FF to italy

[pointsjunkie]

i can't believe i just booked 2 round trip first class tickets to italy for oct 2009. we will using starpoints to stay at the hotels so all we are paying for is sightseeing and food.

i used my delta card to pay for all my everyday expenses,food, gas, etc. and it certainly paid off.

i hate to see someone in the supermarket with a regular credit card and they are not getting points for their purchases. it drives me crazy.

this trip is like a dream come true.i keep pinching myself.

[GrayFal]

Originally Posted by pointsjunkie

i can't believe i just booked 2 round trip first class tickets to italy for oct 2009. we will using starpoints to stay at the hotels so all we are paying for is sightseeing and food.

i used my delta card to pay for all my everyday expenses,food, gas, etc. and it certainly paid off.

i hate to see someone in the supermarket with a regular credit card and they are not getting points for their purchases. it drives me crazy.

this trip is like a dream come true.i keep pinching myself.

It seems as if there needs to be an intervention

Good for you Barb! I am always happy to hear about a successful trip with FF these days.

[Carolinian]

After Jan. 1, however, DL Amex will drop the double miles at supermarkets, gas stations, the post office, drug stores, home improvement stores, etc. and only give double miles for DL purchases. It used to be one of the best mile earning cards out there, and I kept it even after comping my status over to NW during the Rob Borden period at DL (see www.saveskymiles.com ) since I still had a big pile of DL miles from my years as a Gold Medallion there. Without the double miles provisions, DL Amex will be no better than average as a mile earning card, although one with a large annual fee. I dropped mine effective the end of this month when it came up for renewal. With their dastardly takeover of NW, DL has now become my ''avoid if at all possible'' airline, but the dropping of the double miles alone would have also caused me to drop Amex even without that aspect.

October is shoulder season, and a DL TATL (trans-Atlantic) award ticket is now a minimum of 60K miles, up from the 50K it used to be, yearround. An AA TATL award ticket in off season and most of shoulder season is only 40K miles. A BMI TATL ticket is 45K miles yearround. With the new three tier award chart, the minimum mile tickets are also harder to come by, and it may cost even more than 60K on DL.

The Amex / DL combination has been severely degraded by recent ''enhancements''. That is sad, because it once was a rather good combination.

[tinkerbell2]

We are in a similar situation, going to Paris on FF miles, and staying at the Westin Paris on SPG points ! Is it ever exciting !

[sjuhawk_jd]

Originally Posted by pointsjunkie

i can't believe i just booked 2 round trip first class tickets to italy for oct 2009. we will using starpoints to stay at the hotels so all we are paying for is sightseeing and food.

i used my delta card to pay for all my everyday expenses,food, gas, etc. and it certainly paid off.

i hate to see someone in the supermarket with a regular credit card and they are not getting points for their purchases. it drives me crazy.

this trip is like a dream come true.i keep pinching myself.

Last month, I booked 3 tickets to italy (for August Travel) using Continental airlines miles (transferred AMEX Reward points into Continental). 8 days roaming around Venice, Florence, and Rome and then a 7 night Royal Caribbean European cruise (paid out of pocket). All 8 nights in hotels in Italy booked via Starwood/Hilton points.

[tomandrobin]

Very, very, very nice Barbara!!!!

[LisaRex]

Woo hoo! Scoop those bargains up while you can.

I have enough miles for one more set of RT flights to Maui. But that'll be the end of the gravy train for me because I, too, canceled my Delta gold AMEX following the end of the Always Double Miles program. I'm now funneling all my spending into the United Platinum cards which still offers double miles on groceries, gas, dining, etc. For now, anyway.

[PigsDad]

We recently booked United "saver" FF Business class from Denver to Rome for September, 2009. They were only 80K miles / ticket -- after the 1st of the year that will go up to 105K / ticket!

