Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

Baited into Pending Decision by my Own Amex Ad!

Points

thepointsoflife

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June 6, 2015

Baited into Pending Decision by my Own Amex Ad!

I have no use for Delta, I have no care to fly Delta or collect their miles. I was one of the lucky ones to burn my points before their 8th devaluation by going to Buenos Aires and Mendoza. So why today did I fall for the ad on my page that said Delta Platinum Card 60k points?

The answer is greed. Why not another currency for the points game, you can never have enough right? Wrong. My recon call went nowhere as the department that reviews my application was closed. Furthermore, I made the mistake of applying for a 5th Amex credit card even though I had four open: Surpass, Hilton, SPG, & Blue. This is the limit for personal credit cards (distinguished from charge cards like the Amex Platinum) so the chances of being approved are slimmer despite cancelling the Surpass post application.

The lesson is not that Delta is the worst currency around or that you should not let greed inhibit better judgment. The lesson is know that you’ve learned your lesson and not to keep repeating it.

If you are thinking of applying, TPG provided a good list of where you could go with your newly acquired pesos. Fortunately or un, I don’t think it will apply to me.

Overview: Glacier National Park & Calgary Stampede

thepointsoflife

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June 5, 2015

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As much as TPOL loves Shanghai and Hong Kong, sometimes it is nice to get off the beaten path and explore somewhere new. It makes for a great adventure and more interesting writing. The mission this summer was to find somewhere new to go for the 4th of July. Since the Southwest Pre-devaluation bookings weren’t feasible, I was forced to be more creative in making my selection. The two choices that I settled for are certainly unique and definitely worth seeing.

The first is Glacier National Park which is located in an isolated part of northern Montana. The other is the Calgary Stampede an annual rodeo event in Canada.

With no good flights to either, the best option is to drive. A couple of nights will be spent without the perks of platinum camping in the national park and the other nights will be free nights at the Hyatt Calgary which was worth the stay certificate and 12k points given that the price per night is 500CAD.

Along the way there will be wine tours, breweries, and who else knows what. a-live play-by-play will be served so long as there is Wi-Fi.

Though the destination isn’t a sexy beach with a first class flight to get there, the Trip Report won’t fail to impress.

And the Place with the Worst Wi-Fi Is…

Professor

thepointsoflife

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June 4, 2015

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Any guesses where the Wi-Fi is the worst in the world?

Is it Myanmar? Undoubtedly, one of the worst places for Internet is Burma.

Is it China? Without question, the firewall is more than an inconvenience.

Is it Mongolia? Actually not, though everything else is dysfunctional there, the Slingbox (click to read the best story) worked quite well.

Is it America? How can the land of the free and home of the brave be home to the worst Wi-Fi? The answer is if you happen to be in Montana where the great outdoors are great because you have no choice but to go outdoors.

Anger aside, I find it unbelievable that this great country doesn’t have manifest destiny Wi-Fi and 4G from sea to shining sea. Forget roads and bridges, build more Wi-Fi. How else can TPOL bring the world of TPOL to the masses without 21st century communication capabilities.

I could write a full op-ed on the topic but now that I have Wi-Fi back, I need to catch up on the life that has been going on beyond these mountains majesty.

Finally, SPG Amex

thepointsoflife

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June 3, 2015

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I value SPG points higher than any other form of hard currency because they are difficult to accrue. Besides staying at hotels or having a BIRDred on your shoulder, there is no way of effectively collecting SPG points. Even when I did pay for SPG rooms abroad, I still used other cards because of the 3% fee. Today, Amex finally got rid of those pesky fees making this card even more worth having. It remains to be seen if Amex will offset this advantage by upping the reasonable annual fee of $65.

In addition to this benefit, here are a couple more benefits for existing cardholders:

Complimentary, Unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi
Sheraton Club Access — If you have the Starwood Preferred Guest Business card, you’ll get free access to Sheraton Clubs when you book rates that are eligible to earn Starpoints.

In conclusion, go out and get the SPG card, both personal and domestic so you can go here with your points:

SPG needs to sponsor TPOL because of the great publicity that I am happy to share.

Blog Giveaway: Free Global Entry

The Deal Ticker

thepointsoflife

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June 2, 2015

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Credit card companies are handing out free global entry reimbursements as a perk like they did when ‘free first checked bag’ was a big deal.

I paid for global entry, gave away one to my parents, and am now in the hands of yet another. TPOL has decided to pay for a lucky reader to receive global entry if he or she does one of the following:

1. Follow me on Twitter and retweet this.

2. Like my page on Facebook and like this post.

3. Follow my blog on WordPress or leave a comment.

As soon as I get a combination of the above equating to 100, the cost of Global Entry, I will randomly select a winner.

Thanks to everyone for reading and making the month of May TPOL’s best ever.

