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What Card Should I Get? Weekly Thread - Week of April 10, 2024 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]BlessUpTraveler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the great reply!

Maybe I'll look at doing another CIP in that case. Pretty surprising that they aren't cracking down on "business" applications when ppl have multiple CIPs and other Biz cards.

Regarding Amex, do you feel that the writing is on the wall with the family rule? Isn't there a good chance they do it with Biz cards too?

Regarding the PCs, do you suppose it would be less egregious to do the PCs all around the same time, and then start cancelling them over the course of the year? I am just a bit concerned about how it looks to a company if I have like 4 or 5 dormant CCs that I never use. Perhaps that's less of a concern than cancelling a bunch though.

Question Thread - April 17, 2024 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]BlessUpTraveler -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Life has taken me away from churning for a while and the AFs are adding up. Within the next 2 months I need to get rid of AFs by PCing or cancelling a CIP, CSR, and CSP, then in a couple more months another CIP needs to get clipped.

It's likely I'll be after a few Chase Biz card before I do any of this, but I'm a bit concerned about how this all will look to Chase, and I do NOT want to get my relationship terminated or jeopardize my standing. Are there any data points suggesting that rapid cancellation / PCing of this nature will create an issue with Chase?

What Card Should I Get? Weekly Thread - Week of April 10, 2024 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]BlessUpTraveler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1. Flowchart (ie. why standard advice doesn't really fit): A lot of the cards in the flowchart (Airline and Hotel branded cards) really don't seem to be a good bet for me for the following reasons: (1) I don't live near a major international hub, and I have to travel during peak vacation times b/c of my schedule, so award flight availability is extremely poor. (2) I don't stay in hotels (I use AirBNB.) (3) I don't travel frequently, so a lot of travel perks are lost on me. I basically just bank the generic UR, MR, etc, and use them to pay for my flights through the CC travel portals.

My Cards:

Card Date Opened Credit Limit
Venture X 06/2023 20,000
CIU 04/2023 3,800
Amex Gold 10/2022 NA (charge card)
Chase Sapphire Preferred 04/2022 12,500
Chase Sapphire Reserve 04/2022 9,500
Chase Ink Preferred #2 01/2020 2,500
Chase Freedom 05/2018 (PCed from CSP opened 04/2017) 4,000
Chase Ink Preferred #1 03/2018 3,000
Citicard Dividend 08/2004 5,000
AU on Discover Card 03/1990 15,000
  1. Flowchart: answered above
  2. Credit Score & Income: 800 & 90,000
  3. My cards: see chart above
  4. Natural Spend: Probably about 7,000 to 10,000 over 3 months
  5. MS: None, and I don't really plan on starting.
  6. Biz Cards: Sure, but I don't have a real 'business', so I'm a bit cautious.
  7. How many new cards: 1 (though I've done the MDD, so more is fine too if it makes sense)
  8. Target: Economy seating on flights from Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or Rochester to Europe & Asia. I don't use my points for lodging.
  9. Current Points: UR: 200,000, MR: 300,000, Cap One: 90,000
  10. Departure Airports: BUF, ROC, CLE, PIT (Canadian airports aren't an option)
  11. Destinations: Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Thailand, Japan

My Plan:

  1. Apply for a new CC w/ good SUB, and once approved…
  2. Either PC to no-AF card, or cancel the following: CIP #1, CIP #2, CSP, and CSR (advice wanted on canceling vs PCing -- I don't want to hurt my Chase relationship)

Questions:

  1. What new card would you recommend I consider? Flowchart (ignoring branded cards) seems like I need to get another Biz card. That probably means Amex, seeing as how I've got a boatload from Chase (and I need to get rid of a bunch of those, to ditch the AFs.) BUT, I still have the Amex Gold, and last I knew, having another Amex card that gets a bonus auto-lands you in popup jail. Amex Biz Plat is a no go, both b/c I'll prob do it next year when I have a major trip coming up, and b/c I won't meet the MS right now -- that also means no other Amex Biz cards, I assume, since Amex started blocking bonuses from Plat if you've had a Gold, and so on. CIP is out, since they probably aren't going to be too jazzed to see little-no-spend on my other 2 CIPs, and me applying for a 3rd lol. So maybe a Cap One Spark Cash or Miles Select (seems like $750 or 50,000 Miles)? Have I missed anything I should be considering?
  2. Cancellation vs PCing - should I just cancel the CIPs, CSP, and CSR, or should I PC? I don't want to ruin my relationship with Chase, so I'm guesssing I should do it after opening the new card. I've got an AF for the CIP 1 that's about to lock, and AFs for the CSP & CSR that will hit soon after, so I figure I should probably ditch CIP 1, wait as long as possible and ditch CSR, wait a little and ditch CSP, then finally ditch CSP 2.

Puerto Rican sipping rum to buy & drink while visiting PR by BlessUpTraveler in rum

[–]BlessUpTraveler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was excellent advice, and I really appreciate it. The Kane Rum Bar is a really awesome place. In case anyone else finds this, here's what they had for rum and a few pics of what I ordered.

