OT Vacation Deals

[SlyPokerDog]

Who or what do you use when booking a vacation?

Seems like there are a ton of deals out there right now.

I'm looking at the Riu Palace for 7 nights in Playa Del Carmen for $700 including airfare. Using a combination of credit card points and cash to get that price.

Seems like until the majority of the population gets the vaccine vacations are cheap right now.

But... I might be missing out on even better deals and nicer places.

So who do you use? Travel agent? Costco? Southwest Airlines Vacations?

Costco normally has good deals but right now they're more expensive than others.

I've gotten emails from Travel Zoo for years but all of their deals use other places to book the trips and that always makes be suspicious.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Last year we booked our trip to Rome via Orbitz.

RT for 2 via British Airways, airport transfers and 4 nights for like 1500 total. Seemed like a good deal, hotel was great and awesome location.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Last year we booked our trip to Rome via Orbitz.

RT for 2 via British Airways, airport transfers and 4 nights for like 1500 total. Seemed like a good deal, hotel was great and awesome location.

you went all that way for 4 nights?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I use Google flights to scan flight prices. Put in the dates you want, it shows you prices for flights to basically anywhere.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

you went all that way for 4 nights?

Yup. Had the time off and basically did the trip to propose.

Shes never been international other than Mexico so YOLO.

We also did a daytrip to Venice for Carnival.

I fit a lot in. I do a lot of quick trips, tight schedules.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

you went all that way for 4 nights?

That's what I was thinking.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

That's what I was thinking.

We got there 10pm too, so that was one night. Not a big deal, beat going to Hawaii for the time allotted.

If time and restrictions allow, I'd like to do a quick eurotrip this winter to check out Christmas markets.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/travel...taypeople-will-go-out-of-business-11613912401

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Air France often has some solid deals to Europe, FYI. The family flew there for like $900 round trip ($300 per person) in advance of my work trip last year.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Who are your points with? I have 110k Chase points and Fiance has 80k Capitol One venture points.

I've been thinking of signing up with a new card just for introductory points but the deals don't seem that good right now.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

We got there 10pm too, so that was one night. Not a big deal, beat going to Hawaii for the time allotted.

If time and restrictions allow, I'd like to do a quick eurotrip this winter to check out Christmas markets.

Oh definitely cheaper to visit Europe than Hawaii but at least double the transit time to Europe.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Oh definitely cheaper to visit Europe than Hawaii but at least double the transit time to Europe.

Yeah, looking back it's good we did it, because the world shut down after that. Carnival actually shut down like 3 days after we left as it was one of the first major Covid outbreaks.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Who are your points with? I have 110k Chase points and Fiance has 80k Capitol One venture points.

I've been thinking of signing up with a new card just for introductory points but the deals don't seem that good right now.

I’m with Chase United. 200K points at the moment. I book and pay with my card much more heavily during rewards promos.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I’m with Chase United. 200K points at the moment. I book and pay with my card much more heavily during rewards promos.

I hate United. The perks with that card are good though. Do you get United points or Ultimate rewards?

I used my mom's lounge pass to get into the lounge at Heathrow before it was awesome (they only let the cardholder use them now though)

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Who are your points with? I have 110k Chase points and Fiance has 80k Capitol One venture points.

I've been thinking of signing up with a new card just for introductory points but the deals don't seem that good right now.

LOL! We've got 112K with Chase and 90K with the Southwest Airlines Card. What's nice is the SW card is administered by Chase so you can move your points from card to card.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

LOL! We've got 112K with Chase and 90K with the Southwest Airlines Card. What's nice is the SW card is administered by Chase so you can move your points from card to card.

I may get a SWA card when they give you companion fares again.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I’m with Chase United. 200K points at the moment. I book and pay with my card much more heavily during rewards promos.

You should see if you can transfer your United points to a different Chase card.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

I hate United. The perks with that card are good though. Do you get United points or Ultimate rewards?

