I love credit cards so much! v4.0 - 2021 (see first page for add'l details)

[havaneselover]

Did you go thru the Amex link? i'm all for some money maker....but it says you have to go through the amex link too.

I believe the terms said either on their website or through the link. And I know with the Dell amex offer you don't need to use the link.

Here are the terms:
Get a one-time $99 statement credit after using your enrolled eligible Card to make a single subscription-based purchase of $99+ online at The Motley Fool or at fool.com/amex by 5/8/2021. See terms.

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Is this your first year with the CIP? If so, wait until the year is up and your AF posts and THEN downgrade. Chase will refund the AF - they don’t like if you make a change in less than a year.

I got the card in Jan of 2020. So yes, it'll be my 1st year. I'm waiting for the AF to post Just want to make sure I can still earn a CIC bonus some day if they drop it from $7500, LOL.

 

[havaneselover]

Used travel funds from 2020 Amex airline credit, companion pass, and 2021 Amex airline ticket to get tickets to Atlanta for mid-March. Ended up booking Twelve Midtown because Courtyard Midtown and Residence Inn Midtown couldn't be booked with points. Used two Marriott certificates (+$10). Twelve Midtown is near Atlantic Station (Kilwin's, Publix, and Target--what more could we need) and a mile from campus. Anyway, I'm excited!

 

[happ]

Now I don't know what to do - have a support link for DH for a CIC with the $7500 MSR, was going to hit that by paying the IRS for 2020 taxes and estimated 1Q 2021, but if that is a 3rd party payment and won't count, I'd rather not pay the fees to pay by CC. Guess since there is no AF he could get it and try with a small payment to see what happens (that is if he is approved for the card!)

I'm wondering if you could test it out. Try lowering the cash advance limit and then charge a payment over that limit. It should get declined if it's going to count as a cash advance.

 

[miztressuz]

And how do they determine what's a third party versus a "service provider"? Some merchants/services use a payments processor rather than creating individual agreements. Offhand for me a few utilities and the tax offices use third party sites to accept CC payments. I hope they don't get blanket considered as third party. Guess we'll see what happens.

So I made this off the cuff thought this morning and I want to expand on it, cuz I think I was a little too pessimistic.

I believe they may want to distinguish between pay-anyone services and pay-this-contracted-merchant services.

• "making a payment using a third party service including bill payment transactions not made directly with the merchant or their service provider."

If a merchant/service/gov has contracted with a payment service provider, that type of transaction should continue as a purchase in the spirit of the terms, as I interpret it. So things like the IRS processors (and I forget all of them, but pay1040 and officialpayments type companies) should continue to function as expected since officialpayments is "their service provider".

I'm picking on Plastiq because it's fairly well known, but using them as an example and oversimplifying it, you can pay anyone for anything and the CC company doesn't really know what they're fronting. Plastiq does not have to have a contractual agreement with the payment recipients. In this case I believe they'd be classified as a third party.

When I was musing this morning I was wondering about things like WU bill pay. Western Union can be both, a contracted service provider and a third party (at least for P2P, never looked hard into using it). I had a utility that used WU Bill Pay, you could go through the web or in person at WU to pay your bill. That was their only option other than sending them a check. That should be still a legit purchase with the updated language but not knowing how Chase will go through the classification process, perhaps we might get surprised. But for people who are using Plastiq to pay taxes because their municipality does not have a payment service provider or charges a higher fee than Plastiq to do so, this may not be a good change.

Or it could be BAU, just like the other sections, where it was just reworded or clarified.

 

[DaveL]

Anyone know of a nice hotel in the Chicagoland area that has a in room jacuzzi? Area is not super important as we'll be dropping DD off at my parents in the suburbs. Looking for a weekend getaway with DW for a day or two during COVID. Would prefer Hilton if its not 100k/night but have a lot of Chase points I can use too.

 

[Psychodisney]

Anyone know of a nice hotel in the Chicagoland area that has a in room jacuzzi? Area is not super important as we'll be dropping DD off at my parents in the suburbs. Looking for a weekend getaway with DW for a day or two during COVID. Would prefer Hilton if its not 100k/night but have a lot of Chase points I can use too.

Take a look at the Sybaris....although not a Hilton....maybe use PYB on Chase.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

1- The Billion Dollar Mega Millions was won at the Kroger next to the Staples I get my VCG at. Talk about close! Also rumor mill is it's a school of teachers. I'm super jealous it wasn't my school, LOL.

3- I'm now back in the classroom. It was a crap show on Monday. We're slowly getting things figured out. I have some classes with only 1 student in person. My biggest class has 11 on A days and the same class has 2 on B days I also have the fun of teaching online and in person at the same time. Which is not fun. Oh and getting up at 6:20am and not rolling to my computer in PJs isn't fun!

