I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 (see first page for add'l details)

[calypso726]

Question - do any of you track redemptions? I have a tricked out spreadsheet to track apps, SUBs, key dates, etc but I have not been tracking redemptions.

I’d like to track them to see the amount of $$ saved, but also because my dumb a$$ recently cancelled a hotel room I had originally booked months ago with a Bonvoy FNC, thinking the points would refund so I could book a different hotel, and instead I ended up with the credit again and the place I wanted couldn’t be booked with FNC. Went to book the original room and what do you know - no longer eligible for FNC. Lesson learned - get a tracker!

I will track them, but I don't keep track of them. When I book something I know the out of pocket cost and what I "paid" in points or FN certs and will usually discuss here or on FB. But I don't keep those in a spreadsheet. I probably should.

 

[castormom4]

Travel Insurance Question

My 16 yr old son went into sudden heart failure last summer and needed a heart transplant. He hasn't been able to travel and its really been a struggle for all of us. He didn't even want his Make a Wish to be travel because "mom can do it better!" So I have big shoes to fill.

Planning 10 days at Disney/Universal obviously is the most expensive but I've always got in the back of my mind, what if he's back in the hospital? What if he's sick? So I want to make sure now that we are protected in that event. If we book everything through my CSR (DVC points through David's, 4 day Magic tickets and Universal tickets through Undercover Tourist, SW flights with pts, Universal HRH through pts, car rental with points, Hyatt Grand Cypress with points) we should be good right? Or would you still purchase extra travel insurance? I'd assume medical documentation would be all that's needed and we'd have no issue with that as he gets hospitalized for just about everything or at least ran through the ER. Also, would it cover both prior to the trip AND during?

 

[ten6mom]

I have a flight booked next month via BA Avios miles but flying on American.

If I wanted to try to change my return flight, does anyone know how I could do that? I don't even know if that's a possibility. Can it be done online?

 

[becauseimnew]

I have a flight booked next month via BA Avios miles but flying on American.

If I wanted to try to change my return flight, does anyone know how I could do that? I don't even know if that's a possibility. Can it be done online?

I think you'll have to cancel and rebook the flight. If it's a US flight you'll lose the $5.60 but points will be returned instantly.

 

[trenty]

Delta is confusing. If it's not Basic Economy and travel originates in North America, then there are no cancellation fees. If travel does not originate in North America, then the redeposit fee is $150, but DPs are that it's not collected.

Sorry - another question about Delta. I read their policy online and I am confused.

I want to book a Main Cabin (maybe Comfort+) round trip flight for two using MILES (not cash). If I cancel the trip, will my MILES be returned or will I get a travel credit? Also - do Delta Miles expire? I will be transferring from AMEX URs. I understand that if I cancel the points will remain with Delta.

When I choose MAIN I see "Purchased seats are nonrefundable. Terms Apply."
I do not see this when I choose COMFORT+

 

[becauseimnew]

Finally a win, DH was approved for Citi AA personal 75,000 SUB.
I opened a BOA checking account, hoping I can grab a couple of Alaska cards. But what I really need is more URs.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I have a flight booked next month via BA Avios miles but flying on American.

If I wanted to try to change my return flight, does anyone know how I could do that? I don't even know if that's a possibility. Can it be done online?

I think that you can change the flight. The CSRs at BA are amazing -- call and let them know which flight you want to change to and they will let you know if it's available and if there is an additional Avios cost.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Good news from Lufthansa this morning: I am receiving 750 Euros for my cancelled flight (due to the Lufthansa strike on March 12). I just completed the bank form and they say the money will be in my account in 10 business days. YAY!

Thank you for your correspondence dated March 24, 2024.

Unfortunately, we were confronted with a labor union strike by our staff on March 12, 2024. As a result, normal flight operations could no longer be guaranteed. Both our passengers and we, as an airline, were affected in the same way.

In order to contribute to an amiable end of the journey, we will of course comply with your request for compensation in the amount of 600 EUR.

Lufthansa will also contribute to your expenses for hotel in the amount of 150 EUR.

To initiate the payout of the total amount of 750.00 EUR, please use the link below and enter the indicated credentials.

 

[elgerber]

Sorry - another question about Delta. I read their policy online and I am confused.

I want to book a Main Cabin (maybe Comfort+) round trip flight for two using MILES (not cash). If I cancel the trip, will my MILES be returned or will I get a travel credit? Also - do Delta Miles expire? I will be transferring from AMEX URs. I understand that if I cancel the points will remain with Delta.

