I love credit cards so much!

[Lain]

DP that the SPG Lux $300 Marriott credit applies to charges made directly at hotel restaurants: https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/9dhed8/comment/e5id4xv?st=JLRJBAU2&sh=b7374e9b

 

[wendow]

Would that be your “meemaw”?

Yep! Like a ‘Yeehaw’ but a ‘Memaw’

 

[disneedee]

I am losing the battle on the someplace warm for our girl's trip. They keep suggesting Seattle. So @afan or anyone else, how yucky is Seattle in early December?

It will probably be wet. But it might be cold.

 

[snugglebug]

Does anyone get much use out of the dining programs with airlines, etc? I thought @calypso726 mentioned it before? They finally started adding places we go to the SW RR program.

I use the SW one. It's slow, but since that's our preferred airline every little point helps. There's one restaurant we frequent that gets me SW pts, Dosh, UR and their own loyalty pts. Pair that with the daily specials (and it happens to be Mexican food which is always a win in our house) and I'm up for dinner out any time lol

 

[Albort]

Yep! Like a ‘Yeehaw’ but a ‘Memaw’

not a big bang theory watcher huh?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

What is the value of Marriott points? Wondering if someone had a good value on them or if TPG is accurate at 0.9.

When the old Nights & Flights packages were in effect, I had Marriott points as high as 1.0 cpp each.

I now conservatively list them at 0.8 cpp each. I think it's a pretty fair valuation based on my experience with Marriott points.

IF you were to transfer 60k Marriott points to Southwest you would basically get a guaranteed value of 0.6 cpp so they should never be worth less than that. With other airlines you may even experience a better return than that since they aren't on a revenue based points model.

 

[wendow]

not a big bang theory watcher huh?

Never seen it! What have I missed here?

ETA: I googled lol. Yep that’s pretty much my Memaw too. Very opinionated and says exactly what pops in her head. I’m still completely horrified tonight at what she said to a perfect stranger today And I can’t repeat cause it would be censored...

 

[wendow]

Only sw in flight offer I saw today was the same as the public offer for the new card. Which was good, cause the temptation to apply would have taunted me the whole flight!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Only sw in flight offer I saw today was the same as the public offer for the new card. Which was good, cause the temptation to apply would have taunted me the whole flight!

If I recall on my last flight it was somewhat difficult to locate the offer for the Plus and/or Premier card. I was able to do it eventually though (for research purposes of course) but this was back in July.

 

[Judique]

I went into a Courtyard today and they said they didn't sell gift cards. Also read another post on the same. Which brand did you buy from?

Courtyard. But I also called TownPlace Suites and a Residence Inn and they all sold them in my area. I just went to the one closest to where I was having lunch.

 

[striker1064]

New Orleans? Pensacola? I'm trying to think of somewhere interesting to visit in the US that will be warm in December and saw those hadn't been suggested yet. Although, you might get a cold snap and end up with weather in the 40s or 50s there anyway. Very unlikely you would get snow or ice though. Have you considered an international trip? Sometimes flights to Mexico are cheaper out of my airport than flights to US cities on the east or west coasts, and it should definitely be warmer there.

Well... weird to see my old home region mentioned on here. If you're looking at the LA/MS Gulf South area, I'd recommend Ocean Springs, MS. A very cool city with an active downtown of lots of restaurants. Good base for getting to Mobile, AL (if you're into that), and New Orleans would also be a straight shot down I-10. Can also explore the rest of the MS coast (for what that's worth).

 

[nhgirl]

DH filled out the form and scanned/emailed to the NCL email address listed (****@cxloyalty.com).


@bernina the NCL email address listed on the transfer request is Dispatch@ncl.com. Did your DH send it to that email address and the ****@cxloyalty.com email address?

 

[DisneyMandC]

For those worried about the airline stories and who you or kiddos sit by I really wouldn’t worry too much. After prosecuting special victim cases for 10 years I would definitely say the bigger danger is allowing your kiddos to ever have sleepovers of any kind, or as a woman crashing drunk at a party and spending the night. Things happen sure but on a crowded plane not quite as likely at all.

Did I forget you were a prosecutor?? I need to get a @Lain style spreadsheet.

 

[hsmamato2]

It's whatever account you sign into to start the merge is what's kept. [/QUOTE]
I didn't realize that..... I went thru my SPG page to merge accts and lo and behold there it is! I was assuming I'd have to log in with marriott number....it doesn't matter which page as long as it's merged right?
UGH..... I am trying to merge DH's SPG with MArriott acct. I don't think I've ever made a login for him, and I'm trying to set it up using the Marriott # they provided but no go ..I can't setup the online acct it just keeps saying to correct the info..... help!

 

[WVMomof3]

Well... weird to see my old home region mentioned on here. If you're looking at the LA/MS Gulf South area, I'd recommend Ocean Springs, MS. A very cool city with an active downtown of lots of restaurants. Good base for getting to Mobile, AL (if you're into that), and New Orleans would also be a straight shot down I-10. Can also explore the rest of the MS coast (for what that's worth).

Maybe you missed the suggestions were for me- the other Mississippi person. Lol. My MIL would love your suggestion. My MIL who has 4 sons so she calls ME 3 times a day and asks once a week when are we coming back to visit and who lives in Ocean Springs. PASS! Lol I love her, but no!

Also why I haven’t gotten on the New Orleans suggestions.

 

[Judique]

Did I forget you were a prosecutor?? I need to get a @Lain style spreadsheet.

I'm beginning to think the legal profession is well represented here!

 

[pinkxray]

I applied for the Chase Ink Cash on Sat. 30 day message.
Now, I am getting the 2 week message. I dropped my Chase limits on all my cards by like 50,000 but I guess that doesn’t help for a business card.
I still have a chance of approval right? Once I goes to 7-10 days is bad?

I miss the days of instant approval with Chase!

 

[hsmamato2]

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.;-)

great writeup,since I too am a 'coach and basic' travel sort of person to stretch my points....I'm going to re-read later when I have time to absorb it all!

 

[Judique]

Found a way to spend some on my SPG Lux this morning! My washer looks like it has finally bit the dust.

The set I want will be about $2200 delivered and installed. Also, I will have to call a plumber to 'fix' the installation area as I want to move it a few feet and put in a new tub and remove the old one. I suppose that will cost about a thousand - hopefully not more. Then the rest of my spend should be a cakewalk.

Now I have to go to the basement and wring out the towels that did not spin dry and get ready for my delivery/repair crew.

This was a planned and expected expense because my washer is a Maytag that I got when my son was born. It's like saying goodbye to an old friend. It has never needed a repair in 35 years.

 

[miztressuz]

DH filled out the form and scanned/emailed to the NCL email address listed (****@cxloyalty.com).


@bernina the NCL email address listed on the transfer request is Dispatch@ncl.com. Did your DH send it to that email address and the ****@cxloyalty.com email address?

Not OP but you want to email the form to dispatch at NCL and CC your TA at cxloyalty . The Chase agent should have given you their email address so they know when it gets transferred. I think NCL recommends that too.