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

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I booked a Kimpton via The Hotel Collection. The charge was for AMEX Hotel Collection not Kimpton. The stay didn’t appear in my IHG account even though I provided my IHG number. I’d say it’s unlikely you’d get the offer due to it not being booked direct.
Thanks for the info. So it looks like using those services are the same as going through any OTA vs direct with the hotel.
 
Does this work with employee cards? I have a very reluctant P2, but she is an employee on my Biz Gold. If I can get her to apply for a personal Plat, would she be able to transfer those points to me somehow?

I'm not sure about the biz/employee thing, but I am an AU on DH's plat and he was able to transfer a few of his MRs to my Flying Blue account to top off what I needed to book tickets. We couldn't move the MRs from one to another, but this worked. I don't think it would work in reverse (my MRs to his FB account) since he isn't an AU on any of my cards. This stuff is confusing.
 
Thanks for the review. I'm making this trip with my 16-year-old son. I'm always happy when I can find a hotel in Europe that guarantees two beds.

I was very impressed with their service-I'd noted our late arrival and we got in right before midnight. We were in a King Suite and the foldout bed was made up and waiting for DD in the living room and the bedroom bed was turned down as well. It's hard to travel in Europe with 3 or needing separate beds, definitely. One of the reasons (plus a/c) I booked with Hilton in a city with gorgeous old, historic hotels for this trip.
 
Is there a specific place you'd recommend in Kirkwall or that area? We have a full day planned but I think we could squeeze in a quick ice cream stop.

Honestly you can find it at almost any convenience store. They come in the small one serving containers with a mini spoon. I may or may have not posted Orkney ice cream selfies with each flavor I tried LOL
 


Happy Sunday Morning, all.

No real CC news for me, other than once again I seem to be meeting MSR faster than originally planned... which is good for points but not so good for my bank balance :crazy2:.

Thanks to those who answered about where to park my URs... @SouthFayetteFan of the three you mentioned, I have only one type so there they shall stay!

Trip plans (my trips are NOTHING compared to you-alls' trips... yes I know that's not word)...

First weekend in December we are flying out (on points) to spend about a day and a half at DL to do our annual Christmas ornament shopping trip. Typically we've been going Veteran's Day weekend (started that tradition when they had the first Avengers Run Weekend) but we got a little "off" in the last couple years.

Early part of January- originally we planned to fly into San Diego (on points) and spend 3 nights in SD proper, Uber-ing and Bird-ing about town. Found a Doubletree that seemed to be in a really good location with a "weekend" deal (which would have been paid cash but earned lots of Amex/Hilton points)- that would have been around $450. Of course we had planned at least 2-3 trips to our favorite Italian restaurant in Little Italy, which would have added around $60/meal, so then I thought, hey, a cruise could come out cheaper in the end! So we are trying an inside (eeek!) cabin on the Carnival (eek!) Miracle that happens to be the exact days we were going to be in SD anyway, to Ensenada (eek!). We'll probably come out ahead, financially, and on such a short cruise I'll get to see whether I can handle an inside cabin on a longer one. We have a couple future cruise credits on Princess that we will have about another year to use but I'm not willing to risk an inside on a longer cruise until I'm sure I won't get claustrophobic.

Late February- annual "Dis Divas" ladies only trip to DL (no kids and no men allowed). It will be my first trip since ROTR opens!

Late June- what might be my last "entire family" trip... my older son may want to do drum corps starting in 2021 and if he does, the days of family vacations are OVER. That will be my older son's first time in SW:GE and my younger son's first time on ROTR.

November... if I do this right: Japan! Just me and my husband on this one.
 
I don't recall seeing any DPs of successfully extending IHG certs. And, as you found out, they are enforcing the "stay by" terms and you can't book past the expiration month. As of earlier this year there was leeway with the exact expiration date, like if it expired 4/2/20 you could book for 4/12/20 still but not as far out as 5/2. Can't hurt much to call but with this far out from expiration I'm not expecting a positive outcome. Always happy to be wrong though!


I got that to work just once on only one card, and now I just have 3 added offers showing, even though it says I have 8-10 available.

I'm going to try to find my iPad and download the iOS app since I think that is working better than the Android app. I thought about asking hubby last night to check his Chase app on the iPhone but I was getting the "this better not be about a CC" look and decided to pull an Elsa and live another day.

Since I have about 30 pages going forward that I haven't read, I don't know if my response is any help or not.

On my Chase Phone App for my business cards, I was having the same problem. Couldn't see the offers. When I clicked, it glitched out every time.

Fast forward to this week, I used my laptop to check my account, and I was able to see and add all 13 offers, maybe 1-2 of which I might use. But only on my CIU, not on my Marriott Biz - it shows no offers at all.

Just double checked it right now and still working via my laptop and edge.
 
