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Tag: chase sapphire reserve

  • Our Favorite Travel Websites

    Our Favorite Travel Websites

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]People often ask us how we get such great deals and are able to go on as many trips as we do. The truth is – there isn’t just one answer. Sometimes it’s luck when we search for a destination, other times it’s jumping on an amazing deal or error fare, and yes, there are plenty of times (like now, as we try to plan a Christmas/New Years trip to New Zealand) that we track and check flights for days, weeks, and months before deciding that we’ve gotten the best deal.

    That all being said, here are some of our favorite sites![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    1. Google Flights

    This has become a favorite of ours for a few reasons. If you don’t have a specific location in mind, you can use their map view and see different prices for all of the world without having to input individual searches. You can even pick a general length of time and month of the year if you’re schedule is wide open. If you do know the location you’re trying to get to, Google Flights has a calendar view so you can see the cheapest days to fly. Lastly, if you’re loyal to a specific airline or group of airlines (i.e. Skyteam, Southwest) you can choose to only see pricing for those specific airlines or partners.

    https://www.google.com/flights/[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

    2. ITA Matrix

    It would make sense that ITA Matrix is on our list, as it powers Google Flights. While I don’t find it as user-friendly and you can’t book a flight directly from the website, you have a lot of flexibility for more advanced searches and calendar views. Stay tuned for Toby’s upcoming blog post on how to get the most out of ITA Matrix (it saved us hundreds of dollars on Christmas flights to Vietnam in 2015!)

    https://matrix.itasoftware.com/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    3. Secret Flying

    Secret Flying became a fast favorite of mine last fall when AeroMexico had an error fare from Los Angeles, CA to Santiago, Chile for $208. The error existed on Orbitz so we had to book our flights through their website but all worked out and we had no issues – we were even given the MQD (Miles Qualification Dollars) that we would have received if we had paid $1,100 for the flight. Secret Flying is not just good for posting error fares – many times they are just posting great deals all over the world.

    Tip: If you do book an error fare, I recommend waiting a bit before booking any other travel, non-refundable accommodations, etc. While we didn’t run into any issues, I have read stories of airlines not honoring the error fare which can definitely throw a wrench in your plans.

    Tip: There are new deals everyday. I like to follow them on Facebook and every time I log on to my account I see the most recent deals at the top of my newsfeed.

    http://www.secretflying.com/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    4. Travel Pirates

    This is another one I like to follow on Facebook. The deals are all over the world and not just for flights – they’ll show you deals for hotels and vacation packages as well. This and Secret Flying are great sites to follow if you’re open to booking spontaneous trips (but not necessarily a flight that’s about to leave the next day).

    https://www.travelpirates.com/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    5. Momondo

    I’m a bit newer to using this site but they do allow you to filter by specific airlines or airline partners and have a nice calendar feature as well. It also seems like they some better deals than other sites from time to time.

    http://www.momondo.com/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    6. Fare Deal Alert

    Another website I don’t actually check, but get a daily summary email from. These flights originate from all over the country so depending on what your home airport is, they may not be worth it to you, but they usually provide 5-7 great deals on a daily basis, both domestic and international flights. This is also another one you can follow on Facebook.

    http://faredealalert.com/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    7. Chase Sapphire Reserve (or Preferred)

    Of course, this site wouldn’t apply to those that don’t have these cards, but I have had some good luck booking hotels and rental cars through this site. I have never transferred my points to an airline or hotel, rather I book the travel directly through the site. I have come across hotel listings where the price point on Chase is a bit higher than the hotel’s website (or a third party booking site) but other times Chase has a cheaper rate. And, in one instance, when renting a car at Logan Airport in Boston for a weekend in October was topping out around $300, I was able to book through Chase for $130. Bonus, of course, is being able to use your points, or a combination of points and cash.

    https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/sapphire/reserve[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]While those are our top sites, I still like checking sites like Kayak, Hotels.com, Airbnb, and Skiplagged (although I have yet to actually book something there!).

    What are your favorite sites?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Review: Chase Sapphire Reserve

    Review: Chase Sapphire Reserve

    I had been a Chase Sapphire Preferred customer for about four years when the Chase Sapphire Reserve came out. I had no complaints. The 2x points that I received for all travel-related purchases were great, the flexibility I had to use my points for travel was wonderful. So did I need to the Chase Sapphire Reserve? No. Did I want to go from a $95 annual fee to a $450 annual fee? No. But 3x the points on travel-related purchases, the $300 annual travel credit, 100K point bonus and the Priority Pass Lounge access did me in.

    So what do I think now that I’m two months in? I love it!

    $450 Annual Fee – Yes, this is a big increase from $95 a year. But if you take the $300 annual travel credit into account that’s leaves you with only a $55 difference. Plus the fact that you’ll be racking up 3x the points on travel-related purchases, resulting in more points to spend (at a better rate) in the future.

    $300 Travel Credit – I’ve heard this can get slowly credited back to you over time for small purchases, like Uber rides. However, I happened to be purchasing over $300 worth of flights soon after I received my card and by the next day the $300 travel credit had been issued to my account.

    100,000 Point Bonus – I’m one of those people who puts everything on their credit card and [almost] always pays it off that month. I see spending money through a debit card as a waste – no one is rewarding you for that! So I hit my $4,000 spend in less than 2 months and a few days later the 100,000 points were sitting in my account. Pretty sweet! I know that I won’t get this bonus every year, but the fact that this bonus points will help pay for 8 nights on my upcoming trip to Chile isn’t anything to shrug your shoulders at!

    Priority Pass – What I like about this is the flexibility (especially internationally, you usually have access to multiple lounges compared to say, one United or Delta lounge), the fact that I can bring a guest for free, or even add someone to my account for $75 a year and they can use it on their own, and that this was just an added benefit of the card – not another additional fee. Beware though – this is not automatic and you need to activate this through your Chase Account once you get your credit card. Update: I used this for the first time in November 2016 – I checked out the lounges in Los Angeles, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Manila. Log Angeles and one of the lounges in Hong Kong were definitely my favorite – but at the end of the day they all give you a little bit of a quiet escape with free snacks, meals, drinks, etc. and I can’t really complain about that!

    Rewards Flexibility – While this isn’t just limited to the Reserve card, I love the flexibility I have with using my points. I can transfer them to a number of hotel or airline partners (if it makes sense) or I can just book rewards through the Chase Rewards Portal at a 1.5 rate. This also means I’m not tied to booking at a Marriott or a Hyatt, but I could end up at any number of different boutique hotels – which can be especially important if you are traveling to a smaller town or somewhere off the beaten track. I do recommend always checking the hotel’s rates on their websites or sites like hotels.com or agoda.com as sometimes you can get a great deal and the valuation on the Chase site is not a good one.

    Chase Sapphire Preferred – What did I do with this guy? Well, I knew once I had my Reserve card I wouldn’t be using the Preferred card much anymore and it seemed silly to pay two annual fees, so I downgraded it to one of the no-fee Chase Freedom cards (rather than canceling it and affecting my credit). Make sure you do not just upgrade the Preferred to the Reserve either, or you will lose out on the 100,000 point bonus!

    In conclusion, if you’re in the market for a new card (or maybe even if you are not) I highly recommend considering the Chase Sapphire Reserve! Feel free to comment with any questions you may have and I’ll be happy to share my experience!