TRAVEL: Points, Miles, Discounts, Tips, Advice & Questions

[Chewbacca 7768]

 

It's strange that they are doing this now. The whole point of the limit is because the lounges are packed all the time.

[VABuckeye 2472]

Yeah, it seems like he's getting through a loophole because the new rules are pretty clear.  With all due respect to Ag it pisses me off to no end when I go into a lounge for peace and quiet and someones kids are there misbehaving because daddy has a credit card.                          

[Texzilla58 4732]

 

Christ, what a fall from grace.

There was a lot of incompetence in the 90s/2000s but that was tempered by some very strong executives. The MBA push really fucked American, especially once they all rose to prominence.

Ya kinda need some airline people to run your… airline.

That’s basically the story of most American businesses. MBAs and CFOs that couldn’t sell pussy to a troop train.

[Ag with kids 581]

40 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

Yeah, it seems like he's getting through a loophole because the new rules are pretty clear.  With all due respect to Ag it pisses me off to no end when I go into a lounge for peace and quiet and someones kids are there misbehaving because daddy has a credit card.                          

Don't worry.  My youngest kid is 27 years old.  I'm not one of those assholes.

But, yeah...must be some weird loophole since I know I'd gotten emails letting know guest access was going away.

[VABuckeye 2472]

My youngest is 29 and he's an authorized user on the business platinum so he can get his own damned lounge access.  😀

[Chewbacca 7768]

22 minutes ago, Ag with kids said:

Don't worry.  My youngest kid is 27 years old.  I'm not one of those assholes.

But, yeah...must be some weird loophole since I know I'd gotten emails letting know guest access was going away.

I've seen a couple others on reddit who go the same email you did, but it's certainly not everyone.  Must be targeted somehow.  Maybe combined spend across all your cards or something?

[Ag with kids 581]

1 hour ago, Chewbacca said:

I've seen a couple others on reddit who go the same email you did, but it's certainly not everyone.  Must be targeted somehow.  Maybe combined spend across all your cards or something?

Might be.  Like I said, I have a number of different Plat cards (they keep wanting to give me MR points which I like).  I'm getting ready to cancel 2 of them in a few months, though, to get rid of the annual fee.  I've gotten 3 Bus Plats and 1 personal Plat in the past 20 months.  MR point bonus with all of them (except the personal but I just got it and haven't met spend yet).

This is all with the same LLC.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

I'm sure it's buried in this thread somewhere....What's the best way (site / app) to get alerts on domestic airfare updates, by carrier?

TIA

[Mother mopar 3318]

I'm sure it's buried in this thread somewhere....What's the best way (site / app) to get alerts on domestic airfare updates, by carrier?
TIA

I use hopper but there may be otber sites.

[gmr548 16576]

1 hour ago, Wally Pryor said:

I'm sure it's buried in this thread somewhere....What's the best way (site / app) to get alerts on domestic airfare updates, by carrier?

TIA

I'd just set a price alert on Google Flights.

[Party_Taco 3723]

I’m staring at this 70k Gold offer on the Delta Amex.

Itching for something new… is this the one, or are you gents courting other opportunities?

[Mother mopar 3318]

I’m staring at this 70k Gold offer on the Delta Amex.

Itching for something new… is this the one, or are you gents courting other opportunities?

I can get ya 90k w/a Delta Reserve card. However, it does come with an annual fee of $595 but the free companion pass and unlimited sky club access more than pay for that. Plus unlimited upgrades and priority etc...

It all depends on what you use the card for and whether you will take advantage of its full benefits. I like the MQM boost w/the reserve card but I fly a lot.

[midtown 3345]

As long as you understand how far 90k dleta will get you. Hint. Not far. They have the most pricey award chart in the business from my experience

[Mother mopar 3318]

As long as you understand how far 90k dleta will get you. Hint. Not far. They have the most pricey award chart in the business from my experience

Really depends TBH. They now have it where if you buy tickets with miles they are upwards of 50% off with your delta card, assuming your card is in the wallet on the app. Just booked tickets for first class VPS to FLL for 37,000 points +$12 in taxes. Depends on location and time, like most air travel.

