I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 & 2024 (see first page for add'l details)

[Haley R]

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/award-ticket-holds/

You might call AF to see if they will hold the tickets for you and then call them back after the AA release day to cancel the hold?

Do you mean BA?

 

[calypso726]

I went a little crazy last night and made reservations for DH & I to go to Bora Bora in 2024. Originally I was targeting the Maldives, but DH was concerned over how far that is from the US, so I started looking at Bora Bora instead. I have us flying out on UA Polaris lie flat J in the Dreamliner, staying 2 nts in Papeete (day trip to Moorea?), 2 nts at Conrad Bora Bora, and 5 nts at St. Regis Bora Bora - all booked on points & miles for a trip that so far rings in just shy of $25K. I am still trying to figure out the flight home, and that has me a little nervous...

That has us in French Polynesia for 9 nights and I'm wondering if that's too long? Tagging @wanderlust7 and @calypso726 since Calypso was just there and Wanderlust was there last year. Thoughts/advice?

I was flying in from the east coast so part of my trip was just getting to and from places. We left Friday evening and arrived early Saturday morning into Tahiti. The ferry to Moorea was about 40 minutes. We did not spend any significant time in Tahiti.

Our 3 nights in Moorea were plenty for me. However, I am irrationally afraid of some of the denizens of the ocean and it is rare for me to face that fear and participate in any water activities. That said, the small reefs in knee deep water near the shore at the Hilton Moorea and calm water allowed me to ignore my irrational fear and snorkel. There are other water activities one can book as well as ATV and 4x4 drives and hikes. I had no intention of doing anything other than enjoying a beautiful view when I planned this vacation. Another person may well enjoy a significant amount more time there and participate in activities than I would. Some trips I like to be super active and do lots of things and some I like to just relax and veg. This was the latter. Getting to Bora Bora from Moorea took up almost the whole day between taxis, ferries and flight. There is a lot less to do in Bora Bora than in Moorea. I could have easily spent more than the 3 nights there that I did doing nothing but enjoying the hammock and plunge pool. I was enchanted with the view from our suite and the surrounding area. I enjoyed biking around the resort too.

Our flight home from Tahiti was at 7 am the following Saturday after we arrived. We would get into LAX around 6:30 pm Saturday. So we checked out of the CBBN on Friday and booked our final night at the Hilton in Tahiti expecting to get up at 3 am and head to the airport early the next day. We got in too late to really explore Tahiti or do anything but wait around. That was what got me looking for a flight out Friday night. Fortunately, we found one around 11 pm that saved us in points and taxes refunded. We got into LAX at 10:30 am but our flight back home on AA wasn’t until midnight. So we went to Disneyland and California Adventure for the day instead of hanging out at the airport.

I hope this gives some insight into why I only planned for 3 nights in Moorea and 3 nights in Bora Bora. I’m not water activity enthusiast so there was never going to be much for me to do which was ok because I was going for the scenery and breathtaking views. I’d happily return to the Maldives and plan to do so down the line. I doubt I’d stay more than 4 nights though for the same reason.

 

[becauseimnew]

Do you mean BA?

No, that article I linked says Air France will hold award tickets for free and I don't think you need to have the points available. And Air France is a JAL partner.

 

[Haley R]

No, that article I linked says Air France will hold award tickets for free and I don't think you need to have the points available. And Air France is a JAL partner.

I couldn’t find how early they are able to book. I thought BA was first and the rest after but I’m not sure. Do you know if AF books earlier than AA?

 

[arich35]

If I were to get the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, put let's say $10,000-$15,000 down to take advantage of the 15 month 0% APR do I have to make monthly payments on that amount or can I wait 6 months or so and just pay it all?

We are really thinking about buying direct but we would sell our resale contract come January, so was wanting to put a sizeable down payment on a credit card with 0% interest, getting some of those rewards and then paying it off when we sell the contract.

If there is a better credit card for doing this please let me know!

 

[wanderlust7]

I went a little crazy last night and made reservations for DH & I to go to Bora Bora in 2024. Originally I was targeting the Maldives, but DH was concerned over how far that is from the US, so I started looking at Bora Bora instead. I have us flying out on UA Polaris lie flat J in the Dreamliner, staying 2 nts in Papeete (day trip to Moorea?), 2 nts at Conrad Bora Bora, and 5 nts at St. Regis Bora Bora - all booked on points & miles for a trip that so far rings in just shy of $25K. I am still trying to figure out the flight home, and that has me a little nervous...

That has us in French Polynesia for 9 nights and I'm wondering if that's too long? Tagging @wanderlust7 and @calypso726 since Calypso was just there and Wanderlust was there last year. Thoughts/advice?

