nsx

Same here. It was like turning back the clock 15 years to see practically the entire summer available.

toomanybooks

"If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

toomanybooks

Looks like the blogs have picked up on this. Hat-tipping each other left-and-right.

3 weeks after this thread started.

Welcome to the party, pal!

nsx

Starting right after I newsflashed it.

Seriously, subscribing to the newsflash thread is exactly what you should do if you don't have time to read the forum regularly.

Wingrider

...unless you have the card for the purpose of burning points for gift cards or "more rewards".

I'm fortunate that my work travel booking BS tix has me always hit A+/CP. The 50k really wasn't a CP motivator as it was about 500 bucks worth of gift cards and access to another redemption tool for burning them off. I throw a couple bucks from parking or something on the card once and a while just to keep it awake.

I do use my Citi AA card constantly. That got me and Mrs. Wingrider RT to Italy this summer Business Class on BA there and 1st on AA coming home on points.

gerald5

Just booked an award that was 60 points/$. Did a few other searches and getting the same 60 pts/$

EDIT: 60 pts only when taxes are included. 72+ otherwise. Nothing to see here.

ursine1

Are you looking at the base fare?

FindAWay

gerald5 - Could you post the details? See the first post in this thread (Post Your POINTS PER DOLLAR (Pts/$1) Rapid Rewards Award Booking Ratios Here) to ensure that you are accurately computing the points per dollar. Many previous posters (and even professional bloggers) have erroneously computed this ratio (usually by looking at Base Fare + Excise Tax instead of simply Base Fare); so, as ursine1 notes, we're skeptical that the ratio you found is truly 60 points per $1 of base fare:

gerald5

My bad, forgot to factor this in. Usually I use points on short-hauls so after taxes are factored in you get < 60 pts/$.

nsx

In the current fare sale it's easy to see incremental value of points. $54 fare is 2671 and $49 fare is 2336. 67 points per dollar on that extra $5. But if you count the 30 points you would have earned, it's 73 points per dollar saved. For A-List preferred (2x earning) it's 79 points per dollar saved.

Flexibility to change without having to deal with expiring funds is a big plus for points bookings. But now that Southwest has pushed me into learning how to use Avios to replace their overpriced summer trips I might change to relying on Avios for all the occasions when my plans change.

The CP qualification rules and A-list preferred rules have also induced me to book the entire Fall season using points rather than cash. All of my family members now have 3-digit points balances or less!

I have no trouble making 50 paid flights before September, but 100 in the year is impossible. So I will become a gamer and move hotel points on January 1 to earn my CP. Hey, you design silly incentives and you get silly responses.