I love credit cards so much! v4.0 - 2021 (see first page for add'l details)

[lsutigers03]

I can atill see them looking through my CSR

How do you get to it? I usually went to activities under travel.

 

[GZanta77]

The buses to the hotels run a route to most all of the hotels. Different bus numbers for the different hotel circuits (they call them hotel hoppas). For us, the T4 hotel is fine. We originally got onto the Hilton at T4 because there is a direct walkway from the terminal- and our flight was scheduled to land there. Unfortunately, when we were Heathrow noobs we didn't realize that inbound terminals can change on a dime. One time the plane had to park on the tarmac and they had to load us into buses because there wasn't a gate for us to pull up to. If you are staying there because you want easy access to your outbound flight then it's a good choice. But if you are basing it on your inbound flight just know you may not actually land there. BA and Virgin seem to get priority, and in my experience US airlines get parked wherever there is a spot for them. We have actually only used the T4 walkway one time, the rest we parked elsewhere and took the hoppa to the hotel. Not a big deal- the system is efficient and should your gate be elsewhere you will still get to your hotel within an hour of clearing customs. Heathrow is a very busy place.

OK - just so nobody gets alarmed - having flown into LHR hundreds of times, I would suggest that it is somewhat rare for the arriving flight to change terminal. It can happen during emergencies, but it is rare. Also, whilst I'd be inclined to agree that BA seems to get favorable treatment - Virgin not so much. Your statement that US airlines get parked wherever there is a spot for them is somewhat misleading. All the major US airlines have a range of gates that they will expect to use, and in many cases those gates will be decked out in the livery of AA/Delta etc - only in circumstances where a departing aircraft has not vacated the stand would they be forced to park elsewhere.

I get that you had an unfortunate experience as a 'Heathrow noob', but as there may be others reading who are also unfamiliar with Heathrow, I just want to allay any fears that US Airlines get poor treatment and can be shuttled off to any terminal on a whim. That is not the case.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

How do you get to it? I usually went to activities under travel.

I went to travel…then clicked on what looks to me like a ticket..third item from the right

 

[Mulliganman30]

Is it worth it to do the MDD with the CSR and CSP for someone at 0/24 if u are unable to get the elevated branch offers? Been a long long time since I’ve tried to hit a SUB and haven’t attempted since my BB and Serve were shut down in 2016 or so. I’m trying to get caught up but if anyone would be gracious enough to suggest some things via private message like getting credit for mortgage payments etc that would help count towards the SUB I would really appreciate it.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

The buses to the hotels run a route to most all of the hotels. Different bus numbers for the different hotel circuits (they call them hotel hoppas). For us, the T4 hotel is fine. We originally got onto the Hilton at T4 because there is a direct walkway from the terminal- and our flight was scheduled to land there. Unfortunately, when we were Heathrow noobs we didn't realize that inbound terminals can change on a dime. One time the plane had to park on the tarmac and they had to load us into buses because there wasn't a gate for us to pull up to. If you are staying there because you want easy access to your outbound flight then it's a good choice. But if you are basing it on your inbound flight just know you may not actually land there. BA and Virgin seem to get priority, and in my experience US airlines get parked wherever there is a spot for them. We have actually only used the T4 walkway one time, the rest the plane parked elsewhere and took the hoppa to the hotel. Not a big deal- the system is efficient and should your gate be elsewhere you will still get to your hotel within an hour of clearing customs. Heathrow is a very busy place.

Would be our first time at LHR so I have no idea but looks like AA flights generally use T3. Looking for an easy morning flight home.

OK - just so nobody gets alarmed - having flown into LHR hundreds of times, I would suggest that it is somewhat rare for the arriving flight to change terminal. It can happen during emergencies, but it is rare. Also, whilst I'd be inclined to agree that BA seems to get favorable treatment - Virgin not so much. Your statement that US airlines get parked wherever there is a spot for them is somewhat misleading. All the major US airlines have a range of gates that they will expect to use, and in many cases those gates will be decked out in the livery of AA/Delta etc - only in circumstances where a departing aircraft has not vacated the stand would they be forced to park elsewhere.

I get that you had an unfortunate experience as a 'Heathrow noob', but as there may be others reading who are also unfamiliar with Heathrow, I just want to allay any fears that US Airlines get poor treatment and can be shuttled off to any terminal on a whim. That is not the case.

Thanks for clarifying. We would be LHR to ORD and would be staying at an airport hotel solely because our flight would be leaving at 0745. Would arriving at security at 0500 be adequate time?

