Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe

dino001 said:

Just booked my travel to Munich for the ED (late part of June). The plane ticket pricing is crazy - $1600-2000 for a coach ticket, $2500 for premium economy. Munich flights are outrageously expensive in coach in comparison to say Frankfurt (by 20-30 percent!). Premium Economy does not see such disparity for some reason, though. It is my prefer class with European carriers across the Pond - around half price of the business class, give or take, the seat is effectively 3" wider (1" between the armrest supports, but those also significantly wider than in coach), generally one less seat abreast than coach, around 5" more legroom, better seat good recline, larger screen, more attentive service as you are served before rest of the coach, some extras, like liquor, small amenity kit, etc. Not quite a full sleeper, like business, but a large step over coach, IMHO worth the premium charged, in proportion to what you get in coach. United and Delta offer those half-a** "economy plus" seating, which is same as economy, just a little more legroom. Same service, too. And they want 150-200 bucks extra each way for it, which is too high in terms of value vs. Euro carriers premium economy (which is actually often more money, but way much better product).

Here is the kick - Expedia offers huge discount on a bundle with hotel, even for partial stay (3 days), to the point that total (flight plus 3 nights) was lower than the ticket alone! That's really nuts - great deal. I wish I knew that earlier, I probably would have saved some money on my previous vacations. I thought you had to get the hotel for the full stay, which didn't work for me (usually fly to some place and then travel around with car). But they have this partial stay deals now. After three days, I'll take off to the rest. Most likely, Switzerland, southern France, and northern Italy. My plans changed just a little from previous - I originally thought I'd finish in Paris, but this is going to be a better deal.

That sounds like a GREAT deal.

Any chance there is enough room for another pair of slippers in that hotel room?

You are infuriating the guys in here with all of this but we did ask for it. You know, you could have been a little more shy in dishing it out. :@

jmonroe

fintail

That's insane airfare, must be a summer thing. I usually travel later in the year, and have never paid near that, almost always less than half. I have noticed RT nonstop from SEA-FRA on Lufthansa in November for well under $700. At that rate, it's better and still maybe faster to take a train from FRA to the destination. Looks like a previously unplanned holiday at the end of the year is in the works for me.

I usually Priceline/Hotwire hotels, but I have used Expedia bundles before. Several years ago I got 10 nights 4 star hotel + airfare to Berlin for something like $1225, it was such a deal I couldn't afford not to go.

dino001 said:

Just booked my travel to Munich for the ED (late part of June). The
plane ticket pricing is crazy - $1600-2000 for a coach ticket, $2500 for premium economy. Switzerland, southern France, and northern Italy. My plans changed just a little from previous - I originally thought I'd finish in Paris, but this is going to be a better deal.

carnaught

@abacomike, so glad your car is back safe and sound, and, more importantly, that you'll be on the new anti-viral soon! Praying for ya buddy....

28firefighter

FWIW, we are paying $705/pp for SEA-LHR round-trip in June on Virgin Atlantic.

abacomike

carnaught said:

@abacomike, so glad your car is back safe and sound, and, more importantly, that you'll be on the new anti-viral soon! Praying for ya buddy....

Thanks, carnaught - much appreciated! 

driver100

We are going to Germany in June. Our tickets were NO CHARGE...done with Air Miles.
Main points of interest;
*See Berlin
*Go to the Gerry Weber Open, major tennis tournament held in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
*To Hamburg to see the worlds largest model railroad.

Dino, if you haven't seen it the Mercedes factory in Stuttgart is one of the best things you can ever see, and the Mercedes Museum is also very worthwhile. Porsche Museum is in the area too, but have to see that another time.
https://youtu.be/ACkmg3Y64_s

Also, Wilhelma zoological-botanical garden in Stuttgart is amazing, a combination zoo, castles, and beautiful grounds all in one....very unique.

dino001

FWIW, we are paying $705/pp for SEA-LHR round-trip in June on Virgin Atlantic.

The plane ticket pricing is dependent on both origin and destination. Munich in summer seems crazy from almost anywhere, Tampa is generally more expensive than average midsize market. Orlando is usually marginally cheaper, Miami can be really cheap, depends where. It usually is a function of presence of leisure airlines from Europe, like Thomas Cook, Airberlin, etc. Then others adjuust. Also New York gets supercheap fares to Europe, that's just intense competition. From what I read, Seattle is now wittnessing big expansion in capacity, as Delta moved with many flights, which sparked price wars. Tampa's international facilities capacity is quite limited. We only have British, Luft and Swiss flying to Europe, not even every day - and BA flies to Gatwick, not Heathrow, which means limited transfer to other destinations. The airport is expanding, so there is hope.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Could be worth it. Market says around $17-20K, but I'd add a bit for 4-speed.

That award is Class 34a, so just 65-66 Mustangs in a local event. The owner certainly seems to have taken the time to get details right, however.

