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

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

My job is transitioning to a new "category" at the university I work (I'll be doing the same thing, it matters for HR purposes only) and HR is making me take a month off between the end of the current category and the start of the new one. Weird... kind of annoying... but hey, I'll make lemonade and take my forced vacation, lol. So this is happening Dec 15-Jan 15.

Going to WDW in December and now looking for something to do in January and have DH join. Any ideas? What's a good place to visit in January?
I saw Air France still has some inexpensive flights to Paris direct from my airport, RDU, during these dates. That sounded good, but I think it's supposed to be rainy in Paris in January and also all the Hyatt properties seem to be booked up for award nights.

 

[georgina]

My job is transitioning to a new "category" at the university I work (I'll be doing the same thing, it matters for HR purposes only) and HR is making me take a month off between the end of the current category and the start of the new one. Weird... kind of annoying... but hey, I'll make lemonade and take my forced vacation, lol. So this is happening Dec 15-Jan 15.

Going to WDW in December and now looking for something to do in January and have DH join. Any ideas? What's a good place to visit in January?
I saw Air France still has some inexpensive flights to Paris direct from my airport, RDU, during these dates. That sounded good, but I think it's supposed to be rainy in Paris in January and also all the Hyatt properties seem to be booked up for award nights.

Have you seen the northern lights? Noway, Iceland or northern Canada perhaps?

My sister went to Paris in Jan 2024. Much less crowded; they enjoyed it.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I'm in the midst of planning 2025 travel. Going to Germany/Austria in summer, and planning on doing Singapore/Cambodia/Vietnam later in the year.

Can anyone recommend places to stay in either Fussen, Germany, or Hallstatt, Austria? In Munich and Salzburg we'll be using IHG points, but Fussen and Hallstatt will need to be cash, as there are no IHG or Hyatt properties.

Also, any recommendations of places to stay in Singapore/Siem Reap/Ho Chi Minh? For Singapore, we were looking at IHG properties (there's a LOT!) and thought HI Exp Clarke Quay looks nice and in an area we like. Or there's many other options with IHG, or even the Andaz Singapore. Tbh, there's TOO many options for Singapore, lol. In Ho Chi Minh, it's either the InterContinental Saigon or Park Hyatt Saigon. And for Siem Reap - Park Hyatt. If you've stayed at any of the above, please share your experience, or any other recommendations would be appreciated as well, especially for any food/restaurants you enjoyed! We're in the very early planning stages, but I need to make sure I have all the points together for flights/hotels. We plan to fly there/back on Singapore Airways nonstop from NYC, 19 hour flight! I thought nonstop 14hr Japan flights were bad, but this is next level!

I booked the Kempinski Singapore for 6 nights in September (I couldn't get an EVA flight on points any earlier). I booked through Luxury Escapes (LE), which had spend a $1,000 get $200 back promo on my plat AmEx. The deal with LE was amazing -- got a Stamford suite, full breakfast, $150 F&B credit, $150 spa credit for $408 / night. I also booked the Andaz Singapore on a cash rate through Visa Signature Hotels (with my CSR) for $348 / night including breakfast and a $25 F&B credit. Once the F&B & spa credits are taken off and the $200 savings, it's actually less to stay at the Kempinski lol, plus I'll have a suite. All this to say checking out LE is worthwhile -- there is currently another promo on my AmEx plat for them and they have some excellent promotions.

Looking for suggestions for 5 full days in Singapore @sky13!

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Have you seen the northern lights? Noway, Iceland or northern Canada perhaps?

My sister went to Paris in Jan 2024. Much less crowded; they enjoyed it.

Paris anytime of year is lovely, plus it's super easy to take the EuroStar to London! I'd avoid Northern Canada unless you really love frigid weather, though I can recommend British Columbia. Lots to do in Vancouver, ferry to Vancouver Island / Victoria and amazing Whistler (90 mins away -- there are shuttles from Vancouver) for some skiing or snowshoeing (LOTS to do at Whistler if you're not a skier).

Then there's Mexico, Maldives, Costa Rica (never been, but several here have), SE Asia, Japan, Australia / NZ (summer there) and Iceland for the northern lights. The world is your oyster. I prefer to travel in non-peak periods to save $$ and to avoid crowds. You really can't go wrong no matter what you decide!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Paris anytime of year is lovely, plus it's super easy to take the EuroStar to London! I'd avoid Northern Canada unless you really love frigid weather, though I can recommend British Columbia. Lots to do in Vancouver, ferry to Vancouver Island / Victoria and amazing Whistler (90 mins away -- there are shuttles from Vancouver) for some skiing or snowshoeing (LOTS to do at Whistler if you're not a skier).

