Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

30 Days to Maldives: Step 4

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April 4, 2014

Step 4 is where things get serious. Armed with a 787 credit score across the board, no credit card debt, the realization that living for 30 years at one residence is not within the cards, and abiding by the oath to never hoard points, you are ready to move on to Step 4: The First Churn. First, please read the following disclaimer (taken from the book of course): #ThePointsOfLife Legal Disclaimer: Only those that are disciplined with their finances should partake in this hobby. Otherwise, you may find yourself submerged in credit card debt, staying for free in a double room that will certainly not have a view of the ocean but may have a complimentary gym. Copyright 2014 #ThePointsOfLife™. All Rights Reserved. Question 1: What’s the fastest way to earn points? – Answer: By applying for credit cards with sign up bonuses, meeting the minimum spend requirements to obtain those bonuses, then strategically shifting your spending habits to the cards that earn the most valuable points per transaction*. o What is a minimum spend requirement?

Cards require you to spend a certain amount of money in order to receive the bonus. Sometimes it can be $3000 in 3 months, other times it can be 1 penny!
Note: If the card charges an annual fee up front that fee does not count towards your minimum spend.

*We will cover which cards are great for what transaction at a later time. For now, just know that the fastest way to earn points is through the initial offer. After that, it is common to never use that card again. Question 2: How many cards do I apply for? To begin, let’s presume that you have a limitless budget. Holding budget constraints as a constant, here is what you do: – Apply for one credit card per bank per churn. o What is a churn? A churn is the process of applying for multiple cards at a single time from multiple banks in order to accumulate tons of points. o What are the major banks with the best credit card offers?

American Express
Bank of America
Barclays
Chase
Citi
U.S. Bank
There are others including Capital One and Discover but for now I am going to focus on those with the most lucrative offers.

– Apply for all those cards on the same day. Why? o Banks do not like seeing a lot of credit inquiries on a credit report. It tells the bank that lenders are extending you credit thereby increasing your probability of default. o In order to maximize your chances of approval, apply for all the cards on the same day. Credit reports are not in real time so there will be no way that Bank A knows that you also applied for credit from Bank B and C. If you apply for multiple cards on multiple days, it is more likely that Bank D will see that you applied for credit from Bank A, B, and C.

While you still may be approved by Bank D, it isn’t worth the hassle of explaining to the bank why you are applying for so many cards.

Now, let’s presume that you are like most of us and have set budget constraints. Again, the question is how many cards do I apply for? – Answer: Do not apply for cards with minimum spends outside of your budget. o No points are worth getting into credit card debt. (See Step 2) o No points are worth making a purchase that is not within your normal spending habits.

Example: I don’t really need a new 70” LED TV but I do have to hit this minimum spend. Yes, I can rationalize that this is a normal purchase.
- No you cannot!

o Shameless book plug again: If meeting the minimum spend requirement is outside your everyday budget, spread your applications out over a longer period of time. But, if you are impatient like I am, then adding a trustworthy authorized user to do the spending for you makes the process more practical. Special thanks to my sister Rima and her love of fine shoes and purses. Question 3: The rush from all these approvals is so much fun! When can I apply for cards again? – Answer: The rule of thumb is to spread your churns out over a period of 90+ days. Why? o Reason #1: Each bank has its own set of rules for how many cards you can apply for during given time period. The 90+ day rule should cover you.

Personally, I have followed that guideline and have never been rejected for applying for another card too soon.
I will get into the specifics of when you can break this rule at a later time.

o Reason #2: Your credit score drops per credit inquiry.

Remember those 6 cards you applied for (one per bank)? Each application resulted in an inquiry on one or more of your credit reports: Experian, Equifax, or Transunion. Credit inquiries initially lower your credit score by 1-2 points per inquiry. That is not a good thing. (See Step 2: FICO graph.)
But, ironically, after you receive those cards, meet the minimum spend, and pay off the balance in full (See Step 1: Credit Card Debt Not Allowed) your credit card may actually rise higher than where it began.
- Your credit score must recover to or surpass where it began before commencing the next churn.