Unfortunate color IMHO. That was one year only, and was probably not popular. Seems a shame to repaint it though.

Given the junk I see in old car at that price point, I'd say it would be well bought at $20K but not much more.

SOLD! SOLD! SOLD!


$36, 250.

Wow, more than double what it was bid when RR posted. Worth $20k but somebody bid it up $16k from there. Guess that paint was real popular.

roadburner

Yes, it was at $22k this morning and I said no thanks...

Mr_Shiftright

Just can't see it. I could have swallowed $25K, but this...is...incomprehensible. That's convertible money!

ab348

Went out to the ATS in the driveway around lunchtime, started it, and up pops a low tire pressure warning. Left rear showed 8 kpa, basically atmosphere. Was fine yesterday. Because of it being a run-flat, it didn't look flat. There is a place that has air a couple of blocks away so I crawled over there and aired it up, then went to the dealer. They took me in and I waited for a couple of hours while they got to it. So I wandered around the showroom and lot to kill time. Their customer lounge is right in the showroom adjacent to the sales cubicles so I could listen in on a couple of deals.

The closest one showed me how car sales must be a tough way to make a living. An older couple, I believe from out in the country, were shopping for something, not sure what. They wanted a certain amount for their trade to give them a certain net difference on the price. Back and forth the salesman went to the sales manager podium, each time grinding them a bit more. In between he did everything he could to convince them this was the best they could do, touted all the features of the vehicle they wanted, etc etc. It was tough to listen to. By the time I left they were still $25/month off what they wanted.

The second deal was more interesting. There was a new Corvette in the showroom, list $77K Cdn, white, red interior, black wheels. I was looking it over when a late 30s/early 40s woman said to me, "Nice car, isn't it?". She was with another woman of similar age and looks, both apparently of Middle-Eastern descent. I agreed and wandered away. When I came back a guy was with them. One of them said to him "Don't you want to test-drive it?" He replied, "I don't need to test-drive a car like this one". Not long thereafter one of the sales guys came over and they started talking a lease. 5 years, $24K residual, not a whole lot of negotiation. A "Sold" sign was placed on it and a lot jockey then proceeded to take it out of the showroom. Easy sale apparently.

My name got called and I went back to get the news. A broken screw was found in the tire, about 1 1/2" long. Suspicious it may have been from the renos underway here. They were able to repair it and all was fine. No charge. Not how I wanted to spend an afternoon but at least the end result was good.

fintail

Ah Miniatur Wunderland - I will probably visit this year, too. I did my last trip with air miles, it made the week + car rental more palatable (I generally rent fancier classes of cars, and the costs can get high).

For this trip, I am thinking Hamburg - Prague - Vienna - Stuttgart (I can't not go there if I am in the area) with a few side trips OR, Hamburg - Monte Carlo (I have yet to see it) - northern Italy/Switzerland - Stuttgart. The first trip would be the cheapest as they are not expensive destinations, and I would use the train until I rented a car for a few road trips out of Stuttgart. The first is the likely winner based on price, but the second would be fun as I would choose to drive. I've already used Priceline for some hotels in Stuttgart, bargains.

driver100 said:

We are going to Germany in June. Our tickets were NO CHARGE...done with Air Miles.
Main points of interest;
*See Berlin
*Go to the Gerry Weber Open, major tennis tournament held in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
*To Hamburg to see the worlds largest model railroad.

abacomike

ab348 said:

Went out to the ATS in the driveway around lunchtime, started it, and up pops a low tire pressure warning. Left rear showed 8 kpa, basically atmosphere. Was fine yesterday. Because of it being a run-flat, it didn't look flat. There is a place that has air a couple of blocks away so I crawled over there and aired it up, then went to the dealer. They took me in and I waited for a couple of hours while they got to it. So I wandered around the showroom and lot to kill time. Their customer lounge is right in the showroom adjacent to the sales cubicles so I could listen in on a couple of deals.



The closest one showed me how car sales must be a tough way to make a living. An older couple, I believe from out in the country, were shopping for something, not sure what. They wanted a certain amount for their trade to give them a certain net difference on the price. Back and forth the salesman went to the sales manager podium, each time grinding them a bit more. In between he did everything he could to convince them this was the best they could do, touted all the features of the vehicle they wanted, etc etc. It was tough to listen to. By the time I left they were still $25/month off what they wanted.



The second deal was more interesting. There was a new Corvette in the showroom, list $77K Cdn, white, red interior, black wheels. I was looking it over when a late 30s/early 40s woman said to me, "Nice car, isn't it?". She was with another woman of similar age and looks, both apparently of Middle-Eastern descent. I agreed and wandered away. When I came back a guy was with them. One of them said to him "Don't you want to test-drive it?" He replied, "I don't need to test-drive a car like this one". Not long thereafter one of the sales guys came over and they started talking a lease. 5 years, $24K residual, not a whole lot of negotiation. A "Sold" sign was placed on it and a lot jockey then proceeded to take it out of the showroom. Easy sale apparently.



