Question
My husband and I recently flew Business Class from ORD to LHR on American Airlines. I redeemed 180,000 miles for these 2 tickets. We had such a comfortable flight that we decided we only want to fly premium classes whenever we take longhaul flights, which will only be every couple years.
I earned some of my American AAdvantage miles by opening Citibank AA cards.
I am located in Indianapolis. We are trying to figure out which credit card we should use for everyday expenses so the miles will rack up.
I have flown AA twice so far on business class and it was very easy to redeem the miles for the dates I wanted. I do not know if this is the case with other airlines. It seems that American flies everywhere we want to go, so would it be wise to stick with this airline for premium classes? If American does not fly to certain destinations, I believe it is possible to use one of their One World Alliance partners during redemption as well.
We also have a Citibank Thank You Rewards Redemption card. From our research, we are thinking that the AA credit cards are a better value since the Citibank Thank You card seems to fluctuate in number of points needed for redemption of an airline ticket.
Please advise.
Thanks.
Answer
thank you network doesnt allow first class :td:
AA doesnt allow BA transatlantics :td:
you should get the american express starwood card ($30/yr) immediately, it earns 1.25 miles per dollar spent, can transfer to nearly every airline, and has no earning limits.
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/starpoints/transfer/airline_partner_list.html
CO and UA are the only carriers that have fairly poor transfer ratios.
im also personally very happy with american express membership rewards, which allows E0 redemptions as well as 1:1 transfers with CO.
http://flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=410
http://dinersclubus.com/dce_content/clubrewardsandbenefits/clubrewards/clubrewardscompared
(+AF/KL +AZ +SQ for amex MR)
diners club ($95) (mastercard) is the only other card that allows multiple transfer options, including the most hotel transfers of any card.
i plan to carry merrill+ ($0) (visa) as a backup to american express. it has BA transfers, as well as fairly good redemption rates for private jet charters.
Answer
thank you network doesnt allow first class :td:
AA doesnt allow BA transatlantics :td:
you should get the american express starwood card ($30/yr) immediately, it earns 1.25 miles per dollar spent, can transfer to nearly every airline, and has no earning limits.
I disagree on both counts.
1) TYN does allow FC (pls see non-fixed point option). Second, OP didnt specify FC in a 3-Class cabin... but Business Class, so your pointing out about FC and TYN is pointless to the OP.
2) TYN is the best program in terms of ROE for redemption of premium class long-haul tickets, NON-DEBATABLE.
OP, All you have to do is look at which card works best for you within the TYN family of cards. Good Luck
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Starwood Amex is ok but plan on spending a whole lot just to get the miles....
Citi AA is ok for AA flights only and you will always earn 1:1 ...
I have the Chairman Card and it is not available right now, but you can always get the Premier Pass Elite and later upgrade if you want to....here is what you need to consider:
1) Are you interested in becoming an elite level member? Since you are planning to fly premium longhaul evey couple of yrs, then elite member status does not seem too much of a concern.
2) How deep is your loyalty? If you think AA business class is good, wait till you experience British Airways and the Asian carriers.
3) Do you charge a lot on your cards?
4) Do you fly domestic a lot for work/pleasure?
If the answer to 3 &4 is yes, then I would suggest getting a Premier Pass Elite. This way you effectivly earn 2 pts per $ with the flight points.
This is a sample calc:
to earn 180k AA miles via Starwood Amex, you would need to spend $144,000with the 25% bonus (is my math right?...it is late and brain is in shut down mode) - you do not earn miles on an award ticket thru the airlines
with PPE, for one Business class ticket to Europe is 165k, which means $82500 in spending with the equal amount of flight points...but you earn miles on AA on this flight since this is a revenue ticket....which could be upgraded to first class using miles.
Also, what airline mile program will gaurantee you a business class ticket with a min 14 day purchase and a sat night stay?
I used to have a Citi AA card, but now am a firm believer in the Thank You Program and do not plan on looking back unless the program devalues itself.
