I love credit cards so much! v3.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[ten6mom]

So my friend who I'm tentatively planning to "take" to Europe sometime revealed to me that she prefers Delta.

If I were going to "help" her get there (this is assuming she'll even let me), what would be your recommended steps to do so?

Even if I could not accompany her, I'd love to gift her with miles or tickets or something. Is that even doable (for someone else)?

 

[Breck]

I

Marriott redemption question:
I have 100k pts. I know you get the 5th night free if you reserve using points.
But what if my pts don't cover the whole stay?
Can I add cash and still get the free night? The website doesn't seem to allow it.
Thank you

If you have UR points, I believe you can link your Marriott # and transfer what you need.

 

[afan]

Isaac Newton -courtesy of my much smarter than me 17 yr old DS

Thank you! I've stumped a few people, now to let them know who it is too

 

[GlamMistress]

Open to suggestions: new situation just arrived, my DH is going to need surgery and we’ll have about $8K in medical bills to prove it. Has anyone put medical bills on CIP? I was thinking to get them much sooner than I expected, one for DH and for myself. Will medical bills on a biz card cause issues?
Otherwise, I’m open and not sure what to do. I’d like to start earning URs. DH already has CSP. I assume there is nothing out there that codes as 2x or so for medical...

MSR is best like others said. I wonder if you could look through all your new card options and pick one with a nice MSR and also a spend threshold bonus? Like the Hilton cards get a free weekend night with $15k spend. Things like that? Some cards let you spend your way to elite status too.

Here's an article (sorry for The Points Guy link)

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cards-bonuses-for-annual-spending/

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

MSR is best like others said. I wonder if you could look through all your new card options and pick one with a nice MSR and also a spend threshold bonus? Like the Hilton cards get a free weekend night with $15k spend. Things like that? Some cards let you spend your way to elite status too.

Here's an article (sorry for The Points Guy link)

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cards-bonuses-for-annual-spending/

I’ve definitely thought about the Amex Hilton spend, so you’ve given me something else to consider. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[LB002]

Hi all!!! We are back from our amazing trip to HI and I am hopelessly behind on this thread. Some thoughts from our trip:

- Direct flight from East Coast to Honolulu was perfect flying with younger kids. So glad we didn't do a layover. Standard Hawaiian Air seats are TIGHT but we did fine.

- Thanks for the tip to sign up for Dollar car rental rewards. The general line was out the door, but the rewards line only had 1 person ahead of us!

- I read mixed reviews of Hilton Hawaiian Village and Waikiki in general, but I am glad we did the split stay. Yes, HHV is older, but very well maintained. Staff was friendly. Things were a bit cheaper than Aulani. Good location for sight seeing on the Eastern side of the Island.

- Aulani felt like home (DVC members) and the kids loved it, but the resort felt cramped and was SO CROWDED (school vacation week). I am not a crowd person, so I didn't enjoy the crowded pools, but we liked everything else and definitely plan to return.

- Dukes Waikiki was very over rated. We didn't have a great meal in Waikiki at all, but some of that was due to having younger kids and jet lag and where we chose to eat for convenience.

- Ama Ama was lovely, we ended up there 2 out of 4 nights. We had planned on Roys steakhouse one night but switched bc my son was sick and we didn't want to send him to the kids club to share germs. Noe at the Four Seasons was also beautiful, but $$$.

- Aulani spa 100% worth the cost!!! DH joined me for the water garden after my treatment while the kids did a program at Aunties.

- Aulani Luau was OK, but I have a feeling I'd say the same for any of them. Glad we did it, probably won't do one again.

- Polynesian Cultural Center was a huge hit with the kids, definitely a full day affair. I felt slightly uncomfortable with the cultural representations as tourism (more of a personal.issue in general rather than reflection of PCC), but the Breath of Life show was phenomenal. Much better than Aulani Luau. The Prime Rib dinner was horrible, much better and cheaper options by the main gate. The Ambassador package was helpful - we had a guide to make sure we got to see the most of the PCC and great seating for the show.

- My kids did great at Pearl Harbor. I was nervous they wouldn't "get" it, but the memorial is very well done and led to good conversation. My 4th grader learned about WW2 this year in school, so especially timely.

- Hanuama Bay was our favorite. Not too crowded after lunch time and my daughter learned to snorkel there. My favorite day of the trip. The snack bar was absolutely disgusting though!

- Chase travel/UR rewards portal excursions were great. We did Ocean Kayaking, scuba dive and dolphin snorkel boat trip. Hubby loved Dive Oahu so much he booked a 2nd trip with them.

This got longer than I planned! Thanks to everyone who shared advice on CC syrategy and Hawaii in general. This trip wouldn't have happened without you!

 

[mmmears]

I'm really leaning towards GFC so I'm glad you had good experiences! I'm craving pancakes right now, but I'm not sure I'll still feel that way in two weeks lol.

Another vote for GFC. I like that the menu has both breakfast and lunch options and we've had several good meals there.

