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🏝️ Flying Business Class On Points, Premium Airport Lounges, and More!

🏝️ Flying Business Class On Points, Premium Airport Lounges, and More!

Discover the latest news in the world of points.

PointsParadise
November 02, 2023

👋 Welcome Back!

If you’re new to Points Paradise, welcome to the community! Otherwise: welcome back to your go-to source for points updates. Our community is up to 5,500 subscribers now!

We all need a reminder of all the perks our credit cards offer, including even The Points Pro!

🚗 Recently, I had to rent a car for a trip. I always find it confusing on whether to get rental car insurance or not.

One of my coworkers told me I should really checkout the perks from my Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Apparently, the CSR comes with free rental insurance as a perk. In fact, after looking into it more, I found it covers up to 75k in theft and collision damage.

When I went to book the rental car, the platform I used wanted to upsell a $95 collision insurance package.

🕐 In the past, I would’ve just paid the money. But now knowing what I get for free with my credit card, I declined.

It pays to learn about your credit card perks! 💳

🌎 Also a reminder: I’m opening the FB group next week, so get excited! Will post the link in next week’s edition.

🗞️ News From This Week

Fly & Relax: The Best Cards To Give You Lounge Access In 2023

Premium airport lounges make flying semi-enjoyable (just semi, not completely!).

They provide amenities like great food, peace and quiet, more comfort, personalized travel assistance, and more.

Many people could be using them for free, but don’t realize their current card comes with lounge access!

Here’s some of the best cards in 2023 for entry:

Amex Platinum: Centurion Lounges are my favorite type of lounge due to their gourmet food, un-congested seating areas, and more. And only a few groups get into these, including Amex Platinum holders.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: Your CSR gets you into Priority Pass lounges. While sometimes more crowded, Priority Pass lounges can be great and range from being very basic to some having luxury amenities.
Capital One Venture X: Gives Priority Pass lounge access as well as to Capital One lounges in general.

Cheap Flights To Europe Just Dropped: Travel For Under 500 Dollars

If you wanted to go to Europe for cheap and are flexible on dates, now’s your chance!

A bunch of openings popped up across major carriers including Delta, American Airlines, United, and more. All from September 2023 → May 2024.

They’re going fast but you can still find availabilities using Google Flights.

Here’s some examples:

Paris
- John F. Kennedy International Airport to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport for $379
Dublin
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Dublin Airport for $499
Barcelona
- Miami International Airport to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport for $501
Rome
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport for $521

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to use your best earning CC when booking to maximize your points and get closer to a free future trip!

Fly To Europe On Business Class For Just 27k Amex Points. Here’s How:

Flying Business or First Class is literally a joy. But finding those for flights using points redemptions can be tough, as airlines set aside only a small number of seats for points users.

Business seats typically cost at least $3,000 to $5000, making this a steal!

Thrifty Traveler put together this great post on how to do this.

Here’s a step by step process:

Choose Iberia Airlines, which offers business class seats to Europe for as low as 34,000 miles each way.
Use the Amex → British Airways Transfer bonus that’s open until Aug 31st to get 30% more value from your Amex points (BA is a partner of Iberia Airlines).
Look for award availability and book during off-peak times for the cheapest rates. This can be done on their site or BA’s.

🏖️ Resource Roundup

A quick roundup of the top offers, deals, and more that you should know:

Marriot Points 40% Off: Purchase Marriott Bonvoy through their Summer Promotion and receive up to a 40% bonus.
British Airways 2x Points Offer: Get double Tier Points for holiday packages from the UK & US through December 31, 2024.
Aeroplan Chase Card New 100k Miles Bonus: Get 100,000 miles from signing up for the new Air Canada Aeroplan & Chase card.
New Targeted Marriot Bonvoy 5k Points Bonus: Marriott Bonvoy members can earn 5,000 bonus points with two weekend stays until 11/30/2023
Chase & Southwest 10% Back Offer: Earn 10% back on Southwest Airlines tickets with Chase Offers, up to $40.
Amex & Amazon Offer: Add an American Express card to your Amazon account and get $10 off using code AMEXCARD10.
Accor 50% Off Select Hotels: Accor ALL members can get up to 50% off on weekend stays at select Latin American hotels.
Amex US Open Perks Announced: Amex cardholders receive exclusive perks at the US Open, including special lounges and offers, enhancing the tennis experience.
New Bilt Mastercard Points Bonus: Sign up for Bilt Mastercard and earn 5x points for the first 5 days on purchases.
Accor x United Airlines Points Bonus: Triple miles with Accor stays for United Airlines MileagePlus members booked by Aug 31st.
Chase Offer Lowe’s 10% Off: Get 10% off at Lowe’s with Chase Offers, valid in-store and online, with a $25 cashback limit.

🗺️ Pro Tip of the Week

Welcome Bonuses Made Easy, Through Balance Alerts

Welcome bonuses are one of the best ways to build your points fast.

But it's easy to either get lost in our spending or to come up short and miss those tempting rewards.

If you've ever found yourself in that boat, let's chat about the unsung hero of card management: balance alerts.

Balance Alerts: Your Key to Smart Spending

Kick-Off with Alerts: Once you have that shiny new card in hand, take a moment to hop into your credit card account (online or on the app) and activate those balance alerts. Trust me, it's time well spent.
Strategize with Alerts: Say, you're aiming to hit a $3,000 target in three months. Consider setting alerts at $500 intervals. This way, you get alerts that keep you on track without overspending.
Stay Updated in Real-Time: With instant alerts, you're always in the know. If you're spending a tad too quickly, it’s a sign to reevaluate. Falling behind? Maybe it's time to pre-pay some bills or focus more of your spend on the card.

A Quick Share: My Story with Balance Alerts

Last year, the Amex Gold had a great welcome bonus that I wanted to take advantage of, so I got the card. The catch? Spend $4,000 in three months. I used it for the usuals – groceries, some online purchases, and some apartment furnishings. As days turned to weeks, I genuinely lost track. Was I overspending or not even close?

My main card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, gave much better bonuses on spend. So I didn’t want to overspend on this card, I wanted to hit just the $4k so that I could go make to the CSR immediately after.

Enter balance alerts. I set mine to ping every $800. It felt like a mini-achievement with each alert. However, during one particular week, two alerts popped up back-to-back. Clearly, I had gone a tad overboard and needed to slow my roll.

With those alerts guiding me, I met my target comfortably and felt more in sync with my finances. Cheers to that!

In Conclusion:

If you're keen on maximizing those card bonuses without breaking the bank, give balance alerts a shot. They’re a neat blend of fun and functionality, helping you spend wisely. So go on, embrace the alerts and happy spending!

✈️ Reward Reminder of the Week

Don’t Let Your Frequent Flyer Miles Go To Waste! How To Aggregate Them Effectively

Ever looked at your frequent flyer stash and thought, “I wish I could pool these miles together for something epic!”? You're not alone. Those stranded rewards often feel like they're on the verge of greatness, just needing a little boost. Enter: Partner Programs.

Getting Cozy with Partner Programs

Understand Alliances: The skies are full of alliances. Ever heard of Star Alliance, OneWorld, or SkyTeam? These are groups of airlines that have banded together. If Airline A is in an alliance, often you can use Airline A's miles to book flights on Airline B, C, or D within the same group.
Transfer Rates Matter: Not all miles transfer equally. Before moving rewards between partners, check the conversion rate. Sometimes, you might lose a bit in the transfer, but if it gets you to your reward goal, it's worth considering.
Bonus Transfer Promotions: Keep an eagle eye on your inbox and the program's website. Airlines occasionally offer bonuses for transferring miles to their partners. Think: transfer 1,000 miles and get a 20% bonus. Sweet deal, right?

As an example, imagine this:

You have 20,000 miles in your American Airlines AAdvantage account.
Another 10,000 miles with Delta under the SkyMiles program.
And let’s not forget about those 15,000 points you’ve earned from Marriott Bonvoy.

None of these are enough for that round-trip to Paris you've been dreaming of with American Airlines. It might seem like you're holding three incomplete puzzle pieces, but let’s see how they can fit together:

Leveraging Alliances: Did you know American Airlines and Air France are both members of the oneworld alliance? While you can’t directly transfer those Delta miles to American, you can use them for a one-way flight on Air France because of Delta's tie-up with the SkyTeam alliance. It’s a clever way to maximize the mileage you’ve got.
Hotel Points to the Rescue: Here's a game-changer: Marriott Bonvoy allows point transfers to American Airlines. If you were to transfer those 15,000 Marriott points during a promotional offer, you might get a bonus – let’s say an additional 5,000 AAdvantage miles.

With this strategy, you could use the Delta miles for a one-way flight to Paris via Air France and your bolstered stash of American Airlines miles for the journey back. And just like that, the streets of Paris are waiting for you!

🌎 Community Corner

What credit cards would you recommend for cruising? We go on multiple a year.

- Question from a subscriber

My Answer:

This comes up a lot in cruise communities. There a couple cards that are good specifically for cruises like:

Carnival World Mastercard: Ideal for Carnival Cruise enthusiasts, this card offers onboard credits and fun points for every purchase. A great choice if Carnival is your go-to line.
Royal Caribbean Visa Signature: If you love sailing with Royal Caribbean, consider their card which offers onboard credits, discounts, and points on every purchase.

But: a general travel credit card like Chase Sapphire or Amex Platinum is ideal for cruises and other travels, offering strong travel insurance for card purchases.

In contrast, cards from cruise lines tend to have weaker benefits compared to these all-purpose travel cards

Why Opt for a General Travel Rewards Card?:

Flexibility: General cards like the Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire allow you to redeem points across multiple cruise lines, airlines, and hotels, giving you the freedom to chart your course.
Value: These cards often come with a higher earning rate on a broad range of purchases, increasing your potential rewards.
Broad Benefits: From travel insurances to elite status in travel programs, these cards come packed with benefits that extend beyond the cruise experience.

Bottom Line: More general travel reward cards are a better fit for cruise takers, unless in very specific cases.