• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Confused on right credit card to use

controller1

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2017
Messages
3,042
Reaction score
1,940
Points
298
Location
Tulsa
Resorts Owned
Westin KORVN OF
Westin Nanea OF
Westin FLEX
What will you be using for everyday charges like groceries?

I will be using a Chase Sapphire Reserve Card that I already have. The Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer 1:1 to many travel partners including Hyatt and United Airlines (also to Marriott but that would be a bad transfer considering the point value of Marriott vs. Hyatt). You earn 3 points/$ for restaurants and travel (airfare, parking, hotel charges). You earn 1 point/$ for everything else. Another bonus is the card provides primary, instead of secondary, insurance coverage (no additional cost) for car rentals. The downside: the hefty annual fee.
 

KACTravels

TUG Member
Joined
May 8, 2011
Messages
439
Reaction score
223
Points
253
Location
Greater Seattle Area
I will be using a Chase Sapphire Reserve Card that I already have. The Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer 1:1 to many travel partners including Hyatt and United Airlines (also to Marriott but that would be a bad transfer considering the point value of Marriott vs. Hyatt). You earn 3 points/$ for restaurants and travel (airfare, parking, hotel charges). You earn 1 point/$ for everything else. Another bonus is the card provides primary, instead of secondary, insurance coverage (no additional cost) for car rentals. The downside: the hefty annual fee.
Me too - with the $300 travel credit, Priority Club, Auto Insurance and the other benefits, I have justified the Annual Fee and this has been my go to card for a while.
 

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
31,892
Reaction score
8,998
Points
1,049
Location
The Centennial State
Resorts Owned
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge,Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau;Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms; WKORV-OF (2),Westin Desert Willow.
I have read everything, but I have one question: We very seldom stay in hotels, (have lots of timeshares and a vacation home.) We have always transferred our AMEX StarPoints directly to airline miles and got the bonus for transferring in increments of 20K SP's.

So, should we just go with our favorite airline card? Currently we have 2 airline cards: Alaska Air and Hawaiian Air. Those are our primarily airlines. What's the best airline card?
Denise, the best credit card is Chase Sapphire Reserve. It has a fee of $450 per year but gets $300 returned for any travel booked with the card. We use it to pay all of our maintenance fees because we get 3X points.

I have Alaska miles I have built a large number of miles over the years, but it's a rare occasion that I can get a first class seat for 40K points. I have had to pay 80K points for that seat, when I missed out on the only seat because someone else grabbed it ahead of me. If I am going to pay 80,000 miles for an award seat, I will only book Denver-Maui.

I don't mind paying 40K points from the coast for a first class seat, and I do that sometimes, but I can only get ONE of those seats, and the rest are 80K miles. Would you pay 80K miles for a seat you could pay $500-600 to book?

This is confirmed through Alaska's customer service. Only one seat for 40K miles in first class, and the rest are 80K. So what to do? I book the 40K seat, if I can get it. Then I have to buy that second seat. Well, a 1st class seat is usually about $560 out of San Jose, so I book the award seat through Alaska and then book the second seat through Ultimate Rewards.

I used to just pay cash for the seat, but I now book that second seat with Chase Ultimate Rewards. That seat will be 37,520 in Chase points. I only spent between $12,000-13,000, which nets me 36-39,000 points on timeshare maintenance fees to book that second seat.

And another thing that is GREAT about that seat is that I build miles on the seat because it goes to Alaska as a cash sale. And as long as there is a first class seat, I get it with the points because it's a purchase, as far as Alaska is concerned.

This has caused me to be lazy about booking airline seats right at the mark where the award seat will open up.

Points are different currencies, but this is why we love our points with Chase:
When I pay $20,000 in maintenance fees on that card (just as an example), I get 60,000 points. Those 60,000 points can be transferred to any airline or used through the portal for $900 in travel. And as I stated above, I still build miles with whatever airline I fly.

I can book car rentals too. Car rentals are sometimes a great deal through the portal.

I can transfer my points to Hyatt and get incredible value for them. Some hotel rooms are $300 but only 10,000 Hyatt points. That 60,000 points ($20K spend) gets me $1,800 in hotel rooms with breakfast included. The high-end hotels with Hyatt are not more than about 25,000 points. I love Hyatt quality.

Transferring points to various airlines is easy. I can transfer to United, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Air France, and several others. Those award points will be the way we get to Europe and Australia. And of course the points can stretch to other airlines that are partnered with those. (Like Alaska has the partnership with Aer Lingus.

We love the airport lounge benefit, which is especially great with our own home airport, Denver International, because we get $28 in food from Timberline grill in concourse C with that card, and it's free. We also get free $28 in food for our guests. All 8 of us ate at the restaurant in May, on the way to Orlando. SJC has a great airport lounge, and so does Seattle, but not as great as Denver's. Oakland doesn't have one, which is disappointing.

I tell my kids about these cards, and only one of my kids really gets the benefits. He is kind of funny because he asks me every now and then what new thing I have discovered. I don't come up with new stuff every week, and I am so happy with this Chase card, I cannot even consider others.
 
Last edited:

dsmrp

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
Messages
2,527
Reaction score
1,847
Points
398
Location
MI Washington
Resorts Owned
Sheraton Vistana, Waikoloa Bay Club, Hyatt Pinon Pt
My AmEx closing statement was on July 9th. SPG points posted yesterday, July 13, including an extra line for the bonus.

Points post within two to four days after your statement closing date regardless of whether the statement has been paid at that point. Pre-paying the Amex statement will not cause points to post. They post only after the statement closing date.

Hmm, so coincidentally DH was usually paying the AMEX bill just after billing close date and before the Spg pts were posted.

