I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[smmco]

Any Hilton Honors experts out there... I need some help please...
I got the AMEX Hilton Honors Biz card with the 130K and Free weekend night cert. I met MSR and got the points but one month later, still no certificate. I've called Amex and Hilton and they both say the can't do anything. Anyone know when you usually get it? I wanted to use it for an upcoming trip. Are you able to book a room and then apply it later? Thanks in advance.

It’s widely reported that the free nights come 8 to 12 weeks after making MSR I got mine right at 8 weeks. I did receive an email and a pop up on my Amex account.

 

[happysavermp]

Just my experience buying tickets release day ISP to MCO on non stop flights...we have always had A boarding class

But if your flight goes down in price and you change it to get RR points back or a SW credit...it moves you down the EBCI list as if you bought the ticket the day you got the price change

Thanks for sharing your experience. The past few years I have purchased EBCI for my husband and daughter (now 14) the day the flights were released and they always received boarding class A. These were for summer flights though, not during spring break so I’m a little nervous this time around.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Speaking from experience, Hilton's policy is they don't allow you to switch from points to FN. There has to be a standard reward night still available for you to book the FN and cancel the points booking. It's dumb.

Some DPs from Reddit indicated Hilton phone reps can see your FN before you can, so you might try giving them a call.

Thanks for the tip! Called and got that done.

Any Hilton Honors experts out there... I need some help please...
I got the AMEX Hilton Honors Biz card with the 130K and Free weekend night cert. I met MSR and got the points but one month later, still no certificate. I've called Amex and Hilton and they both say the can't do anything. Anyone know when you usually get it? I wanted to use it for an upcoming trip. Are you able to book a room and then apply it later? Thanks in advance.

It won't show up for at least 8 weeks. I'm about 6 weeks out from meeting MSR and I just called Hilton and they were able to see the FN cert in my account and have them apply it to a room.

I had to cancel and rebook my two nights at the Waldorf. The rep was able to book one night on points and one night FN all under one reservation. I’m sure mileage may vary with this depending on the rep you get.

Thanks! That's exactly what the rep just did for me. We now have all the hotel rooms booked for our Japan trip at absolutely $0 cost to me!

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Thanks for sharing your experience. The past few years I have purchased EBCI for my husband and daughter (now 14) the day the flights were released and they always received boarding class A. These were for summer flights though, not during spring break so I’m a little nervous this time around.

Think you should be fine...I have booked various times of year..my son lives in Orlando now so we fly down 3-4 times and he comes up once or twice a year....
We have flown Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas...both times DH...who flies as my companion had an A boarding pass, while mine was a B since I had adjusted my ticket since the number of points had gone down

 

[mmmears]

My Aventures like Disney by Andy trip report of Peru.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Thank you for sharing these reports. I really appreciate it. Also, I hear you on the checked baggage. People don't realize how much extra work it takes (and time lost) when they don't live the carry-on life.

 

[Judique]

Took a nap - it's Sunday after all and then started poking around on the American Express website. Went to rewards and found where anyone with an MR card can take a survey. Warning - this wasted almost an hour and a half of my life but I ended up with 700 extra MR points. 550 points for your first survey and then whatever they offer you. I was asked a lot of hotel questions. I made it through but I'll have to be desperate for a few points before I do any more.

The questions are mind numbing and tedious, but for this one time I was well rested and my patience lasted through this ordeal.

Occasionally I do an IHG or an Amtrak, but these were worse.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I’ve flown alone a couple of times last year with my 1 year old dd and ds whi was 6, but is the size of a 9 year old. Never had an issue. All 4 of us boarded with family boarding this summer when he was 7. No problem and I don’t feel bad about it. It’s not like I’m going to leave a 7 year old alone to board by himself. And I’m not bring the grandparents, aunts uncles etc.

