The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Printable Version
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The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Hell_Is_Like_Newark - 02-01-2017
Quote: (02-01-2017 12:23 PM)AlphaRN Wrote:
Also, try using British Airlines reward search engine (they are a Cathay partner). You have to sign up, its free, but if something is available, they will usually find it.
That is what I did on my last trip to BKK. I used BA's search engine, which made putting my flights together so much easier. Most (but not all) an available seat via BA was also available when I called AA to actually book.
I ended up with my choice of business class seats with a long enough layover for my wife and I to use the lounges and showers in HKG. That way, we just dropped off our stuff at the hotel and went out on the town without delay.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Onto - 02-01-2017
Quote: (02-01-2017 12:23 PM)AlphaRN Wrote:
Onto, did you try breaking up the segments? Did you try getting Cathay Pacific just for your long flight, then using AA or another carrier for the other segments?
Also, try using British Airlines reward search engine (they are a Cathay partner). You have to sign up, its free, but if something is available, they will usually find it.
You can also do a search on United if you have UR (chase points). ANA and EVA are their higher rated partners and both fly into the United States. EVA is great with last minute rewards.
Thanks for the tips! I tried again to book on Alaska and this time I asked "Jenny", the online help person, what the number for booking partner awards was and she gave me a different number than what I had been using (from a travel blog). I got through to Alaska right away and got a 1st class CX in April. The first portion from SGN to HKG is in Biz and HK to the US is in First. Though I didn't try to do this, it will give me an opportunity to try out the Biz class for a short period of time.
I then booked another cash ticket for an AA regional carrier to get me to my final destination. I decided to pay $125 extra for a First Class seat on that because:
1) I have two large and overweight suitcases plus a guitar. From what I read, with First class you get two overweight bags for free and combined with a free bag from using my Citi Platinum Select card the guitar should be free as well.
2) I should be able to access their First Class lounge in the terminal for some drinks and food.
3) Better seat of course
With economy, I would've had to pay at least another $25 and potentially more for the guitar and much more for overweight bags. With First I will also get free same day re-routing if something happens to my itinerary. So I feel that extra money for First was a good value.
The only thing that will suck is having to pickup my bags after landing in the US, dragging them over to the other terminal and re-checking them. Though AA and CX are One World Alliance partners, the new rules are they wont check through bags unless the itinerary is on one ticket. I will try begging though when I check-in at SGN for my flight.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Global Entry - 02-01-2017
Onto, are you moving back to the USA? Or just storing belongings?
You may not have to actually drag things terminal to terminal - there may be a baggage transfer station in your terminal where baggage handlers can retag and forward your luggage back to the next flight. You'll still need to claim them at baggage claim, but might at least be able to avoid taking them around with you. Since you didnt say which airport you're flying into, though, impossible to say more.
Did you try to book the AA onward ticket with Alaska - sometimes with a phone booking they will make mistakes - and allowing two different non-AS airlines - well, I don't know if their system would accept that, but its usually worth a try. AA and AS are partners as well, as you likely know. I am assuming the route isn't one AS itself serves.
Otherwise, and certainly if its a longer flight within the USA, I think going for the F ticket over economy makes some sense for a non-elite passenger. However, give how much you redeem AA miles (it seems), you might consider an AA card, which, at low annual cost, provides a 10 percent rebate on all redemptions - use 70K for a biz class ticket, and they rebate 7K back to you.
Lastly, CX biz is indeed, fully flat seats. They have decent space and padding. Food is solid, tho I find the service a little robotic, but I'm nitpicking. I've done their F long haul four times so I've seen the difference, and in some ways, PE and J are more similar than J and F.
The SGN-HKG flight usually doesn't operate in three classes except if they sub out equipment because they need to move an airplane or do maintenance. I've flown short haul in true 777F once - HKG-MNL, and it was because of that.
