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

[punkin]

I appreciate that. It just makes me giggle, really. Remember how much I upset everyone when I posted about apping for DHs SW Biz at the end of last year?

I really try to stay off reddit. My points/miles are mine and it's no one's business if I use them to fly first class to Prague or economy to Peoria! I'm happy your husband got to visit his brother.

 

[Judique]

That sucks. I wish I could sell it just to lose the stress. It's good when it's good and sucks when it's not.

I keep telling my daughter the future appreciation is worth it and by the time she retires, it will be retirement income or she can sell it. She's lucky in that she bought fairly low and the rentals here are high. She also finds it stressful as sometimes she is fixing 2 houses, and cant expect the tenants to live with problems so has to get to them as quickly as possible. She has excellent tenants though.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

@Lain and @calypso726 it makes me feel good you have had good experiences with AKV Savanna view. For our Christmas trip planned at about 6 months I was lucky to grab any DVC and got AKV one bedroom Kidani Savanna view. I keep worrying it will be a “waste of points” but it sounds like it won’t be.

The only times I didn't purposely get a Savanna view for an AKV stay is when it is just DH and I on a last minute weekend trip and I just need a bed. Whenever we are sharing a 2 bedroom or treating friends or family to the accommodations, I always book a Savanna view if we are staying at AKV. If I am planning to spend time at the resort over the parks then I will book a Savanna View even when it is just us. I've never considered it a waste of points. Sitting on the balcony in my jammies, drinking coffee in the morning and watching my beloved Okapi is the best at Kidani. I will say that when I don't book a savanna view, even on quick weekend getaways, I always regret it and feel that missing out on the animals wasn't worth saving a few extra points.

We own at AKV and have only once, in 2009, stayed standard view. Savannah view is my happy place We always take afternoon breaks so that dh can check in with work and answer client phone calls/emails. Whichever kids are with us nap, go on their computers, watch tv, or go to the pool. I take my kindle, a big glass of water, and an adult beverage out onto the balcony to hang with my animal friends

Reminder: SW flights release is 8/15 for dates thru 3/6. Of course, I need 3/16 for a week for spring break....more waiting...

Me too. We fly to Orlando either the evening of 3/12 or 3/13.

I still have to book dd's flight back to school on Jan 12 Who knows how long it will be until I can book everyone for spring break 3/14-20

Anyone else going during that same time period as my family, @disneymagicgirl and @Alexle2007 ?

 

[punkin]

DH was approved for CIP. Yay! Now he refuses to call to expedite it. Claims we don't absolutely need it in the next two weeks. Is he insane? Of course we do! I think I don't play this game with 2 players, but with 1.25.

 

[amalone1013]

DH was approved for CIP. Yay! Now he refuses to call to expedite it. Claims we don't absolutely need it in the next two weeks. Is he insane? Of course we do! I think I don't play this game with 2 players, but with 1.25.

Does he have a Chase account already? He could SM through there instead of calling...

 

[Alexle2007]

OMG, I just need to vent! DS12 had a severe panic attack when I tried to drop him off at summer camp this morning at his new private school. He was fine getting ready, the drive there and then when we got there he broke down and refused to get out of the car. After many, many minutes he got out and we walked in (late, of course) and then he refused to go into the room and ran out of the building. Completely frustrated, I start driving us home and we are 10 min into the drive and he says I am ready to give it a try. This time we use a different set of steps and the admissions asst opens the door and she walked him to camp. At that point, he was 45 min late and camp lets out at noon. If this is a snapshot into the Aug 23rd drop-off for the start of the school year, I better have a couple of glasses of wine before we get out of the door because I was beyond frustrated. Now to research strategies for dealing with panic attacks...

 

[DisneyMandC]

The same TPG writer has reviews up for the Conrad Tokyo and JAL First Class from JFK to Tokyo (which is what you're flying, right?).

https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/conrad-tokyo-hotel/
https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/japan-airlines-777-300er-first-class/
I haven't read either review, so I don't know how they come off.

I kept checking for availability for the Conrad Tokyo, but award availability is suuuuuper limited. I'm just hoping the Conrad Osaka is still available by the time we get our free weekend nights. Or maybe, does anyone know if I can just book it as though it's a cash rate and apply the free weekend night certificate once I receive it?

 

[havaneselover]

Having a crisis. Flying RIC to Traverse City, MI through O'Hare this weekend. For some reason, I booked a flight that has a 48 minute layover and it looks like I have to get from F 12 in Terminal 2 to C2 in Terminal 1. Yes, I am an idiot! I believe we also will have to gate check our carryons (small plane from RIC to ORD) which will delay us further as we will have to wait in O'Hare for our bags to be brought up before we head to Terminal 1. So I'm thinking of identifying United as my airline on Platinum and checking bags. Anyone have any wisdom? I hate connecting flights but it's not easy to get to Northern Michigan!

