# Continental One Pass



## The Metropolitan

I probably should have heeded some of your calls about Continental previously, but better late than never.

I have to travel to a conference in Phoenix later this month, and Continental came up as the cheapest way there, so I went ahead and booked the ticket. Only a couple days ago, it dawned on me that I should at least explore what this trip would be worth in Continental One Pass miles to see if I should even consider joining.

The result was 2, 244! Knowing the rules of a 1 mile to 1 point transfer ratio provided they were done in 5000 mile/point blocks, this simple one way trip was worth nearly 75% of a NEC Zone Reward. Once this lightbulb finally went off, I pretty much kicked myself for booking return passage on Delta instead of Continental.

But in looking deeper, I discovered that I was ALREADY on track to score well over 5000 CO miles! I had an existing trip into Vegas on United in late April that will net me 2119 miles provided I show my OnePass on checking in. Add to that a 1000 point bonus for opting in to emailed statements, and a 100 point bonus to learn about the Star Alliance partners that informed me a United flight I took back in September could be submitted for another 621 miles of past credit.

Sum it all up, and if it all shakes out, I'm on par for nearly 6000 points already!

Before I knew it, I had cancelled my SW flight back from LA in early May and rebooked it through Continental. 2614 miles for just $150, plus a 500 mile bonus for paying with my Mastercard.

As I look through the offers, I see a 10000 mile offer to start a Debit Card Account through Chase that I might jump on since joining also waives the fee on the first checked bag when flying Continental. Also, a 5000 mile bonus to renew my soon ending Cellphone agreement with Verizon.

So all told, I could have a 20000 point jump in my AGR account with minimal effort. When I consider it's taken me 4 years to accrue a total of about 40000 points, that's not at all shabby.

Anyone here done much with the Continental One Pass membership other than the Chase Credit Card? Would be interested to know of your experiences!


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## Guest

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

Congrats for finally drinking.


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## The Metropolitan

Guest said:


> You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
> Congrats for finally drinking.


LMAO!!! That made me laugh out loud!!! I'm probably more of a donkey in this one!

The thing is, I was never really interested in opening up new Credit, so I elected to forego the concept of getting the Continental Credit Card.

Also, Continental only flies mainline flights out of BWI to Houston, with commuter links to Cleveland and Newark (and I'd definitely do Amtrak to the latter). Thus, my options on where to go on Continental are pretty limited from here!

On reading the fine print, Opening that checking account and getting the debit card in use will net me 25000 miles, though I won't get the baggage fee waived (that's for the "Preferred" card that costs more). Still, 25K points to open up a $25 annual fee account is really a no-brainer, particularly since it will be a way for me to access ATM's across the country with no ATM fee!


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## the_traveler

The Metropolitan said:


> Anyone here done much with the Continental One Pass membership other than the Chase Credit Card? Would be interested to know of your experiences!


Yes, I have and still do.

I used to live on the west coast (everyone has bad habits :lol: ) and had family on the east coast. So I used to fly  quite often on CO. That (and other things) allowed me to transfer over 100K from CO to AGR last year!

Last year I had to fly to PDX, so I chose CO. It essentially earned me over 2,000 AGR points. Next month, I have to go back to PDX and again I'm going to  fly - but I'm going to fly CO. My friend has a CO MasterCard (so we each get 1 bag free) and we have to bring thing back east. So we need 2 free bags. But the good thing is I'll earn over 5,000 AGR points for the $298 fare! 

I also sometimes shop at the CO mall if it pays more than AGR. An example is back when the original Circuit City was operating, AGR paid 1/$ but CO paid 3/$! Then I transfer them with my other miles to AGR! 

Because OnePass miles do not expire, I use them as a "holding account" for if I need a quick shot of AGR points! My "holding account" currently has over 26K worth of (essentially) AGR points!


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## The Metropolitan

Thanks for the insights!

I'm visiting Chicago next week, so I'm pretty sure I'll stop past a Chase branch and open that checking account with Debit Card with an eye towards those 25K points!

How do you find the onboard experience on Continental. While I never expect an LD Amtrak experience, it seems that they are pretty well rated among airlines. Having some entertainment and more food than just peanuts should certainly make the experience more bearable than Southwest on long hauls I'd think!


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## the_traveler

The Metropolitan said:


> How do you find the onboard experience on Continental. While I never expect an LD Amtrak experience, it seems that they are pretty well rated among airlines. Having some entertainment and more food than just peanuts should certainly make the experience more bearable than Southwest on long hauls I'd think!


As much as is said against airline meals, one reason that I like Continental because it is the *ONLY* domestic airline that still offers free meals to *ALL* passengers!

Also remember that you do not *ONLY* have to fly on Continental to earn OnePass Miles!  Continental Airlines is a part of the Star Alliance (*A). If you fly on *ANY* *A airlines, you can request that you earn OnePass Miles instead! (You may have to call before you fly.) Other domestic *A airlines include United Airlines and US Air!


