I love credit cards so much! v4.0 - 2021 (see first page for add'l details)

[elgerber]

Transferring and the portal is the same, but the PYB categories are different. If you plan to PYB, CSP would be easier with grocery and dining.

I buy groceries at Target, so it doesn't code at groceries. I haven't yet used the PYB, so probably not major consideration.

Thanks everyone!!

 

[havaneselover]

BoA charges $3 to do an ACH transfer? That's insane.

 

[platamama]

BoA charges $3 to do an ACH transfer? That's insane.

I think I came across that too fairly recently. It's totally stupid. Do a pull from the other side.

 

[Psychodisney]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for the recent discussion of booking Hawaii activities through the Chase portal. I had no idea this was a thing! I just poked around and came across an awesome waterfall excursion that my boys will love. Even though it got great reviews on TripAdvisor, I hadn’t come across it anywhere else. And of course paying for it when URs made it all the sweeter!

I also used Groupon for our Hawaii trip for surfing lessons on the North Shore of Oahu.

 

[Princess Michele]

Hi and Welcome!
I would for sure start off with the CSP/CSR MDD (don't forget to request to join us on Reddit for support links). I'm actually planning a very similar trip to Hawaii for June 2022. There will be 6 of us (4A + 2C), my parents are joining us. For us, we will be flying from the midwest to OGG, then onto HNL and back.

We are flying American - between myself and DH we have 320,000 AA miles - mostly from credit SUBs which we have accumulated in the last 2 years. We each got a Citi Biz card (70K SUB) and Barclay Biz (60K) and I got the Barclay Red (personal). American is pretty good about releasing 6 saver first class tickets. I was just looking at I could easily get us 6 Biz/First from TUL to OGG on a weekday flight. Return flights on 1st/Biz aren't as easy.

For hotels we are using Marriott & Hyatt points, all from SUBs and transfers from Amex and Chase.

We will also use URs to pay for activities and car rentals. Feel free to ask me any questions, you have 2 years to earn points/miles which is great. After your MDD, I would focus on airline mile since you'll want to make sure you have those in place 11/12 months before your trip.

Thank you for your reply. I thought about a CSP in January but I went with BOA instead. Now that the SUB is higher I am glad I waited. Using URs to pay for activities and car rentals also would be great. I feel at a disadvantage because without having any Chase or AMEX cards I do not know what could be available to make our trip more affordable/enjoyable.

 

[havaneselover]

I think I came across that too fairly recently. It's totally stupid. Do a pull from the other side.

Didn't cross my mind. Will try that. Thank you!!!

 

[becauseimnew]

Hawaii 2022 planning is in full gear. We are either going end of May 2022 or end June 2022 - most likely be end June.
This is the points that I think we'll need
AA 240,000 (6RT Economy Flights)
RR 45,000 inter-island flights
Marriott 480,000
UR 525,000

Hawaiian Luau - Chase Travel Portal	45000​
Kualoa Ranch Private Nature Reserve - Chase Travel Portal	25000​
Transfer to Hyatt for Regency Maui - Chase Travel Portal	105000​
Night Manta Ray Adventure Guaranteed Sighting -Chase Travel Portal	30000​
Scuba diving - Chase Travel Portal	60000​
Volcano NP B&B - Chase Travel Portal	60000​
Need for car rentals - Chase Travel Portal	200000​
Total	525000​

Already have:
AA 320K miles
URs 235K working on CIC 75K SUB)
RR 45K (will probably use those and need to replenish these)
Hyatt 141K
Marriott 290K - I think I'm going to have to do a terrible thing and transfer MRs to Marriott (need to transfer 135K during the current promotion)

My goal is to pay for all transportation, lodging & activities with CC points/miles, only have to use "cash" for food and souvenirs.

Was hoping to squeeze in Costa Rica in March 2022, but after really looking at how much Hawaii is going to cost I don't think we'll be able to swing it this year.

Thank you for your reply. I thought about a CSP in January but I went with BOA instead. Now that the SUB is higher I am glad I waited. Using URs to pay for activities and car rentals also would be great. I feel at a disadvantage because without having any Chase or AMEX cards I do not know what could be available to make our trip more affordable/enjoyable.

