re: Credit Card Rewards and Points Discussion

Excellent. I actually plan to get a Costco membership here in the next month or so anyway. That with the card sounds like it will work the best.

In terms of fuel I will be spending around $6,000 +/- $500 annually on fuel, so I will remain under the $7,000.

no rhyme or reason...
but i prefer to bank the points with either chase, amex, or starwood...and tranfering points as needed (or whenever there is a bonus special)

most tranfers are instant..but not all.

all that said... i assume your post is related to korean air is leaving UR...like next week. (i believe they remain part of starwood...so no need to bank miles or points there for me yet)

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Is it worth it to use UR points for Southwest flights? Is the ratio worth it or should I just pay for the flights? ($1600-$2k)

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It can be "worth it" depending on a lot of things.

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I have about 500k points should I sit on them for later on?

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You need to decide what you want and then use your points accordingly.

I want to fly business class when I fly internationally, so no, most of the time I will not transfer UR to SW if I need points for that goal.

If I'm earning points at a fast rate and spending them is no object, my chances of using them on SW go up.

If I have Companion Pass where my value is doubled then again, odds go up.

However, I would only consider it if a one-way/round trip is less than 12,500/25,000 since that is about what other airlines will require for similar routes. But usually I don't want it to be that close.

And lastly, depending on all your goals, it may make sense to buy the ticket on another airline via UR portal using points to earn miles on the flight, as opposed to an award ticket.

Is United likely to be the best UR transfer for a trip to France? Aiming for Paris in the spring but not as familiar with international UR travel.

Transferring to United may be the easiest option as you book on their partners as well which are extensive.

There are "better" options but that takes some homework.

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Want to fly SW because they are the only nonstop flight to my destination

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It often is worth it to just pay cash for SW

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It often is worth it to just pay cash for SW

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i haven't done it yet, because i was sitting on a lot of SWRR points after getting companion pass, but...

i read a comparison that states its better to use UR points through the UR portal on SW flights rather than transferring them

reason being was its treated as a revenue fare and you get credit and earn miles on the flight

at 1.5c redemption thru the portal, its roughly the same value as transferring since SW slightly devalued their points a year or so ago



the main caveat i see is that if you have to cancel, you are left with a voucher rather than a points refund

Same here.

I book refundable options as much as possible and I obsess over constantly trying to better my deal before the trip.

I’m successful many of those times but the time spent was usually not worth it.

Like Croaka mentioned, since recent Wanna Get Away Fare changes it's usually better math to call and book through Chase UR points because you get SWRR points for the flight. But if you have a decent chance of changing/cancelling the flight or don't feel like waiting on the phone it's mostly a wash.

I have chase UR with sapphire reserve and I fly southwest all the time.

Sometimes if the ticket is really cheap I’ll just pay cash, other times I’ll just transfer the points from UR to RR.

Haven’t phoned in a SW reservation to UR yet.