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Ouch. I usually avoid paying any fee if I can help it. But I rather pay $95 then $450. I don’t even like to pay any fee to charge my credit card, not the 2% fee to pay tax and get back 2.5% cash.
i actually love fees. the more fees, the happier i am. the $450 is actually on a card where the normal fee is $99/year but i insisted they charge me $450 because i want to pay more fees.
Agreed! I only have one card with a fee. It's $99 and in return they give me a free night stay in a hotel. I remember being younger/poorer and wouldn't want to stay in a <$99 room in the US
I still have a couple hotel cards with free nights. The best was the IHG select card, just $49 annual fee and free night any category. There were many $400+/night InterContinentals we stayed at over the years. Too bad they devalued it this year and put a cap to the redemption, but still not bad for the annual fee.
I still believe that just going straight fidelity 2% is probably the best value most people will get for their spend. But some of us want to try to get a bit more and also like other benefits.
I use the 2% Fidelity for nearly everything. Last year I got an AA MasterCard and collected the 60,000 bonus miles; between that, spending and a few flights I now have enough for unrestricted Business Class to Europe. I'm cancelling it when it comes up for renewal because they took away a perk I really could have used: a 10% "rebate" on miles redeemed, which sure would have helped for the Europe trip (planned for >1 year from now, so too early to book before the change becomes effective 4/30). The annual fee was waived for the first year so I'd be paying that, too.
I'm sure another good offer with a fat sign-on bonus will come along. I'm in no hurry.
A word on the Centurion lounge: I flew United/CO to Edinburgh in Business Class and used the one in Chicago, I was actually glad to have booked insanely long layovers (I'm paranoid about missing connections). Showers, open bar, good food... I might choose UA/CO for my next paid Business Class trip on a long-haul flight just for that.
I use the 2% Fidelity for nearly everything. Last year I got an AA MasterCard and collected the 60,000 bonus miles; between that, spending and a few flights I now have enough for unrestricted Business Class to Europe. I'm cancelling it when it comes up for renewal because they took away a perk I really could have used: a 10% "rebate" on miles redeemed, which sure would have helped for the Europe trip (planned for >1 year from now, so too early to book before the change becomes effective 4/30). The annual fee was waived for the first year so I'd be paying that, too.
I'm sure another good offer with a fat sign-on bonus will come along. I'm in no hurry.
A word on the Centurion lounge: I flew United/CO to Edinburgh in Business Class and used the one in Chicago, I was actually glad to have booked insanely long layovers (I'm paranoid about missing connections). Showers, open bar, good food... I might choose UA/CO for my next paid Business Class trip on a long-haul flight just for that.
What does United have to do with the Centurion lounge? No connection there gets you into the lounge
I'm doing the cash bonus thing for the first time. I've always used 1 or 2 credit cards and that's it but I opened 3 credit cards to get the cash back with a certain minimum spend in the first 3 months.
it seems kind of strange to limit the polaris visitors depending on their destination. i get it if you want another level of exclusivity but what if im a super fancy person traveling domestically? im not sure why you would restrict my access.
it seems kind of strange to limit the polaris visitors depending on their destination. i get it if you want another level of exclusivity but what if im a super fancy person traveling domestically? im not sure why you would restrict my access.
Doesn't United have Polaris (i.e. the super-fancy premium class) on transcon routes, similar to Delta's JFK-LAX, etc. routes?
Doesn't United have Polaris (i.e. the super-fancy premium class) on transcon routes, similar to Delta's JFK-LAX, etc. routes? I kind of wish there were "Delta One SkyClubs".
this is what it says on the web site. from my memory of the sign in front of the lounge, it says that its for certain international routes.
"Our United Polaris lounges are available exclusively to our international premium cabin travelers, offering a thoughtful selection of amenities to prepare you for your flight."
i actually never fly in a premium cabin (i dont even pay for extra leg room). so i probably would have a tough time qualifying for a higher level of exclusivity but i still dont understand why not include first class passengers on domestic flights (or maybe let cheaters like me sneak in with an exclusive credit card).
Last edited by CaptainNJ; 03-26-2019 at 01:45 PM..
I'm guessing he's talking about the Polaris lounge.
Oops- sorry, it WAS the Polaris Lounge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainNJ
it seems kind of strange to limit the Polaris visitors depending on their destination. i get it if you want another level of exclusivity but what if I'm a super fancy person traveling domestically? I'm not sure why you would restrict my access.
To keep the lounges from getting too crowded. Airlines discovered that opening their lounges to non-members via generic memberships such as PriorityPass and to holders of certain credit cards was another revenue stream. Unfortunately, the clubs ended up being overcrowded. (I bought a Day Pass to The Club at DFW, not affiliated with any airline, last weekend and nearly every seat was taken. Pretty claustrophobic- I did not use it on the way home. They accepted PriorityPass.) The number of Chase Sapphire Reserve members has also strained the system.
So- they started ratcheting back. AA used to let you in the lounge if you had Gold status but were flying Coach on an international itinerary. Not anymore. I headed into the Admiral's Club 2 weeks ago with a Business Class ticket to Mexico. Nope. Not international enough. Some airlines no longer let you buy day passes unless you're traveling with them. Polaris won't sell them at all.
Last edited by athena53; 03-26-2019 at 01:46 PM..
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