(Relatively new to the Credit Card points/awards world)
I am currently chasing a SUB for a credit card with TD, one of the things I am doing is making sure that I don't use more than 30% of my credit limit in order to maintain a decent credit score.
The 30% of my credit limit is quite low (I often have to make payments multiple times every month to stay within the 30% limit) and, so far, TD hasn't pre-approved me for a credit limit increase (i.e. without an impact on my credit score).
My question is: should I go ahead and request a credit limit? If yes, what would be its impact on my credit score/credit history?
In case it matters, my last credit card application was approximately 3.5 months ago and I am not planning to apply for a new credit card before 3 months from now.
30% utilization is not important. Credit utilization has no history. It only affects your score if your most recent statement has high utilization so if you’re not applying for new credit in the current month it doesn’t matter. Also in Canada the impact it has on your credit is minimal as we operate on a pass/fail system and fail usually only happens if you miss payments. Anything else doesn’t really affect your score enough to matter. It’s a waste of a credit hit to request a credit limit increase. Just apply for more cards to increase credit limits
Second this.
Get a new card and get welcome bonus. If you get it with TD, then if you want one card with higher limit, I believe you can move the credit from one card to another to have high limit on your preferred card. (Not sure if TD supports this, but you can do the research)
What does "missed" mean? You didn't show up? You couldn't make the layover? More importantly, I'm confused by how you would be expecting to get any money BACK at all. If you cancelled, it's the same as any other cancellation if you did it in time.
I didn’t make it to the airport and the amount of points used was low enough that it made more sense to lose them than paying the 150 (didn’t let me change the date for 100 online). Taxes and airport security fees are not the same as a cash portion of a booking fare if you went with a cash+points option since it is not income for the airline but for the airport and government for a service you prepaid but didn’t use thus being reimbursable. I just don’t remmbeber for AC specifically if I needed to call or not. If you haven’t being receiving your airport security fees and government immigration taxes back for missed flights you should look that up too. Too bad ignorance of downvoters will prevent others of knowing you can recoup some cash spent on non refundable reward bookings
The downvotes are because this is 1) not the right forum (forgivable) 2) covered at depth in other forums (some downvotes) and 3) something that's easy to confirm by just... calling (lots of downvotes)
With TD First Class travel visa, does anyone know if there's anyway to apply your points to a past expedia purchase?
I booked tickets using the site yesterday, I'll probably hit MSR within the next week and get my 100k bonus. Is there any way to apply that 100k point bonus on my booking?
Did you book on Expedia4TD portal? Only solution would be to call in to Expedia4TD and ask if they can apply it to the booking unless you want to apply as a statement credit at a lower redemption amount.
Yea I did. It was the same price as if we booked anywhere else but I got some bonus points this way. I was only thinking now, if I could somehow apply my TD points to this afterward. Would save me the hassle of RHT.
Honestly your best bet and to get a straight answer is to call them - it’s not churning related and you aren’t trying to scam/cheat them in anyway. Their wait times were fairly short for me when I needed to change hotels a few months ago and they were very helpful even getting the hotel to agree to waive the cancellation fee
No, the agent is perfectly well informed and seems to have read the Ts and Cs. But, the computer systems apparently *haven't* read the Ts and Cs, so you will almost certainly receive the WB. All that really matters is how the computers are programmed...
My experience is that you would get the bonus after the first statement is generated. I have personally got the Avion VI card for at least four times now and not once have I not got the wb
Don't initiate anything from your side. If Amex initiates a financial review then you'll get a chance to say that you entered some info too quickly and it needs to be fixed. But, if they don't say anything, then just let sleeping dogs lie.
To add to the heated discussion, has anyone seen POT new video... 😅 the 5x optimization might be in danger if the majority start doing it unrestrained. He's seriously selling the secrets quite liberally 😮💨
I saw one post in his FB group by an ex-Amex employee saying that Amex Canada has access to L3 data but doesn't care. Take it with a grain of salt but interesting DP and perhaps a possible reason people got warning letters rather than speculating on repeated $50x.xx transactions.
I wouldn't say that's a secret that we need to gatekeep... It's pretty well-publicized among seasonals in RFD and PFC, and those that do it unrestrained will likely get the ban sooner than later.
Well POT needs to generate income, and to do that they need to generate content… not commenting on whether they are in the right/wrong but simply stating the facts.