Then there's Mexico, Maldives, Costa Rica (never been, but several here have), SE Asia, Japan, Australia / NZ (summer there) and Iceland for the northern lights. The world is your oyster. I prefer to travel in non-peak periods to save $$ and to avoid crowds. You really can't go wrong no matter what you decide!

Thanks, all great ideas! I'll see what I can find still available as far as award bookings for flights. Would also like to take advantage of still having Globalist during that time. Unfortunately, the Paris and Costa Rica properties are no longer available, but I just saw Amsterdam is available and I'll look at some others.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

We stayed at Hotel Schlosskrone in Fussen and liked it

Awesome, thanks! I'll look into it! Did you guys book with URs or pay cash rate?

I live in Singapore so happy to answer any questions about Singapore!

With Singapore I think it depends on how you want to get around Singapore - are you planning to use public transport (which is cheap and good - coming from someone who takes it every day) or will you just be taking a taxi/Grab (Uber equivalent) everywhere? Because if you're planning on public transport one of the factors that you might want to consider is how close the hotel is to an MRT station.

I just had a quick look at Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay and it's kind of in between 3 MRT stations (Fort Canning, Chinatown, Clarke Quay) which is both good (can walk to multiple stops/train lines) and bad (it's about a 9-10 minute walk to any of them, there might be buses though).

Also had a quick look at Andaz. Don't think I've ever been in it, but if I'm not wrong I've been to the shopping area right next to it (DUO Galleria) and that's directly connected to Bugis MRT station and very convenient. Bugis MRT is in turn connected to a couple of shopping malls (Bugis Junction is one of them). So that will be convenient for things like food/groceries/etc especially if it's raining.

Both locations are pretty much downtown anyway, and Singapore is so small that it's not hard to get around and it doesn't take too long to get anywhere. Also taxis/Grabs are fairly reasonably priced (though still several times the cost of taking the bus/MRT - my commute to work, which goes across about 1/3 of the island, is $2 by MRT and $15-25 by taxi/Grab).

I did the nonstop Singapore/NYC flights with Singapore Airlines earlier this year in Premium Economy - think I wrote a bit about it earlier in this thread! They were pretty good flights and I rather enjoyed the flights, plus cabin crew were amazing. Though if you're using points - Premium Economy on this flight may not be the best use of points - not a great points/price ratio because there are often good cash prices for this route, unless you're flying at super peak times or booking last minute. Business class redemptions should be decent value. As an alternative you could also look at the JFK-FRA-SIN route too.

We will definitely be using public transport. I thought the HI Exp Clarke Quay would be good b/c of it's proximity to the 3 different MRT stations. We don't mind walking 10 minutes any direction (we lived in NYC for 15 years). But maybe the Andaz would be more convenient for the reasons you mentioned, like having food/groceries really close! I'll have to evaluate more. But thanks for your input!! Super helpful.

We are also looking at the Premium Economy on Singapore Air nonstop. Glad to know it wasn't that bad of a flight!! I saw roundtrip is around 160K points. I believe URs can transfer, last I checked. I'll have to look into the cash prices to evaluate the value of using points versus cash.

We have stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Orchard Road which we thought was really good for a HI Express. Its located in a shopping area and was great over Christmas with all the lights and activities along Orchard Road at that time of year.

We also spent 3 nights at the Andaz which we booked on points prior to last years increase. Loved the hotel, especially the included breakfasts for Globalists. As @sky13 said, it is located above Bugis MRT station and you can take an elevator from the lobby of the Andaz down into the network of tunnels that leads to the station. Public transport is easy in Singapore and it also very walkable.

We also did the non-stop Singapore Airways from Newark in premium economy. I was dreading the flight but it actually wasn't bad at all with possibly the best cabin crew I have ever experienced.

Thank you! I'll add this one to the list to look into! We're also planning to go between Thanksgiving-Xmas time, so it would be cool with the lights/activities.

I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with the flight also! Two good reviews definitely eases my mind. Did you use points for the flight, or pay cash?