 

[lsutigers03]

I went to travel…then clicked on what looks to me like a ticket..third item from the right

Not sure what's wrong but I can't see anything like that.

My page after clicking on travel looks like this.



I can see the ticket icon you're referring to in a previous pic I took when I was looking at prices. But for some reason I can't get back to that. It says activity location so I'm assuming that maybe Chase removed it for any of the cards I have.

 

[IFlossU]

Check your Chase offers. I have new OM/OD offer on my CIC. 5% up to $4.50 and 10% up to $8 on another. It’s only good for the next 5 days. Would have been useful a couple of weeks ago.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Not sure what's wrong but I can't see anything like that.

My page after clicking on travel looks like this.
View attachment 621683


I can see the ticket icon you're referring to in a previous pic I took when I was looking at prices. But for some reason I can't get back to that. It says activity location so I'm assuming that maybe Chase removed it for any of the cards I have.

View attachment 621684

You have CSR or CSP? With my CSP, I can't find any amusement park tix. @palhockeymomof2 is using CSR. Remember they are transitioning to a new travel portal and CSP and CSR appear to be using different portals right now. Seems amusement park tix may be gone

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Not sure what's wrong but I can't see anything like that.

My page after clicking on travel looks like this.
View attachment 621683


I can see the ticket icon you're referring to in a previous pic I took when I was looking at prices. But for some reason I can't get back to that. It says activity location so I'm assuming that maybe Chase removed it for any of the cards I have.

View attachment 621684

Are you in the Chase travel portal through your CSP? It seems you are bc you are getting 1.25 cpp. The Chase Travel portal recently switched over from powered by Expedia to its previous OTA. Only those with CSRs can still see the powered by Expedia portal, as seen in your previous screenshots.

Not sure if Universal is an option or if you just need to poke around a bit.

 

[lsutigers03]

You have CSR or CSP? With my CSP, I can't find any amusement park tix. @palhockeymomof2 is using CSR. Remember they are transitioning to a new travel portal and CSP and CSR appear to be using different portals right now. Seems amusement park tix may be gone

Yeah I'm using a CSP. That's a bummer.

 

[GZanta77]

Would be our first time at LHR so I have no idea but looks like AA flights generally use T3. Looking for an easy morning flight home.

Thanks for clarifying. We would be LHR to ORD and would be staying at an airport hotel solely because our flight would be leaving at 0745. Would arriving at security at 0500 be adequate time?

Yes AA generally use T3 - in fact, I flew AA out of T3 to BOS a few weeks ago. (T3 was closed during the height of Covid and AA did move to T5, but they are back in T3 with the exception of JFK flights I think)

Arriving at security at 0500 should be fine, actually 0600 would be fine. I would think arriving at check-in by 5:30 would be plenty of time. AA First/Business check-in counters are separate from the Coach Check-in area - I think it is the next Zone to the left. I think you can walk to T3 from the HGI thru T2. Takes about 10-15 minutes thru underground walkways.

If you can't get into the Admirals Club, there is a priority pass lounge , Club Aspire, which I have always found to be pretty good. Think it opens at 5 or 6am.

 

[cdurham1]

I had an offer on my Hilton Surpass card today that said I could get a free night certificate if I hit $8,000 spend between enrollment (today) and 2/28/2022. I can definitely do that. In fact, I have some big expenses (like DVC dues) coming at the beginning of the year, so I could squeeze that 8k into Jan and Feb.

So, if I continue using it as an everyday spend card (minus a couple of cstegories), I will hit 15k fairlt early in 2022 and get another free night.

However, I have actually been contemplating qn upgrade to Aspire anyway. I have a lot of travel coming up and the card makes more sense.

If I hit the 15k, have 2 free night certificates in hand, can I still upgrade at that point to the Aspire and keep the free night certificates?

Would those free night certificates get more valuable then bc I might be able to use them with Diamond status and get room upgrades?

 

[PaintsWithAllTheColors]

Considering an Easter break trip, just me and the kiddos (9 and 4) and possibly my mid 70s parents to Shenandoah National park and smoky mountain National park.

Thinking leave Philly on Saturday am, drive 4 hours to front royal, start skyline drive, make a detour to Luray caverns and then stay overnight at skyland or big meadows lodge.

Sun- drive the other 50 miles of skyline drive, then stay overnight in Waynesboro VA or Roanoke

Mon- drive to Pigeon forge with some stops along the way. Stay at courtyard pigeon forge 3 nights. (35k free night certificate, has a lazy river and Mountain View’s).

