I love credit cards so much!

[Happy_2_B]

Any tips on how best to use credit card points/rewards for that trip?

Using points for the cruise part is not a good use of points IMHO. Paying outright is a better option, at least for us- as we can usually get way more 'bang for the buck' using points on long haul international flights- but YMMV (pun intended ) We book our cruises through the cruise company then go to cruise compete and post the trip details. Travel companies will then get back to us with their price if they wish to compete for our business. This site is the best kept 'secret' for cruising IMHO. For every cruise we have taken, we have gotten back at least a few quotes that: 1) saved us money on the overall cost of the cruise, 2) provided additional on board credit to spend while on the boat and 3) sometimes added in complementary trip insurance to seal the deal. Once we decide on the company that gives us the most bang for the buck, we contact them and they will walk us through the process of transferring the reservation to them.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

What’s your 5/24 status?

Have you had the CSP before? If you’ve had the CSP in the last 24 months, you won’t be able to get the CSR bonus under Chase’s new “one Sapphire card bonus in 24 months” rule. If you currently have the CSP, you won’t be approved for the CSR under Chase’s new “one Sapphire Card at a time” rule.

If you haven’t had and don’t have the CSP, and can swing the combined $8,000 spend on the CSR and CSP in 3 months, you should consider double dipping the CSR and CSP — applying for the two cards on the same day, at about the same time, using different browsers, incognito mode, or back to back after you’ve cleared all your cookies and cache. The idea is double dipping gets you around Chase’s “one Sapphire” rule by getting you approved for both cards before either Card appears on your credit report to trigger a denial for the other. This workaround also lets you get the two 50,000 UR bonuses.

As for the CSR travel credit, Chase changed the travel credit from calendar year to cardmember year in May, so now the $300 travel credit will reset on your anniversary. You can still double dip the travel credit by charging $300 right after your second year and then canceling the card within 30-days of when the annual fee posts to get a refund on the annual fee.

Good luck!

In the last two years only have opened the sw but then closed it right before the annual fee hit. Then this year opened sw bus and cip. Planning to close the sw bus before the annual fee hits. Is it better to close it before applying? Haven’t used it since getting the cip.

 

[elgerber]

I must have set up my 21 yr old dd right, on her credit path. In addition to having the preapproved offer for the CSP on Chase, she has gotten two offers in the mail this week for high AF travel cards LOL!

 

[vanjust14]

Using points for the cruise part is not a good use of points IMHO. Paying outright is a better option, at least for us- as we can usually get way more 'bang for the buck' using points on long haul international flights- but YMMV (pun intended ) We book our cruises through the cruise company then go to cruise compete and post the trip details. Travel companies will then get back to us with their price if they wish to compete for our business. This site is the best kept 'secret' for cruising IMHO. For every cruise we have taken, we have gotten back at least a few quotes that: 1) saved us money on the overall cost of the cruise, 2) provided additional on board credit to spend while on the boat and 3) sometimes added in complementary trip insurance to seal the deal. Once we decide on the company that gives us the most bang for the buck, we contact them and they will walk us through the process of transferring the reservation to them.

Wow, never knew about this! Do you ever incur a fee for canceling your original booking?

 

[Happy_2_B]

Wow, never knew about this! Do you ever incur a fee for canceling your original booking?

As I said, it is not discussed a lot outside of a couple of cruising newgroups and I rarely see it mentioned on the points/miles sites- as there isn't a lot of value in using points for cruises- hence the word 'secret'. As to your question- no, because you are TRANSFERRING your booking from the cruise company to a travel agent, not cancelling it. When we first started doing this we had some concerns- but apparently it happens all the time. They take care of the paperwork, we just have to sign a transfer form and confirm the transfer with the cruise company.

 

[Albort]

Wait, you can possibly triple dip the CSR travel credit? How? DW's CSR annual fee comes up the end of January, so early Jan we can douple dip, then PC the card to a Freedom. I never heard about this so called triple dip.

triple dipping is also dependent on when you sign up. For Example, in the best case scenario is applying in Oct 2016, November 2016. upon application you get 1 $300 travel credit, you get 2017 travel credit for 2017, you get 2018 travel credit in dec and cancelling your card right after. while it is not a true triple dip, you still get your moneys worth.

might not be worth triple dipping for you though since u would have to pay 11 month of AF just to get the triple dip.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

As I said, it is not discussed a lot outside of a couple of cruising newgroups and I rarely see it mentioned on the points/miles sites- as there isn't a lot of value in using points for cruises- hence the word 'secret'. As to your question- no, because you are TRANSFERRING your booking from the cruise company to a travel agent, not cancelling it. When we first started doing this we had some concerns- but apparently it happens all the time. They take care of the paperwork, we just have to sign a transfer form and confirm the transfer with the cruise company.

