Jump to content

Redeeming Credit Card Points: Why Should I Travel instead of Taking Cash?


DonRocks

Recommended Posts

On 9/20/2016 at 2:24 PM, DonRocks said:

For those on the fence about the Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa, I've been following the situation pretty closely over the past month (I *never* cared about luxury credit cards before this (and now that I'm all set up, my interest in the subject will quickly be waning)), and I suspect that Chase will soon be ending the 100,000-point sign-up bonus <--- read the article in that link. So my advice is to get it now rather than later, assuming you can drop $4K in 3 months (that 100,000 points is worth $1K in cash, and $1.5K (possibly more, if you can take your time) in travel).

Yep, Chase is dropping the sign-up bonus to 50K later this month if you apply online and in March if you apply at a branch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was just playing around with the Luxury Hotels Collection with the CSR. Pretty good deals - was just checking for an upcoming weekend and doing a stay-cation downtown. Could stay at the Loews Madison for $184, and that gets you an upgrade and breakfast and $100 credit for the restaurant (Rural Society I think?). For $250 at the W, you get a $100 credit for food and full breakfast for 2, which is another $50. With early check in and late check out. Not too shabby!

S

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm waiting for a flight at National as I type this, almost a year after getting the AmEx Platinum. I also got a Chase Sapphire Reserve Card a few months later. Today's flight was purchased entirely on points. I'll be flying again in two weeks and again almost entirely on points... first class. On the Chase card.

AmEx has been good for getting into airport lounges, except when the lounges are closed to Priority Pass members. :( Of course Chase offers the same Priority Pass benefit, so that doesn't matter.

I think The Points Guy wrote that which card is better for you depends on how you use it, and what you value. I value flexibility. The Chase card is waaaaay more flexible than the Am Ex. AmEx has limited partner airlines. With Chase, when I didn't see what I wanted on-line, I called, and a very helpful clerk got me exactly the right flight.  When it comes to points, not only do you get 3x for travel and dining related, when you go to redeem, you get $0.015 per point, which is 50% more than AmEx offers. So your $1200 flight (just to keep the math simple) costs only 800 points.

Since I'll be closing the AmEx soon, I've been looking at gift card options. For some of them, you pay something like12,000 points for a $100 card. For others it's a better rate. I'm sure this depends on the vendor, but still. I am only choosing gift cards because i don't want to lose the points when I close the account.

Sorry if this is rambling - it's early. From my perspective, the Chase card is the clear winner: points accumulate faster, are worth more when redeemed, and you have more options how to redeem them.

Also I'm still mildly peeved that AmEx sent me an offer for 100,000 bonus points if I signed up - three weeks after I had already signed up, for a 40,000 point bonus. That's basically $600 in free travel lost. feh.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a great card, particularly if you got it when they gave 100,000 points for the bonus. Think it's half that now, so less of a deal, but still good. The triple points is great for people that travel/dine. I mean, that's basically what I spend money on, so I average about 2.5 points per dollar spent overall. 

I've also been able to get some good deals. Japan for a ski trip this coming winter using United (transferred Chase points into United account) and that was 2 non-stops, roundtrip to Tokyo then to Sapporo. Was 140,000 points total for the two of us. Those flights are $2,000 each, so for essentially $2100 in points, we got $4000 in value. 

Also, there is a little trick for Hawaii. From United, it's 40k points to get to Hawaii and there is a direct flight. But, if you transfer the points to Singapore's Krisflyer program, you can get the round trip for 35k points, so for about $525 in points, you get a flight that's value is $1,000. You have to find a "Saver" award and then call Singapore Airlines, but it was pretty straightforward. 

The Priority Pass is kind of lame domestically. The times are odd - can't go into the Air France/KLM lounge at Dulles during normal hours (basically can only go from noon to 4pm), and the other lounges are pretty heavily restricted. The international lounges are much more accessible, and have used them in China and Italy. 

I used the Luxury Hotel for a stay-cation in DC, and that was a pretty great deal - free breakfast, $50 credit for hotel bar at the Dupont Circle Hotel, and the room price was like $150 a night or something. 

The rental cars can be discounted, but not always cheaper than Kayak or Carrentals.com, but it's worth while to check Avis or National, b/c if you don't book through the actual rental care company, you don't get the VIP service (car waiting, no need to go to counter).