If you look at my quote in this post I've detailed how I'm planning to pay for our trip.

 

[KPK02090]

If anyone has a chance to take a look, I just posted a CIP question on Reddit. Thanks!

 

[elgerber]

I think this was just being discussed here last week? deadline is extended

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will be delaying once again the deadline for passengers to have a Real ID before they would be able to travel by plane.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday the most recent deadline, which had been set for Oct. 1, would be extended 19 months, all the way to May 3, 2023.

 

[Psychodisney]

I buy groceries at Target, so it doesn't code at groceries. I haven't yet used the PYB, so probably not major consideration.

Thanks everyone!!

I had some of my Target purchases (Super Target) show up for PYB.

 

[amcc]

I'm looking at flights ORD-LHR next March. Our dates aren't open yet but I'm seeing an early flight which is consistently less miles than the overnight (preferred) flights. It arrives LHR at 10:30 pm. Assuming this would get us to a hotel well after midnight. Anyone frequenting LHR know what it's like there late night? Taxis available?
Also, I know there is currently a quarantine restriction in place. Are people booking assuming restrictions will be lifted but plan to cancel if they are not?

I was looking at flights to London and I noticed that the taxes and fees were so high - I know Calypso and others have mentioned these before. For us, it makes more sense to get a cheap AA or Virgin Atlantic fare than pay the fees. I can go Thanksgiving week for $572 all in or 55k miles and $420 in taxes and fees. Miami always seems to have good London fares - does Chicago? The pricing structure is crazy for this itinerary and is definitely not worth my miles. Of course, if you are looking for business (we need too many tickets), then $400 in fees starts looking like a great deal

 

[Limes96]

Well I doubt I have the ability to maximize this offer by June 30th,2021.

I have a BOA Amtrak card. It earns Amtrak rewards.

Just received an offer to earn 2% 'cash back' up to $150 in statement credits by June 30th.

So, my regular Amtrak reward plus 2 cents for each dollar, and it also has offers like the ones from Chase. Really, I had just about sock drawered this card and was getting ready to close before the fee is due in July or August.

Closing is still the best plan.

So many offers........

I received an email from BofA that they're giving me an extra 1% until 6/30 on my cash rewards card, so 4% in my chosen category. I'm not sure if it's targeted, but you may want to check your email if you have this card.

I got one of these offer emails today also for one of our BoA AAA visas. It’s 2% cash back in the form of a statement credit up to $150 (so $7500 spend). With all the other good deals right now this offer seems a little...meh.

 

[Judique]

I got one of these offer emails today also for one of our BoA AAA visas. It’s 2% cash back in the form of a statement credit up to $150 (so $7500 spend). With all the other good deals right now this offer seems a little...meh.

Yes. Even the 5% Disney rewards works better for me since I can apply the $75 to my DVC dues.

Once I have the 5% deals done - also have the Chase Freedom categories - if there is any time left I might grab a few $$.

 

[trstno1]

Looking for a little advice on MDD today. My spouse had to call recon to verify identity, but she was approved for CSP yesterday. Applied for CSR today. Automated status line says we will be notified in 2 weeks, so I think she was approved. Is there any need to have her call recon today? She really dislikes calling recon, and I'd rather not have a human reviewing the application, if possible.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I think this was just being discussed here last week? deadline is extended

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will be delaying once again the deadline for passengers to have a Real ID before they would be able to travel by plane.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday the most recent deadline, which had been set for Oct. 1, would be extended 19 months, all the way to May 3, 2023.

THANK YOU - I keep procrastinating on this... and now I can procrastinate even more!!

 

[Princess Michele]

I am looking for advice on the path to take to try to earn free flights for our trip to Hawaii in 2023. I am currently 2/24 with the following cards.

07/19 – Barclays Wyndham Rewards
01/21 – BOA Premium Rewards

Currently we do not have any credit cards which earn UR’s or MR’s. The only other cards we have are Chase Disney Visa (no AF) and Navy Federal Credit Union Go Rewards Visa.

