Tag Archives: American Express

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How Right (or Wrong) Were My 2018 Travel Predictions?

Good afternoon everyone.  In mid January 2018, I wrote My Unlikely, But Entertaining 2018 Travel Predictions.  I did not look at that post until yesterday, so it was fun to look at the predictions I had made.  I will go through my 2018 predictions and see how well I did.  Since my memory is not that great, please correct me if I am wrong on any of these.  In a few days, I will share my probably equally as unlikely but equally as entertaining 2019 travel predictions, so check back for that post.  Without further ado, here were my 2018 predictions and the results:

Airlines

  • After the Virgin America merger, Alaska Airlines will add new routes to Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean (Correct! According to Alaska Airlines’ website, they did add several new routes of Mexico City from SFO, LAX, and SAN.  Unfortunately, there were no new routes to Canada or the Caribbean.)
  • Delta Airlines will introduce cash and miles award tickets, then American Airlines and United Airlines will follow suit (Wrong!  Looks like none of the big 3 airlines added “cash + miles” award tickets.)
  • Southwest Airlines will increase their Transfarency by automatically keeping track of travel funds in each account (Wrong!  You still need to manually track your travel funds.)
  • JetBlue will add new routes along the West Coast and maybe to Hawaii (Wrong! JetBlue did add new routes along the East Coast, but nothing new on the West Coast.)
  • Singapore Airlines will allow you to book United Airlines awards online (Correct!  Singapore Airlines added the ability to book award flights on United Airlines in February.)
  • British Airways will bring back the 4,500 Avios award price in the United States (Wrong!  Sadly, the 4,500 British Airways Avios pricing band is still not available in the US.)

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Have You Read My Top Blog Posts from 2018?

Good morning everyone, happy New Year’s Eve!  What a crazy year it has been.  Based on Google Analytics numbers, here are the top 10 blog posts written in 2018 and the top 10 blog posts of the year (written before 2018).  If you have a favorite post of the year that is not listed, please let me know in the comments.  Without further ado, here is the first top 10 list:

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1: PSA: Do NOT Use Zelle or Venmo to Pay People on Craigslist, eBay or Strangers Online

I’m surprised my Zelle / Venmo PSA post was so popular, but I’m glad that the word got out. It’s important to know what kind of scams exist and how to avoid them. Learn from these mistakes to keep your money safe.

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Keep, Cancel or Convert? American Express Business Platinum Charge Card ($450 Annual Fee)

Good afternoon everyone.  As part of my “Keep, Cancel or Convert?” series, I like to evaluate and reevaluate credit (and charge) cards to make sure they still deserve a spot in my wallet.  2 weeks ago, my $450 annual fee posted on my American Express Business Platinum Charge CardI shared my outrage on the upcoming changes to the card and Shelli added her thoughts too.  I am not going to go into all the nitty gritty details of the current card benefits and the upcoming card benefits, but I have decided to keep my American Express Business Platinum Charge Card until next December when the *gasp!* $595 annual fee posts to my account.  Here is why this card is still worth the $450 annual fee I just paid…

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Is Amex’s Platinum Business Card Worth $12 Extra A Month?

No denying this has been a big year for change in the credit card landscape. Hyatt changed its policy on how cash and points nights are determined, the Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit is fading into the sunset, and Amex updated the Gold card benefits. Just when you’re catching your breath, ouch, American Express strikes yet again with an annual fee increase on the Business Platinum credit card.

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Don’t Overlook These Citi Prestige Card Updates: The Good, The Bad, And The Really Bad

Credit card benefit changes are inevitable. Ok, that’s stating the obvious. But benefit changes do seem to be coming at us fast and furiously these days. The Citi Prestige credit card is up for some changes starting in January. As often is the case when my my go-to credit card benefits change, I have mixed feelings about these changes. Change can be good, bad, or really bad, as proven by these Citi Prestige upcoming changes.

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