I love credit cards so much!

[SouthFayetteFan]

WOW, that's a really bad deal... and I'm a big fan of getting parkhopper!

Didn't see the part about the PH. That's even worse!

Requiring a park hopper actually started back in 2015 I believe. With the pricing the way it is now, for a family of four on 4day+ tickets that costs $319.52 if they weren't planning on getting the hopper otherwise!

 

[DisneyMandC]

Requiring a park hopper actually started back in 2015 I believe. With the pricing the way it is now, for a family of four on 4day+ tickets that costs $319.52 if they weren't planning on getting the hopper otherwise!

I had no idea. I've never been during a free dining period. The trip we're planning for next September will be the first time we'll go then. I will probably be doing parkhopper regardless, but that's still not a great deal for your average family. I know plenty of tried and true WDW fans on here who don't even do PH!

 

[Lain]

I'm curious about this...... is it a good deal? I see SPG is 35% off right now (if I can even do more, I already added 30k this year,is it waived?) I love the idea if it's wise to use UR this way -so If I was allowed to add more (?) this year it would be 682.50 for 30k spg=90k Marriott- use credits to pay for points = 68,250 UR? (and I could use the FU to purchase at 1.5x points?)

I wish! No, your account is capped at 30,000 per calendar year. But if you share an address with another SPG member, that person can also get at 30,000 and you can combine those points into one account.

T&C:

View attachment 318631

even if He doesn't currenly hold the SPG card? (I have 2,he has none at the moment) I had thought in the past,say I had just bought 30k on my acct, we couldn't then use his to buy 30k more,and put them into mine,since that = 60k in one year (?) still trying to decide if this is good deal using the UR credit thingy

He can be an SPG member without having an SPG AMEX. He just signs up on the Starwood website for a membership, it's free. There is a stipulation that you can't buy points until you've been a Starwood member for 14 business days. But you can buy points for his account, and pay with your SPG AMEX for the 2x points (I did this last year for DH). I'm trying to find @Lain's post about there not being the 30K limit on point transfers (not purchases), but having a hard time finding it.

@platamama is on the right track. There's a 30,000 Starpoints limit per account per calendar year for points purchased or received as a gift. However, this restriction apparently doesn't apply to points transfers. So @hsmamato2 already bought 30k SPG for herself, but if DH hasn't purchased any for himself and @hsmamato2 hasn't purchased as a gift any points for DH, then DH can buy up to 30k SPG for himself or @hsmamato2 can buy up to 30k SPG as a gift for DH, then DH can transfer those 30k SPG points back to @hsmamato2.

For more: >> How to buy more than 30K SPG points <<

ETA: DH not holding an Amex SPG has nothing to do with the above. The Amex SPG card is just a way to pay, and using the card to buy Starpoints at points.com will earn you 2x Starpoints on the purchase.

 

[Albort]

OK, so I am trying to read through the Hawaii thread on dischurners. I really want to pull this off for DH sometime between June and Early January. Options are basically summer, thanksgiving, or Christmas break.
How do we decided what airline? We originate in Nashville, but we have a toddler traveling. I think it would be ideal to go to the west coast or near there one evening. Then the next day (evening maybe, so she can sleep on the flight) to the next leg to Maui or HNL. (I'd like to do Aulani for several nights and Maui for 5+. Maybe a 5/5 split.) I get so overwhelmed when I look at the flights. We need them for 6 people. I have spg points, URs, hilton, hertz, and SW (not a ton) points. I am thinking either Westin in Maui, or grand Wailea. We need 2 rooms.
How do I start figuring this out? I'd love to fly Hawaiian airlines but that isn't imperative. Their middle section looks nice though...not first class but bigger seats and not many in that cabin so quieter.

call Korean Airline and see if they have availability. they do 25k on delta metal RT, 30k on Hawaiian/Alaska metal RT. Im not sure if that applies to where u live but from the west coast, thats the rates.

 

[eeyoreland]

Hi! I'm new to this thread. Is there someplace that explains what all the acronyms/abbreviations mean? Or will I just learn as I go along ???

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Anybody here following the Free Dining thread? I'm not even doing a Disney trip that time of year (We are doing Sea World in the fall) but I just enjoy reading through it especially when it launches and everybody is so excited. It's crazy how they keep adding to the restrictions on that promo though!

It also is slightly sad to see all the people who are really desperate to get a discount to make their budget work for their trip. I'd love to just bring them all over here and tell them to earn some UR points to pay for part of their trip (or all of it). Alas, I think many of them would just think we are CRAZY haha.

