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Oh neat that sounds like a good idea. I can get away with only spending like $30 a month on gas and I use the same place 90% of the time so I’ll have to do similar. I usually use my Chase card because it gives 5% cash back at gas stations a lot of the time, so the one that just got hit had never been used at a pump. I did use it inside a plaza though, it didn’t seem a shady place at all (was actually semi impressive and had a ton of chain food things I had no interest in) and the terminal was regular and shouldn’t in theory be tampered with, but who knows.
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Feb 26, 2020 01:18
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EL BROMANCE posted:Oh neat that sounds like a good idea. I can get away with only spending like $30 a month on gas and I use the same place 90% of the time so I’ll have to do similar. Yeah, this quarter is Gas Stations with the Freedom and Grocery/Walgreens/CVS with Discover. Next quarter, Discover has Gas Stations, Uber, Lyft, and Wholesale Clubs. Chase hasn't announced theirs yet, naturally. Last year Chase's Q2 categories included Grocery Stores, so you'd be covered either way. I still have a Blue Cash Preferred from one of those targeted $250 upgrade bonuses, so I've been making good use of that where I can. quote:I did use it inside a plaza though, it didn’t seem a shady place at all (was actually semi impressive and had a ton of chain food things I had no interest in) and the terminal was regular and shouldn’t in theory be tampered with, but who knows. 
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Feb 26, 2020 01:56
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Just mentioning that the First Bank Ducks Unlimited card gives 5% back year round on gas (and sporting goods stores). I figure since I use it exclusively at gas stations, it's a bit of a buffer from my main cards, since POS gas pumps still seem to still be a pretty major source of fraud? The gift card to get the cash price is a neat trick, though.
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Feb 26, 2020 02:43
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EL BROMANCE posted:I've had two cards, from different banks, cloned in the last week. Am I just seriously unlucky? The first I'm sure was a gas station, I handed my card to a friend as he's from out of the country and I'm gonna guess there was a skimmer installed he didn't know to check for. Crappy but happens. I got a fraud email as the transaction was blocked for whatever reason. Per what astral said, I personally have a  theory about POS malware. About a year or so ago, a good chunk of my friends, myself included, had false charges on cards all within a few months. I've kind of been suspecting one specific POS brand that I know runs on Windows XP, or 8 if it's been upgraded, though I have no real evidence against it.
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Feb 26, 2020 06:26
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astral posted:I always go inside to pay at gas stations where I can't tap at the pump or use a mobile app. Usually, though, I'll buy a gift card to the gas station from a grocery store with a high% cashback rate, get grocery rewards from it for free groceries or cheaper gas, then use the gift card to get the gas station's cash rate instead of paying extra to use credit. That's an interesting trick, I need to see what gas cards the local grocery store has. I wonder if there's any gas stations that have a website that I can purchase GC from, so I can get the 5% on gas, plus the lower cash rate.
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Feb 26, 2020 16:27
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So, back in the long ago days near the beginning of the year, I was planning a trip to Japan. I signed up for a Chase Sapphire Preferred, booked the hotels and flights through it, easily meeting my spend requirement for the bonus miles. With Japan basically shutting down due to the Coronavirus, I'm about to cancel my trip. Is there anything I can day to Chase, given the circumstances beyond my control, that might get them to give me longer on the spending?
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Feb 29, 2020 20:05
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I must assume the banks are preparing for a massive amount of consumer delinquencies. Over the past 2 months, I have received maybe a dozen notices that the late payment fees are increasing on nearly every card I carry. I know it doesn't matter to all of us, since we all pay our bills off every month to maximize rewards, but just a heads up.
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Mar 1, 2020 06:39
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Thanatosian posted:So, back in the long ago days near the beginning of the year, I was planning a trip to Japan. I signed up for a Chase Sapphire Preferred, booked the hotels and flights through it, easily meeting my spend requirement for the bonus miles. With Japan basically shutting down due to the Coronavirus, I'm about to cancel my trip. Is there anything I can day to Chase, given the circumstances beyond my control, that might get them to give me longer on the spending? I don't have any answers to your question, but if you aren't able to get refunds for cancelled arrangements, you may want to try to see if their trip insurance will cover it. It's a long shot since it's not on the list of covered reasons, but biological catastrophe seems like an arguable reason. 
