Tag Archives: Travel

a close-up of a logo

3 Buy Miles Promos Ending Soon: American (10%), United (85%) & Air France / KLM (75%)

Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few offers ending soon.  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 3 offers that end this week.  Up first, American Airlines is offering a 10% discount + up to 42,500 bonus miles, depending on the number of American Airlines AAdvantage Miles you purchase.  This offer expires today – November 4.

a screenshot of a gift card

Continue reading

a close-up of a logo

Counter Point: Why I Currently Book Flights with Citi Thank You Points Instead of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  First off, the title is not a typo, I have started using my Citi Thank You Points instead of my Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to book a few recent flights.  Secondly, the title is true for me now, but could change down the road.  And lastly, you are totally right to disagree with me and prefer using your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.  But, let me share my perspective and reasoning with you so that you can see where I am coming from.

Long story short, I am planning an upcoming trip to Africa and will visit a few countries near South Africa.  After checking schedules and prices, I decided to book a South African Airways flight from Livingstone, Zambia (near Victoria Falls) to Johannesburg, South Africa.  Now the question was, should I book it directly with my credit card, or should I use my Citi Thank You Points or Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to pay for the flight?

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading

a blue sign with white text

American Express Card Changes: Trip Delay Insurance; Corporate Card Lower Annual Fees & Earning Rates [Updated 11/4]

Updated 8:30am PT on 11/4: I just reviewed my American Express Business Platinum Charge Card statement and noticed changes to trip cancellation / interruption insurance, trip delay insurance, Boingo Preferred Plan, and Gogo Preferred Plan.  Please scroll to the bottom of the post to see those updates.


Good afternoon everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  I was just reviewing my recent American Express credit card statements and spotted a few announcements / changes.  None of these changes seem that important to me, but they do cover Gold Card trip delay insurance, corporate card annual fees, corporate card earning rates, Green Card bonus categories, and mediation / arbitration.  This statement came from my American Express Gold Card, but I saw most of the same announcements / changes listed on my other American Express credit card statements too.

Effective January 1, 2020, the American Express Gold Card is introducing trip delay insurance.  This insurance only kicks in when you book a roundtrip flight and your flight is more than 12 hours delayed.  If that happens, you are covered for up to $300 in reimbursements for meals and accommodations.  It says this coverage is secondary, so it must kick in after the airline’s coverage (primary coverage).  I’m not sure how competitive that is with other premium travel rewards credit cards.

a close-up of a card

Continue reading

a blue and white logo

Pilot Program Announced: BART Riders to SFO get Access to Priority TSA Security Lines

Good afternoon everyone.  I just received an email from BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) about a new pilot program that was just announced for BART passengers traveling to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).  According to the announcement, passengers who take BART to SFO will have access to priority TSA security lines.  This is kind of a goldilocks line between general TSA security lines and TSA PreCheck lines.  I believe the screening process is the same as general TSA security, but with a shorter line.  Since I have TSA PreCheck, I would probably never go through the priority TSA security line, but this is good news for passengers who do not have TSA PreCheck or are heading to SFO for an international flight.

a screenshot of a message

Continue reading

a blue text on a white background

4 Buy Miles/Points Promos Ending Soon: Alaska (40%), Etihad (15%), American (42,500) & Choice (25%)

Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few offers ending soon.  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 this week.  Up first, Alaska Airlines is offering up to a 40% bonus, depending on the number of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles you purchase.  This offer expires on October 31.

a screenshot of a travel plan

Continue reading