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

[wanderlust7]

Hi everyone, my brain is very scattered lately with wedding planning and I just need some guidance before I start to make moves here, I don't want to miss out on anything. I posted a few days back about having large wedding expenses at Disney and wanting to get the biggest bang for my buck. I applied for and was approved for CSP. I can easily hit the spending requirement but I want to make sure I am doing it wisely. My main focus is discounts or cash back on Disney gift cards or benefits from charges coding as "travel". My chase account says I have until 9/19/21 to earn my "$50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit", how do I do that? I do most effectively use Pay Yourself Back? Thanks in advance for any tips.

The current Pay Yourself Back categories are grocery, home improvement, and dining. This is until September 30, we don't know yet what the categories will be after that. But if they're the same, you can buy Disney gift cards at grocery stores or home improvement stores, then PYB at the 1.25 cent per point rate. If you bought $500, it would be 40,000 points.

The hotel credit is a new thing that's a benefit of the card. You get the $50 now as a new cardmember and the credit resets every anniversary. It probably says you have until 9/19/22 to earn the credit? You would book a hotel through the Chase travel portal, charge to the CSP, and it would get credited up to $50. In the portal, you can select how much you want to pay in points and how much in cash. So I think you'd be able to specify $50 cash (to get the credit) and the rest in points at the 1.25 cpp rate. I haven't had a chance to try it though. But keep in the mind, all things Disney are blocked in the Chase travel portal.

 

[Judique]

The current Pay Yourself Back categories are grocery, home improvement, and dining. This is until September 30, we don't know yet what the categories will be after that. But if they're the same, you can buy Disney gift cards at grocery stores or home improvement stores, then PYB at the 1.25 cent per point rate. If you bought $500, it would be 40,000 points.

The hotel credit is a new thing that's a benefit of the card. You get the $50 now as a new cardmember and the credit resets every anniversary. It probably says you have until 9/19/22 to earn the credit? You would book a hotel through the Chase travel portal, charge to the CSP, and it would get credited up to $50. In the portal, you can select how much you want to pay in points and how much in cash. So I think you'd be able to specify $50 cash (to get the credit) and the rest in points at the 1.25 cpp rate. I haven't had a chance to try it though. But keep in the mind, all things Disney are blocked in the Chase travel portal.

I've been trying to figure out how this works and it would be the tipping point to possibly keep the card as a CSP, rather than downgrade it. I'm not using it for PYB as I want all points for Hyatt right now. And it would be more convenient to keep the card as is, but the perks other than transferring and PYB for those who use it, are not super enticing.

 

[Oyhoyt]

The current Pay Yourself Back categories are grocery, home improvement, and dining. This is until September 30, we don't know yet what the categories will be after that. But if they're the same, you can buy Disney gift cards at grocery stores or home improvement stores, then PYB at the 1.25 cent per point rate. If you bought $500, it would be 40,000 points.

The hotel credit is a new thing that's a benefit of the card. You get the $50 now as a new cardmember and the credit resets every anniversary. It probably says you have until 9/19/22 to earn the credit? You would book a hotel through the Chase travel portal, charge to the CSP, and it would get credited up to $50. In the portal, you can select how much you want to pay in points and how much in cash. So I think you'd be able to specify $50 cash (to get the credit) and the rest in points at the 1.25 cpp rate. I haven't had a chance to try it though. But keep in the mind, all things Disney are blocked in the Chase travel portal.

Ahh okay so if I get the 100,000 point sign on bonus I could use that to erase $1250 in gift card purchases, someone mentioned that last week but I didn't fully understand. Do you think this is the best way to use the card? Or do I get a bigger bang for my buck by using the points on travel? I am trying to wrap my head around all the nuances of the card.

 

[wanderlust7]

I've been trying to figure out how this works and it would be the tipping point to possibly keep the card as a CSP, rather than downgrade it. I'm not using it for PYB as I want all points for Hyatt right now. And it would be more convenient to keep the card as is, but the perks other than transferring and PYB for those who use it, are not super enticing.

I'm hoping to find a cheaper hotel in the portal that I want to stay at to use the credit. Thinking I would pay the entire amount in cash. For me (and I suspect for you as well), it wouldn't make sense to do the difference in points at 1.25 cpp when I can get more value by transferring to Hyatt.

If you downgraded, do you have another card that'll let you transfer to Hyatt? I only had DH upgrade his CFU to the CSP to get the support since BFF was applying for a CSP. I have a CSR, so we can still transfer, but he's the Globalist, so it gets a little convoluted. That was a nice little bonus to him having the CSP now. Plus the primary car rental coverage is nice. But I plan to have him downgrade by the next AF. Or maybe have him upgrade to the CSR and I'll downgrade mine. But I'm a little attached, lol.

