Bolt on Points

Archives for November 2019

What’s in my wallet

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Throughout the years, the one question I’ve been asked consistently is how Leigh and travel like we do. Beyond the fact that we’re both lucky to have great jobs that allow for a good amount of flexibility, the primary method is simply using points. It used to be that I earned most (and a lot) of my points through actually traveling for work, but nowadays, that’s not so true…at least with airlines. As loyalty programs have (d)evolved, I’ve found myself relying more and more on credit card sign-up bonuses and spend. The question is: where to start?

My strategy

My view is that you should concentrate enough miles and points in at least two programs and/or in flexible currency. Why two? Because that it provides more opportunities for award space. For example, you may find plenty of award space TO Europe on oneworld via American Airlines, but you literally can’t find anything to get home. If you have United miles, then you’ve just increased your odds of getting home on a Star Alliance carrier

Further, having points in more currencies is great for open jaw itineraries. An open jaw is an itinerary where you go into city A and go out of city B, with no booked connection between the two. Example: you want to fly from Atlanta to London, then a few days later, take the Chunnel to Paris and fly out from there back to Atlanta. In this example, you might be able to find British Airways/oneworld award space there and Air France/Sky Team award space coming home just due to the fact you’re traveling in and out of different airline hubs.

Through spend, travel, and signup bonuses, I always try to keep enough points in each of my frequent flier accounts to cover a one-way business class ticket. Leigh has several of the same cards as me, and that’s her strategy as well. If we find that award space has opened up when we need it, we book it.

Transferrable currency

I used to only hoard American miles because that was who I was loyal to and certainly that’s all I could ever need. The issue I consistently found is that I could never find the award space I needed, when I needed it, on both legs. While I’m no longer solely loyal to American, I’ve also changed my strategy. I still have miles with American, and I have miles with United, and Alaska, and Virgin Atlantic, and a few with Delta. I also have Chase Ultimate Rewards Points and American Express Membership Rewards, both of which transfer to a myriad of partners.

Both Chase and American Express allow you to use points to book flights directly. This is a great option for those who are less flush on cash or just want to save some money. Further, you still earn frequent flyer miles (elite-qualifying too) on the flight itself, which can be a huge boon if you find a great deal!

You can also transfer miles to a myriad of partners for both Chase and American Express:

Current American Express transfer partners:

  • Aer Lingus
  • AeroMexico
  • Aeroplan
  • Air France/KLM 
  • Alitalia
  • ANA
  • Avianca
  • British Airways
  • Cathay Pacific 
  • Delta
  • El Al
  • Emirates
  • Etihad
  • Hawaiian 
  • Iberia
  • JetBlue
  • Qantas
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic 
  • IHG Rewards Club
  • Hilton Honors
  • Marriott Bonvoy

Current Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer partners:

  • Aer Lingus
  • AerClub
  • Air France/KLM Flying Blue
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Emirates Skywards
  • JetBlue TrueBlue
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • United MileagePlus
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
  • Iberia Plus
  • World of Hyatt
  • IHG Rewards Club
  • Marriott Bonvoy

Always confirm that the award space is available BEFORE transferring your points to a frequent flyer program. Most transfers are instant, so it’s not like you’ll need to wait any considerable length of time to book.

Going all-in with an airline

If you’re an elite with a particular airline, I certainly think it’s not a bad idea to add to the stash if you can do so through a co-branded credit card. While the Big 3’s domestic airline clubs aren’t the Cathay Pacific The Pier lounge by any means, credit cards that include lounge access can be a good option depending on your travel patterns and home airport. Lounge access can also be a lifesaver when operations go sideways.

Personally, I’m awaiting my renewal date for my American Airlines Executive Card renewal next year to cancel/downgrade before I sign-up for another lounge card (like the United Explorer card). I already have Centurion Lounge Access through my American Express Platinum Card, and I also have Priority Pass through my Chase Sapphire Reserve. The one thing to note about non-airline lounges/dining options is that they can’t help you when your flight is canceled or delayed. I’ve had many instances where the “AAngels” in the Admirals Club saved my ass due to some unforeseen operational issue.

There are some other cards that can be rewarding for those trying to focus points in their program of choice due to status. The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card has better everyday earning than any of the United cards, and United is a transfer partner of Chase. The American Express Gold Card has better earning on dining and grocery stores than any of the Delta cards, and since Membership Rewards are a transfer partner to Delta, this could be a great add-on card. As for American, there are no transferable currencies to the AAdvantage program. The closest you’ll get is British Airways (through any of the major currencies), however American has cracked down in recent years when it comes to using Avios to book, then entering your American frequent flyer number in order to secure benefits.

