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

[wanderlust7]

It's entirely city dependent along with luck. I had no issues using aa to book jal but out if sea there is no 1st, which tech you'd think would make it harder. @DisneyMandC also did it but it was a 2020 cancellation. Not sure who else has, it's also mentioned as an option far more than ba is.

I booked it a couple days after the AA release too when it occurred to me maybe I should book a backup to summer 2022. Felt lucky that I was able to get the SJC-SEA leg on the same ticket. Flew out on Christmas Eve, overnight layover, then the Japan leg on Christmas Day, which probably helped.

Coming back was KIX-LAX, also through AA. I think that route is a little easier too. But this was all booked before Japan opened. I feel like things are/will be more competitive now.

 

[Haley R]

To piggyback on this, BA releases the flights several days before AA, so booking with BA is always going to be the safest bet. Flights to Japan in biz class are usually gone before AA opens the dates. If you have United miles ANA biz class is an option.

We have chase points so could transfer to virgin and book ANA. I haven’t been looking at that at all because I figured AA would work.

 

[Princess Michele]

You are correct. As long as the CP holder has a booking, the companion can be added on later even if it's a more expensive fare. I will often delay adding the companion until much closer to the departure date so that I can rebook a fare drop for the CP holder more easily. You do run the risk of the flight being sold out if you wait too long though. I have run into that, but didn't panic, and a seat opened up later on. I just had to keep checking back.

You don’t need the companion pass until closer to the day you fly, I usually don’t book my CP until a month out because it’s a pain to rebook for a lower price, you need to cancel the CP then rebook your flight then rebook the companion. You can totally wait until May to apply for the Biz card.
We are going to do the same thing, DH and I each have the CP this year but need the CP for the first week in Jan 2024. We'll both apply for a Biz card later this year to extend our CP to 12/31/2024.

Thank you both for the information. This will be our first time with a CP so I am trying to understand everything and make sure that I do it all correctly.

 

[mmmears]

I called AA yesterday to sort out my flight from YYZ-->ORD-->SJD. I had forgotten that I paid cash (combination of a credit voucher from a cancelled trip in November and $307.44 cash). The CSR said the difference in the fare between economy and biz class will be automatically refunded to me within 8 days.

I filed an e-mail complaint about the way AA handled the cancelled flight (no notification whatsoever) and the rude attitude of the gate agent for the YYZ-->DFW flight. I received a response this morning that they are sorry blah, blah, blah and that they would be depositing miles into my account within 24 hours. No mention of the amount, but I don't expect many. I hope that they discipline the gate agent for her extremely poor attitude and giving out incorrect information.

I hope you get them to give you something. A similar thing happened to us the last time we flew on AA. Then we had to push them to refund the difference between the seats we paid for and the awful, back row middle seats they put us in, telling us how lucky we were to even get on a flight. Couldn't get anything from them despite all of this and the gate agents being rude and downright terrible. Last time any of us flew AA even though I have a bunch of AA points.

 

[afan]

We have chase points so could transfer to virgin and book ANA. I haven’t been looking at that at all because I figured AA would work.

That's like a plan q. Everyone wants to do that either with stranded ana points or vs. There's also rumor I've seen floating around that the partnership may end sometime in the future due to the alliance vs is joining (forget which one).

 

[platamama]

Thank you both for the information. This will be our first time with a CP so I am trying to understand everything and make sure that I do it all correctly.

I went back to look at your post about timing your CP. With the way you're currently looking at it, you'd only have the CP for the rest of 2023 through end of 2024 (~12-14 months). If you change your applications to Nov (SW Biz) and Feb (SW Personal) and time your purchases right, you could have the CP for almost all of 2024 and 2025 (22-23 months). As for booking the Hawaii ticket, transfer your URs from your recent CIU SUB over to your SW RR account (I'm assuming you will be the CP holder) and book it that way to lay claim to that July 2024 Hawaii ticket. If you do it that way, you have enough time to do another couple of Inks (April, July) before November and will have even more URs to work with.

And I would downgrade either your CSP or CSR to a Freedom (unless you've used them to book future travel already), so that you avoid the AF and get the opportunity to earn 5x in bonus categories; this quarter is grocery stores, Target, and fitness & gym clubs.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I hope you get them to give you something. A similar thing happened to us the last time we flew on AA. Then we had to push them to refund the difference between the seats we paid for and the awful, back row middle seats they put us in, telling us how lucky we were to even get on a flight. Couldn't get anything from them despite all of this and the gate agents being rude and downright terrible. Last time any of us flew AA even though I have a bunch of AA points.

I checked my account today and there was a whopping 2,500 AA points showing as deposited on January 16th. I don't know if that's their idea of a goodwill gesture, but if it is, then it sucks.

They better refund me the difference between economy and biz class. I paid for a biz class seat and while I was happy to get to Cabo at all on the 16th, I do expect to get the difference in cost refunded. Not sure how I paid, most likely either the plat or CSR, at least that's what I'm hoping in case I have to file a dispute.