A Patriotic 4th of July in Canada

Points

thepointsoflife

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May 31, 2015

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TPOL has embraced the rancher’s lifestyle during his times on the range. Following the Bucking Horse Sale a few weeks back in Montana, my love for the rodeo has grown.

That is why this 4th of July I’m contemplating making the trek up to Canada for Calgary Stampede. It’s a rodeo party that appears to get out of control.

My preliminary search of SPGs and Hyatts have validated that if there ever is a time to go to Calgary it is during Stampede Week. Rooms at the Category 3 Hyatt go for $500/night and rooms at the Aloft are over $200. The cash and points option for a stay at the Westin for 6000 points + $110 (compared to the going rate of $500) is a bargain on its face till you see that off peak pricing for the hotel is only $140/night.

With a dozen more stays till I requalify for platinum I am tempted to book the Westin but doubt, given the popularity of the event, that I will receive an upgrade. The alternative is to use my Hyatt stay certificate which is good for one night in a Category 4 hotel and burn 12k GoldPassport for the rest of the nights.

To the TPOL faithful the question is:

Does Canada deserve my points on my favourite American holiday?

The Final Countdown: Club Carlson

Points

thepointsoflife

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May 30, 2015

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It’s the Final Countdown so what are you doing with your Club Carlson points. Lucky has a great take on what to do before the doomsday June 1st. Don’t be like that dumb friend of mine who paid $750 to go to Iceland for 4 nights to burn his Carlson points but forgot to see if the nicer hotel, the 1919 had availability. It does but for one night meaning he will get the same deal as those who book post June 1st.

I’m going to Iceland in 2016 and keeping my Club Carlson cards at least another year because the anniversary bonus will still outweigh the cost of the annual fee.

Before the dreaded d-day arrives, let me leave you with this harmonic warning of the final countdown:

Simply the Best: May 2015

TPOL's Best

thepointsoflife

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May 29, 2015

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TPOL saw record numbers for the month of May. Here are the top 7 posts:

1. REDBird: Where to Go Now

I know, I know REDBird is dead. This begs the question that nobody is asking, “Where to go now?”

2. Singapore Airlines A380 Suite Class, My Turn

singapore airlines suite class — Like my first time going to the auto show in Detroit as a kid, I couldn’t help but overwhelmed by the awesomeness of the experience.

3. Dancin’ in Finnair Business: JFK-HEL

I had never been to Scandinavia before but was thrilled to add it to my itinerary as part of my $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World.

4. The IHG Rewards Bora Bora Trick

On paper a night at the InterContinental would cost 50k IHG Rewards Club points but take a look at February 2016 and March 2016 award availability:

5. Heaven Must’ve Sent You: The St. Regis Osaka

All this for $135/night + 6000 SPG points. What more could anyone ask for?

6. Cathay Pacific First Class HKG-ORD

67,500 AA miles to fly first-class from Hong Kong to Chicago is a sweet deal. Finding out that I received a 6,750 rebate for having the Citi AA MasterCard made it even better.

7. Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Review

Who hates waiting in an airport? If you do then you’ve never been to the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge in Atatürk Airport. Picture Costco meets Chuck E. Cheese with multiple levels.

The NBA Finals: A Cleveland Travel Guide

Sports Reporter

thepointsoflife

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May 28, 2015

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The NBA Finals: A Cleveland Travel Guide

TPOL had Cleveland and the Grizz in the Finals! That didn’t happen. Nevertheless, pack your bags points enthusiasts and head to Ohio for Game 3 and 4.

Here’s a guide of what to do if you go to Cleveland…

Then take 23 from Toledo to Ann Arbor. Though you should get out of the state south of Michigan as soon as possible, be wary of the police if you have out-of-state plates. Drive at least 5 under.

If anyone cares, I have the Cavs in 6.

Relax, It’s OK to Use Cash

thepointsoflife

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May 27, 2015

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This week there have been airline deals flooding Twitter and the blogs. $600 to Morocco, $650 to Shanghai on a Dreamliner from DFW, and $89 Detroit to Chicago.

If you’re trying to gain airline status, something that I do not have on any airline, then taking advantage of these deals may be worthwhile. But this post is geared at those who get so wrapped up in the points game they begin to believe that spending $ equals cheating.

Why would I pay $600 to go to Europe when I could fly business and pay $35 in taxes? While I see your point, I say why not use your points to go somewhere that may be more inconvenient, further away, and more aspirational? Where that place is depends on your tastes and preferences.

For example, I would rather spend a few hundred flying to Iceland with a WOWair sale than use my AAdvantage points and have to make multiple connections just to get to Reykjavik for free.

At the same time, don’t be the oaf that my friend is and book an $800 ticket to Iceland because you couldn’t find points availability and missed out on the fare sale.

So the next time a great fare appears, forget calculating how much cheaper it is via points and take out the old credit card. After all, you have some minimum spends to hit.