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

[Chewbacca 7794]

1 hour ago, Chewbacca said:

Anyone know if this deal is still in play?  Would be a game changer for the trip I'm planning since I live in Denver and UAL is almost always the best bet for direct flights.

Nevermind.  Realized I'm a dumbass and that SPG is Starwood, not CSR points.  Misread it the first time.

 

What are the thoughts on transferring CSR points for hotel use vs. airfare?  Want to go to Germany in December and the rewards flights are like unicorns (and incredibly expensive when you do find them).  Would we be better off just buying airfare?

Edited January 23, 2019 by Chewbacca

[thunderlounge 8039]

For me, hotel points are too easy to come by to waste valuable UR points.

I get that DEN is a big UA spot, but you do have other options. You might have to make an extra connection, but there may be availability with other carriers or at the very least a better cash price.

Now remember that with your CSR you'll get 1.5¢/point through the portal. That's not great, but at least it's something that isn't total shit. Being December, it's going to be a busier travel time to begin with, and awards will be slim. If you really want to find an award flight, first be prepared to fly anywhere into Europe. Your main goal is to get to the continent, and once there you can then move about to your final destination. It also works the same on the other end. Maybe you find award space from IAH-FRA, or SLC-AMS, etc. Of course you would then have to get positioning flights, but that could still end up saving you money.

I saved $2100 doing that recently, with positioning travel of just under $500 out of pocket. Net gain, $1600. I did have to account for that and adjust my travel dates and plans a tick, but it was certainly worth it.

If you're going to pay out of pocket, take a look at some of the airline vacation package sites. AA Vacations, BA Holidays, Delta Vacations, etc. United has a site for that, I'm sure Lufthansa also has one. You may be able to find something that packages your airfare and hotel together, and come out for less than just the airfare on its own.

I'm not overly familiar with the United site (I have a personal dislike of them) like that, but I know the BA site will let you customize your hotel location all the way through and pick number of nights and where. I can't recall if AA or DL does that online, but I'm sure you could call them and check.

December is a good ways out still. I know it doesn't seem like it is, but airlines haven't even really loaded any lower fare buckets yet. They're trying to sell summer tickets right now, so they kind of put the winter stuff on the back burner. Sure they're selling tickets, but cheaper prices will show up later.

[deft 6901]

Companion pass through 19

 

https://points.theinventory.com/southwest-just-launched-one-of-the-best-credit-card-bon-1831615926

[Chewbacca 7794]

2 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

For me, hotel points are too easy to come by to waste valuable UR points.

I get that DEN is a big UA spot, but you do have other options. You might have to make an extra connection, but there may be availability with other carriers or at the very least a better cash price.

Now remember that with your CSR you'll get 1.5¢/point through the portal. That's not great, but at least it's something that isn't total shit. Being December, it's going to be a busier travel time to begin with, and awards will be slim. If you really want to find an award flight, first be prepared to fly anywhere into Europe. Your main goal is to get to the continent, and once there you can then move about to your final destination. It also works the same on the other end. Maybe you find award space from IAH-FRA, or SLC-AMS, etc. Of course you would then have to get positioning flights, but that could still end up saving you money.

I saved $2100 doing that recently, with positioning travel of just under $500 out of pocket. Net gain, $1600. I did have to account for that and adjust my travel dates and plans a tick, but it was certainly worth it.

If you're going to pay out of pocket, take a look at some of the airline vacation package sites. AA Vacations, BA Holidays, Delta Vacations, etc. United has a site for that, I'm sure Lufthansa also has one. You may be able to find something that packages your airfare and hotel together, and come out for less than just the airfare on its own.

I'm not overly familiar with the United site (I have a personal dislike of them) like that, but I know the BA site will let you customize your hotel location all the way through and pick number of nights and where. I can't recall if AA or DL does that online, but I'm sure you could call them and check.

December is a good ways out still. I know it doesn't seem like it is, but airlines haven't even really loaded any lower fare buckets yet. They're trying to sell summer tickets right now, so they kind of put the winter stuff on the back burner. Sure they're selling tickets, but cheaper prices will show up later.

I don't have any hotel points because I don't travel at all for business.  All of my travel is vacation.  So since I'd have to pay for hotels anyway, might using points be an easier way to do it?

[gecko 1104]

19 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

Anyone know if this deal is still in play?  Would be a game changer for the trip I'm planning since I live in Denver and UAL is almost always the best bet for direct flights.

I was mistaken with this.  Marriott points transfer to UA at 3 pts = 1 mile.

