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

[becauseimnew]

Has anyone applied for the Qatar Airways Cardless card? I'm considering the premium card. I was already going to spend $285 on selecting seats for our flight to CPT in 2 weeks, the AF for the card is $499, but it will also get me Gold status on Qatar, which translates to OW Sapphire, which I think would make me AA Platinum? We have a 9 hour layover in DOH, are flying Y out of DOH so have access to the PP lounge with our PP, if I get the qatar premium card we'll have access to several other lounges.

I'm 2/24 so I'm not worried about the adding to my count.
Options
1. $285 seat selection, use PP lounge at DOH
2. $499 premium card = free seat selection, free premium lounges at HOD, 1 year of OW Sapphire (I'm already AA Gold) + 60K Avios
3. $444 for silver card = $285 seat selection, $99 AF, $60 for one premium lounge guest, and 45K Avios
I just did the math and option 3 doesn't really make sense, since it's only $50 cheaper than option 2.

So now I'm wondering if it even makes sense to get the card.

 

[Haley R]

Finally back from Japan. 3 weeks was too long lol. We are very happy to be back in the US. Still not home until tomorrow. We flew into ORD today, used global entry, and only waited behind 2 people so that was nice.

 

[bighuskermav]

the discover Q3 categories have leaked - Walmart and grocery stores

I was hoping for warehouse clubs so I could exploit the crap out of DGC at Sam’s, but I can still get 10% off going thru Walmart due to the first year bonus

https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/money/discover-5-percent-cash-back-calendar

 

[havaneselover]

Sounds fun! I think you’re aware there’s not a lot around McCormick Place to walk to. Remember to pack warm clothes and extra socks and have great time!

Now I'm second guessing myself. Maybe I should stay at Hyatt Centric Magnificent Mile and take the red line to Roosevelt Station for the game. And yes, plenty of warm clothes. I did four winters in Chicago and I'm not sure why I'm going back in December

 

[Haley R]

We used Clear at ORD this morning and it was great, much better than Orlando. We waited behind two people.

 

[ten6mom]

So...

I have a flight booked on Southwest in September.... and yes it was rescheduled but it's now showing my return stopping in DENVER instead of Phoenix! Like the original took me from Buffalo to Phoenix through Denver, and now the return has me going from Buffalo to DENVER through Baltimore! What the heck.

ETA: Thankfully I was able to get through quickly on the phone (I was unable to modify online) and they also were unable to re-add EBCI for me so they had to refund and I repurchased.

I'm glad everyone else posted about SW flight changes because if they hadn't I would not have known mine was being changed. Is it normal for them to change without sending an email to the address on file?

 

[pinkxray]

I accepted an upgrade offer from Amex gold to plat a few months ago. I just met the $6000 spend and got the 100,000MR. I don't technically need to met the spend until July. If I cancel the hotel stay for $700 that pushed me over the $6000 but immediately re-spend that $700 on something else Amex won't hate me right?

 

[leeniewdw]

Every time I fly through Houston I get nervous. When we went to Yellowstone, we connected there both ways, and had no issue. But there was a big storm the day after we departed that wreaked havoc, and then the storms started up again 2 days after we returned. I feel like DFW/IAH is always risky. I continue to monitor our flights in October that are again scheduled to connect through TX, to see if maybe we can switch them around to connect through someplace else.

We got impacted for a June trip from RDU - Bozeman via ATL one time. Our flight was 8am so didn't think thunderstorms would be a big risk. We didn't get out of RDU until 5pm (ATL was in a ground stop most of the morning) and that was on a United flight (Delta rebooked us because somehow they could not get us anywhere in the West that day, despite it being 8am when this all began). We lost a night at our Yellowstone Cabin, my luggage didn't make it until the next day. I said then I'd try to avoid ATL in the summer, but honestly it can happen anywhere.

