Long Haul Business Class for under $2K (Long Post)

[bgtp]

17 hours ago, Luv2Phuket said:

It does present a new question, as I was planning to put my tax bill on that card to push towards the FNC.  Now I am debating a Chase card which would get me 3X for the spend or putting it on my Hyatt card to push towards a 2nd Hyatt FNC.

Is that a targeted bonus or is there a card that gives 3x spend for taxes?

[Luv2Phuket]

34 minutes ago, bgtp said:

Is that a targeted bonus or is there a card that gives 3x spend for taxes?

My Chase Freedom Unlimited card gets 1.5% cash back, but they are fully transferable as URs (given an Ink card that I have).

My SUB for it was 2X cash back for all spend in the first 12 months, so that takes everyday spend to 3%.  It was a great deal for a NAF card.

I'm leaning towards the Cap One Venture X, which I will use for my tax spend up to the SUB, then probably put the rest on the Chase card.  Once the year ends, I may do a product change to a lower AF card OR I may keep it if the rumored Cap One lounge at LAS opens.

Once the 2X bonus ends on my Chase card, I will switch most of my everyday spend to an AMEX NAF card that gets me 2% cash back (again, paid as MRs and transferable given my Platinum card).

[Luv2Phuket]

It's better to be lucky than good!  555

I thought my return flight later this month was late Saturday night/early Sunday morning - a 1:05 a.m. departure on EVA.

I was on the phone with EVA to try to waitlist a change to the same flight late Sunday night/early Monday morning, when I realized I already was ON the 1:05 a.m. departure on Monday the 29th.

This could become my preferred return flight.  The 1:05 a.m. departure means traffic should be light to BKK, and I land at SFO at 6:30 a.m. on Monday.  That allows me either to work from the airport for a few hours (I'm busiest in mornings) and then fly home OR to hop on a flight that gets me back to LAS before noon.

[jmukh]

Quick stack opportunity for any US Instacart / Costco fans: Costco now has Instacart gift cards for 25% off the face value, which can be used to order...Costco.

For a $215 Instacart order, this gets me $15 off (Chase quarterly credit), $50 off (two $100 gift cards bought at $75 each), credit card points on the original gift card purchase + Costco's 2% back every year (which includes gift card purchases). 

That's a rough estimate, since you also need to factor in the extra cost of an Instacart order, but if you already use Instacart for heavier orders (like cases of soda water, which are hard to strap on to the motorcycle), this is a huge win, and worth repeating as long as the cards are in stock.

I remember a similar opportunity last year with Uber gift cards at Costco, and was kicking myself for not abusing it more, but this one looks even better since I do my regular grocery runs as a combination of Costco in-person trips and Instacart orders.

[Luv2Phuket]

35 minutes ago, jmukh said:

Quick stack opportunity for any US Instacart / Costco fans: Costco now has Instacart gift cards for 25% off the face value, which can be used to order...Costco.

For a $215 Instacart order, this gets me $15 off (Chase quarterly credit), $50 off (two $100 gift cards bought at $75 each), credit card points on the original gift card purchase + Costco's 2% back every year (which includes gift card purchases). 

That's a rough estimate, since you also need to factor in the extra cost of an Instacart order, but if you already use Instacart for heavier orders (like cases of soda water, which are hard to strap on to the motorcycle), this is a huge win, and worth repeating as long as the cards are in stock.

I remember a similar opportunity last year with Uber gift cards at Costco, and was kicking myself for not abusing it more, but this one looks even better since I do my regular grocery runs as a combination of Costco in-person trips and Instacart orders.

Great tip - thanks!

BIG warning on UBer GCs - I have had 3 Uber gift cards where the tape covering the GC code pulled up the paper, making the code unreadable and the card essentially worthless.  Albertson's (where I purchased them) has been pretty good about refunding my money, but I still need to chase them on the last one.

I won't buy Uber GCs again.

[momo5]

12 hours ago, jmukh said:

Quick stack opportunity for any US Instacart / Costco fans: Costco now has Instacart gift cards for 25% off the face value, which can be used to order...Costco.

For a $215 Instacart order, this gets me $15 off (Chase quarterly credit), $50 off (two $100 gift cards bought at $75 each), credit card points on the original gift card purchase + Costco's 2% back every year (which includes gift card purchases). 

That's a rough estimate, since you also need to factor in the extra cost of an Instacart order, but if you already use Instacart for heavier orders (like cases of soda water, which are hard to strap on to the motorcycle), this is a huge win, and worth repeating as long as the cards are in stock.

