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

[NewbieMom]

I’m thinking the La Fortuna area looks the best for us.

We went to CR this year with our 3, 5, and 7 year olds. They had a blast! There's plenty to do in the La Fortuna area. We stayed at the Tabacon resort & spa (a Hyatt SLH) and absolutely recommend it, especially if your kid loves pools. My kids love the pool more than the beach, so they spent an entire day at the Tabacon hot springs which to them is a series of "pools" to hop in and out of.

Second what @IFlossU said about making sure you have lots of time if you choose to drive. We opted to get a rental car/drive. Landed 6:30am (red eye), and got to Tabacon around 12:30pm. We did take a break somewhere in the middle for the kids to stretch, snack, and use the bathroom but it was a long drive and the roads get narrow and windy once you get out of the airport city area. Another rec is to get an SUV/AWD vehicle. We saw a Corolla pop a tire on one of the dirt roads going up, and even a BMW sedan ahead of us was really struggling.

 

[hsmamato2]

Question, my DS had accidentally used an old sock drawered CiC to make a venmo payment to a friend, he discovered the charge (it was just shy of $100) had counted as cash advance on the cc, plus a $15 fee...is that fee from chase,like a CA fee? He already paid it and removed the cc from his venmo acct so it doesn't happen again.

 

[Haley R]

We went to CR this year with our 3, 5, and 7 year olds. They had a blast! There's plenty to do in the La Fortuna area. We stayed at the Tabacon resort & spa (a Hyatt SLH) and absolutely recommend it, especially if your kid loves pools. My kids love the pool more than the beach, so they spent an entire day at the Tabacon hot springs which to them is a series of "pools" to hop in and out of.

Second what @IFlossU said about making sure you have lots of time if you choose to drive. We opted to get a rental car/drive. Landed 6:30am (red eye), and got to Tabacon around 12:30pm. We did take a break somewhere in the middle for the kids to stretch, snack, and use the bathroom but it was a long drive and the roads get narrow and windy once you get out of the airport city area. Another rec is to get an SUV/AWD vehicle. We saw a Corolla pop a tire on one of the dirt roads going up, and even a BMW sedan ahead of us was really struggling.

Thank you! What did you guys do in the La Fortuna area that you loved?

 

[NewbieMom]

Thank you! What did you guys do in the La Fortuna area that you loved?

We did the Don Julio chocolate/farm tour (my 5yo's favorite), sloth territory tour (my 7yo's favorite), and hiked the base of Arenal Volcano/hanging bridges (everyone enjoyed this except my 3 yo who just likes staying at the hot springs all day)

 

[Haley R]

We did the Don Julio chocolate/farm tour (my 5yo's favorite), sloth territory tour (my 7yo's favorite), and hiked the base of Arenal Volcano/hanging bridges (everyone enjoyed this except my 3 yo who just likes staying at the hot springs all day)

Awesome thanks!

 

[Huskerpaul]

Is the SUB on the CIP limited to every 24 months like other Chase cards or is it different because it is a business card? I ask because I see advice like "I would just get another CIP" when asked what card to apply for next. Thanks in advance.

 

[miztressuz]

I have read that getting Cap one bus cards will count towards 5/24. is this just for bus cards tied to a ssn? what if I got a Cap one bus card tied to a S-corp EIN, would that also count towards 5/24?

Thanks guys!

All small biz cards have a personal guarantee, which is why (or at least partly why) they ask for the SSN of the person applying on behalf of the biz. So unless you can qualify for a Corp level card, picking one of the CapOne Spark cards that report to personal reports will count.

There is one that isn't supposed report, the Spark Cash Plus. There are 2 Spark Cash cards, the other one Cash Select, does report (with recent DPs). So you'd want to be careful in your research. Supposedly the Venture X Bus also shouldn't report https://www.doctorofcredit.com/capi...ness-card-spark-travel-elite-with-250k-bonus/

CapOne does have a Corp card you could look into. Not much info online from my quicky search, looks like they want to actually talk about it first. Usually need some hefty stats to remove the personal liability and qualify for corp level cards, though. I'd also think rewards use and accounting for them would be a little different. So if the intention is to combine with or augment personal rewards, I'm not sure I'd want to go that route. If it's truly for reducing biz expenses or reinvestment, then it can't hurt to chat.