When I choose MAIN I see "Purchased seats are nonrefundable. Terms Apply."
I do not see this when I choose COMFORT+

If it orginates in North America, any flight purchased with miles will be refunded in miles, as long as it's not a Basic Economy far. Main cabin is what I book and I cancel and rebook quite bit. Miles are always instantly refunded.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I wanted to write a brief review of my hotel in Paris, the Dress Code Hotel. As previously mentioned I have stayed here 3 times in 1 year, so yeah, I like it lol. I was given the same room (room 406), which has a view of some rooftops, basically no view, but I don't mind because rooftops are super quiet! The room got warm because the daytime temp in Paris was around 65 degrees and the hotels in Paris still have their furnaces on (I shut off the thermostat in my room so heat wasn't pumping in). But I asked for and received a fan, which really helped.

The location is amazing -- close to the RER A, 2 metro lines and a 5 minute walk from the Roissy bus stop (direct bus to the airport). Also Printemps and Galleries Lafayette are a 5 minute stroll and there is a nice grocery store next door.

The staff is so nice, I like all of them, but have 2 favorites at the front desk.

A word of caution on the room size -- I book the superior room and it's pretty tight. I wouldn't want to stay in that room with anyone else, but I need my personal space haha. I did notice a bit of wear and tear on some of the furniture, but it didn't bother me. It is not a luxury hotel, so if that's what you want then I'd recommend looking elsewhere. It is clean, comfortable and very well-located (at least IMHO). I would leave my room early in the morning and not return until well after dinner; I would not pay a premium for a luxury hotel given I'm only there to sleep.

My first 3 nights I booked through the Cap1 portal to make use of my $300.00 travel credit and my rate didn't include breakfast. I walked 5 minutes to Joe&The Juice (I'm slightly addicted to this franchise) for an acai bowl each morning, which I prefer to possibly over-eating at a hotel buffet.

I know I said that I would probably try another hotel on my next trip to Paris, but when I was checking out I mentioned to the girl at the desk how much I enjoyed my stay; she commented that I only booked 1 night direct, but that I should contact them for my next stay because they can do better than 5% off the rate on their website (I get 5% off as a previous guest). So of course I will contact them before my next stay to see what kind of discount they can offer before I book elsewhere. She also gave me a very nice little hotel-branded notebook with matching pen as a parting gift. Like I said I love this hotel!

 

[2TxAgs]

Travel Insurance Question

My 16 yr old son went into sudden heart failure last summer and needed a heart transplant. He hasn't been able to travel and its really been a struggle for all of us. He didn't even want his Make a Wish to be travel because "mom can do it better!" So I have big shoes to fill.

Planning 10 days at Disney/Universal obviously is the most expensive but I've always got in the back of my mind, what if he's back in the hospital? What if he's sick? So I want to make sure now that we are protected in that event. If we book everything through my CSR (DVC points through David's, 4 day Magic tickets and Universal tickets through Undercover Tourist, SW flights with pts, Universal HRH through pts, car rental with points, Hyatt Grand Cypress with points) we should be good right? Or would you still purchase extra travel insurance? I'd assume medical documentation would be all that's needed and we'd have no issue with that as he gets hospitalized for just about everything or at least ran through the ER. Also, would it cover both prior to the trip AND during?

Have you tried insuremytrip dot com? Each policy will have their own certificate explaining what they do and do not cover. You should compare a few to get an idea of what's available - I'm not sure there's a blanket answer to your question.
Also, to keep costs low if you DO purchase insurance, rather than insure the full cost of the trip, I would claim the trip value as only the portion I would NOT get back or could not use with a last minute cancellation. In other words, if I can cancel hotels and car rental at the last minute, and cancel Southwest travel at the last minute, and use park tickets another time, then what's left for me to insure? Where am I concerned I could lose money - that's the only piece I'd insure.
I imagine your son's experience has changed the way you look at life and how you travel - wishing you a wonderful trip without incidence.

 

[sinnika]

I am the military member. Are you saying my spouse and I are both eligible? Just want to make sure I understand. Thanks a bunch

Not sure about the spouse, but for sure you the active duty military member. My daughter did not know that she was entitled to no annual fee when she first started getting credit cards. But she does now. She’s been in for 8 years now.

 

[sinnika]

Not sure about the spouse, but for sure you the active duty military member. My daughter did not know that she was entitled to no annual fee when she first started getting credit cards. But she does now. She’s been in for 8 years now.

