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

[Twilghtsprkle]

Probably not as it's through a third party booking site. Read through the T&C's of the offer and it may say so there.

I haven't stayed at Swan Reserve but may be doing so for a night or two this winter. Niece stayed and said it was a lovely hotel, and they had a great Epcot fireworks view.

I've been gold with Marriott for many years like 20 plus and just the last five or six years I've been platinum. Neither give much in the line of perks.

I was just hoping to get gold for the bonus point earning. He’s had 2 trips to Boston and both times the Marriott he’s stayed at has been ridiculously expensive ($800-900 a night) so a 25% bonus of points will add up quickly. I guess if this one doesn’t count, he has another trip in November but I don’t know if that will be 2 or 3 nights (he needs 3 nights for the challenge).

I doubt my husband will spend too time time enjoying the Swan Reserve. He’s going to the Gartner conference and it doesn’t appear he has much free time. He even wants to skip the private event they are having at Epcot to just sleep!

 

[reliev]

Did you get this as an email? I was able to pull it up on my Freedom Flex by checking mybonus, but didn't get an email about it directly. I do have the other Chase offer ($100 back after spending $500 on the portal) on several cards and have wondered if it'll stack.

yes this was an email promotion and nice I forgot to check chase bonus its so hit or miss.
also I got the same 20k bonus for my unlimited and flex card..

 

[reliev]

I just got an offer on my hyatt card the actual offer didnt show up but it said 6000 bonus points.
I'm guessing its this? https://upgradedpoints.com/news/chase-spending-bonus/

 

[platamama]

My son and his wife eloped (about 12 of us in attendance) in Colorado, earlier this year. They had toyed with having an event back home that everyone could celebrate, which sounded sort of like a second wedding. Anyway, they've changed their minds on that, so now that there's not a second wedding, we wanted to gift them a mini honeymoon. They had told us they were going to try to book a trip between the week of Christmas and New Years (quite the tall ask, but she is a special ed school teacher)... and we just had to piece together a mini honeymoon if I could.

Anyway, I set an alert for Alila Ventana Big Sur and it hit for dates that week after Christmas. I booked flights, etc. They might extend the trip to other areas of California, so if there's any suggestions, please share.

I did make a note on the reservation re: their honeymoon. Anyway, I just want it to be special for them; they are going through a fresh loss. They are really sweet kids. I don't have Hyatt status so I think room upgrades are doubtful, but do you think an email to the hotel about their honeymoon would help? Anyone have a good contact? They're honestly very down to earth and will be happy with the standard room.

Also, any advice on booking the activities? It asks for room number/confirmation number, but says "invalid last name and room number." Can these not be booked in advance?

Any other details I should know of? I did search here and the hotel review thread and read those details; thanks to everyone who has shared.

We're going to Alila Ventana later this month, and your post was a good reminder to book activities. So I tried that, and got the same "invalid last name & room number." This morning I called the resort, and got a special code to book activities and that worked (I can PM you). We've enjoyed the hatchet throwing, falconry, walks/hikes through the property (this will be our 3rd time); it's a really nice place to just slow down and restore your chill.

Be aware of the 14 day cancellation policy, and keep a close eye on the weather. The past couple winters, the CA coast has been inundated with atmospheric rivers in the winter months, and Hwy 1 is still closed from Esalen Institute (south of the Alila) and Lucia Lodge due to the damage from the storms. That segment is not set to reopen until sometime in 2025, and it's been closed since Feb 2024. Do you have the flights going to the Bay Area? or Monterey? If so, the road is open from there, but with construction at Rocky Creek.

I love the Monterey Bay Aquarium (it's a full day for me!), and it was beautiful doing the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach. Carmel is a charming little town too.

I think it's a sweet gift for your son & DiL. Congrats!

