Is it still worthwhile to continue using HSBC mabuhay miles card?

[Innova_Boy]

SInce the onset of Cebupac promo fares last year of the P1 fare, most people and even I book cebupac flights nowadays notwithstanding the long wait for you to be able to use it( cause their promo is usually march, and i take my flight on sept.)...

Now even PAL and air phil has succumbed to this business pressure from cebu pac and has lowered their airfare also dramaticallly to cope up with the demands that cebupac is eating up...

Now am thinking that using my HSBC mabuhay miles card to redeem flights for travel is deem more expensive than buying a ticket from cebupac direct base on current market prices....

parang wala ng saysay pang sabihin "sayang ang miles". what's your take on this?....

WBR,

[1D4LV]

SInce the onset of Cebupac promo fares last year of the P1 fare, most people and even I book cebupac flights nowadays notwithstanding the long wait for you to be able to use it( cause their promo is usually march, and i take my flight on sept.)...

Now even PAL and air phil has succumbed to this business pressure from cebu pac and has lowered their airfare also dramaticallly to cope up with the demands that cebupac is eating up...

Now am thinking that using my HSBC mabuhay miles card to redeem flights for travel is deem more expensive than buying a ticket from cebupac direct base on current market prices....

parang wala ng saysay pang sabihin "sayang ang miles". what's your take on this?....

WBR,

actually, if you are going to really compute it, i share your insights. it is much cheaper to fly CebuPac than using your miles.

ang pagkakaiba lang nila, with CebuPac, you cannot immediately fly, pero yung miles mo, pwede mong gamitin anytime.

[BlueBimmer]

parang di na nga worth it...best thing to do is avail of reward items

ok ang BPI ngayon kasi wala nang expiration ang points, just ipon n ipon hanggang maabot mo yung item na gusto mo...if nagchange ng catalogue, carryover lang ang rewards points

now it'll only take me 10yrs to avail the lcdtv

[edzzz]

OT:

Any one knows Citibank CC na rereset po ba yung points?

[TJMaxx]

Well, envez na using cash/paper money for your purchases, eh di HSBC card na lang. Just don't defer the balance para walang interest charges...

Ang BPI Worldperks Mastercard (Northwest Air tie-up) looks better as walang expiration yung points so you can accumulate points indefinitely.

[boybi]

Ok pa naman gamitin yung Mabuhay Miles for long flights like US or Australia. Yung mga SEA countries, especially those served by CebuPac, lang naman nagbabagsakan ng rates. Need ko pa naman mag ipon ng miles at baka may attend akong wedding sa US next year Kung ayaw nyo na sa miles nyo, baka pwede nyong i-donate sa akin ;) 60K miles ang MNL-LAX

[froshie1]

Worthwhile pa rin yan kasi free. Di yan magiging worthwile pag hirap ka mag rack up ng points sa card, pero kung madali lang iyan like isakay mo lahat ng groceries, tuition fees (naku sigurado makakakuha ka kaagad ng points dito), gas, utilities etc... Makakakuha ka kaagad ng free flight. Pero dapat ang paggastos eh parang normal lang, wag gagastos dahil sa free flights. Iyong bang tipong since kailangan mong gumastos eh hangga't maari eh ikarga mo sa HSBC mo pero kung tipong kakain ka sa labas para magkaron ng points ang HSBC mo eh mas magandang mag Cebu Pacific ka na lang dahil sigurado lugi ka dun.

Free pa rin yan kahit anong sabihin. Wag nga lang gawing sapilitan dahil talagang lugi ka dun.. Go with the flow lang.

[Innova_Boy]

although it's FREE flights but mathematically speaking you need to pay taxes and surcharges pa, i have computed this before and if you book a flight with PAL using your free mabuhay miles, you need to pay taxes and surcharges which is a little higher than what cebupac charges,, so bottomline konti lang dagdag bayad mo if with cebu pac as against PAL free mabuhay miles...

tama si boybi, better use this on long haul flights to US, yung nga lang you need 60k miles for RT ticket MLA-LAX-MLA. but i dont have US visa pa so useless pa rin

WBR,

[Innova_Boy]

also with PAL mabuhay miles, nag-expire yung miles natin, kaya you need to use in 3 years time if im not mistaken or it will be forfeited...

