TPOL brings the official Super Bowl 50 preview and prediction as was done last year when the Patriots got lucky. Points nerds looking for a tangential relationship between sports and points hoarding need to understand that one of the best uses of points is to go to sports events throughout the world. I challenge anyone to rationalize paying thousands in cash for a room in sunny Santa Clara when points options are available. Here is the official breakdown: Kubiak vs. Rivera This Super Bowl the juggernaut of Belichick won’t be on the sidelines stealing play calls from the opposition and forcing them to throw the ball on the goal line when clearly a run is in order. Instead, you have a former member of the ’85 Bears in Rivera calling the shots for the Panthers. On the other sideline, you have a Kubiak doing his best impression of David Blatt by staying out of Peyton’s way. Rivera does a great job of keeping his players loose but Peyton is actually on the field directly calling the shots. Edge: Peyton by the nose of the football Manning vs. Newton Unfortunately, the focus between these two great competitors is not on their talent but on outside, irrelevant issues. Will Peyton replicate the success of Elway and ride off into the sunset a hero? Will Peyton return next year to play for the Rams? Can’t we save the Elway comparisons and discussions about Manning’s future for Monday? With Newton, the press is fixated with Cam’s personality. Does he play the game the right way? Does he celebrate too much? Is race a reason why people don’t like Cam? Cam plays the game the right way, i.e., he plays to win the game and he does. Personally, I think Cam’s celebrations are annoying. I hate the Superman thing which he used to do even when they were losing. However, no one can hate on that dab though. The reason people don’t like Cam is because he’s annoying. He throws it in the opposition’s face when he scores and then tries to sanitize his behavior by giving a football away to a child. Come on man! You want to showboat, then showboat, but owe up to the fact that it is irritating. There will always be ignorant people who hate someone because of race but in this case it’s more about his over-the-top antics that provokes the ire of the unbiased fan. Now that we are done with the politics of football, let’s analyze the two QBs. Newton is big, can run, throw, and can finish at the goal line. Peyton is old, a perennial choke artist in the playoffs, and has nothing left in his arm. Edge: Newton Anderson vs. Stewart Brady had great words to say about the Broncos’ Anderson but I think the MVP of the Super Bowl will be Stewart who will go for over 100 on that staunch defense which will be fixated on containing Cam. Edge: Stewart Defense vs. Defense If you want to see how a team stops the read option, watch Denver. Demarcus Ware (who could’ve came to the Lions out of college) and Von Miller will be a force all game. Carolina also has a great defense but the press is so fixated with how much fun Cam is having playing the game that they overlook the Panthers defense. Edge: Broncos X-Factor Davis vs. X-Factor Ginn Jr. The Broncos have no chance unless the defense scores 14 and Vernon Davis gets the ball. Davis has been invisible in this offense but could avenge the 49ers losses if he gets involved. For Carolina, look for Ginn Jr. to use his speed and break a few big plays that could spark a blowout. Edge: Carolina So who wins? Did I mention that Greg Olsen plays for the Panthers? Who is going to stop him while containing everyone else? This game won’t be close. I expect a blowout of at least 14 points with nobody paying attention to either the halftime show or what happens after it. Dab on ’em Carolina!
Keep Vs. Cancel: Citi Prestige
- $250 Air Travel Credit each year:Ā already used for 2016
- Admirals Club & VIP lounges:Ā Not really flying AA enough to care and have Priority Pass via AMEX plat.
- Complimentary 4th Night for any hotel stay.Ā Used this once only. I have so many Hyatt, Hilton, and Club Carlson points that this is not something that I will benefit from in the immediate future.
- 3 Free Rounds of Golf:Ā This is the perk that I enjoy the most and the reason that I am especially annoyed that they moved my annual fee due date from May to February. If I cancel the card, I have to speculatively book rounds of golf now in the dead of winter instead of booking them for the summerĀ when my annual fee was supposed to hit.