We were at the Conrad Bora Bora for 5 nights. I didn’t find it too long and wouldn’t have minded another night or two. The purpose was to relax plus we’re not go go go people anyways. We didn’t leave the resort except for a half day snorkeling tour with H2O (highly recommend) and to go into town for an hour (went to the grocery store and the souvenir market right at the dock).

There’s a lot to do on Moorea if you can fit it in. We enjoyed our day at Coco Beach, which is a restaurant on an island. We also hiked to the viewing platform on Magic Mountain. Driving around the island was fun too.

Have you looked into how you’ll get from the Conrad to the St Regis? Do you have to pay the round trip transportation for both or is there a private transfer way?

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I couldn’t find how early they are able to book. I thought BA was first and the rest after but I’m not sure. Do you know if AF books earlier than AA?

What's the deal with booking through Cathay Pacific? Looks like AA's award schedule is only open through like May 9, but Cathay Pacific (flying JAL metal) is open through June 7, so a whole month sooner. Might be limited by needing 3 seats and the points/taxes are higher than AA but guessing less than BA?

 

[platamama]

We were at the Conrad Bora Bora for 5 nights. I didn’t find it too long and wouldn’t have minded another night or two. The purpose was to relax plus we’re not go go go people anyways. We didn’t leave the resort except for a half day snorkeling tour with H2O (highly recommend) and to go into town for an hour (went to the grocery store and the souvenir market right at the dock).

There’s a lot to do on Moorea if you can fit it in. We enjoyed our day at Coco Beach, which is a restaurant on an island. We also hiked to the viewing platform on Magic Mountain. Driving around the island was fun too.

Have you looked into how you’ll get from the Conrad to the St Regis? Do you have to pay the round trip transportation for both or is there a private transfer way?

Unfortunately there are no standard room awards at the Hilton Moorea for the entire first six months of 2024, otherwise I think I would like to spend a few days there. Our flight into Tahiti doesn't arrive until the evening, so I figure we will spend at least arrival night in Papeete. If we spend two nights there, then we could catch the ferry over to Moorea during our one full day in Tahiti to get a taste of Moorea or maybe do a guided tour that takes us around the island. I have to look into that.

I was thinking of booking a snorkel trip on the day we leave the Conrad that would take us around to different spots in the lagoon, and drop us off at the St. Regis. I guess I have to find out if the Conrad and St. Regis will allow (and only charge for) one-way transfers from/to BOB. I definitely do have to do more investigating!

Did you take out XPF at an ATM or were you able to do everything either with a cc or USD?

 

[Haley R]

What's the deal with booking through Cathay Pacific? Looks like AA's award schedule is only open through like May 9, but Cathay Pacific (flying JAL metal) is open through June 7, so a whole month sooner. Might be limited by needing 3 seats and the points/taxes are higher than AA but guessing less than BA?

Dh said he tried a lot of different dates on AF and they all gave him an error, even a date that had a seat available on AA. So I have no idea what’s going on with their website

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Dh said he tried a lot of different dates on AF and they all gave him an error, even a date that had a seat available on AA. So I have no idea what’s going on with their website

Not AF, Cathay Pacific. Seems like that might be an option...

 

[Haley R]

Not AF, Cathay Pacific. Seems like that might be an option...

Dh is making an account and seeing if it’ll let him put them on hold. After we’ve given it more thought we’re considering flying out of Chicago instead of SFO. It’s only about 55 minutes longer to Tokyo and the flight to Chicago is about 3 hours shorter for us than going to SFO.

ETA: Dh checked and you can’t hold on Cathay Pacific without having the points

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I got this cool email re: my Amex Plat. Looks like they are gonna give me 20kMR for some glitch about not being able to enroll in Pay Over Time. I just have to call them to accept. Nice! Email is titled "Important Message from American Express"

 

[Arcades]

If I were to get the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, put let's say $10,000-$15,000 down to take advantage of the 15 month 0% APR do I have to make monthly payments on that amount or can I wait 6 months or so and just pay it all?

We are really thinking about buying direct but we would sell our resale contract come January, so was wanting to put a sizeable down payment on a credit card with 0% interest, getting some of those rewards and then paying it off when we sell the contract.

If there is a better credit card for doing this please let me know!

With 0 APR cards you typically only have to pay a minimum payment of 1% of the balance each statement cycle. No interest accrues until the introductory period ends. So, if you put $15,000 on the card, you can expect your minimum payment to be $150/month (which reduces the balance and the payments grow steadily smaller).

As an aside, if you find a bank or local credit union that allows bank account funding with a 0 APR card its a good way to get an interest free loan to use for things like bank bonuses or investments with a term shorter than the 0 APR period.

