Search found 357 matches

by ZinCO
Sun Mar 17, 2024 4:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone else seeing sharp rise in homeowner's policy?
Replies: 91
Views: 10118

Re: Anyone else seeing sharp rise in homeowner's policy?

Just got my HO renewal, up 60% from last, with no increase in dwelling coverage (but they have always left it to me to determine replacement cost, which is aggravating because I have no data to determine that other than home value). No claims ever, been with them (Safeco) for 5 years. Just for a reference point I tried to get an online quote from Amica, and after entering all the data, they were willing to quote Auto but not Home. So I'll have to have my agent shop it around again this week.
by ZinCO
Sun Mar 17, 2024 10:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Suggestions around Dulles-IAD Arrival
Replies: 16
Views: 1640

Re: Suggestions around Dulles-IAD Arrival

boomergeneration wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 9:35 am I often fly out of IAD for international flights and think the hotel prices are quite reasonable. Google airport hotels near Dulles airport with free shuttle. For example the Hyatt Place Herndon Dulles has free shuttle and is $128 per night currently with free breakfast.
Agree with this. The Hyatt Regency also has a free shuttle and is always surprisingly cheap, I usually make this my base for work trips in northern VA.
by ZinCO
Fri Mar 15, 2024 11:01 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 2.9% CC and 0.25 ACH fees
Replies: 14
Views: 1509

Re: 2.9% CC and 0.25 ACH fees

I pay about $35k/year for private school (this is the last year, thankfully) and the processor charges 2.98% for cards (debit or credit). Like you I value Hyatt points, so I pay with stacks of fee-free Visa/MC gift cards purchased from Staples or Office Depot when they are on sale. I value Hyatt points (and therefore UR points) at about $.02/point, so by buying the cards with Chase Ink Cash cards (at 5x), my net is about 10%-2.98%=7.02% per transaction. Yes, it is a lot of work. Yes, it does create a VERY long list of transaction in my annual tuition statement (and they must wonder why I'm doing all these $194.21 payments... or maybe they know, or maybe they don't care... not my concern.) Worth it to me though.
by ZinCO
Sat Mar 02, 2024 11:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Germany/Austria Travelers
Replies: 19
Views: 1722

Re: Germany/Austria Travelers

Prague-Munich is a very slow route, the tracks are not meant for higher-speed trains. You might be better off going Prague-Vienna-Munich (perhaps with a stop in Salzburg?) as the total time is probably less, given the trains are higher-speed on those routes.
by ZinCO
Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card
Replies: 874
Views: 164550

Re: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card

tj wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:14 am
Leesbro63 wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 5:58 am I have learned that there is an IRS limit of two credit card tax payments per quarter (1040-ES) and two for any final tax due at tax filing time. How does this work for a husband and wife? Can those "two payment limits" be doubled if paying under each spouse?

I thought the limit was two per payment processor per quarter (so, 6)
Correct, it's 6 across all 3 processors. Then if you are filing jointly you can do 6 for each spouse, but you have to confirm they are properly credited by the IRS to the same account on the back-end. I've not done that so not sure how common it is to find a problem.
by ZinCO
Wed Feb 28, 2024 6:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]
Replies: 603
Views: 90358

Re: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]

beyou wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 4:39 pm A good idea that was killed by economics over convenience for end users.
The best technology does not always win...or nobody would be using Windows today.
In the end Paypal is a business, so we all expected economics to win eventually. As a consumer I'm unhappy that I can't put $12k in property taxes through it, but as a shareholder of PYPL... what took you so long???
by ZinCO
Wed Feb 28, 2024 6:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Road Scholar, Chase Sapphire Reserve, 529, and BoA Unltd Cash Rwds
Replies: 4
Views: 1094

Re: Road Scholar, Chase Sapphire Reserve, 529, and BoA Unltd Cash Rwds

Don't know about Road Scholar specifically, but in the past when I've been unsure about whether something will code as Travel, I've defaulted to the BoA Premium Rewards so that my floor is 2.625% with a chance of 3.5% if it DOES code as travel.
by ZinCO
Sat Feb 17, 2024 8:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to watch live European Soccer matches without spending too much?
Replies: 21
Views: 2499

Re: How to watch live European Soccer matches without spending too much?

edge wrote: Sat Feb 17, 2024 8:37 pm Really? I find way more serie a games (all?) on paramount+.
ZinCO wrote: Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:55 pm
candb wrote: Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:52 pm ESPN+ $5.99/month
Bundesliga and Italian Serie A are here.
That was three years ago... to be honest, even though I have Paramount+, I haven't noticed but they could very well have moved.
by ZinCO
Wed Feb 07, 2024 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Heads up! Budget Rent-a-car charges you for earning frequent flyer points. Maybe even more than they're worth!
Replies: 13
Views: 1711

Re: Heads up! Budget Rent-a-car charges you for earning frequent flyer points. Maybe even more than they're worth!