I haven't gotten much value out of the SPG and Hyatt programs - generally the cost in points is much higher than the value you get, i.e. like 10,000 SPG points for a hotel in Bangkok that costs $200 (i.e you're spending $450 in points for a $200 room). 

I think what I want to save up for is the Korean Airlines "around the world" ticket. I think it's 140,000 and you can go in one direction, stopping in something like 6-8 places. That would be pretty awesome. 

Anyone that travels should have this card. In addition, you can get a Chase Ink Business card for another 80,000 points ($95 annual fee, $1000 travel value) and Chase Sapphire Preserved for another 60,000 points. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Simul Parikh said:

I think what I want to save up for is the Korean Airlines "around the world" ticket. I think it's 140,000 and you can go in one direction, stopping in something like 6-8 places. That would be pretty awesome. 

This is 140,000 *points* ?!

And there's a 1:1 transfer between Chase Sapphire Reserve and Korean Airlines ?!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, porcupine said:

Since I'll be closing the AmEx soon, I've been looking at gift card options. For some of them, you pay something like12,000 points for a $100 card. For others it's a better rate. I'm sure this depends on the vendor, but still. I am only choosing gift cards because i don't want to lose the points when I close the account.

You could also consider opening a no-annual fee AMEX card that earns MR points.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, porcupine said:

AmEx has been good for getting into airport lounges, except when the lounges are closed to Priority Pass members. :( Of course Chase offers the same Priority Pass benefit, so that doesn't matter.

Interesting - can you expand on this? How often are lounges closed I'm considering downgrading to Amex Platinum, but lounge privileges are important with frequent travel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was a time when the AMEX Platinum got you access to AA's Admirals Clubs.  That ended in the spring of 2014.  During that time, AMEX also ended free access for up to two guests at DL SkyClubs for Platinum cardmembers.  Devaluation of benefits and miles is one of the few constants in the travel industry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Keithstg said:

Interesting - can you expand on this? How often are lounges closed I'm considering downgrading to Amex Platinum, but lounge privileges are important with frequent travel.

Amex Platinum offers Priority Pass Select.  It is no access to all lounges only certain ones under certain conditions.  For example, United does not accept any Priority Pass travelers.  More discussion on The Points Guy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, dcs said:

Amex Platinum offers Priority Pass Select.  It is no access to all lounges only certain ones under certain conditions.  For example, United does not accept any Priority Pass travelers.  More discussion on The Points Guy.

Thanks! Looks like I'll stick with the current card and continue to swallow the big annual fee. I've got access to most lounges, and the Centurion lounges are now in most of the airports I frequent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you travel enough, it seems worthwhile to just pay for an airline lounge. Like for Delta, it's something like $749. If you fly once 1 month, that's 24 uses, pretty much $30 a pop and you can bring a guest, so if you travel with a SO, it's basically $15 per person, which with a beer and a few finger foods makes it worthwhile, and if you get stuck it's really useful . And, Delta is almost every airport. 

Priority Pass has been a huge disappointment. In addition to restricted hours, some need you to show that you are traveling internationally to use it, many airports important to us (DCA being one of them) aren't included. It's fine since it's a free perk of the card, but it has very limited value. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, the DC area is one place where Priority Pass isn't worth a whole lot.  In addition to what you said about DCA, it's a pain to make the trek to the A/B terminals at IAD if you're flying UA, and you can only access the lounge at BWI flying out of Concourse D (which isn't connected airside to the other terminals).

What the DC area really needs is an AMEX Centurion Lounge at one of its airports, but then it would instantly become overcrowded like the one at SFO due to being so much better than the legacy carrier ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Keithstg said:

Interesting - can you expand on this? How often are lounges closed I'm considering downgrading to Amex Platinum, but lounge privileges are important with frequent travel.

Only one example to share: on Saturday, July 1 the Turkish Airlines lounge was closed to Priority Pass members because it was full. And as someone else wrote, the BA lounge only allowed PP access during certain hours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

Priority Pass has been a huge disappointment. In addition to restricted hours, some need you to show that you are traveling internationally to use it, many airports important to us (DCA being one of them) aren't included. It's fine since it's a free perk of the card, but it has very limited value. 