Citi Prestige Annual Fee Refunded, Reapplied, Reduced
What’s this, a prorated refund for my Citi Prestige card? Don’t ask questions, just be happy. What’s this, the annual fee has been reapplied? Those bastards. What’s this, it’s down to $350? Thank you Citi Gold Checking and no thank you at the same time. I opened a Citi Gold Checking account in January and funded it with my Alaska card which netted me 32,000 Alaska points. I’m still waiting for the 50k ThankYou points to post before doing a full write-up on that transaction. A couple of weeks after opening the checking account, I noticed a prorated refund on my annual fee for my Citi Prestige card which I transferred to my checking account. I assumed that the refund was a result of opening the Citi Gold account. On my February billing statement a new annual fee of $350 was applied which is the discounted rate for the Prestige given to Gold checking account holders instead of the usual $450. Now I’m wondering if I should keep or cancel the card because I did not forecast having to pay the annual fee until April when I originally signed up. I’ve used up the $250 travel statement credit but have not utilized the rounds of golf for 2016. I could speculatively book 3 rounds and then cancel the card within the time allowed to get a refund for the annual fee. Had I not cashed out the prorated reimbursement and had I been billed the $350 in April, I would have more time to both decide if I wanted to keep vs cancel and would have more time to plan my rounds of golf. Now it seems like I should cancel because I essentially have profited from having the card by maximizing all the benefits. What to do? First, I’ll call Citi.
SPG & British Avios: Combine Multiple Accounts for Free
Do you help your friends, family, and significant others with award bookings? Do you ‘lend’ points to them and then get anxiety about how these points will be returned to you? I know I do. Airlines like Delta or hotel chains like Hilton do not allow you to freely transfer points from one account to another. They make you pay for it. American does the same but often runs promos that make it worthwhile to ‘share’ your points with others who hold it in trust until you are ready to make a booking. Right now, I have 20,000 AA points in my friend’s account that I want returned to me but have no way of getting back for free. Two programs that do allow you to combine points provided that you adhere to their Terms and Conditions are SPG and British Avios. SPG requires that the account being combined has the same household address as your account for 30 days before initiating a transfer. I wouldn’t get too clever and change people’s address to yours in an effort to transfer points to your account unless you live in a frat house and convinced all your brothers to apply for an SPG card with your referral link. The other, more generous program is British Avios which allows members to create a household account without having to share a common address. With a household account, each member retains his own points but the aggregate of the points can be pooled in the event that a member of the household is short a few Avios. This would be very useful for programs like Hilton where the marginal, orphaned points can make the difference between a cash + points redemption or coming up just short. On the other hand, maybe you aren’t like me. Maybe you just give away your points to the people who you love without expecting anything back. I do not because I gotta have my points. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65zAlOpXEy0
Ticket Scalping NYC: The Follow-Up
One of the best things about living in NYC is that there always is some special event happening at an excellent venue. Last Saturday, the inconsistent Michigan Wolverines came to MSG to take on the unskilled Nittany Lions. Tickets were going for $55 plus tax. Yesterday, the lazy Pistons came to Brooklyn to take on the disinterested Nets. Tickets retailed for over $200 court side. Applying what I learned from my thorough analysis of Ticket Scalping NYC: Know Before You Go I am happy to report that 1) I was sold real tickets and 2) I paid next to nothing to get in. Let’s start with MSG: Since I was by myself, I was hesitant to purchase one ticket and risk receiving a fake ticket. I saw a Michigan fan standing near a scalper and I approached both of them. The fan was waiting for his buddy to get in before paying for the tickets, the strategy I recommend following. After his friend confirmed that his ticket was authentic, I purchased my ticket from the same scalper and took my chances getting in. I paid $30 (I should’ve paid $25) and went inside. The first scan of my ticket did not work leaving me anxious. The second scan did, confirming that this is the best way of buying a ticket for future events. When I found my great seat, the lady next to me asked me how I much spent. It was her husband’s ticket that she sold that I had purchased. She told me she had sold it for $20 which is why I should’ve paid $25. Next up is Barclays Center for the Pistons vs. Nets. I got off the subway at Atlantic Avenue and asked how much tickets were. The scalper was saying $50. I told him I was here to see my Pistons and that there was no way I was going to pay that much for a game that was not sold out and had tickets on Stubhub for $11. Another scalper recognized me from MSG the last time I tried to buy a ticket and said “Mr. Detroit!” That was pretty funny. Out of excitement I paid $20 for lower level seats when I should’ve paid $10 for upper bowl seats since the place was empty and everyone moved down to court side. Since there is no demand for tickets in Brooklyn and because of the match up, I wasn’t worried that I had received a fake ticket and got in with no problem. Pistons come to MSG in early March so I’ll report back then.
