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

[Calfan]

I have never done this with a Plat, but I have done it multiple times with my Delta cards. I have upgraded and downgraded from Delta Blue to Gold or Platinum at least twice on each of our cards, when they give us offers like that. I have gotten the bonus everytime. Of course it's been a couple of years since they have offered, but it has been find in the past.

Thanks. The interesting thing on this offer is that it doesn't sound like an upgrade. It sounds like I would be adding the Biz Plat to my wallet without sacrificing my BBP. Either way would be fine. DH has a BBP, and I could downgrade back after a year if I end up losing my BBP. Doesn't seem like whether it is an upgrade or not would affect my eligibility for the offer But I'm also curious if others have experience with this "add" versus "upgrade" language.

 

[wanderlust7]

I have an add-on offer under my BBP to add an Amex Biz Plat and receive 100,000 MRs after $15k in purchases in the first 3 months. I have the personal Plat and have had the Biz Plat in the past. I can't remember exactly when I cancelled it, but probably in 2018 or 2019. I am tempted to do this add-on because I am anticipating a sizable tax bill so could easily meet the MSR, and it would be nice to get the 1.5x points and not have to worry about a credit limit. But I would want to make sure I would get the 100k bonus MRs. Here is the language from the offer. I don't see any lifetime language. What do folks think about my eligibility for the bonus?

†Offer Terms

To be eligible to earn the points associated with this offer you must charge $15,000 (the "Threshold Amount") of eligible purchases* during the first 3 months of membership on an eligible Business Platinum Card from American Express. Eligible purchases can be made by the Basic Card Member and any Employee Card Members on a single Card Account. Limit one offer per Card Account. Offer may not be combined with any other special offer. Your Card account must not be canceled or past due at the time of fulfillment of any offers. The 100,000 Membership Rewards points will be credited to your Membership Rewards account 8-12 weeks after you have met the Threshold Amount.

If we in our sole discretion determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with the welcome offer in any way or that you intend to do so (for example, if you applied for one or more cards to obtain a welcome offer (s) that we did not intend for you; if you cancel or downgrade your account within 12 months after acquiring it; or if you cancel or return purchases you made to meet the Threshold Amount), we may not credit Membership Rewards® Points to, we may freeze Membership Rewards® Points credited to, or we may take away Membership Rewards® Points from your account. We may also cancel this Card account and other Card accounts you may have with us.

*Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, purchases of traveler's checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person payments, or purchases of any cash equivalents.

You can earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on qualifying purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first three months of Card Membership starting from the date your account is approved. In rare instances, your period to spend $15,000 may be shorter than three months if there is a delay in receiving your Card. Also, purchases may fall outside of the three months period in some cases, such as a delay in merchants submitting transactions to us or if the purchase date differs from the date you made the transaction. (For example, if you buy goods online, the purchase date may be the date the goods are shipped). Points will be credited to your Membership Rewards account within 8-12 weeks after the last eligible purchase you made to meet the Threshold Amount appears on your monthly billing statement.

It's a new app, not an upgrade. NLL. Not sure if this is still happening, but might be no first year AF if targeted via e-mail. You won't see it in the terms when you apply, check the card member agreement after you're approved.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I’m not extremely familiar with all those things that are generating the 1099, but the general rules are this. If you are selling items or performing actions that generate money, it’s generally taxable. Most of the time it’s so small that it flys under the radar and nobody cares. Your state laws likely required this 1099 to be created, which means you have to deal with it.

If you can document that the sales/activity you had was not income generating, then you can exclude it from your tax return. Just know that the 1099 income will be reported to the irs, so the chances of them sending you a letter asking for money are real. You will be expected to either document that it’s not real income or pay the taxes plus penalties/fees.

Totally off topic, but my wife LOVES Sully! Just had to say that because it caught my eye immediately. I can neither confirm nor deny that we have at least a dozen plush sully's in our bedroom.....

 

[stitchfan18]

I started the process of acquiring the gift cards we need to use PYB with our chase points for our next Disney trip. I noticed on the back of the Visa GC that it can only be used in the USA, but we’re planning to rent DVC points from a company in Canada. Has anyone by chance paid for a rental from the same company in VGC before? I’ve never been charged a foreign transaction fee on my CC with them like their website states, but I know they aren’t US based. Before I buy another 2k in VGC I thought I’d check if anyone else had paid this way with them.

 

[Jmazzuca243]

I started the process of acquiring the gift cards we need to use PYB with our chase points for our next Disney trip. I noticed on the back of the Visa GC that it can only be used in the USA, but we’re planning to rent DVC points from a company in Canada. Has anyone by chance paid for a rental from the same company in VGC before? I’ve never been charged a foreign transaction fee on my CC with them like their website states, but I know they aren’t US based. Before I buy another 2k in VGC I thought I’d check if anyone else had paid this way with them.