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2) TYN is the best program in terms of ROE for redemption of premium class long-haul tickets, NON-DEBATABLE.
thats completely inaccurate. or should i say highly misleading?
i dont dispute the values / qualities / strengths / etc of the TYN program. but i personally am not interested in it. and IMHO it is not the best program for the OP, based on my interpretation of the OP's post. anaggie's questions, if the OP answers them, would clarify whether i was correct or not. if i was not correct, im sure anaggie will help the OP with TYN details.
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What is TYN?
I may fly a couple times a year for personal, however, I do not always fly the same airline. I take whatever has the best fare and minimum connections.
We do charge a lot on our cards. Just about everything we can, solely for the credit card incentives.
I know there are other airlines out there that may have better business classes, however, I just chose American based on my location and that they do fly many places. Also, I have had a positive experience with them thus far in redeeming for business class tickets.
I have read so much that it's hard to redeem for award tickets because of fees, limited availability of seats, etc.
Also, I figure I can earn American AAdvantage miles sooner than other airlines' cards due to the fact I can earn miles from shopping online and dining out. There are always promotions to help earn extra miles besides earning one mile per dollar spent. I don't know if this is possible with the Citi Premier card or Citi Thank You card.
I will look into the Citi Premier card though. Didn't know of it before.
thanks.
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What is TYN?
TYN = Citi's ThankYou Network, which is a seperate award currency. You can use TYN points to redeem travel and other items.
The Citi PremierPass and PremierPass Elite are ThankYou Newtork cards.
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What is TYN?
Also, I figure I can earn American AAdvantage miles sooner than other airlines' cards due to the fact I can earn miles from shopping online and dining out. There are always promotions to help earn extra miles besides earning one mile per dollar spent. I don't know if this is possible with the Citi Premier card or Citi Thank You card.
thanks.
you can always sign your TYN card up on the Idine network, and earn AA miles through that program while you earn tyn points.. (3ty/$ with professional card at restuarants.. +3-10 AA bonus if restaurant is in program)
.. just a thought
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What is TYN?
I may fly a couple times a year for personal, however, I do not always fly the same airline. I take whatever has the best fare and minimum connections.
We do charge a lot on our cards. Just about everything we can, solely for the credit card incentives.
I know there are other airlines out there that may have better business classes, however, I just chose American based on my location and that they do fly many places. Also, I have had a positive experience with them thus far in redeeming for business class tickets.
I have read so much that it's hard to redeem for award tickets because of fees, limited availability of seats, etc.
Also, I figure I can earn American AAdvantage miles sooner than other airlines' cards due to the fact I can earn miles from shopping online and dining out. There are always promotions to help earn extra miles besides earning one mile per dollar spent. I don't know if this is possible with the Citi Premier card or Citi Thank You card.
I will look into the Citi Premier card though. Didn't know of it before.
thanks.
First of all, the CITI AA cards usually do not have promotions....
Second, since you charge a lot and fly some, go with the Thank You network program which will help you get the best business class seats possible especially since you are not very loyal, like me. I would suggest the Premier Pass Elite, which will give you a lot of points. Now there is a limit to that card whci is 200k point per year and 100k of those can be flight points..,..just get another one if this one maxes out....
The reason this works great is because of the point earning capability. Sometimes the point redemption can be high...for ex...to Europe is 165k, and to S.Amercia is slso 165k, but to Asia which includes Maldives/India it is also 165k....which is one hell of a deal.....
so, you take what you can get.....let us know what you decide....
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thats completely inaccurate. or should i say highly misleading?
Would love to be proven wrong, go ahead as Im all ears.
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Would love to be proven wrong, go ahead as Im all ears.
my ears are open also....what card out there can beat this?
for sure not SPG AMEX, PLAT, CENT....I do not think there is an AMEX product out there that can beat TYN.....
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my ears are open also....what card out there can beat this?
for sure not SPG AMEX, PLAT, CENT....I do not think there is an AMEX product out there that can beat TYN.....
I'd be interested in hearing this too - I'm putting all my spend on citi products because I thought there was nothing out there better. Would really like to know if something beats it.
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I disagree on both counts.
2) TYN is the best program in terms of ROE for redemption of premium class long-haul tickets, NON-DEBATABLE.
Unless something has changed recently, TYN does not allow open-jaws or stopovers. A major blow to the return, IMO.
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Unless something has changed recently, TYN does not allow open-jaws or stopovers. A major blow to the return, IMO.
