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

[SouthFayetteFan]

From my calculations if you've relayed all credit cards obtained over the past 24 months, it appears you are 4/24 and your P2 is 2/24 which puts you in a great position since Chase has this rule and they have some of the most lucrative cards.

If you don't have a side hustle such as tutoring, selling on ebay, yard work, baking, etc and are not interested in business cards then I'll make the following suggestions, with 2 options either points/miles or cash back.

Points/miles (but can also receive cash back)

P2 applies for a Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) for a 60,000 Ultimate Rewards sign up bonus (SUB) after $4,000 spend in 3 months. Then P2 would send a support link to P1 for the same card as P2 is finishing up the Minimal Spend Requirement. If P1 is approved then P2 will earn 15,000 URs AND if y'all live in the same house, you can pool your Ultimate Rewards. This represents a potential of 143,000 (bonus+bonus+"support"+spend) Ultimate Rewards which could be used in the travel portal for a redemption rate of 1.25 cent/point OR straight cash back/statement credit of $1430.00 ***Please note, the CSP has an annual fee of $95 which IS NOT WAIVED.***

Pros-this is a good chunk of money as cash or miles that can be used in the travel portal (some of our members have used URs through the travel portal to book expeditions in Alaska) or transferred to a United Miles Plus account.

Cons-the $95 AF (per card) and knowing how URs will work best for you

Now, if you don't want to mess with points/miles and just want straight cash back, the above strategy could still be good, since you can receive either a statement credit OR cash back to your bank account. But, if you don't want to deal with all of that OR don't want a card with an annual fee then Chase has 2 no Annual Fee, cash back cards-Chase Freedom (CF) and Chase Freedom Unlimited (CFU).

The CF has rotating categories, per quarter, where you can earn 5% cash back up to $75/quarter. The current quarter categories are Chase Pay, Paypal and department stores, and prior quarters have included gas stations, drug stores and tolls (Q1), grocery and home improvement stores (Q2) and gas and streaming services (Q3). Maxing out equals $75 which is pretty good.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited (CFU) has a flat redemption of 1.5% on everything.

Both of these cards are offering $150 bonus on $500 spend in the first month as well as a "support" bonus so P1 could get the Freedom Unlimited and "support" P2 for this and receive a $100 bonus, or vice versa. The Chase Freedom referral bonus is currently $50.

Other non chase cards for cash back are the Citi Double Cash Back card which awards 1% on every purchase and another 1% when the statement is paid. No muss, no fuss BUT Citi has horrible IT and that can cause a headache. Also, I don't believe it has a sign up bonus so taking up a x/24 spot for a card that doesn't have a sign up bonus isn't the first thing I'd recommend.

Finally, the Discover It has rotating 5% cash back categories as well-current Q4 category is: Target, amazon.com, and walmart.com. In 2020, Q1 includes grocery stores, walgreens and CVS, Q2 is gas station, uber/lyft and wholesale clubs, Q3 is restaurants and paypal, Q4 is amazon.com, target.com and walmart.com. The Discover it card is awesome because they will match your first year's cash back at the end of the year, effectively resulting in a 10% cash back on the quarterly categories (up to $75/quarter).
There is also a "support" link so P2 could "support" P1 and earn more cash back. I feel like the Discover It doesn't receive a lot of love here but it's a great card, especially in the first year, for cash back, especially if you can max out the categories.

A personal note-I maxed out my Discover categories from Feb 2018-Feb 2019 and the money I earned (about $700 from 5% cash back plus other 1% purchases) I used to convert to foreign currency for my DD's high school graduation trip to Europe.

PROs- cash back, no AF for any of these cards

CONS-Discover and CF are rotating 5% categories and some quarters you might not be able to max out the categories, or forget to register your card, or it's just too much of a hassle.

I hope this has given you some options to consider. Please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions and if you want to join our dischurners reddit thread (where you can ask more questions and utilize a "support link" to help out a fellow dis-er please let @SouthFayetteFan know!

FYI @CODisFan - you need to make 10 comments to use the DIS Pm system

 

[MountainsAreCalling]

The high for the Bonvoy Biz is 100k. I think that's gone now. So I would be hesitant to get it until it goes back up.

You can get any offsite hotel with URs. The Best Western Plus Park Place Inn would be the closest (literally right at the crosswalk to get to DLR). But it is very motel-y, even more so than the Fairfield Inn.

Disneyland peeps, help me out here. Our next CC move is to get points for our Disneyland hotel. Originally I was thinking a Marriott since those seem to be most recommended and closest to the park. We’d each grab the Marriott Biz via Amex in order to have enough points and not mess up 5/24. It doesn’t look like Hilton has any good very close DL properties- is that correct? Also Hyatt same thing. I am also not sure how many nights we’d want.

Option 1:
P1 and P2 pick up Marriott Biz Amex. Probably use both SUBs fully to book 5 nights near DL.

Option 2:
P1 and P2 pick up a Chase Biz card and cash out to cover 3 nights on site at DL.

