I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 (see first page for add'l details)

[*WDW*Groupie*]

My parents have purchased a few dealer cars over the years, including a 1968 Chevelle that they still own! I purchased my first Honda Accord as a dealer car and had no issues. There may be some people that treat loaners bad, but there are also a lot of people like me who treat them as good or better than their own because they are a loaner. While $2700 isn't much when spread over a car loan, but that's a decent amount of money he could put towards savings/retirement acct.

When I get a loaner from the dealership it's a 15 yr old Corolla; I don't make any plans for those days because it's such an old-school car -- think crank windows and doors that swing all the way open (remember those lol). Had the loaner yesterday because both mine and dd's cars were in the shop (it was her day off) -- neither of us used it!
Car will be paid for with cash. Leaning towards the new car, mostly because the dealership seems a bit shady (they advertised it with 3.5k miles less than what it has, said it had 2 fobs and it only has 1 -- they would have to provide 2 because I had them put in writing that it had 2 fobs, said it had adaptive cruise control, now it doesn't). It's leaving me with a nagging bad feeling.

 

[Limes96]

Applied for two cards on Monday this week. P2 was almost instantly approved for the Bilt card (used our DS’s support link) after I remembered to thaw Experian (whoops I forgot at first so had to call). Applied for myself for the Chase Boundless 5 FNC offer and only just now got an email saying I was approved after originally getting a 7-10 day notice. I thought I was going to have to call reconsideration so I’m feeling relieved this morning.

On the Bilt card, informed delivery says it’s coming tomorrow so it should work perfectly for the first 5 days falling before the first of the month. Because I was thinking if the 1st of the month (double points) falls on one of the first 5 days, it seems like a waste of the “bonus”. I hope that makes sense. Not sure it does though but maybe you know what I mean lol. We have several big bills next week (insurance and winter heating propane prebuy) so this card will get a lot of use right away.

 

[ten6mom]

Applied for two cards on Monday this week. P2 was almost instantly approved for the Bilt card (used our DS’s support link) after I remembered to thaw Experian (whoops I forgot at first so had to call). Applied for myself for the Chase Boundless 5 FNC offer and only just now got an email saying I was approved after originally getting a 7-10 day notice. I thought I was going to have to call reconsideration so I’m feeling relieved this morning.

I still haven't gotten anything on my application beyond the "fraud" phone call and letter... no card has magically appeared in my account... so I am super stressing.

It wouldn't be the end of the world as far as not getting that specific card, but it would be a serious blow to my self esteem!

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

WHOA....I obviously haven't bought a flight in a long time, well I take that back, I had to buy a ticket to BNA and it was stupid insane price I thought. I'm trying to go DTW to LAS in Nov (Sun-Th) for a conference. Flights on Delta are $880, if I don't want to be flying super late on both ends or a red eye. I priced Spirit and it IS $303, but I would have to add in baggage since I'm not "free" anymore. So that takes me to closer to $500ish, and that's not picking my seat (or getting the hook up anymore).

Anyone know how much I'm gambling by watching the flights a bit? I don't want it to turn into $1000 and my district to ask if I'm flying first class, LOL. I would try to non-rev, but our seniority will be so low. And if I get "stuck" I won't have very many options.

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Oh and Thrifty Traveler....My membership is about to renew. I don't remember the promo I got last year when I booked it. My renew cost is $59.99. I thought maybe I'd cancel it, since I really can't jump on many of the offers (damn job). But I did use the alert to book our Ireland tickets for March 2024.

When I looked I saw new memberships are $89.99 for the same membership now. I totally see myself using it more when I'm not teaching. I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth renewing since it's $30 cheaper than if I signed back up. At the same time, do they run promos often? Does anyone know the offer you get using a referral code? If it's roughly the same, I'll cancel and just do that when the time comes.

 

[wanderlust7]

I've been quiet for a bit as I've been giving Chase a break and using, rather than earning, those points! We also just got back from a 9-day Universal Orlando/Clearwater Beach trip, heavily funded by credit card rewards (thanks to tips from this group)! Lodging was Chase UR (Royal Pacific Resort through Chase portal, AirBNB at Clearwater with 1.5x redemption with CSR), Universal tickets were covered by Capital One rewards points, and flights were Southwest RR + companion pass). All we paid cash for was food & souvenirs

I'm on here now trying to figure out what I do with my Amex Gold card. My annual fee posts on Aug 28 and I've chatted twice asking about a retention offer and been offered nothing. I'm tempted to downgrade the card, but don't want to lose my MRs. Any recommendations about what I could downgrade to to save these? I don't have much of a relationship with Amex, so this is my only MR-earning card. Also, what do you find that MRs are good for? I've had no trouble using Chase UR and Capital One points, but my favorite redemption options don't seem available with Amex. Is it mostly good for (non-Southwest) flights? Even Amex's travel portal doesn't seem to have very good redemptions...