 

[PolyRob]

FREAKING USA TODAY???? You are kidding me...!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ve-some-travelers-cheaper-flights/4586843002/

 

[Haley R]

Another vote for GFC. I like that the menu has both breakfast and lunch options and we've had several good meals there.

I booked it for 12:50! I’m excited!!

 

[Haley R]

View attachment 474875

I couldn’t decide whether to put a laugh face or a sad face because I miss friends so badly

 

[PolyRob]

I need opinions about where to eat for lunch. We plan to go to MK close to rope drop so we can get pictures with hopefully less people nearby. I have a FP for Mickey at 11:40-12:40 and am trying to figure out where we should eat lunch after. I'm thinking at one of the monorail resorts since we'll be so close to the park exit and I might be tired at that point. I see ADRs for Grand Floridian Cafe or Kona Cafe (those are the only two that interest us). Otherwise, Captain Cook's might be an option even though it's QS. What do some of you think?

We have never eaten at Kona for lunch but have at Grand Floridian Cafe twice...it’s a brunch so breakfast and lunch choices...we have enjoyed it each time

I'm really leaning towards GFC so I'm glad you had good experiences! I'm craving pancakes right now, but I'm not sure I'll still feel that way in two weeks lol.

Another vote for GFC. I like that the menu has both breakfast and lunch options and we've had several good meals there.

Another vote for Grand Floridian Cafe!!! It is much calmer and quieter than Kona. I also like that you can get all breakfast and lunch options up until dinner like previous posters have mentioned. The Madagascar vanilla french toast is SO yummy and you can add fun enhancements like strawberries and sugar cookie crumbles. I always get this on checkout day when staying at the Grand! Now I want some GFC . I also feel like Kona may be more limiting with sushi and things like that.

 

[PolyRob]

This is TOTALLY off topic, BUT relevant for all Mean Girls fans! I honestly never knew this existed so I needed to share!

Scroll to #5!!!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/spenceralthouse/wildest-deleted-scenes-in-movies

 

[Haley R]

Another vote for Grand Floridian Cafe!!! It is much calmer and quieter than Kona. I also like that you can get all breakfast and lunch options up until dinner like previous posters have mentioned. The Madagascar vanilla french toast is SO yummy and you can add fun enhancements like strawberries and sugar cookie crumbles. I always get this on checkout day when staying at the Grand! Now I want some GFC . I also feel like Kona may be more limiting with sushi and things like that.

I’m getting really excited about the ADR now! It’ll be a good way to relax after taking pictures and before driving home. I’m craving a blueberry muffin so bad right now and I have nothing close to that lol

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Ugh. DH had an eye doctor appointment tonight. He didn’t tell me he was going to order new glasses. He called to ask me which card ( which is good) but my answer is ‘the CIP that hasn’t arrived yet.’ $450 and new card will probably arrive tomorrow or Thursday

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

This is TOTALLY off topic, BUT relevant for all Mean Girls fans! I honestly never knew this existed so I needed to share!

Scroll to #5!!!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/spenceralthouse/wildest-deleted-scenes-in-movies
View attachment 474876

Woah!!! Cool find!!

I also watched the Titanic alt ending. That was TERRIBLE and hilarious at the same time.

 

[Minnie368]

First thing is first. Before you look at any other options for flights, you should first be aware of what airlines have the most flights from your departure airport to you arrival airport. If United has one flight a day or one flight a few times a week then that is not the airline you want to focus on. Less award seats would be available and if the flight is cancelled due to mechanical issues or not making enough revenue and taken off the calendar, you would be stuck with no flight at a point that would be likely too late to make other arrangements.

Are you choosing Dela because you are in a Delta hub? Keep in mind Delta has had dynamic award pricing for years. I can recall seeing award flights ranging from 180,000 - 700,000 for the same departure and arrival cities for one of my flights a couple of years ago. There's a reason their miles are known as Sky Pesos. Just because you may see award flights at a certain number of miles today doesn't mean they will stay that way. Anyone who gets into AA now should be safe. Shutdowns have taken place for those employing advanced strategies or taking advantage of loopholes that no longer exist.

Please note award flights to or from London often incur very high taxes and fees in comparison to other European destinations. If you are looking for flights with a party of four then I am guessing that you are looking to fly in coach. When that is the case, you can often purchase tickets with UR points via the UR portal with a CSR account for far less than what it would cost to book an award flight now that the legacy carriers are all on dynamic pricing. Hope this helps

I would go with United or AA. I got 3 AA cards this year which was enough for two round trips Biz class tickets to Europe. The aviators are the easiest cards to earn miles on. All you have to do is make one purchase pay the AF and you have at least 60k miles. If two of you did that that’s two one ways. Two citi Biz cards would give you another two one ways. As long as one person doesn’t get multiples of one card you’re fine.
Award flights for Biz can be as low as 50k. Awards fights on BA with AA miles are plentiful. The only negative is the fuel charges. You may have to pay 250.00 to 300 pp on BA. Is their 4 of you? Getting 4 award tickets on any flight might be hard. Are you open to splitting up and are you flexible about what city you fly home from? AA has had a ton of saver awards to and from Berlin this Summer. I have no idea why but they have.
It going to be tough finding saver award from Paris or Rome on a AA flight but if you are open to paying BA’s fuel charges it should be a piece of cake.

