I love credit cards so much!

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Looking at the Amtrak card for trip to Grand Canyon 2018. Can you explain the companion fare coupon?
When I look on Amtrak site, a family bedroom (2adults/1kid) is about 50k points. Would coupon reduce that?
No it won't. The coupon comes with the Amtrak card by boa.. the one with the annual fee. Basically your companion rides free on one trip (round trip) if you pay full price for an adult fare. The bedroom is a separate charge..its known as the accommodation charge..it is separate from the fare charge. Use Aaa discount for additional 10 percent off fare.
 
I have the america air barclay card because it used to be us air. Now that I'm not living in a us air hub and it's switched to american, I'm flying barely flying that airline and would like to switch the card. Will barclay either downgrade it to their no fee card or switch it to their other travel card? I've never had experience doing this. I don't want to do it until after my trip in May because I am flying american clt to bwi because it was the cheapest nevermind that I wanted to fly into BWI. I want the free checked bag for that one flight and my annual fee isn't due until June.

Living back in Seattle, I may go back to Alaska's card, but I hate doing business with BofA, which is my hesitation. I finally cancelled the last card I had with them last week, even though it was my 2nd oldest. I paid it off with a lump sum a few years back and the reduced my CL from somewhere in the 3-5k range to $500. I wasn't amused. I'm still catching up with paying off debt from being unemployed and then underemployed for a few years and once the balance was gone the card went. I'm working on paying down the others and most likely won't add anything before I get rid of another balance, but I have been using the barclay card for vet bills, online purchases etc and paying all new charges and the current amount due each month. There are some things I won't use a debit card for and sometimes I want to be able to control when the money comes out of the bank.

If Barclay is still carrying the no fee Aviator card then you should be able to downgrade it. You can still use the miles you have on American to fly Alaska, they are partners even though Alaska is not a One World alliance airline. The good thing I've read about the Alaska Air card is that they are fairly churnable. I haven't started on churning them myself since the offers are usually pretty low - 25,000 - 30,000 miles. If they ever offer one for 50k then I'll go for it. Currently you can also earn Alaska air miles via Starwood Preferred Guest Amex. SPG points transfer 1:1 on Alaska and for every 20,000 SPG points you transfer to a partner airline, SPG will give you a 5,000 point bonus.

I've kept my Barclay Aviator card even though I don't put spend on it throughout the year. Each year I don't use it they offer me 15,000 miles (right before my annual fee is due) if I spend $500 each month for 3 months. I also get 10% back for the American Airline miles I redeem for award tickets up to 10,000 miles. That's 25,000 miles a year. That is worth more than the annual fee so I keep mine.

Congratulations on your pay off and pay downs. Paying off all credit cards and not carrying balances is pretty much rule number one when it comes to this hobby. I was in a similar situation many years ago and it is nice to see that light at the end of the tunnel.

You are braver than I am. I never use a debit card. If my information is compromised and someone uses my debit card info fraudulently I would be out of those funds having lost access to that money I need to pay other bills (mortgage, rent, car etc.) in my checking account until the bank completes their investigation. The bank also has no incentive since it isn't their money it is mine. So basically I would be out of luck, have no money to pay my bills, so they get paid late, incur interest and my credit score is at risk. Been there, done that, never again thank you very much. If someone fraudulently uses my credit card the disputed charge is frozen until the investigation is completed but I am not out of any money. I still have money in my checking account to pay mortgage, rent, car or whatever. The bank issuer of my credit card has all the incentive to complete the investigation since it is their money not mine. Been there, done that and will take it any day over the other scenario. Food for thought.
 
If Barclay is still carrying the no fee Aviator card then you should be able to downgrade it. You can still use the miles you have on American to fly Alaska, they are partners even though Alaska is not a One World alliance airline. The good thing I've read about the Alaska Air card is that they are fairly churnable. I haven't started on churning them myself since the offers are usually pretty low - 25,000 - 30,000 miles. If they ever offer one for 50k then I'll go for it. Currently you can also earn Alaska air miles via Starwood Preferred Guest Amex. SPG points transfer 1:1 on Alaska and for every 20,000 SPG points you transfer to a partner airline, SPG will give you a 5,000 point bonus.