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## The Metropolitan

Once having endured a starvation ritual on a transcon SWA flight, I pretty much vowed never again. CO offering meals is a plus to me, as is seat assignments upon booking.

And I just pulled up my United booking into Vegas and figured out how to add my One Pass number onto the reservation online! All Set!


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## Ispolkom

The Metropolitan said:


> Thanks for the insights!
> I'm visiting Chicago next week, so I'm pretty sure I'll stop past a Chase branch and open that checking account with Debit Card with an eye towards those 25K points!
> 
> How do you find the onboard experience on Continental. While I never expect an LD Amtrak experience, it seems that they are pretty well rated among airlines. Having some entertainment and more food than just peanuts should certainly make the experience more bearable than Southwest on long hauls I'd think!


You sure won't have trouble finding a Chase branch in Chicago. Remember to bring along the coupon that you print out for the 25k mile offer and your OnePass number. Also, there are two debit cards. One gives you one OnePass mile per dollar spent, and costs $65. The other gives you one OnePass mile per two dollars spent, and costs $25. Both get you the 25k mile initial bonus. I chose the cheaper card.

Mrs. Ispolkom opened her Chase checking account on-line, so you don't absolutely have to visit a branch. One advantage to the on-line account opening is that you do it with a credit card (maybe you can do that in person as well -- I don't know), and it doesn't count as a cash advance. So if you use your AGR Mastercard and deposit the maximum of $500, it's another 500 AGR points.


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## AlanB

The Metropolitan said:


> Also, Continental only flies mainline flights out of BWI to Houston, with commuter links to Cleveland and Newark (and I'd definitely do Amtrak to the latter). Thus, my options on where to go on Continental are pretty limited from here!


You do know that Continental and Amtrak have a code share out of EWR, meaning that you can book several NEC destinations on Amtrak with a Continental reservation to/from EWR.


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## The Metropolitan

Ispolkom said:


> You sure won't have trouble finding a Chase branch in Chicago. Remember to bring along the coupon that you print out for the 25k mile offer and your OnePass number. Also, there are two debit cards. One gives you one OnePass mile per dollar spent, and costs $65. The other gives you one OnePass mile per two dollars spent, and costs $25. Both get you the 25k mile initial bonus. I chose the cheaper card.


Mission Accomplished! Got the account started up at the Chase branch. I took the cheaper card as well. Interestingly, the printed "placemat" style poster that they had in the branch indicated that even the $25 card meant waived baggage fees on Continental. I had been under the impression this was only for the Premier card. Any experiences to share?

Alan, thanks, but Baltimore's not a code share town, and given my proximity to Penn Station, I'd actually have to backtrack down the NEC to play "hurry up and wait" in order to fly into Newark to connect with one of the handful of code share destinations, by which point I would probably lose time over just taking the NEC directly north.


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## jis

The Metropolitan said:


> How do you find the onboard experience on Continental. While I never expect an LD Amtrak experience, it seems that they are pretty well rated among airlines. Having some entertainment and more food than just peanuts should certainly make the experience more bearable than Southwest on long hauls I'd think!


Continental is my favorite airline of the ones in US. On the Newark - Los Angeles route if you get an international 757-200 you will get one of the best IFE systems. I must admit though that I collect most of my CO miles either through my Presidential Plus Credit Card or on international flights. Continental is finally putting in lay flat beds in Business-First which makes them more attractive on the non stops to Asia. One such round trip rakes in 14000 points plus 50% bonus. I usually try to collect enough to be able to fly to Asia round trip on Business-First. That takes a little doing. I never convert CO miles to anything else because flying fee on a trip that would normally cost $10 or $12K seems like a better use of miles than something else, since I do have to do those trips at least once a year anyway.


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## Trogdor

jis said:


> I never convert CO miles to anything else because flying fee on a trip that would normally cost $10 or $12K seems like a better use of miles than something else, since I do have to do those trips at least once a year anyway.


You mean you'd rather fly halfway around the world than take a "loophole" train ride from Snailtooth, MS, to Pigeonscrew, MT?


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## jis

rmadisonwi said:


> You mean you'd rather fly halfway around the world than take a "loophole" train ride from Snailtooth, MS, to Pigeonscrew, MT?


Yes. The attraction of spending some time with the other half of my family trumps Pigeonscrew :lol:


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## Rail Freak

do they send you an actual card when you join "One Pass"? I joined in December & booked a flight in May but havent recieved a card  .

RF


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## The Metropolitan

Rail Freak said:


> do they send you an actual card when you join "One Pass"? I joined in December & booked a flight in May but havent recieved a card  .RF


I don't think so. A "replica" card appears when joining, and I'm pretty certain you're supposed to print this out and cut it out to put in your wallet as your membership "card." Southwest and Airtran do something similar. If you visit your account online, you should see a link to print replacement card. Elite members may be mailed a more substantial card, but given there are three levels of that which a rapid flyer just might progress through quickly, I don't know.