I have tried using VGC for companies in Canada that otherwise don’t charge FTFs on my other cards, but I haven’t had any luck getting the charge to post since it gets denied for being a foreign charge

If your looking for a little more savings, you might be able to rent some points directly from a DVC member. I would just sign a contract with them if you go down this path

 

[mhartman09]

Just popping on to say hi in the new thread. I've been out of pocket for quite a while, but have tried to keep up reading as much as I could. The last few weeks have been particularly hard, as I lost my job of 15 years on 12/29. That threw me into a bit of a depression, but I'm trying to pull up my big girl pants and move forward. DS just had a week of homeschooling with me after being sent home due to a possible COVID exposure at school, so that pulled me out of my funk. Had to be there for him so he wouldn't fall behind in schoolwork. This probably couldn't have happened at a better time though, because it made me push hard to get back to life.

Been scoping out job offers all week, but sadly there really isn't much in my area currently. This area is almost solely dependent upon the oil industry and jobs are super hard to come by right now. Updating my resume for the first time in over 15 years felt so strange, but now thta I've got it done I'm ready to put myself out there. Hoping something comes along soon, as my income was almost twice that of DH. Thankful we have savings to get us by for a while. That along with both of our vehicles being paid for eases my mind a bit.

For now, I'm just looking forward to our upcoming trips to Orlando to keep my spirits up. Praying this year has good things and new opportunities in store for me. Off to catch up in this new thread.

 

[StephPlum]

Thank you for this. Would multiple stays have been better? It was tough to find something at a price we were ok with (no cheap ones here). Thanks for your help!

I did multiple to save on URs. I only had a few Hyatt points so I needed to transfer URs. With the rebate on points savings, I saved 10k URs I had to transfer by splitting over multiple stays And using the rebate points for nights. I’m lucky since there are two 5k points / night Hyatt places with 20 mins. I tried both just to see if any difference. Both were nice And the room layout exactly the same!

 

[georgina]

Looks like I can net out dosh, ratuken, retailmenot, swagbucks shopping, mypoints shopping, etc. Will be a pain in the butt. Shouldn't be much left once I subtract out all "rebates."

Ugh. I only do swagbucks to paypal, except I also had a $125 from slickdeals for the HSBC account. I don't remember giving paypal my SSN when I set up the account. Where do you figure out which swagbucks things are taxable? Hoping this doesn't hit me!

 

[havaneselover]

Ugh. I only do swagbucks to paypal, except I also had a $125 from slickdeals for the HSBC account. I don't remember giving paypal my SSN when I set up the account. Where do you figure out which swagbucks things are taxable? Hoping this doesn't hit me!

I googled it and there is a help article. Then I had to go to my activity and sum up all of the taxable activity.

My guess is you are fine if paypal hasn't emailed you yet.

https://help.swagbucks.com/hc/en-us...e following activities ARE,Games (except GSN)

 

[Calfan]

It's a new app, not an upgrade. NLL. Not sure if this is still happening, but might be no first year AF if targeted via e-mail. You won't see it in the terms when you apply, check the card member agreement after you're approved.

First year AF waived would be awesome. I’ll definitely check.

 

[RivShore]

Hopefully you experts can help with a quick question - not really a CC churner so not sure how best to do this.

The Jetblue 100k offer sounds too good to pass up. What's the best strategy to get 3 approved - 1 business card (small ebay business) and 1 each for me and my spouse? Apply for all on the same day, spread it out, or??

Thanks!

 

[wanderlust7]

Hopefully you experts can help with a quick question - not really a CC churner so not sure how best to do this.

The Jetblue 100k offer sounds too good to pass up. What's the best strategy to get 3 approved - 1 business card (small ebay business) and 1 each for me and my spouse? Apply for all on the same day, spread it out, or??

Thanks!

The business card will be under you or your spouse and would not affect the other person. There was a 100k offer for the biz card, but I think it expired. Looks like the personal 100k is still there.

Hard pulls may be combined if you do 2 cards on the same day. Approval may depend on number of inquiries or new cards you've had. If you don't churn, might not be an issue. Barclay biz cards can be weird, sometimes they ask for business docs and it sounds like a pain (the biz website is also awful).

Good luck!

 

[georgina]

I googled it and there is a help article. Then I had to go to my activity and sum up all of the taxable activity.

My guess is you are fine if paypal hasn't emailed you yet.

https://help.swagbucks.com/hc/en-us...e following activities ARE,Games (except GSN)

Thanks. Fingers crossed. Wow. I have pages and pages of discovery offers to go through if that happens! Plus I signed DH up for an account also and his rewards go to my paypal account also!

 

[elgerber]

Thanks. Fingers crossed. Wow. I have pages and pages of discovery offers to go through if that happens! Plus I signed DH up for an account also and his rewards go to my paypal account also!

You can go into your PayPal account and see if they have issued one. Mine says no 2020 tax documents so I assume I don’t have one.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

I finally got a letter regarding the CSP denial for DH. I don't think there's much I can do.

Equifax Score: 768
Decision based on:
Length of time since oldest credit card was opened is too short. (He is an AU on my oldest two cards from 2009 & 2011, but the oldest card in just his name is from 03/18)

Total available credit on credit cards is too low. ($9000 total credit available on his cards)

Insufficient installment loan information. (There is one open installment loan at our credit union in both our names $8000 current balance/$11000 original balance. The mortgage is in my name alone).