The only downgrade option is the Green, which has an AF of $150. Plus you might lock yourself out of the bonus for having had the card. The Blue Business Plus would hold your MRs, has no AF, earns 2x everything, and wouldn't take up at 5/24 slot. I think the only SUB on it at the moment are targeted and high spend though.

I use MRs to transfer to airline partners and book biz seats. They can also be cashed out with a Schwab plat at 1.1 cent per point or 1 cpp with a biz plat and biz checking. Through the portal, flights and Fine Hotels and Resorts would get you 1 cpp. You can get a points rebate on flights if you have a biz gold (25%) or biz plat (35%), but only for your chosen airline or biz/first seats. If not transferring, using MRs definitely has more hoops to jump through than URs.

 

[Limes96]

I still haven't gotten anything on my application beyond the "fraud" phone call and letter... no card has magically appeared in my account... so I am super stressing.

It wouldn't be the end of the world as far as not getting that specific card, but it would be a serious blow to my self esteem!

When I saw your post the other day I wondered if the same thing happened to me but I never got anything from them so just figured I’d wait until I heard something. It’s funny, I was actually checking to see if the card had been added to my account when I got the email but it wasn’t there yet. Now it is.

 

[reliev]

Oh and Thrifty Traveler....My membership is about to renew. I don't remember the promo I got last year when I booked it. My renew cost is $59.99. I thought maybe I'd cancel it, since I really can't jump on many of the offers (damn job). But I did use the alert to book our Ireland tickets for March 2024.

When I looked I saw new memberships are $89.99 for the same membership now. I totally see myself using it more when I'm not teaching. I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth renewing since it's $30 cheaper than if I signed back up. At the same time, do they run promos often? Does anyone know the offer you get using a referral code? If it's roughly the same, I'll cancel and just do that when the time comes.

they do a one-time sign-up bonus from what I've read, I renewed at 60, and it's saved more than that on a few flights.
I'm sure if you had another email you could get the one-time signup but that 60$ I believe is grandfathered in.

 

[EACarlson]

I'm on here now trying to figure out what I do with my Amex Gold card. My annual fee posts on Aug 28 and I've chatted twice asking about a retention offer and been offered nothing. I'm tempted to downgrade the card, but don't want to lose my MRs. Any recommendations about what I could downgrade to to save these? I don't have much of a relationship with Amex, so this is my only MR-earning card. Also, what do you find that MRs are good for? I've had no trouble using Chase UR and Capital One points, but my favorite redemption options don't seem available with Amex. Is it mostly good for (non-Southwest) flights? Even Amex's travel portal doesn't seem to have very good redemptions...

You could open another MR No AF credit card. The Everyday for a personal and a Blue Business Plus on the biz side. In the charge card space the only thing with a lower AF is the Green which is still $150. I will never give up my Gold. Too easy to accrue points. I generally transfer them to Delta, but have transferred to Hilton to top up for a large redemption. My MR are sending my wife to Hawai'i in January, C+ there and Delta One home. It gets me to some of my side hustle gigs without paying anything out of pocket.

WHOA....I obviously haven't bought a flight in a long time, well I take that back, I had to buy a ticket to BNA and it was stupid insane price I thought. I'm trying to go DTW to LAS in Nov (Sun-Th) for a conference. Flights on Delta are $880, if I don't want to be flying super late on both ends or a red eye. I priced Spirit and it IS $303, but I would have to add in baggage since I'm not "free" anymore. So that takes me to closer to $500ish, and that's not picking my seat (or getting the hook up anymore).

Anyone know how much I'm gambling by watching the flights a bit? I don't want it to turn into $1000 and my district to ask if I'm flying first class, LOL. I would try to non-rev, but our seniority will be so low. And if I get "stuck" I won't have very many options.