I've flown domestically more since I got the Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa, than in any equivalent time period in my life (the two things are unrelated, but the card gave me Priority Pass). I have been very disappointed with how few lounges I've had access to, and I'm not quite sure why - to sum up my feelings: It's as if the lounges are never where I need them to be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We generally get good use out of PriorityPass when traveling internationally.

US its rare to have good access.  We have enjoyed the airfrance lounge at IAD as long as we arrive early.  Other places like JFK it really hit or miss depending on what terminal you are in, we enjoy the contact lounge in the delta terminal.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I totally agree with Don.  Have received great redemption using Chase Sapphire travel but have yet to get any value out of priority pass. My son is both a follower and poster on the pointsguy site.  At 24 he accumulates points and has more cards then I do. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was trying to get my parents flights to Vegas using Chase points. 

If you just straight up used the points and booked off of the internal Chase booking, for 2 nonstop coach flights to Vegas from Detroit, it was 42,666 pts for Southwest, and 47,600 for Delta (because you get the 1.5x bonus for booking travel with them). That was Delta Economy, so gotta pay for bags. 

If you transferred points into Southwest and booked through Rapid Rewards, those same flights would cost 38,500 points.

If you transferred points into Delta Skymiles and booked through them, those same flights would cost 67,000 points. 

There was some change made in the Skymiles program that makes the points far less valuable (I think they changed it from flight based to something more similar to a points per dollar ratio). 

Getting so deep into the rabbit hole of points. But, as my friend says, "Dude, you're about 10 years late to the partY"

S

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

Getting so deep into the rabbit hole of points. But, as my friend says, "Dude, you're about 10 years late to the partY"

S

I have over 120,000 points on AmEx. Thinking about going to platinum cause they offer 60,000 with some usage. It just seems like making the travel arrangements thru their website is too much. Feels like it easier these days to go to the airline themselves to do things since haven't used points in many years. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/14/2017 at 6:51 PM, lion said:

I have over 120,000 points on AmEx. Thinking about going to platinum cause they offer 60,000 with some usage. It just seems like making the travel arrangements thru their website is too much. Feels like it easier these days to go to the airline themselves to do things since haven't used points in many years. 

If you're collecting points, keep in mind that if you purchase directly from an airline using an AmEx Pt, you will get 5x points (eg, a $2,000 business class ticket to Europe will get you 10,000 points). Do look into transferring your points from the regular AmEx to the Pt, though, and make sure you don't lose anything in the process.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, porcupine said:

If you're collecting points, keep in mind that if you purchase directly from an airline using an AmEx Pt, you will get 5x points (eg, a $2,000 business class ticket to Europe will get you 10,000 points). Do look into transferring your points from the regular AmEx to the Pt, though, and make sure you don't lose anything in the process.

Thanks for the information Porcupine! Thinking once our little one is a older and we start to do international travel again it would be a good addition especially for the lounge access. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Amex Platinum now offers more rewards.  Has anyone analyzed whether it's worth $550/year in fees?

Also, what's the best use for miles?  The around the world ticket mentioned by Simul sounds pretty good.  How difficult is it to actually book the tickets?

I easily use the $200/year in Uber credits and $200/year credit for miscellaneous fees/charges on my select airline.  That gets me down to $150.  It pays for Global Entry enrollment.  Gold membership in many hotel programs has proved handy, as has access to some airport lounges.  We have done well redeeming points for airline tickets.  No blackout dates if you book through American Express, which really is not difficult at all, although I believe your points go farther if you transfer points to he airline frequent flier program.  Also gets you upgraded status in rental car programs, although that is less useful for me as I rarely rent cars.  Your mileage may vary.  Literally.  They also have a concierge service that can help you get tickets to hard-to-get shows.  They do use re-sellers, but they can also try to get tickets when they go on sale using your card and instructions.  If AmEx is sponsoring the show, they sometimes have a block of reserved seats they can sell to you outside the normal Ticketmaster purchase process.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, dcs said:

I easily use the $200/year in Uber credits and $200/year credit for miscellaneous fees/charges on my select airline.  That gets me down to $150.  It pays for Global Entry enrollment.  Gold membership in many hotel programs has proved handy, as has access to some airport lounges.  We have done well redeeming points for airline tickets.  No blackout dates if you book through American Express, which really is not difficult at all, although I believe your points go farther if you transfer points to he airline frequent flier program.  Also gets you upgraded status in rental car programs, although that is less useful for me as I rarely rent cars.  Your mileage may vary.  Literally.  They also have a concierge service that can help you get tickets to hard-to-get shows.  They do use re-sellers, but they can also try to get tickets when they go on sale using your card and instructions.  If AmEx is sponsoring the show, they sometimes have a block of reserved seats they can sell to you outside the normal Ticketmaster purchase process.

