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

[Judique]

PP2 (DH) and I were both in Amex PU jail. He was able to apply for the Amex GoldBiz for a 175k SUB for $15k MSR back in January thru a link from one of his log on for one of his old Amex cards. Sadly we are almost done with the MSR and have a lot more spend.

He just got a mailer from Amex for the the personal Amex Gold for 100k SUB for $6k spend. Is that a good offer?

I think that's the basic offer. At least it shows on the website for me.

 

[hsmamato2]

So I have a question about GE and names.... I have a friend that I was gonna gift a GE to (they come with a cc) but she says her birth certificate name isn't on her passport/license etc (basically everything else) - her birth cert has her first and middle names, she's always used her middle name since basically birth. Will this cause a problem if trying for GE? Like I said, her middle name she goes by is on every other document....

 

[hsmamato2]

Only Business Select and Anytime will get the flight credit for taxes (expires in 12 months). WGA+ and Basic, the taxes are just lost. At least that's what it reads like in the fine print of the e-mail.

doesn't that seem somewhat illegal? to charge taxes and then keep for themselves?

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

SW updated the details for cardholders:

How will Southwest credit one standard checked bag for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers and those traveling on the same reservation as the Cardmember?

All Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers and up to eight additional Passengers traveling on the same reservation are eligible to receive a credit for their first standard checked bag. The cost of the first standard checked bag will be refunded to the original form of payment used to purchase the bag. Customers can use any credit card for payment to qualify for the refund, including but not limited to the Rapid Rewards Credit Card. Customers do not need to call their bank to issue or receive their refund. The refund will be processed by Southwest.

Companion Pass Holders

If a Companion Pass holder qualifies for a checked baggage benefit, will the benefit apply to their designated Companion when traveling together?

Yes. If a Companion Pass holder qualifies for one or two free checked bags (based, for example, on tier status or the fare purchased), the benefit will apply to their Companion. The Companion will need to pay the applicable fee(s) at the airport, and the fee(s) will be refunded to the original form of payment.

Source: https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/policy-changes

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

doesn't that seem somewhat illegal? to charge taxes and then keep for themselves?

I'm reading that differently.
The section related to flight credits says:

4Flight Credits
Flight credits will be issued as long as the flight is canceled at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. For travel booked with Rapid Rewards points for Basic or Wanna Get Away Plus® reward travel reservations if you do not cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes before the flight’s original scheduled departure time, any points used for booking will be forfeited, along with any taxes and fees associated with your reward travel reservation.

It says credit will be issued as long as it's cancelled before 10 minutes.

There's a section further down under the Refundable footnote that only references business and anytime tickets, but that's because only those two tickets are subject to that footnote.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

SW updated the details for cardholders:

How will Southwest credit one standard checked bag for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers and those traveling on the same reservation as the Cardmember?

All Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers and up to eight additional Passengers traveling on the same reservation are eligible to receive a credit for their first standard checked bag. The cost of the first standard checked bag will be refunded to the original form of payment used to purchase the bag. Customers can use any credit card for payment to qualify for the refund, including but not limited to the Rapid Rewards Credit Card. Customers do not need to call their bank to issue or receive their refund. The refund will be processed by Southwest.

Companion Pass Holders

If a Companion Pass holder qualifies for a checked baggage benefit, will the benefit apply to their designated Companion when traveling together?

Yes. If a Companion Pass holder qualifies for one or two free checked bags (based, for example, on tier status or the fare purchased), the benefit will apply to their Companion. The Companion will need to pay the applicable fee(s) at the airport, and the fee(s) will be refunded to the original form of payment.

Thanks for sharing…this is good news

 

[Twilghtsprkle]

So I have a question about GE and names.... I have a friend that I was gonna gift a GE to (they come with a cc) but she says her birth certificate name isn't on her passport/license etc (basically everything else) - her birth cert has her first and middle names, she's always used her middle name since basically birth. Will this cause a problem if trying for GE? Like I said, her middle name she goes by is on every other document....

How did she get a passport that doesn’t match her birth certificate? I know when I went to get mine after marriage I needed to bring my marriage certificate to prove the name change. As long as she has a document that proves the reason for differences in names, then there should be no problem. If not, pretty sure there will be issues.

 

[afan]

The Companion will need to pay the applicable fee(s) at the airport, and the fee(s) will be refunded to the original form of payment.

This is so ridiculous and a waste of wipe fees. Why can't they just waive the cost of bags for those it applies like other airlines? DL, AA and AS don't charge and then refund the fee, they just don't charge you when your card or status give you a free bag(s). It's insane to me that SW wants to deal with this charging/refunding for everyone that actually gets free bags.

How did she get a passport that doesn’t match her birth certificate? I know when I went to get mine after marriage I needed to bring my marriage certificate to prove the name change. As long as she has a document that proves the reason for differences in names, then there should be no problem. If not, pretty sure there will be issues.

I know someone whose birthday was wrong on their passport. Australian passport for what it's worth. I think he and his brother did them at the same time and he ended up with his brothers bday. It just made filling visa stuff out tricky to make sure it matched the passport and not the actual so stuff does happen.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

It's insane to me that SW wants to deal with this charging/refunding for everyone that actually gets free bags.

Totally bizarre and it'll cost then in unnecessary credit card fees, too. No clue why they'd do it this way

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Anybody flown Starlux Airlines before? They seem to get good reviews from the bloggers. But man, the points are so expensive!

