Dear Annabelle,
I am sure after thinking about this stuff for long enough you just know which airlines go together but I keep forgetting.
Within these alliances flights on one airline can be credited to another's frequent flyer program and frequent flyer points from one can be used to book travel on the other airlines.
Here is a wikitravel link to the Airline Alliances.
To Be Continued...
Hugs,
Jen
Tuesday 30 June 2015
Sunday 28 June 2015
Credit Cards: What's next
Dear Annabelle,
I will eventually write about something other than credit cards ;) But I have done so much reading and percolating today I just want to write out some of my thoughts on what we should try and get next. In a bit, of course, once we have spent the minimum spends on the others. That said we will be buying flights home for Christmas (or after Christmas but December), and we (at least the girls and I) are going to Orlando in December, so these flights would be good to put towards a minimum spend.
Again just to keep in my mind that Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to British Airways Executive Club, Korean Air SKYPASS, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®, United MileagePlus®, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Amtrak Guest Rewards®, Hyatt Gold Passport®, IHG® Rewards Club, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®.
Cards that I am considering:
- Southwest cards (Chase)
- United MileagePlus Explorer Card (also Chase):
- SPG Amex (at least it isn't a Chase card, maybe Andrew should have also applied for the Delta AMEX card when it had the high bonus?!?):
I will eventually write about something other than credit cards ;) But I have done so much reading and percolating today I just want to write out some of my thoughts on what we should try and get next. In a bit, of course, once we have spent the minimum spends on the others. That said we will be buying flights home for Christmas (or after Christmas but December), and we (at least the girls and I) are going to Orlando in December, so these flights would be good to put towards a minimum spend.
Again just to keep in my mind that Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to British Airways Executive Club, Korean Air SKYPASS, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®, United MileagePlus®, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Amtrak Guest Rewards®, Hyatt Gold Passport®, IHG® Rewards Club, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®.
Cards that I am considering:
- Southwest cards (Chase)
- Try and get the companion pass if their bonuses hit 50K. Need to get both of them.
- These are synergistic with the Ultimate Rewards but the Ultimate Rewards points can't count towards the companion pass limit.
- 2K EACH in first 3 months (4K total spend) with $69 (Plus) and $99 (Premier) fee not waived first year.
- United MileagePlus Explorer Card (also Chase):
- Currently around: 2K spend in 3 months, $95 fee after first year.
- Andrew has the more basic card of the MileagePlus but he hasn't got the promotion before so he would be eligible for this one. The bonus is currently at 30K but it does go up to 50K (and was there recently). This card gives a free bag for the primary card holder and their traveling companion.
- So there would be some advantage to both of us having this one, since I am traveling a lot alone with the kids. I was worried about not being able to get credit cards until I had built up a history but my aunt and uncle seem to be getting them. I am not sure if they had a financial presence in the US before they moved though (he is American).
- The nice thing is that the baggage coverage can work even if you use points: "Primary Cardmembers are eligible to receive applicable standard checked bag(s) free when they use their miles to book award travel on United-operated flights, as long as they pay for their award ticket taxes and service charges with their qualifying Card and include their MileagePlus account number in their reservation."
- The bag fee coverage only works for United flights; what if you fly a code-share on one leg of the journey?
- SPG Amex (at least it isn't a Chase card, maybe Andrew should have also applied for the Delta AMEX card when it had the high bonus?!?):
- 25K Starpoints bonus with 3K in 3 months. They transfer to a bunch of different airlines 1:1 including: Aeroplan (could be good with points that are still there, although not many left), British Airways (although they are changing to not being 1:1 I was reading), Delta (would work well if all wanted to fly Delta), United (but only at 2:1 so not ideal) and many more found here in a drop-down list.
- Annual fee of $65 after first year.
- Chase Freedom
- No Annual fee. $100 bonus after spending $500 in three months. 5% cash back on alternating categories, 1% back on all other purchase.
- It can also transfer points (instead of just being a cash back card) to the Ultimate Rewards system, because we now have the Chase Preferred card.
- This one also has the 0% APR for 15 months. I suppose we could put more down on the mortgage now, put our spending on this with the 0% and then pay it back with the stocks that are going to be coming. Not a bad idea except for the minimum spends on all these other credit cards ;)
- AMEX Premier Rewards Gold
- See my post here.