 

[wanderlust7]

Question, my DS had accidentally used an old sock drawered CiC to make a venmo payment to a friend, he discovered the charge (it was just shy of $100) had counted as cash advance on the cc, plus a $15 fee...is that fee from chase,like a CA fee? He already paid it and removed the cc from his venmo acct so it doesn't happen again.

Yes, CA transaction fee is $15 or 5%, whichever is greater. He might try asking if they'd waive the fees as a one time exception.

 

[IFlossU]

Is the SUB on the CIP limited to every 24 months like other Chase cards or is it different because it is a business card? I ask because I see advice like "I would just get another CIP" when asked what card to apply for next. Thanks in advance.

Ink cards are not currently limited to every 24mos.

 

[leeniewdw]

I don’t see Ahwanee but Yosemite Valley Lodge is there. I think Chase gets access to rooms later than the public so might be sold out on Chase.


I have booked rooms in Death Valley (the ranch), Yellowstone (canyon area) and Sequoia (John Muir) Through Chase.

I have seen accommodations in Grand Canyon, grand Tetons and Mt Rainier listed. Always good to check to see.

I did book Yellowstone through xanterra and later when I saw an opening on Chase portal, I canceled xanterra and rebooked through Chase.

Wow I'm truly amazed. Given I've had trouble (in some cases) booking Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite via Xanterra even when the booking window opens, I just presumed they wouldn't be. But maybe I've tried at peak season or something! This is great to know for the future.

 

[wanderlust7]

Was this for the Norwegian Prima cruise? I'd love to hear all the details when you get around to it. I would have loved to do that itinerary.

By request, here's a trip report of our NCL Prima cruise (Southampton to Reykjavik). It was part of a longer trip, which I mentioned here. Tag @amcc in case you're interested. Pretty long, so I should probably split this up.

The NCL Prima seems to get very mixed reviews. We didn’t have any major issues. The dry slides were fun. The drop one is faster, but not as scary as it looks. We should have done the water slides at the beginning of the cruise when it was warmer. But we didn’t and it got too cold once we got to Norway. The racetrack is multiple decks and they let you go around a couple times. The kids did it twice, once was enough for me. I booked the slots on the first day and it wasn’t hard to find. They’re still not charging for the mini golf, so I guess it’s still not working properly. We only did the shows that can be booked beforehand (Donna Summer and Price is Right). Enjoyed both. Price is Right was especially fun, though I was nervous about getting called (would not want to go on stage lol).

When I booked, they were still giving 4 specialty dining for our 11-night cruise (they’ve since reduced that). We also had Le Bistro free from the Amex Cruise Privileges program. Le Bistro was my favorite, just perfect food and service. We also enjoyed the complimentary Indulge Food Hall. It’s very crowded at lunch on sea days, not so bad at dinner.

View of the dry slide from our balcony:



Zeebrugge, Belgium – we took a taxi to the picturesque town of Brugge about a half hour away. The other option was to take a shuttle with Cruise Express, but with 4 people the cost was about the same. We got off the ship about 10:30 am and there was a line for the taxis. I went to check the Cruise Express line, but they were already sold out. Luckily, the taxi line didn’t take too long. I asked the driver about picking us up too, but he couldn’t do the time I wanted, so he gave me his card and said he’d have someone else come (which they did at the agreed upon place and time).

In Brugge, we walked around, shopped (bought lace and chocolates), and ate some Belgian waffles.



Interesting wind turbines in the ocean as we sailed away:



Amsterdam – since we had spent 4 days at the beginning of the trip in Amsterdam, we just walked around in the Central Station area and shopped. The kids bought more Miffy merch lol. From the cruise ship terminal to Central Station was an easy 20-minute walk. I hear the city wants to ban cruise ships, hopefully that doesn’t come to pass.

On sail out, we saw this building with the swings on top. @*WDW*Groupie* this must be where you did the swings? The kids said we should have gone. I guess my fear of heights made me conveniently forget this existed lol.



Going through the lock was interesting, though we couldn’t really tell anything was happening. We were stuck for a couple hours because the gate wouldn’t open lol.



