Credit Card Thread - Now with a Beginner's Guide to free travel/FAQ

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by blind dog, Apr 10, 2015.

  1. rut row

    rut row Well-Known Member
    Rutgers Scarlet KnightsNew York YankeesBrooklyn NetsNew York Giants

    If you are looking for the explorer card, my referral is below. They are offering up to 40-65k miles right now once you hit certain spending thresholds (which i think is up from 40-55k). newark is a big united hub, so its been great for me.

    -free checked bag for you and a travel partner
    -pays for tsa-pre/global entry
    -no foreign transaction fees
    -2 united club passes annually
    -free for first year, then $100 annually
    -priority boarding
    -a bunch of travel protections

    https://www.referyourchasecard.com/217a/BP2VBGYLH7
     
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  2. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    I know I've seen it in the past but it's been a while. I'm just being picky and needy
     
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  3. TAS

    TAS 20_ _ TMB Poster of the Year
    Donor

    Damn that would be nice. Can you get the bonus for both united personal cards?
     
  4. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    The terms on both cards only say the "offer is not available to current cardmembers of this credit card" so I would think so. I would definitely downgrade my Explorer card if I went to the Club card; I hit silver status last year and could hit gold this year so most of the card perks aren't worth it to me aside from the two club passes
     
    TAS likes this.
  5. pratyk

    pratyk Arsenal FC, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
    Rutgers Scarlet KnightsArsenal

    Look who showed up in this thread!
     
  6. rut row

    rut row Well-Known Member
    Rutgers Scarlet KnightsNew York YankeesBrooklyn NetsNew York Giants

    :gfa:
     
  7. John McGuirk

    John McGuirk member of the blue tiger club
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesDallas CowboysDallas StarsDallas Mavericks alt

    Anyone have the AAdvantage card? Is it worth it?

    Just found out I’m going to be traveling at least twice a month for work and want to cash in on it. Already have a CSR and CF
     
  8. Zebbie

    Zebbie Hey Mike, guess what I have in my underwear?
    Donor
    Texas Tech Red RaidersTexas RangersChicago CubsDallas StarsTexas Tech Red Raiders alt

    If you’re always flying AA it probably is worth it - if you care about having Admirals Club access, get the AA Executive card
     
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  9. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    :angrycorn:
     
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  10. pratyk

    pratyk Arsenal FC, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
    Rutgers Scarlet KnightsArsenal

    Did you get the official shutdown notice?
     
  11. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Not yet, good thing my last name is Zygote so they won't get to me until June
     
  12. pratyk

    pratyk Arsenal FC, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
    Rutgers Scarlet KnightsArsenal

    Well .. good to know you're a eukaryote.
     
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  13. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Here you go friend. Your totals here are:

    AA: 246,000 - Should cover two business class one-ways PHX-LHR
    Chase UR: 435,000
    United: 99,000 - Should cover one business class one-way, transfer an additional ~41k Chase UR to the two accounts so they both have exactly 70k
    Hyatt: 110,000 (transfer 40,000 UR here)

    [​IMG]

    That should get you two business class seats each way direct, six nights in the nicest hotels Hyatt has to offer and about 350,000 UR for about $1100 after taxes. If you want, take 111,000 UR out to cover those costs so you had a "free" trip.

    If that third person in the family isn't a lapchild like I kind of assumed it was, just send more UR points to United for that leg and open an AA business card
     
    #12063 ohhaithur, Jan 14, 2020
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2020
  14. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
    Tampa Bay LightningSan Diego Padres

    Would love to hop on that Unite Club Card if they ever waived the AF for the first year. I honestly just learned about the card a couple weeks ago.
     
    tjosu likes this.
  15. CoastalOrange

    CoastalOrange Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Clemson TigersTennessee VolunteersBarcelonaUnited States Men's National Soccer TeamLiverpool

    Maybe this type of stuff is common for others itt but I see the above and think, "he's a magician!"
     
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  16. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    It's a weird niche knowledge to have but it's hella useful
     
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  17. Sportfan

    Sportfan From Six to Dumptime
    San Antonio SpursHouston TexansNew Mexico State AggiesTexas AandM Aggies

    So the sapphire Lyft point multiplier is now 10x through 2022? That will cover the annual fee uptick for me pretty easily.
     
