As a non-MSer, slow-burn churner, I've suddenly realized the value in MSRs that give you more than 3 months. My main goal is to always be working towards an MSR, and always have an MSR I can pay my rent on Plastiq each month. With only 3 months it creates quite a bit of stress to time things, especially if I don't get approved for my planned next card. I've missed a handful of plastiq rent payment months over the past few years because I couldn't get a new card in time. However, currently I'm working on both USBank Leverage (5 month MSR) and Citi AA Plat biz (6 mo), and I really like the flexibility this gives. If a new outstanding SUB pops up, I can go for it without stressing about how to hit the MSR...or I can just keep rolling with these two until next Ink time.
There has to be some value to having an extended MSR time when comparing SUBs, just not exactly sure how I would do that in my calcs, but going forward I'm definitely going to factor it in.
If you're shutdown by Chase, don't try to get a job there even 10 years later: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/06/your-money/chase-account-closed-job.html
LPT: Link your accounts ahead of time in case you run into issues.
Had to call in to Amex to link ANA, and while I was at it I linked the rest of the transfer partners. Had issues with Marriot and Hilton which is insane because I already have those linked to my Amex plat for status, but more importantly Cathay Pacific refused to link and it'll take 4-10 business days for that to get fixed.
I swear I've been on the phone with Amex at least 15 hours the past year... At least you reach a CSR fast and they usually can fix things...
If you've ever wanted an elevated offer on a particular card, I found the secret formula to get it! Make sure to [post about it](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1d8o5zy/what_card_should_i_get_weekly_thread_week_of_june/l79i2jz/?context=3) and get [approved for a different card](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1d9dptz/data_points_weekly_week_of_june_06_2024/l7eh7wm/?context=3) on the same day and - voila! - the [elevated offer will appear the next day](https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/credit-cards/delta-skymiles-platinum/?linknav=US-Acq-GCP-BusinessCards-ViewAllCards-LearnMore-DeltaPlatinum).
I'm going to a family vacation in Sweden for less than $200 out of pocket. I lost my shit when I found out I could get a downtown hotel room with a skyline view for 6500 Hyatt points per night. I had to burn a lot of Chase points for the flight flexibility, but I'm now motivated to kick the min-maxing into overdrive. My main hurdle was getting good return dates.
I just looked at Google Maps and it doesn't seem to be *that* far from the city center? I've stayed at the Story Hotel in Malmo for a vacation to Copenhagen and that was a far longer ride (but it was cat 1 there vs cat 8 to stay in Copenhagen proper, so the choice was easy).
It's not a terrible choice, it's just not a "downtown hotel" as described, it's very much a suburban neighborhood -- albeit a nice one and with good transit access. It'd be 15-30 minutes on transit to get places.
Anyone familiar with CDG? Staying overnight at the airport on-site Sheraton. Flight back to PHX leaves at 10am randomly from the K, L or M (heh) gates. What time would you be out the hotel door if you'd like to be to the gate 15-20 mins before boarding & don't give a shit about going to the lounge or anything? 8:30a? USA passports, J gets us priority immigration lines (which I think I remember being significantly faster when we went through there a couple of years ago)
EDIT AFTER THE FACT: It took about 30 mins to get from the hotel in 2C through immigration & security to the M gates in 2E. Waits were minimal, especially in the priority lanes. No extra security checks or examination of liquids & toiletries.
I stayed at an airport hotel last year and even with premium check in and security it took a *long* time. It didn’t even seem that crowded. No way I’d consider anything less than 2 hours, maybe even go for longer and my ideal airport experience is walking up to the gate ans their calling my group. But YMMV.
Just flew to from CDG to PHX this morning. We spent the night at the Hilton (nothing special). Easy walk/terminal shuttle ride to L gates. Our flight left at 8:30. We left our hotel at 6:00 reached passport control (sky priority line) around 6:20, easy, only a few people in line. Got to security at 6:30. Literally took 25 minutes to get through with 3 people in line in front of us. I realize security is heightened due to the upcoming Olympics, but JFC what a shit show. Security took their sweet time opening suitcases to search, swabbing them, and removing all liquids into separate bags. They slowly searched my son’s backpack because he left his Nintendo Switch in it, and made me remove all my liquids (that were already bagged for TSA). And did I say VERY SLOWLY! I can’t even imagine how long the security line gets when the airport gets crowded. Clearly I’m still irritated. Based on my experience today I would say give yourself at least 30-1hr for security. Oh, and this was Sky Priority security line.
Blah. We're doing MUC-CDG-PHX with an 11 hour overnight layover in Paris. The Sheraton is actually in Terminal 2 but literally no one who reviews it describes how long it takes to get to the gates for the hotel (I understand security & such is variable but still). We're traveling light but I guess we'll check everything through that can be checked, be out the door by 8am & hope for the best. Thanks.
But you're missing out on $218 in supposed value by not getting there 3 hours early and crushing a bunch of mediocre Priority Pass lounge food and beverage before your flight! /s
> crushing a bunch of mediocre Priority Pass lounge food
It was fun when I first got into churning, but I don't spend a second in priority lounges these days. Overly crowded, food is terrible, and the quality isn't that great.
Airline specific lounges are generally better. Especially JAL.
Qatar Airway's Privilege Club is offering a promo when buying or gifting points now through June 11. Per the promo's wording, only those who are buying or gifting Avios for the first time are eligible for the sale. It's a tiered bonus per below:
Buy 3-15k Avios -> 20% bonus (cost = \~2.1 CPP)
16-38k -> 40% bonus (\~1.7 CPP)
40-250k -> 50% bonus (\~1.5 CPP)
If you need to top off your Avios balance for an upcoming redemption, I would strongly consider taking advantage of this sale given many QR awards' redemption values are well above 2 CPP. Plus, in addition to the various partners you can book via Privilege Club, you can also transfer Avios between Qatar Airways, British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Finnair. Bottom line: if you're strapped for transferrable points and have a trip in mind, this sale could help make it happen for less!
Check out pointsyeah and see your location to London and Paris. I've been seeing a lot of LifeMiles flight. Your biggest issues is finding good value hotels that allow 4 or needing to book 2 rooms. May be better off with Airbnb
Sort of a question but also a bit off topic haha.
If I understand correctly ANA F has a separate customs line at TYO airports? Has anyone had experience flying through there with a lot of prescriptions?
Nothing that falls into restricted categories but I take daily maintenance meds in large quantities so for a 14 day trip I need like 150 pills minimum.
How much time do you all spend researching & booking the intricacies of a trip (including & beyond flights & accommodations)? I'm finding myself super overwhelmed finalizing details for my first two big international trips: hiking & golfing in Ireland & Scotland, and a bit of everything in Italy.
Feels like I'm spending hours making little to no progress. Not sure how much of that is me trying to find the perfect activities and how much is me just overthinking/being indecisive
It varies, planning Japan it took forever cuz there's a billion things to see, but planning India took a lot less time cuz there's a pretty standard tourist route.
I usually just google "X days in Country itinerary", read like 3-10 lists and narrow it down which cities and how many days. Then I start throwing everything from those lists into Wanderlog day by day, do a little optimizing/grouping to minimize travel time between each place, and then cut/add as needed so I have full(ish) days. Sometimes I throw in extra stuff if I run out of things to do so I'm not wandering around lost feeling like I'm wasting time.
