Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

Etihad First Booked! Cairo to LA via Abu Dhabi

thepointsoflife

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September 13, 2015

Etihad First Booked! Cairo to LA via Abu Dhabi

I wrote about the trepidation of booking an award ticket a few weeks ago. That was based on the true story of trying to find a flight back to the US after I hopefully complete the Athens Marathon. I found a flight to Greece on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class after bypassing the peasant options of flying coach. I still needed a flight to the US from Egypt, my R&R destination after my Athens victory. This proved to be challenging because I faced the following obstacles:

Fly a good carrier from the Middle East.
Avoid blowing my Emirates/SQ points.
Preserve my United miles for my Tahiti trip.

Basically, my choices came down to One World carriers of Qatar or Etihad. I flew Qatar business long-haul twice on a 777 as part of my $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World, going from JNB-DOH & DOH-JFK. The experience was average at best. I turned to Etihad and was annoyed that apartment class was still unavailable to the US. I did notice that Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to LAX and SFO with greater availability on the latter route. After careful research, I learned of Jetihad, Etihad’s partnership with Jet Airways, an Indian carrier. The reviews left much to be desired. The AUH to SFO option was out. I found availability from AUH-LAX which is the 3rd (soon to be 4th) longest flight in the world. That’s 16.5 hours of first class! Next, I found availability from Cairo to Abu Dhabi on Etihad also on first. I will be spending one night in Abu Dhabi spoiled by chauffeur service to and from the airport. Etihad does allow pick ups and drop offs as far as Dubai but I’m staying in town to check off another ‘country’ from the TCC list. Finally, and this is the part I am most proud of, is added first class from LAX-SEA on Alaska then SEA-MSO. Flying to Montana can cost as much as flying to Europe so getting back for free was a great bonus. I called to book the flight and the agent said that she couldn’t get me in first to MSO which is when I informed her that it’s a prop plane that carries 20 passengers. Moments later, everything was confirmed and I was told my reservation would be ticketed in two days. It took over a week to ticket but am glad it finally went through. The ticket cost 90,000 AAdvantage Miles and $130 in taxes. I will be receiving 9,000 miles back since I have the Citi AA card, making this an especially great deal. Here is the beautiful itinerary:

What Is Uber Fare Review Etiquette?

thepointsoflife

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September 12, 2015

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Uber has become my wing man and guardian angel when I’m forced to use a taxi. I’ve written extensively about the Worst Places to Hail a Cab and just completed a dispute with Citi regarding a taxi from Phoenix Sky Harbor to Scottsdale after being ripped off. The yellow cab drove in circles around the terminal to run up the fare not knowing that I lived in Phoenix for a decade. It would have been worth spending the extra time charging my phone and waiting for Uber than hopping into a perilous cab. My favorite feature about Uber is not being at the mercy of a shady driver who will take advantage of my unfamiliarity of a new locale. If the driver gets lost or is not on the up and up, Uber allows me to submit a fare review which is like throwing the challenge flag in a football game. If they find your challenge to have merit, Uber corrects the fare. There’s nothing worse than seeing the meter run and run while the taxi driver stops at every yellow light, pretends to make friendly conversation, and blames the nonexistent traffic for his choice in routing in an effort to squeeze a few more dollars out of the customer. I used to drive a real taxi and can tell any taxi driver who may be reading this that these stupid tactics do not result in more cash at the end of the night. This brings me to my latest fare review: In Mexico City, the driver was completely clueless as to how to get to a restaurant. He kept driving aimlessly even though his navigation was giving him directions. Eventually we made it to our destination. On the way back, I noticed that our hotel was only a ten minute drive instead of the thirty that it had originally taken us. I asked for a fare review from Uber and they refunded me $5 MXN, or a whopping 29 cents. I don’t feel like a jerk for disputing the route because it took so long to get to the restaurant when it shouldn’t have. This has me wondering if there ever is a point where asking for a fare review would be improper, cheap, or classless when you suspect that the driver went an inefficient way. With the benefit of replay, should all questionable fares be reviewed like all plays are reviewed in college football or should it be limited to two a game, e.g. two each month and on scoring plays e.g., rides to the airport. What do you think?

Chase British Card Means No MR Transfer

thepointsoflife

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September 12, 2015

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Remember the era of the 90+ day churn cycle? That’s gone out the window. In an Avios crisis with the Amex MR devaluation, I applied and was approved for the British Airways card which gives 50k Avios after 2k spend. No it isn’t the 100k offer that I had once before but it will raise my balance to 80k Avios, a decent amount of points to sustain me through the cold winter. As the October 1st devaluation draws nearer, I still may transfer a few MRs to reach the symbolic 100k mark but that’s a decision for another day. Till then, keep churning my friends.

Deal Alert! $20,000+ Off Sharm el Sheikh Hotel

The Deal Ticker

thepointsoflife

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September 11, 2015

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Deal Alert! $20,000+ Off Sharm el Sheikh Hotel

I’m looking at hotel reviews for my trip to Egypt and couldn’t believe the value of the Baron Resort. It was going for $24,000 a night but if you book now it’s only $446 a night. What a bargain!

