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TRAVEL: Points, Miles, Discounts, Tips, Advice & Questions


Spankytoes

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b bv

BWAHAHAHAHAHA...WTF again.
I now am approved for my FOURTH AMEX Platinum Business card with 120K MR points after $15K/3mo spend.  I've got some big expenses coming up so this was perfect to knock out about $14K of that...
Come next year, I'll start cancelling cards #2 and #3...but until then, gimme free stuff...
This was just a card offer on the website.

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SIAP.  I am looking for recommendations on a Delta Credit Card.  In 2023 the $$$ spend to reach Diamond is $20,000 plus the associated mileage.  Getting the mileage is never a problem with me but Delta is now raising the dollar spend an addtional $5K.  I have not had to worry about it in the past as I always spent at least $15K (using the company credit card) on airfare but getting another $5K is a stretch.  With the increase in the dollar requirment I am looking at getting a personal Delta credit card to use to ensure that I reach the new $20K base limit requried.

I have never tried to maximimize any of the tricks of the trade but am now interested in doing so.  Any advice is appreciated.

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SIAP.  I am looking for recommendations on a Delta Credit Card.  In 2023 the $$$ spend to reach Diamond is $20,000 plus the associated mileage.  Getting the mileage is never a problem with me but Delta is now raising the dollar spend an addtional $5K.  I have not had to worry about it in the past as I always spent at least $15K (using the company credit card) on airfare but getting another $5K is a stretch.  With the increase in the dollar requirment I am looking at getting a personal Delta credit card to use to ensure that I reach the new $20K base limit requried.
I have never tried to maximimize any of the tricks of the trade but am now interested in doing so.  Any advice is appreciated.
Truly depends on what you value. I have the reserve but enjoy the sky club. What really makes the card worth while is the companion pass which more than covers the annual fee of $550.

The Amex platinum is better Delta rewards per mile but no pass or Skyclub.
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Truly depends on what you value. I have the reserve but enjoy the sky club. What really makes the card worth while is the companion pass which more than covers the annual fee of $550.

The Amex platinum is better Delta rewards per mile but no pass or Skyclub.

I agree. There are better cards but the reserve has done right by me and as I rarely fly through atl, I mostly rode in domestic first class until I got status that would have gotten me there anyway. The sky club was also a lifesaver before airports fully reopened.

Also the companion pass was worth 700 to me without counting the other benefits.
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For further clarity I am a Million-miler on Delta and that is all that I fly unless extreme scheduling does not allow it.  The lounge acess is not important to me as I can pay as needed.

 

Also almost have a million on AA as well but rarely fly with them anymore.

Edited by mininghorn88
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7 minutes ago, Mother mopar said:
8 minutes ago, Yev Kassem said:
With the Delta Reserve card, does anyone know if you get the companion pass immediately upon signup or do you need to wait the full year for renewal?

At your one-year mark...have the delta amex reserve limited 747 card.

Do you pair the Reserve with another card for daily purchases (since the Delta Reserve isn’t the best for these)?

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Do you pair the Reserve with another card for daily purchases (since the Delta Reserve isn’t the best for these)?
Yes I use the delta card up to $30k which gives me my additional MQM boost then I use my American Airlines card for other purchases. This allows me to gain status with two different airlines as I travel a lot.

Because each carrier's loyalty system is set up differently it works perfectly. One cares about your flying (Delta, have to fly to earn) the other AA cares about your spending (no flying required to earn status), it's great. Then I use my Hilton Amex when I stay on the road at Hilton chains.

End of the year I and Mrs. MM take a road trip/fly somewhere and it cost us next to nothing.
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Sorry in advance, going to ask some more virgin questions. I've been perusing TPG website and following on Twitter for a good deal of time before I even applied for anything. I've found some great resources but I'm not quite sure how to figure out what the best way to actually book anything is.

So if I am looking at Hawaii. I have about 160k Chase points. I have about 175k Flex US Bank points. I will soon have 150k Cap One points. 

My home airport is DTW. I need to fly a family of 4. I would like to start with my Chase Points as I think these are the most flexible. Do I try to find SWA flights with like 4 connections because the exchange is good? I read an article on TPG about how you can use the KLM Skyblue and find flights from the Midwest to HI for 35k Chase points roundtrip. I've plugged in all kinds of dates and can't find anything to show available flights. I can also get 25% by straight booking through the Chase portal. Do I try to find cheap flights on like Google and then do this? Just not quite sure where to concentrate my efforts. Chase points for flights and then Flex perks points to book some lodging? My understanding is the Flex perks points are .01/1 regardless and no exchange. 