I've kept my Barclay Aviator card even though I don't put spend on it throughout the year. Each year I don't use it they offer me 15,000 miles (right before my annual fee is due) if I spend $500 each month for 3 months. I also get 10% back for the American Airline miles I redeem for award tickets up to 10,000 miles. That's 25,000 miles a year. That is worth more than the annual fee so I keep mine.

Congratulations on your pay off and pay downs. Paying off all credit cards and not carrying balances is pretty much rule number one when it comes to this hobby. I was in a similar situation many years ago and it is nice to see that light at the end of the tunnel.

You are braver than I am. I never use a debit card. If my information is compromised and someone uses my debit card info fraudulently I would be out of those funds having lost access to that money I need to pay other bills (mortgage, rent, car etc.) in my checking account until the bank completes their investigation. The bank also has no incentive since it isn't their money it is mine. So basically I would be out of luck, have no money to pay my bills, so they get paid late, incur interest and my credit score is at risk. Been there, done that, never again thank you very much. If someone fraudulently uses my credit card the disputed charge is frozen until the investigation is completed but I am not out of any money. I still have money in my checking account to pay mortgage, rent, car or whatever. The bank issuer of my credit card has all the incentive to complete the investigation since it is their money not mine. Been there, done that and will take it any day over the other scenario. Food for thought.

I'll have to check on the no fee aviator card. I only saw three options for barclay when I googled but didn't search for more. I used the miles I had for my return ticket from IAD to SEA for a 1st class seat on Alaska. But if I'm going to end up flying them more I want the perks of that card. When I was flying in and out of CLT it was great to have the US card because I could use the lounge once for free, check my bag free, use the first class check in line and board before general boarding. If I'm not flying them none of that matters any more. Plus with American having cards on barclay and another card issuer, not sure who was doing americans, one of those contracts is going to end and the card will get changed anyway. Flying jet blue for the first time, sea to clt, so we'll see how I like that. I may have a new favorite. This trip to visit friends in charlotte and DC has been more complicated than planning wdw trip.

I bank with a credit union so maybe that's why I don't worry as much. I don't know. I don't shop a ton. I worry more about my target debit and have had enough issues with my credit cards when I use them online.

Thank you for the info!
 
I'll have to check on the no fee aviator card. I only saw three options for barclay when I googled but didn't search for more. I used the miles I had for my return ticket from IAD to SEA for a 1st class seat on Alaska. But if I'm going to end up flying them more I want the perks of that card. When I was flying in and out of CLT it was great to have the US card because I could use the lounge once for free, check my bag free, use the first class check in line and board before general boarding. If I'm not flying them none of that matters any more. Plus with American having cards on barclay and another card issuer, not sure who was doing americans, one of those contracts is going to end and the card will get changed anyway. Flying jet blue for the first time, sea to clt, so we'll see how I like that. I may have a new favorite. This trip to visit friends in charlotte and DC has been more complicated than planning wdw trip.

I bank with a credit union so maybe that's why I don't worry as much. I don't know. I don't shop a ton. I worry more about my target debit and have had enough issues with my credit cards when I use them online.

Thank you for the info!

When the merger was taking place there were 4 Barclay Cards Aviator cards a no fee, a blue for $49, the red for $89 and the silver for $195. Then for a time all the cards disappeared and you couldn't apply for any of them. AA was negotiating between Citibank and Barclay to issue their mileage card. They wound up choosing both banks and came to some agreements. Citi can advertise their card on AA's website and Admiral's Club lounges and Barclay can offer their card in the airport and on flights. After that I've only seen info on applications for the red and silver Barclay cards so I don't know if they did away with the no fee card and the blue one or they just aren't marketing them anymore. I don't think anything will change soon with the credit cards as the agreements between Barclay, Citi and AA were just finalized about 6 months ago.

You're welcome! :-)
 


I'm going to ask here since I can't get any love elsewhere on this question.... How does Chase code timeshare dues? Not dvc, regular old timeshare? And for that matter, if it codes as travel, would payment on the timeshare(in addition to the dues) count as travel cost? (seeking answer for a friend) either CSP or CSR....and...do the 2 cards code the same?
 
