What is your UR Balance and what are you saving for?
Feb 8, 2018, 11:41 am
#31
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Aurora, CO
Programs: Statusless and proud
Posts: 7,582
I keep accumulating them because I fear in the future ability to accumulate them my diminish (i.e. 5x on certain ink spend may go away at any time) and I want to build up my balance while I still can. I wish I could use them faster but I'm limited by how much vacation time I get. Also, having a massive stash of a flexible point currency helps me weather certain devaluations.
Some of us big-spenders acquire points faster than we have occasion to use them. And not just URs. I have multiple hundreds of thousands of points each in three separate hotel programs, as well as a million miles between two airlines. Not to mention tens of thousands of other miles and points here and there. Yeah, they devalue over time, but I'm not going to devote them to throwaway travel just to use them up.
Still other people with high point quantities are building them in anticipation of retirement and/or otherwise a cessation of acquisition opportunities. Then there's the UR's transferability. That pesky feature dissuades hasty use. And each person defines hasty in his/her own way.
RNE, agreeing in principle that points should not be hoarded.
Still other people with high point quantities are building them in anticipation of retirement and/or otherwise a cessation of acquisition opportunities. Then there's the UR's transferability. That pesky feature dissuades hasty use. And each person defines hasty in his/her own way.
RNE, agreeing in principle that points should not be hoarded.
Chris
Feb 9, 2018, 8:31 am
#32
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,939
Fair enough. Not that this is specific to Chase's transfer partners, but I spent the better part of a day recently trying to book a one way from ANYWHERE in South America to Denver using AA miles on a particular day six months out and couldn't do it. Not to mention the price increase in redemptions, the "rule tightening", the fuel surcharges, and the general lowering of international airfares, I have a tough time seeing why people go to lengths to get points anymore. I used to do mileage runs to London three weekends in a row to get points to use for more expensive travel (and get mid-tier status, which again, at the time was far more beneficial than it is now). Now the concept of a mileage run is laughable to me. Oh how times have changed. Obviously if you have a lot of work spend and such you might as well earn the points, but I try to spend them as soon as I have enough and can find availability.
Chris
Chris
Feb 9, 2018, 3:01 pm
#33
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: Working on some
Posts: 24
Fairly new to the points game so a moderate chunk is from sign-up bonuses (Sapphire Preferred and Freedom) and moderate spending on the card. That said, I plan to rack up a decent chunk of points this year with a few trip to Europea.
UR Balance: 185,000
Saving for: Maldives or Tahiti in 2019 though possibly an around the world award adventure if I can get my wife on board with the idea.
UR Balance: 185,000
Saving for: Maldives or Tahiti in 2019 though possibly an around the world award adventure if I can get my wife on board with the idea.
Feb 10, 2018, 8:32 pm
#35
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 72
786,000 and should be ~810,000 after statement cycles. Haven't had to use them much lately as I ended up earning a ton of UA and AA miles over the last few years as well as basically living in a Marriott for all of 2017. No real goal for them yet unless I get tired of the rat race I'm currently in and decide to go on a 1 year travel adventure... otherwise while the points don't compound or earn anything on their own, always being able to fall back on 1% cash redemption is almost like an additional savings account.
I'm actually surprised by the high balances people are reporting on here... curious who is going to blow us out of the water with multiple millions. Also curious if Chase ever starts looking at too man points as a liability or risk factor for a customer.
I'm actually surprised by the high balances people are reporting on here... curious who is going to blow us out of the water with multiple millions. Also curious if Chase ever starts looking at too man points as a liability or risk factor for a customer.
Feb 15, 2018, 2:11 pm
#37
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 59
Those lumping points on UR Or MR you are playing the game wrong.
you should be accumulated tons of bonus points from opening new cards and churning.
im assuming you guys got your five chase cards via 5/24? Then got your Amex platinum then got the endless hotel bonus points cards?
you should be accumulated tons of bonus points from opening new cards and churning.
im assuming you guys got your five chase cards via 5/24? Then got your Amex platinum then got the endless hotel bonus points cards?