You'll indeed be able to access the F lounges with an onward F ticket. I'd suggest the Pier, first and foremost, which has showers, a buffet of cold items near the bar/lounge and a full sit down restaurant with an extensive menu. If your layover is short, tho, then maybe just go to the one closest to your gate.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Onto - 02-01-2017
Global, I'm moving back to the USA for a while. Though I could live abroad indefinitely, I find I still long for work, something to do, and I like making money. I also want to develop a larger passive income stream over the next 5 years. At our age, there are only so many earning years left.
I also miss the geography/climate of the States and the material things of course. I had a lot of fun the past 5 months, but I have not had success in finding an LTR. Many girls, but nothing that would make me stay here, or bring one back home.
I do have the Citi AA card, and I have gotten that 10% rebate back in the past. Thanks for reminding me though, I completely forgot about it. I'm going to use the Alaska miles anyways, because I worry they will devalue again in the future and I have a lot of them. I will call Alaska and see if they can combine my tickets so my luggage can be forwarded.
Thanks for the baggage tip also.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - AlphaRN - 02-01-2017
Glad everything worked out. If you dont mind, how many miles did the tickets set you back?
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Onto - 02-02-2017
Quote: (02-01-2017 10:30 PM)AlphaRN Wrote:
Glad everything worked out. If you dont mind, how many miles did the tickets set you back?
It was 70,000 Alaska miles for First class CX from SGN to the US, plus $111 in fees.
The domestic flight to my final destination was a few hundred dollars. I probably could've tried using miles for that also. So for about $450, I'm flying First class door to door.
I could've done Business Class using 63,000 AA miles (70k - 10% back) and probably only have paid $30-$100. So thinking more about it, I'm paying about $400 more to fly First Class on the long haul and also having to grab my bags when I land in the States and potentially re-checking them.
Thinking more about it, I'm not sure it's worth the extra money, but I really did love the First Class experience of CX on the way here. Just hope I get the Asian based crew again instead of the US based. They really treated me like gold.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Kissinger2014 - 02-03-2017
For the Chase Sapphire Preferred would buying gift cards from Amazon or American Express count for my spending requirements? Otherwise I don't think I could meet the $4000 spending requirement. Looking at the terms and conditions, buying gift cards count, but I want to see if anyone else has had different experience.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - AlphaRN - 02-03-2017
Thanks onto, I think I am going to end up on Singapore Air next year with my remaining Chase points. JFK to Asia is only about 68K on there. Hard to pass up.
Kissinger,
Yes, gift cards count towards the required spend.
Also, United is currently offering 50K miles when signing up for their Chase card. If you have a mileage account (its free) most people are being offered 70K.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - John Michael Kane - 02-06-2017
https://slickdeals.net/f/9741412-roundtr...march-june
LA to Japan for less than $500 round trip.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - John Michael Kane - 02-10-2017
Virgin America has upcoming select dates that gets you from SF to Vegas, one-way for $29.
https://slickdeals.net/f/9756872-one-way...bruary-may
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Hypno - 02-10-2017
Quote: (02-03-2017 11:16 AM)Kissinger2014 Wrote:
For the Chase Sapphire Preferred would buying gift cards from Amazon or American Express count for my spending requirements? Otherwise I don't think I could meet the $4000 spending requirement. Looking at the terms and conditions, buying gift cards count, but I want to see if anyone else has had different experience.
Yes, I have done this successfully with the Chase Marriott card. It just shows up on the statement as a purchase at Amazon, and as a credit balance in your Amazon account. Your mileage may vary with the Sapphire card but I don't see why it would.
companies impose the minimum purchase requirement in order to (1) partially earn back through intercharge the premium they gave you, and (2) try to create a habit and get the card top of wallet (that's why there is a limited time to spend the money). Buying a credit at Amazon satisfies (1) but not really (2), so its not without risk. What I do is spend what I can on the card regularly. I call the credit card and find out exactly when the 3 month deadline is up, and I put a reminder on my calendar (a meeting on Outlook) 15 days before the deadline. On the 15 days left, I call the credit card and find out my total spending, and if I'm short then I buy a credit on amazon.