[Spankytoes 1747]

3 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

I don't have any hotel points because I don't travel at all for business.  All of my travel is vacation.  So since I'd have to pay for hotels anyway, might using points be an easier way to do it?

As thunderlounge said, transferring points to any hotel chain, unless you are topping off an award, is the 2nd worst redemption option out there. (First being redeeming for a shopping portal) It really depends on how many nights you need and what quality of hotels you are accustomed to staying in. When I was in Dallas, I only traveled for business sporadically so I had to balance the credit card game carefully and get creative with itineraries. For example, Hyatt used to give you 2 nights anywhere in the world + a Cat 1-4 hotel. I would get the card, my wife would get the card and we would have 6 nights covered: 4 nights at the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome and 2 nights at the Hyatt CDG to bookend our vacation. Or, we would stay 4 nights at the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome and then 3 nights at a Cat 4 hotel in London. (2 nights free; 1 night on points accumulated through card usage) Sadly, those days are mostly gone.

If it were me, I would look into the Marriott Card. You get 75,000 points after hitting the spend, which is at least 3 nights at a Cat 5 hotel. (25,000 per night) You could easily stretch that to 6 nights off the one card at lower tiered properties such as Courtyard or double up by having your spouse also get the card independently. Again, it really depends on your travel plans. Having a shitload of Hyatt cred doesn't do much if you are staying in Rome as there are no properties there. Marriott and Hilton usually have properties almost anywhere you'd want to go. I'm a Hilton guy myself for various reasons, but I've had great experiences with Marriott. IHG is another decent one with a lot of properties, albeit, I wouldn't use this route if you aren't OK with a HIX or only need 1-2 nights away at a fancy property.

[Spankytoes 1747]

To piggyback off of TL again, UR points are better served as a transfer to BA or Southwest. You can probably get 1 night at a mid-tier hotel or 2.5 flights for the same points redemption. 

[Chewbacca 7794]

17 minutes ago, Spankytoes said:

To piggyback off of TL again, UR points are better served as a transfer to BA or Southwest. You can probably get 1 night at a mid-tier hotel or 2.5 flights for the same points redemption. 

BA fuel surcharges were ridiculous.  I forget exactly what it was, but they wanted something like 140-180k points plus $3,300 in taxes and fuel surcharges for each R/T business class seat.  

 

This whole experience is making me wonder why I bother with paying for a card that gets me points.  I'd probably be a lot happier if I just got a 2% cash back card and called it a day.  

[thunderlounge 8039]

35 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

BA fuel surcharges were ridiculous.  I forget exactly what it was, but they wanted something like 140-180k points plus $3,300 in taxes and fuel surcharges for each R/T business class seat.   

 

This whole experience is making me wonder why I bother with paying for a card that gets me points.  I'd probably be a lot happier if I just got a 2% cash back card and called it a day.  

 

I agree that on a full redemption, surcharges with BA across the Atlantic are ridiculous. However, you can semi-game that system and come out ahead in the long run. Granted it isn't by a lot, and not the exact value of having a flight with no surcharge, but it would still be of value.

With AA and BA for sure, maybe DL and UA as well (never thought to look on those), you can use points to lower the price of a trip. For example, you could put together a package through BA, with hotel, and use avios as partial payment. Then put the rest on your CSR for the travel points. So you're going to burn some points and pay some money. On the money you're paying, you're going to earn points and at least get a little bit of that back. On top of that, you would still earn credit for the flights as they aren't classified as award tickets. So you'll earn some more that way as well, where on an award you wouldn't.

$3300 r/t in surcharges is stupid. BA is well known for that. Now if you had an Iberia account as well (for longer than 30 days), you could transfer avios from your BA account to your IB account. IIRC, IB doesn't yet add the surcharge. Of course their J isn't overly great, so there's that.

 

I get it. You're frustrated and just finding out that awards aren't as easy as you would think. They can be, but you have to be extremely flexible with dates. When having specific travel days/times in mind, you'll strike out with much greater frequency. It's more akin to saying, "I want to go to [insert destination] next year." Then you look for tickets. When you narrow it down, especially around the holiday or high tourist season for your destination, you're almost guaranteed to get fucked.

It's not an easy game to navigate. And it is certainly much more fucked up and convoluted than it was even 2 or 3 years ago. There are still ways out there, you just have to be far more flexible and creative than in the past.