I booked the Kempinski Singapore for 6 nights in September (I couldn't get an EVA flight on points any earlier). I booked through Luxury Escapes (LE), which had spend a $1,000 get $200 back promo on my plat AmEx. The deal with LE was amazing -- got a Stamford suite, full breakfast, $150 F&B credit, $150 spa credit for $408 / night. I also booked the Andaz Singapore on a cash rate through Visa Signature Hotels (with my CSR) for $348 / night including breakfast and a $25 F&B credit. Once the F&B & spa credits are taken off and the $200 savings, it's actually less to stay at the Kempinski lol, plus I'll have a suite. All this to say checking out LE is worthwhile -- there is currently another promo on my AmEx plat for them and they have some excellent promotions.

Looking for suggestions for 5 full days in Singapore @sky13!

This is something I hadn't thought of, so I'll definitely have to look into it more! Thanks for the info!! I'll also be anxious to see suggestions from @sky13. I think I have all the "highlights" accounted for. But we'll be there 5 days too, so I'm sure we can fit more off the beaten path stuff in

 

[AndreaDM]

I need to vent!!! I had DH open the IHG card with my referral and the SUB was 4 free nights which we assumed was 40K per night x4 resulting in 160K points. Nope, he has 4 free nights, just like the anniversary nights. Should be fine, but we are finding them impossible to use! We want to book 4 nights in Paris in Sept. and the hotel we are looking at is 40K per night (this is the average with the 4th night being free), but since all but one night are over 40K points on their own, it won't let us book that way. I've chatted with an agent twice and they will not convert the nights into points. Ugh, so frustrating! The only "free" nights are way outside of the city which we definitely do not want. Any tips? Do we just say screw it and use these nights elsewhere and book another hotel with real money?

 

[GZanta77]

I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with the flight also! Two good reviews definitely eases my mind. Did you use points for the flight, or pay cash?

We used points because I was only booking one-way and we had a very specific travel window so wanted something locked in. I think 80k O/W sounds about right.

For our return, we were stopping in the UK on the way back and I found Air France Biz Class seats for 67k from SIN to LHR connecting in CDG.

 

[Haley R]

Awesome, thanks! I'll look into it! Did you guys book with URs or pay cash rate?

We will definitely be using public transport. I thought the HI Exp Clarke Quay would be good b/c of it's proximity to the 3 different MRT stations. We don't mind walking 10 minutes any direction (we lived in NYC for 15 years). But maybe the Andaz would be more convenient for the reasons you mentioned, like having food/groceries really close! I'll have to evaluate more. But thanks for your input!! Super helpful.

We are also looking at the Premium Economy on Singapore Air nonstop. Glad to know it wasn't that bad of a flight!! I saw roundtrip is around 160K points. I believe URs can transfer, last I checked. I'll have to look into the cash prices to evaluate the value of using points versus cash.

Thank you! I'll add this one to the list to look into! We're also planning to go between Thanksgiving-Xmas time, so it would be cool with the lights/activities.

I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with the flight also! Two good reviews definitely eases my mind. Did you use points for the flight, or pay cash?

This is something I hadn't thought of, so I'll definitely have to look into it more! Thanks for the info!! I'll also be anxious to see suggestions from @sky13. I think I have all the "highlights" accounted for. But we'll be there 5 days too, so I'm sure we can fit more off the beaten path stuff in

We booked it with URs

 

[StephPlum]

I need to vent!!! I had DH open the IHG card with my referral and the SUB was 4 free nights which we assumed was 40K per night x4 resulting in 160K points. Nope, he has 4 free nights, just like the anniversary nights. Should be fine, but we are finding them impossible to use! We want to book 4 nights in Paris in Sept. and the hotel we are looking at is 40K per night (this is the average with the 4th night being free), but since all but one night are over 40K points on their own, it won't let us book that way. I've chatted with an agent twice and they will not convert the nights into points. Ugh, so frustrating! The only "free" nights are way outside of the city which we definitely do not want. Any tips? Do we just say screw it and use these nights elsewhere and book another hotel with real money?

Do you have extra IHG points? I’ve used FNCs and been able to add points if the night was over 40k. That said I only have FNCs not the SUB free nights. I don’t know if they work like that. Too Late now and not trying to pick on you, there are many PSAs on these SUBs as they can be hard to use. I agree that points are much more valuable than nights sometimes (ie easier to use).

 

[AndreaDM]

We do have additional points but it is not giving us that option.

 

[miztressuz]

I need to vent!!! I had DH open the IHG card with my referral and the SUB was 4 free nights which we assumed was 40K per night x4 resulting in 160K points. Nope, he has 4 free nights, just like the anniversary nights. Should be fine, but we are finding them impossible to use! We want to book 4 nights in Paris in Sept. and the hotel we are looking at is 40K per night (this is the average with the 4th night being free), but since all but one night are over 40K points on their own, it won't let us book that way. I've chatted with an agent twice and they will not convert the nights into points. Ugh, so frustrating! The only "free" nights are way outside of the city which we definitely do not want. Any tips? Do we just say screw it and use these nights elsewhere and book another hotel with real money?

