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

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I saw this on another blog and thought it would be fun to do here. Name one place you've travelled to that you wouldn't return. For me it would be the Bahamas. Been there, done that. Not impressed. There are much better islands in the Carribean to visit such as Turks and Caicos, Aruba and Grand Cayman.

The blog responders said :Thailand, Dubai, Qatar, Bahamas and Ireland.
 
Understandable! I keep adding on summer trips because I want to see the new things that open (Pandora, TSL, DAH, etc) even though I am visiting a few months later. :sad2: Those darn APs! I agree November is nice. October can still heat up pretty badly and December can get frigid!
We have never been during the summer, although we may try sometime. Our daughter just got her first full time teaching job. So if we ever want to bring her with us again it will need to be summer or gasp school holidays..... We usually go in November and in March - weather is usually good but not always warm enough for swimming.
 
Name one place you've travelled to that you wouldn't return. For me it would be the Bahamas. Been there, done that

The Bahamas is definitely on my list. Also, Ocean City, Maryland. Ik @Judique goes multiple times a year, but it didn’t appeal to me. There were like strobe lights on the beach and felt like a very college party atmosphere. Also, I felt like the beaches I went to on LI growing up we’re much nicer. Also, I went to Madrid as a teen. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t see myself going back. Nothing really stood out and I have so many other places in Europe that I want to see.

Oh, and Charolette NC. Nothing really to do there lol

First party huh? Please let us know how it is! We are attending an early October party!

I will! I’m worried about the crowds, but I’m excited.
 


Thanks everyone who helped me with the Serve process yesterday....went to FD on my lunch hour and successfully loaded $200...the cashier scanned something...then had me swipe the Serve card...she confirmed the $200....then I swiped the VGC and entered the PIN
Since it went well...I visited the 2 other FD a few miles away and repeated the same process
Only purchased $600 in VGCs and the funds are now being transferred to my checking account

Also found out that the Assisted Living facility my MIL is in has started accepting CC payments online with no fee. Usually we write a check from her account to pay the $5k monthly bill....will have to talk to DH and see if he is okay with putting in on our CC, then having her reimburse....
 
Back from Germany and can’t recommend it enough as a wonderful vacation spot. Easy, activities for all ages, interests, activity levels. We toured history from Roman times to modern day, my kids did paragliding, city tours.
Our CSR PP cards got us all in to the No. 1 lounge at LHR. None of us had never been to a lounge so we were all suitably impressed. Free food! Free wine and cocktails! Free soda! I calculate it saved me at least $150 on lunch.
I saw the conversation on Rick Steve’s, I think for @speedyfishy trip to Rome? We used his audio tour for Munich and can’t recommend the app enough. It makes a huge difference to understand what you are seeing and to have a logical route to take. It really helps you get your bearings so you can revisit places you’ve discovered.
Couldn’t have done this trip without the advice on this thread - now just trying to get house and life back together but will jump in to credit cards apps ASAP.

Sounds delightful! My oldest 2 plus a friend are going for Oktoberfest - just for a Wed to Sunday Sept 25-29. Son wanted to go so they booked it some time back. Daughter barely drinks and never beer so she's there for the atmosphere. I get to babysit.
 


Flexeril (prescription), if you can stomach it without getting loopy. Most doctors will write a script for it fairly easily since it's not a Schedule substance. It's the only thing that got DH off the couch to get to work when he threw his out the other month. If you don't want to do that, my doctor told me I could take 1000 mg of Aleve per day when I had severe hip pain earlier this year. She recommended Aleve over ibuprofen, I don't know if there's a specific reason why. 500 mg in the morning and 500 at night.

I don't want to tell you heat since you said it felt worse after the bath, but I do think you're supposed to switch to heat after 24 hours. If you do feel like you can handle a heating pad, make sure to put a damp towel between the heating pad and yourself, otherwise it will dry out your muscles.
Thanks! I actually getting ready to give the soaking in the bath another try.

