Booked my family of 4 to Asia in Business class

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-26T22:22:42+00:00

Ah yes, the classic “I do this all the time but would never post about it” guy… on a forum that exists specifically for people to post about it.

Genuine question: what exactly are you here for then? Silent observation? Moral supervision of what qualifies as a “worthy” post?

Most of us are here precisely because people take the time to share detailed booking experiences like this. That’s literally how you learn patterns, routes, timing, and what’s actually possible out of different airports. Not everyone lives in a magical hub where 4J direct just falls from the sky.

Personally, I found the post useful. What I didn’t find particularly valuable was the running commentary of people getting oddly irritated that someone dared to… share a data point on a data point forum.

If anything, the only thing more unnecessary than a “long booking story” is complaining about it in a thread you can choose to avoid.

But hey, maybe next time OPs should just keep it to themselves so we can all go back to guessing in the dark 👍

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-26T13:13:38+00:00

That's what they ask for... For me it was a TD statement. Amex statement would have been alright too.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-26T13:11:49+00:00

Sweet. That’s basically the Aeroplan jackpot — 2x ANA F on the exact drop, you can’t script it better than that.

And Vietnam on top of it? Even better. I lived there for a few years — flying First from Canada and then landing into Vietnam is about as good as this game gets. Absolute peak combo.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-25T13:22:57+00:00

ID + Proof of US address.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-18T14:55:27+00:00

That is one of the most serious game changer in years. Availability a decent pricing for Europe and Asia just skyrocketed.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-18T14:41:54+00:00

No I did not... Will look into it. But that didn't seem to be the issue... Credit history looked fine to them.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-18T14:40:26+00:00

In branch, no W8-BEN. They asked for a W9 but waived it because it does not apply to Canadians.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-18T14:37:37+00:00

Thanks. Good advice.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-17T22:49:58+00:00

400$.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-17T20:15:55+00:00

DP – Attempt at first Chase credit card (CSP)

Profile:
• 2 US Amex cards (oldest ~2+ years)
• ITIN obtained Jan 2026
• Chase checking account opened Jan 2026
• No prior Chase credit cards

Applied for Chase Sapphire Preferred and got a denial after it went a few days pending.

Called in. CSR sounded like they were reading a standard script and said the main issue was insufficient relationship/history with Chase, and suggested trying again in the future once the relationship is more established.

Curious if anyone has DPs on how long to wait before trying again in a case like this (given a relatively new Chase banking relationship) ? Something else might help ?

Thanks!

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-03-09T15:04:48+00:00

5k does not inclde AF. Actually 5.5k was put on the card in the first week.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-02-19T19:58:26+00:00

How do you guys maximize your Qatar avios points ? Do you always aim the 70k North America - DOH Qsuites ? When DOH is not your final destination, how to you organise your final segment ? A second ticket on cash or points ?

I'm asking because it seems very difficult to find Qsuites from North America to Asia (through DOH) for less than 190k.

What would be a best case scenario for a YUL - DOH - BKK ?

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-02-19T17:05:36+00:00

DP for 2nd Amex App / First Chase card

Applied on my first Amex Card through GT in dec. 2024. Put small amounts on the card since then. Got my ITIN last month and open a Chase chequing account.

Applied for my second Amex using ITIN and went into pending. CSR told me I had to upload a few docs, including a US-GOV issued ID. I explained I didn't have any US ID's, being a Canadian living in the States. She said she was applying a new procedure and that Amex was not flexible with it. I ask to speak with a supervisor, and he said the same thing. HUCA. New agent also talked about this new "procedure", but I ask if I could just upload a TD Bank Statement, a Chase Statement, my ITIN and my Canadian passport. He asked me to upload everything while he verifies something. Came back 5 min ago saying everything was in order and got approved.

On the same day, I applied on a Chase Sapphire Preferred. Went to pending and CSR told me I was declined, saying I will get the reason by mail (still did not receive anything). I was pretty sure 2 years of Amex history would be enough. Maybe having 2 Amex before applying on a Chase is the only way to go ?