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24 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Sorry in advance, going to ask some more virgin questions. I've been perusing TPG website and following on Twitter for a good deal of time before I even applied for anything. I've found some great resources but I'm not quite sure how to figure out what the best way to actually book anything is.

So if I am looking at Hawaii. I have about 160k Chase points. I have about 175k Flex US Bank points. I will soon have 150k Cap One points. 

My home airport is DTW. I need to fly a family of 4. I would like to start with my Chase Points as I think these are the most flexible. Do I try to find SWA flights with like 4 connections because the exchange is good? I read an article on TPG about how you can use the KLM Skyblue and find flights from the Midwest to HI for 35k Chase points roundtrip. I've plugged in all kinds of dates and can't find anything to show available flights. I can also get 25% by straight booking through the Chase portal. Do I try to find cheap flights on like Google and then do this? Just not quite sure where to concentrate my efforts. Chase points for flights and then Flex perks points to book some lodging? My understanding is the Flex perks points are .01/1 regardless and no exchange. 

Not an expert, but I used my Chase/US Bank points to buy Avios, then used those to buy roundtrip tix from Seattle to Maui on American (booked by calling British Airways).

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10 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

Thanks and I can kind of see a pathway there, I guess my general questions are more along the lines of how in the fuck did you figure out that that was the thing to do? 

I’ll give you a tip: Wikipedia is your friend. You just have to choose your city and then see who flies there from where. For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Metropolitan_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations As you can see, no one flies directly to Hawaii. So, you need to check the routing for Honolulu (Assuming that’s your desired destination): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_K._Inouye_International_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations You can create your routing from DTW through Phoenix on Southwest. You can now book DTW-PHX-HNL on Southwest as a singular ticket or 2 if you need an extra day to make the routing schedule work. (Overnight in PHX with a morning flight to HNL for availability purposes)

If that doesn’t work, you can break up your tickets if you can’t find availability using a single airline. For example, you can book DTW-LAX on United and then LAX-HNL on AA or Hawaiian using BA Avios. Why? Because BA is a Oneworld alliance partner meaning you are using BA Avios but flying on AA/HA metal. BA is also a Chase transfer partner. Here’s an example: https://thepointsguy.com/guide/british-airways-sweet-spot-hawaii/ There are several different cities that you pair HNL with. Most airlines have an interline agreement for your check-in luggage to transfer to your new flight. You won’t get that with Southwest, meaning that you will need to recheck you luggage in LA if you use a different airline on one of your routes. If you are splitting airlines, make sure that you have plenty of time to catch your next flight as you may need to change terminals. You can check beforehand by Googling “What terminal does XXX fly into PHX” to double check yourself. (Or use the # link next to your airline on Wikipedia) Most airport sites will tell you the distance between terminals to plan accordingly.

It just takes some practice. The golden rule is to make sure that all your ducks are in a row, for the class/# of tickets you need, BEFORE transferring any points.

 

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I forgot to mention, always check the price of the flight before deciding to use points. There may be cheap airfare that makes more sense to buy rather than using points.

Also, you need to learn the partners for Oneworld, Sky and Star alliances as sometimes using foreign airlines to fly a domestic flight is a more points efficient option. I don’t know Flex or CO very well, but Chase is pretty good with their transfer partner options. 

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Thanks @Spankytoes that does clear up some confusion. Delta does actually fly direct to HNL from DTW but I can see how that is not the best use of points. It's like like best case I could book for 74k per person. So it seems like the thing to do is basically just try to find deals on one way flights from West Coast airports searching through all of the travel portals for the various airlines and programs, and then when I find something I like for inbound and return, I book all 8 of those and then find the easiest way to get to Phoenix, LA or Seattle. Would you concur? So far the best I'm finding is 35k rt from Phoenix on SWA. A number of the portals search tools really seem to suck ass. Avios and FlyingBlue it seems like I would have better luck finding a needle in a haystack vs finding an award flight in July or August using their search tools. Are there any protips for navigating some of these sites?

I can see how this would be a lot easier and more fun if I were traveling solo or just with a spouse. But I am determined to use these points on a big trip and HI has been a bucket list that I would like to do before my kids get too old.