The only prescription pain reliever I have ever tried was something when I got my wisdom teeth out and it made me horribly sick to my stomach. I’ll try the Aleve for now.
 
I saw this on another blog and thought it would be fun to do here. Name one place you've travelled to that you wouldn't return. For me it would be the Bahamas. Been there, done that. Not impressed. There are much better islands in the Carribean to visit such as Turks and Caicos, Aruba and Grand Cayman.

The blog responders said :Thailand, Dubai, Qatar, Bahamas and Ireland.

Years ago, many years ago, it was New York and Long Island for me. Went to SIL's wedding and did not have a good experience other than the actual wedding. That has changed. I've enjoyed NYC several times since then and I'm sure I could find something to enjoy on LI.. Daughter was in Ireland for a short stay earlier this year and wants to go back.
 
Years ago, many years ago, it was New York and Long Island for me. Went to SIL's wedding and did not have a good experience other than the actual wedding. That has changed. I've enjoyed NYC several times since then and I'm sure I could find something to enjoy on LI.. Daughter was in Ireland for a short stay earlier this year and wants to go back.

Omg we are exact opposites lol
 
I have asked questions in here before. But I'm now seriously stepping into this ring after becoming debt-free, with the exceptions of mortgage and car and those'll be in 3 years and 6 months, respectively. I went allllll the way back to page one to layout my details for you:

09/94 – DISCOVER personal
09/18 – CHASE Sapphire Preferred
10/15 – CHASE Disney
01/18 – BOA Alaska Airline ($99/annual)
04/18 – BOA Alaska Airline (for DH, $99/annual)
  • What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)? Now that the CC’s are zero balanced, put all expenses on CC for points.
  • Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest? Recently CC debt free. Paying off balances in full now, every month (unless it’s a large, special purchase)
  • What airport(s) do you typically fly out of? Redding or Sacramento, CA
  • Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program? United
  • Does SOUTHWEST service your airport? No. And I have had terrible experiences with SW in general.
  • Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference? No
  • Do you currently have any travel points in any program? (if so, which programs and how much) Points with CSP, United, Alaska Air, all minimal since I just started last year with finding this thread.
  • What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? (i.e. Disney World Trip, Cruise, European Trip, Cash Back to pay-off a mortgage or student loans, etc. - you can have multiple goals too!) Assist with college tuition, Britain/Ireland/Scotland trip, travel more in general.
Who does your travel party consist of? (Spouse, Kids (& ages), other relatives/friends) Myself, DH. Possibly for US trip: one kid in college, one in high school.

Obviously, we won't close our Discover. I also am really enjoying the points from the CSP. The Disney card is a lump of coal, but I use it for Disney store purchases. We'd applied for the AA cards to get free companion flights for our WDW trip in Dec. 2018. Otherwise, we haven't used them. Those are the two I'm considering canceling outright. Thoughts on that?

Congrats on getting debt free! (well, you know, close enough :) )

When you're talking about the Alaska cards, that's abbr. AS to differentiate from American Airlines which gets AA. (using their IATA codes, otherwise it gets confusing. especially when AA came out with a CC offer with a companion pass too!) I'm not too familiar with the AS cards, I looked into them a bit last year when I thought we might fly them on the return from Alaska but ended up going another way, but I thought they had a $75 AF and it was the companion pass that was $99+taxes on your anniversary? Either way, if you wouldn't use the companion pass every year I see no reason to hang on to them for that AF. They do get you waived baggage fees but if AS isn't your airline of choice, how much would you spend on that per year? I'd break it down on a cost analysis and if it's cheaper to pay OOP, cancel the cards. For this year though, if you already paid the AF I'm not sure that BoA will do any type of refund at this point. If so, you may as well keep it until the next AF is due and see if you can make use of the cards somehow.

