I love credit cards so much!

[SouthFayetteFan]

The cynic in me thinks Dolphin got moved same as Swan in preparation for them both going to Cat 6. I just can't see them being 35k/night in the new system.

It seems from the data presented that their "standard" approach to a current 36k property is to move it to the New Cat5 and making it 35k / night. Then they will likely price others higher on an exception basis. They have thousands of properties to review so we could all cross our fingers that while they're busy re-categorizing properties in Dubai they overlook a couple of properties in Orlando, lol.

I'm going to stay optimistic, because that's just me But I definitely hear you on the concern...

 

[jhoannam]

Disney increased AK morning EMH to 6 days a week, and of course the day we have planned to go isn't one of those days. I'm spending my life hitting refresh on Fastpasses, I really don't want to be at AK the one day a week off-site guests get to be there at RD.

Did I mention our trip is in 20 days!!

 

[afan]

@disneymagicgirl I'll be watching what great ideas show up on your quest for tickets to Hawaii. We are in Columbus OH. I usually say it is a great airport since it is not too busy and great for SW flights. But getting to Hawaii, maybe not so much. Must have is first class lie flat for at least the flight back to the states. It is just the two of us so willing to blow tons of points on a great experience. I looked at Delta and United so far. I'll mostly have URs (right now 90 but should have 190+ by Oct when I book) so it will probably be United. I was checking out some blogs on how to get URs to Korean Air to Delta. But I was not able to find flights on Korean Air since they do not fly to Columbus. Anyone know a work around for that? What I don't want to do, but could as a last resort, is to fly to West coast, deplane, pick up luggage and then go through security again to get on another airline. I would rather just book the Columbus to Hawaii (with one stop) and someone else manages all the baggage work.

I am usually a great planner but this Hawaii thing seems daunting. Just have to tackle piece by piece.[/QUOTE]

United has a non stop Chicago to HNL or Maui. If you're looking for lie flat seats I would think a longer flight like that would have them vs a flight to/from the west coast. It's only a 5-6 hour flight from CA to Hawaii so I don't know if a lot of t.hem will have lie flat seats. It's not really any different from flying across the country time wise. Alaska doesn't have them. You'll also generally end up with a red eye on the way back from Hawaii, especially to the midwest or east coast because of the time difference. Kind of like going from the US to Europe.

 

[eeyoreland]

Hey - glad to see you jumped over Welcome!! Here's a pretty extensive Acronym glossary:
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/wiki/glossary

However it might be easier to just pick them up as you go along. If you're reading back to try to catch up, don't go back more than a few months as things from the early stages of this thread have likely changed.

Basically - the theme here is we sign up for a credit card that offers a bonus; meet the minimum spend requirement (MSR) and then earn a lucrative bonus! Then we put that card aside, and do it all over again. Some of us are getting in excess of 10 cards a year. Others are in the 2-5 a year range. And All of us are either looking to save money on travel or put cash in our pockets!

If I remember correctly I tagged you because you had previously earned a SW CP (southwest companion pass). Are you interested in signing up for additional cards to save more money towards your travel goals?

Hi there. You tagged me on a post from the SW forum that had to do with opening the SW cards . Wow...opening 10+ cards a year. I'd really like to start playing the game. Seems like it's a "thing." Is there a downside in doing so? My husband and I both have credit scores that fluctuate between the high side of good and the middle of excellent.

 

[Albort]

Hi there. You tagged me on a post from the SW forum that had to do with opening the SW cards . Wow...opening 10+ cards a year. I'd really like to start playing the game. Seems like it's a "thing." Is there a downside in doing so? My husband and I both have credit scores that fluctuate between the high side of good and the middle of excellent.

downside... it becomes an addiction...

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Hi there. You tagged me on a post from the SW forum that had to do with opening the SW cards . Wow...opening 10+ cards a year. I'd really like to start playing the game. Seems like it's a "thing." Is there a downside in doing so? My husband and I both have credit scores that fluctuate between the high side of good and the middle of excellent.

Haha - this is definitely a "thing" There are numerous blogs on it (most people recognize "the points guy") and there's a large Reddit group that has over 100,000 people in it discussing this!