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As far as AMEX bonuses.  I know @Ag with kids has received multiple biz bonuses.   But what about this scenario.  Last year I decided to go all in with United and Hilton.    United's card is Chase and they had no issues with me getting the Infinite card bonus after having received the explorer card bonus.   For Hilton I went with the Surpass which is only $95 but just reviewed their other card Aspire and I want to upgrade.   I can't until I've had the previous card for a year and that date is Feb 2023.    The Aspire is $495 but you get a $250 resort credit, a $250 airline credit, and a $100 property credit plus you go from 12x, 6x, and 3x to 14x, 7x, and 3x on spending.   So the fee seems to be easily covered.   Per the chat rep I will get the 150,000 bonus assuming its still there in Feb, but I was always told AMEX is lifetime per brand.   Maybe I was confused and you can't get the same bonus on the exact same card.   I was going to upgrade anyway but the 150k would be awesome.  Anyone have this experience?

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On 12/12/2022 at 4:43 PM, Baboontyme said:

Thanks @Spankytoes that does clear up some confusion. Delta does actually fly direct to HNL from DTW but I can see how that is not the best use of points. It's like like best case I could book for 74k per person. So it seems like the thing to do is basically just try to find deals on one way flights from West Coast airports searching through all of the travel portals for the various airlines and programs, and then when I find something I like for inbound and return, I book all 8 of those and then find the easiest way to get to Phoenix, LA or Seattle. Would you concur? So far the best I'm finding is 35k rt from Phoenix on SWA. A number of the portals search tools really seem to suck ass. Avios and FlyingBlue it seems like I would have better luck finding a needle in a haystack vs finding an award flight in July or August using their search tools. Are there any protips for navigating some of these sites?

I can see how this would be a lot easier and more fun if I were traveling solo or just with a spouse. But I am determined to use these points on a big trip and HI has been a bucket list that I would like to do before my kids get too old.

6 award fare tickets booked together is probably going to be a big challenge unless you use your chase points on the chase portal. That's a lot of inventory.

You may want to play around with the site matrix.itasoftware.com - you can't book a ticket from it but it has unparalleled flexibility to finding certain flights, and then you can search for them on other sites. For example, this is what the calendar looks like for July flights to OGG from either of DTW, PHX, LAX, SFO, PDX, SLC and SEA. You can set whatever parameter you want, I set it for a 7 day stay. The least expensive flight is shown and if you click through, you'll see it's a nonstop on UA from SFO. You can search by calendar or by specific dates. It allows a lot more specificity than that, as well. 

image.thumb.png.9ea2f2245e81cb4e1ab8edb1ab790aa0.png

The fare from DTW on the same day is above $700. Flights from DTW to OGG climb by about $300 for Friday, Sat and Sun flights. Also the least expensive flight goes from SFO on departure and LAX on return. You can disallow "airport changes" by unclicking a box.

Here's the high level summary of July 11.

image.thumb.png.90817153e499e708a40fa01e7eb0e137.png

I have no idea if it would be worth your while but you could transfer your points in the Cap 1 program to an airline for your flight from DTW, and then use your Chase points to book on their portal. (I think you get a 20% discount or bonus if you use their booking portal using points, but it may depend on which card you have.)

The other option would be to use points/miles on some of the 6 tickets you need and pay cash for the rest.

image.thumb.png.665919b688e0a9d1a0325baa240bef88.png

this may help/work - a link to the search I input at itasoftware

 

Edited by Chopper
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On 12/12/2022 at 4:43 PM, Baboontyme said:

So it seems like the thing to do is basically just try to find deals on one way flights from West Coast airports searching through all of the travel portals for the various airlines and programs, and then when I find something I like for inbound and return, I book all 8 of those and then find the easiest way to get to Phoenix, LA or Seattle.

Also wanted to point out there's no need to search all the travel portals they all get access to the same airline information. Except SWA, of course. If you don't enjoy the complexity of the itasoftware site, try google flights. Click on the "explore" button. You can change around the dates you want it to search. You can search all of Hawaii or limit it to OGG. You can search specific dates or for a particular month or whatever time frame you like. It's also easy to change around the departure airport and search that way. 

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Thanks @Chopper very helpful. We used to use ita's search engine to find flights home back in the early 00s when I lived in Austin and Google Flights wasn't a thing yet. One question that comes to mind is, when you said it would be hard to get 6 award tickets together (and I actually need 8 for r/t), does that include using SWA Rapid Rewards? On their site it seems like the Rapid Rewards tickets using miles have the same availability as other flights. I haven't played around enough yet to figure out how the miles translate to dollars but I assume it's not a true 1:1, i.e. a 17.5k leg in miles from PHX to OGG is not going to cost $175. 

