Category Archives: Trip Reports

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Google Fi Introduces New Unlimited Plan

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For those of you who haven’t already switched to my favorite phone service of all time, now might be your perfect chance. Google Fi (formerly Project Fi) is Google’s flagship mobile service that offers coverage in 200+ countries and territories, flat data rates, no contracts, and unlimited domestic calls and texts within the US.

Over the past several years, Google Fi has evolved from its beginnings with the Nexus and Pixel phones to present day, where members have the opportunity to bring their own phone to Fi. Most Android and iPhone models work with the Google Fi SIM card, so users aren’t required to buy a Pixel anymore. (I still would suggest buying a Pixel if you don’t have one, but that’s another story.)

Recently, Google Fi put a $60 cap on the cost of data for each cycle. Before then, data cost a flat $10 per gig but there wasn’t any relevant volume discount, so free data after 6GB was certainly a welcome change. Now, however, Google is upping their game with new unlimited plans that especially benefit families and groups.

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Hotel Review: Kimpton Sir Francis Drake Hotel near San Francisco’s Union Square (55K IHG Points)

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Good morning everyone.  Last Saturday, Laura and I did a mini San Francisco honeymoon.  We stayed at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins a few months ago, so we wanted to check out the Kimpton Sir Francis Drake hotel near San Francisco’s Union Square.  As part of IHG’s current Accelerate Promo, I needed to book a Points and Cash reservation to complete part of the promo.  The Kimpton Sir Francis Drake is normally 55,000 IHG Points, but I did a booking for 50,000 IHG Points + $28 cash.  Here is what the hotel lobby looked like when we arrived (with a few more guests and people working):

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Image source: https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/sir-francis-drake.html

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How I did on that British Airways / Match.com Deal from 2017

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  A few years ago, British Airways was offer 150x Avios at Match.com.  After fighting with British Airways and Match.com for a few months to get my 82,286 British Airways Avios, I ended up getting a full refund from Match.com (I would have much preferred the British Airways Avios over the full refund).  Thankfully, I met a wonderful girl on Match.com named Laura…

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Hotel Review: Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park

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Sheraton, the SPG-turned-Marriott hospitality brand, definitely isn’t the crown jewel of the Marriott fleet — especially in the U.S. In fact, most travelers would say that it doesn’t even come close to the likes of JW Marriott or even a W or a Westin. That may be the case, but there are a few Sheraton properties that definitely deserve a shoutout and one of them is located right in the heart of Sydney.  While the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park isn’t the world’s most impressive property, it just might be one of the most impressive Sheraton properties out there. Here’s my experience with this property, and why you should probably give it a chance next time you’re in Sydney.

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My Oversold Delta Flight: $700 AMEX Gift Card, Hotel Voucher & Morning Flight

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Good morning everyone.  Last week, I was flying back from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Oakland (OAK) on Delta.  The flight was oversold, so the gate agent was looking for a few volunteers to take a later flight (depart SLC at 10:30pm, land in OAK at 11:30pm) in exchange for a $700 gift card.  Since I didn’t need to get back to OAK right away, I asked the gate agent if I could take a morning flight into OAK (depart SLC at 8:30am, land in OAK at 9:30am – I would then take BART into SF for work) and I also asked for a hotel voucher for the night.  The gate agent said that was possible, so he added me to the volunteer list, and I waited near the gate for all passengers to board.  After all passengers boarded the flight, the gate agent called me up, changed my flight to the new morning flight, printed out a hotel voucher, and showed me the list of gift cards that I was eligible to claim.  I didn’t take a photo of the laminated sheet on the counter, but I believe these were the same gift cards that were offered.  I decided to go with an American Express gift card since that was basically cash to me.

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