Airmiles Armchair Chatter

[TammyLynn33]

For the 2 of us...7 night trip....I took a box of 50 plus a ziploc bag with probably 10 more in my carry on bag. I also had 2 cloth masks each just in case. Keep in mind we spent almost all our time at the pool so masks were not required there, even for the swim up bar. We only wore them to enter the buildings for dining. We also often wore them while visiting with the monkeys in the morning as lots of people were doing the same and did not respect space. We used 2 each on the flight south.....after taking them on and off a few times on the flight I wanted a fresh one to get off the plane to stand with the masses in the immigration line. After that daily we used 1 each. The return flight we used 2 each. So clearly I took way too many but you can't be caught short and I was in Mexico so not like being at WDW where you can easily buy more if needed. I could easily see using 3-4/day/person on a WDW trip. I would not be walking around down there, even outdoors, without a mask on at all times....that's just me though.

Same and I have ordered kids kn95s and N95s for us big ppl. I just don’t have the same faith in reusable as I do medical grade disposable ( to each their own absolutely no judgement just a personal thing ) 2 a day x 10 days plus a handful of extras maybe ?
Next battle will be making big kids wear them. They are both double vaxxed . Big kid will have booster by then. So so hard .

 

[bababear_50]

Ottawamom
Oh gee look what Foodland has says my son............ and mom you get Airmiles too.LOL

 

[Donald - my hero]

hey, it's my birthday month, not 100 and I can't eat any of that stuff BUT our food bank has asked for cake mixes that take only water and pre- mixed icing like that so families can still celebrate. I thought that's something I'm sure most people never even consider donating !!!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Same and I have ordered kids kn95s and N95s for us big ppl. I just don’t have the same faith in reusable as I do medical grade disposable ( to each their own absolutely no judgement just a personal thing ) 2 a day x 10 days plus a handful of extras maybe ?
Next battle will be making big kids wear them. They are both double vaxxed . Big kid will have booster by then. So so hard .

I considered getting N95's but realistically they are no better than a level 3 if you haven't been fitted.

You're going at Christmas right? The general public will not be eligible for a booster until January at the earliest and the wait time after the 2nd shot is minimum 6 months. I'm booked for a booster this Friday but I think I might delay until next month....I want max protection for my holiday in January.

 

[Donald - my hero]

Both of my accounts now have targeted offers for a bonus 25 miles for online shopping so I've spent the last few hours browsing while trying to get Mocha to ignore what time her tummy is telling her it is -- she's convinced that I'm trying to starve her

On the secondary card threshold is $20 to be used by the 18th and main card threshold is $50 to be used by the 22nd. I'm expecting the BBB offer to be like the last 4 promos that have had a threshold of $100 so I've been building up my wish lists and I'm ready to shop on the 18th. Love me some online retail therapy that earns me miles!!!!!!!

 

[hdrolfe]

I got that too! Spend $50 by Nov 22, get 25 extra AM. I'll look tomorrow (pay day woo hoo).

I need more AM, not fully sure what I'll be getting yet but I used a lot getting a Disney ticket so anything will help. I had a "load an offer, get 25 AM" last week. I haven't been to Metro or even Shell in ages, but might do some gift card shopping at Shell (once the big bonus boom goes up and I see what's what).

And since my jury duty got cancelled I will have time to shop! ha ha. I got a phone call last minute telling me it's off so I guess I go back on the list (hopefully right to the bottom).

 

[bababear_50]

I got that too! Spend $50 by Nov 22, get 25 extra AM. I'll look tomorrow (pay day woo hoo).

I need more AM, not fully sure what I'll be getting yet but I used a lot getting a Disney ticket so anything will help. I had a "load an offer, get 25 AM" last week. I haven't been to Metro or even Shell in ages, but might do some gift card shopping at Shell (once the big bonus boom goes up and I see what's what).

And since my jury duty got cancelled I will have time to shop! ha ha. I got a phone call last minute telling me it's off so I guess I go back on the list (hopefully right to the bottom).

What your Jury Duty got cancelled???? You mean there is hope for me.
Mine Jury duty selection is suppose to be next Monday.......fingers crossed.
Hugs
Mel

 

[hdrolfe]

What your Jury Duty got cancelled???? You mean there is hope for me.
Mine Jury duty selection is suppose to be next Monday.......fingers crossed.
Hugs
Mel

I got a call after 4 from the court house that the judge was cancelling it... so I'd say yes... could be! I am SO relieved, trying to organize getting kiddo to school, with him being sick a few days already, has been super stressful for me. I'm sure I'll get another letter later but phew!

 

[bababear_50]

I got a call after 4 from the court house that the judge was cancelling it... so I'd say yes... could be! I am SO relieved, trying to organize getting kiddo to school, with him being sick a few days already, has been super stressful for me. I'm sure I'll get another letter later but phew!

Yeah you dodged the basketball on that one! well done!
I actually foolishly thought I'd have a couple of extra sick days available this month.... what was I thinking.
I ended up being off for 6 days with both my eyes infected.
Being a single parent is stressful even at the best of times BUT it has some pretty awesome rewards too!
Hugs to you
Mel

 

[tinkerone]

I got that too! Spend $50 by Nov 22, get 25 extra AM. I'll look tomorrow (pay day woo hoo).