I'm going to ask here since I can't get any love elsewhere on this question.... How does Chase code timeshare dues? Not dvc, regular old timeshare? And for that matter, if it codes as travel, would payment on the timeshare(in addition to the dues) count as travel cost? (seeking answer for a friend) either CSP or CSR....and...do the 2 cards code the same?

CSP and CSR will code the same. The coding is based off of the type of card is in use, ie visa, mastercard, amex, discover.

timeshare seems to be coded as travel services according to visa.com. YMMV though, sometimes they arent coded correctly or are coded differently. best thing to do is to send a smaller amount to see what it codes down as before making the bigger payment.
 
Successfully reimbursed by AMEX for the $300 in Southwest gift cards I purchased using my PRG and Platinum. There were discussions on flyertalk about AMEX not reimbursing SW gift cards in $100 increments. Thankfully, not the case.

So far, reimbursed $600 by Chase (CSR) using 2016 and 2017 travel credits and $600 by AMEX using 2016 and 2017 airline credits to purchase airline gift cards.

Both cards have a $450 annual fee (PRG has $195 annual fee waived year 1) but, as you can see, I made a profit by opening both and that doesn't even count the POINTS I got from opening them. 100k UR from Chase and 150k MR from AMEX.
 
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Wouldn't it be nice if everything coded the same across cards? ;) Fingers crossed my DVC rental will code as travel with Barclay, because I've got around $500 in points I'd like to use... I'm going to pay $100, see what happens, and then if it doesn't work I'll pay with my CSR, because my deposit did code as travel with the CSR.

I spent around 3 hours working with AMEX customer service last night... What a headache. DF and I each have an SPG card, and we decided to add each other as AUs for the bonus point offer that ended Dec 31st (add additional card and spend $1000, get 2500 starpoints), especially since I don't get to do any churning for awhile. We added each other through the email links on the same night, Dec 23rd, and the cards came on the same day. Neither of us have ever added a user, so I was confused as to why I got an envelope with my name which had a card with my name on it, and same situation for DF. So I chatted with customer service (Dec 29th) and they checked the last 5 digits of the cards and told me that those cards were sent by mistake, that they were tied to the account who's name was on the card (ie, they were just additional cards with the account holder's name, not additional user's), and we could either keep them or cancel them. They said they showed the additional user cards had been shipped on Dec 27th. So we decided to cancel those cards (at this time, we didn't want them).

I went through chat last night because we never received any other cards, and I was suspecting something was wrong. First I was told that I didn't correctly complete the form to add someone (then why did I get a confirmation email?). Finally we figured out (me and the rep) that the rep I chatted with on Dec 29th was wrong, and that the AU cards came in envelopes addressed to the AU (though I couldn't find anything in the paperwork tying them to a certain account - but then again, I'm new to this), and so cancelling them really cancelled the AU cards... So they added DF for me (this was through my account), and got supervisor approval to add the bonus starpoints (and they added them instantly instead of waiting to meet spend :thumbsup2). At the end, I asked how we could fix this on DF's account, and they said to login and chat. Chatting through DF's account just got us several rounds of reps who kept telling us, "you don't have that offer on your account" even when we mentioned it had just been fixed on my account. Finally he called, and got someone who did almost the same thing they did with my account, except we do have to do the spend. 3 hours of my life I won't get back. :faint:
 
Successfully reimbursed by AMEX for the $300 in Southwest gift cards I purchased using my PRG and Platinum. There were discussions on flyertalk about AMEX not reimbursing SW gift cards in $100 increments. Thankfully, not the case.

So far, reimbursed $600 by Chase (CSR) using 2016 and 2017 travel credits and $600 by AMEX using 2016 and 2017 airline credits to purchase airline gift cards.

Both cards have a $450 annual fee (PRG has $195 annual fee waived year 1) but, as you can see, I made a profit by opening both and that doesn't even count the POINTS I got from opening them. 100k UR from Chase and 150k MR from AMEX.

That is awesome! Waiting for my card to come in so I can do the same.
 