My name got called and I went back to get the news. A broken screw was found in the tire, about 1 1/2" long. Suspicious it may have been from the renos underway here. They were able to repair it and all was fine. No charge. Not how I wanted to spend an afternoon but at least the end result was good.

Sometimes, especially when you're a car lover and deal lover, a day like you had is one you will long remember.  It adds a dimension to the learning process when in the market for a new car.

In a way, I miss all the action that took place on the showroom floor - at times we would have 6 or 7 deals working at the same time and I would be involved in all of them as a sales manager.  Miss it - to an extent.  I enjoy buying cars more than selling them - bet you guys aren't surprised by that statement!  

venture

ab348 said:

Went out to the ATS in the driveway around lunchtime, started it, and up pops a low tire pressure warning. Left rear showed 8 kpa, basically atmosphere. Was fine yesterday. Because of it being a run-flat, it didn't look flat. There is a place that has air a couple of blocks away so I crawled over there and aired it up, then went to the dealer.
My name got called and I went back to get the news. A broken screw was found in the tire, about 1 1/2" long. Suspicious it may have been from the renos underway here. They were able to repair it and all was fine. No charge. Not how I wanted to spend an afternoon but at least the end result was good.

I had to add air twice to the one Michelin I got at the end of November. Yesterday it happened again so I took it to the tire place. There is a nail in an unrepairable area so they ordered another tire.

Here's the best part - Michelin doesn't have a road hazard warranty. Continental does. They were the finalists when I replaced my tires. Almost $300 down the drain.

venture

dino001 said:

Here is the kick - Expedia offers huge discount on a bundle with hotel, even for partial stay (3 days), to the point that total (flight plus 3 nights) was lower than the ticket alone! That's really nuts - great deal. I wish I knew that earlier, I probably would have saved some money on my previous vacations. I thought you had to get the hotel for the full stay, which didn't work for me (usually fly to some place and then travel around with car). But they have this partial stay deals now. After three days, I'll take off to the rest. Most likely, Switzerland, southern France, and northern Italy. My plans changed just a little from previous - I originally thought I'd finish in Paris, but this is going to be a better deal.

You don't have to stay there for 3 days though.

abacomike

venture said:

Went out to the ATS in the driveway around lunchtime, started it, and up pops a low tire pressure warning. Left rear showed 8 kpa, basically atmosphere. Was fine yesterday. Because of it being a run-flat, it didn't look flat. There is a place that has air a couple of blocks away so I crawled over there and aired it up, then went to the dealer.
My name got called and I went back to get the news. A broken screw was found in the tire, about 1 1/2" long. Suspicious it may have been from the renos underway here. They were able to repair it and all was fine. No charge. Not how I wanted to spend an afternoon but at least the end result was good.

I had to add air twice to the one Michelin I got at the end of November. Yesterday it happened again so I took it to the tire place. There is a nail in an unrepairable area so they ordered another tire.

Here's the best part - Michelin doesn't have a road hazard warranty. Continental does. They were the finalists when I replaced my tires. Almost $300 down the drain.

That surprises me.  I have Michelin run-flats on my car - they have a wear warranty on the tires - but no road hazard.  I've had mostly Continentals on my Mercedes Benz vehicles with an occasional set of Pirellis.  This is the very first car I have ever owned that had Michelins as original equipment.  I don't know how many miles I should expect on these Michelin run-flats - anyone have any idea?

venture

abacomike said:

venture said:

ab348 said:

Went out to the ATS in the driveway around lunchtime, started it, and up pops a low tire pressure warning. Left rear showed 8 kpa, basically atmosphere. Was fine yesterday. Because of it being a run-flat, it didn't look flat. There is a place that has air a couple of blocks away so I crawled over there and aired it up, then went to the dealer.

My name got called and I went back to get the news. A broken screw was found in the tire, about 1 1/2" long. Suspicious it may have been from the renos underway here. They were able to repair it and all was fine. No charge. Not how I wanted to spend an afternoon but at least the end result was good.

I had to add air twice to the one Michelin I got at the end of November. Yesterday it happened again so I took it to the tire place. There is a nail in an unrepairable area so they ordered another tire.



Here's the best part - Michelin doesn't have a road hazard warranty. Continental does. They were the finalists when I replaced my tires. Almost $300 down the drain.

That surprises me.  I have Michelin run-flats on my car - they have a wear warranty on the tires - but no road hazard.  I've had mostly Continentals on my Mercedes Benz vehicles with an occasional set of Pirellis.  This is the very first car I have ever owned that had Michelins as original equipment.  I don't know how many miles I should expect on these Michelin run-flats - anyone have any idea?

It surprised me too. It's not much money, but is still about a 9.8 on the suck-o-meter.

ab348

venture said:

I had to add air twice to the one Michelin I got at the end of November. Yesterday it happened again so I took it to the tire place. There is a nail in an unrepairable area so they ordered another tire.

