I love credit cards so much!

[calypso726]

Thanks for the tip. Hoping to get free airfare for an Oct 2017 WDW trip. We will have around 20,000 spirit miles, but Spirit doesn't offer many Oct low miles fares this year, and none for a Sun-Fri trip, so I'm no counting on them to do so next year. If I transfer to Korean Air, I can book direct on Delta at the same point rates? Can I combined that strategy with skymiles? If I also had the Skymiles visa, but use UR via Korean Air, would I still get the free ch caked bags as a Delta Amex holder?

You're welcome. You would have to book with Korean since they are Korean air miles. The mileage will likely bet different. I'd be willing to bet that Korean has a better point redemption rate than Delta. But I don't know for certain as I rarely fly Delta and don't go out of my way to collect their Sky Miles. You cannot combine mileage programs on one ticket Korean + Delta miles. You can use Korean miles to book one ticket with Korean Air and then use Delta miles to book another ticket through Delta. We've done that with BA and AA. Don't know for certain about the last question. I believe you should, especially on a mileage award but I am not 100% certain. Maybe someone more familiar with Delta and their co-branded cards will be able to chime in with good info.

 

[WDWRook]

Do you think the Chase suite of cards is the best bet if my priority is using miles on Delta or Spirit?

 

[calypso726]

Do you think the Chase suite of cards is the best bet if my priority is using miles on Delta or Spirit?

That would honestly depend on the ability to redeem through Korean. If I was living in a Delta hub area then I'd likely have a Delta card and focus on the Everyday Preferred card to earn miles and points as well as the SPG. That said, the Chase suite of cards can also earn you tons of points that can be used to purchase travel and I'd use the points to book on Korean. However, I'd have the Delta miles from the card and Membership reward and SPG points as a back up plan for when I am unable to secure a flight using Korean. The CSR with bonus is worth $1500. My philosophy is to diversify. I like to maintain points in a variety of variable rewards programs which gives me options. So, I have Ultimate Reward earning cards - CSP, Freedom and Ink+, Membership Reward Amex - Everyday card, Starwood Preferred guest personal and business, Citi Prestige and Premiere for Thank You points. They've all come in handy at one time or another.

 

[CaterFamily]

from my experience calling recon,and from what I'm reading at FT Au are counting towards 5/24.... I know you say they're not, but I'm reading multiple reports of them counting.... I'm personally just leaving it alone till my 2 extra AU's fall off as I have a goal I need to get to soon...

Here are my data points:
(Card-applied date-MU or AU)

Chase Disney - 05/2016 - MU
Chase Freedom - 06/2016 - AU
CSP - 07/2016 - AU
Chase Ink+ - 08/2016 - MU
CSR - 08/2016 - MU (*see below)

* I was "7-10 business day"'ed at the local branch. Immediately called into recon - informed them of why we were setting up so many Chase credit card accounts - were switching to business bank with them - and told them that I had two AU cards. They said that since they were in my wife's name/account they wouldn't count. They recon'ed me for approval still had to wait for second opinion.

It seems that Chase recon is a complete YYMV depending on who you talk to.

 

[HappyHappy]

One of the cc/miles gurus (DOC I think) mentioned UR and timeshares in the same sentence as "eligible for points." Does anyone know if timeshare annual dues earn UR points? Would be nice.

 

[calypso726]

One of the cc/miles gurus (DOC I think) mentioned UR and timeshares in the same sentence as "eligible for points." Does anyone know if timeshare annual dues earn UR points? Would be nice.

Yes. Before DVA and my Ink+ I have paid DVC dues with the CSP and it earned 2 UR points/$. CSR will earn 3.

 

[HappyHappy]

Thank you calypso. Thought you might know.

 

[calypso726]

Thank you calypso. Thought you might know.

You're welcome

 

[WDWRook]

With Chase UR points, you can book flights with any airline using their portal and get 1.25 or 1.5 times bonus, right? So I could use that to book Delta direct? If I had CSR and 100,000 points, it will given me a value of $1,500 toward a purchase of Delta tickets through the UR portal system? Assuming I could not get a better deal to transfer to Korean Air? I assume the same could be done with Spirit (whose flights are much much cheaper than Delta)?

I thinking to get the CSR and Freedom and then a Delta Amex to go with my Disney card and Spirit card. My only other cards are my credit union card, which until Disney was my primary credit card.

Another question, if I have the CSR and need to find some travel expense, couldn't I buy Disney theme park tickets or annual passes, and activate them later? For example, we are planning an Oct 2017 trip to WDW. Get CSR this year, buy Tickets this year (for next Oct) to apply the $300 travel credit; after Jan 1 buy airfare to use next years $300?

What about if I used a CSR to deposit funds into a Disney Vacation Account. Can you do that and does it count as travel?

 

[peel]

Does anyone ever see Universal gift cards in retail stores? I don't think I ever have, but I'm going there in January, so it would be nice if I could somehow manage to get some extra points out of buying gift cards.

