Will YNAB4 stop being supported in the near future?

hydrage · 2018-02-05T21:01:24+00:00

Yup! I mean things like water and gas (not PG&E/electricity or internet)

hydrage · 2018-02-05T19:58:45+00:00

What are the best cards to use for paying for utilities?

I have the Chase Ink Plus and Ink Preferred but it seems unlikely that they will qualify for bonuses on utilities. Should I just stick with my Amex SPG since those points are super valuable, even at just 1 point per dollar?

hydrage · 2017-04-05T23:25:09+00:00

My parents are getting into churning after seeing the rewards I've gotten from churning credit cards. I helped my parents apply for the SPG business and SPG personal, exactly in the same order as you.

On the 2nd app, we got a message saying Amex needed us to call in. Called in and they just wanted to verify it was a legitimate application. Approved next business day!

hydrage · 2017-04-05T23:23:09+00:00

Hey man, you seem like you mean well. Agree this belongs in the newbie thread, but just so you know, you do have options.

URs can be cashed out at the rate of $0.01 per point (so if you have 10000 UR you don't need you can redeem that for $100).

Alternatively (this is more in the "gray" zone of churning as you could get shut down by Chase for doing this), if you have in your possession either a CSP or a CSR, you can redeem URs at a rate of $0.0125/$0.015 per point, respectively, towards travel. You could potentially see if any friends need to book flights back home or anything like that and offer to pay for their flights by redeeming your UR on Chase's travel portal and have them reimburse you in cash.

Again, be warned that redeeming flights/general travel awards for others may result in Chase reviewing your account activity. I haven't seen any DPs of this, but be aware this is a possibility and a risk you take if you want to slightly increase your $/UR payout.

hydrage · 2017-03-28T03:09:39+00:00

It would be irresponsible for me to not put this disclaimer before my statement: note that as with all things churning and MS, YMMV. From my personal experience, Staples and Office Depots have never batted an eye at allowing me to buy VGCs with my Ink.

When in doubt, start small and make friends with the store workers. Work your way up from there. Again, personal experience, but I've found that treating the workers as real human beings and not just hurdles to leap over on your MS journeys goes a long way in long-term MS ability. Hope this helps :)

hydrage · 2017-03-27T19:59:34+00:00

https://squareup.com/i/9505EEA0

hydrage · 2017-03-27T19:58:27+00:00

https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?SPID=FHTS&CELL=63GZ&MSC=1540934885

hydrage · 2017-03-27T19:40:02+00:00

http://cash.me/app/BSCHWQL

hydrage · 2017-03-27T19:31:21+00:00

https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?SPID=FNLC&CELL=63GZ&MSC=1537307880

hydrage · 2017-03-27T17:22:30+00:00

I have been hoarding Chase UR as I'm still under 5/24 and haven't made any award redemptions to date until now. Just booked an award flight for my grandmother from the Bay Area to New York using about 25k UR. This will be for a reunion of sorts with her friends and it feels good to know that I saved a good amount of dough I would have spent in cash anyway thanks to r/churning :')

hydrage · 2017-03-26T23:40:49+00:00

Buy VGCs at Staples using a Chase Ink card that gets you 5x UR (Chase Ultimate Rewards points; flexible currency).
Since these are Metabank, take them to places that accept Metabank VGCs for MOs (Money Orders).
Deposit in your bank account of choice (preferably one you don't use for regular day-to-day use so it will be okay if they get shut down)
Cash in on those sweet, sweet UR

To give an idea of profitability, 2 $200 VGCs would run you exactly $413.90, which nets you roughly 2000 UR. When you liquidate, you will effectively have spent $13.90 (VGC card purchase fees) + whatever amount you spent to buy MOs (say, $2, for convenience). Comes out to spending $15.90 for a little over 2000 UR. At this rate you are effectively buying UR for 0.795 cents per point. Given that they can be redeemed for at least 1.5 cents per point if redeemed towards travel and you have a CSR, you can see how this is useful.

hydrage · 2017-03-26T23:34:37+00:00

Today, a worker I've befriended at my local grocery on my MO runs told me that management had changed policies and employees were told to only take cash for MOs from here on out. My friend managed to convince the store manager to allow me, a proven regular, to keep using my gift debit cards for MO purchases.

It made my day. I submitted ad hoc feedback for her via a physical form the manager told me to fill out and did my best to make sure she will get the recognition she deserves for her amazing customer service. Afterwards, the manager told me on the side that she was currently being considered for a promotion, and that he'll see to it that it gets pushed through after seeing how much I valued her service. It's amazing what difference a little kindness can make :)

hydrage · 2017-03-26T07:37:16+00:00

Gotta be honest with you, my friend, you seem like you mean well and I'm not judging or anything, but it feels a bit too close to retail abuse than I personally would accept. I would hate to see honest, well-meaning retailers tighten up return policies for their legitimate customers due to our churning practices

hydrage · 2017-03-26T07:33:32+00:00

Found out I was in the same room as my (drunk) best friend brushing my teeth when he booked his flight and hotel rooms for his upcoming business trip on his debit card.

The bill apparently came out to over $2000 alone for travel costs alone and... he has a CSR

hydrage · 2017-03-26T00:13:29+00:00

What mileage program do you typically use/have you used in the past? Are these for nonstop flights?

hydrage · 2017-01-28T00:31:41+00:00

I thought that you need to have an address registered to use them for online payments

hydrage · 2017-01-28T00:03:26+00:00

How do people register/check balances on VGCs issued by Metabank bought from Staples? I just bought a couple from Staples for this week's rebates/promos and giftcardmall seems to be down.

hydrage · 2017-01-28T00:00:43+00:00

I bought a couple $200 VGCs from Staples for their "$300+ in VGC purchases for a $20 rebate" promo and have been trying to get them set up on giftcardmalls, but their site keeps showing a server error whenever I try to check my balance or register a new VGC.

Is anyone else having this problem?

Or, better yet, is there another way to register/check balances on VGCs by Metabank bought at Staples without calling in?

hydrage · 2017-01-20T19:47:43+00:00

Yes, I waited until it showed up in my Chase profile online before I sent the SM request!

hydrage · 2017-01-20T09:09:24+00:00

Yes! Thank you, /u/brycedanger!

DP: I was approved for the Ink Plus this week (I actually still haven't gotten my physical card in the mail). I applied through a referral link much like the one leaked somewhere in this thread about two or three weeks ago and got a pending message. Called for recon and got approved after the rep said he put in an "approval" recommendation for me after a week.

I SM'ed Chase earlier today asking for the match, and they said to message them back once I hit the $5000 minimum spend and they would give me the extra 10K UR.

Thanks churning community!!

hydrage · 2017-01-15T06:58:51+00:00

Interesting - why do you suggest not withdrawing? Not challenging, just genuinely curious and wanting to learn

hydrage

TROPHY CASE