Feb 16, 2018, 2:40 pm
#40
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: HHonors Lifetime Diamond, UA Million Miler Gold, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,142
Those lumping points on UR Or MR you are playing the game wrong.
you should be accumulated tons of bonus points from opening new cards and churning.
im assuming you guys got your five chase cards via 5/24? Then got your Amex platinum then got the endless hotel bonus points cards?
you should be accumulated tons of bonus points from opening new cards and churning.
im assuming you guys got your five chase cards via 5/24? Then got your Amex platinum then got the endless hotel bonus points cards?
Feb 16, 2018, 9:34 pm
#41
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 332
Those lumping points on UR Or MR you are playing the game wrong.
you should be accumulated tons of bonus points from opening new cards and churning.
im assuming you guys got your five chase cards via 5/24? Then got your Amex platinum then got the endless hotel bonus points cards?
you should be accumulated tons of bonus points from opening new cards and churning.
im assuming you guys got your five chase cards via 5/24? Then got your Amex platinum then got the endless hotel bonus points cards?
Feb 17, 2018, 10:09 am
#42
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: JZRO
Posts: 9,169
Feb 17, 2018, 7:38 pm
#43
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: HHonors Lifetime Diamond, UA Million Miler Gold, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,142
I read it as the poster saying that no one should be using and credit card other than to churn bonuses or to keep a transfer partner open. For instance CSR so you can transfer but never using a card more than for the sign up bonus and then churning to another card
Feb 18, 2018, 1:13 pm
#44
Join Date: May 2015
Location: LAX, BUR
Programs: AS,AA,JB, HH Gold, Starriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Explorist, Global Entry
Posts: 1,933
I disagree with your game strategy.
Timing is everything, For those who were/are able to get the best Chase cards, Inks & Freedoms, and have multiples of each, its easy to accumulate 400k plus per year of URs. Same with Amex, very easy to accumulate as well.
Of course you can still Churn as needed, but having the right mix of earning cards is a far better long term strategy IMO.
As more and more banks are using some form of 5/24, many are now finding the easily churned cards are not as easy anymore.
Timing is everything, For those who were/are able to get the best Chase cards, Inks & Freedoms, and have multiples of each, its easy to accumulate 400k plus per year of URs. Same with Amex, very easy to accumulate as well.
Of course you can still Churn as needed, but having the right mix of earning cards is a far better long term strategy IMO.
As more and more banks are using some form of 5/24, many are now finding the easily churned cards are not as easy anymore.
Feb 18, 2018, 2:18 pm
#45
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Platinum, AA Plat Pro, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, JetBlue Mosaic 3, Amtrak Select
Posts: 966
~180k, use my points only for international business/first class tickets. Earn around 10-15k points/month with Freedom Unlimited/CSR as I can pay rent with FU and have large amounts of reimbursable travel and dining on CSR. Just booked Singapore air biz class for JFK FRA MUC for Oktoberfest and Swiss Air business class AMS-ZRH-JFK (16 hour layover in ZRH, have never been) on the return. Staying at the Four Points Munich (closest to Oktoberfest) and Andaz Amsterdam and Park Hyatt Zurich. I'll occasionally use UR points for Hyatt and generally its for Andaz Amsterdam.
Only reason I have a high balance is waiting for next trip to use them. Last used UR points to book two tickets for me + significant other on ANA First class to Japan. Used Delta points for Biz class on China Southern as this was vacation/work combined trip as I had business in Singapore.
Also have high balances on UA, Delta and SPG. Hyatt balance has been low due to award stays now counting towards status.
Only reason I have a high balance is waiting for next trip to use them. Last used UR points to book two tickets for me + significant other on ANA First class to Japan. Used Delta points for Biz class on China Southern as this was vacation/work combined trip as I had business in Singapore.
Also have high balances on UA, Delta and SPG. Hyatt balance has been low due to award stays now counting towards status.