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I am sure this has been asked, but I cannot seem to find it. I have 120K points on my Chase Sapphire Preferred card (whoo hoo for the 50K signup bonus!). I have a trip to Paris coming up and I planned to use the points to get our hotel room. However, when I look at the Chase point reservations system I have noticed that, in general, I am better off converting it to cash and booking on Hotels.com I can also transfer the points to other major hotel groups and it seems to be the same deal there. I am better off on Hotels.com Am I missing something or should I just take the $1,200?
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Jun 7, 2013 21:31
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Tai-Pan posted:I am sure this has been asked, but I cannot seem to find it. Can't you convert Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt points (or something like that) and then book with that?
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Jun 7, 2013 22:38
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Tai-Pan posted:Am I missing something or should I just take the $1,200? Figure out what the value of the points are if you don't change them (i.e. how many nights can you book, and how much would they cost at the normal rate), do the same thing for what they would be worth if you transfered them to another program. Is either of those more than $1200? If not, then cash out, if they are, then use that. For example I am trying to burn through most of my airline/hotel points this year so I have a room booked in NYC in August that cost me 70,000 a night in Hilton points. But that same room would be $450 a night after taxes, so I'm getting about .65 cents per point. I also have a room booked in Munich for Oktoberfest that is costing me 34,000 a night for a room that would be going for about $500, so for that week I'm getting closer to 1.4 cents per point. So which is better is going to depend on how much a point is worth at the specific time and place you plan on staying. Since you can convert to different chain's points the value won't be the same for every chain. Thoguh fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Jun 8, 2013 |
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Jun 8, 2013 02:27
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Thoguh posted:For example I am trying to burn through most of my airline/hotel points this year so I have a room booked in NYC in August that cost me 70,000 a night in Hilton points. But that same room would be $450 a night after taxes, so I'm getting about .65 cents per point. I also have a room booked in Munich for Oktoberfest that is costing me 34,000 a night for a room that would be going for about $500, so for that week I'm getting closer to 1.4 cents per point. So which is better is going to depend on how much a point is worth at the specific time and place you plan on staying. Since you can convert to different chain's points the value won't be the same for every chain. This is kind of a misleading way to value points. You should be comparing the value to a room you would be willing to pay for, not to what the room is being priced at. If you would never pay $450 for a room when a "good enough" one next door is going for $250, your actual value is not 0.65 cents per point - it is 0.36 cents per point. NOTE: I'm not saying a very similar room is in fact available next door, I'm just saying don't value the points at the MSRP of the redemption you are claiming. I never understood people valuing their airline miles at some absurd multiple because they were redeeming 100K miles for a business class ticket that was being priced at $20,000 (20 cents per point!?). I would never pay $20,000 for a business class ticket if I could fly in coach for $2,000. Maybe I would pay an extra $2,000 ($4,000 total) to avoid coach, in which case the actual value of my points would be 4 cents per point, still very high, but much more realistic. Bottom line is value points off of your willingness to pay, not off of MSRP of whatever you are redeeming them for. edit: The one exception to not valuing points at MSRP is when your travel plans are completely inflexible (ex: funeral, wedding, etc.). In this case, if you MUST stay in a particular hotel on particular dates, or you MUST fly on a particular flight in a particular class on particular dates, your only other alternative would have been to pay MSRP. Pissingintowind fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Jun 8, 2013 |
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Jun 8, 2013 03:20
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Pissingintowind posted:This is kind of a misleading way to value points. You should be comparing the value to a room you would be willing to pay for, not to what the room is being priced at. If you would never pay $450 for a room when a "good enough" one next door is going for $250, your actual value is not 0.65 cents per point - it is 0.36 cents per point. NOTE: I'm not saying a very similar room is in fact available next door, I'm just saying don't value the points at the MSRP of the redemption you are claiming. I agree with what you are saying. Points are only worth what you are substituting them for. But if you are going to be staying at a specific location (in this case Paris) at a specific time (whenever his/her vacation is) and want to use points to pay for it, it is a worthwhile comparison. Especially since cashing them out a 1 cent a point is an option. Thoguh fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Jun 8, 2013 |
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Jun 8, 2013 03:39
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Pissingintowind posted:I never understood people valuing their airline miles at some absurd multiple because they were redeeming 100K miles for a business class ticket that was being priced at $20,000 (20 cents per point!?). I would never pay $20,000 for a business class ticket if I could fly in coach for $2,000. Maybe I would pay an extra $2,000 ($4,000 total) to avoid coach, in which case the actual value of my points would be 4 cents per point, still very high, but much more realistic. Small White Dragon fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Jun 8, 2013 |
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Jun 8, 2013 04:10
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Thoguh posted:I agree with what you are saying. Points are only worth what you are substituting them for. But if you are going to be staying at a specific location (in this case Paris) at a specific time (whenever his/her vacation is) and want to use points to pay for it, it is a worthwhile comparison. Especially since cashing them out a 1 cent a point is an option. Agreed! We're on the same page. Small White Dragon posted:Valuation is very subjective. If you can get something better with the points, and that difference matters to you, then you can't really compare in the matter you suggest. I disagree. What I proposed accounts exactly for subjective value. Note that I said you should be basing value off of what you would be willing to pay, not some standard agreed upon value for "room" or "flight". So if Thoguh's willingness to pay for the $450 MSRP wasn't the $450 MSRP, and it also wasn't the $250 "comparable" room next door, but it was $300 because that's what the convenience of that particular room was worth to him, then his value calculation would be based off of that $300. edit: Goddamn, I love  ing about points.
