# Resorts may not key timeshare vacation/travel, ie: Soleil, VRI, Festiva, for 3X pts



## rickandcindy23 (Oct 12, 2016)

We spend nearly $5K on fees at Hono Koa, a Soleil-managed property, and I noticed the charges show as "work related."  

Foxrun also was not showing as travel expense, and neither did Blue Ridge show in that category.  This means 1X points and not 3X points.  It's personal to me now.

I wasn't really watching this as closely with the 2X Visa Ink business card, but now I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and it's blatantly obvious to me now.  

I tried telling Soleil Management to change it on their end.  The woman said she has no control.  Maybe if the company is inundated with requests, something would get done.  I am encouraging everyone who owns Sands of Kahana, Kahana Villas, Hono Koa, Gardens at West Maui, Maui Beach, Maui Banyan, Tahiti Village, etc., to call and request the category be changed.  

It cannot be changed by me, but that is what Cindy at Soleil Mgmt said to me today.


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## melissy123 (Oct 12, 2016)

Hi Cindy,

I had posted this earlier, but we had prepaid our next year's Shell maintenance fees with the Chase card, and it showed up as "real estate."  I didn't think of calling Shell to ask them to do it differently, but sounds like that's a lost cause of trying to get these companies to classify it differently.


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## Ty1on (Oct 12, 2016)

This makes me curious whether certain merchant contracts are given fee rates based on their typical charge categories (that correspond with the points awarded to cardholders)


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## Gracey (Oct 12, 2016)

I just reserved and paid for a tour for 3 of us at Kuloa ranch (atv riding) on Oahu for over 300.00 and thought this would fall under the travel category but it didn't  I now am wondering how good this card will be for travel categories.


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## BocaBoy (Oct 12, 2016)

Loops said:


> I just reserved and paid for a tour for 3 of us at Kuloa ranch (atv riding) on Oahu for over 300.00 and thought this would fall under the travel category but it didn't  I now am wondering how good this card will be for travel categories.



I wouldn't expect this to be classified as travel.  The timeshare costs in the previous post are another matter.  My Sapphire card is new.  The only travel cost I have charged so far is one hotel night, and this was classified correctly and I immediately got the credit as part of the annual $300 travel credit.


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## klpca (Oct 12, 2016)

I just checked my statement (CSR) and my prepaid Seapointe maintenance fees were coded as travel, so it looks like Grand Pacific has them categorized as travel.

Bummer that Soleil Management isn't categorizing that properly. I don't blame you for being annoyed.


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## dioxide45 (Oct 12, 2016)

Shouldn't one send through a small charge to see how it is classified before putting all their fees on the card? Not saying they shouldn't be classified differently, but don't put all your eggs in one basket.


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## rickandcindy23 (Oct 12, 2016)

dioxide45 said:


> Shouldn't one send through a small charge to see how it is classified before putting all their fees on the card? Not saying they shouldn't be classified differently, but don't put all your eggs in one basket.


I have to pay my MF's, and none of my credit cards gives additional points for the "work related" classification.  There is no card that I know of that will give me more than 1X.  I will take 1X over zero, so I am not going to write a check for my fees, there are no points doing that.


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## rickandcindy23 (Oct 12, 2016)

melissy123 said:


> Hi Cindy,
> 
> I had posted this earlier, but we had prepaid our next year's Shell maintenance fees with the Chase card, and it showed up as "real estate."  I didn't think of calling Shell to ask them to do it differently, but sounds like that's a lost cause of trying to get these companies to classify it differently.



My MF's for Shell are a whopping $5.2K, so that's not good for me.


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## am1 (Oct 13, 2016)

rickandcindy23 said:


> I have to pay my MF's, and none of my credit cards gives additional points for the "work related" classification.  There is no card that I know of that will give me more than 1X.  I will take 1X over zero, so I am not going to write a check for my fees, there are no points doing that.



United Club card gives 1.5 on everything.  Starwood Amex would give you more as well.


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## rickandcindy23 (Oct 13, 2016)

am1 said:


> United Club card gives 1.5 on everything.  Starwood Amex would give you more as well.



The Starwood card would give me 1X on MF's as well.  I might as well use my Chase Sapphire Reserve.  

I am pretty disappointed in maintenance fees not showing in the correct category.  I don't know who can change these things.