Bergen, Norway – we walked around the harbor area. It was about 20 min walk from the cruise port. Sailing out, we went under a bridge, which is a first for me on a cruise ship.



(continued)

 

[wanderlust7]

Part 2

Geiranger, Norway – this was my favorite port! Sail in/out was so beautiful. We saw the Seven Sisters waterfall sailing out from our balcony (starboard side).



The floating pier was very convenient instead of having to tender.



We did a bus tour with Norway Excursions. Their cancellation policy is 7 days before compared to Geiranger Fjordservice which is no refunds. We were lucky with clear views on Dalsnibba. We got the cinnamon buns from the gift shop on the tour guide's recommendation, they were delicious. Should have gotten more lol. He also mentioned the Norwegian brown cheese that tastes like peanut butter, so we got some at the Joker Supermarket where their tour bus pick up and drops off at. It really has a peanut butter aftertaste.







Alesund, Norway – We took the little tourist train (not really a train) through town and up to a viewpoint. You can’t buy tickets in advance, so I got off the ship to buy tickets while everyone else was getting ready. Not sure if it was necessary, but it’s right outside the port gates, so was easy to do.

Alesund is a cute town. We had plenty of time to walk around and shop. Also got some fish and chips from Jafs on a friend’s recommendation. A bit of a wait, but it was worth it.





(continued)

 

[Alexle2007]

Bama game was amazing despite the loss. DS enjoyed his experience. The worst part was coming out to our rental to find some ****** and hit it and left the scene. No idea when it happened since we are parked Fri night and walked everywhere until it was time to drive back to Atlanta. Luckily, I have a late flight since I had to file a police report for the hit-and-run. I put on the AmEx Plat so we’ll see how this goes. Anyone have experience using the AmEx rental damage insurance?

 

[wanderlust7]

Part 3 (complete)

Akureyri, Iceland – We did a tour with Iceland Everywhere. I picked them because they are small group (mini-bus max 16-19) and have a very generous cancellation policy. It’s 24 hours before, but they give the option of paying on the bus and don’t take a deposit, so no idea how they’d even enforce that.

Goðafoss:



Hverir geothermal area:



Isafjordur, Iceland – we skipped this port because the pier wasn’t finished. Apparently, the Prima doesn’t have the ability to tender with their lifeboats. When I was researching, Vigur Island was my top choice. But NCL got a monopoly on their tours for cruise passengers, and it was really overpriced! Ended up deciding on a private taxi tour of Dynjandi waterfall instead (no deposit and was easy to cancel).

Reykjavik – We had an overnight in Reykjavik, so took the free port shuttle that drops off at Harpa concert hall. We walked around the shopping streets and saw where our Airbnb near Sandholt Bakery was.

After the cruise, we spent 3 nights at the Airbnb. It was fun being in the center of town. Our first trip, we only spent a couple hours in Reykjavik, so this filled a hole in our previous itinerary. DH didn’t come on the cruise with us and neither my mom nor I wanted to drive, so I booked private tours with Puffin Travel. They’ve since raised their prices some, but at the time, it wasn’t much more than booking big bus tours for 4 people. Run by an Icelandic husband and wife team, they were great from booking to the actual tour. We learned a lot about Iceland’s history, culture, and geology. I could ask questions to my heart’s content lol. The tours were long days though, so I missed our first trip when DH drove, and we moved from place to place.

One day we did a tour of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. It’s so beautiful there. I’d like to go back with DH and self-drive at a slower pace. One stop was the Shark Museum where we tasted some fermented shark. The ammonia taste is very strong!



Fermented shark drying:



The other tour we did was to the Westman Islands. I had no idea until our tour guide told us, but it happened to be the 50th anniversary of the Eldfell volcano eruption stopping. He was living on the island at the time and his sister’s house is buried under the lava. It was so interesting learning about what happened from someone who was there on such an anniversary. The usual sleepy town was filled with people celebrating, where our tour guide ran into friends and his daughter.

We saw so many puffins there. We saw many flying around and there was even a flock in the water. They were pretty far though, so hard to take pictures.