How I Qualified for Hyatt Diamond

thepointsoflife

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September 11, 2015

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This is the Overview for the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here. In this report, I will cover:

It’s been said that diamonds are a pointsman’s best friend. That is correct. I just returned from Arizona, California, and Mexico with Diamond Status in my pocket and a bunch of hotels, flights, lounges and golf courses to review. Here is the overview of where I went and what I did in pictures:

#hofbrauhaus #Vegas #robbed #dunkel twenty dollars for this. Nothing like #Munich — One night in Vegas at the underwhelming Hyatt Place

An SPG Detour to requalify for Platinum at the US Grant San Diego

A deviation from the Hyatt House Carlsbad for the Andaz San Diego

Golf at the Legends Course at the Omni Hotel Carlsbad

There’s a lot to cover in this Trip Report. So let’s begin:

<==Back to Hyatt Diamond Challenge Intro–Onto Allegiant Airlines Review==>

How Many Avios to Transfer Pre Deval?

Points

thepointsoflife

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September 10, 2015

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It’s been a tough year for us points ballers. Another devaluation is around the corner. This one is particularly annoying because it involves speculatively taking points from my MR account and putting them into my Avios account, a program that has had some ‘enhancements’ that weren’t great. As a rule, moving points without a specific booking in mind from a general account to a specific hotel/airline account is rarely a good idea because of such devaluations. However, due to an unexpectedly large MR balance thanks to recent applications I feel I have no choice but to take advantage of Amex’s present 1:1 transfer ratio which expires on October 1st. The alternative is waiting around for Chase’s 100k British offer to resurface (though I haven’t seen it for years) or transfer some URs which I am against because they have become extremely valuable following the Hyatt Diamond Challenge. Avios are great for short-haul flights like the one I took from Yangon to Hong Kong so having a healthy balance would come in handy. Currently, I only have 26k Avios which is why I’m tempted to move 74k to get to the mythical 100k figure. At the same time, 74k is only 20k away from Singapore suite-class. Who’s doing what? Let me know.

MS Right Off the Plane!

thepointsoflife

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September 10, 2015

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I just landed in Montana in one of the few cities here that has a Target. Fresh off the Hyatt Diamond Challenge and new Amex Plat in hand I knew I wouldn’t have opportunities to MS in this isolated wasteland for points travelers. To the local drugstore I told the Uber man, (there is no Uber here) to the grocery store I said next given caps on the first store’s random restrictions. A few fees later, a few ‘hit F8s’ later I had reached my goal. I’ve heard the struggles of manufacturers in New York and the long lines of those like-minded workers in Los Angeles who struggle to load but feel that TPOL has it toughest out here in Nowhere, USA. From the airport straight to the Target may sound absurd to those not in the game but those that are in it know the rewards make it worthwhile. Till next time, Keep churning my friends.

Uber: Springfield :: Lyft: Shelbyville

thepointsoflife

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September 10, 2015

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The end of the Hyatt Diamond Challenge means I’m on my way to the airport. The worst thing about flying Allegiant besides it being Allegiant is that the airport is in Mesa, about an hour from Scottsdale. Instead of the usual call to Uber, per the advice of a dual Uber/Lyft driver, I am using Lyft for the first time. $20 credit in phone, I’m on my way out of the desert. Maybe because it’s 5AM, maybe because I’m flying to Montana, or maybe because the driver has the radio tuned to the commercials only station but I’m not a fan of Lyft. The name is bootleg, the colors on the app are ugly, and the ride has been bumpy. The redeeming quality of Lyft is that it is apparently cheaper for longer distances. If I’m wrong I’m sure a friendly reader will inform me otherwise in no uncertain terms in the comments section. Obviously, as noted above, a driver for Lyft can also be a driver for Uber meaning my criticisms and this post are superfluous. Still, like the Simpsons who look down on Shelbyville, I have the same sentiments towards Lyft and it’s unclever use of Y in its name. Anyone else angry this morning?

Week 8: Marathon Update

thepointsoflife

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September 9, 2015

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Eight weeks of training is done for the Athens marathon and in order to keep myself honest and motivated, here’s my weekly diary of all things marathon. Here’s what happened this week:

I’m on a Hyatt Diamond Challenge.
I’m in Scottsdale.
I haven’t ran at all.

8 more weeks to go. Golf is the sport of the week again, not running.

Southwest Lounge Review: Orange County

thepointsoflife

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September 7, 2015

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I’m broadcasting live from the Southwest Airlines Lounge in Orange County. After being denied entry to the Admirals Club Lounge (hoping I could skate by using my Prestige card) I am enjoying SWA’s massive lounge that includes McDonald’s, Subway, and Starbucks. There’s plenty of leather seats to sit down and do nothing while waiting for the delayed flight to Phoenix to depart. The only lounges in John Wayne airport are Admirals and United. There aren’t any second-rate Prestige lounges nor a Centurion. This lead me to wonder why Southwest doesn’t have a basic lounge in its hubs. I see it as a value proposition that Southwest could add in to compete for business customers who more and more are flying Southwest. Like the airline itself, a Southwest lounge would be no frills, convenient, and affordable. Just something I thought I’d throw out there if the CEO of Southwest happens to be a TPOL subscriber.