I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[Tikitoi]

Had the same issue with my jetblue business card you have to register it on jetblue businesscard.com and they don’t make it remotely clear how to do it!!!!

They certainly don't. And that's why I don't go on there too much. Or maybe I'm just spoiled by the ease of Chase's.

 

[afan]

Oh, this is really good. Yes, I'm trying to decide if the extra 5k pts per night is worth it for the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. Thank you for the detailed responses.
I'm seeing $187 RT flights on Spirit from Chicago to Oakland, which is considerably cheaper than flying into SFO.
About how much would an Uber be to the hotel? I've never done an Uber, but am willing to.
Our team is the Brewers, so we're excited to see them play at that beautiful ballpark.

I'd take BART from oakland and then uber or walk to your hotel depending on which you choose. It really depends on the time of day but there's no reason to waste time sitting in an uber in traffic to go through the tolls and across the bay bridge when BART is an option. There's a stop at Embarcadero though I'm not sure how far the walk would be. I think my uber to/from the centric to the closest bart station was 8.12 sunday morning and 9.44 at 5 that evening. The most I paid was 17 to go from the centric to San Francisco State which is shorter than the trip from the airport would be. I used lyft to/from the centric and SFO, I know it's not the same but gives an idea, and both were 32 bucks for 16 miles. Had a delta offer to use lyft so I got miles for it. None of my rides were peak time or involved tolls, not sure what the tolls do to the fare.

 

[miztressuz]

I have a number of offers for Hilton hotels on my Hilton Biz this morning. Of course what I need is a Hampton Inn offer and I don't have that.

Thank you, thank you! Got them on the Hilton Biz finally. Between this offer on the Hilton Biz and the BBP and a discounted Hilton GC from a previous offer, we'll get $110 off our DoubleTree stay in May. That brings it down to a reasonable range for a suite on a weekend, in a city center, with parking included. I'm glad we held off adding anything when they first came out.

 

[Lain]

Oh, this is really good. Yes, I'm trying to decide if the extra 5k pts per night is worth it for the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. Thank you for the detailed responses.
I'm seeing $187 RT flights on Spirit from Chicago to Oakland, which is considerably cheaper than flying into SFO.
About how much would an Uber be to the hotel? I've never done an Uber, but am willing to.
Our team is the Brewers, so we're excited to see them play at that beautiful ballpark.

Uber has a fare estimator: https://www.uber.com/fare-estimate/ However, note that the actual cost of your Uber ride may depend on time of day, as traffic and surge pricing could raise the price substantially. Traffic over the Bay Bridge is no joke, but the views of the City's skyline are gorgeous.

Alternatively, you could take BART from OAK to Embarcadero Station in SF. Embarcadero Station is literally right in front of the Hyatt Regency (it'll be a bit more of a haul from there up to Hyatt Centric at Fisherman's Wharf): https://bartable.bart.gov/featured/oakland-airport-now-bartable It's about a 35-40 minute ride and costs $10.95 per rider. I've read that BART has an app that's available on the iTunes App and Google Play stores, which offers a 25% discount for groups of two or more. However, BART doesn’t have scanners at its stations for people using the app, so you'll need to show the ticket on your phone to a station agent.

 

[platamama]

So I've been daydreaming (aka researching while doing post-trip tasks, such as laundry) about how to spend our American Airlines $1K (each) vouchers

I've been looking for nonstop flights out of PHL during this October. We have NEVER been to Europe! Our best choices based on interests look to be

• London (LHR) roundtrip, either on AA metal or on BA. Pro for BA: would be in their PE class, World Traveler Plus. Con for AA metal: no PE on these 2 flights, so it would be Main Cabin Extra. We'd rent an apartment for 7-9 nights, depending on flights.
• Flying into Venice and out of Rome on AA in Main Cabin Extra. We would either stay in hotels or apartments and take the train from Venice to Rome. I'd love to add Florence but dh cannot take more than 5-6 days away from the office for this bonus trip.
• Flying into Barcelona and out of Madrid on AA in Premium Economy. We would take a 7 day Rick Steves tour but arrive a day or two early.