[Party_Taco 3723]

What’s the spend requirement on that bad boy, Mopar?

[midtown 3345]

12 hours ago, Mother mopar said:

Just booked tickets for first class VPS to FLL for 37,000 points +$12 in taxes

That seems to be a lot of pts for a relatively short flight.  I am leaving tomorrow for Panama on 35,000 United pts as a comparison

[Mother mopar 3318]

@Party_Taco 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.

[Mother mopar 3318]

That seems to be a lot of pts for a relatively short flight.  I am leaving tomorrow for Panama on 35,000 United pts as a comparison

You're right, there was cheaper flights but this was first flight out and first class.

[Party_Taco 3723]

That seems to be a lot of pts for a relatively short flight.  I am leaving tomorrow for Panama on 35,000 United pts as a comparison

What’s United got going these days for offers? Best I’m seeing is the Quest card with 60k…

In other news, I should probably grab one of these, yeah?

[Mother mopar 3318]

What’s United got going these days for offers? Best I’m seeing is the Quest card with 60k…

In other news, I should probably grab one of these, yeah?

Can't speak on the United cards but have had a Hilton card since 16' and enjoy it. If you spend $40k you get a free room award, that's not worth it to me. This is why it's not my main spending card but you can crush points w/double pts promo stacked w/said card. Let me know if you need a referral.

Thought about a Marriott card but I'm too invested in Hilton and close(ish) to lifetime diamond to switch brands now.

[midtown 3345]

I'm in the Hilton eco. The surpass has 150k right now. Annual fee is only $95. It's pretty easy to get to diamond and like the poster above said, you get crazy pts by being diamond and having the credit card.

[Party_Taco 3723]

Thanks for the details - Would certainly take a referral on the Surpass if either of you can provide!

[midtown 3345]

I'll defer to @Mother mopar on the referral

[Mother mopar 3318]

Thanks for the details - Would certainly take a referral on the Surpass if either of you can provide!

PM sent w/link

[Spankytoes 1739]

Depends on where you want to go. I’m going to lose Hilton Diamond in April because I couldn’t travel for 1/2 the year due to medical issues. Personally, I’d get both IHG cards. You get a free anniversary night for each, a low annual fee and it’s easy as hell to earn points with stays and partners. They recently redid their elite benefits and hitting Diamond is relatively simple. 

[VABuckeye 2472]

United offered to move me from silver to gold today for the low, low price of $3085. Fuck that.  I had gold and it did little to nothing for me. 

[Mother mopar 3318]

United offered to move me from silver to gold today for the low, low price of $3085. Fuck that.  I had gold and it did little to nothing for me. 

Following the Subreddits, I've been seeing others have crazy offers on AA and delta as well. Shits crazy what the algorithm is putting out there but someone is buying it.

[midtown 3345]

United offered to move me from silver to gold today for the low, low price of $3085. Fuck that.  I had gold and it did little to nothing for me. 

Same. Can't imagine how or where they are getting 3k.

[Chopper 17230]

AA about to switch their awards to "dynamic" pricing, per TPG.
 

Quote

 

A couple of months ago, American Airlines said it would move to fully dynamic mileage awards on American-operated flights. Now, it looks like those changes will take effect soon.

After an internal memo from American Airlines was leaked, View from the Wing reported that these changes will be integrated in the coming weeks.

While American hasn't shared the precise date when the changes will go into effect, the airline recently confirmed that MileSAAver and AAnytime award charts will be eliminated. After this, we should expect all American-operated awards to be priced dynamically.

Here's why you should consider booking your award flights now.

To be clear, dynamic pricing isn't new for American Airlines. The carrier has long offered Web Special awards, which fluctuate in price. You can select a Web Special or AAnytime award on most American-operated flights. AAnytime and MileSAAver awards are fixed-price award tickets based on American's award charts.