I'm a high school science teacher and I hope it is true that a group of teachers won the jackpot. They so deserve it! I've been doing hybrid learning since Sept...I still remember how I felt the first day. I literally felt like a mack truck hit me and I was living outside my body! Once you get into a routine though, it definitely gets a little bit better where at least you can survive it. My in person class size ranges from 1 to 14 students.

 

[needsomesun]

Back from WDW earlier this week after taking DS on a 13th birthday trip (which I did with my other two also, when they turned 13). It was fun bonding with just him and I. Wouldn't have been my first choice of a time to go (we just had a family trip Thanksgiving week), but the birthday dictated the when. But I am now disneyed out for a bit, especially pandemic disney. This was also the first trip in a while not tied to credit card points. Except the flights, haven't paid for those for many years! I've just been saving a little bit each month for it for years, knowing it would be a definite trip.

In cc news, I had DH call to cancel his SW personal card. Told him to keep it, if they offered a credit (which we have never been offered on any cards). They did give him a $70 credit and the fee was $69 so we now have a $1 credit.

And random thought of the day: We are now addicted to doordash, thanks to the CSR credit and moving to a town this year that has lots of choices. Complete waste of money, but as a lazy introvert who hates cooking, it's a good splurge a couple times/month.

 

[iujen94]

In cc news, I had DH call to cancel his SW personal card. Told him to keep it, if they offered a credit (which we have never been offered on any cards). They did give him a $70 credit and the fee was $69 so we now have a $1 credit.

My anniversary/AF come up next billing cycle on my personal SW card - I’ll cross my fingers!! (Although mine is the $149 AF card...)

 

[RhodyKP]

So a little update to my post earlier today about which credit card I should go with. I checked out CardMatch and turns out I'm eligible for the AMEX Platinum Card with a SUB of 125k MRs after spending $5k in 6 months. Plus 10x points on gas and groceries in the 1st 6 months. That seems like a really good offer, no? I know AMEX has the once-in-a-lifetime rule, but what I don't know is if this offer is rare or not.

 

[platamama]

So a little update to my post earlier today about which credit card I should go with. I checked out CardMatch and turns out I'm eligible for the AMEX Platinum Card with a SUB of 125k MRs after spending $5k in 6 months. Plus 10x points on gas and groceries in the 1st 6 months. That seems like a really good offer, no? I know AMEX has the once-in-a-lifetime rule, but what I don't know is if this offer is rare or not.

This is the best offer that's been out on that card. If I had that opportunity, I would grab it (but, alas, I have two Plats right now).

Welcome to the thread!

 

[wanderlust7]

So a little update to my post earlier today about which credit card I should go with. I checked out CardMatch and turns out I'm eligible for the AMEX Platinum Card with a SUB of 125k MRs after spending $5k in 6 months. Plus 10x points on gas and groceries in the 1st 6 months. That seems like a really good offer, no? I know AMEX has the once-in-a-lifetime rule, but what I don't know is if this offer is rare or not.

Best ever. Annual fee is $550, but there are benefits that can more than offset that. If you apply today, you should get it by Friday. You probably still have time to use the January credits - $15 Uber (can be used for UberEats) and $30 Paypal (temporary monthly credit until June).

MRs can be transferred to airline and hotel partners (best value is airlines for business and first class seats). Or can be cashed out at 1.25 cents per point if you later get a Schwab Platinum (requires Schwab brokerage account).

With Amex, you'll want to keep spend on their cards after MSR to hopefully avoid the dreaded pop-up where they say you don't quality for the bonus when you go to apply for another card.

 

[miztressuz]

So a little update to my post earlier today about which credit card I should go with. I checked out CardMatch and turns out I'm eligible for the AMEX Platinum Card with a SUB of 125k MRs after spending $5k in 6 months. Plus 10x points on gas and groceries in the 1st 6 months. That seems like a really good offer, no? I know AMEX has the once-in-a-lifetime rule, but what I don't know is if this offer is rare or not.

I second @platamama and also know that you may not always be able to bring up that offer again if you leave the page. Some people can, others see it once and then not again. That is also affectionately known as a Platicorn Actually the original Platicorn was 100k/5k in 3 months, but with the current climate they recently bumped it to 125k/5k in 6 months (plus the gas and groceries!). It's really the best offer we expect right now.

Generally if you think you can have a use for MR points, and almost anyone should be able to get 1cpp out of them at least, then it's a good offer to grab and worth a 5/24 slot. That offer is generally marketed to new AmEx users so once you start into the AmEx ecosystem the offer is off the table. (There's exceptions to every rule, but rare in this case) If you were thinking about MR then I'd probably do it. If you have no idea what you'd use MR for, then we could probably discuss more.