 

[KPK02090]

Yes, you can product change your Chase Freedom to a CSR while simultaneously holding a CSP. This isn't a loophole- so you aren't doing anything "against the rules." Sapphire rules don't allow you to earn a BONUS on both the CSP and CSR within 48 months, but there's nothing wrong with product changing.

For others interested, the MDD is how one can achieve a bonus on both the CSP and CSR.

Thanks again for this. I did the product change today. I upgraded my original CSR that I had downgraded in 2019 to a Freedom back to a CSR. Then I used the CSR to rebook a trip I had originally booked in the portal using my CSP and saved almost $300. Add the travel credit to that and it was a no-brainer.

ETA: $300 worth of points

 

[GZanta77]

I got this cool email re: my Amex Plat. Looks like they are gonna give me 20kMR for some glitch about not being able to enroll in Pay Over Time. I just have to call them to accept. Nice! Email is titled "Important Message from American Express"
View attachment 767582

I received this too. I vaguely remember being unable to activate it at some point, but just assumed it was because I had previously done so - easy to lose track. But happy to take another 20k MRs if Amex wants to throw them my way.

 

[lsutigers03]

Does the CSR 50% bonus in the Chase portal apply to gift cards?

 

[wanderlust7]

Unfortunately there are no standard room awards at the Hilton Moorea for the entire first six months of 2024, otherwise I think I would like to spend a few days there. Our flight into Tahiti doesn't arrive until the evening, so I figure we will spend at least arrival night in Papeete. If we spend two nights there, then we could catch the ferry over to Moorea during our one full day in Tahiti to get a taste of Moorea or maybe do a guided tour that takes us around the island. I have to look into that.

I was thinking of booking a snorkel trip on the day we leave the Conrad that would take us around to different spots in the lagoon, and drop us off at the St. Regis. I guess I have to find out if the Conrad and St. Regis will allow (and only charge for) one-way transfers from/to BOB. I definitely do have to do more investigating!

Did you take out XPF at an ATM or were you able to do everything either with a cc or USD?

I couldn’t find availability at the Hilton Moorea either. We stayed at an Airbnb with a lovely view called Bluebay. Owner also has a very similar unit next door called Bellevue.

We did need XPF, but we also went to Raiatea and Huahine, which are a little more off the beaten path. The H2O snorkeling tour was half cc deposit, half in XPF day off. Maybe they would have taken the entire amount by cc in advance, I didn’t ask. Food trucks and little souvenir stands might be cash only. If you go to Snack Mahana on Moorea, that is cash only.

 

[KPK02090]

Does the CSR 50% bonus in the Chase portal apply to gift cards?

Not sure I understand your question, but the CSR 50% bonus in the portal applies to travel booked with points, so I’m not seeing where gift cards fit in. If you mean “pay yourself back” on gift cards purchased at grocery stores that would work, but it’s at 1.25 not 1.5.

I just posted that I saved $300 using the CSR in the portal and meant the equivalent to $300 in points. Hope that didn’t confuse anyone.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Any tips/tricks for awards bookings for a family of 5? Whenever I've looked at using points (which is often on shorter notice than I'd like) the rooms that fit 5 are either crazy high points or simply not available. To be fair, that's true on cash bookings, too (that darn 3rd kid makes travel so much more expensive!!), but it seems like the problem is heightened when I switch from cash to points. I can usually get a room at a cheaper chain that has the sleeper sofa, but once I start looking at a nice hotel instead of just a place to lay our heads, things get difficult.

Are there chains that are better/worse about 5th sleepers? We've got a stack of URs and would be good to open chain specific credit cards to earn nights/points, if we knew which family of hotels we were targeting.

Starting to think about Hawaii summer 2024 and would love any suggestions to tackle it.

 

[BGparadise]

Any tips/tricks for awards bookings for a family of 5? Whenever I've looked at using points (which is often on shorter notice than I'd like) the rooms that fit 5 are either crazy high points or simply not available. To be fair, that's true on cash bookings, too (that darn 3rd kid makes travel so much more expensive!!), but it seems like the problem is heightened when I switch from cash to points. I can usually get a room at a cheaper chain that has the sleeper sofa, but once I start looking at a nice hotel instead of just a place to lay our heads, things get difficult.

Are there chains that are better/worse about 5th sleepers? We've got a stack of URs and would be good to open chain specific credit cards to earn nights/points, if we knew which family of hotels we were targeting.

Starting to think about Hawaii summer 2024 and would love any suggestions to tackle it.

We have the same situation. Since getting into URs, we have stayed with Hyatt Place as they are always suites. 2 beds with a large sectional in the living area.