The cost is comparative to the Chase Sapphire Reserve but the Amex does seem to provide more benefits.  However, you only get 5x miles when you buy airline tix?  I’m getting a ton of Chase Sapphire miles because dining and travel both generate 3x miles.   That’s the main drawback for me, I think.

eta.  Also get 5x miles on hotels on Amex.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, yah $550 - $200 (Airline fees) - $200 (Uber) = $150

I'm at airport and traveling at least 1 roundtrip a month, but maybe 2-4 times some months - so, that means you get free internet on many flights, b/c the card gives you Boingo access. So, estimate that at about $10 / month, so that's about $30 left. If you use the card and get 5x on airline tickets, one-two flights a month is $500, x 12 = $6000 x 5 = 30,000 points. Easily get your value there. Then, use CSR for dining and other travel. 

Lounge access - WAY Better for Amex Platinum. Centurion + Delta (only if flying Delta) + Priority Pass and some other off shoot lounge program. Centurion lounges are usually quite nice. 

Rental car status - this is something that I can never take advantage of. If you rent from Kayak or Hotwire, you CANNOT use your status. But, the prices from the third party tend to always be lower. So, this doesn't help me. 

Gold status at SPG, Hilton, and I think now Marriott - free breakfasts, late checkout, internet, etc. - these are nice touches. We are more AirBnb people so hardly ever take advantage of these perks, but can be nice. 

Concierge service on CSR hasn't been helpful, so I don't see that as a benefit. 

If you spend enough, it's a good Premium card to have. CSR + AMEX Platinum is a nice combination. 

Oh, Turkish Lounge at Dulles is really great - good food, too. But ... got too popular (see my post on the devaluing of points and programs) and now they even close to P.P. members at various times of the day (never used to happen). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amex Platinum I think it's worth it if you travel more than once a year internationally. We're still just starting to get out our trips being short quick driving excursions outside of DC with our young son but think next year if we go to New Zealand or Japan will get it beforehand. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Platinum.  I don't mind paying the annual fees when they're effectively only $150 each and we "recover" the value through lounge visits, sync offers, status, purchase protection, rental insurance, etc.  Having access to a wider range of transfer/redemption options is good too.

There was a more recent analysis of premium travel credit cards that tends to reinforce my view that the CSR is slightly better than the AMEX Platinum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

I think now Marriott 

To get it for Marriott you have to link your SPG and Marriot/Ritz Carlton accounts. 

The Delta lounge access was one of the selling points for me. I am finding myself flying to JFK so that I can take advance of some of the great flight deals airlines offer out of there. Since those are seperate tickets I can’t use their alliance connection to get into one of the lounges at DCA. Choosing to fly Delta over American gives me the lounge access so it helped sell the card to me and incentives me to choose Delta over American even if American is slightly cheaper. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

Rental car status - this is something that I can never take advantage of. If you rent from Kayak or Hotwire, you CANNOT use your status. But, the prices from the third party tend to always be lower. So, this doesn't help me.

Depending on whether you have access to a company rate/AAA, it's often not that much more expensive than Kayak/Hotwire (and sometimes cheaper) so worth it to get potential upgrades (at most major airports) to larger/nicer cars either through National's Executive Emerald aisle or Hertz's Five Star/President's Circle aisle.

Plus the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers primary car rental coverage (as opposed to secondary for the AMEX Platinum).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone have any thoughts about this card:

https://points.theinventory.com/southwests-newest-credit-card-is-almost-definitely-the-1827754210

The Chase Sapphire Reserve, etc., came out around the time I had my daughter and I stopped traveling as much as I used to (which was a lot), so I'm not up on all the benefits of all the various travel-oriented cards. We're just starting to travel more now that my daughter is 4, but I don't think we're traveling enough (or enough internationally) to justify the Sapphire Reserve and its ilk (specifically the high annual fees) (but I wouldn't mind being proven wrong).