Wouldn't it be nice if everything coded the same across cards? ;) Fingers crossed my DVC rental will code as travel with Barclay, because I've got around $500 in points I'd like to use... I'm going to pay $100, see what happens, and then if it doesn't work I'll pay with my CSR, because my deposit did code as travel with the CSR.

I spent around 3 hours working with AMEX customer service last night... What a headache. DF and I each have an SPG card, and we decided to add each other as AUs for the bonus point offer that ended Dec 31st (add additional card and spend $1000, get 2500 starpoints), especially since I don't get to do any churning for awhile. We added each other through the email links on the same night, Dec 23rd, and the cards came on the same day. Neither of us have ever added a user, so I was confused as to why I got an envelope with my name which had a card with my name on it, and same situation for DF. So I chatted with customer service (Dec 29th) and they checked the last 5 digits of the cards and told me that those cards were sent by mistake, that they were tied to the account who's name was on the card (ie, they were just additional cards with the account holder's name, not additional user's), and we could either keep them or cancel them. They said they showed the additional user cards had been shipped on Dec 27th. So we decided to cancel those cards (at this time, we didn't want them).

I went through chat last night because we never received any other cards, and I was suspecting something was wrong. First I was told that I didn't correctly complete the form to add someone (then why did I get a confirmation email?). Finally we figured out (me and the rep) that the rep I chatted with on Dec 29th was wrong, and that the AU cards came in envelopes addressed to the AU (though I couldn't find anything in the paperwork tying them to a certain account - but then again, I'm new to this), and so cancelling them really cancelled the AU cards... So they added DF for me (this was through my account), and got supervisor approval to add the bonus starpoints (and they added them instantly instead of waiting to meet spend :thumbsup2). At the end, I asked how we could fix this on DF's account, and they said to login and chat. Chatting through DF's account just got us several rounds of reps who kept telling us, "you don't have that offer on your account" even when we mentioned it had just been fixed on my account. Finally he called, and got someone who did almost the same thing they did with my account, except we do have to do the spend. 3 hours of my life I won't get back. :faint:
That is frustrating. Just FYI, for the AMEX SPG card, you & AU will see different offers on your cards. AU sets up their own log in & password. If she logs in to your account she will only see her charges. If you log in to your account you can see all charges, yours & hers. AU charges have an icon next to them on the website; on the app you can filter for your charges, AU charges or all charges.
 
Successfully reimbursed by AMEX for the $300 in Southwest gift cards I purchased using my PRG and Platinum. There were discussions on flyertalk about AMEX not reimbursing SW gift cards in $100 increments. Thankfully, not the case.

So far, reimbursed $600 by Chase (CSR) using 2016 and 2017 travel credits and $600 by AMEX using 2016 and 2017 airline credits to purchase airline gift cards.

Both cards have a $450 annual fee (PRG has $195 annual fee waived year 1) but, as you can see, I made a profit by opening both and that doesn't even count the POINTS I got from opening them. 100k UR from Chase and 150k MR from AMEX.

Awesome! My CSR has paid me $600 (SW & AA gift cards) and then I used the 100k Miles for a trip to DLR (air & hotel). Love it.
 
Wouldn't it be nice if everything coded the same across cards? ;) Fingers crossed my DVC rental will code as travel with Barclay, because I've got around $500 in points I'd like to use... I'm going to pay $100, see what happens, and then if it doesn't work I'll pay with my CSR, because my deposit did code as travel with the CSR.

I spent around 3 hours working with AMEX customer service last night... What a headache. DF and I each have an SPG card, and we decided to add each other as AUs for the bonus point offer that ended Dec 31st (add additional card and spend $1000, get 2500 starpoints), especially since I don't get to do any churning for awhile. We added each other through the email links on the same night, Dec 23rd, and the cards came on the same day. Neither of us have ever added a user, so I was confused as to why I got an envelope with my name which had a card with my name on it, and same situation for DF. So I chatted with customer service (Dec 29th) and they checked the last 5 digits of the cards and told me that those cards were sent by mistake, that they were tied to the account who's name was on the card (ie, they were just additional cards with the account holder's name, not additional user's), and we could either keep them or cancel them. They said they showed the additional user cards had been shipped on Dec 27th. So we decided to cancel those cards (at this time, we didn't want them).

