I love credit cards so much! v3.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[Alexle2007]

Be very wary of their fraud department for the first six months or so. In Dec. 2016 I got my DC, had it two months and then used it to rent a moving truck to move from MN to WI. That set off a fraud alarm that it took me three months, 14 phone calls, three faxes of information and two mailings to get straightened out. I called them, told them I was renting a moving truck to move, and then they were shocked that I had moved. Nice that the payment credits immediately though.

I set up the Uber Eats Pass on my Gold a couple weeks ago and got a free meal up to $35. I will be more likely to use this than the Airline credit, my airline credit for this year is going to be wasted. Forgot to change it in Jan, didn't fly Delta this year at all, only SW.

If you haven’t used the airline credit, you can chat with AmEx and they can change it for you.

 

[hlhlaw07]

Just got a generic email from AMEX with offers to save for the holidays. It had a link for 10% off Amazon when using at least a point at check out. Up to $10 off.

 

[jccarney]

My mailbox was full of cc offers this week. I’m trying to decide if I should apply or wait it out a bit. I got offers from AMEX (65,000 points) AMEX gold (70,000 points) and Sapphire Preferred (80,000 points).

i have not applied for a credit card in a long time maybe 4+ years. I’m a widow and when my husband died 4 years ago I got behind on bills until the life insurance came in. So I have some late pays that are that old. My credit has been at the 650 range for awhile.

I’m working on paying down the Capital One card I have and my car loan. From my research my credit score isn’t high enough for any of those cards. I would love one for the travel rewards. More info.

• What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)? 1200
• Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest? carry balance
• What airport(s) do you typically fly out of? CVG
• Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program? No
• Does SOUTHWEST Airline service your airport? Yes
• Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference? Hilton
• Do you currently have travel points or miles in any program? (if so, which programs and how much) A few in Frontier; Delta and Southwest
• What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? (i.e. Disney World Trip, Cruise, European Trip, Cash Back to pay-off a mortgage or student loans, etc. - you can have multiple goals too!) Domestic travel
• When do you plan to take these trips? (Keep in mind that it can be difficult to earn points/miles to cover imminent travel...it's best to plan far in advance, especially with regards to international travel) I like to travel frequently. Prior to Covid I traveled for leisure every other month
• Who does your travel party consist of? (Spouse, Kids (& ages), other relatives/friends) Me and the kids (3) 20, 15, 13 and sometimes a friend.

Thoughts??? Thanks in advance.

 

[becauseimnew]

My mailbox was full of cc offers this week. I’m trying to decide if I should apply or wait it out a bit. I got offers from AMEX (65,000 points) AMEX gold (70,000 points) and Sapphire Preferred (80,000 points).

i have not applied for a credit card in a long time maybe 4+ years. I’m a widow and when my husband died 4 years ago I got behind on bills until the life insurance came in. So I have some late pays that are that old. My credit has been at the 650 range for awhile.

I’m working on paying down the Capital One card I have and my car loan. From my research my credit score isn’t high enough for any of those cards. I would love one for the travel rewards. More info.

• What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)? 1200
• Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest? carry balance
• What airport(s) do you typically fly out of? CVG
• Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program? No
• Does SOUTHWEST Airline service your airport? Yes
• Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference? Hilton
• Do you currently have travel points or miles in any program? (if so, which programs and how much) A few in Frontier; Delta and Southwest
• What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? (i.e. Disney World Trip, Cruise, European Trip, Cash Back to pay-off a mortgage or student loans, etc. - you can have multiple goals too!) Domestic travel
• When do you plan to take these trips? (Keep in mind that it can be difficult to earn points/miles to cover imminent travel...it's best to plan far in advance, especially with regards to international travel) I like to travel frequently. Prior to Covid I traveled for leisure every other month
• Who does your travel party consist of? (Spouse, Kids (& ages), other relatives/friends) Me and the kids (3) 20, 15, 13 and sometimes a friend.

Thoughts??? Thanks in advance.

Hi and welcome!! So sorry for your loss. But you have come to the right place.
In your situation I would focus on paying down your credit card so your balance is around the 15% utilization. After that I would suggest applying for the Chase Freedom Flex, I believe you only need a credit score around 650. That is a great card to start collecting Chase Ultimate Reward points.

 

[Haley R]

Just got a generic email from AMEX with offers to save for the holidays. It had a link for 10% off Amazon when using at least a point at check out. Up to $10 off.