Here's the best part - Michelin doesn't have a road hazard warranty. Continental does. They were the finalists when I replaced my tires. Almost $300 down the drain.

My tires are the OEM Michelins. The repair order said the charge for repair was covered by a road hazard warranty. Perhaps that is a dealer or Cadillac thing in my case.

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

Just can't see it. I could have swallowed $25K, but this...is...incomprehensible. That's convertible money!

Shocked! Maybe $22K....but $36K? WOW!

imidazol97

venture said:

It surprised me too. It's not much money, but is still about a 9.8 on the suck-o-meter.

Buying replacement tires at my regional tire store, I always add the road hazard warranty which is part of the lifetime balancing and lifetime rotation package on my Michelins.

driver100

Ab, must be a pretty tiny quiet showroom to listen in on a deal. My current MB showroom and the former BMW showroom/customer lounge were far apart, it would be pretty obvious if you were trying to listen in on a deal being negotiated.

Here is a question for MIKE! Sometimes the salesperson would leave the cubicle for one reason or another, usually to check on some item or to see his higher up. Are there microphones around in the cubicle. I know when we were negotiating on the 2013 bmw 335 the salesman left, and the dealer was offering about $2000 below what my trade-in was supposed to be worth, I said to my wife, maybe we should just bite the bullet...$2000 is like $400 a year over 5 years.....then I thought, if those guys are listening in they could sure get a lot of useful information.

driver100

fintail said:

Ah Miniatur Wunderland - I will probably visit this year, too. I did my last trip with air miles, it made the week + car rental more palatable (I generally rent fancier classes of cars, and the costs can get high).

For this trip, I am thinking Hamburg - Prague - Vienna - Stuttgart (I can't not go there if I am in the area) with a few side trips OR, Hamburg - Monte Carlo (I have yet to see it) - northern Italy/Switzerland - Stuttgart. The first trip would be the cheapest as they are not expensive destinations, and I would use the train until I rented a car for a few road trips out of Stuttgart. The first is the likely winner based on price, but the second would be fun as I would choose to drive. I've already used Priceline for some hotels in Stuttgart, bargains.

driver100 said:

We are going to Germany in June. Our tickets were NO CHARGE...done with Air Miles.
Main points of interest;
*See Berlin
*Go to the Gerry Weber Open, major tennis tournament held in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
*To Hamburg to see the worlds largest model railroad.

By tickets in advance of going for Miniatur Wunderland. If you do Prague, Vienna try to work in Budapest, very unique. Monte Carlo is best in the main square where the casinos are....lots of Bentleys and other expensive cars parked in front.....and driving around in the downtown area.

Why is food so good in Europe. Even coffee shops have incredible pasteries. Even McCafes have really great baked goods. Here we get donuts!

imidazol97

I always assume the cubicles are bugged. The last two purchases, I communicated on paper using numbers and soft whispers. I said things out loud to indicate we were ready to leave and go to dealer X tomorrow to buy something that they had in stock. I also said that we were being gamed because they know what they'd like to sell it for and they're wasting our time.

ab348

driver100 said:

Ab, must be a pretty tiny quiet showroom to listen in on a deal. My current MB showroom and the former BMW showroom/customer lounge were far apart, it would be pretty obvious if you were trying to listen in on a deal being negotiated.

It is small. It's a very poor setup. For example, the chair I sat in for a while backed onto a cubicle partition and I could hear the sales guy breathing, much less talking. The people leasing the Vette were in an office with the door open that was about 10 feet away and again everything was audible. The place was totally renovated 15 years ago but it wasn't well designed and needs a total replacement. They really need to sell the property and relocate as they are landlocked.

fintail

Good idea, it'll be nice to get things paid for and out of the way (I am not too worried about huge crowds in the off-season, that and cooler weather is why I like to travel towards the end of the year). I don't think I will have time to get to Budapest, as I don't like to hurry - that'll be for another time, maybe combine it with somewhere else in the east. I was earlier thinking about Moscow in place of Vienna/Prague or Monte Carlo (plenty of air miles for a flight), but current politics and visa hassles might make it a headache. The Prague/Vienna leg would be less expensive than the other ideas, and more varied than just hanging out in Germany, it is in the lead now.

Regarding food, I suspect it is chemicals. As you say, even chain stuff is good. I also notice I tend to lose a few pounds when I am in Europe, even though I probably eat more than at home. Nothing sketchy, everything here is healthy and natural, corporations who are people say so. Germans can go nuts over donuts too, always amuses me to see the proliferation of Dunkin Donuts there

driver100 said:

By tickets in advance of going for Miniatur Wunderland. If you do Prague, Vienna try to work in Budapest, very unique. Monte Carlo is best in the main square where the casinos are....lots of Bentleys and other expensive cars parked in front.....and driving around in the downtown area.