Which week in November? There is an F1 race in Vegas the week before Thanksgiving that is screwing up pricing for everything. I just scheduled a flight ATW-LAS for the second week and it was $600 on AA or UA connecting in ORD, but I managed it for 35k Skypesos through MSP on Delta.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Oh and Thrifty Traveler....My membership is about to renew. I don't remember the promo I got last year when I booked it. My renew cost is $59.99. I thought maybe I'd cancel it, since I really can't jump on many of the offers (damn job). But I did use the alert to book our Ireland tickets for March 2024.

When I looked I saw new memberships are $89.99 for the same membership now. I totally see myself using it more when I'm not teaching. I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth renewing since it's $30 cheaper than if I signed back up. At the same time, do they run promos often? Does anyone know the offer you get using a referral code? If it's roughly the same, I'll cancel and just do that when the time comes.

I think there's currently a 40% off offer extended through today.

 

[ten6mom]

When I saw your post the other day I wondered if the same thing happened to me but I never got anything from them so just figured I’d wait until I heard something. It’s funny, I was actually checking to see if the card had been added to my account when I got the email but it wasn’t there yet. Now it is.

I've been checking and still no new card in my account

 

[tink1970]

I've been quiet for a bit as I've been giving Chase a break and using, rather than earning, those points! We also just got back from a 9-day Universal Orlando/Clearwater Beach trip, heavily funded by credit card rewards (thanks to tips from this group)! Lodging was Chase UR (Royal Pacific Resort through Chase portal, AirBNB at Clearwater with 1.5x redemption with CSR), Universal tickets were covered by Capital One rewards points, and flights were Southwest RR + companion pass). All we paid cash for was food & souvenirs

I'm on here now trying to figure out what I do with my Amex Gold card. My annual fee posts on Aug 28 and I've chatted twice asking about a retention offer and been offered nothing. I'm tempted to downgrade the card, but don't want to lose my MRs. Any recommendations about what I could downgrade to to save these? I don't have much of a relationship with Amex, so this is my only MR-earning card. Also, what do you find that MRs are good for? I've had no trouble using Chase UR and Capital One points, but my favorite redemption options don't seem available with Amex. Is it mostly good for (non-Southwest) flights? Even Amex's travel portal doesn't seem to have very good redemptions...

I agree with pp--either open a no AF every day to keep your MR open if you're AF adverse...or down grade your gold to the green and save $100 if you don't want to pay the $250 AF. Or, if you have any sort of business or "business" then the Blue Business Preferred earns 2X on everything (up to $50K spend, annually) and has no AF-hard to beat and holds your MRs.

Now, my favorite topic, which I haven't expounded on here for a while...Why MRs are Completely Underrated by Most of the UR Fans of This Thread!

MRs transfer to SO many airlines!

If you're an American Airlines fan, you can use MRs via British Airways-I've flown my mother back and forth to her sister's in Phoenix, for example, using BA and there is often an MR transfer bonus (currently 30% until the end of the month!).

United has representation via the Star Alliance reps of AeroPlan (Air Canada), Singapore, and ANA. People who are comfortable booking with them get some great values and impressive redemptions. I'm more of a SkyTeam Alliance girl myself so...I do not (but it's very possible ).

I will acknowledge that Amex passes on the taxes and fees for transferring MRs to domestic carriers. That stinks, I get it...but they do set a maximum of $99 and it's only for Delta, Hawaiian and JetBlue transfers.

I've flown business class from the US to Dublin on Aer Lingus (EI), Delta (DL) to London, Edinburgh, Madrid (and other places I've forgotten), and first class to London on British Airways (BA) thanks to MRs.

Flying home, I've been on KLM out of Amsterdam and Air France out of Paris multiple times. Intra Europe, I've utilized EI, KLM, and AF as well as Iberia, all with the assistance of MRs. Granted, URs also transfer to these airline programs but the transfer bonuses are very generous and more frequent.

Hotel wise, MRs transfer to both Hilton, Choice, and Marriott and again, this is another place where the complementary aspect of overlapping programs with URs shines-often the bonus will follow (or precede) the UR bonus so if you're short a few Bonvoy points, it's possible to top off. If you're not a Hilton or Choice hotels fan, then I can't sell you on that program (I get it, I'm not).

In short, if you want international flights, MRs can get you there. If you are interested in flying to Hawaii, MRs can assist with that. If you want other domestic flights...ditto.

Hotels are also an option, as are topping off various and sundry programs. While the cashing out option isn't strong at all unless you hold the pricey Charles Schwab (or Morgan Stanley) personal platinum, there are still ways to find value with MRs.