Given that the rewards on flying are pretty lucrative for converting to AGR points (to where a transcon r/t flight almost equals an NEC zone r/t reward) and a bit more daunting to achieve International flight rewards, I'm probably more inclined to dump the points into AGR if and when I need them. I'd also have a hard time passing up just paying for a transcon flight on CO (as opposed to cashing in a value redemption) knowing the lucrative rewards that paying for it carries. My logic:

The way I see it, 25000 CO miles is a "value" RT redemption. One would anticipate that you might get $400 of value booking a transcon from this given the capacity controls in place on this reward level.

20000 CO miles can convert to AGR points good for a 2 zone roomette or 1 zone bedroom reward. Travelling in a pair, one is quite likely to get a minimum of roughly $300 in value from this, but given the lack of capacity controls in place, can easily get up to $1,000 in value from this (a Bedroom on the Star can readily run $800 plus rail fare)

If one spends the $400 or so for the round trip transcon instead of cashing in 25000 points, you'll be earning about 5000 miles (points) you wouldn't through the redemption. At the AGR Buy Points rate, that works out to about a $137 value. In practice, it could logically be worth up to twice that (such as 5 California redemptions between SF and LA on the San Joaquins at a $54 value each). With the right timing, one can actually spend $250 on a transcon round trip on CO and get enough miles to get that value back completely in AGR redemptions.

I think I'll pass on the trip to Pigeonscrew, though! LMAO!


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## the_traveler

The Metropolitan said:


> I think I'll pass on the trip to Pigeonscrew, though! LMAO!


You may want to pass on Kangaroo, CA too. I hear it has a mean kick! :lol: And Crocagator, FL I hear it has a mean bite, but it's on the SL-East, so it's been "temporarily suspended"!


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## Ispolkom

the_traveler said:


> I also sometimes shop at the CO mall if it pays more than AGR. An example is back when the original Circuit City was operating, AGR paid 1/$ but CO paid 3/$! Then I transfer them with my other miles to AGR!
> Because OnePass miles do not expire, I use them as a "holding account" for if I need a quick shot of AGR points! My "holding account" currently has over 26K worth of (essentially) AGR points!


If you have a Continental credit or debit card you get double points at the CO Mall, and in my experience the points post more regularly than with the AGR mall. This meant that ordering flowers from 1-800-flowers at Valentine's Day earned 50 points per dollar. And the flowers really were pretty good!


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## Guest

Ispolkom said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> 
> I also sometimes shop at the CO mall if it pays more than AGR. An example is back when the original Circuit City was operating, AGR paid 1/$ but CO paid 3/$! Then I transfer them with my other miles to AGR!
> Because OnePass miles do not expire, I use them as a "holding account" for if I need a quick shot of AGR points! My "holding account" currently has over 26K worth of (essentially) AGR points!
> 
> 
> 
> If you have a Continental credit or debit card you get double points at the CO Mall, and in my experience the points post more regularly than with the AGR mall. This meant that ordering flowers from 1-800-flowers at Valentine's Day earned 50 points per dollar. And the flowers really were pretty good!
Click to expand...

WOW! That means you essentially bought points at 2 cents per point, cheaper than AGR buy points even during the current promo. Then you got flowers as well. I wish I had caught that.


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## Ispolkom

Guest said:


> WOW! That means you essentially bought points at 2 cents per point, cheaper than AGR buy points even during the current promo. Then you got flowers as well. I wish I had caught that.


They usually have the same promotion for Mother's Day. Delivery charges don't earn points, and are fairly hefty, so it was actually more like 2.5 cents per point/mile. Still less than the regular points.com price for AGR points.


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## alanh

the_traveler said:


> As much as is said against airline meals, one reason that I like Continental because it is the *ONLY* domestic airline that still offers free meals to *ALL* passengers!


I suppose it was inevitable, but they just announced that they're going to food-for-purchase starting this fall for flights under 6 hours.


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## Cascadia

Ispolkom said:


> You sure won't have trouble finding a Chase branch in Chicago. Remember to bring along the coupon that you print out for the 25k mile offer and your OnePass number. Also, there are two debit cards. One gives you one OnePass mile per dollar spent, and costs $65. The other gives you one OnePass mile per two dollars spent, and costs $25. Both get you the 25k mile initial bonus. I chose the cheaper card.
> Mrs. Ispolkom opened her Chase checking account on-line, so you don't absolutely have to visit a branch. One advantage to the on-line account opening is that you do it with a credit card (maybe you can do that in person as well -- I don't know), and it doesn't count as a cash advance. So if you use your AGR Mastercard and deposit the maximum of $500, it's another 500 AGR points.


