The addiction is real..

[katyringo]

so we just got back a few days ago. It is without a doubt the best expirence of my life. I have absolutely fallen in love with Disneyland.

We have a universal Orlando trip (only hubby and I) planned in 2018..

But we are already thinking ahead to another Disneyland trip..

The problem is we live in Iowa. We could go often if it wasn’t for the price of airline tickets or the 2 days of driving it would take. Anyone got tips to find cheap airfare?!?

 

[smartlabelprint]

Some credit cards (Alaska air for sure) has a credit card with bogo for $115.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Yes...get an airline credit card of choice and put EVERY expense you can on that card...rent, phone bills, utility bills, fast food lunch, Starbuck, reimbursed work expenses...everything you can think of and everything you would not even think of....if it can be paid with a CC, use that and only that card.

While it only works if you are disciplined to pay the card off every month, but if you concentrate ALL of your normal daily and monthly spending on one reward card with a specific target points for free travel can start to add up quick!

I have not paid for airfare or hotel for personal travel out of pocket for years alternating between my Southwest and Marriott cards.

Southwest Visa has a promo for a crap ton of points just for opening the card and a minimum spend.

 

[chickapin parterre]

do you search for the five different airports that are near Disneyland? and since you were just there, Christmas is premium airfare, so look for California off season.

 

[JanJan324]

Also plan on flying on the cheaper days of the week. Typically Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

 

[BayouQueen]

I'd also suggest an airline credit card. We've done really well getting from California back to Orlando using Southwest points. The points add up really fast with buying groceries and things like that.

Good luck, and glad you had such a wonderful time!

 

[baozi]

Without exact specifics, some general directions:
Some ultra low cost airlines, for instance, now frontier has a 99% off promotion, as a result, flight from Cedar Rapids to Orlando is $19 or $34 on some days in Jan and Feb. They often run such promotions, and not quite well in advance (different from traditional airlines). Of course, then you are going to Disney World instead of Disneyland.
Airlines such as Southwest and Jetblue land on alternative airports that are nearer to Disneyland than LAX (for instance, SNA and LGB). It is also often cheaper, especially if you redeem points. I once spent 200 points to redeem a flight from SFO to LGB on Jetblue. They both have credit card promotions with some sign-on bonus (around 40K, there was a 60K for Jetblue which just expired on 12/31). For traditional airlines, you often have to spend 25000 miles for a round trip, which is very expensive.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Follow sites like Mousesavers.com. Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Hotwire, etc. can also be helpful. Keep track of the routes that pertain most to you (take note especially of airports near DLR: SNA, LGB, LAX). Get to know the basic range of fares so that when you see a great fare, you won't hesitate to grab it. Familiarize yourself with the rules of the airlines you are most likely to use -- do they offer a 24 hour "remorse" period? If so, you can book when you see a great fare, then cancel within 24 hours if you can't make the dates work. Do either you or your husband travel for business? If so, join the rewards club and try to be loyal to one airline or one hotel chain. (Make sure the chain has a location near DLR.) Those loyalty points add up over time. If you can use them for even one free night, that can give you more wiggle room with air fares or adding a park day. It all sounds a bit complicated, but don't worry. Once you get the hang of it, planning your DLR trips becomes like a game -- with a really fun prize when you win!

 

[MacMama0930]

The addiction is SO real. I think I managed 6 trips this last year . It’s so my happy place and no one really gets it in my family so I’m teased relentlessly and I get a lot of eye rolls when I discuss potential trips. I was pleasantly surprised to find a work conference in FL this year so not only will I get to visit WDW for the first time, I’ll be solo! So I’ll get to meander and cruise and roam and use single rider and take photos and just take it all in. I fell in love with Disney only a few years ago and I already think about how fun it’ll be to take my future grand kids (my kids are only 6 and 9 ).

 

[HydroGuy]

The addiction is SO real. I think I managed 6 trips this last year . It’s so my happy place and no one really gets it in my family so I’m teased relentlessly and I get a lot of eye rolls when I discuss potential trips. I was pleasantly surprised to find a work conference in FL this year so not only will I get to visit WDW for the first time, I’ll be solo! So I’ll get to meander and cruise and roam and use single rider and take photos and just take it all in. I fell in love with Disney only a few years ago and I already think about how fun it’ll be to take my future grand kids (my kids are only 6 and 9 ).

