I love credit cards so much!

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@hsmamato2 I can help here. I was able to help a family of 4 get to Hawaii this way when we went last March that were traveling with us. Correct. Flying into London is going to cost a lot in taxes and fees. BA Avios are distance based. If you have a lot of them and don't have a ton of use then go ahead and use it to fly from the east coast to Hawaii. You can position yourself but why waste the other miles if you don't have to. I'd only do that if I didn't have enough or needed to position for a specific flight on a specific aircraft (one with lie flat seats). You will likely not be able to find any flights to Hawaii on BA's site. You need to log into AA's website and look for the flights with the number of people you have traveling. The seats must be available at the saver level.
:teeth:
I have a question for you (or anyone who knows here) what are the odds of being able to use this method on LAX-AUCK flights? I see on AA site some flights for 40k AA points, they call them economy saver seats.... (they stop in Sydney,any chance if these are usable with Avios redemptions I could book and stay in Sydney for a bit before continuing to NZ? or is this impossible?
 
Question: with the retention offer are you still getting the annual points allocation of 3000 or 6000? I have the $99 card and if I thought they would give me the 6000 points for free, I'd call and try to cancel also.

The small allotment of points has worked well for me - I've been able to find flights as low as 1727 one way - MCO to DCA. Family is driving down with me next week and flying back on that fare to Washington, DC. Can't beat it, other than getting a big bonus again. I see the flight still there for 1921 points - still outstanding if the dates work - usually tues or wed.

Yes, I THINK I will still get the free points - at least the rep said I would. I didn't really care though. I wasn't willing to pay $99 for 6K points since I can generate and transfer UR points pretty easily.

@Judique - I will report back and let you know if the points post so you can figure out what to do. Should be soon!
 
What about the RR accounts associated with her Chase cards? Will SW change that too?
I think she would need to contact the Chase SW help # to get that resolved after she merges the SW RR into one account.
1. Call SW and merge RR accounts
2. Call Chase SW and have them correct the SW RR #

Note: I have no personal experience with this.
 
Ok - just wanted to summarize these comments because they can be confusing.
  • When @DisneyMandC said "dining" in the first post I assumed they meant Dining Plan as you wouldn't "Purchase" Dining through Disney if you meant book ADRs.
  • @kmc8826 then said yes you can do that - but I don't think meant add dining plan - was saying yes to purchasing tickets through Disney.
  • @pillow also said that would work (probably only referring to the tickets) but then went on to advise purchasing tickets elsewhere for a larger discount. (which makes a lot of sense)
  • I was reading all of this and thought it meant you could actually add the dining plan to your hotel reservation. I was surprised at that so I posted my little summary to confirm.
  • @kmc8826 clarified that you cannot add dining on and then further clarified that you really aren't adding tickets on either - you can just buy tickets separately which anybody can do at any time.
  • I seemed to recall you actually COULD book a Disney package with URs so I did some searching. I found on Reddit (r/churning) on the "Churning for Disney: Walt Disney World Megathread" written by the Reddit Disney expert u/nuhertz that you can book a package through URs. You do this by calling Chase at 1-855-234-2542 and asking for the "Cruise and Tour Department." Tell them you want to book a Disney Vacation Package. They can book a package with hotel, park tickets, and DINING PLAN, using your Ultimate Rewards. I do not know if they can handle a partial points/partial cash reservation this way.
  • You can obviously just book room only reservations through the Chase UR Portal online as people previously indicated too if you aren't interested in tickets or dining plan.
So hopefully this information is helpful!

Thank you for this! Yes, I should clarify that I want to book a PACKAGE- so room, tickets, and dining. It will be probably the end of the year before I do this, but I will want to do the whole thing. I had heard about calling the Cruise and Tour Department. Maybe I'll check the reddit thread to see if anyone has mentioned partial points/cash, because I won't have enough points for the entire thing. I have heard that you can book through Cruise and Tour and if there is later a discount package offered through Disney, that you can have Chase apply it to your account and get cash refunded to you for the difference (but you CANNOT get UR points refunded).