A couple of points on financial responsibility. First, Leigh and I don’t carry balances and neither should you. The only way these cards work for the consumer is by not paying interest, so pay your balance in full every month, or travel by way of credit card isn’t for you at this point. The other thing I’ll say is around the annual fees. You’ll notice that I have a lot of cards with fees, however many of them offer credits that offset them. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve fee is $450, but it comes with an annual $300 travel credit, effectively brining the fee down to $150, which is a great deal considering the benefits. Each person should weigh the benefits for their own situation and make a call whether it’s worth it. Personally, I keep track of all the annual fees we’re paying, along with a spreadsheet outlining the benefits of each card to ensure we’re getting our money’s worth.

Okay, so enough with the talking, what do I have in my wallet?

  • American Express Platinum Card
  • American Express Gold Card 
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve
  • American Airlines Executive Club World Elite MasterCard
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless American Express (formerly SPG Luxury Card)
  • Hilton Surpass Card from American Express

The Amex Platinum and American card I use almost solely for lounge access. The great thing about the


American Express Platinum Card

Centurion Lounge SFO / Image courtesy of American Express

The Platinum Card has become synonymous with luxe travel, and while that’s true, it’s not the most rewarding everyday card. Other than the Centurion Lounge access, this is not a card I use often and don’t see that changing any time soon. You do earn 5x points when booking flights directly with Amex. With SFO being my home airport and United now my primary airline, I get a great deal of benefit from my access, so the card is an overall keep for me. There are other good reasons to keep the card:

  • Centurion Lounge Access
  • $200 annual Uber Credit
  • $200 annual airline credit
  • Priority Pass (restaurants now excluded)
  • TSA Pre Check/Global Entry statement credit

American Express Gold Card

The Gold card changed pretty significantly last year. The annual fee increased from $195 to $250, and with that came 4x earning on restaurants and grocery stores, which was a game changer in my opinion, since no other card offered any bonus at all at grocery stores, and 4x at restaurants is now industry leading. In addition, cardholders can expect to get:

  • $100 annual airline fee credit
  • $120 annual restaurant credit
  • 4x earning at grocery stores and restaurants

Chase Sapphire Reserve

This is my go-to card. It is all around the most solid card on the market. Chase also doesn’t make you jump through hoops to use some of the benefits (like the Amex airline credit). It also comes with an unrestricted Priority Pass membership, meaning that unlike Amex Priority Pass memberships, you can still use them at airport restaurants. The $300 travel credit is broad, meaning that everything from Uber credits, to dining, to flights are included, effectively bringing the annual fee down to $150. Chase Points are some of the most valuable out there, and with the CSR, cardholders get 1.5 cents in value per point, so they go further when booking flights directly in the Chase travel portal.

  • $300 annual “travel” credit
  • Priority Pass membership (includes restaurants)
  • 3x points on all travel and dining spend
  • Trip Insurance up to $10,000 per person or $20,000 per trip

American Airlines Executive World Elite Mastercard

Image courtesy of American Airlines

This was my first premium card; I’ve had it since 2014. The $450 annual fee gets you access to the Admiral’s Club when flying American, onworld, or Alaska Airlines. The fee is also cheaper than buying membership outright, which starts at $575. The other great thing about this card (for now) is that you can add authorized users for free, which also gets them plus 2 into the lounge. For $450, you can get you + 33 additional people into Admirals Clubs (with the above access rules)! I’ve added my parents, brother, and in-laws to my account and it’s absolutely helped steer some business American’s direction.

  • Admirals Club access when flying American, Alaska, or oneworld airlines
  • TSA Pre Check/Global Entry statement credit
  • Waived check bag fees and priority boarding on American flights
  • 25% back on in-flight and Admirals Club purchases

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express

This is my newest card, as I just upgraded from the Marriott Bonvoy card (formerly SPG card). The old card (which is no longer accepting applications) had a $95 fee and gets you an annual free night certificate at any Category 5 or lower (35k points/night). The Boundless Card (formerly SPG Luxury card), has an annual fee of $450, but gets you a free night at a Category 6 hotel (up to 50k points/night). Other benefits that bring the annual fee way down are:

  • $300 Marriott property credit, including room rates
  • Annual free night certificate, up to 50k points (Category 5)
  • Complementary Gold Status

Hilton Surpass American Express

I got this card a few years ago for the signup bonus and the annual free night, though now it’s not one I use. The Hilton annual free night certificate can be used at any property on a standard room as long as it’s the weekend. With some properties – like the Waldorf Astoria Cabo, which tends to go for over $1,000/120,000 points a night – using the certificate can be a killer deal. The only caveat is the card now requires $15,000 annual spend in order to earn the certificate, which leads me to say that I think the better card is the Hilton Aspire Card.

