How far would 50k points get you?

2/25/2013 12:58:35 PM

In airline travel? As a general rule, I budget 35-50k for domestic travel, 65k for Hawaii, and 80-100k for Europe.

Of course, if you fly at certain times of the years, you can get all those knocked down a bit.

2/25/2013 1:16:38 PM

Do they expire at anytime?

2/25/2013 1:50:02 PM

Not as long as the card is open iirc. I just opted for the cash though, which I may stop doing in the future.

2/25/2013 2:04:07 PM

apparently this site http://www.rewards2cash.com is legit, despite the way it looks.

If you cash out your 50k MR points on there, you'd net $600 by my calculations.

Carzin's estimates are about right for most airlines, though I'll never forget my RT tix to Europe (with different departure/arrival cities, no less!) for 60k points on AA.

[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 11:09 AM. Reason : j]

2/27/2013 11:00:29 AM

I think it's funny that the "Risk Free" option implies that there is risk in doing the other option

2/27/2013 11:37:15 AM

I agree. Dont cash out airline miles because you can get a lot of value if used properly.

For example, my wife and I are going to Europe in October using AA Advantage miles. 40K points RT (in economy, of course) per person. But the kicker is that we are using RDU as a stopover point to get tickets to Hawaii for the same number of point. In effect, we each got a RT ticket to Paris plus a ticket to Hawaii from RDU, at a date of our choosing, all for 40K points each.

That's an estimated $2000 in airfare for 40K points = 5 cents per mile.

[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 11:49 AM. Reason : a]

2/27/2013 11:47:19 AM

What do you mean using RDU as a stopover point?

2/27/2013 11:53:17 AM

Quote :

"I think it's funny that the "Risk Free" option implies that there is risk in doing the other option"

Well yeah, the check could always be lost in the mail or something.

Stopover points are an interesting concept. I'm not too familiar with them but basically, from my understanding, you can pick a US city to stop in for free when booking an international flight. I def need to read up on them more.

http://thepointsguy.com/2011/06/maximizing-stopovers-transfers-and-open-jaw-ticketing-on-american-airlines-awards/

[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 12:45 PM. Reason : link]

2/27/2013 12:43:59 PM

^ that's a good explanation of stopovers and how to maximize value.

In my case, RDU is the North American gateway for a return flight from Europe because it is the first North American city that I arrive in. Hence, I can use RDU as a stopover for my "final" destination of Hawaii because Hawaii is also in AA's North American zone. So I use miles to create an itinerary of LHR -> RDU -> HON (Honolulu) for the same amount of miles as LHR -> RDU. I can then change the date of my award ticket from RDU to HON with no fee as long as it is within one year of my arrival to RDU.



[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 1:30 PM. Reason : a]

2/27/2013 1:28:55 PM

so im going to Spain this summer on AA miles. I already have my flight there booked, but havent booked my flight home yet. I read that article and im still confused.

So theoretically I could book a flight back from Spain to lets say St Kitts. I could plan it so that that flight takes me through RDU, and then after I book the flight, I could change those last legs of the flight from RDU to SKB to another date?

How do I book it going through RDU? None of the flights when I search have any stopovers in RDU.

2/27/2013 1:30:44 PM

^ no that wont work because St Kitts is not in AA's North America zone (I believe it is the Caribbean zone). You can only use a stopover in North America. I believe the only tropical destinations in North America are Hawaii, Miami, and Cancun.

You will need to find a flight from Spain to RDU or it wont work. If necessary, you can use the openjaw and find a flight to RDU from a different airport in Spain (you would just need transportation to get to another airport). Check Iberia (who is a OneWorld partner) for flights from Spain direct to RDU. You can use your AA miles on any OneWorld partner but you will need to call and book.

You could also arrive at an airport in the US that is close to RDU to take advantage of the stopover (Charlotte-Douglas for example) but you would need transportation to Raleigh and then back to Charlotte when your "final" leg departs.


