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asur posted:He values them at $0.21 specifically because you can transfer and it's easy to get that value or higher. How is it easy to get a $0.021 value or higher? In many cases I see airline points valued around $.01 per point and usually you can only get more with complicated or unique itineraries. Am I misunderstanding? Hyatt looks to be a pretty good transfer option, I guess. Here's what I'm reading: https://thepointsguy.com/guide/redeeming-chase-ultimate-rewards-maximum-value/ This is a great post, thanks. What tips do you follow when it comes to transferring points for maximum value? Do you go to different carriers for hotels / flights and look to see how many points it would cost for their own loyalty program compared to the travel portal, for example? Unfortunately I'm a rare international traveler and I don't use the Priority Pass benefit. Something Offal fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Aug 14, 2018 |
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Aug 14, 2018 19:03
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That’s basically it. It’s easier if you have a preferred carrier or hotel chain since each one has their own quirks that can make it not super straightforward. For example Marriott will give you your 5th night free if you’re booking with points. And United will charge you a $75 fee if you book with points less than 3 weeks out. But in general, I’d transfer points to my hotel/carrier for -International flights or flights to Hawaii -Hotels during ‘events’. You’ll see that the price is triple what it normally might be for the area because of a local convention or festival Similarly, I’d use the portal for -Domestic US flights -Normal 2-3 night hotel stays -Car rentals. Rental agencies still charge you for the tax and fees on the rental, so you don’t necessarily get a lot of value for an Avis point
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Aug 14, 2018 19:59
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Gotcha, thanks Initio. I still don't see how it is 'easy' to routinely get more than $.021 per point but I see how it is possible with some forethought and planning. I maintain TPG's average value is kinda high. P.S. if the hotel cost is sky high on the portal due to an event, wouldn't the hotel chain also update their point price to also be high? I guess you're counting on some sort of mismatch there.
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Aug 14, 2018 20:26
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It's "easy" to get value per point, but I wouldn't necessarily say "routinely" is the correct word. The easy way to get points value is just to save them for when they have value, and spend cash (which gets you points...) when they don't. I used 25k chase points to book $800 flights to Hawaii. When I got there I booked rental cars for cash. Why spend my points at $0.1 a point when I just got $0.32/p?
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Aug 14, 2018 20:48
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The hotels you can transfer your chase points to (Marriott, Ritz Carolton, IHG, and Hyatt) have a standard point value redemption that’s set for the property. That number won’t change even when the dollar price of the room does. So you can get a lot of bang for your hotel point booking NYE in NYC because the cash rates will be high. And you’d be better off spending through the chase portal when the room rates are low like February in the Midwest.
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Aug 14, 2018 20:53
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I used my UR points for the first time recently for an international flight. I had just over 160k points, so I planned to transfer to United and get 4 saver legs for 40k each. Unfortunately this didn't turn out to save anything over the cash price. It was actually worse, because the better-timed flights were similarly priced but didn't have any saver seats remaining. I wanted to use the points in case I don't renew the CSR, so I just used the portal. Not a great value but oh well. As a first-time point user, all the research was a huge pain and reminded me why I avoided travel cards and stuck with simple cash back for so long.
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Aug 14, 2018 20:56
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I figure if I can save over $150 in using Chase points through the portal versus paying cash, then the CSR is worth it. And so far, it is working. The bonus of flight delay protections and delayed baggage is what has kept it in my wallet. Though I haven't had to use any of those protections yet. They could be completely terrible and impossible to redeem. I also have a few dozen cards between myself and my husband, and the CSR is quickly losing the initial shine with all the devaluations and Chase rules and account shutdowns and everything.
