, you can use your first cardmember year credit throughout most of 2019, and it’ll work even on prepayments on a reservation at a qualifying resort for a stay beyond your first cardmember year, like @calypso726 has done.

All this talk of double and triple dipping assumes you’ll cancel this card after your first year, but the benefits are compelling and @calypso726 has said this is her favorite sock drawer card (even more than the Club Carlson card?!).

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Quick question- which is a better return-3x UR or 6x Marriott? I need to decide which cc to use for my hotel asap....

Depends on how you redeem URs. If you plan to cash them out then Marriott has slightly more value. If you use URs at 1.25, 1.5, or transfer to partners then URs probably wins the day.

Without any facts, I'd lean towards URs.

 

[Judique]

You're right...WOW I am completely discounting the 5/24 slot I would use. That adds another wrinkle.

All in, the math says the following:

• Pay $550 Annual fee
• Get $600 in SW Gift Cards (spread over 13 months)
• Get $2,500 in Cash
• I could attempt to figure out that whole UBER Eats thing and get food too...but I wouldn't attribute actual $$ to this benefit

Not doing it leaves me with $2,000 in gift cards. So I do actually come out ahead by $550+ by getting the Schwab Plat (without the bonus). AND I don't have to spend anything towards an MSR to do so. It really has been a tough decision for me...

I think you have to have more patience and wait for the pop up to disappear. It's not like you need $2K in gift cards, right? You may need to just set this one on the back burner for awhile. It's MR's and Amex probably won't do much devaluation of them very quickly, unlike something like hotel points. MR is Amex's own currency and they don't hand them out like candy unlike something like Hilton or Marriott points.

 

[jhoannam]

Cool - well glad to hear that r/churningreferrals is serving a purpose. With the AMEX self-refer change and all the drama I was almost wondering if it was worth all the effort

Oh, haven’t gotten any Amex referrals.

 

[striker1064]

Currently waiting at our gate in Union Station, the happiest place on Earth. On to NYC this weekend at the St. Regis. We have Wicked tickets for tonight. Very excited! It looks like rain most of the weekend, but that's what umbrellas are for.