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KillHour posted:I'm in a Courtyard right now. What's wrong with them? No free breakfast, no executive lounge, no nothing for elites  They are basically a worse version of a Marriott in every way. Even Residence Inns, Fairfield Inns, and Springhill Suites offers free breakfast. Mandalay posted:IHG will give you free platinum elite with their credit card, which is worth holding onto for the free night every year (offsets the annual fee). You can also get free national car rental status from CC. Cacafuego posted:Do AA 500 mile upgrades roll over year to year or do I need to use them before they disappear? I'd like to save them for use for my SO and I on vacations, but if they'll disappear, I'll guess I'll be flying F transcon a few times to use them up.
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Nov 29, 2016 09:57
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Thoguh posted:Yep. And I'm using the free night this year for a 200 euro/night room at the Intercontinental in Dublin, which is about five times the annual fee. I barely stay at IHG (four nights this year, two nights last year) but that card is great. I love my IHG card. I don't actually use it either, but the annual fee is only like $45, and I think I used my free night at a $300 a night Intercontinental resort in Europe.
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Nov 29, 2016 13:02
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Counterpoint: the free breakfast in most Marriott properties has negative value.
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Nov 29, 2016 13:21
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Counterpoint: the free breakfast in Fixed that for you. The only decent "free" breakfast I've ever had in the US is at Hilton Garden Inns where they usually have made to order hot dishes and a decent selection of other stuff. Now Europe, that's totally different.
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Nov 29, 2016 13:38
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The breakfast in Israeli hotels (and I assume the rest of the middle east) is fantastic. I agree that there really aren't any additional benefits for elite members at courtyards, but with a $150/night travel policy, they're still one of the better places I get to stay.
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Nov 29, 2016 13:57
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Cacafuego posted:Do AA 500 mile upgrades roll over year to year or do I need to use them before they disappear? I'd like to save them for use for my SO and I on vacations, but if they'll disappear, I'll guess I'll be flying F transcon a few times to use them up. You keep the stickers but your progress towards them resets with everything else, so it is worth calling before that and asking for partial credit.
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Nov 29, 2016 14:08
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You guys leave the omelette station alone! I love egg white omelettes!
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Nov 29, 2016 15:06
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The Elite Hotel I stayed at in Luleå had an amazing breakfast. But yeah most American chains are dogshit for breakfast.
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Nov 29, 2016 18:21
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25% travel got me mid-tier status but it let me explore pretty much every restaurant in Boston worth going to. It also helped me fulfill a bunch of CC minimum spends since most of the travel was on my personal card. This was where I was able to get most of my points and really help me qualify for things higher than just gold status for a lot of things. Having a Centurion lounge in your airport really helps as well. If you're flying to SFO, it might be worth looking into getting an Amex Platinum with the 100k offer just for that little benefit. Helps make flying just a little more fun and its always good to get free food.
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Nov 29, 2016 20:17
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Shadowhand00 posted:25% travel got me mid-tier status but it let me explore pretty much every restaurant in Boston worth going to. Please make a list of all the good restaurants in and around Boston. I'm in Lowell/Chelmsford so drat much. Also, the chase sapphire reserve is so much better than the amex platinum unless you fly delta AND your hub airport has a centurion lounge. KillHour fucked around with this message at 23:54 on Nov 29, 2016 |
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Nov 29, 2016 23:52
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KillHour posted:Also, the chase sapphire reserve is so much better than the amex platinum unless you fly delta AND your hub airport has a centurion lounge. Why? Please tell me about these fantastic Priority Pass lounges in the US. Last week I was in the very sad PHX "The Club". At some point, a lounge is worse than a an airport restaurant/bar. I just cancelled my Citi AA Exec card because some AA lounges were just not really worth the effort.
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Nov 30, 2016 01:06
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I think the Alaska Board Room at LAX is pretty nice, but I fly coach to Israel 4 times a year and my company won't even pay for an upgrade to economy plus seats so what do I know about luxury? My main issue with the Amex is that United doesn't do mileage transfers on points, so the points are totally worthless for me. KillHour fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Nov 30, 2016 |
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Nov 30, 2016 02:41
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I took the 25% travel job. Looking forward to joining you all in liver failure, heart failure, and bedbugs, but only 25% as much.
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Nov 30, 2016 03:02
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The bedbugs are real. I woke up to a tick in my leg a few weeks ago.
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Nov 30, 2016 03:14
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I took the 25% travel job a little over a year ago too! it turned out to be closer to 50% travel, and I get to go to such wonderful places as "delta utah", where the guy selling pine nuts on the side of the road is in the top 5 desirable places to eat in town.
