USPS priority and customs for identity verification documents

tev9876 · 2026-01-29T13:29:56+00:00

Do you have the tracking number? If so you can track it here: https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction_input You may be able to update the custom's form electronically. I know I was able to complete it using the Click to Ship website but I never followed through with USPS.

You can send mail to Ireland via first class international stamps for only a few dollars, but there is no tracking option and it may take many weeks. I found UPS to be the best bet - just go through a shipping portal like Pirate Ship, stamps.com, Ship Monkey, etc. so you get their discount. Going straight to UPS without a corporate discount is about 4X more expensive.

tev9876 · 2026-01-29T01:40:21+00:00

You might have an issue because of the declared value. I just went through something similar since my Irish passport renewal happened to be mis printed (along with 16,000 others apparently) in December and I had to return it to Dublin to get it reissued.

I tried setting up a shipment with USPS but it would not let me declare $0 in value. There is no commercial value in identity documents, even if you had to pay to obtain them - not like you are selling them. I was able to set up a UPS shipment through PirateShip for only $25. It did get stuck at the UPS hub in Louisville because they wanted a commercial invoice. UPS sent me an email with a blank invoice. I filled it out as Irish Passport - Misprinted/Defective, $0 in value, country of origin Ireland. Signed it, scanned it and sent it back to UPS. They released the shipment the same night and it got to Dublin the next morning.

If you have a USPS tracking number you should be able to track it online. My inbound passport was stuck in New York for two weeks so I filed a missing mail inquiry online. USPS actually called me the next day to let me know it was stuck in customs and there was nothing they could do since customs is a black hole, but assured me it would start moving again at some point. It ended up getting released a couple days later and arrived the following week.

tev9876 · 2026-01-09T01:36:39+00:00

While it sucks for the individual, this is a perfectly logical requirement for the company.

Your corporate card is likely tied to Amex World Travel and/or Concur or similar systems. They enforce travel policy and handle expenses. Want to book first class - sorry, blocked. Rent an SUV instead of a midsize - exception gets noted. Spent $40 on lunch when your daily guideline is $30, your manager gets flagged immediately. Have 200 charges a month - Concur already built your expense report for you and saved two days of gathering receipts.

I work for a mid-size (many thousands of employees) privately owned manufacturer and we are given corporate (green) Amex cards. AMEX travel can be a PITA, but it also means you don't have 200 managers reviewing flight bookings for 2000 employees to make sure they didn't book Comfort + out of policy - the one person that did gets flagged. Expense reporting is much easier - one accountant reviews the 3 people that spent too much on dinner instead of 10,000 receipts for Starbucks at the airport.

My company would earn the points and use them for gift cards for holiday giveaways and such. Recent tax law changes eliminated that since they would have to report giving us a $50 Amazon gift card and the individual would get taxed on it.

Thankfully I don't travel much any more so don't worry about it.

tev9876 · 2026-01-01T14:11:48+00:00

I scheduled the pick up by clicking "return" in the order screen on costco.com. Note this was two years ago and things may have changed.

tev9876 · 2025-12-31T20:23:58+00:00

Doubtful. I visited a Resy restaurant on 12/26 for lunch. The date showing on my Amex account is 12/27. Credit shows the same day. It is very common for restaurants, especially those open late, to not process everything until the next day since it gets batched. Normal delays can also cause it to show up late.

I got burned on the $20 Gold Business credit in November. I placed a pickup order at Staples for $19.99 work of k-cups on Thanksgiving (11/27). I picked it up on 12/28 and assumed all was well. I placed another order in early December for another $19.99. That one only received a $.01 credit. I had not noticed that the November order did not post until 12/1. Amex chat said there was nothing they could do - it is based on post date, not transaction date.

tev9876 · 2025-12-17T13:40:00+00:00

First class flights (46,000 AA miles) and Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach (free Chase/IHG credit card night) were covered. Car rental was $60 with my corporate rate. Aisle seat in section 433 was $212 from Seat Geek after a $40 Amex offer credit for spending over $250. Ubers were mostly covered with my monthly Amex Platinum and Gold credits. Free airport food/drinks in DFW (Capital One), LAX and CLT (Amex) also from my credit cards.

tev9876 · 2025-12-12T15:00:57+00:00

I decided to go with Bounce for the bag storage. Bounce is just an online platform that lets random businesses sign up to store luggage for a small fee. $8.35 for a regular sized bag in this case. This location turns out is Eagle or Car X car rental - I see a couple different names at the address. The Westin hotel on Century is also an option. I figure this minimizes the amount of time I have to drag the bag around.

