From insomnia (see Oops!… I Did It Again: Min Spending Hell) to hitting the min in one transaction (see 1 Transaction =120,000 Membership Rewards Points Earned), I satisfied min spend on my Amex Business Gold and received the points in record time. I also transferred 36k Avios to take advantage of the 1.25 transfer bonus and because I may need a flight back home from Europe (see Booked! One Way to Madrid…No Return in Sight). The 40k bonus spend on that card for digital ads covers that transfer. Maybe it’s time to apply for this card again and again and again as I keep receiving offers for it.
Now I face the daunting task of reaching the mins over the next two months. Here’s the mess I am in:
The Amex Business Gold is the most pressing. I didn’t spend anything on it when I first received it because I was waiting for them to apply the right welcome offer (see Amex ’90k’ Business Gold Offer: Resolved, Sort Of). Given the laundry list of disclosures against MS, I won’t be doing that either (see I’m Done with Manufactured Spending, also written in 2015). Let’s see how I will get this done without going broke.
Although I managed to escape the Medellin airport using Uber (see Uber Is Illegal in Medellin Airport, Unless Your Brother Is Picking You Up), I still needed cash. I went to the ATM and it did not work. I went to another and had the same problem. Hoping to avoid roaming charges, I called Chase’s toll-free number and since I was in Colombia, it obviously did not work. I called the international number, was put on hold, and the roaming charges piled up. Then I heard, “Welcome to Chase. Our office is closed.” Luckily, I received a notification on my phone asking if I had attempted to withdraw money. I said yes and was able to proceed. Otherwise, I would be out of luck.
Uber Is Illegal in Colombian Airports is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report, where TPOL leaves the basement. It’s finally happening despite inconsistent policies, interruptions, and human stupidity as explained in these posts:
Like it used to be in Puerto Rico, Uber is illegal at Medellin airport. I learned this upon arriving and waiting downstairs for a driver to come, who never came. Just as I was Googling, ‘Uber pickup Medellin airport,’ my driver called and I was able to ascertain from my Spanish abilities that Uber picks up at the departures. I took the escalator up and there he was, my estranged brother.
Riding in the front, I wonder if I would have dealt with the undercover hassle had I had my Schwab card (see TPOL Forgets How to Travel) and the ability to take a taxi.
TPOL’s TIP: Per my friend from Medellin, take the white taxi from the airport. It should not cost more than 60k pesos ($16) to the city center. This information is helpful to avoid what I hate most about travel, taxi scammers (“Taxi my friend?” The Worst Places to Hail a Cab).
TPOL’s TIP: Uber must have been legal at one point, given that the app lets a rider designate at which exit door he is located.
Cross the street right away to avoid the scammers waiting right outside the arrival terminal.
TPOL Forgets How to Travel is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report, where TPOL leaves the basement. It’s finally happening despite inconsistent policies, interruptions, and human stupidity as explained in these posts:
My trip to Colombia was my first in almost two years. And it showed. While I knew where my passport was after ‘misplacing it’ earlier in the year (see Misplacing My Passport Without Traveling), everything else was disorganized.
First, I could not find my Schwab card, despite turning the house upside down. I sadly will encounter ATM fees as a result (see Charles Schwab Debit Card: Use As Instructed). Second, I did not have my Priority Pass configured because I had cancelled all premium cards and had just received my Amex Platinum Business Card (see Approved! Amex Business Platinum). Unlike Schwab, I had wisely contacted Amex ahead of my trip to enroll in Priority Pass. Even with the number in hand, I did not have the enrollment pin and could not activate my membership prior to taking off. Luckily, I won’t need access to a lounge on my outbound flight.
TPOL’s TIP: it takes 3-5 business days for Amex to generate a Priority Pass number. Contact them via chat to set it up.
The disorganization continued when I realized that I did not have Uber installed on my new phone (see Samsung Z Flip Was a Flop). I downloaded that and added my new credit card.
The easy part was supposed to be packing as my standard checklist (see What to Pack: “Take 1/2 the Clothes, Twice the Money”) was saved on Evernote. Of course, my new phone doesn’t have Evernote, so I had to download that and change access to the new phone.
TPOL’s TIP: Use OneNote. Evernote’s basic service is only for 2 devices. OneNote is unlimited.
And finally, to add further insult, I did not check the routing to Medellin. It turns out, AA flies a 787 with lie-flat seats from Miami. That’s only 22k on Avios. Here I was thinking I got a good deal flying coach for $50 using my AA voucher (see AA Refund!…7-20 Business Days).
Overall
I had this much trouble before even getting to the airport. What will happen next?