Pissingintowind fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Jun 8, 2013 |
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Jun 8, 2013 04:28
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If its short enough for me to pay for, I will pay for it and fly economy every time. If its too long I will only fly biz/first and use points and miles. So in my case I don't ever view there really being an alternative. It makes the difference between going and not.
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Jun 8, 2013 06:04
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Pissingintowind posted:I disagree. What I proposed accounts exactly for subjective value. Note that I said you should be basing value off of what you would be willing to pay, not some standard agreed upon value for "room" or "flight". So if Thoguh's willingness to pay for the $450 MSRP wasn't the $450 MSRP, and it also wasn't the $250 "comparable" room next door, but it was $300 because that's what the convenience of that particular room was worth to him, then his value calculation would be based off of that $300. The value should be based on the cost of the cheapest acceptable substitute. If you really want to use your points to fly business class to the other side of the world but aren't willing to pay for it, the value you got isn't 0. If I'm willing to a pay a million dollars for a room I got for 1600 starpoints, the value certainly isn't 62,500 cents per point.
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Jun 8, 2013 07:47
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Small White Dragon posted:What? No, it doesn't. What you're willing to pay need varies from person to person, and does not necessarily have a relation to what the cost of the item may be. That's exactly what I was trying to say. Maybe I phrased it poorly.
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Jun 8, 2013 16:46
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Hoo boy, got platinum on United today.
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Jun 8, 2013 23:17
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Small White Dragon posted:Can't you convert Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt points (or something like that) and then book with that? Yes, but that is what I was saying about other hotel groups (Honers, Starwood, etc). But in most cases it seems to be 20% more expensive than the cash value.
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Jun 9, 2013 02:42
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What is some really good/durable luggage for frequent traveling? Samsonite? Tumi? What are the good things that frequent travelers use?
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Jun 10, 2013 21:20
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Vomik posted:What is some really good/durable luggage for frequent traveling? Samsonite? Tumi? What are the good things that frequent travelers use? It isn't cheap, but Red Oxx has great quality. I don't think I could damage those bags if I tried. I have an Air Boss and a Sky Train. The Air Boss holds more but I tend to use the Sky Train more often because of the backpack straps.
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Jun 10, 2013 21:43
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Vomik posted:What is some really good/durable luggage for frequent traveling? Samsonite? Tumi? What are the good things that frequent travelers use? I like Briggs & Riley, but Tumi and Travelpro are also good choices.
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Jun 10, 2013 21:44
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Vomik posted:What is some really good/durable luggage for frequent traveling? Samsonite? Tumi? What are the good things that frequent travelers use? I use a Rimowa Salsa Deluxe - http://www.rimowa.de that has lasted me about 500,000 miles or so and is still near perfect. Tumi is also another great choice and I like their built in suiters.
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Jun 10, 2013 21:52
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Is there such a thing as a checkpoint friendly bag that can carry two laptops? It doesn't need to carry a huge amount of other stuff - chargers, mouse, kindle, and the folder I keep my receipts from my current trip in would be plenty, though I wouldn't say no to more space. I prefer a backpack, but I'll use a shoulder bag in a pinch. Every nice checkpoint friendly bag I've seen only holds one laptop in a nice protected checkpoint friendly space, and having to take out two laptops + take off my shoes whenever I fly, plus emptying my pockets means I'm the rear end in a top hat in line with four bins getting stared at everytime I fly.