We (my husband, my daughter, and I) fly Southwest at least twice a year, so I feel like this Southwest card might be a good way to dip my toe into the world of travel rewards cards. I've never had a credit card with an annual fee and have kind of a mental block about paying an annual fee for a credit card, but the fee for this card is $149, which I'd almost certainly earn back even with our limited travel.

I realize this card doesn't have nearly as many benefits as some of the other cards out there, but does it seem good for what it is?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Southwest card seems fine enough, though I wouldn't necessarily view the CSR as that much pricier.  It's true that the annual fee is $450, but you basically get two-thirds of it back in the form of a $300 travel credit (that can be used for airfare, parking, public transportation, car rental, and so forth).  And in the ordinary course of spending, these travel expenses (plus all restaurant dining!) generate 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar.  Most travel bloggers view UR points as worth somewhere between 1.5 and 2 cents per point when redeemed properly, so that means an effective 5 or 6 percent rebate on all your travel/restaurant spend.

You do get about half of the Southwest annual fee back in the form of a travel credit, though the card is new and we have no idea in practice yet what qualifies for reimbursement.  The best reason to get this card now is that, in theory, you can earn about 80K in Southwest points towards the 110K needed in 2018 to qualify for Companion Pass in 2019, which is super-valuable if you travel a lot on Southwest.  But if you're only flying a couple of times per year, it's not worth tying yourself down to one airline.  And the chances for bonused spend, unlike with the CSR, are much narrower with an airline-specific card.

The CSR is also better IMO because UR points are a very flexible currency -- they can either be redeemed directly for travel spend or transferred to miles/points with a wide variety of airlines.  Southwest points have a fairly fixed value and can't be leveraged as effectively.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

CSR wins for me because of the 3x miles on travel and dining and redemption via Chase website is at 150%.

Let's say you spent $3,333 dining out.  That would give you 10,000 miles.  Normally 10,000 is good for redeeming $100, but on Chase, it's good for $150.  The prices on the Chase website are the same as elsewhere.  The Priority Pass lounges also save me quite a bit on money at the airport (I fly out of Dulles mostly, and take several trips to Orlando and Las Vegas a year). 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both! I'm going to think more about Chase Sapphire Reserve. I don't think I'd get a ton of use out of the Southwest Companion Pass, which seems to be the ultimate goal of the Southwest card.

Does the CSR allow authorized users? My husband is an authorized user on both my current cards, which I'd probably keep because I've had them a long time and they don't have annual fees, but I'd rather him be able to charge on the CSR.

If I were to get Priority Pass lounge access with the CSR and I was traveling with my husband and/or daughter, would only I as the cardholder be allowed into the lounge, or would all three of us be allowed in?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I assume CSR allows authorized users.

They do, but it costs (if I recall) $75 each.

I don't think I've made it beyond February without getting the $300 rebate back, and I don't travel all *that* much. Even without the incredible 100K signing bonus (or whatever it was), I doubt I'll ever switch away from this card.

I've also had really good luck transferring Chase miles to Frequent Flyer / Stayer program miles - you need to "plug in" each one of your programs on chase.com, but then it takes about 15 seconds to transfer miles, and they're recorded instantly (invariably, if you shop around, you'll get a better deal than 1.5 x Miles by transferring).

Priority Pass has proven to be pretty worthless to me - something of a "once a year" thing.

You never need to worry about rental car insurance again (which is often true, but it's certainly true here).

