The airline experience has become miserable

[tshile]

35 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Play the credit card game and get free flights.  I save thousands and thousands every year with it.

We’re a family of 4 and haven’t paid for the travel portion of a vacation in years - flight, hotel/airbnb, car rental. Only way to do it. 

[The Evil Genius]

46 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Play the credit card game and get free flights.  I save thousands and thousands every year with it.

 

10 minutes ago, tshile said:

We’re a family of 4 and haven’t paid for the travel portion of a vacation in years - flight, hotel/airbnb, car rental. Only way to do it. 

 

While I agree, I suspect the $595 yearly CC fee to have those great perks (that come with a lot of these high benefits cards) aren't doable for a lot of people.

 

Of course not all cards have these high annual costs, but the ones who don't usually require a++ credit which I also suspect a lot of the country doesn't have. 

 

 

As for ix's question,  it helps to do mid week travel to Vegas. Stay away from Fri/Sat stays and the flight should be cheaper. Depending on where you are flying out of, check a smaller regional airport as well as sometimes they fly in to Vegas cheaper than the larger airport (Stockton or Sacramento vs SF is an example for me).

 

Also I've noticed some travel comparison sites don't include Southwest. I'd say, always check SWAs prices and be open to using a non Dulles airport. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by The Evil Genius

[tshile]

The annual fee on my venture card is 95$. no blackout dates, not restricted to a specific airline/hotel. Works great for us

[The Evil Genius]

42 minutes ago, tshile said:

The annual fee on my venture card is 95$. no blackout dates, not restricted to a specific airline/hotel. Works great for us

 

And you get what, 2x points (per the current $95 annual venture card terms) with a travel rate of .01 per point? So the average US consumer (per Motley Fool) who puts $500 on his CC per month would see $10 (remember 2x points) in points generated per month on that card.

 

But let's say that $500 a month is wrong and make it $1500 a month (especially since most home loan owning companies don't accept payment via CC).

 

That's still only $360 generated a year (assuming 2x points), right?

Edited September 5, 2023 by The Evil Genius

[EmirOfShmo]

9 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

And you get what, 2x points (per the current $95 annual venture card terms) with a travel rate of .01 per point? So the average US consumer (per Motley Fool) who puts $500 on his CC per month would see $10 (remember 2x points) in points generated per month on that card.

 

But let's say that $500 a month is wrong and make it $1500 a month (especially since most home loan owning companies don't accept payment via CC).

 

That's still only $360 generated a year (assuming 2x points), right?

 

There's also the signup bonus for cards that makes it attractive. If you're married, get the cards separately to earn the bonus for each card. Also, some of the hotel cc's give an annual free night per card. We have 3 Hyatt cc's that cost me $285/yr. But I get 3 free nights that cost way more than that.

Edited September 5, 2023 by EmirOfShmo

[tshile]

15 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

And you get what, 2x points (per the current $95 annual venture card terms) with a travel rate of .01 per point? So the average US consumer (per Motley Fool) who puts $500 on his CC per month would see $10 (remember 2x points) in points generated per month on that card.

 

But let's say that $500 a month is wrong and make it $1500 a month (especially since most home loan owning companies don't accept payment via CC).

 

That's still only $360 generated a year (assuming 2x points), right?

this is something I’ve gone over in one of the finance threads we’ve had over time. 
 

this is not for everyone because not everyone can manage their money this way. 
 

we put everything on our credit card. The only thing we don’t put on it are things that won’t allow it - mortgage is one. Some utilities (specifically things run by a municipality like water/sewer) are others. 
 

then we pay our card off every month. We don’t roll anything over. We pay 0 in interest. I like it - it reduces reviewing our expense to once a month. I have one bill that pays everything. Plus we collect all the rewards. And the protections against fraud are strongest with credit cards. 
 

On average we earn 18-22k points a month. That’s 180-220$/month. Which is between $2,000-2,500 a year, just based on averages. Throw something really expensive on there a couple times a year and you get more. They have other options like using points to pay your bill but the ratio goes down and you get less bang for your buck. Since it’s a travel card I can get discounts on purchase of travel stuff too - so discount up front + payoff with rewards. 
 

Now if you’re not careful you can wind up in credit card debt/interest hell. It’s not for everyone. But if you can manage it’s definitely worth the 95$ annual fee. 
 

there’s also a venture X card. Not super familiar with it. It may be better. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by tshile

[The Evil Genius]

18 minutes ago, EmirOfShmo said:

 

There's also the signup bonus for cards that makes it attractive. If you're married, get the cards separately to earn the bonus for each card. Also, some of the hotel cc's give an annual free night per card. We have 3 Hyatt cc's that cost me $285/yr. But I get 3 free nights that cost way more than that.

 

True but most of those signup bonuses are just for 1x and require something akin to 5k spent in first 3 months. Sometimes well beyond what the average consumer does on their CC.