After reading this thread, I went and joined the Continental One Pass program. I looked at the debit card offer and will probably open a checking account and apply for that card - for 25,000 miles I don't see how I can pass it up.

When she opened the checking account online, did she just give them a number off that coupon? I don't have a printer so was going to go print it out at work, but if I can do it online, could I just write down the coupon info and enter in the online application?

Man these kind of promos get me nervous though, wondering if you ever really see the miles, after you make the qualifying purchases, they say wait 6-10 weeks for the miles to post to your account.

If I didn't have the coupon printed out, could they ever come back and say "coupon? what coupon? you never entered any coupon code!"


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## The Metropolitan

Admittedly, that was one of the things that pushed me towards visiting a branch and opening the account, as they'll give you verification papers to state what you'll get. From what I've heard however on FT, it seems the number of successes are nearly unanimous in opening the account, whether online or in person.

I'd expect that you should be able to just enter that coupon code when entering the account. Flyer Talk's CO forums relate of several people who've done this with success, including Ispolkom if I recall correctly. I would have done this as well if I hadn't just happened to be visiting Chicago.

Reading the Flyer Talk thread about the discontinuation of meals on CO with Fall, it seems there are a lot of reactionary folks spelling this as another step in a downward spiral at Continental with their new boss. I hope this doesn't spell possible future hiccups in converting CO Miles to AGR Points. I've had a bad tendency to come in on the heels of a good thing just as its winding down.


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## Ispolkom

Cascadia said:


> After reading this thread, I went and joined the Continental One Pass program. I looked at the debit card offer and will probably open a checking account and apply for that card - for 25,000 miles I don't see how I can pass it up.
> When she opened the checking account online, did she just give them a number off that coupon? I don't have a printer so was going to go print it out at work, but if I can do it online, could I just write down the coupon info and enter in the online application?
> 
> Man these kind of promos get me nervous though, wondering if you ever really see the miles, after you make the qualifying purchases, they say wait 6-10 weeks for the miles to post to your account.
> 
> If I didn't have the coupon printed out, could they ever come back and say "coupon? what coupon? you never entered any coupon code!"


I'd open the account in person. You get paperwork confirming your promotions and, much as I prefer NHI (no human interaction), it seems a smoother process. In any case, if you do things on line print out the coupon and, if possible, print out screen shots showing the miles.

My poor wife ended up feeling that she was involved in an abusive relationship with Chase, apparently because of problems at their end. For several weeks she received alternating communications from Good Chase and Bad Chase. Seriously. One day she gets her debit card and a letter welcoming her to Chase. A few days later she gets a letter saying that Chase has closed her account, gives no reason why, and demands that she destroy her debit card. Next week she gets a new debit card, and all is sunshine. Weird. It all worked out in the end, but it wasn't a very professional job on Chase's end. It was a comfort having the paper copies of their promises.

Please note that this checking account offer expires at the end of the month. It has been extended several times in the past, but that's no guarantee that there will be another extension.

With regard to transfers, I'm big on moving points as soon as possible, because I've been burned by transfer possibilities disappearing. YMMV, of course.


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## The Metropolitan

Ispolkom said:


> My poor wife ended up feeling that she was involved in an abusive relationship with Chase, apparently because of problems at their end. For several weeks she received alternating communications from Good Chase and Bad Chase. Seriously. One day she gets her debit card and a letter welcoming her to Chase. A few days later she gets a letter saying that Chase has closed her account, gives no reason why, and demands that she destroy her debit card. Next week she gets a new debit card, and all is sunshine. Weird. It all worked out in the end, but it wasn't a very professional job on Chase's end. It was a comfort having the paper copies of their promises.


Trust me, I've been through the "Bad Chase" in the past. I had a credit card account from a bank that was taken over by them after I'd enrolled in a Debt Management program. I'd pay my consolidated payment right on time and would get the most outright NASTY mailings from them that my payment "was late" and threatening that if the next one was, I'd be dropped from the DMP enrollment.

The experience REALLY soured me to Chase and it was only when I evaluated that I "deserved" a partial vacation at their expense for all they'd put me through that I finally conceded to walk into their office and open that account. I'm still not exactly ecstatic about being a Chase customer, but as long as I have a logical need to fly Continental at least once a year with checked baggage (thus saving that fee and paying for the account) while I can make roundabout AGR points through purchases with the card, it makes sense to hang onto it and use it for what I can to keep the miles ticking.


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## Cascadia

Dang, you guys have bad stories about Chase, which doesn't surprise me one bit. I have really tried to move away from the big banks and to do business with the smaller local banks and credit unions. Opening an account with Chase really has no appeal to me. Of course I do have the AGR Chase Mastercard and I do use it to get the miles, which is working out okay.