Only option I'm seeing to fly to Taiwan in biz around Christmas so I booked it @ 175K per person for Dec 24 out of SFO. Took up most of out Alaska miles. But they're refundable if I find something else, I just doubt it since that's such a busy traveling time.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I know someone whose birthday was wrong on their passport. Australian passport for what it's worth. I think he and his brother did them at the same time and he ended up with his brothers bday. It just made filling visa stuff out tricky to make sure it matched the passport and not the actual so stuff does happen.

My mom's place of birth has been wrong on her US passport for a long time. She has dual citizenship with Italy because my grandparents are from there, but she's from Boston. Yet her passport says born in Italy, lol. It hasn't had any material implications for when we travel, unlike a birthday (I assume that's more of a headache)

 

[wanderlust7]

Anybody flown Starlux Airlines before? They seem to get good reviews from the bloggers. But man, the points are so expensive!

Only option I'm seeing to fly to Taiwan in biz around Christmas so I booked it @ 175K per person for Dec 24 out of SFO. Took up most of out Alaska miles. But they're refundable if I find something else, I just doubt it since that's such a busy traveling time.

My mom's flown them before. She said the food was good and she got to keep the pajamas. She gave me a pair, they're very soft. I booked it for her for 75k Alaska miles about a week out. The return I originally booked premium economy and then was able to change to biz when it dropped. Very easy to change online and no loss of the $12.50 partner fee.

Also recently booked for DH about 3 months out, though still hoping to get JAL direct to Tokyo. Their pricing is wonky for Asia connections. SFO-TPE 75k, TPE-TYO 15k, but SFO-TYO is 145k! Much as I like protected connections, I'm not paying 55k extra!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

My mom's flown them before. She said the food was good and she got to keep the pajamas. She gave me a pair, they're very soft. I booked it for her for 75k Alaska miles about a week out. The return I originally booked premium economy and then was able to change to biz when it dropped. Very easy to change online and no loss of the $12.50 partner fee.

Also recently booked for DH about 3 months out, though still hoping to get JAL direct to Tokyo. Their pricing is wonky for Asia connections. SFO-TPE 75k, TPE-TYO 15k, but SFO-TYO is 145k! Much as I like protected connections, I'm not paying 55k extra!

Glad to know the price can drop as the time draws near. I guess it pays to have a lot of Alaska miles to play with. Do you know if there's an award search tool that includes alerts for Starlux via Alaska Mileage plan? It doesn't show up on seats.aero, which is what I normally use, I think it's because the partnership with Alaska is unique and not as part of OneWorld. I guess I just have to keep checking.

And I hear you on the crazy connection pricing, we plan to end the trip in Singapore and Singapore Air doesn't have availability, but Starlux does. Yet, SIN-TPE-SFO is 250K while booking individually would save 50K... It's a 4.5 hr connection so I think it's fine to save the miles (plus don't have quite enough anyway)

ETA: I wish DH had decided sooner whether he wanted to do this trip or not, we might have had more options, lol

 

[wanderlust7]

Do you know if there's an award search tool that includes alerts for Starlux via Alaska Mileage plan? It doesn't show up on seats.aero, which is what I normally use, I think it's because the partnership with Alaska is unique and not as part of OneWorld. I guess I just have to keep checking.

seats.aero is how I caught those flights. You can select Alaska as the only mileage program.

 

[afan]

1 of the 3 amex credits I'm waiting for credited. I bought a gc at Saks on the 1st when I was in Vegas, it moved the meter yesterday and credited today. Still waiting on my grubhub credit from 2/25 and my hilton credit on the Surpass from 3/3.

The credit was nice, combined with the room credit at the Waldorf and had breakfast and lunch at their restaurant. Once I get the credit it'll leave me with 26 cents to pay for it which is great for 2 people. I would stay there again. It's a nice property and it being quiet was so nice.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I applied and got the Hawaiian Airlines personal card with the one purchase offer. Am I losing my mind that the card used to offer once a year free companion ticket? Maybe Im confusing it with another card. Ugh. It shows $100 companion discount after the first anniversary. I likely would've still got the card anyway had I realized this but

DP: we recently moved so I had to fax over proof of my new address and ID. Once I did that the card was approved in about 5 days. Card arrived today and my current Hawaiian Airlines account number is on my card unlike many DP I have seen they issue a new one with the card, maybe due to it being personal and not business. I had also applied and got a new CIP about couple days before applying for this card.

 

[hsmamato2]

How did she get a passport that doesn’t match her birth certificate? I know when I went to get mine after marriage I needed to bring my marriage certificate to prove the name change. As long as she has a document that proves the reason for differences in names, then there should be no problem. If not, pretty sure there will be issues.

I'll have to ask how they managed that..... What sort of doc would have a reason for the difference? I think they just used her middle name her whole life and when she became an adult she just filled out the paper work with her name she used(?) the only one it's the actual name is birth cert..... does GE use passport for Id? or the birth cert makes a difference?

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Has anyone used Orlando Informer to buy theme park tickets (Universal)? I want to get single day Epic Universe tickets, but I like the option of getting a refund on Orlando Informer if something happens and we can't go, rather than getting directly from Universal.
If anyone has used them, any problems using your tickets? Or getting the refund if you had to?
And does anyone know if they code as travel?

 

[IFlossU]

I applied and got the Hawaiian Airlines personal card with the one purchase offer. Am I losing my mind that the card used to offer once a year free companion ticket? Maybe Im confusing it with another card. Ugh. It shows $100 companion discount after the first anniversary. I likely would've still got the card anyway had I realized this but

I got the Hawaiian Personal Card back in October. I just checked, and I received the 50% off companion certificate 2 weeks after approval.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I got the Hawaiian Personal Card back in October. I just checked, and I received the 50% off companion certificate 2 weeks after approval.

Awesome! I will be on the lookout for it.