Digging into Budget's "taxes and fees" they're charging me a $14 fee for "Frequent Travel Program". At some point, I went to the Budget site and added my American Air FF number. Budget is charging me $1 per day to earn 500 American points. So I'm paying an extra $14 for AA miles. People estimate AA FF miles worth somewhere between 1 to 1.5 cents each. So I'm being charged $14 on my 14 day reservation for a $5 to $8 benefit! Be aware you might be getting ripped off in Budget's fine-print. Question if using your FF number at Budget is worth it. You mean $1 for 50 points. If it were $1 for 500 points, it would be 0.2 cents per mile, and it would be a good deal. The business model of frequent flyer programs is to charge 2 c...
by ZinCO
Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best bank for international ATM withdrawals
Replies: 44
Views: 4382

Re: Best bank for international ATM withdrawals

I'm still amazed at the amount of ATM use that people seem to be preparing for. I haven't been to an ATM in my last six International trips, and probably haven't used one here at home in two years. What are people needing so much cash for? (Don't answer, it's a rhetorical question.)
by ZinCO
Sun Feb 04, 2024 12:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best bank for international ATM withdrawals
Replies: 44
Views: 4382

Re: Foreign ATM fee reimbursement

I have a few foreign trips coming up in 2024. Cancun for Spring break and a few countries in Asia in the summer. I plan to use my BofA premium rewards visa card for most of my spending. This card does not charge a foreign exchange fee. I will need some local cash as well. There seem to be layers and layers of fees associated with foreign ATM withdrawals. Out of Network fees, ATM surcharge and currency conversion fees according Google. I use Ally as my primary checking account but I also have access to Chase Private Client checking account, CitiGold checking and Fidelity taxable account and CMA account. I think they all reimburse some ATM fees. I already have a Chase and a Citi debit card. I dont' think I have a Fido debit card. What is the...
by ZinCO
Thu Feb 01, 2024 7:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?
Replies: 7203
Views: 1421424

Re: Hotel Free Nights via Credit Card and Resort Fees

Prokofiev wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2024 4:10 pm Just as important is the "extra" free night when booking longer stays. At IHG, you get the 4th night free when booking 3 nights using points. At Marriott or Hilton, it is a 5th night free when booking 4. Hyatt has no extra free nights for any length of stay. Not everyone can plan this way, but being flexible with your travel plans can result in some decent savings. I always consider this when booking using these programs.
Great post, thanks. I think the IHG 4th night free is only for certain IHG CC holders (and it does NOT include the now-defunct IHG Select card, which for $49/year still gives me an annual free night and 10% back on my points redemptions).
by ZinCO
Tue Jan 30, 2024 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?
Replies: 7203
Views: 1421424

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

Any knowledge of coding online for raise.com with shop your way card? I only know Raise.com coding for Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards card, but it should be similar to other cards as BofA told me the merchant determines their coding. For BofA Customized Cash Rewards card, Raise.com coded as an online purchase through May 2023 and has not been coding as an online purchase since then. I just realized recently that it hasn't been coding for the Online Shopping category and have since sent an inquiry to Raise.com support as it seems obvious it should code for Online Shopping. I'm hoping they will make a correction so it codes properly for purchases moving forward - I presume the more complaints they get (explaining their competitors c...
by ZinCO
Sun Jan 21, 2024 11:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: I want to buy cash with my credit card. Will the IRS allow this adventure of mine?
Replies: 74
Views: 10684

Re: I want to buy cash with my credit card. Will the IRS allow this adventure of mine?

There have been two big changes since the original thread 3 years ago, which significantly change the calculus as noted above.

