The IHG card seems to have adopted a new schedule for posting signup bonus. Normally for Chase cards, upon closing of the statement in which you meet minimum spending requirement, all points earned in that period post to the reward account around the same time, including the signup bonus, bonus for adding authorized user (AU), and points for the spend. Now, the IHG … [Read more...]
Beware of Portal Cancellation Fees on Altitude Reserve Bookings
US Bank Altitude Reserve card is a "super premium" card released this year. The high-level benefits are known; for example, see this review by Frequent Miler. However, when it comes to some important details, it was challenging for me to find the information before having the card and benefits guide in my hands and enough points in my account. For example, … [Read more...]
App-O-Rama May Increase Likelihood of Account Review / Shutdown
Update - link to Reddit post/discussion on Bust Out Fraud. Please note the "may" in the title. I don't know for sure whether it does or not, but I present a case for why it could, which I think is worth considering for yourself. TravelinPoints reports a disturbing data point of an irreversible Chase shutdown due to churning, i.e. a high number of recent … [Read more...]
3 IHG Hotels To Book Before Devaluation
IHG is having a significant devaluation. The Gate has a color-coded list of the changes. In this post I want to highlight 3 great values that will be lost with the changes. Book them now if interested. #1: Holiday Inn Resort - The Lodge at Eagle Crest Redmond, Oregon (15k becoming 25k) There's not much talk about this family-oriented gem in the miles … [Read more...]
2017 Travel Highlights – Part 2 (Banff, Qatar, Sri Lanka)
Welcome to the last day of 2017. Picking up where Part 1 left off, here's part 2 of this year's travel highlights. What fun to reflect! Enjoy, and I hope you likewise had a fun and productive year. May 2018 bring your family peace, prosperity, and more chance to experience our great world. Ski in Utah I flew to Salt Lake City to ski at Alta one weekend … [Read more...]
A Trick to Cancel Southwest Flights Booked with Voucher (Unmix New Funds)
One of the annoying things about Southwest is that if you book with a voucher and supplement it with another form of payment (credit card, another voucher, etc), if you cancel the flight, all of the funds are bundled together with the earliest expiration date of any of the vouchers. For example, imagine this scenario: Today is December 30, 2017. You book a flight … [Read more...]
Barclay Application Results
I and another family member each applied for a Barclay card this week, both instantly approved. I thought I'd share our data points because they are at odds with conventional wisdom. The 2 established "tips" we broke are: Only one Barclay application per 6 months. Keep at least one Barclay card (i.e. the relationship) open. For tip #1, the family member who … [Read more...]
2017 Travel Highlights – Part 1
Merry Christmas and happy holidays. With 2017 almost over, I am reflecting on my year of travel. It was another exciting year, although total distance flown is down (not a bad thing in my mind). Picked up a few new favorites along the way. Here are some highlights. Chiang Mai I loved every minute in Chiang Mai. It's very very touristy, and … [Read more...]