Sapphire v. MileagePlus Explorer
Nov 12, 2012, 11:23 am
#31
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 771
well i called today and got both apps approved! i asked for expedite so i can start spending on them since i'll be spending some $ on thanksgiving plans 
i think the explorer has car rental insurance on it so thats saving me $ to begin with since i usuallly charge rentals on amex and use thier primary coverage for a free.
let the spending begin !
i think the explorer has car rental insurance on it so thats saving me $ to begin with since i usuallly charge rentals on amex and use thier primary coverage for a free.let the spending begin !
Nov 27, 2012, 2:46 pm
#32
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 112
united mileageplus explorer vs sapphire preferred for car rental
i've got both cards, the MPE is mainly for the free bags on united flights. however, i just got the sapphire preferred and freedom a few weeks ago.
i've got a trip coming up, for which i booked the flight on the freedom (5x points for the fourth quarter)...now i'm looking at a car rental, which is much cheaper via the UR mall than any other sites. the only question i have - what are the pros/cons as to whether or not i should use the MPE (primary CDW) or the sapphire (2x points, probably more since i'm booking through UR)...?
i've got a trip coming up, for which i booked the flight on the freedom (5x points for the fourth quarter)...now i'm looking at a car rental, which is much cheaper via the UR mall than any other sites. the only question i have - what are the pros/cons as to whether or not i should use the MPE (primary CDW) or the sapphire (2x points, probably more since i'm booking through UR)...?
Nov 27, 2012, 2:56 pm
#33
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,457
Yes, those are the pros/cons. (Tho you may be able to get the UR Mall bonus either way. It's not necessarily tied to using the Sapphire.)
Nov 27, 2012, 3:01 pm
#35
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,457
Nov 27, 2012, 3:03 pm
#36
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 112
honestly, i'm torn. lol, i'm new to the whole travel and points game and never traveled much before last year. also, never had these options before as i spent a great deal of time rehabbing my credit score to even be able to consider having cards like these...
i guess i'm just here looking for opinions from the pros...
i guess i'm just here looking for opinions from the pros...
Nov 27, 2012, 3:10 pm
#37
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,457
Ok, let's talk about a model to value this choice. We'll work thru it together. Here are some questions:
What's the deductible on your personal car insurance?
How much will your insurance premium go up if you have a claim?
How likely % are you to damage the rental car?
What do you use your UR points for?
What do you use your UA miles for?
How much $ is an hour of your time worth?
With those answers, we should be able to figure it out.
What's the deductible on your personal car insurance?
How much will your insurance premium go up if you have a claim?
How likely % are you to damage the rental car?
What do you use your UR points for?
What do you use your UA miles for?
How much $ is an hour of your time worth?
With those answers, we should be able to figure it out.
Nov 28, 2012, 3:31 pm
#38
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 112
How much will your insurance premium go up if you have a claim?
How likely % are you to damage the rental car?
What do you use your UR points for?
What do you use your UA miles for?
How much $ is an hour of your time worth?
Nov 28, 2012, 4:02 pm
#39
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,457
Let's try to put a model to it now... Let's assume the car rental costs $200.
First, the value of using the Sapphire card:
Let's assume you'll turn your UR points into United miles anyway, and place a relatively conservative value of 1.5 cents to a UA mile. At 2x points, you'd earn 400 points from the rental. If you use the UR mall at a 3x rental agency, that's another 600 points (or somewhat less, if it doesn't give a bonus on the taxes). A total of 1000 points x 1.5 cents/point = $15 of rewards.
Instead, if you use the UA card, you'll earn 200 UA miles directly, worth $3.
The cost of the accident would be $100. We'll assume that your accident forgiveness/vanishing deductible will be earned back before you have another accident.
If you do have an accident, it'll probably take somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 hours of your time to resolve it, between all the paperwork and phone calls. Let's say your time is worth $20/hour. That's $120 of time value.
Thus, the total cost of an accident would be $220.
You lose $15 - $3 = $12 of rewards by using the UA card.
Therefore, you might think of it this way: You're paying $12 to buy an insurance policy against the risk of a $220 loss.
It would be roughly accurate, then, to say you'd need to have an accident every 220/12 = ~18 trips, to make the insurance worth it. (18 x $12 = $216 in "insurance premiums")
Does that make sense?
[To the actuaries out there: Yes, I did cut many, many corners in the analysis. But wouldn't you say it's accurate enough, at an appropriate order of magnitude? Or should I not give up my day job?]
First, the value of using the Sapphire card:
Let's assume you'll turn your UR points into United miles anyway, and place a relatively conservative value of 1.5 cents to a UA mile. At 2x points, you'd earn 400 points from the rental. If you use the UR mall at a 3x rental agency, that's another 600 points (or somewhat less, if it doesn't give a bonus on the taxes). A total of 1000 points x 1.5 cents/point = $15 of rewards.
Instead, if you use the UA card, you'll earn 200 UA miles directly, worth $3.
The cost of the accident would be $100. We'll assume that your accident forgiveness/vanishing deductible will be earned back before you have another accident.
If you do have an accident, it'll probably take somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 hours of your time to resolve it, between all the paperwork and phone calls. Let's say your time is worth $20/hour. That's $120 of time value.
Thus, the total cost of an accident would be $220.
You lose $15 - $3 = $12 of rewards by using the UA card.
Therefore, you might think of it this way: You're paying $12 to buy an insurance policy against the risk of a $220 loss.
It would be roughly accurate, then, to say you'd need to have an accident every 220/12 = ~18 trips, to make the insurance worth it. (18 x $12 = $216 in "insurance premiums")
Does that make sense?
