Woke up this morning to read that Rapid Travel Chai was able to track down the 75k Amex Business Rewards Gold after 10k spend offer. Envious, I loaded up browser windows in IE, Mozilla, and Chrome both in visible and incognito mode in hopes of finding the same offer.
Unlike applications in the past where the sign-up bonus was the motivating drive to apply, the reward category of 3X points for advertising spend is what I was after. In my arsenal of entrepreneurial aspirations is an online marketing company which provides IT solutions for the digital nomad, cleverly called Crushin IT (superfluous website still under construction.)
Funds spent for marketing were receiving 1x points no matter which card I used. Now, with business growing, funds spent on online ads will not only generate revenue but also a nice amount of points.
In the end, one browser window was all that was needed. I applied and was happy to be instantly approved. Unlike the Delta Amex, I’ll be holding onto this card for a long time.
Finally 75k Amex Business Rewards Gold
Why I Don’t Visit Museums
In my Guns & Butter Travel Guide I detail what to do in great cities if you have limited time with limitless options. I describe party places, great beaches, local food, and landmarks that can’t be missed. I hardly ever mention visiting museum because I prefer to visit living history. For example, it’s much more informative to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam than go to the War Remnants Museum in Saigon.
Obviously, if you’re in Paris you have to see the Louvre but it’s in your best interest to go with someone who is more of a cultural attaché than Mr. TPOL.
Having said that, the real reason I don’t visit museums is so I don’t get fined. This was the case with a Taiwanese boy who on tour of a museum tripped and inadvertently punched a hole in a 1.5 million dollar painting. Luckily, insurance is covering the restoration.
Booking an Award Ticket: An Anxious Ordeal
The process of booking an awards ticket is characterized by highs and lows. The life cycle goes as follows: The seed is planted: You’re at work bored. You see a display banner ad about visiting a destination. You email your friend asking if she is interested in going to [insert random place]. She says yes. You get to work. The search begins: Hotels or airlines? Where do you start your search? Hyatt, SPG, Hilton, perhaps Club Carlson? No rewards hotels? Should you change the destination or realize there’s more to travel than the confines of a luxurious hotels? You switch to the flight search which is by far the most enjoyable part of the process.
- Step 1: Which airline should you fly? Check Award Wallet for your balances.
- Step 2: You can burn American points, you have too many. Wait, do they fly to [random place]. Check Wiki airports.
- Step 3: Go to British Airways, AA.com, perhaps etihad.com to find availability. Begin with the long-haul route then add in the extra segments.
- Please give me your credit card number.
- I’m not seeing that seat available.
- It’s pricing out at [insert incorrect number of miles].
Week 6: Marathon Update
Six 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:
- We hit a deer and lived tell about it.
- I tried to run 14 miles and was doing just fine till the oppressive heat killed me. I am a quitter, stopping at 13.
- I’m waiting for my reservation to be ticketed so I can reveal how TPOL gets back from Egypt to the US in style. Will it be peasant or first?
Points in the Front, Peasants in the Back
What’s your favorite designation for economy class? One friend calls it ‘scum’, another calls it ‘the hostel section where deodorant is purely optional and seldom used, where odor is a cross between a porta potty and a Parisian supermarché mid August.’
I call it ‘peasant’ and those who don’t churn call it home. Since I don’t have the bank to back up my bravado like Trump, let me be clear that these terms are used in jest. Don’t bother commenting about your sensitivities.
The reason I ask is because I’m in the process of booking another undeserved long-haul flight. I’m looking to fly first while my companion, a graduate from points weakling to points semi-pro, has to fly business. The look of disappointment when I informed her that her AA balance wasn’t quite high enough to splurge for first was priceless. Mind you, it was only a few months ago that she was content enduring coach as a points novice to Maldives flying for 40 hours, stopping in three continents just to get there for a price of $33 in taxes.
How quickly things change. Now, it’s no longer, ‘where are we going?’ but ‘what kind of plane are we flying? What champagne is being served?’ Those not in the points game will find this devolution shallow but I can’t help but be proud of all my friends who have embraced the TPOL lifestyle and send me itineraries of great points redemptions.
