Happy Unboxing Saturday, everyone! I received a black book-sized package in the mail and left it sitting around for a few days. It was non-descript, so I had no idea what it was… until today. It was my new metal Citi Prestige Credit Card! I had totally forgotten that Citi was replacing the plastic ones.
Since the Citi Prestige Credit Card just went through some benefit changes, everyone who has the credit card is in assessment mode as to whether or not they’ll keep the credit card. And those who don’t have the credit card are considering whether it’s still worth getting. Even before the changes in benefits were announced, I had planned on writing about the credit card and why, for me, it’s been a keeper… and still is!
I was early on board with this credit card, originally thinking I’d primarily use it for the free rounds of golf and American Airlines Admirals Club access. And maybe the 4th night free hotel benefit. Turns out, I never used the free rounds of golf (which is no longer a benefit), though I did use the American Airlines Admirals Club access from time to time. The real surprise for me was how often I used the 4th night free hotel perk and how much money I saved. Let me get specific!
Good afternoon everyone. Two weekends ago, my girlfriend and I had the pleasure to stay the beautiful and historic DoubleTree Arctic Club Hotel in Seattle, WA. According to the hotel’s bio, the Arctic Club is a “AAA 4-Diamond Award-winning hotel in Seattle, WA. This tastefully decorated hotel in Seattle, WA offers a unique experience, echoing the post-Klondike gold rush days of the early 1900s.” According to Wikipedia, the Arctic Club was built for the Arctic Club in 1917 for the successful veterans of the Klondike Gold Rush and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Needless to say, this is not your average DoubleTree hotel (but they did have chocolate chip cookies on demand at the front desk). I spoke with the front desk agents a few times during my stay and they were very helpful and friendly. As we were checking out, the front desk agent told me that the hotel would most likely transition into a Conrad Hotel in the near future. In this post, I will share my experience staying in the hotel. I hope you enjoy the hotel review.
DoubleTree Arctic Club hotel front desk. Image source: http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/washington/the-arctic-club-seattle-a-doubletree-by-hilton-hotel-SEAACDT/index.html
Good morning everyone, happy Friday. A few days ago, I wanted to use my Hilton Honors Points to book a 2 night stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Diego Downtown. The price was 39,000 Hilton Honors Points per night, for a total of 78,000 Hilton Honors Points needed. The only problem was that I was a little short on Hilton Honors Points… I only had 73,000 Hilton Honors Points and needed 5,000 more Hilton Honors Points to book the entire award without paying the cash co-pay.
With the recent 75,000 point sign up bonus for the Citi Prestige Credit Card, I started thinking about my Citi Thank You Points. I’ve accumulated a rather large number of Citi Thank You Points, and have recently decided to start spending them on flights. I don’t put much spend on my Citi Prestige Credit Card EXCEPT for using the card at hotels for the 4th night free hotel benefit. Since I’ve been using that perk for a few years now, I was pleasantly surprised when I logged into my Citi Thank You account and saw my stash of Citi Thank You Points.
Citi Thank You Points are earned through credit cards issued by Citibank and can be redeemed for a variety of rewards. I’ve looked at using points at hotels, but I’ve decided that redeeming them for flights makes more sense. This meant I had to learn to use the site to book flights. When I learn something new, I like to share it with you all too, so this post focuses on redeeming Citi Thank You Points for flights.
I consider Citi Thank You Points to be almost the same as cash. I say almost because, on some occasions, tickets might cost slightly less on sites like Kayak, Expedia, or Travelocity. It’s always good to check the other OTAs to compare prices. And remember, using your Citi Thank You Points does earn you frequent flyer miles for the tickets you book, so I’ll show you below how to filter for specific airlines.
The value of Citi Thank You Points toward flights depends on which Citi credit cards you have: