Any VacationHackrs?

By decreasing credit line on other cards I meant swap credit from the line you don’t use much to the new one.

I probably will. I would have already, but I am second guessing the timing of the Premier application based on some other spending activity that could yield other benefits.

Possible.

As I mentioned, this Premier app was for my spouse. My Premier was approved 4-5 months ago and I have quite a bit more in unused credit card lines.

But obviously time has elapsed, and meanwhile I’m thinking that they may be tightening up the purse strings as the economy continues to go to hell.

I just ordered one of these for $417 and change, and the free shipping code stacked.

Main concern is that the grey color will look silly with my black laptop bag (same brand, different collection) compared to any random all-black carry-on.

I also recently picked up an all-black Travel Pro carry-on bag (I think it’s in this thread), but it’s still sitting in the box and eligible for return until 12/7.

I’ll eyeball them both together, and hopefully one of them will be close enough to ideal to keep.

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If you have any award travel booked, don’t forget to go back periodically and reprice it.

I had one-way from CMH-SAN booked for next Sunday in AA Economy for 30,000 miles, and that was the least-awful choice for next weekend when I booked it ~8 weeks ago.

I just checked again, and the same itinerary on Saturday is available for 12,000 miles.

So I canceled for a 30k refund and rebooked for 12k – and now I can get the hell out of here a day early. :trophy:

Downside: there were no aisle seats left in MCE on the Saturday flights I wanted, so I have window / exit seats all the way… but upgrade odds are better on Saturday than Sunday anyway, so with any luck I won’t actually sit in the seats I just chose.

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Nice Tumi. Do you like their roll-aboards better than TravelPro? I have had great travel pros (well, two but that’s because they’ve lasted so long and travel so well)

I haven’t used either brand of luggage in the past.

I’ve usually just kept an eye open for something on the nicer end of Samsonite’s line-up on clearance at TJ Maxx / Marshall’s, and then I’d buy one even if I didn’t immediately need it… so I’d always have a spare on hand.

But I am spare-less now, and I don’t think the current one has much longer before than handle gives out, so I want to do something before it fails mid-trip.

The carry-on that matches my laptop bag is $1,700… and I just refuse. For one thing, I can’t avoid regional jets, and that bag isn’t something I’d want to gate check.

Wait for the sale.
Tumi also only has a 5 year warranty. Yr 1 - incidentals are covered.

The Plat Elite at TravelPro will cover airline damages.

B&R will also cover airline damages.

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I still think the best purely financial play over the long term is Samsonite / TJ Maxx (or department store) clearance. :slight_smile:

I have < $100 invested in my current Samsonite, and I’ve gotten ~4 years out of it (300+ flights and ~500,000 miles).

Assuming $25/year, break-even on the TravelPro would be 12.5 years (at 15% off $370), and even if it’s still functional until the end it’s going to start looking haggard long before that.

With that said, I willingly spent more than $400 on the Tumi. Tumi’s very good at details (I wasn’t similarly impressed with the Platinum Elite soft-side** I bought / returned earlier this year), and I’m willing to pay a premium for something I enjoy using.

(That’s all subjective, of course.)

Tumi’s been very good with standing behind the laptop bag as well.

** I don’t like hard cases.

You shouldn’t spend more than $250 for the plat elite. I have 3 of them and got them all on sale over the past few years.

IMO - it is worth getting a good warranty for luggage that will be checked since belts will eat the zippers at some point. If you go all carry on, then a basic bag will hold up just as well.

FWIW - I’ve had my Plat Magna 2 carry on (predecessor to Plat Elite) for 7 years. Probably clocked over 700k miles with it mainly checked. The ballistic nylon has held up very well. Zippers replaced for free several times under warranty after they got ripped off.

I’m not checking the bag, except for the occasional gate check on one of the smaller regional jets. :slight_smile:

Even when I check a bag to its destination, it won’t be the bag I’m shopping for (this one would still be onboard with me so I have the things I need if the checked bag is delayed).

I didn’t like (returned) the Platinum Elite, so that’s sort of a moot point anyway.

Without seeing the Tumi, I’m predicting that in the end I’ll return both the TravelPro that’s still in the box AND the Tumi I just ordered, and just get another $80-100 disposable Samsonite and re-evaluate in another 4-5 years.

I’ve had a Murano carryon for 15-ish years. I was a road warrior (100K+ miles flown) for about 5 of those years. This thing has been used and abused and still it’s in great shape. All the zippers still work even.

I don’t remember why or how I bought it, probably on sale at Target or something. But man, that is a good pice of luggage.

Everyone I know who has a Tumi says the same: great luggage but heavy.

The hair I will split is: get your clearance/refurb directly from Samsonite, some of their models don’t get sent to Marshalls or B-stock clearance outlets. I have a set of firm shell nylon with 250k miles on them (the big one always checked, the carry on sized half the time) that looks like it’s been on one flight.

Also if you have a good suitcase with a small issue (handle, zipper, wheel) I recommend a good luggage repair shop, though most TJ Maxx examples that get to that point should go right to Good Will.

Oh and free tip to all: the next luggage you spend money on, any color but black.

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There is no question that all Samsonites aren’t equal.

That’s why I will pick up one of the better ones when I encounter it, whether I need it or not at the moment.

Sometimes the spare will sit in a closet for 2 years. :smiley:

If it has four great wheels, nbd for me, unless it’s really like a lead brick.

It was a profitability decision.

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You broke the algorithm.

Wouldn’t be the first time. :smiley:

In other news, I got my US Bank Altitude Connect approval email today, so I’ll hammer awayfor a couple of days at that $500 bonus and then figure out what to do next.

$500 bonus? Do tell.

Spend $2k get $500. I still have another $2k in insurance bills sitting here, so I’ll have that wrapped up as soon as I get the card number.

I know money’s fungible, and this is a cash bonus, but I’ll use the bonus for airfare purchases after 3/1/23 (new status year on AA, so at that time I’ll switch from award tickets back to revenue tickets until I renew Executive Platinum).

Depending on which other cards you have, the card may also be useful for certain types of spending. There’s no AF.

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I almost picked up at COSTCO a Ricardo Beverly Hills Carry-On for $75 but decided to research about it a little first… is it a good luggage brand???I see their website has the same carry-on for $170

Costco also had Samsonite and Delsey Paris sets $179 on sale (down from $229) I don’t need a Checked bag, as I usually travel light a few times a year-so was leaning towards the Ricardo Softside, any other suggestions for under $100 ?? send 'em my way :laughing: