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

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AMEX CHURNING SHOWER THOUGHT...
If I were starting out with AMEX today and wanted to keep a good long term relationship with them...my first two cards would be either a BCE (Blue Cash Everyday) or BCP (Blue Cash Preferred) AND a BBP (Blue Business Plus).
  • The BCE or BCP would earn 3% or 6% on groceries and have ongoing usefulness. BCP has an AF of $95 so I'd only get that one if you planned to keep it and pay the AF long-term. Both have a decent Bonus ($200 or $250 for $1,000 spend)
  • The BBP would start earning MRs at 2x per $. It's also a great card to keep MRs active long term. If has no AF and a decent bonus of 10k MRs.
This would start you off with a good relationship with AMEX and these are cards that have legitimate use for ongoing spend.

The other thing is any one of these cards would enable you to self refer or refer a spouse to ANY other AMEX card.

Just some food for thought...interested to see if others would agree or disagree. This is kind of piggybacking off of @Lain's thoughts earlier this week that it is now hard to recommend people to go for AMEX cards.

I think this is a great plan for people new to the game.

When are you going? We never book any packages and always are able to get decent seats for Fantasmic but we go during slightly below avg crowd times.

I've seen Fantasmic several times and once I did Mama Melrose dining package during a Xmas trip. Other than that, walk up. I've been turned away once which was no biggie as I just caught it the next night.

I just can't bring myself to pay for a dessert party - I'm a one glass of wine and maybe 2 small desserts half eaten. Now maybe in the right company I might feel differently....

I used to go Xmas and easter when the kids had school. Then they grew up.

LOL - you guys and your obsessions with the look of a card :P

I did have a Gold Card, an Ameriprise Gold Card, a Premier Rewards Gold Card and a Business Gold Rewards Card...and they all ended up in the trash when that year 2 AF rolled around...same as this new Gold Card would LOLOL!!!

I already know I'm keeping mine. It pays for itself for me easily, just like my Spg/Marriott/Radisson/IHG/Hyatt cards do. The MR's are just a bonus on top. So far, $100 dining @20%, $10 a month at Cheesecake Factory or Shake Shack, $100 airline gift card, 50K MR's, $50 offers for Staples on the $200 visa, $100 offer for Lowes- could do Visa cards on that one also. 4 MR's on restaurants and groceries.

And, I was certain that you had rolled some gold in the past!
 
AMEX CHURNING SHOWER THOUGHT...
If I were starting out with AMEX today and wanted to keep a good long term relationship with them...my first two cards would be either a BCE (Blue Cash Everyday) or BCP (Blue Cash Preferred) AND a BBP (Blue Business Plus).
  • The BCE or BCP would earn 3% or 6% on groceries and have ongoing usefulness. BCP has an AF of $95 so I'd only get that one if you planned to keep it and pay the AF long-term. Both have a decent Bonus ($200 or $250 for $1,000 spend)
  • The BBP would start earning MRs at 2x per $. It's also a great card to keep MRs active long term. If has no AF and a decent bonus of 10k MRs.
This would start you off with a good relationship with AMEX and these are cards that have legitimate use for ongoing spend.

The other thing is any one of these cards would enable you to self refer or refer a spouse to ANY other AMEX card.

Just some food for thought...interested to see if others would agree or disagree. This is kind of piggybacking off of @Lain's thoughts earlier this week that it is now hard to recommend people to go for AMEX cards.

Does Walmart grocery pickup count as "grocery" for the BCE or BCP? I just hit the spend on my BBP so looking for my next move.
 


I landed in LA and I’m on my way to Anaheim!! Just wanted to say CA is my second favorite state after NY of course lol

We got into your favorite state, NY, last night. We are using our FN certs from two of the Starriott cards at The Residence Inn by Central Park. Went to the Mickey Mouse True Original Exhibit this morning. Then stood in line at TKTS and will be seeing King Kong tonight. I love NY!

I just realized I have sold several things on eBay in the last month, my Biz cards are legit LOL

@PlanePrincess has been suggesting I sell some of the Disney Dooneys I don’t use anymore on eBay. Looks like my “business” may be legit soon too.

So as far as buying Disney gift cards at a discount - how do I do that? And it's just a 1 point per dollar earning, right?

There are discounted Disney GCs available through BJs, Sam’s, and Target. Often there are Amex, Chase or RMN offers that will generate a discount for them too. If there is a bonus category available for the store on a given card then you may also generate more than 1 point per dollar depending on the card. There are also a number of cards that offer 1.5 or 2 points per dollars on all spending.

We generate the bulk of our UR points by purchasing Disney GCs with our Chase Ink Plus (no longer available, but CIC would be equivalent) which offers 5x at office supply stores. We tend to go for variable points like UR or MR over cash. However, if the cash back or discount is 10% or better then we will go for that over points.