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## Talent312 (Oct 13, 2016)

Captial One Venture gives me 2% on everything, with primary redemption for travel-related items...
-- HGVC MF's and Booking Transaction Fees counted as "Lodging."
-- A day at Nachi Comcon on Cozumel counted as "Lodging."
-- A 2-hr cruise-tour in St. Augustine counted as "Other Travel."


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## scootr5 (Oct 13, 2016)

rickandcindy23 said:


> I am pretty disappointed in maintenance fees not showing in the correct category.  I don't know who can change these things.



The company would have to contact their card processor and request to have their code changed, and give the reasoning behind the request. 

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/how-change-merchant-category-code-1585.php


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## rickandcindy23 (Oct 13, 2016)

I have the Capital One Venture card.  It's a decent card, but I love points and miles.  

Let's see:

2% for $5,000 spend on MF's = $100 back on the Venture Card.  Not bad.
1X on Chase, $5,000 spend = $75, if I use those points through the UR portal.  If I transfer the points to SW, it's 5,000 points is worth about $100.

Maybe I should use that card for these fees.


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## am1 (Oct 13, 2016)

When you transfer out the spg points elsewhere you get a bonus.  Making earning on an spg amex more then 1X you are getting.



rickandcindy23 said:


> The Starwood card would give me 1X on MF's as well.  I might as well use my Chase Sapphire Reserve.
> 
> I am pretty disappointed in maintenance fees not showing in the correct category.  I don't know who can change these things.


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## rickandcindy23 (Oct 21, 2016)

am1 said:


> When you transfer out the spg points elsewhere you get a bonus.  Making earning on an spg amex more then 1X you are getting.



Transferring to partners like Alaska with SPG, I can get 25% bonus miles.  The value CAN be good, but Alaska only offers one award seat in 1st class from the coast to Hawaii, and I have had pretty sketchy success at getting that one seat.  I need specific dates for our Maui trips, usually March, always Saturday arrival.  It's tough to get that single seat.  We usually fly to the coast via Southwest and spend the night in a hotel near the airport (usually free with our hotel points).  

The single first-class seat is 40K miles one way, so 16K (X2 +25%) spend in Starwood MF's.  

The UR portal for 16K spend for Starwood will get 3X points with the Chase Reserve, or 48K points at 1.5X through the portal, which is equal to $720 in airfare.  Most 1st class seats from the coast are much less than $720, especially when booked at the time the seats are open for sale.  I don't have to hope for that award seat because every seat is an award seat through UR.

If any of that math seems off, I am not a big math person, so maybe you can correct it for me.  

I think it depends on what you do with SPG points.  

We use a lot of our UR points for Southwest.  100K UR points are worth almost $2,000 in Southwest flights.  5K points is worth about $100.  Many of our flights are under $100 from Denver, including our future trips to SNA and SAT.


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## tschwa2 (Oct 21, 2016)

Since the description from the Sapphire reserve specifically mentions TS maintenance fees for 3X's the UR,do you think contacting them and providing documentation that the fees paid were for Maintenance fees that they could adjust the reward on their end despite the way the resort/management keys in the code for the fees. They may say that it is up to the resort but you never know if they can override the code unless you try.


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## Sandy VDH (Oct 21, 2016)

tschwa2 said:


> Since the description from the Sapphire reserve specifically mentions TS maintenance fees for 3X's the UR,do you think contacting them and providing documentation that the fees paid were for Maintenance fees that they could adjust the reward on their end despite the way the resort/management keys in the code for the fees. They may say that it is up to the resort but you never know if they can override the code unless you try.




I check my previous Sapphire postings and HGVC, Wyndham and HICV were all classified correctly as travel related and did receive the additional points. 

Can't say what others networks have categorized them.  So only if they have changed since recently, those 3 will work.  Perhaps someone with a Sapphire Card and other TS networks can post their success or failure.


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## mike130 (Oct 29, 2016)

*VRI & Festiva*

VRI shows up as travel on CSR statement.  Festiva does not.


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## rickandcindy23 (Jan 10, 2017)

Shell fees are showing as 3X today on my recent Sapphire Reserve statement; however, Hono Koa, a Soleil-managed resort, shows as only 1X, even though it says, "Hono Koa Vacation Club."  I may call Chase, but I doubt they can do anything.  That a good amount of money we pay for Hono Koa, so it would be nice to get 3X.


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