Though points have allowed Ms. TPOL to see the world in style, it’s remarkable how she quickly forgets what coach is like. This is evidenced by her refusal to call recon when she doesn’t get an instant credit card approval, a behavior easily rectified by showing her pics of angled-flat seats.
Disclaimer: TPOL recommends you Shut Up and Book! We never know when this whole game will end leaving us all riding dirty.
TPOL’s PSA: Hit the Deer
You ever find yourself going down a winding street in the middle of the night when all of a sudden a 200lb deer decides to jaywalk? If you’re riding in your new car or perhaps if you’re riding in a rental while on a trip, the temptation may be to steer your way around the deer forgetting that your Chase Ink car rental insurance has you covered. That could prove to be a fatal move for you and your passengers.
Instead, do as we did yesterday: Calmly slow down, brace, brace, brace, and watch Mr. Deer hit the driver side of the cover, go up in the air, bounce off of the passenger windshield which surprisingly did not break, and fall onto the side of the road.
“It all happened so quickly,” is often said in these life changing circumstances. Only this time it all happened so slowly. We saw deer. Deer saw us. We struck deer. Deer is no more.
Alaska Free Companion Fare: Giveaway!
Is Alaska’s Free Companion Fare Useless? Some think so, some do not. Some think the whole debate post was useless (see comments). It’s no Southwest pass and getting to Tahiti is cheaper than going to Hawaii. That’s not a big selling point for me, Andaz Maui notwithstanding. Also, I ran a marathon in Alaska. Going to visit my buddy Robb up there again and convincing someone else to go see the old man is a tough sell. Finally, I have so many points and believe in Avios so much that the idea of paying for a ticket pains me, though I am risking life and limb flying Allegiant to Vegas for what is surely the greatest Hyatt Diamond Challenge ever.
But enough about me, this post is about you Alaska Airlines lovers. I have 6 more passes that I don’t want to see go to waste and will be handing out the codes a few months before each expire. This post may be a bit premature since they don’t expire till May 2016 and I just gave away the one that expires in October. But in the interest of good faith and because I’m in a good mood that college football is starting, I will give one away now, free of charge.
All you have to do is follow me on Twitter or Instagram and hashtag #TPOLinAlaska to enter. The winner will be announced on Sunday.
Note: The actual rules make it cumbersome for me to giveaway the pass. I’m going off of what a reader said who told me that I didn’t need to be involved in the redemption.
Alaska’s Free Companion Fare: Useless?
I have 7, that’s right 7, Alaska Free Companion fare tickets to use with varying expiration dates. I pay full price for one ticket and my companion gets to fly for ‘free’- $121 extra. I’ve made a couple of bookings that were decent deals but haven’t been impressed by Alaska’s fares to use them more often.
In the end the fare split between two people looks like what I would pay if I purchased two tickets from another carrier. I am more than happy to give away these companion fares but the rules make it cumbersome. Still, there is some value to be found if you live in remote areas like I do at present.
Below are a couple that are decent given that Southwest doesn’t fly these routes.
Anyone have any ‘sweet spots’ they’d care to share?
Thoughts with Bangkok
It’s been a hectic week. Booking Tahiti, sleepless nights worrying about Club Carlson, and skipping my marathon training run had me exhausted. But reading about the bombing in Thailand underscores just how trivial my points worries are. My thoughts are with those in Thailand. The cowardice acts of terror that try to intimidate both the locals and tourists are disgusting. The motive for the bombers was to kill the tourism industry yet such callousness won’t dissuade me and so many others from going to one of the greatest cities in the world. The love of travel is a unifying theme that brings people together from all over the globe. That adventurous spirit will not be curtailed because of the despicable acts of a few individuals.
No Mail, No Problem: Club Carlson E-CERT Posted
We’ve all had an up and down relationship with Club Carlson. That much is not in dispute. There were the good days outlined here and then the bad. To close the chapter on this saga, I received 2 E-CERTS good for one free night at any Club Carlson hotel. Add that with the present balance on my account and the 44,000 bonus that will post next year on each and I have enough for 4 nights. That doesn’t include my upcoming stay in Iceland.
After that I’ll probably still keep both cards open as the sting from losing the free night award will have worn off.
Happy day