 

[wanderlust7]

My son and his wife eloped (about 12 of us in attendance) in Colorado, earlier this year. They had toyed with having an event back home that everyone could celebrate, which sounded sort of like a second wedding. Anyway, they've changed their minds on that, so now that there's not a second wedding, we wanted to gift them a mini honeymoon. They had told us they were going to try to book a trip between the week of Christmas and New Years (quite the tall ask, but she is a special ed school teacher)... and we just had to piece together a mini honeymoon if I could.

Anyway, I set an alert for Alila Ventana Big Sur and it hit for dates that week after Christmas. I booked flights, etc. They might extend the trip to other areas of California, so if there's any suggestions, please share.

I did make a note on the reservation re: their honeymoon. Anyway, I just want it to be special for them; they are going through a fresh loss. They are really sweet kids. I don't have Hyatt status so I think room upgrades are doubtful, but do you think an email to the hotel about their honeymoon would help? Anyone have a good contact? They're honestly very down to earth and will be happy with the standard room.

Also, any advice on booking the activities? It asks for room number/confirmation number, but says "invalid last name and room number." Can these not be booked in advance?

Any other details I should know of? I did search here and the hotel review thread and read those details; thanks to everyone who has shared.

Congrats to the Newlyweds!

When we went to Ventana, there was no reservations for the free activities. Just show up. We didn't do any paid activities. You can reserve dinner times. Sunset is very nice, but would be very early in December.

For other areas, depends how far they want to go? Monterey and Carmel are fairly close. Carmel is a cute town. Point Lobos state park is very scenic. If they want to head south a little, there's Hearst Castle and Cambria where you can see elephant seals. My favorite restaurant in the area is Sea Chest for oysters (cash only). Sensario field of lights in Paso Robles is beautiful. South of Big Sur, they'd have to detour a bit due to the road closure though.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I haven't stayed at Swan Reserve but may be doing so for a night or two this winter. Niece stayed and said it was a lovely hotel, and they had a great Epcot fireworks view.

I've been gold with Marriott for many years like 20 plus and just the last five or six years I've been platinum. Neither give much in the line of perks.

We've stayed at the Swan Reserve several times and have had good luck finding dates that fit within the FNC. The one issue with Swan Reserve is of course the bussing, and it's further than the other Boardwalk hotels, so it's not quite as easy to hop on Disney bussing. Still possible, of course, just a bit more walking.

Congratulation to them. I have the email from the concierge that we worked with in 2022. But I’m not sure he’s still there.
carlos.pantojahermosillo@ventanabigsur.com

We're going to Alila Ventana later this month, and your post was a good reminder to book activities. So I tried that, and got the same "invalid last name & room number." This morning I called the resort, and got a special code to book activities and that worked (I can PM you). We've enjoyed the hatchet throwing, falconry, walks/hikes through the property (this will be our 3rd time); it's a really nice place to just slow down and restore your chill.

Be aware of the 14 day cancellation policy, and keep a close eye on the weather. The past couple winters, the CA coast has been inundated with atmospheric rivers in the winter months, and Hwy 1 is still closed from Esalen Institute (south of the Alila) and Lucia Lodge due to the damage from the storms. That segment is not set to reopen until sometime in 2025, and it's been closed since Feb 2024. Do you have the flights going to the Bay Area? or Monterey? If so, the road is open from there, but with construction at Rocky Creek.

I love the Monterey Bay Aquarium (it's a full day for me!), and it was beautiful doing the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach. Carmel is a charming little town too.

I think it's a sweet gift for your son & DiL. Congrats!

Congrats to the Newlyweds!

When we went to Ventana, there was no reservations for the free activities. Just show up. We didn't do any paid activities. You can reserve dinner times. Sunset is very nice, but would be very early in December.

For other areas, depends how far they want to go? Monterey and Carmel are fairly close. Carmel is a cute town. Point Lobos state park is very scenic. If they want to head south a little, there's Hearst Castle and Cambria where you can see elephant seals. My favorite restaurant in the area is Sea Chest for oysters (cash only). Sensario field of lights in Paso Robles is beautiful. South of Big Sur, they'd have to detour a bit due to the road closure though.

