I love credit cards so much!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Lain said:
@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.
Click to expand...
:worship:
 
babyready said:
So, the good news is that I had 100,000 UR hit my account last week. I transferred what we needed to Hyatt for DH and DS upcoming trip to Chicago and then wanted to see if I had enough to book our Cabana Bay resort for Universal in October. I have checked the price several times over the past few months and thought I would be a bit short but wanted to check anyway, just in case (I have 20,000 more UR coming next statement but I am inpatient!)

So, when I checked a couple of days ago, the suite had gone up like, 5000 points per night. I figured it was a fluke and would check back later. Today, nothing is popping up at all at Cabana Bay or any Universal hotel. They just disappeared. I can't imagine that they all filled up over the last week for October. I really hope it is a fluke and will pop up again soon!
Click to expand...
Sounds like a fluke, Expedia is showing wide open availability. I have problems with the UR portal getting hotels I know are available to show ALL the time. Just keep at it with different browsers, different search methods. Around black Friday last year it took me like an hour of messing around with the portal to get the Anaheim Hilton to show up again (I'd seen it earlier in the day or something so I knew it was there!), the UR portal is just the WORST. (I didn't call since cell reception was crappy for me at the time but you could try calling in and see if the reps have any better luck getting their system to pull it up.)
 
babyready said:
So, the good news is that I had 100,000 UR hit my account last week. I transferred what we needed to Hyatt for DH and DS upcoming trip to Chicago and then wanted to see if I had enough to book our Cabana Bay resort for Universal in October. I have checked the price several times over the past few months and thought I would be a bit short but wanted to check anyway, just in case (I have 20,000 more UR coming next statement but I am inpatient!)

So, when I checked a couple of days ago, the suite had gone up like, 5000 points per night. I figured it was a fluke and would check back later. Today, nothing is popping up at all at Cabana Bay or any Universal hotel. They just disappeared. I can't imagine that they all filled up over the last week for October. I really hope it is a fluke and will pop up again soon!
Click to expand...
Cabana Bay is such a great value resort. We did a week there last summer on ur points and it was terrific. Hope you can get what you want.
 


Just got the email about the SPG Biz card changes. I don't remember seeing it here yet...

NEW BENEFITS

ANNUAL FREE NIGHT AWARD

Starting August 1, receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 points) at a participating hotel. Select hotels have resort fees.¹

COMPLIMENTARY SILVER ELITE STATUS

Starting on August 1, you'll receive complimentary Silver Elite status with your Card, which includes priority late checkout and a 10% bonus on points earned for stays.²

ELITE STATUS CREDIT

Coming in 2019: Each calendar year you can receive credit for 15 nights towards the next level of Elite status. Limit one 15 Elite Night Credit per Marriott Loyalty Program member. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.3




OTHER CHANGES TO YOUR CARD




In a one-time conversion in August, Starpoints® will automatically become points, and the Starpoints balance in your SPG member account will be multiplied by three. SPG will also be making corresponding changes to the number of points required for redemptions.

POINTS EARN RATE: EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1, 2018:
Earn 6 points for each dollar of eligible purchases at participating SPG and Marriott Rewards hotels made with your Business Card.4

NEW! Earn 4 points for each dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.4

Earn 2 points for each dollar of all other eligible purchases on your Card.4




Effective August 1, 2018: Starting on August 1, complimentary access to the Sheraton®Club Lounge will no longer be available.




CHANGES EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2019: SPG Gold status will now be called Gold Elite status. Currently, you can earn Gold Elite status after you spend $30,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in a calendar year. Starting January 1, 2019, you can earn Gold Elite status after you spend $35,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in a calendar year.5

You will no longer receive an annual credit for 5 nights and 2 stays toward SPG Elite status each year with your Card. But the 5 nights and 2 stays you have earned this year will still count toward Elite status for 2018.6

Edit: Link for reference https://www.spgpromos.com/amexcomin...S_Ann_ENG&SWAQ=1VC&SWAQD=27134&language=en_US
 
Last edited:


disneymagicgirl said:
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. :crazy2: 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.
Click to expand...