1. The lowest CC fee is now 1.82% as of this quarter, down from 1.9% or so
2. MM rates are now approx 5.4% rather than close to zero

The combination (obviously much more #2 than #1) makes the spread significantly more lucrative now.
by ZinCO
Sat Jan 20, 2024 9:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Xfinity autopay: Gaming the system to get discount
Replies: 24
Views: 3414

Re: Xfinity autopay: Gaming the system to get discount

billthecat wrote: Sat Jan 20, 2024 4:26 pm
corduroysuit wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 11:33 pm
billthecat wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 9:57 am I have auto pay setup for the discount, but intercept that by manually paying with a credit card that gives me 3.8% cash back on utilities.
Which card gives you 3.8%?
It's a business credit card I originally got through Cathay Bank, and is now through FNBO. I earn points, which convert to cash. Only certain expenses qualify, like utilities, telecom, etc. I don't think it's available any longer.
The Chase Ink Cash gives you 5x UR, which I value at closer to 10% (I use all my UR at Hyatts). While I have autopay set up to use that card, I tend to do manual payments in 6-month intervals when I have various spending bonuses to "chase" on my Ink card.
by ZinCO
Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Paying mortgage with credit/debit for rewards?
Replies: 15
Views: 3142

Re: Paying mortgage with credit/debit for rewards?

slbnoob wrote: Tue Jan 09, 2024 1:10 am Try PayPal Bill Pay feature. If the payee is listed and the account number is validated, you should be good to go. A few days ago, I just used this method to pay my property tax bill and insurance bill through PayPal with my Chase Freedom card which had 5% rewards for PayPal for that quarter.

Interestingly, my mortgage is also with Truist but none of the appropriate options under Truist seemed to accept my account number. Let me know if you have any luck with this.
PPBP won't work for any financial institution (or with very few exceptions if a couple slipped through the cracks) unless you are using an external account (i.e. checking, savings) as the funding source. In other words... no CC to pay off CC (or mortgage or auto loan).
by ZinCO
Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card
Replies: 874
Views: 164550

Re: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card

czaj wrote: Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:20 am Has anyone made a payment on pay1040 recently? Their website isn't really working for me.

"we are unable to authorize this transaction" without selecting anything,
can't select tax form,
etc
Submitted payment via 2 $500 gift cards on Sunday, worked fine for me...
by ZinCO
Mon Dec 18, 2023 7:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]
Replies: 603
Views: 90358

Re: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]

czaj wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2023 6:59 pm My wife's account has our checking account on it. Mine has variable credit cards so that PayPal can't use the wrong payment method.
But they can (and will) still use the wrong CC on occasion...
by ZinCO
Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Feedback on Audi Q4 and Q8 E-trons
Replies: 39
Views: 4655

Re: Feedback on Audi Q4 and Q8 E-trons

02nz wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2023 8:46 am
ZinCO wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2023 3:41 pm We got a Q4 last month. Liked the Q8 better, but it doesn't qualify for my state's rebate (vehicle must have MSRP of $75k or less I think). Not sure if it was eligible for the Federal $7500 rebate either. Since we got both, the Q4 was a relative bargain.
Purchase of a Q4 does not qualify for the $7500 federal tax credit. You can do a lease though and get the credit that way, if the finance company passes on the credit through an incentive.
Audi financial offers the tax credit to the consumer on the lease, I don't think any particular dealer can prevent that. In our case we set up the lease and will buy it out after 3 months, which our dealer said many people are doing for that reason.
by ZinCO
Sun Dec 17, 2023 3:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Feedback on Audi Q4 and Q8 E-trons
Replies: 39
Views: 4655

Re: Feedback on Audi Q4 and Q8 E-trons

We got a Q4 last month. Liked the Q8 better, but it doesn't qualify for my state's rebate (vehicle must have MSRP of $75k or less I think). Not sure if it was eligible for the Federal $7500 rebate either. Since we got both, the Q4 was a relative bargain. This is our first EV and we're just charging on 120V for now, which apparently annoys my wife (she prefers the thought of spending 5 minutes at a gas station to leaving it plugged in all night, but obviously this was something we know coming in to this that would be required for an EV...) It's a better size for us than our previous A4, and she definitely likes the performance and updated tech. Do you have any specific questions?
by ZinCO
Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card
Replies: 874
Views: 164550

Re: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card

TheRealJohnDoe wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:50 am
tj wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 2:27 pm It's 2 per payment processor per quarter.
Is there anywhere on the IRS or payment processor sites that confirm this? The language I've seen so far implies 2 total.

