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

[elgerber]

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[Limes96]

I should already know this so my apologies in advance, but what’s the latest on the CitiBusiness Aadvantage card? And what link should I use for the app? I looked on reddit and didn’t see links there. Do I just do a search for a link on DoC?

ETA: I found an app that’s 70k miles for $4000 spend in 4 months. Does that sound right for best current offer?

 

[WVMomof3]

We are indeed! So I am hoping for a nice upgrade to an oceanfront balcony when we are arrive on Thurs. I had thought about using my suite nights but decided to take my chances on a free upgrade. How is the club/lounge? Free beer and wine in the afternoon? I am hoping it’s nice like the one in Anaheim.

Now that I have been outside a little, I think all the rooms have balcony. Lol They made it sound like an upgrade. Some just have better views than others.

 

[Alexle2007]

Now that I have been outside a little, I think all the rooms have balcony. Lol They made it sound like an upgrade. Some just have better views than others.

Hmmm....maybe I’ll have to be specific and see about a beachfront room

 

[bernina]

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[Limes96]

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[Alexle2007]

Breakfast 7-10 am. Hors d’oeuvres 5-7 with beer, wine and mixed drinks. We just left. Had my 3rd free Yuenglung of the day. Lol. May have had 2 before my noon flight. Cheese/crackers, fruit, hummus/pita and mini quiches. Very small. Do you have any suggestions @Judique? We are not seafood people.

View from balcony. Looking straight out of my room is tennis courts and beach parking.

View attachment 409615

Awesome! Free drinks! I’m in!

I looked that at my credit card statement and it looks like we enjoys Cooters Restaurant on Poinsettia since we went there twice. We also went to Crabby Bill’s at the pier/dock when the boys went jet skiing. It was an easy walk to Cooters from the Sand Pearl Resort. DH is kind of sad we are not staying there again. We got an AMAZING upgrade there to a corner one bedroom suite that had ocean and bay views.

 

[elgerber]

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[wisconsinmom]

I just got back from a lovely week in Hawaii (air tickets were paid for using UR points and we had a free timeshare). I forgot how much I love Hawaii!

Just applied for a CIP using a referral from DH. I got the "we need a little more time message". Hoping it gets approved. We leave for Europe in 11 days and that trip would help complete some of the MSR.

 

[Limes96]

Fair warning Citi Biz cards take forever to arrive after approval.

Thanks for the warning. I’ll keep my Arrival+ handy just in case it doesn’t get here in time. Also glad I didn’t delay any longer applying. Just did and auto approved. It seemed weird applying when I haven’t even gotten my CIP2 in the mail yet.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Have you tried it with the new format? maybe I need some Xanax to help me fly.

Interesting! They must have updated. I know for sure it was banned before.

Has anyone tested the middle finger emoji yet? I dare you.

nobody report me, @Lain asked for it!

 

[Haley R]

My parents are the SAME WAY! They only travel b/c we aren't local anymore so they have to come see the grandkids. The come for each kids' bdays (hence the ONLY reason they were at Disney with us- it was DD's 20th bday and she is still there on her CP). But they drive 9 hours to visit us in TN and only stay 2 nights b/c they want to get home. It is crazy town. Then again, they are used to peace and quiet and our house if definitely not that, so maybe 2 days is all they can handle.

My parents are the opposite. They travel all the time but not out of the country. They usually go to the same places every year. They used to go to Mexico every year but now they go to gulf shores for a month or more in the winter.

 

[Haley R]

Probably b/c when we leave the USA (on DCL of course...see a pattern here?) we can't wait to get back to the USA. Leaving the country helps you realize how lucky you are to live here.

This is so true. I’ve already shoved my face with foods that I couldn’t get in Japan lol. I will say there are definitely some things I miss about Japan (mainly the people). When I heard a mom yelling at her kid to “stand against the wall” in the airport bathroom all I could think was “this would never happen in Japan”.

 

[Limes96]

AND just knocked out the rest of P2’s CIP2 msr using Plastiq for tuition.

 

[Haley R]

Well I slept until 6 pm today

I woke up and thought it was 6 am but nope I slept 13 hours straight no big deal. I also ate a giant spoonful of peanut butter since I couldn’t have that in Japan

 

[Haley R]

My cat missed me

We actually have two cats but this one’s “mine” and the other one is “dh’s” lol. Each one is cuddly towards one of us and not as cuddly with the other for some reason

 

[Lain]

Omg did I do a bad thing? No one else had a link so I was trying to pay it forward to someone/anyone.
Is he bad? I’m so anxious now!

Don't worry, it's just an inside joke.

I think the only thing worse than not supporting a fellow DISer with a click is supporting TPG with a click.

Brian Kelly, aka "The Points Guy," started a blog about racking up credit card points and using them for cheap or free travel. The blog took off, and a few years ago Kelly sold the TPG site to Bankrate for millions of dollars (making Brian Kelly a millionaire and an even bigger d-bag than he already was), and he remains the editor and "face" of TPG. Bankrate, now owned by Red Ventures, also bought up Million Mile Secrets and Mommy Points, among other points and miles blogs and sites.

