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frequent traveler question.

D

dasailr03

A Goddamn Sailor!
BGOL Investor
To all my frequent Traveling Fam

My job has me traveling frequently, so i'm always staying in different hotels & catching different flights. My question is other than joining the rewards programs these entities offer, is there any other way to maximize the frequent guest points? Are there ways to add to your total points?
 
Pick a hotel brand such as Hilton or holiday inn or Marriot and stay solely with them every time. Then if you have to pay up front for the hotel apply for a CC that links with that hotel brand. For instance I got a Hilton honors Amex card. So I get points for staying plus bonus points for being a diamond member. In addition to that I also get points for using my Hilton credit card. I rack up mad points for vacations haven't paid do a room in years. Do the same for airlines too if you fly frequently. Traveling for work is cool you get to see and experience things you normally wouldn't on someone else's dime. The points are a total perk..
 
dasailr03 said:
ok.. cool ima do that... how do i become a diamond member? i'll look into the credit card thingy tho
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To becomes a Diamond member with Hilton, theres a stay or nights requirement OR you can spend 40k a year on either one of the Hilton credit cards from Citi or American Express. It's much easier to hit the 40k spend for me but i don't mess with Hilton that much. I know you guys may not know about this but Hilton properties are often subpar and their points program is armed robbery. The value of those points are exponentially less than say a....Marriott (also now SPG) or a Hyatt.
NOW, if you want me to recommend a program, i'd say pick up the SPG card from Amex and here's why. Your SPG points can be transferred to Marriott rewards at a 3:1 ratio. So basically 100 SPG points is equivalent to 300 Marriot points. SPG has a host of airline programs you can transfer your points to and when you transfer at least 20k SPG points to an airline program, you get a 5k bonus. So basically, if you want to transfer 40k points to, lets say, Alaska airlines (another valuable SPG partner), its best to break it up into 2 transfers so you can reap a 10K bonus. Keep in mind Marriott and SPG (Sheraton) are now in the same bed, so you'll have an unlimited amount of choices.
Another program i'll recommend is Hyatt (not a lot of hotels though). Their program is top notch for now (they just ousted their program director, so everything is up in the air right now). Hyatt has repeatedly won best program because those points are very valuable. Apart from actual Hyatt hotels playing games with their rooms so you can redeem points, there are no confusions, you see a room available and the points you need are always the same in respect to the hotel category.
I've taken lots of free trips off points. Its a hobby for me. We'll be heading to Thailand in August off points. Anything i buy now, i make sure I'm getting points for it, so if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
 
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Oh, also, airline recommendation...Stick with Alaska or just transfer the points you earn from your SPG card to Flying Blue. If i had to give you my perfect line up, it would be....Hyatt Credit card from Chase, SPG card from Amex and the Alaska card from BOFA...Well, if you want to throw another one in, just get the Chase reserve of Chase Sapphire and thats the end of story. You don't need anything else.
 
dasailr03 said:
ok.. cool ima do that... how do i become a diamond member? i'll look into the credit card thingy tho
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Spend a little over a month in a Hilton hotel a year lol. 35 stays a year I believe it is. I've been a diamond member for 5 years and I can say they treat u like a king. Upgrades, free bottles of water, free drinks, breakfast etc etc.


I only really choose Hilton because of the amount of Hampton inns in WV, they are all over the place. Not as many Marriot and to me holiday inn's are way way behind.
 
brickdome said:
Spend a little over a month in a Hilton hotel a year lol. 35 stays a year I believe it is. I've been a diamond member for 5 years and I can say they treat u like a king. Upgrades, free bottles of water, free drinks, breakfast etc etc.


I only really choose Hilton because of the amount of Hampton inns in WV, they are all over the place. Not as many Marriot and to me holiday inn's are way way behind.
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Really? Im a Diamond member too. Im not sure which hotels you frequent or what your idea of being treated like a king is but free water and free bread isn't necessarily where its at for me. There's a different level of "Diamondship" when it comes to Hyatt.
Whenever you stay at a Park Hyatt property or Andaz, as a Diamond, you'll only get the best. Hilton will never be able to meet those standards, neither will Marriott. The only time i actually enjoy my "Gold" membership with Marriott is on my visits to JW Marriott Marquis Miami, Grosvenors House London and the Ritz Calrton Kapaluia. All my other Marriott gold and Hilton Diamond experiences have been trash. I think about it like this, if they treat Gold like this, imagine how they treat Diamonds.
 
Although I travel a lot with my job, I'm handicapped by my requirement that i cannot exceed the govt per diem rate for a given city so there is a $$$$ threshold amount I cannot cross. It varies depending on the city i'm traveling too. With that said, my choices have been between Hilton and Marriott because they are so plentiful.

So far, all the places i stayed are on point. Great rooms, comfy beds and decent breakfast. I'm currently staying in a homewood suites and they offer the equivalent of both a breakfast and a dinner (with free wines). In my book, thats a plus.