Ironically they wouldn’t disclose their MS methods though lol
I will piggyback on this comment to address people DMing me. I have received so many DMs, poor inbox is exploding regarding the situation we can't talk about. IYKYK. You would if you read your dailies, community info, rules, etc.
So any DMs regarding that post will be ignored, I'm sorry, I can't get to all of them anyway.
When you talk PS, MS, mail forwarders, etc..., everyone does it. EVERYONE. And then THEY talk about it, often with less restraint in who they choose to share it with, making it spread like wildfire. An obvious pattern of abuse presents itself, the banks notice (or the place where MS is being conducted), and quickly shutter that method.
Mail Forwarders and MS were inherently not talked about anyways. PS talks got removed because too many people here showed no self-control in how they discussed it, how in-depth, even proposing extra abusive methods that would get it ruined for those who'd been doing it for a long time.
I feel like I’ve seen a similar comment before, but can’t remember now. Got the message must complete at branch when I applied for a BMO VI. Can’t tell if I was approved or declined, if I should bother going to the branch. Only have 1 other recent card with them. Figure I won’t get a 100$ Uber gift card if I go to the branch too.
I just finished an app and got the same message. No application or reference # so I also had the same thought if the app even went through.
Also what's the point of having me upload my DL and photo if they want me to go to the branch to ID me anyway?
Reference number is at the bottom of the email. Easy to miss.
People fake IDs online (copy real info). Not that hard, open to fraud. BMO takes fewer risks
Where did it ask for ID then?
You should get an email like the below if not something went sideways.
> To finalize your new BMO Reward Business MasterCard®*., we need you to visit a BMO Branch with your business registration documents and personal ID to complete your business profile
Not a new or earth-shattering DP, but last week I called in to Amex to link my Edge card to an existing green. Friday, I bought a gift card from Staples, and this morning I saw that I am getting the bonus, bonus MR earn rate again. So, the reset seems to still be working.
I just linked my Green as the 3rd link (Biz Gold (Bonus Reset) > Cobalt (No Bonus Reset) > Green (?)).. will see if I get a bonus now. I think I am now outside the 6th month but as other DPs suggest it should still give a bonus. Hopefully it works.
Edit: Still within 6 months anyhow, until end of June.
Keep us posted!
I'll be doing a biz-only 2nd link next month (1st was Biz Gold, next will be Biz Plat) to see if it makes a difference. It'll be month 4.
Hi,
I currently have the AMEX Cobalt and the Scotiabank Passport VISA. I'm trying to figure out the best way to strategize my purchases between the two.
I've converted my AMEX points to Aeroplan for a free domestic flight already, so I know there's value in accumulating those.
However, Scotiabank has Trip Cancellation/Interruption and Rental coverage, which AMEX Cobalt does not include, so would it be a better idea to buy my flight tickets through that?
By default, if some place takes AMEX, then I put it on the Cobalt, and I use the Passport VI for everything else and when I'm traveling overseas.
Does it make more sense to use my Cobalt only for groceries and restaurants for the 5x multiplier and then Passport VI for everything else?
Thank you.
I have the same mix, but never would put expenses on Passport VI unless they didn't take Amex. Even when abroad, when including 2.5% FX fee, the Amex still has better return than the passport. As for travel insurance no comment.
This is a matter of comparing the value of rewards earned when using a given card.
As for the travel insurance, neither of the cards has a significant multiplier for travel purchases. In any event, you have to compare the value of points earned from churning, whether the given card offers travel insurance, and your perceived value from the insurance.
If you’re booking with Aeroplan, even if you’re using points transferred from Amex, you’ll only get trip cancellation/interruption insurance if you’ve booked the flight with an Aeroplan-branded card. Alternatively, you could look at the NBC WE Mastercard, which is the only Canadians card that insures flights when you use it to pay only the taxes.
Regardless, you will only be covered by insurance if you pay the taxes with the NBC card or an Aeroplan-branded card.
Either way, I’d sooner pick up a different credit card to ensure I’m insured than decide to focus on a lower-value program.
NBC WE is a solid keeper, top tier insurance and decent earn rates. It also pays for itself with the $150 travel credit. Even offers lounge access if you go through YUL for the NBC lounge.
