Author Archives: Grant

About Grant

Grant is an expert in frequent flyer miles, hotel loyalty points, credit card rewards, and cash back deals. He also has a pretty cool travel blog. Find him on Twitter @travelwithgrant.

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Upcoming AMEX Changes to Employee Cards, Premium Private Jet Program, Departures Magazine & Upgrade with Points

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Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great Labor Day Weekend!  I just returned from my “free” Holland America Line cruise from Boston to Quebec and had a great time.  Yesterday, when I was reviewing my recent American Express credit card statements, I noticed a few upcoming changes that I wanted to share.  These notices came on my American Express Business Platinum Card, but should apply to most Platinum Cards and some Membership Rewards earning cards.  None of these changes are huge, but they might affect some cardmembers.

American Express is changing the name from “Additional Business Green Rewards Card” to “Additional Business Expense Card” effective August 17, 2023.  Replacement cards will have the new name going forward.  Effective November 2, 2023, that name change will be updated in the Cardmember Agreement.  No changes to the card benefits are mentioned.

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7 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Alaska (60%), Southwest (50%), United (90%), Choice Hotels (25%), Avianca (140%), JetBlue (80%) & IHG (80%)

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 7 offers that end in the next 2 weeks.  As we approach Labor Day Weekend, the airline and hotel programs have lots of buy miles and points promos.  Always check the math to make sure that buying miles & points makes sense for you.  Do not buy miles & points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, here are 7 offers that end soon.

Up first, Alaska Airlines is offering up to a 60% bonus, depending on the number of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles you purchase.  This offer expires on August 20.

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The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 3 Days in Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  A few weeks ago, my wife and I decided to book a last minute trip to Europe this summer with stops in Prague (PRG), Copenhagen (CPH), and Amsterdam (AMS).  In case you missed it, here are the first 2 stops on our European trip: The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 3 Days in Prague, Czech Republic and The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 2 Days in Copenhagen, Denmark.  We both had a great time to Amsterdam (Laura’s first time and my third trip, first since 2016).  Here are some of the highlights from our 3 days in Amsterdam.

After we checked out of our hotel in Copenhagen, we took the 15 minute train ride from Copenhagen Central Train Station back to the airport for $5 / person.  As I wrote about a few weeks ago (Some KLM Business Class Awards (Booked with Virgin Atlantic) are Cheaper than Economy Awards for Flights Within Europe), we flew KLM Business Class from Copenhagen to Amsterdam (CPH-AMS) for 9,000 Virgin Atlantic Points + $12 in taxes/fees.  Since we were flying business class, we were able to access the business class section of the Carlsberg Aviator Lounge which had a few Carlsberg beers on tap to try out before our flight.

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Beers on Tap at Carlsberg Aviator Lounge (CPH) in Copenhagen, Denmark

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The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 2 Days in Copenhagen, Denmark

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  A few weeks ago, my wife and I decided to book a last minute trip to Europe this summer with stops in Prague (PRG), Copenhagen (CPH), and Amsterdam (AMS).  Yesterday, I wrote about The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 3 Days in Prague, Czech Republic. After a great time in Prague, we took a $17 Uber back to the airport and then flew to Copenhagen, Denmark (CPH) on Norwegian Air for $89 / person.  We took the 15 minute train ride from the airport to the Copenhagen Central Train Station for $5 / person and then walked a few blocks to the Comfort Hotel Vesterbro, where we stayed for 2 nights for 20,000 Choice Points / night.  To be honest, the hotel looked better in photos, but it was in a decent location.

Literally next to the Copenhagen Central Train Station is the world famous Tivoli Gardens, which recently celebrated it’s 180th birthday, making it one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.  You can buy entrance only tickets for $22 / person or add on a ride pass for another $25 / person.  It’s hard to describe it in words, but it is like a very small version of Disneyland, mixed with a county or state fair.  We had a great time walking around the park.

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The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 3 Days in Prague, Czech Republic

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Good evening everyone.  A few weeks ago, my wife and I decided to book a last minute trip to Europe this summer with stops in Prague (PRG), Copenhagen (CPH), and Amsterdam (AMS).  We both had a fantastic time in Prague and I highly recommend visiting for a few days the next time you are in Europe.  Here are some of the highlights from our 3 days in Prague.

To get started, we used 65,000 KLM / Air France Flying Blue Miles + $242 in taxes/fees per person to fly Air France Business Class from San Francisco (SFO) to Paris (CDG) to Prague (PRG).  We then took a $22 Uber from the airport to MGallery Century Old Town Prague Hotel (part of Accor).  I booked 3 nights through the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal and used the $100 Hotel Credit from my Citi Premier Credit Card.  The hotel was a short walk from the Old Town Square and had beautiful charm and an awesome breakfast spread.  The total cost with the $100 Hotel Credit was $476, or $159 / night.  Here are more photos from the hotel website.  During our stay, I realized that MGallery was a brand under the Accor family of hotels and they have 120+ boutique hotels around the world, with the majority spread out around Europe.

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