 

[Haley R]

Part 3 (complete)

Akureyri, Iceland – We did a tour with Iceland Everywhere. I picked them because they are small group (mini-bus max 16-19) and have a very generous cancellation policy. It’s 24 hours before, but they give the option of paying on the bus and don’t take a deposit, so no idea how they’d even enforce that.

Goðafoss:

View attachment 792671

Hverir geothermal area:

View attachment 792672

Isafjordur, Iceland – we skipped this port because the pier wasn’t finished. Apparently, the Prima doesn’t have the ability to tender with their lifeboats. When I was researching, Vigur Island was my top choice. But NCL got a monopoly on their tours for cruise passengers, and it was really overpriced! Ended up deciding on a private taxi tour of Dynjandi waterfall instead (no deposit and was easy to cancel).

Reykjavik – We had an overnight in Reykjavik, so took the free port shuttle that drops off at Harpa concert hall. We walked around the shopping streets and saw where our Airbnb near Sandholt Bakery was.

After the cruise, we spent 3 nights at the Airbnb. It was fun being in the center of town. Our first trip, we only spent a couple hours in Reykjavik, so this filled a hole in our previous itinerary. DH didn’t come on the cruise with us and neither my mom nor I wanted to drive, so I booked private tours with Puffin Travel. They’ve since raised their prices some, but at the time, it wasn’t much more than booking big bus tours for 4 people. Run by an Icelandic husband and wife team, they were great from booking to the actual tour. We learned a lot about Iceland’s history, culture, and geology. I could ask questions to my heart’s content lol. The tours were long days though, so I missed our first trip when DH drove, and we moved from place to place.

One day we did a tour of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. It’s so beautiful there. I’d like to go back with DH and self-drive at a slower pace. One stop was the Shark Museum where we tasted some fermented shark. The ammonia taste is very strong!

View attachment 792674

Fermented shark drying:

View attachment 792673

The other tour we did was to the Westman Islands. I had no idea until our tour guide told us, but it happened to be the 50th anniversary of the Eldfell volcano eruption stopping. He was living on the island at the time and his sister’s house is buried under the lava. It was so interesting learning about what happened from someone who was there on such an anniversary. The usual sleepy town was filled with people celebrating, where our tour guide ran into friends and his daughter.

We saw so many puffins there. We saw many flying around and there was even a flock in the water. They were pretty far though, so hard to take pictures.

View attachment 792675

This is super helpful because we’re looking at the 2025 cruises to Norway and Iceland! Did you like that it combined both? We’ve never been to either and I thought about doing just Norway

 

[mmmears]

@wanderlust7 thanks for sharing your photos. It looks like an amazing trip. DH liked the Brunost (brown cheese - it was likened to caramel when we were there) we had in Norway so much that I looked and was able to find it locally.

 

[EACarlson]

Bama game was amazing despite the loss. DS enjoyed his experience. The worst part was coming out to our rental to find some ****** and hit it and left the scene. No idea when it happened since we are parked Fri night and walked everywhere until it was time to drive back to Atlanta. Luckily, I have a late flight since I had to file a police report for the hit-and-run. I put on the AmEx Plat so we’ll see how this goes. Anyone have experience using the AmEx rental damage insurance?

Did you pay AMEX for the primary insurance or are just using the secondary?

 

[wanderlust7]

This is super helpful because we’re looking at the 2025 cruises to Norway and Iceland! Did you like that it combined both? We’ve never been to either and I thought about doing just Norway

I picked this cruise because I'm a sucker for new ships lol. I liked the itinerary since it gave me an excuse to go back to London and Iceland. The Iceland ports (besides Reykjavik) are places we didn't get to our first trip.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

@wanderlust7 That is indeed the building (it's the Sir Adaam Hotel -- part of Marriott) where I went on the swings. I don't really like swings, but I am glad that I did it! One and done for me lol. If anyone wants to try them, book your tickets in advance -- it's super popular (I didn't book in advance and only got on because they opened up a few spaces when I was in line).

 

[AmyAnne]

For some reason I have always called to close cards but I have a Chase card to close and I'm pretty sure I can do that by secure message. For those who have done this, have you said anything more than "Please close the card [number]"?