Anyone have the US Airways Premier Mastercard?

[itutorfortravel]

I just stumbled across this cc looking for a good travel cc. We already have an Amex Blue Sky and LOVE it, but I was looking for something with airfare perks since we just purchased a DVC and it would be really nice to be able to fly for some quick trips...

Anyhow, I came across the US Airways Premier MasterCard and I have to say I am tempted...

US Airways is a major carrier near our city so that works perfectly for us, and there are direct flights to MCO....

The companion tickets are perfect because we are a family of 3 and we would would get 2 $99 companion tickets annually.

The free first checked bag for our family is nice!

First class check in and the lounge pass is also really nice...

Lastly, the 40K bonus dividend miles with the first purchase (no min) is also extremely tempting...and may get us to Aulani sooner than I thought possible!

Anyhow, does anyone on this forum have this cc? What do you think of it? I know it's an $89 annual fee and we don't have any annual fee cc's so this does sort of bother me, but the perks seem to outweigh that for sure!

Also, for those who have this cc, how long does it take to get your welcome kit? If I could get lucky and get it really fast, I might even be able to book flights for our upcoming trip in June!!!

Thx

 

[lions1995]

The welcome kit took about 6 weeks (maybe a little bit more). The 40,000 miles will not post until you have paid your annual fee and your first purchase. And the next statement is issued so close to two months after getting the card.

If you charge $25,000 or more a year, the annual fee is waived.

For three people it works really we'll. if you more than 3 and using the companion passes, you can either pay to book the remaining people with your reservation( $25 pp) or make their reservations separately. If you separate the reservations, only those that are on the card holders reservation will get the 1st bag free. So it may be worth it to pay the $25 pp booking

 

[itutorfortravel]

The welcome kit took about 6 weeks (maybe a little bit more). The 40,000 miles will not post until you have paid your annual fee and your first purchase. And the next statement is issued so close to two months after getting the card.

If you charge $25,000 or more a year, the annual fee is waived.

For three people it works really we'll. if you more than 3 and using the companion passes, you can either pay to book the remaining people with your reservation( $25 pp) or make their reservations separately. If you separate the reservations, only those that are on the card holders reservation will get the 1st bag free. So it may be worth it to pay the $25 pp booking

Thank you for the feedback! When you book the companion tickets, is it limited as to what days / times you can fly? Like, for instance, do they say something to the effect that there are only seats eligible for the companion fare at such and such a time or date, or is it really just a matter of being able to book them if there are open seats at all?

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Thank you for the feedback! When you book the companion tickets, is it limited as to what days / times you can fly? Like, for instance, do they say something to the effect that there are only seats eligible for the companion fare at such and such a time or date, or is it really just a matter of being able to book them if there are open seats at all?

On the $99 companion pass: there are lots of date restrictions (mostly around holidays and events, think super bowl or KY Derby) so you can't really use the $99 companion ticket for holiday travel. And the base fare, before taxes, has to be above $250 to buy the 2 more for $99 each. I don't think there's any restrictions on the number of seats, so long as there are seats available on the flight.

This is a good perk and I have used it in the past, but they seem to add more and more black out dates each year, so I haven't been able to use it for a while.

 

[aclov]

I have the card, also a family of three. They just recently started the free bag so haven't had a chance to take advantage of it. I used the lounge pass in Phoenix when we had a connecting flight to Hawaii but it was rushed so we got a couple of free drinks but it would be nice for a long layover. The companion pass I used for a January trip to Scottsdale but didn't see a huge savings since the first flight has to be over a certain amount, than soon after they ran a sale which I only came out a few bucks ahead. You call to make the resv with the companion passes. Now that American bought US Airways you also have access to use your miles on there.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

What do you think of it?

I forgot to address this part in my post yesterday. Bottom line is US Air has become so stingy with miles tickets, I don't find the card worthwhile anymore because I don't expect I'll be able to use the miles.