This just decreases your total cost? By how much, on average?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Using points for the cruise part is not a good use of points IMHO. Paying outright is a better option, at least for us- as we can usually get way more 'bang for the buck' using points on long haul international flights- but YMMV (pun intended ) We book our cruises through the cruise company then go to cruise compete and post the trip details. Travel companies will then get back to us with their price if they wish to compete for our business. This site is the best kept 'secret' for cruising IMHO. For every cruise we have taken, we have gotten back at least a few quotes that: 1) saved us money on the overall cost of the cruise, 2) provided additional on board credit to spend while on the boat and 3) sometimes added in complementary trip insurance to seal the deal. Once we decide on the company that gives us the most bang for the buck, we contact them and they will walk us through the process of transferring the reservation to them.

I think it depends on your travel goals. Ours is to vacation twice a year, for free. Not first class, not the most expensive hotels. I already have 2018 vacations booked to WDW and Grand Canyon, on points/miles. 2019 goals would be WDW/DL and cruise. Already have miles for precruise flights and hotel. I may choose to use some UR points to reduce my actual cruise cost. Just depends on what other cashback bonuses I can accrue by then.

 

[wendow]

We are planning our first cruise on DCL for sometime between Nov 2018 and Feb 2019. Any tips on how best to use credit card points/rewards for that trip? We have a load of Chase UR points (like 400k) plus we have plenty of Spirit miles to use before getting rid of that card. I'm hoping I can use Spirit miles for the flight. I know I could use UR points for some of the cruise or for our overnight stay in the hotel (not sure what hotel we will stay at). For after the cruise we are considering a couple nights at SSR or possibly checking out Vero Beach via our DVC points (but I don't want to use too many points as we are in re-load mode). Any tips or thoughts? DW and I are both are like 2/24 or 3/24 on Chase and have yet to explore any other bank/airline/hotel cards.

I agree with @CyndiLouWho

While using some of your UR may not be considered the 'best' use of the points, it might be *your* best use of points. We aren't flying int'l any time soon. Our vacation goals are domestic...Disney and other locations...so using UR to offset those cost, whether it be hotels or cash back towards tickets, that is what works for us

Since you are still under 5/24, I'd stick with Chase and not explore other banks cards until you have everything you want from Chase.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

triple dipping is also dependent on when you sign up. For Example, in the best case scenario is applying in Oct 2016, November 2016. upon application you get 1 $300 travel credit, you get 2018 travel credit for 2018, you get 2019 travel credit in dec and cancelling your card right after. while it is not a true triple dip, you still get your moneys worth.

might not be worth triple dipping for you though since u would have to pay 11 month of AF just to get the triple dip.

I think I am super confused about this whole double dip thing. Haha! I tried reading about it. Apparently I need to re-read it.

 

[Albort]

triple dipping is also dependent on when you sign up. For Example, in the best case scenario is applying in Oct 2016, November 2016. upon application you get 1 $300 travel credit, you get 2017 travel credit for 2017, you get 2018 travel credit in dec and cancelling your card right after. while it is not a true triple dip, you still get your moneys worth.

might not be worth triple dipping for you though since u would have to pay 11 month of AF just to get the triple dip.

I think I am super confused about this whole double dip thing. Haha! I tried reading about it. Apparently I need to re-read it.

sorry, I really screwed that up. 2018 should be 2017 and 2019 should be 2018. I guess I'm in the future?

 

[Happy_2_B]

This just decreases your total cost? By how much, on average?

There is no average, really- depends on the cruise. We are luxury travelers and usually stay in the Owner's Suite (or equivalent) or one of the Penthouse Suites (or equivalent). Our last two cruises (one to Alaska and one to Hawaii) were different levels of savings. The trip to Alaska we saved between 3-4 k (as I recall- was 2 years ago and we travel a lot so it all blurs together), and the one to Hawaii earlier this year we saved just under 2k by transferring the reservation.

 

[Lain]

In the last two years only have opened the sw but then closed it right before the annual fee hit. Then this year opened sw bus and cip. Planning to close the sw bus before the annual fee hits. Is it better to close it before applying? Haven’t used it since getting the cip.

I’m not sure if closing the SW Biz will hurt or help. One of the factors Chase determines when reviewing your application is total amount of credit already extended to you, relative to your stated income. This includes both personal and business lines of credit. Generally, I wouldn’t cancel a Chase card prior to applying for another Chase card because the DPs seem mixed whether preemptively reducing your total credit with Chase helps with automatic approval; whereas, if you are denied, you could have offered to move that credit from some of your old cards to your new card on reconsideration to get approved. With the SW Biz, I’m pretty sure Chase won’t move credit from a business line to a personal card.

 

[Happy_2_B]

Any tips or thoughts? DW and I are both are like 2/24 or 3/24 on Chase and have yet to explore any other bank/airline/hotel cards.

I agree with the other poster- max out your Chase cards first, then go for other ones. My guess is all the companies are going to incorporate this type of rule in the near future since there are now so many people gaming, but for now the best bet is to do Chase. We went for the premium cards with AFs and a big spend, as IMO it is a waste of an application to get Freedom cards with no UR return- but everyone's comfort level is different.