I appreciate your reporting a data point from personal experience if that is the case.
There are a lot of us in this space that do 2*3 payments per quarter with no issue, and have been doing so for years.
by ZinCO
Sun Dec 10, 2023 5:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Booking hotels through credit card travel site : separating myths and facts?
Replies: 8
Views: 1038

Re: Booking hotels through credit card travel site : separating myths and facts?

I am about to do exactly what you are asking about. Normally I ONLY book direct with Hyatt, Hilton, and IHG (in that order) for the reasons you describe. However we are planning on staying in a small town in New Zealand that has none of those chains, and I don't imagine they discriminate against reservations not booked directly since as independent hotels they likely get close to zero. One more factor you didn't mention, as a CSR holder you get 10x points booking hotels through Chase which to me is an excellent return. That said I have a 7-figure UR balance that I could use here, but I value Hyatt stays enough that I don't feel compelled to use my points and give up the chance to earn 10x.
by ZinCO
Wed Nov 29, 2023 5:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]
Replies: 603
Views: 90358

Re: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]

mrken wrote: Wed Nov 29, 2023 5:35 pm Has anybody been able to cancel a bill payment that was charged to the wrong card? My selected card declined the transaction and PayPal charged a different card. I had gotten complacent and did not remove other cards in my wallet.
Are you sure your selected card declined the transaction? If you look back in this thread, several of us have had PayPal just randomly choose a different card rather than the selected card (and this is a problem specific to PPBP, not PayPal in general).
by ZinCO
Sun Nov 12, 2023 9:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?
Replies: 7203
Views: 1421424

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

erp wrote: Sat Nov 11, 2023 10:39 pm
ZinCO wrote: Sat Nov 11, 2023 9:21 am We actually have a lot of premium cards and get outstanding value from them, but I tell my adult son the above two are all he needs when just starting out.
You do need 100k at ME to get platinum honors though.
Correct, so full disclosure, he's still an AU on my PR. But the CSP is his (I use the CSR instead).
by ZinCO
Sat Nov 11, 2023 9:21 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?
Replies: 7203
Views: 1421424

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

rustlers wrote: Sat Nov 11, 2023 3:53 am I use the BofA Premium rewards card(with Platinum Honors PH)

6 Some ancillary travel and purchase protection benefits

What say you?
For the record this card is our daily driver as well, except for travel. If you do ANY amount of travel, especially international, I think the travel protections fall flat. I would strongly consider adding a second card, the Chase CSP, for travel protections and the additional benefit of rental car primary coverage.

We actually have a lot of premium cards and get outstanding value from them, but I tell my adult son the above two are all he needs when just starting out.
by ZinCO
Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: More than 200,00 AmEx Membership Rewards Points
Replies: 24
Views: 4706

Re: More than 200,00 AmEx Membership Rewards Points

Freefun wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2023 6:39 pm I normally use mine on Singapore airlines because I like to travel to Asia in bus class.
"Bus class" does not sound aspirational at all... especially to Asia.
by ZinCO
Sat Oct 21, 2023 9:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]
Replies: 603
Views: 90358

Re: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]

Did anybody using PayPal Bill Pay set their cash advance limit to $0 (zero) dollars on their credit card? A review site said the bank could process the payment as a cash advance. I tried, but US bank, I use their Cash+ card to pay utility bills via paypal, did not allow any change, it's a set percentage of the credit limit. But they've never made it a cash advance. It appears Chase doesn't allow you to change that either. Chase credit cards don’t offer the ability to disable cash advance lines. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/disable-cash-advances-credit-card I've sent a message to Chase through my account website. I am waiting for a response which takes one or two business days. Nerd Wallet said $100 is the minimum. I'll c...
by ZinCO
Sun Oct 08, 2023 5:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card
Replies: 874
Views: 164550

Re: Pay Federal Tax via Credit Card ? Anyone ?

Many of us pay quarterly estimated taxes using all 3 of the processors (PayUsaTax being one of them). It will cost you somewhere around 1.87% but if you have Platinum Honors on your BOA card, you will get back 2.62% in rewards (Travel Rewards or Premium Rewards cards).
by ZinCO
Fri Sep 29, 2023 8:05 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Switch from Amex Gold to Chase Sapphire Reserve?
Replies: 48
Views: 5463

Re: Switch from Amex Gold to Chase Sapphire Reserve?