I’ve been following it too and trying to figure out what the excitement is. Seems like an awful “deal” to me! Now back when DD18 was in 2nd grade we did it and it was amazing! Those were the days!

It really NEVER makes sense math-wise to cash out URs at $0.01 each. However in rare circumstances where you really want the cash, I can see somebody doing it.

As an example, I cashed out for a wdw pofq stay last year. The point cost for the room thru UR was more even with the increased redemption than the room cost on cash thru Hotwire. So I booked Hotwire and reimbursed myself with cashed out URs.
It appears I may do the same for aulani...rent points, pay cash, reimburse thru cashing out UR. That is cheaper than booking with URs for the dates I looked at.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Hi! I'm new to this thread. Is there someplace that explains what all the acronyms/abbreviations mean? Or will I just learn as I go along ???

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/wiki/glossary has a handy glossary for churning acronyms.

And yes, you'll learn as you go along Also, if you see something and can't make sense, feel free to ask us. We're a happy, helpful bunch over here!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Hi! I'm new to this thread. Is there someplace that explains what all the acronyms/abbreviations mean? Or will I just learn as I go along ???

Hey - glad to see you jumped over Welcome!! Here's a pretty extensive Acronym glossary:
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/wiki/glossary

However it might be easier to just pick them up as you go along. If you're reading back to try to catch up, don't go back more than a few months as things from the early stages of this thread have likely changed.

Basically - the theme here is we sign up for a credit card that offers a bonus; meet the minimum spend requirement (MSR) and then earn a lucrative bonus! Then we put that card aside, and do it all over again. Some of us are getting in excess of 10 cards a year. Others are in the 2-5 a year range. And All of us are either looking to save money on travel or put cash in our pockets!

If I remember correctly I tagged you because you had previously earned a SW CP (southwest companion pass). Are you interested in signing up for additional cards to save more money towards your travel goals?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

As an example, I cashed out for a wdw pofq stay last year. The point cost for the room thru UR was more even with the increased redemption than the room cost on cash thru Hotwire. So I booked Hotwire and reimbursed myself with cashed out URs.
It appears I may do the same for aulani...rent points, pay cash, reimburse thru cashing out UR. That is cheaper than booking with URs for the dates I looked at.

Very True - I think for me personally, I'd still be hard pressed at that point to actually "cash out" the URs, lol. I'd probably just eat the cash and keep my URs for a 1.25 or 1.5 redemption. However, if cashing out is what makes (made) the trip possible, then you gotta do it, right?

 

[disneymagicgirl]

MARRIOTT RELEASES SAMPLE OF 100 HOTELS SHOWING NEW CATEGORIES:
https://viewfromthewing.boardingare...-program-award-pricing-hotels-several-cities/

Marriott released this sample of 100 "top hotels" and their new categories.

Just looking at the 19 hotels in New York...

• 9 decreased the # of points required
• 5 stayed the same
• 5 increased the # of points required

This is definitely a good sign and in line with what we heard the other day that more properties were going down than up.

Of course the big one to many of us is Swan and Dolphin. They are currently a "36,000 point" property (12k x 3) and there were 22 properties on the list at the current 36k level. Of those:

• 16 moved to NEW Cat 5 decreasing by 1,000 points per night
• 5 moved to NEW Cat 6 increasing by 14,000 points per night
• 1 moved to NEW Cat 7 increasing by 24,000 points per night

So on the surface this is a good sign - 73% of these properties went to Cat 5 which would probably be our best case scenario for Swolphin. Here's my concern...if SPG looks at what they have in Swolphin (on-site, access to Disney buses, 60 day FP, etc.) they may lean towards increasing that category. I REALLY hope that isn't the case because at 50k per night that would be a rough proposition. I'm still optimistic that at least one of the 2 properties (and HOPEFULLY both) will get placed in Cat 5.

Hopefully this info helps somewhat although it isn't definitive whatsoever.

I’m a pessimist, but I have been thinking exactly what you mentioned about swolphin...that they know it is a highly desired resort and will bump it up. Hopefully they prove me wrong.

call Korean Airline and see if they have availability. they do 25k on delta metal RT, 30k on Hawaiian/Alaska metal RT. Im not sure if that applies to where u live but from the west coast, thats the rates.

What is delta metal?

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Very True - I think for me personally, I'd still be hard pressed at that point to actually "cash out" the URs, lol. I'd probably just eat the cash and keep my URs for a 1.25 or 1.5 redemption. However, if cashing out is what makes (made) the trip possible, then you gotta do it, right?

Ha, it was hard to cash out, but the reality is I was trying to do all points so I kept reminding myself I was spending less points this way, even if intuitively I felt like I was losing value.

