Astrophsx

Not only fact checking, but misleading titles.

Hack My Trip

"Save over $300 on Machu Picchu with the LANPASS Visa"

In trying to push the LANPASS Visa (which comes with a measly 20k signup bonus) by stating you get a 20% discount off of a paid ticket with LAN. Even though the sites previous posts detailed how to get to CUZ on points. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but this sign up bonus is even worse the the frontier card?

yerffej201

Well LAN is actually worth something... and no YQ

amolkold

If you read the post, Scottrick mentions that the point signup bonus isn't that great, though it isn't "nil." There are multiple facets of the card. I wouldn't apply for it, because the main benefit laid out is the 20% off LAN booking each year, which if you travel to South America can be useful. I don't have plans to do so, so I'll take a pass.

The trip report going on right now is actually mine, and while it was a points-booking, it was with old BA miles ... 40K got you a trip like JFK-LIM-IPC-SCL-EZE with stopovers in each city in business. That's not the case anymore, and while Avios can be used to get to South America, the price has gone up. If you're going to South America, this is an option that should be considered. I think his is a level-headed approach to knowing what your options on LAN are.

I haven't commented on the Frontier Visa because while it's not for me, it might be useful for some. Everyone has their own uses for miles/points. Frankly, once the MV posts came out about the Frontier card, I became more aware of its program, though realized it wasn't for me.

Scottrick

All titles have a hook. That was mine. I clearly laid out where I got that figure in the beginning of my post. I've also said from day one that my primary approach to travel is trying to find a deal on revenue tickets. That doesn't mean I don't do award travel, but I try to find ways to make paid travel more cost-effective.

A 20% discount is a pretty good deal, and it's relevant because I know three friends who have visited or will be visiting Machu Picchu, and all are buying economy class tickets because they don't have miles or an interest in playing the miles game. If you're going to be buying those tickets, it makes sense to plan ahead and get a no annual-fee card to save some serious money.

Also, I try to at least have some basis for the stories I write when I pitch a card. In this case, it was the friend and reader who applied for the card while he was booking the ticket. He didn't save his 20%. He didn't even get to upgrade his flight. It was overall not a great deal. But remembering his story and Amolkold's current trip report (which is really about the experience, not the value of the award) jogged my memory. I've never mentioned the card before, and probably won't again.

amolkold

By the way -- Google Reader just announced they are shutting down July 1. I know my people use their service to keep track of blogs -- this will be a blow to blogs who don't have direct traffic.

Astrophsx

Unless your friend is flying out of MIA, aren't tickets using LAN usually $1,000+? You quoted $800. Also, the $300 figure came from two tickets. You more than likely could save 20% flying another carrier or flying into Lima and using a Peruvian airline from LIM to CUZ.

20% off would be a good deal if you didn't have a credit pull in order to get it.

The reason I mention this title is that if one was a "travel hacker" wouldn't you mention the cheapest possible way to get to some place out of pocket? There are other cards out there that give a signup bonus large enough for 1 free round trip ticket, the only thing out of pocket would be taxes/fees.

I will agree that your title isn't the worst example of a misleading title.

Scottrick

So your complaint is that I should have said the savings were even greater, closer to $500 for a couple traveling together? I just can't win!

I try to be conservative when I make estimates about actual cost savings.

It depends on how many credit pulls one expects. If you apply for two or three cards a year (which my non-churning friends still think is excessive) than one pull to save $300 might be reasonable.

One free round trip ticket. So now we need to involve TWO pulls in order to save some money. As I said, this was targeted to some people who don't play the miles game. My dad has over 100K UR points and calls them "worthless" because he doesn't know what to do with them. He does know what to do with a 20% off coupon.

I actually hate applying the word "travel hacker" to credit card churning. If that's what the blog were about, I wouldn't use that name. Someone emailed me last night and complained when I told her I valued my United miles more than Avios points. She said Avios were a better deal because she can use manufactured spend to earn them cheaply enough to cancel out the fuel surcharges. I replied that if I'm already flying 100K a year on paid tickets, that's 200K miles with United right there that change the math significantly. Since everyone's situation is unique, there is no one best way to do anything.

Astrophsx

I pointed out that if one does not fly LAN they will more than likely be able to find a ticket on another carrier and save 20%+. Thus saving someone a credit pull.


This credit card only gives you $300 savings if you are willing to spend $1,600 cash with the airline. If you value one ticket to CUZ at $800, signing up for one of several Chase brand credit cards would yield enough miles to get you there for just taxes and fees. Therefore saving you the cost of 1 ticket. So on one hand you have a free ticket (not including taxes/fees) and on the other you have paying $800 - 20%.

Where do you get two pulls in order to save money? If one pull yields an $800 savings and the other provides $300 savings... pretty clear to me which is the best route.

For one credit card pull:
Your way: $1280 for two tickets to CUZ

My way: $800 for two ticket to CUZ

1) IMO this was the intention seems more like a credit card pitch.

2) So you wouldn't advise your dad the he has enough points to travel for free? Instead you'd suggest to him to pay $1,280? What a great son. But hey.. you still got some money from getting your dad to sign up with your link! Props!

milesmuncher

It really sucks - not just for following Travel / Points blogs, but for plenty of blogs and news sources I follow that cover other topics (Tech, Politics, etc.). She was never the prettiest girl at the dance, but Reader was a great tool for skimming a lot of content quickly and easily.

Good excuse to purge your RSS feed though For those who use GoogleReader, who will and who will not make the cut as you migrate to something else?

Scottrick

But what if I've exhausted the Chase offers, or plan to use their bonuses for something else? I might prefer to save my Ultimate Rewards points and United miles for an award trip to Bangkok, and LAN doesn't fly to Bangkok. So this card works well as part of a larger plan.

You said "There are other cards out there that give a signup bonus large enough for 1 free round trip ticket". In other words, for two tickets you would need two cards = two pulls.

No, my point was that he has miles/points and doesn't know how to use them well. Correction: He doesn't care to learn how to use them well. He knows he could benefit, but none of my attempts to inform him really help. It's just like I think football is a waste of my time, while others study it and try to gamble on it at sports books. For my wedding this year, I've already found award space for him to fly up. I've told him how many miles. I've told him to book it. He would rather pay cash. The miles and points schemes just don't make sense to him, and he's a smart guy.

For someone like him, he would rather pay cash and get a discount than accumulate miles that have some indeterminate value at some indeterminate time in the future. I know how to use those miles and points well, and so do you. Not everyone does. One approach does not fit all. There is no "best" way.

mnscout

I can very easily relate to this. When I booked my mom on business a couple years back (she didn't fly but that's another story), she went totally ballistic. She couldn't believe it was really free and demanded that she buys her own ticket (not on business, of course, that'd be a terrible waste). She thought it was a ploy on my part to give her a handout. She's still having a hard time believing that I travel for free. You may find it hard to understand but some folks are really like that, old and young.

yerffej201

Yep, my aunt in the states will not do manufactured spend no matter what. I don't know how many times I've asked..

Scottrick

My fiancee calls it "points laundering." My sister still buys groceries with a debit card. My future mother-in-law believes every restaurant server is just waiting for a chance to copy down her card number...

mnscout

Manufactured spend! That's seriously next level. I would never, ever let my mother know that this is what I do; I would never hear the end of it if I did. Hell, my wife still rolls her eyes at me all the time, and she should know better since she's actually flown in first and stayed in some really cool places.

84fiero

My parents still use cash (or check!) for everything, they act like a debit card is poison...so I obviously make no headway with rewards cards.