 

[platamama]

You guys, I'm so dumb. I opened an Amex Biz checking for P2 for the 60K SUB, and went to fund it today. Too bad I didn't look closely at the fine print...my last day to fund it was yesterday.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

what am I missing here? I thought the ANA biz class was through virgin? How do I check for ANA biz class with united miles? Our united flights are already booked, but I could cancel and get the miles redeposited if I found a better deal through ANA!

Do you have a points.me membership? That would show availability as would expert flyer dot com. ANA is a member of Star Alliance as are AC and Virgin. Hopefully others here will chime in on the best way to book ANA through Virgin as I have no idea.

 

[Haley R]

That's like a plan q. Everyone wants to do that either with stranded ana points or vs. There's also rumor I've seen floating around that the partnership may end sometime in the future due to the alliance vs is joining (forget which one).

Dh said if we can’t book through AA or BA we just won’t go

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Do you have a points.me membership? That would show availability as would expert flyer dot com. ANA is a member of Star Alliance as are AC and Virgin. Hopefully others here will chime in on the best way to book ANA through Virgin as I have no idea.

Oh, maybe I'm getting confused. I was thinking there's another way of booking ANA with United different than booking ANA through Virgin.

 

[calypso726]

Thanks so much for everyone's advice a few days ago, I ended up getting the United Explorer Chase Visa!

I've been looking at the benefits and saw that they give 3x points for buying gift cards through their app, one being Disney gift cards. I remember when I was a kid, my mom would pay for Disney gift cards at Target with her red card to take advantage of the 5% cashback offer, and pay for our park tickets and resort stays with those, and I was thinking maybe it would be a good idea for me to pay for my next trip with gift cards, and get the 3x miles.

Does anyone else pay for their trips this way? Is there another way that would be more beneficial?

I buy Disney GCs all year to pay for DVC dues, DCL, ABD and any purchases at Disney. I prefer to buy them at an office supply store like OD/OM or Staples with my CIC and Ink+ (no longer available) cards since I get 5x. The CIC points can be transferred to a CIP/CSP/CSR and from there can be transferred to United. The only times I opt out of earning 5x for Disney GCs is when I can get them for 10% off or better through a Chase or Amex offer.

 

[kayteekt]

What are some good options for flights on points to HNL? Looking into an Aulani trip in 2024. Need flights for 4. East coast, CLT (Charlotte). AA hub. Southwest doesn't seem to offer flights to HNL out of CLT. The AA points are crazy, 50-70k for Econ....but I noticed they have reasonable redemptions to LAX. What about booking a 2nd flight from LAX to HNL with another card/carrier that would have good points redemptions? Would that be too risky? Any other ideas? Transfer partners? We don't fly that often and never this distance so I'm starting at square one.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I am not sure what possessed me, but I am thinking about going to Thailand, which will include the Conrad, Koh Samui next January. With that in mind, I went to the AC website to look at flight options and lo and behold there was 1 seat in 1st class on January 12th on ANA from ORD to HND, then biz class from HND to BKK. Knowing that the seat wouldn't be there long I booked it for 130k AP miles. I have a plan in mind to come back on Oman Air (1st class to LHR, then biz class home perhaps with BA), but will have to work through the logistics over the next few days (before they open up seats). I might tie in Bali and make the trip 3 or so weeks.

LOL, we have been toying with Thailand as well, but a much shorter time period, but were also looking at around January. I have been following the FT thread on Koh Samui- it's had some mixed reviews on FT since covid.

This resort, the Intercontinental Khao Yai, a few hours from Bangkok has also peaked our interest: https://khaoyai.intercontinental.com/, it's newish and designed by Bill Bensley.

The Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach also just opened a few hours from Bangkok, and is getting a lot of buzz bc of it's cheap redemption rates, like 9k Hyatt points.

Also thinking of the Azores, or going in a complete different direction and doing London/Amsterdam if certain NFL teams are playing in London this fall. It's fun to have so many options.

 

[djmeredith]

What are some good options for flights on points to HNL? Looking into an Aulani trip in 2024. Need flights for 4. East coast, CLT (Charlotte). AA hub. Southwest doesn't seem to offer flights to HNL out of CLT. The AA points are crazy, 50-70k for Econ....but I noticed they have reasonable redemptions to LAX. What about booking a 2nd flight from LAX to HNL with another card/carrier that would have good points redemptions? Would that be too risky? Any other ideas? Transfer partners? We don't fly that often and never this distance so I'm starting at square one.

I was planning for Hawaii this year until we changed the trip to Europe. So I did a lot of research. I’m in East as well and my city didn’t have a direct SW flight either. However, SW might still be a good option if you’re willing to reposition to a different city anyway. You could get a companion pass (or two). Between the SUB points you would earn getting the CP(s), and the CPs themselves, you could probably cover all of your flights. I think some people have gone after Hawaiian Airlines SUBs, but they would also require a reposition for you.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

What are some good options for flights on points to HNL? Looking into an Aulani trip in 2024. Need flights for 4. East coast, CLT (Charlotte). AA hub. Southwest doesn't seem to offer flights to HNL out of CLT. The AA points are crazy, 50-70k for Econ....but I noticed they have reasonable redemptions to LAX. What about booking a 2nd flight from LAX to HNL with another card/carrier that would have good points redemptions? Would that be too risky? Any other ideas? Transfer partners? We don't fly that often and never this distance so I'm starting at square one.

