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. Det. Frank Bullitt

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

    welcome to the exodus.
     
    Baseballman86 likes this.
  2. Det. Frank Bullitt

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

    dang that's pedestrian.

    I have in a cell that we got a waived AF during covid on my wifes card that we've since cancelled.

    We are down to 1 and staring at dropping it or downgrading to gold at best.
     
    Baseballman86 likes this.
  3. Bricktop the white

    Bricktop the white Well-Known Member

    Anyone seen an 80 or 100k chase sign up bonus in recent memory?

    will probably pounce on that if i cant get the 100k+ amex plat bonus.
     
  4. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta Falcons

    I hate airlines. Wife and I each have delta companion ticket and are going to fly us and 2 kids somewhere for spring break. Spend a solid hour trying to find the right flights. Get everything set, there's like 70 seats available on the plane. Finally login and click to use my companion cert and what do you know, that flight not available any more
     
  5. pianoman

    pianoman my drinks are free
    Donor TMB OG
    Michigan WolverinesChicago CubsDetroit Red Wings

    I’m sure the flight is available just not for companion certificates. Certificates have very limited availability so you typically have to book extremely far out to use them.
     
    Spontaneous Cumbustion and beist like this.
  6. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta Falcons

    Yea I checked the details and it's because this flight is "Q" class not one of the 5 that certs can use. Such a damn scam.
     
    Jimmy the Saint and beist like this.
  7. steamengine

    steamengine I don’t want to press one for English!
    Donor
    Duke Blue DevilsHouston AstrosKansas City ChiefsLiverpool

    Yall keep dropping Amex; maybe they’ll come out with a dynamite sign up bo us.

    Let’s ride
     
    BayouMafia and bigjrock like this.
  8. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta Falcons

    Anybody ever sold a companion certificate? Looking like this will be a miles booking and not one where I can use the cert
     
  9. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta Falcons

    These fare class shenanigans are going to end up with me cancelling 3 cards. They shall feel my wrath. You'll get a 150K offer in no time
     
  10. Whammy

    Whammy Donde es
    Donor
    Alabama Crimson TideVanderbilt CommodoresNew Orleans SaintsChicago BlackhawksAtlanta United

    Must have been slow signups this year so far, most of the offers are now up from this post

    Business plat: 150k
    Business Gold: 130k
    Personal Plat: 125k
     
  11. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta Falcons

    Update on my flight plight. Somewhere in the last year, delta updated fare classes and now if you want to use a companion cert and fly from LAX, San Diego or SNA to ATL, the only flights that they "allow" are roughly 10PM PST to 4:30am EST red eye. What a load of absolute shit
     
    beist likes this.
  12. BellottiBold

    Donor
    Oregon Ducks

    Yeeesh that's garbagey... granted you still pay 99 beyond the taxes/fees but alaska makes their companion tix easy af to use
     
  13. Alshon

    Alshon Well-Known Member
    Donor
    South Carolina Gamecocks

    Gave up on those delta companion certs last year. Not in a hub (roughly 1/4 of my smallish airport’s flights are delta) but I was never able to use them for a decent flight.
     
  14. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother I lost my heart to a Galway girl
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Kansas State WildcatsKansas City RoyalsKansas City ChiefsSporting Kansas CityTottenham HotspurBig 8 ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceCoors LightFormula 1

    if you’re not using the delta companion cert for first class you’re doing it wrong
     
  15. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta Falcons

    You have a different cert than me, my only good for main cabin domestic, Caribbean and Central America
     
    GoodForAnother likes this.
  16. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother I lost my heart to a Galway girl
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Kansas State WildcatsKansas City RoyalsKansas City ChiefsSporting Kansas CityTottenham HotspurBig 8 ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceCoors LightFormula 1

  17. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta Falcons

  18. All_Luck

    All_Luck OK. Cool Husk em!
    Nebraska CornhuskersColorado RockiesDenver NuggetsKansas City ChiefsColorado AvalanceUnited States Men's National Soccer TeamLiverpoolBig 8 ConferenceNebraska Cornhuskers altFormula 1

  19. steamengine

    steamengine I don’t want to press one for English!
    Donor
    Duke Blue DevilsHouston AstrosKansas City ChiefsLiverpool

  20. C Yank

    C Yank #WalkOffCoach
    Donor
    Oregon DucksSeattle MarinersSeattle SeahawksSeattle Supersonics

    anybody have any luck on retention offers for amex platinum lately?
     