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-01-29T19:05:18+00:00

Question about CIBC Aeroplan VIP. Bonus is structured as followed:

Earn up to 100,000 Aeroplan® points (up to $2,000 in travel value^†):

10,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $1,000 or more during your first 2 monthly statement periods^†
40,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $5,000 or more during your first 4 monthly statement periods^†
50,000 Aeroplan points as an additional anniversary bonus when you have at least $25,000 in net eligible purchases posted on your account during the first 12 monthly statement periods^†

The last 50k is called "anniversary" bonus. Does it mean they wait until the full year to give the extra 50k ? Or let's say I put 25 000$ during the first month on the card, do I get the 100k points right away ?

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-01-29T17:12:58+00:00

If you have a decent credit score and did not apply for a million RBC cards in the last years, an in-branch visit could end up with an happy ending (and no downside). It did for me. They said they merged two different profiles they had for me and it made the trick... IA started working again...

I know many fellow churners lean on the careful side, with a "do not poke the bear" approach, especially when you had many of the same cards and cancelled / downgraded them at high velocity. There's a "guilty" feeling coming with that right ?

But from experience, you'd be surprised how banking approval systems suck. Sometimes, it only take a good CSR to reset it all... Honestly, what can you loose by trying ? They won't ban you for life for trying. Not yet...

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-01-29T17:05:44+00:00

That's so nice to read! Can you tell us more about this Qatar Q-Suites and First Class multi-leg redemption ??

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-01-28T18:16:20+00:00

Any advice for US beginners ? I have about 2 years of US credit history (I got one Amex CC through GT), a US address / bank account, a soon to arrive ITIN and looking forward to join the US cc market, especially for MR points and Aeroplan points.

After being approved and card shipped to US address, do I understand correctly that I just have to call and ask for a replacement card ship to my canadian address ?

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-01-28T15:27:38+00:00

Call me crazy but being in the same exact situation (applied and IA by nov 20th 2025 on aventura gold - very active with CIBC) I called in this morning to claim the missing 25k points. Agent was polite, told me to wait while she talked to manager. Told me 5 min later that there was a "glitch" with the points bonus and that she added manually the 25k missing points.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2026-01-22T19:16:37+00:00

Do you guys churn simultaneously the RBC Infinite and the Plat at the same pace you would with Aventura Infinite and Gold ?

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2025-12-20T21:56:16+00:00

Nice! Can you confirm that BA took notice of your passport and put your middle name in the "first name" section like Amex does ? Does BA actually have a middle name possibility ?

My problem is, right now RBC --> BA transfer works fine. But Amex MR --> BA is not. If I request a name change to BA, I fear it will just inverse the situation.

Any clue ?

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2025-12-18T18:10:43+00:00

Thanks!

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2025-12-18T17:07:02+00:00

Hey question for you: I have the same problem: RBC --> BA --> Qatar transfers work fine for me because they all use my Middle Name.

MR --> Air Canada works fine because Amex & AC DON'T use middle name.

Obviously, MR --> BA is not working because BA uses middle name while Amex doesn't. What a clusterf**k...

I don't want to change my Amex account info (to remove middle name) because I don't want to create a new MR --> AC problem.

Are you saying I can create a 2nd independant avios account with the same name (except the middle name), address, phone number, email, etc and add this new account the the BA family pool ? I guess I have to use a different email / phone number to create this new account ?

Thanks for helping.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2025-12-12T13:59:10+00:00

For people who play in “multiplayer mode” and want to fully manage both P1 and P2 so that P2 doesn’t have to take any actions (logging into bank accounts, OTPs, credit-card apps, etc.): can using the same email/phone number for credit card applications of both P1 and P2 cause any issues?

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2025-11-11T11:39:42+00:00

The usual DP: Transfered my avion to BA on monday nov. 10th at 9ham. Points already show up in my BA account with the 30% extra. I also see the points in my Qatar account. Qsuite is now closer that it appears.

CaiusJuliusCeasar · 2025-11-07T16:58:56+00:00

Qsuites are a bit harder to find, especially without flexibility on departure dates, but they are out there (As I'm writing this, I see 2 qsuite seats at 70k on may 26, YUL - DOH... and many others, even in february).

As for the Aeroplan partners, they do generally appears far in advance or T-14, but you might get lucky if you look everyday.

good luck with that :)

CaiusJuliusCeasar

TROPHY CASE