As for us here...it's hard to say how many people are active on this thread at any given time. There's a bunch of us who are regulars and with "lurkers" included I'd imagine we have well over 200 people here discussing this As long as you aren't actively pursuing a mortgage there really isn't a downside to this. A big thing to keep in mind is the cards we pursue often have very high interest rates so a key component to this game is to pay in full every month (otherwise the interest kills your savings).

Initially in the short term, you may see your credit score drop a little. However most people see their scores actually go up over time as their utilization goes way down (and utilization % is a large component of the credit score). We'd love to help get you started and give you some tips to formulate a strategy. If you give us the following info we can provide some great (customized) advice:

1) What cards have you applied for in the past 24 months (give us the month and year you applied or approx. if unsure)

2) Do you have any other credit cards that you didn't apply for in the past 24 months?

3) Do you have a spouse or significant other who is also interested in this game? (Maybe is an ok answer here)

4) What are your travel goals - are you looking to cover Disney trips, or do you have more extravagant plans in mind, or a little of both?

5) Do you have a business, or any sort of side hustle that could qualify as a business? (rental property, Sell things on Ebay, sell cookies, teach piano, consulting, etc.)... Some great offers out there are on business cards and you'd be surprised at how easy it is to qualify. If you're open to trying for business cards it opens up a whole world of AWESOME opportunities

Also - if you are on Reddit we have a private group setup there where we log some of the best advice and tips. It's only people from the DIS so it's a friendly group (I think about 130 members or so on last check). You're also able to support other DISers there by using their links or share links of your own. If you aren't on reddit it's easy to join at reddit.com. Just send me a PM here on the DIS with your reddit username I'll get you access.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

downside... it becomes an addiction...

I think you meant "" HAHA!

 

[speedyfishy]

Hi there. You tagged me on a post from the SW forum that had to do with opening the SW cards . Wow...opening 10+ cards a year. I'd really like to start playing the game. Seems like it's a "thing." Is there a downside in doing so? My husband and I both have credit scores that fluctuate between the high side of good and the middle of excellent.

Your credit score will drop a few points (mine would drop 3-5 points) after applying for a new card. However, overtime your score will go up because you will have a lower credit utilization. Since, I started this hobby my credit score has gone up about 15 points. I have gotten four personal cards in the last year and three business cards. The important thing is to pay off all the cards and not carry a balance. The bonus you get from hitting the spend is not worth paying interest.

 

[eeyoreland]

Haha - this is definitely a "thing" There are numerous blogs on it (most people recognize "the points guy") and there's a large Reddit group that has over 100,000 people in it discussing this!

As for us here...it's hard to say how many people are active on this thread at any given time. There's a bunch of us who are regulars and with "lurkers" included I'd imagine we have well over 200 people here discussing this As long as you aren't actively pursuing a mortgage there really isn't a downside to this. A big thing to keep in mind is the cards we pursue often have very high interest rates so a key component to this game is to pay in full every month (otherwise the interest kills your savings).

Initially in the short term, you may see your credit score drop a little. However most people see their scores actually go up over time as their utilization goes way down (and utilization % is a large component of the credit score). We'd love to help get you started and give you some tips to formulate a strategy. If you give us the following info we can provide some great (customized) advice:

1) What cards have you applied for in the past 24 months (give us the month and year you applied or approx. if unsure)

2) Do you have any other credit cards that you didn't apply for in the past 24 months?

3) Do you have a spouse or significant other who is also interested in this game? (Maybe is an ok answer here)

4) What are your travel goals - are you looking to cover Disney trips, or do you have more extravagant plans in mind, or a little of both?

5) Do you have a business, or any sort of side hustle that could qualify as a business? (rental property, Sell things on Ebay, sell cookies, teach piano, consulting, etc.)... Some great offers out there are on business cards and you'd be surprised at how easy it is to qualify. If you're open to trying for business cards it opens up a whole world of AWESOME opportunities

Also - if you are on Reddit we have a private group setup there where we log some of the best advice and tips. It's only people from the DIS so it's a friendly group (I think about 130 members or so on last check). You're also able to support other DISers there by using their links or share links of your own. If you aren't on reddit it's easy to join at reddit.com. Just send me a PM here on the DIS with your reddit username I'll get you access.

