No Funday Sunday Phoenix

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No Funday Sunday Phoenix

The fun began on Thursday culminating with the wedding on Saturday. Tomorrow I return back home leaving Sunday as the last day for the fun and entertainment of the desert.

I woke up in the upgraded spa suite at the W Scottsdale ready to take on the pool. I looked out the floor to ceiling windows to find something unfamiliar in Arizona- rain clouds.

The winds were howling, the temperature dropping, and the clientele were running for cover. The bad weather meant there would be no fun in the sun on Sunday.

Annoyed I made the most of my 4PM checkout and went back to sleep. With nothing to do after a late lunch, I headed to the Aloft Phoenix Airport for my last night in Arizona.

Weather is something taken for granted by all travelers when it is in your favor. How many beach getaways have I lucked out and dodged rain showers? How many blizzards have I missed that would’ve otherwise led to missed flight connections?

But when weather does not cooperate as it did not today, I find myself complaining as to why mother nature has to interfere with my vacation. The forecast for the rest of the week in Arizona is 95 degrees and pure sun. Meanwhile I won’t be here to enjoy it.

No Sunday Funday for me thanks to nature.

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Western Conference Playoffs Predictions

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Western Conference Playoffs Predictions

I have to write this post before the 3 month NBA playoffs are over and my predictions come true without documentation.

The Spurs battled back against the Clippers to tie the series and are headed back to Old Man Riverwalk’s stable for games 3 and 4. 80 percent of the teams who win game 3 go onto take the series 95 percent of the time.

The Warriors showed great resolve yesterday leading me to believe they will sweep and advance. I agree with the Chuckster that outside shooting will not result in a championship ring.

Houston and the Beard are showing real promise with a bench that is reminiscent of the old Mavericks.

But with all that I’m going with a team that is consistent and physical to advance to The Finals. That’s right, TPOL’s pick is the Memphis Grizzlies.

Book your flight now for Tennessee and get ready for some good bball and bbq.

Boreding in Boise

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Boreding in Boise

Sorry for not posting yesterday but I was making my way to an airport that is serviced by Southwest. That airport is in Spokane, Washington and this morning, promptly at 630AM I left GEG bound for Phoenix via Boise.

I know nothing about Boise except for that ugly blue field of the overrated Broncos which produced the Detroit Lions’ WR sensation Titus Young. Mr. Young is no longer in the league. I believe he’s either going to jail or is in jail but who knows.

Anyhow back to Boise where I have four hours to wait for my connection. I’m too lazy to check for an Admirals Club lounge though it’s safe to assume there isn’t one.

The point of this post is to pose two questions: 1) Why is there a direct flight to Phoenix from Idaho? 2) What’s the true cost of a free flight when you have to drive all night like Celine Dion, sleep for a few hours in an overpriced hotel in Spokane, only to be bored in Boise for hours before landing back in the desert?

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Citi ThankYou Premier Card Means New Pajamas!

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Citi ThankYou Premier Card Means New Pajamas!

Shout out to MileValue for nudging me over the edge when I was wavering about whether to apply for the Citi ThankYou Premier Card after receiving the Fry’s VIP Citi Prestige Card only a few days ago. Many had written that the Citi Prestige’s 50k ThankYou points should be redeemed for $800 on American Airlines. At the time, I was the only one advocating holding out for more ThankYou offers which can be used on a growing alliance of transfer partners that I detailed in this post.

Well it didn’t take long for my premonition to become a reality. Citi upped its Citi ThankYou offer from 30k to 50k meaning those who apply and are approved for both will have well over 100k points to enjoy.*

*Note per the article: You can be approved for no more than one Citi credit card application in 8 days and no more than two applications in 65 days.

What will I do? My initial thought is to hoard them and apply for the Citi ThankYou Business offer in 65+ days while simultaneously learning more about the transfer partners. My other thought is to meet the min spend ASAP then book a flight on SQ A380 stopping in Frankfurt on the way to Singapore in order to get two new pairs of Givenchy pajamas as mine are a little worn from overuse.

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Deals I Liked: 12.5% of Hyatt Gift Cards

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Deals I Liked: 12.5% of Hyatt Gift Cards

Sometimes I get lucky and read the right post at the right time. Today is an example of that. This Thursday I will be back in Scottsdale for a wedding flying devalued Southwest to get there. I used cash and points to book the Hyatt House in Old Town which is located in the best part of Scottsdale.

The deal was 2 nights for 8000 GoldPassport points + $110. Looking at a fellow BoardingArea’s blog, I learned of a deal to purchase Hyatt gift cards for 12.5% off. Some may not care about such a small savings but for me every dollar, every point counts.

This offer is another reason why I’ve started the AutoPilot series where each week I summarize the best of points blogs in case you don’t have the time to read them all.

Hats off to dealswelike.com for saving me some money.

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NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs

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NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs

Looking for a way to spend your SWA points post devaluation? Look no further than the horrid Eastern Conference Playoffs for great destinations.

They include: Milwaukee, Chicago, Toronto, Cleveland, Brooklyn, Boston, Atlanta, and DC. I’ve never been to Milwaukee which is the ugly cousin of Chicago and do not want to go to Cleveland because everything sucks in Ohio. But the rest are easily accessible using SWA or Avios.

Tickets to the first round should be easy to come by because there aren’t any intriguing match ups and the quality of play is garbage.

Either way, as is the tradition here, ThePointsOfLife makes its picks.

