Tag Archives: Travel

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Last 2 Weeks Summary: Barclays Denials, Carmel / Monterey, Hilton GC Issue & New to Aligned Incentives

Good afternoon everyone.  Confession time: I feel like a bad blogger when I don’t post anything in several weeks and it’s been 2+ weeks since my last post.  I’ve been busy with work / life / travel and nothing has inspired me enough to write a full blog post, but I figured I could compile a few different topics into a single post to clear out the cobwebs in my mind.  If you have any questions or comments about any of these topics, please share them in the comments section.  Let’s get to the topics.

My 2 Barclays Credit Card Denials

With all the hype around the Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines merger, Laura and I decided to apply for Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Credit Cards.  Laura was instantly approved for the personal Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Credit Cards that offers 70,000 Hawaiian Airlines Miles after first purchase (read Frequent Miler’s post).  I decided to apply for the personal and business Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Credit Cards at the same time and both applications went pending.  I called the Barclays reconsideration department to see if I could move some of my credit limit from my 3 existing personal and business Barclays credit cards.  Unfortunately, the rep said Barclays could not approve me for either card and that they could not reallocate my credit limits to approve either/both cards.  That was disappointing and a hit to my ego.  But I am glad Laura was instantly approved for her credit card.

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How to Count / See your Priority Pass Restaurant & Non-Lounge Visits

Good evening everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  A few months ago, I wrote How to Enroll US Bank Altitude Reserve & Business Altitude Connect Credit Cards in Free Priority Pass Membership because Chase Sapphire Reserve and JPMorgan Ritz Carlton Priority Pass memberships would lose restaurant access on July 1, 2024.  Thankfully, the US Bank Altitude Reserve offers 8 Priority Pass restaurant & non-lounge visits every year and the US Bank Business Altitude Connect offers 4 Priority Pass restaurant & non-lounge visits every year.

I used 2 of my Priority Pass restaurant visits when Laura and I flew to Seattle in early August for the Seattle Seafair / Boeing Air Show.  A few days ago, I learned that I could count / see the number of Priority Pass restaurant & non-lounge visits on each card, so I wanted to share that info with you.  Once you sign into your Priority Pass online account, click the My Priority Pass tab.  That will show you how many visits you get per year.  Click on the Details button below the QR code to learn more.

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My Experience Matching Alaska Airlines MVP Elite Status to JetBlue Mosaic 1 Elite Status

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  A few days ago, I read Frequent Miler’s post JetBlue launches status match for AA, Alaska, Delta and United elites and decided to go through the status matching process.  Before you do your own status match, read Frequent Miler’s post to learn about the benefits and requirements to keep the status for longer than 3 months.  Here is my experience matching from Alaska Airlines MVP elite status to JetBlue Mosaic 1 elite status (that is the only airline elite status I currently have).  I went to the Match to Mosaic page and clicked on the Apply Now button.

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4 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: United (100%), Etihad (30%), Choice Hotels (25%) & Alaska Airlines (20%)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday! I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 4 offers that end in the next few days.  Always check the math to make sure that buying miles & points makes sense for you.  Do not buy miles & points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, here are 4 offers that end soon.

Up first, United Airlines is offering up to a 100% bonus, depending on the number of United Airlines MileagePlus Miles you purchase. This offer expires on August 25.

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500 Email Newsletter Subscribers Celebration! 5 x $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway [Winners Selected]

Updated at 7:45am PT on 8/19/24: Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway.  Here are the 5 winners who will each receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card sent to them via email:

  • Rob Tomanek: Enjoy reading the “too good” helpful hints to maximize travel. Thanks. (blog post)
  • t: My Underwhelming Experience with MaxMyPoint, Awayz & StayWithPoints Hotel Award Alerts (blog post)
  • Bill G.: Not really sure I would remember all the posts to pick a favorite. But I do enjoy the no-hype factual stuff, be they reviews or news about a promo. I do scan most of the posts but I read a lot of different blogs and definitely appreciate the factual style (your friendly conversation style is good too.) (blog post)
  • Heath: I enjoyed your trip summary about your trip to Europe with Laura. (blog post)
  • Andrew SHANSBY: I like to read about maxmy point and retention bonuses, keep up great work! (blog post)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  2 months ago, I wrote Calling All Readers, Help Me Reach 500 Email Newsletter Subscribers!  At the time of that post, I had 476 subscribers and I was slowly inching my way toward the 500 subscriber mark.  I just checked my stats and I am at 504 total subscribers – thank you to all my subscribers!

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