Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday SW offers the low fare sales.
I found that Houston and Austin where the cheap options out of MSY. You can only use 3 travel funds per flight. You can use 2 travel funds and 1 credit card if needed. But if it’s not a Wanna Getaway Plus fare, the balance you pay on the credit card will get wrapped into the travel fund when you cancel. If you can use 3 travel funds almost fully, I did that. Took a little math and finding the best options. A couple times I had to let a very small amount grt wrapped back into the travel fund. I just made sure my last one was a WG!+ that way when I cancelled it would be transferrable. It that’s not important you can book a regular WGA fare.
Normally the taxes and fees I have to pay is minimal. But before I was booking points I would have like $4, $6, $8 credits from when the fare dropped. When I booked flights for Cancun (for 2) the cost after points was much higher ($125 total iirc) and I had about $90 left in travel funds but I had them over like 8 credits.
I would make sure you do that the day of check in, or call beforehand. Last time I went and stayed on a cash room, they would not take my rewards card to refund the room and use that for payment ( I cannot remember when exactly I talked to the front desk about using my rewards card to pay for the room). I was given some 1-800 number by the manager to call and sort it out. Needless to say we just used the rewards card to pay for food instead.
Is anyone familiar with changing the SW companion pass? I set it to DH and have several flights booked. You can switch 3 times. I’m thinking the first selection on DH is #1. Then if I changed it to someone else that would be #2. Then if I changed it down the line (either back to DH or someone else) that would be #3. Does that sound right? And what happens to future tickets for the #1 companion after I switch to #2? Do those flights still stay under the #1 person?
You have the structure right, setting your companion at start doesn’t count in the 3 change/yr count.
You can’t change your companion, though, with a flight booked and a cp attached. Tactic would be to book yourself on that 2nd flight and add the cp to that flight after first trip is taken and you’ve changed the companion.
In the case of trips close together, If you think the 2nd flight will sell out before you have a chance to change and add your cp, you might want to book a seat on that flight(hopefully with points) for the later companion to hold it. Then if you do find the flight is booked you could try to quickly cancel the seat and add the cp - although there is a risk in someone grabbing the seat before you add the cp.
All good to know, thanks. I might just book a flight for DS with points then for Memorial Day weekend. I do have my flights through September booked with points for me but I added DHs companion pass for a June trip and I am worried that will sell out before I can readd him after Memorial Day. But I’ll have to look at all the options.
Thank you!
Anyone who has credit card referral links in the forum Google sheets might want to take a look at their links and make sure they are active.
Chase and Amex change the links as offer change, so even some of the fairly recently added Disney Visa referrals in the sheet are no longer active since that card reverted to the lower bonus again.
Some links go to a page that has a “Offer Not Available” popup - which USUALLY means the referral link is dead, but they’ll still let you apply without anyone getting a referral bonus.
There are some instances however (SW card referrals?) where it pops “Offer Not Available” but the page still references the referral. I SUSPECT but have no data to back it up, that the referral is actually dead in that instance as well.
@drvillarejos Your SW link is one of those weird “not available” but still mentions the referral, so you might want to refresh your SW referral link and update the sheet.
Oh, lol, I just did before I saw the tag. Thanks for looking out!
We had a weird thing happen with our SUB. My husband applied for the Chase Ink Preferred - so that is $8k for 100k points. We had a medical bill mishap so we paid $1800 twice on this card and one got refunded. But the SUB calculator didn’t notice the refund and his 100k points are pending even though we’ve only spent $7k. I know we will hit $8k by the deadline with the next daycare bill so I’m not worried. I mostly found it interesting that it didn’t catch the refund.
Yes, you see that kind of thing often in the points groups. The system will only seem to catch you passing the spend in one direction - but at some time in the future (months? maybe even a year?) the system will likely notice, so your subsequent spend will keep you in good graces. 
What you usually hear in the groups is someone gets a refund after the spend deadline on something they bought before and want to know what to do. The advice is usually “spend that same amount or a little more” just to even out the missing amount before the system catches up.
Thanks for the explanation. That makes so much sense!
I called to cancel the free card that I’d had since 2017. The rep said I could have kept the free card and still applied for the Premiere one. I wish I’d known that before so I could have gotten the bonus SUB. Boo…
 |
Update, only a few weeks later: Paypal Bill Pay appears be a dead option. |
I went in today to pay one of our semi-annual life insurance premiums and our life insurance company is gone from options. I can still see past payments for it from the last few years, but no way to add them back.
Searching the PP forums - looks like a few months ago they purged a huge number of large companies from their Bill Pay system. No announcement, do not pass Go, do not collect $500.
In one of the April threads a PP support person says they “know of the situation” and essentially tells everyone to open a support ticket to help get the vendor payment done. But, that is followed by a few dozen user responses of “support doesn’t have a clue about this and doesn’t even understand what Bill Pay is”. One person said support told them they were going to refresh the system to fix things - 2 months ago. 
| Too bad - was nice to be able to use a few thousand $ in life insurance payments to meet credit card sign up bonuses. |  |
Another round of CLEAR 3 month trials arrived in my DS20’s account if anyone wants to give it a try.
Haven’t received them in my own yet, but if I do, will add the link here later.
Note: Theoretically that link is good for up to 5 uses - BUT for each person that uses it, it will cover your family and friends so if you want to use it for more than one person, you do not have to use the link multiple times.
Does the 3 months start when you checkin at the airport? I’m assuming it would. I got an email this morning.
You know, I think so, but not sure if it starts then or when account created? I’ve never used a free trial, I just signed up with my Amex Plat credits to start.
And now my own account received the share link, so if the first one I posted runs out of shares here’s another!
I bit the bullet today and signed up for the Target Red Card. The one and only reason? To buy Disney Gift cards for 5% off!
That was my primary reason but I do shop at Target often and getting the 5% my regular Target haul is nice. I got the Target debit card/the credit card. The Circle Bonuses add up too.
Which airline credit card is the best option for getting elite loyalty status and easier business class/first class upgrades?
(Feel free to link previous posts if this has been discussed before)
Edit: interested upgrades for international flights. Options are AA, United and Delta.
Good question! Following…