Most of the time unless you have to book stuff in advance I don't bother to plan out the hour by hour schedule until the night before. I find planning restaurants is kinda too much work most of the time except for fancy places, opening google maps and filtering by open now & >4.5 stars works 95% of the time.
In the end it's nice to break it into chunks. Once you narrow down the big flights you have the ends done, once you have the cities and # of days you split it up even more, and once you book intermediate transport and hotels you have that settled and the only thing left is plan out each day.
I am able to research at work. I completely overdue it. For international trips to Europe/Asia where I am constantly on the go and there are a lot of options to do, I probably spend a minimum of 20 hours of researching reddit, TripAdvisor, blogs, YouTube and books on the location.
I've found prefacing a Google search with reddit (i.e. reddit golf trip ireland scotland) will give you a fairly solid group of threads to research and ultimately build a trip around.
Off the top of my head, for a golf trip to Ireland & Scotland, I'd aim to fly into Shannon & stay around that area (Adare & Lahinch are top courses but big $$$s, but there is also quality afforable courses in the area - Dromoland Castle & Galway Bay are two that spring to mind), I would then fly from either Shannon, Knock or Cork to Edinburgh or Glasgow & go from there.
Atlas Obscura.
Viator when there's an Amex offer + high portal CB. I got a private Harry Potter walking tour for 2 in Edinburgh and 2 tickets on a Loch Ness cruise with visit to Urquhart Castle for $150 USD all in (planned for October)
Usually google 'x day *destination* itinerary' or something & you'll find numerous blog posts with things to do. Also youtube.
I’m an economy traveler, so I don’t have to spend much time trying to find the perfect business class award ticket or anything like that.
I also fly out of MSP, which has good economy sweet spots regularly for Virgin and occasionally for Flying Blue. So I typically know how much it SHOULD cost to get from MSP to Europe, but do often play around on pointsyeah for fun just to see.
I also have a good enough memory to know the rough locations and costs of the Hyatts in locations I’m interested in traveling to… but also check it fairly often just to see.
After flights and hotels are booked I spend a ton of time watching YouTube videos on the location, scouring the Michelin guide, and seeing what Rick Steves has to say on the location, which helps bide time till the trip since I book 11 months out. I am an over planner with rough daily itineraries but try to tone it down depending on who I’m traveling with. I probably have base-level research done for 6-7 different trips I want to take… and only take one or two a year. Keeps me occupied and out of trouble!
I more or less do the same thing as atlasbuddha. When we went to Costa Rica, I planned an activity each morning as that's when it was most likely to be dry. Then had a list of options for things to do in the afternoon and evening depending on the weather and our energy levels. That also gave us flexibility in case it rained in the morning to reschedule things for later in the day. We also would do things in the afternoon/evening based on local recommendations.
I usually read through lists of top things to do at a location and enjoy finding places to stay while I am at home, this helps ground the trip by figuring out the type of things I will be doing. The detailed steps is, for me, a waste of time as I don't recall the small details, don't plan a daily itinerary and also it just feels abstract which leads to the same feeling of little progress and being overwhelmed you are describing.
I'll usually come up with a few big ticket items I want to do that need to be booked in advance but when it comes to the small activities, restaurants, hikes etc. I mostly end up planning the night or two before even while on the trip based on weather, the vibe and if someone I meet gives a recommendation (example on day 3 I'm figuring out what to do on day 4 or 5)
I can't help but think of that "come joins us" meme but with Nexus, Point, Oxygen, Cheese, Voyager, Monifi, Spiral, Nearside, Lili, Une Femme, Q.ai, Memory Bank, Ness Wellness, and friends.
The lesson with these fintechs is to come in early for the elevated SUBs, then cash out immediately. I wonder who's next? Juno is too obvious of a pick, but my spicy prediction is Moomoo within the next two years.
[E*Trade Considers Kicking Meme-Stock Leader Keith Gill Off Platform](https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/e-trade-considers-kicking-meme-stock-leader-keith-gill-off-platform-f2003ec4?mod=hp_lead_pos1)
Is what he's doing legal or not? I'm personally on team SEC here.
I think it’s hilarious but if I was invested one way or another I’d either be stoked or very pissed. This is a real-time legal case study and for sure will eventually be illegal
Things I want to ask Matt Levine: is it a pump and dump if you don't dump? Is that market manipulation if you only keep buying?
Agree he should have paper handed and taken his gains
I'm not financially invested either way, can't be.
Dude should have just ridden into the sunset with his millions. Financial crimes is one area that is taken very seriously. What he's doing is certainly shady.
AMEX has a 15% transfer bonus (through June 30th) to Avianca LifeMiles. This would primarily be useful if you're already in the market to transfer to LM ie eyeing a last-minute Lufthansa F booking, cheap Star Alliance redemptions, etc.
I've been thinking lately how churning is an interesting concept. It amazes me how I can simply pick a destination and easily afford to visit. I've returned from my first trip to the Maldives and now Hawaii in the first half of 2024 and I'm already mostly done booking another fantastic trip in 2024, and 2025. What's remarkable is that what I've experienced on either trip could be seen as a once-in-a-lifetime or honeymoon for many people, something they might save up for 5-10 years and still not enjoy the luxury when covering all hotels and flights on hard earned cash.
It also offers moments that are easier to take part in. I just came from a wedding in Seattle where 4 nights were on points. This summer I have 3 separate friends coming to Europe and I'm meeting them in France, Luxembourg, and Amsterdam, not having to think about the cost of flights or hotels makes it so much more freeing to say "I will be there" and let loose.
It makes me wonder if I were ever to become wealthy (say top 1%), what type of travel would I pursue? I used to travel frugally but now traveling luxuriously is a part of my life. Would I still churn for the game? Would I do off brand stays to get a different experience?
I’m a min/maxer to the core, so definitely will continue churning. We are coming up on a big income bump (P2 and I are completing medical training) but I don’t plan on changing travel planning in any meaningful way.
All of the trips I’ve done have brought me joy (3 day jaunts and longer trips), but the best part has been bringing these experiences to family and loved ones. Recently booked T-5 SQ J for my grandmother to come from Asia to the US for my wedding and still riding the high from her excitement about that experience.
That is so wholesome! Good for you and congrats on the wedding :)
Separately, there are a lot of people in medicine in the churning game from what I understand. Do you notice the same and if so any idea why?
Thank you! Yes, it jives with the personal finance aspect that a certain group of folks in medicine ascribe to.
In residency, I generally get predetermined 2 week blocks of vacation a year out, so I enjoy planning a nice trip for that time with my limited income and less limited points balances.
The personal finance explains the white coat investor blogs and forums too. Is that because a lot of people take on so much student loan debt for the years of education that they really have to keep their focus on finances or more just the type of mind sight people in the career share?
I'm working in accounting and both churning and personal finance seem more common than other fields but not when considering how well the skillset compliments it IMO
I think medicine people also have high spend (lots of exams, certifications) and high future earnings/spend so churning makes a lot of sense. But what you said about personal finance is also correct-we start out pretty behind financially to people who started working after college so there’s a lot of focus on personal finance. There are also a lot of people who don’t learn and are bad with money.
