I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 (see first page for add'l details)

[miztressuz]

This is crazy thorough! Thank you. I rarely use my Target debit card because I try to always be working towards a SUB. $50 free dollar dollar bills seems like something I want! So it seems like I can have the reloadable card even if I have the debit card?

And yet I missed that detail! Yes, you can have all 3 options. I wrote that but no idea what abyss it got sent to before posting. If my debit card hadn't been closed for inactivity, I'd have all 3. Only somewhat tempted to try for the debit again but I'm sure the promo will come around again.

I assume there is no effect on x/24 count?

Correct. Prepaid debit cards don't do a credit check and don't report to credit bureaus. (If there are exceptions, I'm not aware of them) They do have their own systems to combat abuse and do require your SSN for identity verification and KYC rules as a banking product.

 

[miztressuz]

Double double post

 

[mmmears]

I had to chuckle at this. Chicago actually has some beautiful beaches!

I was going to say the same, so I'll just second the comment. There are some lovely beaches right in the city.

 

[ten6mom]

I would not enjoy a whole week in Waikiki at all. Think Chicago with a beach. Super busy city. We encountered many homeless people with mental illness and the police seemed to be actively policing them in a way we hadn't seen in most other big cities. But Pearl Harbor was great to visit.

We really liked Maui- the area of Wailea especially. This would be a great area for beach time and chilling. They have a walking path that is very magical.

We also said we'd like to try to visit Kauai if we go back.

I've never been to Chicago, but I will imagine I have! Thanks for the tip.

When I went a million years ago (I was only 15), we spent a few days on Waikiki and a few days in Kauai. All I really remember is that Kauai seemed much more remote, and very peaceful.

Wish my Grandma was still around so I could ask her what SHE enjoyed.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Hold my hand? Considering applying for the CIU but it's only supposed to be used for business expenses. Do people just use it for personal expenses if they have a very small business? Especially to meet the minimum spend.

My latest biz card has paid for dinner, DS's soccer club fees, medical bills, school registration fees and our home electric bill among other things. No worries. You'll be fine.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I had to chuckle at this. Chicago actually has some beautiful beaches!

I was going to say the same, so I'll just second the comment. There are some lovely beaches right in the city.

We live about a mile from the shores of Lake Michigan. Agreed, beautiful beaches ... for the city. But, I would not choose Chicago for a beach vacation, in the same way I wouldn't choose Waikiki for a beach vacation.

@ten6mom My 19 yo daughter really enjoyed Waikiki- she liked the buzz, the shopping and how pedestrian it was. I may have some photos in my Hawaii trip report, in my signature line, if that helps with the comparison.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Think Chicago with a beach.

Hey I resemble that remark!

 

[wanderlust7]

Amex Offer for 10% off Cable/Internet up to $20. Happy to get it on Hilton cards we're working on MSR for.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Hawaii advice please

Let's say this is our first time to Hawaii (I've been, but it was 35 years ago. Husband has never been).

For first timers, would we be OK spending the whole week at a Waikiki area hotel?

Would we need a rental car to get from the airport (HNL) to that area? Do most hotels have airport shuttles, or no?

We don't need fancy, but I honestly don't even know where to start! We are OK mostly relaxing, enjoying beach time, and just chilling, but I don't know if Waikiki is the best way to do that or if we should look elsewhere.

For info, I am looking at January but that's only because I happened to check the BA site and I could get there on American entirely on points. I'm not tied to those dates but I don't want to pay OOP for tickets.

Bonus if I can use Chase URs/IHG points for a week's worth of hotel but that doesn't seem feasible right now (I have about 134K IHG and maybe 170K URs).

Skip Waikiki.

My favorite is Kauai for the laid back vibes. If you need more going on/more hotel options then Maui. I haven’t had a chance to hit Hawaii yet.

This sounds like a once in a lifetime or at least once in a decade trip. Don’t waste it in Waikiki, hop to another island!

 

[AmyAnne]

Oh y'all...DD had a rough semester and I won't go into details because it's her business but we'll leave it at she withdrew 2 weeks prior to graduation (OUCH!) and today I got to pay tuition again (unexpectedly). The silver lining is I did manage to get 2 new credit cards for me and the one allotted to me by DH for the year (that man is the worst P2 lol)...and after the processing fees and AFs we still cleared about $2500...not great but not terrible. I remember my ongoing discussions with WVMomof3 about getting new cards for tuition purposes and paying with cc v. cash and it made me a bit sad...I do so hope things are going well for you @WVMo3DD and your siblings!