What's changing, however, is that the carrier will solely offer Web Special awards in the near future.

According to the leaked internal memo, "American Airlines static mileage awards, more commonly referred to as MileSAAver and AAnytime awards, will be sunset in multiple phases over the next several weeks. Moving forward all mileage awards will be Web Special Awards, which offer a more dynamic pricing model."

So, if you need to book any flights, consider booking any AAnytime or MileSAAver awards you need before they're retired.

However, it is worth noting that partner award tickets will not move to dynamic pricing just yet. When American first announced its move to dynamic pricing late last year, Heather Samp, American's managing director of AAdvantage, told TPG that the plan is to keep partner tickets on an award chart for the time being. So those great AAdvantage redemptions for Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways business-class tickets will stick around for at least the foreseeable future.

 

 

[wild_turkey 3159]

I can get ya 90k w/a Delta Reserve card. However, it does come with an annual fee of $595 but the free companion pass and unlimited sky club access more than pay for that.

I got a Delta 90k miles offer in the mail. It’s for the Platinum Amex with a $250 annual fee after $4k spend.

I don’t fly Delta too often, but it almost seems worth it since the miles never expire.

[Chopper 17230]

I think status with any US airline these days is practically useless unless you happen to fly a shitload of domestic miles. And if you fly a shitload of domestic miles, why would you need to pay 3k to get the status. Status used to be nice to have when you were flying international and could get bumped from biz into 1st. But there's few 3 class flights any longer and I no longer will sit in coach on a long flight, nor would I even risk it...DFW to Sao Paulo in a "prime" coach seat was miserable af. That was my last time in coach and I was much younger at the time. But, then again, I'm tall and my ass doesn't have much padding so ymmv. On domestic flights I'll fly coach if the flight is short but even then for not a lot of extra $$ you can usually buy the seat of your choice. I could go years and not spend 3k in seat selection expenses. The best thing status seems to do is give you a multiplier so you can obtain status that much easier next year.

@wild_turkeyif you don't fly an airline very often why would you pay for their cobranded card, esp if you don't already have status on the airline? Your points will go further and be much more flexible with various cards from amex, chase or cap1.

Edited February 19, 2023 by Chopper

[Chopper 17230]

This FA's resignation letter made the rounds at AA - treat your FA well, esp if they're not "senior"

[Mother mopar 3318]

I got a Delta 90k miles offer in the mail. It’s for the Platinum Amex with a $250 annual fee after $4k spend.

I don’t fly Delta too often, but it almost seems worth it since the miles never expire.

That isn't bad at all.

[Mother mopar 3318]

I think status with any US airline these days is practically useless unless you happen to fly a shitload of domestic miles. And if you fly a shitload of domestic miles, why would you need to pay 3k to get the status. Status used to be nice to have when you were flying international and could get bumped from biz into 1st. But there's few 3 class flights any longer and I no longer will sit in coach on a long flight, nor would I even risk it...DFW to Sao Paulo in a "prime" coach seat was miserable af. That was my last time in coach and I was much younger at the time. But, then again, I'm tall and my ass doesn't have much padding so ymmv. On domestic flights I'll fly coach if the flight is short but even then for not a lot of extra $$ you can usually buy the seat of your choice. I could go years and not spend 3k in seat selection expenses. The best thing status seems to do is give you a multiplier so you can obtain status that much easier next year.
[mention=173]wild_turkey[/mention]if you don't fly an airline very often why would you pay for their cobranded card, esp if you don't already have status on the airline? Your points will go further and be much more flexible with various cards from amex, chase, or cap1.

I'll disagree that status isn't useful. I'm platinum on AA and Gold on Delta and can say my flying experience is better. Upgrades (associated free booze), priority ticketing, no baggage fees, and lounge access all make the travel experience better IMO. Combined with the card reimbursing me for Global Entry and TSA Pre-check for free and the benefits add up.

Skipping lines, and showing up later at the airport are all perks I consider tangible because of the status. In the end, it's what is important to you and how much you travel.