I remember a similar opportunity last year with Uber gift cards at Costco, and was kicking myself for not abusing it more, but this one looks even better since I do my regular grocery runs as a combination of Costco in-person trips and Instacart orders.

Sounds like a good opportunity.  Shop at lot at Costco.

Last year Delta offered gift cards with Starbucks card … easy to purchase the gift cards as the money will be spent anyway and ended up with about $600 Starbucks credit. 

[Luv2Phuket]

Following up on my post above, I opted to get the Cap One Venture X card. 

Easily hit my SUB with taxes, after I had dropped another $3k buying AirFrance miles -- 75% bonus made it about $2200 for a OW biz class ticket; the rest of the miles are to hold for a future ticket, as AF seems to have good award space on China Airlines (the Taiwanese carrier).

I could have split the taxes over another card, but realized that Cap One effectively is giving me 1.5 EVA miles per USD spent.  You get 2 CapOne points per USD spent, and Cap One transfers to EVA at .75 EVA miles per CapOne point.

Only Citi and CapOne transfer to EVA (and I LOVE EVA for air travel to/from BKK), so I like that return.

 

 

[Jake.houston]

9 minutes ago, Luv2Phuket said:

I LOVE EVA for air travel to/from BKK

Booked my first EVA flight for my next trip. Looking forward to seeing their quality. Going on your normal route. From LAX to BKK.

[Luv2Phuket]

2 hours ago, Jake.houston said:

Booked my first EVA flight for my next trip. Looking forward to seeing their quality. Going on your normal route. From LAX to BKK.

I tend to do SFO-BKK more often, simply because I find better availability out of SFO.  I GREATLY prefer LAX, because of the ease of getting there from LAS.

When you going back?

[ThePope]

im flying EVA YYZ-TPE-BKK july 21, im not getting my hopes up too much but im looking forward to comparing it to AirCanada as ive flown them a lot. Very similar planes, ill be on a 777-300er for both flights. i depart home 1800h and spend 6h layover in YYZ before i depart at 01:45 so im sure ill just be sleeping as soon as im on the plane.

AC has its benefit over EVA on the ground in Toronto with the signature suite lounge. I think ill have to go to the contract lounge since the *A MLL closes at like 11pm. But AC's service on board is abysmal the last several flights ive had... You have to harass the FA's for drinks and they just disappear. Food is dry and overcooked (chicken, lamb, beef) certainly an eat in the lounge airline

Pretty good price 60k aeroplan +630usd fully refundable including my home-yyz flight. Had to book the minute it became available ~355 days out and they only open 1 seat to AC these days

Return i changed from EVA to the abomination connection; Vistara a320 to DEL, then AC-AC home. Reason i did it was long connections and an overnight in YYZ if i stayed with EVA. I check daily for better options but ive flown this route home a year ago and it was ok enough... just hate the DEL transit experience where they do CSI on your passport and burn an hour but i have 5h45m in DEL. DEL airport isnt that bad once youre through transit as the AI lounge has good atmosphere, isnt too crowded, and good food. The AC agent in DEL tried to get me to go to a contract lounge but being savvy i knew i was enitled to AI lounge since i was in *A J

[Luv2Phuket]

Some things I really like about EVA:

1. similar to Singapore's "Book the Cook," you can pick your meals in advance, and they often have options that are not available unless pre-booked. For example, for my flight later this month, I chose Beef Short Rib with Massaman Sauce Served with Duo Steamed Rice (only available pre-order) for BKK-TPE and Braised Beef Brisket with Sesame Noodles (also an online exclusive) for my first meal and Blueberry Pikelets with Mascarpone Cream and Apple Cinnamon Compote for my second meal on the TPE-SFO leg)
Just go to "Manage Your Trip" to select your meals, but I think it has to be within 30 days of departure.

2. some of the best pajamas in the industry -- LOVE the Jason Wu hoody pajamas.

