Update 2 - replaced DoubleTree Melaka (which went up to 10k) and Hampton Inn Fall River (went up to 20k) with DoubleTree Sighisoara and Hampton Inn Farmington. Added 10k option in Vienna. Update - replaced Hampton Inn Mexico City (which went up to 20k/night) with DoubleTree Melaka, which is bookable on points now. My favorite use of hotel points is for low category, … [Read more...]
The Great Paradox of My Travel Aspirations
I have two fundamental travel aspirations: See the world. Get good value out of miles & points. The 2 goals were in unison in my early days of the hobby. Seeing the world meant flying premium cabin to a major destination, staying in a high-value points hotel, and sightseeing in the vicinity. I did this in Hong Kong, Sydney, Bangkok, Paris, Banff - to … [Read more...]
$10 for a Flat Bed in Chicago? I’ll Take It
Technically it's in the suburbs, and admission costs extra, but I was going there anyway so my extra cost was just $10. I was in Chicago for 2 nights a few weekends ago. I had one Hyatt category 4 free night from the Chase Hyatt card, so I stayed at Hyatt Recency Chicago River on Saturday. But I needed a place to stay on Friday. None of my Chicago friends … [Read more...]
Get 5+ Expensive Nights from One Obscure Hotel Card Signup
Update - Several readers report being denied for the card. I double checked my credit report and can confirm I had 4-5 inquiries on Experian from the prior 6 months, when I applied and got approved for this card (about a year ago; they did call to confirm identity). YMMV. Note, I say 4-5 because I applied for multiple cards on the same day and can't remember … [Read more...]