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Mar 1, 2020 07:17
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Thanatosian posted:So, back in the long ago days near the beginning of the year, I was planning a trip to Japan. I signed up for a Chase Sapphire Preferred, booked the hotels and flights through it, easily meeting my spend requirement for the bonus miles. With Japan basically shutting down due to the Coronavirus, I'm about to cancel my trip. Is there anything I can day to Chase, given the circumstances beyond my control, that might get them to give me longer on the spending? I've got a Chase reserve and had a trip to Japan this month that I just canceled. I used their travel assistance service and they were able to get me a full refund from my airline for me - which was a lovely discount airline. I've also used them to do very easy free flight rescheduling, so that might be an avenue to explore also.
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Mar 1, 2020 07:48
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The hotels are going to refund my money, and I may take a small bath on the plane tickets, but the real issue is the bonus miles I'm going to miss out on once the money is refunded, I assume.
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Mar 1, 2020 08:52
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El Mero Mero posted:I've got a Chase reserve and had a trip to Japan this month that I just canceled. I used their travel assistance service and they were able to get me a full refund from my airline for me - which was a lovely discount airline. I've also used them to do very easy free flight rescheduling, so that might be an avenue to explore also. This is very encouraging. I am concerned about the trip I booked to Greece this summer through AirTransat with URs and my CSR. Does anyone know if Airbnb counts as ‘hotel expenses’?
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Mar 1, 2020 13:55
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TraderStav posted:This is very encouraging. I am concerned about the trip I booked to Greece this summer through AirTransat with URs and my CSR. Does anyone know if Airbnb counts as ‘hotel expenses’? MERCHANT LOCATION*: AIRBNB.COM CA MERCHANT CATEGORY: LODGING - HOTELS, MOTELS, RESORTS
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Mar 1, 2020 16:23
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angryrobots posted:MERCHANT LOCATION*: AIRBNB.COM CA Awesome. Glad to see that the trip insurance would cover those, provided they cover things like travel bans and outbreaks, but that's another story altogether. Not sure how to insulate from that. Still going to hold off on other large expenses associated with this August trip (AirBnB's, rental car, etc) to minimize losses and see where this goes.
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Mar 1, 2020 16:25
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Thanatosian posted:The hotels are going to refund my money, and I may take a small bath on the plane tickets, but the real issue is the bonus miles I'm going to miss out on once the money is refunded, I assume. Did you already pass the deadline? If not, go out and buy gift cards for something you’ll use in the future. It may sound weird, but buy $1000 (or however much you need to spend) in your local grocery store gift cards or target gift cards or whatever. That is, assuming that you go to the same grocery store every week. Or, assuming they still do it, just go to a Simon mall and buy $x,000 if visa gift cards and use those for your future purchases. It used to be $16 per thousand for the activation fees, idk what it is now, but don’t miss out on the bonus! ***All of this assumes that you currently have enough to pay the bill in full and won’t carry a balance
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Mar 1, 2020 17:25
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Chase travel insurance is funny, I called asking about our trip to Hong Kong last fall. I was worried about all the Chinese military drills on the border, and when I called the UR line to ask if travel insurance covers declarations of war or civil unrest the representative said they don't cover it. Even if there were Chinese tanks on the ground, a travel advisory from the US State Dept, etc she said they still wouldn't cover it as it wasn't under their terms. I'm glad we didn't have to argue that one further, all we dealt with on our trip was transportation disruptions and dealing with the effects of tear gas.
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Mar 1, 2020 22:06
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Cacafuego posted:Did you already pass the deadline? If not, go out and buy gift cards for something you’ll use in the future. It may sound weird, but buy $1000 (or however much you need to spend) in your local grocery store gift cards or target gift cards or whatever. That is, assuming that you go to the same grocery store every week.
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Mar 1, 2020 22:36
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Yeah, both Trip Cancellation and Interruption benefits specifically exclude war (declared or undeclared) in the booklet. Severe weather, a terrorist action/hijacking, or a physician-imposed quarantine are covered though. Or if you or one of your companions (or an immediate family member thereof) get sick and need to change plans.