All this is great information, thanks so much to everyone for sharing their insight, kind words and deeds. I'll be sure to share it with them!

They are flying in/out of San Jose. They were toying with exploring the San Francisco area a bit, but also hesitant with a car.

 

[nlenguyen]

I might be overthinking this chase travel bonus, if I am booking a room with an eligible card and have the $100 off $500 or more, will that then make the purchase $400 and not allow the booking to qualify for the extra 20,000 points?

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I might be overthinking this chase travel bonus, if I am booking a room with an eligible card and have the $100 off $500 or more, will that then make the purchase $400 and not allow the booking to qualify for the extra 20,000 points?

So you have both offers, the $100/$500 and the 20k/$500, on the same card? I honestly think it's a grey area. I personally think spending $500 would trigger both offers, but I don't think anyone can say for certain. Here's the T&Cs from my 20k offer. Hopefully everyone has taken note of the detail that you are only eligible if you haven't purchased travel through UR/Chase Travel since 8/15/22

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Hopefully everyone has taken note of the detail that you are only eligible if you haven't purchased travel through UR/Chase Travel since 8/15/22

I've taken that to mean purchased travel with the specific card that has the offer. Hopefully that's the case... I have both offers on my Freedom Flex, which hasn't been used on the portal before

 

[reliev]

I've taken that to mean purchased travel with the specific card that has the offer. Hopefully that's the case... I have both offers on my Freedom Flex, which hasn't been used on the portal before

yep I think so also I never used it not even once but now I'm going to 3x lol.

So you have both offers, the $100/$500 and the 20k/$500, on the same card? I honestly think it's a grey area. I personally think spending $500 would trigger both offers, but I don't think anyone can say for certain. Here's the T&Cs from my 20k offer. Hopefully everyone has taken note of the detail that you are only eligible if you haven't purchased travel through UR/Chase Travel since 8/15/22

View attachment 900050

yeah this is my thinking also but If I had the 100$ offer too I might go for 600. But I would think 500 would trigger both.

Also, I have a question for those who have done this do you get status benefits from this? my guess is no because it's like Expeida. no eqn if its Hyatt?

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

yep I think so also I never used it not even once but now I'm going to 3x lol.

yeah this is my thinking also but If I had the 100$ offer too I might go for 600. But I would think 500 would trigger both.

Also, I have a question for those who have done this do you get status benefits from this? my guess is no because it's like Expeida. no eqn if its Hyatt?

No eqn for sure, but not sure about status benefits

I also think (and am hoping) $500 will trigger both. In my case, I'll have to prepay for 3 hotel nights we need in Lyon next January since the points offer ends this month. I hate to have to do that because it'll make it non-refundable. I'll have to check with DH whether he's ok with that, though, if not we'll just miss out on the 20K

 

[lsutigers03]

If I PC a CSR to a CFF how long do I need to wait to PC a CF to a CSR?

 

[AndreaDM]

Tickets home from London are booked on Virgin with points plus money. Virgin is weird--since it's one way starting in London the money is quoted in pounds (no big deal). Also, you have to pay to select a seat before boarding. I paid a little extra to get an exit row. Now I get to figure out what show we are going to see We saw Mama Mia last time and it was so good!

Just catching up here because I was in London myself lol. I haven't finished reading through everything I missed, so you may have already decided, but we saw Guys and Dolls and I'd highly recommend it. It's an older show of course, but the way it's done at the theater in London is VERY unique! You can buy standing tickets and essentially be part of the show. The floor is in the middle with seating all the way around, like a stadium kind of. It was a lot of fun!

 

[havaneselover]

Just catching up here because I was in London myself lol. I haven't finished reading through everything I missed, so you may have already decided, but we saw Guys and Dolls and I'd highly recommend it. It's an older show of course, but the way it's done at the theater in London is VERY unique! You can buy standing tickets and essentially be part of the show. The floor is in the middle with seating all the way around, like a stadium kind of. It was a lot of fun!

