re: Credit Card Rewards and Points Discussion

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Sho Nuff

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Yeah, because AS partners with Delta, you can search for availability there too. Basically, as a right hand rule, if a partner is showing availability for awards on its partners metal, that seat can be booked through any relevant route. FB is the best place to search for SkyTeam in general. But since in your case, you are only needing to look at Delta, AS will work best. Korean SkyPass can be used to book any SkyTeam award (Air France, KLM, Delta etc).

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So this is like a job then?

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I was inclined to say "no" to this instantly. But I guess in some ways - yeah. I calculated my "earnings" from points last year. Very conservatively (ie not valuing my points for premium cabins etc) - I "made" close to $40K in points/miles aka "travel dollars." I've always loved to travel and would have done it anyway. So I feel like these "travel dollars" are much like real dollars. Guess I can't put them in my 401(k) but I can put the money I would've spent otherwise on travelling. But would I have spent $40K a year travelling for leisure? Probably not.

Further:

#1 - I live by a penny save is a penny earned. And generally tend to be frugal. I feel money in my bank is better served than in someone else's. So you tell me I have an opportunity to make/save some money (legally), I will probably be interested.

#2 - These guys that you feel so bad for do not hesitate in offering you a 17% APR loan through Hilton to buy their TS when someone says they can't afford it. Its their job, I get it. But I they are no saints man.
If they have so much job insecurity and so many AmeriKops and LSUAfros are coming in - #1) Find a different job #2) Change your marketing technique.

I am not saying you are wrong or I am right. Not justifying either way. As always - "this is YMMV"

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FB is the best place to search for SkyTeam in general. But since in your case, you are only needing to look at Delta, AS will work best. Korean SkyPass can be used to book any SkyTeam award (Air France, KLM, Delta etc).

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AS is SkyTeam as well, correct? So I can use KA miles to book Delta or Alaska for the 25k/45k?

I think I finally figured how to check on FB

It showed 30,000 RT on FB just now, but that doesn't matter as much as it's about seeing if there's availability, right? On AS, I found a couple Delta and AS flights per day that were showing as 45k (Delta) or 60k (AS) RT miles.

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I've always loved to travel and would have done it anyway. So I feel like these "travel dollars" are much like real dollars. Guess I can't put them in my 401(k) but I can put the money I would've spent otherwise on travelling. But would I have spent $40K a year travelling for leisure? Probably not.

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I'm with you here, I know how many thousands I've "spent" in miles/points. We just flew first class to Rome in June and stayed at the St. Regis, I wouldn't pay for that

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Its their job, I get it. But I they are no saints man.

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I get it, so stay away!

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Find a different job #2) Change your marketing technique.

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Not sure it's fair to say find another job, but I'd say it's 100% correct they should change their marketing. But I guess it's hard to get people into those things without bribing them so I don't know the answer to that.

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I am not saying you are wrong or I am right.

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I'm right

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As always - "this is YMMV"

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Yeah. We have rules. I don't sit through presentations on vacation and I don't do in home sales presentations. My wife learned a long time ago not to ask. My time is too valuable to sit through that crap.

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AmeriKop45

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To consolidate back to my traveling and not TS

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6. Ticket the reservation — Four days after sending the email, I received a reply confirming our SkyPass family registration and giving us a ticket number. Via email, the SkyPass representative also advised me to wait until shortly before ticketing to transfer the miles so that I could retain the option of canceling or changing my trip. Still, I plan on transferring my points to miles and ticketing well before then. As with any domestic flight, there was a charge for each passenger, but no fuel surcharges.

You can wait until SkyPass calls you to ticket the reservation a few days before your flight, or you can request ticketing in advance. If you don’t have the miles needed in your account, you can instantly transfer the miles from the Chase Ultimate Rewards program (transfers from Starwood may take several days).

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I found this interesting from TPG. Does this mean you can hold the reservation without even having the KA miles in your account until shortly before ticketing or do you have to transfer the UR to KA but you don't have to spend the miles until shortly before ticketing? When is ticketing?

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- I wanted to add, as far as LSUAfro's wife goes, you gotta put things in perspective. The LSUAfro couple is spoilt. You can't expect someone to get off Etihad Residence and walk into a TS presentation

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Yep. I screwed the pooch by spoiling my wife too early on this game. She was 25 and she was on her way around the world at 25 in first class air and and hotels, yet we were still a young couple making middle class money.

She's in for a rude awakening when we start flying 4 instead of 2.

Unlike teddy who makes first class money as an ambulance chaser

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No. AS does not belong to any such alliance. But it has its own set of partners - Delta being one, AA being another. They also partner with Korean actually.

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Got it, thanks. Basically, this is all about Delta for me then. I can check on AS site but I may as well look on FB.

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May even be worth paying the extra 5K in order to avoid the hassle of booking awards through Korean. But you need MR or TYP for that.

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I don't have any MR and I burned through my TYP for a trip for the wife and I in October. I called SkyPass and have them calling me back tomorrow to check availability. I may just fly to NOLA at the end of this month if it's only 25k UR.

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You are looking at Delta flights only. No AS/AA/UA etc. DL only.

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Mahalo

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Probably

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You don't even need to have the Korean miles in your account to place a hold. That is why I suggested place a hold first then transfer the UR. UR transfer to Korean is instant. So shouldn't be a problem anyway.

When you fill out the form and send it in, they will call you back to ticket. You can proactively call to ticket as well.

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I may just fly to NOLA at the end of this month if it's only 25k UR.

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Yup. Thats how cool this is. Especially if you have the Ink. Under 30 mins of work

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You don't even need to have the Korean miles in your account to place a hold. That is why I suggested place a hold first then transfer the UR. UR transfer to Korean is instant. So shouldn't be a problem anyway.

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But what I really liked about TPG post is that you could essentially cancel the ticket with no penalty since the miles aren't in the account or you haven't paid for it with miles yet. Not sure if you could get your miles back if you pay right away and needed to cancel for some reason?

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Yup. Thats how cool this is. Especially if you have the Ink. Under 30 mins of work

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Thanks for the heads up. 25k is awesome. Please do let me know anything else like this as it seems you can get better mileage deals on partners than going straight through the actual airline.

Btw - if you want to get a little fancy with it - add a stopover and go to the Carribbean or Mexico for the same 25K.

Just gotta make sure it is:

1) Delta all the way
2) Not more than 2 connections per direction

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But what I really liked about TPG post is that you could essentially cancel the ticket with no penalty since the miles aren't in the account or you haven't paid for it with miles yet. Not sure if you could get your miles back if you pay right away and needed to cancel for some reason?

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Korean has a VERY lenient cancellation policy. IIRC if you need to cancel they refund you all your miles less 3,000. That is nothing. The thing about the transfer is that if you decide not to use the miles, they may end up being orphaned in your SkyPass account.

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Please do let me know anything else like this as it seems you can get better mileage deals on partners than going straight through the actual airline.

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There are wayy too many That is why I ask people where they want to go and then tell them the best way to get there. Another lesser know award is Korean miles to Tahiti from US on Air France. 60K in Y, 90K in J RT. Unbeatable.

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Still a big part of why I don't have kids, I just like to travel too much. That and I want assurances we would get a boy

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Oh I agree. Main reason I didn't want baby #2, but also wanted kids to have siblings,so I went unselfish for a minute...literally. Still not sure I made a good decision .

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ome over to our side, the water's warm

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I'm in your waters . I value vacation time much more as I get older so I give very little effort and thought to things that take away from it.