Priority Pass is essentially worthless these days. The other Chase benefits may be enough to justify going with Chase. Many of the Priority Pass lounges are quite poor, but there are a few good ones. And in some airports, they include a restaurant so you can grab breakfast or lunch for no or little cost. By itself Priority Pass not a great benefit, but as one part of the package, it has value. The number of participating restaurants in US airports has grown quite a bit in the last year. I actually see Priority Pass as a benefit in the US now, but note that CSR's PP includes restaurants while Amex's PP (and others?) do not. Often better food and better locations than the lounges (and admittedly PP lounges in the US are few and far between i...
by ZinCO
Mon Sep 25, 2023 6:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?
Replies: 7203
Views: 1421424

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

egri wrote: Mon Sep 25, 2023 12:32 pm My triad of American Express Schwab Platinum, Gold, and Fidelity Visa may soon become a quartet; I've been getting the 50,000-point SUB offer for the Amex BBP. I've seen offers as high as 75,000 points, and if there is a way I can snag that one I'll go for it.
The BBP has tremendous value as a place to hold MR should you close/rotate your other MR cards, as well as 2x everywhere (and significantly more than 2% depending on how you value MR).

Can I ask though whether that would be your first Amex Biz card? Seems strange that they would extend that offer if you weren't already a business customer.
by ZinCO
Sat Sep 23, 2023 8:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?
Replies: 7203
Views: 1421424

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

epoche wrote: Sat Sep 23, 2023 7:58 am
I don't think I've ever before had a card with only statement credit as a cash-out, which seems to make it impossible to recapture all your rewards.
If you close a card with a negative balance, Amex will send you a check (eventually). Right now I have over $1k on closed Amex cards but they have always taken care of it, and I haven't actually pushed to get them to send a check any sooner.
by ZinCO
Sat Sep 16, 2023 11:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What would your employer reimburse you for if travelling for business?
Replies: 15
Views: 1681

Re: What would your employer reimburse you for if travelling for business?

Economy flights (non-refundable, since any unused airfare gets credited back for future use anyway), premium economy for longer flights. Baggage and seat selection fees (if needed) are reimbursed. Hotel limit depends on the city, but I've seen $200 to $350 in the last year alone. Food is $100/day total, no more than half can be alcohol (but I've never submitted itemized receipts, so don't know how they enforce that). Rental car or Uber/Lyft at the destination, doesn't seem to matter which. Rental car is supposed to be intermediate size, but I seem to have "pick any car on the lot" status for all the agencies, which I assume comes from our rental agreements, so the restriction of intermediate size is meaningless. To get to the airp...
by ZinCO
Thu Sep 14, 2023 9:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Auto leasing to obtain EV tax credit
Replies: 25
Views: 4383

Re: Auto leasing to obtain EV tax credit

Look into a one-pay lease to minimize the finance charges, and if you know you will keep the car, only do a 24-month lease (the minimum allowed by the law to enable the credit for the dealer). After 24 months, you pay the residual and the car is yours. Note that there's no requirement that dealers make the entire $7500 available to the lessor, so you'll want to make sure your dealer is willing to play ball. Our Audi dealer is actually advertising a $7500 credit for leasing, perhaps others do as well.
by ZinCO
Mon Aug 28, 2023 3:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card
Replies: 874
Views: 164550

Re: Primer on Paying Taxes With a Credit Card

czaj wrote: Sat Aug 26, 2023 11:53 am Anyone have recent experience using the Amex Plat for paying taxes and satisfying the minimum spend for the sign up bonus? There have been a few reports that I've seen lately suggesting tax payments not counting, but it doesn't seem consistent.

Some say a solution is to not use that as the final transaction to reach the threshold.
Not Plat, but I did a 1040ES payment last week on another Amex card, where that payment was more than half of the MSR and was the final payment needed. Got confirmation of the bonus 2 days later.
by ZinCO
Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amex Platinum in 2023 - worth it to hold and use?
Replies: 63
Views: 9782

Re: Amex Platinum in 2023 - worth it to hold and use?