Thank you! I was able to look up the promotion and activate it on our Amazon account

 

[Albort]

My mailbox was full of cc offers this week. I’m trying to decide if I should apply or wait it out a bit. I got offers from AMEX (65,000 points) AMEX gold (70,000 points) and Sapphire Preferred (80,000 points).

i have not applied for a credit card in a long time maybe 4+ years. I’m a widow and when my husband died 4 years ago I got behind on bills until the life insurance came in. So I have some late pays that are that old. My credit has been at the 650 range for awhile.

I’m working on paying down the Capital One card I have and my car loan. From my research my credit score isn’t high enough for any of those cards. I would love one for the travel rewards. More info.

• What amount of spend would you put on a card monthly (i.e. groceries, gas, insurance, cable, cell phone, other expenses)? 1200
• Do you currently payoff your CCs in full every month or do you carry any balances/pay any interest? carry balance
• What airport(s) do you typically fly out of? CVG
• Do you have a preference of Frequent Flyer program? No
• Does SOUTHWEST Airline service your airport? Yes
• Do you have a Hotel Rewards program preference? Hilton
• Do you currently have travel points or miles in any program? (if so, which programs and how much) A few in Frontier; Delta and Southwest
• What at your specific goals for churning credit cards? (i.e. Disney World Trip, Cruise, European Trip, Cash Back to pay-off a mortgage or student loans, etc. - you can have multiple goals too!) Domestic travel
• When do you plan to take these trips? (Keep in mind that it can be difficult to earn points/miles to cover imminent travel...it's best to plan far in advance, especially with regards to international travel) I like to travel frequently. Prior to Covid I traveled for leisure every other month
• Who does your travel party consist of? (Spouse, Kids (& ages), other relatives/friends) Me and the kids (3) 20, 15, 13 and sometimes a friend.

Thoughts??? Thanks in advance.

what @becauseimnew said. your score is a tab low to really take full advantage of this hobby. i also recommend the same thing and apply for Freedom cards first. If you get approved, u can at least start earning URs until your credit is at least above 700. Then u can work on better cards like CSP and SW card.
Let us know how it turns out. if Chase says noto give u the freedom, perhaps a discover card for the time being until things get better.

 

[Hoosier John]

My sight is gradually getting more blurry as I wait for my Dec 23rd appointment. I've got my screen stretched out so I can type more accurately and it's getting frustrating. The procedure I need is in office and a very simple laser procedure (yag laser capsulotomy). It's just the long time to be seen.

This reminds me of seeing a poster in the dentist's office: Ignore Your Teeth Long Enough and They WILL Go Away.
I mentioned to my eye doctor that he needed a poster: Long Time - No See (he wasn't as amused as I was)

And this one I just saw: I just started reading a novel in written Braille. Something bad is gonna happen ... I can just feel it

 

[Judique]

This reminds me of seeing a poster in the dentist's office: Ignore Your Teeth Long Enough and They WILL Go Away.
I mentioned to my eye doctor that he needed a poster: Long Time - No See (he wasn't as amused as I was)

And this one I just saw: I just started reading a novel in written Braille. Something bad is gonna happen ... I can just feel it

I still at least have my sense of humor!

 

[ten6mom]

Irritating:

I flew and checked a bag earlier this week. I had specifically kept my Citi AA card earlier this year specifically because I knew I'd be flying and checking a bag. However, I didn't know until I got up to the kiosk, where we were ALL being herded, that there was no way on the kiosk to indicate that I got a free checked back. The kiosks were all insane and packed and there was no one around to ask so I just paid the fee at the kiosk. It wasn't until I got in a DIFFERENT line to actually take my bag to a person that I could ask about it and they said I'd have to ask for the refund "on the website." I went to the Citi site to "dispute a charge" but I'm not sure now whether that was the right thing to do.

Does anyone have any advice for me? Should I have done something on the American website instead?

 

[Alexle2007]

Irritating:

I flew and checked a bag earlier this week. I had specifically kept my Citi AA card earlier this year specifically because I knew I'd be flying and checking a bag. However, I didn't know until I got up to the kiosk, where we were ALL being herded, that there was no way on the kiosk to indicate that I got a free checked back. The kiosks were all insane and packed and there was no one around to ask so I just paid the fee at the kiosk. It wasn't until I got in a DIFFERENT line to actually take my bag to a person that I could ask about it and they said I'd have to ask for the refund "on the website." I went to the Citi site to "dispute a charge" but I'm not sure now whether that was the right thing to do.

Does anyone have any advice for me? Should I have done something on the American website instead?

Looks like you go here to request the refund on AA:
https://prefunds.aa.com/refunds/

 

[havaneselover]

Flying home this morning. Just ordered a new artificial Christmas tree from Sam’s on sale. I looked at balsam hill and I know their quality is excellent, but I think the Sam’s tree will work well at 25% of the cost.

