I love credit cards so much! v5.0 - 2022 (see first page for add'l details)

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

BUT................... it didn't go as planned. It was our pandemic pup's (a Frenchton, just under two now) first hotel stay. She has some anxiety, given she's virtually never been alone. She was so hyped up upon arriving, she peed on the bed, within minutes. By the first evening, DH had a 101 fever. I ended up entertaining the kids and walking the dogs solo. That dog would not pee outside, whatsoever. I must have walked those dogs 8-12 times and she refused to go outside once. She screeches and cries when she sees another dog- it's so embarassing. When we got back in the room, I had to wipe each dog down because it was so warm outside it was melting all the dirty snow. All night long, the dogs sprung off me every 30 minutes, to protect us from whatever hallway noise they heard. Sigh. By 7 am, after one last unproductive walk, I was fried. I pulled the plug, packed everyone up and we went home.

Our pandemic pup, also a Boston (yours are SO cute by the way!) is the same way with hotels. We get no sleep whatsoever. He barks at every hallway noise all night long. After trying it about 3-4 times, we decided it’s just ridiculous and now we strictly stay Airbnbs with the dogs, and specifically something thats private like a house/cabin/tiny home or whatever, as long as it’s not attached to another residence

 

[punkin]

I'm actually chatting with Amex about the same card. My payment isn't due until 1/23 so I have time to use the Saks, Audible, and airline credit before downgrading. I don't think I'll cancel in case I ever want to hold the personal plat again I can upgrade it. I'm hoping for a nice retention offer.

Good luck. What will you downgrade to? Does that make more sense than canceling? I really don't need this card for account she. It's only from 2020.

 

[chattadisser]

For me without a retention offer the Platinum is worthless. The credits are just ok. Meaning I’ll use them in order to redeem the AF cost. I had mine since 2019, and received 2 nice retention offers in that time. This year I finally cancelled. It’s just not worth it for me anymore. Too many other cards with lower AF and better earning rates.

Good luck. What will you downgrade to? Does that make more sense than canceling? I really don't need this card for account she. It's only from 2020.

I downgraded my personal plat this year to a gold card. I had received a retention offer for the past two years on the Plat so there was nothing coming in that department and like you, I used the credits, but either we have other cards that offer similar benefits or the credits were something that I would have never used (Saks I'm looking at you). I downgraded it as I needed somewhere to park my MR's and the gold sign-ups aren't usually anything eye catching. And I like the benefits on the gold card. I figure if I want I can always get the Biz Plat in the future.

 

[Limes96]

Thanks for the feedback everyone on my Southwest quandary. We ended up driving. I looked up multiple flight options but none of them were worth what I’d have had to pay for them (in miles OR “cash”) so we drove. I couldn’t handle the anxiety of risking it. We chose to take I 95 part of the way and I regret going that route. Should have driven through Atlanta on 75. It took much longer than the 17 hours it should have, unfortunately. Anyway, all that’s past now, and time to enjoy the cruise!

 

[punkin]

I downgraded my personal plat this year to a gold card. I had received a retention offer for the past two years on the Plat so there was nothing coming in that department and like you, I used the credits, but either we have other cards that offer similar benefits or the credits were something that I would have never used (Saks I'm looking at you). I downgraded it as I needed somewhere to park my MR's and the gold sign-ups aren't usually anything eye catching. And I like the benefits on the gold card. I figure if I want I can always get the Biz Plat in the future.

DH has another platinum (it had no lifetime language) so no issue parking the MRs (and I've still got a lot of them). I usually have no issue using my Saks credit. It's some of the others I find difficult.

 

[chattadisser]

So an update on DH's CIU that disappeared from his account. For a bit of an update - approved early Dec, got the card expedited, had it set-up to charge DD's tuition on 12.20, went into the account on 12.21 to pay it and the account was gone.

When we called before Christmas we were given a bit of a runaround (I suspect to a skeleton crew on the lines) and no one could tell use what was going on except that it was flagged for fraud. No one could explain why it was flagged for fraud or why we weren't notified. DH was told that he needed to send in a copy of his DL, SSN and utility bill. So he called again this past Tuesday and was told the same thing. We had made one charge on the card for DD's tuition which we have done before with Chase and other CIU's so I was surprised that that would trigger fraud. DH asked if this was the only charge and the rep told him that they couldn't even see the card to tell him. We were wondering if there was so additional charge that we weren't aware of. So DH's sent his items into Chase.