Right, ROE implies simple return on equity w/o looking at details such as open-jaws, s/o or anything else. I agree with you that it would have been nice to have TYN allow o/j, s/o etc.
Again, for redemption of long-haul premium class cabin (J) through award generated programs, TYN points are the cheapest currency. In particular (like my case) the PP Elite "way" of earning TYN points is as good as it gets for long-haul J redemption of tickets.
Would love to hear feedback otherwise.
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Unless something has changed recently, TYN does not allow open-jaws or stopovers. A major blow to the return, IMO.
ok....but pls tell me which program/airline GAURANTEES a J ticket at a certain redemption value with a 14 day advance purchase....
none of the airline FF programs for sure....hell try getting a award ticket to India in J with DL/AA now for 1 month out/2months out/3months out....
nothing available....they will give you a ticket for double the miles though....:rolleyes:
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thats completely inaccurate. or should i say highly misleading?
i dont dispute the values / qualities / strengths / etc of the TYN program. but i personally am not interested in it. and IMHO it is not the best program for the OP, based on my interpretation of the OP's post. anaggie's questions, if the OP answers them, would clarify whether i was correct or not. if i was not correct, im sure anaggie will help the OP with TYN details.
Interesting that he is not around for a response, given that he almost lives here on FT and has posted various times since the above one.
Seems to me another EXTREMELY valuable post by this guy... No offense by I saw more disinformation posted by this dude than anything constructive... go figure why he is MIA after claiming a post was "should I say highly misleading?" :rolleyes:
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3) Do you charge a lot on your cards?
4) Do you fly domestic a lot for work/pleasure?
If the answer to 3 &4 is yes, then I would suggest getting a Premier Pass Elite. This way you effectivly earn 2 pts per $ with the flight points.
If you charge a lot but don't fly a lot, SPG AMEX would seem better.
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If you charge a lot but don't fly a lot, SPG AMEX would seem better.
true....but AMEX is not accepted everywhere....so if you charge a lot, but don't fly a lot, then you should get the Premier Pass Fee Free whre you can earn the flight points but do not need to charge as much....
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Interesting that he is not around for a response, given that he almost lives here on FT and has posted various times since the above one.
Seems to me another EXTREMELY valuable post by this guy... No offense by I saw more disinformation posted by this dude than anything constructive... go figure why he is MIA after claiming a post was "should I say highly misleading?" :rolleyes:
100% agree here...instead of helping someone or giving information...his standard answer is SPG AMEX and/or PLAT/CENT...does not ask for more specific questions/habits or anything else....
I am starting to wonder if he works for AMEX....
true, I am baised towards Chairman but I have had the experience with an AMEX PLAT so I can talk on both sides...this guy has zero real world experience with these cards and the TYN program yet he gives out misinformation.....
such as thread # 337-343 on the Chairman Card....
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There is no best card. The choice depends on your travel and spending patterns, and on your tolerance for uncertainty.
...may fly a couple times a year for personal...
Thank You Network is unlikely to be the best choice unless the number of miles your household flies approaches the number of dollars charged. If you use the Premier Pass Elite card to purchase airline tickets you earn one "Flight Point" for every mile flown, but these Flight Points can only be redeemed when matched by a corresponding number of points earned by spending. In effect, the Flight Points "double" the number of points earned by spending, but if you make only two or three flights per year you will not enjoy the maximum benefit. (If you do decide to accumulate Thank You points make sure you understand the difference between the Variable Flight option in which you use points in lieu of money to purchase a ticket, and the Fixed Flight option in which you redeem a predetermined amount of points and the program purchases the ticket for you. Fixed Flight generally provides much better value, but there is a tradeoff in not being able to choose specific times, routes or carriers.)
I realize it is unintuitive, but the Citi AAdvanatge Mastercard is not the best way to earn AAdvantage miles. The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express credit card generates more miles per dollar charged, plus it gives you the flexibility to transfer to other airlines when your travel plans call for another carrier.
dennis
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There is no best card. The choice depends on your travel and spending patterns, and on your tolerance for uncertainty.
