How Many Credit Cards Do You Have?

[steve dave]

Flights. Would like a southwest card. Currently have us airways Barclays.


Gonna win 'em all!

Yeah, just go to chase website and pick a 50k SW card out then. There are like four versions. You can get them all in succession.

Is it worth the $99 fee?

Yes. and the $69 on some of the other cards. It's worth some set dollar figure of SW travel (like $500'ish) but it's mostly valuable if you get 2 or 3 of them in a year and get over 110k points in the year because you will get the companion pass for the rest of the current year and all of next year. We'll have it for the rest of this year and all of next in the next month or two because mrs. dave got two different SW cards and we're going to hit the spend on the second one in a week or two. then we'll need to either spend $6k more on the card or transfer some points from another program and I'm travelling for free with her (or lil sd is) every time she purchases a ticket or flys on a reward ticket. it essentially makes the points twice as valuable (or the cost of a ticket 50% less) for two years.

[The Tonya Harding of Twitter Users Creep]

also they give you $99 worth of points after you pay the fee

[steve dave]

also they give you $99 worth of points after you pay the fee

so it's basically only a $97.75 fee

[The1BigWillie]

SD... my GF travels for work and has companion status... what cards would you recommend for hotel points considering we have free flights pretty much everywhere for SW w/ her miles. 

[steve dave]

SD... my GF travels for work and has companion status... what cards would you recommend for hotel points considering we have free flights pretty much everywhere for SW w/ her miles.

chase sapphire preferred, chase ink, chase freedom (all earn ultimate reward points which transfer 1:1 to Hyatt, Marriott, & IHG). get all three if possible. the ink is a business card but you can just make up a business. I posted a 60k link today. after that they have a hyatt card which gives you two nights at any hyatt in the world (don't get this until you are getting ready to go on a trip to a really expensive hyatt, you and your GF could each get it to stay 4 nights at a $1k a night hyatt hotel). SPG card is good but it's hard to really accumulate their points fast. you can get the personal and business and get like 60k points. marriott has their own card which offers 70k points from time to time. they are ok. hilton suck. ihg suck.

[michigancat]

Flights. Would like a southwest card. Currently have us airways Barclays.


Gonna win 'em all!

Yeah, just go to chase website and pick a 50k SW card out then. There are like four versions. You can get them all in succession.

Is it worth the $99 fee?

Yes. and the $69 on some of the other cards. It's worth some set dollar figure of SW travel (like $500'ish) but it's mostly valuable if you get 2 or 3 of them in a year and get over 110k points in the year because you will get the companion pass for the rest of the current year and all of next year. We'll have it for the rest of this year and all of next in the next month or two because mrs. dave got two different SW cards and we're going to hit the spend on the second one in a week or two. then we'll need to either spend $6k more on the card or transfer some points from another program and I'm travelling for free with her (or lil sd is) every time she purchases a ticket or flys on a reward ticket. it essentially makes the points twice as valuable (or the cost of a ticket 50% less) for two years.

points can pay for a flight w/ a companion pass attached?

[steve dave]

Flights. Would like a southwest card. Currently have us airways Barclays.


Gonna win 'em all!

Yeah, just go to chase website and pick a 50k SW card out then. There are like four versions. You can get them all in succession.

Is it worth the $99 fee?

Yes. and the $69 on some of the other cards. It's worth some set dollar figure of SW travel (like $500'ish) but it's mostly valuable if you get 2 or 3 of them in a year and get over 110k points in the year because you will get the companion pass for the rest of the current year and all of next year. We'll have it for the rest of this year and all of next in the next month or two because mrs. dave got two different SW cards and we're going to hit the spend on the second one in a week or two. then we'll need to either spend $6k more on the card or transfer some points from another program and I'm travelling for free with her (or lil sd is) every time she purchases a ticket or flys on a reward ticket. it essentially makes the points twice as valuable (or the cost of a ticket 50% less) for two years.

points can pay for a flight w/ a companion pass attached?

yes, duh

[michigancat]

well, just pulled the trigger on 2 SW cards for Mrs. michigancat

[michigancat]

booked 4 tickets to new york that I need to cancel/change. Just realized they changed the return flight on my original booking to two hours earlier than I'd planned. Think that's enough to wave a change fee? Tips?

I'm going to call regardless.

[mocat]

Flights. Would like a southwest card. Currently have us airways Barclays.


Gonna win 'em all!

Yeah, just go to chase website and pick a 50k SW card out then. There are like four versions. You can get them all in succession.

Is it worth the $99 fee?

Yes. and the $69 on some of the other cards. It's worth some set dollar figure of SW travel (like $500'ish) but it's mostly valuable if you get 2 or 3 of them in a year and get over 110k points in the year because you will get the companion pass for the rest of the current year and all of next year. We'll have it for the rest of this year and all of next in the next month or two because mrs. dave got two different SW cards and we're going to hit the spend on the second one in a week or two. then we'll need to either spend $6k more on the card or transfer some points from another program and I'm travelling for free with her (or lil sd is) every time she purchases a ticket or flys on a reward ticket. it essentially makes the points twice as valuable (or the cost of a ticket 50% less) for two years.

i have never seen this whole SW companion pass spelled out before. crazy that you can use points and have a companion fly with you for free and no additional points.

so if you "earn" (from flying or from a CC) 110k southwest points in one calendar year, you automatically qualify for the companion pass?