Amex Everyday is an MR card....it is not a premium card. It does allow transfer to travel partners and yes there is fee to transfer (I have only transferred to jetblue and delta so far). I remember the fee being nominal and I think I used MR points for fees.
I don't know of a primer per se but...

All MR earning cards can transfer to Amex's travel partners.

The airlines that have a fee to transfer are the domestic ones which include Delta and JetBlue (as mentioned above). You can pay OOP in cash the $0.0006/mile or use MRs to pay as well. There is also a limit of $99 that will be charged so any miles after 165,000 will not be charged.

If you have AUs (like your spouse, child, etc) on your MR earning card(s) then you can transfer your MRs directly to their travel accounts as well-handy trick I've had to utilize a time or two.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
If you don’t have any MR cards you first want to try to pull the personal Platinum for the 100k offer. That is where you check and see if pre-approved on your account or if you can pull it up incognito. If you can’t or don’t want a personal card then the business cards vary on what they offer.

Transfers to domestic airlines have the tax. You can also transfer to partners such as Marriott. Sometimes there are bonuses to transfer.

Just be aware that it is Amex and all the usual rules apply. It is especially easy for them to claw back or freeze MR points (and they will).
Thanks, all. I checked and no 100K personal platinum offer 😕. I am 4/24 so looking for Business cards first. I will pay AFs but the thought of 550 or 450 or even 250 doesn't appeal right now. I think I narrowed down to BBP or Business Green. There are supports for Business Green with AF waived in the first year. Thinking to do that first, then BBP sometime next year and close the green in a year. All dependent on not getting a pop-up!
 


Does this work with employee cards? I have a very reluctant P2, but she is an employee on my Biz Gold. If I can get her to apply for a personal Plat, would she be able to transfer those points to me somehow?

You can't transfer points directly, but if she made you an AU on the card she could transfer her MR points to one of your loyalty accounts. Since she's an employee on your Biz Gold you should be able to see how that looks if you try to transfer. Whoever owns the MR can transfer to AUs/Employees loyalty accounts. AU/Employees can't transfer their own MR to the primary accountholder loyalty accounts.

Hope that makes sense.
 
Disneyland peeps, help me out here. Our next CC move is to get points for our Disneyland hotel. Originally I was thinking a Marriott since those seem to be most recommended and closest to the park. We’d each grab the Marriott Biz via Amex in order to have enough points and not mess up 5/24. It doesn’t look like Hilton has any good very close DL properties- is that correct? Also Hyatt same thing. I am also not sure how many nights we’d want.

Option 1:
P1 and P2 pick up Marriott Biz Amex. Probably use both SUBs fully to book 5 nights near DL.

Option 2:
P1 and P2 pick up a Chase Biz card and cash out to cover 3 nights on site at DL.

Option 3:
Better hotel chain offsite via Hyatt or Hilton?

If we do option 2 we can’t comfortably touch Chase until Feb/March so I’d probably pick up MR biz cards as our next move.
 
Disneyland peeps, help me out here. Our next CC move is to get points for our Disneyland hotel. Originally I was thinking a Marriott since those seem to be most recommended and closest to the park. We’d each grab the Marriott Biz via Amex in order to have enough points and not mess up 5/24. It doesn’t look like Hilton has any good very close DL properties- is that correct? Also Hyatt same thing. I am also not sure how many nights we’d want.

Option 1:
P1 and P2 pick up Marriott Biz Amex. Probably use both SUBs fully to book 5 nights near DL.

Option 2:
P1 and P2 pick up a Chase Biz card and cash out to cover 3 nights on site at DL.

Option 3:
Better hotel chain offsite via Hyatt or Hilton?

If we do option 2 we can’t comfortably touch Chase until Feb/March so I’d probably pick up MR biz cards as our next move.
I don’t really have any credit card advice, but Courtyard Yard Theme Park Entrance is a great property. Fun pool area, very clean and new. Excellent service and approximately 10 minute walk from room to turnstiles. I timed 12 minutes (including elevator ride) 😉 from room to turnstiles. We’ve stayed at both the Grand and DLH and honestly we can get a 1 bedroom suite at Courtyard for less than a standard room at either of those places. I love staying on property, but it doesn’t make financial sense for us. A long winded way to say, 1 vote for Courtyard 😀
 
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Disneyland peeps, help me out here. Our next CC move is to get points for our Disneyland hotel. Originally I was thinking a Marriott since those seem to be most recommended and closest to the park. We’d each grab the Marriott Biz via Amex in order to have enough points and not mess up 5/24. It doesn’t look like Hilton has any good very close DL properties- is that correct? Also Hyatt same thing. I am also not sure how many nights we’d want.

Option 1:
P1 and P2 pick up Marriott Biz Amex. Probably use both SUBs fully to book 5 nights near DL.

Option 2:
P1 and P2 pick up a Chase Biz card and cash out to cover 3 nights on site at DL.

Option 3:
Better hotel chain offsite via Hyatt or Hilton?