3. I think their hard plastic amenity kits are the best in the industry (although not as good as their old hard-sided Rimowa kits that consistently sold on eBay for $35+ USD).  I LOVE hard-sided amenity kits because they keep things like protein bars from getting smashed beyond recognition while travelling)

4. the EVA lounge in TPE has shower rooms and those FANTASTIC Japanese-style toilets (heated seat and bidet) (but the food in their TPE lounge is pretty piss poor)

[ThePope]

22 hours ago, Luv2Phuket said:

 

4. the EVA lounge in TPE has shower rooms and those FANTASTIC Japanese-style toilets (heated seat and bidet) (but the food in their TPE lounge is pretty piss poor)

EVA lounge in BKK has those too, thats my go-to lounge when flying *A out of BKK

food in EVA lounge is best ive found in BKK too

[Luv2Phuket]

On 13/04/2024 at 12:40, Luv2Phuket said:

Following up on my post above, I opted to get the Cap One Venture X card. 

Easily hit my SUB with taxes, after I had dropped another $3k buying AirFrance miles -- 75% bonus made it about $2200 for a OW biz class ticket; the rest of the miles are to hold for a future ticket, as AF seems to have good award space on China Airlines (the Taiwanese carrier).

I could have split the taxes over another card, but realized that Cap One effectively is giving me 1.5 EVA miles per USD spent.  You get 2 CapOne points per USD spent, and Cap One transfers to EVA at .75 EVA miles per CapOne point.

Only Citi and CapOne transfer to EVA (and I LOVE EVA for air travel to/from BKK), so I like that return.
 

Quick follow-up on my Capital One experience.

As noted above, I hit the required spend for the SUB pretty quickly.  My first statement hasn't closed yet, but the points for spend and the SUB have already posted to my account.  I'm very surprised, as I though almost all card providers waited until the close of the billing cycle to post the points.

This could come in very handy if someone is looking for quick transferrable points from a big spend.

[DaveStarl]

Folks on here seem the most Credit Card saavy on the board.  I'm working on a bonus spend with my AMEX BIZ GOLD.  

Found any places that take Amex?  I haven't had any luck. 

[thainet]

5 minutes ago, DaveStarl said:

Folks on here seem the most Credit Card saavy on the board.  I'm working on a bonus spend with my AMEX BIZ GOLD.  

Found any places that take Amex?  I haven't had any luck. 

The days of AMEX (and travellers checks) seem to be well over. I gave mine up a long time ago, as very limited plaes to use it. 

[joesmith068]

Been reading this forum for a while and fly to BKK from LAX so at a minimum it is an 18-hour journey. I found a business class flight on Philipine Airlines for $2K per leg. All legs are business for May-24 and pulled the trigger.

One way from LAX - BKK $2K, One way from BKK to Manila - $600, One way from Manila to LAX - $2K

I searched premium economy or other carrier including points but never could get a similar flight for under $6K for other carriers and even regular economy would run me close to $2K for all three legs.

[momo5]

27 minutes ago, thainet said:

The days of AMEX (and travellers checks) seem to be well over. I gave mine up a long time ago, as very limited plaes to use it. 

Number of AMEX cards has nearly doubled since 2017, so hardly seems to be over.  Something like 95+% of US businesses that accept credit cards also accept AMEX and it seems to me that over the past five years or so international acceptance of AMEX has increased as well, certainly with the major hotel chains, car rental companies, etc. 

But yes, VISA and MasterCard to have a broader reach, so prudent to have a few options handy. 

[Luv2Phuket]

So after too many trips to count, I FINALLY got FUCKED by having checked bag on a flight itinerary with multiple stops.

When I arrived at LAS for my positioning flight to SFO, the desk agent said they had an interline agreement with China Airlines and could check my bag through to BKK. Even though I had built in a LONG layover (6 hours) at SFO, that saved me some effort, so I jumped on it.

WARNING NO. 1:
If your positioning flight goes into SFO, build in a nice cushion.  I think they are doing work on some runways, so there are consistent 1-hour air traffic delays going into SFO.

Arrived at SFO still having 5 hours to kill and even multiple hours until the check in counter opened (United could not print my boarding pass).  Grabbed a grilled hot dog at the SF Giants Clubhouse -- free via my Priority Pass that still includes restaurants.  A little too much shit on it, but a damn fine hot dog, if your PP includes restaurants.

Got my boarding pass, gave the China Airlines desk attendant my baggage claim receipt, and she looked it up and said I was indeed good to go -- bag was checked through to BKK.

Fast forward a zillion hours to my arrival at BKK, and the China Airlines baggage desk has someone walking around with a sign with my name on it.....uh oh.

China Airlines never loaded my bag -- it was still at SFO!  Turned out to be a FUCKED day. 

They gave me 3600 baht for the delayed bag (paid in cash), but ONLY because I asked.