Now, where BA really shines in terms of awards are on "domestic" type tickets. It may be possible to leverage that and find a way to still save some money. Find a smash deal for your r/t longhaul from wherever in the US to wherever in Europe. While it takes some time to research, it is possible to find a good deal from time to time. Pay cash for those, then use awards for getting to your longhaul departure and arrival locations.

Or again, take a look at the vacation sites I've mentioned. The worst case I would expect from one of those is that you would at least save on the airfare, and most only have a 3-night minimum. If the price is right, no-show the hotel and enjoy the additional savings on the tickets. Once you've paid, they don't care if you use the hotel or not. You're not fighting a losing battle, but it is going to take a lot of legwork to pull it off at the best price possible. And there is still a lot of time to go yet, so don't get too discouraged just yet.

[Shaddie 1675]

Thunder is correct. Be honest out of DFW, AUS or IAH your best bet is AA to MIA then Europe. Being an Executive Plat out of DFW upgrades are extremely hard to LHR. If you have any status do a miles+copay to upgrade. It sucks to wait on the upgrade but in today’s frequent flyer game no easy work around and don’t be disappointed if you fly in coach. 

[thunderlounge 8039]

5 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

I don't have any hotel points because I don't travel at all for business.  All of my travel is vacation.  So since I'd have to pay for hotels anyway, might using points be an easier way to do it? 

I travel for business some, but not near what I used to. In fact the 3 business trips I took last year, my company booked on a corporate rate. Translation: no points or loyalty benefits. I didn't dig up a metric fuckton of hotel points last year, but I did manage to end up getting close to 375k Hilton, and 525k IHG points last year. That's all off of personal stays and the right credit card categories and combinations. I can put those to use pretty easily, depending on what/where I want to stay.

 

[Chewbacca 7794]

1 minute ago, Shaddie said:

Thunder is correct. Be honest out of DFW, AUS or IAH your best bet is AA to MIA then Europe. Being an Executive Plat out of DFW upgrades are extremely hard to LHR. If you have any status do a miles+copay to upgrade. It sucks to wait on the upgrade but in today’s frequent flyer game no easy work around and don’t be disappointed if you fly in coach. 

I'm in Denver, hence wanting to use UAL if I can just for fewer connections.  And fuck flying coach to Europe.  Won't do that shit.

[Shaddie 1675]

Just now, Chewbacca said:

I'm in Denver, hence wanting to use UAL if I can just for fewer connections.  And fuck flying coach to Europe.  Won't do that shit.

Good luck then. Unless you spend bookoo miles or lots of money it is virtually impossible on any airline tickets fly in a decent seat. I have flown in Premium Economy on AA for domestic legs and not bad. I know UA is starting to roll out theirs. Basically a domestic 1st seat. 

Unfortunately the good ole days are dead. We are self loading cargo unless you or your company pays big bucks. 

Mine doesn’t. 😩

[Telegraph_it 3374]

All my trips were done via business or first using points. If you watch award availability or set up alerts you can find biz class for 50k to 70k points. That’s not a bad deal.

Turkish has great availability. Just make sure to sit in seats next to window.  Transfer Amex points to Air Canada and book for 50k one way. 

[Spankytoes 1747]

1 hour ago, Chewbacca said:

BA fuel surcharges were ridiculous.  I forget exactly what it was, but they wanted something like 140-180k points plus $3,300 in taxes and fuel surcharges for each R/T business class seat.  

 

This whole experience is making me wonder why I bother with paying for a card that gets me points.  I'd probably be a lot happier if I just got a 2% cash back card and called it a day.  

Depends. I can fly JFK-LHR in J (Business Class) for less than $6 if the plane is actually AA metal. It’s a little bit of luck and a lot of advance planning. If you’re using UR, United may be of value to you. They generally have a better award redemption pool.

[gecko 1104]

I have 6 global upgrade certificates on UA and have yet to find a flight where I can use them. I’m beginning to think they’re worthless. Nothing but waitlists

[thunderlounge 8039]

And if you’re not high in the pecking order, they’re even tougher to use. 

I’m not a united fan myself, but similar to AA or DL in practice. Fly on non-peak days when expected paid J is typically lower. Then cross your fingers, salt over the back, hop on one foot while turning 7.32 rotations in a circle while spitting on a broom.

 

[PittsburghTiger 6245]

Just landed at JFK.  What a shitty airport! Staffed by junior high graduates. What an embarrassment as one of our nation’s gateway airports. The contrast between JFK and Frankfurt is quite stark.