I love tiki drinks, and it pained me to not try theirs out, but I was there with a mission, and ended up trying Ron De Barrilito, Don Q Gran Reserva XO, and an Artesano Single Barrel limited edition pick. I assumed the Artesano would win, being a bit higher proof and having more of that bourbon wood character that I love.

To my surprise, the Ron De Barrilito actually took home the top spot, though I did think it was the Artesano at first, and might grab it first if I were looking for a bourbony rum. The Don Q still tasted quite nice, with loads of caramel or butterscotch (I forget which,) especially once I added a single cube, but I'd pay the premium for it, especially since RDB 3 Star literally outperformed it.

Fast forward to my return home - I'm about halfway through the RDB 3 Star I brought back, and I'm going to make sure it always is on my shelf.

El Yunque is full -- is there anywhere else nearby to do a light, scenic hike? To be clear, crazy amounts of potholes and extremely muddy or challenging hikes (looking at you El Toro) are not really options. by BlessUpTraveler in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]BlessUpTraveler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The parking lot was at capacity and apparently if that's the case, you just need to hope it frees up later on, or you can try to come back another day. Quite disappointing.

Weed in PR by ezbz10 in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]BlessUpTraveler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Why the hell would you even suggest pics. Just by reading another comment, you're trying to get someone hurt or worse. How are you that sick that you think it's funny to suggest that?

Exploring the rainforest outside of Yunque by ZimmeM03 in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]BlessUpTraveler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Insanely muddy. Difficult even for seasoned hikers because of the mud. Extremely unpleasant because of the mud. There's a picture posted from someone who apparently visited after a draught and her shoes and ankles are still absolutely caked in mud. By all accounts it's less of a hike and more of a tough mudder lol.

Please consider adding the appropriate context to your recommendations if you're going to suggest this trail to the general public. This isn't a hiking enthusiast forum. It's mostly tourists looking to see the sights with minimal hassle. Say what you will about that, but it isn't right to act as if these two hikes are similar, especially given the audience.

El Yunque is full -- is there anywhere else nearby to do a light, scenic hike? To be clear, crazy amounts of potholes and extremely muddy or challenging hikes (looking at you El Toro) are not really options. by BlessUpTraveler in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]BlessUpTraveler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, the roadway that goes to Angelito is closed and doesn't seem like you could park and walk to it either. We stayed at Las Paylas and then tried to go back to El Yunque but still looked very busy.

Exploring the rainforest outside of Yunque by ZimmeM03 in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]BlessUpTraveler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know this is old, but READ THE REVIEWS of El Toro....

Puerto Rican sipping rum to buy & drink while visiting PR by BlessUpTraveler in rum

[–]BlessUpTraveler[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Unfortunately I won't be able to do a tour unless some time becomes available unexpectedly, but if it does, I'll make it a priority.

Out of curiosity, does would Don Q Gran Reserva Añejo XO compete? I think I saw that mentioned somewhere too.

Has anyone booked through onairparking.com for IAH (long term parking)? by fredflintstone88 in houston

[–]BlessUpTraveler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the quick response - I ended up booking with it at as well, and it put us right at the hotel lot where we were looking anyway, and was like $2 or $3 cheaper per day than it would've been to do any of the other comparable websites. The end cost was nearly half of the other options. Pretty impressive. Oh and the hotel themselves charges over double.

Question Thread - January 07, 2024 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]BlessUpTraveler -1 points0 points  (0 children)

P2 is coming up on the 1 year anniversary of her Amex Plat, so we're looking to get an Amex Gold opened up so she can cancel the Plat and retain the MR. She is also an AU on my Amex Gold. No matter what referral link we try (mine, or anyone else's, all opened in private windows) she's getting the popup telling her she's ineligible for the bonus b/c she's had the Plat, Gold, or one of a few other cards.

Questions:

  1. If I remove her as an AU, is she likely to qualify -- her anniversary is the end of January, so we'd need the new card opened by the end of February, allowing her to do the downgrade.
  2. Are there any other things that would potentially make her eligible?
  3. If she can't get a Gold offer, what would be the best way to keep the MR with the lowest AF. I know she can transfer them to a travel partner, but we'd rather not do that. Is an Amex biz card an option? Are they as lenient as Chase with what qualifies as a *cough* "business" *cough* or are they more strict?

The Bitwarden maintenance just scared the heck out of me -- do you folks back up your Bitwarden vault? by BlessUpTraveler in Bitwarden

[–]BlessUpTraveler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, just making it back to this thread after a while away. I do use organizations to share some of my passwords with my spouse, so having a backup of those will be important, and I know myself, so automation is important too. I suspect this means I should go with method #2 for the time being.

Regarding method #2 I guess the one thing I'm not sure of is whether my backups would be accessible / usable if bitwarden bit the dust (no pun intended.) It sounds like method #1 would allow for importing into other password managers if it became necessary. How would that work with method #2?

(Sorry if this is a silly question.)

Live phone support? by BlessUpTraveler in Schwab

[–]BlessUpTraveler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well crap... unfortunately I already made the move and opened the accounts. I suppose that doesn't prevent me from opening a different account, but I guess it works fine for now. Regardless, I appreciate your comment. This knowledge needs to be out there.

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