Another nice thing about Advantage is that you can change your flights without paying a fee as long as your origin and destination don’t change. If you book something and find a better flight even if it’s a different day you can change it. I’ve changed my flights four times.
I know very little about United, but I did join their mileage program a couple days ago to see what award flights they offered to Australia.

Thanks everyone for your replies.
Yes there are four of us. I know that makes it tough. DS graduates college that spring (2022) and we're hoping to go late May/early June. We want to make it a special trip because I know after that family vacations are going to be harder to come by. With there being 4 of us, I just don't see us earning enough of one reward currency to do round trip so I think we'll have to split it up. I'm thinking we are going to go for earning Delta and AA all while trying to accumulate UR/MR as well. At least we have two years. I would love to pay for it all with rewards but with there being 4 of us I'll just be happy to do as much as possible. We fly out of Pittsburgh but that doesn't seem to be a great airport for flights to Europe. We like Baltimore and it's not too far, so I could see us flying out of there and it seems Baltimore has a lot more options.

 

[Haley R]

Ah man a poly studio with lake view is $270 on 2/24-2/25. It’s always during the week. I don’t think I can convince Dh to take work off. Oh well. I’m pretty excited to stay at POR anyway

 

[elgerber]

Hi all!!! We are back from our amazing trip to HI and I am hopelessly behind on this thread. Some thoughts from our trip:

- Direct flight from East Coast to Honolulu was perfect flying with younger kids. So glad we didn't do a layover. Standard Hawaiian Air seats are TIGHT but we did fine.

- Thanks for the tip to sign up for Dollar car rental rewards. The general line was out the door, but the rewards line only had 1 person ahead of us!

- I read mixed reviews of Hilton Hawaiian Village and Waikiki in general, but I am glad we did the split stay. Yes, HHV is older, but very well maintained. Staff was friendly. Things were a bit cheaper than Aulani. Good location for sight seeing on the Eastern side of the Island.

- Aulani felt like home (DVC members) and the kids loved it, but the resort felt cramped and was SO CROWDED (school vacation week). I am not a crowd person, so I didn't enjoy the crowded pools, but we liked everything else and definitely plan to return.

- Dukes Waikiki was very over rated. We didn't have a great meal in Waikiki at all, but some of that was due to having younger kids and jet lag and where we chose to eat for convenience.

- Ama Ama was lovely, we ended up there 2 out of 4 nights. We had planned on Roys steakhouse one night but switched bc my son was sick and we didn't want to send him to the kids club to share germs. Noe at the Four Seasons was also beautiful, but $$$.

- Aulani spa 100% worth the cost!!! DH joined me for the water garden after my treatment while the kids did a program at Aunties.

- Aulani Luau was OK, but I have a feeling I'd say the same for any of them. Glad we did it, probably won't do one again.

- Polynesian Cultural Center was a huge hit with the kids, definitely a full day affair. I felt slightly uncomfortable with the cultural representations as tourism (more of a personal.issue in general rather than reflection of PCC), but the Breath of Life show was phenomenal. Much better than Aulani Luau. The Prime Rib dinner was horrible, much better and cheaper options by the main gate. The Ambassador package was helpful - we had a guide to make sure we got to see the most of the PCC and great seating for the show.

- My kids did great at Pearl Harbor. I was nervous they wouldn't "get" it, but the memorial is very well done and led to good conversation. My 4th grader learned about WW2 this year in school, so especially timely.

- Hanuama Bay was our favorite. Not too crowded after lunch time and my daughter learned to snorkel there. My favorite day of the trip. The snack bar was absolutely disgusting though!

- Chase travel/UR rewards portal excursions were great. We did Ocean Kayaking, scuba dive and dolphin snorkel boat trip. Hubby loved Dive Oahu so much he booked a 2nd trip with them.

This got longer than I planned! Thanks to everyone who shared advice on CC syrategy and Hawaii in general. This trip wouldn't have happened without you!

Ha I just read this on Facebook too. Funny when our online worlds overlap.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I couldn’t decide whether to put a laugh face or a sad face because I miss friends so badly

Lmao I read this at first as you saying you missed having friends and I was like “jeez is Haley ok?”

 

[disneybirds]

Thanks for that info! Where did you find out about the special they were having? Is it something advertised or emailed to you, or just something you had to keep watch for? I've never heard of Delta Vacations so I'll have to take a look.

I think it was an email, but I feel like I am on the Delta site just about everyday. I know it was discussed on here. I have a friend that books her international travel through Delta Vacations because she finds it to be cheaper than through the Delta site. She pays in cash (gasp!).