You look like you're at 2/24, if that's all the cards you have? Haven't opened any store cards or added as a AU in the last 2 years?
09/94 – DISCOVER personal
10/15 – CHASE Disney
09/18 – CHASE Sapphire Preferred
01/18 – BOA Alaska Airline ($99/annual


and a 1/24 for your DH?
04/18 – BOA Alaska Airline (for DH, $99/annual)

You're both in a good spot to continue with Chase cards, which would be helpful with using United and as a cashout strategy for your goals. I know we recommend that a lot but they are very flexible and have a reasonable cash equivalent. You can also cash out AmEx MR points but you get a variable value out of it. A straight forward MR cashout as a statement credit only gives you .6 cents per point (so a 50k sign up bonus would net you $300 as a statement credit). You can find other ways to cash out at or near 1 cpp but that's mostly a cash equivalent. There is a way to get 1.25 cpp in cash but it involves opening a specific credit card with an AF and a brokerage account at Schwab to transfer the points. Then you have to do another cost analysis if the extra .25 cpp is worth the extra complexity - which it can be with high enough MR balances. (@speedyfishy is cashing out a boatload of them to help pay for her Disney wedding. even after all the AF's she's coming out ahead) Anyway, that's my long winded way to say, AmEx MR points could be useful as well for your travels but in general I'd suggest you have a plan for how to use them first before collecting a lot of them. As opposed to Chase UR points which have an easy 1 cpp redemption value should using them for travel or transfer not fit into the plans. I think that's partly why I'd recommend people getting their feet wet with Chase if they haven't been in the points game for a while. I found it much easier to understand travel redemptions and their value with the UR system. With Chase making 1 pt = 1 cent cash I could easily compare values.

If you're open to business cards that would extend your Chase UR run as well and you could both get many UR sign up bonuses in the next couple years. (UR are also nice since you can combine points within a household.) I think some of your strategy really comes down to how many cards you feel comfortable opening and what's your plan for them going forward? I don't like to presume but generally people getting out of debt got there in one of two ways - over spending, or unforeseen circumstances that couldn't be covered with savings. So depending on what contributed to the problem in the first place may shape your strategy going forward to make sure it's avoided. Nothing wrong with starting slow (or continuing slow!) if that keeps your current momentum going. Anything you can do for discounts is better than nothing :)
 
I saw this on another blog and thought it would be fun to do here. Name one place you've travelled to that you wouldn't return. For me it would be the Bahamas. Been there, done that. Not impressed. There are much better islands in the Carribean to visit such as Turks and Caicos, Aruba and Grand Cayman.

The blog responders said :Thailand, Dubai, Qatar, Bahamas and Ireland.

I'll second the Bahamas, Nassau in particular. I'd add New England and, this will go against most on here, FL. I grew up in FL, my parents still live there, but if I'm not going to WDW, I don't really care to go. It's as hot as the gates of hades most of the time and where there used to be towns its just now all sprawl. You can still get some of the old-FL feel up in the panhandle and north FL but sadly the roadside boiled peanuts seem to be a thing of the past. Also lived in Maine for a bit, very pretty, didn't mind the cold but there's only so much to do there and don't get me started how its dark there by 4PM in the winter!

After thinking about it, I guess I need to visit FL in January and February and Maine/New England in the summer, they'd move back on my go-to list then.
 
Feeling like a peasant thanks to PNC. Had an escrow shortage of 60 bucks but I can only pay it by check with the coupon. So lame.

I know we had some Dis’ers giving awesome advice for back strains. I decided my yard needed to trimmed before we go away so I was out there for about 1-1 1/2 hour on Sun doing despite my arms telling me I should give in but I persevered and completed the task. Yesterday and today I can barely walk and if I do, I look like an old lady. I tried ice all afternoon and evening along with Motrin and Aleve. And decided to try a warm bath yesterday and that made it feel worse. And today is miserable. I need it cleared up by Thurs morning since we fly to Universal that afternoon. Any suggestions? It’s mainly my lower back area.

Depends on if it's just sore muscles or you did something more. If you pulled or strained something it'll take longer. I doubt you threw it out since that generally happens out of nowhere not from lots of yard work.