At islip in August the sw gate agent was walking around telling everyone with a child that appeared to be anything less than 16 that they could board with family boarding. Seriously the girl in front of us was at least 12. And the gate agent specifically told her parents they all qualified for family boarding.

When I asked an agent about Family Boarding when DS was 8, he told me to go with family boarding. I’m not leaving an 8 year old (or frankly a 10 year old, though many disagree) to sit with strangers. I am ok with DS with one parent and the other elsewhere on the plane. But alone, no.

 

[Alexle2007]

Thanks for sharing your experience. The past few years I have purchased EBCI for my husband and daughter (now 14) the day the flights were released and they always received boarding class A. These were for summer flights though, not during spring break so I’m a little nervous this time around.

The boarding position is based on when you purchased the EBCI. So if you purchased it on opening day, you are much, much, much more likely to always get an early A or an A than if you purchased EBCI 3 days before the flight since at that point people have been able to purchase it for months. So if you purchased your Spring Break flights on opening day with a EBCI, you will be nice.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

People don't realize how much extra work it takes (and time lost) when they don't live the carry-on life.

Some of us realize the time savings but still prefer to check a bag. In fact my BIL thinks taking a carryon is rude and would never take one. He also doesn’t believe in drive thrus.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

For SWA family boarding as long as one kid is under 6 the whole family can go. We have never been told only the kids under 6 can go. Our whole family has boarded each time no problems.

I haven’t purchased ebci and on a full flight checked in at the 24hr mark. I’ve been getting b31-38

 

[tink1970]

Some of us realize the time savings but still prefer to check a bag. In fact my BIL thinks taking a carryon is rude and would never take one. He also doesn’t believe in drive thrus.

ITA #teamcheckedbag. My bursitis thanks me very much for not carrying more than a purse (and usually fairly small one at that). And, if for some crazy reason I'm not up front in First then I can board last since I don't care about overhead space.

 

[havaneselover]

Okay, guys--please forgive my ignorance. I'm trying to absorb the SW talk. We are flying SW in December. Non-stop RIC to TPA. It is me, my 14-year old (who hates sitting next to strangers), and my 16-year old who has recently developed major anxiety issues. So I can buy ECBI for $20/person. Think I still have $40 of my Priority card $75 credit left as well as my four upgraded boardings. Any advice would be most appreciated!

 

[StephPlum]

Thank you for sharing these reports. I really appreciate it. Also, I hear you on the checked baggage. People don't realize how much extra work it takes (and time lost) when they don't live the carry-on life.

Some of us realize the time savings but still prefer to check a bag.

I don't know that I will ever be able to pare down what I take to only fit in a carry on. I am talking about my week+ long trips where I need coats and shorts in the same trip. I realize it is a time savings but in the grand scheme of the entirety of the trip it is a very small amount of time. Piece of mind not worrying that I left something behind that I'll need is worth the extra work and time. Also if I travel solo, it is nice not to have to worry about my carry on through the airport, at the gate, in the bathroom....

Short trip like the 4 days in Universal we just did - yeah I'm team carry on.

 

[tink1970]

Also if I travel solo, it is nice not to have to worry about my carry on through the airport, at the gate, in the bathroom....

SO TRUE! I'd forgotten what a pain that is.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Okay, guys--please forgive my ignorance. I'm trying to absorb the SW talk. We are flying SW in December. Non-stop RIC to TPA. It is me, my 14-year old (who hates sitting next to strangers), and my 16-year old who has recently developed major anxiety issues. So I can buy ECBI for $20/person. Think I still have $40 of my Priority card $75 credit left as well as my four upgraded boardings. Any advice would be most appreciated!

I’d buy the EBCI...$40 of it will be reimbursed...for us and it’s only DH and I since the flights are free with our RR points we always get it

 

[Lain]

Darn. Just checked the Hilton website to see if my FN cert has shown up and it hasn't, and then the Conrad Osaka is sold out of standard rooms on points for the dates we want to go. Hilton Osaka is still available though, so I went ahead and booked that on points so that once I have my FN certs, I can hopefully just call Hilton and have them apply those and refund my 140k points. Not as ~fancy~ of a redemption as the Conrad, but still much nicer than our usual stays when traveling! I'll keep an eye and see if anything does open up at the Conrad.