The best part is the itinerary: direct flight from Denver to Munich on Luftansa, and then just a short hop to Rome. We come back via Venice. Looks like the Luftansa business class seats are a full-recline seat -- much better than United's business class seat!

Kurt

[Talent312]

Originally Posted by PigsDad

We recently booked United "saver" FF Business class from Denver to Rome for September, 2009... Looks like the Luftansa business class seats are a full-recline seat -- much better than United's business class seat!

That is impressive!
I could mention my FF tickets to London next May (Orlando - Gatwick), but ...
I'm too busy congratulating myself for buying tickets to see Eric Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall.

[abbekit]

Just booked our first class award tickets on AA to Hawaii in September. Staying on Starwood points for the first half of the trip and using our Westin Princeville package deal (5 nights, $100 resort credit, Avis car rental) for the last half of the trip. I guess this is how TUGGERs are dealing with the recession.

[Fletcher921]

Well, we just booked our Delta FF flights to Cancun for June next year. My daughter and I got both tickets for 40,000 miles total - flying out from Tijuana so it is just a domestic ticket. We have to fly home from Merida a day after checkout - but oh well!

[Carolinian]

I was able to burn 60K of my DL SkyPiles on a TATL ticket for a relative coming to visit from the US. Now if I were using NW miles, that ticket would have been 50K miles or BMI DC miles, it would be 45K miles. But 60K is minimum for DL on a TATL ticket. And if the TATL ticket originated on this side of the pond, I would have a $200+ extra fees added on which no other US-based carrier charges. But I am happy to cut down my pile of SkyPiles. Now I need to burn my NW miles before they are devalued into DL SkyPiles.

[gorevs9]

Originally Posted by pointsjunkie

i used my delta card to pay for all my everyday expenses,food, gas, etc. and it certainly paid off.

i hate to see someone in the supermarket with a regular credit card and they are not getting points for their purchases. it drives me crazy.

I have a credit card that rebates 3% on gas, groceriers, etc.
If I spend $700/month on those items and maybe $300/month on 1% items, I'll have almost $300 in rebates towards airfare, meanwhile I would've only have received 12,000 miles.

Does Delta have dining rewards program? I use the dining program for USAirway Dividend miles; so far this past year I've accumulated over 13,000 miles just by eating out a couple dozen times.

[pointsjunkie]

Originally Posted by gorevs9

I have a credit card that rebates 3% on gas, groceriers, etc.
If I spend $700/month on those items and maybe $300/month on 1% items, I'll have almost $300 in rebates towards airfare, meanwhile I would've only have received 12,000 miles.

Does Delta have dining rewards program? I use the dining program for USAirway Dividend miles; so far this past year I've accumulated over 13,000 miles just by eating out a couple dozen times.

delta amex is discontinuing their perks(double on gas,supermarkets,etc.)
so as of january i will be using my starwood ames and jetblue amex.

it does have the dining program, that is how my husband is flying first class. his account is the dining out fund and mine WAS the credit card fund. now my account will be from purchases made through their mall if the miles per $ is the highest(from all the other airlines)


are you at 10 miles per $ yet with the dining rewards program. if you are not and are close to 12 dines out get there before the end of the year so you will get the benefit in 2009.

[gorevs9]

Originally Posted by pointsjunkie

are you at 10 miles per $ yet with the dining rewards program. if you are not and are close to 12 dines out get there before the end of the year so you will get the benefit in 2009.

Yes, I'm at the 10 miles/dollar level, though a couple years ago I went on an eating binge to get to the 12 dines. It wasn't difficult since there was no minimum purchase requirement. Some times my wife and I would go out just for dessert or a sandwich.

I don't know if all the programs are the same, but to get the 10 miles/dollar via the USAirways program, I have to take the 30 seconds and rate the restaurant to get the extra 5 miles/$. Is delta (or others) doing the Triple Bonus until 31 December? I've been getting 20 miles per $ since October. Four people eating out (easily a $100 tab) once/month results in 6000 miles.