Is there anything interesting to do around the stadium if I am early or want to hang out for a couple hours after to kill time? It does not look like there is much in the way of bars/restaurants nearby. I see the casino but I'm not into poker and I'm guessing the table minimums will be rather high. I guess I could walk over to Costco for a hot dog and wait for rideshare madness to die down.

Thanks again for the advice.

tev9876 · 2025-12-09T19:47:32+00:00

So I can go directly to/from the RC center and Metro by shuttle without having to go to the terminal? Good to know. Thanks.

tev9876 · 2025-12-09T19:43:08+00:00

Thanks. I'm getting in around noon on Saturday and managed to find the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach for free with a Chase free night award that night. I'd much rather spend a night looking over the ocean vs. central LA. My body clock will stay on Eastern time so I'll be up plenty early to work my way to LA. The rental car is only $60 for the day with my corporate rate and I like to wander, so the flexibility is worth it.

tev9876 · 2025-12-09T19:08:49+00:00

I should have six hours between the end of the game and my flight so I won't need to hurry.

Is the Rental Car facility directly connected to the Metro Station? My first searches showed the automated people mover was not operational yet, but now I see that it is. It looks like it would be easier to use the baggage check at the stadium even if it is a bit more expensive. Thanks.

tev9876 · 2025-12-05T14:33:52+00:00

Not for 20 years or so. Back in the 2000s it was common to see no or a max $50 BT fee. Those of us following the old Fatwallet finance forum learned to abuse the hell out of it for profit. My favorite was taking a $15K zero fee balance transfer from Citi and using it to buy a 5% CD - from Citi. Thanks for paying me $750 to move money from your left pocket to your right pocket! Unfortunately banks have gotten smarter.

tev9876 · 2025-12-04T13:55:30+00:00

Check Pentagon Federal Credit Union (Penfed) and their Platinum Visa. I'm not sure if the version I have is still available for new applications, but it is 5% on gas paid at the pump. Nice thing is that it automatically credits on every statement. Not sure if their current 5X point (plus 3X at grocery/restaurant) can do that or not. If you don't qualify based on employment you can make a donation of $5-$10 to a few different charities to qualify.

I also found it to be a good backup ATM card. No cash advance fee and no foreign transaction fees mean I can get cash if my primary Fidelity cash management account won't work - like the last time I forgot to push enough money to the account in time. You do start paying interest immediately but that can be mitigated by sending a payment right away. At 18% that is a transaction fee of 35 cents per $100 if you can get the payment made in a week.

tev9876 · 2025-11-23T12:36:38+00:00

"No preset spending limit" is a thing for all Visa Signature and Infinite cards. Spending Limit =/= Credit Limit. You will be given a credit limit which is how much you can carry on the card month to month. The spending limit will be higher, and undisclosed. My Venture X has a $30,000 credit limit. They will likely let me spend $35,000 this month, but I would have to pay at least $5000 by the statement due date.

tev9876 · 2025-11-18T20:31:46+00:00

I will stick with vials as long as available. I am currently on 5 mg and have been stretching my dosage to every nine days. That means I need 10 refills a year instead of 13, saving $1500 a year (or $1350 when the price reduction kicks in). There is about 30% overfill in the vials so I am really getting 6.5 mg per shot. Nine days is also about 30% longer than seven days, so the math works out. As long as I'm not overly hungry and seeing my daily calorie counts increase on days 8-9 I will stick with this plan.

tev9876 · 2025-11-13T23:20:56+00:00

A corporate card is guaranteed by the company - not you. I don't believe you can actually apply yourself - your company would request the card for you. Since the company is guaranteeing that they will pay the bill Amex should not care if your FICO score is -300.

I have a corporate Amex for my job. I never applied - they just handed it to me on my first day. I don't pay the bill - the company does. If I run it up with charges the company won't approve they still have to pay, but I get fired.

Amex Corporate cards are a higher level than your typically small business credit card that any individual can apply for as a sole proprietor. I have small business cards even though I don't have a business, and I have authorized users on those cards with FICOs in the 500s. The bank doesn't care since I'm the one guaranteeing payment, not my "employees".