I like to think of URs and MRs as complementary- not either/or, btw, working hand in hand to assist in more comfortable and frequent travel to places I've been and loved and enjoy returning or to far flung places I dreamed about long ago

Now stepping off my soapbox...it's been a while...

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I agree with pp--either open a no AF every day to keep your MR open if you're AF adverse...or down grade your gold to the green and save $100 if you don't want to pay the $250 AF. Or, if you have any sort of business or "business" then the Blue Business Preferred earns 2X on everything (up to $50K spend, annually) and has no AF-hard to beat and holds your MRs.

Now, my favorite topic, which I haven't expounded on here for a while...Why MRs are Completely Underrated by Most of the UR Fans of This Thread!

MRs transfer to SO many airlines!

If you're an American Airlines fan, you can use MRs via British Airways-I've flown my mother back and forth to her sister's in Phoenix, for example, using BA and there is often an MR transfer bonus (currently 30% until the end of the month!).

United has representation via the Star Alliance reps of AeroPlan (Air Canada), Singapore, and ANA. People who are comfortable booking with them get some great values and impressive redemptions. I'm more of a SkyAlliance girl myself so...I do not (but it's very possible ).

I will acknowledge that Amex passes on the taxes and fees for transferring MRs to domestic carriers. That stinks, I get it...but they do set a maximum of $99 and it's only for Delta, Hawaiian and JetBlue transfers.

I've flown business class from the US to Dublin on Aer Lingus (EI), Delta (DL) to London, Edinburgh, Madrid (and other places I've forgotten), and first class to London on British Airways (BA) thanks to MRs.

Flying home, I've been on KLM out of Amsterdam and Air France out of Paris multiple times. Intra Europe, I've utilized EI, KLM, and AF as well as Iberia, all with the assistance of MRs. Granted, URs also transfer to these airline programs but the transfer bonuses are very generous and more frequent.

Hotel wise, MRs transfer to both Hilton, Choice, and Marriott and again, this is another place where the complementary aspect of overlapping programs with URs shines-often the bonus will follow (or precede) the UR bonus so if you're short a few Bonvoy points, it's possible to top off. If you're not a Hilton or Choice hotels fan, then I can't sell you on that program (I get it, I'm not).

In short, if you want international flights, MRs can get you there. If you are interested in flying to Hawaii, MRs can assist with that. If you want other domestic flights...ditto.

Hotels are also an option, as are topping off various and sundry programs. While the cashing out option isn't strong at all unless you hold the pricey Charles Schwab (or Morgan Stanley) personal platinum, there are still ways to find value with MRs.

Now stepping off my soapbox...it's been a while...

Yes, between more airline transfer partners and great transfer bonuses, I also enjoy MRs a lot for domestic and international flights. This is why I generally think of my URs as "Hyatt points" and MRs as "airline points." I'll usually only transfer URs to an airline if I need to top up. Occasionally, UR points are also useful through the Chase portal for some boutique hotel I want to try, but for the most part they're destined to Hyatt.

However, I also feel like URs are easier to earn because we just keep rotating INK SUBs between DH and I.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

When I get a loaner from the dealership it's a 15 yr old Corolla; I don't make any plans for those days because it's such an old-school car -- think crank windows and doors that swing all the way open (remember those lol). Had the loaner yesterday because both mine and dd's cars were in the shop (it was her day off) -- neither of us used it!
Car will be paid for with cash. Leaning towards the new car, mostly because the dealership seems a bit shady (they advertised it with 3.5k miles less than what it has, said it had 2 fobs and it only has 1 -- they would have to provide 2 because I had them put in writing that it had 2 fobs, said it had adaptive cruise control, now it doesn't). It's leaving me with a nagging bad feeling.

If your gut is telling you not to get the loaner car, you should listen. $2kish is not much of a premium to get brand new.

When you say paid for with cash, is there opportunity to charge it?

 

[orangecuse]

Speaking of impulsivity- my IHG certificate posted one week earlier than I could use it for its planned use next year. I tested some other options but nothing was close to the 40k points.