On Wednesday he got a call from a Chase rep who said he was looking at the card and DH tried to give them any information that could prove it was us that made the charge but the rep just said he needed the items sent. The rep told DH that once he got those, he would have the card expedited which didn't make sense to me since we already have the card. On Thursday a CIU with a new number is in DH's account with the charge made. Paid it and that saga is hopefully done.

So here's my question now - I already received the support points for DH's CIU but now, with the new card number there isn't a tracker noting where you are in the spend on the card. Should we just forget it and be done with it all or should I SM them and see if I can still finish off the spend for the MSR? I'm afraid that with the new card number it's not being recognized as a card with an MSR. The plan was to make the same charge for three months, finish the spend and be done. However, if we don't get the points I'm not going to pay the CC fee for the tuition.

 

[spacerangerqueen]

So DH's Amex Platinum fee posted. Due January 5th. I will have time to use the saks, airline and hotel credits. He got a retention offer last year, so we are not at 13 months before January 5th. Assuming he calls and does not get an offer, what should we do? With an offer, we would probably keep the card, but without, it is just barely worth the AF to use, and we really have to stretch sometimes to use all the credits. Come February, I won't be able to be a guest at the Centurion Lounges, so that's not a huge benefit anymore. The real issue is the fact that we can't churn it. As far as I can tell, once he cancels it, that's it for at least 7 years even if we want to get one again. I'm leaning towards canceling. Any opinions?

I canceled the first Plat I had after it hit a year. Then a little over a year later I got a NLL upgrade offer on my Gold card. So now I have a Plat again. I think if you want a Plat again there will probably be an offer at some point before the 7 years.

 

[becauseimnew]

Good luck. What will you downgrade to? Does that make more sense than canceling? I really don't need this card for account she. It's only from 2020.

No retention offer, had one last week. I will probably just cancel now that I think about it. I also have a gold card that I could upgrade to if I really want another platinum.

 

[IFlossU]

So an update on DH's CIU that disappeared from his account. For a bit of an update - approved early Dec, got the card expedited, had it set-up to charge DD's tuition on 12.20, went into the account on 12.21 to pay it and the account was gone.

When we called before Christmas we were given a bit of a runaround (I suspect to a skeleton crew on the lines) and no one could tell use what was going on except that it was flagged for fraud. No one could explain why it was flagged for fraud or why we weren't notified. DH was told that he needed to send in a copy of his DL, SSN and utility bill. So he called again this past Tuesday and was told the same thing. We had made one charge on the card for DD's tuition which we have done before with Chase and other CIU's so I was surprised that that would trigger fraud. DH asked if this was the only charge and the rep told him that they couldn't even see the card to tell him. We were wondering if there was so additional charge that we weren't aware of. So DH's sent his items into Chase.

On Wednesday he got a call from a Chase rep who said he was looking at the card and DH tried to give them any information that could prove it was us that made the charge but the rep just said he needed the items sent. The rep told DH that once he got those, he would have the card expedited which didn't make sense to me since we already have the card. On Thursday a CIU with a new number is in DH's account with the charge made. Paid it and that saga is hopefully done.

So here's my question now - I already received the support points for DH's CIU but now, with the new card number there isn't a tracker noting where you are in the spend on the card. Should we just forget it and be done with it all or should I SM them and see if I can still finish off the spend for the MSR? I'm afraid that with the new card number it's not being recognized as a card with an MSR. The plan was to make the same charge for three months, finish the spend and be done. However, if we don't get the points I'm not going to pay the CC fee for the tuition.

The bonus tracker is now showing up in the UR section of the app and website, instead of the main page. If it’s not showing up on the UR page I would definitely contact them. I think you are entitled to the bonus you signed up for. It’s not your fault they flagged the account for possible fraud. I personally would reach out, and confirm that the bonus is still valid. I think you have every right to make sure you get it.

 

[Alexle2007]

So an update on DH's CIU that disappeared from his account. For a bit of an update - approved early Dec, got the card expedited, had it set-up to charge DD's tuition on 12.20, went into the account on 12.21 to pay it and the account was gone.

