Recently, IHG's dynamic award pricing went live. Up to then, "dynamic pricing" has registered in my brain as synonymous with evil devaluation. In this case though, it introduced many discounts across the US the beyond - in usually popular destinations such as NYC and Florida. I was seeing Times Square hotels for 20-25k IHG points per night, and people have … [Read more...]
My Experience Getting Award Ticket Refunds from AA and Delta
What a time we live in. 3 months ago, I had just returned from a long and fantastic Asia trip and was busy planning what was supposed to be another exciting year of travel. Covid-19 has completely altered not only the travel landscape, but all aspects of life everywhere in the world. I hope everyone is staying safe during this unprecedented time. Like most … [Read more...]
Cool – Instant retro mileage credit at United
Hello and happy Thanksgiving to those in/from the US. It's the day to reflect on how lucky many of us are to have what we have - be it loved ones, stockpiled mileage balances, or travel opportunities. Today is the day to forget that websites suck, phone agents are clueless, and good deals die every day ;) One thing I'm thankful for is that I've just experienced … [Read more...]
Don’t get too excited if you see the Chase Black Star
It's known that you may be able to bypass 5/24 if you see a "black star" for business card offers in the "just for you" section of your Chase account. If you read DoC's data points, it's mixed as to whether it really bypasses 5/24. The rough consensus seems like this: if you get a variable APR offer, you definitely won't bypass 5/24. If you get a fixed APR for … [Read more...]
How to view Pending Transactions on CNB Crystal card
The City National Bank Crystal Visa Infinite card is one of only two cards with annual fee that I keep (the other being Amex Hilton Aspire), the authorized users airline credit being the sweet spot. It has a reputation of requiring high net worth to get, but my friend was able to get it with below $100k income and very limited assets. Unfortunately, the CNB website to … [Read more...]
Conrad Bora Bora – good availability for Sep 2019 and Jul 2020
Conrad Bora Bora is one of the most aspirational points properties in any program. The perfectly blue lagoon of Bora Bora on a sunny day is magical. Coupled with mountain view and almost nonexistent crowd compared to Hawaii, it can be an ideal relaxing getaway. To be able to use 89,000 Hilton points, or the free night certificate from the Aspire/Ascend Surpass … [Read more...]
The New Hilton Website SUCKS
Websites across the board have been getting worse. Chase, Amex, BA - you name it. Specifically, they're being dumbed down for mobile, which is great for that environment but at the expense of desktop usability. This sucks, given a lot of advanced functionality still require desktop. In Hilton's case, there are more issues - some functionalities just don't … [Read more...]
This is how hard the credit card churning game has gotten
I only opened ONE new credit card in 2019 so far (it's August now), with one more hard pull for a denial. I applied for 3 cards yesterday, all 3 are pending or denied, and judging by recent experience, they'll probably all be denied. A few years ago, I would have opened at least 10 cards by this time of the year; my AOR yesterday would have been 5 out of 6 … [Read more...]