 

[Alexle2007]

Flying home this morning. Just ordered a new artificial Christmas tree from Sam’s on sale. I looked at balsam hill and I know their quality is excellent, but I think the Sam’s tree will work well at 25% of the cost.

Nice! Enjoy your new tree! I am not sure ours is going up since we are only home for a couple of weeks. Although I love seeing up as it is a beautiful 9 ft that I got for a steal after Christmas.

 

[Judique]

Flying home this morning. Just ordered a new artificial Christmas tree from Sam’s on sale. I looked at balsam hill and I know their quality is excellent, but I think the Sam’s tree will work well at 25% of the cost.

I'm interested in the Balsam Hill product but not this year. I've spent enough recently so no Xmas decor in my budget. I went through all their sale products at some point last year but couldn't pull the trigger. The trees I have are still decent, and I mean 3-4 trees. Loaned tree number 4 out and it hasn't returned so it's probably 3. I don't have space for all of them, but may do 2 this year. I do want to double check that I've completed my transition to all LED.

I did read some fluff that you should put your tree up now as it will make you happy. Usually I put my inside trees up fairly late and take them down really late. But outdoor decor is probably going up this Saturday due to excellent weather expected.

Just yesterday I rearranged my furniture to make space for a tree.

Edit: I used to do a fully decorated tree at my office location. Then at our Xmas party, we would do a free raffle for the tree. This seemed to be very popular.

 

[happ]

Flying home this morning. Just ordered a new artificial Christmas tree from Sam’s on sale. I looked at balsam hill and I know their quality is excellent, but I think the Sam’s tree will work well at 25% of the cost.

Last year my friend decided to upgrade to a larger tree and gave us the Balsam Hill one she had. It's nice and I'm glad to have it, but I honestly don't see what the big deal is all about. It just looks like an artificial tree to me. Those tv commercials make the trees look magical. I don't get it.

 

[Judique]

I'm of the opinion that any tree can be beautiful. Whether it is an expensive, realistic looking Balsam Hill tree or a 1/2 price Target 3 ft bargain. Part of it is the experience such as decorating with your family. An another aspect is using ornaments that have been collected and handed down over years. Then there is the obvious, gold, red, silver themed tree. Fill them up with your xmas memories and they are yours.

Some people want the perfect tree. What is perfect to some, may have no interest for others. To me the personalization is what makes a tree interesting.

And, all this tree talk is making me want a fresh tree. I need to hurry up and drag out the realistic plastic before I go over the top!

 

[havaneselover]

I'm of the opinion that any tree can be beautiful. Whether it is an expensive, realistic looking Balsam Hill tree or a 1/2 price Target 3 ft bargain. Part of it is the experience such as decorating with your family. An another aspect is using ornaments that have been collected and handed down over years. Then there is the obvious, gold, red, silver themed tree. Fill them up with your xmas memories and they are yours.

Some people want the perfect tree. What is perfect to some, may have no interest for others. To me the personalization is what makes a tree interesting.

And, all this tree talk is making me want a fresh tree. I need to hurry up and drag out the realistic plastic before I go over the top!

I agree. I love Christopher radkos and that’s what makes my tree special. We have a huge Cinderella’s castle and a Mickey we got ages ago at wdw when they sold radkos. But I still have some other random ornaments with tons of sentimental value.

 

[Limes96]

@Judique Is the surgery for cataracts? I’m only 49 but the eye dr told me this week I’m already getting them. Particularly in my right eye. Don’t need surgery yet, thankfully. But I’ll need it eventually I’m sure.

DD17 and I decided to take a mental health break this week. We’re spending two nights at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville. That’s why I wanted to see my Chase offers earlier in the week, but the offer didn’t renew anyway so that day they were down didn’t matter much. I think the Bonvoy offer is better anyway. I was going to use my AAVacations travel voucher to stay here but I called them to book it and they extended the expiration on it to Dec ‘21 for me, so no urgency to use it right away. I’ll use it when I can get full value from it. So I used UR to book the room and I’m using the Bonvoy offer on incidentals. I imagine it will be $250 by the time we leave Saturday. Nice to use my points and offers for something fun again.

 

[Psychodisney]

Thank you! I was able to look up the promotion and activate it on our Amazon account

How did you look it up?

 

[TarraLee]

I have the Sam’s tree and garland after comparing to Balsam Hill, and I honestly love the Sam’s tree. Great price, looks great, no Balsam Hill FOMO here.

 

[hsmamato2]

BoA Premium rewards....anyone get this for the bonus? How would I utilize the $100 travel credit right now (no real travel)