I love credit cards so much!

[mmmears]

How much do you need to make to call it "business earnings?" Like, say I wrote an article earlier this year and it was published by a well know Disney travel website and I earned less than $30. Does that count?

And for someone who wants to slowly try to do a little bit of it, is there a real benefit to the business cards over the others?

Remember that you can take it slow at first. You don't have to dive in at the same level that many here are doing. Do your research. Ask questions. Your first step is to decide if you want to earn primarily UR (Chase) or MR (Amex) or specific points to a specific airline or hotel chain (co-branded cards). Do you want low/no AF cards or are you willing to pay high AF for greater rewards?

I only get one or two cards a year, and am not always looking for a new card. I know what works for me, even though aggressive churning works for others. I churn very slowly and still have the points I need to travel. I personally earn both UR and MR and choose low/no AF cards. I know I can get more with the higher AF cards, but to me, the less I pay out of pocket the better.

And very important - If you want earn UR - look into getting the Chase cards first because of their 5/24 rule.

Thanks. I do want to learn it all and not dive right in. And we currently have a bunch of MR (I think - AMEX???) points and we've been happy with how those have been working for us. Never had any UR I guess. The only Chase card I have is a Disney Visa (the free one) and that's because every now and then it helps with discounts.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

On the Chase Marriott upgrade, if my annual fee hits in June and I do the upgrade (for 20,000 points) today, then I'll get charged $95 now then that will get reversed if I cancel once I get my certificate? Trying not to screw this up.

And I guess the language says this may impact the month you earn your anniversary night in. Maybe I should play it safe and not upgrade.

Can you wait until you get your free night cert first? Probably safer.

I just had my annual fee post on 5/1. I received my annual night certificate in my Marriott account before the AF posted. I upgraded my card on 5/8 for 10k points. I did not get charged the extra $10 for upgrading the card. I made a $10 charge on the card and saw that the 10k Marriott points was listed on the Chase site. The points haven't deposited to my Marriott account yet because my statement won't close until around 6/8. I called today and canceled my card, since I will be busy with guests next week and didn't want to forget. I confirmed with the rep that I will receive a refund on the annual fee. I can report back once that happens and let everyone know if I successfully get the AF refund and the 10k Marriott points.

 

[StephPlum]

Checking in from Moab! This is our last day here, moving on to Cortez CO which is just outside Mesa Verde NP. In the 4 days we've been here, we've been to Arches twice (managed to make it to Delicate Arch on the first day), did an ATV tour on Hells Revenge (thrilling!), scenic drives and saw Dino tracks and petroglyphs, and a day at Canyonlands NP/Dead Horse Point State Park. Slightly exhausted, but it has been amazing.

No hotels so far, we were at a condo just south of Moab. We're staying at BWs in Cortez and by the airport. Maybe I'll do reviews on those.

 

[wendow]

@wendow , there is a Sheraton that has a private back entrance into Legoland that we like to stay at. It is 10k SPG points/night.

If you have a bunch of UR points, the Grand Pacific Palisades is across the street, walking distance.

We have stayed at both and I like them equally. We only use the room, so I can't give you any advice on amenities. It always just depends which points we have or who is cheaper to pay cash.

Thanks for the recommendations! I think the Sheraton must be sold out of rewards nights. Looks like just about everyone is. I waited too late to get this booked but we've had so much going on that I just couldn't commit. I'll keep checking though. The Sheraton seems perfect for what we want!

 

[trenty]

^^^This!

Having a goal is so helpful. Otherwise it's very easy to get distracted by all the offers out there and then you may wind up with a hodge podge of points that don't get you anywhere, or almost worse, you have to pay more to augment what you have just to get the right redemption. If you have 200k Hilton points and 240k Marriott points and the only hotel chain in the area is Hyatt, now what?

The other part of that is how much can you realistically spend to get those points? We have modest expenses. While I love @calypso726 so Sky Suite and ABD trips, I have no where near the same kind of expenses to be able to amass those kind of points to do that. (although her upcoming Antarctica trip is on my must do list, and given enough time it's obtainable. so I'm looking forward to that TR too while jealously following along her current China trip!)

