Live QA: Info, Highlights and Fun. Your Questions Answered!
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This week we did our first ever Facebook Live Question and Answer Session. Basically, our 5,000+ (!!!) Facebook group members were invited to ask the Miles to Memories crew anything and EVERYTHING about Points, Miles, Travel, Spending, Credit Cards, Award Redemptions and… okay, you get the point. It was awesome. We answered 60 Questions in 60 minutes and were able to get them all answered by the end of the night. Special shout out to Jason Dimaio for asking the first question. Below are some of my favorite and most frequently asked questions. You can see the whole line-up by Joining Our Official Facebook Group Here and entering #LiveQA in the search box once approved.
Note: Feel free to email me if you don’t have a Facebook account, but want to create a profile just to be part of the group, I’m happy to approve you if I know who it is.
We Had So Much Fun, We’re Definitely Doing It Again
Make sure to tune into the next one on Thursday, November 9th at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern. Click here to add event to your google calendar (and don’t forget to hit save). As you can see from the screenshot below, we had a bit of fun and things got just a little out of hand, but we kept it pretty informative for at least the first 59 questions… that were allowed… within the time frame (Ahem, Mark).
Next time, we hope to see more of you there and maybe we’ll even be graced with the presence of our very own, Danny the Deal Guy (oops, I meant Danny the Deal Guru). Anyway, we want to thank everyone who took the time out of their day to participate (including PDX Deals Guy, who we forgot to invite) and we really hope you all got something out of it. (Aside from watching us poke fun at each other- but not Shawn, of course, because he’s the boss.)
Without Further Ado: Here are some of the Highlights
Member:Â I want to get a card that gives me more than 1.5% when buying visa gift cards at Simon Mall. What card would do that? I have a business as well.
Shawn Coomer Alliant has their new Visa which is 3% the first year then 2.5% afterwards. Discover it Miles is 3% the first year as well. There are various 2% cards as well such as the Citi Double Cash which has no annual fee.
- BarclayCard- 2 Points on everything
- Apply for Citi Card, other than Double Cash, (to get the bonus) and then wait a while, get a retention bonus or two and then product change to Double Cash.
Member Question:Â What are your minimum thresholds for value of points? By that I mean, do you have a value below which you will never redeem? I have found myself challenged with that for TY and UR when redeeming for revenue flights.
Shawn Coomer The answer to this largely has to do with your balances. I used to value UR much higher, but find myself redeeming for a lower value (such as 1.5 CPP through the CSR portal) simply because I have so many of them. Other currencies like Alaska, I set a much more stringent floor. I would say if a redemption meets your needs and you don’t feel absolutely terrible about it, then its probably worth doing as long as you have done your research and ruled out other options.
Member: Do you have a list of cards that I can apply for that Chase does not use the 5/24 rule on? I just called the reconsideration line for a new Chase Ink business card and was denied because of having 10 new cards in the last two years.
- Hyatt
- IHG Rewards Club Select
- Ritz Carlton Rewards
- British Airways Visa Signature
- Marriott Rewards Premier Business
- Amazon Rewards Visa Signature
- AARP
- Both versions of the Disney cards
Oh and just in case (I know you’re all sick of hearing about it), we did get multiple questions about what exactly 5/24 stands for so I’ve answered that below. (At the end because I don’t want everyone else to stop reading out of boredom.)
Group Member: Which redemption(s) have been your favorite? If no longer still available, what about those still available?
We all had different answers for this one of course, but one thing that became clear is that I seem to be alone in my mediocre view of the Hyatt Zilara. I’d love to hear what more of you think about this place. Let me know in the comments.
Pdx Deals Guy This will be a boring answer. But consistently my favorite redemption is turning UR into SWA miles for use with the Companion Pass. I find speculative booking particularly helpful for future trips me and my wife might take together (since SWA award trips can be cancelled with no penalty and points just go back into your account). For example, I’m able to book trips to multiple potential football bowl game destinations for my alma mater, without worrying about what happens if the bowl game doesn’t happen.
- Very smart! Wish I could say the same but my alma mater, Hofstra University cancelled their football program (they were that good)- so this excellent tip does nothing for me.
Mark Ostermann I have been looking forward to using Hyatt points at one of their all inclusives – we had to cancel the trip last time we booked but I think that is up there for me. Free food, drink, and room all in one redemption is hard to beat for me.
Shawn Coomer I still love Cathay Pacific First. It was my 1st First Class redemption and now that I have flown it four times it is still my favorite. I have had many memorable Hyatt redemptions including the GH Kauai, Andaz Maui and many properties in Asia as well. I just flew Emirates F too and it didn’t suck! 
A Few More Excellent Questions From Our Members, to See the Answers Click Here to Join .
Group Member: I’ve tried reselling but got discouraged when everything I found with a decent margin was gated. That and all the deals I found were at places that had price stickers that made returns difficult and timely to scan because they often over the UPC. What do I need to adjust?
Group Member: Any info if people are by-passing 5/24 from Southwest Companion Deal for CA residents -Targeted offer?
Group Member:Â When I need UR points I buy $300 Visa cards from the staples website using my chase business ink card to get 5X and then turn them into money orders at walmart. is there a faster, cheaper, better way to get UR points?
Group Member: What’s the best card to get if you want to travel often (at least once or twice a year) to Asia and Europe? (Nearest airports to home are JFK or PHL, if that matters). Appreciate the advice. Group Member: So what’s a realistic goal long-term for a cost to Ms?
Last But Not Least: What is that Tricky 5/24 All About?
Basically Chase will deny your credit card application for any of their cards (except those I listed above as being exempt from 5/24) if you have opened or been added as an authorized user on 5 or more revolving credit accounts in the past 24 months. Click here for a much more in depth look at 5/24.
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Member: Do you have a list of cards that I can apply for that Chase does not use the 5/24 rule on? I just called the reconsideration line for a new Chase Ink business card and was denied because of having 10 new cards in the last two years.
That was my question!
I really enjoyed the Q&A…it goes so quickly but always fun to share & learn with ‘like-minded’ individuals!
Love the hobby!
Thanks for joining in and helping!
It was fun, wasn’t it? We’ll see you at the next one 🙂