Haven’t stayed current with this thread but I think I’m done with the AMEX platinum coupon book card after this year. Just ready to get another one of those big sign up bonus and double up on the first year benefits. The United travel bank still works for the airline credit by the way. Just had my 2 $100 credits post today Is the chase sapphire reserve still the preferred card of choice in here?
I misread his post because he used “preferred” in his question. CSP is the better option over CSR if you’re under 5/24 and want to swim in the warm Chase waters.
The benefits of the Reserve haven't exactly kept up with the increased annual fee IMO, which is now at $550. Plus the sign up bonus is currently low at 60K. The Venture X is $395 and includes $300 rebate for any travel booked through their portal. 75,000 point sign up bonus. 10,000 point bonus on your anniversary. Some large spend multipliers if you book hotel/flight/car through their portal. It includes Priority Pass. Unlimited access to Capital One Lounge in DFW with more opening this year. Here's my shameless referral plug https://capital.one/3PIjebP However- if you don't care about lounge access and some of the higher travel multipliers and rebates, then maybe look at Amex Gold ($250 AF) or Citi Premier ($95 AF). Both offer some great spend multipliers on common expenses. There's a Gold referral in this thread for 90K SUB. Citi Premier has an 80K SUB (EDIT- I just looked and the Citi SUB dropped from 80K to 60K a few days ago). Also, make sure you have a Membership Rewards earning Amex open before you cancel your Platinum so you don't lose points.
Chase Hyatt card has a 5X offer on gas and grocery spend starting from January 15th to March 31st. Not sure who all is eligible. Here's the link https://www.chase.com/mybonus
I do, but a lot of them are overrated, esp if we're talking PP enabled access, and centurion has been trash in both SF and SEA in my time as a member (thankfully SF's reno just completed and SEA's is underway) Premium/INTL lounges though - wipes brow
I just spent all day in the American Airlines international Admiral’s Club lounge in Chicago. It was really nice. The food was on point.
im at a delta hub so getting access to the delta clubs whenever i travel is a huge benefit to the amex plat and delta reserve cards
ive tested the bounds of this and disagree savannah airport for example is far better outside the shitbox lounge they have
Lounge access is only worth it if you have international layovers or live somewhere shitty and can't get direct flights. Why the fuck you showing up places that long before take off
I actually do like the lounges to go take a shit and grab a coffee on early morning flighte. ATL Delta lounges are nice But IMO it's really only a huge perk if you've got a long layover after an international flight and want to chill, shower, etc
Eh I fly a fair bit but it's usually non-stop around the southwest. Never even bothered because I don't get to airports early.
Hotel with earlyish checkout or meetings that don’t take all day paired with a later flight is another reason
Completely disagree. I travel 2-3 days a week and would be lost without Delta lounge access. Took several red eye flights back from LAX last year. That shower + old forester & cookie combo made my life better.
I assume you're referring to the Flagship Lounge? I'm hoping to check that out in late April when I go transcon from there on Iberia. First Flagship experience, a little stoked.
New Delta flyer here, thanks to Amex. What is everyone’s best advice for tracking down good sky miles value? So far I’ve had some pretty set dates and places, and found the best pricing that fit. Looking to find some good value to get some ideas for travel later on this year.
FYI I only had an 80k referral on my new account so I sent your link to a friend so he could get 150k. So you got a couple coming your way.
It's the best of all the credit cards. Flight prices are the same through the portal as they are directly from the airline. 5x points on flights. The best benefit is their price drop protection. If they say it's a good time to buy and the ticket drops in price within 10 days after booking, they'll reimburse you up to $50 per ticket. They use their own price prediction technology to let you know if it's a good time to book. You can set a price watch. I booked a Hilton Embassy Suites for a wedding back in November through their portal. Their rate was a bit cheaper than what was offered through my Hilton app as a Gold member. Not sure how common that is. I've also booked a rental car through it with no issues. The 10x point multiplier on hotels/cars is unbeatable. You don't get hotel status credit when booking anywhere other than the hotel though.
These portals are so irritating. It stresses me out more than it should trying to compare prices between portal/direct/Expedia to find the cheapest method.
Amex portal is such a clunky POS. I never use that one. I typically book through the airline (points) or credit card portal (cash) for flights. Direct with hotel if Marriott/Hilton. Either CC portal or Priceline if other hotel.
I thought they use Hopper, but I could be wrong. I've used them for flights last year and the communication was good when American starting moving flights around. Have another trip coming up and just waiting for my $300 credit to refresh and will use it again.
You're right. Their site says they've partnered with Hopper. That's what I get for breaking my cardinal rule and clicking on the points guy/first google result and seeing them claim "proprietary price prediction technology" here https://thepointsguy.com/news/capital-one-travel-booking-enjoying-trips/
I don’t get the hate for the CSR lately. 1) The Travel credits don’t have to be earned through the Chase Portal (unlike Venture X) 2) The Travel Portal gives 10x on flights and hotels just like the Amex. 3) You get 1.5x redemption value when booking with points through the portal. Only downside is no direct transfer to Delta Sky Miles; but Flying Blue can help mitigate it.
Speaking for myself, I’d say a big reason is the increased annual fee to $550 (Venture X $395) without really any added benefits. Combine that with a paltry 60,000 SUB and it’s not good. The travel credits being redeemed anywhere is a great pro. Although spending $300 on a simple flight thru Cap One portal isn’t hard. AmexPlat is the worst with theirs: having to select one airline and not redeemable on airfare. The travel portal gives 5x on flights. Just like Venture X. AmexPlat wins this with 5x for any flights outside their portal. 1.5x redemption thru portal is better than others, but I think most of us transfer our points to obtain more value, so that’s not much of a value add.
if someone doesn’t want to put in the effort to transfer to partners and try to find better value, I think the 1.5 redemption is the easy way to go though.
Chase Aeroplan has a pay yourself back option at 1.25 cpp for travel purchases with aeroplan points. Might be a good option to liquidate MR points or capital one points.
I have always transferred to UR partners for every airline redemption I’ve made. I use my points to fly international, though. I could see the portal being on par with domestic redemptions. I’ve also used the portal for hotel redemptions. I get about 3-5 cents per point internationally - with the exception of my ANA redemption to Tokyo which was a ridiculous 20 cents per point. I doubt that’ll ever happen again.
How does this work to get a business card? I know a lot of people reference some “eBay business” but do you need a tax ID or does the credit card company ever request additional information to verify things?
Centurion in DFW was packed yesterday I went over to the priority pass lounge which also was the busiest I’ve ever seen it. Centurion in CVG was hilariously small and basic but like three others were there so that was fine. Also had up charges for 80%+ of the liquors on hand so had a nice Jack and Diet and hopped on my flight.