  21. Tommy Jefferson

    Tommy Jefferson Well-Known Member
    Nebraska CornhuskersKansas JayhawksKansas City RoyalsKansas City Chiefs

    Same question for Amex Gold.
     
  22. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
    Tampa Bay LightningSan Diego Padres

    Discover It was my first credit card.
     
    wolfpck and Sportfan like this.
  23. Struggler

    Struggler Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Ohio State BuckeyesCincinnati RedsCincinnati Bengals

    Got offered 15k for $3k spend.
     
  24. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta Falcons

    I got one, but it wasn't worth getting. 15K points for 3k spend
     
  25. Bishop

    Bishop Future Member
    Donor
    Auburn TigersBoston Red SoxAtlanta BravesAtlanta FalconsAtlanta UnitedGrateful DeadSneakers

    Nope. Downgraded back to gold and they didn’t attempt to get me to stay.
     
    Whammy likes this.
  26. Whammy

    Whammy Donde es
    Donor
    Alabama Crimson TideVanderbilt CommodoresNew Orleans SaintsChicago BlackhawksAtlanta United

    Told them I was canceling my Gold and they just let me go. It was a tertiary card, but no effort on their end.

    Will seen what happens on Plat in June
     
    Tommy Jefferson likes this.
  27. comrade static

    comrade static i love french fries
    Donor
    Oklahoma City ThunderPhiladelphia EaglesTampa Bay BuccaneersOklahoma SoonersBarAndGrillBig 8 Conference

    Cancelled my Amex plat last week. I don’t remember what the retention offer was, but I don’t really get enough of the benefits to offset whatever the annual fee was or points acquired from offer spend.

    I asked if I could downgrade to a card with no annual fee but they wouldn’t let me because the Amex plat didn’t have a spending limit on it. I didn’t realize that.
     
    #15827 comrade static, Feb 20, 2024
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2024
    C Yank and Where Eagles Dare like this.
  28. g8r

    g8r Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Florida GatorsBoston Red Sox

    Just got a capital one savor for all these dinners I am buying. 4x points and a low annual fee will work.
     
    DuffandMuff likes this.
  29. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    Pretty sure I'm going to downgrade my Amex Plat this summer. No real need for it.

    Going to replace it with Delta Reserve. My only issue right now is I want the 100k sign up....but wife and are probably going to get card and would like to space out companion passes. We have "legacy" Platinum passes that expire in August and December. If we both got the card now, we'd have the elevated location passes, but then would only go to next year and I assume around this time b/c they are tagged to your anniversary date. I'd really like to space them out, but I don't think that 100k will last very long
     
  30. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
    Tampa Bay LightningSan Diego Padres

    Anyone have a fruitful Amex gold referral?
     
    saltydawg likes this.
  31. beist

    beist Hyperbolist
    Donor

    DuffandMuff likes this.
  32. Bishop

    Bishop Future Member
    Donor
    Auburn TigersBoston Red SoxAtlanta BravesAtlanta FalconsAtlanta UnitedGrateful DeadSneakers

    Likely my next will be the Reserve. Does suck it went up to $650 annual fee.
     
  33. bigjrock

    bigjrock Pillsbury Geauxboy
    Donor
    LSU TigersNew Orleans PelicansNew Orleans Saints

    Just the standard 60k for me.
     
    DuffandMuff likes this.
  34. saltydawg

    saltydawg Omar don't scare
    Donor
    Georgia Bulldogs

    75k for 6k spend within 6 months
     
    DuffandMuff likes this.
  35. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    Anyone know how to see the Fare Code on Delta's website? Before I get a Reserve card I'd like to look at some foreign destinations and see if I can get there from Atlanta with a companion pass.

    Never had an issue domestically,
     
  36. lewis

    lewis Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Georgia BulldogsAtlanta BravesAtlanta United

    spent a few hours in the Capital One lounge at DFW yesterday - got a big chair overlooking the tarmac and fell asleep for a bit. The to-go sandwiches and snacks are a great idea.
     