Changes to Stick Threads made today:
  • Changed from "New Thread" to the name...this won't be "new" much longer
  • Added a comment in the first sticky about not trying to read every page
  • Added SM and r/churning to the glossary (sticky 3)
  • Added "related DISboards threads" to sticky 4 - so far just hotel thread and gift card thread
Open to any and all suggestions on any further changes we should make!

May i suggest MPX in the glossary as sometimes it comes up as a stacking points suggestion or we get an alert from @Lain that there’s a wicked awesome offer.

AMEX CHURNING SHOWER THOUGHT...
If I were starting out with AMEX today and wanted to keep a good long term relationship with them...my first two cards would be either a BCE (Blue Cash Everyday) or BCP (Blue Cash Preferred) AND a BBP (Blue Business Plus).
  • The BCE or BCP would earn 3% or 6% on groceries and have ongoing usefulness. BCP has an AF of $95 so I'd only get that one if you planned to keep it and pay the AF long-term. Both have a decent Bonus ($200 or $250 for $1,000 spend)
  • The BBP would start earning MRs at 2x per $. It's also a great card to keep MRs active long term. If has no AF and a decent bonus of 10k MRs.
This would start you off with a good relationship with AMEX and these are cards that have legitimate use for ongoing spend.

The other thing is any one of these cards would enable you to self refer or refer a spouse to ANY other AMEX card.

Just some food for thought...interested to see if others would agree or disagree. This is kind of piggybacking off of @Lain's thoughts earlier this week that it is now hard to recommend people to go for AMEX cards.

So dying at that title!

I have to totally agree with you though and I’m so not about the cash back at all. In light of the Amex pop ups and new relationship building with amex this is a good strategy for those starting out in travel hacking as well as those who may be more conservative about their goals and the roads to get there.

Unfortunately I will not recommend that card to a newbie. I don't look at it as a 4% card...it's a 4x MR card AND it has a $250 annual fee (which I know is partially offset by some things). As we recently saw in the thread...many people struggle with how to effectively use MRs so that 4x MRs could turn into 0.6cpp or 2.4% back...or it could end up being Home Depot and Olive Garden gift cards (at 4%)...or with a Schwab Plat it's like 5% back but now you're telling them they need to get a card with a $250 AF and a $550 AF just to get their cash...All of that just sounds confusing when somebody stumbled in here wanting "A card" to help offset their trip expenses, lol.

People who have an appreciation and value of MRs will note that this is a GREAT card though, and I don't disagree with that :)

Exactly! I would not have understood the value of the card as a newbie. I LOVE this card. I replaced all dining spend with it over the CSR and we all know the hoops we jumped through just to get the blasted CSR.

A lot of my shower thoughts are churning related. LOL

Just when I thought I couldn’t love this quirky DISchurning community more. It’s so nice when you’ve found your people. :grouphug:

It really feels so odd to be “cautioning” people now about cards...

Remember back in the day when it was all about just get every card...quickly...no matter what...

And get the same card multiple times.

Back when we walked to school barefoot uphill both ways?? :-)

Yes and it was in the snow while living in Florida where it’s flat and doesn’t ...
 


Also Off Topic, but Hollywood Brown Derby had a "holiday" change when we were there between Christmas and New Year's. Scheduled a lunch so we could try the Wagyu Burger and Shrimp and Grits. They were only serving the dinner menu at lunch and would not let us order those items. Definitely a bummer! Just keep this in mind if you are going during a busy time.
HBD is one of my fave places to eat. Last trip, DD19 and I were alone. We discovered we could walk up to the outdoor area and eat with no wait. We ordered 2 items (1 was the chopped salad, my fave) and shared them. Perfect lunch spot!
 
I recently cancelled my Amex ED card to make room for another card. I’ve now come to the realization that I have effectively locked myself out of getting more than one Amex credit card a year. Supposedly the limit is 5 credit cards. I have a BBP, Hilton Aspire, SPG Lux and SPG business. These are going no where. Sigh ...
 
I didn't get to my Staples until almost 3:45pm, but no worries: the gift card rack was fully stocked and brimming over with $200 gift cards. I bought 2, then asked the guy how many could I buy? He says $2000 per day. So I bought one more, or $600 worth. That's $50 plus the points and I may test out buying a money order, or not. $600 is pretty easy to spend.
I need to go back this evening and get a couple more. It is raining (of course it is b/c it is Nashville >:() so I have been very lazy today.
 
HBD is one of my fave places to eat. Last trip, DD19 and I were alone. We discovered we could walk up to the outdoor area and eat with no wait. We ordered 2 items (1 was the chopped salad, my fave) and shared them. Perfect lunch spot!
We ate there for the first time (in 20 trips!) in July at lunch time. The menu really worked well for family members with food allergies and intolerances :-) I think dh and I will add either the restaurant or the outdoor lounge to our list of places-we-must-eat.
 