[Biff Tannen 45778]

Applied for Southwest, realized my credit was frozen, called in and gave them the code to pull it, and am still sitting here 2 weeks later waiting on them to approve.  Credit score is hovering around 800.

[Shaddie 1675]

6 hours ago, PittsburghTiger said:

Just landed at JFK.  What a shitty airport! Staffed by junior high graduates. What an embarrassment as one of our nation’s gateway airports. The contrast between JFK and Frankfurt is quite stark.

Sad part is that is the best NYC airport when you compare LGA or EWR. 

[midtown 3348]

15 hours ago, Shaddie said:

Sad part is that is the best NYC airport when you compare LGA or EWR. 

Newark has improved drastically and the C terminal is nice.   I honestly don't see how people have such issues with airports.  Bathroom-check, Food-check, booze-check..almost every airport I traverse has all three and usually at least one lounge I can go into and almost all have free wifi.  As long as it has those things I have no complaints and just enjoy the insanity. 

[JimmyHoffa 1188]

48 minutes ago, midtown said:

Newark has improved drastically and the C terminal is nice.   I honestly don't see how people have such issues with airports.  Bathroom-check, Food-check, booze-check..almost every airport I traverse has all three and usually at least one lounge I can go into and almost all have free wifi.  As long as it has those things I have no complaints and just enjoy the insanity. 

 

Newsflash- People like to bitch about stupid things. 

All kidding aside, I agree 100%. Aside from a few minor inconveniences here or there they aren't that bad. But having lounge access is a game changer and gets you away from most of the poors and screaming kids which makes a massive difference. 

[midtown 3348]

6 minutes ago, JimmyHoffa said:

gets you away from most of the poors and screaming kids which makes a massive difference. 

Noise cancelling headphones...Its fun to watch all the people struggling with basic tasks while traveling while your ears are immersed in whatever you enjoy listening to..Its easily one of the best free entertainment options in the world.

[Shaddie 1675]

1 hour ago, midtown said:

Newark has improved drastically and the C terminal is nice.   I honestly don't see how people have such issues with airports.  Bathroom-check, Food-check, booze-check..almost every airport I traverse has all three and usually at least one lounge I can go into and almost all have free wifi.  As long as it has those things I have no complaints and just enjoy the insanity. 

The Airports I can handle somewhat. Getting to them and returning a rental car sucks and traffic sucks. LGA construction absolutely made that place a hole. Admirals club in both are just a place to sit. Way over crowded and sometimes the terminals are less congested. I am stressed out by the time I get in them  

And MIA sucks cause it takes longer to get to rental car than the flights get took. 

I don’t know city names I know it by the airport code. Typed in DFW -GEG the other day though I haven’t been there in years knew it without thinking about it  

 

[Spankytoes 1747]

That’s why you go to the Centurion Lounge like a big boy.

The new Southwest terminal at LGA is a huge improvement yet vastly disappointing with food options and lounges. JFK is fine as long as you’re flying JetBlue, Delta or AA. 

MIA sucks a dick.

[midtown 3348]

3 minutes ago, Spankytoes said:

MIA sucks a dick.

MIA has an expanded Centurion Lounge with a hot and cold buffet...blouses

[SurlyORama 164]

On 1/15/2019 at 11:01 AM, thunderlounge said:

 

This is a tough one, and being flexible is going to be key. Just because there are open seats doesn't mean that you can use your SWU's. If there were a known pattern, everybody would do it.

However, you do have options. Probably a lot more than you realize. Grab more coffee, this is going to get long.

Before we start, for general reference, you want to fly when most business people aren't. Tuesday, Wednesday, maybe Saturday. Even that isn't a guarantee as DFW being THE AA hub, the "elite" saturation/competition is huge. So even on days when business travel isn't peak, you still have a lower shot of scoring with a SWU. Not impossible, but the odds are far from guaranteed. Especially going to London.

<snip>

Option 2: The half and half
This may seem odd, but maybe not. Flying east is when having a lie-flat is most important. You want to get onboard, get settled, and pass out as soon as possible. That way you wake up ready to go. Coming back, you really want to stay awake as much as possible. You'll be tired as hell, but you'll crash out as soon as you hit your pillow, and then wake up back on track.

That being the case, it's possible to fly in J going east, and the PE or Y coming back. You'll have to contact an agent directly to book it, but since you can't book that itinerary online they will waive the reservation fee.

<snip>

Option 3: Neither Main Cabin, nor Business
Another option is to fly in PE (premium economy). PE is going to be akin to domestic first. Similar seat, slightly more recline. Meals are off the J menu, but selection is limited. Not lie-flats, but not completely small church (no ballroom) either.

