I learned about the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash moments before boarding my AA flight from Miami to San Juan this past Sunday (March 10). Incidentally, I was flying a 737 MAX 8 home. I messaged my friend a photo from the plane and questioned if it was safe to take this flight. I was somewhat serious but not very concerned that I would return home without incident. After watching fellow travel enthusiast and former interviewer Richard Qwest (see The CNN Business Traveller Clip! Now Playing), I personally would get on another 737 MAX 8. With that said, I don’t see why all carriers don’t ground the planes until the investigation of this latest crash is complete. Chinese air carriers, Ethiopian Airlines, Aeromexico, among others, have grounded the planes. Southwest and American have yet to do so. There is an inherent risk in doing anything, but this is one that can be minimized until investigators figure out what is going on.
I called JetBlue the next day and was told that there would be a $100 penalty to refund my points because JetBlue only enforces the 24 hour rule for flights leaving 7 days in the future.
I prefer the amenities of a hotel to an Airbnb, but since my new strategy is to stay in places for months, not days, I’m going to have to get better at : 1) identifying quality Airbnbs via reviews and photos 2) negotiating better rates.
I canceled Amex Platinum Charles Schwab. The time had come to decide whether I was going to Keep Vs. Cancel the Hilton Honors Business card. For those in a hurry, the quick answer is I canceled because the $95 gets you next to nothing. For those looking to stay around, let me tell you what I mean by nothing.
Free Weekend Night Rewards: I don’t have the desire to spend 15k to get one free night. Those historically have resulted in difficult redemptions for me (see Hilton Weekend Certificate: Not Worth the 10k Spend).
Priority Pass Membership: One fear I had from canceling my Platinum was losing out on Priority Pass. Even though I slam Priority Pass frequently (see Priority Pass Jakarta Lounge Review: Yuck), I don’t want to live without it (see Churning Cards? Don’t Let Your Priority Pass Lapse). Amex advertises Priority Pass membership with this card. If you read beyond the headline, you’ll notice that it is only for 10 free visits. That is not enough for this Fat Guy in the Lounge. Fortunately, I was just approved for the Citi Prestige which comes with Priority Pass.
The one feature you do receive is Hilton Gold. If you have an imminent stay at a Hilton, then that is well worth the $95 annual fee which includes free breakfast and 4PM check out. If you’re in no rush to stay at a Hilton, there are other cards that offer the benefit.
You’ll want free breakfast at the Conrad Maldives if you want to remain a millionaire after you leave.
Rejection has been a constant in my life. My first Valentine, my first time taking calculus at the University of Michigan (details in the book, on sale here), and most recently, applying for the Barclays Aviator card. When I applied for the Citi Prestige, I assumed another rejection was on the way. To my surprise, I was approved. Although I lost access to the overrated Centurion Lounges, I either broke even or gained more benefits by switching to the Prestige. Here’s how:
Citi Prestige: 50k sign-up bonus. Amex: no retention offer. 50k>0.
Citi Prestige: $495 annual fee. Amex:$550. $495<$550
Citi Prestige: 5x dining. Amex: 1x. 5>1
Citi Prestige: 3x hotel. Amex: 1x. 3>1
Citi Prestige: 5x airfare. Amex: 5x airfare. 5=5!
Citi Prestige: $250 travel credit. Amex $200 jump through hoops, hope and pray, check FlyerTalk threads to see if it still works, to get gift card cert for Delta which can only be redeemed up to $150 per ticket. $250>Possible $200
Given my recent track record of rejection for cards that provide similar benefits (see Chase Sapphire Reserve: Rejected Again), I may have to hold onto this card past the first year even if the retention offer is next to nothing.
You won’t see me in a Centurion Lounge anytime soon. My $550 annual fee came due on my Amex Platinum Schwab which I opened last year (see Amex Platinum Schwab Approved! No Recon Required). I decided enough was enough with these annual fees. I didn’t receive 1 MR as a retention offer. Instead, the agent went right into the speech. He seemed to take offense that I redeemed the $200 travel credit and now I was canceling. At this point, Ameriprise is the only Platinum left. For nostalgia, here is the Keep Vs. Cancel for every card in the series:
Keep Vs. Cancel: Amex Platinum Charles Schwab (March 2019)
Since 2015, I have been a platinum man and have earned and redeemed hundreds of thousands of points. Now my face has literally been scratched off the card.
Post Uber delays at the airport (see Uber Pool FLL Scam! Don’t Waste Your Time), I arrived at the hotel confident that I could check in early. I forgot two points: 1. Miami is the worst place for customer service in the world. 2. Explorist status gets you Rodney Dangerfield respect.