I'm not sure whose card this ^^ actually is. What we had a great benefit from was to have all travel/etc., be paid for on one of our own cards, and then get reimbursed by Employer. Especially during a few years when DH was traveling a great deal, this got us lots of points. Most of it was from the "spend", not the miles flown, given then he'd tend to stay in one place for a week or two each time, and the hotels and food were not inexpensive where he was. The specific card I have is the Corporate Green: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/business/corporate-credit-cards/ It's issued by the travel department but is in my name and I'm responsible for paying it. And yes it would be nice to get miles/points for corporate t...
by ZinCO
Thu Aug 10, 2023 2:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Going to Europe - Credit Cards vs Euro
Replies: 45
Views: 2537

Re: Going to Europe - Credit Cards vs Euro

talzara wrote: Thu Aug 10, 2023 2:43 pm
MGBMartin wrote: Wed Aug 09, 2023 3:41 pm Don’t worry about Chip and PIN, its really nothing to be wary of. I think I’ve only been tripped up once or twice by being asked for a PIN in dozens of trips and that was at a railway ticket machine and was easily gotten around.
Train ticket vending machines used to be another common place, but the ones in big cities have been updated to require no authentication from chip-and-signature cards. You'll only run into it at rural stations.
I would argue you can avoid the rural station issue by using an app for purchasing train tickets, I can't remember the last time I actually used a paper ticket in Europe...
by ZinCO
Thu Aug 10, 2023 1:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: SIM cards for British travelers coming to East Coast
Replies: 18
Views: 1542

Re: SIM cards for British travelers coming to East Coast

As mentioned several times above, Airalo is great... but the iPhone 8 does not support e-sim. So that's not the solution in this case.

I'm not a Whatsapp user myself, but doesn't it include PSTN dialing over data connections? Or is it only app-to-app?
by ZinCO
Sat Jul 29, 2023 7:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ways to utilize tuition payment
Replies: 6
Views: 673

Re: ways to utilize tuition payment

Lots of new credit cards to earn sign-up bonuses, obviously :)

But that's just me.
by ZinCO
Tue Jul 25, 2023 12:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Spending $15k on INK Business Credit Card
Replies: 6
Views: 1079

Re: Spending $15k on INK Business Credit Card

Prokofiev wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2023 11:51 am But it seems that paying personal taxes with a commercial/business card is not allowed
by any of the 3 approved IRS payment sites.
This is a problem specific to Ink cards.

Depending on when you got approved, Chase recently changed the sign-up bonus for the CIP from 100k/$15k to 100k/$8k so I'd call and see if they can match the newer requirement and maybe you'd already be done.
by ZinCO
Mon Jul 24, 2023 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Eva and China airlines - Taiwan airlines
Replies: 33
Views: 4395

Re: Eva and China airlines - Taiwan airlines

And be careful not to confuse "China Airlines" with "Air China". Two very different experiences not surprisingly.
by ZinCO
Thu Jul 20, 2023 10:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Business vs First lounges: BA LHR and LH MUC?
Replies: 12
Views: 937

Re: Business vs First lounges: BA LHR and LH MUC?

I always route myself through MUC so I can stop at the LH Senator lounge in the non-Schengen area (including just last week). However the Senator lounge, I believe, sits between the Business and the First class lounges in their hierarchy so I wouldn't be able to help you.

I go there because it's a good (for me at least) mix of business travelers using shared tables to work on, and families in another area using sofas and chairs. And I think the food is quite good (certainly better than at US LH lounges), not to mention Spaten and Franziskaner on self-service taps.

So probably not helpful for you, but if you look online you can find multiple reviews of that lounge in particular (near gate H24).
by ZinCO
Tue Jul 11, 2023 12:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Chip and Pin when in Europe [Greece and Italy specifically, Europe in general]
Replies: 65
Views: 6633

Re: Chip and Pin when in Europe

crefwatch wrote: Tue Jul 11, 2023 12:53 pm (Incidentally, other places, like Germany, can surprise you with a demand for cash. For example, glasses of beer at a public garden, with a 1 Euro "deposit" on the mug. Even the vending machine cups in Tivoli Gardens have deposits on them.
Great example, although at a beer garden in Munich on Saturday, I was able to charge the deposit on my CC (tap-to-pay) but not surprisingly received a 2 Euro coin back when I returned the mug...
by ZinCO
Tue Jul 11, 2023 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Chip and Pin when in Europe [Greece and Italy specifically, Europe in general]
Replies: 65
Views: 6633

Re: Chip and Pin when in Europe

That's likely very old advice. Tap-to-pay is much more prevalent now and works fine with US credit cards having that feature (which by now should be pretty much all of them).
by ZinCO
Sat Jul 01, 2023 11:47 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: United Explorer card requirements
Replies: 17
Views: 1925