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Nov 30, 2016 03:21
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KillHour posted:I think the Alaska Board Room at LAX is pretty nice, but I fly coach to Israel 4 times a year and my company won't even pay for an upgrade to economy plus seats so what do I know about luxury? I'll take AMEX points off your hands  If you're flying to Israel 4 times a year, you should be able to get at least get a mid-tier airline status that would make lounge access no longer an issue, so you don't need to rely on AMEX Plat/Priority Pass for lounge access. Erwin posted:I took the 25% travel job. Looking forward to joining you all in liver failure, heart failure, and bedbugs, but only 25% as much. Only 25% of the fun, you mean
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Nov 30, 2016 03:24
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United Platinum, but that only gets you lounge when you fly international. Most of my flights are domestic. Are any airlines including lounge for free with status any more?
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Nov 30, 2016 03:28
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KillHour posted:Also, the chase sapphire reserve is so much better than the amex platinum unless you fly delta AND your hub airport has a centurion lounge. Mandalay posted:Why? Please tell me about these fantastic Priority Pass lounges in the US. Last week I was in the very sad PHX "The Club". I've been inside lounges where there's no seating, or where there's no power outlets, and the terminal outside has plenty of seating and places to charge your phone or work on your laptop. It's absolutely ridiculous. I would say AMEX Platinum is great for not just Delta fliers, but everybody that's non-elite. So maybe you meant flying Delta OR your hub airport has a Centurion lounge. There's one at MIA and DFW, and they're both excellent for AA fliers. There's one at SFO and IAH, both accessible to UA fliers. And they're miles ahead of whatever the airline is offering. Last time I checked, the DFW Admirals Club/Flagship Dining was a complete joke, the MIA oneworld Premium lounge was a pain in the rear end to walk to, and every United Club has sucked in forever. (Except LHR. And maybe the new LAX one that's opening up.) I would never, ever pay for a lounge membership (or a credit card that does): it's the same cost as an AMEX Platinum, but I would say an AMEX Platinum is 5x more useful. If you live in a non-hub, or don't connect through the big hubs with a Centurion lounge often, then yes, maybe consider the CSP for Priority Pass only. KillHour posted:United Platinum, but that only gets you lounge when you fly international. Most of my flights are domestic. Are any airlines including lounge for free with status any more? If you're flying domestic, then you should continue accruing to UA for the complimentary upgrades. You should conditionally get an AMEX Platinum for lounge access. Don't pay for United Club access. i fly airplanes fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Nov 30, 2016 |
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Nov 30, 2016 03:35
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I agree that I would never pay for a lounge membership. BUT, lounges aren't the only things those cards offer. - 3x points on travel with ridiculous considerations of what "travel" is. - $300 back every year off your $450 card fee. - Points transfer to United. Those are the top reasons I chose Chase over Amex. The rest of the benefits are pretty comparable. AdrenalinG posted:Any non-United Star Alliance Gold status will get you access, such as Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, etc. Most of my travel is international, so it was pointless for me to accrue in UA since I was not going to be using UA status for complimentary domestic upgrades. Used to be 1K. I only ever fly international to Israel or (roughly once a year) South America. I don't do Pacific hops ever, so it's not like I'm ever going to have a non-United Star Alliance status.
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Nov 30, 2016 03:39
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KillHour posted:I agree that I would never pay for a lounge membership. BUT, lounges aren't the only things those cards offer.  quote:I only ever fly international to Israel or (roughly once a year) South America. I don't do Pacific hops ever, so it's not like I'm ever going to have a non-United Star Alliance status. Star Alliance has some of the best global network coverage. You can get status with other airlines without having to fly that airline, since very few frequent flyer programs have 'metal' requirements.
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Nov 30, 2016 03:44
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AdrenalinG posted:Or as every travel blogger whose main income comes from selling and referring credit cards through their links would suggest, "why not both?" United does the flights to Israel directly. I rarely if ever fly a non-United Star Alliance airline. Why are the US airline benefits seemingly so crappy in comparison to the rest of the world? Edit: Wait. Are you saying I could sign up for another Star Alliance mileage program and rack up points for that flying United? That's amazing. Why am I not doing that?
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Nov 30, 2016 03:47
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KillHour posted:United Platinum, but that only gets you lounge when you fly international. Most of my flights are domestic. Are any airlines including lounge for free with status any more? Delta does if you can hit Diamond (125k MQM, $15k spend)
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Nov 30, 2016 03:54
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It will likely happen next year, but the thought of starting over makes me want to hurl. That, and getting my travel agent to book Delta over United is like pulling teeth (it's more expensive, typically).