These blogs make money from a combination of digital advertising and affiliate links (the referral links to credit card offers that are littered throughout their articles and websites). For an idea just how much money TPG made in advertising dollars from the banks over the past 2-3 years, see a previous post here and some of my thoughts on the matter. As for their affiliate links that direct you to apply for credit cards, these are not your normal referral links. They don't pay in points or miles, and aren't capped per year. Every approved application generated from an affiliate link could pay the site $10 or $20 on the low end, to $200-$300+ for the super premium cards. Here's an old post that'll give you some idea what kind of money these bloggers are making when someone applies through their link.

As I've said before, if TPG (and any other blogger) is taking thousands or millions of dollars from the banks to push these banks' products, you really need to question whether the site is in it for their own pecuniary interest or the best interest of their readers in getting the best signup offer. [Normally, I'd have examples to cite here, but I'm on my phone and it's Father's Day, so forgive me if I generalize a little from memory.]

TPG will always sell you the worse deal because they are in the banks' pocket. Banks are constantly changing up their offers to generate interest in their card products. Sometimes the banks’ marketing affiliates like TPG will get links to the new, better offers first; other times, it can take a few days from when the banks announce a new offer and make it publicly available to when the affiliates get their links to the offer. TPG (and other bloggers) will actually withhold news of a better offer and continue to push the old offer until they have affiliate links that pay for the better offer. And then generally, TPG (and other bloggers) will sensationalize their affiliate offers as the “best ever,” or more than the previous offer, without also explaining how and where their readers can get a better deal. A few examples here include shilling the 40k Rapid Rewards points offers on the Southwest personal cards for much of this year when folks here were applying for the personal cards at 50k miles using in-flight links. (40k combined with a 60k SUB on the SW Biz would still put a TPG reader almost 10k miles short of a Companion Pass, whereas a link to a 50k SUB and the 60k SW Biz SUB would get us automatic Companion Pass for up to two years). Also, TPG’s been promoting the Amex Gold card at 35k Membership Rewards points (and to be fair mentions that some people may be targeted for 50k MR offers through Cardmatch); but doesn’t share that getting targeted on Cardmatch is pretty hard but pulling up the 50k MR offer on most any browser in incognito mode is really easy. Even with the recent re-release of the Rose Gold card, TPG will have you think if you want the “Rose Gold” card, you need to apply via referral (or their links) and the best offer you’ll get is 40k MR; but doesn’t share that you can apply for the “Gold” card via the incognito method for 50k MR, and just ask Amex chat to send you the “Rose Gold” color if that’s what you want. And not to mention that you can get better SUB offers on most cards by using various methods of referral/self-referral (i.e., not using affiliate links), targeted mailers and offers, incognito, Cardmatch, and dummy bookings. But of course TPG won’t share any of this because it doesn’t earn the site any money, and in fact takes clicks away from their affiliate links.

So where does Doctor of Credit come down on all this? DoC doesn’t have or accept any affiliate links from the banks. DoC has affiliate links up for Amazon and eBay, and has a few affiliate or referral links to various apps or services, which they only push if their readers get something out of it. William and Chuck at DoC are about as honest and forthcoming as they get in the points and miles blogosphere.

Before you use a link, always ask yourself (and even the rest of us here), are you getting the best deal? Bloggers fall on a spectrum. Some are less shilly than others. Here at DISchurners, we’re not professional pushers and we’re more or less like you. We try to give the best advice we can and call things as we see them.

I hope you didn’t take any offense at my little in joke. Don’t worry, you’re in good company. @amalone1013 is Mother Superior of the Shunnery and she’s got snacks.

 

[wendow]

Has anyone tested the middle finger emoji yet? I dare you.

I didn't know there was such a thing

 

[chattadisser]

My parents are the SAME WAY! They only travel b/c we aren't local anymore so they have to come see the grandkids. The come for each kids' bdays (hence the ONLY reason they were at Disney with us- it was DD's 20th bday and she is still there on her CP). But they drive 9 hours to visit us in TN and only stay 2 nights b/c they want to get home. It is crazy town. Then again, they are used to peace and quiet and our house if definitely not that, so maybe 2 days is all they can handle.

Do we have the same parents??Mine only travel for one of the girls' birthdays or Christmas and then stay no more than 2 nights. They don't want to do anything touristy while they are here so really 2 days of togetherness is enough for all of us!! I'm not sure they'd leave the state of FL if we didn't live outside it.

 

[chattadisser]

The only one I'm going to try is Columbia restaurant when I go back. You go across the street in front of the hotel and it's on the Bay side going south - directions given to me at the hotel. I googled and it's right next to the Marriott Suites. There are a few of these. One is in Celebration. I think the first was in Ybor City. I've had the food but have not dined in the restaurant. I had it as part of a festival in Celebration.

If you ever have the chance to go to the one in Ybor City, go! I love the Columbia. Of course, I love Cuban food.