The plan was brilliant, the Excel documented fully outlined with flight numbers, dates, and destinations. Then I did something that I never do; I told everyone that I had unlocked a great redemption. This was a fatal mistake.
This morning I woke up, ready to book after checking and rechecking all the parameters. First, I decided to take down the easy reservation: HKG to BKK using Avios for 7500 points and $15 cash. That went off without a hitch .
The next booking was the ace up my sleeve against the United devaluation, Lifemiles points. I inputted the dates and locations, ULN to HKG and noticed that the points required had gone up. I did it again and again and in incognito mode, it still was higher. I googled Lifemiles devaluation as I had heard some rumblings about it coming up.
Stupid me, its effective date was October 15th. Annoyed, I rationalized that the extra miles weren’t that big of a deal because the ticket would still be free. Actually, I hit refresh and cleared my browser again then contemplated if I could call and make up some excuse. Then I realized that Avianca customer service is the worst and bit the bullet.
Booking time came and guess what? Barclays put a freeze, like they always do when I book flights on my account. I confirmed via email that the Avios booking was legitimate and went back to the Lifemiles page. Surprise number two, the flights were gone! Refresh, clear cache, clear my head. Flights still gone.
Hours later having gone through the same process, I still couldn’t find the flights.
I turned my attention to the return flights where I used 20,000 United miles to fly from BKK back to ULN. Same thing, the flight I wanted disappeared forcing me to book a day earlier and incur the close in booking fee of $75. On tilt, I paid $350 for a flight from ULN to HKG to complete my itinerary.
All set ready to go! No. I wasn’t excited at all.
Here’s what I wanted and here’s what I ended up with.
Wanted
Lifemiles 17.5k to Hong Kong (1 Night)
7500 + $35 British Avios to BKK (3 Nights)
$50 Air Asia to Phuket (3 Nights)
20,000 United Miles back to ULN
Total: $100 in taxes
Received
$350 Hunnu Air (don’t ask) to Hong Kong (1 night)
20,000 + $111 in taxes on United to ULN (skipping Phuket for Pattaya because I’m boycotting aviation as much as possible in reaction to Lifemiles devaluation). (3 Nights in each)
Undoubtedly one of my worst redemptions ever.
I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t that bad, that they all can’t be winners. Moments later, I found myself on the phone cancelling all the flights. I agree that churn n burn is the best strategy for points but this would’ve tarnished my resume and ruined any chance I had at a promising career as an awards booker.
Sometimes it’s better to give up and stay home…till tomorrow when I’m back at it again.
Okay, contestants, your client comes to you today from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He needs a change of temperature yesterday. He has provided you with the following tools per his AwardWallet account. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to get him out of Mongolia before the end of October and back for the least amount of points and cash out-of-pocket. He wants to visit the following cities:
Hong Kong
Bangkok
Phuket
American Airlines: 235,000
Avianca: 23,000
British Airways: 54,000
United: 30,000 (manually entered)
US Airways: 158,000
Membership Rewards: 30,000
Ultimate Rewards: 137,000
Cash: $250
What do you do?
Today, there are so many award booking services provided by so many bloggers. Their fees range from $100 on up with more being charged for complex bookings. As I wrote in ThePointsOfLife Thank You, I appreciate the lessons learned from fellow bloggers about how they not only obtained the points but also how they redeemed them.
After all, it’s pointless to have one without the other.
I consider myself an expert in points bookings and boast the following resume:
Booked a first class flight to Shanghai on Emirates and a return flight on Singapore Airlines A380 with a stopover in Bali.
Booked a round the world ticket on American Airlines in business that was 16 segments, totaling 50,000 miles to Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America for $275.
Booked a flight to the Final 4 for next to nothing when tickets were going for over $1000.
Booked a free flight to Costa Rica on a moment’s notice.
Why am I so good at award bookings? Because I maintain a diverse portfolio of points and because I refuse, absolutely refuse, to let the airlines win.
This award challenge is being featured because contrary to what bloggers say in regards to the difficulty of booking a flight to Tahiti, New Zealand, and the Moon, the hardest redemption of my life (accounting for devaluations) is simply to get out of Mongolia on a reasonable points ticket.
So get creative, get clicking, and let’s see if you can come up with a more clever solution than I.
Tomorrow I’ll tell you what I booked, convincing me that I too should start an award redemption service.
The Encore vs the Wynn is analogous to 1 divided by zero, the answer is undefined. It’s really a matter of personal preference. They are essentially the same hotel with the Encore, as the name implies, the newer version of the Wynn.