Thank You Network is unlikely to be the best choice unless the number of miles your household flies approaches the number of dollars charged. If you use the Premier Pass Elite card to purchase airline tickets you earn one "Flight Point" for every mile flown, but these Flight Points can only be redeemed when matched by a corresponding number of points earned by spending. In effect, the Flight Points "double" the number of points earned by spending, but if you make only two or three flights per year you will not enjoy the maximum benefit. (If you do decide to accumulate Thank You points make sure you understand the difference between the Variable Flight option in which you use points in lieu of money to purchase a ticket, and the Fixed Flight option in which you redeem a predetermined amount of points and the program purchases the ticket for you. Fixed Flight generally provides much better value, but there is a tradeoff in not being able to choose specific times, routes or carriers.)
I realize it is unintuitive, but the Citi AAdvanatge Mastercard is not the best way to earn AAdvantage miles. The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express credit card generates more miles per dollar charged, plus it gives you the flexibility to transfer to other airlines when your travel plans call for another carrier.
dennis
exactly...see post # 18
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2) TYN is the best program in terms of ROE for redemption of premium class long-haul tickets, NON-DEBATABLE.
What about using BA miles to upgrade from E+?
Or what if OP decides to fly J transpacific of F transatlantic? IIRC, TYN charges a ridiculous no. of miles to do those....
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...see post # 18
Thank You Network is not competitive with Starwood for this purpose unless the cardholder can average more than two points per dollar, which is very difficult without the maximum 50% Flight points. Changing to the standard card eliminates the annual fee, but doesn't solve the problem.
Math for two business class tickets...
Asia Miles requires only 60,000 miles if the distance is under 5,000 miles one-way on a One World carrier such as AA or BA. 2 x 60,000 = 120,000 miles = $100,000 spending on SPG Amex.
Other carriers require 80-100,000 miles, 160-200,000 miles = $130-160,000 spending on SPG Amex.
Thank You network requires 165,000 x 2 = 330,000 points. It might be possible to earn enough Thank You points using the Drivers Edge card, but only with a high proportion of "Everyday Spending" in the first 12 months.
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Thank You Network is not competitive with Starwood for this purpose unless the cardholder can average more than two points per dollar, which is very difficult without the maximum 50% Flight points. Changing to the standard card eliminates the annual fee, but doesn't solve the problem.
Math for two business class tickets...
Asia Miles requires only 60,000 miles if the distance is under 5,000 miles one-way on a One World carrier such as AA or BA. 2 x 60,000 = 120,000 miles = $100,000 spending on SPG Amex.
Other carriers require 80-100,000 miles, 0-200,000 miles = $130-160,000 spending on SPG Amex.
Thank You network requires 165,000 x 2 = 330,000 points. It might be possible to earn enough Thank You points using the Drivers Edge card, but only with a high proportion of "Everyday Spending" in the first 12 months.
I stand corrected....
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What about using BA miles to upgrade from E+?
Or what if OP decides to fly J transpacific of F transatlantic? IIRC, TYN charges a ridiculous no. of miles to do those....
flying J transpacific is the best rate ... J to Asia is 165k which includes India/Maldives and so forth
J/F transatlantic is not that good, sometime you win some lose some.....with most miles programs you "lose" 80% of the time....especially when they charge you "double" the miles just to get a seat
or how DL charges you extra DL miles when they book on CO.....now that is utter stupidity
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This is where I think one's tolerance for uncertainty becomes important. To earn two intercontinental business class tickets through credit card usage alone requires at least $100,000 spend, somewhat less if you can earn a substantial volume of Flight points or combine with miles from flying and other activities. For most people this means it will take a few years to accumulate the necessary miles or points.
In this context I don't think Thank You network's guarantee to provide a ticket on as little as two weeks' notice is nearly as important as the inability to choose the times, routing or carrier. On the other hand, if one already has a mountain of miles a pile of Thank You points adds flexibility.
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.....with most miles programs you "lose" 80% of the time....especially when they charge you "double" the miles just to get a seat or how DL charges you extra DL miles when they book on CO.....
My personal redemption experience booking transatlantic business or first class awards on AA, BA and VS is very favorable, in part because Starpoints can be transferred to any one of these carriers after determining availability.