While I apologize for all the long, drawn out steps, I assure you that there is a learning curve for this process and only by implementing a ‘slow and steady’ strategy will you save yourself from messing up your credit, being overwhelmed by minimum spends, and ultimately missing the point of collecting points. Onto Step 5: It’s time to decide which cards to apply for by laying out a strategy of where you want to go, how you want to get there, and how much luxury you require in order to get a good night’s rest. Sweet dreams.

“You can get anything you want here.”

thepointsoflife

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April 3, 2014

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Singapore is a country of rules. Rule #1: No fun*. You can’t do anything in Singapore: no gum chewing, no jaywalking, and certainly no illicit behavior of any kind. Did you notice the asterisk? Singapore is a country of illusions. On the surface, all seems calm, clean, and cultured. On the surface, everything is chaotic. Welcome to Singapore, a country of no rules. “You can get anything you want here,” the taxi driver told me on the way to dinner. He was talking about all the delicious food of course. Food: Singapore is my favorite place in the world to eat. Forget formal dining, check out the food hawker stalls is a must to experience Singapore’s diverse food selection. Your first stop should be Maxwell Food Centre for some chicken satay and delicious Hainan chicken rice.

For late night food head to Newton Circus and try an oyster omelet and even more chicken rice. The seafood is delicious but be wary of the prices. Enjoy a cold Tiger beer if your budget allows it.

If you’ve made the mistake of staying in Singapore for more than two days, then head over to Little India for some amazing biryani served on a banana leaf. Let me tell you, the one pho place I visited was just awful, maybe worse than New York.

IMG00072-20100505-2318 — how you gonna sell a bucket of grease?

Drink: In Singapore heavy taxes are levied on alcohol. Skip going to Hooters for wings and beers (namely because it is Hooters) because the prices are ridiculous.

The price for a beer at a bar rivals New York and Miami so locals skip hard alcohol and beer in favor of wine. Nevertheless, there are many nice restaurants along the harbor and in Clarke Quay where you can enjoy a nice cocktail. If you are feeling like a tourist, head over to the Raffles Singapore, and enjoy being extorted for an overpriced Singapore Sling.

Politics “You can get anything you want here.” Those words played in my head again as I entered the Brix bar at the Grand Hyatt Singapore. Brix is a unique wine cellar bar located right off of Orchard Road in the heart of big little Singapore. What makes the bar unique is how friendly all the nonlocal women were not to mention the multiple offers I received to enjoy party favors. This can’t be going on in Singapore, can it? After heading to the infamous Orchard Towers better known as the ‘Four Floors of [INSERT WORD RHYMING WITH STORES] my suspicions were confirmed: You can get anything you want here. While it was all illegal and presumably you will get caned if you are arrested, it was mind boggling that in a country so known for its harsh rules, that everything, was taking place virtually out in the open. Conclusion When I arrived in Singapore, I knew I had to be on my best behavior. This was a strict country with zero tolerance for rule breakers. Two days later, I learned a valuable lesson that would be reinforced time and time again when I traveled to other ‘strict’ countries: all of it is an illusion. Singapore is 274.1 sq miles in size. I’d assume it wouldn’t be difficult for the authorities to know what goes on in these establishments yet somehow, tourists are given a pass to do what they please so long as they are reasonably discrete. To be clear, the message isn’t ‘if you’re looking for a good time go to Singapore’, the message is don’t believe everything you read, no matter where you go. Desensitized by the ‘rules’, the next day I decided to jaywalk while chewing gum at the same time.

IMG00224-20100114-2104 — Singapore the fine city

You’re Nobody until Someone Likes You [On Facebook]

Professor

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April 2, 2014

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You’re Nobody until Someone Likes You [On Facebook]

How did Dean Martin way back in 1960 know that social media would become so popular? It’s been two weeks of me ‘blogging, tweeting, tweaking, and Facebooking,” and let me tell you it’s exhausting. Hitting refresh on my Facebook page just to see if my Like count has gone up has me a little worried that I may be losing it. Likewise, feeling the rush from a retweet or favorite on Twitter makes me question my sanity. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t enjoying it. Perhaps the angry, old professor is warming up to social media. I’m already planning a celebration for when me and A-Rod enter the 800 Home Run Club. Then I’ll know that “You like me, you really like me.”