[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 1:51 PM. Reason : a]

2/27/2013 1:48:39 PM

I thought the Caribbean was part of the North America zone.

Quote :

"U.S. (including Hawaii and Alaska), Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, The Bahamas and the Caribbean. "

2/27/2013 2:00:18 PM

^^Not sure I follow, so you have to purchase separate tickets to fly into HON before that Paris trip even starts plus a ticket to return from there to RDU? Or do they allow you to flip the outbound and inbound RDU/HON dates? I guess the main question is how do you get to HON before your Paris trip even begins? Unless you live in Hawaii already then I get it.

2/27/2013 2:03:59 PM

so it has to be a direct flight from RDU to the location? Sorry, im having trouble understanding all this.

I found this list of direct flights from RDU. It seems like the only direct flight to Europe from RDU is to London (beginning in April). http://www.rdu.com/airlineflightinfo/destinations.html#destinationschart

2/27/2013 2:04:43 PM

Not sure where you're flying out of but when I went to the website and did the multi citi option with aa miles it says

"This international award allows a stopover at Raleigh/ Durham - RDU for no additional miles. Mileage required for both flights is displayed on the Award Legend for the international flight."

Once you select your first option for however many miles, the option for the second leg of the trip will show up and where the mile amount usually appears it just shows --

Example:

Flight 1: MAD/RDU
From:Madrid Barajas - MAD
To:Raleigh Durham - RDU
Flight Date:Monday, August 26, 2013
Miles Used:30,000
Taxes and Carrier-Imposed Fees:
$2.50 to $700.00 USD per person per award
BA 463
8:10 PM
MAD
9:30 PM
LHR
173TUE AUG 27
Flight Details
11:00 AM
LHR
2:50 PM
RDU
Please note connection time
Overnight flight or connection
Terminal change
Flight 2: RDU/SKB
From:Raleigh Durham - RDU
To:St Kitts Robert L Bradshaw International - SKB
Flight Date:Thursday, September 5, 2013
Miles Used:--
1293
6:30 AM
RDU
8:35 AM
MIA
1185
Flight Details
10:50 AM
MIA
1:45 PM
SKB

[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 2:14 PM. Reason : ]

2/27/2013 2:09:51 PM

Quote :

"^^Not sure I follow, so you have to purchase separate tickets to fly into HON before that Paris trip even starts plus a ticket to return from there to RDU? Or do they allow you to flip the outbound and inbound RDU/HON dates? I guess the main question is how do you get to HON before your Paris trip even begins? Unless you live in Hawaii already then I get it."

I assume he books the trip from Paris -> RDU -> HON thereby getting a "free" trip from RDU-> Hon

2/27/2013 2:21:13 PM

I think im beginning to understand. I see what you are talking about on the AA website. I put in mock dates from Madrid to Cancun, and the flight from RDU to cancun it let me reserve for a month later, which I thought was really cool. So maybe i'll take a trip to cancun this fall? I'll have to play around with it once I figure out when/where im leaving from

so once you book the '2nd trip' flight, you just call in and ask to change that to another date? Isnt it like $75 to change it? Do you have to know exactly when you want to change it to?

[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 2:42 PM. Reason : ]

2/27/2013 2:41:11 PM

Here is my itinerary...maybe this will clear up some confusion:

Outbound: RDU -> CDG (Paris)
Inbound: LHR -> RDU -> HON

Total miles = 40K

RDU is my stopover point because it is the first point of entry in the US. You must find a direct flight from International to RDU. Paris does not have a direct flight returning to RDU at a time that works for us so we are taking the Chunnel Train from Paris to London and flying out of LHR. We are then flying to Hawaii for no additional miles because of the stopover feature. We will then have to pay or use miles for a return ticket from Hawaii to RDU.

Quote :

"I thought the Caribbean was part of the North America zone."

AA announced in 2012 that North American "gateway" stopovers would not be allowed in the Caribbean but if the end point is St. Kitt it may be possible. I read that question too fast. My fault.

Quote :

"so it has to be a direct flight from RDU to the location?"