The front desk said the hotel was at 100 percent occupancy and that the standard check in time was 4PM. The current time was 830AM. I went to get an espresso and wait for my room. One hour later, still nothing. I went to the pool to wait there. Three hours later, no call. Maybe it would be until 4PM before I could check in. Exhausted, I decided to go for a run on the beach (see Who Runs Miami Beach?).
At 2PM, I received the text that my room was ready. Was it worth the wait?
Tiny
Each blogger has his/her own standards on what makes a photo worthy of a Hotel Review. I try to not cut out pieces of the bed, parts of a chair, or any artwork. In this tiny excuse for a room, that was very hard to do. Half the room was occupied by the display of goodies that only a fool would dare touch.
Welcome Gift
Do you feel compelled to consume the welcome gift regardless of what it is? TPOL has a problem saying no to free. These macarons were not great but that didn’t stop me from eating them.
View
The real welcome gift was this view.
Shower Mist
WiFi, a/c, comfortable bed, and a good shower. Those are the four pillars of life. After the Pool Party (see Where to Pool Party in Miami), I required a good shower to put TPOL back together. I found a light mist forcing me to resume my dancing from the previous day in order to get wet.
On Real Sports with Bryant Gumble, there was a story about a man called the Raven who ran eight miles every day on the beach come literal hell or high water. During sunny days, he would be out running with his Forrest Gump group of followers. During hurricanes, he would still be out there. When it became too dangerous to be on the beach, he ran back and forth in his yard. The story goes on to shed light on his compulsion.
I tried to run in his footsteps and didn’t get far. Two miles round trip was the most I could do. I prefer to run right where the water hits the sand. It usually makes for a firm surface that is ideal for barefoot running. On Miami Beach, the sand gave too much making each step a struggle. It is also on an incline which is uncomfortable.
I couldn’t complain too much given the views.
The Raven runs with shoes on the soft sand. That option looks terrible. Like Running in San Juan, most people run on a path. That looked like a better option.
TPOL’s streak of running on Miami Beach is one day in a row. How about you? Beach runner? Path? Or no running at all?
As an employee, my resume is not impressive. I’ve quit or been fired from every job that I’ve had and usually at a record pace. The stupidity of working for someone led me to write my first book, Everyone’s Advice is Wrong . . . Including Mine. In contrast to my work record, I have been dedicated to writing this blog. March 19, 2019 marked 5 years of the creation of my alter ego, TPOL. The highlight is my appearance on CNN Business Traveller with my buddy Richard Quest. Though I haven’t become a blog millionaire (see “Click Here!” How Blogs Make $), it hasn’t stopped me from blogging about everything and anything.
Here are the top posts from each year since 2014 when this started.
I know some people still MS and that I may be missing out on points, but at some point cash is more important than free travel. (If your credit card got shut down for MS, we may be able to help. Visit Bachuwa Law.)
Everyone loves it when someone makes mistakes. This was the dumbest travel bungle of my travel career if you don’t count visa issues. But it also received the most clicks.
From the troll comments I received after being on CNN (see Welcome CNN Business Traveller Viewers!), to the jeers from my Icelandair mishap, I have accepted that there are a lot of angry people out there. While I encourage everyone to #bebest, I don’t take it personally when an anonymous person expresses negativity via the comments section. In fact, those sweet nothings are celebrated during the yearly Festivus! Airing of Points Grievances. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that my most popular post for 2018 was when I was detained in Tel Aviv.
My bags would show up in Warsaw two days after I arrived.
Overall
It’s been 5 years of great fun. Here’s to 50 more! Now get me back on CNN please. #letsgetafterit
You know what really grinds my gears? Trying to save money by wasting my time in the process. I landed at FLL for a one night stopover on my Rum Rum Tour. (Ironically, to get to the Caribbean, I had to leave the Caribbean.) Instead of taking the FLL train (see The Tri Rail: The Best Deal in Miami/Fort Lauderdale), I opted for instinct. And by instinct I mean Uber Pool. Based on my bad NY Uber Pool experiences, you’d think me stupid for trying to save a buck on the tread of others. I’m starting to agree, but this time I thought it would be different. FLL has a specific pool just for the airport, which led me to assume that drivers wouldn’t be so angry about pool rides and might even pick me up, as is their job!
Clear sign for ride sharing.
Here’s how it went down:
Driver 1: Canceled. Uber charged me $6 fee.
Driver 2: Driver 2 was 9 minutes away. I canceled. No fee.
In between 2 and 3, I asked if I was in the right place. Indeed I was.
This is where to wait for Uber Pool that is not coming.
Driver 3: Your driver is arriving! Canceled.
Driver A: Yes, Driver A, not 4. I took Lyft instead. Amex credits be damned.
Which brings me to this year where TPOL has the following perfect bracket. Note that Michigan will beat Syracuse as it did in 2013 and then avenge the finals loss to Duke before Michigan takes a timeout on offense and loses to North Carolina. #cwebb