 

[djmeredith]

Hello good people! As I told @SouthFayetteFan in another thread earlier this week, I tried to dip my toe in here about 18 months ago and got really intimidated! I’m ready to give it another go and would be grateful for some advice about how to use credit cards to achieve my travel goals. Here’s some info about me:

Current Cards:

02/13 – AMEX Blue Cash

11/18 – CHASE Disney Premier

07/2019 – CHASE United Explorer (I have since closed this)

07/2020 – SYNCHRONY Verizon Visa

I’ll bet some of that makes you guys cringe lol.

About Me:

I’m a SINK and I’ve recently been trying to get my monthly spend down. It went from about $4600 in 2019 to about $2900 in 2020 and I’m hoping to keep it well under $3k in 2021. I pay off my balances in full, and in fact have favored using my debit cards for years, since I eliminated credit card debt about 9 years ago. The main airports I use are SFO and LAX (I live kind of in between them), but Southwest just started flying out of my local airport, so I’m hoping to take advantage of that. I have no preferred frequent flyer or hotel rewards programs. I’ve never used URs or MRs. I currently have 38,344 MileagePlus miles and only 14,638 AA miles and 1,924 Southwest miles.

I actually love numbers and creating spreadsheets, but I do suffer from paralysis by analysis and the perfect is often the enemy of the good with me.

I used to have my own consulting business as a sole proprietor, and set up an LLC for that purpose, but it has been dormant for a couple of years since I started a different job. I've actually been planning to terminate the LLC. I also like to bake and caught the cookie decorating bug about a year ago and thought I might try creating a side business, but had to put that idea on the way back burner when life got in the way.

My Goals:

I love to travel and would go almost anywhere domestically or internationally. I would love to experience some luxury on a trip once in a while. I have 3 SINK friends who are always up for a trip anywhere and I have sadly turned down more trips than I have been on because I felt like I shouldn’t spend the money (don’t even get me started on what I was wasting my money on!) Now that I have a lot of my spending under control, though, travel is one bucket I am ok spending on (within limits). I would like to go do WDW or DL at least every other year if not every year. My immediate goals are to take my mother to either Hawaii (Aulani?) or on an Alaskan cruise (DCL?), or both, next year, because she’ll be turning 80 and I’ll be turning 50. My long-term goals are to ideally take one international trip and one North American trip a year going forward. Is that too lofty a goal? I have no idea.

Again, thanks for any help you can offer!

General question - is thinking about MS too advanced for me rn? I've never been particularly good at learning to walk before I run. When I took up knitting way back when the first thing I made was a scarf and the second thing I attempted was a dress.

Welcome, I'm fairly new here too. I read your first message and thought you sounded just like me! Then I read your second post about jumping right into something and thought, you REALLY sound like me. lol As others have already said, this is a very friendly group and they are extremely helpful.

 

[calypso726]

Hello good people! As I told @SouthFayetteFan in another thread earlier this week, I tried to dip my toe in here about 18 months ago and got really intimidated! I’m ready to give it another go and would be grateful for some advice about how to use credit cards to achieve my travel goals. Here’s some info about me:

Current Cards:

02/13 – AMEX Blue Cash

11/18 – CHASE Disney Premier

07/2019 – CHASE United Explorer (I have since closed this)

07/2020 – SYNCHRONY Verizon Visa

I’ll bet some of that makes you guys cringe lol.

About Me:

I’m a SINK and I’ve recently been trying to get my monthly spend down. It went from about $4600 in 2019 to about $2900 in 2020 and I’m hoping to keep it well under $3k in 2021. I pay off my balances in full, and in fact have favored using my debit cards for years, since I eliminated credit card debt about 9 years ago. The main airports I use are SFO and LAX (I live kind of in between them), but Southwest just started flying out of my local airport, so I’m hoping to take advantage of that. I have no preferred frequent flyer or hotel rewards programs. I’ve never used URs or MRs. I currently have 38,344 MileagePlus miles and only 14,638 AA miles and 1,924 Southwest miles.

I actually love numbers and creating spreadsheets, but I do suffer from paralysis by analysis and the perfect is often the enemy of the good with me.

I used to have my own consulting business as a sole proprietor, and set up an LLC for that purpose, but it has been dormant for a couple of years since I started a different job. I've actually been planning to terminate the LLC. I also like to bake and caught the cookie decorating bug about a year ago and thought I might try creating a side business, but had to put that idea on the way back burner when life got in the way.