1. The Room
Wynn: The standard room at the Wynn looks like any ordinary hotel room. For the steep price, I was expecting a little more flare.
Encore: I stayed at a suite at the Encore and much like the Wynn, it was pretty ordinary.
Result: Draw
2. The Location
Both the Encore and the Wynn are located at the end of the strip but still within walking distance to the Fashion Show Mall. Since the Wynn is right across the street from the Palazzo and Venetian, the nod for better location goes to it.
Result: Wynn
3. The Nightlife
Wynn: Way back when Tryst nightclub was impossible to access. Today, Tryst is one of the few places that plays the same Top 40 that we all know and love. It also has an impressive waterfall and outdoor patio.
Encore: Encore is home to XS, by far my favorite club in Las Vegas in terms of layout. Not only is there plenty of space to maneuver inside but there is an expansive patio if you want to get away from it all. Encore also has Surrender, a mini version of Tryst and XS that is worth checking out. However, for me, XS and Surrender play too much house music. I’m all about that bass, that bass, no techno.
Result: Draw
4. The Pool
Wynn: The Wynn pool has two characteristics that make it interesting: 1) It is a topless pool. 2) It has poolside gambling.
Encore: Encore Beach Club is the best pool party in Las Vegas. It edges out Tao Beach due to its size and is classier (if that’s the right adjective) than Wet Republic at the MGM. If you don’t want to wade in the filth of a pool party, the Encore also has a regular pool where the music isn’t too loud and the atmosphere is more laid back.
Result: Encore
Using the four factor analysis of room, location, nightlife, and pool, the Encore comes out ahead simply because day drinking poolside or at a pool party is, and forever will be, my favorite extracurricular activity.
Overall Result: Encore wins by a Piña Colada
Spoils of VictoryA view of the Wynn from the winning Encore
That’s right, that’s the infamous Trump you see (click pic for that story)Camera or me? Which one is out of focus?Encore’s relaxing pool still going onXS by nightGolf is always an option if you aren’t satisfied with 1-4The baby Wynn in Macau.
We regret to inform you that we could not approve you for your 9th card in 9 months.
Sound familiar?
If you are a card churner or manufactured spender I’m sure you’ve received this notification before and despite calling the reconsideration line 9 times, your Herman Cain 9 9 9 plan did not yield you yet another points card leaving you a few points short of a second dream vacation to the Maldives.
The article states that, “JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup Inc and other big banks are making more credit card loans, after years of focusing mainly on customers who paid off their balances each month.”
“‘A lot of companies are getting back to marketing their products aggressively,’ said Eileen Serra, chief executive for cards at JPMorgan.'”
“Banks cut back on advertising, mailings, and rewards programs during the financial crisis, when losses jumped. But the market is now increasing again.”
The ramifications of this development is three fold:
1. The points game is far from dead. Companies are fighting harder than ever to attract new customers and retain old ones. The article reports, “Almost all of the most creditworthy customers already hold cards that pay rewards. At this point banks are in . . . an ‘arms race’ to make their rewards programs attractive enough to lure customers from other banks and to keep the ones who have already signed on.”
Can you say 100k mega offer?
2. For those that follow the 30 Steps to Maldives: Step 1, you will likely have more leeway in applying for that 10th Alaskan Airlines card to fly Emirates since you pay your balance off in full every month. Per the article, “In the years after the financial crisis, banks focused on credit card customers who were big spenders, charging upwards of $15,000 a year on their cards, but who also generally pay down their balances in full every month.”
3. For those newbies or for those hooked to churning, it’s time to break out that Excel spreadsheet and forecast if you really can afford to apply for another round of cards. Referencing the article, “Banks are all looking for the holy grail: consumers who spend a lot, and will carry a balance from time to time, including all the interest rate charges that often run to a rate of 15 percent or more.”
While we all love the free travel perks from using our credit cards, we must be extra vigil of the financial prison of high interest rates, the false hope of balance transfer offers, and the crippling minimum payments of 0% promotions that make another $500 charge for a seaplane to the Conrad Maldives a bad idea, regardless of any cashback promotion.
Churn safely my friends.
Yeah, yeah, yeah we all know the address for Transunion
The Vegas Knockout journey of the best hotel in Las Vegas is entering its sixth and final week. This past week four amazing hotels were knocked out due to the stiff competition.
At the Four Seasons, I learned that the $20 trick may not be appropriate. At the Venetian, I learned that clothing is optional. At the Mirage, I learned that old hotels still hold character. At the Skylofts, I learned that I want to be richer.