I've been doing this on a small scale for a number of years now, like @trenty , picking up keeper cards as I go along. But I have a good confluence of events to kick me off into the next level now: I'm during some home improvement projects this year and I have a big, specific trip we are planning Fall 2019. I started thinking about this last year, so more than 2 years before the actual trip and forming a specific goal. I want to pay for the cruise out of our budget and have all the rest of it paid for with points or other found money. We have a solid foundation of IHG, Marriott and SW points to get us started and now I'm looking for things to augment that to align with the upcoming trip. Having UR points are flexible in that regard as I can either transfer them to travel partners to book direct with them (if you have certain cards), use them to book travel itself through Chase's TA, or worse case use them as a statement credit to erase charges we pay in cash. And that's why I'm only now willing to pay the high AF's for greater rewards, at least temporarily, because the timing is right. I'm making my expense work for me for once

I have to add: Do NOT enter this hobby unless you can pay your cards off in full each month.

And when you decide on a new card join the dischurner's reddit group and look for our support links and post your own as well.

 

[wendow]

Has anyone paid car loan payments using plastiq with CIP and/or Amex? Also, what category is this and, for CIP, does it matter which category you choose for the 3x. Also, does it matter whether it is paid by check or electronically? I have paid taxes, club dues and utilities with no issues so far but I thought I’d check first on car payments.

Amex doesn't support car payments through plastiq. You'd need to change the name somehow to get past plastiq's system (like we do with mortgages) and choose a category that is allowed by Amex.

 

[trenty]

How much do you need to make to call it "business earnings?" Like, say I wrote an article earlier this year and it was published by a well know Disney travel website and I earned less than $30. Does that count?

And for someone who wants to slowly try to do a little bit of it, is there a real benefit to the business cards over the others?




Thanks. I do want to learn it all and not dive right in. And we currently have a bunch of MR (I think - AMEX???) points and we've been happy with how those have been working for us. Never had any UR I guess. The only Chase card I have is a Disney Visa (the free one) and that's because every now and then it helps with discounts.

Disney visa does not earn UR. I use Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom to earn UR. But there are many others, including business cards. As I stated earlier I gravitate towards low/no AF cards and stay away from business cards so these two work for me.

 

[mmmears]

Disney visa does not earn UR. I use Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom to earn UR. But there are many others, including business cards. As I stated earlier I gravitate towards low/no AF cards and stay away from business cards so these two work for me.

Yeah, Disney Visa doesn't earn much of anything. I think we'll have under $100 gift card to use on our upcoming cruise. We have that one because sometimes I've been able to get hotel discounts with it (and the FP to see Kylo Ren). I don't have any Chase rewards cards.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

How much do you need to make to call it "business earnings?" Like, say I wrote an article earlier this year and it was published by a well know Disney travel website and I earned less than $30. Does that count?

And for someone who wants to slowly try to do a little bit of it, is there a real benefit to the business cards over the others?




Thanks. I do want to learn it all and not dive right in. And we currently have a bunch of MR (I think - AMEX???) points and we've been happy with how those have been working for us. Never had any UR I guess. The only Chase card I have is a Disney Visa (the free one) and that's because every now and then it helps with discounts.

You definitely sound like an aspiring author who could turn that side hustle into a full time gig lol! I think you could run with that - might need to gross it up a bit on the application (maybe you’re projecting more articles to come soon...and if they don’t then oh well)

 

[wendow]

How much do you need to make to call it "business earnings?" Like, say I wrote an article earlier this year and it was published by a well know Disney travel website and I earned less than $30. Does that count?

And for someone who wants to slowly try to do a little bit of it, is there a real benefit to the business cards over the others?

Yes! Your article writing absolutely counts as business income.

The benefit to business cards is that they do not count against your */24 number. That is why so many of us go for those. We are trying to stay under 5/24 to be able to get new Chase cards as they come out, or churn older cards. Amex business cards are really easy to get and they help us slow down the Chase apps.

Plus, some, like one of my favs, the CIP, has an awesome signup bonus. No other Chase card is offering that many UR's on one card. It's a favorite around here for a reason, and a great card to start with if you are under 5/24, as it appears you are.

 

[GusGus16]

1 player mode here as well. Honestly, the CP for SW doesnt make sense for P1 mode. I feel like its better to get more UR cards and transferring them to SW. I had a friend who went for the CP, P1 mode as well, has no idea how to use it properly... its been unused for a good 9 months. shes MAY have a CP coming... but its a maybe.

Oh wow, that is a shame someone would go for the CP and not use it. I've had the CP in the past and never had a problem using it, although I'm single, I always seem to have someone traveling with me and have saved so much with the CP. It takes more strategy to use the CP to the fullest when you don't have a SO that always travels with you, given you have only 3 changes of your companion but it definitely can be done!