We will be flying to Kona, Hawaii from the Washington, DC area so no non-stop flights from the East Coast. We will be flying back from Honolulu and to avoid an overnight flight we will probably fly to the West Coast or mid-West and stay overnight. We can fly out of BWI, DCA, or IAD and have too many options for airlines. Currently there are available flights on American, Delta, United, Alaska, Southwest, Hawaiian or a combination of airlines. Who knows what flights will be like in 2 years so I am not ready to pick one airline right now.

I was hoping that we could fly first class or premium since we will be taking my mom on this trip. There will be a total of 6 people so it may not be possible to earn enough points/miles for that many. I know you can transfer UR’s/MR’s to other programs like Avios and KrisFlyer to use fewer points and that it might be hard to find 6 award seats. With so many choices I do not know which way to go. I am having a difficult time choosing between Chase and AMEX cards so we will have the best options when we are ready to book our flights.

With the increased SUBs I was thinking trying for an MDD with a CSP/CSR would be a good choice. We can meet the MSR for both cards without any problem. If I can talk DH into helping he could be a P2 and get a CSP later. I would then have 2 slots remaining if we decide to fly Southwest and try for their CP. If we have to fly economy it seems like Southwest is the best value.

The other option would be AMEX cards to earn MR’s. I was looking at the Platinum card and then a Gold card. I know we would not be able to combine MR’s if I can get my DH to become a P2.

I do not think we could meet the MSR for most business cards so I am not really looking at those right now. We do not need to worry about lodging as most of that will be covered by timeshare points. I do not have a problem paying AF’s if the SUB and benefits are good.

Would Chase credit cards be the most flexible option for what we are trying to achieve or would AMEX work better? Thank you for any help.

Before I go ahead and try for a CSP/CSR MDD I thought I would post again to see if anyone else had any thoughts on whether this was the best strategy or if AMEX would be better. Thank you.

 

[IFlossU]

Looking for a little advice on MDD today. My spouse had to call recon to verify identity, but she was approved for CSP yesterday. Applied for CSR today. Automated status line says we will be notified in 2 weeks, so I think she was approved. Is there any need to have her call recon today? She really dislikes calling recon, and I'd rather not have a human reviewing the application, if possible.

I think your best bet for approval is to have her call ASAP to get it approved today. Some people have just waited it out, but with mixed results on approvals. If you’re 100% wanting approval she should really call today.

 

[trstno1]

Before I go ahead and try for a CSP/CSR MDD I thought I would post again to see if anyone else had any thoughts on whether this was the best strategy or if AMEX would be better. Thank you.

I don't know much about flights to Hawaii, so I cannot comment on the specific question about those flights. Nevertheless, I think the MDD is probably the best place to start. Chase UR are so flexible that you will likely be able to utilize them in some fashion for your trip, and this is a good way to get a lot of them. You will still be able to apply for AmEx cards later if you find a way to meet the MSR - the same would not be true if you went for AmEx cards first.

I'd do the MDD.

 

[IFlossU]

Before I go ahead and try for a CSP/CSR MDD I thought I would post again to see if anyone else had any thoughts on whether this was the best strategy or if AMEX would be better. Thank you.

I think the MDD is a solid choice, with suggested Chase pacing you’d be in a good place to apply for the SW card in Oct/Nov to set yourself up for a CP in 22/23. However, the 100k Platinum offer is outstanding, and with the AF rumored to be increasing in July now would be a great time to pick it up. In your place I would try to determine where I personally would get the most value. Right now I find UR’s more valuable for my travel purposes, I can’t really use MR’s right now. So take a close look at how you might be redeeming the points and maybe that will help with your decision.

 

[Judique]

Before I go ahead and try for a CSP/CSR MDD I thought I would post again to see if anyone else had any thoughts on whether this was the best strategy or if AMEX would be better. Thank you.

What @trstno1 said. Do your Chase cards first. Otherwise you will have to wait for whatever personal cards drop off in 2 years to apply for Chase cards. Right now both CSP and CSR are at their most recent best offers.

Amex won't care that you have Chase, BOA, Cap1 or whatever. Right now, Amex has just started allowing up to 5 of their own credit cards and up to 10 of their MR cards. So long as you put spend on their cards, you can keep working the Amex cards.