 

[WDWRook]

Leaving this here so I can find it later, and to help others who might need to use the Korean Air transfer method.

http://thepointsguy.com/2016/06/how-to-book-award-flights-with-korean-air-skypass/

 

[calypso726]

With Chase UR points, you can book flights with any airline using their portal and get 1.25 or 1.5 times bonus, right? So I could use that to book Delta direct? If I had CSR and 100,000 points, it will given me a value of $1,500 toward a purchase of Delta tickets through the UR portal system? Assuming I could not get a better deal to transfer to Korean Air? I assume the same could be done with Spirit (whose flights are much much cheaper than Delta)?

I thinking to get the CSR and Freedom and then a Delta Amex to go with my Disney card and Spirit card. My only other cards are my credit union card, which until Disney was my primary credit card.

Another question, if I have the CSR and need to find some travel expense, couldn't I buy Disney theme park tickets or annual passes, and activate them later? For example, we are planning an Oct 2017 trip to WDW. Get CSR this year, buy Tickets this year (for next Oct) to apply the $300 travel credit; after Jan 1 buy airfare to use next years $300?

What about if I used a CSR to deposit funds into a Disney Vacation Account. Can you do that and does it count as travel?

Yes.

Good plan and a good start. I only use cards that pay me somehow for using them. Old cards that I don't regularly put spend on sit in a drawer and get used once a year for some nominal amount to keep them active. I don't close really old accounts because it will negatively affect my credit score.

Yes.

I am guessing it should in the basis that I deposited funds with a Barclay Arrival Plus card last year and it coded as travel. I have not tried adding funds from my CSP to my DVA so I don't know for certain that it would. Perhaps one of the other DISers can chime in with a data point on CSP/CSR and DVA merchant coding.

Does anyone ever see Universal gift cards in retail stores? I don't think I ever have, but I'm going there in January, so it would be nice if I could somehow manage to get some extra points out of buying gift cards.

I see them at Publix all the time.

 

[BurleyGirl]

[QUOTE="Another question, if I have the CSR and need to find some travel expense, couldn't I buy Disney theme park tickets or annual passes, and activate them later? For example, we are planning an Oct 2017 trip to WDW. Get CSR this year, buy Tickets this year (for next Oct) to apply the $300 travel credit; after Jan 1 buy airfare to use next years $300?[/QUOTE]

I don't believe the purchase of Disney theme park tickets qualifies for the "travel" category for your spend quota. I could be wrong...I'm new to this, but seems like I read that on their disclosures (?)

 

[calypso726]

Leaving this here so I can find it later, and to help others who might need to use the Korean Air transfer method.

http://thepointsguy.com/2016/06/how-to-book-award-flights-with-korean-air-skypass/

Thanks! I may need this tutorial to help me book flights coming back from a China Adventures by Disney trip in 2018. I had figured out how to get there but not how to get back. Here's another.

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/02/14/how-to-redeem-korean-air-skypass-miles/

 

[calypso726]

[QUOTE="Another question, if I have the CSR and need to find some travel expense, couldn't I buy Disney theme park tickets or annual passes, and activate them later? For example, we are planning an Oct 2017 trip to WDW. Get CSR this year, buy Tickets this year (for next Oct) to apply the $300 travel credit; after Jan 1 buy airfare to use next years $300?

I don't believe the purchase of Disney theme park tickets qualifies for the "travel" category for your spend quota. I could be wrong...I'm new to this, but seems like I read that on their disclosures (?)[/QUOTE]

I think you might be right for purchase off the Disney website. I didn't realize they had changed that. I am reading that Undercover Tourist still codes as travel.

Either way, WDWrook could find the DVA if it codes as travel and purchase the tix with the DVA. So that option may work.

 

[WDWRook]

Is there a way to know for sure how a purchase codes prior to the purchase?

 

[BurleyGirl]

I think you might be right for purchase off the Disney website. I didn't realize they had changed that. I am reading that Undercover Tourist still codes as travel.
Either way, WDWrook could find the DVA if it codes as travel and purchase the tix with the DVA. So that option may work.

Thanks, calypso726...I hope you're right! That would sure help me in reaching my travel quota! (I hope WDWrook will report back in if it works!)

 

[Albort]

With Chase UR points, you can book flights with any airline using their portal and get 1.25 or 1.5 times bonus, right? So I could use that to book Delta direct? If I had CSR and 100,000 points, it will given me a value of $1,500 toward a purchase of Delta tickets through the UR portal system? Assuming I could not get a better deal to transfer to Korean Air? I assume the same could be done with Spirit (whose flights are much much cheaper than Delta)?

I always find the UR portal are way more expensive than buying from other places... take for example, this week, i went to my cousins place, UR portal hotels were $140 minimum, i ended up booking direct for $100. Not worth going through the portal.

 

[peel]

Yes.
I see them at Publix all the time.

Ah, thanks but we don't have Publix in our area.

 

[disneedee]

I always find the UR portal are way more expensive than buying from other places... take for example, this week, i went to my cousins place, UR portal hotels were $140 minimum, i ended up booking direct for $100. Not worth going through the portal.

if you live or have to fly to one of those airports that has only one airline that is direct, it can be a good savings. we fly from pdx to boi to see our grandkids and since SW backed out of the market and left only AS, there are no longer sales. $200 pp rt. i can drive it in 8 hours. so the CSR has the same price as the AS site but my points are worth more than regular $.