I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 (see first page for add'l details)

AmEx Offer

Carnival Cruise Line
Spend $1000 get 25,000 MR points
Expires 10/10/23

There's usually an equivalent cash offer ($250), I'll keep checking cards to confirm. Does anyone have the cash statement credit offer to confirm? I'm only seeing the MR points.
Which card(s) did you get this on? I don't have it on any of our accounts - we each have Personal Plat & Gold and each have an AU - none of them had it yet. I hope it shows up eventually - I have 2 carnival cruises to pay off and I've been hoping for an offer before I do!
 
Planning future travel to Europe. I think my first trip will be Switzerland and Italy. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of questions, but for now I’m stuck on this. I’ll rely on trains/buses to get around. Reading blogs, travel sites they all say pack light. Which I can probably do but can’t decide on rolling carry on or backpack. So all you experts and experienced travelers, what do you feel works better in Europe. If I go with a backpack, I’m thinking of the ebags Mother Lode Jr.
We were in Switzerland for 5 days last month. Took rolling carry on sized bags and were happy with that choice. We only used trains/buses. Yes, we rolled them over cobblestones and tram tracks. Think about whether you'll be comfortable with 15 pounds (or however much) on your back for long walks. We had smaller backpacks for the lightweight and frequent access stuff (passports, waterbottles, sunscreen, rain jacket, etc.) My 20 something daughter used a backpack for her Europe trip and was just fine, so I think either choice depending on your comfort level. But definitely pack light :)
 
I am working on my retention bonus for Amex Gold. Is buying gift cards just a no go? I need a few Disney gift cards and will buy them at shopdisney for the cute designs. Maybe $100/&150?
That’s not going to be a problem. The purchase of small, or what would be considered normal amounts of gift cards isn’t an issue. Especially 3rd party gift cards.
 
I used to book a decent amount of flights through the Amex Travel portal and no longer do so because these issues seem to be so common now. Now, I will just transfer points over to the airline and book with miles whenever possible.
This helps me decide to cancel my Biz Plats when my year is up. I haven't yet booked a flight through Amex Travel and I would rather book directly with an airline these days. It doesn't seem worth it to pay the AF for the 35% MR rebate in exchange for less peace of mind. And I'm really running out of things to buy at Dell haha.
I'm only seeing the MR points.
Same here, only MR points.
Which card(s) did you get this on? I don't have it on any of our accounts - we each have Personal Plat & Gold and each have an AU - none of them had it yet. I hope it shows up eventually - I have 2 carnival cruises to pay off and I've been hoping for an offer before I do!
I see it on P1&P2's vanilla Plats (not on either Schwab Plat), Gold (P1 but not P2), Biz Plat (one but not the other). AU has it on both Plat AU cards (the free ones) and on the Gold AU that has the offer (P1). Hope it shows up for you.
 
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We were in Switzerland for 5 days last month. Took rolling carry on sized bags and were happy with that choice. We only used trains/buses. Yes, we rolled them over cobblestones and tram tracks. Think about whether you'll be comfortable with 15 pounds (or however much) on your back for long walks. We had smaller backpacks for the lightweight and frequent access stuff (passports, waterbottles, sunscreen, rain jacket, etc.) My 20 something daughter used a backpack for her Europe trip and was just fine, so I think either choice depending on your comfort level. But definitely pack light :)
Thanks. I wish I was 20 again. That is my trepidation with a backpack. I’m not young and I have arthritis in my shoulder. I think I’m going to get a backpack, load it up and walk around the house/neighborhood. If my back/shoulder aches, then it isn’t a good solution and I’ll go with the rolling bag. I already have a day pack so all good there.
 
Jetblue has tons of direct flights to the Caribbean for very few miles comparatively. If they don't fly out of your home airports you could do a cheap flight to NY to get to jetblue. St Lucia is pretty amazing with the Pitons, or you could go more straight relaxation with Anguilla or the Virgin Islands.