We're traveling next week to Ireland via BOS. Last time we did it we positioned the day before and spent a very rainy cold day in BOS (Ireland was sunny for 2 weeks, we only used our cold/rain gear in Boston, lol). This time we're risking traveling all on the same day. Nervous about it, but we do have 4 hours layover. Crossing fingers!

 

[ten6mom]

Connecting in Nashville (BNA)

I have a connecting flight in Nashville with a 40 minute turnaround time. This is on Southwest and I believe they use terminals C and D. From looking at the airport map, I think I can go between those terminals (if necessary) without having to go through security again... can anyone confirm (or deny)?

Thank you!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Now I'm second guessing myself. Maybe I should stay at Hyatt Centric Magnificent Mile and take the red line to Roosevelt Station for the game. And yes, plenty of warm clothes. I did four winters in Chicago and I'm not sure why I'm going back in December

Personally I'd pick something on Michigan Ave. I'm not good with public transport living in the burbs so I'd probably end up with Lyft/Uber. Chicago Athletic Association is supposed to be nice and also unique but I have no personal experience.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Has anyone applied for the Qatar Airways Cardless card? I'm considering the premium card. I was already going to spend $285 on selecting seats for our flight to CPT in 2 weeks, the AF for the card is $499, but it will also get me Gold status on Qatar, which translates to OW Sapphire, which I think would make me AA Platinum? We have a 9 hour layover in DOH, are flying Y out of DOH so have access to the PP lounge with our PP, if I get the qatar premium card we'll have access to several other lounges.

I'm 2/24 so I'm not worried about the adding to my count.
Options
1. $285 seat selection, use PP lounge at DOH
2. $499 premium card = free seat selection, free premium lounges at HOD, 1 year of OW Sapphire (I'm already AA Gold) + 60K Avios
3. $444 for silver card = $285 seat selection, $99 AF, $60 for one premium lounge guest, and 45K Avios
I just did the math and option 3 doesn't really make sense, since it's only $50 cheaper than option 2.

So now I'm wondering if it even makes sense to get the card.

Would you only get one guest in the lounge?

That's a lot of money for seat selection... Are standard seats not free to select?

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

For the new Amex Hilton biz card benefits, does the new $195 AF start July 1 or some other date? DH got the card 7/18/23, so if it's at the new fee, I don't think I will renew.

Reminder to activate your 10 Priority Pass uses via phone or chat before the end of this month, if you haven't already.

 

[wanderlust7]

For the new Amex Hilton biz card benefits, does the new $195 AF start July 1 or some other date? DH got the card 7/18/23, so if it's at the new fee, I don't think I will renew.

Reminder to activate your 10 Priority Pass uses via phone or chat before the end of this month, if you haven't already.

Yes, July 1 is what the change e-mail said. I wouldn't renew at the new AF either. We only kept ours because it was the old AF. Hope I don't need the cc slot later.

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

My last month has been a roller coaster of trying to figure out whether or not I would have a job or if I would be forced into "retiring". It seems I can have a job if I want one at the other HS most of the day. But school has gotten so toxic I have decided I'm done. So I have the fun of filling out my paperwork and navigating new insurance, as well as try to find another job. I've done 4 rounds of interviews for a private school close to where I teach now. They pay a lot less, but with my pension I should make more. Of course this is AFTER I paid the remaining balance on our "free" cruise in August, and booked a week in Ireland in March. UGH. I plan on being up front if offered a job, but hoping I don't have to cancel.

I'm still in DIRE need of a new card. I don't have any open Amex slots unless I cancel something. At this point I may just go after the IHG Biz, or wait another week or so for an INK. At the same time, most of the expenses I have pending are medical, and we're still trying to work out the insurance portion being charged correctly.

Upgraded my Surpass to an Aspire this morning and when I finish my ink spend I'm hoping the NLL Surpass link is still working for the current offer. Worth it to get the fnc. I'm far enough under 5/24 I'm good with it too.

The NLL links I saw didn't have the FNC. Are there any w/ a FNC?

