Tag Archives: Best Western

a close up of stamps

Hotel Review: Best Western Chinatown Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar (Great Price & Meals)

Good morning everyone.  After leaving Beijing, I spent 3 nights in Yangon, Myanmar on my 10 Day Asia Trip.  Myanmar does not have many chain hotels, so I checked on TripAdvisor and the Best Western Chinatown was a top pick and was only ~$50 USD / night.  A few weeks before checking in, I status matched from Hilton Diamond Elite Status to Best Western Diamond Select Elite Status.  This hotel is nothing fancy, but the breakfast and dinner were excellent.  The hotel also had a spa that offered 20% off massages in the afternoon and a sauna attached to the gym.  I wasn’t planning on writing a hotel review about this hotel, but after I checked out, I regretted not taking more pictures of the hotel.  Therefore, I am borrowing images from the Best Western website.

a tall building with many cars parked in front of it

Image source: https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotels-in-yangon/best-western-chinatown-hotel/propertyCode.99702.html

Continue reading

a close up of stamps

10 Day Asia Trip Report Summary (China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan & Nepal)

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well.  By the time you read this post, I will be flying Cathay Pacific business class back to San Francisco.  At the beginning of the trip, I flew Air China business class from San Francisco to Beijing.  For the last 10 days, I have been hopping around Asia and I visited these cities:

  • Beijing, China (1 night)
  • Yangon, Myanmar (3 nights)
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh (1 night)
  • Paro & Thimphu, Bhutan (2 nights)
  • Kathmandu, Nepal (2 nights)
a map of the world with numbers and a red line

Great Circle Mapper: http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=PEK-RGN-DAC-PBH-KTM

Continue reading

a woman with blonde hair and a green shirt

My 8 Credit Card App-O-Rama Results (Mostly Bad News)

Good morning everyone, I hope you all has a great weekend.  A few weeks ago, I applied for 8 new credit cards during my App-O-Rama.  Here are the 8 credit cards and sign up bonuses that I applied for (not in this particular order).  Unfortunately, my App-O-Rama skills are not as good as they used to be and I was (ultimately) declined for most of these credit cards.

  • Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card: 30,000 AS Miles + $100 statement credit after spending $1,000 in 3 months ($75 annual fee)
  • Bank of America Virgin Atlantic Credit Card: 75,000 VA Miles after spending $12,000 in 6 months ($90 annual fee)
  • Bank of America Amtrak Rewards Credit Card: 30,000 Amtrak Points after spending $1,000 in 3 months ($79 annual fee)
  • US Bank Altitude Reserve Credit Card: 50,000 FlexPoints ($750 in travel credit) after spending $4,500 in 3 months ($400 annual fee)
  • Wells Fargo Visa Signature Credit Card: 20,000 Go Far Reward Points after spending $1,000 in 3 months ($0 annual fee)
  • First Bankcard Best Western Credit Card: 50,000 Points after spending $1,000 in 3 months ($59 annual fee, first year waived)
  • Synchrony Bank Cathay Pacific Credit Card: 50,000 CX Miles after spending $2,500 in 3 months ($95 annual fee)
  • Barclays Wyndham Rewards Credit Card: 45,000 Wyndham Points (3 free nights) after spending $2,000 in 3 months ($75 annual fee)

Long story short, I applied for 3 Bank of America credit cards, starting with the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card.  I recently closed my previous Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card a few weeks ago, so I was ready to apply again and earn more Alaska Airlines miles.  Unfortunately, my application went to pending.  Since I was not immediately declined, I decided to apply for a Bank of America Virgin Atlantic Credit Card.  Surprisingly, I was instantly approved for that credit card with a pretty small credit limit.  With that success, I decided to apply for a Bank of America Amtrak Rewards Credit Card.  Unfortunately, that application went to pending as well. 1 out of 3 instant approvals was not bad.  I was hopeful that the 2 pending applications could be approved with a short reconsideration call.

a screenshot of a credit card

Continue reading

a blue and white logo

American Express Membership Reward Point Transfers to Best Western Ending December 31, 2015

Good evening everyone, I hope your Labor Day Weekend is going great.  Here is a quick post from the Holiday Inn Express in Springdale, Utah, home to Zion National Park (trip report coming soon as soon as my blisters heal).  On my recent American Express Platinum Charge Card statement, I noticed a few new announcements/changes.  The first change is that American Express Membership Reward Points will no longer be transferable to Best Western starting January 1, 2016.  Granted that Best Western is not a very good transfer option, this is still another devaluation (if ever so slightly) to the American Express Membership Reward Points program.  A few months ago, I discovered that American Express Changes: 250 Membership Reward Points = 200 British Airways / Iberia Avios starting on October 1, 2015.

AMEX Membership Reward Change Best Western

Continue reading

a blue letters on a white background

Random News: Barclays AA Aviator Chip & PIN Credit Card, $20 Target College Registry Gift Cards, and Best Western Promo

(Hat Tip to my friend Bill for the Barclays credit card update and Target gift card update)

Good evening everyone, I have a few random news items to share with you.  First off, it looks like Barclays is sending out new Chip and PIN cards to Barclays American Airlines Aviator Red Credit Card holders.  When you activate your new credit card online, you are given the option to set up a 4 digit PIN (please don’t pick 1234).  This is the first time I have heard of this feature and I wonder if Barclays will send out other replacement credit cards with Chip and PIN technology.  To request the new credit card technology, call up Barclays and ask them to send you a new card.  If they refuse or tell you to wait patiently, you can tell them your current card is damaged and ask for a replacement card.

Barclays AA Aviator Red Set PIN

Continue reading