What did you get in the email today?

[centex]

On 2/7/2023 at 1:33 PM, StarkRaven$ said:

I like the one I get occasionally that says, "Regarding Your Recent Car Accident". What car accident? 🤔 😜

I guess that is better than WHICH car accident  

[TheVig]

Annual $25 GC from Williams-Sonoma for my b-day.

 

It's one of the perks for having the Williams-Sonoma Visa Signature card.

Edited February 17 by TheVig

[TheVig]

CFNA shedding some dim light on the conversion to a MC.

 

Card will earn 4% rewards at Firestone. Doesn't say how the rewards will work as far as redemptions. Doesn't state if card will earn anything outside of Firestone.

 

Card will have the traditional $149 or more. six months same as cash like they've always had.

[binaryhermit]

On 2/10/2023 at 10:58 AM, centex said:

I guess that is better than WHICH car accident  

My favorite is the car warranty robocalls I'd get saying my car's warranty is about to expire.

 

I wonder if they'd extend the warranty on a 404 Car DoesNotExist

[TheVig]

Another attempt on Citi's part to get me to upgrade my AA MileUp card.

 

Some days I get offers to upgrade to Executive, other days I get offers to upgrade to Platinum Select.

 

Pass.

[brainchasm]

An odd AMEX offer:

 

Spend $50 with InKind (restaurant payment alternative), AMEX will pay $50.  Comes with a special link.

Ok, fine.  But wait, if you use someone's referral link to sign up, you'll get $25 free credit.

 

So I did that, I got the 25, then I bought the 50 through the amex link, and now I have $75 of dining credit for free.

 

If you want to mess with the offer, using my referral link will get us both $25 (once you spend $50...like the $50 the AMEX plat will cover currently) - https://app.inkind.com/refer/Y4TEA6MY

Not begging anyone to use my link, and you can always go grab one from r/referralcodes, but I tested it, and it works. 🤷‍♀️

[binaryhermit]

An email from Ally that the Unlimited Cash Back Mastercard I applied for last week has shipped

[MP80]

On 3/12/2023 at 5:08 AM, TheVig said:

Another attempt on Citi's part to get me to upgrade my AA MileUp card.

 

Some days I get offers to upgrade to Executive, other days I get offers to upgrade to Platinum Select.

 

Pass.

Citi is trying to lure you into paying an extra $400 annual fee for that Executive Card (Citi's top product), just as other folks get so blissfully offering an Amex Platinum forgetting they're paying a $695 annual fee and probably a neutering SL as well.

[hegemony]

[binaryhermit]

3 hours ago, hegemony said:

Umm, what's the current total balance?

 

I assume it's low enough where even making your total credit limit $9,648,000 (AKA multiplying it by 10) doesn't really provide much additional peace of mind

[hdporter]

6 minutes ago, binaryhermit said:

Umm, what's the current total balance?

 

I assume it's low enough where even making your total credit limit $9,648,000 (AKA multiplying it by 10) doesn't really provide much additional peace of mind

 

I would assume that for @hegemony, it's not about "peace of mind"; it's about flexibility aka "and more" in the email. (well, bragging rights may come into play at some point )

Edited April 5 by hdporter

[hegemony]

Just now, binaryhermit said:

Umm, what's the current total balance?

 

I assume it's low enough where even making your total credit limit $9,648,000 (AKA multiplying it by 10) doesn't really provide much additional peace of mind

experian is trying to get me to use its "card match" affiliate "service." That is my total "available" credit for all cards. I thought it was a funny message to try to entice me to apply for something.

[hdporter]

2 hours ago, hegemony said:

experian is trying to get me to use its "card match" affiliate "service." That is my total "available" credit for all cards. I thought it was a funny message to try to entice me to apply for something.

 

They're just taking a page out of the book of "male enhancement" emailers.  They presume you're looking for something "more" as well ...

[hdporter]

Confirmation from Chase Sapphire Reserve that they settled my Thanksgiving week PVR airport vending machine charge dispute in my favor and the $298 provisional credit is permanent.

 

This went through two rounds because initially I filed a fraudulent charge, not recognizing the vendor description and the fact that the transaction was classified as "apparel".  It only belatedly occurred to me that the charge stemmed from my use of the card in a vending machine to buy a Cherry Coke.

 

I was moderately surprised to get as much "pushback" from Chase, after I had my facts straight, as I did -- comparing the experience to the "no problem" charge reversal from Barclays I experienced with a ~$3500 dispute earlier this fall (mailbox card intercept).  Of course, I actually initiated the Chase transaction; the issue was with whether the charge was processed for a fraudulent amount.

 

Still, this account has been in place for 6 years, and my oldest open Chase credit card dates to 2005.  I would have look for a greater proactive posture in resolving the dispute rather than the reserved, "we'll get back to you" I received.  (And even I can't believe how thin-skinned that comes across as! )

[TheVig]

Regular Citi offer to take out a loan, up to the limit on my DC.

[centex]

22 hours ago, TheVig said:

Regular Citi offer to take out a loan, up to the limit on my DC.

I've noticed they have been pushing that hard the past few months...I've been tempted, but the APR makes me more inclined to do a transfer from the BofA card if I was going to shove funds into the checking account.  Last I checked, .99% beat 6.98% even if the BofA term is only good until sometime early-mid next year. 

[TheVig]

BILT thinks I need their credit card.