Sounds really fun! I just booked tickets for Six in August. I didn’t realize it was really short but so is my attention span so hopefully I’ll like it. Can’t wait to get back to London.

 

[reliev]

No eqn for sure, but not sure about status benefits

I also think (and am hoping) $500 will trigger both. In my case, I'll have to prepay for 3 hotel nights we need in Lyon next January since the points offer ends this month. I hate to have to do that because it'll make it non-refundable. I'll have to check with DH whether he's ok with that, though, if not we'll just miss out on the 20K

This is what mine all said I took a screenshot and saved the email.

Here's how:

1. Activate this offer and book your travel by January 31, 2025
2. Travel by August 31, 2025
3. Earn your bonus points up to eight weeks following your trip

No EQN maybe I shop outside of Hyatt then thanks

 

[Judique]

If I PC a CSR to a CFF how long do I need to wait to PC a CF to a CSR?

I'm not sure you can turn a Visa into a Mastercard as in CSR to CFF.

But if you can, I can't see a reason there would be a wait at all.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

If I PC a CSR to a CFF how long do I need to wait to PC a CF to a CSR?

You don’t have to wait, you can even PC the CF to a CSR as long as it’s been open a year, without doing the CSR to CFF PC

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

So here's the fine print on the 20k Chase portal offer, bolding mine:

Up to 20,000 Bonus Points Through Chase Travel: With this bonus offer, eligible cardmembers who have not purchased travel through Ultimate Rewards/Chase Travel since 08/15/22 and who activate this offer can then earn either 20,000 bonus points when they purchase a hotel stay through Chase Travel totaling at least $500 or 10,000 bonus points when they purchase flights, car rentals, cruises, activities, or tours through Chase Travel totaling at least $500 in a single transaction. Purchases must be made by 01/31/25 11:59 PM ET with the same eligible card used to activate and travel must be completed by 08/31/25 11:59 PM ET. Bookings can include point redemptions, however, point redemption values will not count towards offer minimum spend. Only purchases completed through Chase Travel are eligible, “reserve now, pay later” and cancelled or refunded purchases are not eligible. Please allow up to 8 weeks after completing your travel for bonus points to post to your account. This bonus offer is non-transferable and applies only to cardmembers who receive marketing communications for this offer. Account must be open and not in default at the time of fulfillment. Eligible credit cards: Chase Freedom card, Chase Freedom Unlimited card, Chase Freedom Rise card, Chase Freedom Flex card, Chase Freedom Student card, Chase Ink Cash Card, Chase Ink Business Cash Card, Chase Ink Business Preferred Card, Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card, Chase Ink Plus Card, Chase Ink Business Premier Card, Chase Sapphire card, Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Please note that even though you have an eligible credit card, you may not be eligible for this offer based on your account status and other factors. This bonus can only be earned once per cardmember, regardless of how many eligible cards a cardmember has, and will be awarded to the eligible card used to activate this offer. We reserve the right to cancel or modify this offer at any time without notice. See your Rewards Program Agreement for more details about earning and redeeming points.



I'm personally going to tread lightly with this because of the "cardmember" lingo. My thought is they could have said something like "In order to be eligible for this offer, the card used to activate this offer must not have been used to purchase travel through UR/Chase Travel since 8/15/22" if that's what they meant. But they specifically say cardmember.

On the flip side, if the offer is targeted and activation is successful, you'd think that would be sufficient diligence on the part of the cardmember.

 

[becauseimnew]

I just got an offer on my hyatt card the actual offer didnt show up but it said 6000 bonus points.
I'm guessing its this? https://upgradedpoints.com/news/chase-spending-bonus/

Did you figure it out? Mine was the same. My last offer was spend $6K get 6,000 extra points, but this didn't have details.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

If anyone has been eyeing Milaidhoo in the Maldives, which includes the seaplane transfer and has a huge overwater villa, fresh 130k/nt availability just dropped.