Thank you. When I'm not at work LOL, I'll put some thought to your questions and get back to you. Thanks for the help!

 

[brownhaired_girl]

A little OT but thought someone here might know... Has anyone done the Daily Getaways deal for Alamo? It is $25 for a $50 off base rental. It goes on sale today (nothing like waiting till last minute!). I'm wondering if this can be used for rental booked through Costco travel for Alamo? Is it basically like a giftcard or is it a discount code? Not sure it would help if it's a discount code since I think Costco is already considered to be a discount. Thanks!!!

I was able to get 3 certificates. When I tried for 3 more I had some difficulty and didn’t get them. They went fast

 

[gottalovepluto]

A little OT but thought someone here might know... Has anyone done the Daily Getaways deal for Alamo? It is $25 for a $50 off base rental. It goes on sale today (nothing like waiting till last minute!). I'm wondering if this can be used for rental booked through Costco travel for Alamo? Is it basically like a giftcard or is it a discount code? Not sure it would help if it's a discount code since I think Costco is already considered to be a discount. Thanks!!!

I owe you a huge THANKS! We're going to be able to get the rental care I wanted for our trip after deciding the cost was more than we were willing to pay out of pocket once we found out we couldn't use URs for what we wanted. I was resigned to hotel shuttle and uber and ordering groceries but I am personally MUCH happier we'll get to have our own car for the first day while we stay offsite after our cross-country flight and then transition on-site the next day and drop the car at Dophin (I like the independence of a car and I KNOW my crew will need an extra stop or two for all that stuff we'll inevitably forget, Ubers for the little things can add up!)

 

[jhoannam]

So for example, this came up and is the 2 day travel that I am going for...but what is the best way to do it on points? I checked the UR portal and this flight doesn't come up on there....maybe because it is 2 days?

ETA: If booked through Alaska air it is 30k points each way. Not sure how to use my current stash on Alaska, so will google that. I found diff dates in July that total 47,500 on Alaska air's website.

This is my plan for a family of 4:
Late May/early June 2019, 15 days in Hawaii - 7 nights on Maui, 4 nights on the Big Island & 4 nights Oahu
Flights: TUL to OGG, OGG to KOA, KOA to HNL, HNL to TUL is 52K miles per person on United. I need 208K miles.

Marriott Hotel & Flight package for Maui 360K Marriott points: Cat 8 + 132K United miles. We only have 220K Marriott points now. Plan: Either Marriott Biz or SPG Biz next month. That should get us another 78K minimum. I will need 68K more, I have 80K MRs, I'll transfer 68K to complete. I need to do this all before August to secure that package before anything changes.

I have 75K United miles from last year's 70K sign up bonus + 132K from the package. That's 207K United miles. I'll transfer 1,000 URs to United.

4 nights Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island - 240K Hilton points. DH and I will each get a Hilton Card - one of them Aspire to help cover the $40/resort fee + parking.

1-2 nights at Hale Koa military hotel - probably pay cash since it's only $156/night.
We will have 180K URs after I finish the spend on my CIP (almost done). We will spend our last 2-3 nights relaxing at Aulani - plan is to rent points and pay it with a statement credit.

I'll get the CIC and CSP this year, that should be another 110K UR to help with car rental and the other 1-2 nights we need in Hale Koa.

How much is this costing:
$95 from my CIP
$95 Hilton Ascent
$450 Hilton Aspire
$640 for air & hotel

 

[DisneyMandC]

Hi there. You tagged me on a post from the SW forum that had to do with opening the SW cards . Wow...opening 10+ cards a year. I'd really like to start playing the game. Seems like it's a "thing." Is there a downside in doing so? My husband and I both have credit scores that fluctuate between the high side of good and the middle of excellent.