When we called before Christmas we were given a bit of a runaround (I suspect to a skeleton crew on the lines) and no one could tell use what was going on except that it was flagged for fraud. No one could explain why it was flagged for fraud or why we weren't notified. DH was told that he needed to send in a copy of his DL, SSN and utility bill. So he called again this past Tuesday and was told the same thing. We had made one charge on the card for DD's tuition which we have done before with Chase and other CIU's so I was surprised that that would trigger fraud. DH asked if this was the only charge and the rep told him that they couldn't even see the card to tell him. We were wondering if there was so additional charge that we weren't aware of. So DH's sent his items into Chase.

On Wednesday he got a call from a Chase rep who said he was looking at the card and DH tried to give them any information that could prove it was us that made the charge but the rep just said he needed the items sent. The rep told DH that once he got those, he would have the card expedited which didn't make sense to me since we already have the card. On Thursday a CIU with a new number is in DH's account with the charge made. Paid it and that saga is hopefully done.

So here's my question now - I already received the support points for DH's CIU but now, with the new card number there isn't a tracker noting where you are in the spend on the card. Should we just forget it and be done with it all or should I SM them and see if I can still finish off the spend for the MSR? I'm afraid that with the new card number it's not being recognized as a card with an MSR. The plan was to make the same charge for three months, finish the spend and be done. However, if we don't get the points I'm not going to pay the CC fee for the tuition.

I would think your bonus offer is still intact since their system is still recognizing the previous account number is tied to the replacement CC #.

 

[wisconsinmom]

Mine is showing the extension to 1/31/23.

Did you have a canceled flight last week? DH’s still isn’t updated. I have a message in on twitter.

 

[djmeredith]

Has anyone transferred MR to Flying Blue? It says it will take 4 biz days, and I am wondering if that is accurate. I Googled and found one source that said their personal experience was instant.

 

[djmeredith]

Did you have a canceled flight last week? DH’s still isn’t updated. I have a message in on twitter.

Yes, I did have a cancelled flight on Dec 25. I also received an email saying they extended my CP.

 

[chattadisser]

The bonus tracker is now showing up in the UR section of the app and website, instead of the main page. If it’s not showing up on the UR page I would definitely contact them. I think you are entitled to the bonus you signed up for. It’s not your fault they flagged the account for possible fraud. I personally would reach out, and confirm that the bonus is still valid. I think you have every right to make sure you get it.

Yeah, the tracker is not showing up on the UR page. I think I'll SM them, it's worth an ask. I just wonder if I should ask proactively or make the spend and then ask? Proving that I've made the MSR.

I would think your bonus offer is still intact since their system is still recognizing the previous account number is tied to the replacement CC #.

I would hope that they could see the chain of events so to speak.

 

[wisconsinmom]

Yes, I did have a cancelled flight on Dec 25. I also received an email saying they extended my CP.

Hmm wonder if it is only for people who had cancelled flights. That would be fair. Our flight on 12/27 wasn’t cancelled.

 

[kristenrice]

Hi!
I'm new to this thread, but definitely not new to the Budget Board. I am in need of a "quick" piece of advice and I hope that y'all can help me. DH and I got into a credit card problem years ago and dug ourselves out (yup....paid of $60K of cc debt!) and said we'd never get in that hole again....and we haven't! We do have a few credit cards that are paid in full every month, (2) loans (mortgage and car) and my credit score is around 815 so I think I am in good shape.

Right now, we have (and use) the following...
=> Chase Disney Visa (actually, we have 2...one is in my name only and DD17 is an AU. This card is used ONLY for her to buy gas for her car and she is 100% responsible for the payment; the other one is in my name and DH is an AU, but he never uses it. I use it for most of my daily purchases). I do not have the one's with the annual fee.
=> Apple Card: This is the one that DH uses for almost everything and I use it occasionally for the 3% bonus categories
=> Chase SW Visa: This had been our primary card so it is used for our "automatic" charges, like our cell phone, cable and monthly autoships (Amazon, Chewy, etc) and whenever there is a bonus category offered. Our DD's are both AU's on this card so that they can run errands for us now that they are both driving. It's the one with the $69 annual fee.
=> Target RedCard: Only used for Target purchases made online (otherwise, I use my Target RedDebit card)
=> BestBuy Card: Still have a small ($400) 0% interest balance from a laptop I bought last year. I don't use the card except for large, 0% purchases.

