The Master Travel Redemptions Thread

[cv91915]

This doesn't 100% belong in this thread, but it doesn't warrant its own thread either.

 

I've never seen gift cards included in a room rate.

 

This is a Residence Inn in Raleigh that I just booked for a couple of nights next month.

 

[TheVig]

This doesn't 100% belong in this thread, but it doesn't warrant its own thread either.

 

I've never seen gift cards included in a room rate.

 

This is a Residence Inn in Raleigh that I just booked for a couple of nights next month.

 

I'm in Raleigh now and it's getting a bit ball sticky here. I'll be in Raleigh again next month, and the ball stickage will be worse. But not as bad as FL.

[cv91915]

 

This doesn't 100% belong in this thread, but it doesn't warrant its own thread either.

 

I've never seen gift cards included in a room rate.

 

This is a Residence Inn in Raleigh that I just booked for a couple of nights next month.

 

I'm in Raleigh now and it's getting a bit ball sticky here. I'll be in Raleigh again next month, and the ball stickage will be worse. But not as bad as FL.

 

 

Unfortunately, my work destinations choose me. The balls don't get a vote.

[TheVig]

 

 

This doesn't 100% belong in this thread, but it doesn't warrant its own thread either.

 

I've never seen gift cards included in a room rate.

 

This is a Residence Inn in Raleigh that I just booked for a couple of nights next month.

 

I'm in Raleigh now and it's getting a bit ball sticky here. I'll be in Raleigh again next month, and the ball stickage will be worse. But not as bad as FL.

Unfortunately, my work destinations choose me. The balls don't get a vote.

Mine don't get a vote either.

[brainchasm]

Burned a bunch of AA miles sending SO to a family thing, from LAS to ORF and back.

 

Glad to have finally used them.

[pwd847]

British Airways miles flying on AA metal.

 

15000 miles LIT-DFW-CMI.

 

$278 flight

 

BA really pissed me off this time. I called Hong Kong CSR and was told no availability. AA.com showed availability and Qantas showed as well. This guy didn't even ask if it was one way or anything. I kinda wonder if he was just lazy. He tried to tell me that calling Hong Kong from the USA wouldn't work or something. I didn't let that fly.

 

Next called Singapore. The lady was very nice but she only had really weird availability. I ended up booking a day earlier than I wanted to.

 

The next day I called United Kingdom and she was super nice and very helpful. She had to put me on hold a bunch of times, but we got my flight switched over to the day I wanted, but still did not get the layover that I wanted at DFW.

 

Oh well. It'll be really nice to fly straight to CMI instead of Chicago and then getting on a bus or a train. I don't understand why booking AA flights via BA is so incredibly difficult.

 

Oh yeah, I spent about $2.00 on international calls via Google Voice. (1st time making international calls)

Edited June 1, 2018 by pwd847

[cv91915]

British Airways miles flying on AA metal.

 

15000 miles LIT-DFW-CMI.

 

$278 flight

 

BA really pissed me off this time. I called Hong Kong CSR and was told no availability. AA.com showed availability and Qantas showed as well. This guy didn't even ask if it was one way or anything. I kinda wonder if he was just lazy. He tried to tell me that calling Hong Kong from the USA wouldn't work or something. I didn't let that fly.

 

Next called Singapore. The lady was very nice but she only had really weird availability. I ended up booking a day earlier than I wanted to.

 

The next day I called United Kingdom and she was super nice and very helpful. She had to put me on hold a bunch of times, but we got my flight switched over to the day I wanted, but still did not get the layover that I wanted at DFW.

 

Oh well. It'll be really nice to fly straight to CMI instead of Chicago and then getting on a bus or a train. I don't understand why booking AA flights via BA is so incredibly difficult.

 

Oh yeah, I spent about $2.00 on international calls via Google Voice. (1st time making international calls)

 

Nice job staying on it. I had no idea that there was commercial service into CMI. Definitely more convenient for you.

[cv91915]

Speaking of annoying redemptions...

 

I've been trying to figure out how to book award flights with AA miles on Oneworld from SAN or MUD to ESB (Ankara, Turkey).

 

Qatar is a Oneworld airline and flies into ESB, but good luck finding a single itinerary for purchase with miles OR money on AA.com -- or even by phone through the Executive Platinum desk.