Step 2: Make Tuesday Humpday

thepointsoflife

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April 1, 2014

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We are well on our way learning how to Step 1: Enjoy #ThePointsOfLife. As I stated in this post, the points game is only Step 1 out of 10. Now it’s time to preview Step 2 of my book, Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong . . . Including Mine, which tells you how to make a change to your current routine today. Fitting that I am posting this on a Tuesday evening right before tomorrow’s workday. Without further adieu I give you Step 2: Make Tuesday Hump Day Although you can now overindulge on steak and wine by heading to Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE) with a stopover in Mendoza (MDZ), Enjoying your #PointsOfLife to get you there, you eventually (one week later) have to return to your cubicle where your coworkers do not care to hear about, nor can they relate to, your travel exploits. With each trip, the confines of the cubicle grow more and more intolerable. Fear not, by Step 10, your former life will provide you with comic relief.

Transitioning from the metaphorical chokehold of the cubicle to a life of purpose can be a daunting task. Most of us are just trying to get through the work week, praying that, one day, one of our entrepreneurial seeds will germinate. This passive strategy is not enough. Changes, no matter how small, must be made to our current routine because waiting for a better life to show up while our best years pass us by is not an option.

cubicle-farm1 — the confinement of the cubicle

A novel concept of my own creation is to move ‘hump day’, the day obstructing us from our weekend, from Wednesday to Tuesday. This revolutionary idea really annoyed my coworkers. I would come in to work on Tuesday saying, “Oh today is Hump Day- the weekend is right around the corner.” They would angrily protest, “Wednesday is Hump Day!” and that I could not arbitrarily change it to Tuesday. Complain as they might, I was happy on Wednesday because I had mentally overcome another work week. The shifting of Hump Day from Wednesday to Tuesday is important for two reasons: First, it is a symbol of defiance, nonconformity, and mental tenacity. Why get sucked into the lulls of the office and resign your fate as just another employee drifting week after week, month after month, through such a bitter existence? Second, it really highlights the stupidity of today’s work environment. How silly is it that there is a ‘hump day’ in the first place and how silly is it that my coworkers were outraged that I changed it to Tuesday? The latter point is worth extra reflection. In spite of making this adjustment, you still have to deal with the remaining days of the week. The problem with office life is that the routine is so repetitive that you unconsciously surrender to day-to-day annoyances. You accept these aggravations because of the small perks that make work marginally more tolerable. It is critical to analyze these ‘perks’ which I have labeled as distractions in order to put them into perspective. By doing this, you can finally snap out of the tiresome cycle of making a superficial New Year’s resolution, and work for real change, change we can believe in. Distraction 1: The Tasty Treat

Preview ended: No worries, all ten distractions will be outlined in the book. Pre-order link coming soon.

30 Days to Maldives: Step 3

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March 31, 2014

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You’ll find out your biggest problem is not bringing in the stuff…but what to do with all the fucking cash! -Frank Lopez- Scarface

An excerpt from Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong demonstrates how this will become your points problem: How do you earn these points? The idea is simple and legal. You can earn points in a number of ways including flying to the four corners of the globe to gain preferred airline status, staying in a ton of hotel rooms to qualify for free suite upgrades, or, by buying one too many [Michigan] teddy bears during a 1-800-FLOWERS Valentine’s Day points promotion.