I'm just getting started on this traveling journey so i'm not in big baller status but I'd like to hear more about why you think the Marriott offers a better deal that the hilton.
 
comment101 said:
I know you guys may not know about this but Hilton properties are often subpar and their points program is armed robbery. The value of those points are exponentially less than say a....Marriott (also now SPG) or a Hyatt.
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Please expound on this comment? I'd like to know a lil bit more? From the places i've stayed both the Marriott and Hilton are about what and what so if i'm missing something enlighten me.
 
My question to the OP... does your job have a per diem? When I worked with one of the major airlines many years ago, we had a per diem and they had a special department that handled our boarding in each city we were visiting. Just wondering.
 
dasailr03 said:
Please expound on this comment? I'd like to know a lil bit more? From the places i've stayed both the Marriott and Hilton are about what and what so if i'm missing something enlighten me.
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Okay...I'll give you an example. Take a place like Conrad Maldives. A Standard reward (standard room) is 95k points and a family villa is 308k points LMAO. Park Hyatt Maldives, a standard room is 25k points. The Hyatt credit card from chase comes with 2 free nights at any Hyatt hotel. I used my 2 free nights a Park Hyatt Paris. Hilton Surpass gives you no free nights. Hilton reserve gives you a free night after you spend 10k every calendar year...I hope you catch my drift....You have to spend more at Hilton's to make up for the value you'll get at Hyatt.
 
comment101 said:
Really? Im a Diamond member too. Im not sure which hotels you frequent or what your idea of being treated like a king is but free water and free bread isn't necessarily where its at for me. There's a different level of "Diamondship" when it comes to Hyatt.
Whenever you stay at a Park Hyatt property or Andaz, as a Diamond, you'll only get the best. Hilton will never be able to meet those standards, neither will Marriott. The only time i actually enjoy my "Gold" membership with Marriott is on my visits to JW Marriott Marquis Miami, Grosvenors House London and the Ritz Calrton Kapaluia. All my other Marriott gold and Hilton Diamond experiences have been trash. I think about it like this, if they treat Gold like this, imagine how they treat Diamonds.
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El conquestodor San Juan, Roosevelt New Orleans etc etc. I stay my fair share in Marriot hotels as well. For me the number of Hilton hotels where I need to be are the reason why I choose to mainly stay with them.
 
Race Harley said:
My question to the OP... does your job have a per diem? When I worked with one of the major airlines many years ago, we had a per diem and they had a special department that handled our boarding in each city we were visiting. Just wondering.
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Yes..i work for TRUMP aka the govment!! lol
 
brickdome said:
El conquestodor San Juan, Roosevelt New Orleans etc etc. I stay my fair share in Marriot hotels as well. For me the number of Hilton hotels where I need to be are the reason why I choose to mainly stay with them.
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Oh i see...Makes sense. I usually just travel for leisure. Never really work related.
 
comment101 said:
Oh i see...Makes sense. I usually just travel for leisure. Never really work related.
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But you right tho I was oblivious to the whole points thing until my boss put me on it. Haven't paid for a vacation since....

Also man you killing the Hilton honors program they have a promotion for triple points for two months I believe lol..
 
comment101 said:
Really? Im a Diamond member too. Im not sure which hotels you frequent or what your idea of being treated like a king is but free water and free bread isn't necessarily where its at for me. There's a different level of "Diamondship" when it comes to Hyatt.
Whenever you stay at a Park Hyatt property or Andaz, as a Diamond, you'll only get the best. Hilton will never be able to meet those standards, neither will Marriott. The only time i actually enjoy my "Gold" membership with Marriott is on my visits to JW Marriott Marquis Miami, Grosvenors House London and the Ritz Calrton Kapaluia. All my other Marriott gold and Hilton Diamond experiences have been trash. I think about it like this, if they treat Gold like this, imagine how they treat Diamonds.
Click to expand...
OH really? Which luxury brand of Hilton have you stayed in?
 
brickdome said:
But you right tho I was oblivious to the whole points thing until my boss put me on it. Haven't paid for a vacation since....

Also man you killing the Hilton honors program they have a promotion for triple points for two months I believe lol..
Click to expand...

Yeah man...I pay the bare minimum. Im sorry man, their program is complete trash. Their triple points don't amount to anything because the points required for an award night is so DAMN HIGH. Here's an example man....I stayed at the Condado Hilton last year and at the time, it was 50k point per night. It was also a cat 6 hotel (hotel has like up to a category 20 to make it confusing for customers). Needless to say, i complained (yeah i know it makes me seem like a cry baby) so much that they moved us to a junior suite. The junior suite was also trash. Broken things everywhere. I found it hilarious that everyone else seemed okay with getting terrible service. I hate that place with a passion. Same with Hilton Midtown NYC and lots of others man..
 
Chase Sapphire and the Southwest Premier Chase Credit card(since I mostly fly southwest) come in clutch for me. Plus the no foreign transaction fees. BOA cash rewards and Cap 1 quicksilver also have no foreign transaction fees. But the top 2 are great for travel points.
 