Another Hit Off the Churn Pipe: Chase United 55k Offer
Last week I wrote that it is possible that I may have too many inquiries when BOA said no to my Alaska application. When BOA rejects you, you may have a churning problem that warrants medical attention. Recognizing that I hit rock bottom, I vowed to take some time away from the game and get my life together. That lasted less than a week as I read about Chase offering 55k United Miles after spending 1k and after adding an authorized user. There’s even a $50 statement credit to sweeten the deal. I applied then called in and was approved which may help me fly first on Lufthansa but will do nothing to curb my churn addiction. Please send help or more offers my way. Sincerely, TPOL
An Choi NYC: Pho the Young at Heart
Simply the Best: January 2016
TPOL fell off the pace in 2016 by not writing as often as he should have. Distracted by the bright lights of NYC and the rats of the metro, I only posted 31 times. Like they say in the fishing industry, it’s quality over quantity that counts. Here are the best posts from January 2016.
- Places NOT to Visit 2016
- The Automated Phone System: Mankind’s Worst Invention
- Do You Believe in Miracles? Emirates Showers, Dreamliner Suites, Tahiti Triumph!
- Alaska Airlines Rejection: Maybe I Do Have Too Many Inquiries
- What Devaluation? Etihad Apartments Booked
- By Definition, Bloggers Killed Manufactured Spend
- Making America Great Again: Golden Palm At Trump National Doral
I Need to Learn My ABCs, How About You?
Calling to cancel a flight or make changes to a flight is never a fun experience. Did I confuse the cancellation rules? Will I have to beg to receive my miles back immediately? Why can’t the agent find my reservation? One of the biggest problems I face when calling the airline is the lack of clear communication. Too many times my phone has dropped the call right before the award is booked. Many times after waiting on hold for an eternity the agent will come on and claim that he can’t hear me then disconnects. Then there are the situations when the agent simply can’t understand what I am saying. Besides blaming Sprint for lousy cell phone service, I also have to blame myself for not knowing the alphabet. Agent: Can I please have your confirmation number? Me: Yes it’s A as in apple, C as in cat, U as in, well you know U as in you, the number 4 and Z as in Zebra. Agent: That’s A as in Alfa, D from David, U like Uniform. Me: No, C as in California. Agent: Can you please start from the beginning? Annoyed, I start again but this time I use different representations for each letter further confusing the poor agent. Every time I’m on one of these calls, I promise myself that I will learn the uniform phonetic alphabet so I can communicate efficiently. Every time I forget to follow through. After this last call that took longer than it should have, I decided that enough was enough and looked up the code words for each letter. To my surprise, N is not for Nancy but November. Z is not for Zebra but for Zulu. What is Zulu? I is for India not Igloo? How can Y be for Yankee and not Yellow? As a lover of John Daniels, I can appreciate that W is for Whiskey but can’t comprehend why F is for Foxtrot, J is for Juliett, and S is for Sierra. And shouldn’t X be for X to the Z Xzibit? Instead of fighting it or the agent anymore, I’ve decided to learn it. One interesting point is that D is not for Delta in the aviation industry for obvious reasons which is why the agent said David. For the illiterate among us, here is the full Nato phonetic alphabet. Let’s sing it together: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu. Now I know my ABCs, next time won’t you cancel my flight for me?
Jet Lagged! The Citrus Bowl Trip Report Debrief
This is the debrief of the Trip Report: Citrus Bowl 2016 which covered the following cities:
- Orlando, Florida
- Miami, Florida
Read it all from start to finish. From egg whites to Gators to more gators to Donald Trump, we sure did have a good time, didn’t we?
- Lounge Review (SLC): Delta Sky Club Salt Lake City: Unlimited Egg Whites
- Lounge Review (ATL): The Club at ATL: Pop Champagne
- Hotel Review: Aloft Orlando: Life Outside of Disney
- Stadium Guide: Citrus Bowl Stadium: Where Even the Band Battles
- Golf Guide: The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club – Grand Lakes Orlando
- Golf Guide: Making America Great Again: Golden Palm At Trump National Doral
- Lounge Review (LGA): Amex Centurion Lounge LGA: Welcome Back to NYC