I love credit cards so much! v7.0 - 2025 (see first page for add'l details)

[FreeDiningFanatic]

booking IHG on points, usually means no resort fee, if I book on cash and points, do I get charged a resort fee?

I ALWAYS get charged a resort fee, if there is one, when booking IHG with points. They don't have a policy to not charge when booking with points, so I would expect to be charged if cash or points.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Thought I'd share my positive thoughts on using the Aspire card for 2025. DH and I went to the WA in Cabo, and with 2 FNCs, some points, and our $200 each (plus the $50 from each of our Biz Plat cards) in resort credits we had a very nice getaway. They were also able to use Hilton GCs this time (it frustratingly did not work on our last visit). To top it off they upgraded us from a room to a 3 bedroom casita that was huge and came with a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. It would have been better if this had happened when there were more than just 2 of us on a visit, but in any case I'm now totally spoiled.

I am also just back from WA Los Cabos Pedregal, just two weeks after our Hermitage Bay stay. This was our fifth stay there maybe, and boy, it does not disappoint. The way the sun hits the very tip of the peninsula... And the whales were so active and playing, just off our balcony. It was pretty magical. Wondering if we were there at the same time?

I was able to use $1200 in various Hilton credits ($920) and GCs. They did tell me they've had problems with GCs expiring in 33, so their workaround was I had to add them to Apple Pay. Then between the physical gift cards and apple pay, it was easy peasy. We did spa treatments and the massages were wonderful.

 

[hsmamato2]

I ALWAYS get charged a resort fee, if there is one, when booking IHG with points. They don't have a policy to not charge when booking with points, so I would expect to be charged if cash or points.

interesting, I've never paid a resort fee on full points booking.....

 

[hsmamato2]

Then why wait to transfer if you aren’t gonna spend them as Hawaiian Miles?

good point!

 

[SleepyatDVC]

As I am planning my 2026 mega trip, I'm trying to figure out my points reward strategy.

I got the WOHBiz in 3/2024 in the hopes of trying for Globalist but it didn't go anywhere but I still have the card and will keep it.

I got the Hilton Surpass in 7/2022 and never really used the benefits. Honestly, I didn't even know what they were (my bad). I downgraded the card to the Hilton no fee card on 10/18/2024. I have about 198k points left with my last stay at a Hampton in 11/2024 on points.

I completed and received my CSP SUB on 8/22/2021 and PP2 completed his CSR SUB on 11/17/2021. I think I need to prepare to try to get new SUB for the Sapphires again later this year.

This time I want to switch and be the one to get the CSR and have PP2 get the CSP. I assume that the MDD is no longer possible? I didn't keep track of the latest news. I was always sad I didn't attempt the MDD in 2021.

I am 2/24 with those 2 new cards in Nov and Dec of 2024. PP2 is 1/24 with the 1 from 3/2023. Apparently, we were on a business card bandwagon for the last 2 years.

I am in AMEX pop up jail and PP2 just got the AmexGoldBiz this month and we are currently more than half way through on the MSR.

Now that I need to think about hotels in Anaheim, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Paris and other parts of Asia and Europe such as Barcelona, I need to decide what hotel loyalty program to concentrate on.

I was thinking Hilton? I am not sure that I would have the time to travel in 2025 to achieve a higher status to use while on my Fall 2026 trip. I can get the Hilton Aspire and get instant Diamond status and Hilton seems to have more hotels in many places in Asia and Europe than let's say Hyatt?

Is there lifetime language on the Amex Hilton cards? I had the Surpass but downgraded to the no fee card. Can I apply for a new Surpass card and get a new SUB? And then get the Aspire later? I am afraid of increasing my 2/24 before I get the CSR.

I think I am waiting for an elevated Hilton Aspire SUB before pulling the trigger since I have over a year. I know I JUST missed it. I think I should have PP2 apply for the Hilton cards also since we can pool points, right? Should PP2 apply for the no AF first or jump straight into the Hilton Surpass card?

Any advice? Hotels kind of scare me. We always just stay at DVC at Disney and only really needed hotels during the I-95 drive to and from FL.