 

I had a heart-to-heart with my favorite agent at the Admirals Club in SAN, and she spent some time and made some calls.

 

She emailed me a few days later with the answer (call her or the EP desk and ask them to reserve SAN or MUD to JFK on AA, then JFK - ESB on Qatar, then join the two into one reservation, and then do the redemption).

 

JFK-ESB goes through Doha, which isn't exactly on the way, but we're down to practically zero United miles, and with our pile of 1.1 million AA miles (and growing) beggars can't be choosers.

[cv91915]

I recently booked an AA Saver Award for TAD to spend a week in San Diego over the Labor Day holiday.

I redeemed 25,000 miles (+$11.20 in fees) in lieu of purchasing a $411 ticket.

(41100 - 1120) / 25,000 = 1.6 cpm

Aspirational redemption?  No.  But we have too many AA miles to care.

[mendelssohn]

I just booked my flight for Oktoberfest yesterday.

 

The connection on the US side so that I'm not connecting in Europe.

 

DFW-IAD-MUC

140K United miles for Business Class on Lufthansa (I transferred UR points to top off my account)

Current market price for this itinerary is about $5600.

 

5600 / 140K = 4cpm

[cv91915]

At the last minute TAD needed a roundtrip ticket from MUD to SLC leaving Saturday in order to deal with a family matter.

 

On MUD-SLC on AA there were no 12,500-mile Saver options left in Economy, but there was Saver space in First for the same 25,000 miles than an Anytime award would have cost in Economy, so I booked First.  

 

On the return there were lots of Saver options in Economy, so I grabbed a pair of convenient flights for 12,500 miles.

 

The roundrip in Economy would have cost $903.  The price difference between First and Economy on the outbound flights is ~ $812 - 585 = $227.  

 

So I spent 37,500 miles + $11.20 on this itinerary (we used my AAdvantage account to book this, because with my status AA waives the $75 close-in award booking fee).

 

If I value this at $1,130 ($903 for a R/T in Economy plus the ~$227 premium for the segment booked in First) I get:

 

(113000 - 1120) / 37,500 = 2.98 cpm

 

If I value this at $903 (because we wouldn't have booked the segments in First with real money), I get:

 

(90300 - 1120) / 37,500 = 2.38 cpm

 

 

[blqbutterfly]

Traveling to Bahamas in a week, which card should I take? and how much cash should I carry for a week. I'm getting mixed info about using cash there vs a card.  I don't have any "travel" cards. 

 

Chase Unlimited Freedom

Discover Cash back  

NFCU Cash back

AMEX green

Quiksilver Cash back

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

PS all cards have a zero balance. 

Edited July 25, 2018 by blqbutterfly

[cv91915]

6 minutes ago, blqbutterfly said:

Traveling to Bahamas in a week, which card should I take? and how much cash should I carry for a week. I'm getting mixed info about using cash there vs a card.  I don't have any "travel" cards. 

 

Chase Unlimited Freedom

Discover Cash back  

NFCU Cash back

AMEX green

Quiksilver Cash back

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

PS all cards have a zero balance. 

Take more than one card.  Carry a couple and keep a couple in the room's safe.  Don't take any card that charges a foreign transaction fee and/or has the Discovery logo on it.

 

No idea on how much cash to suggest.  I would imagine if you are in touristy areas credit card acceptance should be good.  Except for Discovery.  

 

With that said, if you plan to buy and smuggle large quantities of drugs back into the US you will need a lot more cash than the average tourist, who is mainly buying expensive drinks made from cheap rum and served in hollowed-out pineapples (probably -- and tragically -- with Jimmy Buffet music in the background).

 

[cv91915]

13 hours ago, cv91915 said:

At the last minute TAD needed a roundtrip ticket from MUD to SLC leaving Saturday in order to deal with a family matter.

 

On MUD-SLC on AA there were no 12,500-mile Saver options left in Economy, but there was Saver space in First for the same 25,000 miles than an Anytime award would have cost in Economy, so I booked First.  

 

On the return there were lots of Saver options in Economy, so I grabbed a pair of convenient flights for 12,500 miles.

 

The roundrip in Economy would have cost $903.  The price difference between First and Economy on the outbound flights is ~ $812 - 585 = $227.  

