I love credit cards so much! v7.0 - 2025 (see first page for add'l details)

[gottalovepluto]

...Ds and I are flying with them to FRA (then to Copenhagen, then hopping on Singapore Air to Singapore) on the 19th in biz in a 2x2 layout. I'm not fussed about 2 transfers but AC cancelled our direct flight to Copenhagen so there weren't any other options. Fingers crossed for no snow here, Frankfurt or Copenhagen.

Keep an eye for better SIN flights if you can change and have the phone patience of a saint (which you've probably developed by now!). I just spent 2.5hrs on the phone this weekend with aeroplan to change my flight in a few months from practically that same route (DEN/FRA/CPH/SIN) to LAX-SIN (with a quick stop in NRT), far preferable for this CA based flyer.

 

[havaneselover]

We are starting to maybe look at flying to London next year in premium economy (doing a day flight because ds absolutely refuses to sleep on a plane). We’re thinking about flying out of either Boston or New York. Anyone have any experience flying premium economy on this route and which airline did you fly? Thanks!

We are doing PE on Virgin out of JFK in August. From what I've read, they have a good product. But no personal experience yet.

 

[djmeredith]

Thank you for responding! We’re really excited to try something new. Ds loves thrill rides and as of right now really only asks to go to Hollywood studios for tower of terror so we thought we’d branch out to universal now. I’d love to ride Hagrid’s but not willing to wait super long for it so I may skip it this time since ds can’t ride. I went through all of the rides with him and he’s most excited for King Kong (I thought this would scare him but he watched the video and said it looks cool) and Spiderman. He also wants to meet shrek, SpongeBob, and watch the Dr. Seuss show because he’s obsessed with the grinch. I want to ride all of the coasters since we have express pass. I think we’re planning to mostly mobile order everything. We haven’t bought tickets yet. I can’t decide if it’s worth it to get park to park for just the Hogwarts Express. Our plan was to do one park each day. I’m not sure ds will care about riding it and dh and I have been on it before.

We had APs at Uni back in Sept 2022 - Sept 2023, so made several trips. There is almost no planning needed after you book a hotel with Express Pass. I didn't have kids as young as yours, but there is even more for the littles now because they finished Minions "land" and rethemed the kids area to Dreamworks. IMO, he's a great age to make a first Uni trip. Spiderman is still a great ride after all these years. We thought Transformers, which is the same type ride, is also really good, even though we aren't Transformers fans. Even meeting the Transformers was cool! He might like Men In Black too, which is a fun Buzz like ride. If you and hubby are coaster fans, Hagrids is truly worth the wait if you can catch it when the lines aren't too bad. Do not do it at RD unless you are one of the first families into the park.

The Park to Park is not worth it only for the Hogwarts Express, unless you have a huge HP fan. However, it is nice to have because it is so easy to park hop with both parks next to each other. It's like park hopping at DL.

I think Hard Rock is in the process of a soft goods refurb. That may account for the weird room price differences you found. I've stayed at HR but not club. Loved the location. We did club at Portofino and it was great.

We are starting to maybe look at flying to London next year in premium economy (doing a day flight because ds absolutely refuses to sleep on a plane). We’re thinking about flying out of either Boston or New York. Anyone have any experience flying premium economy on this route and which airline did you fly? Thanks!

I've done PE back from AMS on KLM. I've also done PE on United a few times for longer flights and Delta for one. I wouldn't hesitate to do PE for a day flight on any of them. Especially a NY or BOS flight to London, which isn't a very long flight.

 

[Haley R]

We are doing PE on Virgin out of JFK in August. From what I've read, they have a good product. But no personal experience yet.

Let us know how it goes! How did you book it?

 

[mmmears]

How was the Grand Hyatt Kauai? I'm looking at going there possibly in 2026. Kauai is the last big Hawaiian island we haven't visited yet. That seems like the best hotel option on points.

Everyone in my family loves it there, but we may be biased since we've been staying there for 30 years. The downsides are that the beach in front of the hotel isn't swimmable (it's gorgeous but rough) and that the resort is really spread out so you'll get lots of steps. I don't really mind either one. It's definitely the best option on points IMHO.