Tues- see the highlights of Smoky Mountain National Park

Wed- Dollywood

Thurs- drive 10 hours home if my parents come, or split the day and stop halfway in like Charlottesville and drive the rest friday.

Any Pigeon Forge must do’s? Places to eat? Am I overall insane?

wow! That sounds like a great trip. Just last month we did a similar trip, from Charlottesville up to Front Royal, then down through the Skyline drive, the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Great Smoky Mountains. What I will say is that this trip was about 2 weeks and we still felt like we barely saw the highlights. To be honest, with the amount of time you have, I would highly recommend just sticking to Shenandoah, Charlottesville, Luray areas. Maybe even adding in a trip to New River Gorge in WV if you wanted to getaway from the Shenandoah Valley. Your original trip plan just feels like wayyy too much driving in a short period for me personally

 

[wanderlust7]

I had an offer on my Hilton Surpass card today that said I could get a free night certificate if I hit $8,000 spend between enrollment (today) and 2/28/2022. I can definitely do that. In fact, I have some big expenses (like DVC dues) coming at the beginning of the year, so I could squeeze that 8k into Jan and Feb.

So, if I continue using it as an everyday spend card (minus a couple of cstegories), I will hit 15k fairlt early in 2022 and get another free night.

However, I have actually been contemplating qn upgrade to Aspire anyway. I have a lot of travel coming up and the card makes more sense.

If I hit the 15k, have 2 free night certificates in hand, can I still upgrade at that point to the Aspire and keep the free night certificates?

Would those free night certificates get more valuable then bc I might be able to use them with Diamond status and get room upgrades?

Nice! The Surpass is the best card to get that offer on.

Have you had the Aspire before? If not and you upgrade to the Aspire, that will lock you out of getting the bonus on it in the future. Amex's criteria for getting the bonus is that you've never had the card before. So it would be better if you applied for it instead. You'll get another FNC a couple months after opening the Aspire, so then you'll have 3 total to use.

If you have had the Aspire before, then upgrade away. I don't see any reason why your plan won't work. You should get another FNC after you upgrade too.

 

[cdurham1]

Nice! The Surpass is the best card to get that offer on.

Have you had the Aspire before? If not and you upgrade to the Aspire, that will lock you out of getting the bonus on it in the future. Amex's criteria for getting the bonus is that you've never had the card before. So it would be better if you applied for it instead. You'll get another FNC a couple months after opening the Aspire, so then you'll have 3 total to use.

If you have had the Aspire before, then upgrade away. I don't see any reason why your plan won't work. You should get another FNC after you upgrade too.

I have never had the Aspire (as far as I can remember). I thought that was the case, but I notice on the AMEX site, it would let me choose Aspire to apply to. It keeps showing taking me to an Surpass upgrade link. Maybe I should try logging out or trying from another computer

 

[wanderlust7]

I have never had the Aspire (as far as I can remember). I thought that was the case, but I notice on the AMEX site, it would let me choose Aspire to apply to. It keeps showing taking me to an Surpass upgrade link. Maybe I should try logging out or trying from another computer

Do you have a P2? You can use a support link for some extra points. Most Amex cards personal or business will be able to support to the Aspire (exceptions would be a Delta or Bonvoy card). (Don't use your own link though!)

 

[wanderlust7]

I have never had the Aspire (as far as I can remember). I thought that was the case, but I notice on the AMEX site, it would let me choose Aspire to apply to. It keeps showing taking me to an Surpass upgrade link. Maybe I should try logging out or trying from another computer

Just checking - does the Surpass upgrade link you see actually have an upgrade offer (bonus points for upgrading)? If so, you could apply for the Aspire first, then take the upgrade and get both offers (end up with 2 Aspires).

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

Can you no longer buy Universal Orlando tickets through the Ultimate Rewards portal? I looked at prices a few weeks ago but now I can't find anything for Universal.

About 3 or 4 weeks ago I posted on here that I could no longer find Universal tickets on the UR portal, so it’s not just related to the recent transition. I have the CSP too. Appears amusement parks are just gone for us.

 

[havaneselover]

So Best Buy issued the credit for the Apple Watch they think I didn't pick up that is currently on my wrist and Chase reversed the 5% back. I guess I call customer service when I'm bored???

 

[calypso726]

I recall that epically bad ending.

It was bad at the time. But like most bad travel mis-adventures, it winds up becoming a fun memory with time. We've had a few. This one is right below my favorite one, the 3 night Bahamas cruise in concierge that unexpectedly turned into a 6 night Western Caribbean cruise thanks to Hurricane Dorian LOL