Re: United Explorer card requirements

Chuckles960 wrote: Sat Jul 01, 2023 8:22 am What is the current rule for getting another United card when you have canceled the previous one? Is it still one every 2 years?
Yes but that only applies to the exact same card. You can hold all of the various United cards at the same time if you want to (and in fact the United Business card pays some sort of annual bonus if you are holding a personal card at the same time).
by ZinCO
Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]
Replies: 603
Views: 90358

Re: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]

jeffyscott wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 6:33 pm I have no idea how they decided my designated card was "unavailable", but apparently that's what they did and I don't trust them to not do so again, so have one card and no bank account connected to PayPal.
I think that's the only answer unfortunately. My "unavailable" CC is the same one I've been using for about 10 Paypal (not Bill Pay) transactions a week for the last 8 months.
by ZinCO
Wed Jun 07, 2023 2:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]
Replies: 603
Views: 90358

Re: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]

In spite of all the recent failure posts here, and maybe partly BECAUSE of the very real possibility that BP shortly gets the axe, I just pushed a $4500 property tax payment through. I did however remove all but one CC from my wallet first to make sure they charged the right one. I'll update this post once the payment is reflected at my county. Second half property tax payment time... Decided to experiment a bit. Removed all CC's from my profile except the one I wanted to use (a Visa and my defined primary card), and an Amex business card that I wouldn't be too upset about if they used that instead. Chose the Visa when specifying the amount to pay. You can guess what happened. There is NO WAY that it is cheaper for PPBP, swipe-fee-wise, to...
by ZinCO
Wed Jun 07, 2023 2:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]
Replies: 603
Views: 90358

Re: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]

In spite of all the recent failure posts here, and maybe partly BECAUSE of the very real possibility that BP shortly gets the axe, I just pushed a $4500 property tax payment through. I did however remove all but one CC from my wallet first to make sure they charged the right one. I'll update this post once the payment is reflected at my county. Second half property tax payment time... Decided to experiment a bit. Removed all CC's from my profile except the one I wanted to use (a Visa and my defined primary card), and an Amex business card that I wouldn't be too upset about if they used that instead. Chose the Visa when specifying the amount to pay. You can guess what happened. There is NO WAY that it is cheaper for PPBP, swipe-fee-wise, to...
by ZinCO
Wed Jun 07, 2023 2:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]
Replies: 603
Views: 90358

Re: [Using PayPal to pay bills and earn 5% on credit cards]

In spite of all the recent failure posts here, and maybe partly BECAUSE of the very real possibility that BP shortly gets the axe, I just pushed a $4500 property tax payment through. I did however remove all but one CC from my wallet first to make sure they charged the right one. I'll update this post once the payment is reflected at my county. Second half property tax payment time... Decided to experiment a bit. Removed all CC's from my profile except the one I wanted to use (a Visa and my defined primary card), and an Amex business card that I wouldn't be too upset about if they used that instead. Chose the Visa when specifying the amount to pay. You can guess what happened. There is NO WAY that it is cheaper for PPBP, swipe-fee-wise, to...
by ZinCO
Mon Jun 05, 2023 7:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best use of Chase points?
Replies: 59
Views: 6696

Re: Best use of Chase points?

EnjoyIt wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:17 pm
4) Suck it up and try and get cash back at 1.25 cents per point on groceries by the end of this month. You may even consider getting a grocery gift card to use up all your points and then you will have “free” groceries for some time. You can also get other gift cards at the grocery store as well. Maybe you want to buy a new lawnmower at Home Depot. Get a home depo gift card at the grocery store and then use that to buy the lawn mower. You get the idea.

If your not going to travel anytime soon then #4 isn’t a horrible deal.
Groceries at 1.25 cents has been renewed for another 90 days, so you don't even have to do it by the end of the month.
by ZinCO
Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How does anyone fly on points anymore? (United especially)
Replies: 115
Views: 12909

Re: How does anyone fly on points anymore? (United especially)

Edit: also wanted to add that one benefit of buying tickets through chase portal is that you still get airline miles and status miles this way. That doesn’t occur if you book with just airline miles. This adds just a little more value to chase points. As of this year you do actually accrue status miles (PQP) when you use airline miles to book flights. Really???? That’s huge. One of the reasons I would use miles on others instead of myself is I would rather earn the status. Is that just United or is it also with other airlines? It’s so hard to keep up with all the changes. You really need to be into the game to keep up and get best value for miles. It’s not easy. Only United as far as I know. There are restrictions of course... you now earn...