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!

 

[Guest]

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

Congrats for finally drinking.

 

[The Metropolitan]

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!

 

[the_traveler]

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!

 

[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!

 

[the_traveler]

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!

 

[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!

 

[Ispolkom]

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.

 

[AlanB]

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.

 

[The Metropolitan]

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.

 

[jis]

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.

 

[Trogdor]

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?

 

[jis]

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:

 

[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

 

[The Metropolitan]

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!

 

[the_traveler]

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"!

 

[Ispolkom]

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!

 

[Guest]

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!

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.

 

[Ispolkom]

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.

 

[alanh]

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.

 

[Cascadia]

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!"

 

[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.

 

[Ispolkom]

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.

 

[The Metropolitan]

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.

 

[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.