We traveled to Hawaii back in 2013 and when I had just started this hobby. We spent a total of 10 nights/12 days in Hawaii. We spent 5 nights on the Big Island - 4 nights at Hilton Waikoloa Village and then rented a house through VRBO near the volcano to see it during the day and night (very cool!). We then hopped to Oahu and spent 1 night at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach(upgraded to the 35th floor of the Rainbow Tower!) and then on to Aulani for 4 nights over 4th of July. We stayed in a 1 bedroom standard view at Aulani and had a decent view. The studios are tiny!

We flew from Atlanta to Honolulu on Delta with 3 of us on points and DH with cash so he could get the MQMs. Then Hawaiian airlines (on points) from Honolulu to Kona. Five days later we flew from Hilo back to Honolulu on Hawaiian airlines (on points). Honolulu back to Atlanta on Delta.

Hawaii is very expensive and even with using all our points, we still spent a large chuck of change. The food and excursions are very expensive. Good luck!
 
havaneselover said:
Cabana Bay is such a great value resort. We did a week there last summer on ur points and it was terrific. Hope you can get what you want.
Click to expand...
We did a couple days there & I have to say was a good value in the quality of the room but the walk to/from the lobby area felt ridiculous to us.
 
Alexle2007 said:
Wow, the Westin in Grand Cayman is jumping in points with the new chart. 24k more a night, yikes! It looks like that one would need to be booked sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...
It was beautiful on the website before I saw the $65/room/day resort fee *faint* Which begs the q- do you still pay resort fees when you book on points with SPG and Marriott right now?
 
gottalovepluto said:
Sounds like a fluke, Expedia is showing wide open availability. I have problems with the UR portal getting hotels I know are available to show ALL the time. Just keep at it with different browsers, different search methods. Around black Friday last year it took me like an hour of messing around with the portal to get the Anaheim Hilton to show up again (I'd seen it earlier in the day or something so I knew it was there!), the UR portal is just the WORST. (I didn't call since cell reception was crappy for me at the time but you could try calling in and see if the reps have any better luck getting their system to pull it up.)
Click to expand...

I think you are probably right. That is encouraging that they are showing up at in Expedia. It seemed pretty unlikely that every room in every hotel suddenly filled. I will have to keep checking and messing around with it...
 
GusGus16 said:
Is there any availability to book the Cabana Bay on cash now, and then contact the Chase Tour department and transfer the reservation and pay with UR? If I were you I may call the Chase tour department and check if this is an option like Disney and if availability for what you are willing to pay for opens up book with cash and transfer the reservation open when you get the UR's typically have 30 days to transfer the reservation if it is like Disney! Wish you luck!
Click to expand...

Currently, it isn't even an option to book. Hopefully I can dig it up soon.

Booking cash now and then using points, since I am so stinking close is a great idea!!
 
babyready said:
Currently, it isn't even an option to book. Hopefully I can dig it up soon.

Booking cash now and then using points, since I am so stinking close is a great idea!!
Click to expand...
The other choice is to look at cash prices on CheapTickets.com, then book through them if cheaper and reimburse yourself with UR points. Before I was accruing a lot of points we stayed at Royal Pacific for about $30 a night more than Cabana Bay was (and it included the front of the line pass).
 
SouthFayetteFan said:
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.
Click to expand...

Our one and only trip to DW so far was in Sept 2013 with free dining. I wish we could do it this year!

One thing that I always think is weird about the free dining dates is that they include Christmas time, which is supposedly the busiest time of the year. I see that this year, you can check in as late as 12/23! Why the heck would they offer such a great discount at such a busy time, but not during October or most of November??
 
Catching up on today's posts... here goes...