If that is not economically viable, consider racking up millions of points from the comforts of being ‘in couch’. All you need is the following: – A dial-up internet connection – An excellent credit score Then: – Apply for an award credit card once a quarter. – Meet the minimum spend requirement for that card. – Patiently wait for the points to accumulate. It’s that simple. Before you get all the points in the world appreciate that Step 3 is a preemptive measure whereby you make a commitment to not hoard your points. This is known as Churn ‘n’ Burn. Looking at your points in a pretty Excel document that you have spent too much time at work creating is worthless when all of a sudden it costs twice as much to go somewhere than it would have had you not been so emotionally attached to your points. I too used to have this problem and would spend all my time looking at my snazzy collection of points. See Exhibit below:

Then this year United devalued its points requiring 42,500 more points to travel on a foreign carrier from Europe to the US! With this wake up call, I decided to burn all my United miles and booked two flights from Germany to Los Angeles all in first-class for 67,500 miles and $145.20/ticket.

dezeen_Lufthansa-Business-Class-Seat-and-Cabin-by-PearsonLloyd-8 — Lie flat seat

Had I waited here’s what it would cost today post-devaluation!

I can’t emphasize enough how useless it is to have a stockpile of points that you never use, that will go down in value, all the while you are paying annual fees for credit cards for no reason. I have a friend that followed all the subsequent steps but has done nothing with his points. Therefore, in order to move onto Step 4 you must promise from the outset to not be a points hoarder. By clicking on Step 4, you are agreeing to adhere to the Churn ‘n’ Burn philosophy. Now let’s get to the good stuff:

#10: Red Light Pho: Amsterdam, Netherlands

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March 31, 2014

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Right next to the organic coffee shops that line the streets and only steps away from the welcoming women of the skinny alley of the Red Light District is Amsterdam’s Chinatown. Fresh Peking Duck is on display in all the windows tempting the Pho seeker to give up his quest of finding that perfect bowl by settling for an enticing substitute. Having made it past all the bland döner kebap shops that are an absolute waste of money and all the aforementioned distractions along the way, I find the only Vietnamese restaurant in the area. Mind you, I have been to Amsterdam many times but always neglect to take note of two things: 1) the restaurant is only open for dinner 2) where exactly the restaurant is located. I guess writing down the name would help. Regardless, half the fun of visiting the Red Light District is navigating through landmarks that aren’t really landmarks: “Oh I think you go over two bridges down one alley then past the first coffee shop next to the girl in the window and it should be on your left hand side. If you’ve gone past three churches, you’ve gone too far.” In this case, I believe to get to the Vietnamese restaurant you go left down the first street of Chinatown and it should be on your right hand side after the awful sushi spot. When you do finally find the Pho restaurant take note, if you are on a stopover to another city that you still have to weave your way back through the maze, out of the District, across the street to the train station, and back to the airport, all the while trying to keep a straight face when answering questions from the customs agent regarding the overindulgence you just experienced. As far as the pho is concerned, I worked up such an appetite trying to find the place that I really didn’t’ spend too much time savoring each spoon. Instead, I proceeded to scarf down the bowl to quell my suddenly insatiable appetite. From what I do remember, the pho was quite good. Because of the great adventure, Amsterdam Pho comes in at #10.

I am not drinking fucking Merlot!

Food & Drink

thepointsoflife

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March 29, 2014

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20131211_210123 — Yarra Valley: Melbourne, Australia

“If anyone orders Merlot I am leaving. I am not drinking fucking Merlot!” One quote from a movie and I never drank Merlot again. Sideways came out in 2004 and 10 years later my wine aptitude has increased marginally yet I still do not know why I too hate Merlot. My palate has come a long way since my college days when I used to bong MD 20/20 (kiwi strawberry) but at present, I am not, nor do I want to become, a smug wine connoisseur. However, somewhere between Miles’ expertise “A little citrus. Maybe some strawberry. Mmm. Passion fruit, mmm, and, oh, there’s just like the faintest soupçon of like, uh, asparagus, and, there’s a, just a flutter of, like a, like a nutty Edam cheese” and Jack’s ignorance, “Tastes pretty good to me,” is me. Momentary pause to state that the similarities between Miles, the aspiring writer and alcoholic and myself are purely coincidental. Since last August when I went to my first winery in Napa for a friend’s wedding, I have visited wineries from around the globe to drink and learn more about wine in order to give you a substantiated reason as to why you should never drink White Zin.

International travel will teach you more about business, politics, and law than all the degrees combined.