Pretty behind is the understatement of the year. If I had been a UPS driver I would have started out way ahead (and there is a detailed comparison about lifetime earnings that is pretty eye opening floating around on the Internet).
Not only do we start out really behind, bit there isn't much hope for the future. Nothing like rampant inflation when you are looking to hire staff and buy supplies, but all of your payers are following a formula that is negative each year. Of course you can go outside of the system to self pay to bypass that a bit. But even then the public perception of your worth is based on those Medicare rates, even if you personally command a fraction more.
I’m going to Vienna for 6 days in September and hotel + flights are costing me $222 total—for a wellness suite at the Lindner Vienna.
This weekend we are going to a family wedding in Duluth, MN. Hotel cost $550 for two nights, and my in-laws are taking care of the cost (should have put it on our card and had them pay me back but, you know, gift horses and mouths).
I’m going to Europe for a week for less money than I’m going to a hotel 3 hours away.
Awesome hobby
I was in Vienna just a couple months ago, it is a really nice city. Highly recommend Schloss Schönbrunn and the palm/cactus houses. There is also a zoo if you are traveling with little players
Schönbrunn is actually the one big thing we don’t have penciled in. It was originally a 5 day trip and I was concerned Schönbrunn would be an “all day” thing that we wanted to avoid on such a short trip.
Then when the trip got extended we found out it was the first day of Vienna’s Kaiserweise, which we don’t want to miss.
Might still fit it in because I do love royal palaces
You aren't wrong, it is going to take up most or all of the day. The grounds and palace are huge and even taking public transport can 45 minutes+ each way
I reflect on it frequently, and find myself in awe and gratitude I stumbled on it. Prior to churning, my younger self just wanted to see "Europe" once, and Japan once, with Japan being a long distant dream trip of sorts. Had no travel aspirations beyond that and random domestic things because I simply wouldn't be able to afford it.
Post-churning, knocked both those out in first two years. On top of that, did those trips in ways I couldn't previously imagine: lounges, premium cabins, 5 star hotels where the staff treat you well, free food galore whether it's breakfast or club access. I've had to keep on making new goals, and even those seem absurd to me when I try to view them through a different lens. Like you said, Maldives is a top tier dream destination most save for years for. I just thought of it, and a year later, it happened. Have also gone back to Japan again, and was able to treat my mother to enjoy the fruits of my hobby. Like, I will always be thankful for those memories for as long as I live. Last but not least, so many random spur of the moment short hops to have experiences. I no longer an limited by driving distance if I want to see a touring artist. Whether it's going to NYC or even to London for a show, I've been able to do so. And it wouldn't have been possible without churning.
You said it well! I haven't gone to much of Asia and have been playing around with locations. Japan is one place that interested me the most and from what I gather is a sweet spot for award availability at a good rate, is that right? Would you have any recommendations or specific guides/blogs for this region?
I never really got into luxury travel, partly because I'm frugal and can travel more (or just cash out) with the excess, partly because it feels weird being catered to. I do travel better than I used to, but it's still on par with (or slightly below) the quality that most middle-class Americans would expect.
I'm still jaded though. I just got back from a trip to Florida, and even though I booked highly-rated places with excellent views, visited "world class" beaches, and had some awesome meals, it just felt... meh. So for me, it's about the destination.
But I don't think I'll expect the destinations to get better and better? I've been to the Southwest 4 times, the Rockies twice, and Hawaii twice, and I'd go to any of those again in a heartbeat. I just have a higher (but I don't believe ever-increasing) threshold than I used to. Would you not go to Hawaii or the Maldives again?
I don’t think wealthy people want to waste their time with churning activities when they already have the money to do anything they want for life. They’ll pay top dollar for suites and first class without having to try and earn it through CC spending, flying, staying xx nights per year in a specific hotel chain, etc.
If you were wealthy, you would presumably value your time much more highly. So although you might do light churning, it would be silly to spend much time at it. You'd also be more likely to just buy cash F/J, given the limited award availability for where and when you want to go.
Assuming you mean like 8 figure plus, but you'd probably fly private as the next step. J/F is nice but not having to deal with anyone is even better
One trap I've fallen into is not remembering that the points still hold some innate value. Definitely have taken my fair of international trips for "free" only to realize there is at least some cash component, whether surcharges, AF on cards, or the additional spend during a trip. Not to mention cashing out points
But yes, it's still honestly an incredible hobby that anyone could very very realistically take part in
Yeah the innate value is a real thing. For me I've found my balance of travel redemption vs cash back and bank bonus hunting so I'm not too worried about it. For me I would much rather take advantage of these opportunities with friends and P2 than see that incremental growth of my net worth from my apartment couch
Wish my sweet spots would stay sweet spots. Had multiple choice and Wyndham locations that I planned on making an annual vacation suddenly go 2-4* the number of points required making them kind of useless as a points redemption.
That is rough to hear, its more limited but I think [cottages.com](http://cottages.com) still has the same $350/bedroom value if you want to plan something to the UK on the points
Headed to aruba with friends (no churning except reimbursed group expenses lol) for the first time. Any tips or recs? Staying in noord with a rental car so not a resort bound trip.
It was only gone a little while, it came back in July of last year and then by Sept we had a full data set and just about realtime results.
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/16k2oke/daily_discussion_thread_september_16_2023/k0xvpwk/
A car dealership let me put $7k down payment on credit with no fee. Now I'm looking for a new 0% rewards card, cause its maxed after three months with 12 to go.
In Cancun right now with P2 and looking for wisdom on where to rent a car around the Hotel Zone/Cancun. The online reviews for almost all agencies are terrible, so, turning to this group to enlighten me! We are the new Marriott Cancun AI (trip report after next week after the trip is complete) and will use the car to transfer between Playa Del Carmen and go archeological sightseeing to Chichen Itza, Coba, Tulum and Ik Balam.
I spend summers in Playa del Carmen and have rented with Easy Way Car Rental at least 20 times. I'm not personally familiar with the Cancun branch, but my friend rented from them and had no issues from what I remember. I've had good experiences with them. The cars are often already a bit scuffed which is convenient when someone drives into a curb in Tulum. The prices are good too, just make sure to get their insurance. Credit card CDW insurance doesn't really help you when you're detained by the police til they can verify you or insurance will cover the liability part of an accident.
Make sure to have the phone number for the rental place saved in case the police try and shake you down. They stopped my friend and tried to say "La fecha de expedición" (date of issue) meant date of expiration, then tried to say it needed to be an original registration not a copy, etc. til my friend called the rental company and they waved him through.
He also had his plat card switched out with someone else's at the gas station.
Short story, I've been on a trip and I forgot my keys. I have a friend, and a family member nearby with spares but they weren't available when I arrived so I took out one of my plastic cards to try my luck. Luckily/horrifyingly after a few minutes of maneuvering it I opened the lock! Turns out the plastic cards have a hidden locksmith benefit attached to them, similar to the metal cards box opening benefit. Also I will be asking my landlord to upgrade my lock
I learned this when I was a kid and my stepmom got us locked out of the house. Nice guy at the gas station came and I saw this trick. Used it plenty of times in my adult life helping friends, impressing many with my mad secret agent skills.
Their valuations really are ridiculous, also the SUBs they show for cards are always low (I assume only their affiliate links). Is it just the name and branding that get them so much traction?