So my questions are

• How awful is a transatlantic redeye in main cabin/economy on AA? Flights lengths are 7hr (LHR) and 8hr (Venice). The PE Barcelona flight would be 8hr.
• How awful is a daytime transatlantic flight in main cabin/economy on AA? Flights range from 8hr (LHR) and 10hr (Rome). The PE Madrid flight would be 8hr 30 min.
• If this was your first time to Europe, which trip would you choose---London-based, 2 cities in Italy, or Spain---and why? Our interests include art, history, food (dh is allergic to dairy though), drink (lol), public gardens, and natural beauty. We like walking in cities.

TATL is doable though uncomfortable in economy, and I don't find that I can sleep on the flight whether it's daytime or nighttime. It's a long flight. However, you'll barely remember it in hindsight; you'll remember your travel adventures more!

London is easy, the language is the same, the signs are easy to read, the British Museum is amazing and it's fun to see the places you've seen in movies, its parks are lovely, no shortage of drinks for sure lol. If I may suggest, Bath is a lovely city to visit and easy to do a trip to Stonehenge from there.

Venice and Rome are great to visit too, and if you are interested in religious art then the churches and Vatican are impressive. Strangely, I was not impressed with the food in either spot, maybe because my idea of Italian food is the Americanized version, or I didn't know where to eat without spending the big bucks. I loved Florence, and would go back there in a heartbeat, not so much Venice or Rome.

Haven't been to Barcelona or Madrid, but would love to someday.

Are the vouchers only good on airfare? If you can use them on AA Vacations, you can maybe find a good deal coupled with a minimum 3nt hotel stay somewhere (open jaw not allowed though, i.e., you need to enter/depart from the same airport).

 

[Oscar Madison]

I'd take BART from oakland and then uber or walk to your hotel depending on which you choose. It really depends on the time of day but there's no reason to waste time sitting in an uber in traffic to go through the tolls and across the bay bridge when BART is an option. There's a stop at Embarcadero though I'm not sure how far the walk would be. I think my uber to/from the centric to the closest bart station was 8.12 sunday morning and 9.44 at 5 that evening. The most I paid was 17 to go from the centric to San Francisco State which is shorter than the trip from the airport would be. I used lyft to/from the centric and SFO, I know it's not the same but gives an idea, and both were 32 bucks for 16 miles. Had a delta offer to use lyft so I got miles for it. None of my rides were peak time or involved tolls, not sure what the tolls do to the fare.

Please disregard. Can we delete empty posts?

 

[Oscar Madison]

I'd take BART from oakland and then uber or walk to your hotel depending on which you choose. It really depends on the time of day but there's no reason to waste time sitting in an uber in traffic to go through the tolls and across the bay bridge when BART is an option. There's a stop at Embarcadero though I'm not sure how far the walk would be. I think my uber to/from the centric to the closest bart station was 8.12 sunday morning and 9.44 at 5 that evening. The most I paid was 17 to go from the centric to San Francisco State which is shorter than the trip from the airport would be. I used lyft to/from the centric and SFO, I know it's not the same but gives an idea, and both were 32 bucks for 16 miles. Had a delta offer to use lyft so I got miles for it. None of my rides were peak time or involved tolls, not sure what the tolls do to the fare.

Thank you so much. I didn't know the train went from Oakland into SF. I'm sure it's easy to spot a newb. I'm saving this post in my spreadsheet. This really helps!

 

[Oscar Madison]

Uber has a fare estimator: https://www.uber.com/fare-estimate/ However, note that the actual cost of your Uber ride may depend on time of day, as traffic and surge pricing could raise the price substantially. Traffic over the Bay Bridge is no joke, but the views of the City's skyline are gorgeous.

