We may receive a commission when you use our links. Monkey Miles is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com and CardRatings. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Monkey Miles is also a Senior Advisor to Bilt Rewards. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Rimowas are sexy, sleek, and iconic. They’re also mega $$$$
While the price is high…You pay for what you get. Quality, durability, and an unmistakable design. Rimowas are arguably the very best suitcases in production, and also one of the most expensive. The typical Rimowa is made out of aluminum, and while minor improvements have been made, the aesthetic hasn’t changed much since the company had a massive fire in 1930 and all that was to make suitcases with was…Aluminum.
I have had my eye on one for quite some time. But…they’re just so darn expensive. Then Christmas came and my absolutely incredible girlfriend got me one as a present. I know…how lucky am I?! However…I’m obsessed with a deal, and as I was salivating over it, opening the locks and smelling that new suitcase smell ( that’s a thing, right?) it dawned on me. We’re going to Europe soon.
Immediately I asked her where she got it. “Bloomingdale’s” I googled the price
My Rimowa Original Cabin Plus rang in at $1250 + tax. OUCH!
I could not accept it. She insisted, and I said…well, let’s just see how much they cost in Europe. We are headed there over New Year’s after all…
Here’s the price on Koffer24…look better?
This is the price all around Europe. In fact, you even get the duty back on it. Do note…Koffer won’t ship Rimowa to the States, but if you know someone in Europe, ship it to them and have it on your arrival.
Our first stop on our European jaunt was Rome.
As luck would have it, on our way back from touring the Vatican…we stumbled upon a Rimowa store. There is was: My Original Cabin Plus at a major discount…800 Euros.
They even delivered it to the hotel ( free of charge ), and when we got back to our room at the St Regis Rome…it was there.
What’s even better? They give you paperwork to receive the VAT back. How much in Italy? 22% – That 800 just dropped to under $800. The U.S. price was $1250 + ( 9.5% tax ) = $1369. Almost $600 savings or 42% off!
- 800 Euros less 22% is 655 Euros
- You only get 105 Euros back so the final price is 695Euros
- Net price $792.3
What’s even better than better? No duty. The $793 is under the $800 that you’re allowed to bring into the States every 31 days Duty Exempt. Miles, come quick…we need to high five!
I absolutely love my Rimowa Original Cabin Plus.
That ~ $600 savings is huge and help offset a large part of our St Regis stay.
If you’re thinking of getting one or two even…I’d seriously consider buying ( and using it like I did ) in Europe.
Look at the Trunk Plus discount!
- $1800 + 9.5% tax = $1971
- 1300 Euro – 169 Euro refund = $1289 ( 1.14 exchange rate )
- Note…you’d owe duty of 3% on the $489 or a little over $13.
You can go here to calculate your refund
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.