I love credit cards so much!

[disneymagicgirl]

We are pretty much free to go to any of them. We usually wait until Frontier offers their cheap deals. We've flown with them for as little as $20 one way. Even though their customer service is atrocious, they are the only airline near us that flies nonstop to MCO. Do you know when you are going to go?

How many times (%) would you say you have been cancelled or substantially delayed with frontier?

 

[amalone1013]

Just got to my comment from this morning about having 40 pages to get through. I see the light!

Two good things I've noticed today:
My Marriott cert showed up today, no AF yet.
My AMEX Fedex offer is working for my Ebay sales

 

[jhoannam]

We are pretty much free to go to any of them. We usually wait until Frontier offers their cheap deals. We've flown with them for as little as $20 one way. Even though their customer service is atrocious, they are the only airline near us that flies nonstop to MCO. Do you know when you are going to go?

December 3rd... just have to get the seal of approval from DH tonight... I sent him the EasyWDW review and he's asking about it. I'm booking as soon as he says yes.

 

[calypso726]

So what's the opinion of the hive mind on this one?

Upgrade Freedom to CSR ($450 AF) vs new application for Hilton Aspire (with next week bigger bonus of course) ($450 AF)

This would be for DH. We need lounge access again. But I could use more Hilton points for Spain next August... I think I'm leaning toward Hilton because I've always felt this was a keeper card and we could get a lot from it. The other option is to apply for the AmeriPrise Amex Plat with the no fee first year and just use it for the lounge and air credits.

Opinions?

Queen Bee of the annual fee says both Here is my reasoning. Both are keeper cards for us. The AF on the CSR is $150 after you hit the travel credit. If the travel credit is something you were going to spend and hit anyhow then it shouldn’t factor into the equation. If I went absolutely no where at all, I’d still hit the travel credit in tolls. When we do use our UR points to book something via the UR portal the amount of points saved by having them worth 1.5 vs 1.25 has pretty much covered the $150 every year. The 3x vs 2x on travel and dining has also independently covered the additional $150. Granted, this may not be the case for everyone but I suggest looking at those 3 factors indecently and collectively to see how they work for you. I had a friend that insisted she did not see the value in the CSR vs the CSP for $450. I tried explaining it to no avail. Mind you, she travels and dines our nearly as much as we do. It wasn’t until I was helping her out with a redemption via the UR portal she needed. I told her how many points it would cost her through her CSP account. Then I mentioned how many points it would cost me through my CSR account. This was when she saw the light. Now both she and her DH have a CSR card. Keep in mind if you have and are keeping a CSP, you only need enough value to justify an additional $55 instead of $150.

The Aspire card pretty much pays for itself if you utilize the benefits. The $250 airline credit can be triggered with gift card purchases. The free weekend night isn’t restricted to a particular category or point value and can easily be worth far more than the AF. The $250 resort credit can be triggered if you stay at any of the resorts that are listed. Diamond status can be worth quite a bit depending on your redemption. Next year, when we stay at the Conrad Maldives, as Diamond members we will get free breakfast, free afternoon tea, fruit basket as a welcome gift and an additional free 15 minutes with any spa treatment. I have read that a club sandwich is about $34 so I’m sure status will allow us to eat for less. We can save the money for dining at Ittha the underwater restaurant.

Yessss! I can't wait to hear this review!

Since the whole thing is on points and miles I think it would be relevant to post here and will do so, if there are no objections from the group.

Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS @calypso726 - I love it when a trip finally falls into place! Can't wait to hear all about it. Overwater bungalows...

Thanks will do. If I recall, someone else here, @WardFam snagged the St. Regis with over water bungalows. I have no mental spreadsheet but I hope they post their experience and pictures here too!

 

[Haley R]

How many times (%) would you say you have been cancelled or substantially delayed with frontier?

I believe it's 66%. I think we have flown with them 3 times and got delayed 2/3. I have never had a flight cancelled with them before.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Has anyone been able to call UR people to book a flight that for some reason isn't showing up on the UR portal?

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I believe it's 66%. I think we have flown with them 3 times and got delayed 2/3. I have never had a flight cancelled with them before.

thank you. If I take the chance on them (for a 75% savings over SW) my next option for a flight out would the the next evening. If that was cancelled then we'd have to drive, but we could make it in time. I guess this worst case scenario isn't the end of the world, just would be a bad way to start a vacation...but the 75% savings, geesh, that is alot!

 

[amalone1013]

One more job complaint...
Our pay schedule is, at the end of the period, you are paid for your 80hrs regular time for that period. Then all OT/Holiday/PTO is delayed a check. So you receive your regular pay for the period, even if you didn't work a full 80hrs, and all adjustments/OT from the previous period.

