I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[ten6mom]

It’s a quirk with the Chase Ink cards.

Your charges will show up in the UR points/review more activity part of your UR page and tell you how many points you’ve earned for each transaction usually within a day of making the charge. However, back on your CIP’s account login, a charge will show as pending for a few days, disappear briefly, then finally post.

Well that's just weird, Chase!

But I knew one of the resident experts here would be able to reassure me! Thanks @Lain !

 

[Hoosier John]

The difference between a resale contract around the same size that’s been passing ROFR and direct purchase is about $5,250 which is pretty hard to swallow, BUT I want that dang blue member card (Disney knows how to manipulate me).

Maybe, but you are in good company! I wanted the card, too. We have bought both ways and direct is SO EASY. I am trying to not let your idea sink in too far as I would love more points.

If I'm ever lucky enough to add on someday, I plan to add on at Poly! I'm still torn about direct versus resale. I went resale for AKV. I'd love the AP discount, but those direct prices...

We have always bought DVC new, direct, so I spend a lot of time justifying it to myself. I have heard that Consumer Reports estimated a 13 year break-even point without financing, as compared to renting a similar property. I calculated ours takes about 15 years to break-even including financing, based on what points could have been rented for.

That sounds like a long time to pay off, but viewed the other way, there are 35 years of "profit". Our Boardwalk is now "profitable" and Animal Kingdom is close behind. Buying resale costs less, but you will also have less years after breaking-even, which I figure reduces some of the benefit of after-market.

I can see someone buying resale for a specific property, like Boardwalk or Beach Club because they really enjoy Epcot festivals. The advice most give is buy enough points (we usually wish we had more), and buy where you want to stay. This is more important as it seems harder and harder to book outside your home resort at the 7 month window.

 

[disfanforlife]

I would have guessed Poly, haha! I just stayed at VGF and it really was wonderful. I agree though, that will be quite a lot at VGF, especially with the larger rooms. Good luck with whatever you decide! My only regret was not doing it sooner

That’s how I feel. I wish we had bought in sooner and for more points than we have too!

 

[Andysol]

Andy has a lot going for him. Basically, Andy is the freakin man!! (tagging @Andysol) - I promise it’s not a man-crush dude!!

In my best goofy voice, “aw shucks”.

I never hit 1m UR though, so congrats to you my friend. I could never keep them in my account that long. I got close once, around 800k and almost didn’t spend any JUST to see that number hit 1m, but then I burned a bunch. My UR is a shell of its formers self. I don’t even think I’m at 400k anymore.

I’m almost 2mil MR though. That’s my biggest currency right now by a healthy margin. I’m a week away from burning half a million of those for 4x RTW tix on ANA and will probably cash out a million or so at the end of the year when I grab a Schwab.

 

[pinkxray]

I’m just doing so test runs on aavacations but don’t see how to book with points? All I see is cash rates? How do I find point values? I am signed in.

 

[disfanforlife]

I’m just doing so test runs on aavacations but don’t see how to book with points? All I see is cash rates? How do I find point values? I am signed in.

I was just asking the same thing a couple of days ago. You need to have points in your account to see values. So if you are like me and just signed up you won’t be able to see that until you have points earned in your account.

 

[pinkxray]

I was just asking the same thing a couple of days ago. You need to have points in your account to see values. So if you are like me and just signed up you won’t be able to see that until you have points earned in your account.

I do have around 120,000 points available. I even try to click on the points but nothing happens.

 

[disfanforlife]

We have always bought DVC new, direct, so I spend a lot of time justifying it to myself. I have heard that Consumer Reports estimated a 13 year break-even point without financing, as compared to renting a similar property. I calculated ours takes about 15 years to break-even including financing, based on what points could have been rented for.

That sounds like a long time to pay off, but viewed the other way, there are 35 years of "profit". Our Boardwalk is now "profitable" and Animal Kingdom is close behind. Buying resale costs less, but you will also have less years after breaking-even, which I figure reduces some of the benefit of after-market.

I can see someone buying resale for a specific property, like Boardwalk or Beach Club because they really enjoy Epcot festivals. The advice most give is buy enough points (we usually wish we had more), and buy where you want to stay. This is more important as it seems harder and harder to book outside your home resort at the 7 month window.

We have bought both direct and resale. We didn’t understand the whole resale market when we bought in first in 2008, but added on 5 years later via resale just for the reasons you stated to get a specific property ( we wanted BW). Lucky for us we added on right before the prices of resale started going up a lot.

 

[disfanforlife]

Yeahhh looks like a Platinum pass went up $225! Insane. My sister is gonna be MAD that she didn't renew yet. She is around 35 days out.

Ugh, that is a lot! We were not going to renew platinum anyways, wonder how much the gold has gone up?? I was going to renew to gold when we go down in November. But I also have some AP certificates to use too, hadn’t decided yet which way to go,

 

[disfanforlife]

I do have around 120,000 points available. I even try to click on the points but nothing happens.