A typical example is this: I just searched for flights for April 2015 tickets to Orlando. US Air does not offer ANY 25,000 miles seats for weekend travel. To get a ticket for 25k, you used to be able to log on at midnight the day the schedule opened (usually 330 days) and get at least one ticket at the minimum miles. Now they've switched and they only offer that low mileage tickets on certain mid-week days.

And there's data to back up my own observation.

From last week's Wall Street Journal:

At the bottom of the rankings were US Airways and Avianca Taca of Latin America. US Airways, with seats available on only 35% of queries, has consistently found itself around the bottom of the rankings, showing "a management philosophy toward stinginess" on frequent-flier awards, Mr. Sorensen said.

Now those US Airways executives comprise most of the senior management team after the carrier's merger with American Airlines. Regular travelers on the airline may wonder if American will make it more difficult to get seats at saver-mileage levels after the US Airways and American frequent-flier programs merge.

I've kept the card on the chance that I'll be able to use the companion pass and get the earlier boarding, but I don't charge on it much anymore because I get more valuable rewards from other cards.

 

[kawc1945]

We have the card because from where we live to visit the grandparents, there is one direct flight, and that is USAirways. Of course the flight is expensive and the price never changes so we use our companion tickets for the kids when we travel back to visit family. We have been pricing out using miles to Europe and have seen that it takes a lot of miles and flexibility in your travel dates, but I guess these days that's to be expected. We like the card and also appreciate the zone 2 boarding that comes with tickets purchased with it.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I forgot to address this part in my post yesterday. Bottom line is US Air has become so stingy with miles tickets, I don't find the card worthwhile anymore because I don't expect I'll be able to use the miles.

A typical example is this: I just searched for flights for April 2015 tickets to Orlando. US Air does not offer ANY 25,000 miles seats for weekend travel. To get a ticket for 25k, you used to be able to log on at midnight the day the schedule opened (usually 330 days) and get at least one ticket at the minimum miles. Now they've switched and they only offer that low mileage tickets on certain mid-week days.

And there's data to back up my own observation.

From last week's Wall Street Journal:

I've kept the card on the chance that I'll be able to use the companion pass and get the earlier boarding, but I don't charge on it much anymore because I get more valuable rewards from other cards.

The methodology for this survey is so flawed as to be essentially meaningless:http://boardingarea.com/viewfromthe...-by-the-flawed-award-seat-availability-study/

-- Suzanne

 

[GrnMtnMan]

The methodology for this survey is so flawed as to be essentially meaningless:http://boardingarea.com/viewfromthe...-by-the-flawed-award-seat-availability-study/

-- Suzanne

Interesting.

As I said above, in my own experience, I've seen it get harder and harder to use mile on low mile tickets on US Air. My first 5 or so trips to Nassau I did on miles, being diligent about booking ASAP. Then at some point things changed and even being online at midnight when the schedule opened, I could no longer book the same route with the same number of miles.

Same thing goes for the $99 companion cc voucher: we were once able to use it to go to the beach for an annual Fourth of July weekend with the in-laws....then at some point they added so many black out dates that we couldn't use it for that trip anymore.

 

[kawc1945]

I have to disagree that there are too many blackout dates for the companion tickets. Here are the dates for 2014. Buy tix by 11/30, fly by 2/28/15:

Jan 3,4,5
Feb 14
Mar 16, 23
April 13, 27
May 22, 23
Jun 19, 20, 22, 26, 27
Jul 6, 7, 27
Aug 3
Oct 10, 19
Nov 30,
Dec 1, 19, 20, 26, 27, 28
There are a few more city specific dates for New York, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Dallas, and Louisville.

Out of 365 days in a year, I think I can find a way to use the companion tickets around these few dates that are blacked out.

 

[itutorfortravel]

Wow, I really appreciate all this feedback...thanks!

The reason I am looking at this card is because of the zone 2 boarding, free checked bag, and of course the companion tickets

We are a family of 3, so the companion tickets, in theory, sounds like they would be perfect for us.