Man 25,000 One Pass/AGR miles for opening a checking account is a LOT of miles. I will have to do this quick if I'm going to. It is on my list, but even though that is a LOT of miles, it is still not very appealing. hmmm. I'd be pretty stupid not to take advantage of this though.


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## PRR 60

I've had a Chase card for at least 25 years with not one problem. I don't question the stories of others, but my experience with Chase has been first rate.


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## Cascadia

PRR 60 said:


> I've had a Chase card for at least 25 years with not one problem. I don't question the stories of others, but my experience with Chase has been first rate.


That's encouraging, and similar to my experience with US Bank, a lot of people have horror stories about them, and in fact I had a bad experience with them many years ago, but the business I've done with them here over the last eight years or so has been problem free, they have treated me very well, and I feel I have benefited from the relationship. All the same I moved my primary activity to a smaller bank.

I will feel really stupid if I pass up this OnePass miles offer.


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## jis

PRR 60 said:


> I've had a Chase card for at least 25 years with not one problem. I don't question the stories of others, but my experience with Chase has been first rate.


I have had two Chase Cards (AGR and Continental Presidents Plus) for quite a while, and no problems. And I am even one of the nightmare customers for them since I have seldom ever paid a cent of interest or late fee to any of them. And still they keep trying to increase my line of credit and send me checks and goad me into taking cash advance and what nots, which I always turn down and tear the checks up and throw them away.


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## AAARGH!

jis said:


> PRR 60 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I've had a Chase card for at least 25 years with not one problem. I don't question the stories of others, but my experience with Chase has been first rate.
> 
> 
> 
> I have had two Chase Cards (AGR and Continental Presidents Plus) for quite a while, and no problems. And I am even one of the nightmare customers for them since I have seldom ever paid a cent of interest or late fee to any of them. And still they keep trying to increase my line of credit and send me checks and goad me into taking cash advance and what nots, which I always turn down and tear the checks up and throw them away.
Click to expand...

Same here. I have three cards from them (AGR, Continental, and BP gas). They are a bit pushy, but can be easily ignored. I have had no problems with Chase.

Their onboarding process (when you open a new card) is something else. When you activate a card, you get a real person, not an automated call tree thingy. They give you great information and of course, cross sell the heck out of you.

At the same time I got the BP card, I got a Shell card from City. They were the complete opposite. They did not want to talk to me or cross sell or anything. All automated and cludgy.

I work for another big bank that offers credit cards. We are more like City and consider Chase to be way out there as far as how they do things. But it must work. I for one like the Chase method, even if I have to ignore their 'pushyness'.


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## The Metropolitan

UGH! Thanks for the warning on the cross-sell on activation of the card. At least I'll know what to expect so that I can be HALF polite when I say no instead of being caught by surprise and irritated as all heck about the marketing schlock. I've always hated those sales calls for crap like dining or travelling "clubs" and hope I don't have to listen to said spiels where "we're going to go ahead and start your first month of the program for free and if you decide you don't want it, we'll give you a number to Bogota where you can call and cancel..."

For what it's worth again, my previous Chase experience relayed above was quite real, quite unexpected, and very souring, but it doesn't necessarily extend across all large banks. I've been extremely satisfied with PNC Bank, though admit I like dealing with my agency Credit Union most of all.

***Edit - Clarification: The UGH! was a reaction, not addressing AAARGH! by the wrong name! LOL!


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## AAARGH!

The Metropolitan said:


> UGH! Thanks for the warning on the cross-sell on activation of the card. At least I'll know what to expect so that I can be HALF polite when I say no instead of being caught by surprise and irritated as all heck about the marketing schlock. I've always hated those sales calls for crap like dining or travelling "clubs" and hope I don't have to listen to said spiels where "we're going to go ahead and start your first month of the program for free and if you decide you don't want it, we'll give you a number to Bogota where you can call and cancel..."
> For what it's worth again, my previous Chase experience relayed above was quite real, quite unexpected, and very souring, but it doesn't necessarily extend across all large banks. I've been extremely satisfied with PNC Bank, though admit I like dealing with my agency Credit Union most of all.
> 
> ***Edit - Clarification: The UGH! was a reaction, not addressing AAARGH! by the wrong name! LOL!


Thanks for not calling my name in vain! :lol:

The cross sell wasn't that bad. They did it, but it wasn't pushy or anything. Just be ready. They tried to get me to take debt cancellation insurance. They asked me if I knew how it worked. At the bank I work at, I am in the department that OFFERS that product, so I probably knew more about the type of product than she did!

If a bank is going to cross sell, Chase does it the right way in my opinion.