  • Complementary Gold Status
  • Free weekend night award at any property, after $15k in spend on the card

Leigh’s cards (that are different than mine)

Hilton Aspire American Express

Hilton Cabo

Leigh has the Aspire card and we’ve gotten a lot of benefit out of it. The fee is $450, but the benefits far outweigh the cost, not to mention the card gets you Diamond status. It also earns an annual free weekend night certificate, which you can use at any property in the world. Considering there are some hotels that go for close to $1k/night, you can get some serious value out of it! In addition to the free night, you also earn:

  • $150 Hilton resort credit
  • $250 annual airline credit
  • Diamond status

Chase Ink Business Preferred

At 80k Ultimate Rewards points, the Ink Business preferred card has one of the best sign-up bonuses out there (after $5000 in purchases in the first 90 days). I’d peg Chase Ultimate Rewards as being worth 2.2 cents each, giving you a value of $1760! This card is able to fill some gaps that other cards don’t, such as:

  • 3x points on the first $150,000 in spend on travel and dining
  • 3x points on internet and phone services
  • Complimentary cell phone protection
  • In conjunction with the Sapphire Reserve, those 80k points can go 50% further

Final words

So now that you know what I have in my wallet, you might be wondering what I’m looking to get next. For me, I’m looking to get the Chase Ink Business card, because frankly you can never have enough Ultimate Rewards points. In addition, I’m also targeting the American Airlines Aviator Barclays business card. The American Airlines Barclay card has an excellent sign-up bonus of 65,000 miles after $1000 in spend, plus another 10,000 miles after an authorized employee makes a purchase, giving a total sign-up bonus of 75,000 miles. At 1.2 cents each, that’s $900 worth of points, however there are redemptions that will easily earn you more than that value. For instance, a one-way award to Africa or the Middle East in Qatar’s incredible Q-Suite is 75,000 Aadvantage miles. A great redemption! And because they’re both business cards, they don’t count against you for Chase’s 5/24 rule.

Do you plan on getting any of the cards above?

A Suite Honeymoon: Qatar Q-Suite review

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Aircraft: 77W / 777-300ER
Route: Chicago (ORD) – Doha (DOH)
Seat: 9E and 9F
Cost per person: 75K AAdvantage miles

Africa is not an easy place to get to from North America. Though we’re starting to see more direct flights to Africa from the US, most still seem to connect in Europe, which is exacerbated by airline alliance loyalty/miles. For instance, most oneworld routings take you through London on British Airways, and many Star Alliance flights will take you through Frankfurt, and most SkyTeam routings will take you through Paris or Amsterdam. None of which are exactly “on the way”, depending on how far south you’re going.

Well, one of the best ways to get from North America to Africa on points is on Qatar, connecting in the Middle East. American charges 70k miles for business class from the US to the Middle East, and another 5k to get to Africa (American has some pretty poor routing rules, but they do permit connecting to Africa and the Indian subcontinent via Qatar, breaking the third region rule).

This flight was for our honeymoon, and our routing was Savannah – Seychelles. Initially, we were routing through Philadelphia, but that was on the A350-900, which didn’t have the Q-Suites. Since American allows unlimited changes to awards, I kept looking using British Airways website for one of the Q Suite routes, which at the time included:

  • Chicago
  • Houston
  • New York JFK
  • Washington Dulles
  • Los Angeles

Low and behold, space opened up on the Chicago route. I called the Executive Platinum Desk, who was able to rebook my flight in about 15 minutes.

Tip: For couples, you’ll want to select odd numbered (rear-facing) seats in order to take advantage of the double bed feature. For those traveling solo, stick with odd numbered window seats or even numbered rows in the middle.

Day of travel experience

Our entire itinerary was going from Savannah, where our wedding took place, to Charlotte, the onto Chicago – Doha – Seychelles. Sadly, American doesn’t offer a direct flight to Savannah/Hilton Head Airport (SAV), so we were forced to do the Charlotte connection.

