re: Credit Card Rewards and Points Discussion

While the pros on this thread get great airline redemptions, I've never had the energy for it. Take a look at Hyatt redemptions. You will frequently get 2-3 cents per point in value. And while you can sometimes do better, any redemption that gets you 2 cents per point is reasonable in my mind. Never, ever take worse value than 1.5 cents per point, as that's what you can get just by using them straight up as a Reserve cardholder.

To expound on Hyatt redemptions, the point valuations are static. Put another way, each hotel is so many points per night, always. It doesn't matter how much the room currently costs. The Regency downtown in Houston is currently running about $200 per night, plus tax. I've stayed there at peak times, like when LSU played a baseball tournament this year, when it was flirting with $400 a night plus tax. Doesn't matter, still 12,000 points (and you pay no taxes).

The Hyatt French Quarter is another easy example. Frequently flirts with $500 per night, but as a Tier 4 property, it's only 20,000 points. Lots of value to be had in Hyatt redemptions.

That's completely fair.

With that said, those of us who don't live by a major airline hub tend to find airline redemptions extremely hard to come by, at least on point transfers. I imagine some of you would be horrified that I just dropped something like 150k points on a couple of flights to Japan via the UR portal, but it's 1.5 cent valuation, flying out of BTR, and it was zero headache, so it was worth it to me

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With that said, those of us who don't live by a major airline hub tend to find airline redemptions extremely hard to come by

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True. Unfortunately this requires using some other card or strategy to cover the flight from the small local airport to the hub, which may add a layer of difficulty someone doesn't want to deal with.

It is why I always book international business. Even if I have to pay a little bit to connect the gateway, say $350 a person, I'm so far ahead I don't care.

There is getting stuff "for free" and getting something better for a lot lower cost. I am fine with both strategies.

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In other news - I just got a $2,100 check back from Chase through CSRs Trip Cancellation Insurance. It was for the full amount that I was filing for. Amazing experience. Love this card even more now.

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Would like to hear a little more detail on this one if you don't mind?

Also, on your other point about hotels, I do get points for air more and mostly use them for it but at the same time staying in a $1k+ per night room once in a blue moon is sweet too. To me that's the point of points, to do things you wouldn't pay for. But I do think that instead of using more points on a room you won't be in as much it might be better to upgrade your class from econ to premium on those points instead. I take it case by case.

Ya, there are the Barclay's and Citibank American cards that will rack up over 100k miles once you get them.

Problem is using the miles.

Yeah. AA miles are good for me but bad for others. Location dependent.

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Would like to hear a little more detail on this one if you don't mind?

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Earlier this summer we were going to the Philipines. The week of our departure, ISIS affiliates took over a city in South Philipines. 8 hours before our flight out, I cancelled the Philipine leg and bought tix to Bali instead. (I had the trip booked in 2 sets: USA-SIN was 1 ticket, SIN-Philipines was the 2nd). I had to cancel the flights to philipines from SIN, hotels and this excursion we had booked. All in all I had paid $550 and $1550 worth of points (all UR @ 1.5c).

I keep all my points in the CSR bucket to use. I had paid for the excursion with my CSR as well, and was therefore covered under the trip cancellation benefit. Since terrorism is a covered event, I filed m trip cancellation claim for all the above mentioned payments. Yesterday, I had the check in my hand for $2100. Would have been a lot quicker, but the delay was caused on my end.

If anyone was wondering, Allianz is the underwriter for the insurance/claims. Although, you only deal with the Chase guys.

FWIW, I was begging my SO to just go to the Philippines regardless, since we were staying in the Northern part (Coron and Palawan). But she put her foot down 8 hours before we were scheduled to fly out 2 weeks in Bali were played by ear. Was booking accommodation for a couple days at a time until we figured out what we were doing next

No you will see them on the checkout page before you hit book. The mileage + $$.

What are your dates?

Looks like its 60K + $733 booking through AA and 50K + $414 booking through BA

Wait, they let you use the policy to cancel your trip to northern islands for something that happened in the South?

I mean, I'm not complaining and that is very good to know, but that is terrible policy on their end

I can find a terrorist incident no problem if I want out of a trip bad enough.

ETA: Not to mention. Terrorist activity in the South has been ongoing for some time. That means cancellation is pretty much wide open year round.

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Wait, they let you use the policy to cancel your trip to northern islands for something that happened in the South?

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Well, its like saying its unsafe to go to Syria when in fact, you can travel to Damascus no problem. But that is an extreme example. There was news that the terrorist could plan to expand their reach out to other places in the Philippines. Plus the idiot president there (though this worked in my favor) said multiple times he would extend martial law to the rest of the country if needed. All this was well documented in the news so that helped. But yeah, if you can show something that happened terrorist related to a country your visiting with any evidence that there is a chance that would extend to other places, I'd think you'd be fine.

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GenesChin

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No, they don't refund the points. They gave me the value of the redemption in cash though. Effectively converting $1550 worth of points to cash @ 1.5c. Im not complaining.