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Mar 1, 2020 22:50
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astral posted:Yeah, both Trip Cancellation and Interruption benefits specifically exclude war (declared or undeclared) in the booklet. Also bird strikes are not covered by Chase. They are considered an act of God, we found that one out the hard way. Flights, hotels, etc not covered. Thankfully the airline covered some of it, and Hilton did us a solid by refunding our nonrefundable rooms.
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Mar 1, 2020 23:08
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VorpalBunny posted:Also bird strikes are not covered by Chase. They are considered an act of God, we found that one out the hard way. Flights, hotels, etc not covered. Thankfully the airline covered some of it, and Hilton did us a solid by refunding our nonrefundable rooms. A relative of mine once parked under a palm tree that dropped some of its fronds and messed up the vehicle's hood. It happened in the parking lot of a local branch of their car insurance. 'Act of God'; not covered.
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Mar 1, 2020 23:16
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That is 100% not an Act of God, car rental companies and insurance companies are just a loving scourge.
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Mar 1, 2020 23:34
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astral posted:A relative of mine once parked under a palm tree that dropped some of its fronds and messed up the vehicle's hood. It happened in the parking lot of a local branch of their car insurance. Sounds like he should park further from branches.
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Mar 1, 2020 23:39
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I'm pretty new to the world of credit card rewards and am trying to figure out which Hotel Rewards program to start using. I primarily use my Amex Gold so I want to use my Amex rewards in the best way. The two programs I can choose between are Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy. I have no current opinion on either hotel since I've been pretty poor most of my life until now so I've always stayed at super budget places. I don't travel for work but I travel for fun domestically and internationally two or three times a year. I mostly just want the best bang for my buck. Any opinions from you experts about which program is better if there is a better one?
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Mar 1, 2020 23:51
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astral posted:Yeah, both Trip Cancellation and Interruption benefits specifically exclude war (declared or undeclared) in the booklet. That’s good to know. I looked closer at my plan and it looks like I cancel for $300/ticket if needed (assuming insurance doesn’t cover). Question is, I paid partial with points through UR, would I get my 130k points back and be out the $300*5 tickets?
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Mar 1, 2020 23:52
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Maed posted:I'm pretty new to the world of credit card rewards and am trying to figure out which Hotel Rewards program to start using. I primarily use my Amex Gold so I want to use my Amex rewards in the best way. The two programs I can choose between are Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy. I have no current opinion on either hotel since I've been pretty poor most of my life until now so I've always stayed at super budget places. What do you want out of a hotel right now? Serious question.
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Mar 2, 2020 00:00
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Insane Totoro posted:What do you want out of a hotel right now? Serious question. Mostly just a place to stay while I'm traveling, I don't really care about amenities or anything like that. A gym is the only thing I'd really use. I've never gone to a resort and not sure if I ever will unless someone I know really wants to go. So pretty much I just want the hotel as a place to stay that is comfortable and clean.
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Mar 2, 2020 00:08
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In that case I'd just base it off of destination and your convenience. Both Marriott and Hilton redemption via Amex is just not a phenomenal value unless you personally get great benefit out on not paying for said night and it's a convenient location.
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Mar 2, 2020 00:28
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Signup for the programs if you want, but as a vacation traveler you aren't going to get anything worthwhile out of them.
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Mar 2, 2020 00:29
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So it's a better value using the points on flights and just paying cash for the hotel?
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Mar 2, 2020 00:40
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If you're asking if you should transfer Amex points to either Hilton or Marriott then the generic answer is no. You will almost always find better value through flights, however every now and then you can find ridiculous hotel point deals, normally cause the price is jacked up for some reason. You'd have to decide if it's worth your time to look as the chance of this occuring is low.
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Mar 2, 2020 00:47
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That is always a trick question, because it seems nearly all value in flight redemptions are for high-end seats. Flying business to Asia for 75k miles in whatever program, OMG what a steal! I fly economy with my husband and 4 small children, flying biz or first class is not my world, so we always find cheap cash flights and find more value in using points for hotel stays - though we usually stay in Airbnbs due to our family size. It all boils down to what you want out of your leisure travel. If you value high-class flying experiences, aim for flight redemptions. If you use hotels to relax and escape, aim for hotel redemptions. If you care more about experiences, see what the Amex points can get you outside of either redemption.