<snip>

Um, if you're EXP, what's your mileage balance look like? You may be able to use miles for one ticket, then purchase another. Or apply miles to an AA Vacation package (IIRC). Have any Chase or AMEX points? Could use those on BA/BA Holiday.

Just an update. Ended up booking Premium Economy, leaving on a Thursday, return on a Tuesday. Then called up Exec Plat desk, and surprisingly, got confirmed upgrade on the return trip from Madrid->DFW (still economy DFW->AUS, but exit row, etc., so fine, and I often get upgraded on that leg anyway just due to status.) I was really surprised, because NOTHING I could find (AA website OR ExpertFlyer.com) showed any availability, and I check every day. Waitlisted on AUS->LHR, hopefully it comes through, the rep seemed to indicate it wasn't hopeless.

So, although at this point I'm still in Premium Economy going east, I did get an upgrade to business coming back west, which is the longest flight of the whole trip (11 hrs).

Bonus: when I called and she confirmed the availability, I got her to change my original reservation from Premium Economy to regular-old economy, then apply the upgrade (still gets you to business.) Saved a quick $300 just for asking, which I thought was cool.

On the last question, I had enough miles to book 2 RT in business, but only with MileSaaver fares, which limit your options. All of them involved BA flights and terrible schedules, and additionally they would have cost me something like $1300 in fees to book my "free" flights. That, the crappy times, and having to use all those miles, I just couldn't see my way to doing that.

[thunderlounge 8039]

So you booked anytime awards? Ouch! Glad to see you’re sorted though.

 

BA is notorious for their TATL fuel surcharges on awards. Whether ticketed through AA or BA. 

[Spankytoes 1747]

8 hours ago, SurlyORama said:

Just an update. Ended up booking Premium Economy, leaving on a Thursday, return on a Tuesday. Then called up Exec Plat desk, and surprisingly, got confirmed upgrade on the return trip from Madrid->DFW (still economy DFW->AUS, but exit row, etc., so fine, and I often get upgraded on that leg anyway just due to status.) I was really surprised, because NOTHING I could find (AA website OR ExpertFlyer.com) showed any availability, and I check every day. Waitlisted on AUS->LHR, hopefully it comes through, the rep seemed to indicate it wasn't hopeless.

So, although at this point I'm still in Premium Economy going east, I did get an upgrade to business coming back west, which is the longest flight of the whole trip (11 hrs).

Bonus: when I called and she confirmed the availability, I got her to change my original reservation from Premium Economy to regular-old economy, then apply the upgrade (still gets you to business.) Saved a quick $300 just for asking, which I thought was cool.

On the last question, I had enough miles to book 2 RT in business, but only with MileSaaver fares, which limit your options. All of them involved BA flights and terrible schedules, and additionally they would have cost me something like $1300 in fees to book my "free" flights. That, the crappy times, and having to use all those miles, I just couldn't see my way to doing that.

AA is very stingy on letting you use their metal for TA flights. (Especially from DFW) The Golden Era of 2013 is long gone. 

I'm confused on your wait list comment though. Is this a ticket you purchased that was upgraded or did you use miles? AA doesn't fly AUS-LHR so I figured that it was the former. Otherwise, you're going to get hit with the TATL BA fee. 

[52-80 19282]

Anybody wanna trade 150K Chase Ultimate Rewards for 150K Amex MR? 

 

Basically I need 150k into a united awards.  Have 150k amex that goes 1:1 into Aeroplan, Delta, British, etihad, virgin atlantic, whatever...

[SurlyORama 164]

AA is very stingy on letting you use their metal for TA flights. (Especially from DFW) The Golden Era of 2013 is long gone. 
I'm confused on your wait list comment though. Is this a ticket you purchased that was upgraded or did you use miles? AA doesn't fly AUS-LHR so I figured that it was the former. Otherwise, you're going to get hit with the TATL BA fee. 

Sorry I was unclear. Outbound is AUS->JFK->LHR. All AA flights.

I purchased the Premium Economy, didn't use miles.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TornACL 7766]

On 1/31/2019 at 8:53 PM, midtown said:

MIA has an expanded Centurion Lounge with a hot and cold buffet...blouses

I don't know what they serve in the Centurion Lounge but is it better than La Carretta's Ropa Vieja or Kuva's Vaca Frita? Those are my go to meals at MIA. Followed by a slice of tres leches and a cortadito. 