Alternatively, you could take BART from OAK to Embarcadero Station in SF. Embarcadero Station is literally right in front of the Hyatt Regency (it'll be a bit more of a haul from there up to Hyatt Centric at Fisherman's Wharf): https://bartable.bart.gov/featured/oakland-airport-now-bartable It's about a 35-40 minute ride and costs $10.95 per rider. I've read that BART has an app that's available on the iTunes App and Google Play stores, which offers a 25% discount for groups of two or more. However, BART doesn’t have scanners at its stations for people using the app, so you'll need to show the ticket on your phone to a station agent.

Thank you for the these tips. I'm getting excited and I haven't even asked P2 for permission yet! Saving this post!

 

[wanderlust7]

Thank you so much. I didn't know the train went from Oakland into SF. I'm sure it's easy to spot a newb. I'm saving this post in my spreadsheet. This really helps!

There's a short connector train from OAK to the main BART line. OAK to Coliseum Station, transfer to the San Francisco/Daly City train.

I wonder how well the app ticketing works. Have had to walk alllll the way to the other end of the station before to find a station agent (not at Embarcadero though).

 

[MKTokyo]

So I've been daydreaming (aka researching while doing post-trip tasks, such as laundry) about how to spend our American Airlines $1K (each) vouchers

I've been looking for nonstop flights out of PHL during this October. We have NEVER been to Europe! Our best choices based on interests look to be

• London (LHR) roundtrip, either on AA metal or on BA. Pro for BA: would be in their PE class, World Traveler Plus. Con for AA metal: no PE on these 2 flights, so it would be Main Cabin Extra. We'd rent an apartment for 7-9 nights, depending on flights.
• Flying into Venice and out of Rome on AA in Main Cabin Extra. We would either stay in hotels or apartments and take the train from Venice to Rome. I'd love to add Florence but dh cannot take more than 5-6 days away from the office for this bonus trip.
• Flying into Barcelona and out of Madrid on AA in Premium Economy. We would take a 7 day Rick Steves tour but arrive a day or two early.

So my questions are

• How awful is a transatlantic redeye in main cabin/economy on AA? Flights lengths are 7hr (LHR) and 8hr (Venice). The PE Barcelona flight would be 8hr.
• How awful is a daytime transatlantic flight in main cabin/economy on AA? Flights range from 8hr (LHR) and 10hr (Rome). The PE Madrid flight would be 8hr 30 min.
• If this was your first time to Europe, which trip would you choose---London-based, 2 cities in Italy, or Spain---and why? Our interests include art, history, food (dh is allergic to dairy though), drink (lol), public gardens, and natural beauty. We like walking in cities.

editing to add: We flew 14 hours in economy from JFK to Beijing. That was fine once but we never want to repeat that flight experience again

It's not bad. I've done PE on Delta & AA to Paris & Rome and both were fine. I prefer flights that leave late at night so that I can eat dinner & go to sleep, then wake up at least somewhat rested. I usually ask my doctor for a prescription for a few X-brand happy relaxing pills. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don't.

I do not do 14 hour flights in Economy, or Premium Economy, or Economy + Toothbrush & 1 Junior Mint, or whatever the next big idea the airlines have will be.

But for 8 hours... I think most people can deal with PE/MC pretty easily, barring any height/health complications.

I would choose Venice from the options listed. It is almost absurdly beautiful. For lovers of history, art, and food... you can't beat it. It is also 1000% affected by overtourism and frankly, you'd better get there before the change is irreparable.

 

[alryan]

-

 

[gottalovepluto]

...I've read that BART has an app that's available on the iTunes App and Google Play stores, which offers a 25% discount for groups of two or more. However, BART doesn’t have scanners at its stations for people using the app, so you'll need to show the ticket on your phone to a station agent.

Of COURSE it doesn't

 

[Haley R]

Lookup your flight on Southwest, click on the flight number and it'll tell you the aircraft type they have scheduled. It'll show as "Boeing 737 MAX8".