I need more AM, not fully sure what I'll be getting yet but I used a lot getting a Disney ticket so anything will help. I had a "load an offer, get 25 AM" last week. I haven't been to Metro or even Shell in ages, but might do some gift card shopping at Shell (once the big bonus boom goes up and I see what's what).

And since my jury duty got cancelled I will have time to shop! ha ha. I got a phone call last minute telling me it's off so I guess I go back on the list (hopefully right to the bottom).

Both of my accounts now have targeted offers for a bonus 25 miles for online shopping so I've spent the last few hours browsing while trying to get Mocha to ignore what time her tummy is telling her it is -- she's convinced that I'm trying to starve her

On the secondary card threshold is $20 to be used by the 18th and main card threshold is $50 to be used by the 22nd. I'm expecting the BBB offer to be like the last 4 promos that have had a threshold of $100 so I've been building up my wish lists and I'm ready to shop on the 18th. Love me some online retail therapy that earns me miles!!!!!!!

Hmmm, my offer is spend $50 get 20 AM's. I like your offers much better, lol. After all, 5 more AM's is 5 more AM's.

 

[hdrolfe]

My "i hate to fly" kid just asked me to book another trip for December... We have March break plans that will have to do lol. But I do wish I could lol.

 

[TammyLynn33]

I considered getting N95's but realistically they are no better than a level 3 if you haven't been fitted.

You're going at Christmas right? The general public will not be eligible for a booster until January at the earliest and the wait time after the 2nd shot is minimum 6 months. I'm booked for a booster this Friday but I think I might delay until next month....I want max protection for my holiday in January.

I am a nurse working in LTC. And my son is in health care too so we are eligible .

I considered getting N95's but realistically they are no better than a level 3 if you haven't been fitted.

You're going at Christmas right? The general public will not be eligible for a booster until January at the earliest and the wait time after the 2nd shot is minimum 6 months. I'm booked for a booster this Friday but I think I might delay until next month....I want max protection for my holiday in January.

I’m a nurse and my son works in health care too . We will be both eligible with the 6 months rule shortly ,
There have been a lot of interesting peer reviewed studies out now over maskfit testing . We have tried several kinds going with the ones that physically fit us best. we have found the ones that fit us best ( DD and I found a different one than DS that fits us better because of face shape ) and I find we don’t get the same gap at the side like we do with level twos and threes. Even if the benefit is minuscule I will happily take it.

 

[ElCray]

I just looked at the calendar and I have about 12 months to get at least 10,000 or more Airmiles for a hotel stay I want for Jan/Feb 2023.
Fingers crossed and hoping for some half decent deals next week.
Right now I feel safe using the Airmiles for future hotel stays as at least I can cancel a week before without losing them.
I have my sights set on U/O for 12-14 day stay.
View attachment 620557

P.S. Foodland is taking forever to post this round.
Hugs
Mel

Hi Mel, just curious if you ever looked into the Annual Passholder rates to book your hotel at Universal Studios? I was doing some digging and it looks like upgrading to an Annual Pass is a minimal expense but then you get access to highly discounted rates (e.g. Royal Pacific for less than $250 -saw reports one time for $179). You don't have to have the AP in advance to book the rates.

There is a thread on the Disboards "Official APH rate info for Universal..." where the strategy is explained and the community flags when the rates get posted.

There are a few variables for if it would be worth it including dates (because of blockouts on the lower tier APs and cost to upgrade to the higher ones), length of stay, if you want to be monitoring the Leow's site, etc. But I know the Air Miles rate for the hotels tracks the price with the Air Miles conversion so I wanted to flag the savings opportunity.

You are a huge planner and researcher though so I imagine you saw this option! Just wanted to mention in case you hadn't!

 

[tinkerone]

Hi Mel, just curious if you ever looked into the Annual Passholder rates to book your hotel at Universal Studios? I was doing some digging and it looks like upgrading to an Annual Pass is a minimal expense but then you get access to highly discounted rates (e.g. Royal Pacific for less than $250 -saw reports one time for $179). You don't have to have the AP in advance to book the rates.

There is a thread on the Disboards "Official APH rate info for Universal..." where the strategy is explained and the community flags when the rates get posted.

There are a few variables for if it would be worth it including dates (because of blockouts on the lower tier APs and cost to upgrade to the higher ones), length of stay, if you want to be monitoring the Leow's site, etc. But I know the Air Miles rate for the hotels tracks the price with the Air Miles conversion so I wanted to flag the savings opportunity.

You are a huge planner and researcher though so I imagine you saw this option! Just wanted to mention in case you hadn't!

It's a great plan. We do this every time we go. I get the Annual Pass and DH gets whatever is needed. Your right, you can book AP rates for the hotels before the AP is actually in hand. I book an AP rate but keep checking until we get there as the rates do fluctuate and can go down even further. There is a 10% discount on food and purchases at most places (Hotel, parks, City Walk) which is another advantage of having an AP. It always pays for itself.
I have an AP from before the shutdown which still had 6 months left to it. I called and they placed it on hold so that when we decide to go back I can just have it reinstated and it will be good for the next 6 months. They are very good about that sort of thing.