When I actually start the booking process for this, I'll be sure to report back here. If worse comes to worst, I suppose I could always cash out my UR points for cash and use that to book. Obviously not the ideal valuation for any of us here, but would still go a long way to helping me.
 
Thank you for this! Yes, I should clarify that I want to book a PACKAGE- so room, tickets, and dining. It will be probably the end of the year before I do this, but I will want to do the whole thing. I had heard about calling the Cruise and Tour Department. Maybe I'll check the reddit thread to see if anyone has mentioned partial points/cash, because I won't have enough points for the entire thing. I have heard that you can book through Cruise and Tour and if there is later a discount package offered through Disney, that you can have Chase apply it to your account and get cash refunded to you for the difference (but you CANNOT get UR points refunded).

When I actually start the booking process for this, I'll be sure to report back here. If worse comes to worst, I suppose I could always cash out my UR points for cash and use that to book. Obviously not the ideal valuation for any of us here, but would still go a long way to helping me.
No worries - I was just so confused because I felt like you asked a question and were told yes - then I said the same thing and was told no, lol. I think it was just unclear and this stuff can be so complex when we are all asking multiple questions.

Please report back too - that will be very helpful to continue to get firsthand datapoints of the UR booking process (especially with a package).
 
Question: with the retention offer are you still getting the annual points allocation of 3000 or 6000? I have the $99 card and if I thought they would give me the 6000 points for free, I'd call and try to cancel also.

The small allotment of points has worked well for me - I've been able to find flights as low as 1727 one way - MCO to DCA. Family is driving down with me next week and flying back on that fare to Washington, DC. Can't beat it, other than getting a big bonus again. I see the flight still there for 1921 points - still outstanding if the dates work - usually tues or wed.
I didn;t think of this till I hung up the phone...and yes I haven't gotten the 3k points yet, but if I don't I'm calling and canceling 100%.... I won't forfeit the points for the retention cash
 
I didn;t think of this till I hung up the phone...and yes I haven't gotten the 3k points yet, but if I don't I'm calling and canceling 100%.... I won't forfeit the points for the retention cash
The points should post automatically and I don't think they could withhold if they wanted to. In my experience with 2 Southwest retention offers 1 time I got the points and the cash both, the other time I got the points and more points (they offered another 6k for not cancelling).
 
I forget what extra stuff has been added to the Reddit but it might be a good idea to have something there with how to book wdw with ur that also includes the number you have to call to get your res for mde. It seems like it gets brought up every 6 to 8 weeks. Maybe like a tips section or something.
 
Looking for a strategy for summer 2019 trip from upstate new york to Yellowstone. I use my jetblue card exclusively but only united and delta fly from my airport to Jackson Hole. Trying to decide between a united branded card or a more universal travel card I can transfer miles to united. I prefer to fly jetblue and feel like a non branded card would be a better value. Any suggestions? I plan to freeze my credit reports after this card is issued. I carry 3 cards now and spend on just two, jetblue and disney visa.
 
I forget what extra stuff has been added to the Reddit but it might be a good idea to have something there with how to book wdw with ur that also includes the number you have to call to get your res for mde. It seems like it gets brought up every 6 to 8 weeks. Maybe like a tips section or something.

I think I'm going to create a post over there that specifically is a place for people to share ideas on how to use this hobby to save money at Disney. Obviously that's a common interest we all share and could be helpful.

In that post I will link to this thread on r/churning:
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/6lgr8s/churning_for_disney_walt_disney_world_megathread/ This is where I found that package info...

Thank you! I feel like I've asked a couple questions to various people on this thread about booking Disney before, but there always seem to be new answers to different questions floating around.

I wish I could be booking a Disney trip soon to provide answers, but, alas, I am only at 90k UR points currently... :)
 
Wow, those rates are even lower than BWI! Too bad it would make it a 2 hour drive instead of 1 hr to BWI. I might need to start checking there though also. DH would definitely want to spend the night closer to the airport but we typically do that even with BWI flights. Especially, when they are early.