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Mar 2, 2020 01:20
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StormDrain posted:Sounds like he should park further from branches. 
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Mar 2, 2020 01:22
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Maed posted:So it's a better value using the points on flights and just paying cash for the hotel? No just use them where they're the most useful to you. Amex point transfers are pretty uh, useless for practical everyday travel in terms of dollars per point. Just enjoy your vacation and get a few free rooms!
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Mar 2, 2020 02:50
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Maed posted:I'm pretty new to the world of credit card rewards and am trying to figure out which Hotel Rewards program to start using. I primarily use my Amex Gold so I want to use my Amex rewards in the best way. The two programs I can choose between are Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy. I have no current opinion on either hotel since I've been pretty poor most of my life until now so I've always stayed at super budget places. Do what we do, sign up for all the reward cards Jerk McJerkface posted:Goon Credit Card random referral page: Super-NintendoUser fucked around with this message at 15:10 on Mar 4, 2020 |
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Mar 3, 2020 17:05
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This seems like a long shot, but does anyone know if the trip insurance from (e.g. Chase) credit cards covers conference fees? My wife had a refundable flight and hotel, but unless the conference itself is canceled (which it might be), she'll be out the $1200 fee.
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Mar 4, 2020 00:04
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No-AF 4x dining and takeout returns 'soon' with US Bank's Altitude Go, according to DoC. They're also launching a $95 AF attempt to compete with the CSP that has 5x on prepaid hotel and car rentals (with their booking portal) and 4x on Travel + Gas Stations. There's also some kind of small streaming service credit. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/us-bank-soon-to-launch-two-new-altitude-cards-full-details/ If you get one of these cards, do remember that US Bank is really strict about buying gift cards using their credit cards. That aside, 4x on dining with no annual fee does sound nice. Now, if only US Bank started issuing contactless cards... astral fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Mar 6, 2020 |
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Mar 6, 2020 05:34
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runawayturtles posted:This seems like a long shot, but does anyone know if the trip insurance from (e.g. Chase) credit cards covers conference fees? My wife had a refundable flight and hotel, but unless the conference itself is canceled (which it might be), she'll be out the $1200 fee. Chase's travel cancellation insurance will not cover "Event Tickets", which I think includes conference fees. Additionally, it specifically excludes coverage of cancellation due to "Your disinclination to travel due to an epidemic or pandemic"
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Mar 7, 2020 01:26
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cowtown posted:Additionally, it specifically excludes coverage of cancellation due to "Your disinclination to travel due to an epidemic or pandemic" I think it's awesome how much this is a hilarious slam dunk for whatever actuary / lawyer team came up with this exclusion. I bet directors at every insurance company in the world are looking at the fine print they have in their contracts for pandemics now and are either kicking themselves or celebrating. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 02:37 on Mar 7, 2020 |
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Mar 7, 2020 02:34
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Anyone have thoughts on the Sallie Mae Accelerate card? 2.5% cash back for first 12 months (1.25% thereafter), and additional 25% bonus on any rewards that are used to pay down student loans (even non-Sallie Mae loans). By my math that means 3.125% cash back for 12 months if all the cash back is used on student loan repayment (after that it drops to ~1.5%, which isn't anything special). My SO is about to start with student loan repayment, so this seems like it could be a decent card for her for a year. Does that sound right, or am I missing something?
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Mar 7, 2020 22:24
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cowtown posted:Chase's travel cancellation insurance will not cover "Event Tickets", which I think includes conference fees. Figured as much... even though "disinclination" in this case was her being forced to go for work, and then forced to not go.
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Mar 7, 2020 23:17
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cowtown posted:Chase's travel cancellation insurance will not cover "Event Tickets", which I think includes conference fees. Regarding the latter, what about a quarantine situation? I have a flight planned to New York City next month. If either my state or the state of New York impose a quarantine stopping commercial air travel, is that also not covered?
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Mar 8, 2020 17:05
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