[To the actuaries out there: Yes, I did cut many, many corners in the analysis. But wouldn't you say it's accurate enough, at an appropriate order of magnitude? Or should I not give up my day job?]
Nov 28, 2012, 6:12 pm
#40
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 112
Let's try to put a model to it now... Let's assume the car rental costs $200.
First, the value of using the Sapphire card:
Let's assume you'll turn your UR points into United miles anyway, and place a relatively conservative value of 1.5 cents to a UA mile. At 2x points, you'd earn 400 points from the rental. If you use the UR mall at a 3x rental agency, that's another 600 points (or somewhat less, if it doesn't give a bonus on the taxes). A total of 1000 points x 1.5 cents/point = $15 of rewards.
Instead, if you use the UA card, you'll earn 200 UA miles directly, worth $3.
The cost of the accident would be $100. We'll assume that your accident forgiveness/vanishing deductible will be earned back before you have another accident.
If you do have an accident, it'll probably take somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 hours of your time to resolve it, between all the paperwork and phone calls. Let's say your time is worth $20/hour. That's $120 of time value.
Thus, the total cost of an accident would be $220.
You lose $15 - $3 = $12 of rewards by using the UA card.
Therefore, you might think of it this way: You're paying $12 to buy an insurance policy against the risk of a $220 loss.
It would be roughly accurate, then, to say you'd need to have an accident every 220/12 = ~18 trips, to make the insurance worth it. (18 x $12 = $216 in "insurance premiums")
Does that make sense?
[To the actuaries out there: Yes, I did cut many, many corners in the analysis. But wouldn't you say it's accurate enough, at an appropriate order of magnitude? Or should I not give up my day job?]
First, the value of using the Sapphire card:
Let's assume you'll turn your UR points into United miles anyway, and place a relatively conservative value of 1.5 cents to a UA mile. At 2x points, you'd earn 400 points from the rental. If you use the UR mall at a 3x rental agency, that's another 600 points (or somewhat less, if it doesn't give a bonus on the taxes). A total of 1000 points x 1.5 cents/point = $15 of rewards.
Instead, if you use the UA card, you'll earn 200 UA miles directly, worth $3.
The cost of the accident would be $100. We'll assume that your accident forgiveness/vanishing deductible will be earned back before you have another accident.
If you do have an accident, it'll probably take somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 hours of your time to resolve it, between all the paperwork and phone calls. Let's say your time is worth $20/hour. That's $120 of time value.
Thus, the total cost of an accident would be $220.
You lose $15 - $3 = $12 of rewards by using the UA card.
Therefore, you might think of it this way: You're paying $12 to buy an insurance policy against the risk of a $220 loss.
It would be roughly accurate, then, to say you'd need to have an accident every 220/12 = ~18 trips, to make the insurance worth it. (18 x $12 = $216 in "insurance premiums")
Does that make sense?
[To the actuaries out there: Yes, I did cut many, many corners in the analysis. But wouldn't you say it's accurate enough, at an appropriate order of magnitude? Or should I not give up my day job?]
anyway, i guess you can help me figure this out too then - i'm going through the UR travel site...not the actual mall. the prices they have there are roughly $50 less than going through the agency directly...so i'm guessing i will only get 1 extra point per dollar rather than 3x? and, i might be able to get those extra points even if i don't use the sapphire card to pay?
Nov 28, 2012, 6:24 pm
#41
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,457
i'm going through the UR travel site...not the actual mall. the prices they have there are roughly $50 less than going through the agency directly...so i'm guessing i will only get 1 extra point per dollar rather than 3x? and, i might be able to get those extra points even if i don't use the sapphire card to pay?
Nov 28, 2012, 9:44 pm
#42
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: AS MVP, BA
Posts: 300
that's actually a very interesting way of thinking about it, i hadn't ever thought of putting it into numbers like that...
anyway, i guess you can help me figure this out too then - i'm going through the UR travel site...not the actual mall. the prices they have there are roughly $50 less than going through the agency directly...so i'm guessing i will only get 1 extra point per dollar rather than 3x? and, i might be able to get those extra points even if i don't use the sapphire card to pay?
anyway, i guess you can help me figure this out too then - i'm going through the UR travel site...not the actual mall. the prices they have there are roughly $50 less than going through the agency directly...so i'm guessing i will only get 1 extra point per dollar rather than 3x? and, i might be able to get those extra points even if i don't use the sapphire card to pay?
Dec 3, 2012, 2:36 pm
#43
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 112
well, this may be moot...i've found that it won't let me change the card i want to pay with in the UR travel site. i have to pay with either my freedom or sapphire, depending which card i'm accessing through.
is there any way around this?
is there any way around this?
Dec 3, 2012, 4:46 pm
#44
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: HA, DL, UA, PC Gold, A/club Plat, HH Gold, Hyatt Pl
Posts: 1,461
no question about it..i would just go and use the united card...i don't need the extra one point that much..also try and check the various websites for coupon codes..i'm sure can get a better rate that way...then just going thru the UR mall
Dec 4, 2012, 11:42 am
#45
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 112
UR travel site for thrifty for five days is $160. best i could find on their website using coupon codes was $199. it does seem to be cheaper if it would let me rent at the daily rate, but their site doesn't seem to want to do that...it keeps taking me to a weekly rate even though i'm not going to be renting for a full week. if i do a 3 day rental and then a 2 day rental (or vice versa) it's even less than the $160 on the UR site...
edit: check that - now thrifty (via their own site) is $302 for the five days. UR travel site is STILL $160.
Last edited by crackers8199; Dec 4, 2012 at 11:47 am