Thanks! I don't ever think of JetBlue for some reason! They do fly out of CLE, so I'll take a look, thanks! Is there a way to use MR with JB?
 
We just got back from 2 weeks in Ireland in June. We took a 9:30pm flight from BOS to DUB in Aer Lingus Biz Class, arriving in DUB at 8:30am local time. We very much enjoyed the ability to get more comfortable and attempt to really sleep even if it wasn't great.

On the way back we did SNN to BOS to RDU in Economy departing at 1:30pm and arriving home at 8:30pm (1:30am Ireland time). Had a good night's sleep and was pretty much back to regular schedule.
With all this talk of luggage choices and carry-ons, I wonder if you ran into anything special with regard to flying Aer Lingus? (I remember reading somewhere they have the most strict carry-on/personal bag limits with regard to size and weight.)

Also, did you post a trip report for Ireland? l'd love to read it :)
 
This is incredible.I just checked out Virgin and there are some amazing deals-- too early to book my dates yet. I have UR that I can transfer. How long do points take to transfer? I can purchase my husbands flight together with mine using my UR points- correct? Sorry for so many questions- very new to flying on points ( except SW) Thanks so much for your help!!
Glad to be able to pay it forward! Yes, you can transfer UR and book for yourself and others. I’m not sure how long the Virgin transfer takes because I’ve never done it. Just make sure the airport fees/taxes aren’t super high on V. Sometimes they are. Hopefully, someone else here will have Virgin transfer details for you.
 
Glad to be able to pay it forward! Yes, you can transfer UR and book for yourself and others. I’m not sure how long the Virgin transfer takes because I’ve never done it. Just make sure the airport fees/taxes aren’t super high on V. Sometimes they are. Hopefully, someone else here will have Virgin transfer details for you.

Virgin transfers from UR/MR are usually instant in my experience. I have done it several times and can only remember 1 time it took 24 hrs, others were complete within minutes.

Sadly Virgins fees have gotten outta control lately, so whilst they require fewer points, there is often a hefty cash component.
 
Virgin transfers from UR/MR are usually instant in my experience. I have done it several times and can only remember 1 time it took 24 hrs, others were complete within minutes.

Sadly Virgins fees have gotten outta control lately, so whilst they require fewer points, there is often a hefty cash component.
Thanks for the info. I know we booked one last minute flight on VA and the transfer was instant, but it was right when everything shut down so my data is old. I'm looking there too since I didn't love my BA flight. Our VA flight wasn't so high in fees by comparison, but like I said my data is old now. Good to know what to expect going forward.
 
Thanks. I wish I was 20 again. That is my trepidation with a backpack. I’m not young and I have arthritis in my shoulder. I think I’m going to get a backpack, load it up and walk around the house/neighborhood. If my back/shoulder aches, then it isn’t a good solution and I’ll go with the rolling bag. I already have a day pack so all good there.
I was going to look this up first but I'll throw it out with no sources - they make rolling backpacks.

Have no ideas weight Vs regular backpack but one day I meant to look into it. Both solutions have pros and cons so I was hoping a hybrid would solve some of our issues. When it's heavy we roll it when it's not or stairs or construction/uneven ground, then we sling it on the back. But haven't looked up any reviews for comfort or durability or anything yet.
 
A couple of people mentioned Briggs and Riley luggage. Through Costco Next, there are several bags on offer at a Costco price, plus a carry on garment bag at a further discount to $399. There is also an international spinner 21 inch at $409.99, plus checked luggage and trunk style between $519.99 and $679.99.
 
Have any of you guys traveled internationally with a passport in a maiden name, after you were married and had a name change? I figure if anyone has done it, someone here has experience! I've read a lot online about it, and it says to just make sure to book the airline tickets in your maiden name also so it matches the passport. I mean, is there anyway TSA or Customs flinches at this? Can they see in the system that the person's legal name is different now? This is for a family member that would like to avoid getting a new passport until it's up for renewal in 3 years.
 

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