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  18. i am a bammer

    i am a bammer Ben Eblen>Jamychal Green
    Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideSan Diego Padres

    Yeah isn't that basically 30 cents on the dollar(toward UR redemption) return in points? Plus the 15% off. Not bad.
     
    bro likes this.
  19. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    onemileatatime calculated the value of the Lyft Pink thing and it was enormous if you did it right
     
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  20. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    i think its only one year from activation
     
  21. Open Carry

    Open Carry TMB Rib Master
    Donor
    Hartford WhalersAuburn TigersConnecticut HuskiesAtlanta United

    That’s the lyft pink program. 10x points is until March 2022.
     
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  22. Nelson

    Nelson Can somebody please get Ja Rhule on the phone
    Donor
    Nebraska CornhuskersDenver NuggetsDenver BroncosColorado AvalanceBorussia DortmundManchester UnitedColorado State Rams

    Anyone got current tips for best business card? Friend runs a little girls’ dance studio and is going to put upwards of 50k on it for costumes etc.
     
  23. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
    Donor
    San Diego State AztecsSan Diego Padres

    chase ink business preferred is a good one that a lot of us in here have. especially if he's already in the Chase UR ecosystem. last i checked, still 80K signup bonus. can get multiple/self refer so that he can rack up the UR points
     
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  24. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Yeah the bonus on CIP is the best. But he can clean up on bonuses if he gets adventurous
     
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  25. Nelson

    Nelson Can somebody please get Ja Rhule on the phone
    Donor
    Nebraska CornhuskersDenver NuggetsDenver BroncosColorado AvalanceBorussia DortmundManchester UnitedColorado State Rams


    Thanks guys, I’ll rec that she do the bonus on CIP first. Doubt she’ll want to dip into the dark arts like many of us do in here. Curious though if something like chase Freedom wouldn’t be better for the 1.5x on all of the online orders? She already has a personal CSR so the transfer and UR bonus would seem helpful
     
  26. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    If she's going to just pick one for the next 10 years BoA Cash Rewards can do 3% on online purchases

    $15,000 right there

    But bonuses are more fun
     
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  27. Nelson

    Nelson Can somebody please get Ja Rhule on the phone
    Donor
    Nebraska CornhuskersDenver NuggetsDenver BroncosColorado AvalanceBorussia DortmundManchester UnitedColorado State Rams

    Good shout. She’s looking for travel rewards tho.

    thanks fellas for the help as always
     
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  28. Nelson

    Nelson Can somebody please get Ja Rhule on the phone
    Donor
    Nebraska CornhuskersDenver NuggetsDenver BroncosColorado AvalanceBorussia DortmundManchester UnitedColorado State Rams

    On another note, if there are any flight redemption geeks in here (paging ohhaithur ), I’m trying to pull off the following:

    Fly from Newark to Auckland on Air New Zealand next January (2021) for a wedding—wife and I. The route starts flying in October this year.

    Undecided between flying the two of us on their skycouch (one “lay flat” platform across three economy seats) or business class. Not interested in 17 hours on a plane where you can’t lie flat at all, so not interested in premium economy.

    As of this post, we have about 130k UR points and 120k Amex. I’ve yet to dip into a CIP for the 80k bonus so I’ll probably do that in the next week or so here.

    Would be willing to pay some cash+points if necessary. Obviously I will look at booking directly with the points through the Amex and UR portals, but wondering if there are other point transfer opportunities? I believe Air NZ is star alliance, so perhaps converting points to United then booking when have a better value? I’ve just never done any point transfers so I’m not sure how best to calculate, etc.
     
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  29. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    You can definitely book Air New Zealand through United with miles but the premium class saver awards are not all that common to that region from what I’ve seen. You might be able to book economy tickets at 80k miles round trip and then pay to upgrade to the sky couch but I’m not sure if that airline lets you pay for upgrades on awards
     
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  30. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Really the only thing you can do is to check prices on dates you want to see if transfer is less than portal
     
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  31. Nelson

    Nelson Can somebody please get Ja Rhule on the phone
    Donor
    Nebraska CornhuskersDenver NuggetsDenver BroncosColorado AvalanceBorussia DortmundManchester UnitedColorado State Rams

    Thanks—I had the same thought re: using points then trying to upgrade to the couch with cash. I’ll ask the airline.

    Explain to me more about premium class saver awards? I see them on the United site but just curious how they work/when you see them, etc.