Oh ok, I am sorry then, will let someone else with more knowledge on that answer.

 

[calypso726]

See...you can basically make anybody say anything you want with a little work! On another note, I've decided to take a page out of @calypso726 bok of churning and I'm going to go for two Aspire cards. After a cost benefit analysis I can see great value in adding more high AF cards with the goal of keeping them long term to our cards and points portfolio.

Amazing!

It is crazy! I wanted VGF. At $245 a point it kills me a little inside, especially because there are so few studios there and a small contract would be VERY difficult especially for the time of year I would want to stay at VGF (early December). I would want a larger accommodation, but not interested in all that direct. Poly is really my favorite resort (I guess the DIS name gives it away) and aside from a huge reallocation (which could always happen), I could get a solid 4/5 nights in a studio a few different times throughout the year.

Hoping the CC return helps justify a direct purchase. I will have to wait and see.

We bought VGF direct on day one at $145 a point and it was the last time we bought direct. I can't believe how much it has gone up in such a short time. I'm glad we did because getting it at 7 months is darn near impossible. We did a Thanksgiving trip at VGF last year with both sides of the family. Two studios and two 2 bedrooms for 16 people. There is no way we would have secured that at 7 months.

We have always bought DVC new, direct, so I spend a lot of time justifying it to myself. I have heard that Consumer Reports estimated a 13 year break-even point without financing, as compared to renting a similar property. I calculated ours takes about 15 years to break-even including financing, based on what points could have been rented for.

That sounds like a long time to pay off, but viewed the other way, there are 35 years of "profit". Our Boardwalk is now "profitable" and Animal Kingdom is close behind. Buying resale costs less, but you will also have less years after breaking-even, which I figure reduces some of the benefit of after-market.

I can see someone buying resale for a specific property, like Boardwalk or Beach Club because they really enjoy Epcot festivals. The advice most give is buy enough points (we usually wish we had more), and buy where you want to stay. This is more important as it seems harder and harder to book outside your home resort at the 7 month window.

That is definitely a good way to look at things. We were at 1,000 points and then bought Beach Club resale when we saw we were going to F&W a lot more and unable to get anything there at 7 months.

That’s how I feel. I wish we had bought in sooner and for more points than we have too!

I now regret not buying VGC when it came out. At the time, we weren't going to DLR as often as we are now.

 

[havaneselover]

I do have around 120,000 points available. I even try to click on the points but nothing happens.

You have to be logged in and get all the way to where you would book to see the points price/select book with points.

 

[mefordis]

See...you can basically make anybody say anything you want with a little work!

There is no way I said that. I thought you were female.

 

[miztressuz]

If you request a replacement card because you say it’s lost (vs. damaged), Amex will send you a new card with a different number, usually where the last four digits are 2xxx vs 1xxx.

I hate Amex’s numbering system too, because I have like 4 cards ending in 1007 and another 2 ending in 1006. I’m not even skittish about putting that info out there because I’m sure most of you have Amex cards with these same last four digits.

Apparently it's not just a brain we share...
I've managed to luck out with no repeats but I don't have the volume of you folks. I did find it funny when I had my corporate card it ended in 1000. Figured what are the odds of getting a 15 digit number the ends in 0's. Evidently pretty good as I know now. They have a crazy numbering system. Don't understand what they are still thinking since everyone uses the last 4 for a really long time now. Including AmEx! Even their own reps have problems with it.

 

[Haley R]

Agree! Rhode Island can keep that little delicacy lol!

In japan they had a cheese dog which was basically a corn dog but instead of the hot dog inside it was mozzarella cheese. Omg it was sooo good

 

[chattadisser]

Whoo hoo! Referral to DH to his own CIP, complete. Approval! Now to get him to call to expedite it, I've got youngest DD's soccer kit for the fall to order and start working on the MSR. I thought I had screwed up his application because I only had put his income on it and not household. Whew, I was so mad at myself.

 

[miztressuz]

Whoo hoo! Referral to DH to his own CIP, complete. Approval! Now to get him to call to expedite it, I've got youngest DD's soccer kit for the fall to order and start working on the MSR. I thought I had screwed up his application because I only had put his income on it and not household. Whew, I was so mad at myself.

Yay! Congrats!

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Whoo hoo! Referral to DH to his own CIP, complete. Approval! Now to get him to call to expedite it, I've got youngest DD's soccer kit for the fall to order and start working on the MSR. I thought I had screwed up his application because I only had put his income on it and not household. Whew, I was so mad at myself.

Congrats

 

[mefordis]

There is no way I said that. I thought you were female.

By the way, this was a joke, SouthFayetteFan!

 

[mefordis]

Any recommendations on maxing out the CF 5% at gas stations? Anyone buy gift cards at gas stations?