I went through chat last night because we never received any other cards, and I was suspecting something was wrong. First I was told that I didn't correctly complete the form to add someone (then why did I get a confirmation email?). Finally we figured out (me and the rep) that the rep I chatted with on Dec 29th was wrong, and that the AU cards came in envelopes addressed to the AU (though I couldn't find anything in the paperwork tying them to a certain account - but then again, I'm new to this), and so cancelling them really cancelled the AU cards... So they added DF for me (this was through my account), and got supervisor approval to add the bonus starpoints (and they added them instantly instead of waiting to meet spend :thumbsup2). At the end, I asked how we could fix this on DF's account, and they said to login and chat. Chatting through DF's account just got us several rounds of reps who kept telling us, "you don't have that offer on your account" even when we mentioned it had just been fixed on my account. Finally he called, and got someone who did almost the same thing they did with my account, except we do have to do the spend. 3 hours of my life I won't get back. :faint:
Ugh! what a mess.. AMEX is usually on point.
 
Looking at the Amtrak card for trip to Grand Canyon 2018. Can you explain the companion fare coupon?
When I look on Amtrak site, a family bedroom (2adults/1kid) is about 50k points. Would coupon reduce that?
You and DH should each open 2 Amtrak cards (one no fee and one with fee) That should give you each 32k points..DH can book one leg of your grand canyon trip and you can book the other leg in the bedroom... the minimum spend is only 1k for each card..
 
You and DH should each open 2 Amtrak cards (one no fee and one with fee) That should give you each 32k points..DH can book one leg of your grand canyon trip and you can book the other leg in the bedroom... the minimum spend is only 1k for each card..

DH might have a heart attack if I opened 4 more cards. Was thinking of 2. Can you transfer points between family members like Chase?
 
DH might have a heart attack if I opened 4 more cards. Was thinking of 2. Can you transfer points between family members like Chase?
No, there is a fee to do so...I was able to merge the points from DH's Amtrak credit card with mine so I was able to book both legs of our trip and use DH's companion pass.
 
That is frustrating. Just FYI, for the AMEX SPG card, you & AU will see different offers on your cards. AU sets up their own log in & password. If she logs in to your account she will only see her charges. If you log in to your account you can see all charges, yours & hers. AU charges have an icon next to them on the website; on the app you can filter for your charges, AU charges or all charges.

Thanks for the info! So if I have my original account, when I get my AU card from DF's account, will I have to make a separate login? Or can I add my AU card under my original account? If that makes sense... Or maybe we will just have to juggle 4 logins, which might make it easier with the offers...
 
Thanks for the info! So if I have my original account, when I get my AU card from DF's account, will I have to make a separate login? Or can I add my AU card under my original account? If that makes sense... Or maybe we will just have to juggle 4 logins, which might make it easier with the offers...

I believe you will have a separate log in for each card, thus 2 per account. The AU cards have their own numbers. I'm not sure you can link them. (DH & I both have Chase accounts, they cannot be linked under one login. Per chase it is illegal. However, each of our logins accesses our Chase mortgage info)
 
GRRRR. Southwest just came out with a 60K/$3,000 Rapid Rewards bonus on their Premier Business card, making it super fast to obtain the Companion Pass with that card and one of the personal cards. After I just got the 2 personal cards at 50K each and have to accumulate another 6K rewards once I reach the minimum spends.

This might be great news for some of you, anyway!
 
With the impending deadline for the 100,000 bonus points on the CSR, I got my wife to sign up and she was instantly approved. Now, she's an AU on my CSR card that was approved last month and I want to cancel her AU card as she'll have her own. The $75 annual fee for her AU card posted on 1/1. I've read that with Chase, you can cancel a card within 30 days of the annual fee posting and request a refund. Before I contact Chase to cancel my wife's AU card, is there anything else I should know? Will this affect my CSR bonus (I've already hit the $4,000 spend)? her credit report? etc.?
 
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