Why is food so good in Europe. Even coffee shops have incredible pasteries. Even McCafes have really great baked goods. Here we get donuts!

PF_Flyer

Just stumbled across this photo, taken on Sept 3, 1967 in Stockholm, Sweden. "H Day", the day they switched from driving on the left side of the road to the right

fintail

I've never heard a real reason why Sweden drove on the left before then - their cars were LHD.

I have seen a number of pics from that day, some cool cars on the street. Maybe the only time you'll see a TR4, Checker, and fintail within 50 feet of each other in normal traffic.

PF_Flyer said:

Just stumbled across this photo, taken on Sept 3, 1967 in Stockholm, Sweden. "H Day", the day they switched from driving on the left side of the road to the right

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

venture said:

It surprised me too. It's not much money, but is still about a 9.8 on the suck-o-meter.

Buying replacement tires at my regional tire store, I always add the road hazard warranty which is part of the lifetime balancing and lifetime rotation package on my Michelins.

I've mentioned before that I have been buying my round black things at Firestone since I've needed replacement tires for my '09 Genny in 2010 which had worthless Dunlop OEM tires. I've always gotten the lifetime balance which entitles me to a rebalance every 5K miles along with a rotation. This costs about $12 a tire vs. standard one time balancing and no rotation at about $9 a tire, so this lifetime thing is really a no-brainer even for me. However, my road hazard warranty costs an additional 7 or 8 bucks for each tire.

I've never had to collect on the road hazard unless you count a tire repair that would have been around $15 a few years ago on Mrs. j's Legacy. But if I didn't have the road hazard warranty, the Bridgestone's I have been getting cost at least $190 each, so, I'm around the break even point if you count the number of tires I've put on both Genny's and the Subie over the years.

Maybe I'm a sucker but I think these road hazard purchases have put me in the "good customer" category which could explain a few early mileage adjustments I've had over the years.

I've never been one to try to justify purchases (usually, within reason, if I want something, I just buy it and never look back) but maybe I've acquired this type of reasoning from @driver100. In any case it's done now.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

I know most of you are much more seasoned travelers than I am. I also know that AMEX's customer service is second to none. I also know that AMEX has to be paid on time, every month (this isn't a problem) My Dad has a Business Platinum Card and I have a Business Gold Card. My Dad gets all of the AMEX points. Good for him. After all, he's in charge (pun intended). I'm thinking of switching credit cards. I currently use a Bank of America CASH REWARDS VISA card. Like most, it gets me 1% cash back on purchases and 3% back on a few things and 2% back on certain other things. I've had the card for close to 7 years and have accumulated about $1,500 in rewards cash. If I open up a ban of America account and have that rewards cash deposited into that account, they will give me an extra 10% (hey, its "free money," so why not).

I'm thinking of switching to a travel rewards card. I'm trying to decide between a BANK OF AMERICA travel rewards card and an AMEX Premier Gold Rewards Card.

AMEX gives you 1 point per every dollar you spend plus 3 points for every dollar you spend on plane tickets, 2 Points at restaurants, gas stations, & super markets.

Bank of America gives you 1.5 points per dollar & 3 points when you book flights through the BofA travel center plus a 10% bonus if you have a Bank of America checking or Savings account.

So just using last month's bill of $5,669.93 Assuming the straight 1% & 1.5% respectively:

AMEX: $56.70

BofA: $93.56

What do you experts think? Is AMEX just "the way to go" no matter what?

abacomike

driver100 said:

Ab, must be a pretty tiny quiet showroom to listen in on a deal. My current MB showroom and the former BMW showroom/customer lounge were far apart, it would be pretty obvious if you were trying to listen in on a deal being negotiated.

Here is a question for MIKE! Sometimes the salesperson would leave the cubicle for one reason or another, usually to check on some item or to see his higher up. Are there microphones around in the cubicle. I know when we were negotiating on the 2013 bmw 335 the salesman left, and the dealer was offering about $2000 below what my trade-in was supposed to be worth, I said to my wife, maybe we should just bite the bullet...$2000 is like $400 a year over 5 years.....then I thought, if those guys are listening in they could sure get a lot of useful information.

No driver - don't let your paranoia get the best of you - the cubicles in dealerships are not monitored for sound and/or conversations - it's illegal to do that without your signed written permission. I can't say the same thing about cell phones after what's been uncovered over the past 3-4 years by Wiki Leaks and other similar organizations. Quite frankly, as a sales manager, I wouldn't want to know what my customers are saying to each other at the salesman's desk. I listen to what the customer says to "ME" and to the salesman, not what they say to each other.