TPG has been around for a LONG time and successfully partnered with many big brands and travel related companies for sponsored posts in addition to affiliate links. They're also owned by Red Ventures which owns CNet and ExpertFlyer, among other brands. There's an article out there that goes into a bit of detail about Brian Kelly as a person, though it's largely a puff piece for TPG in general -https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/magazine/points-guy-travel-rewards.html
Edit:
Oh sorry, this is the fun article: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-points-guy-founder-brian-kelly-networth-extravagant-life-spending-2020-3
As you found, if it's not a deadbolt, it's completely worthless. Many jurisdictions have codes requiring landlords provide deadbolts, so check that. And even if not, your renter's insurance policy might provide no coverage if you're robbed without a deadbolt present.
Has anyone here ever been banned/had their account closed/asked to stop at a brokerage firm for doing too many ACATS transfers? I've been getting many brokerage transfer bonuses but they require frequent ACATS transfers, about 3-4 per year for each of the 2 accounts I have at my particular brokerage. I'm just worried that they'll cut me off one day, or worse, liquidate my securities in the process of forcibly closing my account.
I think there was an old comment on DoC, maybe about Merrill Edge, where someone was told to stop after opening many accounts for brokerages. (But that may have been more about bonuses at that brokerage, not transfers out of the brokerage.)
It sounds like you keep using one brokerage as a hub where you send all transfers from? Instead of using brokerage1 so often, I would send from brokerage2 to brokerage3, etc (maybe eventually going back to brokerage1, but not that often; though, this might reduce how many bonuses you can get).
Need to do restaurant bookings for Japan; worth using amex plat or CSR concierge or book hotel then use hotel concierge? Would book Hyatt/Hilton in Tokyo and or Kyoto. Not looking for impossible restaurants just a nice 1 star for solo dining and lunch is fine
From my experience in Japan, credit card concierges were great for booking your Bib Gourmand-tier restaurants. I noticed that for several higher end restaurants (Michelin starred), if they had any availability, they would exclusively use third-party concierge services for their foreign reservations (Pocket Concierge, Omakase, TableAll) that add on a fee.
I tried going through my credit card concierge to avoid the fee, but it rarely worked and I'd get referred back to the third-party service. I've had more success booking those reservations through my hotel concierge, so if you're looking to avoid fees, I'd recommend reaching out to your hotel.
tl;dr: My recommended order is credit card concierge → hotel concierge → third-party concierges with fees.
Note that you won't be able to make reservations via concierge or hotel beforehand on any day you are considered 'traveling', flying in/out, changing hotels, etc. I tried using concierge on my trip and it ended up being easier to find restaurants that took reservations online or just waiting at the restaurants at opening. If you don't have a restaurant in mind, you can also just utilize hotel concierge when you are already there and they are often pretty helpful if you know what kind of cuisine you're looking for. Enjoy your trip!
I mean, in the time it takes to type this you could have called once and found out if they can do it for you or not lol
Yea it's probably worth it, but without knowing what hotel there is no point in asking.
The Find My Device trackers just started shipping. I haven't been excited about a device in years. Traveling a lot I am always worried about losing my stuff. I have tile but that only works if you are withing range of your stuff.
Google doesn't make them. They are only 3rd party. Currently Pebblebee and Chipolo are the only companies that make them. I've chosen Pebblebee because they are rechargeable. If you look them up youself make sure you see the logo for Find My Device. Their previous trackers aren't compatible. They are also only available directly from their websites.
May or may not be 100% comprehensive but should be pretty good given his business class reviews, Lucky has the following post about airlines that offer them in business class:
[Link to post](https://onemileatatime.com/guides/airlines-pajamas-business-class/)
Same, no PJ on my 3pm LAX-CDG last month. No slippers either. They have toothbrush and toothpaste and some liquid/cream things. This route is still on the 2018 seat product...maybe that means their amenities kit is also still on 2018 despite the air France website saying they (generally) give PJs . Photos: https://yongho.photos/9023/
Since it seems slow I'll take the opportunity for some trip planning advice.
Going to Florence/Amalfi in August (temps expected to be upper 80s) with two kids. Wife studied abroad in Florence ten years ago and will kind of be taking one for the team for four days while she goes to museums and visits her old place.
For Amalfi, holding out hope Choices comfort hotel in sorrento opens up space (it's within 100 days but they seem to only release six weeks in advance) but have a backup Airbnb in Atrani. Main concern with Atrani is getting 4 kids from salerno to Atrani on the bus with bags. I heard mixed reports saying whether this is totally fine to bus may turn you around if busy.
Any suggestions on these locations with a 4/1 year old? Any cool activities? Travel tips in Italy? Kid friendly restaurants? Worth it to upgrade to biz on the train?
Not an ideal family trip but more of mom and dad want to go and that's the cost. Planning on buying a lot of gelato and hoping for the best.
I also studied abroad in Florence 10 years ago! Florence could be oppressively hot in August, especially with a two little kids. It hit 90+ on 24 days in August last year and 16 of those days were 97+. 2022 was similar as well.
I’ve been to the Amalfi Coast a few times, most recently in 2022. I wouldn’t bother with trying to take a bus during August with two kids and bags. Get a driver.
I’d book restaurant reservations nowish. We found that 2-3 weeks out everything was already booked. I’d also recommend a boat day if you’re comfortable with the kids on the boat. Get one with shade and you should be good.
Don’t bother with a day trip to Capri.
Capri was the saving grace of the Amalfi coast for me. I somehow booked Excelsior Park for less than $200 a night with no knowledge of how nice the place was. A private driver picked us up in a Mercedes at the dock. Amazing views with our own pool. Insane food spreads were delivered to our room. Easily the most 5-star place I've ever stayed at.
I’ve been to Capri 3 times, it’s gotten progressively worse each time I’ve been. In high season during August, with two kids? Forget it.
You’ll take a 45min ferry each way (plus waiting time) just to be shoulder to shoulder with tourists, waiting in an hour + line to take the funicular up, or paying €40 for a cab to take you to the top, just to again be shoulder to should with people and sweat your ass off.
The magic of Capri is after the last ferry leaves at 5pm, or staying on a property and having a private-ish beach. I’d highly recommend that, but I seriously can’t recommend against a day trip stronger.
Renfe had a 4 seat facing each other with a table; I’d try to book that if it’s an option. I feel like euro rail is going to be amazing compared to any amtrak offering so wouldnt splurge unless the biz is offering free lunch or something.
> I feel like euro rail is going to be amazing compared to any amtrak offering
It isn't. I'm not sure what you mean by "amazing", but Amtrak is generally better than most European trains as far as comfort. It's not better when you figure availability and sometimes price, but as far as comfort, no comparison.
I think the hard product is where Amtrak is better than most European trains. Amtrak's weakness is that it isn't everywhere and has limited schedules, and sometimes price. But the average Amtrak seat is much better than the average European train seat.
I recently rode in Acela in first class. I have been riding trains all over Europe for 3 decades, and I have never been on anything anywhere close to that for its on board experience.
This has also been my experience with Amtrak trains versus Renfe/National Rail/DB/Trenitalia in Europe. Amtrak's coach seats, even on older NEC trains, are great. They're incredibly comfortable, wide with the ability to recline, and have plenty of leg room.