 

Fwiw, our Bonvoy Amex is $595 and it gets us 6x points at Bonvoy/Merriot properties (including our timeshare yearly maintenance fees), free global entry,  a monthly restaurant kickback, and other perks that we occasionally use (like the free nights at Merriot brand hotels). The most attractive to me is the points we use on hotels when we travel internationally. 

 

But I also recognize that the sign up bonuses and yearly fee aren't good for everyone. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by The Evil Genius

[TradeTheBeal!]

I also enjoy the Amex Bonvoy program.

 

*extends pinky*

[tshile]

12 minutes ago, EmirOfShmo said:

If you're married, get the cards separately to earn the bonus for each card

🤦‍♂️

Damnit why didn’t I think of that. 

[The Evil Genius]

5 minutes ago, TradeTheBeal! said:

I also enjoy the Amex Bonvoy program.

 

*extends pinky*

 

It's a baller card to pull out because I am pretty sure it can be thrown with high killing speeds due to its weight. 😆

 

4 minutes ago, tshile said:

🤦‍♂️

Damnit why didn’t I think of that. 

 

I'd also think with that spending rate, you'd be better off with the higher yearly fee cards. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by The Evil Genius

[tshile]

Also - generally you get better rewards if you go with something tied to a chain hotel or airline. 
 

unfortunately that doesn’t work for us. So we get lesser rewards for the trade off of not being to a specific company, and not having blackout dates. 
 

but if you know you’ll always fly a specific airline, usually getting something tied directly to them will pay out more. 
 

my advice is get one and use it for food and gas to start. Things you must spend money on as a means of existing. See how it goes. If you can handle it, expand. 
 

just remember - you’re just changing how you spend your money to collect rewards. 
 

if you’re using a credit card to borrow money you’re doing it wrong and you’re going to wind up in trouble. Don’t spend money you don’t have. General rule of thumb. 
 

(emergencies are different)

2 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

I'd also think with that spending rate, you'd be better off with the higher yearly fee cards

I know people that are waaaaaay better at this than I am. You’re absolutely right. 
 

id also do better attaching myself to a specific company. Or playing the game of quarterly revolving categories and making sure I track what’s currently paying out 5% vs 3% vs 1%
 

however - I do not have time for that. And I have a wife that it’s difficult to have her keep track of it. This way works better for us. But it’s surely not the best way to maximize hacking credit card rewards. 

Also - a lot of these reward cards are like 5%
 

and then the fine print says on the first 1500/year and after that it’s 1%. 
 

gotta read all that fine print. I got so sick of rotating cards to dodge that monthly/quarterly/annual cap. I’m just too lazy and busy. 

[The Evil Genius]

I can't believe it took until  2023 for  Southwest to finally start putting charging stations at each seat (think only 6 planes so far). I hadn't flown them in years and was surprised they weren't there on my  flight last week. I typically carry a powerbank anyways..but it just struck me as something Southwest would have added years ago. 

[tshile]

On the note if how to hack traveling

 

if you buy first class when you buy you’re ticket it’ll be really expensive. 
 

if you buy one of the normal tickets and wait for the 24 hour check in, and hit it up as soon as your app dings you, you can often upgrade to first for a small amount of $. Like 30-100$ depending on specifics. If you like to order a drink and food on the plan the upgrade may pay for itself. 🤷‍♂️ 

[bearrock]

Definitely agree with @tshile that as long as you pay off everything in full every month, the credit card points can really add up.  We also have a different card for each type of spending and ends up netting back 3-6%.  

[purbeast]

1 hour ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

 

While I agree, I suspect the $595 yearly CC fee to have those great perks (that come with a lot of these high benefits cards) aren't doable for a lot of people.

 

Of course not all cards have these high annual costs, but the ones who don't usually require a++ credit which I also suspect a lot of the country doesn't have. 

 

 

As for ix's question,  it helps to do mid week travel to Vegas. Stay away from Fri/Sat stays and the flight should be cheaper. Depending on where you are flying out of, check a smaller regional airport as well as sometimes they fly in to Vegas cheaper than the larger airport (Stockton or Sacramento vs SF is an example for me).

 

Also I've noticed some travel comparison sites don't include Southwest. I'd say, always check SWAs prices and be open to using a non Dulles airport. 

The most I've ever paid for a fee for a card I've gotten is $95.

 

I live like smack dab in the middle of BWI, IAD, and DCA so I have a lot of options.  I fly SW a lot though because they go to the Caribbean where I like to go.  And then United for the other destinations out of IAD most of the time.

50 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

True but most of those signup bonuses are just for 1x and require something akin to 5k spent in first 3 months. Sometimes well beyond what the average consumer does on their CC.

 

Fwiw, our Bonvoy Amex is $595 and it gets us 6x points at Bonvoy/Merriot properties (including our timeshare yearly maintenance fees), free global entry,  a monthly restaurant kickback, and other perks that we occasionally use (like the free nights at Merriot brand hotels). The most attractive to me is the points we use on hotels when we travel internationally. 

 

But I also recognize that the sign up bonuses and yearly fee aren't good for everyone. 