By the way, you should notice that in most new dealerships, there are no enclosed offices with walls surrounding the office space - everything is out in the open surrounded in glass - even sales managers' offices are all glass now. The concept was designed to "open" up the showroom and dealership so customers can see everything that is going on and who is involved in their deal. The big sales desks with TO managers are also behind glass now. It is the "transparency" that is important in today's dealerships. It makes the customers less "paranoid" about the process.

abacomike

nyccarguy said:

I know most of you are much more seasoned travelers than I am. I also know that AMEX's customer service is second to none. I also know that AMEX has to be paid on time, every month (this isn't a problem) My Dad has a Business Platinum Card and I have a Business Gold Card. My Dad gets all of the AMEX points. Good for him. After all, he's in charge (pun intended). I'm thinking of switching credit cards. I currently use a Bank of America CASH REWARDS VISA card. Like most, it gets me 1% cash back on purchases and 3% back on a few things and 2% back on certain other things. I've had the card for close to 7 years and have accumulated about $1,500 in rewards cash. If I open up a ban of America account and have that rewards cash deposited into that account, they will give me an extra 10% (hey, its "free money," so why not).

I'm thinking of switching to a travel rewards card. I'm trying to decide between a BANK OF AMERICA travel rewards card and an AMEX Premier Gold Rewards Card.

AMEX gives you 1 point per every dollar you spend plus 3 points for every dollar you spend on plane tickets, 2 Points at restaurants, gas stations, & super markets.

Bank of America gives you 1.5 points per dollar & 3 points when you book flights through the BofA travel center plus a 10% bonus if you have a Bank of America checking or Savings account.

So just using last month's bill of $5,669.93 Assuming the straight 1% & 1.5% respectively:

AMEX: $56.70

BofA: $93.56

What do you experts think? Is AMEX just "the way to go" no matter what?

American Express Cards are the most widely accepted credit cards throughout most of the world - it has something to do with the guarantee of payment taking into consideration the exchange rates with the U.S. Dollar. It is more difficult to get approved for an American Express Credit card than Visa or MasterCard. When I first got my AMEX card back in the 70's, even though I was making a good living and had excellent credit, I was not approved on my first try at acquiring the card. About 6 months later, I got a call from AMEX and they then offered me a card with no credit limit/spending limit. They are much more particular about who they offer unrestricted credit cards to - at least that's been my experience and my brother's experience.

dino001

venture said:

dino001 said:

Here is the kick - Expedia offers huge discount on a bundle with hotel, even for partial stay (3 days), to the point that total (flight plus 3 nights) was lower than the ticket alone! That's really nuts - great deal. I wish I knew that earlier, I probably would have saved some money on my previous vacations. I thought you had to get the hotel for the full stay, which didn't work for me (usually fly to some place and then travel around with car). But they have this partial stay deals now. After three days, I'll take off to the rest. Most likely, Switzerland, southern France, and northern Italy. My plans changed just a little from previous - I originally thought I'd finish in Paris, but this is going to be a better deal.

You don't have to stay there for 3 days though.

I want to.

cdnpinhead

My experience with AmEx in Europe has been less than stellar. Many places over there won't take it, but accept MC & Visa. I'm told it's because AmEx charges a higher premium for each purchase than the others. Our company used to use AmEx, but switched to MC years ago, and it's gone very well. The only establishments that won't accept it won't take any credit cards at all -- cash only.

nyccarguy

cdnpinhead said:

My experience with AmEx in Europe has been less than stellar. Many places over there won't take it, but accept MC & Visa. I'm told it's because AmEx charges a higher premium for each purchase than the others. Our company used to use AmEx, but switched to MC years ago, and it's gone very well. The only establishments that won't accept it won't take any credit cards at all -- cash only.

As a merchant, we DO NOT accept AMEX.  They charge close to double what Visa/MC charge.

dino001

nyccarguy said:

I know most of you are much more seasoned travelers than I am. I also know that AMEX's customer service is second to none. I also know that AMEX has to be paid on time, every month (this isn't a problem) My Dad has a Business Platinum Card and I have a Business Gold Card. My Dad gets all of the AMEX points. Good for him. After all, he's in charge (pun intended). I'm thinking of switching credit cards. I currently use a Bank of America CASH REWARDS VISA card. Like most, it gets me 1% cash back on purchases and 3% back on a few things and 2% back on certain other things. I've had the card for close to 7 years and have accumulated about $1,500 in rewards cash. If I open up a ban of America account and have that rewards cash deposited into that account, they will give me an extra 10% (hey, its "free money," so why not).

I'm thinking of switching to a travel rewards card. I'm trying to decide between a BANK OF AMERICA travel rewards card and an AMEX Premier Gold Rewards Card.

AMEX gives you 1 point per every dollar you spend plus 3 points for every dollar you spend on plane tickets, 2 Points at restaurants, gas stations, & super markets.

Bank of America gives you 1.5 points per dollar & 3 points when you book flights through the BofA travel center plus a 10% bonus if you have a Bank of America checking or Savings account.

So just using last month's bill of $5,669.93 Assuming the straight 1% & 1.5% respectively:

AMEX: $56.70

BofA: $93.56

What do you experts think? Is AMEX just "the way to go" no matter what?