 

[ottawamom]

Good news regarding the BMO offer some of us were having trouble opting-in to. I just received word back from the people running the promotion. You can opt-in from the app and keep your email (if it didn't work for opting-in), that will meet the terms of opting-in.

Worried about getting up to the $150 or $200 spending threshold. LCBO and Beer store qualify for this offer.

 

[bababear_50]

Hi Mel, just curious if you ever looked into the Annual Passholder rates to book your hotel at Universal Studios? I was doing some digging and it looks like upgrading to an Annual Pass is a minimal expense but then you get access to highly discounted rates (e.g. Royal Pacific for less than $250 -saw reports one time for $179). You don't have to have the AP in advance to book the rates.

There is a thread on the Disboards "Official APH rate info for Universal..." where the strategy is explained and the community flags when the rates get posted.

There are a few variables for if it would be worth it including dates (because of blockouts on the lower tier APs and cost to upgrade to the higher ones), length of stay, if you want to be monitoring the Leow's site, etc. But I know the Air Miles rate for the hotels tracks the price with the Air Miles conversion so I wanted to flag the savings opportunity.

You are a huge planner and researcher though so I imagine you saw this option! Just wanted to mention in case you hadn't!

It's a great plan. We do this every time we go. I get the Annual Pass and DH gets whatever is needed. Your right, you can book AP rates for the hotels before the AP is actually in hand. I book an AP rate but keep checking until we get there as the rates do fluctuate and can go down even further. There is a 10% discount on food and purchases at most places (Hotel, parks, City Walk) which is another advantage of having an AP. It always pays for itself.
I have an AP from before the shutdown which still had 6 months left to it. I called and they placed it on hold so that when we decide to go back I can just have it reinstated and it will be good for the next 6 months. They are very good about that sort of thing.

Ok this is my first time multi quoting..... I hope I did it ok?

I love your ideas,,,,thanks for sharing with me.
So what exactly is an AP ?

I am now thinking of two 2022 / 2023 trips ---one for 1 week at Royal Pacific Resort
and another for 2 weeks maybe at Sapphire Falls or Lowe's Adventure Hotel.

Thanks
Hugs
Mel

 

[tinkerone]

Ok this is my first time multi quoting..... I hope I did it ok?

I love your ideas,,,,thanks for sharing with me.
So what exactly is an AP ?

I am now thinking of two 2022 trips ---one for 1 week at Royal Pacific Resort
and another for 2 weeks maybe at Sapphire Falls or Lowe's Adventure Hotel.

Thanks
Hugs
Mel

AP is Annual Pass. There is a link to AP rates for Universal hotels, I'll find it and report back.

ETA- Passholder Hotel Benefits | Universal Orlando Resort™ This link will also list all benefits for the AP's. Much like Disney, you pick a level. I always just pick the lowest level that offers hotel discount rates.

 

[bababear_50]

EDIT:
Thanks for the link ...I shall go read up on AP,, Thanks guys.
I wonder if an annual pass would save me money when going for a longer period of time?
Also maybe it would still be good for use if I were to come back before the year is up for another trip.
Is there a limit on how many days you can use it?
Ahhhh so many questions.

Hugs
Mel

 

[hdrolfe]

Ok this is my first time multi quoting..... I hope I did it ok?

I love your ideas,,,,thanks for sharing with me.
So what exactly is an AP ?

I am now thinking of two 2022 / 2023 trips ---one for 1 week at Royal Pacific Resort
and another for 2 weeks maybe at Sapphire Falls or Lowe's Adventure Hotel.

Thanks
Hugs
Mel

Keep in mind you may be able to use AM to get those AP's (could be something the shopper would price for you) or use AM to get tickets and upgrade those to AP's. They have a bunch of levels, so make sure whatever you get doesn't black out the dates you are looking to go.

No limit on number of days you can use it, if you want water parks just make sure you get the 3 park pass.

 

[tinkerone]

EDIT:
Thanks for the link ...I shall go read up on AP,, Thanks guys.
I wonder if an annual pass would save me money when going for a longer period of time?
Also maybe it would still be good for use if I were to come back before the year is up for another trip.
Is there a limit on how many days you can use it?
Ahhhh so many questions.

Hugs
Mel

The AP is good for one year from the first time you use it. That means you can purchase ahead if you want, get it from AM's if that's how you want to go, and it will not start running down till your ready to use it. There is no limit to the number of days you can use it however there are block out dates for some of the levels. Here is a link to the levels page, it's about half way down. You can check out the block out dates there and decide if the dates you are going are included in the level you choose.

Annual Pass Benefits | Season Pass Types | Universal Orlando™

You also need to decide if you want to purchase the 2 park or 3 park AP. The third park is their water park so if that doesn't interest you then pick the 2 park.

And another ETA- Check out the Universal Dis section. They have one for the parks and one for hotels. Great info there.

Another ETA- I purchased a 2 park ticket from AM's and then upgraded to the AP once we got there. The cost at the time was about $100 OOP.