Also, in terms of possible airfare down the road, PP2 is starting to accumulate Amex MRs with his new GoldBiz. Amex is confusing for this Chase UR girl...

 

[mmmears]

I am also just back from WA Los Cabos Pedregal, just two weeks after our Hermitage Bay stay. This was our fifth stay there maybe, and boy, it does not disappoint. The way the sun hits the very tip of the peninsula... And the whales were so active and playing, just off our balcony. It was pretty magical. Wondering if we were there at the same time?

I was able to use $1200 in various Hilton credits ($920) and GCs. They did tell me they've had problems with GCs expiring in 33, so their workaround was I had to add them to Apple Pay. Then between the physical gift cards and apple pay, it was easy peasy. We did spa treatments and the massages were wonderful.

When did you check out? We checked out Thursday afternoon. Were we both there at the same time?

The whales were incredible. I have never seen so many and they were everywhere. The place felt empty but the front desk told me they were full. DH and I heard the same about the GCs ending in 33 but we had a couple of those and they still worked. He had already added them all to ApplePay because we read about that workaround online a few weeks ago.

 

[speedyfishy]

Hey! It's been a while, but I wanted to check in and share my review of 3 boujee hotels we recently stayed at on points!!

First, we stayed at the Palazzo Talia in Rome To book we used Hilton FNs I got from spending on Hilton Biz cards. I’ve since moved over to Aspire spend with that perk going away, but it’s still so easy to earn them. I earn about 10 Hilton FNs a year and around 2 million points across players. I had multiple reservations with FNs and I think this is the first hotel I stayed at where I didn’t need to reactivate the room keys after each reservation.

We arrived around noon, and the room was ready. We were escorted up and shown around the room. Breakfast was included (even room service), and the mini bar was also complimentary and restocked daily. (I did some damage ) DH loved the wood floors and the large bathroom with a full shower door. The hotel only has 26 rooms and was fully booked, so there was no upgrade available, but the standard room was quite large and we had a view of the courtyard. They also offered a complimentary cooking class. The location was also perfect—centrally located with plenty of good food options within walking distance. And next to a McDonald's.

Hyatts have been my favorite, their high end properties have felt more high end, but with Hilton getting SLH and making standard rooms available for FN certificates and standard point awards, it’s replacing Hyatt for me. This hotel was definitely luxury and comparable to the Park Hyatt brand. It’s also much easier to earn Hilton points and their uncapped FN certificates are a much better value. I have no desire to stay in a category 4 Hyatt.

February was also the perfect time to visit Rome. I was really worried about the weather, but it was in the high 50s. I was also worried about the Jubliee crowds, but there were a few traditions I wanted to partake in and the crowds weren’t bad. We are glad we still went during this time.

After Rome we took the train to Milan. Spent two nights at the Park Hyatt Milan which is now our favorite Park Hyatt and DHs favorite hotel shower. Perfect location right next to the Duomo and near tons of boujee shopping (even stores DH likes) also McDonald’s is across the street. Our welcome gift was a fruit basket and bottle of champagne. Turn down service included dark chocolate hearts. They told me the water in the mini bar was free, but I was used to complimentary mini bar items so I enjoyed some other items during our stay, but on checkout I realized the charges were removed? The staff here was great. Would not let me open up my own cab door. They also must have been watching us because we left the room for some quick shopping and were gone for under two hours and the room was cleaned. Left for a quick bite to eat and they did turn down service within an hour of returning. Also no knocks on the door from housekeeping at 8am. It’s crazy comparing a $1000 a night hotel room outside of Disney to a Disney $1000 a night hotel room. Looking at you, Grand Californian.

Our flight home from Milan was canceled. We were supposed to fly to JFK back to Orlando. They rebooked us in economy the next day! DH refused to fly main cabin back to the states so I had delta rebook us MXP-AMS-MCO. AMS to MCO was in D1. Which is what I originally had booked thanks to GUCs from delta diamond status. Amsterdam was on my travel list and I have always wanted to stay at the WA Amsterdam so I booked that for the night with Hilton points. It’s slow season so we were upgraded 5x to a King Grand Premier room with garden view. I wish we had more time to explore because the stay here was lovely. I hope to be back and live out the full Ted Lasso Sunflower experience.