Not an expert, but I can always play one.
1. Your BoA cash bonus from the card to to the checking account goes all the way up to 75%, if you are enrolled with their rewards program and have over $100K on any type of account, like checking, savings, Merrill Brokerage, including IRA's. This makes gas purchases 1.75 x 3% = 5.25% and supermarket and Costco purchases 1.75 x 2% = 3.5%, up to the quarterly limits. You get 50% bonus if you put in 50 grand. If you have that kind of money on accounts with others, it's really worth switching, especially that the Merrill Account also gives you 100 free trades per month on top. That beats essentially anything around in terms of cash bonus, except perhaps those rotating 5% categories on Chase Freedom card.
2. I think your Amex has an annual fee (or does it?), if it does the case is pretty much clean shut there.

There are additional considerations:
1. BoA travel rewards card has no foreign transaction fees, which is handy if you go there often and spend money. There are other cards having that feature, too - like my Chase United card (that one has a fee).
2. I heard Amex customer service is great, indeed, but in my life I was in need maybe once, when somebody replicated my card and spent the money. Got it all back, but the process was actually worse (a little longer and having more steps) than I experienced on a Chase card with a similar issue.
3. I'm going to throw another kink - do you still own Subaru? When I owned mine, Chase Subaru card was offering flat out 3% that could be used on dealer service, parts or new card. You get $100 "Subaru Cash" certificate, each time you spend $3,333.33, up to 5 per year they expire in 4 years. That was a great one. Not sure if it's still around.

oldfarmer50

Had a fun morning at the auction.

This is a nationally known dealer auction who shall remain nameless for reasons you'll see later.

My buddy who has worked in the car business but has no dealer's licence snuck us in. We were prepared with a cover story of being dealer employees who were there to check on cars our manager was sending through. We didn't need any stories as the guard at the gate was sound asleep and we just drove in.

What an operation! Thousands of cars on about 50 acres. 10 auction lanes going at once. Some big dealers had their own lane. Ear busting noise and bedlam level activity with auctioneers yelling and cars going every which way. Tons of trucks and SUVs some of which sold for close to what I've seen on dealer lots.

Saw a few Caddies, one had "lemon law buyback" scrawled across the window. Guess GG wasn't the only one. Also saw a 2016 ATS-V with 4k miles go for about $42k. What depreciation!

The was also a bargain lane where some junkers went for as little as $150. One Ford rolled through and left a massive puddle of coolant in it's wake. Guess you get what you pay for.

All in all a very fun morning.

nyccarguy

Thanks @dino001.  AMEX has a $195 fee which is waved the 1st year.

andres3

Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I never would let a rewards account balloon to a serious amount of money for the following reasons:

1) Rather take the money now than later; so every $25 or $30 I'm taking it out.
2) What if they go bankrupt?
3) What if they decide to end the rewards program and not honor the claims?
4) What if you missed an expiration date on the rewards somewhere in the fine print.

Banks are not an institution you want to trust.

dino001

BoA transfers the money to my checking automatically every time I hit 30 rewards bucks on their cash card (with that 75% bonus). But, man you ARE paranoid. I went through changes in programs and never had things disappear on me. I still have unclaimed few bucks on my Amex Blue card, for years now. Expiration date is the only thing that I see as truly legitimate, but even there I'm usually vigilant about reading the terms, so I'd never miss it. I let my Chase Freedom cash reward run up to $100 and before I took it out, once long time ago, I even let it up to $200, cause they offered a bonus at that level. Got it once, then they eliminated the bonus, but gave me several months of advance notice, so no complaints. With Chase Freedom I usually waited until the rotating 5% bonus hit something I wasn't going to do (cause I either had a better reward, or I wasn't shopping at those establishments), then after receiving bonus for previous quarter, I'd request the withdrawal right there. Before I used it to pay part of the balance, now they'd simply transfer the money to my BoA checking.

oldfarmer50

dino001 said:

BoA transfers the money to my checking automatically every time I hit 30 rewards bucks on their cash card (with that 75% bonus). But, man you ARE paranoid. I went through changes in programs and never had things disappear on me. I still have unclaimed few bucks on my Amex Blue card, for years now. Expiration date is the only thing that I see as truly legitimate, but even there I'm usually vigilant about reading the terms, so I'd never miss it. I let my Chase Freedom cash reward run up to $100 and before I took it out, once long time ago, I even let it up to $200, cause they offered a bonus at that level. Got it once, then they eliminated the bonus, but gave me several months of advance notice, so no complaints. With Chase Freedom I usually waited until the rotating 5% bonus hit something I wasn't going to do (cause I either had a better reward, or I wasn't shopping at those establishments), then after receiving bonus for previous quarter, I'd request the withdrawal right there. Before I used it to pay part of the balance, now they'd simply transfer the money to my BoA checking.

Just recently got an offer from AMEX with that same $195 fee waiver for the first year. Didn't like the idea of a fee after one year so I tossed it. I Don't travel out of the country so no good there.

