Airmiles Armchair Chatter

bababear_50 said:
Soooooooooooooooo we decided that we want to try something else to meet the minimum requirement--buy a 500.00 Mastercard Gift Card with the new American Express (arrived today) and use the Mastercard to pay the hydro bill (hot summer). Anyone know if buying a credit card will meet their requirements.
Thanks
Hugs Mel
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cant see why not, its just to meet the min purchase. No restrictions on type of purchase. Good luck
 
pigletto said:
Using this program though has made grocery shopping fun, and less of a chore, and when it's in airmiles it's socked away and less likely to get dipped into for household items. Plus the current reward amount for Disney tickets is a savings over any other way I can get them.
I don't know.. just thinking outloud I guess. I would miss the hunt and everyone in this thread of I stopped collecting.
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YES! Since our mortgage is with Manulife it's our ONLY account --- checking/savings/house all rolled into one so there's no way that I'd be able to keep my hands off of the money in travel fund .. cause well, we don't have ONE :P We do have a US savings account that we on occasion dump some funds into but it rarely gets above 1,500 before we drain it for another trip to see Donald.
AND OMG how would i live without my morning peeks in here to see what's up in the land of AM hunting?? I refer to you as "My inside source" when i'm talking to hubby about where we'll be shopping each week!
bababear_50 said:
I find the system works for me when I

A) buy products on sale at Rexall and super stock up--toilet paper, tissues,laundry soap.
I shop weekly at Rexall for any number of things that we use on a regular basis --- vitamins (often on sale BOGO either free or 1/2) because they almost always have bonus AM, Imodium is often on sale and even if not their daily price is a few $$ cheaper than Shoppers, their price on Gaviscon is also slightly lower (can you tell we have a few intestinal problems in this household??) I can easily do 2 of the coupon deals a week there (this week's hasn't arrived yet)
B) Buy a few things with high point average like spend 10 dollars on popsicles and get 75 airmiles.
This was the BEST earning opportunity we've seen in years (when Metro joined the programme it wasn't unusual to earn over 500 a week!) our deep freeze is full and it gives us more visits with daughter & her wife -- they often show up at the door with impish grins as they head downstairs for a treat (how rude!)
C) Buy gift cards that I normally would buy for gift giving and get airmiles.
A saving account that I have accessibility to on a day to day basis would not work for me as I would be dipping into it all the time.
Airmiles lets me stock pile all the extras that I want for our yearly trip
Park tickets/Passes
Starbucks gift cards
and a few Visa gift cards.
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ottawamom said:
I think we all need to just stop reading the bad press and continue on with what we have been enjoying. The collective shopping for the AM deal!:flower1:
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Exactly it's a game for me!! Has much better return than the lottery :P
mort1331 said:
Well I can now say I have no guilt at all about my GC roulette that I did and will continue to exploit when I can.
We have to set up an exchange. Get extra cards and when you have great deals like this we can take advantage and vis versa. Hmmm.
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This has a bit of intrigue to me ... but not sure how any of us would feel about getting JUST the gift card and NOT the Am but yes has me going hmmm too

I must admit i feel a bit like an enabler here ... i started this thread almost a year ago --- almost 45,000 views, close to 1,100 replies and i hate to venture how many AMs have been earned. I've had a blast, how bout the rest of you???

Just noticed you need to open up one of the quotes since i plunked my answers in the body of the quote OOPS
 
bababear_50 said:
So Enersource tells me that sorry they only take mastercard with an expiry date.
Oh well i'll find something good
Thanks
Hugs Mel
Click to expand...
Then just turn around and use the Mastercard for something you DO use ... on-line shopping (this works great on a site that gives you AM if you slingshot!), Meals out (careful planning on doing this), groceries, gas (not at the pump but works in the store) .... I'm sure you can figure out something if you put your mind to it! I highly doubt AMEX will care what you use their card to buy?
 


Find out if your favourite grocery store accepts Amex. You can always purchase a few of their GC to prepay for your next months groceries. If Sobey's is any true to their past schedule we should be due soon for another GC bonus purchase. (Nov '15, Mar '16, Jun '16)
 
Looks like I will be stocking up on some icy treats from Safeway.

Read that article as well. When we are done collecting for this trip will have to take a good look at points cards and determine what will work best. The am is great for the Disney tickets but they've cut back on so much rewards I'd worry they would be cut out by the time I saved enough again.
 
Jumping in! Ok, so I have lurked a lot and not posted much…but have found this to be a great thread! 2 years ago we moved from ON to BC, where the AM seem to be much more plentiful and easy to get. Fast forward and we just found out my husband is being transferred to Ottawa, so I'll need to pay attention to the ON information again!

I had been saving towards a future DL trip, but I guess now it will be WDW, did I read somewhere that the passes to WDW do not expire? Is there any downfall to buying them ahead of time, even if it's a while before we go? This talk of expiring points makes me nervous...
 


