Relocation
 

My relocation has begun. Four different people called me from the relocation firm...the 'project manager', the real estate person, the mortgage person, and the temporary housing person. I now have 'people' as in "have your people call my people." Oh, and a fifth person call regarding my home inspection. Five calls in under 24 hours. I am running out of cell minutes!

The major drag is that the company issues you a relocation credit card for the airfare, hotels and car rentals. All those credit card purchases and no credit card airmiles. Argh!

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Help! I've fallen in status and I can't get up.

You have it easy! My relocations have been "do it and charge it on a budget."

Good luck on the move (where are you going?)!

I didn't think it would matter who paid, as long as the ticket, hotel & car reservations are in your name...so you still get the miles & points.
That's how it was for me when I relocated, company made all the booking for me, I simply presented my miles & points card # at check-in.

I wrote that I will not be getting miles for the credit card transactions. The 'seat in the seat' miles are a different story.

And I am headed to MSP.



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Help! I've fallen in status and I can't get up.

My apologies, I misunderstood.

Sounds like you have it tough. In February, when I finished grad school and started a postdoc, my new employer (UC Berkeley) handled relocation by suggesting that I rent a U-Haul at my own expense. :-)

comicwoman- good luck, and may The Force be with you. Just finished a NJ-KS move in July. Even with the company picking up the cost, the actual move was wrenching. It took us months to find our collection of refrigerator magnets from Rio, Budapest, Rome, etc.

My company issues a credit card to be used for ALL business expenses and it doesn't provide miles. Of course, I get the usual points and miles for flights and hotel nights, but I miss being able to use my own credit cards to rack up more points.

My first "good" company relocation was when I was 24. Any and all moving expenses, 6 months of temporary housing in New York, paid accomodations in DC for 4 months, $10,000 relocation cash bonus for miscellaneous expenditures, housing assistance including any real estate or closing-related costs for 2 residences. All this was grossed-up along with a gross-up to help offset the tax liabilities; and I got tax filing assistance too. I think that my employer got its money's worth out of me while I was there and afterwards as I still refer my clients to route business over there.

The only sad thing is that I did not know much about the airline and hotel programs back then, or I would be sitting on a few more miles. The only comment I got from the HR people or my relocation team was "How are your flight costs so low?" [I booked everything using youth fares or the student travel agency.]

Count your blessings. I have paid for two interstate moves, one that reimbursed me $1200, and the other ZERO.

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"Yippie-kay-yay, Mr. Falcon!" -- John McClane, Die Hard II As Seen on TV

If they were not doing the full relo package, then I was not moving. While I am excited about the job and the opportunity (been years since I had those feelings), I was not going to pay tens of thousands of my own money.

BTW, I would like to thank all of you that have offered advice here and on the GLBT forum.


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Help! I've fallen in status and I can't get up.

SO when's the housewarming party?

I relo'd to France and had the same menagerie of support people. But they were French and of course no help. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif

My package included 6 weeks in a hotel for me and the missus. So I found a house on the 2nd day and exchanged the money for the 6 weeks in the hotel for money for cool furniture and some kitchen supplies. At the end of my term in France, they moved all the stuff back that I bought and I got to keep it. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

Perfect timing (and congratulations)! I booked 4 mileage runs on UA into MSP on just about every Saturday morning in January, so maybe we can catch up on one of them. I'll e-mail as it gets closer.

I was down at Cal a few hours ago, helping my friend Natalie, who swims there (everyone knows Natalie), move into her new condo a few miles off campus. Were you able to get anyone to help you with the move and do it yourself, or did you hire a moving company?

congrats CW!!! What's the new job???

I've been lucky in that my only relos were both fully paid--including the last one where they flew me to the new town in F because no Y seats were left while at the same time, shipping my car to the new location http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

Of course I felt like a small fry later. When I was talking to the lady in Transport who was giving me an update on the location of my belongings and my car, she told me that she was arranging for an employee relo from Southern California to Hawaii! Not only that, but the relo officer told her that the employee was going to telecommute!!! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/eek.gif

Thanks for the inspiration C'Woman! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/thumbsup.gif

Congrats on the job! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

For how long? NW is your best option in MSP! I know that it will be hard to take. Upgrades to FC on all your NW flights. Nice agents. Direct flights (rather than through ORD).

The best news with MSP are the dry winters...

THIS was the ? I was waiting for, good one missy.

Good luck! Thankfully when I relo'd I got a full relo pkg, but then I was a cheap relo (1 bedroom apt) compared to now (4 bedroom house loaded with furniture). The only area I got it on was the temp housing....I had to pay & expense but instead of grossing it up to include taxes they put in the actual expense as the gross.

Good luck on the move! Hope you end up near the lakes...they're great!