Is it not giving you an option to pay the rest of the value in points? I thought the only restricted FNCs were on the old, discontinued Select card. The night from my Premier card shows you can use it and how many points it will deduct. I only had the 1 unrestricted cert so not sure how it works when trying to book multiple nights at once. AFAIK the bonus nights were the same.

Which hotels can IHG One Rewards Credit Cardmembers book using their Anniversary Free Night benefit?

Because the Reward Night point prices are variable, the hotels at which a member can use an Anniversary Free Night, which is valid for Reward Nights priced at 40,000 points or less, will likely depend on the member’s desired booking dates. For a list of hotels that may not be available please visit our Anniversary Night page.

IHG One Rewards Premier and Business Premier Credit Cardmembers also have the option of adding points from their IHG One Rewards account to redeem at hotels whose redemption value is higher than 40,000 points.

 

[miztressuz]

I need to vent!!! I had DH open the IHG card with my referral and the SUB was 4 free nights which we assumed was 40K per night x4 resulting in 160K points. Nope, he has 4 free nights, just like the anniversary nights. Should be fine, but we are finding them impossible to use! We want to book 4 nights in Paris in Sept. and the hotel we are looking at is 40K per night (this is the average with the 4th night being free), but since all but one night are over 40K points on their own, it won't let us book that way. I've chatted with an agent twice and they will not convert the nights into points. Ugh, so frustrating! The only "free" nights are way outside of the city which we definitely do not want. Any tips? Do we just say screw it and use these nights elsewhere and book another hotel with real money?

Well poo, I can't find the terms for that offer but I found a similar one reported from 2022 where the bonus night was restricted.

https://frequentmiler.com/ihg-premier-140k-welcome-offer-free-night-certificate-cant-be-topped-off/

That really sucks. I don't think they'd budge on converting to points. You may just have to pivot for Paris and pick up another currency.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

SW personal cards offering 85k RR points on a $3,000 spend in the first 3 months …available via support links too

 

[mmmears]

Quick question - does anyone have a good "cancel for any reason" insurance to recommend?

 

[Sheree]

I'm in the midst of planning 2025 travel. Going to Germany/Austria in summer, and planning on doing Singapore/Cambodia/Vietnam later in the year.

Can anyone recommend places to stay in either Fussen, Germany, or Hallstatt, Austria? In Munich and Salzburg we'll be using IHG points, but Fussen and Hallstatt will need to be cash, as there are no IHG or Hyatt properties.

Also, any recommendations of places to stay in Singapore/Siem Reap/Ho Chi Minh? For Singapore, we were looking at IHG properties (there's a LOT!) and thought HI Exp Clarke Quay looks nice and in an area we like. Or there's many other options with IHG, or even the Andaz Singapore. Tbh, there's TOO many options for Singapore, lol. In Ho Chi Minh, it's either the InterContinental Saigon or Park Hyatt Saigon. And for Siem Reap - Park Hyatt. If you've stayed at any of the above, please share your experience, or any other recommendations would be appreciated as well, especially for any food/restaurants you enjoyed! We're in the very early planning stages, but I need to make sure I have all the points together for flights/hotels. We plan to fly there/back on Singapore Airways nonstop from NYC, 19 hour flight! I thought nonstop 14hr Japan flights were bad, but this is next level!

we loved Vietnam had the best guide I've ever had anywhere. we stayed at a conrad in Singapore I believe but did visit the hotel from the movie crazy rich asians! didn't go to Siem Reap, the part of Cambodia we were in was absolutely awful

 

[KPK02090]

SW personal cards offering 85k RR points on a $3,000 spend in the first 3 months …available via support links too

How long do the elevated offers usually stick around? Was planning to go for a CP at the end of the year (November), but this is tempting.
EDIT - just read on DOC it's slated to end 6/30/24. Guess I have to decide soon.

 

[Arcades]

How long do the elevated offers usually stick around? Was planning to go for a CP at the end of the year (November), but this is tempting.
EDIT - just read on DOC it's slated to end 6/30/24. Guess I have to decide soon.

Just an FYI, this link says you have to apply by 6/26/24:

https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/so...b88f2ea6137&jp_cmp=cc/1598498/aff/15-31806/na