Savannah’s airport is quaint and easy to navigate, and is only about 20 minutes from downtown. After some initial drama getting the house car at our hotel to take us, we ended up in the worst Uber we’ve ever had (it did NOT include seatbelts). Anyway, we arrived with plenty of time, but exhausted from celebrating our marriage with my parents the night before. My parents honestly party harder than we do (and we’re not exactly slouches)!

Savannah’s airport is quaint and easy to navigate, and is only about 20 minutes from downtown. After some initial drama getting the house car at our hotel to take us, we ended up in the worst Uber we’ve ever had (it did NOT include seatbelts). Anyway, we arrived with plenty of time, but exhausted from celebrating our marriage with my parents the night before. My parents honestly party harder than we do (and we’re not exactly slouches)!

Lucky for us, Charlotte had a Minute Suites, and we were able to use Priority Pass to enter for free (for an hour). I can’t tell you how much of a lifesaver this was. We wanted to be fresh for our Qatar flight, so the nap really hit the spot. It also happens to be next to a Chick-Fil-A. 😉

After another uneventful flight, we arrived in Chicago. We came into concourse H/K, where American has a Flagship Lounge. Having flown through Chicago dozens of times over the last several years and taken the elevator past the Flagship Lounge (the regular Admiral’s Club is on 3, and the FS Lounge is on 2), I was excited to finally see the space.

The views are essentially the same as the regular lounge, but they do have much better food and drink options. I didn’t take many pictures, but there are plenty of reviews out there. Like here.

The way the Chicago O’Hare is divided is really not the easiest to navigate if you’re connecting onward via the international terminal. For American connections, that means taking a bus from the end of concourse H. The bus schedule is kind of, sort of fixed, so you really do need to allow yourself some extra time in the event you miss it and need to take the next one. You’ll need to show the agent at the podium your boarding pass, after which they’ll give you lamented “ticket”, which they’ll collect from you after you get off the bus at the terminal. We just barely missed the one we wanted to take, so we waited around for another 15 minutes. The bus ride itself took about 10 minutes. All-in-all, the process of getting from the American terminal to the international one took about 30-45 minutes.

Once in the international terminal, we actually still had some time to kill, so we headed to the British Airways First Class lounge, where we were turned away due to capacity. As a oneworld Emerald, I’m entitled access to oneworld first class lounges with one guest (who also must be flying on a oneworld flight). Disappointed, we walked over to the Air France lounge where Priority Pass would again come in handy (thanks to my Chase Sapphire Reserve and/or American Express Platinum cards). The lounge was forgettable, but did have some pretty good wine options, along with a cooler full of ice cream! My only complaint about the lounge isn’t about the food or drink, but rather the fact that it faces west, and in the afternoon, essentially becomes a sun room. The temperature must’ve been 80+ degrees! The ice cream treats managed to cool us down!

Onboard experience

The boarding process was chaotic. We checked in with the gate prior to walking to the lounge, and they said boarding would start in 45 minutes. Well, it started much earlier than that, and there was a long queue to search and approve carry-on bags. Each passenger was required to get a Qatar bag pass in order to board. We were frustrated since we’d just been at the gate 45 minutes prior and they made no mention of it.

We finally boarded, and we were still one of the first business class customers on board. Upon entering the plane, I was speechless. I’ve never been so blown away by an airline product than I was entering the business class cabin. The finishes were modern and sleek, but tasteful. The Q Suites were just gorgeous. I remember telling Leigh “I can’t believe this is BUSINESS class!”

With each seat being a fully enclosed suite, it clearly offers a lot of privacy. The seat also offers more than ample storage, power outlets, and USB chargers.

At each seat was a pillow and the softest blanket I’ve ever used. Seriously – this is the kind of blanket you want on your couch at home! I was also impressed by the amenity kit, which included Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio products (lip balm, face mist, lotion), an eye mask, socks, and ear plugs. Toothbrushes and mouthwash were not included since those are well-stocked in the lavortories, which I came to appreciate mid-flight. Normally I’m searching for the amenity kit or I forget it and need to go back to my seat, so having a toothbrush there without needing to think about it was great.

Within a few minutes, we were both warmly greeted by the Qatar staff, offered a menu and a drink. We both chose the sparkling rose (Dappier Brut Rosé de Saignée), which hit the spot (for our tastes, that means not too sweet).