ETA: And now I'm stressing that we may make the flight but our luggage won't. I guess I should plan accordingly. And my parents are over an hour from the airport.

 

[Alexle2007]

We own at AKV and have only once, in 2009, stayed standard view. Savannah view is my happy place We always take afternoon breaks so that dh can check in with work and answer client phone calls/emails. Whichever kids are with us nap, go on their computers, watch tv, or go to the pool. I take my kindle, a big glass of water, and an adult beverage out onto the balcony to hang with my animal friends


I still have to book dd's flight back to school on Jan 12 Who knows how long it will be until I can book everyone for spring break 3/14-20

Anyone else going during that same time period as my family, @disneymagicgirl and @Alexle2007 ?

We will be in the Orlando area 3/12 through 3/14 (still debating between USO or WDW) and then we leave on RCCL's Harmony of the Seas for our western Caribbean cruise! It's DS's 13th birthday on 3/13 so he gets to decide what we do beforehand but he won't answer me yet

 

[havaneselover]

OMG, I just need to vent! DS12 had a severe panic attack when I tried to drop him off at summer camp this morning at his new private school. He was fine getting ready, the drive there and then when we got there he broke down and refused to get out of the car. After many, many minutes he got out and we walked in (late, of course) and then he refused to go into the room and ran out of the building. Completely frustrated, I start driving us home and we are 10 min into the drive and he says I am ready to give it a try. This time we use a different set of steps and the admissions asst opens the door and she walked him to camp. At that point, he was 45 min late and camp lets out at noon. If this is a snapshot into the Aug 23rd drop-off for the start of the school year, I better have a couple of glasses of wine before we get out of the door because I was beyond frustrated. Now to research strategies for dealing with panic attacks...

Oh, no--I'm sorry. These transitions are so tough for kids. I have one having panic attacks (her hands go numb and she completely shuts down) and I hate it. Hopefully going through this today will help with his 1st day.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Some news about the new grAAvy train postal mailers arriving:

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/cpavn0/_/ewo95t0

Uncertain what this means at this point as it's still early and data is being gathered, but seems like Citi is trying to slow down the ride. (whether it's successful may depend on their IT if the public link situation is any indication) For the moment it seem like email mailers may still be ok, so not completely stopped yet.

Tagging @SouthFayetteFan since you like to track this for DISchurners I think.

Not familiar with the mailers...so don’t know if this is a good offer or not
received a business AA mailer for my boss out at her house I work out of today ....
65,000 miles after a 4K spend in the first 4 months...expires 10/15. 9 digit code

 

[smallsy]

Sorry I haven’t posted lately. Just wanted to check and see what the consensus is on CIP#2 and whether people are waiting 90+ days since their last CIP or last chase app period. Next Monday will be 91 days since my MDD.

 

[Lain]

@snugglebug - Here are links to directions from the Walt Disney Family Museum to some of my favorite spots to view the Golden Gate Bridge:

https://goo.gl/maps/c1RAKJdu3JRgnfeH7
https://goo.gl/maps/NKfG5vZHpx3YtDf49
https://goo.gl/maps/1Fa8u7AXYAfWuTTd7
While you're driving along Lincoln Blvd, you can pull over quickly at the Chrissy Field Overlook for some nice views of Alcatraz, the Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts and the City.

https://goo.gl/maps/MoJc2KMC3JMghbcc9
If you have any Star Wars fans in your family, don't forget to swing by LucasFilm to check out the the Yoda Fountain on your way to the Disney Family Museum.

https://goo.gl/maps/JvvwvoqHXP9F2UYT8
One more thing, I think we talked about, the "Full House" house is located at 1709 Broderick St in Lower Pac Heights, but I drove by recently and it looks like the new owners have repainted the house and replaced the iconic red door with a black one after Jeff Franklin spent all that money restoring the look of the house to screen. It's not quite recognizable anymore, but that hasn't stopped tourists from running up to the house and taking pics in front of it, on the steps (!), etc. Don't know if this changes whether it's worth a stop for you.

Hope you enjoy your trip later this week! Tag me if you need any more tips.

 

[Haley R]

Just transferred my money from my Serve to my bank account after verifying the small deposits. That was pretty easy! I can't wait until I'm able to apply for a CIC and really get started with VGCs.

 

[georgina]

I know we have a lot of SW fans and most of us use points for our flights but...my friend had to cancel a flight last Aug so she had the SW credit ($200) for the flight. She then booked a flight in March that she applied that credit ($200) to plus an extra $150. The relative that she was going to visit passed away before her March flight so she canceled that ticket and got the credit but rather than having a credit for $200 that expired in 8/19 and a $150 that expired in 3/20, SW reverted all of the funds ($350) to 8/19. Is that not crazy? I would have fully expected a split of the funds.