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Aug 14, 2018 20:58
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Initio posted:The hotels you can transfer your chase points to (Marriott, Ritz Carolton, IHG, and Hyatt) have a standard point value redemption that’s set for the property. That number won’t change even when the dollar price of the room does. Right now you can book the Hyatt Centric Times Square for 25k points, or $189 a night, pretty terrible value especially when you consider many Hyatts in that price range elsewhere will only be like 10-15k points. On the other hand, you can book the Park Hyatt for 30k points, currently running at $845 a night! But pure value isn't always the best way to look at it necessarily. Sure, the Park Hyatt is great value per point, but you could just book the Centric for cash, and then next week use 30k points to book 6 nights at a 5k Hyatt hotel somewhere else.
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Aug 14, 2018 21:18
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There’s definitely a subjective component to the whole thing. You pretty much have to ask yourself how much the premium option is worth. Like if I was traveling from Chicago to San Francisco, would I spend $50 to upgrade to first class? Sure - my luggage gets checked for free, I get a meal and drinks, and a bigger seat. Sign me up! Would I spend $350? Hm - for that much more I could take a trip to see my cousin over Christmas. I usually make my plans first and then see if there’s anything I can do for a better deal since my schedule is usually fixed. I’m also fine only getting the 50% bonus through the portal too. Plans that you’re happy with are a lot more important than saying I got 50 cents per point.
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Aug 14, 2018 21:52
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VorpalBunny posted:Though I haven't had to use any of those protections yet. They could be completely terrible and impossible to redeem. I also have a few dozen cards between myself and my husband, and the CSR is quickly losing the initial shine with all the devaluations and Chase rules and account shutdowns and everything. I’ve had to use the delayed bag protection - it’s not the easiest. They outsource everything to a 3rd party who demands proof that the airline refused to compensate you. It was such a pain I ended up getting the money from Lufthansa directly which was also a pain. Still good to know it’s there. I basically use my CSR for everything except hotels now that I have the Chase Marriott card. All my work travel goes on personal cards, and 80% of my personal expenses are food/travel so the 3x point bonuses there are pretty solid. The Chase portal can be great for redemption at nicer non-chain boutique hotels too. The 25% bonus can add up for rooms that are $700+ a night.
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Aug 14, 2018 22:30
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Sure there are bad deals out there, but hyatt and United saver flights can get pretty obscene, especially direct saver flights. You need to book months in advance to get the best flights and seats though.
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Aug 14, 2018 22:52
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I just downgraded to the CSP since the $90 or w/e a year for the trip delay and interruption insurance is worth it for me, and I don't really need anything else that the CSR offers since nearly everything else goes through my Uber card. Having a strict 2% back card would be good for in-person purchases that aren't covered by freedom or Discover bonus quarters, but I'm about 9 months from my last card sign-up so I'm going to try to grind out 2 years so I can start all over again. Non sequitur, but I totally support the Priority Pass change with the CSR. Holy poo poo, I literally failed to get into a single Priority Pass lounge for my year and a half with the card. It was always loving full. Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 07:04 on Aug 15, 2018 |
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Aug 15, 2018 05:37
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Blinkman987 posted:Non sequitur, but I totally support the Priority Pass change with the CSR. Holy poo poo, I literally failed to get into a single Priority Pass lounge for my year and a half with the card. It was always loving full. I tried to get into two lounges listed in the Priority Pass app during my recent trip, and both required an extra charge to enter. They couldn't even tell me exactly how much it would cost, just that a charge would show up on the card. Kind of defeats the purpose. I have used Priority Pass for free lounge access in the past, so I guess it's just a portion that aren't free.
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Aug 15, 2018 08:51
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Priority pass worked great for me. I got myself and seven of my classmates into a lounge for free in Rio. Also have had no problem using it for myself and others in Atlanta.
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Aug 15, 2018 13:43
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Is there much point to having both a CSR and an Amex Platinum? Trying to figure out which of our cards to cancel/downgrade after getting married.
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Aug 15, 2018 13:48
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Residency Evil posted:Is there much point to having both a CSR and an Amex Platinum? Trying to figure out which of our cards to cancel/downgrade after getting married. They're trimming up the CSR a little bit.
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Aug 15, 2018 14:04
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Oh wow I just got an email that Chase will no longer transfer points to Korean Air Skypass (aka a sick redemption for Hawaii and other tickets).