Other things you can do are to pay utility bills, insurance, tuition, auto payments, with the new card.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - John Michael Kane - 02-10-2017
If you're looking to buy a lot of gift cards to meet the spending requirements, you can check out this site: http://www.raise.com
They have gift cards for lots of major retailers. Whenever I sign up for a new credit card that has a spending requirement, but I don't have an immediate need for the money, I'll buy a lot of gift cards for later use.
Example: I'm just about to do a huge bathroom remodel in my home. It will cost me about $8,500. I took a brand new Chase Freedom Unlimited card card and bought $8500 worth of gift cards from raise.com. The giftcards were 8% off face value. So, 1.5% cash back plus 8% off face value means I did a $8500 project for $7692.50. I got an additional "opening account bonus" of $150, which brought the total down to $7142.50. So from $8500 to $7142.50. Not bad. I have 12 months to pay it off at 0% APR, and I've just improved the resale value of my home.
Those rewards credit cards are fantastic if you are disciplined and spend money on things that actually are an investment and don't live beyond your means.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Global Entry - 02-11-2017
JMK - thats really a terrific hack. Which gift cards were you able to buy to utilize. If you wouldn't mind, it would be great to hear about it step by step through the use of the gift cards. I don't know the I would have bought all that on a Chase Freedom (far better ways to earn bonus then spending on the Freedom (and ask one of us to provide a referral code, even for Chase Freedom someone would have gotten $100 from Chase) - there are cards which a spend of that magnitude would have yielded an additional 50K miles or points (AMEX and Chase BA card being two of the most well-known). Still, tho, bravo for the savings.
Quote: (02-10-2017 03:32 PM)John Michael Kane Wrote:
If you're looking to buy a lot of gift cards to meet the spending requirements, you can check out this site: http://www.raise.com
They have gift cards for lots of major retailers. Whenever I sign up for a new credit card that has a spending requirement, but I don't have an immediate need for the money, I'll buy a lot of gift cards for later use.
Example: I'm just about to do a huge bathroom remodel in my home. It will cost me about $8,500. I took a brand new Chase Freedom Unlimited card card and bought $8500 worth of gift cards from raise.com. The giftcards were 8% off face value. So, 1.5% cash back plus 8% off face value means I did a $8500 project for $7692.50. I got an additional "opening account bonus" of $150, which brought the total down to $7142.50. So from $8500 to $7142.50. Not bad. I have 12 months to pay it off at 0% APR, and I've just improved the resale value of my home.
Those rewards credit cards are fantastic if you are disciplined and spend money on things that actually are an investment and don't live beyond your means.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Hypno - 02-11-2017
Quote: (02-11-2017 09:48 AM)Global Entry Wrote:[/quote]
JMK - thats really a terrific hack. Which gift cards were you able to buy to utilize. If you wouldn't mind, it would be great to hear about it step by step through the use of the gift cards.
there are two concepts here - buying gift cards at a discount and buying them to satisfy your minimum spend.
buying the gift cards at a discount is easy. there are many sites that buy and sell gift cards, and they just take a percentage. pretty much any gift card you can imagine - Starbucks, SubWay, Oliver Garden, Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon, WalMart, Victoria secret, etc. Sometimes the discounts are even larger, sometimes less. Sometimes the card has a wierd amount on it, like $90.91. Its a good way to save a few bucks but can be labor intensive (in that personally its a hassle because of the mailing delays, losing the gift cards, etc., which is why I prefer Amazon). However, if i was doing a home remodel I can see how this would make a ton of sense.
as to the spend qualifying, of course most of these sites will accept credit cards. whether you get credit towards a promotion is really a matter of the company offering the promotion. Read the fine print AND call customer service of the company whose promotion you are trying to satisfy. I have done this via Amazon mostly for the bonuses with Chase Marriott, Delta Amex, and whatever company issues the American Airlines card.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Global Entry - 02-11-2017
I've been meaning to write a pretty basic entry - how do I book flights. Its basic, but at the same time its a pretty complex algorithm and I am sure I'm subjective about it some of the time, and also using my personal preferences (like flying with Asian flight attendants rather than white ones).