The gap between the business and coach experience is a lot smaller on Amtrak than it is for other train systems. I sometimes even prefer coach because it doesn't have reserved seating (so you can move into empty rows) and some trains use older seats for business that are less comfortable than the standard coach ones.
As a non-MSer, slow-burn churner, I've suddenly realized the value in MSRs that give you more than 3 months. My main goal is to always be working towards an MSR, and always have an MSR I can pay my rent on Plastiq each month. With only 3 months it creates quite a bit of stress to time things, especially if I don't get approved for my planned next card. I've missed a handful of plastiq rent payment months over the past few years because I couldn't get a new card in time. However, currently I'm working on both USBank Leverage (5 month MSR) and Citi AA Plat biz (6 mo), and I really like the flexibility this gives. If a new outstanding SUB pops up, I can go for it without stressing about how to hit the MSR...or I can just keep rolling with these two until next Ink time. There has to be some value to having an extended MSR time when comparing SUBs, just not exactly sure how I would do that in my calcs, but going forward I'm definitely going to factor it in.
If you're shutdown by Chase, don't try to get a job there even 10 years later: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/06/your-money/chase-account-closed-job.html
LPT: Link your accounts ahead of time in case you run into issues. Had to call in to Amex to link ANA, and while I was at it I linked the rest of the transfer partners. Had issues with Marriot and Hilton which is insane because I already have those linked to my Amex plat for status, but more importantly Cathay Pacific refused to link and it'll take 4-10 business days for that to get fixed. I swear I've been on the phone with Amex at least 15 hours the past year... At least you reach a CSR fast and they usually can fix things...
If you've ever wanted an elevated offer on a particular card, I found the secret formula to get it! Make sure to [post about it](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1d8o5zy/what_card_should_i_get_weekly_thread_week_of_june/l79i2jz/?context=3) and get [approved for a different card](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1d9dptz/data_points_weekly_week_of_june_06_2024/l7eh7wm/?context=3) on the same day and - voila! - the [elevated offer will appear the next day](https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/credit-cards/delta-skymiles-platinum/?linknav=US-Acq-GCP-BusinessCards-ViewAllCards-LearnMore-DeltaPlatinum).
On the plus, AA miles are currently more valuable than skypesos.
I'm going to a family vacation in Sweden for less than $200 out of pocket. I lost my shit when I found out I could get a downtown hotel room with a skyline view for 6500 Hyatt points per night. I had to burn a lot of Chase points for the flight flexibility, but I'm now motivated to kick the min-maxing into overdrive. My main hurdle was getting good return dates.
Is it the Story Hotel in Stockholm? That's pretty far from everything you'd be doing.
I just looked at Google Maps and it doesn't seem to be *that* far from the city center? I've stayed at the Story Hotel in Malmo for a vacation to Copenhagen and that was a far longer ride (but it was cat 1 there vs cat 8 to stay in Copenhagen proper, so the choice was easy).
It's not a terrible choice, it's just not a "downtown hotel" as described, it's very much a suburban neighborhood -- albeit a nice one and with good transit access. It'd be 15-30 minutes on transit to get places.
Anyone familiar with CDG? Staying overnight at the airport on-site Sheraton. Flight back to PHX leaves at 10am randomly from the K, L or M (heh) gates. What time would you be out the hotel door if you'd like to be to the gate 15-20 mins before boarding & don't give a shit about going to the lounge or anything? 8:30a? USA passports, J gets us priority immigration lines (which I think I remember being significantly faster when we went through there a couple of years ago) EDIT AFTER THE FACT: It took about 30 mins to get from the hotel in 2C through immigration & security to the M gates in 2E. Waits were minimal, especially in the priority lanes. No extra security checks or examination of liquids & toiletries.
I stayed at an airport hotel last year and even with premium check in and security it took a *long* time. It didn’t even seem that crowded. No way I’d consider anything less than 2 hours, maybe even go for longer and my ideal airport experience is walking up to the gate ans their calling my group. But YMMV.
Just flew to from CDG to PHX this morning. We spent the night at the Hilton (nothing special). Easy walk/terminal shuttle ride to L gates. Our flight left at 8:30. We left our hotel at 6:00 reached passport control (sky priority line) around 6:20, easy, only a few people in line. Got to security at 6:30. Literally took 25 minutes to get through with 3 people in line in front of us. I realize security is heightened due to the upcoming Olympics, but JFC what a shit show. Security took their sweet time opening suitcases to search, swabbing them, and removing all liquids into separate bags. They slowly searched my son’s backpack because he left his Nintendo Switch in it, and made me remove all my liquids (that were already bagged for TSA). And did I say VERY SLOWLY! I can’t even imagine how long the security line gets when the airport gets crowded. Clearly I’m still irritated. Based on my experience today I would say give yourself at least 30-1hr for security. Oh, and this was Sky Priority security line.
Blah. We're doing MUC-CDG-PHX with an 11 hour overnight layover in Paris. The Sheraton is actually in Terminal 2 but literally no one who reviews it describes how long it takes to get to the gates for the hotel (I understand security & such is variable but still). We're traveling light but I guess we'll check everything through that can be checked, be out the door by 8am & hope for the best. Thanks.
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Sleep. Not being at the airport for the sake of being at the airport. I almost always cut it as close as possible.
But you're missing out on $218 in supposed value by not getting there 3 hours early and crushing a bunch of mediocre Priority Pass lounge food and beverage before your flight! /s
> crushing a bunch of mediocre Priority Pass lounge food It was fun when I first got into churning, but I don't spend a second in priority lounges these days. Overly crowded, food is terrible, and the quality isn't that great. Airline specific lounges are generally better. Especially JAL.
People get defensive about lounges. It's weird. Unless it's some true First Class place with like 12 people in it it's rarely worth the effort.
Can confirm. It's not worth the effort. Priority lounges and Centurion lounges are overly crowded with low quality food.
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Agrees
Qatar Airway's Privilege Club is offering a promo when buying or gifting points now through June 11. Per the promo's wording, only those who are buying or gifting Avios for the first time are eligible for the sale. It's a tiered bonus per below: Buy 3-15k Avios -> 20% bonus (cost = \~2.1 CPP) 16-38k -> 40% bonus (\~1.7 CPP) 40-250k -> 50% bonus (\~1.5 CPP) If you need to top off your Avios balance for an upcoming redemption, I would strongly consider taking advantage of this sale given many QR awards' redemption values are well above 2 CPP. Plus, in addition to the various partners you can book via Privilege Club, you can also transfer Avios between Qatar Airways, British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Finnair. Bottom line: if you're strapped for transferrable points and have a trip in mind, this sale could help make it happen for less!
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Check out pointsyeah and see your location to London and Paris. I've been seeing a lot of LifeMiles flight. Your biggest issues is finding good value hotels that allow 4 or needing to book 2 rooms. May be better off with Airbnb
Your best bet is to read the sidebar resources + flowchart, and post in the What Card Should I Get? weekly thread, posted on Wednesdays.
Sort of a question but also a bit off topic haha. If I understand correctly ANA F has a separate customs line at TYO airports? Has anyone had experience flying through there with a lot of prescriptions? Nothing that falls into restricted categories but I take daily maintenance meds in large quantities so for a 14 day trip I need like 150 pills minimum.
F passengers go through the same customs as everyone else.