 

[Haley R]

We had APs at Uni back in Sept 2022 - Sept 2023, so made several trips. There is almost no planning needed after you book a hotel with Express Pass. I didn't have kids as young as yours, but there is even more for the littles now because they finished Minions "land" and rethemed the kids area to Dreamworks. IMO, he's a great age to make a first Uni trip. Spiderman is still a great ride after all these years. We thought Transformers, which is the same type ride, is also really good, even though we aren't Transformers fans. Even meeting the Transformers was cool! He might like Men In Black too, which is a fun Buzz like ride. If you and hubby are coaster fans, Hagrids is truly worth the wait if you can catch it when the lines aren't too bad. Do not do it at RD unless you are one of the first families into the park.

The Park to Park is not worth it only for the Hogwarts Express, unless you have a huge HP fan. However, it is nice to have because it is so easy to park hop with both parks next to each other. It's like park hopping at DL.

I think Hard Rock is in the process of a soft goods refurb. That may account for the weird room price differences you found. I've stayed at HR but not club. Loved the location. We did club at Portofino and it was great.

I've done PE back from AMS on KLM. I've also done PE on United a few times for longer flights and Delta for one. I wouldn't hesitate to do PE for a day flight on any of them. Especially a NY or BOS flight to London, which isn't a very long flight.

I didn’t realize the Hard Rock was having a refurb. It doesn’t mention it anywhere on their website but I read some reviews about it. Hopefully it isn’t too bad

 

[havaneselover]

Let us know how it goes! How did you book it?

I did points and cash. Transferred the points from Chase.

 

[havaneselover]

My 2025 plans (so far) are:
1) a trip to visit my mom in SW FL in two weeks. DD starts her first full time job in February so we're going down to spend a week with my mom and help her get her Christmas decorations put away.

And 2) A Norwegian Fjords cruise with DD on DCL in August with two nights in London. I've got tickets for Six. Need to book some London tours. Just booked my transfers to and from the port. This will be my first real vacation in about 3 years.

I also have two Hilton FNCs expiring in June that I need to figure out how to use. I wouldn't mind some sort of a solo trip with an emphasis on healing. Just not sure what that looks like but I'm thinking May would be a good time.

 

[StephPlum]

I booked Qsuites for our Africa trip this year, flying from Miami into Nairobi. I would make sure you are searching to and from airports that Qatar services and then make sure the plane is equipped with Qsuites. Availability on AA is not easy to find. I booked straight on Qatar. The calendar opens at 361 days out. I hope this helps.

I was book able to book my QSuites through the BA website as soon as the seats dropped. It's important to know what Qatar's hubs in the US are and be willing to position there. I also practiced booking them for several days beforehand so I would be ready to go as soon as they dropped.

Thanks, Definitely planning to reposition. I’ll keep playing around with it. I do appreciate your help.

 

[LynnTH]

I have been having trouble with Chase Ink lately, so your post inspired me to try for the triple cash. Got a 7-10 day message, with a 'we may contact you' added (which frightens me!). Any idea what they may ask?

I think I got that a few times, and then a few hours later I got an email that I was approved

 

[disneylover81]

The SWA biz application for DH saga continues. So frustrating. I applied Friday, Chase called DH to verify his identity. I forgot to tell him I applied so he told chase to call him back in an hour. They never did so he called them on Saturday and answered all the guy’s questions. Thought it was a done deal because he said the card would arrive in 1-2 weeks, but then he got a letter in his chase account that said they denied his application because they suspected it to be fraudulent and identity theft. Makes no sense. He answered all the questions they asked him. What the heck? Has anyone ever had this happen? I told him he’s gonna have to call them again to try and straighten this out.

 

[gottalovepluto]

The SWA biz application for DH saga continues. So frustrating. I applied Friday, Chase called DH to verify his identity. I forgot to tell him I applied so he told chase to call him back in an hour. They never did so he called them on Saturday and answered all the guy’s questions. Thought it was a done deal because he said the card would arrive in 1-2 weeks, but then he got a letter in his chase account that said they denied his application because they suspected it to be fraudulent and identity theft. Makes no sense. He answered all the questions they asked him. What the heck? Has anyone ever had this happen? I told him he’s gonna have to call them again to try and straighten this out.

Have him call. Maybe they’ll tell him it’s all good and there’s nothing else he needs to do. If it’s anything else he’s gotta talk to them anyways so best get it out of the way now.

 

[KPK02090]

My plan for 2026 is Africa. I was hoping to fly QSuites to either Cape Town or Johannesburg. I've been reading/researching on how to book Q Suites with points. Whenever I search I can't find any award availability. Not sure if I am looking on the right airlines or at the right time. Does anyone have a good article/site that explains how to do this or can share how they booked QSuites? I am looking at traveling in June/July/August 2026 so I think I have some time to figure this out. Not worried about points as multiple currencies to use. I just can't figure out where to search and when. Thanks.

