The Points/Miles Thread

The Satellite
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Lets get this party started…

I’ve earned a lot (100’s of thousands) of miles/points in the last few decades. Most from Amex via credit card purchases (and paying them off monthly in full - very important or it cost you $ in interest charges). Loved the Amex points back when they had a deal with Continental Airlines, then United.

Since they dropped United though I started looking around as the flights/deals through Delta & their other airlines didn’t seem as good for the places I was looking to go. That said, last spring I got a great rate from IAH to Paris direct on Air France booked through Delta …was weird…when I check the points price on AF’s web site it was higher than Delta was showing booking it on their Website though their ‘partner airline’…saved me over 10K points each way! Odd but awesome.

Anyway, in late in 2020 my brother, who travels a ton for work was telling me he had earned a “companion pass” which meant his wife (or anyone he named, limited to 3 changes per calendar year) could travel with him anytime for only $5 fee each way. $10 round trip…anywhere he was flying she could go for $10. (Note: Points travel on SW has just a $5 fee each way total. Plus all their tickets come with 2 free checked bags if you need…I sound like a commercial now LOL.)

To get this companion pass you have to earn 125,000 miles in one calendar year. When you hit that many miles you get the pass for the rest of the year PLUS the whole next calendar year.

Earnings can be from actual flight miles…or purchases on one of their SW labeled credit cards…including sign up bonuses which can be very large.

At the time SW had a deal that if you signed up for one of their Chase credit cards you could get 80,000 miles (think their current deal is 50K) after getting the card and charging $2K in the first 3 months, and on top of that an additional 30,000 miles if you charged $10K in the first 9 months. Doing the math…80,000 + 30,000 + 12,000(miles earned as well from the required purchases) = 122,000 miles. That was only 3,000 miles away from the 125,000 threshold. By July 2021 I’d earned it. Since I’ve taken been on several trips, with more planned, where the cost was just miles plus $10 fee for each of either a family member or friend. It’s been awesome.

I believe their current deal is only 50,000 miles for signing up. But they have a referral system that gives the referrer 20,000 miles (up to 5 referrals for a total of 100,000 potential points). So…I’m thinking about giving that a go maybe next year when my companion pass has expired. Keeping an eye on that…

I’ve also done IHG hotel points in the past when I was booking rooms for multiple people for jobs…got several free night stays out of it but haven’t been doing since the pandemic.

Anywho…lets talk points/miles! As long as you’re paying those bills off in full each month, and not overpaying for the annual credit card fees the points deals can be pretty good.

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It was a few years back, but I used the companion pass a lot. The only downside was the companion did not get on the plane with you on a preferred status (likely in the 3rd or 4th boarding group) so to make it all work you basically end up sitting in the back of the plane when flying with a companion if you want to sit together. Big fan of Southwest and was a nice perk.

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I had SW until this year and we had companion pass in 2020 and 2021. We earned it in 2020 largely due to sign up bonus and they extended for a year due to covid. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

We switched to United after moving back to Houston. The real goal is to get another sign up bonus though. We are going to Disneyworld in December so flights are handled. :slight_smile:

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You can upgrade to A boarding for like $25 now.

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I kinda like being the back…more likely to have an empty seat next to you. :laughing:

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They load and unload from both ends of the plane in Burbank. Helpful to know when you’re flying into there.

We flew out of there a lot when we lived in CA.

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I am United 100k. I love it, not a SW fan.

If you have status with Marriott i think you get United Mileage silver as a perk.

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I have the Barclay Arrival+ (no longer offered, but basically the CapitalOne Venture), CapitalOne Quicksilver, and Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Personally, I like the Arrival/Venture travel reimbursement program (but whatever I want) vs using Chase’s Ultimate Rewards points to buy travel through their system.

Unfortunately, Barclay is a MC, so I can’t use at Costco. On the flip side, it is a MC World Elite that comes with a fantastic travel concierge service. Before COVID, I used it quite often to get great deals on places in NYC (wife lived in CT, so I commuted from Houston every 3 weeks) and DC.

My wife does the non-business trifecta setup with Chase: Debit, Freedom and Sapphire Preferred. She likes the options to use the Chase portal to book flights. Very flexible, but it doesn’t cover every flight schedule.

I do also like credit union options at Navy Federal Credit Union, Connexus, and First tech Credit Union Odyssey Rewards (MC World Elite Card). In general, I’m a supporter of credit unions, in general. The rates are better and some offer amazing checking and savings rates (I’ve had 3% APY for the last 7 years on my checking account).

I’d love a United card, but those Aces just cancelled the one direct flight I use to go back to Houston from Ontario, California. Now I have to use whatever is available or drive to LAX or John Wayne (ugh, traffic).

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Currently Amex. Got a nice 100k bonus recently when adding a new, second card from them. Every year or two I look at who has the best new card bonus and they then become my new favorite card until I hit the bonus level.

All in all, as a card, Amex has never disappointed me. Plus, they sent me a cool present on my 50th anniversary with them!

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Amex was my first credit card…the only CC that approved me as a sophomore at UH…lol

My wife uses my amex…the do take care of you.

I may have to look at that miles hack with SW. My status with united is setbror 2023. Might be nice to have an option…SW does fly to Cancun now.

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I’m so hesitant to get an Amex. The fees are quite high, but everyone I know that’s from the Boomer or Gen-X generations swears by it. The service sounds like it’s a great deal even if it’s more expensive. Kind of like how people prefer USAA over competitors like State Farm.

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Not sure about other cards, but amex offers 90 days insurance on all purchases up to the amount charged. Came in VERY hand when my son was younger and started wearing glasses for the first time. Two claims in the first three weeks and never a question from amex.

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One of things i like about Amex is the access to events. Buying tickets early for concerts or events. They have some cool experiences for members.

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Anyone here have a centurion?

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We use the chase sapphire reserve and chase business ink preferred.

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All big name credit cards offer a warranty period, but I’m sure Amex must offer some extra perk for the fees.

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United 1k living in DC with a United Club card (united club acces). I have an AMEX Platinum too which gets me access to the awesome Centurion Lounges and if flying Delta, Delta Sky Lounges.

I am very tempted to cancel the United Card though and switch to Delta, the only hold up is the lack of a local hub.

Going to Europe a few times this fall, one booked cash and another booked one way with United Miles (Polaris class) and the return flight I transfered AMEX points to Air France.

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Another card I use on occasion is the Best Buy Citi card. It used to be much better when BB had their Elite program, but they did away with that. I only use it now when they do their “spend $1000 or so outside BB” within a certain period and get a $50 BB credit. Usually 4-5 times a year. Great way to build my vinyl collection.
Not worth adding the card, but if you happen to have one it’s a pretty good deal and worth looking into.

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The insurane protection is awesome. It used to be 12 months…like 25 years ago. Filed a claim 6 months after purchase, no questions asked.

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Anybody have an American Airlines card? Was considering that but then covid hit and my travel went down big time. I’m back taking at least 5-6 trips a year and most are on AA since I fly out of DFW. If it was through Chase I would already have it, but deciding if it is worth the hassle.

Also any suggestions for a card with no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee would be appreciated. For my international trips I would like an option that I can ignore the rest of the year and not cost me anything.

I’m boring right now with just a Chase Freedom Unlimited and just converting points to cash. The travel through Chase hasn’t made sense since I usually already use a combo of Expedia/Rakuten to get close to 10% back anyway.