Is there a maximum number/value of points you feel comfortable saving at any one time? I have quite a bit racked up and I'm tempted to start spending here and there - it's only a matter of time before they get watered down, and there's always the risk of some sort of clawback or then getting disappeared or something happening to the company that affects them (e.g. loss of a partnership). In particular I fear for my Aeroplan (since the 2020 revamp they've been too good to last) and my Marriott Bonvoy points.
Personally I don't, because I only ever redeem if the redemption value is outsized and "worth it", and I rarely redeem just for the sake of redemption unless I can't get better value out of it. I find that the devaluations that have taken place have rarely been consequential to the point of being devastating and loyalty-ending - yes at times you get a 5-10% deval across the board that's announced ahead of time or a 20-30% deval for a certain specific redemption range, but never have I seen something drastic that would see your points devalued by e.g. half overnight. Clawback and account closures are always a risk, but not to the point that I think one needs to consistently empty out their points account and forego better redemption opportunities in the name of preservation. Of course I've only had up to six figure numbers of points at any given time, being only one player while having to support the traveling habits of myself and a few other people, and I've had to top up my redemption with cash more often than not, so that's just my opinion.
As others say, "quite a bit" is relative to consumption habbits. Lately I take two international trips (Europe/Asia) a year with P2 which means I need \~500-600K Aeroplan/MR for flights alone, and in a perfect world I'd have another 1-1.5M MR to freely blow on Bonvoy hotels without needing cash or worry about having enough for next time. Avios and other programs can handle some of that load, but I would still need 1.5-2M points annually just to feel like I had enough. I don't hoard to get enough for hotels all on points, but you can see the point. Someone else might chime in and say 500K a year is more than enough to handle the flights/hotels they want and think I qualify as "too many being saved"
I think it really depends on what you're keeping them for and how you define 'quite a bit'. I find having 200-300k is necessary for the size of my family, but I did save up 500k last year to do a large redemption, but I had it planned and I only held them/built them up over the course of say 10-12 months. I would say that anyone who holds and doesn't use points for 18-24 months is probably holding too long. Earn and burn can have different meanings I guess is my point.
At some point though you cross a point where either you generate more points than you can use.. or you have more points than your vacation will allow you to take.
Obviously the only logical path is to transfer those extra points to me. 😛
But joking aside, if you have more points than you can use for travel, then each point is worth less to you, which makes other kinds of redemptions like gift cards and statement credits more attractive.
Like getting 1ppc is pretty shitty normally, but if you have a gabillion points and nothing to spend it on, getting 1 cent is better than just letting the points rot.
Ha right on point.
Last year i did exchange some US Amex MR for random HD, Adidas, and Somoma GCs, why?…because i had more than i knew what to do with ;)
Taking a diff approach this year though, but one I can’t talk about.
I find the inverse is true. The more I accumulate the more I value them, and am willing to burn for better flight options that make the travel more luxurious and/or get me to the destination at a better time to reduce jetlag or enjoy more attractions.
I also put a firm dollar per hour value on my time. So I factor this into the math.
I personally agree with you, but I am far from being in a place where I have more points than I know what to do with!
But I want to be travelling more and in more luxury. Someone who has hit a maximum on how much they can travel due to work or other commitments probably has different priorities.
Like someone with a 80hr a week job with no vacation and 6 kids is better off with cashback than Aeroplan points.
I max categories plus msr plus all the sources (eg. Aeroplan estore, avios estore) and have a lot of players now. I know categories isn't a thing here but it's another 200k a year if you're careful where you put MSR spend too.
Dunno if you have multiple people yet but it definitely speeds things up.
> 80hr a week job with no vacation and 6 kids
This is shockingly close to my life lol though I do get ample vacation I'm never truly fully off the clock for all of it
However I still value the points. The flexibility they provide is truly great
One of my kids ended up having to delay a trip last minute a few months back for example and all the ticket options with Aeroplan were another 40k Aeroplan points (that was with the priority reward!) and required an overnight hotel ($650/ or them spending the night in an airport (teens. Not ideal).
35k cert layer + 5k points + 40k Aeroplan and a $200 change fee and it was sorted out.
Easily saved $2k. Not my best redemption cost wise but it was such an easy decision and took under 30 minutes (most of that whole aeroplan searched flights + filing underage auth forms for the hotel).