I booked Qsuites for our Africa trip this year, flying from Miami into Nairobi. I would make sure you are searching to and from airports that Qatar services and then make sure the plane is equipped with Qsuites. Availability on AA is not easy to find. I booked straight on Qatar. The calendar opens at 361 days out. I hope this helps.

I was book able to book my QSuites through the BA website as soon as the seats dropped. It's important to know what Qatar's hubs in the US are and be willing to position there. I also practiced booking them for several days beforehand so I would be ready to go as soon as they dropped.

I’m hoping to book QSuites also, so this is all helpful! I’ll be booking for just my husband. He’s going to Thailand in Feb 26, so I’ll have to try and book next month. I was planning to book straight on Qatar’s site. Can I transfer MRs to avios on my account, but book a ticket for just him?

 

[hsmamato2]

so what services (if any) do y'all use to keep track of points programs, usage,exp. dates etc? I'm seeing one pop up from a FB travel group I'm in (not sure if I'm allowed to name anything here) and wondering if I should be inputting so much info,is it reliable etc? concerned about security I guess.

 

[LynnTH]

So I have flights booked on SW for cruise in March. Flying from MSP to LGB. With layover in Phoenix. They changed time of Phoenix flight and we only have 50 minutes between flights. Any delays and we miss the flight. My plan was to book an extra flight for everyone from PHX to LGB just in case we miss the connecting flight. My reason is there is 8 of us and chances they will have 8 open seats on the next flight is slim. If we make the flight - great, if not we have a backup that leaves 4 hours later. Thought this was a great idea - until I remembered that others had duplicate flights booked and SW cancelled one of them. Is that what will happen if we book one leg of the trip with another flight option, just in case....

 

[Brian Noble]

FYI: My amex plat had the following Marriott offer today:

Earn a one-time $150 statement credit after using your enrolled eligible Card to spend a minimum of $375 USD in one or more purchases on room rate and room charges at participating Marriott Bonvoy® properties in the U.S. and U.S. territories, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico from 1/6/2025 to 3/31/2025. See terms.

 

[elgerber]

I just had a friend ask for advice on transferring a balance to a zero interest card. I don't carry a balance, so I know nothing about doing this. Are there any cards that are better than others for this? I assume none of these would earn any rewards doing this?

Thank you!

 

[platamama]

This may be old news but I went to buy my Hilton gift card today (and pay with my Surpass) and there's a big banner saying they have a 'shortage'.

Dear Hilton Gift Card Purchasing Consumer - due to an unforeseen inventory shortage of Hilton Gift Cards, RPG has been instructed to temporarily suspend the sales of Hilton gift cards until card inventory is replenished, by the Hilton Program Management Team. We are expecting replenished inventory to be available within the next eight weeks. RPG, along with the Hilton Gift Card Management Team, apologizes for this unexpected delay, and appreciates your understanding as we work closely with all relevant parties to resolve this shortage as expediently as possible.

If anyone notices them back in stock, please post.

FWIW I've seen dps on FB that people still ordered these cards even with the banner showing, and got confirmation emails within a few days that the gift card was shipped. So maybe give it a try despite the banner?

 

[Judique]

FWIW I've seen dps on FB that people still ordered these cards even with the banner showing, and got confirmation emails within a few days that the gift card was shipped. So maybe give it a try despite the banner?

Thanks, I will do that! I've never been on Facebook so it helps when something is passed on!

Edit: no luck - I clicked away but nothing would open to allow me to proceed.

Then opened up 'gift cards for business'. I don't want to share all that extra info with the site so I'll watch for the personal side to go live again.

 

[GZanta77]

We are starting to maybe look at flying to London next year in premium economy (doing a day flight because ds absolutely refuses to sleep on a plane). We’re thinking about flying out of either Boston or New York. Anyone have any experience flying premium economy on this route and which airline did you fly? Thanks!

Flown both many times - perfectly acceptable especially on the daytime flight which I have a strong preference for on this route as I find it virtually eliminates any Jetlag issue.

I also prefer Virgin for their service and the seat just seems a little more roomy. Premium on virgin gets a dedicated check in line but that is not always the case on BA.

Virgin usually flies a 2-3-2 configuration so I guess the middle 3 would work well for you. BA sometimes uses the 777 which has a less desirable 2-4-2 layout in premium.