I love credit cards so much!

[calypso726]

Just reposting in case anyone has any suggestions:

So I just got a statement in today after a nasal procedure my son had. We're going to be paying about $1800 towards this bill. I'm definitely going to pay with a credit card, then use our HSA account for a reimbursement. Currently not working toward minimum spend on any cards and I'd hate to let this big expense go to waste without putting it towards a minimum. Ideas on a possible next card for me or DH?

We're both at 4/24 right now, so I'm thinking Chase would be our best option to round out the 5th slot. I got the CSR in January, the Disney Visa in February, then CIP in July. DH got his CSR and SW Premier in February, SW Plus and Disney Visa in March. Originally I wanted to shoot for the CSP next, but with the new Chase rules that doesn't appear to be an option. Boo!! Really wanted another UR bonus to beef up what we have and possibly use the to book a deluxe WDW resort next March/April.

As far as travel, we've really been using our UR towards Disney stays since we started earning them. Since we got APs in June, I'm burning them up and getting as many trips as we can for the least OOP. The SW CP has helped a ton with that. We have a trip to Vegas planned for February next year, but we're traveling with family who already booked at The Flamingo, so that's where we'll be booking our room too. The only other trip I see on the horizon is possibly Hawaii. Our 10th anniversary is in March 2019, so if I can make that trip happen for as little OOP as possible DH would be thrilled.

Ok here's my two cents: I'd suggest having your DH go for the CIP if you are after UR points. This is not a card I'd keep. I'd suggest the Ink Cash but the bonus is better on the CIP. After a year, I'd PC this to an Ink Cash. No better opportunity for earning UR. I have the Ink+ and so does DH. These two are the work horses of UR earning for us.

My other suggestion would be Marriott for both of you. The points transfer to Starwood and that could be useful both for WDW @ Swolphin or a future Hawaii trip. The annual anniversary nigh certificate would also come in handy and give you four different Marriott properties that are cat 5 or lower near WDW which amounts to a free weekend. We have DVC and I still manage to blow through all of our DVC points and use our annual nights at a Marriott in WDW every year with no problem. Lastly, have you done a mock airline plan and booking of your Hawaii trip? This would help you figure out which airline miles and how many you might need for the Hawaii trip. If it turns out United is your best bet, go for the Chase United card.

So if you want to stay on the Chase route (logically) then I'd probably recommend the Chase Freedom IF Disney trips look like they'll continue in the future. You get 5% back with spend in specific categories every quarter and since you have a CSR you can transfer the money ($75 if you max out the quarterly spending of $1500) into UR points by transferring to your CSR acct. The quarter of Oct-Dec the 5x rewards is wal mart and dept stores so you could get $1500 worth of WM gc and then go to Sam's (if you're a member) and redeem for discounted Disney GC (usually around 4%) off. That was my grand plan until I realized I have NO DISNEY trips planned after this Nov If you're not into the semi convoluted WM gc to Sam's purchased Disney GC, there is still the whole 7500 UR transferred to your CSR after you max out the quarterly spend at Wal Mart or a whole slew of department stores.

Another Chase option is the Marriott then earn those points, transfer to SPG and have a Solwfin Disney vacation BUT since most report this ISN'T subject to the 5/24 I'd advise against it.

Finally, if you have any sort of business claims, the experts out there can tall you about the Chase business cards (@calypso726, @Albort, @Lain) but I can't.

Good luck finding one that works for you

I don't know that I'd use up a Chase app for a Freedom card. Granted, it is a valuable card and will earn 30K UR points each year if you max out the bonus categories. It's a must have UR earning card, no doubt. That said, I think the value on the first year is potentially higher on a CIP or both getting the Marriott. If there was an in bank bonus for 30,000 that I think @Albort mentioned some time ago, then definitely yes! The $300 value would turn into $450 when transferred to a CSR account.

Oh boy, not an expert by any means I will say that many people have a business and aren't aware of that fact. I have four business cards. I didn't realize I had a business until I thought about applying for a business card. My favorite of the 4 is the Chase Ink Plus which is no longer available. The Chase Ink Cash is closest to it though.

Thanks for the info about the SR card. I guess I won't be applying for that one! Can anyone steer me toward a card that would give a good bonus and points that will easily transfer to multiple airlines. Not sure yet what we are going to fly.

Thanks!!

The cards that have points that transfer directly to multiple airlines are Amex Starwood Preferred Guest (over 30 airlines) Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve Chase Ink Preferred, Amex Membership Reward earning cards like Platinum, Platinum Business, Everyday Preferred, Everyday, Premier Rewards Gold, Business Gold, Blue Business. Citi Thank you Premier and Prestige.

Before choosing one of the cards I'd suggest finding out which airline you are likely going to fly the most. If your airport is a hub for an airline then that will likely be the airline you fly the most depending on your travel habits. We have lots of people here that fly Southwest and get amazing value from the companion pass. I'm not one of them. I fly several time a year for vacations and getaways but never on Southwest. Many of my flights over the last 5 years were international. If I had started out going after the SW cards and companion pass based on recommendations my points and CP would have been wasted as well as my efforts.

I am not far from MIA which is a hub for American Airlines. When I started out I figured AA would likely be the airline I wind up flying the most or other One World alliance partners. So the variable cards I started with were a Chase Ultimate Rewards combo of CSP (this is before CSR existed), Freedom and Ink+ along with an Amex SPG card. SPG points transfer 1:1 with AA, plus give me a 5,000 bonus every time I transfer 20,000 SPG points to an airline. UR points transfer to British Airways 1:1 and they are a One World alliance partner with AA.

If you have a specific dream trip in mind then I'd suggest doing a mock booking of the flights to see which airline you will need to fly to your destination and how many points it will take, Then, you can see which of the variable cards will likely work best for you.

I do sell on Ebay but I don't make much at all. Would that count? I did have a business but I folded it a few years back, as an IT consultant. It was an S Corp.

Yay! You have a business

O/T for this board, but can someone tell me if $1,000 for 5 nights at OKW (studio) in Feb is a good deal? I've got a rental held in my name, trying to decide if I should pull the trigger.

DVC member here. Ok so in February a studio from Feb 1 - Feb 1 is 13 points per night during the week and 17 points on the weekend. From Feb 16 - 28 they go up to 14 and 19 points respectively. The amount seems to be a good deal when comparing what the rental places are charging. On the rare occasion I have points to rent to friends I still do it at $10 per point. Hope that helps.

So...I got an Amex Hilton Honors card (whatever the heck it's called...the no-fee one). I'm not even sure why. I'm not even sure who I am anymore.

I've gone bananas.

Welcome to the insanity!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

BOA Premium Rewards card.

edit: I'm confused. if you guys book on the same reservation you all get precheck.

Nope. DH has gotten precheck when I have not, even when all on same reservation. In fact, I don't ever remember getting precheck for me, and DH has gotten it at least twice.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Some adults randomly get assigned TSA precheck even if they haven't gone through the official TSA precheck background check process. My mom never applied, but she seems to get it on her boarding pass every time that she flies. It seems to be much more common to be "randomly" assigned to older ad

Yes DH "randomly" gets pre check, neither of us has gone thru the process. And yes he's older, so that must be why

 

[Albort]

This is not true. According to the TSA website:

I’m traveling with my family; can they also use the TSA Pre✓® lane?

• Family members ages 12 and under traveling with an eligible parent or guardian with a TSA Pre✓® indicator on their boarding pass can participate in expedited screening.
• Family members 13 and older must go through standard security lanes or should apply for a DHS trusted traveler program.

Some adults randomly get assigned TSA precheck even if they haven't gone through the official TSA precheck background check process. My mom never applied, but she seems to get it on her boarding pass every time that she flies. It seems to be much more common to be "randomly" assigned to older adults.

they warn you that in case someone tries to pull something... but in general consensus, if you travel with someone with TSA Pre, they should all get Pre. Lots of DP show that.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

they warn you that in case someone tries to pull something... but in general consensus, if you travel with someone with TSA Pre, they should all get Pre. Lots of DP show that.

I had precheck before my husband. He didn't get it when we traveled on the same reservation.

 

[wendow]

I'll probably PC my CIP to a CIC after a year, but we're definitely keeping my wife's new CIP.

CIP, when paying through Plastiq (at least as it's currently coding), earns us 3x UR on sooo many of our biggest expenses that pretty much any other card would earn us only 1x. This includes rent, utilities, student loan payments. We added our LO's preschool tuition payments through Plastiq for this year, and it looks like this is another expense that's coding as 3x!* CIP also earns us 3x on our cell phone bills when paid directly to AT&T, and 3x on gift cards with PPDG, Gyft, and Cashstar.