VeriFLY is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report, where TPOL leaves the basement. It’s finally happening despite inconsistent policies, interruptions, and human stupidity as explained in these posts:
TPOL’s TIP: While Colombia does not require proof of vaccine or a negative COVID test, it does require that a health questionnaire be completed at least one hour before departure. If you’re searching for the United States as your country of origin, you won’t find it. It’s under ‘Estados Unidos’.
The challenging, stressful part for my first international trip was attempting to check-in via the AA app. To do so, I had to download the VeriFLY app, a stupid app with a stupid name. And that’s putting it nicely.
First, there are no directions on AA for using the app. I logged in and had no idea what to do after the initial setup. I Google VeriFLY and learned that I needed to create a new pass. I attempted to do so by clicking on ‘visit to Colombia’. Why the list starts with ‘visit to’ and is not just an alphabetical list of all countries, I do not know.
After I selected Colombia and put in my flight information, I was instructed to forward a health declaration form to colombia@everifly.com. This reminded me of the ancient days when I would have to manually forward booking emails to the TripIt. I received a reply saying that my information did not match up. I tried it again and it worked the second time. For some reason, the app still didn’t show that I had met all the requirements. One hour later, I gave up. The next day I went to the airport and I still could not check-in online. Old school again, I had to go to the ticket counter and show the health declaration form.
The app is supposed to save time and make travel less stressful. It did not.
There was a tweet from Fake Points Travel Blogger listing 5 people who have left TPG in the last 30 days. I don’t get the point he is trying to make since many of those employees had been there for years and it isn’t exactly the best time to be a travel blogger. But Twitter thought that I would like the Tweet which is why I commented “Zero attrition at TPOL.”
Incidentally, today is editor’s day, the day I celebrate my editor, cliffordbarnabus, who has been with me since April 2017 (see 30 for 30: TPOL’s Blog Editor). I still haven’t met clifford in person which may explain why he has yet to quit. I also haven’t met Fake Points Travel Blogger, though I don’t know if that interaction would be as pleasant. Then again clifford is a fan of Notre Dame, Ohio State, and if I recall correctly, Duke (editor’s note – I hate the dukies!). What can be worse than that? #ihatechristianlaettner
Happy editor’s day!
Don’t quit, lest you lose your fringe benefits. #hbogo #sling #nounionsattpol
I previously wrote 90,000 Business Gold Card Offer, Suddenly Not Available and Amex Business Gold Offer Under ‘Investigation’. These posts were regarding my application for the Business Gold card and the 90k sign-up bonus. Amex claims that the offer was only for 80k, despite sending them screenshots of the higher offer. The good news is that I will receive the 90k bonus. The bad news is that it is only coming as a result of a retention offer, whereby I have to spend an additional 3k on top of the 10k.
10k bonus points is worth the spend but I miss the days of Chase where better offers would be matched without this inconvenience.
One Way to Madrid is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report, where TPOL leaves the basement. It’s finally happening despite inconsistent policies, interruptions, and human stupidity as explained in these posts:
The international travel drought is over. TPOL is back. It has been a long time since I could put together a spreadsheet. My last big Trip Report was ANA, Take Me ‘Round The World which was inclusive of the TPOL in Shanghai, expat assignment. That was in 2019 before the world ended. Annoyed at the imposters who are pretending to be travelers just because they went to Tulum during COVID and inspired by the disingenuous well-wishers who in reality relish in me being grounded (see We’re All In This Together, So Long As You’re Miserable), I am coming out of the basement and resetting the standard for what travel and blogging is supposed to be.
The kickoff of international travel begins with a stop in Colombia to visit my sportswear factory floor (see IQKhameleon: Halfway There!). Then it’s back to Puerto Rico to put together some marketing videos for my revolutionary product (see VIDEO: Battle Ropes in Puerto Rico!). Next, I will witness Michigan lose at Wisconsin (see Booked! Michigan v. Wisconsin). From there, the fun real begins as I’m off to Madrid for wine tasting in Ribera del Duero on Iberia business for only 34k points. At some point, I will stop in Italy and follow up on my application for purchasing a 1 euro villa (see Nothing to Rent in Tuscany, But Maybe I’ll Buy a House in Italy). Along the way, I will visit the remaining countries that I have not been to in western Europe including some islands and territories to spite and increase the tally of my Country Count List. When I will return, I do not know. What I do know is that TPOL is back. Imposters, you’ve been put on notice. Good luck keeping up (sarcasm added).
*Trip and spite subject to cancellation as more of Europe says no to Americans.
TPOL, the matador of the travel blog world, is back!
