We bring you even more coverage of the Chase Sapphire Reserve denials, how to get around Chase Ultimate Rewards, we talk airline gift bags, how to get pre-approved for more credit card offers, promos by Plastiq and National Car Rental, status of airline upgrades, visit the national wonders, go over Rio Olympic medals, bring you a few pics from my road trip and more!
TBB Blog Mission: To Entertain. Educate. Inspire. In That Order!
Continuing the tour of Michigan with our guest from Greece, it was a road trip to Grand Haven and Muskegon yesterday, her first time swimming in a lake. Cedar Point as you are reading this. Then it’s on to the Fairmont Chicago for two nights. In a suite. Freeeeeeeeee!
This will be a catch all post for the past three day action on the blogs…
Denied for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Even with a “Pre-approval” Offer. Hmm, that is not good. Here I am genuinely interested keeping this card and retiring my Amex Platinum and Chase does not want me, smh! Mrs. TBB is not pre approved either as we somehow ended up in a bank branch on Saturday to check! But she was per-approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred, go figure.
It’s time already to look out for the 4th Quarter and register for Discover’s 5x categories HERE: Amazon.com, Department Stores & Sam’s Club
Chase Ultimate Rewards cheat sheet: How to use the points for travel and more – Good to know. Best bank currency until the…devaluation. Someone will pay for all these 100k CSR bonuses!
How to ensure you’ll receive pre-approved offers – Waiting…
The National Car Rental ONE TWO FREE promotion is back, register HERE. I guess there is a way to benefit but I am too busy treating our guest from Greece to the best holiday of her life!
I guess Plastiq is sticking it to Radpad big time. You can lock in a 1.75% rate paying your mortgage or rent, read the fine print! It may work for some of you with 2% cash back cards…Not sure if there is a referral link but since I am not using the service I do not feel comfortable sticking my referral link out there. Which has not stopped many bloggers from doing so, c’est la vie I guess.
Inside the airline gift bags of first and business class flights around the world – I always found the obsession with these bags bordering the mildly to extremely ridiculous.
The State of Airline Upgrades for the Big 3 U.S. carriers – Nice wrap up of the dismal state of affairs for non road warriors hacking types…Just shut up and say thanks you did not get the middle seat!
The 7 Wonders of the Natural World. I like the AFAR lists. If you don’t, it’s okay. It’s my blog and I can do what I want 🙂
The best beachcombing beaches around the USA. This is not an AFAR list. It is from USA Today. Maybe you roll with this one?
Personal Finance post of the day: Pundit or Professional. Must read. Deal only with professionals and ignore the pundits!
Hey, if you help me I can beat The Points Guy buying an apartment in this joint here. FREEEEEE TBB parties, you are all invited, woohoo. Ok, come down dude….Zaha Hadid’s “exoskeleton” skyscraper will have private helicopter pad and indoor infinity pool.
2006 Rio Olympics medals, adjusted for population. Very interesting!
The Lazy Traveler nails the review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve me thinks.
On a serious note, I believe it was a mistake to apply the 5/24 rule to this new $450 product. Although I have no way to prove it, there is no doubt in my mind their “leaked” application link two weeks ago was intentional, and they just tested how well the market would accept it. It’s just they got the message wrong. Since they had been overwhelmed with the response, they decided it was safe to cut out the “gamers.” Little did they realize that those who managed to apply during that short window were not only gamers, but the gamers, perhaps most vicious or at least the fastest of the pack.
Another round of Bluebird/Serve shutdowns. So, when do we get these birdies under the protected species act huh?
A few pics from our road trip to Grand Haven and Muskegon…
And I leave you with this…I swear this happens to me every time!
Check out my updated blog lists: Blogs I Love, Blogs I Like, Blogs To Ignore
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Actually, that happens to me with some deliveries of packages here in Greece – except there are times I do not even get the note! 🙂
Sorry to hear…and not surprised!
Muskegon having nice weather? Never happened to me in my 4 years in MI. :p
BTW, those are not ‘gift’ bags. They are bags holding your amenity kit. Sometimes the airlines add some extra thing like a bottle of EdT but gifts are not handed out in C/F since 9/11. Before that each airline thought up a unique thing to give away and make you remember the flight in C or F. Nowadays the amenity kits are usually sponsored by a consumer goods company that wants to promote its brand.
PS: just applied for the CSR using your link! Enjoy the cash!
Yeah, we were very lucky on the Muskegon weather.
Correct about the “gift” bags, could not believe the author called them that. But it was still a pretty nice read, and loved the photos.
Thanks on the CSR, hope you get it!
West side is the BEST side George, glad you finally realised it. 😉 My folks have a boat in Grand Haven and I love to hang out on it when I get the chance.
The beach is awesome!
OK – The best beachcombing beaches list Atlantic Beach in Jacksonville for shark’s teeth. Locals go to Mickler’s landing (pronounced Myckler’s). It is in the south part of Ponte Vedra and that is the place to go for shark’s teeth.
Thanks for the info. I hope I remember that if I get to that place!
Did you read the The State of Airline Upgrades for the Big 3 U.S. carriers article before posting it? There’s only one person quoted. It’s advice from a Titan to Ignore.
Funny you mentioned this. Yes a Titan was quoted and I almost canned it. But I just hoped readers bypassed the comment and focused on the article which, imho, gave a pretty good summary of the upgrade status today…And I also thought…I hope a reader ignores it and not address it 🙂 You guys are so sharp 😉
Googled the author, he’s former managing editor of TPG. Titan quoting Titan. Good job, Buzz!
Key word: “former”
There were no Titan clicks in the article.
Article was very informative and I know you guys would skip the Titan quote.
So there 🙂
Another CSR data point that I haven’t seen anywhere…
I’m 7/24, 2 mine and 5 AU. Went to branch, wasn’t pre-approved but instead invited to apply. Decided to try (5 pt hit is minor).
It was a looong phone call. Bounced from needing info to being on hold 4-5 times over 15 mins. Escalated. I explained how most of my recents were AU, how one of them was on a Chase M+ (as proof), how 2 of those accts had been closed recently. They wanted verbal verification of income/mortgage. Finally asked me to move credit from another Chase card and…I was approved. FYI also I’m still doing my own M+ spend from an approval in July.
I hadn’t seen much anecdotal evidence on wiggle room but, as an edge-case (boundary condition?), there might be–from my experience.
Posted here only. Want more Buzz clicks.
Thanks a lot for the Data Point, very good to know. Another reader let me know that he was “ineligible for reconsideration”…as a CPC, wow! Very interesting developments from our favorite bank while I come to terms I am not getting it…
Can someone do some crude math and tell me how you make money with a 2% card and plastiq’s 1.75% fee> Thx