 

[GPC0321]

Two exciting things today:

1. Booked MCO Hyatt with my Hyatt points for our Saturday night arrival. Hooray!
2. Changed our return flight (Southwest) to a later time so that we can relax a little bit that morning before saying bye to Disney. This was my second change to our original flights, and each change has resulted in a nice refund of RR points! Original flights used almost all of my 53k points (I think I had about 400 left). I now have 26k RR points left over from that original 53k! That Southwest Premier card has been closed for months and months now, but it is the gift that keeps on giving! I've yet to step foot on a SW airplane, but I already love them!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Two exciting things today:

1. Booked MCO Hyatt with my Hyatt points for our Saturday night arrival. Hooray!
2. Changed our return flight (Southwest) to a later time so that we can relax a little bit that morning before saying bye to Disney. This was my second change to our original flights, and each change has resulted in a nice refund of RR points! Original flights used almost all of my 53k points (I think I had about 400 left). I now have 26k RR points left over from that original 53k! That Southwest Premier card has been closed for months and months now, but it is the gift that keeps on giving! I've yet to step foot on a SW airplane, but I already love them!

That's a great savings of RR. Every time I check our Feb flight it is the same or more.

 

[calypso726]

Using points for the cruise part is not a good use of points IMHO. Paying outright is a better option, at least for us- as we can usually get way more 'bang for the buck' using points on long haul international flights- but YMMV (pun intended ) We book our cruises through the cruise company then go to cruise compete and post the trip details. Travel companies will then get back to us with their price if they wish to compete for our business. This site is the best kept 'secret' for cruising IMHO. For every cruise we have taken, we have gotten back at least a few quotes that: 1) saved us money on the overall cost of the cruise, 2) provided additional on board credit to spend while on the boat and 3) sometimes added in complementary trip insurance to seal the deal. Once we decide on the company that gives us the most bang for the buck, we contact them and they will walk us through the process of transferring the reservation to them.

I think it depends on your travel goals. Ours is to vacation twice a year, for free. Not first class, not the most expensive hotels. I already have 2018 vacations booked to WDW and Grand Canyon, on points/miles. 2019 goals would be WDW/DL and cruise. Already have miles for precruise flights and hotel. I may choose to use some UR points to reduce my actual cruise cost. Just depends on what other cashback bonuses I can accrue by then.

I agree with @CyndiLouWho

While using some of your UR may not be considered the 'best' use of the points, it might be *your* best use of points. We aren't flying int'l any time soon. Our vacation goals are domestic...Disney and other locations...so using UR to offset those cost, whether it be hotels or cash back towards tickets, that is what works for us

Since you are still under 5/24, I'd stick with Chase and not explore other banks cards until you have everything you want from Chase.

That is the beauty of this thread IMO. We all have different travel goals and use our points the way they work best for us. We like to redeem for the international airline lie flat seats up front and enjoy the lounge beforehand. We flip flop between staying at the hoity toity hotel and decent room that is free on points. Up until last year, I never thought I'd use my UR points to pay for a flight since I'd only get 1.5 per point in value. I'd always transferred to an airline. Thanks to this board and those who do use their UR points to pay for travel, I wound up looking into doing the same for a specific trip. Delta wanted 700,000 sky pesos for our flights to Iceland later this month. I was not wasting that many MR or SPG points on a transfer to Delta for the flights. Meanwhile, I had no problem dropping a few hundred thousand SPG points on an SQ suite for next year, but that's another story I did wind up purchasing the Iceland flights with UR points. It was likely the lowest value I'd ever received on UR points but it worked for me at the time and I'd do again in a heartbeat.

 

[wendow]

That is the beauty of this thread IMO. We all have different travel goals and use our points the way they work best for us. We like to redeem for the international airline lie flat seats up front and enjoy the lounge beforehand. We flip flop between staying at the hoity toity hotel and decent room that is free on points. Up until last year, I never thought I'd use my UR points to pay for a flight since I'd only get 1.5 per point in value. I'd always transferred to an airline. Thanks to this board and those who do use their UR points to pay for travel, I wound up looking into doing the same for a specific trip. Delta wanted 700,000 sky pesos for our flights to Iceland later this month. I was not wasting that many MR or SPG points on a transfer to Delta for the flights. Meanwhile, I had no problem dropping a few hundred thousand SPG points on an SQ suite for next year, but that's another story I did wind up purchasing the Iceland flights with UR points. It was likely the lowest value I'd ever received on UR points but it worked for me at the time and I'd do again in a heartbeat.

This is how I will redeem points when I don't have 4 kids in tow Sounds like so much fun to travel like you do!

 

[Albort]

Nope, it tells me my recipient won't take that card.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29015056-post721.html

says to add payee separately and use the wrong category...

 

[GPC0321]

That's a great savings of RR. Every time I check our Feb flight it is the same or more.

This was true for me in the earlier days, but the closer the trip has gotten, the cheaper the flights have gotten. I'm pretty sure they are part of some special Southwest is running, and I'm just getting lucky at tweaking while the specials are going on.