Hugs,
Jen
Question for Anne: Why "retire"?
Hello Annabelle,
Another question for you when you have a chance. I was just wondering what you would describe as your reasons for wanting to "retire" so soon. Obviously you are having great focus and determination to do it and so I wonder how you would describe why it is worth it. I know society would obviously say why work if you don't have to, but there are a lot of people who would not make the decisions you are making now with the frugality inherent in the life you are choosing.
Hugs,
Jen
Another question for you when you have a chance. I was just wondering what you would describe as your reasons for wanting to "retire" so soon. Obviously you are having great focus and determination to do it and so I wonder how you would describe why it is worth it. I know society would obviously say why work if you don't have to, but there are a lot of people who would not make the decisions you are making now with the frugality inherent in the life you are choosing.
Hugs,
Jen
Question for Anne: Meal Prep
Hello Annabelle,
I know you might not have time to write, but when you do, I would like to know more about your meal prep. I know you mentioned in passing how you do a lot of it on the weekend and that helps during the week. What meals are you normally doing? Is it reheating of "left-overs" or are you making parts of meals and putting them together night of?
When we come back from Ottawa in August we are hoping to "stay on Eastern time" in order to get ready for the school year. I figure our normal wake up of 9 am, shifting to 7 am would put us on a good schedule for school. But it also means our evenings with be a lot shorter, since the kids normally go to bed between 9 and 10 now. We have talked about Andrew trying to come home earlier than the 6 pm he does now, but even so the faster we can get dinner going the better for making the shift work.
Any ideas?
Hugs,
Jen
I know you might not have time to write, but when you do, I would like to know more about your meal prep. I know you mentioned in passing how you do a lot of it on the weekend and that helps during the week. What meals are you normally doing? Is it reheating of "left-overs" or are you making parts of meals and putting them together night of?
When we come back from Ottawa in August we are hoping to "stay on Eastern time" in order to get ready for the school year. I figure our normal wake up of 9 am, shifting to 7 am would put us on a good schedule for school. But it also means our evenings with be a lot shorter, since the kids normally go to bed between 9 and 10 now. We have talked about Andrew trying to come home earlier than the 6 pm he does now, but even so the faster we can get dinner going the better for making the shift work.
Any ideas?
Hugs,
Jen
Switching My AMEX
Dear Annabelle,
I am currently on hold with AMEX, trying to finally change my Canadian credit card to an American one. I am hoping I will be able to get a bonus as part of the process. Although I want to keep this card long term and would therefore like a no or low-fee card I realized that I could always get one of the ones with the fee waived the first year and then switch to a different AMEX in a year. When I was switching my CIBC Visa today they told me that a switch to a new type of card can count as the same credit history - so at least that applies in Canada. I want to build up my US credit score so I want to have a card long term.
I was debating which AMEX card to get. If I qualify for the bonus I think I am going to go with the Gold Delta SkyMiles. It is hard not knowing which airlines we are going to use the most but the debate seemed to be between this Delta one and the SPG one if I wanted a bonus.
.......
Just got off the phone. Wow, it takes so long to go through everything! They said I was able to apply for the SkyMiles card WITH BONUS since I had never had that card before. Going with the Delta card meant getting a card that wasn't synergistic with the Chase Ultimate Rewards card but it had a higher bonus (50K vs. 25K with the SPG one).
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to: British Airways Executive Club, Korean Air SKYPASS, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®, United MileagePlus®, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Amtrak Guest Rewards®, Hyatt Gold Passport®, IHG® Rewards Club, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®.
Whereas the Delta Partners are listed here and here.
Well we shall see if that was the right choice but at least it has no first year annual fee and I will get to start building some credit here.
Some links I read making the decision are here, here, here, here, and here.
I am actually thinking now that the SPG card might be good one for Andrew to go for next. Maybe I should look into the options for his next one. Mind you, we are only half way through the minimum spend on the Chase Preferred and this new one will have a $2000 spend so we should probably hold off for a little bit.
Hugs,
Jen
I am currently on hold with AMEX, trying to finally change my Canadian credit card to an American one. I am hoping I will be able to get a bonus as part of the process. Although I want to keep this card long term and would therefore like a no or low-fee card I realized that I could always get one of the ones with the fee waived the first year and then switch to a different AMEX in a year. When I was switching my CIBC Visa today they told me that a switch to a new type of card can count as the same credit history - so at least that applies in Canada. I want to build up my US credit score so I want to have a card long term.