I checked my AirTag, and sure as shit, there was my bag at SFO.  The AirTag has been great -- I could see from the lack of any update that it was likely over the Pacific, then could see it in Taiwan and eventually at BKK.  Only problem is the battery in it is dying. 

WARNING NO. 2:
Check the battery in your AirTag if you have had it for a while. If you don't have them, think about getting some AirTags.

I spent over 3 hours at Central Festival trying to find clothes that fit (6'2" and (sadly) now about 250).  Sizing is completely random -- in one store, 2XL swim trunks were absurdly big, but 3XL were too small.  One LandsEnd 2XL polo swallowed me, so I ended up with an XL.  A 2XL Lacoste polo shit felt smaller than an XL in the states.

In all of the time, I was able to find 1 pair of swim trunks that were a little too small but functional, a great (but WAY overpriced) Quiksilver t shirt that fit great'; the Lands End polo that "will work" and some socks (Reebok) and underwear (2 overpriced pairs of boxer briefs).

I have always thought the "don't check a bag; just buy clothes in Thailand" crew was crazy....and even though I was fucked without clothes, this incident had convinced me that was 110% right -- the time and effort to buy even TWO shirts here is not worth it for a bigger guy.

WARNING NO. 3:
I usually pack an extra shirt, underwear and socks in my carryon, but China Airlines is very strict about carry-on bags, weighing them at the airport to confirm they are under 7 kgs.  Since my bag when empty weight 3 kg, that doesn't leave much room, so I left out the extra change of clothes....mistake!

The "work around" for China Airlines is that you can carry a laptop bag and it doesn't count vs the weight limit.  Hell, my laptop bag weighed MORE than the carry on!

I will keep checking a bag (instead of the ordeal of trying to find clothes that fit), but I will never travel again without at least an extra shirt, underwear and socks.  

It's hotter than hell here now, so the thick sweatpants I wore to breakfast (and am wearing in my room while working) were NOT ideal!  555

EPILOGUE:
My bag arrived at BKK at 10 a.m. today, but I'm STILL not getting it until "8 or 9 p.m."

Just a fucked experience, but hopefully an ordeal that will come to an end in about 6 hours.

 

[FROST MEDIC999]

Well at least your in Thailand and worse place to be waiting a Bag arrive.

Dam annoying when it goes missing for various reasons but I'm sure you will cope 5555

[Hamchang]

1 hour ago, Luv2Phuket said:

- the time and effort to buy even TWO shirts here is not worth it for a bigger guy.

71 Export in Central Pattaya

Export Shop - in the outlet mall on the corner of Sukhumvit and Thepprasit Rd 

IN BKK there are a few export shops and these all stock western sized clothes up to quite staggering sizes including ski wear amusingly enough. The one in Thanya PArk BKK on Srinagarindra Rd is close enough to the airport if an immediate clothes injection is needed. They are all quite reasonably priced as well as I have the a suspicion they are Seconds outlets for the myriad of clothing manufactured in Thailand and Cambodia. 

[Luv2Phuket]

1 hour ago, Hamchang said:

71 Export in Central Pattaya

 

That's where I got the swim trunks.

Place next to it is called something like XL Men (or maybe just XL).  That's where I got the Lands End polo style shirt, but their sizes seemed completely random.

[Timon88]

3 hours ago, Luv2Phuket said:

 

Just a fucked experience, but hopefully an ordeal that will come to an end in about 6 hours.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience. Are they sending your bag to Pattaya airport?  You will get reimbursed for the clothes you purchased via some level of insurance, yes? 

I stopped putting my bags under the plane when traveling to warm weather countries years ago because of a similar experience.  My bag was 3-4 days delayed and I was in a North African country where cash was king at the time so I didn't have any receipts for the purchases I made in the short term.  The flight was with Lufthansa Air, they gave me 100 dollars for my inconvenience.  I never flew with them again. 

[Luv2Phuket]

31 minutes ago, Timon88 said:

Sorry to hear about your experience. Are they sending your bag to Pattaya airport?  You will get reimbursed for the clothes you purchased via some level of insurance, yes? 

I stopped putting my bags under the plane when traveling to warm weather countries years ago because of a similar experience.  My bag was 3-4 days delayed and I was in a North African country where cash was king at the time so I didn't have any receipts for the purchases I made in the short term.  The flight was with Lufthansa Air, they gave me 100 dollars for my inconvenience.  I never flew with them again. 