You will eventually figure this out about WDW, but Single Rider is much more limited there. They only have three rides with SR and one of them is rarely much of a time saver. DLR has eight or nine and most are worthwhile time savers.

I did WDW solo once for a couple days and had a blast. Hope you do too. Just ask if you need any help!

 

[DizMe]

Look for a Southwest credit card when they offer a great bonus. I would look for a 50,000 pt bonus sign up. Standard is 40,000 but you can often get more if you wait for a special deal. I never pay for airfare anymore!

I recently signed up my husband for 2 Southwest cards. The reason is this: they were offering 60,000 bonus points for sign-up in the fall. The same person can get both a Plus and a Premier card. SW offers a companion pass for anyone who has 110,000 points in their account after meeting the minimum spend ($2000 per card in 3 months). So...simply by signing up and meeting the minimum spend, he got 110,000 + 4,000 pts (1 point per dollar from the minimum spend) and qualified for a companion pass! The pass is assigned to a specific person and that person flies free with you (minus the tax portion) EVERY time you fly in that year! The companion pass is golden. You can change the companion 3 times in a year, too. On top of that, though, I had read on the Budget Board how to time it so that we got the cards in 2017 but made sure the final spend didn't post until 2018, so not only do we get the companion pass for 2018, but for 2019 as well! The CP is good for the entire year in which you earned it PLUS the whole next year, so if you make sure your minimum spend posts in January, you will get 23 months of CP. If you got the cards now and quickly met the minimum, it would likely post in Feb so you'd get 22-23 months of free companion pass.

 

[hootey]

Like a few others have posted, GET A SOUTHWEST AIRLINES VISA and use it for everything! Pay it off every month and start over, it will amaze you how fast you can accumulate free tickets!

 

[Blue32]

Hey! Fellow Iowan here! We also LOVE DLR! Both coasts resorts have lots to love but there is really some5hing special about DL Park. Which part of Iowa do you live? We live on the east side so we are about equal distance to Des Moines, Chicago, and Milwaukee airports. This helps with finding best deals on flights. We have also flown out of Moline and Rockford IL. It is much easier to cheap flights to Orlando rather than SoCal unfortunately. If you are near an airport that flys Alegiant or Frontier, they might be your best bests for lower fares.

 

[Pesky]

Heck yes! Although, I will also say the dark side has its allure. My kids are swayed and begging to go back to USO. They don't remember DLR too much so I'll be curious what their response is when they do.

 

[Ellek07]

Man, it truly is addictive. These tips are great!

 

[tarheelalum]

Get a Southwest rapid rewards credit card. The sign up bonus will get you 40-60,000 points which will take care of quite a bit of airfare. You can get the plus and the premier card which will double your initial reward.

 

[az4boys]

Look for a Southwest credit card when they offer a great bonus. I would look for a 50,000 pt bonus sign up. Standard is 40,000 but you can often get more if you wait for a special deal. I never pay for airfare anymore!

I recently signed up my husband for 2 Southwest cards. The reason is this: they were offering 60,000 bonus points for sign-up in the fall. The same person can get both a Plus and a Premier card. SW offers a companion pass for anyone who has 110,000 points in their account after meeting the minimum spend ($2000 per card in 3 months). So...simply by signing up and meeting the minimum spend, he got 110,000 + 4,000 pts (1 point per dollar from the minimum spend) and qualified for a companion pass! The pass is assigned to a specific person and that person flies free with you (minus the tax portion) EVERY time you fly in that year! The companion pass is golden. You can change the companion 3 times in a year, too. On top of that, though, I had read on the Budget Board how to time it so that we got the cards in 2017 but made sure the final spend didn't post until 2018, so not only do we get the companion pass for 2018, but for 2019 as well! The CP is good for the entire year in which you earned it PLUS the whole next year, so if you make sure your minimum spend posts in January, you will get 23 months of CP. If you got the cards now and quickly met the minimum, it would likely post in Feb so you'd get 22-23 months of free companion pass.

Is there a way to find out more information on how to do this? Did you get both cards at the same time, or get one after the other? Is the companion pass a benefit of one card or either?

ETA: Which card did you transfer the points to when you combined to get the 110k total?

 

[DizMe]

Is there a way to find out more information on how to do this? Did you get both cards at the same time, or get one after the other? Is the companion pass a benefit of one card or either?