Option 3:
Better hotel chain offsite via Hyatt or Hilton?

If we do option 2 we can’t comfortably touch Chase until Feb/March so I’d probably pick up MR biz cards as our next move.

We usually stay at Disneyland for 6 or 7 nights with 5 days in the park. The last time was with Marriott points at the Courtyard Theme Park Entrance. Very nice hotel with great water park for younger kids. The rooms have gone up in points and I wouldn't want to use Marriott points the next time. You can book via the Chase Travel Portal for approx 23,000 a night.

If you have IHG points there is a newer Holiday Inn Express + Suites located around the corner from Courtyard Theme park entrance. It is on my list to try since I have the hotel points. 35,000 a night + free night cert. or 17,000-21,000 UR points. This will be a longer walk.

Our go to place to stay is the Best Western Park Place Inn. Unfortunately, no hotel card but book with UR's for about 19,000 points. This is the closest you can get! Not fancy but very very convenient. The free breakfast was a perk. We always took extra yogurt and fruit back with us to snack on later.

 

[MountainsAreCalling]

I had an appointment yesterday to open my Chase Biz checking account. I was there about an hour. The banker was super nice and chatted about the holidays. I used e-bay as my business and was asked about my fiscal year and assets. I was all going great till she entered the $500 bonus code and her server crashed! At first she told me that she will enter it in on Monday and call me when complete. (I admit, I was a little worried) She went to photo copy the paper with the code and when she came back told me she was able to add the code from a computer in the back. Yeah! But, told me to hold onto the code just in case.

 

[reliev]

Is there a limit to how often Chase allows transfers of URs between cards? I am not sure whether to leave them where they are or move them to the most current (newest) card... assuming all cards redeem at the same rate, of course. Aside from making sure it's a card that is still open, does it matter which one the URs are parked on?

I dont think so I move everything once a month or so to my CSR

 

[usakiwi]

Thanks! We went to Australia 19 years ago for our honeymoon and hit all of those locations (except Alice Springs) plus we spent some time in rainforest North of Cairns. We are looking forward to experiencing Australia with DS now.

We are definitely doing the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary so DS can hold a koala. I am trying to make sure all of our hotels and flights are covered before tours especially if the AUS $ remains low.

i get you about the Great Barrier Reef but it is sudden a magical place. To be me, it’s like going to Egypt and not going to the pyramids.

We’ll be there during their winter so that will also play into what we do.

Sounds awesome!! Not sure if you will be driving, but we rented a car and were happy to be on our own time schedule for Lone Pine. We DID get there at opening, although we had about a 30 min delay getting in due to the aforementioned situation with the tickets purchased through UR. We were able to keep busy all day, although I know sometimes we move at a slower pace that others and are happy that way, so not everyone would likely spend that long there. But, going more slowly meant we were still there in the afternoon. Watching them feed the koalas was probably my favorite part...the noises they make and to watch them run and jump around was amazing since they usually hardly move! We also found that the kangaroos were much more relaxed in the afternoon. We visited them in the morning, then went back again not long before closing. They were so happy at our afternoon visit, there weren’t as many people and pretty much all of the humans were just sitting down in the grass with the kangaroos coming up to them (of course looking for food!) which was the opposite of the morning where the kangaroos were sitting/laying and the humans were doing the approaching.

Also, I was thinking about what I said about the Great Barrier Reef, and although I didn’t mean to be rude I hope it didn’t come off as judgemental! I certainly don’t expect everyone to believe the same as me, but I’m not sure if I made that clear enough. I’m sure you will have an amazing time! What an exciting trip for your son!!

 

[platamama]

What are grocery everywhere cards

 

[usakiwi]

I've found the $200 grocery everywhere cards have a lower purchase fee, and work fine for serve at WM. Buy 2 of them.

Or dining everywhere work at WM too for the same lower fee. I just feel better going that route in case something changes...I know I could use up dining credits somewhere before I could use up grocery credit (although I am deep in WM country, and none of the WMs I use code as grocery for anything, I’m sure it is different for those who buy groceries at an actual grocery store!)

 

[alryan]

I try to not cycle my CL.

Me too, which forces me to slow down. Although I maxed out my CIC for the year, so I guess I get a break from Staples for 6 weeks!

 

[Haley R]

View attachment 453240

Or dining everywhere work at WM too for the same lower fee. I just feel better going that route in case something changes...I know I could use up dining credits somewhere before I could use up grocery credit (although I am deep in WM country, and none of the WMs I use code as grocery for anything, I’m sure it is different for those who buy groceries at an actual grocery store!)

I didn’t even know these were a thing. We do all of our grocery shopping at Walmart so I’m not sure if I want to go that route just in case for some reason we get stuck with them. Can the dining ones be used anywhere?

 

[Haley R]

Me too, which forces me to slow down. Although I maxed out my CIC for the year, so I guess I get a break from Staples for 6 weeks!