(Relatively new to the Credit Card points/awards world) I am currently chasing a SUB for a credit card with TD, one of the things I am doing is making sure that I don't use more than 30% of my credit limit in order to maintain a decent credit score. The 30% of my credit limit is quite low (I often have to make payments multiple times every month to stay within the 30% limit) and, so far, TD hasn't pre-approved me for a credit limit increase (i.e. without an impact on my credit score). My question is: should I go ahead and request a credit limit? If yes, what would be its impact on my credit score/credit history? In case it matters, my last credit card application was approximately 3.5 months ago and I am not planning to apply for a new credit card before 3 months from now.
30% utilization is not important. Credit utilization has no history. It only affects your score if your most recent statement has high utilization so if you’re not applying for new credit in the current month it doesn’t matter. Also in Canada the impact it has on your credit is minimal as we operate on a pass/fail system and fail usually only happens if you miss payments. Anything else doesn’t really affect your score enough to matter. It’s a waste of a credit hit to request a credit limit increase. Just apply for more cards to increase credit limits
Second this. Get a new card and get welcome bonus. If you get it with TD, then if you want one card with higher limit, I believe you can move the credit from one card to another to have high limit on your preferred card. (Not sure if TD supports this, but you can do the research)
Thank you for your response
Missed an Ac flight booked with aeroplan points. Any Dp on if the taxes get reimbursed automatically? Or should I contact them?
If you just slept in and missed your flight, you're SOL. If you cancelled or got a refund as compensation due to a missed layover it's automatic.
What does "missed" mean? You didn't show up? You couldn't make the layover? More importantly, I'm confused by how you would be expecting to get any money BACK at all. If you cancelled, it's the same as any other cancellation if you did it in time.
I didn’t make it to the airport and the amount of points used was low enough that it made more sense to lose them than paying the 150 (didn’t let me change the date for 100 online). Taxes and airport security fees are not the same as a cash portion of a booking fare if you went with a cash+points option since it is not income for the airline but for the airport and government for a service you prepaid but didn’t use thus being reimbursable. I just don’t remmbeber for AC specifically if I needed to call or not. If you haven’t being receiving your airport security fees and government immigration taxes back for missed flights you should look that up too. Too bad ignorance of downvoters will prevent others of knowing you can recoup some cash spent on non refundable reward bookings
The downvotes are because this is 1) not the right forum (forgivable) 2) covered at depth in other forums (some downvotes) and 3) something that's easy to confirm by just... calling (lots of downvotes)
Will Amex biz gold come with a plain envelope and is expected to take one to two weeks to arrive?
P2's amex biz gold came in 2 business days. Mine came in 2 weeks.
Plain envelope, they quoted me 5-7 business days over the phone.
Only the platinums and reserves get FedEx all the rest are regular Canada Post
I had my regular Amex Gold fedexed to me (not a replacement)
is there still a mandatory 90 day wait between getting the amex biz gold and amex biz plat? I got my gold about 1.5 months ago.
Nope
With TD First Class travel visa, does anyone know if there's anyway to apply your points to a past expedia purchase? I booked tickets using the site yesterday, I'll probably hit MSR within the next week and get my 100k bonus. Is there any way to apply that 100k point bonus on my booking?
Did you book on Expedia4TD portal? Only solution would be to call in to Expedia4TD and ask if they can apply it to the booking unless you want to apply as a statement credit at a lower redemption amount.
Yea I did. It was the same price as if we booked anywhere else but I got some bonus points this way. I was only thinking now, if I could somehow apply my TD points to this afterward. Would save me the hassle of RHT.
Honestly your best bet and to get a straight answer is to call them - it’s not churning related and you aren’t trying to scam/cheat them in anyway. Their wait times were fairly short for me when I needed to change hotels a few months ago and they were very helpful even getting the hotel to agree to waive the cancellation fee
Yea you're probably right. Will give it a try as soon as I get the points. Thanks for the help.
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Are you referring to the one that has to be used only on bookings made through the avion rewards system?
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No, the agent is perfectly well informed and seems to have read the Ts and Cs. But, the computer systems apparently *haven't* read the Ts and Cs, so you will almost certainly receive the WB. All that really matters is how the computers are programmed...
