I love credit cards so much!

[hsmamato2]

They wanted my dd's drivers license sent in also. I never did, and a couple years later when she had a more established history I was able to get her an account without a problem.

aaahhh ok. I was hoping that was it, being new to all of this. He's been my Au for about 9-10 months I think but nothing else.

 

[Disneyonmymind]

For Chase, when can we expect the sign-up bonus points to move from pending to actual. Do we have to wait for the next statement to close?

 

[hsmamato2]

That is exactly what happened to me. It's not you or your son. It's Equifax.

https://aa.econsumer.equifax.com/aad/landing.ehtml

I chose "believe you may be a victim of fraud" because I had no idea what was going on but you can actually pick "denied credit."

I'm almost positive they're going to tell you that your son's accurate info is inaccurate.

so..... even with ds's "no credit history" yet I should use this form to find out what's going on?

 

[platamama]

Some may remember that last November my wallet was stolen. It was horrendous. I lost about $150 in cash, stamps, movie tickets, a book of checks (which resulted in $4000 of bad checks being written using my drivers license as id), most of my credit cards, debit cards, etc. thankfully my gift cards were in my purse’s zipper compartment. I try now to inventory the cards in my wallet (I forgot about my HSA debit card when I cancelled everything and it was used), don’t carry checks, and rarely have cash on me. Losing a wallet is a nightmare and it’s very violating and slightly nerve wracking. It pretty much ruined my Christmas because it was so stressful.

I'm sorry that happened to you. I've had my wallet stolen too (and it had my Soc Sec card in it that I needed because I was doing a lot of temp work at the time) and it was super stressful. I think of that when I look at my wallet tbh. I do periodically assess what I have in there and think about where I'm going for the day but sometimes I just have to jet out the door and it comes with me as is.

I think I should photocopy front and backs of the cards I have and stick them in the safe, at least take that step so that it's easier to call the card issuers as @Lain pointed out.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Blue's Clues was my THING I remember loving the episode where Paprika was born. I loved Arthur, too... Sesame Street, Caillou, Bear in the Big Blue House... BarneyI also inherited a VCR & tapes of Care Bears, My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite etc from my older cousin and I was crazy for those.

I really loved Mr. Rogers. I used to watch with my grandma & we'd make a game out of guessing which color sweater he would put on. I also used to get really excited when it was time to feed the fish. Such a wonderful, gentle show. I hope they release it in some way (Blu-ray? Streaming?) by the time I have kids.

The bolded are the shows my dd19 grew up on. You are making me feel old.

 

[hsmamato2]

this is OT!!!!!!!! but I'm gonna make it worse by adding my ds LOVED Blues clues, Bear in the big Blue house,Stanley (anyone remember that?) and The Kratt Brothers.....

 

[hsmamato2]

yeah I;ve thought about wallet contents lately - I need to come up with a system to keep track of what I'm carrying...the last time my wallet got stolen (at wdw!) I only carried one cc and a license so that was easy...... now I have 16 card slots! (and I STILL forgot the cc I needed when I tried to do my BB/Amex deal!!!) some of them are vgc's some are store brand gc,but mainly my cc stash that I need for different reasons.

 

[hsmamato2]

That is exactly what happened to me. It's not you or your son. It's Equifax.

https://aa.econsumer.equifax.com/aad/landing.ehtml

I chose "believe you may be a victim of fraud" because I had no idea what was going on but you can actually pick "denied credit."

I'm almost positive they're going to tell you that your son's accurate info is inaccurate.

WHat do I do now? I did the form,and it said 'we are unable to deliver your credit file online' (!!!!!!!) starting to panic here but what is going on? I can't call without ds right here,I need his permission. they say to call their 800 # to request it....WTH is going on here?

 

[Alexle2007]

My dd LOVED Blues Clues (heck we would still totally watch it, and saw it's being rebooted). We had BC toys all over the house! And have a couple of BC Hallmark ornaments on our tree still at Christmas. Little Bear was another favorite, that I would watch even without the kids LOL. Bear in the Big Blue House and Out of the Box were other favorites of theirs.

Anyone of my age range LOL, remember the New Zoo Revue??

Blue’s Clues must have made a comeback and some point since I watched it with DS11. We were actually just talking about that show the other night when he made some type of comment that jogged my memory of it. I’d take that show over Teen Titans Go any day.

 

[miztressuz]

For Chase, when can we expect the sign-up bonus points to move from pending to actual. Do we have to wait for the next statement to close?

Yes. Once the statement closes the points are added to the balance.