My Goals:

I love to travel and would go almost anywhere domestically or internationally. I would love to experience some luxury on a trip once in a while. I have 3 SINK friends who are always up for a trip anywhere and I have sadly turned down more trips than I have been on because I felt like I shouldn’t spend the money (don’t even get me started on what I was wasting my money on!) Now that I have a lot of my spending under control, though, travel is one bucket I am ok spending on (within limits). I would like to go do WDW or DL at least every other year if not every year. My immediate goals are to take my mother to either Hawaii (Aulani?) or on an Alaskan cruise (DCL?), or both, next year, because she’ll be turning 80 and I’ll be turning 50. My long-term goals are to ideally take one international trip and one North American trip a year going forward. Is that too lofty a goal? I have no idea.

Again, thanks for any help you can offer!

to the group and glad you decided to join us here. Your goals are not too lofty at all in my opinion. I’ve done all kinds of outlandish things thanks to this hobby. If I can do it, so can you. You’ve received some excellent advice already. So I’ll chime in with a few thoughts. When planning international trips and wishing to fly up front in the first class lie flat seats, understanding that there may only be a few award seats made available is critical. So you want to plan at least two years out as a general rule. One year to get the points/miles you need and one year to have them in place ready to book as airlines generally open up booking 330 ish days out. If you are ok flying coach then that is less important. I am married to a Plane Princess, so coach is not an option at Calypso house. He’s an awesome P2 and it’s not like I’m complaining about flying up front either

I’d also suggest building a family of Chase cards that help you maximize the UR earnings on your spending. I have 2 Chase Freedom cards to maximize the 5x quarterly bonuses on each, a Chase Freedom Unlimited for 1.5x all non bonus category spending, 3x on dining and 3x on drugstores and 5x travel purchases through the Ultimate rewards portal.

My workhorse is the Chase Ink Plus which is no longer available but the closest equivalent is the Chase Ink Cash which offers 5x on phone, cable, internet and office supply stores. Office supply stores sell gift cards like Disney, Amazon, retail stores, gas stations, restaurants etc. I try to make all purchases at 5x if possible by buying GCs at office supply stores. I also like to stack earnings where I can by shopping though the Chase UR portal. Example: Buy a Macy’s GC at Office Depot for 5x with my Ink+. Go online and shop at Macy’s through the UR portal which may be at 4x per dollar and pay using my Macy’s GC and I just earned 9x on the pair of jeans I needed or whatever.

Always keep at least one premium fee Chase UR card so you can transfer points to Chase partner airlines or hotels or redeem for travel through the UR portal and making the value of your points .0125 cents each. If you find you will redeem over $1,000 through the UR portal annually then you need to consider keeping a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. The $300 travel credit and the points you save redeeming at .015 vs .0125 actually cover the difference in the fee between any of the $95 cards and the CSR annual fee.

So a little update to my post earlier today about which credit card I should go with. I checked out CardMatch and turns out I'm eligible for the AMEX Platinum Card with a SUB of 125k MRs after spending $5k in 6 months. Plus 10x points on gas and groceries in the 1st 6 months. That seems like a really good offer, no? I know AMEX has the once-in-a-lifetime rule, but what I don't know is if this offer is rare or not.

A PLATICORN!!!!If you can still pull up the offer get this card! Even if you have no use for the points at this time it’s a great offer. Wait until the annual fee posts next year to cancel. But before you cancel, make sure you open up an Amex Blue Business Plus card. It won’t affect your 5/24 and has no annual fee. But it will keep you MR rewards alive once you cancel you Platicorn if you haven’t used them yet.

 

[georgina]

Motley Fool Amex offer for $99 off $99. Stacks with MyPoints and Swagbucks offers to make it a moneymaker ($75-$85). It is > $99 if you have sales tax--I didn't in VA.

MyPoints is pending but no Amex offer email.

So when I saw your post this morning I checked our 2 Amex cards and didn't see the offer on either. I did make sure I had the Swagbucks Motley Fool offer. Got an alert from slickdeals this evening about the Amex offer and I checked again, did find it on one of our cards, so of course it's not on my SB offers anymore! Maybe there was a run of people using it and they took it down.

 

[Albort]

can confirm, the Celtic princess that posted above is the role model...

 

[calypso726]

can confirm, the Celtic princess that posted above is the role model...

Celtic princess. I like that

 

[Shannon G]

So when I saw your post this morning I checked our 2 Amex cards and didn't see the offer on either. I did make sure I had the Swagbucks Motley Fool offer. Got an alert from slickdeals this evening about the Amex offer and I checked again, did find it on one of our cards, so of course it's not on my SB offers anymore! Maybe there was a run of people using it and they took it down.

I had the offer on one of my AmEx cards, and shopped through Chase shopping for 6,000 URs. Did it late this afternoon & got an email about the URs pending.