I also have a Discover card and an AMEX card, both of which have been open for >10 years (which is why I won't close them), but I have them "frozen" and I do not use them. Neither of them have annual fees.

Ok, there's the background....now for the "quick" question....

I am looking for a "new" credit card so that I am not tied specifically to SWA for my flights. Our airport has Delta, American, United, and Frontier that all fly into MCO, in addition to SWA. United and American are twice the price of everyone else, and Delta is usually $100 more than SWA too, but I would like to at least feel like I have options going forward. What "non-co-branded" credit card should I look for? Ideally, I would like to "swap" one of my Chase Disney cards to a different Chase product, if that's even possible.

Sorry for the rambling...thanks for listening

 

[EACarlson]

Has anyone transferred MR to Flying Blue? It says it will take 4 biz days, and I am wondering if that is accurate. I Googled and found one source that said their personal experience was instant.

I have not but did do quite a bit of research on it before the world shut down. It is usually instant but they say 4 days to cover themselves. Just like SW is almost always instant from Chase but Chase still says 2 days.

 

[BGparadise]

Hi!
I'm new to this thread, but definitely not new to the Budget Board. I am in need of a "quick" piece of advice and I hope that y'all can help me. DH and I got into a credit card problem years ago and dug ourselves out (yup....paid of $60K of cc debt!) and said we'd never get in that hole again....and we haven't! We do have a few credit cards that are paid in full every month, (2) loans (mortgage and car) and my credit score is around 815 so I think I am in good shape.

Right now, we have (and use) the following...
=> Chase Disney Visa (actually, we have 2...one is in my name only and DD17 is an AU. This card is used ONLY for her to buy gas for her car and she is 100% responsible for the payment; the other one is in my name and DH is an AU, but he never uses it. I use it for most of my daily purchases). I do not have the one's with the annual fee.
=> Apple Card: This is the one that DH uses for almost everything and I use it occasionally for the 3% bonus categories
=> Chase SW Visa: This had been our primary card so it is used for our "automatic" charges, like our cell phone, cable and monthly autoships (Amazon, Chewy, etc) and whenever there is a bonus category offered. Our DD's are both AU's on this card so that they can run errands for us now that they are both driving. It's the one with the $69 annual fee.
=> Target RedCard: Only used for Target purchases made online (otherwise, I use my Target RedDebit card)
=> BestBuy Card: Still have a small ($400) 0% interest balance from a laptop I bought last year. I don't use the card except for large, 0% purchases.

I also have a Discover card and an AMEX card, both of which have been open for >10 years (which is why I won't close them), but I have them "frozen" and I do not use them. Neither of them have annual fees.

Ok, there's the background....now for the "quick" question....

I am looking for a "new" credit card so that I am not tied specifically to SWA for my flights. Our airport has Delta, American, United, and Frontier that all fly into MCO, in addition to SWA. United and American are twice the price of everyone else, and Delta is usually $100 more than SWA too, but I would like to at least feel like I have options going forward. What "non-co-branded" credit card should I look for? Ideally, I would like to "swap" one of my Chase Disney cards to a different Chase product, if that's even possible.

Sorry for the rambling...thanks for listening

I am sure some of the more experienced posters can chime in too. I would think that either of the Chase Sapphire cards would fit the bill. Both are part of the Ultimate Rewards (UR), program. UR points can be transferred into several hotels and airlines giving a significant amount of flexibility.

 

[platamama]

Yes, end of March. I know it will be hot, but I thought like 85-90 (per website info) . I appreciate the info. We are only 3 days at Andaz so hopefully the walking won't kill me although I suspect Los Altos is similar (as are many of the places I've been in CR). I'm hoping to do a day trip to Palo Verde, Rincon de la Vieja or both. We have been on the 'river safari' in Palo Verde before but DS doesn't recall any of it.
How was the food at Andaz? Did you eat mostly at the resort or elsewhere?

