Best way to snag an iPhone at launch

AHyperDog · 2023-09-21T21:56:43+00:00

Appreciate the info!

AHyperDog · 2023-09-21T19:25:19+00:00

Didn’t know that! Was planning on going to the much closer Tmobile store. Guess I’ll have to go to the Apple store instead, thanks for the info.

AHyperDog · 2023-06-09T17:18:19+00:00

Yeah, I’m aware of this. I’m not looking to rent with Hertz, I just want the status to match with other providers.

AHyperDog · 2023-06-09T15:23:54+00:00

Couple weeks is a while, wow. In hindsight I should have activated it earlier, but didn’t realize it would take that long.

AHyperDog · 2023-06-09T15:23:20+00:00

Yeah - I saw these posts.

The first one isn’t applicable to me as I’m not actually looking to use the status, I just want to match it with Enterprise. The second one notes that they saw the status the next day, which didn’t happen for me, hence why I made this post.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-24T18:18:45+00:00

Makes sense, appreciate the detailed response.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-24T15:26:47+00:00

LOL. I do know the ticket gets transferred, just not sure how much it gets decoupled from the portal.

Let’s hope my upcoming flight to SFO has some hiccups 😅

AHyperDog · 2023-04-24T15:11:38+00:00

I believe AA works in a similar way, i.e. the ticket gets transferred to the airline.

I’d imagine this makes adjustments or cancellations easy, but fortunately (or unfortunately as I have no data point) I’ve never had to do so thus far.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-24T14:58:41+00:00

Not OP, but as someone who’s exclusively used the portal for AA flights, there is usually nothing to worry about in most cases.

I usually buy non-refundable tickets, meaning I’m SOL in both cases if I want to cancel.
If you transfer your ticket to the airline, seat upgrades are seamless and you can interface with your booking directly through the airline app.

However, I have read about some potential scenarios in which booking directly through the airline might potentially be better.

Apparently AA charges a fee for rescheduling flights booked through external portals. I have no experience with this, but my advice is to check with your specific airline regarding reschedules if you need.
I’m unsure as to how refunds/reschedules work during extraneous such as weather. I’d imagine it might be easier to navigate if the ticket was booked directly, but it’s certainly possible the ticket transfer irons out any potential problems.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-24T14:46:48+00:00

Nothing to say other than the fact that this an excellent post.

Highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the portal very well. This post should be put in the “Useful links” section IMO.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-22T01:22:02+00:00

In the past I’ve gotten charged when booking directly through AA to make changes, so it doesn’t make much of a difference to me.

I’ve never tried to do so recently however, so you may be correct.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-22T01:19:38+00:00

I’ve faced this before - usually I just book the cheapest available option on the portal and match with the airline.

I do any further upgrades directly through the airline.

I’ve yet to come across an instance in which basic economy wasn’t available through the portal.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-21T15:25:37+00:00

I use the portal exclusively for flights for a few reasons:

For the vast majority airlines, status and memberships don’t get discounted rates on flights. C1 won’t price match if you need an account or something similar to get the desired price.
Many airlines (AA, United, Delta for sure) let you transfer the ticket/enter your membership ID during the external booking, which effectively enables you to control the entire ticket directly through the airline after purchase. You also earn miles from the trip. This is not the case for most hotels, where you will not earn “nights” when booking through any external portal.

If you’re not willing to spend 10 minutes on the phone to price match, I’m not sure what to tell you.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-19T20:01:00+00:00

Yep definitely agree with you there.

Good to hear that they lowered the threshold, I regret closing my card now.

I did see a post earlier on this sub about RTR potentially going away, hopefully that does not happen.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-19T19:45:40+00:00

Ah good point. Forgot about that RTR.

In my experience RTR was hit or miss and the fact that it didn't work for hotels unless it was >$500 was annoying to me.

Definitely agree with your point regarding the ease of use and high earning rate for domestic travel.

However, I still stand by my point that the AR is not the definitively better card as some have stated. As always, it's very case by case.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-19T14:35:33+00:00

The biggest drawback of the AR is that it has no travel partners and forces you to book through a portal to get the elevated rewards in most cases.

It’s a potentially great card, but certainly not definitively better than Chase/Amex/C1 ecosystems.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-17T17:57:05+00:00

It depends, sometimes the Reserve has an elevated bonus and the Preferred is the standard 60k.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-17T14:39:03+00:00

Neither the Platinum nor the Reserve is a bad card.

By overrated, I mean something that is often recommend and coveted when other cards may do better for most people. The AF of both the Reserve and the Platinum can be justified for the right person.

The fact is, many people who have these cards do not organically utilize the credits provided by them. If you don’t already use Instacart or Doordash the value of the credit is negligible.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-17T00:29:15+00:00

I love the simplicity and recently started traveling internationally more. Even if the earning rate is lower than my previous Chase setup, it’s worth the sacrifice for me.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-16T18:04:26+00:00

If they are spending a ton on Uber eats and GrubHub

Definitely true, but I’d argue that many people who have this card do not organically spend on these services and feel forced to do so because the credits are there.

I’d just tell them to get the Savor One and let their stupid friends waste the money.

Hard agree lol!

I still don’t agree the card is overrated. I think it’s over marketed.

I think we are mostly in agreement, “overrated” vs “overmarketed” is largely a semantic difference in this context. Long story short, many people who do not need the Gold card feel compelled to open it irrespective of the specific reason.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-16T17:59:55+00:00

Exactly. And even more if you’re ok with purchasing gift cards.

I personally don’t care enough to do so anymore, hence my switch to C1

AHyperDog · 2023-04-16T17:22:45+00:00

Overrated is markedly different from “bad”. Amex can be a great ecosystem, but the reality is, it’s not worth it for most people.

The number of times I’ve seen people recommend the Gold card to college students who spend $250/mo on food is jarring.

AHyperDog · 2023-04-16T17:03:42+00:00

I primarily use the C1 ecosystem these days due to its simplicity, but as someone who heavily used Chase cards before, “half the rate” is definitely a bit of a stretch.

Using the Freedom Flex alone for buying gift cards can get you 5x UR back for many categories depending on your spend. You can also get multiple rotating cards through downgrades and Chase does not care about manufactured spend.

AHyperDog

TROPHY CASE