There is a way to extend the credit after it expires, but it costs something like $100 or $150. Most of my SW credits are small but I had a large one once that I was able to extend for 6 months. At that point it becomes a voucher that anyone can use. So while it is a bummer at least she can recover some of it.

 

[Judique]

@Alexle2007 - if he agreed to go back and is there now, it will probably be fine. The fact that he went back is a good sign.

I know quite a bit about panic attacks in a teen. She's 27 now and back then I didn't understand it but we eventually got through it. It's not easy and hits you in the face when you are not even expecting it and trying to do all the right things for them, and can occur even when the activity is their idea. Stay patient so he can trust you to understand.

 

[miztressuz]

Not familiar with the mailers...so don’t know if this is a good offer or not
received a business AA mailer for my boss out at her house I work out of today ....
65,000 miles after a 4K spend in the first 4 months...expires 10/15. 9 digit code

That should be the same mailer that's being discussed in that comment. The offer itself seems reasonable, I think it's the same one on the site right now, but what was great about the mailer was it didn't include the bonus restriction language. Does it say anything in the fine print on the mailer about "American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles are not available if you have received a new account bonus for a CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® account in the past 48 months." or something similar? Apparently that's what's popping up on the application page when you go to apply using the 9 digit code from the mailer.

 

[platamama]

I saw a comment last night on reddit about new language showing up on CitiBiz mailer applications.

Ah, looks like @miztressuz is noting it too. Removed my link as it was a duplicate.

 

[apollodi]

Hi all! Sorry I haven't posted in several months, we have been traveling most of the summer. But, DD5 just started kindergarten last week (!), so summer travels are officially over.

It was a good churning summer for us. My kids had so much fun in Orlando in May that we decided to use some points and headed back in July, to visit Sea World this time. We stayed at the Grove, which is about 30 minutes from Sea World, but is on the UR portal, has a water park, and has 2 and 3 bedroom hotel rooms. My kids liked Sea World, but the hotel was the highlight of the trip for them. Then, we spent several weeks visiting my parents, who live at the beach. I got my first hotel upgrade, too! DH and I spent a night in a Marriott hotel the night of a friend's wedding (my aunt volunteered to take the girls overnight). We used a 25k cert I had gotten for signing up for a Bonvoy account. I only have silver status through my Bonbon biz card, but they upgraded us to club level for the night. The next morning, we ran into the bride's parents at breakfast in the club lounge. I have known the bride's parents all my life, so it was great to get extra time to visit with them after the wedding, in a more quiet setting.

DH and I both got Citi and Barclays AA cards this summer, so we have quite a few AA miles. I plan to use some of them for flights, thinking about Seattle and the surrounding area next summer. DH is up for another Chase card in early September, so I'm trying to decide between CIP3 for him or supporting him for the CIU. I'm not sure why, but CIP3 feels riskier to me than CIP2 did.

I've only been following the board intermittently this summer, but now that I'm home, I'll try keeping up more consistently. Thanks so much for the news thread on the other site, it has been invaluable!

 

[snugglebug]

@snugglebug - Here are links to directions from the Walt Disney Family Museum to some of my favorite spots to view the Golden Gate Bridge:

https://goo.gl/maps/c1RAKJdu3JRgnfeH7
https://goo.gl/maps/NKfG5vZHpx3YtDf49
https://goo.gl/maps/1Fa8u7AXYAfWuTTd7
While you're driving along Lincoln Blvd, you can pull over quickly at the Chrissy Field Overlook for some nice views of Alcatraz, the Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts and the City.

https://goo.gl/maps/MoJc2KMC3JMghbcc9
If you have any Star Wars fans in your family, don't forget to swing by LucasFilm to check out the the Yoda Fountain on your way to the Disney Family Museum.

https://goo.gl/maps/JvvwvoqHXP9F2UYT8
One more thing, I think we talked about, the "Full House" house is located at 1709 Broderick St in Lower Pac Heights, but I drove by recently and it looks like the new owners have repainted the house and replaced the iconic red door with a black one after Jeff Franklin spent all that money restoring the look of the house to screen. It's not quite recognizable anymore, but that hasn't stopped tourists from running up to the house and taking pics in front of it, on the steps (!), etc. Don't know if this changes whether it's worth a stop for you.

Hope you enjoy your trip later this week! Tag me if you need any more tips.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You just made my week!

The bride isn't stressing, but the mom certainly is and the mom is also travel planner so double stress right now.