Just read spouses are included. Here’s an article on what cards waive the fee:
https://militarymoneymanual.com/cre...ve fees for,duty orders, and military spouses.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Add the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills to the list of great redemption choices for Hilton Aspire free night awards. As I mentioned a couple days ago, we added this night last minute on to a one-night Disneyland trip, and we've absolutely loved it. We were upgraded on arrival to a King deluxe room with terrace on the Penthouse level. It's a gorgeous room, with a great city view. I enjoyed the balcony for a while yesterday afternoon before we met a friend of mine who lives nearby for a Rodeo drive tour, including a stop at the instagram/LA friendly Alfred's coffee (I had a lavender latte that was really good). I'd heard about the amazing rooftop terrace at the WA (the pool is up there too), and it did not disappoint. We had pre-dinner drinks before walking to Il Pastaio for an awesome dinner--and people watching. No Justin Bieber sightings, but there were definitely come Hollywood types around. From some of the reviews I was worried that as tourists we'd be sitting by the kitchen, but we actually had a prime table outside. The Diamond $50 benefit (for two people) at the WA barely covered our happy hour drinks, and breakfast was steep ($100+ tip for 2), but very nice in a gorgeous room. I believe they said the hotel was completed in 2017 and the newness shows. We will definitely be back and I'm so glad we made the effort to do this. Next time we might have to do back-to-back nights stays to fully enjoy all the amenities. As golfers we were taunted by the LA Country Club views from the terrace--next time (although we have to find someone who belongs to take us, LOL).

 

[Best Aunt]

Travel Insurance Question

My 16 yr old son went into sudden heart failure last summer and needed a heart transplant. He hasn't been able to travel and its really been a struggle for all of us. He didn't even want his Make a Wish to be travel because "mom can do it better!" So I have big shoes to fill.

Planning 10 days at Disney/Universal obviously is the most expensive but I've always got in the back of my mind, what if he's back in the hospital? What if he's sick? So I want to make sure now that we are protected in that event. If we book everything through my CSR (DVC points through David's, 4 day Magic tickets and Universal tickets through Undercover Tourist, SW flights with pts, Universal HRH through pts, car rental with points, Hyatt Grand Cypress with points) we should be good right? Or would you still purchase extra travel insurance? I'd assume medical documentation would be all that's needed and we'd have no issue with that as he gets hospitalized for just about everything or at least ran through the ER. Also, would it cover both prior to the trip AND during?

I can't answer your question specifically. But I will mention that I once was booking a trip for myself and a friend, and my friend was a cancer survivor who had recently been treated. I was going to buy trip insurance (I think it was offered by the airline) in case my friend got sick and couldn't travel. But when I read through all of the fine print, I saw that we would not be covered if we were cancelling for a medical reason, and the person had a pre-existing condition. So make sure you know exactly what your coverage will be.

David's has a "no cancellation" policy. You might want to consider (a) booking a Room Only stay direct from Disney, where you only pay a one-night deposit and you can get it back, in full, if you cancel far enough ahead (I think 5 days), and (b) The DVC Rental Store, which apparently has some kind of cancellation policy, although I don't know the details.

 

[wanderlust7]

Travel Insurance Question

My 16 yr old son went into sudden heart failure last summer and needed a heart transplant. He hasn't been able to travel and its really been a struggle for all of us. He didn't even want his Make a Wish to be travel because "mom can do it better!" So I have big shoes to fill.

Planning 10 days at Disney/Universal obviously is the most expensive but I've always got in the back of my mind, what if he's back in the hospital? What if he's sick? So I want to make sure now that we are protected in that event. If we book everything through my CSR (DVC points through David's, 4 day Magic tickets and Universal tickets through Undercover Tourist, SW flights with pts, Universal HRH through pts, car rental with points, Hyatt Grand Cypress with points) we should be good right? Or would you still purchase extra travel insurance? I'd assume medical documentation would be all that's needed and we'd have no issue with that as he gets hospitalized for just about everything or at least ran through the ER. Also, would it cover both prior to the trip AND during?

The CSR may not cover pre-existing conditions. Under the trip cancellation/interruption section, they define it this way (link):

"Pre–existing Condition – illness, disease or accidental injury of You or Your Traveling Companion, Your Immediate Family Member or the Immediate Family Member of Your Traveling Companion, for which medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended or received within the sixty (60) day period immediately prior to the initial deposit or booking date (whichever occurs first) of a Trip; the taking of prescription drugs or medication for a controlled condition throughout this sixty (60) day period will not be considered to be a treatment of illness or disease;"

You can buy a separate policy that has the pre-existing condition waiver. Usually you need to buy the policy within 2-3 weeks of the initial trip payment to have that included.