Other than the addiction, as others have discussed, you may see some slight fluctuations in your credit score. I would say mine tends to move +/- 10 points around 800 fairly consistently, just depending on where I'm at in applications and my current balance on my cards (obviously ALWAYS paying off a balance in full, some months just have more things charged than others). Other than that, I haven't noticed any other side effects, but others have been doing it much longer than I have!

 

[Lain]

So for example, this came up and is the 2 day travel that I am going for...but what is the best way to do it on points? I checked the UR portal and this flight doesn't come up on there....maybe because it is 2 days?

ETA: If booked through Alaska air it is 30k points each way. Not sure how to use my current stash on Alaska, so will google that. I found diff dates in July that total 47,500 on Alaska air's website.

Just wondering if you've checked AwardHacker.com?

 

[GusGus16]

MARRIOTT RELEASES SAMPLE OF 100 HOTELS SHOWING NEW CATEGORIES:
https://viewfromthewing.boardingare...-program-award-pricing-hotels-several-cities/

Marriott released this sample of 100 "top hotels" and their new categories.

Just looking at the 19 hotels in New York...

• 9 decreased the # of points required
• 5 stayed the same
• 5 increased the # of points required

This is definitely a good sign and in line with what we heard the other day that more properties were going down than up.

Of course the big one to many of us is Swan and Dolphin. They are currently a "36,000 point" property (12k x 3) and there were 22 properties on the list at the current 36k level. Of those:

• 16 moved to NEW Cat 5 decreasing by 1,000 points per night
• 5 moved to NEW Cat 6 increasing by 14,000 points per night
• 1 moved to NEW Cat 7 increasing by 24,000 points per night

So on the surface this is a good sign - 73% of these properties went to Cat 5 which would probably be our best case scenario for Swolphin. Here's my concern...if SPG looks at what they have in Swolphin (on-site, access to Disney buses, 60 day FP, etc.) they may lean towards increasing that category. I REALLY hope that isn't the case because at 50k per night that would be a rough proposition. I'm still optimistic that at least one of the 2 properties (and HOPEFULLY both) will get placed in Cat 5.

Hopefully this info helps somewhat although it isn't definitive whatsoever.

Hoping for the best and that they are both category 5, would that make them eligible to use a current category 5 certificate on? Currently, debating buying 30,000 starwood points, and possibly transferring UR to buy a Marriott flight and hotel package at least I have until the end of May to figure out if that is what I want to do...

@disneymagicgirl I'll be watching what great ideas show up on your quest for tickets to Hawaii. We are in Columbus OH. I usually say it is a great airport since it is not too busy and great for SW flights. But getting to Hawaii, maybe not so much. Must have is first class lie flat for at least the flight back to the states. It is just the two of us so willing to blow tons of points on a great experience. I looked at Delta and United so far. I'll mostly have URs (right now 90 but should have 190+ by Oct when I book) so it will probably be United. I was checking out some blogs on how to get URs to Korean Air to Delta. But I was not able to find flights on Korean Air since they do not fly to Columbus. Anyone know a work around for that? What I don't want to do, but could as a last resort, is to fly to West coast, deplane, pick up luggage and then go through security again to get on another airline. I would rather just book the Columbus to Hawaii (with one stop) and someone else manages all the baggage work.

I am usually a great planner but this Hawaii thing seems daunting. Just have to tackle piece by piece.

United has a non stop Chicago to HNL or Maui. If you're looking for lie flat seats I would think a longer flight like that would have them vs a flight to/from the west coast. It's only a 5-6 hour flight from CA to Hawaii so I don't know if a lot of t.hem will have lie flat seats. It's not really any different from flying across the country time wise. Alaska doesn't have them. You'll also generally end up with a red eye on the way back from Hawaii, especially to the midwest or east coast because of the time difference. Kind of like going from the US to Europe.[/QUOTE]

United nonstop chicago to HNL has lie flat seats in first class, I think they cost 90,000 Mileage plus points each way. Took this flight in January and definitely recommend it if you don't have time to stop over on the West coast. The times are pretty convenient with 9AM departure from Chicago and then red eye on the way back.