So how can it get better than those four? This week the Final Four of hotels pits the Encore vs the Wynn, the Cosmo vs Caesar’s unarguably the best hotels in all of Las Vegas.
Who will be the grand prize winner? Find out this week as I leave Las Vegas forever.
Have you ever been to the MGM Grand Casino? It is one of the largest hotels in the world, making it easy to get lost simply trying to find the bathroom. Amid all the chaos of boxing matches, UFC events, and sports gambling, there is a secret doorway that leads to the Skylofts experience.
Take the elevator to your private Vegas hideaway then wait for your own butler to bring you the luggage and take you on a tour of what unfortunately is your home for a mere couple of days.
High above the Vegas skyline you find yourself in a Manhattan style loft with vaulted ceilings, ample living space, and bathing amenities reserved for the rich and famous. At the Skylofts, you’ll want for nothing as your butler, day or night, is only a phone call away.
I’d like one of these in my houseA shower for ten?
Of course, if you do get bored of the nonstop pampering, the Skylofts unlike the Signature is located within the great MGM Casino so everything from food to pool to nightlife only requires a ride down the private elevator.
A blurry day at Wet Republic pool partyMaybe I should get back to my Skyloft
For a time, the Venetian was the best hotel on the Strip because of its beautiful architecture, decent priced suites, and ideal location. Tao nightclub was a super-mega club that hosted thousands of people yet still boasted the world’s longest entry line. Today, international house Djs have changed the nightlife scene in Vegas, leaving hip hop lovers out in the cold.
Better find a warm bathtubSmile if you like hip hop
Even with this transformation, one thing that is and will always be a good time regardless of the music is a Las Vegas pool party. Unlike the Hard Rock Las Vegas, the Venetian’s pool party is not hosted at the main pool. Tao Beach, as it is called, is in a separate area affording hotel guests the opportunity to drink and party at the beach or drink and relax at the pool.
After a night out in Vegas, it may be tempting to opt for the latter but the energy of Tao Beach effectively distracts you from that hangover.
The journey will go as follows:
Should I take it easy at the quiet pool?Maybe some beers at $10 a pop will do the trickShots firedChaos ensuesCease FirePeace restored
I’m going to call out all points collectors out there including myself as being frauds of the luxury lifestyle. While we all have taken showers at 30,000 feet aboard Emirates, have been treated like royalty at the Park Hyatt, and felt entitled simply because we have reached platinum status, the gig is up when we return to the daily grind.
The medicine for the aches of reality is to keep churning, keep moving, hoping that the dreaded financial review or a devastating devaluation never catches up to us.
In February of 2014, it finally did.
Stacking discounts as only an adept points churner could, I booked a room at the Four Seasons Las Vegas. The Four Seasons is connected to the Mandalay Bay but besides that, it is in a world all its own. The lobby is too quiet for a Vegas hotel and the rooms too decadent for an after-party.
It is perfect.
Before I get into specifics of this failed transaction, I need to call your attention to a few facts:
The Four Seasons does not have a points program. Reservations are made using another form of currency that is seemingly always in short supply- cash.
The Four Seasons is the best hotel brand in all of the world.
Anyhow, after another fight with another Vegas taxi driver, I was escorted by the friendly bellman to the front desk.
“Mr. Bachuwa, I see you are staying here for two nights and have booked the standard room. I will just need a credit card to cover any incidentals.”
“Certainly,” I said, knowing it was showtime.
By all the accounts I read online, the $20 trick was a common accepted business practice in Vegas so I had no reason to be nervous. Furthermore, I had practiced how I would execute the $20 trick on my flight from Phoenix over and over and once again in the taxi. All I had to do was take a crisp $20 bill and place it neatly behind my ID, on top of my credit card and ask if there were any available upgrades. Low and behold, the agent would reply that there was and then I, for a few greenbacks, would be treated to the most extravagant room in the entire hotel!
“In my hotels, there is always somebody watching,” went through my head as I fumbled for the prescribed ingredients to pull off this epic maneuver.
“You can have this back,” the front desk attendee said handing me back my tarnished twenty, “but I do have good news for you. We do have an upgrade available for a special rate of …”
Almost fainting from the mere mention of money needed for an upgrade, I found myself disoriented, my body overcome with chills. Wiping the sweat from my brow, my voice shaking, I replied, “I’ll let you know what my friend thinks about that, he arrives tonight.”
I was given the key to my room then headed for the elevator with my bag on my back and my tail between my legs. Called out as the peasant that I am, I decided to drown my sorrows in glasses of chilled Veuve Cliquot, an outlet from the uncomfortable reality that I don’t belong here.