Where we goin'
First and foremost, whats your decision based on. Is it for a specific reason or just a "wanna get away."
Wanna get away is fun - what I mean is a trip anywhere. If cost is an issue (when isn't it, on a relative basis), the best tool for WGA trips (not on SW, I'm just using their slogan) is google flights. You can put in your potential departure points, the class of service you want and basically zoom in and out around the map for the whole world and see the prices for RT or one way flights. For everywhere, for date ranges, for special carriers and alliances.
So, if I want to leave Bangkok, where I'm currently posting up, and hit Europe for some civilization (haha), then I can set BKK, PEN, HKT, KUL (each of the other three cheap from BKK), for example, as my departure cities in Google Flights, and then pick one city in Europe (say, CDG - Paris). Once the search goes, it will also populate the rest of the map around Europe and tell you the relative prices of the various destinations. If you find a deal that you love, on a carrier you love, for a place you've wanted to visit, its time to get away.
However, the same approach works for trips one needs to take, either to visit a specific place for a purpose, or perhaps even because you want to retain status on an airline and are close. A few examples.
Last May, when i was going to Cannes, shit was really expensive from HKG to Nice, the nearest city to Cannes. But using google flights, I saw in biz class very cheap tickets from BKK to Budapest, for whatever reason. And I saw I could get from BUD to NCE very cheaply in economy after a few days in BUD, a city I had wanted to visit anyway. So rather than an expensive biz class ticket to NCE, a cheap one to BUD, with a cheap second flight in econ. to connect to NCE. A mini-vacation, cash saved, bingo.
Another example...two years ago, when closing in on top status with American Airlines (which used to be quite valuable), I needed about 10K EQM to make it. I was again, at that time, spending most of my time close to HKG airport. it was the end of the year, approaching Xmas season, and ticket prices were bumping. Using google flights for a biz class search, I located a RT from BKK to Seoul, Korea (BKK is a good place to test for cheap biz class flights as many cheap flights in J leave from BKK - other cities in Asia with good J prices tend to be the ones I mentioned above, and sometimes in Vietnam or certain places in Indonesia. For Europe, check Scandinavian countries and Dublin for good exit points in J, tho in general Europe has gotten pretty cheap).
Anyway, I found that flight, ran the numbers and saw it would put me just over the line for top status. No way to find that out without using google flights (or ITA, which is run on the same engine as google flights). I booked the tickets, took the ride, earned about as many RDM in value as the flight cost, and got lounges, upgrades (on AA but also CX, quite frequently) and assorted other benefits including bonus RDM on earnings) for another year.
A few notes on google flights. Its good and usually the best place to start to try to narrow things down. However, its not perfect. Searching some airlines, Malaysia and Garuda for example, directly (and even Qatar), I've seen specialty pricing that google doesn't capture. Why - I've no ideas but depending on your route, as a gut check consider some direct searched on carrier's sites.
Google is good, but if you're an economy flyer don't forget some of the discounters. Orbitz usually shows up directly in google, but some of the prices that might show up in websites like kiwi.com, Qunar.com (chinese), Ctrip.com & Elong, (Chinese) and Momondo may be lower that what's found in google (or google may reflect them, tho not usually the Chinese ones). I've often found flights cheaper in China on Ctrip than were available as the carrier had only provided access to the deep saver fares to Ctrip.
How to Travel.
I generally look at value more than anything else. I don't book expensive business class tickets (and make sure I generally don't need to, as I can use miles - the more expensive the biz class seat, the better the inherent value of redeeming miles for it). I book cheap, length business class tickets with large redeemable miles earnings which serve as a discount on the tickets themselves, a rebate to be used on future trips (and also, with the added benefit of flying further meaning you move that much closer to status for the subsequent year).
Another example. I'm flying to the USA in the next few days. Rather than flying from SE Asia across the pacific (the short way), I found a very inexpensive ticket in J on a great carrier via the mid-east. My flight time increases - I have some additional transit time. But the next cost of my ticket in business from SE Asia to California (using the miles earned as a rebate at say, 2c per miles), is 400 USD for the ticket. RT. In biz. On a carrier all would agree is top ten, if not higher.