But yeah TLDR. Get Hilton points and use them for SLHs. Best hotel value out there right now. I’m also really glad I had a stash of multiple hotel points we could have spent an extra night at the Hyatt too if we needed to. We had a great week and got to stay at 3 amazing hotels all on points!

 

[hsmamato2]

First, we stayed at the Palazzo Talia in Rome To book we used Hilton FNs I got from spending on Hilton Biz cards. I’ve since moved over to Aspire spend with that perk going away, but it’s still so easy to earn them. I earn about 10 Hilton FNs a year and around 2 million points across players.

this sounds incredible- can you share more/where to research more on this? I'm the first to admit I've been ignoring Hilton/amex stuff for awhile so I don't even know what slh is at this point!

 

[becauseimnew]

As I am planning my 2026 mega trip, I'm trying to figure out my points reward strategy.

I got the WOHBiz in 3/2024 in the hopes of trying for Globalist but it didn't go anywhere but I still have the card and will keep it.

I got the Hilton Surpass in 7/2022 and never really used the benefits. Honestly, I didn't even know what they were (my bad). I downgraded the card to the Hilton no fee card on 10/18/2024. I have about 198k points left with my last stay at a Hampton in 11/2024 on points.

I completed and received my CSP SUB on 8/22/2021 and PP2 completed his CSR SUB on 11/17/2021. I think I need to prepare to try to get new SUB for the Sapphires again later this year.

This time I want to switch and be the one to get the CSR and have PP2 get the CSP. I assume that the MDD is no longer possible? I didn't keep track of the latest news. I was always sad I didn't attempt the MDD in 2021.

I am 2/24 with those 2 new cards in Nov and Dec of 2024. PP2 is 1/24 with the 1 from 3/2023. Apparently, we were on a business card bandwagon for the last 2 years.

I am in AMEX pop up jail and PP2 just got the AmexGoldBiz this month and we are currently more than half way through on the MSR.

Now that I need to think about hotels in Anaheim, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Paris and other parts of Asia and Europe such as Barcelona, I need to decide what hotel loyalty program to concentrate on.

I was thinking Hilton? I am not sure that I would have the time to travel in 2025 to achieve a higher status to use while on my Fall 2026 trip. I can get the Hilton Aspire and get instant Diamond status and Hilton seems to have more hotels in many places in Asia and Europe than let's say Hyatt?

Is there lifetime language on the Amex Hilton cards? I had the Surpass but downgraded to the no fee card. Can I apply for a new Surpass card and get a new SUB? And then get the Aspire later? I am afraid of increasing my 2/24 before I get the CSR.

I think I am waiting for an elevated Hilton Aspire SUB before pulling the trigger since I have over a year. I know I JUST missed it. I think I should have PP2 apply for the Hilton cards also since we can pool points, right? Should PP2 apply for the no AF first or jump straight into the Hilton Surpass card?

Any advice? Hotels kind of scare me. We always just stay at DVC at Disney and only really needed hotels during the I-95 drive to and from FL.

Also, in terms of possible airfare down the road, PP2 is starting to accumulate Amex MRs with his new GoldBiz. Amex is confusing for this Chase UR girl...

There are a couple of churners that have done all 12 parks in one trip:
They stayed on property for most of their hotels, but it's a good start for your research.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/1...y-parks-around-the-world-trip-report.3960562/

Kim also did it, pre-covid.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/2...ery-park-in-the-world-in-15-ish-days.3753854/

Double Dip, sapphires isn't an option anymore.

I think Hilton is a good plan, you probably won't get be able to get another Surpass unless you have a NLL link, but you should qualify for the Aspire as long as you aren't in PUJ.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

[speedyfishy]

this sounds incredible- can you share more/where to research more on this? I'm the first to admit I've been ignoring Hilton/amex stuff for awhile so I don't even know what slh is at this point!