Delta's award availability is poor, but let's be realistic, it's a large program in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Is anyone surprised there has been a run on redemptions that has consumed standard award inventory and prompted them to raise levels for partner and unrestricted awards? I don't think experience with Delta tells us much about using miles on other carriers.
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This is a sample calc:
to earn 180k AA miles via Starwood Amex, you would need to spend $144,000with the 25% bonus (is my math right?...it is late and brain is in shut down mode) - you do not earn miles on an award ticket thru the airlines
with PPE, for one Business class ticket to Europe is 165k, which means $82500 in spending with the equal amount of flight points...but you earn miles on AA on this flight since this is a revenue ticket....which could be upgraded to first class using miles.
No Aggie math joke, but 180k AA is for 2 J tickets to Europe, so it really would be $72k vs $82.5.
https://www.aa.com/apps/AAdvantage/ViewMileageProgramsPartnerDetail.jhtml?fileName=am ericanAirlines.xml&repositoryName=AAdvantagePartnersContentRepository&repositoryId=100014&itemDescriptor=AAdvantagePartnersContent#2
I redeemed 180,000 miles for these 2 tickets.
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What about using BA miles to upgrade from E+?
dont understand u r saying. premium-long haul redemption is not upgrading from anything
Or what if OP decides to fly J transpacific of F transatlantic? IIRC, TYN charges a ridiculous no. of miles to do those....
Check before as ridiculous number of miles has little value to this dicussion.
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No Aggie math joke, but 180k AA is for 2 J tickets to Europe, so it really would be $72k vs $82.5.
https://www.aa.com/apps/AAdvantage/ViewMileageProgramsPartnerDetail.jhtml?fileName=am ericanAirlines.xml&repositoryName=AAdvantagePartnersContentRepository&repositoryId=100014&itemDescriptor=AAdvantagePartnersContent#2
but this does not take into consideration:
-Select Spend points which for some could be many thousands (such as me)
-The fact that your guaranteed a seat if there is one
-The fact that you earn EQMs and Bonus miles if applicable
Care to put a value on that?
For any other location the TYN program is the cheapest currency thus far.
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To the OP- If you plan to use ORD as you home airport and want to travel to western and central Europe in Business, then SPG is your best option. As explained above by MIA, Asia miles is your best option. I'm flying ORD-BUD this summer on BA in F for 90k AM (60k for J), BA wants 180k for the same seats. From ORD you can fly to LHR, MAN, DUB, BRU, CDG, FRA, MAD, FCO nonstop in business for 60k AM, which is 50k spend with SPG. I am also a big fan of the Chairman card/TY points and use it for most of my spending. If you can balance your spending with flight points, I feel that it is the best card for my situation, YMMV. You also earn TY flight points on award tickets from the airlines own programs when paying the taxes/fees with a TY CC. TY now (as of 3/6) charges for taxes and fees on their awards, before they were free.
BTW, here are how most people would rate different business products of the above One world members.
Best:BA because of flat bed on the 777 and 747 (747 is quieter upstairs)
Next:IB because of their new seats.
Next:AA 763 because of the new seats and better service because you are in the premier cabin (less than half of the 763's have the new seats).
Last:AA 777 because of the old seats and the 1st class cabin gets more attention.
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... premium-long haul redemption is not upgrading from anything...
Indeed, but if you hold airline miles, or points convertible into miles such as SPG, Membership Rewards or Diners Club Rewards, you have an additional option to purchase an economy class ticket and use miles to upgrade to business. You may be able to do both, redeem Thank You Points to obtain a paid ticket and then use miles from another source to upgrade, but this is tricky because the rules for upgrading are more variable than redeeming for a straight award ticket. In any event upgrading provides an alternate path to the premium cabin offered by airline miles but not by Thank You points.
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Thanks to everyone for your input.
My husband and I ran a test of flight quotes for Thank You Points over the weekend. On our test dates, business class tickets from ORD to LHR was coming up 325,000 for one person. On the same dates with American Airlines AAdvantage miles, it was only 90,000 miles per person.
We tried different dates and TYN points were fluctuating according to price of ticket. It just seemed that going with fixed miles/per ticket was overall better for us.
Not only from credit card use, but from my occasional shopping online through AAdvantage shopping mall, the miles seem to add up over time.