    Thanks as always man, you are a true friend of the crown :heythere:

    Some of this is a moot point as they haven’t started selling the EWR > AKL seats yet so I’m just looking at what I presume would be the comparable trip from O’Hare
     
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  32. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    When you search for an award flight on United it will show you the standard economy fare (generally 40k miles one way to Australia/NZ). It also has premium cabin awards and certain days will be shown as saver awards, it’s just a lower priced premium cabin award flight. From my experience, United is not the best site for redeeming premium cabin awards as these saver dates are a little tough to find. I have gotten lucky one time and booked a saver award in the upper deck of a Lufthansa 747 on the way home from Paris but other than that, especially to the region you’re going, their premium awards are steep.
     
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  33. Nelson

    Nelson Can somebody please get Ja Rhule on the phone
    Donor
    Nebraska CornhuskersDenver NuggetsDenver BroncosColorado AvalanceBorussia DortmundManchester UnitedColorado State Rams

    Got it, thanks man
     
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  34. Nelson

    Nelson Can somebody please get Ja Rhule on the phone
    Donor
    Nebraska CornhuskersDenver NuggetsDenver BroncosColorado AvalanceBorussia DortmundManchester UnitedColorado State Rams

    tjosu looks like for January/February/March each year they have a few days that have a Business Saver fare for 90k one way. Hoping that it lines up to work with the wedding (date isn’t nailed down yet). Thanks again for the help
     
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  35. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    90k would be an incredible redemption value I would think. Hope you get lucky with dates
     
    Nelson likes this.
  36. Nelson

    Nelson Can somebody please get Ja Rhule on the phone
    Donor
    Nebraska CornhuskersDenver NuggetsDenver BroncosColorado AvalanceBorussia DortmundManchester UnitedColorado State Rams

    yeah depending on how you value united points that’s a lie flat business class one way in the sky for 15-17 hours for $1000-1200 in points. Insane
     
  37. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
    Donor TMB OG
    Texas LonghornsManchester United

  38. pratyk

    pratyk Arsenal FC, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
    Rutgers Scarlet KnightsArsenal

    There's easy money to be made once you have a certain reputation. They all go chasing the quick buck - nerdwallet, tpg, wirecutter, etc.
     
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  39. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Doctor of Credit holding firm still
     
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  40. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    Switched my AmEx airline choice to United a couple weeks ago. Bought a club pass in the app on 1/20, credit posted on 1/23. This will be an easy way to use up the full fee and not go all in with the United Club card, although that current 75k bonus is still tempting
     
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  41. TAS

    TAS 20_ _ TMB Poster of the Year
    Donor

    The basic united card just had its bonus upped to 60k for $3k spending. Great offer with the first AF waived.
     
  42. WC

    WC Bad Company, ‘til the day I die.
    Donor TMB OG
    North Carolina State WolfpackAtlanta BravesCarolina PanthersCarolina HurricanesUnited States Men's National Soccer Team

    Damnit
     
  43. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    Yeah that is a solid offer, has me considering downgrading that card that I already have so I can sign back up
     
    TAS likes this.
  44. TAS

    TAS 20_ _ TMB Poster of the Year
    Donor

    If you applied for the same card in the last 90 days, send Chase a PM and ask them to match the better offer
     
  45. WC

    WC Bad Company, ‘til the day I die.
    Donor TMB OG
    North Carolina State WolfpackAtlanta BravesCarolina PanthersCarolina HurricanesUnited States Men's National Soccer Team

    I will try this, thanks
     
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  46. Uncle Tupelo

    Uncle Tupelo Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Ohio State BuckeyesCincinnati RedsCleveland Browns

    Welp, got my 1099 from Chase this morning for referrals. Not unexpected, but just a heads up.
     
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  47. LSU90

    LSU90 Well-Known Member

    Also received mine :(
     
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  48. LSU90

    LSU90 Well-Known Member

    Just applied for CIP5 for my wife. For some reason, I thought we had both gotten our CIP5 and my next was going to be CIP6 for myself. Will keep everyone in the loop for those who use this method.
     
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  49. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    a
     
    #12099 ohhaithur, Jan 27, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2020
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  50. Uncle Tupelo

    Uncle Tupelo Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Ohio State BuckeyesCincinnati RedsCleveland Browns

    Its going to be a sad day when Chase catches onto this. I'll be going for CIP5 for my next MSR card.