In less than 100 days, I’ll be in this position - RETIRED!! I am not sure what I’ll do regarding credit card app income for the first 8 years before I take SS and pension. I have some deferred income coming the first 3 years then living off savings for 5. High cash flow, low income for those 5 years. I may use the future “income” number knowing my saving would cover it easily. Not sure until I get there.

Just signed up for a US bank bonus to utilize my work’s easy direct deposit. Maybe the last one. Until I get SS and/or pension, I’d have to find bonuses that work on account transfers as deposits. First world problems that won’t bum me out as I’ll be retired!!

I have 11 days left until I'm retired. Ekkkkk! Sadly just retired from public schools, LOL. I can't even say teaching as I'm looking at another teaching position right now. Maybe in a few years my BF will be in a better place and a captain again, and I can go part time somewhere. But he loves to remind me I'm only 47 and need to keep working.

DP- I applied for a CIC maybe 5-6 weeks ago and was denied, but I had a few open CICs so I thought maybe that was why. I didn't try recon and just let it go. I then applied for a CIP for DH and he got instant approval even though he has more Inks than I do. This past weekend I applied for a CIP and got the 7-10 day message, but by the next morning it was approved. I would have preferred another CIC, but thought maybe applying for a different product would help since that's what I did with DH. So I'm not sure if that's what made the difference but maybe?

Did you close any? I applied for a CIU w/ 2 CIUs and 2 CICs open. I spend on all of them. I didn't lower any CLs. I had just closed my IHG Biz before applying. I think I'll close the other CIU and maybe one of the CICs. We'll see. I don't really want a CIP.

 

[afan]

The NLL links I saw didn't have the FNC. Are there any w/ a FNC

DoC has the links.

 

[Arcades]

The NLL links I saw didn't have the FNC. Are there any w/ a FNC?

Surpass: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/...ilton-honors-surpass-credit-card/80018-10-0#/

 

[mamapenguin]

SO I'll be traveling domestically with my GE next week, I already went online and applied the # to my flight accts- I plan to carry the card with me but from what I read,supposedly I don't need the actual card?

When I did that I also had to update all of my existing reservations too, so be sure to check that they all have the correct number. My reservations were all showing my tsa precheck number and had to update them to the number that came with GE.

 

[becauseimnew]

Would you only get one guest in the lounge?

That's a lot of money for seat selection... Are standard seats not free to select?

Silver status on QR gets you 2 free guest passes, Gold gets you 4.

No free seat selection… those are more leg room seats, it’s an overnight flight 2AM-10AM.

 

[mmmears]

Now I'm second guessing myself. Maybe I should stay at Hyatt Centric Magnificent Mile and take the red line to Roosevelt Station for the game. And yes, plenty of warm clothes. I did four winters in Chicago and I'm not sure why I'm going back in December

I've stayed at that Centric a few times. It's decent, but nothing special. They gave us really nice upgrades for being Globalist, though, and also got us rooms at the crack of dawn more than once, so I like it. And it was a Cat4, so they accepted our FNCs. The HR was just renovated across the river, too.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I am very seriously considering taking a Backroads cycling / hiking trip (casual hotels -- I won't pay the premium for premiere hotels) to the south island of NZ in February. Flights on points seem to be a bit tricky, but I found JFK-->SIN-->SYD in biz class on the A350 for 145,000 points, which seems like a great deal. I figure I can spend 2 nights in Sydney before flying to Auckland for 2 nights (must visit Hobbitron), then flying on to Christchurch to start the trip. Coming home I'd fly Auckland-->YVR-->YYZ on AC biz class using one of dh's priority rewards (reduces the points of a flight by 50%); he has a priority reward expiring June 12th, so I need to book something before then. It will be my first guided trip since 2019, but I figure if I'm hiking / cycling in NZ I need to be in a group since I don't think it would be safe to try hiking or biking there solo.
I should call Backroads and at least hold a spot for a few days while I decide. My gut is saying 'go', my wallet is saying 'hmmm' lol.