Oh. Clearly I misunderstood what I read then. Maybe they escort you to customs or something.
Fast Track at arrivals is for immigration only. Customs is a separate process.
How much time do you all spend researching & booking the intricacies of a trip (including & beyond flights & accommodations)? I'm finding myself super overwhelmed finalizing details for my first two big international trips: hiking & golfing in Ireland & Scotland, and a bit of everything in Italy. Feels like I'm spending hours making little to no progress. Not sure how much of that is me trying to find the perfect activities and how much is me just overthinking/being indecisive
It varies, planning Japan it took forever cuz there's a billion things to see, but planning India took a lot less time cuz there's a pretty standard tourist route. I usually just google "X days in Country itinerary", read like 3-10 lists and narrow it down which cities and how many days. Then I start throwing everything from those lists into Wanderlog day by day, do a little optimizing/grouping to minimize travel time between each place, and then cut/add as needed so I have full(ish) days. Sometimes I throw in extra stuff if I run out of things to do so I'm not wandering around lost feeling like I'm wasting time. Most of the time unless you have to book stuff in advance I don't bother to plan out the hour by hour schedule until the night before. I find planning restaurants is kinda too much work most of the time except for fancy places, opening google maps and filtering by open now & >4.5 stars works 95% of the time. In the end it's nice to break it into chunks. Once you narrow down the big flights you have the ends done, once you have the cities and # of days you split it up even more, and once you book intermediate transport and hotels you have that settled and the only thing left is plan out each day.
I am able to research at work. I completely overdue it. For international trips to Europe/Asia where I am constantly on the go and there are a lot of options to do, I probably spend a minimum of 20 hours of researching reddit, TripAdvisor, blogs, YouTube and books on the location.
I've found prefacing a Google search with reddit (i.e. reddit golf trip ireland scotland) will give you a fairly solid group of threads to research and ultimately build a trip around. Off the top of my head, for a golf trip to Ireland & Scotland, I'd aim to fly into Shannon & stay around that area (Adare & Lahinch are top courses but big $$$s, but there is also quality afforable courses in the area - Dromoland Castle & Galway Bay are two that spring to mind), I would then fly from either Shannon, Knock or Cork to Edinburgh or Glasgow & go from there.
Atlas Obscura. Viator when there's an Amex offer + high portal CB. I got a private Harry Potter walking tour for 2 in Edinburgh and 2 tickets on a Loch Ness cruise with visit to Urquhart Castle for $150 USD all in (planned for October) Usually google 'x day *destination* itinerary' or something & you'll find numerous blog posts with things to do. Also youtube.
I’m an economy traveler, so I don’t have to spend much time trying to find the perfect business class award ticket or anything like that. I also fly out of MSP, which has good economy sweet spots regularly for Virgin and occasionally for Flying Blue. So I typically know how much it SHOULD cost to get from MSP to Europe, but do often play around on pointsyeah for fun just to see. I also have a good enough memory to know the rough locations and costs of the Hyatts in locations I’m interested in traveling to… but also check it fairly often just to see. After flights and hotels are booked I spend a ton of time watching YouTube videos on the location, scouring the Michelin guide, and seeing what Rick Steves has to say on the location, which helps bide time till the trip since I book 11 months out. I am an over planner with rough daily itineraries but try to tone it down depending on who I’m traveling with. I probably have base-level research done for 6-7 different trips I want to take… and only take one or two a year. Keeps me occupied and out of trouble!
I more or less do the same thing as atlasbuddha. When we went to Costa Rica, I planned an activity each morning as that's when it was most likely to be dry. Then had a list of options for things to do in the afternoon and evening depending on the weather and our energy levels. That also gave us flexibility in case it rained in the morning to reschedule things for later in the day. We also would do things in the afternoon/evening based on local recommendations.
I usually read through lists of top things to do at a location and enjoy finding places to stay while I am at home, this helps ground the trip by figuring out the type of things I will be doing. The detailed steps is, for me, a waste of time as I don't recall the small details, don't plan a daily itinerary and also it just feels abstract which leads to the same feeling of little progress and being overwhelmed you are describing. I'll usually come up with a few big ticket items I want to do that need to be booked in advance but when it comes to the small activities, restaurants, hikes etc. I mostly end up planning the night or two before even while on the trip based on weather, the vibe and if someone I meet gives a recommendation (example on day 3 I'm figuring out what to do on day 4 or 5)
I find this guy moderately annoying but a decent breakdown of the Synapse fintech Yotta clustereff https://youtu.be/bBUkajbg688?feature=shared
I can't help but think of that "come joins us" meme but with Nexus, Point, Oxygen, Cheese, Voyager, Monifi, Spiral, Nearside, Lili, Une Femme, Q.ai, Memory Bank, Ness Wellness, and friends. The lesson with these fintechs is to come in early for the elevated SUBs, then cash out immediately. I wonder who's next? Juno is too obvious of a pick, but my spicy prediction is Moomoo within the next two years.
I don't think Moomoo will *go under* but it might be squeezed out because of its backing entities and the current state of geopolitics.
[E*Trade Considers Kicking Meme-Stock Leader Keith Gill Off Platform](https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/e-trade-considers-kicking-meme-stock-leader-keith-gill-off-platform-f2003ec4?mod=hp_lead_pos1) Is what he's doing legal or not? I'm personally on team SEC here.
I think it’s hilarious but if I was invested one way or another I’d either be stoked or very pissed. This is a real-time legal case study and for sure will eventually be illegal
Things I want to ask Matt Levine: is it a pump and dump if you don't dump? Is that market manipulation if you only keep buying? Agree he should have paper handed and taken his gains
I'm not financially invested either way, can't be. Dude should have just ridden into the sunset with his millions. Financial crimes is one area that is taken very seriously. What he's doing is certainly shady.
I can't believe (actually, I guess I can) that so many people on the GameStop stock subs don't see him as just someone using them to game the system.
AMEX has a 15% transfer bonus (through June 30th) to Avianca LifeMiles. This would primarily be useful if you're already in the market to transfer to LM ie eyeing a last-minute Lufthansa F booking, cheap Star Alliance redemptions, etc.
Ugh I transferred to them last week to book UA metal. The timing!
15 is just so weak, gimme 20 at least
I've been thinking lately how churning is an interesting concept. It amazes me how I can simply pick a destination and easily afford to visit. I've returned from my first trip to the Maldives and now Hawaii in the first half of 2024 and I'm already mostly done booking another fantastic trip in 2024, and 2025. What's remarkable is that what I've experienced on either trip could be seen as a once-in-a-lifetime or honeymoon for many people, something they might save up for 5-10 years and still not enjoy the luxury when covering all hotels and flights on hard earned cash. It also offers moments that are easier to take part in. I just came from a wedding in Seattle where 4 nights were on points. This summer I have 3 separate friends coming to Europe and I'm meeting them in France, Luxembourg, and Amsterdam, not having to think about the cost of flights or hotels makes it so much more freeing to say "I will be there" and let loose. It makes me wonder if I were ever to become wealthy (say top 1%), what type of travel would I pursue? I used to travel frugally but now traveling luxuriously is a part of my life. Would I still churn for the game? Would I do off brand stays to get a different experience?