However, I'm not adverse at all to booking economy on discount carriers. If one cannot find a valuable reward ticket redemption (no avail, bad values), it can, for flights of a certain length, be by far the best value. I fly Air Asia pretty frequently (I tend to pay for the front row of economy - love those red uniforms). They fly many routes directly that one could only fly with a major carrier indirectly. They are cheap as fuck. And I've been lucky with them not being delayed, tho that means I'm due. But again, its about value...last year, flying from Medan to Penang, I could have flown MH, through KUL, for double the price and three times the travel time as my cheap Air Asia flight direct. Done the same recently for HKG to SIN, as the Cathay and Singapore direct flights are very expensive between those cities (and not great values for booking with miles with AA miles - SG bookings are not always available), but Jetstar (not a fan, but I got there) was really really cheap.
Miles Vs. Cash
This is fairly straightforward. First of all, if you're booking economy (or even biz) redemptions at less than 2c per mile using miles you earned from every day spending (not from sign up bonuses, perhaps, tho one could argue the same), then stop. Just stop. Sign up for a cash card with 2 percent back, an simplify your life. Or start flying premium. But those redemptions are uneconomic.
In general, I'd say, you should aim to be achieving north of 2.5 cents per mile on all redemptions of airline miles or you shouldn't be using them (there are exceptions, and also, the more miles you have the less each additional one has in value to you. And Delta). I'd also include SPG points, AMEX MR, Chase UR and CitiTY points in this - 2.5 and up. 3 would be even better. And if below 2c/point, see the previous paragraph.
Why? Well, I've discussed why the baseline is 2c/point. Because you can get a card that will give you that in cash. If you can get that in cash, then you can buy that ticket, earn the miles for flying it (which you wont when you trade points for a reward ticket), get status (or toward it) for flying on a revenue ticket, etc. I goosed it up to 2.5 because on an award, youre forgoing all these additional benefits (including the mileage earnings (and think outside the box - don't credit AA to AA if the earnings are shitty, perhaps credit to CX or Alaska). Since you get none of these things, its not an even swap - a redemption should have a higher value in c/point than a cash back card. By some amount. 25 percent is arbitrary - make up your own mind.
AMEX has actually done something really interesting. They've basically allowed card holders (across two cards for now, tho there is a promotion that makes both of the following available on just the business platinum for a limited period of time - registration required, and its targeted) to earn 5x points for flight bookings - and to redeem those points on any business class ticket, or on any of your primary airline choice's tickets, at 2c/MR point. For money spent on airline tickets (from the carrier), thats an amazing 10 percent off biz class and your primary carrier's tickets. Of course its just on your airline spend (you're still getting a minimum 2/c per point on all other tickets when you redeem points spent on non-airline or other bonus spend).
The promotion of 5x earnings is on the personal platinum (tho its been made available on a targeted basis for a few months on certain biz platinum cards). The 2c/MR redemption is a biz card attribute (its 1c/MR on the personal platinum, still good but not nearly as compelling).
But the important part here is two-fold. First of all, these are not award redemptions - these are revenue tickets. Again, earn status, redeemable miles, etc etc with these tickets. So 2/c a mile, but with the benefits of having purchased the ticket.
And even more importantly, its not based on award availability. These are tickets that are revenue - its whats being sold for your travel dates. You don't have to twist yourself into a knot trying to find an available award - you can simply book whats out there.
The benefit is double on premium class tickets (and your chosen carrier).
It can be counterintuitive. Another example, I had to book a flight for a friend. It was close to Chinese New Year, and everything out of SZ was way pricey - 300 bucks for a coach ticket, one way, for an hour flight. Fuck me.
Air France had no availability to book the Chinese sky team partner flying the route, even after keeping me on hold for thirty minutes to figure this out. Fun fun.