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## JayPea

I only have the AGR card from Chase and have had no problems other than their stupid website. :angry: Danged thing keeps insisting I typed my user name and password wrong when I know that's not right. :angry: Chase itself has been just great. Just my luck, Continental doesn't fly in and out of my airport of choice, Spokane. First Amtrak departs and arrives in the dead of morning and no Continental in and out of Spokane. I guess I need to move!!!! :lol:


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## The Metropolitan

AARGH! - (clarification, not a reaction but addressing a poster by name! )

Thanks for the further insights. I can deal with responsibly making you aware of a product directly related to the item that you've already proceeded to acquire. When I was at the branch, the account rep wanted to sell me up to a Savings Account or Credit Card as a measure of overdraft protection. I contemplated biting on the former option, but when he honestly confided that the current interest was a mere fraction of 1% (versus the 1.35% or so that I've got at PNC), I elected to skip, and he was fine with it.

I've just gotten jaded with cross sells. Verizon has repeatedly tried to give me a free trial of things like VCAST to watch "great music videos" on my cell phone. When I ask if they have Brtitish Trip Hop groups like I like, they always back down - LOL! Sorry, not paying $10 a month for access to watch cheesy Jonas Brothers videos, thanks!

Jay Pea, Continental directly is admittedly a little tricky for me as well. I'm not sure I care to fly ERJ's too readily if there's a MD80 or better option available elsewhere, so that leaves me with a handful of West Coast Destinations, Houston, Phoenix, and New Orleans for the most part. *Does United or US Airways fly into Spokane?* If so, they are both Star Alliance Members whose points can be converted to CO miles in lieu of their "native" miles.


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## JayPea

Ohhhh.......I didn't know that United or US Airways points could be converted into CO miles. Both do indeed fly into Spokane. US Airways coverage is very limited, but United is less so.


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## AAARGH!

The Metropolitan said:


> I contemplated biting on the former option, but when he honestly confided that the current interest was a mere fraction of 1% (versus the 1.35% or so that I've got at PNC), I elected to skip, and he was fine with it..


How are you getting 1.35% with PNC? I shouldn't be the one asking you considering PNC is the bank for which I work! :unsure: :blink: :unsure: :blink:

Actually, my account is with National City for another three weeks until it converts over to PNC (PNC bought National City). My current savings account is well below 1% not to mention 1.35%.

AAAARGH!! (clarification, a reaction, not calling out my own name  )


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## AAARGH!

JayPea said:


> Ohhhh.......I didn't know that United or US Airways points could be converted into CO miles. Both do indeed fly into Spokane. US Airways coverage is very limited, but United is less so.


I don't think they can be _transferred_, BUT you can use the miles to fly on any of the Star Alliance partners.


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## The Metropolitan

AAARGH! said:


> How are you getting 1.35% with PNC? I shouldn't be the one asking you considering PNC is the bank for which I work! :unsure: :blink: :unsure: :blink:
> Actually, my account is with National City for another three weeks until it converts over to PNC (PNC bought National City). My current savings account is well below 1% not to mention 1.35%.
> 
> AAAARGH!! (clarification, a reaction, not calling out my own name  )


Actually upon checking just now, it's actually gone down to 1.1%. Sadly it was a full 3.0% 16 months ago, but its more the times we're in versus the bank's fault. It's the "Virtual Wallet" Account with PNC, sort of a competition to ING Direct, but with the advantage of much more clearly defined free ATM access at PNC locations, with a brick and mortar bank there if you need it.

Still, the interest rate is far higher than the usuals found elsewhere, and I've had no problems at all with PNC. The online interface is so good, I haven't needed to use the branch offices for anything but an occasional ATM visit.


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## AAARGH!

The Metropolitan said:


> AAARGH! said:
> 
> 
> 
> How are you getting 1.35% with PNC? I shouldn't be the one asking you considering PNC is the bank for which I work! :unsure: :blink: :unsure: :blink:
> Actually, my account is with National City for another three weeks until it converts over to PNC (PNC bought National City). My current savings account is well below 1% not to mention 1.35%.
> 
> AAAARGH!! (clarification, a reaction, not calling out my own name  )
> 
> 
> 
> Actually upon checking just now, it's actually gone down to 1.1%. Sadly it was a full 3.0% 16 months ago, but its more the times we're in versus the bank's fault. It's the "Virtual Wallet" Account with PNC, sort of a competition to ING Direct, but with the advantage of much more clearly defined free ATM access at PNC locations, with a brick and mortar bank there if you need it.
> 
> Still, the interest rate is far higher than the usuals found elsewhere, and I've had no problems at all with PNC. The online interface is so good, I haven't needed to use the branch offices for anything but an occasional ATM visit.
Click to expand...

Thanks!!! I'll look into it once I convert to PNC. They have been playing up the Virtual Wallet product in our intranet.


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## The Metropolitan

AAARGH! said:


> I don't think they can be _transferred_, BUT you can use the miles to fly on any of the Star Alliance partners.


That's how it works to my understanding, you can either:

Access your flight reservation on United and specify that you want the miles to go to your specified CO account, or...