ETA: Which card did you transfer the points to when you combined to get the 110k total?

I followed the advice of others on the Budget Board. I would never have figured this out myself! But to answer your questions:
*You can find out more information from this Budget Board thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/i-missed-the-sw-60k-offer.3615171/ and this article https://thepointsguy.com/2015/09/how-to-earn-the-southwest-companion-pass-for-almost-two-years/
*There are 3 SW cards; Business, Premier, and Plus. You can find out about them (they may have different sign-up bonuses, minimum spend requirements, anniversary bonus points, and annual fees). One person can apply for 2 (or maybe 3--not sure about that because I didn't need to do it). Some people trade off getting the companion pass by having one spouse get it for X amount of time and then the other applies at the end of that time to keep it going.
*We got both cards at the same time; that is, I applied and was approved for one and then turned around and got the second. I just did it online.
*The pass is a benefit of any of the SW cards, and since the bonus points go into the Rapid Rewards account of the cardholder, there is no need to transfer anything (but maybe I will double check that on the Budget thread). **NOTE: both cards must be issued to the same cardholder!! You can't combine points between different member's accounts!
*Check the current amount of sign-up bonus points; sometimes you can get a better bonus by going through an older link.
*I just checked and currently, you can still get the 60,000 pt bonus with the Business card https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/60KPremierBiz?CELL=637V but the Premier and Plus cards are offering 40,000 right now. That puts you 10,000 pts short (actually, 6,000 because your required $2000 spend per card counts too) if you apply for a Business and one of the other cards. I'm sure the sign-up bonus will go up to 50,000 at some point, but the longer you wait, the less time you will have the CP so you have to weight it out that way. The deal I got was so good because I didn't have to spend anything to get the CP points, but you can be creative about reaching the spend. Lots of people pay everything--taxes, groceries, gas, utilities, car--with the card. I've earned quite a bit going through the SW shopping portal for purchases and for booking hotel rooms through SW (sometimes very large bonuses for that).

 

[az4boys]

I followed the advice of others on the Budget Board. I would never have figured this out myself! But to answer your questions:
*You can find out more information from this Budget Board thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/i-missed-the-sw-60k-offer.3615171/ and this article https://thepointsguy.com/2015/09/how-to-earn-the-southwest-companion-pass-for-almost-two-years/
*There are 3 SW cards; Business, Premier, and Plus. You can find out about them (they may have different sign-up bonuses, minimum spend requirements, anniversary bonus points, and annual fees). One person can apply for 2 (or maybe 3--not sure about that because I didn't need to do it). Some people trade off getting the companion pass by having one spouse get it for X amount of time and then the other applies at the end of that time to keep it going.
*We got both cards at the same time; that is, I applied and was approved for one and then turned around and got the second. I just did it online.
*The pass is a benefit of any of the SW cards, and since the bonus points go into the Rapid Rewards account of the cardholder, there is no need to transfer anything (but maybe I will double check that on the Budget thread). **NOTE: both cards must be issued to the same cardholder!! You can't combine points between different member's accounts!
*Check the current amount of sign-up bonus points; sometimes you can get a better bonus by going through an older link.
*I just checked and currently, you can still get the 60,000 pt bonus with the Business card https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/60KPremierBiz?CELL=637V but the Premier and Plus cards are offering 40,000 right now. That puts you 10,000 pts short (actually, 6,000 because your required $2000 spend per card counts too) if you apply for a Business and one of the other cards. I'm sure the sign-up bonus will go up to 50,000 at some point, but the longer you wait, the less time you will have the CP so you have to weight it out that way. The deal I got was so good because I didn't have to spend anything to get the CP points, but you can be creative about reaching the spend. Lots of people pay everything--taxes, groceries, gas, utilities, car--with the card. I've earned quite a bit going through the SW shopping portal for purchases and for booking hotel rooms through SW (sometimes very large bonuses for that).

Thank you! I've had a lot of experience with cash back credit cards, but not travel points. When you got your CP, did you have to use your 110k points to get the CP, or was it just an extra benfit and you still had the points to use? If you still have the points to use then it seems like neither one of you would need to pay for travel for a long time.

 

[Chelsea B]

Great thread! We're in Iowa as well and are planning our first DLR trip soon We got completely addicted to WDW a few years ago and are excited to check out the original park! The cost of flying is the biggest barrier to return visits, so I'll have to look into these suggestions too!