I love credit cards so much!

[SouthFayetteFan]

First, I'd like to say that it warms my heart over how much Southwest love there is on this board. While I'm not too happy with their prices lately, I do enjoy flying with them! Is there any information related to how much SW points are worth? I booked a flight from MCO to MKE for X number of points (I don't recall the amount), but the $ price was $123. The price has gone down to $99, but it shows me no difference in points cost. Also, booked another flight over Christmas. Cash price for those without points was $437 round trip. My points costs was just over 27,500. It's no big deal. I'm just curious.

It was valued at 1.6 cents per point but I think it went to 1.4 recently. @SouthFayetteFan would know exactly

Prior to the recent devaluation, I valued Southwest points at 1.61 cpp (cents per point) on average based on data from dozens of legs flown.

Effective a couple months ago they were reduced in my book to 1.48 cpp on average. You will get a higher cpp on lower priced flights and a lower cpp on higher priced flights due to the tax component of the ticket.

An interesting note is at 1.48 cents each, it now definitively makes more sense financially to book a SW ticket with URs vs. transferring URs to SW RR and then booking there. HOWEVER if you value the flexibility of booking with SW RR points then it could still make sense (ability to cancel, rebook and save points, change, etc.). Of course if you have a large stash of SW RR points already then you should likely use those first and keep your more flexible URs for other options.

I love Southwest! This just happened to me too actually. I had 3 flights booked (one way booking) but only two seats were left at the lower price. Since I needed to change three seats, online showed zero difference in price cost. I had to call in and they needed to move one of my tickets to its own confirmation number and the other two seats were adjusted to the lower price and points refunded.

I think YOU have identified the issue here A flight may show cheaper but if you've booked multiple tickets at once you can run into this issue. Still seems like the right option with Southwest is book all tickets 1 by 1 and as one-ways.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

Thanks @Albort So in the first instance with 100K JL miles----since JL is in Oneworld with AA, would one transfer AA miles to JL (in addition to being able to use SPG points)? And in the second instance with 120K ANA miles, would one use UA miles because of the Star Alliance (plus amex MR and SPG)? Or do I have it wrong?

 

[tink1970]

Refresh my memory... if I book a room at a Marriott for one night with URs, I can provide my Marriott number at the hotel and receive Marriott points for the stay since it's a "cash" booking, right?

Covered already but chiming in with my DPs from last year...none of our stays (?3) booked with UR counted for points. I was seriously bummed!

I've been lurking on this thread for a couple weeks now and am ready to ask some (pretty basic, I'm afraid) questions.

Our future travel is split:

• Youngest dd will be flying SW to/from school (BWI-IND) multiple times a year. She will also be flying internationally multiple times during the next four years. Some flights will be to Morocco (those may be booked as group flights so we may not have control over choice/payment options) and others will be to China (Beijing and Shanghai are the most likely).
• Dh and I are ready to do some serious traveling, beginning with Australia in fall 2019. Business class is preferred. Other future travel destinations include Africa (safari primarily), Greece/Southern Europe (cruise?), Scandanavia/Northern Europe, and Great Britain. The easiest airports for us are BWI and PHL, though getting to EWR/JFK and IAD/DCA isn't burdensome.

(I'm going to start with the first international trip for dh and I. Dd's international travel will be figured out later--she's not sure yet where she'll be studying next summer. I know that at least one of us will get a SW card to start covering some of her future trips back-and-forth to school.)

Before I get to the card-choosing stage, I need to figure out which airlines fly to where we want to go, which alliances they are in, and how many miles would be required for each. Is this correct?

Is it easiest to start with google flights?

Do flights "cost" the same number of miles to an international destination such as Sydney regardless of where in the US you begin?

Thanks for any help!

<----me

I'm no expert- there are others who are...but usually for a big trip 2 years is recommended for business/first for some areas like Australia/China, etc. Personally I bumped our Nov '19 Australia/NZ trip to give me another year to work on miles.

Some airlines definitely favor certain departure airports for fewer points (think west coast positioning for Australia...SFO or LAX). You have to sort of run the numbers to see where/when/what works best for you.

I am a member of Delta, United and American so to get a rough idea I'll spend time putting in made up dates/departures to see how the miles/points required add up.

When we fly to Australia I plan to position us to fly from the west coast, although I'll keep an open mind and check flights out of DFW and IAH.


As for alliances, it is helpful to decide what you're hoping to ise before developing a credit card strategy. With Chase's 5/24 probably best to start with them if United/Star Alliance is in the running. CSR or CSP UR can be transferred to both United and SW.

There are lots of ways to approach the game but being strategic and having a gameplan helps.

 

[mefordis]

So, I finally have a clear vision of the type of points I need for my trip next summer.

- I want to fly Delta Comfort +, 4 tickets, EWR - London, Munich > EWR = approx 70k + $400 per ticket = 280 Delta miles needed
- Hilton or Marriott or SPG for the hotels. I can use my 150k Hilton points for London, then Marriott/SPG for the rest of the trip (we'll stop over in Paris as well).