It must be a direct flight to RDU or you can use an airport close to RDU (Charlotte Douglas could work if you dont mind driving back to Raleigh). The flight leaving RDU to your "final" destination does not have to be direct however. For my trip above, I am flying to RDU to HON but there is a stop in DFW.

Quote :

""This international award allows a stopover at Raleigh/ Durham - RDU for no additional miles. Mileage required for both flights is displayed on the Award Legend for the international flight.""

If you do it right you should see the above when booking an award ticket.

Quote :

"so once you book the '2nd trip' flight, you just call in and ask to change that to another date? Isnt it like $75 to change it? Do you have to know exactly when you want to change it to?"

You will have to call and change the date of the "final" leg of your return flight. There is no fee for changing the date of an award ticket as long as the itinerary stays the same (i.e. same flight). Remember you must use the final leg of your return within one year of reaching the stopover. Award seats are open about 360 days in advance.

Your best bet is to play around within the AA award bookings and see where you can get to using RDU as a stopover. If you see "This international award allows a stopover at Raleigh/ Durham - RDU for no additional miles" then it works!


[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 2:56 PM. Reason : a]

2/27/2013 2:44:35 PM

dbhawley looks like David tested your Madrid -> RDU-> St Kitt trip and it worked!

If you are looking for the best value it would be to Hawaii due to the distance and ticket price. You can fly to the Caribbean for relatively cheap because it is closer for us East Coast people.


[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 3:06 PM. Reason : a]

2/27/2013 3:06:21 PM

Quote :

"Here is my itinerary...maybe this will clear up some confusion: Outbound: RDU -> CDG (Paris"

Why not Outbound: XYZ -> RDU -> CDG ?

2/27/2013 4:00:06 PM

hawaii would be awesome and amazing, however I couldnt find a flight that would work back from Madrid or Valencia. I'll check on it more tonight

2/27/2013 6:52:52 PM

^^

Sorry that was incomplete. Couldnt find any direct flights from RDU to CDG so have to go through JFK.

Also you have to complete the first leg before the second. If I went from XYZ to RDU to LHR then I would lose the offpeak mile discount from RDU to LHR (10K miles) which offsets some of the value.



[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 7:23 PM. Reason : a]

2/27/2013 7:16:47 PM

For those of you that have gotten the Southwest Companion Pass, have you made good use of it?

They're offering 50k for the card again, thinking about it...

3/1/2013 3:52:00 PM

Def get the card. It's one of the best ones out there. I haven't used the damn comp pass at all. Last two trips were to Vegas and Boston and the girl I was dating at the time flew there free through work. I do have another trip slated for Dec though so I'll probably use it then and hopefully some travel this summer as well. Must harder to make use of being single.

So, I never got my damn citi hilton hhonors card, probably b/c I threw it away since I get so much damn junkmail, and they can't reissue a new card unless I give them the card number which I obv cannot do so they are mailing me a letter with the card #, so I can call up and give them the card #, at which point they will then send me a new card.

3/1/2013 4:35:12 PM

How many cards do you guys keep open at once?

3/3/2013 2:44:19 PM

I currently have 21 cards open.

3/4/2013 10:22:47 AM

^^?

^Do you plan on canceling them anytime soon? What about ones with annual fees?

[Edited on March 4, 2013 at 10:42 AM. Reason : ]

3/4/2013 10:33:25 AM

Sometimes when I open up new cards I agree to cancel other cards close to the one year limit, but just in case I keep a list of approval dates.

4/5/2012
4/6/2012
5/5/2012
5/15/2012
5/30/2012
8/30/2012
8/30/2012
9/10/2012
11/29/2012
11/6/2012
11/6/2012
11/29/2012
1/1/2013
1/1/2013
1/15/2013
2/4/2013
2/8/2013

[Edited on March 4, 2013 at 11:43 AM. Reason : ]

3/4/2013 11:42:37 AM

Has anyone used the following sites? http://www.awardtraveler.com/ & http://flyer-miles.com/ - are they legit?