But if you are getting amy type of spasm the ice is better. However I'm of the do whichever feels better camp because that's what works for me. Some also suggest alternating the two but no more than 10 to 20 min of either and then like 2 hours between. Make sure to get up and walk every hour or two as well. Much as it hurts you really do need to be up and moving around some. If it's not better tomorrow I'd go to a chiropractor if you have one you already see. If not they won't be able to help.

Also don't stress over it going away in time or it may not. You need to relax and I know a lot has been going on but us women tend to hold our stress and tension in our muscles, especially shoulders, so you don't want to add to it. And if it's still a bit sore just take it easy and don't walk as fast.

Worst case get a thermacare wrap if the heat helps and wear that. They are awesome, low heat and you can wear up to 8 hours. I always get the large or xl becauae they cover more area but then the strap really overlaps.
 
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We do have to pay it and that fee is not included in the points we used. That did include a car which we chose to not pick up. So no parking fee for us but you’d have that cost too if you took the car.
The points and cash rates for swolphin are really low right now. I’m guessing in a more desirable time, 1 SUB may not go as far. We were locked in to this time period for this trip so it worked well. I’m really hoping we can come at a different time next year. I do not like August weather!!
Don’t forget the resort fee should be added to your room charges and count towards your cc offer.
 
The Bahamas is definitely on my list. Also, Ocean City, Maryland. Ik @Judique goes multiple times a year, but it didn’t appeal to me. There were like strobe lights on the beach and felt like a very college party atmosphere. Also, I felt like the beaches I went to on LI growing up we’re much nicer. Also, I went to Madrid as a teen. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t see myself going back. Nothing really stood out and I have so many other places in Europe that I want to see.

Oh, and Charolette NC. Nothing really to do there lol



I will! I’m worried about the crowds, but I’m excited.

Well, I don't hang with the college crowd, lol! I prefer the beach in the off/shoulder seasons as the sunbathers are mostly gone. I've never seen strobe lights but I do know they do stuff like concerts on the Inlet end to attract the younger crowd, plus June is a right of passage for graduates in Maryland, so I never would go in June. The Inlet end is where the ferris wheel and games and other rides are. You might find me riding the trolley down there once every 3 or 4 years, but it's not my thing. I do stroll on the Boardwalk, buy some Thrasher's fries, Dolle's salt water taffy (only this one), Frankie's Pizza and I catch a lot of sunrises.

So I think every place is what you make of it and I probably have learned to avoid most of your experiences by knowing exactly where I like to eat, sleep and stroll. I'm rarely below 15th street.

This past visit, some of my friends had a condo for a week up in the north end. I went there a couple of times and on one beach day we watched the lifeguards having to pull someone in. We were all commenting that the ocean seems a lot rougher these days then it used to be say 10 years back. The waves are big. There's really no letting your kids dabble at the edge without holding onto them. I used to be able to wade out and get gently rocked by small waves. Not what I see in recent years and a lot of people are NOT in the water. And someone drowns every year.

The beach at Hilton Head is so much more gentle, and is the kind of beach I like if I want to get in the water and have the babies play. I've been on quite a few North Atlantic beaches in Canada, Maine, Mass, RI, Ct (not New York), NJ, Delaware, Md, Virginia, NC, SC, and Florida and I've done Gulf beaches all the way through South Texas. I think they are all unique and I'll take any of them but I have my favorites.
 
I saw this on another blog and thought it would be fun to do here. Name one place you've travelled to that you wouldn't return. For me it would be the Bahamas. Been there, done that. Not impressed. There are much better islands in the Carribean to visit such as Turks and Caicos, Aruba and Grand Cayman.

The blog responders said :Thailand, Dubai, Qatar, Bahamas and Ireland.

Beijing.
 
Also lived in Maine for a bit, very pretty, didn't mind the cold but there's only so much to do there and don't get me started how its dark there by 4PM in the winter!

After thinking about it, I guess I need to visit FL in January and February and Maine/New England in the summer, they'd move back on my go-to list then.

That's my game plan! I used to tell my kids Florida in Winter, Northeast in Summer and Maryland for our 2 days of spring and fall.
 
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