Does Starwood have a shopping mall? If so, that would be a good way to earn additional points.
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You may be able to do both, redeem Thank You Points to obtain a paid ticket and then use miles from another source to upgrade, but this is tricky
IMO this is tricky bcs you do not know what fare bucket Expedia is pulling your ticket out of. But from C to F most likely doable, but then again it might defeat the purpose of TYN.
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Thanks to everyone for your input.
My husband and I ran a test of flight quotes for Thank You Points over the weekend. On our test dates, business class tickets from ORD to LHR was coming up 325,000 for one person. On the same dates with American Airlines AAdvantage miles, it was only 90,000 miles per person.
We tried different dates and TYN points were fluctuating according to price of ticket. It just seemed that going with fixed miles/per ticket was overall better for us.
Not only from credit card use, but from my occasional shopping online through AAdvantage shopping mall, the miles seem to add up over time.
Does Starwood have a shopping mall? If so, that would be a good way to earn additional points.
Pls keep in mind that TYN recquires 14 day advance purchase, therefore this weekend will cost you. Secondly your assuming this weekend AA has availability for you, which is dangerous to say the least. TYN eliminiates the uncertainty of seat avaialability (granted there is space on the plane). With miles YOU HAVE TO BE FLEXIBILE, end of story and ime (i.e. the way I use the TYN program to generate points) pay up vs. TYN.
Regarding shopping malls etc. That is where TYN will be VERY useful as their portal allows you to "cash-in" on points when clicking through to the merchant via TYN's website. These are called "Select Spend" points which in time and if you do enough shopping will add up considerably, therefore cheapen the TYN currency for redemption even further.
Last but not least, YOU EARN EQMs AND MILES FOR YOUR TRIP THROUGH THE TYN WHEN YOU REDEEM!!!
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Thanks to everyone for your input.
My husband and I ran a test of flight quotes for Thank You Points over the weekend. On our test dates, business class tickets from ORD to LHR was coming up 325,000 for one person. On the same dates with American Airlines AAdvantage miles, it was only 90,000 miles per person.
We tried different dates and TYN points were fluctuating according to price of ticket. It just seemed that going with fixed miles/per ticket was overall better for us.
Not only from credit card use, but from my occasional shopping online through AAdvantage shopping mall, the miles seem to add up over time.
Does Starwood have a shopping mall? If so, that would be a good way to earn additional points.
ORD-LHR-ORD is my most common flight path. For J seats, IMHO no airline beats BA.
I typically use BA miles to book a J seat (100k miles return) or an F seat (150k miles return IIRC), or else "Pay with money for an E+ seat and upgrade with miles" (About $1200 AI plus 25k miles for a return)
You could also investigate UA J (they call it C) if you have a friend who is willing to use a systemwide upgrade on you and your partner.
You may also want to consider using your AA miles for a transpacific flight instead of a transatlantic. I just booked ORD-LAX-MEL-PER and PER-SYD-LAX-ORD with one transpacific in F and one in J, for 145k miles.
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Thanks to everyone for your input.
Does Starwood have a shopping mall? If so, that would be a good way to earn additional points.
Unfortunately, no. If so, I would be crashing the site when I moved all my purchases from the AAdvantage shopping portal. :D
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My husband and I ran a test of flight quotes for Thank You Points over the weekend. On our test dates, business class tickets from ORD to LHR was coming up 325,000 for one person. ...We tried different dates and TYN points were fluctuating according to price of ticket. It just seemed that going with fixed miles/per ticket was overall better for us.
You are looking at the Variable Flight option, rather than the Fixed Flight option.
I suggest you start here...
https://www.thankyounetwork.com/faq.jspx
Expand the Travel Rewards topic and read everything, but in particular items 1 and 4.
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...shopping online through AAdvantage shopping mall, the miles seem to add up over time. Does Starwood have a shopping mall? If so, that would be a good way to earn additional points.
1. You can use the Starwood credit card and still shop through the AAdvantage portal. You will not redeem Starpoints directly for airline tickets, you will transfer the points from Starwood to American, and use the AAdvantage miles for flights. You can combine miles earned by flying, charging, shopping, etc. It's no different than now, just a superior credit card.