If we do option 2 we can’t comfortably touch Chase until Feb/March so I’d probably pick up MR biz cards as our next move.
We just stayed at Fairfield Inn on Harbor Street at the beginning of the month. It is a very comparable distance as the Courtyard suggested by IFlossU without the fancy pool area. It is an older motel style property but the bed was comfortable and the room adequate. After the recent Bonvoy! changes most nights are 30-35k so you will need at least 90k points.

I don't have any experience with the other chains to give advice there, but will be interested in any answers you get. We upgraded our Park Hopper Tickets to a Flex Pass and have a long weekend planned for Dec 14-16, one in the works for January, possibly Feb and at least one more in the fall for Halloween. I am looking for other chain options, maybe further out that would require Uber. Less points and less steps on my old body. While being close to the park in the morning, it is a lot longer walk in the evening :P
 
I was very impressed with their service-I'd noted our late arrival and we got in right before midnight. We were in a King Suite and the foldout bed was made up and waiting for DD in the living room and the bedroom bed was turned down as well. It's hard to travel in Europe with 3 or needing separate beds, definitely. One of the reasons (plus a/c) I booked with Hilton in a city with gorgeous old, historic hotels for this trip.
Luckily it’s just two of us for the land portion of this trip. My dh and older son are meeting up with us in Copenhagen the night before cruise. I’m going to take my older son to Japan in 2021. My dh isn’t that enthusiastic about long flights and international travel. He’d rather be on a Caribbean cruise reading a book by the pool. It’s fine with me traveling with just one other person is so much easier and cheaper.
 
I booked a Kimpton via The Hotel Collection. The charge was for AMEX Hotel Collection not Kimpton. The stay didn’t appear in my IHG account even though I provided my IHG number. I’d say it’s unlikely you’d get the offer due to it not being booked direct.
Havent' used Amex Hotel Collection, but have used Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts. Stay shows up as paid by amex, not by hotel, so no using Amex offers. I have had good luck with getting FHR stays to show up in my Marriott account for credit/status earning purposes, but I'm not sure whether both programs work the same way for that. I feel like I may have had to chase some of the stays down (had to get a Marriott confirmation number from Amex and then manually enter the stay in my Marriott account). Good luck!
 
My Marriott status may be doing me some good for a change - just got an email that my Suite Night upgrade has been confirmed for my stay at the Liberty in Boston next weekend. Got a 1 bedroom suite - looks pretty swanky. Stay is on Amex points via the Amex FHR program, so for our $265 room rate, we're getting breakfast for 2 (would get this anyway as a Plat member) plus a $100 F&B credit. The FHR program is supposed to give you an upgrade, if available upon check in. Only better room would be their top tier suite. Not likely to happen, but would be cool!
 
After @hulagirl post about Maui Grand Wailea I got to thinking about my Hilton free weekend nights that I will have coming next year. See, I don't even have them and I'm already planning how I can spend them:) I will have three free weekend nights to use and I'm wondering what other properties you guys would recommend to get maximum benefit from these nights? DH said he'd be up for Hawaii, but realistically I'm not sure if we could go that far and get someone to watch our kids. Any other great properties in the US or Caribbean?
 
My Marriott status may be doing me some good for a change - just got an email that my Suite Night upgrade has been confirmed for my stay at the Liberty in Boston next weekend. Got a 1 bedroom suite - looks pretty swanky. Stay is on Amex points via the Amex FHR program, so for our $265 room rate, we're getting breakfast for 2 (would get this anyway as a Plat member) plus a $100 F&B credit. The FHR program is supposed to give you an upgrade, if available upon check in. Only better room would be their top tier suite. Not likely to happen, but would be cool!

Long before I came here and figured out how to get enough to cover both hotels and flights, I booked quite a few stays through FHR. I love the perks, but I'd say the upgrades were very hit and miss. A few times it was fantastic, a couple times they claimed they upgraded up but if they did I couldn't tell the difference, and probably 60% of the time we got no upgrade at all. I hope that this trip of yours will be one of those fantastic upgrades, but it sounds like you're going stay in a nice room no matter what. :)
 
After @hulagirl post about Maui Grand Wailea I got to thinking about my Hilton free weekend nights that I will have coming next year. See, I don't even have them and I'm already planning how I can spend them:) I will have three free weekend nights to use and I'm wondering what other properties you guys would recommend to get maximum benefit from these nights? DH said he'd be up for Hawaii, but realistically I'm not sure if we could go that far and get someone to watch our kids. Any other great properties in the US or Caribbean?

I've been thinking about this too. Many of the maximum value ones are so far to get to (Bora Bora, Maldives, etc). Check out the locations for Waldorf and Conrad hotels - see if any would work for you. Some of the rates I saw for the Waldorf Orlando aren't that high though, so that might not be a good one. The Waldorf Beverly Hills, if you have interest in going there, those rates are like $1000/nt.
 
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