Remarkably, moments later, everything felt right again: the bed was softer than heaven, the HD liquid as crystal, and the bathroom marbled for Romans.
So to you, my points friends and to you my points critics, I say to hell with reality, keep churning!
For richer or poorer, Champagne is still damn good!
All right, enough already, I’m sorry for being a lazy pho-ker but I promise that the Pho Sho: Top 10 Pho Worldwide will be completed by the end of time. For the angry readers, don’t act like I didn’t leave you without some entertainment e.g., True Detective: The Case of the Stolen iPhone. For the newcomers, spend this time catching up on posts of pho past.
Today, we aren’t moving ahead with the list because it is too painful to look at great pics of pho while I waste my life away in the epicenter of pho failure, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Previously, I went to a Vietnamese restaurant that doubled as a Korean restaurant pho a disappointing, disgusting bowl. I searched high and wide for another restaurant and managed to find one. After wandering for hours in the Arctic cold of UB, I was more than ready to defrost from what I hope would at least be an edible bowl.
I walked in and much to my delight there was the Huy Fong Foods sisters of chili and amber ready to take a dip.
C’est bon lavie indeed!
Then I looked to the menu. What’s this I see? Spring rolls? Of the shrimp variety? And Pho Tai?
Two orders of spring rolls and an extra large bowl please.
Moments later, the waitress returns to inform me that there are no shrimp spring rolls.
“How about vegetable?” I inquire.
Sure, she says.
Moments later, the waitress returns to inform me that there are no vegetable spring rolls.
“Chicken?” I say uneasily.
Moments later, the waitress returns with my bowl of pho and with the bad news that there are no chicken spring rolls. (A lucky break I guess, what are chicken spring rolls?)
Over the spring roll subject, I am excited by the look of the bowl.
Looks can be deceiving. Those sprouts aren’t your grandfather’s sprouts.
I tasted the broth as is customary before adding in the sexy sisters. Something was off. Instinctively, I reached for the fraternal twins and didn’t hold back.
Looks good now right?
The moment of truth came and went and nothing good happened. At this point I would’ve been content if the soup had no flavor. Instead, it just tasted awful.
Dejected and depressed, I called over to the waitress to bring the check. As I waited for her to return, I couldn’t help but wish that along with the spring rolls the Pho House would’ve been out of Pho Tai that day.
At least then I could still have something to hope phor.
Everyone writes about how to get points; apply for a bunch of credit cards, commute from NY to LA on a daily basis, or hack into your parents’ account, smash and grab style.
For the time being, I’ve chosen to focus on what to do with the points once they have been acquired, though I did offer a primer called 30 Days to Maldives on how to get in the game. As I begin to write more Trip Reports, perhaps I will dive into the specifics of how many points it took versus how much it would’ve cost out of pocket. Today, I would like to focus on the science and evolution of a practice called manufactured spending.
The best feeling in the world comes from churning. i.e., applying for multiple credit cards at once to get the sign up bonus.
Oh what a feelin, when im churnin on the ceilingHow many AAdvantage cards do you have? Ive had six! 2 Exec, one MC, one Visa, one Amex, one business Visa.
Then the anxiety sets in when you realize you have to meet the spending requirements for all the cards within 3 months. Recall 30 Days to Maldives: Step 1, no credit card debt is allowed, so buying that Maserati on credit to meet the mins is out of the question.
So how do you meet the minimum spend if you are smart enough to not fall into credit card debt? Manufactured spend, manufactured spend, manufactured spend.
Manufactured spending is the art of spending without spending.
Method #1: The U.S. Mint: Years ago, before I even entered the points game, churners used to buy coins from the U.S. Mint on their credit cards, deposit those coins into their bank account, then pay off the credit card with those funds.
That practice is no longer an option.
Method #2: Office Depot and Vanilla Reload: Next up was everyone’s favorite, the Vanilla Reload card. Vanilla Reloads have a fascinating history. Initially, they were sold in many retail stores including office supply stores like Office Depot. The savvy points person who had a Chase Ink business which gave 5X Ultimate Reward points for office purchase could buy V-Loads at increments of $500 each for a fee of $3.95. Because these purchased showed up as ‘office supply’ transactions, the savvy points guy would yield thousands upon thousands of points for doing next to nothing.
That practice is no longer an option.