Seems a little odd to me that amex gives you the points benefit before you pay for your charges. Does Chase Marriott also post (non bonus)MR points regardless of future payment?

Fwiw I have auto pay on Chase Reserve, and don't recall seeing UR pts post until after/on the payment due date. So Chase on its own program is more fastidious about the UR pts.
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,196
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
Seems a little odd to me that amex gives you the points benefit before you pay for your charges. Does Chase Marriott also post (non bonus)MR points regardless of future payment?

Fwiw I have auto pay on Chase Reserve, and don't recall seeing UR pts post until after/on the payment due date. So Chase on its own program is more fastidious about the UR pts.
1. SPG Amex has always posted points 1 to 7 days after statement closing, independent of payment. It had always been this way and I have had this card for about 10 years.

2. Marriott Visa is similar to 1 for MRPs. Nights bonus credits is on 10th, before my statement closing on the 12th.

3. Chase Sapphire Reserve posts UR immediately on statement closing, also independent of payment..
 

heathpack

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
4,651
Reaction score
3,750
Points
598
Location
Los Angeles
Resorts Owned
Hyatt High Sierra and Highland Inn
Disney’s Grand Californian and Hilton Head Island
Marriott Barony Beach and Mountainside
MVC Points
Sheraton Broadway Plantation
Wow we have had SPG Amex cards for years, business and personal. I hate to see them go. But I guess I need to look into the Chase Sapphire Reserve card now.

Old dog must learn new tricks, I guess.
 

baz48

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
254
Reaction score
10
Points
378
Location
Central Oregon
Am I correct in understanding that the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card costs $450 in annual fee PLUS $75 for an additional user? So it would be $525 to have 2 cards?
 

controller1

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2017
Messages
3,042
Reaction score
1,940
Points
298
Location
Tulsa
Resorts Owned
Westin KORVN OF
Westin Nanea OF
Westin FLEX
Am I correct in understanding that the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card costs $450 in annual fee PLUS $75 for an additional user? So it would be $525 to have 2 cards?

Your understanding is correct.
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,196
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
Am I correct in understanding that the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card costs $450 in annual fee PLUS $75 for an additional user? So it would be $525 to have 2 cards?
Yes, but you get back $300 for spending on travel as well as credit for Global Entry application, if you or your family don't already have one.

Essentially, it costs us $225 for the 2 of us - $150 + $75.
 

triangulum33

TUG Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Messages
294
Reaction score
37
Points
238
Location
Sacramento Area
Resorts Owned
2005 WKORN
There are so many options and it seems like you can go down a rabbit hole of maximizing rewards.
I'm going to stick with our SPG AMEX for awhile until after the dust settles from the Marriwood merger.
 

lizap

TUG Member
Joined
May 26, 2013
Messages
1,949
Reaction score
240
Points
173
Location
Louisiana
At one time or the other, we have had or have the following cards:

AA Citibank
AA Barclay
Chase Saphire Reserve
Chase Freedom
Starwood AMEX
British Airways Visa

Currently have Chase Saphire Reserve and Chase Freedom. Just got the British Airways Visa. Have been using Chase Saphire Reserve for travel and Chase Freedom for other expenses, as you get more points for other expenses. Points can be easily merged online. Couldn't resist the BA card with the phenomenal sign up bonus. Plus the free companion ticket, even for F or J, when you spend 30k per year. Plus for short trips, a round trip in domestic economy, is 15000 points versus 25000 points on AA. We use the points primarily for air travel.
 

dioxide45

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
47,355
Reaction score
18,922
Points
1,299
Location
NE Florida
Resorts Owned
Marriott Grande Vista
Marriott Harbour Lake
Sheraton Vistana Villages
Club Wyndham CWA
At one time or the other, we have had or have the following cards:

AA Citibank
AA Barclay
Chase Saphire Reserve
Chase Freedom
Starwood AMEX
British Airways Visa

Currently have Chase Saphire Reserve and Chase Freedom. Just got the British Airways Visa. Have been using Chase Saphire Reserve for travel and Chase Freedom for other expenses, as you get more points for other expenses. Points can be easily merged online. Couldn't resist the BA card with the phenomenal sign up bonus. Plus the free companion ticket, even for F or J, when you spend 30k per year. Plus for short trips, a round trip in domestic economy, is 15000 points versus 25000 points on AA. We use the points primarily for air travel.
Doesn't BA have huge surcharges to redeem an award ticket?
 

lizap

TUG Member
Joined
May 26, 2013
Messages
1,949
Reaction score
240
Points
173
Location
Louisiana
Doesn't BA have huge surcharges to redeem an award ticket?

Yes, there are surcharges. But, BA's intl F and J product is superior to AA's and others. Additionally, we travel a lot from MSY to CLT; an award ticket using AA points is almost double that on AA, using BA Avios. So, it works for us. Read a recent travel article that said you could use BA Avios points on Aer Lingus and Iberia, so BA surcharges could be avoided this way. But the companion ticket can only be used on BA flights.
 
Last edited:

controller1

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2017
Messages
3,042
Reaction score
1,940
Points
298
Location
Tulsa
Resorts Owned
Westin KORVN OF
Westin Nanea OF
Westin FLEX
There are some who believe the 2X SPG Starpoints (post-August to be 6X Points) will not be honored post-August for Vistana MFs. I've sent a request to Vistana and Amex to verify what the earnings per $ of Vistana MFs will be.

UPDATE: I really never got an answer from Vistana. Vistana said to ask Amex. Amex said to ask Vistana.

So as a test I paid a $1,000 prepayment on Vistana MFs on August 1 with my SPG Amex. Statement closed on August 13 and it shows I earned 6x Marriott Points on the $1,000 MF payment.
 
Last edited:
Top