Every time we work a holiday, my pay is messed up. We have to put it into the time keeping system in a very difficult way, but I always follow instructions to a T. Then the payroll lady decides to edit it - It's still the correct hours, but sometimes she adjusts my punch times 'to make sure it pays correctly.' And then, it doesn't pay correctly. And I have to wait for it to be fixed. So this happened AGAIN with July 4th, so I should have received my holiday pay/OT/etc on my July 27th paycheck, and it is still not fixed for the check tomorrow.

Though, last time this happened, when it corrected, it was still wrong, but in my favor... This time, when I went to talk to her she had already seen it was wrong and recalculated/sent in correction... again more in my favor than it should be. I was slightly underpaid with how it went through, but her correction means I will be slightly overpaid from what it should be - this time I think they thought I was misunderstanding the holiday pay and they are doing me a favor. I didn't, but... okay then.

 

[hulagirl]

Hey everybody, I know I'm coming out of nowhere here but I've been lurking awhile, reading and enjoying the friendly tone of this thread. I was a pretty frequent poster to the DIS about 10 years ago when my kids were little but less so now that they're all grown up. I mostly pop in now to catch up on a few things and lately, to visit you. This particular thread is incredibly informative and helpful to those new to the game. I wish I would have found you 3 years ago, when I first started. If I knew then... what I know now!

Today the travel blogs are buzzing a bit about the increased Hilton offers and I really just felt like I wanted to throw this into the ring. Maybe because I missed the increased Aspire bonus by 1 week (ouch!) and because I hope it will help someone put together a dream trip they might have otherwise felt was out of reach. I know Hilton tends to get a bad rap but they are really valuable to me because a)They are super easy to earn and b)I can use them quite easily at home and at my two favorite places to visit; Hawaii and Orlando.

If I wrote out everything I'm thinking, this post would be an entire page long so I will try to keep it to the outline of my thoughts and let you mull it over and run with it if it helps you. If you have never considered the Amex suite of Hilton cards, let me tell you why you might want to, especially if you are in two player mode.

For a total minimum spend of $10,000 and annual fees of $640 this is what you would end up with:

475,000 points + at minimum another 30,000 points for making your minimum spends for a total over 500K
Two free weekend nights after completion of minimum spend (One for the Ascend card and one for the Aspire) . This is great for those who own DVC and tend to book Sunday to Friday for the lower points costs. Could extend the trip by a couple days!
Automatic Diamond Status (via the Aspire)
$250 in Hilton resort credit that can be used toward room rates so may also equal a free night depending on property
$250 in Airline fee reimbursement (and another $250 on January 1, 2019)
$100 in Waldorf Astoria credit (if you book a package through Amex)
Unlimited Complimentary Priority Pass

*If you happen to have the Amex Blue Business Plus Card, and can transfer MR points to Hilton 2:1, then all spend up to 50K is 4x instead of 3. I never get less than 4x Hilton an ALL spend as a result.

If you refer P2 to each card, you will net an additional 80k points for a total of 580k+ (category spends on each card will bring that total up well over 600k for most people - gas, groceries, dining, etc, all come with higher points bonuses)

If P2 does exactly the same you'd end up with well over a million Hilton points and a boatload of free weekend night certificates that are good at some of my favorite properties - Hilton Garden Inn on Kauai (friendliest staff and amazing full breakfast in the morning included for only 36,000 points a night with 5th night free), Grand Wailea on Maui (76,000 points with 5th night free), several hotels in Waikiki, Doubletree Suites Disney Springs, Hilton Buena Vista Palace, HGV Parc Soleil and Tuscany Village, Hilton Bonnet Creek, etc... We can also use them in Niagara Falls, near my son's college campus in the boondocks of New York State, and at the Saratoga Hilton in Saratoga Springs, NY. So far, we've had no resort fees, no parking fees and free breakfast at every property except HGV (and nice ones at that).

Anyway, just something to think about in the Amex camp. I'm not really much of an aspirational travel person... I'm happy in coach most of the time and I don't mind a basic room if it's clean. These points go a loooooooooong way as a result.

Doc did a great comparison of the four cards awhile back: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/four-american-express-hilton-cards-compared/ . Just be aware that the offers have changed a bit. You can find the new ones here: https://apply.americanexpress.com/hilton-card/ . Active now if you are a Hilton Honors member. Sept. 11 if not.
As always YMMV. But I'd be SO happy if someone was able to nab that 150,000k bonus that I just missed.;-)

 

[amalone1013]

Oops, jut realized SPG Personal AF posted 8/3... how did August go by so fast? Still worth calling to see, and just keeping since they won't refund it?

 

[amalone1013]

I did it!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Just got to my comment from this morning about having 40 pages to get through. I see the light!

Two good things I've noticed today:
My Marriott cert showed up today, no AF yet.
My AMEX Fedex offer is working for my Ebay sales

Marriott cert for SPG Lux ?(you just got that one, right? Must get Lain’s spreadsheet) or previous Marriott Card?