Toronto vs. Washington: Washington in 6

Bulls vs. Bucks: Bulls in 7

Celtics vs. Cavaliers: Cavs in 4

Nets vs. Hawks: Upset alert. Nets in 7. Atlanta basketball is a joke.

Overall, who cares about the Eastern Conference. I’m sure it will be the Cavs vs. another snooze team with the Cavs advancing to The Finals.

Let’s see. Tomorrow we go West where it’s a lot more exciting.

Detroit Basketball!
Detroit Basketball!

Autpilot Saturday: News You Should Peruse

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Autpilot Saturday: News You Should Peruse

NBA playoffs started today but let’s talk points with a few posts that you should click.

  1. MileValue: More opportunities to fly first-class on Etihad long-haul. Again the issue I have with Etihad is the destination or origination of Abu Dhabi. What’s there to do besides catch a flight in or out?
  2. Le Chic Geek: Why Every Traveler Should Sign Up for Google Voice: A workaround when SMS isn’t available.
  3. Miles to Memories: A great Amex gift card offer: Pay attention to those offers if you are an Amex card holder. It literally is free money.
  4. One Mile At a Time: $1000 Business Class to Europe: This one I want to book if I knew what was going on in my life schedule.

Tomorrow I’ll break down the NBA playoff picture.

 

Citi Prestige: Is This My Fry’s VIP Card?

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Citi Prestige: Is This My Fry’s VIP Card?

Back in the day when I churned like a boss, I would lie and wait for the postman to come with envelopes from Nebraska that were a bit bulkier than other parcels which I never bothered to open. I recall the AA Executive Card coming in a black box with a golden ticket a la Willy Wonka. That was a great day. I remember the same card coming again 90 days later, also a great day.

Today Christmas didn’t come early by way of a beautiful gift wrapped Citi Card. Since I had to get the card sent to an alternate address, it came in an unmarked Fedex envelope. No big deal I guess.

The letdown came when I opened the present to find the lamest card in the history of all credit cards! $450 for this flimsy piece of plastic. Am I supposed to be impressed because the blue arc is transparent? Not since my Amex Blue have I felt so cheapened by what was supposed to be a novel product. Go to a merchant with this card and don’t be shocked if the card breaks in half when swiping it through the machine. Compare this to the card made of steel, the Chase Sapphire, where compliments are given because its weight infers stature.

If you’re not in the points game you may find my rant useless but it does have merit from a marketing perspective. Consumers whether subconscious or not have pride in which card they chose to use when they go out. Heading to a nice restaurant, your more like to pay with your Sapphire (regardless of 2x bonus) than your local credit union card. Heading out for a night on the town you’re more likely to flash the Amex Platinum in a tacit way to let the bartender know that you are someone important.

Fortunately for Citi this card comes with great benefits so when I do get scowls from the maître d’ much like I do when I use my trusty Blackberry, I will have the last laugh knowing that I’m getting 5x on this, 3x on that, all to be enjoyed in an airplane lounge at a date not too far in the future.

Piece of junk for $450 a year!
Piece of junk for $450 a year!

 

 

Creepy Citi Voice Recognition for Fraud Prevention

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Creepy Citi Voice Recognition for Fraud Prevention

My Citi Prestige card arrived at my billing address and I’m not in town to claim it. I called Citi to have them overnight it to me at my current location. The automated system was adamant that I provide my card number before connecting me, something impossible to do given that I didn’t have my card.

Then when I was connected, the rep asked if I would authorize Citi to use my voice to authenticate my identity for future calls. Short answer: hell no. Why did I say no? I have no idea but there was something unseemly about Citi asking me to consent to having my voice on file (which I’m sure they already have from all those recon calls). In principle, it makes sense that banks do more than ask for your password and card number before enabling the caller to do whatever he wants to the account. Still, I think there’s enough privacy intrusion as it is and I’m sure I’ll still end up getting red flagged when I try to feed the bird, voice or no voice authentication.

Thoughts? Anyone?

 

Are Points Income Under the Tax Code? The Answer

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Are Points Income Under the Tax Code? The Answer

Previously I had posed the question given on a final exam when I was a professor of tax law about whether or not points are considered income under the US Tax Code: Now in commiseration of Tax Day, I will give the answer. Note that the answer is exactly why law school produces unemployable lawyers. There never is a straightforward answer.

Question: 

‘Unlucky’ is a small business owner and world traveler. He recently signed up for credit card offers that give him points that he can use to purchase airline tickets, hotels, or simply redeem for cash. Most recently he signed up for a U.S. Generic Bank personal card and U.S. Generic Bank business card. The business card has a spending requirement of $5000 within the first 3 months of opening and awards him with 50,000 points. The personal card has no spending requirement but charges an annual fee of $75 for first use. The reward is 30,000 points.

The 50,000 points is redeemable for $500 cash or a round-trip flight overseas ranging in value from $5000-$10,000. The personal card’s 30,000 points is worth $300 in cash or five nights stay at a resort worth $500 a night.

Explain Unlucky’s tax implications for the personal and business cards. Assume rewards cannot be combined. Please focus more on the policy implications for your answer.

Answer: The overall policy that should be discussed is what constitutes gross income, when it is realized, whether it makes a difference if it is for personal or business use. Does it matter if the amount gained is in cash or is in services? This is a pressing issue as Citibank has recently sent out statements for its reward card members but there has yet to be an IRS ruling on whether this constitutes gross income or not and in what form.

 

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