Trip insurance policies usually only cover prepaid costs, so using points gets tricky. SW flights can be canceled 10 min before departure, so it's less of a concern (you would get points and taxes back). If the Hyatt will be booked with Hyatt points, technically they can charge you the cash rate (and return your points) if you cancel within the penalty period. Though I think most will be understanding and allow you to cancel with no penalty.

I'm not really sure how points bookings through the Chase portal would work with purchased travel insurance. It's covered under the CSR though. I'm also not sure how it would work with David's.

 

[trenty]

If it orginates in North America, any flight purchased with miles will be refunded in miles, as long as it's not a Basic Economy far. Main cabin is what I book and I cancel and rebook quite bit. Miles are always instantly refunded.

Thank you. Appreciate your response.

 

[amcc]

Travel Insurance Question

My 16 yr old son went into sudden heart failure last summer and needed a heart transplant. He hasn't been able to travel and its really been a struggle for all of us. He didn't even want his Make a Wish to be travel because "mom can do it better!" So I have big shoes to fill.

Planning 10 days at Disney/Universal obviously is the most expensive but I've always got in the back of my mind, what if he's back in the hospital? What if he's sick? So I want to make sure now that we are protected in that event. If we book everything through my CSR (DVC points through David's, 4 day Magic tickets and Universal tickets through Undercover Tourist, SW flights with pts, Universal HRH through pts, car rental with points, Hyatt Grand Cypress with points) we should be good right? Or would you still purchase extra travel insurance? I'd assume medical documentation would be all that's needed and we'd have no issue with that as he gets hospitalized for just about everything or at least ran through the ER. Also, would it cover both prior to the trip AND during?

I had to cancel a big trip last summer due to my son being in a serious accident. The CSR covered our nonrefundable flights. It was a simple, painless process and it was done quickly. Read the fine print on the CSR insurance to ensure pre-existing conditions are covered. We have the same trip (Norway Iceland cruise) rescheduled for this year and I'm going to get insurance for medical evacuations. As a previous poster mentioned, I'm not insuring refundable portions like the car, or the airbnb and the non-refundable airfare is back on the CSR - that will be your easiest route: book as much refundable as possible. I haven't booked anything yet because I've got some PTSD travel paralysis and anxiety and the fact that I haven't started yet is giving me more anxiety.

Actually, now typing this out, I'm going to need an insurance that covers family not traveling with you with a pre-existing condition as my mom has cancer and, well, see the anxiety I mention above.

I hope you pull off your trip and have a wonderful time without the need for the insurance.

 

[EACarlson]

Sorry - another question about Delta. I read their policy online and I am confused.

I want to book a Main Cabin (maybe Comfort+) round trip flight for two using MILES (not cash). If I cancel the trip, will my MILES be returned or will I get a travel credit? Also - do Delta Miles expire? I will be transferring from AMEX URs. I understand that if I cancel the points will remain with Delta.

When I choose MAIN I see "Purchased seats are nonrefundable. Terms Apply."
I do not see this when I choose COMFORT+

The Terms Apply is where you need to look. All Delta award tickets originating the in US are fully refundable. If you read the full Terms and Conditions it says that cancellations have to be made at least 72 hours prior to scheduled flight time, but that hasn't been enforced since COVID.
As an example, I booked a ticket with miles MKE-MCO in January for a work trip as a back up to my SW flight as SW Pilots were threatening to strike. Then weather happened and SW was way behind. My flight was scheduled for 0600, I cancelled at 0430 and got all my miles back before I landed on my SW flight at 1030. Was probably instant but I wasn't checking that closely as I had to get to Florida.

 

[djmeredith]

The system his company uses is terrible. It takes forever for things to hit the account, we've had contributions just fail without any communication, truly poor service.

We can submit for reimbursement but decided against the hassle. There was enough going on with me having to go through chemo that we weren't going to tack on tracking every reimbursement request and likely having to call on some number of them to get them through. Following the medical expenses was enough of a project without adding in the step, even though it meant forgoing that CC spend.

That's too bad the reimbursement process is so bad for you guys. However, very understandable to avoid potential unnecessary hassle when dealing with a health crisis (and all the other challenges that come along with it).