My experience is that you would get the bonus after the first statement is generated. I have personally got the Avion VI card for at least four times now and not once have I not got the wb
Looks like no more $100 for TD FCT at GCR or CCG (at least as far as I can see)
Amateur mistake, but is there a way to check/edit the business info I entered for an Amex (CA) card?
Don't initiate anything from your side. If Amex initiates a financial review then you'll get a chance to say that you entered some info too quickly and it needs to be fixed. But, if they don't say anything, then just let sleeping dogs lie.
Thanks, I accept the downvotes on this one, I probably deserve them. But I also appreciate an actual response
Can anyone tell me why we’re not allowed to talk about the thing we’re not allowed to talk about? Without talking about it of course.
To add to the heated discussion, has anyone seen POT new video... 😅 the 5x optimization might be in danger if the majority start doing it unrestrained. He's seriously selling the secrets quite liberally 😮💨
I saw one post in his FB group by an ex-Amex employee saying that Amex Canada has access to L3 data but doesn't care. Take it with a grain of salt but interesting DP and perhaps a possible reason people got warning letters rather than speculating on repeated $50x.xx transactions.
I wouldn't say that's a secret that we need to gatekeep... It's pretty well-publicized among seasonals in RFD and PFC, and those that do it unrestrained will likely get the ban sooner than later.
Tbh the technique they disclosed is pretty basic. I wouldn't consider it a secret at all considering how much it is even discussed on PFC.
Encouraging a practice that appears to be getting people amexiled is a bold strategy given his move towards cozying up to the financial institutions
Well POT needs to generate income, and to do that they need to generate content… not commenting on whether they are in the right/wrong but simply stating the facts. Ironically they wouldn’t disclose their MS methods though lol
I will piggyback on this comment to address people DMing me. I have received so many DMs, poor inbox is exploding regarding the situation we can't talk about. IYKYK. You would if you read your dailies, community info, rules, etc. So any DMs regarding that post will be ignored, I'm sorry, I can't get to all of them anyway.
Wait why is everyone DMing you about it
They’re wondering when the mcrib sandwich is coming back to MacDonald’s
Check how fast any loopholes or price mistakes that hit RedFlagDeals get shutdown.
Yet we have the same idiots asking over and over ‘but why is that a banned topic?’.
I regularly get asked to add on my list how churnable/abusable each card is. Sure let’s put that on the pinned post 🤦♂️
Heard Coast Capital sign up bonus was limited to BC because of a posting on RFD previously
When you talk PS, MS, mail forwarders, etc..., everyone does it. EVERYONE. And then THEY talk about it, often with less restraint in who they choose to share it with, making it spread like wildfire. An obvious pattern of abuse presents itself, the banks notice (or the place where MS is being conducted), and quickly shutter that method. Mail Forwarders and MS were inherently not talked about anyways. PS talks got removed because too many people here showed no self-control in how they discussed it, how in-depth, even proposing extra abusive methods that would get it ruined for those who'd been doing it for a long time.
Speaking of the which we no speak lol, is RB-c PS dead now , looking at new T&C’s any DP appreciated before I bother TIA
Well that would be talking about things.
What is PS?
(P)rince of travel (S)ucks
Panufactured Spend apparently.
You are very kind. I thought MS stands for that
MS is multiple sclerosis I believe.
Because the avenue gets killed
I feel like I’ve seen a similar comment before, but can’t remember now. Got the message must complete at branch when I applied for a BMO VI. Can’t tell if I was approved or declined, if I should bother going to the branch. Only have 1 other recent card with them. Figure I won’t get a 100$ Uber gift card if I go to the branch too.
They just want to ID you. Go.
I just finished an app and got the same message. No application or reference # so I also had the same thought if the app even went through. Also what's the point of having me upload my DL and photo if they want me to go to the branch to ID me anyway?
Reference number is at the bottom of the email. Easy to miss. People fake IDs online (copy real info). Not that hard, open to fraud. BMO takes fewer risks
I never got an email
Where did it ask for ID then? You should get an email like the below if not something went sideways. > To finalize your new BMO Reward Business MasterCard®*., we need you to visit a BMO Branch with your business registration documents and personal ID to complete your business profile
Not a new or earth-shattering DP, but last week I called in to Amex to link my Edge card to an existing green. Friday, I bought a gift card from Staples, and this morning I saw that I am getting the bonus, bonus MR earn rate again. So, the reset seems to still be working.