Eh pano if mahina ka magcharge like you get only 5k per year na miles?? so will take you 12 years to avail of the MLA-LAX RT ticket...

and dapat wag padala sa promo na "sayang ang miles" unless necessary items that you need to charge to your card, or else lalo ka mabaon sa utang... ika nga spend/charge wisely....

WBR,

[ssaloon]

buti nakabuo ako ng 20k miles in just a year sa HSBC. hehehe

pero ngayon, forced to use them na kasi mag-eexpire na sila this coming January 08.

[boybi]

Kung konti lang ang magiging difference ng PAL sa CebuPac, sa PAL na ako. Mas convenient, bigger planes, and meron pang meals onboard.

[niwde11]

boybi; dagdag mo pa centenial airport ka lalo na kung paalis ka manila. masyado crowded ang domestic airport.

[boybi]

boybi; dagdag mo pa centenial airport ka lalo na kung paalis ka manila. masyado crowded ang domestic airport.

Yup, kaya ko nasabing mas convenient dahil may sariling terminal ang PAL.

Also, CebuPac is not always cheaper than PAL. Last December, 11K ang ticket ng RT ticket ng CebuPac, while sa PAL e 9K lang.

[Innova_Boy]

Boybi, r u sure na may meals pa rin onboard after they drop their plane fares drastically to compete with cebupac?

WBR,

[niwde11]

boybi; pansin ko lang mas mura PAL(both advance booking) kaysa Cebu P. Mla-Cebu. di pa ko nakasakay ng CP ng manila cebu. pero mla-bacolod, cebu p. always. laki kamurahan.
innova boy; 3x ko punta ng cebu with PAL this year me meals lahat. pang int'l pa yung plane. i think connectng flights sya from Japan.(3pm flight)

[boybi]

Boybi, r u sure na may meals pa rin onboard after they drop their plane fares drastically to compete with cebupac?

WBR,

The last time I flew with PAL (Dec 31-Jan 3 '07), meron pang meals.

Yung sa CebuPac nga, pati yung Drewberry and C2, hindi na free.

[HardCharger]

This will depend on whether you spend a lot AND travel a lot.

If you both at the same time, then you can spend to accumulate the miles and then use them for your travels.

But if you don't do either or then it's not worth it.

Hope I was able to help

[1D4LV]

The last time I flew with PAL (Dec 31-Jan 3 '07), meron pang meals.

Yung sa CebuPac nga, pati yung Drewberry and C2, hindi na free.

yung meals ng PAL diba yung packed biscuits tsaka choice of drinks? at least, that is what they feed me when i went to cebu last march.

yung cebupac, medyo matagal na akong di nakakasakay sa kanila, pero the last time, i remember that their packed meals are meals from jollibee.

[altec]

ceb pac flights have nothing. No newspapers, no free drinks or food. A drink is P50, a sandwich P100. Applies to both domestic and international flights. The new airbus 319 seat configuration of Ceb Pac is super sikip for tall people. That's what you get for getting cheap flights. No frills. Unfortunately, Airphil is now like that. Though they still have limited newspapers. They rely on the inseat magazine.

PAL still provides biscuits and drinks and different newspapers, and leg room is good, though not consistent depending on the plane. Yung HSBC, those points are still useful, kasi nga free. But in my case, I would rather use the points to buy something else rather than free flights.

It helps to be a premiere elite mabuhay holder kasi byahe ako ng byahe sa mabuhay lounge access, pero natigil na yung tie-up ng air phil tsaka pal effective October 1, kaya mas mahirap na makuha yung requirement nila to be that. Without that privilege, I will go for the cheapest fare, be it Cebu Pac, maski masikip, anyways, I can eat before the flight rather than expect those freebies on board. Kung may free tickets from your credit card points, ok na rin yan.

[boybi]

yung meals ng PAL diba yung packed biscuits tsaka choice of drinks? at least, that is what they feed me when i went to cebu last march.

yung cebupac, medyo matagal na akong di nakakasakay sa kanila, pero the last time, i remember that their packed meals are meals from jollibee.

I haven't flew with PAL in domestic flights for a very long time already so I don't know their freebies on those flights. But for international flights, they still provide regular meals (chicken/fish/pork/beef).