One hotel employee said that it used to be that local residents could get by without air conditioning during March and April, but not anymore in the past few years. Even an airport employee who was escorting us to our shuttle van mentioned that it gets close to 105 (!) during that time of year. Speaking of shuttle vans, I remember it came up here before on the thread, it cost $146-$150 one-way for our party of 3, and it took 35-45 minutes from Liberia airport to reach the resort (both directions we were the only party in the vehicle). We didn't rent a car, and spent our time at the resort, where we ate all our meals. I think you could take the complimentary Peninsula Shuttle (I think it runs roughly every 30 minutes) to the Four Seasons or Planet Hollywood to eat, and there was a dive bar at the marina, but there really isn't any other place to go. Day trips require transit time to reach the destination, so you have to leave early enough to make it worth the ride. I overheard one guy discussing with his friend that they would need to leave at 5:30am because it was going to take 3 hours one way to reach their destination (I don't know where they were going)...and they decided it wasn't worth it to them. But I think @WardFam did excursions while they were staying at the Andaz, so maybe they can share what they did. We kept busy enough with the onsite activities we signed up for. DD just finished up first semester of college, so I was looking for a destination for us to just chill.

The food at Andaz was good, some dishes were more salty than I prefer but I don't use a lot of salt in my cooking so maybe that's why. I also like spicy food and have noticed it's not easy to find spicy food in CR. The thin crust pizza is tasty, but not going to be like what you're used to in Chicagoland. The cheese in CR is made from their own dairy cows, so mozzarella just tastes different and has a different texture than here in the US. Meal prices on the menu don't include the 10% service charge (which I guess is a built-in 10% tip) and 13% tax. There will be a line for gratuity if you feel like tipping extra on top of the 10% service charge.

Down by the main pool, in the afternoon there were sometimes free treats like slushies or donuts or ice cream. There's not a printed schedule of what or when something like that pops up so you can't plan for it, it just shows up.

 

[afan]

Hi!
I'm new to this thread, but definitely not new to the Budget Board. I am in need of a "quick" piece of advice and I hope that y'all can help me. DH and I got into a credit card problem years ago and dug ourselves out (yup....paid of $60K of cc debt!) and said we'd never get in that hole again....and we haven't! We do have a few credit cards that are paid in full every month, (2) loans (mortgage and car) and my credit score is around 815 so I think I am in good shape.

Right now, we have (and use) the following...
=> Chase Disney Visa (actually, we have 2...one is in my name only and DD17 is an AU. This card is used ONLY for her to buy gas for her car and she is 100% responsible for the payment; the other one is in my name and DH is an AU, but he never uses it. I use it for most of my daily purchases). I do not have the one's with the annual fee.
=> Apple Card: This is the one that DH uses for almost everything and I use it occasionally for the 3% bonus categories
=> Chase SW Visa: This had been our primary card so it is used for our "automatic" charges, like our cell phone, cable and monthly autoships (Amazon, Chewy, etc) and whenever there is a bonus category offered. Our DD's are both AU's on this card so that they can run errands for us now that they are both driving. It's the one with the $69 annual fee.
=> Target RedCard: Only used for Target purchases made online (otherwise, I use my Target RedDebit card)
=> BestBuy Card: Still have a small ($400) 0% interest balance from a laptop I bought last year. I don't use the card except for large, 0% purchases.

I also have a Discover card and an AMEX card, both of which have been open for >10 years (which is why I won't close them), but I have them "frozen" and I do not use them. Neither of them have annual fees.

Ok, there's the background....now for the "quick" question....

I am looking for a "new" credit card so that I am not tied specifically to SWA for my flights. Our airport has Delta, American, United, and Frontier that all fly into MCO, in addition to SWA. United and American are twice the price of everyone else, and Delta is usually $100 more than SWA too, but I would like to at least feel like I have options going forward. What "non-co-branded" credit card should I look for? Ideally, I would like to "swap" one of my Chase Disney cards to a different Chase product, if that's even possible.

Sorry for the rambling...thanks for listening

You can't product change your Disney card to anything other than a different Disney card. They have to stay within their product family.

Are you looking to not have to pay for flights? If that's the case you want to look at the miles it takes vs the dollar cost of the flight.

DL is in the amex system. United and SW are both in chase so if the miles are comparable then a saphire product may be better since UR can be transferred to either.

Most/all of these cards will have an af, so if that's not something you want then I would stick with what you have. How much spend are you putting on your cards each month, as that will also play into it.

It also sounds more like you want a card so you have an option over SW and to keep the card vs churning for points to cover trips each year. This is also important to know because then an actual airline card may be better if you normally check bags. Also seems if your dh is using an apple card that he may not want to change/help by getting new cards.