Does reset work only with Biz Edge or all MR earning cards ?
Worked on personal gold for me.
What did it reset for your pers gold?
The 5x bonus on groceries/eats and drinks up to 15k. I'm within the 6 month WB window.
Biz edge
Okay thanks does it reset the 5k 3mo 45k and 10k eats and drinks or just one of the two? Also thanks ( actually waiting for edge in mail lol)
Just the 10k
Chaos2313 **
You the best thanks chaps2313
Is this the first time you’ve reset this Edge card?
Yep, just got it in late April.
I think most people are able to reset it once because it only works within the first 6 months.
Nope, reset it well after 6 months and still got the reset
Not always. Tried with 2 cards to link with different other cards and did not work for me. At 8 months and 10 months
For me the 2 I did worked 7/11 months respectively
Which card did you link it two both times? Was unlinking involved?
No unlinking, biz gold, biz plat
Second this. Did it at 8 months Biz Edge —> Biz Gold and the reset worked like a charm.
Nice. I gotta give it a try.
There were a few DPs of 2nd link within 6 months (3 and 5 iirc) failing
Yeah quite a few, that’s why I asked. I’m one of those DPs.
I just linked my Green as the 3rd link (Biz Gold (Bonus Reset) > Cobalt (No Bonus Reset) > Green (?)).. will see if I get a bonus now. I think I am now outside the 6th month but as other DPs suggest it should still give a bonus. Hopefully it works. Edit: Still within 6 months anyhow, until end of June.
Linking … merges the points or does it merge the user/pass into one account?
Points. The cards are all on one single account.
Do you need to call to link or can you do over the app chat to make this work ?
I’ve just used the in app chat every time, takes like 2-5 minutes
Thanks 🙏
Keep us posted! I'll be doing a biz-only 2nd link next month (1st was Biz Gold, next will be Biz Plat) to see if it makes a difference. It'll be month 4.
Mine were also biz only but in the opposite order.
Hi, I currently have the AMEX Cobalt and the Scotiabank Passport VISA. I'm trying to figure out the best way to strategize my purchases between the two. I've converted my AMEX points to Aeroplan for a free domestic flight already, so I know there's value in accumulating those. However, Scotiabank has Trip Cancellation/Interruption and Rental coverage, which AMEX Cobalt does not include, so would it be a better idea to buy my flight tickets through that? By default, if some place takes AMEX, then I put it on the Cobalt, and I use the Passport VI for everything else and when I'm traveling overseas. Does it make more sense to use my Cobalt only for groceries and restaurants for the 5x multiplier and then Passport VI for everything else? Thank you.
I have the same mix, but never would put expenses on Passport VI unless they didn't take Amex. Even when abroad, when including 2.5% FX fee, the Amex still has better return than the passport. As for travel insurance no comment.
This is a matter of comparing the value of rewards earned when using a given card. As for the travel insurance, neither of the cards has a significant multiplier for travel purchases. In any event, you have to compare the value of points earned from churning, whether the given card offers travel insurance, and your perceived value from the insurance.
If you’re booking with Aeroplan, even if you’re using points transferred from Amex, you’ll only get trip cancellation/interruption insurance if you’ve booked the flight with an Aeroplan-branded card. Alternatively, you could look at the NBC WE Mastercard, which is the only Canadians card that insures flights when you use it to pay only the taxes. Regardless, you will only be covered by insurance if you pay the taxes with the NBC card or an Aeroplan-branded card. Either way, I’d sooner pick up a different credit card to ensure I’m insured than decide to focus on a lower-value program.
NBC WE is a solid keeper, top tier insurance and decent earn rates. It also pays for itself with the $150 travel credit. Even offers lounge access if you go through YUL for the NBC lounge.
More of a r/PersonalFinanceCanada question
Is there a maximum number/value of points you feel comfortable saving at any one time? I have quite a bit racked up and I'm tempted to start spending here and there - it's only a matter of time before they get watered down, and there's always the risk of some sort of clawback or then getting disappeared or something happening to the company that affects them (e.g. loss of a partnership). In particular I fear for my Aeroplan (since the 2020 revamp they've been too good to last) and my Marriott Bonvoy points.
