I'm already planning our next winter vacation--for January or February of 2009. In fact, I'm looking at hotels and destinations on Tripadvisor right now. I learned my lesson last year about planning way in advance. We usually use frequent flier miles to go on a winter vacation, but last year I delayed looking into it until August. By then all the decent flights were booked, and I ended up having to pay for airfare to get the days and times I wanted. So this year I'm determined to start looking for seats in February, which will be 330 days before we want to travel (that's when the airlines release the free seats). I just have to decide where to go! (I'm sure lots of people would love to tell me where to go!) lol Once that vacation is settled, I'll start thinking about what to do for my 50th birthday at the end of April. Actually, I've been thinking about that for a while, I just haven't decided what I want to do. Then there will be our 15th wedding anniversary in November, which falls right on Thanksgiving this year, so that will take some planning to get flights. We may go to Vegas, which is where we got married.

A few thoughts - --I had to cancel an American flight last year, and I think the fee was $200 or $250. --Typically you have one year to use the credit from a cancellation, but it's one year from when you made the original reservation, NOT one year from when your original flight was. So pay close attention to the expiration date, since it's likely earlier than your original flight date. Also ask to make sure whether you have to fly by the expiration date, or just book by the expiration date. --I don't think I had to fly to the same destination as the original flight (even though I did), but I think it did have to be the same person taking the replacement flight. I'm not sure about that because I was planning to use my credit anyway, but I seem to recall the agent saying something about that. It's worth asking if you're considering trying to combine both your and your husband's flight credits for one flight for one of you or something like that - they may not let you do that. --Cancel before the day your first flight takes off. If you wait until after your first flight leaves, then you're considered a no-show and I think your options may not be as good? --When I cancelled my flight, I found the way they worded the credit confusing. If you pay $1,000 for a flight (just to keep the numbers round!) and the fee is $200, I expected to be told that I had an $800 credit. But they tell you that you have a $1,000 credit, and the fee will be deducted when you go to re-book the flight. So it amounts to the same thing - you still have $800 of usable credit, I just found the wording confusing. I think maybe they phrase it that way in case they decide to increase the fee before you use the credit, and then they'd be deducting the new higher fee from your credit instead.

dedtired, with that 8K purchase, that you paid off after a few days, and accumulated a lot of points ... would there have been fewer points given if you'd let the amount owing run till after the billing date? If not, as Elmer suggested to several, why bother? Granted ... all the interest that 8K will accrue in 15 - 45 days or so won't buy many ice cream cones! But, as I've often suggested to young folks, general public, financial workers, etc., "Learning how money works is an interesting hobby ... and IT PAYS WELL!" Taxes, too! _________________________ Don't know whether this is current, or how many may follow it, but I've heard that it's part of the contract many credit card issuers require of the dealers is that they can't offer discounts for cash purchases. Which annoys me, paying for many of my purchases with cash. Maybe I should ask a store with the credit card sticker on the door whether there's a discount for cash, and if none, walk out, leaving the goods behind. But ... then ... there's my time ... and letting the annoyance get to me. Plus, with my "credit" (read "debt") card ... being old, and forgetful, don't help, when they want you to have a mess of capital and small letters, numbers, symbols, etc. for your PIN ... and change it frequently ... ... how was that, again, please? ole joyful

I understand the problem with no-shows and sympathise with those who must routinely deal with them. There are some clients who have absolutely no concept of the value of another's time, nor do they respect it in any form. That said, I'm not so sure I'd agree to this setup, and I'm really not even quite sure why -- except I was reminded of an incident a couple of years ago when I called to reschedule a nail appointment the afternoon before due to an emergency, and the owner got huffy and told me she'd have to charge me a $25 "last minute" rescheduling fee because my request to reschedule was within 24 hours of appointment time. Mind you - I did not want to cancel; I simply wanted to move to another slot. She did not have my card on file, so the only way she was extracting a fee from me is if I gave it to her - and I was not about to do so. I found a new nail salon. I think maybe I have a slight touch of PTSD (not really, but you know what I mean) from that encounter, and that's why I have a knee-jerk response to the thought of my card being on file at a hair salon.