So, I need as many Delta miles and SPG/Marriott points as possible before next spring. Right now I only have 150k Hilton points and 35k Delta miles so I have a way to go.

Maybe my goal should be to apply for the Amex Delta card for my husband and I once things have cooled off. I think I'd get rejected now, wouldn't I?

Within 24 Months Me:

1 - Chase Marriott Premier Plus upgrade May 2018

Hilton Amex Business (5k min spend) May 2018

2 - Chase Marriott Dec-17

3 - Chase Unlimited Dec-17

SPG Amex Business Nov-17

4 - Barclay Jetblue Nov-17

5 - Chase United MPE Nov-17

6 - Chase Sapphire Preferred Jul-16

7- Bank of America MC Dec-16


Beyond 24 mos Me:

Amex travel card opened more than 24 mos ago

Chase Disney opened more than 24 mos ago


Within 24 Months husband:

Chase Sapphire Preferred Jan-18

Chase Sapphire Reserve Jan-18

Barclay Jetblue Dec-17

SPG Amex Business Mar 18

Chase Marriott Premier May 18 (5k min spend)

 

[Psychodisney]

Is anyone else going to Food and Wine? (I know @calypso726 is ) Bookings open June 14 for seminars, event, demos, etc!!! Official calendars are up on the website. (Sorry if someone already posted this but I'm in total shock, super excited and really stressed out with a million other things I should be doing but wanted to make sure everyone knows!)

I am 10/12-16, staying at BCV! I'm going with my DD19 and my sister and her DDs 24. I don't think we'll do any seminars but I'll have to take a look. I'm waiting for Eat to the Beat to be announced for our weekend!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Maybe my goal should be to apply for the Amex Delta card for my husband and I once things have cooled off. I think I'd get rejected now, wouldn't I?

Within 24 Months Me:

1 - Chase Marriott Premier Plus upgrade May 2018

Hilton Amex Business (5k min spend) May 2018

2 - Chase Marriott Dec-17

3 - Chase Unlimited Dec-17

SPG Amex Business Nov-17

4 - Barclay Jetblue Nov-17

5 - Chase United MPE Nov-17

6 - Chase Sapphire Preferred Jul-16

7- Bank of America MC Dec-16


Beyond 24 mos Me:

Amex travel card opened more than 24 mos ago

Chase Disney opened more than 24 mos ago


Within 24 Months husband:

Chase Sapphire Preferred Jan-18

Chase Sapphire Reserve Jan-18

Barclay Jetblue Dec-17

SPG Amex Business Mar 18

Chase Marriott Premier May 18 (5k min spend)

So amex has a 2/90 rule and 5 credit cards total (amex). So I think you are good on those parameters.

 

[mefordis]

So amex has a 2/90 rule and 5 credit cards total (amex). So I think you are good on those parameters.

So, do you think I would be approved for another Amex then? I have a lot of spending coming up and no min I'm working on right now. When should I pull the trigger on a new card, and with which one? Should I wait to see what SPG/Marriott comes out with?

 

[mefordis]

So, do you think I would be approved for another Amex then? I have a lot of spending coming up and no min I'm working on right now. When should I pull the trigger on a new card, and with which one? Should I wait to see what SPG/Marriott comes out with?

Want to add that I've started using my husband's Amex ED Preferred for everything to earn MR points. Especially at grocery stores and to also collect the 50% more points after 30 purchases per month. I think those points will transfer to Delta 1:1 and Starwood 1:1.

 

[tink1970]

Want to add that I've started using my husband's Amex ED Preferred for everything to earn MR points. Especially at grocery stores and to also collect the 50% more points after 30 purchases per month. I think those points will transfer to Delta 1:1 and Starwood 1:1.

I belive it's 1 spg for 3 MRs...not a great conversion--avoid this! Also remember there will be a small charge to transfer MRs to skymiles ($0.0006 with a max of $99 so after 165,000 miles the fee is the same).

I'd wait for 50,000 or 60,000 skymiles offer on one of Amex Delta Businesses (gold or platinum) then refer DH (or vice versa). Right now I'm in Europe so my phone is picking up UK offers so I don't know what the current Us offers are.

Alternatively, wait to see what the new spg/marriott new card offers. I've found it much easier to earn Marriott/SPG points than skymiles, but maybe that's just me.


Glad you have pinned down your goals!

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Is anyone else going to Food and Wine? (I know @calypso726 is ) Bookings open June 14 for seminars, event, demos, etc!!! Official calendars are up on the website. (Sorry if someone already posted this but I'm in total shock, super excited and really stressed out with a million other things I should be doing but wanted to make sure everyone knows!)

We will be there at BWV Sept 23rd to 27th...celebrating...both “kids” birthdays...31 and 28...lol

 

[hsmamato2]

Lowes is okay because it doesnt send L3 data to Amex. Staples does however. I do not have an MR card so i cannot say for sure if it earns MR or not. It works fine on everyday spendings on the SPG personal/Biz card. I wouldnt give Amex a reason to deny your sign up bonus, its better to avoid just in case.