 

[Judique]

I'm hoping to find a cheaper hotel in the portal that I want to stay at to use the credit. Thinking I would pay the entire amount in cash. For me (and I suspect for you as well), it wouldn't make sense to do the difference in points at 1.25 cpp when I can get more value by transferring to Hyatt.

If you downgraded, do you have another card that'll let you transfer to Hyatt? I only had DH upgrade his CFU to the CSP to get the support since BFF was applying for a CSP. I have a CSR, so we can still transfer, but he's the Globalist, so it gets a little convoluted. That was a nice little bonus to having him having the CSP now. Plus the primary car rental coverage is nice. But I plan to have him downgrade by the next AF. Or maybe have him upgrade to the CSR and I'll downgrade mine. But I'm a little attached, lol.

No other card, hence the reason I would rather keep it as is. But, I can transfer and book next summers trip right now and maybe transfer enough for 2-3 additional nights, which would take me to 2023. I have until 1st of December to work on it, so no emergency. Meanwhile, I'll collect UR's with my CIC.

Stuff also changes, so I might be on a different quest by 2023.

 

[wanderlust7]

Ahh okay so if I get the 100,000 point sign on bonus I could use that to erase $1250 in gift card purchases, someone mentioned that last week but I didn't fully understand. Do you think this is the best way to use the card? Or do I get a bigger bang for my buck by using the points on travel? I am trying to wrap my head around all the nuances of the card.

Yup, that's correct!

Biggest bang for your buck would be to transfer to airline partners for business or first class seats, or transferring to Hyatt and booking a hotel that has a high cash rate. But it takes a lot of advance planning and research to learn how to best redeem for premium seats. And it just depends if there are Hyatts you want to stay at.

PYB is the easiest and more flexible way to use your points. If you decide that's the goal, don't forget that if you had a Chase Sapphire Reserve in your household, you'd be able to PYB at 1.5 cpp (or $1500 for your 100k bonus). All points can be combined within the same household. Not too sure how deep you want to get into the game, but I see @LynnTH covered the MDD in a past post.

 

[KPK02090]

I tried to open a US Bank checking account with a $400 bonus, but was denied. The email said there were inconsistencies in my application. I’m thinking it may have been on the employment section. I put “homemaker” (a drop down choice) as job, but then selected “employment” as source of income. Thinking our household income comes from my husband’s employment. Wondering if I can just try again today and make different selections for employment. I also do some part time consulting, so I do have options on what to put there. I just didn’t think it mattered that much on a checking account application. Any thoughts on whether I can just apply again now or should I wait a certain amount of time?

 

[Arcades]

I've been trying to figure out how this works and it would be the tipping point to possibly keep the card as a CSP, rather than downgrade it. I'm not using it for PYB as I want all points for Hyatt right now. And it would be more convenient to keep the card as is, but the perks other than transferring and PYB for those who use it, are not super enticing.

I always downgrade my Sapphire products when I'm done transferring to partners or using PYB. You can always upgrade to a CSR later (if you have unused UR that you want to transfer out) and double dip the travel credit to cover your annual fee. I never saw the point in paying the $95 in the interim, unless you needed the card for rental car insurance.

 

[Psychodisney]

We're doing the Detroit show. It'll be the BF's first, my 16yo's 2nd and my 30-something, LOL. We were sad when there were no 2020 dates and planned on doing NC. Then well....Rona. When he started to move 2020 shows to 2021, I got sad we were gonna miss another year. And then some 2020 shows got moved to 2021 and now 2022 (NC is one). So I was getting SUPER sad we wouldn't see him. Once he started his 2021 tour he clearly missed it and added in Detroit

I won best tailgate a few years back......2019 was a very rainy weekday so it wasn't a normal tailgate for us....plus my normal crew was in Africa on a safari. For this one, most of my friends are sitting out as well. But I'm hoping we can still make it be a blast! I need to bring my Tiki Bar into class to fix it. The downpours in 2019 kinda wrecked my roof, LOL.

You can kinda see my tiki bar here. I have 3 shot boards I've made....The SurfShot (which has lyrics and all the tours we've done), the SharkShot (a personal fav) and then the smaller flip flop shot (made for 2). I've gotta decide how I'm going to tweak our outfits. I might add hoodies and put our shark fins on the back of that.
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Sounds like a blast. Your boyfriend is a Buffet virgin! Does he have any idea what he's getting into? We took our DD a few years ago to Wrigley Field for her first. It was a mild experience compared to our Alpine Valley shows but still a good show...just no tailgating which is a big part of the fun!
I've been enjoying shows since 1988 at Summerfest in Milwaukee! Maybe not 30+ but 20+!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Here's your friendly reminder that Southwest Airlines next schedule release is expected to occur on THURSDAY September 16th. (NEXT WEEK!!). For those planning to snag flights, set those calendar reminders so you don't forget! I'll post additional reminders as the date draws nearer.