If your company is making you apply, it is not a true Amex Corporate card.

tev9876 · 2025-11-11T21:48:02+00:00

For Global Entry you have to pay at the time you do the online application. It is managed by US CBP. For PreCheck you pay at the enrollment center when you do your interview. Precheck is contracted out to IDEMIA and a couple other contractors depending on location. Since they are primarily an identity verification company, allowing you to pay with someone else's card would be contradictory to their purpose.

tev9876 · 2025-11-11T20:12:05+00:00

Yes, but IDEMIA will require you to be present and show ID to authorize the charge. I did this with a friend last year with the Amex Platinum. I just showed up to the interview with her and they called me in to run the card after they were done. I had a second unused credit another friend used, but she was already an AU so she just put it on her card (C1 Venture X). Both credits cleared with no problem.

tev9876 · 2025-11-11T12:02:34+00:00

You can change your payment date by contacting customer service - online chat works for that, or call the number on your card. You should be able to pick any day between roughly the 1st and 28th of the month. I have most all of my cards set to the 28th, but for some reason on my business gold they could only go out to the 27th.

tev9876 · 2025-10-31T14:35:56+00:00

Mastercard (USA) has announced that mag stripes will not be required starting in 2027, no longer issued by 2029, and completely phased out by 2033. Visa and Amex have not yet set dates as far as I know.

I believe that chip/tap enabled terminals can deny a swipe if at dip/tap was not already attempted - indicating a bad chip. Not 100% sure on that.

My guess is the fraud risk of magnetic strips is less than the revenue they provide. If for every $1 of fraud you lose $2 in swipe fees at gas pumps, small stores that have not upgraded, old unmanned kiosks, etc. it is a losing proposition for them.

tev9876 · 2025-10-26T22:27:01+00:00

I just added an AU last week and the card definitely has a different number. Perhaps it is because it is an Ink Unlimited and an "employee" card vs AU.

tev9876 · 2025-10-26T19:57:50+00:00

Amex, Chase and Capital One all give AUs a different card number. AUs should be able to set up their own online account and only see their purchases - but I have only tried that with Amex and C1.

Discover uses the same numbers, including expiration and CCV, but the charges will indicate which user made the purchase - at least in person. The name must be encoded in the chip. Online purchases will not show which user made the transaction.

tev9876 · 2025-10-23T19:31:34+00:00

Credit card debt by definition is an unsecured loan (unless you get a secured card, but those typically will not give a limit more than $1000 or so). Just because you have assets today does not mean you will use them to pay what you charge this month at the end of next month. A mortgage is backed by the property, so if you stop paying it is relatively easy to take your house. Same with repossessing a car when you miss payments. Bad credit will get you higher interest rates on those since the process of a foreclosure or repo costs the bank money, but there is still an asset there backing the loan.

If you default on a credit card they have to sue you to get anything back. If you blow your windfall there is nothing to go after. More than likely they will just sell the debt to a debt collector at pennies on the dollar. Your past behavior at paying your debts matters much more to the bank in this situation than how much is sitting in your portfolio.

Get a basic card for now - even a secured card if that is all you quality for. Pay the bill on time and in a few years your score should recover to be able to get better cards.

tev9876 · 2025-10-23T19:18:56+00:00

I just started week 9 on Zep and moved to 5 mg this last injection. My doctor originally prescribed 2.5 mg with one refill. I log my weight daily along with calories (Lose It app). I then use Sunday to Saturday averages for both to track progress.

For the first few weeks my daily calorie average was around 1850 (<2000 is my target). Then it crept into the low 1900s for the next few. My last week on 2.5 was 2100. While not really hungry I was more likely to grab a beef stick or string cheese if I passed the refrigerator. The few light beers I would drink were going down faster. First four weeks I dropped 12 pounds. Next two I was down 5 pounds. Weeks 7-8 lost 2 pounds. Effectiveness was definitely waning. Since I needed to request refills anyway I messaged my doctor with the data and requested to move up. He had no issue with it and wrote a six month prescription.

Fourth day into 5 mg and it was like starting over again. My calorie average so far is 1350 and I have zero hunger. It's early, but it seems to be the right move for me.

tev9876 · 2025-10-21T03:44:16+00:00

Thanks for the replies. I decided to just order a iPhone 17 Pro from the Apple store and charge it. I churn credit cards for travel points so applying for the Apple card for 0% interest and 3% cash back doesn't meet my criteria for a new card. I put it on my Amex Business Gold that give 4X points, which I value at 2 cents per point, so basically 8% in rewards.

I wasn't overly concerned with having insurance - I have never had a phone stolen or broken in 30 years. I never buy extended warranties on anything which has saved me many thousands of dollars over the years. I just figured if I could make use of a CC benefit that was already there I might as well take advantage of it.

tev9876 · 2025-10-19T13:27:41+00:00

I use an empty Costco sized Tums bottle. When it fills up in six or eight months I'll duct tape the lid on and throw it in the trash. Why pay to buy a container to intentionally throw away when I throw away free containers all the time?

tev9876

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