Book the United flight through CO's website through a Code Share. I don't know how comprehensive this option is, but if Spokane flights show in the CO results, it's always worth it to compare the CO and UA prices. We've noticed savings here in Baltimore of between $10 and $30 booking UA flights through code share on the CO website. And of course since the rewards are based on physical miles, there is no need at all to pay more (as you may on rare occasion actually wish to do on Amtrak if it means hitting a status level or reward threshold.)

Jeff, I've been quite satisfied with the Virtual Wallet product and defintely recommend you check it out. There may be a $100 incentive for Direct Deposit to a VW account still going on.


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## The Metropolitan

Got my card and am all set, though I admit I have one little BIG question that baffles me.

One of the benefits I would normally get is 1 mile for every $2 spent. Buth they list the following as a benefit as well:

*Double OnePass miles when you use the card to purchase tickets directly from Continental.*

So now I'm confused. Let's say I spend $150 on a trip from Los Angeles to Baltimore-BWI that would accrue roughly 2600 CO One Pass Miles due to the distance travelled.

Do I get twice the "Dollars Spent" mile to get 150 miles instead of 75 miles for my CO Purchase, or do I get twice the "CO distance travelled miles" to get 5200 One Pass Miles instead of 2600 miles for my flight?


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## the_traveler

The Metropolitan said:


> AAARGH! said:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't think they can be _transferred_, BUT you can use the miles to fly on any of the Star Alliance partners.
> 
> 
> 
> That's how it works to my understanding, you can either:
> 
> Access your flight reservation on United and specify that you want the miles to go to your specified CO account, or...
> 
> Book the United flight through CO's website through a Code Share. I don't know how comprehensive this option is, but if Spokane flights show in the CO results, it's always worth it to compare the CO and UA prices. We've noticed savings here in Baltimore of between $10 and $30 booking UA flights through code share on the CO website. And of course since the rewards are based on physical miles, there is no need at all to pay more (as you may on rare occasion actually wish to do on Amtrak if it means hitting a status level or reward threshold.)
Click to expand...

What you can do is when you fly United or US Air, you can request that you receive OnePass Miles (give or enter your OnePass number) instead of Mileage Plus or Dividend Miles. Then they will be posted into your OnePass account! Then you can transfer those to AGR at 1:1!


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## the_traveler

The Metropolitan said:


> Got my card and am all set, though I admit I have one little BIG question that baffles me.
> One of the benefits I would normally get is 1 mile for every $2 spent. Buth they list the following as a benefit as well:
> 
> *Double OnePass miles when you use the card to purchase tickets directly from Continental.*
> 
> So now I'm confused. Let's say I spend $150 on a trip from Los Angeles to Baltimore-BWI that would accrue roughly 2600 CO One Pass Miles due to the distance travelled.
> 
> Do I get twice the "Dollars Spent" mile to get 150 miles instead of 75 miles for my CO Purchase, or do I get twice the "CO distance travelled miles" to get 5200 One Pass Miles instead of 2600 miles for my flight?


The way it works is that normally with that card, you earn 1 OnePass Mile for every $2 spent. So for example if you bought $20 in gas, you would earn 10 OnePass Miles. But if you purchase a Continental Airlines ticket directly from Continental with it, you earn 1 OnePass Mile for every $1 spent! (Much like you earn 2 AGR points per $1 on Amtrak tickets using the AGR MasterCard!)

So using your example, your $150 ticket will earn 150 OnePass Miles. And you still would earn another 2,600 OnePass Miles for the flight!


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## The Metropolitan

Thanks, I was hopeful for the other way, but it's still a nice perk nonetheless. Considering CO also has a separate 500 point bonus for using ANY Mastercard through October on a booking, it helps to bump the points, I mean "miles," up a good bit further.

I'm assuming Codeshare flights on UA booked through the CO website would also qualify for the double dollars bonus?


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## the_traveler

The Metropolitan said:


> I'm assuming Codeshare flights on UA booked through the CO website would also qualify for the double dollars bonus?


Yes, as long as it's "CO____ operated by United Airlines", and can be bought on the CO website!


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## The Metropolitan

Well, bringing the topic back to AGR, I thought it only fitting that my first purchase with the card should be my $12 Amtrak ticket from BAL to BWI to make my 2200 mile flight to Phoenix on CO this coming Sunday. I guess it should be equally fitting that I should pace my purchases so that my 5th qualifying purchase that nets me these bonus miles is either a breakfast purchase on Amtrak (if I have time in those 12 minutes) or a drink purchase on one of the CO flights, presuming they don't restrict sales over a "Dry Sunday" state.


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## Cascadia

I did go to a Chase branch today to open a checking account using this 25,000 OnePass miles coupon. I tried to do it online first, but it wouldn't accept my passport as ID (I don't drive). It's just as well that I went to the branch because I'm sure I would have wanted them to vet everything anyway to make sure I get the miles.

