Tag Archives: Travel

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How to Use 2 American Express Business Platinum Cards to Split CLEAR Plus + 1 Family Member into 2 Charges

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  A few weeks ago, I got my CLEAR renewal email that said my membership would be increasing $50, from $169 to $219.  That was a bummer since I was looking forward to using the $189 CLEAR Plus credit that comes with my American Express Business Platinum Card.  Since I currently have 2 AMEX Biz Plat Cards, I wanted to use both cards to get the CLEAR Plus credit.

I have an AMEX Delta credit card which provided a discounted CLEAR membership of $149 for myself and I have my wife as a family member on my CLEAR membership for an additional $70.  Technically, I might have been able to remove my wife from my CLEAR account and set her up with her own account which would have cost her $179, since she is a general Delta SkyMiles member, but I wanted to see if I could keep costs low.

Here is what I did next…

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Upcoming AMEX Changes to Employee Cards, Premium Private Jet Program, Departures Magazine & Upgrade with Points

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Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great Labor Day Weekend!  I just returned from my “free” Holland America Line cruise from Boston to Quebec and had a great time.  Yesterday, when I was reviewing my recent American Express credit card statements, I noticed a few upcoming changes that I wanted to share.  These notices came on my American Express Business Platinum Card, but should apply to most Platinum Cards and some Membership Rewards earning cards.  None of these changes are huge, but they might affect some cardmembers.

American Express is changing the name from “Additional Business Green Rewards Card” to “Additional Business Expense Card” effective August 17, 2023.  Replacement cards will have the new name going forward.  Effective November 2, 2023, that name change will be updated in the Cardmember Agreement.  No changes to the card benefits are mentioned.

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7 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Alaska (60%), Southwest (50%), United (90%), Choice Hotels (25%), Avianca (140%), JetBlue (80%) & IHG (80%)

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 7 offers that end in the next 2 weeks.  As we approach Labor Day Weekend, the airline and hotel programs have lots of buy miles and points promos.  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 7 offers that end soon.

Up first, Alaska Airlines is offering up to a 60% bonus, depending on the number of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles you purchase.  This offer expires on August 20.

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The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 3 Days in Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  A few weeks ago, my wife and I decided to book a last minute trip to Europe this summer with stops in Prague (PRG), Copenhagen (CPH), and Amsterdam (AMS).  In case you missed it, here are the first 2 stops on our European trip: The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 3 Days in Prague, Czech Republic and The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 2 Days in Copenhagen, Denmark.  We both had a great time to Amsterdam (Laura’s first time and my third trip, first since 2016).  Here are some of the highlights from our 3 days in Amsterdam.

After we checked out of our hotel in Copenhagen, we took the 15 minute train ride from Copenhagen Central Train Station back to the airport for $5 / person.  As I wrote about a few weeks ago (Some KLM Business Class Awards (Booked with Virgin Atlantic) are Cheaper than Economy Awards for Flights Within Europe), we flew KLM Business Class from Copenhagen to Amsterdam (CPH-AMS) for 9,000 Virgin Atlantic Points + $12 in taxes/fees.  Since we were flying business class, we were able to access the business class section of the Carlsberg Aviator Lounge which had a few Carlsberg beers on tap to try out before our flight.

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Beers on Tap at Carlsberg Aviator Lounge (CPH) in Copenhagen, Denmark

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The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 2 Days in Copenhagen, Denmark

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  A few weeks ago, my wife and I decided to book a last minute trip to Europe this summer with stops in Prague (PRG), Copenhagen (CPH), and Amsterdam (AMS).  Yesterday, I wrote about The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 3 Days in Prague, Czech Republic. After a great time in Prague, we took a $17 Uber back to the airport and then flew to Copenhagen, Denmark (CPH) on Norwegian Air for $89 / person.  We took the 15 minute train ride from the airport to the Copenhagen Central Train Station for $5 / person and then walked a few blocks to the Comfort Hotel Vesterbro, where we stayed for 2 nights for 20,000 Choice Points / night.  To be honest, the hotel looked better in photos, but it was in a decent location.

Literally next to the Copenhagen Central Train Station is the world famous Tivoli Gardens, which recently celebrated it’s 180th birthday, making it one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.  You can buy entrance only tickets for $22 / person or add on a ride pass for another $25 / person.  It’s hard to describe it in words, but it is like a very small version of Disneyland, mixed with a county or state fair.  We had a great time walking around the park.

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