The bag is in transit to my hotel in Pattaya (AirTag shows it on the road)

China Airlines gave me a little over 3600 baht, which I assumer was right around $100. Factoring in the odds and ends I had to buy (razor, shaving cream, clothes), it probably didn't cover everything.

I'll just be happy when it gets here!  TGF is on her way, too....not sure which one I am more excited to see!  555

[momo5]

12 hours ago, Luv2Phuket said:

So after too many trips to count, I FINALLY got FUCKED by having checked bag on a flight itinerary with multiple stops.

When I arrived at LAS for my positioning flight to SFO, the desk agent said they had an interline agreement with China Airlines and could check my bag through to BKK. Even though I had built in a LONG layover (6 hours) at SFO, that saved me some effort, so I jumped on it.

WARNING NO. 1:
If your positioning flight goes into SFO, build in a nice cushion.  I think they are doing work on some runways, so there are consistent 1-hour air traffic delays going into SFO.

Arrived at SFO still having 5 hours to kill and even multiple hours until the check in counter opened (United could not print my boarding pass).  Grabbed a grilled hot dog at the SF Giants Clubhouse -- free via my Priority Pass that still includes restaurants.  A little too much shit on it, but a damn fine hot dog, if your PP includes restaurants.

Got my boarding pass, gave the China Airlines desk attendant my baggage claim receipt, and she looked it up and said I was indeed good to go -- bag was checked through to BKK.

Fast forward a zillion hours to my arrival at BKK, and the China Airlines baggage desk has someone walking around with a sign with my name on it.....uh oh.

China Airlines never loaded my bag -- it was still at SFO!  Turned out to be a FUCKED day. 

They gave me 3600 baht for the delayed bag (paid in cash), but ONLY because I asked.

I checked my AirTag, and sure as shit, there was my bag at SFO.  The AirTag has been great -- I could see from the lack of any update that it was likely over the Pacific, then could see it in Taiwan and eventually at BKK.  Only problem is the battery in it is dying. 

WARNING NO. 2:
Check the battery in your AirTag if you have had it for a while. If you don't have them, think about getting some AirTags.

I spent over 3 hours at Central Festival trying to find clothes that fit (6'2" and (sadly) now about 250).  Sizing is completely random -- in one store, 2XL swim trunks were absurdly big, but 3XL were too small.  One LandsEnd 2XL polo swallowed me, so I ended up with an XL.  A 2XL Lacoste polo shit felt smaller than an XL in the states.

In all of the time, I was able to find 1 pair of swim trunks that were a little too small but functional, a great (but WAY overpriced) Quiksilver t shirt that fit great'; the Lands End polo that "will work" and some socks (Reebok) and underwear (2 overpriced pairs of boxer briefs).

I have always thought the "don't check a bag; just buy clothes in Thailand" crew was crazy....and even though I was fucked without clothes, this incident had convinced me that was 110% right -- the time and effort to buy even TWO shirts here is not worth it for a bigger guy.

WARNING NO. 3:
I usually pack an extra shirt, underwear and socks in my carryon, but China Airlines is very strict about carry-on bags, weighing them at the airport to confirm they are under 7 kgs.  Since my bag when empty weight 3 kg, that doesn't leave much room, so I left out the extra change of clothes....mistake!

The "work around" for China Airlines is that you can carry a laptop bag and it doesn't count vs the weight limit.  Hell, my laptop bag weighed MORE than the carry on!

I will keep checking a bag (instead of the ordeal of trying to find clothes that fit), but I will never travel again without at least an extra shirt, underwear and socks.  

It's hotter than hell here now, so the thick sweatpants I wore to breakfast (and am wearing in my room while working) were NOT ideal!  555

EPILOGUE:
My bag arrived at BKK at 10 a.m. today, but I'm STILL not getting it until "8 or 9 p.m."

Just a fucked experience, but hopefully an ordeal that will come to an end in about 6 hours.

 

Yes, your laptop bag is considered your ‘personal item’ … so roll-aboard plus personal item.  I hardly ever check a bag, but when I do I always bring at least one full change of clothes in my carryon. 
 

Apple claims the AirTag batteries will last about a year … maybe … I purchase the CR2032 batteries in bulk and replace them every 6 months or so, same with the remotes for the garage door openers, the key fobs, and a few other things that use the same batteries … better than being caught with a dead battery which will assuredly happen when you need the freakin’ device the most.