 

So I spent 37,500 miles + $11.20 on this itinerary (we used my AAdvantage account to book this, because with my status AA waives the $75 close-in award booking fee).

 

If I value this at $1,130 ($903 for a R/T in Economy plus the ~$227 premium for the segment booked in First) I get:

 

(113000 - 1120) / 37,500 = 2.98 cpm

 

If I value this at $903 (because we wouldn't have booked the segments in First with real money), I get:

 

(90300 - 1120) / 37,500 = 2.38 cpm

 

 

I keep forgetting about the 10% rebate on redeemed miles (credit card benefit), so the net miles used was 37,500 * 0.9 = 33,750.

 

So for a value of $1,130, the redemption was worth:

 

(113000 - 1120) / 33,750 = 3.3 cpm 

 

For the $903 valuation:

 

(90300 - 1120) / 33,750 = 2.6 cpm

[blqbutterfly]

16 hours ago, cv91915 said:

Take more than one card.  Carry a couple and keep a couple in the room's safe.  Don't take any card that charges a foreign transaction fee and/or has the Discovery logo on it.

 

No idea on how much cash to suggest.  I would imagine if you are in touristy areas credit card acceptance should be good.  Except for Discovery.  

 

With that said, if you plan to buy and smuggle large quantities of drugs back into the US you will need a lot more cash than the average tourist, who is mainly buying expensive drinks made from cheap rum and served in hollowed-out pineapples (probably -- and tragically -- with Jimmy Buffet music in the background).

 

LMAO.....I knew you would say not to take Discovery!  I'll just take the NFCU and Chase.  I know Navy doesn't charge foreign transaction fees on this card, not sure yet about Chase.  On second thought I'm taking NF and Cap One neither charge foreign transaction fees! 

 

As for the smuggling um you got me LOL!! Nah I'm kidding I plan to do the "buying expensive drinks made from cheap rum" part a lot but I'm not planning on the touristy stuff.  I'll figure the cash thing out. 

 

Thanks so much for your response! 

Edited July 26, 2018 by blqbutterfly

[cv91915]

On 7/26/2018 at 8:22 AM, blqbutterfly said:

LMAO.....I knew you would say not to take Discovery!  I'll just take the NFCU and Chase.  I know Navy doesn't charge foreign transaction fees on this card, not sure yet about Chase.  On second thought I'm taking NF and Cap One neither charge foreign transaction fees! 

 

As for the smuggling um you got me LOL!! Nah I'm kidding I plan to do the "buying expensive drinks made from cheap rum" part a lot but I'm not planning on the touristy stuff.  I'll figure the cash thing out. 

 

Thanks so much for your response! 

Discovery's acceptance outside the US is horrible.  That was legit advice.  I will say that it's always nice when truth lines up with bias.   

 

Good luck with the skull-hammering hangovers.   

[cv91915]

On 7/25/2018 at 3:24 PM, cv91915 said:

At the last minute TAD needed a roundtrip ticket from MUD to SLC leaving Saturday in order to deal with a family matter.

 

On MUD-SLC on AA there were no 12,500-mile Saver options left in Economy, but there was Saver space in First for the same 25,000 miles than an Anytime award would have cost in Economy, so I booked First.  

 

On the return there were lots of Saver options in Economy, so I grabbed a pair of convenient flights for 12,500 miles.

 

The roundrip in Economy would have cost $903.  The price difference between First and Economy on the outbound flights is ~ $812 - 585 = $227.  

 

So I spent 37,500 miles + $11.20 on this itinerary (we used my AAdvantage account to book this, because with my status AA waives the $75 close-in award booking fee).

 

If I value this at $1,130 ($903 for a R/T in Economy plus the ~$227 premium for the segment booked in First) I get:

 

(113000 - 1120) / 37,500 = 2.98 cpm

 

If I value this at $903 (because we wouldn't have booked the segments in First with real money), I get:

 

(90300 - 1120) / 37,500 = 2.38 cpm

 

 

 

On 7/27/2018 at 9:10 AM, cv91915 said:

Discovery's acceptance outside the US is horrible.  That was legit advice.  I will say that it's always nice when truth lines up with bias.   

 

Good luck with the skull-hammering hangovers.   