Paying for status, that's different, and I've never used Airline status.com or any other websites that offer you status for a fee. My clients pay for my travel, and I'm always cost conscience of that but it's nice to get upgraded after a long week.

[Telegraph_it 3357]

Status might be worth it again after this years culling of everyone who reached X status because qualifications were lowered. 

[Sam Lin 3551]

Honestly, I value status just to not have to wait in check in and boarding lines. The rest is all gravy.

[Chopper 17230]

6 hours ago, Mother mopar said:

I'll disagree that status isn't useful. I'm platinum on AA and Gold on Delta and can say my flying experience is better. Upgrades (associated free booze), priority ticketing, no baggage fees, and lounge access all make the travel experience better IMO. Combined with the card reimbursing me for Global Entry and TSA Pre-check for free and the benefits add up.
 

It sounds like you fly a shitload of domestic miles, which was the distinction I made.

The context of my comment was an airline asking $3k for a status upgrade. Maybe it's worth 1/5 that amount, or less? The majority of benefits of status are available from a credit card or just buying up when you purchase a seat.

[VABuckeye 2472]

It's definitely not worth the $3k over Sliver for me.  I think I've been upgraded twice when I had Gold.  I'll have to look to see what Silver lacks that Gold has but I don't think it's much.

Amex jst offered a platinum card with 150000 MR points after a $15k spend over 3 months.  That isn't a problem as I currently generate multiples of that a month.  I'd get rid of the gold and take the platinum but I have 10 employees with cards on the gold account and moving them over would be a major PITA.

[midtown 3345]

Why not both?

[wild_turkey 3159]

[mention=173]wild_turkey[/mention]if you don't fly an airline very often why would you pay for their cobranded card, esp if you don't already have status on the airline? Your points will go further and be much more flexible with various cards from amex, chase or cap1.

I’ve recently done CSR, CSP, and Amex Gold. I’m not eligible for Capital One currently. I fly mostly AA and rotate their Citi and Barclay cards to get signup bonuses and other small perks.

If there was another good offer in front of me then maybe I would take it, but I do occasionally fly Delta so it seems reasonable to pay a $250 AF to bank 90k miles that won’t expire. I would cancel the card after the bonus.

Someone point me in the right direction if there’s a better option out there.

[thunderlounge 7815]

Do you, or could you take a r/t to somewhere in Europe every year? (You need 4 segments on BA ticket stock, aka BA flight #. So a r/t from AUS-LHR with a layover at DFW gets you that, for example. Even if it’s for work, as long as you FF# is in there.)

If so, BA Silver is a sweet spot.

Lounge access on domestic tickets (AC or Flagship Lounge), and access to the network there when something goes wrong. (This is absolutely worth its weight in gold if you need rebooked/rerouted.)

Free seat selection at time of purchase, including MCE.

Distance based awards, even on AA. And you can absolutely use avios domestically.

You don’t get upgrades on AA, but free MCE helps if you’re in coach. Plus upgrades aren’t frequent typically anyway.

 

 

[VABuckeye 2472]

The only problem with BA is that thery always route you through Heathrow so you get stuck with those fuel surcharges.  It's one reason I transfer my Avios to Iberia so I can route through Madrid without the hefty surcharges.

[thunderlounge 7815]

1 hour ago, VABuckeye said:

The only problem with BA is that thery always route you through Heathrow so you get stuck with those fuel surcharges.  It's one reason I transfer my Avios to Iberia so I can route through Madrid without the hefty surcharges.

That was a part I didn’t touch on, but yes. Tons of transfer options.

But the qualifying flights have to be issued by (not flown on) BA. So anything oneworld, which makes it easier to avoid the fuel charge.

AA to Paris, through BA, for example.

It absolutely makes domestic flights much better to deal with.

AA does you right, comparatively speaking. You’ll be better off than if you were to get exec plat through AA for sure. Especially as they don’t get domestic lounge access without paying (AC), and cannot use flagship lounges on a domestic ticket. However, with BA silver, it’s green lights all the way.