I'm 30 minutes from DCA and 45 minutes from BWI - even Dulles is less than an hour. All have SW but the cheapest flights have been DCA.
 
I decided to SM Chase and play dumb about my eBags order. I ended up spending $19.88 OOP, so an oops on my fault for misreading the offer and not realizing it had to be at least $20 - for some reason had up to $20 in my head. What I thought was funny though was the reason they told me I didn't get the points is because I made the purchase on my Freedom card.
 
I think I'm going to create a post over there that specifically is a place for people to share ideas on how to use this hobby to save money at Disney. Obviously that's a common interest we all share and could be helpful.

In that post I will link to this thread on r/churning:
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/6lgr8s/churning_for_disney_walt_disney_world_megathread/ This is where I found that package info...

One last follow up on this...

I did some googling and found this blog post written yesterday (1/3/18) regarding using points for Disney. I commented and asked the poster about using partial UR/partial cash through Cruise and Tour for a Disney trip and he claims that you can do that, AND you can even use Disney gift cards! Obviously I have no firsthand experience with this, but I don't know why he would lie about it after just writing that blog post :confused3

Link: https://saverocity.com/asthejoeflie...sney-and-a-call-for-datapoints/#comment-32931
 
Without a fuller picture of what's in your wallet, please take the following with some caution.

Regarding your SW Plus card, which you say renewed in December and for which you already paid the annual fee, Chase's policy is to allow cardholders a period of 30 days after your annual fee is billed to cancel their card and request a refund. Billed means when the annual fee posted to your statement, not when it was paid. After 30 days, you'll get some mixed data points that say Chase may refund you a prorated amount.

You may want to keep your SW Plus card open while you are trying to apply for two more cards from Chase, because your Plus card has a credit line that is presumably propping up your credit score (available credit, utilization %), and you could offer to reallocate credit from the Plus to a new card if Chase is on the fence about approving more cards because they feel they've already extended you too much credit.

Which two cards are you planning to double dip with your last slot? The SW Premier and ...? I ask because there may be certain rules a general instruction may miss. I can follow up with instructions how to do it.

Please note that if you double dip, you're getting two bites at the apple, not a free bite. So those two cards at 4/24 will bring you to 6/24 and you very likely won't be under 5/24 again in November 2018. The sixth card essentially gave you a shot at one of Chase's cards early, and will push when you'll be under 5/24 again out to the next oldest card.


Here are the cards that I have currently:
Discover IT - opened May 2017
SW Plus - opened Oct. 2016
BoA Cash Rewards - opened May 2017
Wells Fargo Dillards - opened May 2017 (still kicking myself on this one - unfortunately Chase is counting this one since it's WF)
SW Biz - opened Dec. 2017

Hopefully this helps! I guess I'm unsure whether to try for 2 Chase cards at the same time or just try for the Premier. The Premier is definitely the priority to get the CP, so I definitely want to do whatever I can for it. If it makes sense to apply for two cards the same day, I really am not sure what other Chase card to try for. Any suggests on that would be appreciated! Possibly a card to try to accumulate points for the hotel in Hawaii for 2019 is what I was thinking. Trying to meet two min. spends would be a stretch but I could probably do it, if they're both $2,000 or so for 3 months. Would probably not be interested in a card with a large annual fee as I don't travel or spend that much to try to offset the advantages.

On the SW Plus card, I think previously I was able to get a refund on the fee a few months after. If that doesn't work out, then oh well I guess, I can cancel it next year. I'll definitely leave it open until after I apply for the Premier.

Thanks again so much!
 
Looking for a strategy for summer 2019 trip from upstate new york to Yellowstone. I use my jetblue card exclusively but only united and delta fly from my airport to Jackson Hole. Trying to decide between a united branded card or a more universal travel card I can transfer miles to united. I prefer to fly jetblue and feel like a non branded card would be a better value. Any suggestions? I plan to freeze my credit reports after this card is issued. I carry 3 cards now and spend on just two, jetblue and disney visa.
If you want a non-branded, you could get a Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) or Reserved (CSR) and transfer the points to United.
 