SO Lowes OK,just verifying? (Hilton Biz) I don't want to mess this up

 

[Angrose]

Want to add that I've started using my husband's Amex ED Preferred for everything to earn MR points. Especially at grocery stores and to also collect the 50% more points after 30 purchases per month. I think those points will transfer to Delta 1:1 and Starwood 1:1.

Hmm, I think the general advice is to hold off on SPG/Marriott until August to see what the new cards are like. Delta's bonuses are not great right now, but the higher ones seem to come around fairly regularly. If you are collecting MRs, then the PRG or the Biz Gold Rewards would be useful for that. The PRG is only 25K right now but you can often find a 50K offer by searching incognito. The Biz Gold Rewards offer is currently 50K. It's rare that AMEX declines anyone! I am LOL/24 and just got approved for 2 new AMEX cards yesterday!

Also, MRs transfer to SPG at 3:1, so you need 3 MRs to get 1 SPG point. Not great, but it works if you're in a pinch.

Good luck!

 

[liloca]

We will be there at BWV Sept 23rd to 27th...celebrating...both “kids” birthdays...31 and 28...lol

Lol we will be there October 10-16 to celebrate my kids birthdays but they will be turning “only” 5 and 2

 

[Lain]

For @Haley R, @caribbeandream, and others who might be interested in the United Explorer Card (“MPE”), again, log into your United MileagePlus account to see if you’ve been targeted for the higher 60k UA miles offer. If not, don’t settle for the public 40k UA miles offer just yet; there are some tricks that have worked to get you targeted for higher offers on the MPE:

• Fly on United. After you’ve flown on United, many people report getting targeted with higher than public signup offers for the MPE via mailers and on their United account in the following weeks.
• Make a dummy booking on United. Log into your United account and go through the motions of making a flight booking, and you may see a popup offer for the MPE with a higher mileage offer (and possibly statement credit).
• Make a purchase through the United MileagePlus Shopping portal. People have generally received a targeted mailer a few weeks after their portal purchase. The MileagePlus Shopping portal includes iTunes, so you could possibly trigger a higher credit card offer by buying a cheap song.
• Make a purchase on the United MileagePlus X (“MPX”) gift card app. The MPX app is available for iOS and Android devices and sells e-gift cards at face value, often in the exact amount you need, but allows you to earn 0.5-5x UA miles/$1 depending on merchant (more during promos) and passes the coding of the purchase on to the merchant’s category allowing you to trigger category bonuses on your Chase Visa credit cards.

These tricks may trigger a higher offer immediately or could take several weeks to work, if at all. Keep playing around with the above tricks, as there seemed to be a lot of success with them last year. It helps if you don’t already have a United credit card.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Lol we will be there October 10-16 to celebrate my kids birthdays but they will be turning “only” 5 and 2

Lol..when we bought DVC 20 years ago they were 10 and 7...so glad they still love going...

 

[pillow]

I guess @wendow and I will stop hating on Colin now!

Definitely do not hate Colin. He was terrific!! He said customer service was "counting" a typo I made when setting up my account. I accidentally hit enter before typing the "t" on .net - so an account was created for an email that doesn't exist. Their customer service saw that as a duplicate account - even though it was never used and was obviously not a valid email address. Yowza! Plastic's customer service has been talking with the Amex RAT team I think.

 

[AmyAnne]

I know you already decided and got other feedback but wanted to share. I just flew through Denver on a Sunday morning (9ish). The regular security line snaked around for what looked forever. We were going through the pre check line and that was under 5 minutes. We went through Denver last year early in the morning and the lines were very long as well. Good choice with the smaller airport, I think the lines are always shorter.

Thanks - we do have TSA pre-check, but we still need to get through the airport, and to/from the rental car counter. Plus actually drive to/from the airport.

 

[pillow]

Geez. I wonder how they made sense of DISer accounts that used your support link.

But glad you got your account restored!

That was DH's support link, thank goodness.

 

[mefordis]

I belive it's 1 spg for 3 MRs...not a great conversion--avoid this! Also remember there will be a small charge to transfer MRs to skymiles ($0.0006 with a max of $99 so after 165,000 miles the fee is the same).

I'd wait for 50,000 or 60,000 skymiles offer on one of Amex Delta Businesses (gold or platinum) then refer DH (or vice versa). Right now I'm in Europe so my phone is picking up UK offers so I don't know what the current Us offers are.

Alternatively, wait to see what the new spg/marriott new card offers. I've found it much easier to earn Marriott/SPG points than skymiles, but maybe that's just me.


Glad you have pinned down your goals!

Thanks so much! So I'll avoid using the AMEX ED and just use my SPG Biz for everything? Then wait to see a Delta or SPG offer for our next cards.

Thanks!

 

[Haley R]

So I guess our mortgage ended up working through Plastiq. It says it was sent and it used to say Card processed. I also see a HUUUGE amount of bonus points on our Chase rewards account!