I need 3 tickets from ATL to SNA, nonstop. Delta is my preference, but could go other routes. My companion cert won’t be available until after this trip, so that’s out, but I do have $200 in delta gift cards. Current options are to just use 165K Delta miles, or transfer MR and use those (least preferred), or use about 120K UR. Any better ideas? Due to babies, I don’t foresee much airline travel for the next 18 months after this trip, so I’m not against using a lot of the miles we have, just don’t want to be dumb about it
I don't see any other directs besides Delta. I think I would go one through Delta direct using gift cards and the others through UR
United has great redemptions for international flights (or at the very least I can vouch for Europe and Asia). I'd definitely stash some there.
Got to leverage the Chase 15% back at Hyatt Place hotels during a work trip. Pretty nice free $45, was staying there regardless.
AMEX Delta Platinum fee is going up to $250. I was planning on canceling it this year anyway but that made the decision even easier.
Got that email too. 2x in restaurants and groceries, global entry, and annual companion certificate. I still will probably come out ahead but not by a ton.
Restaurants I exclusively use the CSR and groceries are usually good for whatever bonus I'm working on (or if it's a CF 5x quarter). I'm good on global entry for a few years. Just not worth it for me to shell out $250 to marry myself to having to fly Delta from a non-hub and hope I find a flight with the right classes of ticket available on the dates I want.
will proooobably keep delta plat still, companion ticket covers the fee and living in a delta hub it's not hard to use
ohhaithur talk to me about the Hilton aspire. I need a refresher. For reference/background, I live outside of Tulsa and go to Dallas a few times a year for random stuff except for my annual OU/Texas pilgrimage. I have a 5 and soon to be 3 year old so we don’t travel much because my almost 3 year old is a difficult (but getting better). I see that one of the Hilton “resort” hotels is the Anatole in Dallas. They recently added a small water park/pool scene to the hotel so I could see us staying a few days in the summer there with the kids. Plus, it is only. 3.5 hour drive instead of a flight so we can handle that. From what I can tell the $259 resort fee credit isn’t for a room, only for buying stuff at the resort. Is that right? My thought process is we could potentially use the free weekend night for one night that we stay there. Is the free weekend night for any type of room or the cheapest room available? We would want a suite or something where the kids could hopefully sleep in a different room. For the airline fees, can I still buy gift cards or did they catch on? What else do I need to know?
The resort credit is actually good for the room fees. Wife and I will be using it at the Rockwell resort in Dallas this fall. The free weekend night is only good for a basic room though you may be able to pay for an upgrade. The airline fee doesn't work for any gift cards right now but there is a loophole with Delta to use it. If you want a ticket that is greater than $250 then use a gift card to get the total down to between $200 and $250 and then pay the balance with your card it will classify it in a way that you'll get the credit. Here's my referral link if you're going to sign up. Apply for an American Express Card with this link. We can both get rewarded if you're approved! http://refer.amex.us/RYANJgqCj?xl=cp01
Gift cards likely won't work anymore but cheap southwest flights will. The resort credit will be easy to use in resort fees and restaurants. There's also a gift card-like hack if needed (send me a PM if interested in that @thread) The diamond status is sweet too. You'll easily get the value from the AF. also it's easy to downgrade to a free card if you don't think you are getting value and it's easy to get another bonus if you are Don't forget to get a referral if you choose it
comrade static Everything he said, but I have been credited for a room price before, but that was the first few months of the card. You’ll have plenty of points to cover your other night/nights, along with your weekend reward. Regarding weekend rewards, they are used for the standard redemptions, so it would likely be a king or two queen/double room. However, there is a solid chance the could upgrade you. But to be safe, do NOT check in to your room on the app before you arrive. Wait until you get to the hotel. The most effective way I’ve learned to get upgrades is to just ask politely if they have anything available. It’s worked more often than not, but I’m also EXTREMELY handsome and charming.
Funny timing, I used mine day before yesterday on a local stay (instead of splashy "aspirational") and was upgraded twice at desk check-in. From base room to something, and then up to suite. A free night (technically from annual fee) for a $699 room.
I probably fly for personal not work stuff 3 times a year. I like Delta. I guess if I got a delta rewards card I'd just put all my flights on it. Is that really going to do that much for me. As opposed to putting the flights on my chase saphire reserve and getting points for it?
Currently at like 72k points on CSR , it's like $1000 in rewards travel dollars. Love CSR. I usually just go on the website and book flights through the Chase website using points. Is that the best way to do it? I know you can transfer the points to some of their in network partners. Not sure if that is a better way of doing it.
I’m crossing my fingers that I can get an upgrade for our spring break trip, but ten night stays ain’t exactly high on the list of stuff they want to upgrade.
It can be, just depends on the flight, hotel, etc. Except transfers to Southwest are always at $.015 cpp.
I opened the Southwest Rapid Reward card in 2014. Am I SOL trying to get both bonuses for the companion pass?
I'm not 100% on this but I'm probably 95% sure that the only requirements for a SW bonus are: 1. No new bonuses in the last 24 months 2. Not currently a holder of the card you're applying to
so what is now counting as applicable charges for the amex travel credit (hilton aspire, to be exact)? i forgot to update from southwest this year, so that's again the airline. i know gift cards don't work anymore, but I'm wondering what does. is there a way to get airfare included here?
Interesting... So I could book some cheap flights, cancel those and keep funds available for future use as travel credits on Southwest?
Just used 78k Delta points to fly Delta One Detroit-Vegas for the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. No ragrets
I did not know this until this past week, but I downgraded the Alaska Airlines BoA card ($75 AF) because I fly them far less in my new hometown. Well by downgrading, I was slotted to the BoA Cash Rewards Visa, which still includes the same main perk....a $99+taxes AA companion certificate. Their footprint makes this a no-brainer if you have decent connectivity to their network.
The companion code is already loaded into my Alaska account, under codes and certificates or w/e its called.
I think you get to keep it but it’s not recurring. The companion fare is such an underrated perk if you’re near an Alaska city. Wife and I booked roundtrip flights to Maui for $600.
nice humble brag about having a billion AA miles. we use it almost every year for a trip to Mexico or Hawaii (out of Portland) and get $300+ value out of it.
That would certainly make more business sense. I downgraded and they refunded (as it had already posted) the AF.
It really is. The problem is that I live in north Alabama and fly out of Nashville. The only direct flights from Nashville are to Seattle, so I have to go to Seattle to get anywhere. Which was great when I went to Seattle/Vancouver last year, but not so much when I'm trying to get to southern California this year. It adds like another 3 hours of flight time. The card has still been worth $750+ to me in two years with the companion fare, waved annual fee the first year, plus bonus miles.
Read up on the Hyatt and IHG cards. Seems like a no brainer unless you never stay in a hotel. Do either one of those have a referral bonus? I’m in the middle of a refi on my house which will be immediately followed by a refi on my 3 rental properties, so I won’t be able to apply for a card for a few months. But I plan on loading up this summer
Hyatt does, here's mine if you'd like to use it. https://www.referyourchasecard.com/205a/UDE67L7X5G And yeah the Hyatt card is a no brainer.
Hypothetically, if your parents owned a farm/ranch that did a very large amount of spending in a year but in the past they have only bought things with cash, where's the best place to start with getting them set up for a business card that could reward them for all of their spending? Call AMEX business card department and have them run some numbers?
We should be able to help you here. How much business spending do they do a month? Do they have any interest in travel cards, or would they want straight cash back?
^^^ The key is also amex would try to upsell while we don't have an incentive. Also we'll probably recommend a non-amex product but that's not as important