 

[afan]

Did RMN for a 2nd time at staples. They only had 50 dis gc so I got another starbucks. Gotta pay for my hot chocolates Only seem to be using my biz amex at lowes ans staples since they have offers. Once I'm done with my msr I'll have to add in some other stuff so it's not just offers to keep them happy.

 

[Alexle2007]

You Blues Clues people are really showing your age. YOUNG age!!! lol It didn't start until 1996. My DD watched it. Thanks for making us all feel ancient. haha

My favorite was Sesame Street as a kid, followed by Electric Company, Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room. I think I appreciated Mr Rogers more when my kids watched.

I’ve had the pleasure of watching Blue with DS and he only 11 All good things come back like the Smurfs...

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Blue’s Clues must have made a comeback and some point since I watched it with DS11. We were actually just talking about that show the other night when he made some type of comment that jogged my memory of it. I’d take that show over Teen Titans Go any day.

yeeessss. My boys watch that awful show.

 

[georgina]

And if any of you have young kids and are traveling through Pittsburgh area make sure you stop at Idlewild to ride the trolley through the Land of Make Believe in Mr Roger's Neigborhood.

When were you there last? I thought they closed it several years ago to revamp as Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.

https://www.wpxi.com/news/idlewild-closes-mister-rogers-neighborhood-make-be/139705538

I did watch Captain Kangaroo as a child, but Mr Rogers didn't become a show until after I started school. My kids didn't like it, though they did watch Sesame Street, Little Bear, Arthur, and Blue's Clues.

 

[georgina]

AND don't be dumb and cancel cards before 12 months...it makes no sense at all to do that and can only get you in trouble with AMEX.

So I don't want to pay the AF on DH's AmEx Gold when it kicks in at a year, even with the potential upgraded reward categories. What's the best strategy for cancelling?

 

[SBWB48]

Do I need to? Well, it depends on what my errands entail since I try to group them geographically so that I'm not going all over the place, and without making a trip home to get different cards. And it irks me to drive by a store I could stop at but won't because I don't have the right card with me at the moment.

ETA: when it's just a quick errand nearby then I just take my phone, DL, and an MSR card + vgc that has a balance, but if it's a 15 min drive then I'm loading up lol. Today it's going to be Staples, HD, Nordstrom Rack, Walgreens for 2 RMN accts, BB to use the 6x URs before I pc my CSP to CF2.



haha, no, I got that off Amazon

Yes! This is why my purse is a muggers wet dream right now, I've got a couple hundred in GC's (because if I leave some at home invariably that's when I want to use them), like 12 credit cards, a couple debit cards and all 3 check books! I don't usually carry the check books or debit cards, but as I needed to use one it went in the purse and never came out I have to be more diligent about pulling everything out and putting it back in the safe. Same with the CC's, there's a few that don't get used regularly so they're supposed to go in the safe but it always feels like I'm abandoning them

Although this was a good wake up call so I've got a reminder to do the clean out tonight. (What a fun and exciting Friday night, hehe)

Mine too. I carry more and more of the cards that I thought I would sock drawer. I get so annoyed when I realize I need to stop at 'XYZ' store and argh, I don't have the Amex card with the offer on it. So, I just got a bigger wallet and carry any card I even think I might need

Yes I do! Your terrible incident is what prompted me to really reevaluate everything I was carrying. I tried to put the GC's in the safe too but I ended up not using them because it was always an impulse stop for most of them. Like have to stop at Target, oh BTW Home Depot is right next door I can pick up X while I'm there... except I left the HD GC at home in the safe So some GC's are in the safe and others ride around with me for the 'just in case' moments. But yeah, every time I stare a my huge wallet that hubby got me when I asked for it so I could carry all my cards in one place, I think about what happened to you and what could happen. Most of my problem is I do have so many cards the ones I use frequently are in a little pocket of my purse for quick access and the rest in the wallet is just convenience.

So definitely pulling that all out tonight and trying again. I just can't imagine. I am glad they caught the fraudster in your case, but that sucks all the hassle you had to go through.

This is a huge problem for me as well. Not just with GCs since I am swimming in them now, but cards as well. With so many cards, it had always seemed the card I need at the time is NOT in my wallet when I tried to condense and go light. As a result, my wallet resembles that of @miztressuz and co and would be a mugger's dream. Actually, I have two wallets and a separate zipper pouch (was one of those skincare gift bags that came in handy for keeping my GCs in). Wallet one = main that I walk around it with a few cards/GCs I swap in from wallet 2 when I have my list of errands (plus, working in the city, I don't need to be carrying around a wallet or big purse that is busting out when I go out for lunch). Wallet two = bigger wallet with the majority of cards (15+ but some are DHs for things like RMN; I'm such a hoarder and always feel like I 'may' need it) that are not in the sock drawer. All 3 wallets are in my hangbag, but now, I think I should really try to clean it out again...until I forget yet another card/GC I need for an errand, and everything back in again

 

[tink1970]

I hope that’s not an actual picture of your wallet because wth are you doing carrying around $300 in cash? Your mugger will steal that, and it’s gone forever. Credit cards, they aren’t spending your money and you can close those cards and get them replaced. Might be a real pain calling up customer service for all those issuers though. Lol!