I used my mom's lounge pass to get into the lounge at Heathrow before it was awesome (they only let the cardholder use them now though)

I’m not a big United fan, either. There was a point I wasn’t traveling much for work. I wasn’t worried about my mileage and point. Then, I started traveling a bunch on company trips and they’d have us all on United. I was even able to go back in time to recover some potential miles. All of a sudden, I had a ton of miles. So I opened a card. Ended up with like an extra 90k in points. My last two flights home from Hawaii had the wife and I upgraded to First Class.

I missed a United flight, totally my own fault, and they got me on the next flight and didn’t charge me a penny.

Alaska was always my go-to airline, but the last three times I’ve flown with them, they’ve totally fucked up or screwed me over one way or another. Cost a bit of money. Nobody I know has had the level of issues with them that I have, and I understand that. But they can pound sand now.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Anyone have a timeshare? I used to know a lady with 3 weeks a year with one of the companies and she would sell me one of her weeks for $200. Stayed at some nice places in Cabo and Cancun that way.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

You should see if you can transfer your United points to a different Chase card.

why?

I’m open to suggestions. Just asking.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Anyone have a timeshare? I used to know a lady with 3 weeks a year with one of the companies and she would sell me one of her weeks for $200. Stayed at some nice places in Cabo and Cancun that way.

we’re buying a house in Hilo. Not a timeshare. But you can put it into this website to trade as a timeshare. You’re pretty well vetted before you can be part of it. Planning to trade a bit.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I’m not a big United fan, either. There was a point I wasn’t traveling much for work. I wasn’t worried about my mileage and point. Then, I started traveling a bunch on company trips and they’d have us all on United. I was even able to go back in time to recover some potential miles. All of a sudden, I had a ton of miles. So I opened a card. Ended up with like an extra 90k in points. My last two flights home from Hawaii had the wife and I upgraded to First Class.

I missed a United flight, totally my own fault, and they got me on the next flight and didn’t charge me a penny.

Alaska was always my go-to airline, but the last three times I’ve flown with them, they’ve totally fucked up or screwed me over one way or another. Cost a bit of money. Nobody I know has had the level of issues with them that I have, and I understand that. But they can pound sand now.

I remember years ago getting a Alaska Air card and one of their sign on bonuses was 1st class upgrades. 1st class on Alaska is very underwhelming.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Anyone have a timeshare? I used to know a lady with 3 weeks a year with one of the companies and she would sell me one of her weeks for $200. Stayed at some nice places in Cabo and Cancun that way.

I would never buy one.

Oh God no.

Buddy had one in Cabo and it was very cool, right next to the Me Hotel. Stayed there for free

 

[SlyPokerDog]

why?

I’m open to suggestions. Just asking.

It opens you to more airline and vacation options outside of United. Also with the sign up bonuses you would have even more points.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

we’re buying a house in Hilo.

Yeah! Party at BG's Hawaii house!

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

I would never buy one.

Oh God no.

buying them on the secondary market ain’t bad. You guys buy ones on the secondary market for like $2-4k that might cost $40k to sign up with the actual company. It’s actually a decent investment. I’d never buy direct from the actual companies though.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

buying them on the secondary market ain’t bad. You guys buy ones on the secondary market for like $2-4k that might cost $40k to sign up with the actual company. It’s actually a decent investment. I’d never buy direct from the actual companies though.

Too much effort, I'll just book a hotel

Time share people are creepy

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Yeah! Party at BG's Hawaii house!

If I don’t make it rain, your Mother (Nature) will!!

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Too much effort, I'll just book a hotel

Time share people are creepy

you kids are so goddamn lazy these days (I say that as if we’re not the same age).

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I would never buy one.

Oh God no.

Buddy had one in Cabo and it was very cool, right next to the Me Hotel. Stayed there for free

I would never get one either but picking up weeks for cheap was nice. The only problem is if you stayed at an all inclusive you couldn't use it unless you paid an additional fee which was really high for cheap free food. We'd just cook in the room or go to restaurants.