We have also been debating when to do the 3-4 hour round trip drive to finish our last state parks on our list (doing every state park in one spring/summer). This morning I realized IHG just opened a new hotel near where the last few state parks on our list is. My husband was just *thrilled* I booked a trip with less than 24 hours notice lol. But! Great use of a certificate I was having a hard time finding use for otherwise. That room is $300, and it cost me the $95 AF of the card basically. Plus now we can take our time and not do both ways of the drive on the same day.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

If your gut is telling you not to get the loaner car, you should listen. $2kish is not much of a premium to get brand new.

When you say paid for with cash, is there opportunity to charge it?

Do I wish that I could charge the entire amount! The going max for cc charges on a vehicle around here seems to be $5k and I'll use every bit of that.

I agree with pp--either open a no AF every day to keep your MR open if you're AF adverse...or down grade your gold to the green and save $100 if you don't want to pay the $250 AF. Or, if you have any sort of business or "business" then the Blue Business Preferred earns 2X on everything (up to $50K spend, annually) and has no AF-hard to beat and holds your MRs.

Now, my favorite topic, which I haven't expounded on here for a while...Why MRs are Completely Underrated by Most of the UR Fans of This Thread!

MRs transfer to SO many airlines!

If you're an American Airlines fan, you can use MRs via British Airways-I've flown my mother back and forth to her sister's in Phoenix, for example, using BA and there is often an MR transfer bonus (currently 30% until the end of the month!).

United has representation via the Star Alliance reps of AeroPlan (Air Canada), Singapore, and ANA. People who are comfortable booking with them get some great values and impressive redemptions. I'm more of a SkyTeam Alliance girl myself so...I do not (but it's very possible ).

I will acknowledge that Amex passes on the taxes and fees for transferring MRs to domestic carriers. That stinks, I get it...but they do set a maximum of $99 and it's only for Delta, Hawaiian and JetBlue transfers.

I've flown business class from the US to Dublin on Aer Lingus (EI), Delta (DL) to London, Edinburgh, Madrid (and other places I've forgotten), and first class to London on British Airways (BA) thanks to MRs.

Flying home, I've been on KLM out of Amsterdam and Air France out of Paris multiple times. Intra Europe, I've utilized EI, KLM, and AF as well as Iberia, all with the assistance of MRs. Granted, URs also transfer to these airline programs but the transfer bonuses are very generous and more frequent.

Hotel wise, MRs transfer to both Hilton, Choice, and Marriott and again, this is another place where the complementary aspect of overlapping programs with URs shines-often the bonus will follow (or precede) the UR bonus so if you're short a few Bonvoy points, it's possible to top off. If you're not a Hilton or Choice hotels fan, then I can't sell you on that program (I get it, I'm not).

In short, if you want international flights, MRs can get you there. If you are interested in flying to Hawaii, MRs can assist with that. If you want other domestic flights...ditto.

Hotels are also an option, as are topping off various and sundry programs. While the cashing out option isn't strong at all unless you hold the pricey Charles Schwab (or Morgan Stanley) personal platinum, there are still ways to find value with MRs.

I like to think of URs and MRs as complementary- not either/or, btw, working hand in hand to assist in more comfortable and frequent travel to places I've been and loved and enjoy returning or to far flung places I dreamed about long ago

Now stepping off my soapbox...it's been a while...

ITA! I LOVE MRs and wish that they were as easy to earn as URs. I used some of my MRs to book my upcoming (Sept. 11th) flight on the Emirates A380 in first class (and I am more excited about the flight than I am about the Maldives lol).

Dh has a lot of MRs and I'm an AU on his card (from a long time ago); I think I read a while ago that he could transfer to one of my airline accounts as long as I am an AU (same last name). Has anyone ever tried this?

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Since I have 2 HH FNCs and 2 more on the way, I am looking for ways to redeem them. The first 2 expire August 1, 2024 GRRR -- I would've liked to have them for Japan next September. I was looking at a hotel in London in March (ds and I going to another Arsenal game) and the 3 Hiltons that I want don't have any base-level rooms available. So I tried the WA in Amsterdam -- nothing (they seem to release rooms at the last minute). As a backup I could book the Doubletree in Amsterdam, which looks like a nice hotel and is right at Centraal Station (train, tram and subway on the doorstep), but I wanted a WOW redemption. Sigh. The Doubletree is around $500.00/night so I will book as a backup in case nothing else works out. I asked dd if she was interested in going to Orlando in February (reading week) and she asked why. To stay at the new Conrad of course, with a side trip to WDW lol. Maybe I need to book a solo trip to Orlando to check it out before my Diamond status expires.