 

[MrsAlexis]

A question/observation: I just earned UR bonus points on a purchase through the UR portal (Fanatics), but used 100% gift cards and not a UR earning card. I earned the bonus points on the entire purchase price. Another experience I've had is using the shopping portal and using a gift card for about 90% of the purchase and CSR for the rest. I received UR bonus points on the entire portion, not just the amount paid with CSR. I initiated another purchase today and used AMEX Hilton biz to pay 100% - no notification yet if any UR bonus points earned. Is this a fluke/error or how the portal works? Maybe I'm behind the times with this....

 

[amalone1013]

Marriott cert for SPG Lux ?(you just got that one, right? Must get Lain’s spreadsheet) or previous Marriott Card?

Old personal card I opened last Sept. Just got Lux for DH.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

A question/observation: I just earned UR bonus points on a purchase through the UR portal (Fanatics), but used 100% gift cards and not a UR earning card. I earned the bonus points on the entire purchase price. Another experience I've had is using the shopping portal and using a gift card for about 90% of the purchase and CSR for the rest. I received UR bonus points on the entire portion, not just the amount paid with CSR. I initiated another purchase today and used AMEX Hilton biz to pay 100% - no notification yet if any UR bonus points earned. Is this a fluke/error or how the portal works? Maybe I'm behind the times with this....

Most shopping portals only require you to link through them, not use a specific card. However, I have heard Chase shopping portal is hit or miss for this. So if you don’t use a Chase Card you might not see the points. Or you might.

 

[Haley R]

thank you. If I take the chance on them (for a 75% savings over SW) my next option for a flight out would the the next evening. If that was cancelled then we'd have to drive, but we could make it in time. I guess this worst case scenario isn't the end of the world, just would be a bad way to start a vacation...but the 75% savings, geesh, that is alot!

Yep and that’s why we always end up booking with them. It also doesn’t help that for SW we have to drive 5 hours to get a nonstop flight and it costs more. We did end up doing sw for our October trip but that’s because we wanted it booked way back in March when we could get our rooms through our ta.

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

I wonder can you prepay a night as far ahead as the calendar is open?(and this will work to trigger the Luxe credit)

It should!! Mine was booked for Feb. Unlike Marriott Starwood seems to charge a deposit up front? I think it’s prob a one night amount but since I’m only staying one night it charged the full amount. Works for me since I got x2 credits!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Ok, this will be a totally stupid question but...I have never used a debit card. So I signed up for PNC account for the bonus. Need 10 debits. So any time I use the debit card, it counts, right? Even if the transaction doesn’t come up as debit on my account? Also for those that did PNC bonus, I did a push from CapOne but it doesn’t say direct deposit like DHs paycheck does. Will it still work?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I’m only worried because someone could just walk by and do those things but maybe that would be more noticeable. If I was a flight attendant I’d be watching like a hawk after reading those.

Solo female traveler here! The list of safety concerns I have about traveling undoubtedly boarders on the paranoia side. I'll even pay extra money to stay at a hotel with an airport shuttle to avoid an off hours Uber drive. But this doesn't make the worry list. It's definitely alarming but it's too rare to be worried about. (And no one is going to be able to do that when walking by. People would definitely notice someone leaning over a biz class seat to do that sort of thing.)

 

[platamama]

Help me talk through this: Planning to spend $1,110 through Chase UR. We only have CSP/CIP. Should we upgrade our CSP to the CSR?
CSP: 85K UR
CSR: 71K UR or 51K if you use $300 travel credit.
We don't eat out much so I'm not sure what other value we would get out of the CSR.

I'm not sure I'm understanding your numbers, but I use 22,000 UR as the break even point between CSP and CSR to account for the net difference in AFs ($55 net difference between the two). Here's how I figure that: $450 - $300 (travel credit) = $150, then subtract $95 AF for CSP --> $55 net difference

If I'm redeeming more than 22,000 URs then CSR gives me more value. CSR 22K x 1.5 = $330 value; CSP 22K x 1.25 = $275 value. $330 - $275 = $55

Since it looks like you're sitting on 156,000 URs combined right now, that is worth $2340 (CSR) or $1950 (CSP). $2340 - $1950 = $390, which more than offsets the $55 AF difference between CSP and CSR. I would upgrade. And even if you don't eat out much, it seems like you enjoy travel, and earning an extra 1UR with the CSR is nice. Per every $1000 spent on travel (or dining), you get $45 value with the CSR 1.5multiplier and $25 value with the CSP 1.25multiplier.

My algebra skills are pretty rusty, but based on the above, I'm confident that if you spend $3000 annually on travel/dining then you come out ahead with the CSR vs the CSP, and then add on the perks (lounge, primary car rental insurance, etc.) and those really enhance the value.

For me, the CSR is a keeper and I'm getting ready to downgrade my CSP to a CFU since my AF just posted.