[hegemony]

from the Delta... "time to select your meal on your international flight to xxx"

[centex]

On 4/5/2023 at 3:09 PM, hdporter said:

 

I would assume that for @hegemony, it's not about "peace of mind"; it's about flexibility aka "and more" in the email. (well, bragging rights may come into play at some point )

Mom and I had, shall we say, differences of opinion after my hospital stay after she realized the stack of cards she took home from my pocket was roughly a quarter-million in overall available.  She wanted me to get rid of cards and I told her I was better off adding MORE while I still could get the approvals and CLI's.  Since some of my bills were self-pay, larger lines and 0% offers made more sense than selling off assets and incurring the taxable event.  She still doesn't entirely *get* it, but at least she stopped nagging.  

[hdporter]

1 hour ago, centex said:

Mom and I had, shall we say, differences of opinion after my hospital stay after she realized the stack of cards she took home from my pocket was roughly a quarter-million in overall available ...

 

It bears remembering that the same "rope" (ample credit lines with attractive draw options) that we have learned to cling to in the interest of maximum financial flexibility and for the sake of a safety net, is the very same rope that less disciplined individuals sometimes use to fashion a noose and hang themselves.

 

At a time when we're fixated on the value of such a rope, it's easy to lose sight how more cautious souls only see the risk side of the equation, and in turn, assess our credit behavior as courting trouble.  If we're fortunate, reputation overrides skepticism.

[MP80]

4 hours ago, hdporter said:

It bears remembering that the same "rope" (ample credit lines with attractive draw options) that we have learned to cling to in the interest of maximum financial flexibility and for the sake of a safety net, is the very same rope that less disciplined individuals sometimes use to fashion a noose and hang themselves.

Your analogy is absolutely fascinating on the spot. However, I would never look at it as a safety net and remove its dependency as a backup emergency reliability factor. 

 

Everyone should save a sum of money for emergencies. If you rely on credit cards instead of your savings, it is a misunderstanding of thinking.

 

I can imagine a lot of people gravitating toward credit cards as an emergency draw. From a bystander's perspective, it's a potential rope, as you've negatively suggested, it's an indication of hanging yourself if you're not careful or you miscalculate, and many in the past have done just that. 

[hdporter]

6 minutes ago, MP80 said:

Your analogy is absolutely fascinating on the spot. However, I would never look at it as a safety net and remove its dependency as a backup emergency reliability factor. 

 

Everyone should save a sum of money for emergencies. If you rely on credit cards instead of your savings, it is a misunderstanding of thinking.

 

Point well taken and I'm in full agreement.

 

"Safety net" was likely not the most apt term to use for what I had in mind.  As opposed to something that will catch you when things are in free fall, I'm thinking about the particular "net" as one which will help tide you over a month or two of difficulties, where there's reasonable expectation you can pick up the slack over, say, the next 6 months.

 

By way of loose analogy, we've blown through an embarrassment of expenses, charged to credit cards in April, in the run up to our end of month move from GA to MA.  I've come to terms with amortizing $4200 in expenses because they're "big ticket"/"one time" expenditures, specifically tied to house prep and move.  But, the balance of the expenditures are appropriately paid out of current income (dining is a "biggy" here), and against this month's income we've run a $3000 deficit.  (Mind you, in aggregate, there are a lot of "one time" move/house prep items here, but are more difficult to isolate because they're largely <$150 item spends.)

 

Well, cutting to the chase, I was able to affordably free up $800+ by contacting Lincoln Financial and deferring a payment to the end of the loan (Jul 2025).  The deferral cost a $25 fee and will accrue interest  @ the standard loan rate of 1.9% APR (about $35 add'l int that will be due with the final payment).

 

The rest I'll fund by taking a no-fee advance on my 8.9% CU credit card, and look to repay it over the next 4-6 months.  ($2200 decl bal, 6 mo, 8.9% = about $50 int).

 

This is the type of "safety net" I intend to allude to ... added financial flexibility that can be tapped at fairly modest cost and repaid in a reasonable timeframe with proper discipline.

 

And, yes, I could simply tap savings that are set aside as a true "lifeline" should we fall on hard times.  However, that's set aside only for such dire circumstances.  I want to "pressure" of moderate cost debt to be in place to ensure that I'm induced to adopt the discipline necessary to repay the draws  in the shortest feasible time.

 

[MP80]

5 hours ago, hdporter said:

I'm thinking about the particular "net" as one which will help tide you over a month or two of difficulties, where there's reasonable expectation you can pick up the slack over, say, the next 6 months.

The debt you carry is a minuscule outlier, it doesn't affect you badly, and you only pay a little interest. 

 

Generally, anything to do with debt is paying interest, and accruing more interest. This is why people pay in full every month, keep this in mind and do this forever to eliminate any debt!

 

The mentality is not to put yourself in a situation where you pay interest, the worst is the big balances, the ones that literally eat you alive, thousands or more per month just paying interest. 

 

What started out as an innocent thought, telling myself that it was only a few months and that it, and would be paid in full soon. But, a lot of things sometimes come suddenly and unpredictably, and those unexpected things happen so fast that you are caught off guard and didn't realize it was a predicament that will come to pass later on. 

[TheVig]

Cap1 SavorOne pre-approval. Deleted.

[hdporter]

A decent offer on our house!  (3% below list, cash, on a 12-day old listing).  Snagged it, closing targeted for June 20.

 

Double win, because separately notified by Zillow today that a comparable house, 6 mi away, dropped their listing price by 4% today (and they just went on the market Thursday!)