This is the most generous retention offer I've ever encountered. Today I called Amex to see if there was any retention offer on my Aspire card, since I barely used the benefits this year. There was a marginal offer of 10k Hilton points with no spend required, which I value at around $50 now that Hilton improved points value. But that's not why I'm … [Read more...]
PSA: Use Firefox to link Rakuten to your Amex account
Rakuten is in the news a lot lately. Between various 15% cashback deals at stores like Saks 5th Avenue, and the 90-100% cashback on the LifeLock, there are some good deals. Furthermore, you can elect to earn Amex Membership Rewards points instead of cashback, at the generous rate of $0.01 per point. However, there's an obstacle. You have to link your … [Read more...]
Surprise Surprise: IHG not (yet) extending Free Night Certificates beyond Dec 2020
Back in April, IHG blanketly instituted Dec 31, 2020 as the expiration date for all unexpired free night certificate (FNC) as of Mar 1, 2020 that had already been issued. That means if yours originally expired Dec 15, 2020, you get a whopping 15 extra days. New certificates issued in 2020 would get 18 months from the issue date. Well, Dec 31 is quickly … [Read more...]
Yes, Triple Dip is possible with your new Amex Platinum
If you are the owner of a new Amex Platinum card because of the extraordinary signup bonus (here's the coverage by Doctor of Credit and Frequent Miler), you might be wondering whether Triple Dipping (TM) the $200 airline credit with one annual fee is possible. The premise is that if your card membership starts at the end of year 1, you can get the airline credit (which … [Read more...]
Exciting: Hilton Improves Points Redemption Value!
I'm seeing an exciting development with Hilton Honors that I haven't seen reported in the blogosphere (but I also haven't read every blog). The value of Hilton points has hovered around 0.4 cents per point (CPP) for a while. There were still some rare good values if you looked hard, but 0.4 CPP was the norm. However, now I somewhat consistently see a redemption … [Read more...]
Kings Canyon National Park: An Underrated Gem
I'll keep this short and let the pictures do most of the talking, but I wholeheartedly enjoyed Kings Canyon National Park on my first Sierra Nevada visit in late July. Kings Canyon and Sequoia are managed as one national park, but visitors to Sequoia (SE) far outnumber that of Kings Canyon (KI), making KI one of the least visited national parks. I enjoyed SE as well … [Read more...]
2020 is the Year to Visit Yosemite – Without Crowds
On June 12, I saw a post in one of my hiking groups that Yosemite National Park is basically empty. This was just one day after Yosemite reopened its "doors" to the public. I knew how special this was. The next day, I was the bearer of an entry ticket for late July. The mere mention of Yosemite (or Yose-might or Yose-mi-night) conjures up images of towering … [Read more...]
My First Trip Since Covid: Understanding and Managing Risks
Greetings from San Diego. I took a driving trip the week of July 4, my first trip since Feb 2020. I drove up to Carmel / Big Sur for a change of scenery. I wanted to share my experience and thoughts on traveling during the current pandemic, which has changed everything and is expected to stick around for a while. I will cover 3 key topics: How did I … [Read more...]