I’ve had an occasion or two where the lounge desk had to think about it for a second when they see a domestic itinerary before the status, but never been an issue.

Obviously you have to be in that ecosystem/routine enough to make it worth it, but if you are it’s the way to go. And oneworld sets that, not AA. So changes are less likely.

[VABuckeye 2472]

While I agree when I look at the AA award charts I see 180000 miles for a business class ticket from Miami to Milan.   Iberia costs be about 1/3 of that in Avios.  I just can't justify the difference in miles for the class of service I desire.  I'm not really concerned with domestic flights because those are easy and generally are business trips which I have the company pay.

[thunderlounge 7815]

Which is correct. You don’t do this for miles on AA. Which is why you use BA, and earn avios. Even when you fly domestically on AA, you put your BA number in there.

You’ll never look at an AA award chart. They don’t take avios. But you CAN get a domestic flight with avios, through BA or their partners in the avios ecosystem. Like Iberia.

When biz flys you AA domestically, use your BAEC #. Rack up the avios.

Plus full lounge access. If you’ve ever been in a pickle and had access to the lounge agents, you know why they’re nicknamed AAngels.

Say “Bob” gets in a bind and his flight is canceled. He’s stuck standing in line at the gate, or waiting for who knows how long to get through on the phone.

”Jim” was also booked on that flight, but he had access to the lounge agents. Not only is it significantly quicker, they routed him quickly, and even though they couldn’t get him the same level MCE seat, they bumped him up a cabin since those were the only seats available. No charge.

Those agents have keys and capabilities that gate and phone agents don’t even know exist. And they’ll find you a seat. Even if it’s in a higher cabin.

 

I know a lot feel held captive by being in an AA dominant market via DFW, but so what. Use that to your advantage.

 

[VABuckeye 2472]

I'm looking at Milan to JFK on September 30th.  American wants 135000 miles per person for business class.  Emirates wants 87000 miles per person for their business class which is vastly superior.  No brainer decision for me on who to fly.

You and I are in agreement thuderlounge.  👍

[thunderlounge 7815]

Vastly superior is an understatement.

The 773 style is pretty decent, in the right spots. The 788/9’s aren’t bad either.

Neither are stellar, and I feel sorry for the 4 spots in F on the 773’s.

I’m curious to see how BA’s upgrades go. The concept seemed worthwhile, but I haven’t followed it much. Not sure anyone else was doing a refresh, or if anyone has announced recently.

I mention BA as right now they’re arguably the weakest J cabin among major carriers, before their refresh. AA may find themselves in that spot if they’re not careful.

[midtown 3345]

Here is how I am thinking about status.  I'm United.  Not a big business flyer.  90% of my flying is personal.   Silver pretty much only gets you economy plus within 24 hours.   In order to get silver I'd probably end up spending an extra $500-750 on flights vs being a mercenary.    I don't really check bags very often so free baggage doesn't do anything for me.  if I fly 10x a year and I get economy plus with an average of $50 I'm barely break even if not behind a little bit.  It seems like if you can gain status organically then its worth it but chasing it doesnt' seem worth it

[thunderlounge 7815]

9 minutes ago, midtown said:

It seems like if you can gain status organically then its worth it but chasing it doesnt' seem worth it

Bingo!

[Ag with kids 581]

On 2/20/2023 at 9:08 AM, Chopper said:

It sounds like you fly a shitload of domestic miles, which was the distinction I made.

The context of my comment was an airline asking $3k for a status upgrade. Maybe it's worth 1/5 that amount, or less? The majority of benefits of status are available from a credit card or just buying up when you purchase a seat.

AA just offered for me to keep my Platinum for $1750.  Since I've already earned enough Loyalty Points to at least be Gold, I'm not that interested.  I do like that you're higher on the upgrade list and the extra checked bag when my GF and I travel (which is about twice a year), but other than that, it's not THAT much better than Gold.  I guess there are more seats available at booking and a little higher point earning but that's not $1750 worth.