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Proud to be at uncle D
Anyone else experiencing pencils down?
Additional Posts in All things points
Any star alliance status match delta platinum?
SYW is either dead or caps out at $80
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Folks value points differently, but as a general rule, you will get the highest points value on business class flights..
I've also found incredible value booking hotels during "events" (F1, Superbowl, World Cup, Taylor Swift concert, etc.).
Not specific to sign up bonuses, but really paying attention to maximizing points at all times has meant that in the last 20+ years, I've never paid for a hotel room or plane ticket for any vacations or weekend getaways. Also, the first time my son sat in coach was after he became an adult and was living on his own.
Rising Star
Just be aware that a lot of redemptions are highly inflated. The most notorious are people who use the price of one-way (already overpriced) last minute international biz flights to say they got 10 cpp. Also international Hyatts are overpriced (but can be very nice).
That said, outsized value comes from international biz flights and luxury hotels. I got the Ink Preferred when the bonus was 120k, combined that with some existing Chase points, and sent 140k to Hyatt. I redeemed that for 4 nights at Andaz Tokyo during cherry blossom season, which would've cost around $6k cash (about 4 cpp). No one in their right mind would pay $1.5k/night for this hotel; it's extremely nice and I loved the stay, but the value is inflated. Realistically I value the stay at 2 cpp, which I'm happy with.
No matter how you use points, the best method is to keep churning bonuses. Trying to micromanage every spend category will never beat out getting SUBs.
For me, the best way I’ve stretched out card signup bonuses is by planning my big purchases around when I get a new card. If I know I’ve got things like car insurance, annual bills, or even a trip coming up, I’ll stagger these expenses to hit the minimum spend requirement without buying unnecessary stuff. A couple of times I’ve also used “manufactured spending” like buying gift cards for places I actually shop (groceries, Amazon, etc.). Just be careful and read your card’s terms so you don’t violate any rules!