Some DPs from Reddit indicated Hilton phone reps can see your FN before you can, so you might try giving them a call.

Any Hilton Honors experts out there... I need some help please...
I got the AMEX Hilton Honors Biz card with the 130K and Free weekend night cert. I met MSR and got the points but one month later, still no certificate. I've called Amex and Hilton and they both say the can't do anything. Anyone know when you usually get it? I wanted to use it for an upcoming trip. Are you able to book a room and then apply it later? Thanks in advance.

It’s widely reported that the free nights come 8 to 12 weeks after making MSR I got mine right at 8 weeks. I did receive an email and a pop up on my Amex account.

It won't show up for at least 8 weeks. I'm about 6 weeks out from meeting MSR and I just called Hilton and they were able to see the FN cert in my account and have them apply it to a room.

DON’T WAIT FOR AMEX, CALL HILTON.
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/quic...night-awards-before-they-are-e-mailed-to-you/

 

[mmmears]

ITA #teamcheckedbag. My bursitis thanks me very much for not carrying more than a purse (and usually fairly small one at that). And, if for some crazy reason I'm not up front in First then I can board last since I don't care about overhead space.

My main issue with boarding late it that I am one of those weird people who needs to wipe down everything and that takes a bit of time.

 

[mmmears]

I don't know that I will ever be able to pare down what I take to only fit in a carry on. I am talking about my week+ long trips where I need coats and shorts in the same trip. I realize it is a time savings but in the grand scheme of the entirety of the trip it is a very small amount of time. Piece of mind not worrying that I left something behind that I'll need is worth the extra work and time. Also if I travel solo, it is nice not to have to worry about my carry on through the airport, at the gate, in the bathroom....

Short trip like the 4 days in Universal we just did - yeah I'm team carry on.

I have anxiety issues over lost luggage, so I guess it works both ways in terms of peace of mind. And, yes, it's happened a bunch in the last couple of years when DD was coming home for the summer or going back to school in the fall.

ETA - that extra 1-2 hours is a lot when I'm on vacation. I also don't take up more space that is allotted to me.

 

[Judique]

I don't know that I will ever be able to pare down what I take to only fit in a carry on. I am talking about my week+ long trips where I need coats and shorts in the same trip. I realize it is a time savings but in the grand scheme of the entirety of the trip it is a very small amount of time. Piece of mind not worrying that I left something behind that I'll need is worth the extra work and time. Also if I travel solo, it is nice not to have to worry about my carry on through the airport, at the gate, in the bathroom....

Short trip like the 4 days in Universal we just did - yeah I'm team carry on.

I think it's a man thing. Probably not politically correct but most women need more stuff and don't always want to be pack horses for backpacks and stuff like that. Maybe for a 2 day trip but after that I'm not recycling and rewearing stuff I've already worn and not yet washed. Doing laundry during the trip is okay, but I want variety and I want to be ready for weather changes and rainy days and hot spells and especially cold snaps.

I've waited at Dulles, BWI and Reagan for daughter and her luggage. I always go to the luggage carousel to meet up and sometimes I have her bags before she gets there hauling her 2 kids, stroller and 2 car seats. I guess if it took an extra hour to get luggage (and maybe it does in some airports) trying to carry everything might be worth it if you are time strapped. I can't remember any lost luggage for daughter although I've had delayed luggage delivered the next day. Damaged items, yes. They gate checked the expensive stroller and broke a non essential part - you could still use it but she got another anyway.

 

[tink1970]

My main issue with boarding late it that I am one of those weird people who needs to wipe down everything and that takes a bit of time.