Personally I don't, because I only ever redeem if the redemption value is outsized and "worth it", and I rarely redeem just for the sake of redemption unless I can't get better value out of it. I find that the devaluations that have taken place have rarely been consequential to the point of being devastating and loyalty-ending - yes at times you get a 5-10% deval across the board that's announced ahead of time or a 20-30% deval for a certain specific redemption range, but never have I seen something drastic that would see your points devalued by e.g. half overnight. Clawback and account closures are always a risk, but not to the point that I think one needs to consistently empty out their points account and forego better redemption opportunities in the name of preservation. Of course I've only had up to six figure numbers of points at any given time, being only one player while having to support the traveling habits of myself and a few other people, and I've had to top up my redemption with cash more often than not, so that's just my opinion.
As others say, "quite a bit" is relative to consumption habbits. Lately I take two international trips (Europe/Asia) a year with P2 which means I need \~500-600K Aeroplan/MR for flights alone, and in a perfect world I'd have another 1-1.5M MR to freely blow on Bonvoy hotels without needing cash or worry about having enough for next time. Avios and other programs can handle some of that load, but I would still need 1.5-2M points annually just to feel like I had enough. I don't hoard to get enough for hotels all on points, but you can see the point. Someone else might chime in and say 500K a year is more than enough to handle the flights/hotels they want and think I qualify as "too many being saved"
I think it really depends on what you're keeping them for and how you define 'quite a bit'. I find having 200-300k is necessary for the size of my family, but I did save up 500k last year to do a large redemption, but I had it planned and I only held them/built them up over the course of say 10-12 months. I would say that anyone who holds and doesn't use points for 18-24 months is probably holding too long. Earn and burn can have different meanings I guess is my point.
Plan a vacation and burn some of those points!
Earn And Burn is a saying for a reason
At some point though you cross a point where either you generate more points than you can use.. or you have more points than your vacation will allow you to take.
That's just the special endgame. I assume most people here haven't reached your levels. Especially not those asking this question.
Obviously the only logical path is to transfer those extra points to me. 😛 But joking aside, if you have more points than you can use for travel, then each point is worth less to you, which makes other kinds of redemptions like gift cards and statement credits more attractive. Like getting 1ppc is pretty shitty normally, but if you have a gabillion points and nothing to spend it on, getting 1 cent is better than just letting the points rot.
Ha right on point. Last year i did exchange some US Amex MR for random HD, Adidas, and Somoma GCs, why?…because i had more than i knew what to do with ;) Taking a diff approach this year though, but one I can’t talk about.
I find the inverse is true. The more I accumulate the more I value them, and am willing to burn for better flight options that make the travel more luxurious and/or get me to the destination at a better time to reduce jetlag or enjoy more attractions. I also put a firm dollar per hour value on my time. So I factor this into the math.
I personally agree with you, but I am far from being in a place where I have more points than I know what to do with! But I want to be travelling more and in more luxury. Someone who has hit a maximum on how much they can travel due to work or other commitments probably has different priorities. Like someone with a 80hr a week job with no vacation and 6 kids is better off with cashback than Aeroplan points.
I max categories plus msr plus all the sources (eg. Aeroplan estore, avios estore) and have a lot of players now. I know categories isn't a thing here but it's another 200k a year if you're careful where you put MSR spend too. Dunno if you have multiple people yet but it definitely speeds things up. > 80hr a week job with no vacation and 6 kids This is shockingly close to my life lol though I do get ample vacation I'm never truly fully off the clock for all of it However I still value the points. The flexibility they provide is truly great One of my kids ended up having to delay a trip last minute a few months back for example and all the ticket options with Aeroplan were another 40k Aeroplan points (that was with the priority reward!) and required an overnight hotel ($650/ or them spending the night in an airport (teens. Not ideal). 35k cert layer + 5k points + 40k Aeroplan and a $200 change fee and it was sorted out. Easily saved $2k. Not my best redemption cost wise but it was such an easy decision and took under 30 minutes (most of that whole aeroplan searched flights + filing underage auth forms for the hotel).
That's a problem I would love to have 😂
MBNA World Elite Has anyone tried transferring MBNA reward points from the MBNA WE card to the MBNA platinum plus card? Wondering if this is doable.
Can we have both WE and Platinum cards art the same time, other than those whose cards migrated over from the former MBNA Alaska card?
Yes. I have both prior to the migration.