 

[Lain]

I applied yesterday. I received the gold status within 2 hours of approval. The card is on it’s way and according to rep it should arrive Friday. I have a Hilton ressie scheduled for 6/1 so it appears I’ll get it days ahead.

Approved!!! Just in time for new tires and brakes.

Whoo hooo! DH was approved for the Hilton Biz card! Why do I get so nervous every time I submit a new app?!

I’m late to the party, but I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to you three! And fingers crossed for @DisneyMandC .

I think the Amex Hilton Biz is really giving the CIC a run for card of the month. And the CIP is a perennial favorite.

@SouthFayetteFan we really should run a monthly survey on DISchurners to track and compare what cards did we open that month. I wouldn’t be surprised if the most popular card in March was the SPG Biz and the CIC for May. We tend to have our clear favorites here.

Also, since we’ve had some new friends and long time followers post to this thread for the first time recently, I’m happy to say that we’ve been throwing a lot of approval dance parties around here, and each of those approvals represents hundreds of dollars in free travel money!

 

[Albort]

and this right there might be why you have no P2

(massively j/k! just couldn't resist the bad joke. hehe. but i'm sure you know there's all sorts of reasons why you still might want to give P2 free rides... but can't say it enough, j/k!!)

View attachment 324650

Cone of shame from that burn.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Cone of shame from that burn.

I literally said Aww out loud at this...

 

[Lain]

How much do you need to make to call it "business earnings?" Like, say I wrote an article earlier this year and it was published by a well know Disney travel website and I earned less than $30. Does that count?

Just wanted to chime in. Blogging is a legit gig. Ask TPG. I'll bet his millions is built on his first $30 and a commitment to keep writing. There are a lot of ways to measure revenue, including projections if you're just starting out.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I’m late to the party, but I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to you three! And fingers crossed for @DisneyMandC .

I think the Amex Hilton Biz is really giving the CIC a run for card of the month. And the CIP is a perennial favorite.

@SouthFayetteFan we really should run a monthly survey on DISchurners to track and compare what cards did we open that month. I wouldn’t be surprised if the most popular card in March was the SPG Biz and the CIC for May. We tend to have our clear favorites here.

Also, since we’ve had some new friends and long time followers post to this thread for the first time recently, I’m happy to say that we’ve been throwing a lot of approval dance parties around here, and each of those approvals represents hundreds of dollars in free travel money!

I've been slacking on surveys. I need to put something new together. I also need to step away from r/churning, lol - the referral drama has been crazy there today.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Just another day at the CIP/Marriott Biz office.

ETA: Also now the Amex Hilton Biz office!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I think I may have messed up. I signed DD18 up for a Starwood account a few days ago and then tried to buy miles for her account yesterday. It went through initially but about 24 hours later I received an email saying the purchase had been cancelled. I used my husband's CIP (for MS) so initially I thought that was it, but then I remembered that there is a 30 day wait for a new account to transfer. Anyone know whether the 30 day period applies to the purchase of points as well?

 

[pillow]

I paid my Wells Fargo mortgage yesterday taking advantage of this promo. Due to the $500 limitation, I had to send multiple checks. I did 3 on my Plastiq account and 2 on DH's. We both have the IHG card. Since IHG points are pretty cheap to "buy" by doing the book/cancel thing, MSing these points isn't huge, but still . . . would rather get the IHG points than nothing. Right now, Plastiq shows my payments are processing. Will report back after the checks are sent. I did note in the memo line "partial June payment - DO NOT apply to principal."

Note - use incognito mode when selecting Masterpass as your payment method. Otherwise Plastiq will autoload the CapitalOne Masterpass version.

Quoting myself here . . . Plastiq sent the Wells payments with no issues today. I subsequently paid the Chase mortgage with 2 separate checks. I have to say I'm surprised Plastiq is allowing multiple $500 fee free payments.

 

[Lain]

I think I may have messed up. I signed DD18 up for a Starwood account a few days ago and then tried to buy miles for her account yesterday. It went through initially but about 24 hours later I received an email saying the purchase had been cancelled. I used my husband's CIP (for MS) so initially I thought that was it, but then I remembered that there is a 30 day wait for a new account to transfer. Anyone know whether the 30 day period applies to the purchase of points as well?

Offhand, I believe the account needs to be open at least 14 days to purchase, 30 days to transfer.