    EMAW FC and Sportfan like this.
  37. Alshon

    Alshon Well-Known Member
    Donor
    South Carolina Gamecocks

    Should be in parenthesis next to the class description
     
    Where Eagles Dare likes this.
  38. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
    Tampa Bay LightningSan Diego Padres

    The Amex gold SUB restriction when you’ve previously had the Plat is shitty.
     
    BleedinGreen and bigjrock like this.
  39. LSU90

    LSU90 Well-Known Member

    Well, it seems my Chase business scheme may have come to an end. Since 2018 I have aquired 6 Ink Preferred's and 8 Ink Cash's (I use my wife as player 2 and she has a similar count). I applied for my 9th ink cash yesterday (I had last applied for a card in November) and was denied. I don't think it was because my application was too soon as it's been 3 months but I'm guessing too many credit/active accounts. Not sure if they changed their system or what's going on but I can't really find anything so if anyone knows something changed let me know. I haven't tried my wife yet (player 2) but plan to eventually or maybe I can close a bunch of these business credit cards to lower my credit/active accounts.

    upload_2024-2-22_16-27-40.png
    Following up on that Ive already had the AMEX platinum. What is the best signup card right now? I hate having to leave the chase universe.
     
    beist likes this.
  40. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
    Tampa Bay LightningSan Diego Padres

    I’m not familiar at all with business cards. Do you have to keep them open? Can’t cancel after a year?
     
  41. Bricktop the white

    Bricktop the white Well-Known Member

    Anyone have a 150K platnium referral?
    There's links floating around on reddit but i'd rather give a TMBer the bonus
     
  42. Bricktop the white

    Bricktop the white Well-Known Member


    CSR/CSP if you catch em on an 80k/100k bonus. There's also some value in the airline specific cards if you live near a hub/always fly the same airline.
     
  43. milquetoast

    milquetoast Firm Security
    Donor
    Florida GatorsNew York MetsTampa Bay BuccaneersNew York Islanders

    Best I have is 80k.

    Interestingly enough, if I get anyone to take the offer for any Amex card, I get 10x points on dining through May 31st. Too much math but it sounds good.

    Apply for an American Express Card with this link. With your new Card, you could earn a welcome bonus and your friend could earn a referral bonus. Terms Apply. https://americanexpress.com/en-us/referral/JOHNMHro5?XLINK=MYCP
     
  44. Smuggy

    Smuggy Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson Tide

    Also LSU90 do you change up the business name every time you open the same card?
     
  45. OJ

    OJ New Member
    Donor

    I am based in ATL flying Delta with the Delta Reserve card. I hit Diamond Medallion last year and with the new MQM rollover option to extend status I can keep Diamond through Jan 2027. Spending on the card for Delta status boost was the biggest perk IMO that now would not be needed until 2027 so I am thinking I should switch to a different AMEX or a new card entirely to move my family's spending to. I am not as worried about the new card's fee amount and moreso lounge access and general perks that the Reserve card does not have due to a lot of the appeal being tied to boosting medallion status. Anyone else in a similar situation or am I overthinking?
     
    GoodForAnother likes this.
  46. Lip

    Lip Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Michigan State SpartansDetroit LionsGeorge Washington Colonials

    there will be delta lounge limitations on all cards moving forward depending on your spending

    not sure there’s a card out there that will offer you more than what you have
     
  47. Pharm

    Pharm Right Handed
    Donor
    Florida State SeminolesAtlanta HawksAtlanta Falcons

    Bump.

    also anyone have a good site or way ti get thr best bang for my buck with 300k hyatt points
     
  48. COVIDiskilingme79

    COVIDiskilingme79 Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Florida GatorsChicago Cubs

    Depends what you want for the points. Luxury hotel on Maui or stretch it out using 8k points at a time at Hyatt Places which would last you years.

    We travel a lot so I tend to use mine at Hyatt Places. We haven't needed to pay for a hotel in a really long time.
     
  49. Pharm

    Pharm Right Handed
    Donor
    Florida State SeminolesAtlanta HawksAtlanta Falcons

    I mean with all the free nights I get I haven’t used points in long time. Last time was using them at an all inclusive in Jamaica
     
  50. Menelaus

    Menelaus The Red-Haired King
    Donor
    Alabama Crimson TideReal Madrid

    My wife’s LLC got a 200k Amex biz platinum mailer. $30k spend requirement. Could pull trigger Depending on whether or not the client on her current project decides to buy all the shit they’re expected to…