Hyatt used to partner with SLH, but last year Hilton took over the partnership. When Hyatt owned it the value was capped based on the cash rates, I think around 1.0cpp. Now that it moved to Hilton there are some standard rooms at SLH that can be booked with a FN or with their standard award point chart. I haven’t found much info on them either so for Rome I searched on the Hilton website and picked the most expensive cash rate hotel which happened to also be a SLH The Hilton website will mark which hotels are SLH. Instead of saying Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Curio, etc it says SLH. SLHs are small so sometimes it can be tricky finding standard award availability so book early.


Here are some articles too that are helpful.

SLH is a big win for Hilton hoarders

Hilton & Small Luxury Hotels Of The World (SLH) Partnership - One Mile at a Time

 

[Judique]

@speedyfishy - loved reading that you and hubby are getting around the world!

Thanks for dropping in! I'm heading for Boardwalk Villas end of next week and can't wait to go somewhere warmer for a couple of weeks.

Miss you and many others who rarely stop by.

 

[speedyfishy]

@speedyfishy - loved reading that you and hubby are getting around the world!

Thanks for dropping in! I'm heading for Boardwalk Villas end of next week and can't wait to go somewhere warmer for a couple of weeks.

Miss you and many others who rarely stop by.

I miss you too! Florida has perfect weather this time of year. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[Princess Michele]

Thank you both! I'm not as worried about bofa because I'm already on that account. Need to sort out Discover which doesn't have b&m.

We use the same financial advisor so I can ask him about it.

More concerned with the conversation that's going to have to happen but am hoping she'll initiate it without my having to after stuff came to light yesterday. She's got until Saturday, this isn't something I want to deal with during the work week. She already gets defensive about things she shouldn't and has always been secretive about some things which makes it super fun.

I hope things went well for you last week. I am having to deal with issues with my DM and she already thinks I am the vilan.

 

[GZanta77]

Can I get some suggestions for reasonable last minute trip ideas? My sister wants to go somewhere at the end of April. I'm east coast, she's in SLC.

She'll pay cash, but I have 200K UR and 500K MR. It can be US or International.

Thanks

I see you haven't gotten any replies and I think your request is too vague. Perhaps if you provide more information you might get more response.

For example, how long are you thinking of going for? What type of trip - beach break, city break, historical sights, cruise, spa/wellness break? What do you like to do - hiking, skiing. adventure sports?

You get the idea. That might help people get some idea of what to suggest.

 

[afan]

I hope things went well for you last week. I am having to deal with issues with my DM and she already thinks I am the vilan.

I was able to freeze chex and one bureau, the other 2 couldn't be verified so I have to sort that out. I think those 2 were the ones that actually had relevant questions. Probably hard when you've lived at the same address since 1976.

Once I explained why and that she can still use her cards she was fine with it. But I had to bring it all up and she still doesn't really seem to understand that being scammed is an issue nor is someone from DHSH coming to talk about it. She still hasn't explained it all and I realized I should have pushed more with what I found out last year.

Did find out banks are required to report any suspected or actual fraud towards people over 60, which is good.

I didn't bring up the POA yet, but looking at the forms for discover may just need her acct numbers and not anything else. Just have to decide how open I want to be given how little she's told me about what happened. I don't have any siblings so this is also all on me which is good/bad.

 

[Judique]

I was able to freeze chex and one bureau, the other 2 couldn't be verified so I have to sort that out. I think those 2 were the ones that actually had relevant questions. Probably hard when you've lived at the same address since 1976.

Once I explained why and that she can still use her cards she was fine with it. But I had to bring it all up and she still doesn't really seem to understand that being scammed is an issue nor is someone from DHSH coming to talk about it. She still hasn't explained it all and I realized I should have pushed more with what I found out last year.

Did find out banks are required to report any suspected or actual fraud towards people over 60, which is good.

I didn't bring up the POA yet, but looking at the forms for discover may just need her acct numbers and not anything else. Just have to decide how open I want to be given how little she's told me about what happened. I don't have any siblings so this is also all on me which is good/bad.

