Category Archives: Trip Reports

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Lyft Line Total Price Changes In-App in Real-Time due to Prime Time Rate Changes

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Good morning everyone.  I am not sure how helpful this post will be, but I found it interesting enough to mention (and nothing else exciting is going on in the miles and points blogosphere this week).  As I was returning to San Francisco from Mountain View via CalTrain (from my Mountain View miles and points meetup), I needed to request a Lyft ride home.  In San Francisco (and a few other cities), Lyft Line is the cheapest way to go.  The Lyft Line concept is pretty simple.  The Lyft app will connect you with other passengers heading to the same location or heading the same direction.  By “carpooling/carsharing” with other Lyft riders, you get a much cheaper ride.

This brings me to the point of this post.  All Lyft Line rides have a predetermined price listed in the app when you request a ride.  After I typed in my pickup location (San Francisco CalTrain Station) and my home address, I saw that the price was locked in at $5.34.  Since I was a few minutes away from the station, I didn’t want to request a Lyft Line right away (I didn’t want the driver and other passengers to wait for me).  1 minute later, at 3:40pm, the locked in price jumped up to $6.26.  I decided to wait a little longer and see if the price would go up or go down (preferably down).

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California Zephyr Amtrak Trip Summary & Thoughts on Amtrak Guest Rewards Devaluation (AGR 2.0)

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Good afternoon everyone.  This summary post is kind of bittersweet.  On 1 hand, I enjoyed every minute of the ~33 hour journey on the California Zephyr from Denver to Emeryville (Oakland/San Francisco), but I doubt I will take Amtrak again anytime soon.  With the Amtrak Guest Rewards devaluation (AGR 2.0), premium Amtrak routes now cost 50-100% more Amtrak Points than before.  My recent trip cost exactly 25,000 Amtrak Points, but the new price would be in the 40,000-50,000 Amtrak Point range.  With the loss of Amtrak as a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, acquiring Amtrak Points is now harder than ever.

Bank of America is now the card issuer of the Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card, so I will probably apply for 1-2 Amtrak credit cards this year.  The current sign up bonus is 20,000 Amtrak Points after spending $1,000 in 3 months.  When you redeem for Amtrak travel, you will get a 5% point rebate and points do not expire if you have your credit card open (I think Amtrak has a pretty generous expiration policy, so this is not a big deal).  Since Amtrak Points are worth exactly 2.9 cents per point (CPP), the credit card sign up bonus is worth $580 in Amtrak travel.  Most roomettes I have seen are under $580 for 1 zone trips.  Unfortunately, the bedrooms cost around $1,000 or more, so you will need at least 2 credit card bonuses to acquire the necessary Amtrak Points balance.  Bank of America is also less likely to approve customers for several credit cards at one time, so the slow approach might be necessary.

BofA Amtrak Guest Rewards Credit Card Details

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California Zephyr Part 3: Amtrak Lounge Car, Snack Bar & Stunning Views

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Good morning everyone, here is the last part of my California Zephyr Amtrak trip.  I will put together a summary post with links to all previous parts in a few minutes.  In this post, I will show you pictures of the lounge car, the snack bar, and some stunning views of Mother Nature from the train.

The lounge car is the place to be.  If you enjoy staring out the window at the beauty of nature, then you will definitely want to get to the lounge car early to secure a table.  The tables comfortable seat 4 adults, but I saw a few tables with a few more people squished together.  The tables are open to all passengers on the train, including coach, roomette, and bedroom passengers.  Like I said, get there early before all the tables fill up.

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OC Travel Hacker Meetup – Tustin District In-N-Out Burger – Saturday, February 27 12-2pm

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Quick shout out: Thank you to everyone who joined me yesterday at the Mountain View travel hacker meetup at In-N-Out Burger.  It was great to see all of you, I will be back soon :)

Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  This has been a very busy week for travel hacker meetups.  I had a meetup last Monday, a meetup last Tuesday, a meetup yesterday (Saturday) and I will have another meetup this coming Saturday in Orange County.  I really enjoy meeting other miles and points junkies, it never gets old.  I know it’s been awhile since my last OC meetup, so I am taking my talents back down to Orange County.

  • Where: In-N-Out Burger, 2895 Park Ave, Tustin, CA 92782 (Google Maps)
  • When: Saturday, February 27 from 12-2pm

In-N-Out Tustin District Map

I’m looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces and meeting some new readers in Orange County.  No need to RSVP, just show up if you are interested.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S. I promise to get back to posting actual miles and points articles, not just meetup announcements and reminders :)

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Reminder: Travel Hacker Meetup @ Mountain View In-N-Out (Feb 20 from 12-2pm)

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Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is off to a great start.  This is a friendly reminder that my first travel hacker meetup in Mountain View is happening this afternoon.  I will be taking CalTrain from SF to Mountain View and then going to the In-N-Out near Grant Park Plaza.  There is another In-N-Out in Mountain View, but don’t go to that one by mistake.

  • Where: In-N-Out Burger, 53 West El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040 (Google Maps)
  • When: Saturday, February 20 @ 12-2pm

In N Out Mountain View

I will be wearing my traditional Travel with Grant gray shirt and hanging out by the outside tables.  There is no need to RSVP, just show up if you are in the area.  I hope to see a few familiar faces and meet a few new readers this afternoon.  Have a great day everyone!

P.S. I will be in Orange County next weekend, so I will organize an OC Meetup for next Saturday afternoon (2/27).  Stay tuned for details…