Points

thepointsoflife

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March 28, 2014

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If you want adventure, realize that there is a world outside your own borders. Watching NatGeo and watching the Travel Channel will not satisfy your craving for exploration. HD television isn’t real life! So take the points you learned from Points 101 and go to the airport. In this section, I will show that it is possible to travel and have fun while enriching your life by seeing wonders of the world. Here are two of the New 7 Wonders of Nature that I have been lucky enough to visit.

DSCN0032 — Table Mountain from the Waterfront

IMGA0706 — Table Mountain post barefoot hike and World Cup Stadium down below

Step 1: Enjoy #ThePointsOfLife

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March 28, 2014

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Step 1: Enjoy #ThePointsOfLife You are sitting in your cubicle entranced by the Windows 98 stereogram of a lush palm tree in the foreground and sparkling blue water in the background. Hypnotized, you find yourself on the beach, mesmerized by the sight of the waves crashing, the sound of the seagulls chirping, and the warmth of the sun shining, all the while sipping a beer from the isolation of your beach chair. “Excuse me, Excuse me”, the waiter says. Catatonic, you ignore her calls. “Hey!” the waiter screams. Jarred from serenity, you come out of your coma to find yourself back in the office under the frosty glow of the fluorescent bulbs. Your boss is standing over you, arms crossed, glaring at you with dissatisfaction. “I need to get out of here now,” you declare- hopefully not aloud. Although the slogan for the iconic cerveza ad commands you to find your Eden, it falls short of telling us how to do so. We are left to figure it out on our own. Where shall we go this time, Maui, Hawaii or maybe somewhere exotic like Playa Del Carmen, Mexico? Cramming ourselves into coach for hours on end only to arrive at a hotel room with a view of the parking lot falls short of the peaceful getaway depicted in the advertisement. Instead, the best way of tricking ourselves into believing this is a luxury vacation is to opt for the confining all-inclusive package (because eating out every day gets expensive) then complain to the front desk about the drunk spring-breakers, in the hopes we receive an ocean-view upgrade (FYI: This works). Alternatively, we could have stayed at a 5-star resort had we chanced it by going during the discounted rainy season. Even with such meager accommodations, the trip would still set us back a few thousand dollars plus the cost of all those Long Island yard drinks from Señor Frog’s and catchy souvenir shot glasses that read, “one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.” The latter, for me, are pesos well spent. Before you call me a jerk, let me state the following: I know that people work hard all year for the opportunity to post that filtered beach pic on Instagram. I am not trivializing their efforts but will show you a better way. This step will empower you to start Taking Control Of Your Vacation now. TPOL’s TIP: Buy the book here.

Final 4 Free

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March 27, 2014

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Traveling for sporting events is one of the best reasons to travel. However, when your Detroit Lions make the Superbowl and it isn’t held in Detroit (horrible idea to have it in a cold weather city) you will find yourself scrambling for airline tickets that costs hundreds upon hundreds of dollars. So what will you do, miss your once in a lifetime chance to see your beloved Wolverines make the Final Four? Surely not. Last year, Michigan came out of nowhere lead by College Player of the Year Trey Burke to make it to the Final Four in Atlanta. After putting the beat down on the Syracuse Orange, Michigan faced Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals for the championship. Only you weren’t there to see it. Don’t end up in a road side ditch, switch to DirectTv. Sorry, just seeing if you were reading. I looked for tickets and found a roundtrip for $800. I checked Southwest and found those prices to be crazy high as well. Out of options, I was about to give up when I realized that I had a stash of British Avios that can be redeemed on American Airlines for next to nothing with no extra fees for last minute booking. My ticket ended up being a manageable $5 for 2 of the legs and I came out of pocket for the others. All in all it cost $150 to get to Atlanta. So this year, if your team is playing (meaning you are from Michigan as it will be a Umich v. MSU final) and your points are right, you too can watch Michigan redeem itself to become national champions! Otherwise, I hope you have Comcast cable as your dish will probably not get reception in that subfrozen tundra known as the Great Lakes State.