I took the debit card that gets 1 mile per 2.00 spent, that has the 25.00 annual fee.

I must say it was a positive experience, the service was very good and friendly. Here in Bellingham Chase took over Washington Mutual (WaMu) when WaMu went bust. The fellow who helped me told me something interesting. He said that there were conflicts over customer service policies when Chase first took over - WaMu had been an award winner in the customer service area he said, whereas Chase came from a corporate culture of "what's customer service?" lol.

Chase adopted WaMu's customer service policies in response, system wide, I thought that was neat that they had some responsive give and take between the two entities and took the best that WaMu had to offer and provided the Chase state of the art computer systems in return.

So, I feel a little better about the decision and am definitely looking forward to the large miles bonus and to transferring them to Amtrak AGR ASAP. I am glad I squeezed in under the deadline on this one - thanks for the heads up you guys!!!!


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## Ispolkom

I'm glad that you weren't scared away by the horror stories (mine, or rather my wife's, included). My impression is that Chase does well enough with customer service, as long as you don't get into a situation where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.


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## Husker Mom

Ok, now I have a couple of questions. I have started using my CO Chase card to acrue the 7500 bonus points awarded for a three month period begining on Apr 1st and going through July 1st. 1. So the purchases such as gas in my car and groceries etc are 1 point for every $2 spent correct? 2. Also, this CO Debit Card/Checking account......is this a different card than what I currently hold? Can I apply for that one and receive 25,000 bonus points? We have no Chase Banks in LNK but I do travel alot. 3. I am minutes (well a couple of days) away from renewing Pro Football Weekly on the AGR site for 16 points per dollor. I looked at the CO Mall and it said 15 points per dollor but are they double points? So should I renew through CO or AGR? Thanks!

Al

PS. I didn't realize that I was logged in under Brenda's AU account, this is really RailFanLNK.


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## the_traveler

Husker Mom said:


> Ok, now I have a couple of questions. I have started using my CO Chase card to acrue the 7500 bonus points awarded for a three month period begining on Apr 1st and going through July 1st. 1. So the purchases such as gas in my car and groceries etc are 1 point for every $2 spent correct? 2. Also, this CO Debit Card/Checking account......is this a different card than what I currently hold? Can I apply for that one and receive 25,000 bonus points? We have no Chase Banks in LNK but I do travel alot. 3. I am minutes (well a couple of days) away from renewing Pro Football Weekly on the AGR site for 16 points per dollor. I looked at the CO Mall and it said 15 points per dollor but are they double points? So should I renew through CO or AGR? Thanks!
> Al
> 
> PS. I didn't realize that I was logged in under Brenda's AU account, this is really RailFanLNK.


I've heard that excuse before too, Al! :lol:

1) Is the card you have now the AGR credit card from Chase, the CO credit card from Chase or the debit card from Chase? :huh:


The debit card is 1 mile per $2

The CO credit card is 1 mile per $1, which can be transfered to AGR at 1:1

The AGR credit card is 1 point per $1

2) If you have either credit card, it is totally separate and you can get the bonus! 

3) If you are the *PRIMARY* holder of the CO MC (I learned that the hard way  ) and you use the CO MC, you will get double miles!  Otherwise, you only get the 15/$!


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## Ispolkom

I'm also confused about whether you are talking about a credit or a debit card, but I'd recommend using the Continental OnePass mall if you can get the double points bonus for using a Continental-branded debit or credit card. Double points are nice, and my experience with the Continental mall is uniformly positive. The miles always post. I can't say that about the Amtrak points for shopping.


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## alanh

There's also a debit card that offers 1 mile per $1, but the annual fee is $65. You'd have to decide if the extra $40 is worth it. If you plan to put a lot of transactions on it, probably, but not if you're mainly getting the account for the bonus.

Note that "qualifying purchases" are using the card _without_ using a PIN -- you have to select "credit" rather than debit.

And to avoid a monthly service charge, you need to set up direct deposit or have at least 5 qualifying purchases per month.


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## The Metropolitan

The first 22.5K of the 25K bonus miles posted, as well as my Continental flight segments I took last week. All in all a positive experience in both ways. For coach, CO was as good as, if not better, than any airline I'd flown. And when I checked in, I was offered a FC Upgrade on one nearly 3 hour segment for $79, and I quickly jumped on that to get the experience. Between the food, drinks, and comfort, I really have to admit that for once, I thoroughly enjoyed a flight.

Of course thanks to the drinks, I really only had a vague clue of where I was, making it vastly different from Amtrak Sleeper where you absorb the scenery as part of the experience instead of shielding yourself from it!


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## Rail Freak

WOW, is right!

I got my card Friday March 26th & I already have 12,500 pts posted!! COOL!!!


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