Originally Posted by
LondonElite
Or you can sign up for the RBC Avion (?) and link that to BA Avios (I think). BA has very high surcharges though. I agree that AC is dreadful, which is why I've not been on an AC aircraft in about three years.
Yes - this is what I was going to do, but just found our the PE and Business Class do not accommodate the C.A.R.E.S. harness according to BA's website
I wouldn't mind using a car seat, except I am worried that the CC from to LHR to BSL flight will give me trouble for it and know that technically my car seat isn't valid in France.
My initial plan was to buy the harness and buy a car seat for use in France - as we stay with family there, so there's no accommodation cost or anything. Rethinking now....also considering using KLM and just upgrading to Economy Comfort - more legroom is better than nothing and it isn't particularly expensive. Blerg.
What do you mean about BA surcharges though?
Originally Posted by
dvs7310
On that card, no 600k points is probably between $100-200k in spend based on how they used the card, I saw the card and the base points are 3 per dollar up to 6 per dollar for a few categories.
Yeah, programs can be complex but with your spend, if you want to redeem for premium seats you'd still be ahead with a good card. The problem is you lose the flexibility of any airline, anytime like you have with the Expedia deal now. You'd be locked into what's available in one or a few programs (Amex). If you're satisfied with Star Alliance then the Amex Aeroplan Platinum looks good, you'd get to 1.5x Aeroplan miles per dollar after $25k spend. I'm sure some of the other banks offer a similar ratio on Aeroplan cards as well. The other option is the Amex Gold which offers a lot of bonuses on "travel" spend plus additional bonuses for booking through their portal. Unfortunately in Canada the Membership Rewards don't have a lot of transfer partners, but Aeroplan and Avios are both at 1 to 1 which is nice considering the exchange rate of the C$ at the moment.
I also wouldn't rule out the SPG Amex because of it's flexibility, they have so many transfer partners, but unfortunately really no bonuses unless staying frequently at SPG hotels. It's a strong card in itself but doesn't maximize the value of your annual spend like one of the higher earning cards would, assuming you're ok sticking to those alliances.
Sounds like you've got a good start, for subsequent trips it'll be worth it to examine the cards you have available in Canada and go with something that offers a good base earning rate plus bonuses on categories you actually spend in.
Yeah - I am just not a fan of Star Alliance (AC in particular) and I've heard nightmare stories about Aeroplan redemption with limited seats, but don't know if that is still the case. Will consider it though.
Unfortunately, now that we have a toddler, our vacation flight times will be the same as many other families, so Xmas break and March break - I just have a feeling those are generally blackout date times and/or limited seat availability times.
Originally Posted by
Lakeviewsteve
Premium Economy on KLM only gives you more legroom. The seats are identical to coach. KLM's flight from YYZ are using a 747. Business class does not have 3 seats together which may be an issue for you. Air France's premium economy has shell seats which may not accommodate the C.A.R.E.S. KLM's business class fares from YYZ are about 60% of what they are out of ORD, and I don't know why.
Thanks for the tips for Premium Economy KLM, depending on if we take a car seat or not, it might actually make more sense. I can work around the 3 seats together hiccup. Will look into Air France's Premium Economy service - sigh.
I love my son - but I miss just being able to pick up and go!
Originally Posted by
emma69
I re-reviewed the cards when they devalued this program, but came to the conclusion I still prefer the flexibility of this card over any hotel or airline point program. I can redeem for anything travel related, going back 3 months, which means I always have something I can redeem against. I don't have especially high spend on my card, maybe $10k / month on average, and up until now that has worked out as 1.5% back as a credit on my statement. With the changes you still earn 3 points / dollar (or up to 9 points / dollar on expedia travel bookings) but the redemption is now slightly worse. I also wonder if they will revise the program again when they see people jump ship to other providers.
The real benefit for me is that I don't pay any annual fee for the card because all my banking is with them, so it is pure profit. When you start looking at other providers, don't forget to factor in the annual fees.
$10,000 a month - that's a huge spend!
True - my partner works at TD so we get the fee waived...do you know if when booking with Expedia we can combine these points with an Air Miles program or Esso or Petro points or something like that? Because I don't have any of those cards, but could add that easily.