Sometimes there just have to be difficult conversations.

 

[leeniewdw]

These are great questions. Here's some tips on ways you can potentially save some money.

• Remember when you are looking at prices, it's in KYD. KYD is fixed to the dollar at 1:1.25. So add 25% to everything. Service charge is also added at 18%. So roughly add 43% to everything.
• Coccoloba is great and they have certain foodie nights, like Taco y Tequila on Tuesdays- I think the drinks are a bit discounted that night.
• There's a grab n go shop in the resort. Works if you want to grab a salad or sandwich for the room for later and then you avoid service charge (I think).
• Ave at the Seafire is up there in price and we don't go there for dinner anymore. It's also where breakfast/brunch is served. I do think brunch is very good, but it's a buffet that's worth the one time splurge, if you're there on a Sunday.
• Get as much value as you can out of the resort fee.
  • Morning coffee and tea in the lobby, just near the elevators.
  • Complimentary non-motorized water sports. The rafts are really great and we love kayaking. They'll provide all the snorkeling gear.
  • Evening social hour. I believe from 5-6pm, in the lobby. Complimentary wines and appetizers.
  • Leave your sunscreen at home. Sunscreen is provided all over at the beach and pool, as is aloe. It's actually unlabeled Sun Bum brand.
  • I absolutely love, love their Atelier Bloem bath products. I've have ordered them and they are expensive! For your $80/day resort fee, I'm not opposed to dispensing some into travel sized bottles I bring from home.
• Hotel Indigo is worth a visit. We really liked their rooftop bar and thought the food was very good. Ask your concierge to make you reservations to get the best seats around sunset. Drinks were really good there too. They have a couple of restaurants on site- it's worth looking at their menus.
• There's a new beach club (not part of Kimpton or Hotel Indigo) just to the left of the Seafire that has food and drinks, either at tables or tables in the sand or the bar. We didn't find the drinks to be any good, so we didn't order food. But worth looking at reviews to see if it's for you- Bonny Moon Beach Club. It's cute.
• I agree, a car is an unnecessary expense. Just grab a taxi there and back.
• Yes, there is a walkable supermarket, just follow the beach path to the left of the Seafire when looking at the ocean. You can also get complimentary bikes from the Seafire. The restaurant/supermarket development (The Grove?) is about .4 miles from the public beach/Bonny Moon beach club. There's a small grocery store, a bakery, Mykonos restaurant, Jonny Pastrami's sandwich shop, Island Naturals (breakfast/lunch?). I haven't eaten at any of these places as we just stumbled upon it this last visit in November. The small grocery store is called Shopright- the Grove. The walk would be a bit sketch for small kids as you have to cross on West Bay Road, but when we went in that direction in November, it seemed they were doing construction and perhaps a sidewalk is to come? It's fine for adults, but just know you're walking alongside a busy-ish road once you get off the beach path. I would do this early in your trip.
• You can request a microwave in advance from your concierge.
• If it makes sense to you, you can also order some groceries and have them delivered to the hotel. Fosters is who we have used and the produce quality was very good. Shopright is fine for drinks and snacks- but very limited on fresh products.
• Free-ish excursion: There's a free trolley that takes you to the Cayman Turtle Center (that gets VERY mixed reviews; I haven't been but my sister enjoyed). Ask a concierge for trolley hours. But, once you get off the trolley, you can walk over to Macabuca, a beachfront tiki bar/restaurant set over lava rock. If you're into snorkeling, there's a dedicated snorkeling area that you go down a ladder just next to Macabuca to access, so be sure to bring your snorkel gear from the Kimpton.

Have so much fun. Hope you enjoy the sun and the resort.

Just need to say a BIG THANKS for all the advice and sharing about this resort here in the forum. We LOVED our stay last week at Kimpton Seafire. We've decided we would really like to return next winter! Now to gather up the points before there is a devaluation for this lovely resort! I looked up the rate for our first night and it was over $900. I regret not buying the 100% bonus that ended 1/31, but we hadn't even left for our trip yet!

