Tag: united

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Award Flights Cheaper than a Carry On Bag Fee

Booking an award flight and paying only the taxes and fees can be cheaper than paying for a carry on. See video below for more details.

Who ????‍♀️else wears a bunch of clothes to avoid a carry-on fee? Even better, is that you do not have to do that anymore, and can instead book an award flight that is cheaper! A United award flight (booked with points) also has a #carryonbag included. Here ⬇️are more details.

Save ???? this post as an example of how booking a flight with points can easily save you money on things, such as a carry-on fee. Not only can the plane ticket be cheaper with points, but you can only save money on the $25 #carryonluggage.

On a recent trip to New York to Savannah, I booked my flight a few days before departure. The cash price for my flight was $199 + $25 ($224) if I had a carry on. The $199 was for a Basic Economy flight, which means you can only bring a personal item and that you would have to pay $25 for a carry-on bag.

Since I booked an award flight, my flight was only 7,500 points + $15.60 in taxes. I also had a free carry on because I booked an award flight, so I saved $25 for not paying the carry-on fee.

The reason why I booked an #Avianca flight instead of booking with United direct is because I can transfer my American Express points to Avianca 1:1 and pay less for the flight!

Both Avianca and United are on Star Alliance, so I can book any airline on the same alliance. Avianca tends to be cheaper than United for most award flights (award chart vs dynamic pricing).

Avianca is a transfer partner for Citi, Amex, and Capital One, so feel free to DM me or go to this link if you are interested in any travel cards. All of these banks have had transfer bonuses in the past with Avianca, so you can also save on points.

Please note, if you use the Chase/Amex/Capital One portal to book your flight with points, you may still need to pay the carry-on fee, since it is from a 3rd party. You must book from a #StarAlliance partner like #Unitedairlines, Avianca, and Turkish Miles & Smiles to make it an award booking. Feel free to share this post with a friend if you find it helpful!

Would you rather pay $199 for the flight and have only a personal item, $224 for a personal item and carry-on, or $15.60 for a personal item and carry-on? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Thanks!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7050247974458510639
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A 2 Percent Cash Back Credit Card Alone Will Not Get You Free Travel

A 2% Cash Back Credit Card Alone Will Not Get You Free Travel. See video below for more details.

If you are hoping that 2% cash back credit card will be your gateway to get free ????travel, you guessed wrong. Here’s ⬇️ why that 2% cash back credit card will not get you very far.

SAVE ????this post, as an example of why you might actually be paying more for travel with a 2% cash back credit card.

For example, if you spend $1,000 a month on groceries ????and takeout/dining at restaurants that is $12,000 a year. If you use a credit card, such as Amex Gold ($250 annual fee) that has 4x on these categories, (U.S. restaurants and restaurants) you will end up with 48,000 points in a year. You will also get credits that you can use for takeout. Thus, you will get a $120 credit for Uber/Eats, and $120 credit for Seamless, so the net cost of your credit card is $10 ($250 annual fee – $120 Uber – $120 Seamless).

Just for perspective Avianca (1:1 transfer partner on American Express) United domestic flights one way start at 7,500 points + taxes. Thus, you can essentially use your 48,000 points for 3 round trip flights, and pay for taxes. Amex is also known to have transfer bonuses on Avianca (such as, the current 15% transfer bonus), so you will actually be saving on points when you transfer them to Avianca. Taxes on Avianca usually start at $15.60 each way.

If you used a 2% credit card for your ????groceries, such as Citi Double Cash you will end up with 24,000 points in a year. If you do not have a travel credit card like Citi Premier or Citi Prestige, you cannot transfer your points to any travel transfer partners. Thus, this will be only in $240 in statement credit.

On a recent trip to New York to Savannah, I booked my flight a few days before departure. The cash price for the basic economy flight was $199 + $25 carry on fee ($224). Since I booked an award flight, my flight was only 7,500 points + $15.60 in taxes. I had a free carry on because I booked an award flight, so I saved $25.

Would you rather pay $15.60+ in taxes and have 3 round trip flights✈️ with points ? Or would you rather have only 1 free round trip flights with your credit card? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and feel free send this post to a friend if you find this helpful!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7055921575971015982?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
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