My only gripe with MC and Visa is they won't send me a check any more. Unless I want their gifts I can only get credit on future purchases.

venture

imidazol97 said:

venture said:

It surprised me too. It's not much money, but is still about a 9.8 on the suck-o-meter.

Buying replacement tires at my regional tire store, I always add the road hazard warranty which is part of the lifetime balancing and lifetime rotation package on my Michelins.

I don't remember them asking about it. I know they didn't this time.

venture

ab348 said:

venture said:

I had to add air twice to the one Michelin I got at the end of November. Yesterday it happened again so I took it to the tire place. There is a nail in an unrepairable area so they ordered another tire.

Here's the best part - Michelin doesn't have a road hazard warranty. Continental does. They were the finalists when I replaced my tires. Almost $300 down the drain.

My tires are the OEM Michelins. The repair order said the charge for repair was covered by a road hazard warranty. Perhaps that is a dealer or Cadillac thing in my case.

It must be a dealer or Cadillac thing. At least I saw no mention of road hazard on Michelin's web site. Continental did mention a road hazard - they had specifics though which I didn't read since it didn't pertain to me.

driver100

Mike, I accept if you say dealers don't have microphones in the sales office.......at least I believe yours didn't and maybe all reputable new cardealers follow that rule.

I don't know if I would trust an independent used car dealer not to have a microphone though. I guess my thinking would be, better act as if there is a microphone just in case.

driver100

Oldfarmer....enjoyed hearing about the auction, that sounds like it would be a fun experience.

Maybe that was GGs car you saw. I would still like to know how many lemons each manufacturer makes.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

Oldfarmer....enjoyed hearing about the auction, that sounds like it would be a fun experience.

Maybe that was GGs car you saw. I would still like to know how many lemons each manufacturer makes.

The fact that I saw ONE doesn't speak well of them since I only saw a few Cadillacs out of hundreds of cars being sold.

It was fun but this was no Barrett-Jackson auction. Most of the vehicles held no thrill for me.
There was a black on black Challenger with 36k miles that looked neat but it was pulled for some reason. Amazing amount of the vehicles had noticeable rust. Must have been trades at new car dealers that were being dumped.

It also convinced me not to apply there as a retirement job. Minimum wage to run from car to car seemed a bit much even though most of the drivers were as old or older than me.

iluvmysephia1

I've decided that I like this 2017 Kia Forte 6-speed stick sedan in Garnet Red. It's selling for only $13,915 at a Spokane dealer.

laurasdada

I've got a Fidelity Visa (for Costco) linked to a Fido account, so 2% cash for everything. Like Andres, I want the $ working, so as soon as I've accumulated $50 reward, it is automatically redeemed into my Fido core account. Earning massive interest!

Until I take it to Mohegan Sun...

oldfarmer50

iluvmysephia1 said:

I've decided that I like this 2017 Kia Forte 6-speed stick sedan in Garnet Red. It's selling for only $13,915 at a Spokane dealer.

Wow, that's cheap for any cars these days. Go for it.

Like that color too. Are you rural enough where rowing through all those gears won't become a chore?

suydam

nyccarguy said:

I know most of you are much more seasoned travelers than I am. I also know that AMEX's customer service is second to none. I also know that AMEX has to be paid on time, every month (this isn't a problem) My Dad has a Business Platinum Card and I have a Business Gold Card. My Dad gets all of the AMEX points. Good for him. After all, he's in charge (pun intended). I'm thinking of switching credit cards. I currently use a Bank of America CASH REWARDS VISA card. Like most, it gets me 1% cash back on purchases and 3% back on a few things and 2% back on certain other things. I've had the card for close to 7 years and have accumulated about $1,500 in rewards cash. If I open up a ban of America account and have that rewards cash deposited into that account, they will give me an extra 10% (hey, its "free money," so why not).

I'm thinking of switching to a travel rewards card. I'm trying to decide between a BANK OF AMERICA travel rewards card and an AMEX Premier Gold Rewards Card.

AMEX gives you 1 point per every dollar you spend plus 3 points for every dollar you spend on plane tickets, 2 Points at restaurants, gas stations, & super markets.

Bank of America gives you 1.5 points per dollar & 3 points when you book flights through the BofA travel center plus a 10% bonus if you have a Bank of America checking or Savings account.

So just using last month's bill of $5,669.93 Assuming the straight 1% & 1.5% respectively:

AMEX: $56.70

BofA: $93.56

What do you experts think? Is AMEX just "the way to go" no matter what?

I'm not an expert but the travel folks I know tell me the Chase Rewards cards are the best ones out there.

Mr_Shiftright

I like the Chase card from Amazon. 5% off on anything you buy there, (rewarded as points you can cash in at check-out, or let them accumulate) and if you get a good deal on Amazon, all the better. Amazon isn't always the best price, though.