 

[babyready]

So, the good news is that I had 100,000 UR hit my account last week. I transferred what we needed to Hyatt for DH and DS upcoming trip to Chicago and then wanted to see if I had enough to book our Cabana Bay resort for Universal in October. I have checked the price several times over the past few months and thought I would be a bit short but wanted to check anyway, just in case (I have 20,000 more UR coming next statement but I am inpatient!)

So, when I checked a couple of days ago, the suite had gone up like, 5000 points per night. I figured it was a fluke and would check back later. Today, nothing is popping up at all at Cabana Bay or any Universal hotel. They just disappeared. I can't imagine that they all filled up over the last week for October. I really hope it is a fluke and will pop up again soon!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

This is my plan for a family of 4:
Late May/early June 2019, 15 days in Hawaii - 7 nights on Maui, 4 nights on the Big Island & 4 nights Oahu
Flights: TUL to OGG, OGG to KOA, KOA to HNL, HNL to TUL is 52K miles per person on United. I need 208K miles.

Marriott Hotel & Flight package for Maui 360K Marriott points: Cat 8 + 132K United miles. We only have 220K Marriott points now. Plan: Either Marriott Biz or SPG Biz next month. That should get us another 78K minimum. I will need 68K more, I have 80K MRs, I'll transfer 68K to complete. I need to do this all before August to secure that package before anything changes.

I have 75K United miles from last year's 70K sign up bonus + 132K from the package. That's 207K United miles. I'll transfer 1,000 URs to United.

4 nights Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island - 240K Hilton points. DH and I will each get a Hilton Card - one of them Aspire to help cover the $40/resort fee + parking.

1-2 nights at Hale Koa military hotel - probably pay cash since it's only $156/night.
We will have 180K URs after I finish the spend on my CIP (almost done). We will spend our last 2-3 nights relaxing at Aulani - plan is to rent points and pay it with a statement credit.

I'll get the CIC and CSP this year, that should be another 110K UR to help with car rental and the other 1-2 nights we need in Hale Koa.

How much is this costing:
$95 from my CIP
$95 Hilton Ascent
$450 Hilton Aspire
$640 for air & hotel

Thanks so much for sharing! I will look into United.
You can get 5th night free at Hilton if you wish to spend another night at waikoloa.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Just wondering if you've checked AwardHacker.com?

I played around with it a bit and my free trial expired. I should probably sign up.

 

[GusGus16]

So, the good news is that I had 100,000 UR hit my account last week. I transferred what we needed to Hyatt for DH and DS upcoming trip to Chicago and then wanted to see if I had enough to book our Cabana Bay resort for Universal in October. I have checked the price several times over the past few months and thought I would be a bit short but wanted to check anyway, just in case (I have 20,000 more UR coming next statement but I am inpatient!)

So, when I checked a couple of days ago, the suite had gone up like, 5000 points per night. I figured it was a fluke and would check back later. Today, nothing is popping up at all at Cabana Bay or any Universal hotel. They just disappeared. I can't imagine that they all filled up over the last week for October. I really hope it is a fluke and will pop up again soon!

Is there any availability to book the Cabana Bay on cash now, and then contact the Chase Tour department and transfer the reservation and pay with UR? If I were you I may call the Chase tour department and check if this is an option like Disney and if availability for what you are willing to pay for opens up book with cash and transfer the reservation open when you get the UR's typically have 30 days to transfer the reservation if it is like Disney! Wish you luck!

 

[hsmamato2]

So that's the big wildcard still - they didn't actually release a new award chart by property. I would say that in the new award chart, Swan & Dolphin should either be a NEW Cat 5 or NEW Cat 6 (but this is my wild guess). IF Cat 5 it would be 35k points a night (30k off-peak and 40k peak). IF Cat 6 it would be 50k points a night (40k off-peak and 60k peak). So Cat 5 is an improvement (except for during peak) and Cat 6 is worse in all cases. The 5th night free should still be in affect no matter what happens.

Does this make sense? If not - please tell me and I'll try to explain further. I know that this whole thing makes people's heads spin (mine included )

it makes sense,thanks. I guess it feels like a lot of points per night... but in reality it's the 3x spg,so just have to remember that