How close do you have to be from flying for this to work? We are 2 months out and it doesn’t work for me

 

[Haley R]

In Chicago, people just shovel out a parking lot and mark their territory with chairs
Chicago dibs
View attachment 387830

I would do this to make sure the road gets plowed. There are so many spots with ice and snow because someone parked there and the plow couldn’t get there. You know smart cities do a “snow emergency” where people can’t park on the street for so long. Our city isn’t smart...

 

[Haley R]

Do you have a Marriott/SPG account? It's just from the loyalty program and not related to a CC sale or anything. Although you'd think it'd be a good tie in to advertise one.

Nope no Marriott or SPG account. I don’t even know what SPG is

 

[mmmears]

I have been trying to slllowww as well. I only put non bonus cat spending on my MSR cards now, and I don't prepay things.

Same here. It helps to keep the spending down, too. Plus I just needed to slow things down.

So what I recall about MRs... is they are best for international flights or Schwab cashout I'm going to be a noob and ask for some examples of how they could get me to Europe, not caring about first/business class necessarily. I get overwhelmed looking through the transfer partners because I'm not familiar with any of them.

MRs are great for this. Last time we used a "sale" to transfer to BA, I've also seen "sales" on transfers to Virgin Atlantic. We tried to avoid the huge LHR taxes this time, and were in a hurry to grab any lie flat seat with flexible days, so we transferred to Flying Blue and got seats on Air France. We did that one way last trip and it was nice.

As to the how part, DH checked for award seats on AF and BA since we were familiar with those routes, found seats for what we were willing to "pay" for them and then moved the MRs and quickly booked the seats. AF had a chart with points costs and they were all over the place for September. We picked the cheapest for both departure and return (55k points per seat each way). We saw lots of 75K, 125K and even some that were over 300K. Since we could be flexible it worked for us. Last time when booking BA on opening day it was much easier to get in there and find a good flight home on the huge A380. The MR transfers were pretty much instantaneous, but the 5 mins or so it takes to book the flights left me a wreck. I hope this helps. If I'm not being clear just ask me for more info if you want something.

Oh, this is really good. Yes, I'm trying to decide if the extra 5k pts per night is worth it for the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. Thank you for the detailed responses.
I'm seeing $187 RT flights on Spirit from Chicago to Oakland, which is considerably cheaper than flying into SFO.
About how much would an Uber be to the hotel? I've never done an Uber, but am willing to.
Our team is the Brewers, so we're excited to see them play at that beautiful ballpark.

Chiming in because I meant to last night. I think that's a really pretty Hyatt in a nice location. Also you don't want to rent a car. When we go to SF the very first thing I do is ditch the car in some pay lot (I don't even care what it costs at that point) because I find driving in the city (yes I'm a native and that's what we call it) to be way too stressful. We then proceed on foot. When DD and her friends go up there to sightsee they take the train from here and then walk and use Uber if needed. The ballpark is really very nice (Cal Train is right there so I suspect Bart must be too although I've never taken Bart) and I hope you have a nice trip.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

DH: Are you okay if I go to Reno for work Thurs night, come back Fri night?
Me: If you fly Southwest.

@amalone1013 posts this here...gets 10 likes...

@amalone1013 also shares this on r/churning...receives -15 karma...

No wonder some of you are afraid of reddit LOL!

 

[Oscar Madison]

Booked DTW to OAK $176 RT including $9 Fare Club membership on Spirit. Son and I will just stuff backpacks under the seat. California, here we come!

 

[DisneyMandC]

How close do you have to be from flying for this to work? We are 2 months out and it doesn’t work for me

Mine doesn't either, but I'm 6 months out.

@amalone1013 posts this here...gets 10 likes...

@amalone1013 also shares this on r/churning...receives -15 karma...

No wonder some of you are afraid of reddit LOL!

LOL you're kidding me!! Ridiculous!!

 

[pillow]

Doggy is scheduled to have the growth removed on Thursday. Thankfully the vet said he doesn't think it's systemic. He did say if she scratches and it comes off it's going to be a huge mess. I about threw up!

Yuck! Why did that make me laugh?? (not about your dog being sick but about you puking lol?)