 

[platamama]

What is delta metal?

"Metal" refers to the airline doing the actual flight. In the case of Korean Airlines, you can redeem KE miles on Delta flights at the redemption rate stated. You don't need to fly on Korean Airlines (aka KE metal).

ETA: I've never redeemed KE miles for Delta flights, and there are numerous administrative steps to go through (including submitting passport info for each passenger, etc.) to do so. Definitely research this in depth before hopping on it.

 

[Lain]

call Korean Airline and see if they have availability. they do 25k on delta metal RT, 30k on Hawaiian/Alaska metal RT. Im not sure if that applies to where u live but from the west coast, thats the rates.

What is delta metal?

Delta and Korean Air are in the SkyTeam airline alliance. This means Korean Air is codeshare partners with Delta. You can transfer points from UR (1:1) or SPG (1:1, with 5k bonus miles if you transfer in 20k increments) to Korean Air, then go through Korean Air to use your miles to book award travel on alliance partner airlines like Delta. But like @platamama said, you need to do some research.

ETA some helpful links to get you started:
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/how-to-book-skypass-awards/
https://millionmilesecrets.com/2017...ow-to-book-award-flights-on-partner-airlines/
https://www.travelmiles101.com/korean-air-sweet-spot-to-hawaii/
https://www.travelmiles101.com/korean-air-sweet-spot-hawaii-part-2/
https://www.milevalue.com/guide-to-...or-25000-korean-miles-roundtrip-45k-in-first/

 

[wendow]

So on the surface this is a good sign - 73% of these properties went to Cat 5 which would probably be our best case scenario for Swolphin. Here's my concern...if SPG looks at what they have in Swolphin (on-site, access to Disney buses, 60 day FP, etc.) they may lean towards increasing that category. I REALLY hope that isn't the case because at 50k per night that would be a rough proposition. I'm still optimistic that at least one of the 2 properties (and HOPEFULLY both) will get placed in Cat 5.

Doesn't Dolphin only have double beds? Or it is Swan? Either way, if that has not changed, then I can't believe Marriott could justify making that resort a 50k per night hotel.

 

[amalone1013]

Doesn't Dolphin only have double beds? Or it is Swan? Either way, if that has not changed, then I can't believe Marriott could justify making that resort a 50k per night hotel.

Dolphin is just doubles, Swan is queens. I thought it was kind of crazy to increase points for the Dolphin due to that....

 

[vanjust14]

Anybody here following the Free Dining thread? I'm not even doing a Disney trip that time of year (We are doing Sea World in the fall) but I just enjoy reading through it especially when it launches and everybody is so excited. It's crazy how they keep adding to the restrictions on that promo though!

It also is slightly sad to see all the people who are really desperate to get a discount to make their budget work for their trip. I'd love to just bring them all over here and tell them to earn some UR points to pay for part of their trip (or all of it). Alas, I think many of them would just think we are CRAZY haha.

I actually like following it, and I got sucked in last year! I was up at some crazy hour booking my standard room free dining offer. However, I always get park hoppers. That particular trip I only wanted counter service, and I was staying value. I most likely won't ever be booking free dining again as that is not my usual way to do Disney. I did book it another time when Mods got the regular dinign plan. It did happen to work out in my favor for that trip, but I am getting way better value for my next trip by renting DVC and paying OOP for food (mainly with Disny GC's). I do see how people get sucked in to the free dining promotion though!

 

[GZanta77]

Doesn't Dolphin only have double beds? Or it is Swan? Either way, if that has not changed, then I can't believe Marriott could justify making that resort a 50k per night hotel.

There are existing Marriotts with doubles that are 50k/night so I wouldn't rule it out.

 

[wendow]

There are existing Marriotts with doubles that are 50k/night so I wouldn't rule it out.

Ugh, well that blows that theory and my hopes lol!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Doesn't Dolphin only have double beds? Or it is Swan? Either way, if that has not changed, then I can't believe Marriott could justify making that resort a 50k per night hotel.

Dolphin is just doubles, Swan is queens. I thought it was kind of crazy to increase points for the Dolphin due to that....

I did find it interesting when SPG placed them in the same category...I could see Marriott putting one in Cat5 and one in Cat6...I hope they both go Cat5 though And well anything higher than Cat6....let's just not speak of that...

 

[GZanta77]

I did find it interesting when SPG placed them in the same category...I could see Marriott putting one in Cat5 and one in Cat6...I hope they both go Cat5 though And well anything higher than Cat6....let's just not speak of that...

The cynic in me thinks Dolphin got moved same as Swan in preparation for them both going to Cat 6. I just can't see them being 35k/night in the new system.