I've seen DPs that CIP also earns 3x on Netflix, Hulu, and eBay fees directly. If you have a mortgage, and can get Plastiq to process payment with a CIP, recent DPs say that earns 3x too.

*Our preschool tuition payment is still pending so it hasn't shown up as a line in our rewards activity yet, but my pending UR points balance reflects the addition of 3x tuition payment. When setting up this payment through Plastiq, I categorized it as "Tuition," which is the same category we selected for our student loans that also earn 3x. I wonder if you can earn 3x on things like private school/college/grad school tuition, summer camp, after school activities, music lessons, tutoring sessions, etc. by categorizing them as tuition on Plastiq?

I only have my mortgage that I can pay through plastique that (maybe) earns 3x. For the next three months though, I am using my new Barclay card. I should check Hulu and Netflix.

I do use the CIP for Comcast (internet and land line) and Verizon (cells).

Interesting on the college tuition. I definitely need to think about that. My dd17 will be bringing us tuition bills next fall. She is taking college classes right now but the school district pays for it. Not so after she graduates so 3x coding on that will be awesome!

Maybe I will think about PC'ing mine and then keeping dh's CIP, once he gets one

 

[havaneselover]

My 50k CSP bonus is now showing pending!!! Took a few days. Now I just need my statement to close so I can buy plane tickets to Vancouver for our cruise!

 

[Lain]

I only have my mortgage that I can pay through plastique that (maybe) earns 3x. For the next three months though, I am using my new Barclay card. I should check Hulu and Netflix.

I do use the CIP for Comcast (internet and land line) and Verizon (cells).

Interesting on the college tuition. I definitely need to think about that. My dd17 will be bringing us tuition bills next fall. She is taking college classes right now but the school district pays for it. Not so after she graduates so 3x coding on that will be awesome!

Maybe I will think about PC'ing mine and then keeping dh's CIP, once he gets one

Update: Our preschool tuition payment using CIP through Plastiq posted to recent activity and coded as "trvl, ship, adv, telecom" for 3x UR.

 

[mefordis]

I went to apply for the Chase Ink but they require an EIN, which I HAD when I had my S corp but it's now dissolved and invalid. That stopped me in my tracks. What a shame!

I did a stupid thing and deserve to be put on blast for this, but in spite of being advised against it I DID apply for a CSR card (I own a Chase Sapphire Preferred). I was hoping they would overlook that I own a CSP because I do have a 793 credit score. I got a page immediately saying it will be up for review. Will my credit score get dinged? I think I know the answer. I guess I wanted it so bad I just became stupid for 2 minutes.

I need to think of my next move since I MUST accumulate more points!

Edit: I have been preapproved for an AMEX platinum but at $595 a year and 60k sign up bonus I don't think it will be worth it for me.

 

[mefordis]

I went to apply for the Chase Ink but they require an EIN, which I HAD when I had my S corp but it's now dissolved and invalid. That stopped me in my tracks. What a shame!

I did a stupid thing and deserve to be put on blast for this, but in spite of being advised against it I DID apply for a CSR card (I own a Chase Sapphire Preferred). I was hoping they would overlook that I own a CSP because I do have a 793 credit score. I got a page immediately saying it will be up for review. Will my credit score get dinged? I think I know the answer. I guess I wanted it so bad I just became stupid for 2 minutes.

I need to think of my next move since I MUST accumulate more points!

Edit: I have been preapproved for an AMEX platinum but at $595 a year and 60k sign up bonus I don't think it will be worth it for me.

Edit:
Can Hilton Honors cc points be transferred to mileage programs? I've never had a hotel credit card before, but it's no annual fee and 50k bonus points after spending 1k then an additional 25,000 Bonus Points after you make an additional $1,000 in purchases with your new Card within your first 6 months. Could this get me at least one free first class ticket, I"m wondering? 75k points + the 10k I already have that I could transfer.

Calypso726: Thank you for that wealth of information! I have a dream trip in mind: Hawaii with stop overs in LAX both ways. It would be 8k to fly Delta first class (the most reasonably priced airline for that class). I know I can't save enough miles by purchase time (this spring) but I am trying to save for one single ticket, then pay for the rest which would lower it to 6k for airline fare.