SouthFayetteFan said:
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.
Click to expand...
I'm happy to see some decent-looking properties in the 35K category, since that is the cap on the free night certificates that now come with the current SPG cards. I have two of those coming to me next March/April, so I'm hoping we can use them in London next summer. If not, I'll find somewhere to use them for a Feb 2020 trip. Or, if the Dolphin and/or Swan are in the 35K category, I might be forced to plan a short WDW trip. You know, just to use the certificates. ;)

gottalovepluto said:
I bought an Alamo certificate from Daily Getaways! First time I've done one of these!
Click to expand...
Me too! Hopefully it's easy to book over the phone and apply multiple certificates to one reservation. I bought the max of 3, which will bring the cost of our rental car in CA down to ~$250 (including the $75 I paid for the certificates).

SouthFayetteFan said:
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! :headache:
Click to expand...
We did free dining in 2015 and did not have park hoppers, although that trip was booked as a bounceback so maybe the park hopper requirement didn't apply yet when we booked. I honestly wouldn't do the regular dining plan again. We did it twice, in 2014 & 2015; the first time it was fun but the second time it just felt like a lot of work getting to a sit-down reservation every. single. day. Maybe for a shorter trip it would be nice, but we usually go for a full week. Last year we went without a dining plan and I much preferred the flexibility. I might try the QS plan sometime if the math on it ever makes sense, but I don't think it really does.

Alexle2007 said:
Wow, the Westin in Grand Cayman is jumping in points with the new chart. 24k more a night, yikes! It looks like that one would need to be booked sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...
I was looking at this hotel for next February, and it was showing 16,000 SPG points per night for my dates (aka 48K Marriott points). It's still going up in points, no doubt about that, but by exactly how much depends on the season. (I have a reservation on hold at the Marriott Grand Cayman instead, which is 45K Marriott points per night right now. I'm guessing it will go up to 50K on the new chart, so glad I booked already.)

gottalovepluto said:
It was beautiful on the website before I saw the $65/room/day resort fee *faint* Which begs the q- do you still pay resort fees when you book on points with SPG and Marriott right now?
Click to expand...
Mommy Points stayed there for spring break this year, and reported that she DID have to pay the $65/night resort fee on her award booking. I don't know if that's the policy at all SPG hotels, or if it varies by property. The Marriott & Ritz there also have resort fees, so seems common for the location.
 
i think i have the travel curse. Ive been hoarding points for a solid 2.5 years, trying to find things to blow it on... last year, was suppose to use some points to go to Japan. Family passed away so trip got cancelled. Winter break time, i found Hyatt @ Lake Tahoe a nice redemption. cancelled again due to other member cancellation. Tried the same attempted again for spring break to Lake Tahoe. 8 of the 10 days were either 90% snow or rain. Next thought was, hey parents in Asia, i can go visit family and be with parents... well they are going finals week and returning that sunday when finals are over... Next... Now i got my Hawaii Trip coming with my parents since it was their friend that let us use their timeshare, turns out, there is a cruise they been wanting to go and it just so happens to overlap the hawaii time share time. So hey, they told me to go the cruise with them. i said yes, well it turns out the 3 ppl rooms were all sold out... either pay $6000+ more or get a 2nd room for +$3000 more... so now no cruise trip for me...
now what...
end rant. thanks for listening...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Share this page


GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!


New DISboards Threads

g3pak
Tusker House Dinner for picky eater?
Replies
1
Views
22
obsesseddisneyfan
O
happybaker
Standing Desk
Replies
1
Views
28
disneychrista
disneychrista
Kevin O'Brien
Disney all star music resort owl in the tree
Replies
0
Views
44
Kevin O'Brien
Kevin O'Brien
calngavinsmom
Cruise line poster
Replies
1
Views
70
AgentMama
AgentMama
B
Best Prime Rib on property!
Replies
1
Views
74
bobbiwoz
bobbiwoz
V
Best savings? Disney hotel promo paired w/ gift card or renting DVC points or...?
Replies
2
Views
74
veginaz
V
NEWS & UPDATES



Latest posts







facebook twitter
Top