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Jun 10, 2013 23:08
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CaptainPsyko posted:Is there such a thing as a checkpoint friendly bag that can carry two laptops? That's me too, my record is 5 bins. Just do it and don't give a gently caress; I find I'm often much faster unloading into my 5 bins than most people are into their 1 or 2. It helps if you stack the bins on top of each other once they're loaded so you're not hogging table space and then unstack them to feed into the X-ray.
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Jun 11, 2013 01:20
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Well, yeah, I do it and give no fucks now, but god I wish I didn't have to take out the laptops. (My record is 8, I was carrying a box full of hard drives in my other carry on bag, and they made me lay them out in one layer per bin)
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Jun 11, 2013 01:53
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Seconding the B&R on luggage. Expensive, but lifetime warranty and service. You shouldn't have anything in your pockets when you get to the security area. Seriously, unload your pockets into the top most pouch of your carry on bag. It should be shoes+belt+liquids in 1 bin, laptop in the next. What else do you have to scan? Send your luggage on the belt, it doesn't need a bin.
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Jun 11, 2013 03:20
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FunOne posted:Seconding the B&R on luggage. Expensive, but lifetime warranty and service. Yeah, I even put my shoes into my carry on, so I just have one bin (laptop and toiletries) and my bag. Mainly because I always opt out and go for the patdown so that makes it easier on the agent who grabs my stuff and carries it over to the groping area.
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Jun 11, 2013 03:25
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FunOne posted:Seconding the B&R on luggage. Expensive, but lifetime warranty and service. 2 laptops, a bin with shoes/belt/liquids, is the minimum, which is 3, plus a bin for my coat in wintertime. The backpack often goes through in a fourth/fifth just because I've had the straps catch on conveyors one too many times for my taste. Regardless, this is getting away from the point of my question, which is taking out multiple laptops for security is a pain in the rear end, regardless of how many bins I end up using, and I am jealous of TSA approved laptop cases, but want to know if there are any that will carry two laptops.
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Jun 11, 2013 03:36
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CaptainPsyko posted:Is there such a thing as a checkpoint friendly bag that can carry two laptops? The bag you are looking for is called "pre-check".
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Jun 11, 2013 15:04
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Shbobdb posted:The bag you are looking for is called "pre-check". I don't fly enough to justify the hassle; 90% of my travel is overland. But I'm looking for a new bag for laptops and such anyway, so I figured I'd try to get one that makes flying easier too. (I clock as much time away from home as lots of this thread, but I drive to places usually.)
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Jun 11, 2013 15:50
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CaptainPsyko posted:Is there such a thing as a checkpoint friendly bag that can carry two laptops? Do you care that you'd have to take one of the laptops out? I can't think of ANY bags that do a checkpoint friendly design for two laptops. With that said, I love the Tumi T-Pass line for this, although I just upgraded to a Tumi Arrive as I am pre-check 100% of the time now: Briefcases: http://www.tumi.com/family/index.jsp?size=1000&sort=&categoryId=4110890&f=PAD&fg=Features&fv=Features%2FT-Pass&fd=T-Pass Backpacks: http://www.tumi.com/family/index.jsp?size=1000&sort=&categoryId=4151194&f=PAD&fg=Features&fv=Features%2FT-Pass&fd=T-Pass
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Jun 11, 2013 16:13
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CaptainPsyko posted:I don't fly enough to justify the hassle; 90% of my travel is overland. But I'm looking for a new bag for laptops and such anyway, so I figured I'd try to get one that makes flying easier too. Uh, you'd rather take all your stuff out and use five bins than have to take nothing out at all? PreCheck is the best thing to happen to America since beer and it is worth whatever effort you have to go through to get it.
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Jun 11, 2013 18:20
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Mackieman posted:PreCheck is the best thing to happen to America since beer and it is worth whatever effort you have to go through to get it. The only thing I hate about PreCheck is that it isn't at my home airport. Jerks.
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Jun 11, 2013 18:44
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CaptainPsyko posted:I don't fly enough to justify the hassle; You're confusing PreCheck with Global Traveler, or whatever that customs streamlining thing is. PreCheck is something your preferred airline sponsors you for if you have status. You don't actually do anything to get it other than fly a lot and make sure your name and birthdate are properly entered in your frequent flyer profile.