I was debating which AMEX card to get. If I qualify for the bonus I think I am going to go with the Gold Delta SkyMiles. It is hard not knowing which airlines we are going to use the most but the debate seemed to be between this Delta one and the SPG one if I wanted a bonus.
.......
Just got off the phone. Wow, it takes so long to go through everything! They said I was able to apply for the SkyMiles card WITH BONUS since I had never had that card before. Going with the Delta card meant getting a card that wasn't synergistic with the Chase Ultimate Rewards card but it had a higher bonus (50K vs. 25K with the SPG one).
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to: British Airways Executive Club, Korean Air SKYPASS, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®, United MileagePlus®, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Amtrak Guest Rewards®, Hyatt Gold Passport®, IHG® Rewards Club, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®.
Whereas the Delta Partners are listed here and here.
Well we shall see if that was the right choice but at least it has no first year annual fee and I will get to start building some credit here.
Some links I read making the decision are here, here, here, here, and here.
I am actually thinking now that the SPG card might be good one for Andrew to go for next. Maybe I should look into the options for his next one. Mind you, we are only half way through the minimum spend on the Chase Preferred and this new one will have a $2000 spend so we should probably hold off for a little bit.
Hugs,
Jen
Southwest Companion Pass
Dear Annabelle,
I am home today trying to rest and heal from the surgery; Andrew has the girls at his Mom's. It seems like it might take a while (6-12 weeks) before all the ligaments and such are feeling well again. So I have been back to researching credit cards and financial things.
I just stumbled across the Southwest Companion Pass. It is a pass that you can earn if you acquire 110,000 Southwest miles in a given calendar year. It then lets you have a companion fly free (well just taxes) with you on whatever flights you take in the next year (and the remainder of the year you earn it). The neat thing is that it doesn't matter how those flights are booked. They can be reward tickets, your work can buy them, etc. Andrew is currently flying a lot of Southwest flights to Mountain View for work and they generally seem the best deal for anything domestic (e.g. going to Orlando).
So how does one earn 110,000 Miles? Well it seems like they have a Premier and a Plus card and back in May they were both offering 50K bonuses with a 2K spend each. They are currently at 25K bonus each which I don't think would be enough for us but if it goes back up to 50K I think we might be interested in going for it and trying to get the Companion Pass. The biggest benefit would be to get it early in the year. If you got it in January 2016 you would have the pass until the end of 2017, almost two full years.
Seems almost too good to be true so we will see if it keeps existing. There is talk of Southwest flying to Canada by the end of the decade, which means it could be really helpful if it stays around.
I read about this here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Also of note is that Southwest Miles can be a good short haul option with the US (as compared to Avios).
Hugs,
Jen
I am home today trying to rest and heal from the surgery; Andrew has the girls at his Mom's. It seems like it might take a while (6-12 weeks) before all the ligaments and such are feeling well again. So I have been back to researching credit cards and financial things.
I just stumbled across the Southwest Companion Pass. It is a pass that you can earn if you acquire 110,000 Southwest miles in a given calendar year. It then lets you have a companion fly free (well just taxes) with you on whatever flights you take in the next year (and the remainder of the year you earn it). The neat thing is that it doesn't matter how those flights are booked. They can be reward tickets, your work can buy them, etc. Andrew is currently flying a lot of Southwest flights to Mountain View for work and they generally seem the best deal for anything domestic (e.g. going to Orlando).
So how does one earn 110,000 Miles? Well it seems like they have a Premier and a Plus card and back in May they were both offering 50K bonuses with a 2K spend each. They are currently at 25K bonus each which I don't think would be enough for us but if it goes back up to 50K I think we might be interested in going for it and trying to get the Companion Pass. The biggest benefit would be to get it early in the year. If you got it in January 2016 you would have the pass until the end of 2017, almost two full years.
Seems almost too good to be true so we will see if it keeps existing. There is talk of Southwest flying to Canada by the end of the decade, which means it could be really helpful if it stays around.
I read about this here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Also of note is that Southwest Miles can be a good short haul option with the US (as compared to Avios).
Hugs,
Jen
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