 

So far on his journey today TAD has managed to get to Phoenix without his wallet or phone.    

[althes]

How is that possible.

I freak out when I can't find my wallet.

[cv91915]

28 minutes ago, althes said:

How is that possible.

I freak out when I can't find my wallet.

He went to shut off his phone before takeoff... and... no phone... or wallet.

 

He's still out of town, but I got in last night.  I went to space in the airport garage where the car was parked, opened up the car, and found both in plain view on the passenger seat.

 

[cv91915]

On 7/26/2018 at 7:29 AM, cv91915 said:

I keep forgetting about the 10% rebate on redeemed miles (credit card benefit), so the net miles used was 37,500 * 0.9 = 33,750.

 

So for a value of $1,130, the redemption was worth:

 

(113000 - 1120) / 33,750 = 3.3 cpm 

 

For the $903 valuation:

 

(90300 - 1120) / 33,750 = 2.6 cpm

 

I crossed over the 1,000,000-mile mark on AA this week. 

 

 

I didn't realize that this milestone came with a 35,000-mile bonus, so I guess we'll just call TAD's trip completely free and move on.  😛 

 

[Konrad2012]

On 7/26/2018 at 8:22 AM, blqbutterfly said:

LMAO.....I knew you would say not to take Discovery!  

On the contrary, please take Disco and try it in a couple places to test acceptance.  We have a thread on here dedicated to the failure rate of Disco outside the US. 

[Konrad2012]

I recently redeemed some JetBlue points for a Mint flight.  It was unequivocally without a doubt the best domestic flight experience I have ever had. 

 

That being said, not the best redemption rate.  B6 gives you about a $0.012 redemption value towards the Mint product, whereas the ghetto class redemption is usually $0.016-$0.018.

 

The best B6 redemption value if you are Mosaic is the Even More Space seat upgrades.  A $100 upgrade is ~1000 points.  $0.10/mile is tough to beat. 

[mendelssohn]

On 8/1/2018 at 7:32 AM, cv91915 said:

 

I crossed over the 1,000,000-mile mark on AA this week. 

 

 

I didn't realize that this milestone came with a 35,000-mile bonus, so I guess we'll just call TAD's trip completely free and move on.  😛 

 

Congrats!

[cv91915]

I'm planning a short stop to visit my grandparents on the way to a meeting in DC at the end of September.

 

I just booked two nights at the Delta Hotels South Sioux City Waterfront using the free annual Category 1-5 night from the Chase Marriott Visa (which I just canceled) plus 20,000 Marriott points.

 

The equivalent cash rate for this room with taxes is $155.12/night, so this redemption got me:

 

15512/20000 = 0.78 cpp

 

 

Normally I wouldn't blow 20,000 Marriott points for one night in the Sioux City area, where you can get a room at the Hilton Garden Inn (also located directly on the Missouri River) -- arguably the nicest place in town -- for around $100.  Plus I often have 10% back offers for Hilton Garden Inn on our Bank of America credit cards.  

 

With the free night certificate, though, this was a pretty good combo for two free nights.

 

Looks like my flight from SAN-OMA is only going to be ~$123 on AA (it was almost 3x into SUX), and I picked up a one-way rental from OMA-SUX from Hertz via Hotwire for around $135 for two days, all-in.  

Edited August 7, 2018 by cv91915

[cv91915]

On 5/22/2018 at 5:36 PM, cv91915 said:

This doesn't 100% belong in this thread, but it doesn't warrant its own thread either.

 

I've never seen gift cards included in a room rate.

 

This is a Residence Inn in Raleigh that I just booked for a couple of nights next month.

 

When I checked out, the guy behind the counter had no idea how the gift card rate worked, so he told me that he would have the manager mail the card to my home address.

 

At around 6 weeks after check-out the card still hadn't arrived, so I called the property yesterday and left a VM for the manager.

 

About two hours later I got a call back.  They were out of the North Hills gift cards, but they offered to send me a $50 Visa gift card instead. 

 

Much better.  I have no idea if the North Hills GC was like a Simon Visa or if you have to use it at that specific mall, but a plain Visa gift card will be perfect.

 

They gave me 1,000 Marriott points for my trouble.  A little weak, but, hey, free points.