Remember these babies? Oh, the good old days
Method #3: CVS and Vanilla Reload: With the demise of V-Load purchases at Office Depot, the points people turned their attention to CVS which allowed the purchase of these cards on any credit card. Although they didn’t yield the 5X points from before, they did provide an easy way to meet the minimum spend on all those credit cards pictured above. The process was straightforward: Go into a CVS, pick up 2 V-Load cards for $500 each, a Twix bar, and a Coke Zero. Do this a few times a month and bam! minimum spend complete.
Of course, buying V-Load cards would’ve been useless if there wasn’t a way to liquidate the cards with no fees. Enter Bluebird from American Express. Bluebird is a free checking account that allows subscribers the benefits of having a checking account without dealing with all the fees charged by big banks. In the old days, Bluebird users would load their accounts online with the V-Load cards they purchased for next to nothing. From there, Bluebird users could pay their student loan bills, mortgages, or simply withdraw the cash from an ATM.
CVS, like Office Depot, eventually realized they were losing money on these transactions. So this, like the U.S. Mint is no longer an option.
Method #4: Amazon Payments: The noose around manufactured spending began to tighten with the cash only purchase restriction of V-Loads. But, manufacturers still could depend on their old faithful compadre Amazon Payment to rack up spending each month. Amazon Payments allowed users to send their friend $1000 a month with no fees via credit card. Then the friend would turn around and send the money right back.
Last month, everyone using this service received this notification:
As you can see, Amazon Payments are no longer an option.
The smash and grab from your parents’ cache of points account is looking more appealing right? Fear not points churners, young and old, there are still a couple of ways left, for now.
As an aside, I’m still relatively new to the points game, having learned of the points community back in 2011. Anyhow, when I first started I used to read about these points secrets and wish, post gaining the valuable info, that bloggers would stop yapping about the tricks. The indiscreet dissemination of this information has undoubtedly killed deals and closed points loopholes. However, my selfishness notwithstanding, I will say that all good things come to an end forcing us to adapt or die a pointless death.
And now back to the manufacturing:
Method 5: The Rubber Ducky Debit Cards.
These cute little buggers will do all the heavy lifting for your manufactured spends.
Do you like going to Walmart? Don’t answer that question. But, if you don’t then you better start liking it if you want to stay in the manufacturing industry. Here’s how it works (and yes this option still works).
Register at Topcashback.com or another portal site that gives you cash rebates for using their referral links to make purchases.
Search ‘Giftcardmall’ and follow the link to that site.
From there,search ‘visa giftcards’ leading to a results page of the cute ducky pictured above.
Purchase the cards in increments of $500 on the credit card needing the spending.
Wait forever for the cards and activation codes (they are delivered separately for security) to arrive.
Activate the cards.
Take the cards to Walmart along with your Bluebird.
Wait in line forever unless there is a Bluebird ATM. (If there is a Bluebird ATM, follow the prompts for reloading the card.)
Tell the friendly cashier to load $500 onto your Bluebird Card.
Hand her the Bluebird card, swipe your Gift Card, and enter the pin when prompted which is the last 4 digits of your cute ducky card.
Walk out of the store.
*There is a daily limit of $1999 for loading your Bluebird with ducks.
Still hate Walmart? Maybe you do or maybe you will after dealing with the giftcard approach, no matter how cute the duck.
Too bad Amazon Payments are dead.
This is no longer an option. TopCashBack doesn’t give cashback for Visa gift cards and giftcards.com doesn’t sell gift cards in $500 increments.
Method 6: American Express Swerve
The final frontier for manufacturing, or more likely just the next frontier is the Swerve card. I have yet to try this method but bloggers every second of the day are posting the same post about how Swerve is the greatest thing since….Amazon Payments.
Here’s how to get in on the construction work:
Cancel your Bluebird as you cannot have both Bluebird and Swerve.
Apply for the Swerve.
Use your Swerve card to load $200 a day from your credit card (up to $1000-$1500 a month depending on the Swerve card you sign up for) in the same fashion as Amazon Payments.
Buy rubber ducky as you did before and go to Walmart as you did before.
Wallah, you’ve kept your manufacturing job alive till we are all back on the street waiting for some new techniques.
REDBird let you swipe your credit card directly with no fees. Imagine walking into a Target, handing the cashier your credit card, and walking out with $2500 of MS. Like its predecessors, it was too good to last and has now taken its spot in the defunct world of outdated manufacturing strategies.
RIP little birdies.
Method 8: GiftCards.com
For awhile Giftcards.com was the go to spot. They had free shipping and a rebate that would offset the cost of the gift card. Guess what happened? The free shipping is gone and the price per card has gone up.
Sad to say giftcards.com is no longer an option either!