However, using AMEX's travel website, I realized that business class seats were marginally more expensive than coach seats (340USD vs. 300) and available. THIS IS OFTEN THE CASE WITH USA DOMESTIC CARRIERS ON DOMESTIC ROUTES, nowadays.
So using AMEX MR points to book the flight, I used 17,000 points to book a 340 F class flight, rather than spending the 300 for the economy seat. It wasn't an amazing deal, but I was tight for cash that month, and there was no award availability. I don't like booking revenue tickets (this is a revenue tickets) much for folks you know wont use the earned miles, but again, I had to book the ticket and saved spending the cash.
I recently did this for myself (much better) on a MH ticket to Bali from Bangkok. A 400 dollar ticket RT in biz (already a great deal) becomes even better when it can be booked for 20,000 MR points on any date the fare is available, and still earn back around 10,000 AA points due to it being a J revenue ticket, and my status with the airlines.
I'm guessing there might be some questions, so I've leave it at this.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - debeguiled - 02-11-2017
I was listening to a magician being interviewed on a podcast and he said he has a sure fire method for getting upgrades. First, he gets a tiny circular red sticker, and attaches it to his i.d. right over his nose.
While the counter person is puzzling over the i.d., he slips a clown nose over his nose, so when she looks up, he matches his i.d..
Asks for upgrade.
I have not tested this. Seems plausible though.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - samsamsam - 02-11-2017
Quote: (02-11-2017 12:49 PM)debeguiled Wrote:
I was listening to a magician being interviewed on a podcast and he said he has a sure fire method for getting upgrades. First, he gets a tiny circular red sticker, and attaches it to his i.d. right over his nose.
While the counter person is puzzling over the i.d., he slips a clown nose over his nose, so when she looks up, he matches his i.d..
Asks for upgrade.
I have not tested this. Seems plausible though.
I can see the airports being flooded by this and then the counter people will be unimpressed.
"That was so last year, nice try, here is your cattle call ticket, have a nice flight"
![[Image: biggrin.gif]](https://rooshvforum.network/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - debeguiled - 02-11-2017
Kind of like girls saying, "Are you negging me?"
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - John Michael Kane - 02-11-2017
Quote: (02-11-2017 09:48 AM)Global Entry Wrote:
JMK - thats really a terrific hack. Which gift cards were you able to buy to utilize. If you wouldn't mind, it would be great to hear about it step by step through the use of the gift cards. I don't know the I would have bought all that on a Chase Freedom (far better ways to earn bonus then spending on the Freedom (and ask one of us to provide a referral code, even for Chase Freedom someone would have gotten $100 from Chase) - there are cards which a spend of that magnitude would have yielded an additional 50K miles or points (AMEX and Chase BA card being two of the most well-known). Still, tho, bravo for the savings.
Quote: (02-10-2017 03:32 PM)John Michael Kane Wrote:
If you're looking to buy a lot of gift cards to meet the spending requirements, you can check out this site: http://www.raise.com
They have gift cards for lots of major retailers. Whenever I sign up for a new credit card that has a spending requirement, but I don't have an immediate need for the money, I'll buy a lot of gift cards for later use.
Example: I'm just about to do a huge bathroom remodel in my home. It will cost me about $8,500. I took a brand new Chase Freedom Unlimited card card and bought $8500 worth of gift cards from raise.com. The giftcards were 8% off face value. So, 1.5% cash back plus 8% off face value means I did a $8500 project for $7692.50. I got an additional "opening account bonus" of $150, which brought the total down to $7142.50. So from $8500 to $7142.50. Not bad. I have 12 months to pay it off at 0% APR, and I've just improved the resale value of my home.
Those rewards credit cards are fantastic if you are disciplined and spend money on things that actually are an investment and don't live beyond your means.