[mycox 582]

Has anyone done the "throwaway ticket"?

I'm trying to get to Malta using miles with only one connection. I can go to Amsterdam, Milan, and Munich for the 30k miles but there is a connection in Frankfurt. Direct flights to Frankfurt and Amsterdam are 60k miles

Has anyone been penalized for skipping a leg when using miles? I can get to Frankfurt for 30k miles and buy a ticket to Malta for $160 (skipping Amsterdam, Milan, or Munich). This would be a one way ticket and no checked bags.

 

Edited February 6, 2019 by mycox

[midtown 3348]

23 hours ago, Spankytoes said:

AA is very stingy on letting you use their metal for TA flights. (Especially from DFW)

I'm not sure I understand this statement.  I'm going to SAT>DFW>LHR and then AMS>PHL>SAT later this month and I had multiple flights to choose from on miles.  All on AA

[BearSchlong 8140]

On 1/29/2019 at 4:50 PM, Biff Tannen said:

Applied for Southwest, realized my credit was frozen, called in and gave them the code to pull it, and am still sitting here 2 weeks later waiting on them to approve.  Credit score is hovering around 800.

And here I am trying to get to the spending limit for the miles/companion pass, got my card yesterday.

[thunderlounge 8039]

1 hour ago, midtown said:

I'm not sure I understand this statement.  I'm going to SAT>DFW>LHR and then AMS>PHL>SAT later this month and I had multiple flights to choose from on miles.  All on AA

 

At saver rates in J?

[Biff Tannen 45778]

13 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

And here I am trying to get to the spending limit for the miles/companion pass, got my card yesterday.

Cancelled the application, re-applied with unfrozen credit and instant approval.  

[BearSchlong 8140]

Wife just informed me we're buying a new couch to meet the $4K spend threshold.

[4th and 5 4926]

2 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

 

At saver rates in J?

It wasn't easy but I found F/J to Europe and J/F back to AUS this summer for the entire family on 57,500 point saver awards. 

[thunderlounge 8039]

19 hours ago, 4th and 5 said:

It wasn't easy but I found F/J to Europe and J/F back to AUS this summer for the entire family on 57,500 point saver awards. 

 

Holy. Shit. It’s a got damn miracle. That’s awesome. 

[midtown 3348]

Ok super travelers.   Does anyone know of a way to transfer Amex pts to Eurostar?  According to AMEX I have to be physically in Europe for their software to allow me to make the transfer.  I tried mocking my phone location to London but its using my IP address and not my GPS

[BTW 370]

Try this?

https://free-proxy-list.net/uk-proxy.html

[52-80 19282]

16 hours ago, midtown said:

Ok super travelers.   Does anyone know of a way to transfer Amex pts to Eurostar?  According to AMEX I have to be physically in Europe for their software to allow me to make the transfer.  I tried mocking my phone location to London but its using my IP address and not my GPS

send me your amex login account and ill do it for you

 

pinky promise

[midtown 3348]

1 hour ago, 52-80 said:

send me your amex login account and ill do it for you

What could possibly go wrong.

[thunderlounge 8039]

Is MR for Eurostar a decent value for MR points? Doesn’t seem like it would be?

Eurostar is usually cheap enough a decent ways out, even in Premier. 

[midtown 3348]

7 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:

Eurostar is usually cheap enough a decent ways out, even in Premier. 

It's .02 a point..$150 for a Premier ticket or 7500 pts.

[thunderlounge 8039]

Not too bad then. 

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2741]

Need to book a flight to Cabo for work. According to the conversion it works out better to use miles but not by much.

Given that it is a negligible difference would the better benefit be from a tax perspective to pay for it OOP?

This is on American.

[thunderlounge 8039]

Define "for work."

Me, I'm not buying a fucking thing "for work" with any of my points. If it's my own business, I'll take the tax write off. No tax advantage for using points.

If it's for your employer, damn right make them pay for it, preferably by reimbursement. That way I can use my own CC and get the points from that, plus have the receipts for my own purposes. Also paying vice award, you get the times/flights you want, plus credit to your FF account. On awards, you're at the mercy of availability of awards, also the schedule they'll allow, plus no FF credit.

If we're talking using Chase UR or AMEX MR points, then some of that isn't applicable. You still are using your personal stuff for business, but there can be exceptions to that as well. Like UR/MR points from your personal business card, or some such. You could still possibly write those off in theory, as points do have some value (1.5¢/pt for UR through the portal, for example.)

 

[Spankytoes 1747]

For work? Fuck that