• Currently SW is offering flights through 1/5/22 and this next release will take their schedule out to 4/24/22. This will likely be a popular extension covering winter holiday weekends and much of spring break.

For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases:
Release Date Time (eastern)
6/10/21 - 7:15am
4/1/21 - 9:10am
12/10/20 - 7:15am
8/13/20 - 9:15am
5/28/20 - 9:06am
3/12/20 - 9:40am
12/11/19 - 9:10am
10/30/19 - 7:15am
9/26/19 - 7:30am
8/15/19 - 10:41am
5/30/19 - 9:20am

 

[twincruisers]

Ahh okay so if I get the 100,000 point sign on bonus I could use that to erase $1250 in gift card purchases, someone mentioned that last week but I didn't fully understand. Do you think this is the best way to use the card? Or do I get a bigger bang for my buck by using the points on travel? I am trying to wrap my head around all the nuances of the card.

Travel tends to get better redemption but you have to work for it. From the airlines side, booking business or first class is where you'll see that $0.02+ (or 2+ CPP) or higher redemption values, but finding those flights can be quite challenging as you need to know each airlines rules and their partners rules to optimize the points usage. One of the easier ones to redeem are probably Hyatt, but they also seem to have a strong high-low strategy when it comes to points. Tier 1 provides great value, then you need to go to tier 7/8 to find good redemption's, but I struggle when looking at tier 2-6 on Hyatt to get that high CPP.

I do agree that PYB and the Chase Portal are easier to book and can net decent benefits, but it really depends on how you travel and what $ range you want to spend when you do to really get the best bang for the buck.

 

[Judique]

My plumber takes credit cards but forgot his card reader at home this morning. Said he'll get back with me later on. He trusts me and I trust him, so we are good. I had a shower drain leak and they had to open a small hole in my ceiling to get to the pipes. It was actually pretty minor since it was caught fairly quickly. Now I need a drywall guy.

Grand daughter got to ride the bus to school only once out of her three days of class this week. It's been arriving after class should have started so, daughter waits a bit and then leaves, as she still has to deliver other grand to her preschool and then get to work. The bus driver shortage is pretty acute around here.

And, in other news, they still haven't rounded up the runaway Zebras here in Southern Maryland. I think it's 6 of them but the news reported 5 are still on the lam.

They escaped from a local farm where they are legal residents. People are sighting them and calling in tips but this dazzle is still on the run. I'm used to seeing Llamas and Alpacas, and horses, all common in this area, but I didn't know about the Zebras until the news reported on it earlier this week.

 

[Alexle2007]

The response to my request for Chase to link DH’s personal and Biz accounts rather than having to message every time:

Please know that we are currently enhancing the combine reward points online feature. Let me share with you that you can only combine points online with previously added household members. The option to add a member of the household to send/ receive reward points online is unavailable at this time. I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. Please be assured that I have forwarded your feedback to our relevant team for review. While no immediate changes can be made, the feedback helps to evaluate what improvements can be made in the future.

 

[wanderlust7]

The response to my request for Chase to link DH’s personal and Biz accounts rather than having to message every time:

Please know that we are currently enhancing the combine reward points online feature. Let me share with you that you can only combine points online with previously added household members. The option to add a member of the household to send/ receive reward points online is unavailable at this time. I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. Please be assured that I have forwarded your feedback to our relevant team for review. While no immediate changes can be made, the feedback helps to evaluate what improvements can be made in the future.

Once I request to move points and they do it, that link is established between those 2 accounts and I don't need to SM again to move more. Is that not the case for you?

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Sounds like a blast. Your boyfriend is a Buffet virgin! Does he have any idea what he's getting into? We took our DD a few years ago to Wrigley Field for her first. It was a mild experience compared to our Alpine Valley shows but still a good show...just no tailgating which is a big part of the fun!
I've been enjoying shows since 1988 at Summerfest in Milwaukee! Maybe not 30+ but 20+!