2. However, if you elect to transfer the Starpoints to Asia Miles, rather than to AAdvantage, there is a shopping portal that awards Starpoints, although the number of points per dollar is often small...
http://airmilesmart.com/
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Mia, I just got the Starwood card. However, thru my business, I charge over$100,000 per month on Amex plat. What is your opinion on other cards that may be potentially better for business class reward travel both domestically and abroad.
Citi TYN seems to limit to 100,000 points per year.
Thanks...
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I woulld look at Diners Club Mastercard for whatever amount you cannot put on the SPG credit card. Diners is a charge card, like your American Express Platinum card, which means they are accustomed to dealing with high charge volume, and Club Rewards includes more partners than Membership Rewards...
http://dinersclubus.com
http://dinersclubus.com/dce_content/clubrewardsandbenefits/clubrewards/clubrewardscompared
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Avalon28,
as mia pointed out, there is DC, which has the best RC awards, and the most hotel transfers, including Hyatt
Merrill+ has the best private jet awards and 2nd best RC awards
also, you mentioned citi PPE caps (100K spend 100K flight) but you CAN get multiple of the cards, increasing the overall limit
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Thanks for the advice u2.
What is RC, and is merrill+ available for business use?
Thanks
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Ritz Carlton
thats a good question, but i dont THINK it would be a problem
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...is merrill+ available for business use?
Business use is explicitly excluded in the terms, but I do not know if this provision is enforced. Merrill+ points can be transferred 1:1 to British Airways miles, in blocks of 5000, but there is an annual cap of 300,000. The card includes some benefits that are tied to calendar year transaction volume, but which do not require redemption of points, such as an American Airlines' Admirals Club membership and a dedicated concierge. With your transaction volume it is probably worth obtaining the card, charging $50,000 to qualify for the +3 (top) level, and then putting the card aside to see if there are any issues.
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i just ran a search for "merrill business" and found you referenced this restriction before mia, but have you ever heard why they have it?
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Merill has other cards for business, enterprise and not-for-profit sectors.
We have drifted off the Title Subject. Perhaps a moderator could separate the messages beginning with Avalon28's first post #40 into a separate thread?
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7480110&postcount=40
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ah, gotcha ^
but not sure why its offtopic?
What is your opinion on other cards that may be potentially better for business class reward travel both domestically and abroad.
and you just clarified that if the primary source of spending is business, merrill might not be a workable option.
my comparison post was meant to differentiate what ELSE was offered by each card in ADDITION to premium airfare. (and private jets count as premium airfare IMHO)
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I think the problem "Which rewards card is best for someone who spends $100,000 per month" is separate from the original topic.
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Interesting that he is not around for a response, given that he almost lives here on FT and has posted various times since the above one.
Seems to me another EXTREMELY valuable post by this guy... No offense by I saw more disinformation posted by this dude than anything constructive... go figure why he is MIA after claiming a post was "should I say highly misleading?" :rolleyes:
ROFLOL^
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In addition to credit cards, consider opening a checking account at either BankDirect and/or Guaranty Bank. You can earn 1 AAdvantage mile a month for every $10 on deposit at a checking account at either of these banks.
You can read about these at the AA website.
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A few here seem to like accruing Starwood Points and then transferring to AsiaMiles. Is that right? Does AsiaMiles let you hold an award while you wait for the transfer?
I'd hate to take a chance transferring them since AsiaMiles expire after 3 years.
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there was a recent thread by someone who ended up redeeming 60K Asiamiles for BA J USA-Europe (as discussed by mia here) in the amex forum.
thanks mia ^
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Does AsiaMiles let you hold an award while you wait for the transfer?
The thread to which Kagehitokiri refers...
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=653456
Bear in mind that the maximum efficient daily transfer amount is 60,000 Starpoints which converts to 75,000 miles. This means you may need to make multiple transfers on consecutive days, and they may not arrive simultaneously.
For example, two first class tickets to Europe requires 90,000 x 2 = 180,000 Asia Miles. It takes three transfers totaling 145,000 Starpoints...
60,000 = 75,000 Day 1
60,000 = 75,000 Day 2
25,000 = 30,000 Day 3