FreeDiningFanatic
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2015
- Messages
- 2,243
I think you have a good strategy bc you are traveling how you want to travel and cashing out to offset the cost. All too often I think people (myself included) will end up booking a trip because they can do it on points, but it isn't the trip they would have booked if all of the options were open to them.So, our recent travel plans have been leaning very non points heavy. We did Disney world and now the Grand Canyon. Looking at a Disney cruise for spring break and probably Yellowstone next summer.
Been using all my southwest points and cps to get where we’re going, not not a ton of points options once there.
My current strategy is basically apply for inks, put all dining out on csr and cash out via pyb. I know this has to end sometime, but I just cashed out $530 of Disney dining for 35k points and it feels so worth it.
Any other strategies I’m missing? I also book the occasional hotel on the chase portal and our car rental this summer.
I think there are just some trips that make sense mostly with cash and others that make sense mostly with points and some that are a hybrid. I'm on the fence between Peru and Iceland next year, but both of those are very cash heavy. AirBNB PYB would actually be very helpful for both scenarios.
Besides the strategies you are already using, I have had good luck booking excursions on the Chase portal. I know others have had poor communication sometimes with tour groups.
I too made a goal this year to make better use of our 2 companion passes and it has made for a very satisfying year. We'll have taken six trips this year using our companion passes, nearly all international.