3/4/2013 1:02:34 PM

Okay - I've done Southwest and I've done Barclays NFL. What should I do now?

3/7/2013 1:48:12 PM

AMEX Premier Rewards Gold
http://millionmilesecrets.com/2013/02/21/50000-points50-amex-premier-rewards-gold/

3/7/2013 2:25:38 PM

If I cancel before the year is up. do I have to pay the annual fee?

^that offer is not longer available

[Edited on March 7, 2013 at 2:31 PM. Reason : ]

3/7/2013 2:26:23 PM

Chase Sapphire

https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?SPID=F2WT&CELL=6H8X&AFFID=PPkX79_c.b0-LkN3R97m0YarKG15xtSJYg&pvid=204650FOF509995171&jp_cmp=cc/271070/ext/3-10001867/na

3/7/2013 2:40:40 PM

^What's the cashout on that card? How much cash could I get for 40k rewards? And do I actually get cash, or would I only get credit towards a statement.

[Edited on March 7, 2013 at 3:31 PM. Reason : ]

3/7/2013 3:30:58 PM

$400 for cash back. (1pt=1cent) Believe Chase sends a check. If you transfer it to one of their travel partners, it ends up being worth $500.

3/7/2013 3:45:36 PM

I don't see why you'd be adverse to getting statement credit.
Worst case scenario, you request a check if you somehow end up with a negative balance.

3/7/2013 3:48:11 PM

do you get charged the first year annual fee if you close it before a year

3/7/2013 5:06:52 PM

Yes, unless it's waived.

3/7/2013 5:08:21 PM

Only $800 left and I'll have the 5k minimum spend on the Ink with almost 2 months left. yay reloads and my mom needing new tires

3/12/2013 12:35:33 PM

$97 left on that one Yay for buying things for friends and getting reimbursed with cash.
What's next for you?

3/12/2013 12:53:19 PM

might get the sapphire preferred. That would make 100k+ pts with the bonus from the Ink and Freedom.

3/12/2013 1:06:46 PM

I just got a USAirways card with 40k bonus miles total. AA just sent me an offer for 45k bonus miles. I wonder if I should gamble that I'd end up with all of those post-merger.

I already have around 100k miles in my USAir dividend miles account anyway.

3/12/2013 1:14:52 PM

If it's a 1K spending requirement I'd do it. If it's 5K pass.

3/12/2013 1:26:03 PM

Just signed up for The Business Gold Rewards Card® From American Express OPEN.
5K spend in three months for 75K pts Normally its 10K spend for 75K pts

https://www262.americanexpress.com/business-card-application/prospect/business-gold-charge-card/apply/44094-9-0/?ch=ua&offerType=ps&transactionID=C0B231B486864B18A5FC5E1F9C16EABA&intlink=us-open-bizua-npaoffers-business-gold-charge-card-applynow&PSKU=UADF

3/14/2013 3:15:16 PM

Wow, dead already

3/14/2013 4:13:08 PM

Does anyone know if Hawaiian Airlines ever has mile/point transfer bonuses to Hilton (more than just the 1:2 transfer ratio)?

3/15/2013 5:27:09 PM

What precautions do you guys take to make sure your numbers don't get hacked.

3/15/2013 9:29:40 PM

None at all. I sling CC numbers around online like it's going out of style. My numbers have been compromised on 3 different card types (Amex, MC, Visa) and on a handful of issuers (AmEx, Citi, and Chase) and I've never had an issue. They just refund any charges that actually went through (usually they catch it before the first charge ever does), and issue you a new card.

I suspect that 3 out of the 4 times I've been compromised was due to using the card overseas (someone either took down my number or cloned my card). And I know that in at least 2 of the cases, a physical copy of my card was made and someone swiped it (I think these were in Dubai).

3/16/2013 9:17:54 AM

I too was holding off on Hawaii to Hilton xfer bc of the recent Hilton pt restructuring.

3/17/2013 2:03:05 PM