This is why as @tshilesaid you put everything you can on a CC.  You can VERY easily spend $5k in the first 3 months if you put everything allowed on a CC.  

 

If you are looking for travel, go with Chase cards.  You can get 5 bonuses every 24 months, and you can repeat the same cards after 2 years.  One year I usually get 5 cards, the next year my wife gets 5 cards, then we rinse and repeat.

[ixcuincle]

1) Saw on TV yesterday American is cracking down on skipping the last leg of a destination. People apparently skipjack or whatever to book a flight that has a layover, and then not bother to fly the rest of the way. AA recently started cracking down on it, United filed a lawsuit against it as did Southwest and other companies

 

2) Even after using the IPA or whatever Matrix it's still 700 to vegas next month so still gonna look for cheaper airfare.

[EmirOfShmo]

1 hour ago, purbeast said:

If you are looking for travel, go with Chase cards.  You can get 5 bonuses every 24 months, and you can repeat the same cards after 2 years.  One year I usually get 5 cards, the next year my wife gets 5 cards, then we rinse and repeat.

So every 2 years you cancel 5 Chase cards & then re-up for the same cards? I know Chase will only let you get 5 cards every 24 months regardless of where the cards are from (AMEX, Citi, etc.) 

[Ball Security]

You guys talking about playing the credit card game make me laugh. You rack up thousands of dollars each month and pay it off to avoid interest charges? Wut? 
 

The way to play the credit card game is to volunteer at your kids school, get parents to sign up their kids for some bull****, and collect their SSNs. Open accounts in their names, rack up charges, and let them go to collections.
 

Amateurs.

[ixcuincle]

Went to an American Express lounge once which was pretty good with complimentary hot food, but those kind of perks I don't know man. I don't travel enough to utilize them

[purbeast]

17 minutes ago, EmirOfShmo said:

So every 2 years you cancel 5 Chase cards & then re-up for the same cards? I know Chase will only let you get 5 cards every 24 months regardless of where the cards are from (AMEX, Citi, etc.) 

It totally depends on the bonuses at the time but usually they are the same or close to the same cards.

 

I will always re-up on 2 SW cards though - one personal and one business.  I don't own a business or anything but it's easy peasy to get a business card still.  That way I can get the companion pass along with 125k+ points.

 

Then usually I will also get a United card because I think the minimum  bonus points I've gotten is 75k.  Typically I'll also get a Sapphire Reserve too, and some variant of the Chase Ink.  Right now I have a Chase Ink Business Preferred that got me 100k points.

 

I don't believe any AMEX cards are chase.  They are just their own thing I believe.  I've only ever had a Chase Visa card.  

 

After Chase cards, I'd say AMEX are the next best travel ones, but those ones come with high yearly fees like mentioned above, so I've personally never gotten one.  The ones for like Hilton or Marriot hotels are a waste of time though don't even bother.

 

I typically cancel my cards when the next year comes in and I see the annual fee. I'll just send them a message asking them to cancel the card and remove the fee as they can see I don't use the card anymore.  I've never had an issue.  I sometimes cancel before though but I forget a lot lol.

Edited September 5, 2023 by purbeast

[TheGreatBuzz]

Most of the cards that have fees, like Amex, I always got waived for being active duty.  And my Discover was capped at 6% (we still just pay off every month).  But now that I'm a veteran, a lot of that **** has gone away.  😪

[EmirOfShmo]

51 minutes ago, purbeast said:

After Chase cards, I'd say AMEX are the next best travel ones, but those ones come with high yearly fees like mentioned above, so I've personally never gotten one.  The ones for like Hilton or Marriot hotels are a waste of time though don't even bother.

 

Before I retired, I was on the road weekly so hotel cards were a must to get the most points out of each trip. Plus as I said Hyatt & Marriott give you a free night a year on your card anniversary. My wife & I have 3 Marriott cards so we have 3 free nights/year. Lifetime Titanium at Marriott helps to get me bumped up to better rooms almost every place we go. 

[purbeast]

11 minutes ago, EmirOfShmo said:

 

Before I retired, I was on the road weekly so hotel cards were a must to get the most points out of each trip. Plus as I said Hyatt & Marriott give you a free night a year on your card anniversary. My wife & I have 3 Marriott cards so we have 3 free nights/year. Lifetime Titanium at Marriott helps to get me bumped up to better rooms almost every place we go. 

I'm referring more to the value of the points.

 

Like I was looking to book a hotel in Belize and saw if I signed up to a marriot card I'd get 125k points, which sounds like a lot.  But then I looked at room prices and they were like 125k/night, so it was basically one night free.

 

I know it's partially because it's a hotel in another country and cheaper for domestic, but like 125k CUR points can get you like 5-6 round trip flights on United if you find the super saver fairs.

[Cooked Crack]

 

[Cooked Crack]

If you really want to see what that diarrhea plane looked like. You gonna have to hit play to see it but gonna put it in a spoiler tag.

Spoiler