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Nov 30, 2016 03:58
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Thoguh posted:Delta does if you can hit Diamond (125k MQM, $15k spend) KillHour posted:United does the flights to Israel directly. I rarely if ever fly a non-United Star Alliance airline. Why are the US airline benefits seemingly so crappy in comparison to the rest of the world? Another thing: many, many Jews are very loyal to United for flying to Israel, and DansDeal is sort of an online hub for them. You can find a marketplace (at your own risk) for buying/selling United RPUs and GPUs. Keep in mind the minimum fare class of "W" for upgrading international flights using GPUs from a 1K account. This way, you can have your company book "W" fares (economy class), and upgrade it yourself either with UA miles or a GPU. KillHour posted:It will likely happen next year, but the thought of starting over makes me want to hurl. That, and getting my travel agent to book Delta over United is like pulling teeth (it's more expensive, typically). i fly airplanes fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Nov 30, 2016 |
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Nov 30, 2016 04:10
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Would any of the other star alliance programs let me status match? I'm 6'3" and having to miss out on upgrades on domestic flights to at least economy+ for half a year would SUUUUUCK.AdrenalinG posted:Another thing: many, many Jews are very loyal to United for flying to Israel, and DansDeal is sort of an online hub for them. You can find a marketplace (at your own risk) for buying/selling United RPUs and GPUs. Keep in mind the minimum fare class of "W" for upgrading international flights using GPUs from a 1K account. This way, you can have your company book "W" fares (economy class), and upgrade it yourself either with UA miles or a GPU. I wonder why. United is a PITA.
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Nov 30, 2016 04:15
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KillHour posted:Would any of the other star alliance programs let me status match? I'm 6'3" and having to miss out on upgrades on domestic flights to at least economy+ for half a year would SUUUUUCK. quote:I only ever fly international to Israel or (roughly once a year) South America. I don't do Pacific hops ever, so it's not like I'm ever going to have a non-United Star Alliance status. You could status match into another program, but even if you match into another airline's program as an elite you will still not get Economy Plus seating. It's a United-only perk. If you are flying domestic at all and value Economy Plus or complimentary upgrades, then you might be best to stick it out with United.
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Nov 30, 2016 04:25
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Yeah, I'm pretty much always in the US. So it's free lounge access or upgrades, not both? I'll stick with the upgrades then. Thanks for walking me through it, though.
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Nov 30, 2016 04:28
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Tempted to switch to the Amex Plat from the Citi Exec, but the free extra cards with lounge access is a huge perk. Wife and my parents (near DFW) all get lounge access when they travel on their own. That said, the lounges are nowhere near as good as the amex one, which is my preferred place to spend $50 and some time out of Vegas.
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Nov 30, 2016 05:26
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Mandalay posted:At some point, a lounge is worse than a an airport restaurant/bar. I just cancelled my Citi AA Exec card because some AA lounges were just not really worth the effort. This is overwhelmingly true of almost every lounge you can buy into.
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Nov 30, 2016 07:55
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Agreed on lounge benefits. I don't mind having them and use them periodically, but if I weren't a DM I would certainly not buy anything that gave me access.
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Nov 30, 2016 13:02
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KillHour posted:I think the Alaska Board Room at LAX is pretty nice, but I fly coach to Israel 4 times a year and my company won't even pay for an upgrade to economy plus seats so what do I know about luxury? I'd just expense it - that's absolute bullshit
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Nov 30, 2016 19:35
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I know, but it's in the travel policy. They would just deny the expense.
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Nov 30, 2016 21:18
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What's the priority for AA upgrades with a companion? It's been so long I've forgotten. I know on Delta it was after everyone else so you had to split the res if you wanted any chance.
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Dec 1, 2016 07:29
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I know it changes on Jan 1 such that the companion inherits your status.
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Dec 1, 2016 09:20
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I can read SA on the plane  I can check Gmail on the plane I got an email saying they took my luggage off the plane for reasons and it won't be here until tomorrow wait
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Dec 4, 2016 05:35
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Going to end the year with 48 SPG nights (but plat status through a challenge). Worth it to get the SPG Amex for the 5 night bonus to get suite award certs?
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Dec 7, 2016 01:46
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AdrenalinG posted:I would never, ever pay for a lounge membership (or a credit card that does): it's the same cost as an AMEX Platinum, but I would say an AMEX Platinum is 5x more useful.
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Dec 7, 2016 11:17
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ScooterMcTiny posted:Going to end the year with 48 SPG nights (but plat status through a challenge). Worth it to get the SPG Amex for the 5 night bonus to get suite award certs? Unless you're going to a property where you have a good idea they'll work, I wouldn't go through the effort. I've always had some expire in the past because properties simply won't accept them even when there are suites available. It's not nearly as good of a system as Hyatt has (or had, prior to the devaluation) where you can confirm the upgrade in advance.
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Dec 8, 2016 00:27
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Booking a ski trip with MY GIRLFRIEND and she's recommending we use Hotwire. I've never used it and it feels scammy to me. I travel a fair amount (AA / Starwood Plat) so I'm not a rookie, but using a third party booking site is something I haven't done a lot of. Anything we should watch out for?
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Dec 8, 2016 02:05
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I tried it once it's ok. You might get a good hotel or a not as good one. As long as you price reference then you are ok. Which makes the service moot and you might as well go through Expedia or whatever. Priceline worked out nice for me once for the name your price. Any of these services will get you a decent hotel for a vacation
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Dec 8, 2016 02:34
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