Okay, back to regularly scheduled programing...

So sorry to hear about the rough semester. My kids' late teens to early adult years were the most difficult for me as a parent.

 

[Zhoen]

I remember people here have discussed this, but I’m drawing a blank… Will Costco accept VGc’s to buy Sw gc’s?
It would be awesome if I could stack the OD deal with the chase credit, then use some of it to buy SW go for my eclipse return flight… (but still a good deal anyway, tbh…)

 

[trenty]

I don’t think there is any harm…but Chase will not approve him if he’s not eligible for the bonus so you could try applying and see what happens

So I sent an SM and go this reply:
".....information for your Chase Sapphire Preferred account is no longer available because the account has been closed for an extended period of time."

I guess that means he is good to go for the bonus. Now I will wait for an elevated offer.

 

[Liquidice]

Anyone familiar with Chase referrals ... I referred P2 to the CiP card. She was not immediately approved but we were able to call and get the card approved. How long should it take for me to see the referral bonus? I don't see it yet, and its been over a week since she was approved. Does she have to activate the card first, or does it take 1 billing cycle or something?

 

[georgina]

I remember people here have discussed this, but I’m drawing a blank… Will Costco accept VGc’s to buy Sw gc’s?
It would be awesome if I could stack the OD deal with the chase credit, then use some of it to buy SW go for my eclipse return flight… (but still a good deal anyway, tbh…)

I have used VGC at Costco to buy a Costco Shop card. As far as I can tell they are accepted for payment at the register just like a regular Visa would be. Caveat - haven't used them for Sw GC, but think it should be fine.

 

[miztressuz]

Anyone familiar with Chase referrals ... I referred P2 to the CiP card. She was not immediately approved but we were able to call and get the card approved. How long should it take for me to see the referral bonus? I don't see it yet, and its been over a week since she was approved. Does she have to activate the card first, or does it take 1 billing cycle or something?

Can take several weeks before they show up as pending points. They typically batch process Tuesday nights so check each Wednesday. In normal times it's 2-3 weeks. Some reports lately of taking up to 7 weeks before going pending. Nothing for you or P2 to do but wait, just getting approved satisfies the terms.

 

[DogCat]

I remember people here have discussed this, but I’m drawing a blank… Will Costco accept VGc’s to buy Sw gc’s?
It would be awesome if I could stack the OD deal with the chase credit, then use some of it to buy SW go for my eclipse return flight… (but still a good deal anyway, tbh…)

Yes, they accept VGC and I would guess they are fine to buy SWGC. Costco will also accept MCGC. MCGC are treated like a debit card. After you swipe, you just have to enter the last 4 numbers as your PIN. I use both types all the time at Costco. I even use them to buy Costco Shop Cards and then use them at the Costco pumps to buy gas.

 

[leeniewdw]

I haven't been on a plane without a mask since 2019. My last two flights both had people hacking up a lung all flight. No thank you.

I've been off/on with masks on planes but I usually have masks with me just in case.

Lol, yeah. Same here. I'm not even afraid I'll catch covid specifically, it just makes sense to me in very crowded places to avoid ruining a trip with any respiratory infection.

We took a 3 hour train ride from Raleigh to Charlotte a few weeks ago and there was a kid that was CLEARLY sick. A productive cough, constant sniffing. We were like "everyone in this car is getting something". I'm not blaming the family, sometimes you just have to travel and the odds of this kid keeping a mask on themselves the whole trip was slim. Since it was just an overnight, I didn't have the same 'baggage' with me and didn't have any masks. Fortunately neither of us ended up with anything. But a good reminder to have a mask just in case.

 

[Haley R]

Ugh our flight tonight has already been delayed by an hour.

 

[garada3]

Hold my hand? Considering applying for the CIU but it's only supposed to be used for business expenses. Do people just use it for personal expenses if they have a very small business? Especially to meet the minimum spend.

Adding on to this question:

Are there tax implications /required government filings that are associated with having a credit card for business use?

Trying to learn about the points and miles game and want to minimize surprises. For example, there is a tax implication to credit card referral bonuses that I did not know about before making referrals -trying to be more thorough in my research about business cards.

 

[Psychodisney]

Ugh our flight tonight has already been delayed by an hour.

Delayed...not cancelled....hang in there!