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanted to mention that I have found that the Amex travel booking for hotels and flights has gotten much more reasonable in cost.  It used to be that booking travel (when not using points solely) was more expensive through Amex, but nowadays they are often matching or beating the prices on the aggregates.  I have been using it a lot more frequently to book hotel rooms than I used to which is nice with some of the upgrades you get.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, the AMEX FHR benefit for Platinum cardholders, if you like staying at nice hotels, can be super-useful.  Sometimes there are stay 2 or 3 nights, get one free offers.  And many hotels throw in $100 in food/beverage, spa, or general use credit when you book through AMEX FHR.  Plus you get free breakfast for two (obviously more valuable at some properties than others), early check-in at noon if available, at least a one-category room upgrade if available, and guaranteed late checkout.  Their rates are often a bit higher than booking through the aggregators or hotels directly, but these ancillary benefits in the aggregate often more than make up for the rate difference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly, I got hotels in Bali at the Intercontinental for $30 more per night than the base Hotels.com rate, but we got a free upgrade to a huge room, free wifi, free breakfast which was more than $30 per night and we would have wanted the breakfast and wi-fi.  We booked our rooms in China at the Marriot at cheaper than expedia rate through Amex.  This wasn't always the case, so just wanted to point it out to anyone who hasn't been paying attention who is Amex Plat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to be simple minded about this, I paid the $450 for the CSR + $75 for my wife as authorized user/cardholder this year.  That's $525/year.  Two year total cost = $1050

I got $300 credit within a month by paying for my garage with the card (they consider this travel -- if they didn't, then my gas would've gotten me the rebate eventually even if I didn't do anything else).  This'll happen again next year.  That's $600.  I received 50,000 points for signing up, which can be used for cash at 1 cent/point.  That's $500.  Two year total credit = $1100.

So, the way I see it, the other major feature of 3x miles on my gas + restaurants is a perk, since my card is free for at least 2 years.   Quite a perk, as both my car and I eat a lot.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, silentbob said:

Yep, the AMEX FHR benefit for Platinum cardholders, if you like staying at nice hotels, can be super-useful.  Sometimes there are stay 2 or 3 nights, get one free offers.  And many hotels throw in $100 in food/beverage, spa, or general use credit when you book through AMEX FHR.  Plus you get free breakfast for two (obviously more valuable at some properties than others), early check-in at noon if available, at least a one-category room upgrade if available, and guaranteed late checkout.  Their rates are often a bit higher than booking through the aggregators or hotels directly, but these ancillary benefits in the aggregate often more than make up for the rate difference.

There are great benefits esp if you like nicer hotels.  In addition, they pay for your Global Entry every 5 years ($100) which is another great benefit (X2 if you have the companion card).  The 3rd night free is easy to book and with kids we have often received the breakfast for 4 when staying at a property, if not, the $100 credit can easily be used to cover the difference.  AMEX travel is a piece of cake to book travel through and we have had the pleasant experience as the costs are much more inline with other reservation methods. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/23/2018 at 12:27 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

The prices on the Chase website are the same as elsewhere.

I was reading the comments on a post at The Points Guy, and people were complaining about jacked up prices on the Chase portal. You haven't found that? People were also complaining about horrible customer service from Chase on their travel bookings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, dracisk said:

I was reading the comments on a post at The Points Guy, and people were complaining about jacked up prices on the Chase portal. You haven't found that? People were also complaining about horrible customer service from Chase on their travel bookings.

Just last week I was checking Trivago, Expedia, Hotels.com, Bookings, and Chase for a hotel room in Budapest.  I was only looking at 4* & 5* properties.  I ended up booking at Sofitel (5*) for $216/night.  For 2 nights, with taxes, it ended up being $506, and Chase applied 33,746 miles.  Just checked Sofitel's website - $500.  There may be some jacked up prices at Chase for hotel rooms but it's up to you to do your due diligence.  As for airfare, I've not seen any difference between Chase and major internet portals.

I know nothing about Chase's customer service.  

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Just last week I was checking Trivago, Expedia, Hotels.com, Bookings, and Chase for a hotel room in Budapest.  I was only looking at 4* & 5* properties.  I ended up booking at Sofitel (5*) for $216/night.  For 2 nights, with taxes, it ended up being $506, and Chase applied 33,746 miles.  Just checked Sofitel's website - $500.  There may be some jacked up prices at Chase for hotel rooms but it's up to you to do your due diligence.  As for airfare, I've not seen any difference between Chase and major internet portals.

I know nothing about Chase's customer service.  

I think Eric is right - I would never assume that Chase is out for anything other than Chase. They have very good *online* customer service, always replying to any emails within 24 hours, but I wouldn't bet the ranch on them helping me with an urgent issue on the phone.