Slightly off topic but I know I've seen a lot of discussion on the Discover savings bonuses. Can I have my DH sign up for an account and get a bonus as well as myself? I've been meaning to move my kids' savings accounts to an account that will get a better interest rate, and this seems like a good way to get a bonus too. Thanks!
This is exactly what I did. I opened various savings accounts at various banks for the bonus offers, and converted each on to a kid savings so I could get them out of Wells Fargo. Both DH and I have a discover savings now, one is earmarked for my cash earnings from this hobby, and the other is for one of the kids. We both got the bonuses no problem.
 
And get the same card multiple times.
I feel like there have been WAY too many "eras" of churning in the past 5ish years.
  • AMEX Once per Lifetime applied to personal cards (2014)
  • Chase 5/24 applied to Chase branded cards (2015)
  • AMEX Once per Lifetime extended to business cards (Early 2016)
  • Chase 5/24 extended to co-brands* (5/24/16 - such irony) *with limited exclusions
  • CSR and CIP release (Fall 2016)
  • One Sapphire rule (Aug 2017)
  • One SW rule (Apr 2018)
  • The evolution of the AMEX RAT (throughout 2018)
  • AMEX Pop-up release (June 2018)
  • 48 month language on sapphires (Aug 2018)
  • Numerous other rule changes with Citi and BofA that I truly can't even recall or track throughout this period
The game is constantly changing my friends...and as evidenced by the bullet points above, mostly not for good.
 
I will add...but can you give me a definition for it lol! It's an App right?

LOL Yes, it’s an app that you can purchase gift cards to certain merchants in your current location. You earn however many UA miles are listed for the merchant, pay with a credit card and get those additional points. If you also have a United cc you get a 25% bonus even if your aren’t using that card to pay.
 
LOL Yes, it’s an app that you can purchase gift cards to certain merchants in your current location. You earn however UA miles are listed for the merchant, pay with a credit card and get those additional points. If you also have a United cc you get a 25% bonus even if your aren’t using that card to pay.
Done and added :)
 
So Celebrity Cruises is doing a $25 deposit sale (fully refundable). I've been obsessing over itineraries for early 2021.

I was ready to pull the trigger on a 13 day South Pacific cruise but I just don't think I can do the flight. It goes out of Auckland, New Zealand. I get panicky thinking about being cooped up that long. DH got the same way when I mentioned it. Ugh.
 
I recently cancelled my Amex ED card to make room for another card. I’ve now come to the realization that I have effectively locked myself out of getting more than one Amex credit card a year. Supposedly the limit is 5 credit cards. I have a BBP, Hilton Aspire, SPG Lux and SPG business. These are going no where. Sigh ...

They are pretty rigid about the 5 cc limit-the only exception I can think of is when they acquired the Hilton portfolio exclusively and some of the Citis were transferred (I think @Judique 's DD was someone with 6 but I could be wrong, @Lain hasn't sent me a spreadsheet in a while).

What is going to be your 5th Amex CC in 2019? I still need to bump one off for the Aspire.
 
I feel like there have been WAY too many "eras" of churning in the past 5ish years.
  • AMEX Once per Lifetime applied to personal cards (2014)
  • Chase 5/24 applied to Chase branded cards (2015)
  • AMEX Once per Lifetime extended to business cards (Early 2016)
  • Chase 5/24 extended to co-brands* (5/24/16 - such irony) *with limited exclusions
  • CSR and CIP release (Fall 2016)
  • One Sapphire rule (Aug 2017)
  • One SW rule (Apr 2018)
  • The evolution of the AMEX RAT (throughout 2018)
  • AMEX Pop-up release (June 2018)
  • 48 month language on sapphires (Aug 2018)
  • Numerous other rule changes with Citi and BofA that I truly can't even recall or track throughout this period
The game is constantly changing my friends...and as evidenced by the bullet points above, mostly not for good.
I also will say that people on r/churning say that because of all of this stuff having a strategy or plan is stupid...

I vehemently disagree!! I still think having a plan for 6 months out, 12 months out, or even longer is a great idea. What are you chasing, what cards can get you there, what pacing of applications will keep you getting approved - these are good things to plan for. You just need to be prepared to be thrown a wrench at some point. Have a backup plan for those points OR call an audibly if a great offer pops up.

Sometimes on r/churning I see people who got 10 cards, burned their 5/24 status up, and aren't even sure what to do with the points they earned...It's sad really. Have at least somewhat of a plan :).
 
So Celebrity Cruises is doing a $25 deposit sale (fully refundable). I've been obsessing over itineraries for early 2021.

I was ready to pull the trigger on a 13 day South Pacific cruise but I just don't think I can do the flight. It goes out of Auckland, New Zealand. I get panicky thinking about being cooped up that long. DH got the same way when I mentioned it. Ugh.
My inlaws just did New Zealand and Australia. Pictures very pretty, but I have no desire to go so far either.
 
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