[GoodForAnother]

didn't realize UR points went 1:1 to Marriott.  this intrigues me.  I have an insane goal of getting to lifetime plat with them.

[WonderMeal]

i have never seen this whole SW companion pass spelled out before. crazy that you can use points and have a companion fly with you for free and no additional points.

so if you "earn" (from flying or from a CC) 110k southwest points in one calendar year, you automatically qualify for the companion pass?

Can confirm that the companion pass is amaze, especially for anyone with Li'l 'Cats.

The only bummer is that you can't transfer URs and receive credit for the CP. 

[nicname]

CC pros. Thoughts on Citi AAdvantage 50k?

[michigancat]

i have never seen this whole SW companion pass spelled out before. crazy that you can use points and have a companion fly with you for free and no additional points.

so if you "earn" (from flying or from a CC) 110k southwest points in one calendar year, you automatically qualify for the companion pass?

Can confirm that the companion pass is amaze, especially for anyone with Li'l 'Cats.

The only bummer is that you can't transfer URs and receive credit for the CP. 

what's the best strategy for kids? I'm thinking me, because I think that if two of us are traveling, it will be my wife and I. But if I do it next year and we both get companion passes, it would make sense to have each of the kids be assigned.

Or can you change the companion pass recipient?

[WonderMeal]

what's the best strategy for kids? I'm thinking me, because I think that if two of us are traveling, it will be my wife and I. But if I do it next year and we both get companion passes, it would make sense to have each of the kids be assigned.

Or can you change the companion pass recipient?

My wife got the first CP just because we spread out the CC applications between us. She added WonderMealette when WMette couldn't fly for free anymore, because most of our travel is around the US to see family and friends and I usually just transfer URs for flights. She's taken a few trips with just her and WMette, which has been nice. But after typing this, I guess it doesn't really matter whose name is on it.

If you do want to change the companion for whatever reason, I believe you can change the name up to three times over the life of the pass. But I'm not 100% sure on that.

[raquetcat]

i have never seen this whole SW companion pass spelled out before. crazy that you can use points and have a companion fly with you for free and no additional points.

so if you "earn" (from flying or from a CC) 110k southwest points in one calendar year, you automatically qualify for the companion pass?

Can confirm that the companion pass is amaze, especially for anyone with Li'l 'Cats.

The only bummer is that you can't transfer URs and receive credit for the CP. 

what's the best strategy for kids? I'm thinking me, because I think that if two of us are traveling, it will be my wife and I. But if I do it next year and we both get companion passes, it would make sense to have each of the kids be assigned.

Or can you change the companion pass recipient?

You can change who is assigned to be your companion 3 times, I think, I looked into when I changed my companion, but it says for sure on the SW site

[steve dave]

booked 4 tickets to new york that I need to cancel/change. Just realized they changed the return flight on my original booking to two hours earlier than I'd planned. Think that's enough to wave a change fee? Tips?

I'm going to call regardless.

Yes, I have made them do it with like a 15 minute change

[steve dave]

CC pros. Thoughts on Citi AAdvantage 50k?

It's great

[steve dave]

I'm going to get another AA card, US Air card (have gotten them 5+ times each), and have mrs. dave do the same shortly. should have close to a million of the combined miles between our two accounts once we do. get mrs. dave a biz SPG card as well. then maybe the barclays cash back cards for $800+ in travel reimbursement?

[nicname]

There were a lot of complaints on the AA card, particularly with the use of miles and crappy flight selection. Is this unfounded?

[steve dave]

There were a lot of complaints on the AA card, particularly with the use of miles and crappy flight selection. Is this unfounded?

go get yourself a nice capital one venture or southwest card nicname

[michigancat]

I've had 100k Avios points for well over a year and haven't been able to use them. SF may struggle with AA availability at the lowest level.

[steve dave]

I've had 100k Avios points for well over a year and haven't been able to use them. SF may struggle with AA availability at the lowest level.

are you trying to fly the entire brood or just like you and the wife? I've flown to London in first, kauai twice, maui, NYC, chicago like 4 times, and orlando twice on low level awards in the last 3 or so years. If you were in LA I bet you could burn those things anytime you wanted.

[steve dave]

nicname, go do a bunch of phantom bookings on the AA website and see if they have availability for where/when you want to fly. that should answer your question better than anyone here can.

[michigancat]

I've had 100k Avios points for well over a year and haven't been able to use them. SF may struggle with AA availability at the lowest level.

are you trying to fly the entire brood or just like you and the wife? I've flown to London in first, kauai twice, maui, NYC, chicago like 4 times, and orlando twice on low level awards in the last 3 or so years. If you were in LA I bet you could burn those things anytime you wanted.

I've tried all types of bookings, mostly it's just me, actually.