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Jun 11, 2013 18:46
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PreCheck is great if the line is actually open *shakes fist at DCA, SFO, and every other airport where I've found the PreCheck line closed*
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Jun 11, 2013 18:52
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Question about pre-check. I've got my Global Entry (thank you Amex Platinum), and I've entered my GOES number into my Delta profile as well as whenever I book a ticket (I use AE Traveler). However, I've never been flagged for Pre-Check. I'm Platinum on Delta, I always travel through LGA or DCA, and I've got a non-Arab sounding name. What gives?
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Jun 11, 2013 19:06
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Thoguh posted:You're confusing PreCheck with Global Traveler, or whatever that customs streamlining thing is. PreCheck is something your preferred airline sponsors you for if you have status. You don't actually do anything to get it other than fly a lot and make sure your name and birthdate are properly entered in your frequent flyer profile. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know much about PreCheck. How much status do you need to have to get sponsored? These days I'm only doing 25-40K miles a year, almost exclusively personal travel on United. I'm guessing that isn't enough since I haven't heard anything.
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Jun 11, 2013 19:06
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Thoguh posted:You're confusing PreCheck with Global Traveler, or whatever that customs streamlining thing is. PreCheck is something your preferred airline sponsors you for if you have status. You don't actually do anything to get it other than fly a lot and make sure your name and birthdate are properly entered in your frequent flyer profile. I don't have status with the airlines, because I don't fly a lot. That's my point. I have top tier status with 5 hotel chains, but when I made Delta Silver a few years back it was a minor miracle.
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Jun 11, 2013 19:10
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sink the biz posted:Question about pre-check. I've got my Global Entry (thank you Amex Platinum), and I've entered my GOES number into my Delta profile as well as whenever I book a ticket (I use AE Traveler). However, I've never been flagged for Pre-Check. I'm Platinum on Delta, I always travel through LGA or DCA, and I've got a non-Arab sounding name. What gives? That is super weird. Are you enrolled in Pre-Check with Delta?
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Jun 11, 2013 19:17
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Thoguh posted:You're confusing PreCheck with Global Traveler, or whatever that customs streamlining thing is. PreCheck is something your preferred airline sponsors you for if you have status. You don't actually do anything to get it other than fly a lot and make sure your name and birthdate are properly entered in your frequent flyer profile.
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Jun 11, 2013 19:22
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CaptainPsyko posted:I don't have status with the airlines, because I don't fly a lot. That's my point. I have top tier status with 5 hotel chains, but when I made Delta Silver a few years back it was a minor miracle. $100 for 5 years of global entry that includes precheck is worth the cost. Also Amex plat covers it as part of the membership fee.
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Jun 11, 2013 21:31
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I didn't realize Global Entry was linked to PreCheck. I very rarely travel internationally but if I fall off of being elite on Delta that might be worth it. PreCheck eligibility is weird though. You'd think it would be tied to something like having a security clearence. But no, it is just tied to whether you have status or are willing to pay for Global Entry.
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Jun 11, 2013 22:30
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Thoguh posted:I didn't realize Global Entry was linked to PreCheck. I very rarely travel internationally but if I fall off of being elite on Delta that might be worth it. Pretty sure people with clearances are just as happy not to share that fact with airlines.
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Jun 12, 2013 00:14
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Thoguh posted:I didn't realize Global Entry was linked to PreCheck. I very rarely travel internationally but if I fall off of being elite on Delta that might be worth it. Precheck eligibility is binary. Once you're in, you're in. I've lost my status with American but still used pre-check on Memorial day out of SFO flying to DFW. EDIT: The lovely thing is when they decide to be really stingy with it to prove some kind of point. MSP was doing a 2 out of 3 denied bullshit last time I was there.
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Jun 15, 2013 05:53
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FunOne posted:Precheck eligibility is binary. Once you're in, you're in. I've lost my status with American but still used pre-check on Memorial day out of SFO flying to DFW. Probably just anecdotal but when I got it via status I would get denied. Once I got it via trusted traveler number from global entry I am like 24 of 25.
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Jun 15, 2013 06:47
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sellouts posted:Probably just anecdotal but when I got it via status I would get denied. Once I got it via trusted traveler number from global entry I am like 24 of 25. Corroborating but still highly anecdotal, I've yet to miss using my trusted traveler number from Global Entry.
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Jun 15, 2013 13:20
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