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14 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Thanks @Chopper very helpful. We used to use ita's search engine to find flights home back in the early 00s when I lived in Austin and Google Flights wasn't a thing yet. One question that comes to mind is, when you said it would be hard to get 6 award tickets together (and I actually need 8 for r/t), does that include using SWA Rapid Rewards? On their site it seems like the Rapid Rewards tickets using miles have the same availability as other flights. I haven't played around enough yet to figure out how the miles translate to dollars but I assume it's not a true 1:1, i.e. a 17.5k leg in miles from PHX to OGG is not going to cost $175. 

I think you're right. I don't believe SWA limits reward inventory like other airlines. But I've never cashed in on SWA so not sure! 

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3 hours ago, Chopper said:

I think you're right. I don't believe SWA limits reward inventory like other airlines. But I've never cashed in on SWA so not sure! 

Answer - they do not seem to be limited. I did searches for 4 tickets in miles and it let me get all the way to the purchase screen, and in one instance told me it was the last 4 seats. And they are not 1:1 dollar to miles. A 20k rapid reward one way fare looks to be about tree fiddy in dollars. I'm gonna do this I think. Spanky's original idea was the best one. Phx is perfect for us as we can stay at my inlaws condo on each end of the trip. They will be back in MI. I think I'm going to book the PHX > OGG > PHX and figure out the rest later. Appreciate the responses genuinely. 

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Probably covered more than once on this thread but who knows where. I've no idea how the flight cancellation dominos fall, so curious.

Let's say you have a flight from Austin to Chicago Thursday at 6P. How are passengers accommodated / re-booked for that cancellation?  Is some other regularly scheduled flight cancelled to create a new flight for the Thursday 6P passengers?  And then that flight is moved into some pecking order? 

Or are the Thursday / 6P passengers just at the mercy of whatever is available in the days thereafter?

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The latter. Rarely are later passengers bumped to accomodate an earlier problem.
Agree,in my experience via Delta, I usually get bumped up a fare class if my previous flight was canceled. It also helps to have status with said airline too. Ps.never book tickets through nonairline channels (Expedia, Travelocity, etc) as it's extremely difficult to get changes done. Did that once, and never again.
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Right now I’m in the Chase ecosystem with the trio of CSR, Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex and have been for several years. However, I’m due for more travel this year and I’m seriously considering moving into the AMEX ecosystem with the Platinum and Gold cards. I’m based out of San Antonio, but willing to travel to Austin to take advantage of the Delta SkyClub. 

Has anyone here made a similar move and was it worth it? I’m fine with the annual fee on the AMEX since most of it will be balanced out with credits. Chase has been fine over the years, but Priority Pass hasn’t really been of much use since their lounges are pretty limited and pale in comparison to Centurion/SkyClub. 

Also, as I understand it I’d be available to get the signup bonuses for both the Platinum and Gold cards since the one time bonus is per card type. Do I have that right?

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Right now I’m in the Chase ecosystem with the trio of CSR, Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex and have been for several years. However, I’m due for more travel this year and I’m seriously considering moving into the AMEX ecosystem with the Platinum and Gold cards. I’m based out of San Antonio, but willing to travel to Austin to take advantage of the Delta SkyClub. 
Has anyone here made a similar move and was it worth it? I’m fine with the annual fee on the AMEX since most of it will be balanced out with credits. Chase has been fine over the years, but Priority Pass hasn’t really been of much use since their lounges are pretty limited and pale in comparison to Centurion/SkyClub. 
Also, as I understand it I’d be available to get the signup bonuses for both the Platinum and Gold cards since the one time bonus is per card type. Do I have that right?
I love Amex, and have them w/my Delta and Hilton cards as I travel a lot for my job. The annual fee for my Delta reserve card pays for itself w/one first-class ticket so it's a win-win.

I never switched over like you but if you travel having a branded card helps immensely. The unlimited Delta upgrades and quicker status gains are nice perks as well. If you decide to get a Delta card let me know and I can send ya a referral link.
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Dumb question amnesty, please, regarding an overnight layover.

I just booked flights for the family from AUS to Maui via DFW (curiously, it was over 20% cheaper to do that than to drive to DFW to take the same direct flight from DFW --> OGG).  We'll have an overnight layover between those departing flights, so I'm thinking I'll just book a room at one of the Hyatt hotels at the terminal.