Just a quick recap. We decided to basically stay put other than where we could go by foot. We did walk to the Shop Rite each day (diet coke, a few beers, a few snacks) and went for lunch at the Pastrami place as well as had breakfast at the associated bakery (I think the bakery, pastrami place, steakhouse are all under Mykonos). The pastrami sandwich was SO good (we split one) as were the baked items.

We were there 4 nights, so we ate at Coccoloba, Bonny Moon, Pom Pom at Hotel Indigo, and then back to Coccoloba. All the food was good in our opinion (though we did just split a giant burger at Bonny Moon). Things are definitely a slow pace, but the service was v good except when we dined at Bonny Moon. I am glad they do not rush you but there were at least 20 minutes after we ate and he'd cleared out plates when we didn't even have water to drink. Maybe just a busy night for the server.

Pom Pom was fantastic. We got a table outside (used the concierge as you suggested) and it was just a breezy, lovely, evening watching the sunset. Had a rum cocktail that was lovely and delicious and had a bougie app (lol) and then shared 2 sets of skewers that were delicious. I think a reservation is key (with specific request) because the other side was crazy windy!

We did a Red Sail "breakfast with the Rays". This was very fun but the seas were *just* on the side of "okay we can let you get off the boat". I wouldn't have felt comfortable if I wasn't confident in my swimming and comfort in open water. Only a few of us got off at the 2nd stop to snorkel, but it was so fun. Our group was the only one at Stingray City which was nice, especially seeing the throngs after we went by later returning to the marina.

We used the paddle boards at the Kimpton a few times, my first time and was proud I was able to get up to standing pretty easily. We didn't snorkel at the resort and kind of regret that since the water was calm/flat as compared to what we snorkeled in!

We had an issue with our ATM card and couldn't withdraw Caymen dollars, so we ended up doing our tipping with USD. I'm never sure if we're under or over tipping, but we always figure it'll average out in the end.

Thank you again -- it's a stunning place.

 

[afan]

Sometimes there just have to be difficult conversations.

I know but we live together and some conversations are already problematic. Just timing my potential battles when I can.

I've had the POA for almost or just over 20 years but it was never discussed for this type of stuff though we both know it's for more than just medical. That's probably where I need to start than just saying I'm doing x.

 

[leeniewdw]

booking IHG on points, usually means no resort fee, if I book on cash and points, do I get charged a resort fee?

We just got back from Kimpton Seafire and were charged the resort fee each night. I booked an IHG stay in NYC for my DS and told him he was on the hook for the resort fee (which he was charged). IIRC, it's Hyatt that I've not had to pay a resort fee.

 

[leeniewdw]

After Rome we took the train to Milan. Spent two nights at the Park Hyatt Milan which is now our favorite Park Hyatt and DHs favorite hotel shower. Perfect location right next to the Duomo and near tons of boujee shopping (even stores DH likes) also McDonald’s is across the street. Our welcome gift was a fruit basket and bottle of champagne. Turn down service included dark chocolate hearts. They told me the water in the mini bar was free, but I was used to complimentary mini bar items so I enjoyed some other items during our stay, but on checkout I realized the charges were removed? The staff here was great. Would not let me open up my own cab door. They also must have been watching us because we left the room for some quick shopping and were gone for under two hours and the room was cleaned. Left for a quick bite to eat and they did turn down service within an hour of returning. Also no knocks on the door from housekeeping at 8am. It’s crazy comparing a $1000 a night hotel room outside of Disney to a Disney $1000 a night hotel room. Looking at you, Grand Californian.

We are going to be in Italy (and Switzerland) in May. I STILL cannot decide if I want to fly from Florence to Zurich or use trains and stay a night in Milan -- I was eyeing this hotel. Let me say we are NOT shoppers (let alone luxury shoppers). If we're just doing an afternoon/overnight in Milan before moving on -- I presume you would say the hotel and stop is worth it?

Our other option is flying to Zurich, taking a train to Lucerne for the night (before heading to the Jungfrau region). For whatever reason I just can't make this decision!