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Aug 15, 2018 15:05
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Are there any airlines that make it easy to use your points to buy business/first class tickets directly without waiting until the last minute or going through the upgrade game? Specifically those that take Chase point transfers.
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Aug 15, 2018 16:20
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I honestly don't think the CSR changes are that serious. I can understand some people being upset about price protection, but that benefit was ripe for abuse.Something Offal posted:This is a great post, thanks. What tips do you follow when it comes to transferring points for maximum value? Do you go to different carriers for hotels / flights and look to see how many points it would cost for their own loyalty program compared to the travel portal, for example? Unfortunately I'm a rare international traveler and I don't use the Priority Pass benefit. You don't need to travel internationally to get those kinds of valuations. British Airways, for example, can be great for short-haul domestic non-stops on some of their partners. I've booked a few that worked out to about 2.66cpm.
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Aug 15, 2018 17:47
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potatoducks posted:Are there any airlines that make it easy to use your points to buy business/first class tickets directly without waiting until the last minute or going through the upgrade game? Specifically those that take Chase point transfers. All of them? I guess it depends on your definition of easy. United, Korean, Singapore, and Iberia all have decent to good availability with United being the easiest to use. Book when the calendar opens or be flexible with dates and it's not that hard to find space asur fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Aug 15, 2018 |
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Aug 15, 2018 17:48
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Do you have to sit at the computer and book it the moment it opens? I tried looking at United for San Francisco to London Heathrow and couldn't find any first class seats even for July 2019 which is as far as they let you book out. Is there an aggregator site that tells you which flights have availability for rewards bookings? Or do you have to search each airline individually?
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Aug 15, 2018 18:03
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:They're trimming up the CSR a little bit. Yeah, although it doesn't seem like a huge deal. Right now I think I have ~250k points on Chase, 100k on Amex, and then she has 200k+ points on Amex. We fly mainly on American since we live in a hub city. We'd love to start looking at taking a trip to South Africa, however I'm not sure we could do it together on the points that we have.
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Aug 15, 2018 18:16
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potatoducks posted:Do you have to sit at the computer and book it the moment it opens? They might be getting snatched up immediately or United may not release non-stop business/first awards on that route as they think they can sell them. I see some availability through Canada. Certain airlines award searches are better than others. United searches most of *A, BA and Quantas are good for Oneworld and AF is decent for SkyTeam.
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Aug 16, 2018 01:17
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Elysium posted:Oh wow I just got an email that Chase will no longer transfer points to Korean Air Skypass (aka a sick redemption for Hawaii and other tickets). drat it that was my plan to scam cheap Hawaii.
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Aug 16, 2018 01:29
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Elephanthead posted:drat it that was my plan to scam cheap Hawaii. Looks like you still have a week to transfer the points in advance (and let them sit in your KA account until you use them). This of course assumes that you will definitely book a KA flight in the future, and that they don't devalue the points in the meantime (unlikely, but a possibility).
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Aug 16, 2018 18:41
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I just want to give a quick thanks to the goons who recommended a Schwab checking account for international travel. I just got approved and we leave in 2 weeks, so hopefully I'll get my card in time and can fund it. I initially checked with my regular credit union, they had no ATM network connection in Europe and charge a 1% fee for all withdrawals, in addition to whatever the foreign ATM fee charged. And they had no foreign currency in house and had no way to get any. I immediately drove down the street to Schwab who explained how to open an account online. Boom. We're hitting 4 countries in 3 weeks next month, and now I don't have to worry about ATM fees or currency exchanges! On another note, I just got an email from SPG for the new AMEX SPG card with the $450 annual fee. It is so very tempting for 125k points after 5k spend in 3 months, and automatic status is always fun. Is this a targeted offer or is this what everyone else has access to?