My main reason for using them would be in order to go to Disney once per year for a short visit to use some DVC points. We live in a city where US Airways is a major carrier and there are lots of direct flights. We normally drive to Disney because we typically go for a week and like to have our car, but now that we are DVC members, I can see DH and I enjoying an extra quick trip down for F&W or taking DD on a girls-only trip for a long weekend or something...for these purposes the perks with this particular cc sound perfect for us.

The blackout dates noted above would probably not be a problem since our travel would be pretty flexible as long as we could go on a weekend.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Get the card soon! Take advantage of the signup bonus, as the US Airways (issued by Barcalay) will be gone soon as the US Air / American merger progresses. Most likely the dividend miles will be converted to AAdvantage miles, and Citi has the exclusive agreement to be the card issuer for AAdvantage miles, so likely this card is going away sooner rather than later....

 

[itutorfortravel]

Can anyone tell me if the companion tickets can be used for Hawaii? Thinking of Aulani in a couple years and trying to determine if we might be able to use the cc perk for that trip...thanks!

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Can anyone tell me if the companion tickets can be used for Hawaii? Thinking of Aulani in a couple years and trying to determine if we might be able to use the cc perk for that trip...thanks!

Echoing what AngryPenguin wrote in the prior post, when Us Air and AA complete the merger of their FF programs, this card is likely to disappear. It is expected that the FF program merger will happen in the first few months of 2015. As a result, I would not expect the companion certificate to be good after March 2016. And it may be much sooner. -- Suzanne

 

[itutorfortravel]

Echoing what AngryPenguin wrote in the prior post, when Us Air and AA complete the merger of their FF programs, this card is likely to disappear. It is expected that the FF program merger will happen in the first few months of 2015. As a result, I would not expect the companion certificate to be good after March 2016. And it may be much sooner. -- Suzanne

so do you think it's worth getting or would another card be better? I don't like opening and closing accounts frequently. I have used the same cc's for over 6 years now so making a change is something I want to do for the long haul...any idea what they might offer after the merger?

 

[Angrypenguin]

The best deal out there right now is the Citi Executive Platinum card for 100k miles.

I'm assuming US Dividen miles will be converted to AAdvantage miles...but if it's a one to one swap is anyone's guess!

 

[MinnieForMe]

If I were looking for only one credit card, it would not be this one.

Why not research: Barclay's World Arrival Mastercard? You don't have to worry about reward seats. You just book your airline tickets using the credit card and pay yourself back.

Another great card is the Sapphire Preferred.

I've been researching our next vacation and trying to decide which card to get and I couldn't find any availability for reward seats with US Air or the ones I found were crazy in number of miles. Check out your dates and the miles required before you make your decision.

Good Luck!

 

[kawc1945]

The companion tickets are not good to Hawaii, the voucher specifically says travel within the 48 contiguous states or to Canada.

Also, those looking to open this card, we got a thing in the mail this weekend from the card discussing the merger with American. It specifically states,

"Maximize these benefits-they will be discontinued in 2015"
-Companion certificate
-Miles toward preferred status
-US Airways Club day pass and Membership discount
-First class check in

The card will become the American Airlines AAdvantage MasterCard issued by Barclay.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I would not expect the companion certificate to be good after March 2016. And it may be much sooner. -- Suzanne

Sooner it is! I received a postcard/flyer in the mail over the weekend announcing the changes that are on the way:

In case the image doesn't come up, the things being *eliminated*:
-Companion certificate: you'll still get a new one in 2014, but that's the last one.
- Miles toward preferred status
- US Air club pass and discount
- First class check-in

There's a few "new" benefits listed, none of which look like a particularly special deal.

I'm guessing they're cutting the club pass and first class check-in because that's included in a $450 annual fee American card. Killing the companion pass is pretty much just a money grab as there's no comparable benefit with the AA cards.

ETA: ooops...didn't see that someone else had already received and posted on this. I think my picture is nice though...

 

[pate59]

Had the US airways credit card for 3 years - companion pass was way to restricted. Never was able to use. Actually, after alot of research, booked a partner airline (United - last year) using my US airways miles.
The end - never again - US Airways has alot of flights out of PVD but way to expensive.