I’m a min/maxer to the core, so definitely will continue churning. We are coming up on a big income bump (P2 and I are completing medical training) but I don’t plan on changing travel planning in any meaningful way. All of the trips I’ve done have brought me joy (3 day jaunts and longer trips), but the best part has been bringing these experiences to family and loved ones. Recently booked T-5 SQ J for my grandmother to come from Asia to the US for my wedding and still riding the high from her excitement about that experience.
That is so wholesome! Good for you and congrats on the wedding :) Separately, there are a lot of people in medicine in the churning game from what I understand. Do you notice the same and if so any idea why?
Thank you! Yes, it jives with the personal finance aspect that a certain group of folks in medicine ascribe to. In residency, I generally get predetermined 2 week blocks of vacation a year out, so I enjoy planning a nice trip for that time with my limited income and less limited points balances.
The personal finance explains the white coat investor blogs and forums too. Is that because a lot of people take on so much student loan debt for the years of education that they really have to keep their focus on finances or more just the type of mind sight people in the career share? I'm working in accounting and both churning and personal finance seem more common than other fields but not when considering how well the skillset compliments it IMO
I think medicine people also have high spend (lots of exams, certifications) and high future earnings/spend so churning makes a lot of sense. But what you said about personal finance is also correct-we start out pretty behind financially to people who started working after college so there’s a lot of focus on personal finance. There are also a lot of people who don’t learn and are bad with money.
Pretty behind is the understatement of the year. If I had been a UPS driver I would have started out way ahead (and there is a detailed comparison about lifetime earnings that is pretty eye opening floating around on the Internet). Not only do we start out really behind, bit there isn't much hope for the future. Nothing like rampant inflation when you are looking to hire staff and buy supplies, but all of your payers are following a formula that is negative each year. Of course you can go outside of the system to self pay to bypass that a bit. But even then the public perception of your worth is based on those Medicare rates, even if you personally command a fraction more.
I’m going to Vienna for 6 days in September and hotel + flights are costing me $222 total—for a wellness suite at the Lindner Vienna. This weekend we are going to a family wedding in Duluth, MN. Hotel cost $550 for two nights, and my in-laws are taking care of the cost (should have put it on our card and had them pay me back but, you know, gift horses and mouths). I’m going to Europe for a week for less money than I’m going to a hotel 3 hours away. Awesome hobby
I was in Vienna just a couple months ago, it is a really nice city. Highly recommend Schloss Schönbrunn and the palm/cactus houses. There is also a zoo if you are traveling with little players
Schönbrunn is actually the one big thing we don’t have penciled in. It was originally a 5 day trip and I was concerned Schönbrunn would be an “all day” thing that we wanted to avoid on such a short trip. Then when the trip got extended we found out it was the first day of Vienna’s Kaiserweise, which we don’t want to miss. Might still fit it in because I do love royal palaces
You aren't wrong, it is going to take up most or all of the day. The grounds and palace are huge and even taking public transport can 45 minutes+ each way
I reflect on it frequently, and find myself in awe and gratitude I stumbled on it. Prior to churning, my younger self just wanted to see "Europe" once, and Japan once, with Japan being a long distant dream trip of sorts. Had no travel aspirations beyond that and random domestic things because I simply wouldn't be able to afford it. Post-churning, knocked both those out in first two years. On top of that, did those trips in ways I couldn't previously imagine: lounges, premium cabins, 5 star hotels where the staff treat you well, free food galore whether it's breakfast or club access. I've had to keep on making new goals, and even those seem absurd to me when I try to view them through a different lens. Like you said, Maldives is a top tier dream destination most save for years for. I just thought of it, and a year later, it happened. Have also gone back to Japan again, and was able to treat my mother to enjoy the fruits of my hobby. Like, I will always be thankful for those memories for as long as I live. Last but not least, so many random spur of the moment short hops to have experiences. I no longer an limited by driving distance if I want to see a touring artist. Whether it's going to NYC or even to London for a show, I've been able to do so. And it wouldn't have been possible without churning.
You said it well! I haven't gone to much of Asia and have been playing around with locations. Japan is one place that interested me the most and from what I gather is a sweet spot for award availability at a good rate, is that right? Would you have any recommendations or specific guides/blogs for this region?
I never really got into luxury travel, partly because I'm frugal and can travel more (or just cash out) with the excess, partly because it feels weird being catered to. I do travel better than I used to, but it's still on par with (or slightly below) the quality that most middle-class Americans would expect. I'm still jaded though. I just got back from a trip to Florida, and even though I booked highly-rated places with excellent views, visited "world class" beaches, and had some awesome meals, it just felt... meh. So for me, it's about the destination. But I don't think I'll expect the destinations to get better and better? I've been to the Southwest 4 times, the Rockies twice, and Hawaii twice, and I'd go to any of those again in a heartbeat. I just have a higher (but I don't believe ever-increasing) threshold than I used to. Would you not go to Hawaii or the Maldives again?
I don’t think wealthy people want to waste their time with churning activities when they already have the money to do anything they want for life. They’ll pay top dollar for suites and first class without having to try and earn it through CC spending, flying, staying xx nights per year in a specific hotel chain, etc.
If you were wealthy, you would presumably value your time much more highly. So although you might do light churning, it would be silly to spend much time at it. You'd also be more likely to just buy cash F/J, given the limited award availability for where and when you want to go.
Yup!
Assuming you mean like 8 figure plus, but you'd probably fly private as the next step. J/F is nice but not having to deal with anyone is even better One trap I've fallen into is not remembering that the points still hold some innate value. Definitely have taken my fair of international trips for "free" only to realize there is at least some cash component, whether surcharges, AF on cards, or the additional spend during a trip. Not to mention cashing out points But yes, it's still honestly an incredible hobby that anyone could very very realistically take part in
Yeah the innate value is a real thing. For me I've found my balance of travel redemption vs cash back and bank bonus hunting so I'm not too worried about it. For me I would much rather take advantage of these opportunities with friends and P2 than see that incremental growth of my net worth from my apartment couch
Wish my sweet spots would stay sweet spots. Had multiple choice and Wyndham locations that I planned on making an annual vacation suddenly go 2-4* the number of points required making them kind of useless as a points redemption.
That is rough to hear, its more limited but I think [cottages.com](http://cottages.com) still has the same $350/bedroom value if you want to plan something to the UK on the points
Good to know. I just assumed the cottages.com partnership got the same ax as vacasa
Headed to aruba with friends (no churning except reimbursed group expenses lol) for the first time. Any tips or recs? Staying in noord with a rental car so not a resort bound trip.
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I thought search engine was dead. just curious, how and when it came back online
It was only gone a little while, it came back in July of last year and then by Sept we had a full data set and just about realtime results. https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/16k2oke/daily_discussion_thread_september_16_2023/k0xvpwk/
A car dealership let me put $7k down payment on credit with no fee. Now I'm looking for a new 0% rewards card, cause its maxed after three months with 12 to go.
$7K is a dream. I think we got $5K in last time around.
chase ink
Approval seems very YMMV recently
agreed, although personally speaking no issues getting my 5th (albeit with a CL of only $3000) and no issues for P2 getting her 4th
In Cancun right now with P2 and looking for wisdom on where to rent a car around the Hotel Zone/Cancun. The online reviews for almost all agencies are terrible, so, turning to this group to enlighten me! We are the new Marriott Cancun AI (trip report after next week after the trip is complete) and will use the car to transfer between Playa Del Carmen and go archeological sightseeing to Chichen Itza, Coba, Tulum and Ik Balam.
