I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 (see first page for add'l details)

[fbb]

It’s Florence and should be avoided at all costs, esp on a large plane. BA is only able to land there a few days a week and when they can’t they re-route to Pisa and bus passengers to Florence. But I was super unlucky and after the worst ever attempted landing in a storm (in Pisa) and we had to land in Rome. We sat on the tarmac in Rome for several hours unable to leave the plane. It was a horrible experience and one that I won’t ever repeat. Bologna is a much better airport from what the staff at my hotel related to me. I’m leaving from Bologna in the fall and will be able to report back.

To offer a counterpoint, I have flown into and out of Florence a couple dozen times on KLM and several on Air France and never had an issue. The tram from the airport to the city center is extraordinarily cheap and convenient.

Bologna is a slightly better airport, but then you’re in Bologna.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Hi I have a couple questions regarding those experienced with using Euros. Putting final
touches for upcoming trip. Last time we were on a Europe trip 10 years ago I ended up with too
many euros left over and had a friend buy them.

Now for a 10 day cruise and 3 land days how much should I get? Doing 6 guided tours. So do we tip them and how much? Same with taxis. Plan to use a Visa with no foreign transaction fees for meals. Have a
coworker who just got back and she said she tipped 2 or 3 euros MAX for meals and tours/taxis. That seems
rather low. Thank you for your help!

*starting in Barcelona and ending in Rome

The tipping culture in Europe isn't the same as North America. However I have found that tour guides tend to expect tips from North American customers. I'd tip per person in your group, for a private group. If you're on a small group tour don't feel obligated to tip unless you were very pleased with the tour. I always tip, but most people, at least from what I've seen, tend to walk away and not tip.

Some restaurants in parts of Europe will add a 10% service fee, so check the bill before you tip. If it has already been added, you don't need to tip. Some people will round up the bill to the nearest dollar, but I usually leave a good tip, especially if the service was good (which is important to me as a solo traveler).

Most taxis take payment by card and again, don't feel obligated to tip. I will usually round up to the nearest dollar and add a few dollars in coins from my pocket, depending on how much the ride cost. I almost always take public transit when I'm in Europe, so tend to be generous when I tip taxis because it's usually due to bad weather or when I'm especially exhausted.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

FWIW, my mom kept a number of my dad's accounts open for a few years after he passed and 10 years later some utilities and other accounts still list him as primary.

Wow interesting. I was thinking they might figure it out by the steep decrease in spend but maybe not. I have to think about what bills are in his name…

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Meant to add a big thank you for all the lovely words and condolences. Such a great community here and much appreciated.

 

[afan]

Wow interesting. I was thinking they might figure it out by the steep decrease in spend but maybe not. I have to think about what bills are in his name…

I wouldn't. How many of us sock drawer a card after meeting a sub or decide to do the 15k spend for a fnc on a card we rarely use and then sock drawer again when done.

The inactivity issue would be the same for sock drawer cards.

We still occasionally get mail for my grandpa (she did a fwd address to our house when he passed so not even an address they should have for him) who's been gone 17 years and my stepdad who's been gone almost 10 despite notifying places and all that. Our city still sends the sewer bill to my mom and stepdad even with everything being changed. Some stuff just doesn't get notified.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Wow interesting. I was thinking they might figure it out by the steep decrease in spend but maybe not. I have to think about what bills are in his name…

You have time. Take a few deep breaths and make a list of "things to get to". You can tackle it when you feel ready. Hugs to you and your family.

 

[hsmamato2]

!!!!!! Ok Has anyone had this happen? I'm checking Dh's IHG acct, and I see a PAID stay from February that WASN'T us??? Should I call and clarify with IHG? or leave it b/c it seems to have been paid with a cc etc.....and I dug around and found the 'thank you for staying' email that I missed! They even added some points for a paid stay...wwyd?

 

[hsmamato2]

And This is my 2nd time renting a car thru chase portal...I got a fun 'sruprise' last time with the extra fee charged on top of points, now I"m looking again and every option adds at least $50 to the booking...is this the new norm? I don't like it

 

[smallsy]

@CaliforniaGirl09 I'm so sorry for the sudden loss of your husband. Hugs to you and your family.

 

[wanderlust7]

I’ve been watching for a Holland offer! I booked a cruise with them in February and my final payment date isn’t until November. The terms of the offer state that you have to book it after May 17 though. I’m wondering if the offer will still work for me or if I’m going to have to bother with canceling and rebooking. Anyone have an idea about this?

I haven't done HA either, but have done the offers for NCL, RCCL, and Carnival. They all say the same thing, but paying down the cruise works because the charge comes from reservations just like the deposit. I did a quick search in the Cruise Critic forum and looks like HA should work as well.

Other things such as excursions or OBC is trickier because different cruise lines charge them differently. I know that Carnival excursions don't work because the charge goes through the Fun Shop.

 

[DogCat]

And This is my 2nd time renting a car thru chase portal...I got a fun 'sruprise' last time with the extra fee charged on top of points, now I"m looking again and every option adds at least $50 to the booking...is this the new norm? I don't like it

I frequently rent cars through the chase portal and I never had any surprise charges. The only time I pay extra is when I purposefully add a second driver or keep the car for an additional day. But I know what the charge before I agree to it.

 

[mmmears]

I know this subject has come up before, but I never dreamed that I would be in this position. As a few of you know, four weeks ago my 54-year-old husband died suddenly and unexpectedly. Of all the many things to deal with since that horrible day, I have started to think about points/credit cards. He was an active player 2 and probably had 15 cards (including high annual fees ones that we haven't gotten all the benefits of).

