Haley R
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2017
Do you mean BA?https://thepointsguy.com/guide/award-ticket-holds/
You might call AF to see if they will hold the tickets for you and then call them back after the AA release day to cancel the hold?
Do you mean BA?https://thepointsguy.com/guide/award-ticket-holds/
You might call AF to see if they will hold the tickets for you and then call them back after the AA release day to cancel the hold?
I went a little crazy last night and made reservations for DH & I to go to Bora Bora in 2024. Originally I was targeting the Maldives, but DH was concerned over how far that is from the US, so I started looking at Bora Bora instead. I have us flying out on UA Polaris lie flat J in the Dreamliner, staying 2 nts in Papeete (day trip to Moorea?), 2 nts at Conrad Bora Bora, and 5 nts at St. Regis Bora Bora - all booked on points & miles for a trip that so far rings in just shy of $25K. I am still trying to figure out the flight home, and that has me a little nervous...
That has us in French Polynesia for 9 nights and I'm wondering if that's too long? Tagging @wanderlust7 and @calypso726 since Calypso was just there and Wanderlust was there last year. Thoughts/advice?
No, that article I linked says Air France will hold award tickets for free and I don't think you need to have the points available. And Air France is a JAL partner.Do you mean BA?
I couldn’t find how early they are able to book. I thought BA was first and the rest after but I’m not sure. Do you know if AF books earlier than AA?No, that article I linked says Air France will hold award tickets for free and I don't think you need to have the points available. And Air France is a JAL partner.
I went a little crazy last night and made reservations for DH & I to go to Bora Bora in 2024. Originally I was targeting the Maldives, but DH was concerned over how far that is from the US, so I started looking at Bora Bora instead. I have us flying out on UA Polaris lie flat J in the Dreamliner, staying 2 nts in Papeete (day trip to Moorea?), 2 nts at Conrad Bora Bora, and 5 nts at St. Regis Bora Bora - all booked on points & miles for a trip that so far rings in just shy of $25K. I am still trying to figure out the flight home, and that has me a little nervous...
That has us in French Polynesia for 9 nights and I'm wondering if that's too long? Tagging @wanderlust7 and @calypso726 since Calypso was just there and Wanderlust was there last year. Thoughts/advice?
What's the deal with booking through Cathay Pacific? Looks like AA's award schedule is only open through like May 9, but Cathay Pacific (flying JAL metal) is open through June 7, so a whole month sooner. Might be limited by needing 3 seats and the points/taxes are higher than AA but guessing less than BA?I couldn’t find how early they are able to book. I thought BA was first and the rest after but I’m not sure. Do you know if AF books earlier than AA?
Unfortunately there are no standard room awards at the Hilton Moorea for the entire first six months of 2024, otherwise I think I would like to spend a few days there. Our flight into Tahiti doesn't arrive until the evening, so I figure we will spend at least arrival night in Papeete. If we spend two nights there, then we could catch the ferry over to Moorea during our one full day in Tahiti to get a taste of Moorea or maybe do a guided tour that takes us around the island. I have to look into that.We were at the Conrad Bora Bora for 5 nights. I didn’t find it too long and wouldn’t have minded another night or two. The purpose was to relax plus we’re not go go go people anyways. We didn’t leave the resort except for a half day snorkeling tour with H2O (highly recommend) and to go into town for an hour (went to the grocery store and the souvenir market right at the dock).
There’s a lot to do on Moorea if you can fit it in. We enjoyed our day at Coco Beach, which is a restaurant on an island. We also hiked to the viewing platform on Magic Mountain. Driving around the island was fun too.
Have you looked into how you’ll get from the Conrad to the St Regis? Do you have to pay the round trip transportation for both or is there a private transfer way?
Dh said he tried a lot of different dates on AF and they all gave him an error, even a date that had a seat available on AA. So I have no idea what’s going on with their websiteWhat's the deal with booking through Cathay Pacific? Looks like AA's award schedule is only open through like May 9, but Cathay Pacific (flying JAL metal) is open through June 7, so a whole month sooner. Might be limited by needing 3 seats and the points/taxes are higher than AA but guessing less than BA?