Famous1 said:
OH really? Which luxury brand of Hilton have you stayed in?
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Well off the top of my head, i remember staying at the Rome Cavaleri late last year and Conrad Miami in June of last year....Actually, to be completely honest, The Cavaleri was actually pretty nice. They just kept fucking up my room service order.
 
If you know you gonna be hitting a few spots in a 2-3 month time a quick way to status is asking for a status challenge or status match. Different hotels and airlines do it for new customers and they run for various periods. You can call or email the whichever loyalty group you want to expedite and ask if they are running a challenge cuz you are switching from another spot. I got to platinum on SPG cuz I was doing a lot of traveling in a short window so you mad points plus quick status.
 
comment101 said:
Yeah man...I pay the bare minimum. Im sorry man, their program is complete trash. Their triple points don't amount to anything because the points required for an award night is so DAMN HIGH. Here's an example man....I stayed at the Condado Hilton last year and at the time, it was 50k point per night. It was also a cat 6 hotel (hotel has like up to a category 20 to make it confusing for customers). Needless to say, i complained (yeah i know it makes me seem like a cry baby) so much that they moved us to a junior suite. The junior suite was also trash. Broken things everywhere. I found it hilarious that everyone else seemed okay with getting terrible service. I hate that place with a passion. Same with Hilton Midtown NYC and lots of others man..
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That's mad funny, I was going to stay there last year but read the reviews haha. A lot of the San Juan properties are old and out of date.
 
brickdome said:
That's mad funny, I was going to stay there last year but read the reviews haha. A lot of the San Juan properties are old and out of date.
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They completely ruined my vacation. I spent a week a Sheraton San Juan (no, not the Sheraton in Old San Juan, i hate that place) and then spent another week at Condado Hilton. I never hated Puerto Rico so much all the times i've been there. I only take time to review properties i visit that are exceptionally good or exceptionally bad on TripAdvisor, so i decided to review them and add pictures so some people won't end up wasting their time. And i guess you're right. There are about 3 other Hilton properties around the Condado Hilton. They are all equally as horrible as the Condado Hilton.
 
comment101 said:
They completely ruined my vacation. I spent a week a Sheraton San Juan (no, not the Sheraton in Old San Juan, i hate that place) and then spent another week at Condado Hilton. I never hated Puerto Rico so much all the times i've been there. I only take time to review properties i visit that are exceptionally good or exceptionally bad on TripAdvisor, so i decided to review them and add pictures so some people won't end up wasting their time. And i guess you're right. There are about 3 other Hilton properties around the Condado Hilton. They are all equally as horrible as the Condado Hilton.
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Yep I love San Juan actually getting married at the el con this October. Have you ever been there? It's stunning man. Never seen anything like it
 
Since your compny pays for the hotels, the more important thing for me would be to use the airport lounges, in which case, I would apply for the Amex platinum card.
 
jagu said:
Since your compny pays for the hotels, the more important thing for me would be to use the airport lounges, in which case, I would apply for the Amex platinum card.
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Yeah true...Lounges the Plat cover are becoming fewer and fewer. I believe Delta bolted their Sky Club from the Plat last year and made it only for their Delta reserve card, no?
Citi Prestige just lost AA lounge. Chase Ritz Carlton card and Sapphire reserve are also lacking. Good lounge cards are becoming fewer than the dozen as the years go by.
 
comment101 said:
Yeah true...Lounges the Plat cover are becoming fewer and fewer. I believe Delta bolted their Sky Club from the Plat last year and made it only for their Delta reserve card, no?
Citi Prestige just lost AA lounge. Chase Ritz Carlton card and Sapphire reserve are also lacking. Good lounge cards are becoming fewer than the dozen as the years go by.
Click to expand...
Delta still lets AMex Plat use their lounges. I used it in Atlanta and Miami last week. I also used Priority Pass lounges through Amex Plat for me and my wife in London last week. It was amazing getting into all these nice lounges and eating and drinking their shit for free.
 
jagu said:
Delta still lets AMex Plat use their lounges. I used it in Atlanta and Miami last week. I also used Priority Pass lounges through Amex Plat for me and my wife in London last week. It was amazing getting into all these nice lounges and eating and drinking their shit for free.
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Yeah the priority pass is nice. Its a full pass too for the Plat, not the one where you have to pay $50 for an additional member. I had the Plat last year. Didn't have full use for it. Had to dropped it. Just dropped my Prestige today and went with the Thank You Preferred instead. You're right! Those lounges can be a life saver when you have a long transit time. I haven't really had a chance to frequent any nice lounges because i usually book direct and get to the airport late LOL. I've missed about 12 flights so far....smh.

BTW, if any one ever goes to AMS airport, the cut of time for checkin is 3omins before, not the original 45mins.
 
UNDERRATED TSA Pre Check.....

Not sure if you are aware but if you buy your ticket and someone else s at the same time they also get pre check.
 
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