Literally the day after he passed, he received an email from Southwest that he'd qualified for the companion pass. We were also $5,000 away from a 2 for 1 on BA with his Chase BA credit card

I have a few questions for anyone who might have dealt with the death of a spouse:

1. Any chance in transferring the companion pass? I know the rules say "no" but I wonder if anyone has been able to talk them into it.

2. Anything I should watch out for or be aware of?

3. I have moved the points that I can so far, and I plan to make bookings with any points I can't for myself or my kids.

4. Is there any chance of getting partial annual fee refunds on some of his high annual fee cards (especially those where I haven't used all the credits, i.e. Hilton Aspire, Amex Plat., etc).

5. Can you cancel Chase cards via chat? His Amex Gold card just came up for annual fee so I cancelled that one via chat.

6. I'm trying to keep as many accounts open for now until I come up with a plan.

Any help would be appreciated. In the realm of things this is very low priority, but I don't want to make any stupid mistakes.

Sending you my hugs and condolences again. Old DP but back when points were transferable I found a sympathetic manager and explained the situation and we were able to transfer my DF’s points to my DM’s account even though they say it can’t be done.

I’m so glad you were able to do so much travel and make so many memories. Hugs.

 

[Limes96]

I haven't done HA either, but have done the offers for NCL, RCCL, and Carnival. They all say the same thing, but paying down the cruise works because the charge comes from reservations just like the deposit. I did a quick search in the Cruise Critic forum and looks like HA should work as well.

Other things such as excursions or OBC is trickier because different cruise lines charge them differently. I know that Carnival excursions don't work because the charge goes through the Fun Shop.

So happy to hear this, and it’s also what I found as I poked around the internet searching for DP’s. We got 3 of the spend 750 get 300 back offers, and 1 spend 1000 get 250 back. This will really reduce the price of our cruise without having to rely on gift cards. I love credit cards so much! Lol

 

[mmmears]

We have been at the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal for a few days on FNCs. It’s as nice as ever. We were upgraded to an Ocean Vista room which is lovely as we are very close to the water and have an unobstructed view of the waves. DH tried to apply our Hilton GCs, though, and that didn’t work at all. It’s not the hotel - the trouble is with Amex. He called the number on the back and the people there were clueless (kept telling him to just use it at another vendor and didn’t understand that WA is listed as a place they can be used). I think in the end he got fed up and got a refund. I hope other people have better luck with them.

 

[becauseimnew]

We have been at the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal for a few days on FNCs. It’s as nice as ever. We were upgraded to an Ocean Vista room which is lovely as we are very close to the water and have an unobstructed view of the waves. DH tried to apply our Hilton GCs, though, and that didn’t work at all. It’s not the hotel - the trouble is with Amex. He called the number on the back and the people there were clueless (kept telling him to just use it at another vendor and didn’t understand that WA is listed as a place they can be used). I think in the end he got fed up and got a refund. I hope other people have better luck with them.

I was able to use the gift card at Home2 suites, they just applied it as a regular credit card. They did $50 charges.

 

[havaneselover]

I was able to use the gift card at Home2 suites, they just applied it as a regular credit card. They did $50 charges.

I've tried at a Home 2 Suites and a Hampton Inn (to pay the $75 pet fee) and the front desk people have no idea how to apply the gift cards. I'm guessing if a manager were available they could figure it out.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

Is there enough to do in Saint Martin/Sint Maarten for a week's stay? AF has come up with dirt cheap flights from IAH and I'm intriqued. I've only been there for a day on DCL, but I enjoyed it.

 

[spacerangerqueen]

I havn't been in this thread for a while but I wanted to give some shout outs. We took a week DCL
New Orleans cruise in Feb. That was good as usual but the shout outs go to....

1. New Orleans Hyatt House. I booked 2 standard rooms and got upgraded to two 1 bedroom suites on
top floor. 1 a corner suite with wrap around windows. Place and service was impeccable.

2. Southwest Airlines...This is my least favorite airlines but I booked on cost since it was Mardi gras time
in New Orleans. However the shout out is for the plane taking off at all. This was during heavy/rain/storms
in Southern Calif. We even had tornado warning in San Diego. The pilot came on and said lets everyone
hurry and get seated so we can leave. Honestly felt like that scene from Independence Day when Air force
One was taking off trying to outrun the chaos behind them. lol Kudos to them.

3 .Next is Points.yeah. Im on the free plan and check it periodically. I could not find a redemption that
was on the site and emailed them. Troy responded and not only took me step by step how to do it but
followed up a few days later to make sure everything was ok. I ended up not needing it but thought that
was kind of him.

Last a general shout out to the people of New Orleans. Never have been there but the kindness was
overwhelming. From airport/hotel staff to tour guides..uber... restaurants ect. Not to mention the New
Orlean families that were sailing. So many very nice friendly and helpful people. I wish we would
have visited sooner!

We did a DCL cruise out of New Orleans in February too! We had also never been to the city before. It was great, a fabulous vacation all around.

 

[Limes96]

We used 2 $50 Hilton gc’s at the Grand Wailea (also a Waldorf) a couple of weeks ago without any issue. Took them to the front desk and they applied them to room charges.

 

[spacerangerqueen]

DS will be in 4th grade next year and eligible for the free National Parks Annual Pass. Has anyone tried to max out using this free pass? Or know of some resources for planning. Not sure if any sites out there have itineraries for seeing as many Parks as you can in a year (but also not missing school) I also just started a new job and have almost no PTO.