How do you know if your CIC is maxed out? We’re still getting used to using ours

 

[alryan]

I've been thinking about this too. Many of the maximum value ones are so far to get to (Bora Bora, Maldives, etc). Check out the locations for Waldorf and Conrad hotels - see if any would work for you. Some of the rates I saw for the Waldorf Orlando aren't that high though, so that might not be a good one. The Waldorf Beverly Hills, if you have interest in going there, those rates are like $1000/nt.

Thanks, I could definitely find something that would work. The Waldorf Park City looks amazing. $1400/night or 267,000 points. This is going to be fun

 

[alryan]

How do you know if your CIC is maxed out? We’re still getting used to using ours

There is a limit of max $1000 cash back from the 5% categories per year and it will say how much you have earned on the UR page.

 

[IFlossU]

@wanderlust7 that plus the possible diminished value of the points by May 2021 are what make me hesitant! I’m leaning MR cards for now and UR in the spring.

Would you say 3 days or 4 or 5 at Disneyland with a almost 4 and almost 2 year old?

I personally have never been more than 3 days at a time, but we live in AZ so we can get to DL 2-3x/year. If this is a once in long while trip then you may want to stay 4-5 days and have a leisurely pace. We always rope drop and then take an afternoon break. I find that we all are pretty exhausted by day 3, and it’s a lot of stimulation even for my older kids. I know a lot of people spend 4-5 days, but with MaxPass we can easily do it in 3 days.

 

[CODisFan]

FYI
[QUOTE="SouthFayetteFan, post: 61271469, member: 529508"]
FYI [USER=655993]@CODisFan - you need to make 10 comments to use the DIS Pm system

@SouthFayetteFan Thanks! That was my next question I’ve been in ‘research’ mode and haven’t commented on anything until today. I’d like to join the group and would be happy to lend some support!
@tink1970 Thank you! That is so helpful. In spite of all the reading I’ve been doing, I haven’t quite gotten the gist of the travel cards and how rewards work. I didn’t realize you could get cash back on those as well. I looked at the rotating category cards, but wouldn’t get much out of most categories. I think I do better with the Amex 6% on groceries even with the AF. Lots to think about!

 

[wanderlust7]

Thanks, I could definitely find something that would work. The Waldorf Park City looks amazing. $1400/night or 267,000 points. This is going to be fun

Wait...267k is for 1 night? That’s not a standard award, which is what you need for the free night. These high value ones tend to go fast. You’ll probably need to book close to release. I could have made the Waldorf Beverly Hills work with existing plans, but all out of standard awards by the time I got my free night.

 

[miztressuz]

I had an appointment yesterday to open my Chase Biz checking account. I was there about an hour. The banker was super nice and chatted about the holidays. I used e-bay as my business and was asked about my fiscal year and assets. I was all going great till she entered the $500 bonus code and her server crashed! At first she told me that she will enter it in on Monday and call me when complete. (I admit, I was a little worried) She went to photo copy the paper with the code and when she came back told me she was able to add the code from a computer in the back. Yeah! But, told me to hold onto the code just in case.

Check your paperwork she gave you from opening the account. There should be a page that has the promo code or the bonus listed IIRC. If it isn't, can ask over SM to confirm she got it added and if it's not it can still be added.

 

[wendow]

Anyone ever had to wait 'SB' for the CP Epcot show? We've tried so hard to get a meal for 7 that would give us guaranteed seating for the show. I called (again) on Saturday and this time I called DVC MS. The CM was so nice but said everything is booked 100% solid for that day for the two shows my dd is performing in. I've tried for so long that I'm just tired. The CM said it's cause Gary Sinese is the narrator. He's one of their more popular ones and it's a Saturday night. I will hold our reservation for 4 for as long as we can but if we cannot get the other three a seat somewhere, I will need to cancel. And then we are lining up with the masses. Just wondering how likely that is that we can actually get a seat??

 

[wendow]

@wanderlust7 that plus the possible diminished value of the points by May 2021 are what make me hesitant! I’m leaning MR cards for now and UR in the spring.

Would you say 3 days or 4 or 5 at Disneyland with a almost 4 and almost 2 year old?

We have much older kiddos but we did 4 days at DLR last year. We easily could have used another day. In fact, we said next time we went, we'd go for 5 days. However your kids are so little that there will be some things they cannot ride. I'm thinking 3 days, because of the young ages, is plenty. We went back in 2007 when our dd's were 7 and 5. Three days would have been perfect.

 

[havaneselover]

Had two new (to me) Amex offers: 10% off department stores up to $20 and 10% of home improvement stores up to $20.

 

[Alexle2007]

I have found return saver flights home from SYD in United Biz. Yay! Now I just to decide, do we Stop in DEN or HOU on our way home? The DEN flight gets in an hour earlier and has 2 1/2 hours to get us through customs (flight arrives at 6 am so hopefully it wouldn’t be too crazy.) It’s in late Aug so hopefully no weather concerns. Thoughts?