 

[leeniewdw]

I

I've flown business class from the US to Dublin on Aer Lingus (EI), Delta (DL) to London, Edinburgh, Madrid (and other places I've forgotten), and first class to London on British Airways (BA) thanks to MRs.

Flying home, I've been on KLM out of Amsterdam and Air France out of Paris multiple times. Intra Europe, I've utilized EI, KLM, and AF as well as Iberia, all with the assistance of MRs. Granted, URs also transfer to these airline programs but the transfer bonuses are very generous and more frequent.

ITA! I LOVE MRs and wish that they were as easy to earn as URs. I used some of my MRs to book my upcoming (Sept. 11th) flight on the Emirates A380 in first class (and I am more excited about the flight than I am about the Maldives lol).

Dh has a lot of MRs and I'm an AU on his card (from a long time ago); I think I read a while ago that he could transfer to one of my airline accounts as long as I am an AU (same last name). Has anyone ever tried this?

What is your favorite way to find the best international flights using MR partners? We've got 200k+ MRs and would like to do biz class seats next fall (2024) to either LHR, somewhere in Italy, or somewhere in Switzerland (we'd probably fly back economy). It seems like there a dozen ways to use transfers and alliance and my eyes are glazed over. Do people do all the footwork themselves or do they use subscriptions like Thrifty Traveler or Point.Me? My window will open in a couple of months and I'm trying to get prepared, lol. We flew Aer Lingus to DUB this summer and that was very simple to do via Avios points because the # of points is fixed, just had to grab a flight that had award seats (which was simple and available for the date we wanted).

 

[reliev]

What is your favorite way to find the best international flights using MR partners? We've got 200k+ MRs and would like to do biz class seats next fall (2024) to either LHR, somewhere in Italy, or somewhere in Switzerland (we'd probably fly back economy). It seems like there a dozen ways to use transfers and alliance and my eyes are glazed over. Do people do all the footwork themselves or do they use subscriptions like Thrifty Traveler or Point.Me? My window will open in a couple of months and I'm trying to get prepared, lol. We flew Aer Lingus to DUB this summer and that was very simple to do via Avios points because the # of points is fixed, just had to grab a flight that had award seats (which was simple and available for the date we wanted).

The cheapest you will get for 2 business class seats is probably around 80-120k a piece if you find availability for that price.
I did a trial run for Japan for point me spent 20-25$ because I couldn't find anything, The guy from pointme quoted me something crazy like 400k+ points Thrifty traveler told me the dates and how to do it vs me randomly looking all the time. It helped me book 4 trips this year alone that were great deals like flying first class for under 200$ on delta to NYC. Award hacker is a good start but tbh I have a list of places I wanna go and if a deal pops up I jump on it the search is much easier then me doing it all the time.
Also most of the time the better deals in my experience are basically 9-11 months out. Sometimes you can get last minute for even better like sub 2 weeks, but I can't uproot my life like that not yet at least.
London has crazy taxes too on flights.
They had a deal for Madrid I remember for 39k points business class for example I'm sure its gone now but I'm just surprised I didn't bite the bullet first it has saved me so much time (I may have an issue but I would spend a good 15+ minutes a few times a week for japan.)
I did get a delta Air Force business class seat for 65k but this was in the middle of covid, I just did the same flight for 120k points for all of us but I had to do it 11 months out.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Since I have 2 HH FNCs and 2 more on the way, I am looking for ways to redeem them. The first 2 expire August 1, 2024 GRRR -- I would've liked to have them for Japan next September. I was looking at a hotel in London in March (ds and I going to another Arsenal game) and the 3 Hiltons that I want don't have any base-level rooms available. So I tried the WA in Amsterdam -- nothing (they seem to release rooms at the last minute). As a backup I could book the Doubletree in Amsterdam, which looks like a nice hotel and is right at Centraal Station (train, tram and subway on the doorstep), but I wanted a WOW redemption. Sigh. The Doubletree is around $500.00/night so I will book as a backup in case nothing else works out. I asked dd if she was interested in going to Orlando in February (reading week) and she asked why. To stay at the new Conrad of course, with a side trip to WDW lol. Maybe I need to book a solo trip to Orlando to check it out before my Diamond status expires.

For some reason I thought you were headed back to give WA Los Cabos another whirl? That would be a great use of the FNC.

I've heard the WA Amsterdam IS bucket list worthy. You can do a free alert with StaywithPoints.