I never rely on Chase's website for pricing - I do internet searches, and if I think I want a certain flight, or a certain hotel, I check the "points cost" on their websites. Then, I simply transfer my Chase points into their points programs (it happens instantly), and purchase the flight/hotel using points. This is, of course, assuming the total cost works out to a better rate than 1.5x the Chase points (which is the travel multiplier). Taking cash for your points may be tempting, but it's not the best use of this particular asset.

---

This is probably confusing, so here's a simple, hypothetical example:

Southwest has a roundtrip flight I want - the best price I can find is $450. 

You can purchase this using your Chase points for 30,000 points (1.5 x 30,000 points = $450, each point being worth a penny).

But if Southwest's website is offering the flight for 18,000 points, I can transfer my Chase points 1:1 into Southwest's points program, with the click of a button. 

After clicking the button, I'll have used 18,000 Chase points to purchase 18,000 Southwest points.

Then, I go to Southwest's website, and purchase the ticket using those 18,000 points.

It really is this easy, but it's important in advance to link up all your frequent-flier/stayer points with Chase's website, so you don't have to fumble around doing it when you need it done quickly. I strongly advise doing as many of these "link-ups" as you can when you have some free time.

---

An important thing for me is that Chase Sapphire Reserve has 3:1 points for restaurants and travel, so all my restaurant bills get triple points. Spending $6,000 on restaurants and travel will give me the 18,000 points needed to complete this process. Think about how much total savings that is - you're getting a $450 airline ticket for putting $6,000 on your credit card - that's a 7.5% perk. (Of note: I pulled that 18,000 figure out of thin air, but sometimes - especially if you're flexible as to flight dates and times - you really can find exceptional deals such as this (you can go onto various Chase partner websites and look for yourself, right now)).

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, dracisk said:

I was reading the comments on a post at The Points Guy, and people were complaining about jacked up prices on the Chase portal. You haven't found that? People were also complaining about horrible customer service from Chase on their travel bookings.

re: customer service; twice I've had to call Chase in order to create a complicated itinerary that couldn't be done on-line. Both times the rep was super friendly but obviously unskilled. One of those phone calls lasted an entire hour, even though I started armed with all the info: time, date, airline, flight number, seat number... One thing the AmExPt has going for it, their customer service is fantastic.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I applied for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Sunday night, was approved instantly, and just received the card (Tuesday afternoon). I like this card already!

(When I was approved, I think the website said I'd receive the card in 7-10 days. I read elsewhere that you can call and ask Chase to express the card free of charge, but I hadn't done that.)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're going to Japan next summer!  AMEX had a 30 percent bonus on Membership Rewards transfers to Virgin Atlantic (which is also a transfer partner for Chase Ultimate Rewards), where first class round-trip tickets on ANA are 120K miles (compared to 110K one-way on United).  So we managed to find two seats for the IAD-NRT non-stop and pulled the trigger, having to use "only" about 200K of our points saved up from sign-up bonuses and so forth.  I cleaned out our stash 125K of MR points which became 165K miles on Virgin Atlantic with the AMEX bonus and then used Chase for the remaining 75K.

These seats typically go for over $12K booking with cash, so we ended up getting 10 cents per point in redemption value on paper.  Of course we would never spend $12K on a plane ticket, so the true point value was somewhat lower, but this is one of those aspirational redemptions that AMEX and Chase make possible.

Exploiting redemption sweet spots in an airline's FF program helps too.  We're likely taking a side trip to Sapporo to see the lavender farms, and one-way flights on Japan Airlines (a OneWorld partner) cost only 4500 points in coach on British Airways Avios.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A new credit card for everyone's consideration -- the AMEX Gold (formerly called the Premier Rewards Gold).

4x Membership Rewards Points on restaurant AND supermarket spend, 3x on airfare.  Annual fee is $250, though you can get up to $100 back on airline fee reimbursement and $120 in dining reimbursement from Shake Shack, GrubHub, Seamless, et al. (up to $10 per month).

The bonus is slightly higher for restaurants and significantly higher for supermarkets than the Chase Sapphire Reserve, though the 3x on airfare is narrower than the Chase's 3x on broader travel categories.  My sense is that this card may be worth getting if you already have MR points through the AMEX Platinum, but not worth it if you're all-in on Ultimate Rewards instead.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...