Ha! The BF is a Buffett Virgin, actually maybe he's been once, IDK, LOL. Either way he's been warned. He wants to hold an inappropriate sign while we tailgate. We'll see if he does w/ my daughter there. My daughter is on a mission to find "Hollywood" and get the show number tattoo. We couldn't find him last concert. She's going to lie and say 3. I'd honestly have to count how many I've done. But pretty much every Detroit show since 99 ( but the one I was preggo for). I've also done Riverbend, Tinley, and Alpine If I can swing it in the spring, I'll take the 16yo and do Raleigh, NC. I was going to do Riverbend this year, but the forecast was POURING rain/thunderstorms. And it's a 5 hour drive which means it really is a 2 night stay, to get the proper amount of tailgating, LOL. Hauling my setup takes a lot of space. I'm not sure how I'm going to swing it w/ my DD riding in the back. My crew is normally 4 SUVs filled w/ stuff. I guess since it's not going to be crazy hot, I won't need to bring my 2 pop-up tents, so that saves some space. I guess we'll see. Good thing my specialty is "spatial thinking" LOL. I'll have that jeep packed so efficiently. The issue of course is packing it up before the concert, LOL

I need to start stocking up for the concert. I need to buy cheap liquor for the tailgate (shots). The DD made $90 in tips last time. I'm going to make her a proper sign this time. I made her the alcohol free version of my Sangria to drink while we tailgated. I dont really drink much anymore myself. But this year will be extra fun as the next morning I have to be up at 5am to catch a flight to my sister's 40th bday in NJ.

 

[snugglebug]

Does anyone do P1 and P2 companion pass? Mine is going to expire at the end of this year and P2 will get one next year but with the lower requirements this year I could also get another year added on with a personal card/my support to player 2. Our little one will no longer be free next year but at the same time I don't foresee more than 3 RT flights 4 at most with both kids. I am trying to figure out if I should go for the multiple companion pass or just get another INK card. I am leaning towards the companion pass.

I did end of 2018/beg of 2019 so we had 2 CPs for 2019 and 2020 which were extended through 2021. It was part of my travel plan though, with my oldest being deployed I planned to occupy myself with WDW APs and a few trips. We got great use out of them. The kids and I are headed to Virginia this month and we're only using one CP since DH isn't going. I haven't decided if I'm going to get CP again in 2022. I don't have much travel planned other than a January trip and I won't have it for that trip anyway. INK seems more versatile, but then the SW Biz is only a $4K spend for 80K points which is a little easier than CIC or CIU right now. I'm undecided.

 

[DaveL]

Anyone an Overstock Club O Member?

 

[snugglebug]

Tracker has updated and everything is counting now. I went ahead and finished P2's reloads in hopes everything would work itself out. Now I have to finish mine. I did a $1 load to my Serve account online to see if it would work and it tracked. I don't mind the $0.50 Amazon reloads, but is there a reason not to use Serve?

Quoting myself, reason not to use Serve is that you'll get your account shut down. To be fair I haven't touched that account in some time other than the occasional log in. From my reading I guess hopefully they'll send me a check in the mail for the $14 in there? I feel like I just earned some type of badge. I had $10 in the acct and did 6 debits.

I definitely don't want to get my Amazon acct shut down. I despise these debit requirements.

 

[Psychodisney]

Ha! The BF is a Buffett Virgin, actually maybe he's been once, IDK, LOL. Either way he's been warned. He wants to hold an inappropriate sign while we tailgate. We'll see if he does w/ my daughter there. My daughter is on a mission to find "Hollywood" and get the show number tattoo. We couldn't find him last concert. She's going to lie and say 3. I'd honestly have to count how many I've done. But pretty much every Detroit show since 99 ( but the one I was preggo for). I've also done Riverbend, Tinley, and Alpine If I can swing it in the spring, I'll take the 16yo and do Raleigh, NC. I was going to do Riverbend this year, but the forecast was POURING rain/thunderstorms. And it's a 5 hour drive which means it really is a 2 night stay, to get the proper amount of tailgating, LOL. Hauling my setup takes a lot of space. I'm not sure how I'm going to swing it w/ my DD riding in the back. My crew is normally 4 SUVs filled w/ stuff. I guess since it's not going to be crazy hot, I won't need to bring my 2 pop-up tents, so that saves some space. I guess we'll see. Good thing my specialty is "spatial thinking" LOL. I'll have that jeep packed so efficiently. The issue of course is packing it up before the concert, LOL

I need to start stocking up for the concert. I need to buy cheap liquor for the tailgate (shots). The DD made $90 in tips last time. I'm going to make her a proper sign this time. I made her the alcohol free version of my Sangria to drink while we tailgated. I dont really drink much anymore myself. But this year will be extra fun as the next morning I have to be up at 5am to catch a flight to my sister's 40th bday in NJ.

That’s some serious dedication! Impressive!

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Just dropping by to show you some boys that are ready for fall!! Some people decorate their home in all the fall things. This dog mom decks out the dogs LOL