I bought about 45 virtual giftcards or "e-certificates" from raise.com. They aren't physical gift cards. You have to print them out and bring them in to the store. A bit of a hassle to make the cashier scan all that, but if it saves you nearly a $1000, I think it is well worth it. I bought all the giftcards for Home Depot. They also have gift cards for Ace Hardware, Lowes, etc. You can also find common restaurant chains in there. I'm not a big fan of eating out, as I see it as a controllable expense. I think rewards credit cards are bested viewed as a financial tool for the well-behaved. If you have a problem with uncontrolled spending, they are a risky temptation. If you budget your life accordingly, and have a disciplined view towards finances, these rewards cards are fantastic, especially when paired with gift cards for a purchase you were going to make anyways.
I got the Freedom Unlimited card because I already have 35+ other of the most commonly available rewards cards. I have over $300K in unused credit lines across all cards. It is hard to find a card I don't already have. Was that the most efficient card for the job? No, but they gave me a $18,000 credit line and 15 months of 0% APR. To me, sometimes I just prefer to float expenses more than rack up travel miles. I already have maxed out the signup bonuses for other cards that I would literally have to cancel, wait a year and then reapply. That's a hassle and it hits your credit score.
Quote: (02-11-2017 10:09 AM)Hypno Wrote:
Quote: (02-11-2017 09:48 AM)Global Entry Wrote:
JMK - thats really a terrific hack. Which gift cards were you able to buy to utilize. If you wouldn't mind, it would be great to hear about it step by step through the use of the gift cards.
there are two concepts here - buying gift cards at a discount and buying them to satisfy your minimum spend.
buying the gift cards at a discount is easy. there are many sites that buy and sell gift cards, and they just take a percentage. pretty much any gift card you can imagine - Starbucks, SubWay, Oliver Garden, Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon, WalMart, Victoria secret, etc. Sometimes the discounts are even larger, sometimes less. Sometimes the card has a wierd amount on it, like $90.91. Its a good way to save a few bucks but can be labor intensive (in that personally its a hassle because of the mailing delays, losing the gift cards, etc., which is why I prefer Amazon). However, if i was doing a home remodel I can see how this would make a ton of sense.
as to the spend qualifying, of course most of these sites will accept credit cards. whether you get credit towards a promotion is really a matter of the company offering the promotion. Read the fine print AND call customer service of the company whose promotion you are trying to satisfy. I have done this via Amazon mostly for the bonuses with Chase Marriott, Delta Amex, and whatever company issues the American Airlines card.
The first thing everyone needs to do financially speaking is to budget. That means track all your income and expenses. I budgeted $8500 of extra funds I had laying around for home improvement, my other expenses are already paid for the month. That was "extra" money if you will. From there, I did research on the type of bathtub I wanted, the light fixtures, the floor tiles etc. I checked for reviews and sale promos. Once I picked everything I wanted from Home Depot, I had a total dollar amount, including taxes that I needed to cover. Over the course of several weeks, I bought up thousands of dollars with of "e-certificate" gift cards that I printed out. I brought 40+ of them into the store and placed my order for all the supplies.
In summary:
1. Budget. It doesn't make sense to buy anything on a credit card that you can't easily pay off once the 0% APR expires. A few thousand bonus points will never beat the 14.99% or higher APR you will pay if you carry debt. ONLY BUY WHAT YOU NEED! Budget first, so you know what you can afford. List all your income, expenses and investments. You can use tools like http://www.mint.com to keep track of things.
2. If you're going to splurge on a big ticket item, check out http://www.raise.com or http://www.giftcardgranny.com, or http://www.ebay.com. All of them sell gift cards for less than face value amounts. Check the resellers' ratings! Google is your friend. Do your homework and don't buy from scammers. Only buy gift cards that you plan on using within 30 days, that way you can always call your credit card company to file a dispute in case someone tried to scam you. There are limitations as to how long you can go when it comes to disputing a transaction. Read the fine print in the credit card that you're going to use to make the gift card purchase.
3. Determine what is more important to you:
A. Paying off a balance over time (some cards like the Citi Simplicity give you 0% APR intro on purchases for 21 months!) or
B. Maxing out rewards points (AMEX, Chase tend to have the best deals for large ticket purchases)
C. Apply for a card that matches your objective based above. If you're doing a huge home improvement project, keep in mind that Memorial Day and Thanksgiving often have some of the best sales on tools and the like. Shop seasonally.