So I guess we just pack carryons with our possibles for that night, and go in and out of security for our stay?  And our checked bags just hang out in the system overnight and submit to whatever fate awaits them?

Seems a little weird, but obviously I'm not a jet-setter. 

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Yes, but ask the agent at first check in to make sure your bags are checked through to final destination. Or, if you want to get your bags at the layover, you can also ask them to check them only to layover, but be aware you will then need to go through the check in process again at the layover airport the next day.

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Thanks very much.  Dumb question, but first time I've done an overnight layover, so I appreciate the voice of experience.  I'm thinking with a family of yahoos, checking through is probably safer.

I did at least perform due diligence and find that we should be good to exploit the AMEX lounge for dinner/nightcaps and breakfast/bloody marys in between.

Any reason to consider paying more for the Grand Hyatt over the Regency for a single overnight layover?  I'm thinking no, since we'll be sharing the room with two stinky teenage boys.

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When you check a bag on a connecting itinerary the bags are always checked through to the final destination.  If it's an international connection after a domestic flight you may have to briefly take possession of you bags when switching to the international terminal.  If you're flying through Heathrow you will certainly have to get your bags and clear British customs.

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18 hours ago, Damor said:

Thanks very much.  Dumb question, but first time I've done an overnight layover, so I appreciate the voice of experience.  I'm thinking with a family of yahoos, checking through is probably safer.

I did at least perform due diligence and find that we should be good to exploit the AMEX lounge for dinner/nightcaps and breakfast/bloody marys in between.

Any reason to consider paying more for the Grand Hyatt over the Regency for a single overnight layover?  I'm thinking no, since we'll be sharing the room with two stinky teenage boys.

If you're flying AA it's probably worth the extra spend to stay at the GH because it's inside terminal 4. If you're on a different airline you'd likely have to shuttle it, just as you'd have to do from the Regency. 

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On 12/24/2022 at 5:50 PM, Yev Kassem said:

Right now I’m in the Chase ecosystem with the trio of CSR, Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex and have been for several years. However, I’m due for more travel this year and I’m seriously considering moving into the AMEX ecosystem with the Platinum and Gold cards. I’m based out of San Antonio, but willing to travel to Austin to take advantage of the Delta SkyClub. 

Has anyone here made a similar move and was it worth it? I’m fine with the annual fee on the AMEX since most of it will be balanced out with credits. Chase has been fine over the years, but Priority Pass hasn’t really been of much use since their lounges are pretty limited and pale in comparison to Centurion/SkyClub. 

Also, as I understand it I’d be available to get the signup bonuses for both the Platinum and Gold cards since the one time bonus is per card type. Do I have that right?

Yes, you can get the bonus on both the Platinum AND Gold cards.  I've done that.

And, as I've posted on here, for some reason AMEX wants me to have a bunch of Business Platinum cards and give me bonuses for each of them.  I'm on number 4 now.  Paying taxes on my rental condos should cover about 85% of the spending in it so there's another 150K MR points.

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12 hours ago, Ag with kids said:

Yes, you can get the bonus on both the Platinum AND Gold cards.  I've done that.

And, as I've posted on here, for some reason AMEX wants me to have a bunch of Business Platinum cards and give me bonuses for each of them.  I'm on number 4 now.  Paying taxes on my rental condos should cover about 85% of the spending in it so there's another 150K MR points.

Ok...

This is getting ridiculous...

After using my FOURTH AMEX Business Platinum card to pay most of my rental condo tax bills, I still had about $8K extra business bills that I wanted to put on a card.

So I applied for my SECOND AMEX Business Gold card.

And...Approved and another 100K MR points will hit the account in a few months.

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I just did this for my Chase Infinite and got 5x on gas/grocery and internet cable/ph.  Up to $1500

 

Quite often Chase offers bonuses on co-branded cards, such as World of Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, United, etc.

I just checked and I have a new offer on my Hyatt card – which is exciting to me because I value my World of Hyatt points.

Check your cards using this link: https://www.chase.com/mybonus

 

 

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I grew a set and pulled the trigger last night. 4 R/T nonstop fares on SWA (I know) PHX > OGG in late Summer. 164k miles transferred over from Chase. I booked the DTW > PHX fares on my Delta Amex as they were pretty reasonable and also direct. I guess I will be taking my talents to the Maui thread. Thank you guys for helping me out. 

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