 

[Lain]

I went to apply for the Chase Ink but they require an EIN, which I HAD when I had my S corp but it's now dissolved and invalid. That stopped me in my tracks. What a shame!

I did a stupid thing and deserve to be put on blast for this, but in spite of being advised against it I DID apply for a CSR card (I own a Chase Sapphire Preferred). I was hoping they would overlook that I own a CSP because I do have a 793 credit score. I got a page immediately saying it will be up for review. Will my credit score get dinged? I think I know the answer. I guess I wanted it so bad I just became stupid for 2 minutes.

I need to think of my next move since I MUST accumulate more points!

Edit: I have been preapproved for an AMEX platinum but at $595 a year and 60k sign up bonus I don't think it will be worth it for me.

A few points:

1. You can apply as a sole proprietor using your SSN, even if you don't have a valid EIN or formal business entity. If you have an eBay business that you run solely as an individual, you would apply with your name, your business name would be your name, and use your SSN.

2. A hard pull will knock a few points off your credit score. Nothing big. But it will appear as an inquiry on your credit report. If you're applying for any form of credit, loans, mortgages, the number of inquiries on your report could matter. Chase has a rule that will deny you for a personal card if you've had more than 2 applications in the last 30 days, and deny you for a business card if you've had any applications in the last 3 days. This hard pull will count against that rule, whether or not you're approved.

You'll probably be denied after review, but if by some miracle you're approved that would be an interesting data point. Even if you're approved, there's some doubt that you'll receive the signup bonus if you received your CSP's bonus in the last 24 months. If you really want the CSR for its benefits, you can always ask Chase to upgrade your CSP to a CSR. You'll get the benefits, but not the bonus.

3. Don't apply for the Amex Platinum with just a 60k MR signup bonus. That's the same as the public offer. Amex bonuses are generally once per lifetime, so don't settle for a lowball offer because you very likely won't get a second chance. People are often targeted for 100k points, and there are tricks to get yourself targeted for a 75k or 100k offer.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I went to apply for the Chase Ink but they require an EIN, which I HAD when I had my S corp but it's now dissolved and invalid. That stopped me in my tracks. What a shame!

I did a stupid thing and deserve to be put on blast for this, but in spite of being advised against it I DID apply for a CSR card (I own a Chase Sapphire Preferred). I was hoping they would overlook that I own a CSP because I do have a 793 credit score. I got a page immediately saying it will be up for review. Will my credit score get dinged? I think I know the answer. I guess I wanted it so bad I just became stupid for 2 minutes.

I need to think of my next move since I MUST accumulate more points!

Edit: I have been preapproved for an AMEX platinum but at $595 a year and 60k sign up bonus I don't think it will be worth it for me.

You don't need an EIN, you can just use your personal SSN.

 

[peel]

I went to apply for the Chase Ink but they require an EIN, which I HAD when I had my S corp but it's now dissolved and invalid. That stopped me in my tracks. What a shame!

You can use your SSN in place of an EIN.

Edit: I should have read the rest of the thread!

 

[kmc8826]

Sorry another using UR at Disney question: if we aren't in a house offsite my husband wants 2 rooms. If I book two standard rooms at CBR with just us as the only people in them (myself as one adult in one room; husband as one adult in another) after that I can call Disney (the warehouse number) and get the girls added on and get the two reservations linked for hopefully connecting rooms? Is that right? And it is better to not put the kids initially because it costs more points? Also, once you get the number from Disney it just shows up in MDE as a regular reservation? Thank you!

 

[ZellyB]

3. Don't apply for the Amex Platinum with just a 60k MR signup bonus. That's the same as the public offer. Amex bonuses are generally once per lifetime, so don't settle for a lowball offer because you very likely won't get a second chance. People are often targeted for 100k points, and there are tricks to get yourself targeted for a 75k or 100k offer.

Just wanted to say I got really lucky I think on this with timing. I'd gotten a targeted offer for the 100K for the Amex Platinum. I was working on the minimum spend and hadn't yet gotten the 100K when I got another targeted offer for a 70K bonus for an Amex Platinum Delta card. I didn't know about the once per lifetime offer, so I applied for it as well. I got my 100K for the personal platinum and then had met my spend on the Delta one and have been waiting to see if they'd actually give it to me. Checked it today and it's there! Woohoo!!

