New to the game... How to plan a trip using optimal miles/points?
Dec 31, 2010 | 8:49 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 1
New to the game... How to plan a trip using optimal miles/points?
Alright, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I was hoping to get some advice on planning a vacation using awards miles from various airlines.
The trip would be for myself and my girlfriend and would be over Thanksgiving 2011. I've got terrible credit, and she has very good credit. So, all credit cards would be in her name.
I've found the following cards which I think will be useful:
One that gives 75,000 American Airlines miles if you spend $4,000 within 6 months.
One that gives 45,000 Delta Skymiles if you spend $3,000 within 3 months.
One that gives 25,000 Continental Onepass miles for signing up.
We'd be flying out of Atlanta, and We have family in Korea, so that would be a nice destination to go (but flights to Korea are very expensive). We'd also be interested in visiting California (where I grew up). Or some other random vacation destination (Hawaii, Costa Rica, etc.)
I'm new to all of this, so does anyone have any tips on how to use those miles for the best (and cheapest) trip? For example, I think we could use the AA miles for round trip flights to Hawaii, so could we then use the remaining Skymiles and Onepass miles for hotel stays?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
The trip would be for myself and my girlfriend and would be over Thanksgiving 2011. I've got terrible credit, and she has very good credit. So, all credit cards would be in her name.
I've found the following cards which I think will be useful:
One that gives 75,000 American Airlines miles if you spend $4,000 within 6 months.
One that gives 45,000 Delta Skymiles if you spend $3,000 within 3 months.
One that gives 25,000 Continental Onepass miles for signing up.
We'd be flying out of Atlanta, and We have family in Korea, so that would be a nice destination to go (but flights to Korea are very expensive). We'd also be interested in visiting California (where I grew up). Or some other random vacation destination (Hawaii, Costa Rica, etc.)
I'm new to all of this, so does anyone have any tips on how to use those miles for the best (and cheapest) trip? For example, I think we could use the AA miles for round trip flights to Hawaii, so could we then use the remaining Skymiles and Onepass miles for hotel stays?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Dec 31, 2010 | 9:26 am
#2
Senior Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat/2MM [23-yr. 1K, now emeritus] clawing way back to WN-A List; MR LT Titanium; HY Whateverist.
Posts: 12,458
ZeroGSpaceCow, welcome to FlyerTalk! As your key question has to do with getting the most value from airline miles and hotel points, this thread would be best for discussion in MilesBuzz. I'll move it there. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.
Dec 31, 2010 | 5:23 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: WN, DL, UA, AA, Hilton, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 1,303
A couple of things to think about:
If your girlfriend qualifies (& you can do the minimum spend in time), consider applying for both a personal & business AA card- that would give you 150,000 miles total. Requirements for business cards seem to be pretty loose- a little consulting, self-employment (start mystery shopping!), or even business expenses that are then reimbursed seem to work.
If you're looking for using points for lodging, collecting airline miles is NOT the way to go; you are better off applying for hotel credit cards with bonuses. We did this with a recent trip to Germany. Because we were moving around frequently, it worked out pretty well- we could use the bonus from one chain for two nights in one place, and another bonus for three nights in another place. If you're looking to spend a long time in one place, you may have to combine cash & points stays. I would look into Priority Club (easy accumulation through bonuses, etc) and SPG (good value for the points).
The fact that you are planning for a Thanksgiving trip in 2011 means that you are either going to have to book very very soon, accept that your destination will be limited by what's available at the time of booking, or spend extra miles. It's a busy time of year and availability goes fast.
If your girlfriend qualifies (& you can do the minimum spend in time), consider applying for both a personal & business AA card- that would give you 150,000 miles total. Requirements for business cards seem to be pretty loose- a little consulting, self-employment (start mystery shopping!), or even business expenses that are then reimbursed seem to work.
If you're looking for using points for lodging, collecting airline miles is NOT the way to go; you are better off applying for hotel credit cards with bonuses. We did this with a recent trip to Germany. Because we were moving around frequently, it worked out pretty well- we could use the bonus from one chain for two nights in one place, and another bonus for three nights in another place. If you're looking to spend a long time in one place, you may have to combine cash & points stays. I would look into Priority Club (easy accumulation through bonuses, etc) and SPG (good value for the points).
The fact that you are planning for a Thanksgiving trip in 2011 means that you are either going to have to book very very soon, accept that your destination will be limited by what's available at the time of booking, or spend extra miles. It's a busy time of year and availability goes fast.