I never noticed the cash, I was so impressed with her really good dl photo

And she's into identity theft...Her license matches none of the names on the cards lol!

Yep, didn't notice that either

I honestly never watched Sesame Street.

Why yes I am lol. There isn’t anything about sesame street that appeals to me.

Sesame Street was one of the first shows to have people of color as main characters-that was a big deal. It also talked about feelings and behaviors. Best of all...there were two characters to whom I relate waaay too closely Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster (my bulldog is actually Cookie, my boxer lab is FroYo and my evil mutt is Sugar)! When I'd teach interns and residents about delusional disorder I'd reference Mr Snuffleupagous! It's okay, though, I won't shun you for not loving the show. I mean if we haven't shunned @amalone1013 for not using a link and all....

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

For Chase, when can we expect the sign-up bonus points to move from pending to actual. Do we have to wait for the next statement to close?

Yep

So I don't want to pay the AF on DH's AmEx Gold when it kicks in at a year, even with the potential upgraded reward categories. What's the best strategy for cancelling?

Wait for it to post, call and cancel that day. AMEX will cancel the AF then.

 

[calypso726]

What are your keeper cards?

I have some expenses coming up so of course I need a new MSR. There are no sign-up bonuses that are especially appealing so I'm thinking I should maybe get a "keeper" card -- a lesser sign-up bonus but something that will be valuable over time. I'm over 5/24 so Chase is out and I probably should avoid AmEx as I just got two new AmEx cards last month.

Wow! Tough question since the value of a keeper card is in the eye and travel style of the beholder. I am by no means averse to annual fees so long as that card offers me a particular benefit that I value and is worth the fee to me. So here are mine and why:

CSR - $300 travel credit is something I am going to hit even if I didn’t travel. Tolls trigger it and I drive a lot for work. The 3x I earn on dining and travel more than covers the $55 difference between CSP and CSR as does the number of points I save each year with the UR being worth 1.5 vs 1.25.

Ink+ (no longer available) - This is the work horse of my UR earning due to purchasing gift cards at 5x in office supply stores. CIC would be a comparable card.

Freedom- rotation of 5x UR categories also contributes to the UR stash

CFU - 1.5 UR on everything else. I was wavering between this and another card for non category spend after the SPG value for non category spend was killed.

Disney Visa - I’ve had it since day 1. Can’t cancel it due to age.

Chase Amazon - Have had that forever and am stuck with it.

Marriott Premier - I will use the free night every year and it is more valuable than the fee to me.

IHG - I have one more unlimited free night coming my way and then will evaluate if future capped free nights are valuable or not. I am pretty sure I will keep it though.

British Airways Visa - offers 10% off BA paid flights which can be stacked with AARP discount. Card holders can get a travel together ticket when spending $30k on it each year. I’ve decided to MS my way to that every other year.

United card - extra 25% on MPX app purchases but more importantly extra award availability for card members.

Amex Blue for business - 2x MR up to $50k in spend. No AF. Most of my non bonus spend is going here now.

SPG biz - the free night is something I will use each year and value of that is more than the fee.

SPG lux - between the $300 property credit and the free night this is also a keeper as I will use those and my use will also surpass the fee.

Hilton Aspire - Diamond status, free weekend night, $250 resort credit, $250 airline credit. My new favorite hotel card!

Club Carlson - 40,000 points every year deposits in the account. This is better than a free night. That benefit is no longer available to new card holders.

Citi AA Platinum - gives you 10% off redeemed airline miles back each year up to 10,000 AA miles. We blow through well over 100k AA miles each year so getting 10k back covers the fee.

BOA premium Travel card - $100 airline credit covers tha AF and I am thinking I may use this one as a potential for variety in the point and miles portfolio.

 

[hsmamato2]

WHat do I do now? I did the form,and it said 'we are unable to deliver your credit file online' (!!!!!!!) starting to panic here but what is going on? I can't call without ds right here,I need his permission. they say to call their 800 # to request it....WTH(eck) is going on here?

anyone? anxious rightfr now