 

[mefordis]

A few points:

1. You can apply as a sole proprietor using your SSN, even if you don't have a valid EIN or formal business entity. If you have an eBay business that you run solely as an individual, you would apply with your name, your business name would be your name, and use your SSN.

2. A hard pull will knock a few points off your credit score. Nothing big. But it will appear as an inquiry on your credit report. If you're applying for any form of credit, loans, mortgages, the number of inquiries on your report could matter. Chase has a rule that will deny you for a personal card if you've had more than 2 applications in the last 30 days, and deny you for a business card if you've had any applications in the last 3 days. This hard pull will count against that rule, whether or not you're approved.

You'll probably be denied after review, but if by some miracle you're approved that would be an interesting data point. Even if you're approved, there's some doubt that you'll receive the signup bonus if you received your CSP's bonus in the last 24 months. If you really want the CSR for its benefits, you can always ask Chase to upgrade your CSP to a CSR. You'll get the benefits, but not the bonus.

3. Don't apply for the Amex Platinum with just a 60k MR signup bonus. That's the same as the public offer. Amex bonuses are generally once per lifetime, so don't settle for a lowball offer because you very likely won't get a second chance. People are often targeted for 100k points, and there are tricks to get yourself targeted for a 75k or 100k offer.

So, since I applied last night to the CSR card, I should not apply for the INK today (with my SSN), correct? Thanks!

 

[ZellyB]

@tink1970
So I jumped on getting DW to apply for her own CIP, and she was approved after her application was pending review for a few days! 80k UR signup bonus for DW, and 20k UR referral bonus for me! @mhartman09, have you thought about having DH apply for his own CIP using your referral link? That's 100k in total bonuses right there for $5,000 spend in 3 months. Since you and your husband both have the CSR and got that card's bonuses this year, you can't go for the CSP and the CIP really is the last big signup bonus that'll give you UR points. My wife applied as a sole proprietor using some sales she made on eBay last year, about ~$1,500; we have good household income, a long relationship with Chase (accounts and other credit cards), and her credit score is ~800. Remember that Chase business cards are also subject to the 0/30 rule: no other applications in the last 30 days.

So, I'm thinking about this as well. We own a rental house and I'm assuming that qualifies as a business. I have the CSR and my DH is an AU (stupid I know - I should have had him apply for his own - live and learn). So, I could refer him for the CIP and we'd score the 100K right? I'm not sure I can talk him into it because this newly acquired hobby of mine has him really nervous. But, I may be able to convince him to do it. I don't know a lot about the perks of the CIP, but willing to investigate.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

So, I'm thinking about this as well. We own a rental house and I'm assuming that qualifies as a business. I have the CSR and my DH is an AU (stupid I know - I should have had him apply for his own - live and learn). So, I could refer him for the CIP and we'd score the 100K right? I'm not sure I can talk him into it because this newly acquired hobby of mine has him really nervous. But, I may be able to convince him to do it. I don't know a lot about the perks of the CIP, but willing to investigate.

You have to have the card that you refer someone to, so in your case, you could refer your DH for a CSR. But you can't refer him to a CIP unless you already have that card.

 

[ZellyB]

You have to have the card that you refer someone to, so in your case, you could refer your DH for a CSR. But you can't refer him to a CIP unless you already have that card.

OK, got it. Thanks! The 80K is still enough of a temptation though to maybe make it worthwhile.

 

[wendow]

Sorry another using UR at Disney question: if we aren't in a house offsite my husband wants 2 rooms. If I book two standard rooms at CBR with just us as the only people in them (myself as one adult in one room; husband as one adult in another) after that I can call Disney (the warehouse number) and get the girls added on and get the two reservations linked for hopefully connecting rooms? Is that right? And it is better to not put the kids initially because it costs more points? Also, once you get the number from Disney it just shows up in MDE as a regular reservation? Thank you!

Yes, book each room with only you on one and your dh on the other. It costs more points to add the children when booking on UR.

Call Disney wholesale to get the conf# that will work in MDE and to add your children to the room. When I did that, I did ask the CM to add a connecting rooms request and I also gave room location request. We received both of our requests of connecting rooms and the building I asked for.

It will show up in MDE as a regular booking but the conf# will look different.