I think I'm going to create a post over there that specifically is a place for people to share ideas on how to use this hobby to save money at Disney. Obviously that's a common interest we all share and could be helpful.

In that post I will link to this thread on r/churning:
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/6lgr8s/churning_for_disney_walt_disney_world_megathread/ This is where I found that package info...

Sorry if what I posted was unclear. I was told you can book a Disney package with UR points. You have to call and talk to the Cruise/Tour section. I called them and was told that you could book the UR Disney package but it had to include room and tickets in order to have dining. Directly with Disney it is possible to do room and dining no tickets, but with UR apparently that is not possible. If you want dining on a room you have booked with UR points you would have to buy tickets too.
 
Here are the cards that I have currently:
Discover IT - opened May 2017
SW Plus - opened Oct. 2016
BoA Cash Rewards - opened May 2017
Wells Fargo Dillards - opened May 2017 (still kicking myself on this one - unfortunately Chase is counting this one since it's WF)
SW Biz - opened Dec. 2017

Hopefully this helps! I guess I'm unsure whether to try for 2 Chase cards at the same time or just try for the Premier. The Premier is definitely the priority to get the CP, so I definitely want to do whatever I can for it. If it makes sense to apply for two cards the same day, I really am not sure what other Chase card to try for. Any suggests on that would be appreciated! Possibly a card to try to accumulate points for the hotel in Hawaii for 2019 is what I was thinking. Trying to meet two min. spends would be a stretch but I could probably do it, if they're both $2,000 or so for 3 months. Would probably not be interested in a card with a large annual fee as I don't travel or spend that much to try to offset the advantages.

On the SW Plus card, I think previously I was able to get a refund on the fee a few months after. If that doesn't work out, then oh well I guess, I can cancel it next year. I'll definitely leave it open until after I apply for the Premier.

Thanks again so much!
At this point even if you stopped applying for cards you wouldn't be under 5/24 until Oct '18...Once you hit the min. spend(s) on the SW Premier (and possibly 1 additional card) do you plan to continue applying for other cards this year (with other issuers) or would you hold off until October?

My thoughts are:
1) If you are going to continue to apply for other cards this year (with other issuers) then now is your last chance to snag 2 Chase cards. Obviously 1 is the SW Premier - the others to consider would probably be a CSP or CSR, Marriott could make your list if you have any interest in that card OR if you really are concerned about the high min. spend you could think about a Freedom or Freedom Unlimited although that isn't always the best use of a 5/24 slot.
2) If you are NOT going to continue to apply for other cards this year you could just get the SW Premier now, then wait until Oct 2018 and apply for 2 Chase cards then to complete your double dip (maybe a CSR/CSP if you're looking for big points for Hawaii).
3) You could also apply for a SW Premier now...try for another Chase Biz Card (CIP?) after that min. spend is up and then apply for 2 cards after Oct when you're back to 4/24.

You got a lot of options to consider there. Of course the risk is the rules change on you in between now and Oct. and it doesn't exactly work out - but that's a risk we all face everyday with our churning plan.

EDIT: Point 3 was kind of dumb, even I can forget the rules sometimes. You CANNOT apply for SW now and then apply for CIP...because you'd be considered 5/24 until October LOL! You could either Apply for SW and CIP now (which would be a huge min. spend) OR apply for SW now, then CIP in Oct, then Double Dip CSR/CSP after that...sorry for a dumb comment lol.
 
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Sorry if what I posted was unclear. I was told you can book a Disney package with UR points. You have to call and talk to the Cruise/Tour section. I called them and was told that you could book the UR Disney package but it had to include room and tickets in order to have dining. Directly with Disney it is possible to do room and dining no tickets, but with UR apparently that is not possible. If you want dining on a room you have booked with UR points you would have to buy tickets too.
Thanks this is a helpful clarification! I will add that to my post where I summarized stuff too!!! Haha This is what happens when we ask 3 and 4 questions in one post and try to answer them then, lol! Such is life on a message board!
 
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