When we did Hawaii (which was back in 2018), we flew United out of CLT. I can't remember the redemption rate, but I want to say it was around 60K RT for 2 people at the time. We had a connection in ORD both ways.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

LOL, we have been toying with Thailand as well, but a much shorter time period, but were also looking at around January. I have been following the FT thread on Koh Samui- it's had some mixed reviews on FT since covid.

This resort, the Intercontinental Khao Yai, a few hours from Bangkok has also peaked our interest: https://khaoyai.intercontinental.com/, it's newish and designed by Bill Bensley.

The Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach also just opened a few hours from Bangkok, and is getting a lot of buzz bc of it's cheap redemption rates, like 9k Hyatt points.

Also thinking of the Azores, or going in a complete different direction and doing London/Amsterdam if certain NFL teams are playing in London this fall. It's fun to have so many options.

I may have to book that Andaz! Thank you so much for the suggestions.

 

[LynnTH]

Thanks so much for everyone's advice a few days ago, I ended up getting the United Explorer Chase Visa!

I've been looking at the benefits and saw that they give 3x points for buying gift cards through their app, one being Disney gift cards. I remember when I was a kid, my mom would pay for Disney gift cards at Target with her red card to take advantage of the 5% cashback offer, and pay for our park tickets and resort stays with those, and I was thinking maybe it would be a good idea for me to pay for my next trip with gift cards, and get the 3x miles.

Does anyone else pay for their trips this way? Is there another way that would be more beneficial?

Not sure when you need the tickets. Me and DH have opened the Cap One Venture X and I have the Cap one Venture. You can erase travel purchases with their points. So, I bought tickets with Undercover Tourist and erased the charges. So, that is an option. Cap One can be iffy on approvals though. Hit or miss - they have rhyme or reason for their approvals/denials.

I think each card has a 75,000 SUB right now. Venture X has a $395 yearly fee but comes with a $300 Travel Credit , but you have to book on their website and Priority Pass. Regular Venture has a $95 yearly fee.

Just some other options if it works out for you.

 

[kayteekt]

I was planning for Hawaii this year until we changed the trip to Europe. So I did a lot of research. I’m in East as well and my city didn’t have a direct SW flight either. However, SW might still be a good option if you’re willing to reposition to a different city anyway. You could get a companion pass (or two). Between the SUB points you would earn getting the CP(s), and the CPs themselves, you could probably cover all of your flights. I think some people have gone after Hawaiian Airlines SUBs, but they would also require a reposition for you.

When we did Hawaii (which was back in 2018), we flew United out of CLT. I can't remember the redemption rate, but I want to say it was around 60K RT for 2 people at the time. We had a connection in ORD both ways.

Thank you both! I'll look into United more. I tried with SW, but it looks like the closest for us would be ATL and that's 4.5hrs away Will keep poking around!

 

[Princess Michele]

I went back to look at your post about timing your CP. With the way you're currently looking at it, you'd only have the CP for the rest of 2023 through end of 2024 (~12-14 months). If you change your applications to Nov (SW Biz) and Feb (SW Personal) and time your purchases right, you could have the CP for almost all of 2024 and 2025 (22-23 months). As for booking the Hawaii ticket, transfer your URs from your recent CIU SUB over to your SW RR account (I'm assuming you will be the CP holder) and book it that way to lay claim to that July 2024 Hawaii ticket. If you do it that way, you have enough time to do another couple of Inks (April, July) before November and will have even more URs to work with.

And I would downgrade either your CSP or CSR to a Freedom (unless you've used them to book future travel already), so that you avoid the AF and get the opportunity to earn 5x in bonus categories; this quarter is grocery stores, Target, and fitness & gym clubs.

You have given me a lot to think about. It's a good thing I have time to decide. We usually drive for our vacations but this year and next year we will need to fly. There will be 5 of us going to Hawaii so DH and I are both going to get a CP. DH is already working on getting one this year so we would have the SW RR points to book our flights and DD will have her own points for her flights when the schedule opens. Our youngest will be graduating from HS next year so maybe it would make sense to have the CP in 2025 for DH and I to take a few trips.

I should look at my CSP and CSR to see if it would make sense to downgrade one of them. DH has a FF and I was thinking about trying to get a second one to take advantage of the bonus categories. I was planning on using the CSR travel credit for luggage fees this summer but if I am not getting any other benefit from the card then it would not be worth the AF for another year. Our flights to Alaska are booked through the cruise line so I am not sure how they will code. Currently I am deciding between using the CSR or AMEX platinum.

Thank you.