I was just looking at my airmiles account and if I collect 163 miles by December 31st I will be Onyx level. Somehow I am pretty sure I will be able to achieve that ;).

I've only ever used my airmiles for Disney and Universal tickets so I know nothing about redeeming for flights. We have two trips in 2017. One will be to Disney, the other to the Rockies. I will need three flights into Calgary for that in October of 2017. My question is if it's better to save for the flights I need or the Disney tickets. I'll have to do a comparison, but I'm wondering of the Onyx perks will make booking the flights with airmiles the better deal? It says up to 40% off select flights. Do you guys know if that happens often or just on the worst flights at the worst times for places nobody wants to go ?:rotfl:

I have several options for the August 2017 Disney trip with one likely being free dining if that week is offered again. In that case, we would have to get tickets with our package anyway. So saving for one or two of the flights might make more sense. I am pretty much limited to WestJet or Air Canada and can book both on airmiles.
 
I have a question: anyone successful taking their 2-days universal tickets they got trough airmiles and exchange them for 1-day tickets?

I'm planning to order 2 tickets (so 2 x 2-days), but we're 3 and only have one day (so I need 3 x 1-day) !

I wonder if they'll exchange them for their values before we enter the park?
 
Veronique said:
I have a question: anyone successful taking their 2-days universal tickets they got trough airmiles and exchange them for 1-day tickets?

I'm planning to order 2 tickets (so 2 x 2-days), but we're 3 and only have one day (so I need 3 x 1-day) !

I wonder if they'll exchange them for their values before we enter the park?
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They dont do that for other tickets, so I wouldnt think so, but I have no experience.
 
pigletto said:
I was just looking at my airmiles account and if I collect 163 miles by December 31st I will be Onyx level. Somehow I am pretty sure I will be able to achieve that ;).

I've only ever used my airmiles for Disney and Universal tickets so I know nothing about redeeming for flights. We have two trips in 2017. One will be to Disney, the other to the Rockies. I will need three flights into Calgary for that in October of 2017. My question is if it's better to save for the flights I need or the Disney tickets. I'll have to do a comparison, but I'm wondering of the Onyx perks will make booking the flights with airmiles the better deal? It says up to 40% off select flights. Do you guys know if that happens often or just on the worst flights at the worst times for places nobody wants to go ?:rotfl:

I have several options for the August 2017 Disney trip with one likely being free dining if that week is offered again. In that case, we would have to get tickets with our package anyway. So saving for one or two of the flights might make more sense. I am pretty much limited to WestJet or Air Canada and can book both on airmiles.
Click to expand...
I have been at Onyx for some time now, thanks Poweraid, and the only good deals for flights I have seen, and used were with the BMO Mastercard. They reduced the points needed by 25%. I have click baited on those 40%offs and they are for very select flights and I believe they are cash.
Good luck
 
mort1331 said:
They dont do that for other tickets, so I wouldnt think so, but I have no experience.
Click to expand...

I've called Universal, but the guest service person had no idea if they could exchange those kind of tickets... She sounded like regular tickets could be exchange, but not "gift or reward" tickets, but she didnt sound sure... Maybe I can try my luck, I only have enough miles for 2 2-days tickets anyway and the second day will just have to go to waste... :(
 
Veronique said:
I've called Universal, but the guest service person had no idea if they could exchange those kind of tickets... She sounded like regular tickets could be exchange, but not "gift or reward" tickets, but she didnt sound sure... Maybe I can try my luck, I only have enough miles for 2 2-days tickets anyway and the second day will just have to go to waste... :(
Click to expand...

If they said you can exchange 2 "normal" 2-day tickets for 3 one-day tickets, then I would imagine you can do it with the airmiles tickets. They treat them exactly the same as normal tickets.
 
Donald - my hero said:
I must admit i feel a bit like an enabler here ... i started this thread almost a year ago --- almost 45,000 views, close to 1,100 replies and i hate to venture how many AMs have been earned.
Click to expand...

I just did a quick calculation.(thanks spreadsheet). Since I started reading this thread in mid-September 2015 "I" have collected just over 23,000AM (includes DH total because lets face it it's me). My DH has proven to be quite the collector with 3,400AM this month. (Ok there were two credit card bonuses in those totals) Just thought I would post this so that those who need inspiration can see what can be done playing the "game".
 
pigletto said:
.

I've only ever used my airmiles for Disney and Universal tickets so I know nothing about redeeming for flights. We have two trips in 2017. One will be to Disney, the other to the Rockies. I will need three flights into Calgary for that in October of 2017. My question is if it's better to save for the flights I need or the Disney tickets. I'll have to do a comparison, but I'm wondering of the Onyx perks will make booking the flights with airmiles the better deal? It says up to 40% off select flights. Do you guys know if that happens often or just on the worst flights at the worst times for places nobody wants to go ?:rotfl:
Click to expand...

