@mongstradamus wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:my opinion is you really have to look ahead an know if there is some place in particular you want to go, and then you can work with ccc signup bonuses to achieve that goal. I just recently cashed in some of my aa points i got from US airways and citi aa card. Got me nice flight for me and my mom from BKK-JFK on cathay business.
You just need to be really flexible and look ahead. If thats not your thing then there are some great cash back cards out there. Citi DC, SM, etc.
Maybe if you look way ahead. I have found with the way CX releases award space you need to be on the lookout very near the travel date and its hit or miss. Becomes harder the more people you want to book for. One person may be able to get an award, but if your booking for three it becomes much tougher to keep everytone together. Business is easier to pull than First though.
yeah original plan was for next spring but found some availability in october so i pulled the trigger. CX is planning on cutting down availablity for first in general to OW partners and Alaska Air from what i hear. I think i will be able to slum it in business though :-)
Do you know when CX is making this change? I may have to go to China this month then if I can avoid the changes since I have enough AA miles for RT in first.
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@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:my opinion is you really have to look ahead an know if there is some place in particular you want to go, and then you can work with ccc signup bonuses to achieve that goal. I just recently cashed in some of my aa points i got from US airways and citi aa card. Got me nice flight for me and my mom from BKK-JFK on cathay business.
You just need to be really flexible and look ahead. If thats not your thing then there are some great cash back cards out there. Citi DC, SM, etc.
Maybe if you look way ahead. I have found with the way CX releases award space you need to be on the lookout very near the travel date and its hit or miss. Becomes harder the more people you want to book for. One person may be able to get an award, but if your booking for three it becomes much tougher to keep everytone together. Business is easier to pull than First though.
yeah original plan was for next spring but found some availability in october so i pulled the trigger. CX is planning on cutting down availablity for first in general to OW partners and Alaska Air from what i hear. I think i will be able to slum it in business though :-)
Do you know when CX is making this change? I may have to go to China this month then if I can avoid the changes since I have enough AA miles for RT in first.
not 100% sure when or if it has already. I noticed even 330 days out the amount of first class availability isn't as much as it was before. Used to be pretty easy to find 5 seats in first from JFK-HKG now not so much. I am contemplating using my aviator card as my card for non category spending to see if i can upgrade last second to first if there is availability, but wondering if its worth it or not.
I love my CSP and freedom combo.
The signup for the CSP is great.
I just put my $1400 cruise on the CSP and got 2x the points. Also when the freedom gets out of the restaurant 5% category. The CSP will be my main dining card as I gets 2x points as well.
Plus the CSP also gets you one free movie ticket per month until August I think via visa signature and fandango which is great as well.thats like $60 
chase has has been the best cc company I've worked with. I'm NOT a big spender at all but love the combo. Now idk about keeping the CSP after the annual fee. Maybe if I go on another cruise or travel next year
@mongstradamus wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:my opinion is you really have to look ahead an know if there is some place in particular you want to go, and then you can work with ccc signup bonuses to achieve that goal. I just recently cashed in some of my aa points i got from US airways and citi aa card. Got me nice flight for me and my mom from BKK-JFK on cathay business.
You just need to be really flexible and look ahead. If thats not your thing then there are some great cash back cards out there. Citi DC, SM, etc.
Maybe if you look way ahead. I have found with the way CX releases award space you need to be on the lookout very near the travel date and its hit or miss. Becomes harder the more people you want to book for. One person may be able to get an award, but if your booking for three it becomes much tougher to keep everytone together. Business is easier to pull than First though.
yeah original plan was for next spring but found some availability in october so i pulled the trigger. CX is planning on cutting down availablity for first in general to OW partners and Alaska Air from what i hear. I think i will be able to slum it in business though :-)
Do you know when CX is making this change? I may have to go to China this month then if I can avoid the changes since I have enough AA miles for RT in first.
not 100% sure when or if it has already. I noticed even 330 days out the amount of first class availability isn't as much as it was before. Used to be pretty easy to find 5 seats in first from JFK-HKG now not so much. I am contemplating using my aviator card as my card for non category spending to see if i can upgrade last second to first if there is availability, but wondering if its worth it or not.
330 days! I'm lucky if I can book 30 days in advance. That's why I've had 125K AA points sitting in my account for years. I try to use them every time I book a vacation, but I've never been able to get good value from the points and always find something better through one of the discount sites or through a direct promotion. Cash back works best for me. Points work better for people that can plan way in advance, may like a family with children where you know exactly when the kids are out of school and plan around that.