One or more revolving accounts have a high balance compared to the credit line. (Home Depot card is close to maxed out. He's taking advantage of the 12 month same as cash promotion on a tool box).

I'm not sure what our next course of action should be. I earned my last Capital One Venture bonus 10/18, I think I could go for that again. We can swing a $3-4K per month spend. We have a surplus of SWRR points.

Me: Discover Opened 09/09
Disney Chase Opened 05/11
Barclay Arrival Plus Opened 02/19, Closed 01/21 by Barclay for inactivity
Chase Ink Unlimited Opened 09/19
Chase Sapphire Preferred Opened 05/20
So currently 02/05

DH: Capital One Venture One Opened 03/18
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Opened 05/19, Closed 09/19
Chase Ink Unlimited Opened 12/19
Citi Home Depot Opened 12/20
So currently 03/05

Any advice very much appreciated!

Why not go for a cic or ciu

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Why not go for a cic or ciu

Can I get another CIU even though I already have one?

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Just popping on to say hi in the new thread. I've been out of pocket for quite a while, but have tried to keep up reading as much as I could. The last few weeks have been particularly hard, as I lost my job of 15 years on 12/29. That threw me into a bit of a depression, but I'm trying to pull up my big girl pants and move forward. DS just had a week of homeschooling with me after being sent home due to a possible COVID exposure at school, so that pulled me out of my funk. Had to be there for him so he wouldn't fall behind in schoolwork. This probably couldn't have happened at a better time though, because it made me push hard to get back to life.

Been scoping out job offers all week, but sadly there really isn't much in my area currently. This area is almost solely dependent upon the oil industry and jobs are super hard to come by right now. Updating my resume for the first time in over 15 years felt so strange, but now thta I've got it done I'm ready to put myself out there. Hoping something comes along soon, as my income was almost twice that of DH. Thankful we have savings to get us by for a while. That along with both of our vehicles being paid for eases my mind a bit.

For now, I'm just looking forward to our upcoming trips to Orlando to keep my spirits up. Praying this year has good things and new opportunities in store for me. Off to catch up in this new thread.

Ugh on the job loss, my husbands nephew just lost his engineering job also oil industry related......praying everyone can find new jobs soon...
Enjoy your trip to Orlando

 

[palhockeymomof2]

I finally got a letter regarding the CSP denial for DH. I don't think there's much I can do.

Equifax Score: 768
Decision based on:
Length of time since oldest credit card was opened is too short. (He is an AU on my oldest two cards from 2009 & 2011, but the oldest card in just his name is from 03/18)

Total available credit on credit cards is too low. ($9000 total credit available on his cards)

Insufficient installment loan information. (There is one open installment loan at our credit union in both our names $8000 current balance/$11000 original balance. The mortgage is in my name alone).

One or more revolving accounts have a high balance compared to the credit line. (Home Depot card is close to maxed out. He's taking advantage of the 12 month same as cash promotion on a tool box).

I'm not sure what our next course of action should be. I earned my last Capital One Venture bonus 10/18, I think I could go for that again. We can swing a $3-4K per month spend. We have a surplus of SWRR points.

Me: Discover Opened 09/09
Disney Chase Opened 05/11
Barclay Arrival Plus Opened 02/19, Closed 01/21 by Barclay for inactivity
Chase Ink Unlimited Opened 09/19
Chase Sapphire Preferred Opened 05/20
So currently 02/05

DH: Capital One Venture One Opened 03/18
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Opened 05/19, Closed 09/19
Chase Ink Unlimited Opened 12/19
Citi Home Depot Opened 12/20
So currently 03/05

Any advice very much appreciated!

The almost maxing out of the HD card may hurt .....if your not carrying any balances maybe try for one of the ink cards

 

[mhartman09]

Ugh on the job loss, my husbands nephew just lost his engineering job also oil industry related......praying everyone can find new jobs soon...
Enjoy your trip to Orlando

Thanks! Getting back into job searching after that long is difficult but I'm trying to keep my spirits up about it. I know lots of families are in bad spots right now. Thankful for cc points and my TA gig to still be able to go on our trips. We are doing UOR and WDW split for Mardi Gras week then a long WDW trip for Easter. Also thinking of planning a quick girls trip to WDW with my mom in the next couple weeks.

Currently taking stock of all my cards and DHs to see what we should drop and get this year.

 

[linzjane88]

After regular use of our Amex cards for random dining, groceries, etc and then a couple thousand in large purchases (house remodel!) over the last 2 months specifically we are STILL in Amex popup jail. I spent so much time figuring out the best referral/public/incognito/VPN links for Plats and Golds for us foolishly assuming with all of our spend at least one of us would be in their good graces. NOPE!

So, I gave up. I am moving on to greener pastures and got auto approved for CIP 100k (DH), BofA AA (DH) 50k, and I might need a little something for myself too. I am really, strangely, tempted by the Jetblue 100k but they fly virtually nowhere I want to go anymore. They used to have more options a few years back but picking are slim. I should be content with my current two new cards I suppose

I applied for JetBlue Biz. Went pending. Not hopeful-- we've tried before and they wanted documentation supporting our "business" which I never sent. Maybe they will feel generous this time around.