I have been watching the AM deals for flights for about a year now. Anytime they had those "10-40% off" they have never been for a time I could take advantage of or for a place I wasn't going to visit. I am/was looking into using AM for our family trip in 2018. I plan on getting an AM World Elite M/C to get the 25% discount on flights. We have 5 flying at 2800AM/flight, so the card's fee will more than pay for itself with the flight savings.
 
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ottawamom said:
I just did a quick calculation.(thanks spreadsheet). Since I started reading this thread in mid-September 2015 "I" have collected just over 23,000AM (includes DH total because lets face it it's me). My DH has proven to be quite the collector with 3,400AM this month. (Ok there were two credit card bonuses in those totals) Just thought I would post this so that those who need inspiration can see what can be done playing the "game".
Click to expand...
Holy smokes and i thought the bug had bitten me hard!!!
​
 
I called universal again and they say you can exchange tickets before you used them for any other kind of tickets AND reimbursed the difference, IF you have proof of purchase AND the buyer with an ID! Ill try my luck and report in october!
 
pigletto said:
I was just looking at my airmiles account and if I collect 163 miles by December 31st I will be Onyx level. Somehow I am pretty sure I will be able to achieve that ;).

I've only ever used my airmiles for Disney and Universal tickets so I know nothing about redeeming for flights. We have two trips in 2017. One will be to Disney, the other to the Rockies. I will need three flights into Calgary for that in October of 2017. My question is if it's better to save for the flights I need or the Disney tickets. I'll have to do a comparison, but I'm wondering of the Onyx perks will make booking the flights with airmiles the better deal? It says up to 40% off select flights. Do you guys know if that happens often or just on the worst flights at the worst times for places nobody wants to go ?:rotfl:

I have several options for the August 2017 Disney trip with one likely being free dining if that week is offered again. In that case, we would have to get tickets with our package anyway. So saving for one or two of the flights might make more sense. I am pretty much limited to WestJet or Air Canada and can book both on airmiles.
Click to expand...

Hmm, funny you should ask.

It just so happened that just last week I had need of two flights from Ottawa to either Edmonton or Calgary sometime toward the end of August. Cash fares were absurd due to the short timeframe. Aeroplan (my normal go to for flights) was multi connections and awful timings.

Not hopeful I checked AirMiles and was delighted that Ottawa to Calgary was part of the Onyx 40% off offer. Not Edmonton, but I was flexible. Great availability. Great times. $248 out of pocket for both tickets and now my teen and her friend are flying direct to visit my sister.

So the Onyx 40% deal worked for me. Fairly last minute to boot. And direct on West Jet.

I think it's a gamble though if you have something very specific in mind.
 
pigletto said:
I was just looking at my airmiles account and if I collect 163 miles by December 31st I will be Onyx level. Somehow I am pretty sure I will be able to achieve that ;).

I've only ever used my airmiles for Disney and Universal tickets so I know nothing about redeeming for flights. We have two trips in 2017. One will be to Disney, the other to the Rockies. I will need three flights into Calgary for that in October of 2017. My question is if it's better to save for the flights I need or the Disney tickets. I'll have to do a comparison, but I'm wondering of the Onyx perks will make booking the flights with airmiles the better deal? It says up to 40% off select flights. Do you guys know if that happens often or just on the worst flights at the worst times for places nobody wants to go ?:rotfl:

I have several options for the August 2017 Disney trip with one likely being free dining if that week is offered again. In that case, we would have to get tickets with our package anyway. So saving for one or two of the flights might make more sense. I am pretty much limited to WestJet or Air Canada and can book both on airmiles.
Click to expand...

Do you have a Marlin Travel agent you could deal with? Could always use your points towards a gc with Marlin to pay off your Disney package. I did that both times we had fd. I booked the package on my own (cause I'm that person at 7 am getting exactly what I want..lol) then after I had her transfer the reservation under Marlin to use my AM to pay off. Worked great, and I still had control of everything. Sadly, we don't have a Marlin here anymore.

I've found when I've done the math, it's been better for us to fly from US and use the AM for something else towards our trip. Once we added in taxes and fees, and baggage fees, it was almost the same. Granted, that was when the exchange wasn't as bad. I think you live Toronto area and would fly from Pearson? You'd probably have better flight options as well. For us, in Northern Ontario, the AM flights were usually the ones with a couple of connections, long waits in between or even an overnight in Toronto. Wasn't worth it to us.

It's too bad AM doesn't have the option to get an e-voucher for AC or WJ to use towards your flights so you can just book when you see a seat sale. Maybe there's a better rewards card out there for you to help get the flights you need for Calgary.


 
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