Not AF, Cathay Pacific. Seems like that might be an option...Dh said he tried a lot of different dates on AF and they all gave him an error, even a date that had a seat available on AA. So I have no idea what’s going on with their website
Dh is making an account and seeing if it’ll let him put them on hold. After we’ve given it more thought we’re considering flying out of Chicago instead of SFO. It’s only about 55 minutes longer to Tokyo and the flight to Chicago is about 3 hours shorter for us than going to SFO.Not AF, Cathay Pacific. Seems like that might be an option...
With 0 APR cards you typically only have to pay a minimum payment of 1% of the balance each statement cycle. No interest accrues until the introductory period ends. So, if you put $15,000 on the card, you can expect your minimum payment to be $150/month (which reduces the balance and the payments grow steadily smaller).If I were to get the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, put let's say $10,000-$15,000 down to take advantage of the 15 month 0% APR do I have to make monthly payments on that amount or can I wait 6 months or so and just pay it all?
We are really thinking about buying direct but we would sell our resale contract come January, so was wanting to put a sizeable down payment on a credit card with 0% interest, getting some of those rewards and then paying it off when we sell the contract.
If there is a better credit card for doing this please let me know!
Thanks again for this. I did the product change today. I upgraded my original CSR that I had downgraded in 2019 to a Freedom back to a CSR. Then I used the CSR to rebook a trip I had originally booked in the portal using my CSP and saved almost $300. Add the travel credit to that and it was a no-brainer.Yes, you can product change your Chase Freedom to a CSR while simultaneously holding a CSP. This isn't a loophole- so you aren't doing anything "against the rules." Sapphire rules don't allow you to earn a BONUS on both the CSP and CSR within 48 months, but there's nothing wrong with product changing.
For others interested, the MDD is how one can achieve a bonus on both the CSP and CSR.
I got this cool email re: my Amex Plat. Looks like they are gonna give me 20kMR for some glitch about not being able to enroll in Pay Over Time. I just have to call them to accept. Nice! Email is titled "Important Message from American Express"
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Unfortunately there are no standard room awards at the Hilton Moorea for the entire first six months of 2024, otherwise I think I would like to spend a few days there. Our flight into Tahiti doesn't arrive until the evening, so I figure we will spend at least arrival night in Papeete. If we spend two nights there, then we could catch the ferry over to Moorea during our one full day in Tahiti to get a taste of Moorea or maybe do a guided tour that takes us around the island. I have to look into that.
I was thinking of booking a snorkel trip on the day we leave the Conrad that would take us around to different spots in the lagoon, and drop us off at the St. Regis. I guess I have to find out if the Conrad and St. Regis will allow (and only charge for) one-way transfers from/to BOB. I definitely do have to do more investigating!
Did you take out XPF at an ATM or were you able to do everything either with a cc or USD?
Not sure I understand your question, but the CSR 50% bonus in the portal applies to travel booked with points, so I’m not seeing where gift cards fit in. If you mean “pay yourself back” on gift cards purchased at grocery stores that would work, but it’s at 1.25 not 1.5.Does the CSR 50% bonus in the Chase portal apply to gift cards?
Any tips/tricks for awards bookings for a family of 5? Whenever I've looked at using points (which is often on shorter notice than I'd like) the rooms that fit 5 are either crazy high points or simply not available. To be fair, that's true on cash bookings, too (that darn 3rd kid makes travel so much more expensive!!), but it seems like the problem is heightened when I switch from cash to points. I can usually get a room at a cheaper chain that has the sleeper sofa, but once I start looking at a nice hotel instead of just a place to lay our heads, things get difficult.
Are there chains that are better/worse about 5th sleepers? We've got a stack of URs and would be good to open chain specific credit cards to earn nights/points, if we knew which family of hotels we were targeting.
Starting to think about Hawaii summer 2024 and would love any suggestions to tackle it.