The Q Suite

I’d always heard how good Qatar’s soft product is, and boy, this flight didn’t disappoint. Every interaction was genuine, hospitable, and friendly. I never felt like I was bothering them, which I do many time on US-based airlines, even in premium cabin. Case in point, there was an incident where all of the power stopped working at my seat (yes, everything except the TV), and the FA working (Jamie), couldn’t have been more helpful or apologetic. The power failure meant my seat needed to be reclined and lifted manually, which he did without hesitation. He offered to move us, but we would then lose our connecting seats. Since I was just lounging at this point anyway, I had the seat adjusted for it and just opted to stay put. Plus Leigh was very comfortable and I couldn’t justify having to move ourselves and our belongings.

The food was the best I’ve had on a plane to that point. I had the steak and it was cooked perfectly, while Leigh had the salmon. She really enjoyed her dish as well. I didn’t get pictures of the mains because I was too busy enjoying everything.

Of course we couldn’t resist ordering snacks throughout the flight. We had the lobster mac and cheese, octopus, and the panini. All were really good, but the mac and cheese was the star. Shocker, I know!

The pictures of the food aren’t great, but trust me, it was good.

Somewhere over eastern Europe, Jamie came out with a beautiful dessert, and the plate had “Enjoy Your Honeymoon” written in chocolate. Wow!  

Of the 15-hour flight, Leigh and I both slept about 7 hours, which was prefect, because we wanted to do the Doha city tour when we arrived.

Doha Airport and city tour

We arrived into Doha, and within about 15 minutes, were off the plane and into the main terminal. With Doha being the only airport in the country, there are no domestic flights, so you basically just walk off the plane. The airport is model airport of efficiency, and of course there’s the giant teddy bear!

One of the unique things about Qatar is that they offer city tours since a lot of people end up with long layovers. We knew we wanted to do the tour since we’d never been to the Middle East. After deplaning, we went straight to the city tour desk, which is located in the main atrium. The tours cost about $10 USD and leave every few hours.

After killing some time walking the airport, we met at the tour desk about 15 minutes before scheduled departure. They then led us through immigration, which took a surprisingly long amount of time, thanks to yours truly. For some reason, my passport would not scan, and I ended up holding up the tour group of 40 people. Finally, I was through and we stepped outside into the Middle East sauna, which hit me like a hot blanket. Thankfully, the bus was ice cold and we were off shortly thereafter. Our first stop was a market where we could buy pretty much whatever you might want. While much of it was very interesting – fruits, spices, coffee, tea – there was a dark side. There was a fairly large contingency of men selling animals, many of which I’m sure came from poachers.

Doha market
Doha market
Making new friends
Doha at night

We made a couple of additional stops, then headed back to the airport.

Doha International Airport
Doha International Airport

As soon as we got back to the airport, we went straight to the Al Mourjan Business Class lounge to take showers to wash off the sweat from the heat. Although I’m oneworld Emerald, I was not given access to the first class lounge due to Qatar Airways’ policy. While I think Qatar adds more to oneworld than it takes (and the airline industry in general), it’s frustrating that they’ve created a “faux first class lounge” in order to skirt oneworld’s rules. Qatar CEO Al Baker has a history of railing against US carriers, and this is probably just another shot at them. With that said, since our trip, Qatar has started selling access to the first-class Al Safwa Lounge for $165/pp, regardless of cabin, which can be a good deal if your layover is long enough. For two people, $330 is hard to justify.

Al Mourjan Business Class lounge
Al Mourjan Business Class lounge
Al Mourjan Business Class lounge
The “deli”
Deli menu

Having had some Arabaic coffee on our tour, followed by a shower in the lounge, we were wide awake. We decided to have some wine and food. The lounge is a little confusing, as there’s a “deli” on the main level, which is where we were immediately drawn. The food turned out to be lackluster, and it wasn’t until asking someone, that we learned that there was an entire restaurant upstairs!

The buffet was certainly not the most impressive that I’ve ever had, but overall it was tasty, albeit a bit heavy. I wish they had lighter options beyond just curries and stews, but I suppose when in Rome…

We finished eating and set out for our gate a little more before our flight (which left at 3am!). We ended up buying some rum at duty free with the leftover change we had from our tour, which ended up being a nice to have in Seychelles.

Overall Thoughts

In summary, our Qatar experience was next level. Although my seat broke, I appreciated the effort that Jamie put towards mitigating the issue. The individual touches, including the custom desert for our honeymoon, took the Qatar business class soft product to a level I’ve not even experienced in international first class. For 75k Aadvantage miles, Qatar is undoubtably the best way to get to Africa, especially for the price. My primary advice is to ensure that you’re on a Q Suites flight, which you can double check via the list above or by looking at the seat map.

Have you flown the Q-Suites yet? If so, what was your experience like?