Originally Posted by
guv1976
Welcome to FlyerTalk!
Do you check bags when you fly, or do you only take carry-ons? If you'll be flying domestic routes in Coach, you will typically be charged for checked baggage, unless you have elite status or hold a co-branded airline credit card, such as the Chase United Explorer card, the Amex Delta card, or the Barclays or Citi AA card. (Southwest still offers free checked baggage on all fares.)
More than likely we won’t check a bag, and if we did it would be 1 bag.
Are there airlines besides UA that would be useful for you based on your home city and your intended destinations?
Most all, if not all major airlines use our nearby airport. It’s not as if I prefer United, but having already earned points on the Chase card, it just appeared to be a good use of the points since we will need to fly for our trip.
One of the most valuable transfer options for Chase UR points is Hyatt. But if it is your intention to stay primarily at Hilton properties, then Hyatt transfers probably won't make much sense for you.
That’s an oversight by me. I like the Hilton options but Hyatt would have been good too. However now that I have Hilton rewards with the Amex card, I’m thinking it’s best to use Chase points for the flight. But I’m certainly open suggestions from the experts here.
Originally Posted by
samplat
Welcome to Flyertalk!
I find chase UR and Amex membership rewards combination to be the two best options for points. Both have a solid list of transfer partners and gives you flexibility when looking for awards (airlines as well as hotels). I have hotel cards but generally use them only for the hotel stays and everything else goes on either Chase or Amex.
For hotels, try to figure out your future travel needs and whether the chain has hotels in the areas you are likely to visit. Hyatt is great but they have a much smaller footprint compared to Marriott and Hilton in places I travel to, so didn’t work well for me, If you are planing to stick with Hilton, Amex does partner with Hilton (1:2 transfer rate).
thank you for the helpful and encouraging reply.
in this instance since my Amex card is specifically a Hilton Amex card, am I correct to say that the reward points I receive for my until spend, is best used (or maybe only available to use) for a Hilton stay?
I’m ok with that, because there are good quality Hilton options where I’m traveling.
and in that instance since i won’t have enough points for airline tickets nor all the nights we are staying, should I use the chase points to pay for a majority of the airline ticket prices or, should i transfer them to Hilton (if possible) to pay off the rest of my hotel and do something different for the airline?
is there an airline card with a great bonus offer for an initial spend or easier chance at first class upgrade?
Because it’s possible we could reach that spend amount in time to be credited with points prior to the trip. But this would really only work if Chase can offer a good transfer to Hilton, otherwise those points could go to waste and I’d rather them pay for the flight.