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Aug 25, 2018 01:01
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VorpalBunny posted:I just want to give a quick thanks to the goons who recommended a Schwab checking account for international travel. I just got approved and we leave in 2 weeks, so hopefully I'll get my card in time and can fund it. Be sure file a Travel Notice for your debit card using Schwab's website so they don't assume your card is stolen once you start using it abroad Safe travels!
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Aug 25, 2018 04:27
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Looks like Amex Platinum is back to 100k sign on bonus - it makes it tempting to cancel the CSR after transferring all the points out and get this card - no use in having both. The offer seems to be: 100k reward points after $5k spend in 3 months $200 in yearly Uber credits $200 Airline Fee Credit $100 Saks Fifth Avenue Credit Centurion Lounge Access Purchase Protection Global Entry Credit 5x points on travel booked through amex $550 annual fee
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Aug 27, 2018 03:19
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drat, I am so tempted to double dip since I got the Mercedes-Benz platinum before.
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Aug 27, 2018 18:51
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Sab0921 posted:Looks like Amex Platinum is back to 100k sign on bonus - it makes it tempting to cancel the CSR after transferring all the points out and get this card - no use in having both. how did you get it?
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Aug 27, 2018 20:47
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VorpalBunny posted:I just want to give a quick thanks to the goons who recommended a Schwab checking account for international travel. I just got approved and we leave in 2 weeks, so hopefully I'll get my card in time and can fund it. If you call customer service and explain your situation they should next day fedex your card
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Aug 27, 2018 20:54
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Sab0921 posted:Looks like Amex Platinum is back to 100k sign on bonus - it makes it tempting to cancel the CSR after transferring all the points out and get this card - no use in having both. oh yeah that's the stuff right there. overdesigned posted:drat, I am so tempted to double dip since I got the Mercedes-Benz platinum before. ditto
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Aug 27, 2018 21:01
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Rated PG-34 posted:how did you get it? They just sent me a piece of junk mail that caught my eye - it had a code on it.
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Aug 28, 2018 00:37
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Sab0921 posted:They just sent me a piece of junk mail that caught my eye - it had a code on it. That's the standard mail targeted offer; they only really send these to people who don't have an Amex card. Rated PG-34, in case you didn't already know: you can sometimes get the 100k offer to show up via incognito browsing the American Express site, or via creditcards.com's cardmatch.
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Aug 28, 2018 00:39
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astral posted:That's the standard mail targeted offer; they only really send these to people who don't have an Amex card. I have an AmEx card though - have had a BoA since college that I keep open for credit history purposes
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Aug 28, 2018 03:05
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Sab0921 posted:I have an AmEx card though - have had a BoA since college that I keep open for credit history purposes If you have an Amex card issued by a different bank, that doesn't count against you for the 100k plat offer. Certain co-branded Amex cards (i.e. still their bank, but not one of their own rewards programs) are rumored to not count as well.
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Aug 28, 2018 03:16
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astral posted:If you have an Amex card issued by a different bank, that doesn't count against you for the 100k plat offer. Certain co-branded Amex cards (i.e. still their bank, but not one of their own rewards programs) are rumored to not count as well. Well - good for me I guess - still contemplating whether to pull the trigger or just ride it out with the CSR I already have
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Aug 28, 2018 04:49
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Chase upping the eligibility time between bonuses for CSR and CSP from 24 months to 48 months, yuck. (Per TPG)
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Aug 28, 2018 21:40
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Popero posted:Chase upping the eligibility time between bonuses for CSR and CSP from 24 months to 48 months, yuck. Is this for new cards or everyone? I'm coming up on year two and was thinking of PCing and reapplying for the bonus again.
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Aug 28, 2018 22:46
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I have a Preferred right now, and have for over two years. I just had a fraud cancellation of my card, so I need to update numbers everywhere. Is it worth looking into a Reserve instead for the extra redemption rate? We have about 150k points right now, and will be using them exclusively for travel (which will be 1-2 trips per year typically, so not constant). I’m guessing I can’t get the 50k bonus since I have one already though.
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Aug 28, 2018 23:22
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