- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 8,284
- Reaction score
- 7,296
- Points
- 749
- Location
- CA
- Resorts Owned
- SDO, Quarter House, Seapointe, Coronado Beach, Carlsbad Inn, Worldmark
I have been saving our points to purchase out flights to Paris later this year. I have begun searching in earnest recently and have been somewhat frustrated with trying to purchase tickets using the Chase platform. Your choices are Economy (usually basic economy), Prem Economy, Business, and First Class. I know that lots of folks seem to have points to burn but not us. We usually choose to travel in economy and spend $$ on fun when we get to wherever we are going. That said, even my thrifty self has found my limit line, and it is Basic Economy. There's just no way that I am flying to Europe in a seat chosen by the airline (middle in the back of the plane, I'm sure), and I will probably want a suitcase too. No big deal usually - I can pack for a two week trip in a carry-on, but Basic Economy boards last so I am sure that those bags are gate checked at a price. Premium Economy is running *twice* the cost using the Chase points. And to top it off, I can do a "bundle" on Expedia - two tickets and one night hotel for about $900 less than two tickets on Chase - and the flight times are better and the price includes the first checked bag. Seats are an extra cost, but at least it's an option.
Today I bit the bullet and booked on Expedia. I was so frustrated by the disparity in price that I honestly considered getting rid of my Chase card and putting everything on my Costco card and taking cash. Then I remembered seeing "things to do" as an option on the Ultimate Rewards page. Now we are talking. I was able to book tours for our upcoming Hawaii trip and the redemption value was 1.5 cents/point, which is the same redemption rate as the airfare. I booked the Tubing adventure and a snorkel tour, and left the rest of the points in our account to cover some tours in Paris.
Maybe these options have always been there but I just noticed them today and it's a lot easier to use these for tours than it is for airfare, imho. I thought that I would mention this option to others who are using Ultimate Rewards.
Today I bit the bullet and booked on Expedia. I was so frustrated by the disparity in price that I honestly considered getting rid of my Chase card and putting everything on my Costco card and taking cash. Then I remembered seeing "things to do" as an option on the Ultimate Rewards page. Now we are talking. I was able to book tours for our upcoming Hawaii trip and the redemption value was 1.5 cents/point, which is the same redemption rate as the airfare. I booked the Tubing adventure and a snorkel tour, and left the rest of the points in our account to cover some tours in Paris.
Maybe these options have always been there but I just noticed them today and it's a lot easier to use these for tours than it is for airfare, imho. I thought that I would mention this option to others who are using Ultimate Rewards.
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