4. Use the gift cards as soon as you get them. Buy them at the point of need and make sure that the full value of the card is actually on there before you go to the store. Call the retailer's automated phone number to check the balance, or go online to their website. If the seller gave you a card less than the value advertised, just make sure to contest it immediately. I don't buy from sellers with shady reviews or no reviews, so I've never been burnt. Still, it doesn't hurt to be cautious. Always remember to call your credit card company ASAP if you get scammed. They will refund the charge.
5. Pay off the debt! Credit cards are great for spreading your expenses out over time, but that's why you need to budget. Don't overspend and live beyond your means. Credit card companies make a living off your lack of discipline. If you budget properly, this won't be a problem. Used properly, you'll get the best of both worlds: An interest-free loan for a year or sometimes more, plus rewards points, plus gift card discounts on top of it.
6. Beyond gift cards, you should always pay your recurring bills with a rewards credit card. PenFed has a 5% cash back on gas, US Bank Visa has 5% on cell phone bills, and I use my Citi Double Cash 2% to pay my electric, garbage and natural gas bills. Never leave free money on the table. When it comes to bills you can't avoid like utilities, gym, car insurance, etc, if the company allows you to pay with a credit card without an extra fee, do it!
7. In case you didn't get it before, don't be a points/cash back slave! Buy only what you actually need and can afford, and you'll beat them at their own game. Don't budget and you'll get deep in debt. Be smart!
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Hypno - 02-12-2017
another place to buy or sell gift cards is cardpool.com
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Mentavious - 02-15-2017
I've been using ebates.com alot as well.
I just received a$300 dollar check from last quarter on top of the points, miles, cash back, etc I gained.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - swuglyfe - 02-16-2017
The Amex personal and biz plat are a real good 1-2 punch combo, max out airfare MR point intake with the personal, boost redemption value while still earning award miles, EQMs, and EQDs with the biz plat. They'll definitely be part of my final set of cards when I've run through all the others I intend to churn, but that won't be for some time.
I'm fine with that state of affairs for the moment, though, because all of the air travel I currently do for work goes through central booking, not my personal card, so I can't gain upside from spend that way.
Does anyone know if both plats are charge cards, not credit cards? Amex's current rule is a max of 5 credit cards, but charge cards don't count against it.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Global Entry - 02-17-2017
Guys, the SPG bonuses have been bounced to 35K, so grab a referral bonus from me, and apply. With transfer bonuses at 25%, the take once you hit minimum spend is around 50K airline miles, easily approaching 1,000 USD in value for a 99 dollar card. Hit me up with your email, or someone up for their referral (please), but don't miss this. Very likely to be the best, and last, good bonus before these cards both disappear.
EDIT:
I just checked - not sure the 35K offer is available with a referral bonus from another card holder. That may be at the 25K level - anyone know? Obviously, apply for the 35K card, not the 25K with a referral. I'll try to check Flyertalk to see if there's a way to access the 35K SPG offer with a referral.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Hypno - 02-17-2017
GE, not sure, but the 35K offer is really 25K +10K. You get 25K for spending $3000 in the first 3 months, and then another 10K for spending another $2000 within the first 6 months. So its a $5,000 spend but you have 6 months to do it. Since they are putting additional requirements on the extra points, I would expect people you refer to receive the extra 10K points.
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts - Global Entry - 02-17-2017
Here's the confirmation (of sorts). So yes, everyone should use someone's referral code. Thanks Hypno for the clarification.
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2...r-friends/
Quote: (02-17-2017 02:21 PM)Hypno Wrote:
GE, not sure, but the 35K offer is really 25K +10K. You get 25K for spending $3000 in the first 3 months, and then another 10K for spending another $2000 within the first 6 months. So its a $5,000 spend but you have 6 months to do it. Since they are putting additional requirements on the extra points, I would expect people you refer to receive the extra 10K points.