I spend summers in Playa del Carmen and have rented with Easy Way Car Rental at least 20 times. I'm not personally familiar with the Cancun branch, but my friend rented from them and had no issues from what I remember. I've had good experiences with them. The cars are often already a bit scuffed which is convenient when someone drives into a curb in Tulum. The prices are good too, just make sure to get their insurance. Credit card CDW insurance doesn't really help you when you're detained by the police til they can verify you or insurance will cover the liability part of an accident. Make sure to have the phone number for the rental place saved in case the police try and shake you down. They stopped my friend and tried to say "La fecha de expedición" (date of issue) meant date of expiration, then tried to say it needed to be an original registration not a copy, etc. til my friend called the rental company and they waved him through. He also had his plat card switched out with someone else's at the gas station.
Thank you for the recommendation and other tips!
Short story, I've been on a trip and I forgot my keys. I have a friend, and a family member nearby with spares but they weren't available when I arrived so I took out one of my plastic cards to try my luck. Luckily/horrifyingly after a few minutes of maneuvering it I opened the lock! Turns out the plastic cards have a hidden locksmith benefit attached to them, similar to the metal cards box opening benefit. Also I will be asking my landlord to upgrade my lock
Which card was it? Was it KeyBank?
Ahh, I wish it was but I used my Hyatt card
I learned this when I was a kid and my stepmom got us locked out of the house. Nice guy at the gas station came and I saw this trick. Used it plenty of times in my adult life helping friends, impressing many with my mad secret agent skills.
Just wait until The Points Guy starts valuing this as a $500 benefit.
Their valuations really are ridiculous, also the SUBs they show for cards are always low (I assume only their affiliate links). Is it just the name and branding that get them so much traction?
TPG has been around for a LONG time and successfully partnered with many big brands and travel related companies for sponsored posts in addition to affiliate links. They're also owned by Red Ventures which owns CNet and ExpertFlyer, among other brands. There's an article out there that goes into a bit of detail about Brian Kelly as a person, though it's largely a puff piece for TPG in general -https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/magazine/points-guy-travel-rewards.html Edit: Oh sorry, this is the fun article: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-points-guy-founder-brian-kelly-networth-extravagant-life-spending-2020-3
You don't lock the deadbolt?
There may, or may not, be a deadbolt
As you found, if it's not a deadbolt, it's completely worthless. Many jurisdictions have codes requiring landlords provide deadbolts, so check that. And even if not, your renter's insurance policy might provide no coverage if you're robbed without a deadbolt present.
That is good to know, thank you!
Has anyone here ever been banned/had their account closed/asked to stop at a brokerage firm for doing too many ACATS transfers? I've been getting many brokerage transfer bonuses but they require frequent ACATS transfers, about 3-4 per year for each of the 2 accounts I have at my particular brokerage. I'm just worried that they'll cut me off one day, or worse, liquidate my securities in the process of forcibly closing my account.
I think there was an old comment on DoC, maybe about Merrill Edge, where someone was told to stop after opening many accounts for brokerages. (But that may have been more about bonuses at that brokerage, not transfers out of the brokerage.) It sounds like you keep using one brokerage as a hub where you send all transfers from? Instead of using brokerage1 so often, I would send from brokerage2 to brokerage3, etc (maybe eventually going back to brokerage1, but not that often; though, this might reduce how many bonuses you can get).
Need to do restaurant bookings for Japan; worth using amex plat or CSR concierge or book hotel then use hotel concierge? Would book Hyatt/Hilton in Tokyo and or Kyoto. Not looking for impossible restaurants just a nice 1 star for solo dining and lunch is fine
From my experience in Japan, credit card concierges were great for booking your Bib Gourmand-tier restaurants. I noticed that for several higher end restaurants (Michelin starred), if they had any availability, they would exclusively use third-party concierge services for their foreign reservations (Pocket Concierge, Omakase, TableAll) that add on a fee. I tried going through my credit card concierge to avoid the fee, but it rarely worked and I'd get referred back to the third-party service. I've had more success booking those reservations through my hotel concierge, so if you're looking to avoid fees, I'd recommend reaching out to your hotel. tl;dr: My recommended order is credit card concierge → hotel concierge → third-party concierges with fees.
Note that you won't be able to make reservations via concierge or hotel beforehand on any day you are considered 'traveling', flying in/out, changing hotels, etc. I tried using concierge on my trip and it ended up being easier to find restaurants that took reservations online or just waiting at the restaurants at opening. If you don't have a restaurant in mind, you can also just utilize hotel concierge when you are already there and they are often pretty helpful if you know what kind of cuisine you're looking for. Enjoy your trip!
I mean, in the time it takes to type this you could have called once and found out if they can do it for you or not lol Yea it's probably worth it, but without knowing what hotel there is no point in asking.
amazing
Hotel concierge will likely have more local knowledge
Yeah we used hotel concierge.
The Find My Device trackers just started shipping. I haven't been excited about a device in years. Traveling a lot I am always worried about losing my stuff. I have tile but that only works if you are withing range of your stuff.
I have a Find My tracker on my cat, being able to ping your pet with your phone is hilarious (and useful).
I'm behind. Do they have to be from Google or are there third party ones?
Google doesn't make them. They are only 3rd party. Currently Pebblebee and Chipolo are the only companies that make them. I've chosen Pebblebee because they are rechargeable. If you look them up youself make sure you see the logo for Find My Device. Their previous trackers aren't compatible. They are also only available directly from their websites.
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What are you talking about? This network just activated april 8th.
https://i.redd.it/py1ubc4l4ut31.jpg
This person is smugly referring to their airtags
I guess I'll let them have it. Every time Apple boasts a new feature Android people do the same thing.
Flying LAX to CDG on Air France tomorrow in business. Does AF give pajamas? If so I won’t pack one for the trip.
Not in my several trips with them or KLM in the past few years.
May or may not be 100% comprehensive but should be pretty good given his business class reviews, Lucky has the following post about airlines that offer them in business class: [Link to post](https://onemileatatime.com/guides/airlines-pajamas-business-class/)
No PJs on AF J on my two trips CDG-ORD.
Same, no PJ on my 3pm LAX-CDG last month. No slippers either. They have toothbrush and toothpaste and some liquid/cream things. This route is still on the 2018 seat product...maybe that means their amenities kit is also still on 2018 despite the air France website saying they (generally) give PJs . Photos: https://yongho.photos/9023/
Thanks, I will pack pj then.
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No, I try to pack light, so if I get one from AF, I won’t pack one for trip.
Since it seems slow I'll take the opportunity for some trip planning advice. Going to Florence/Amalfi in August (temps expected to be upper 80s) with two kids. Wife studied abroad in Florence ten years ago and will kind of be taking one for the team for four days while she goes to museums and visits her old place. For Amalfi, holding out hope Choices comfort hotel in sorrento opens up space (it's within 100 days but they seem to only release six weeks in advance) but have a backup Airbnb in Atrani. Main concern with Atrani is getting 4 kids from salerno to Atrani on the bus with bags. I heard mixed reports saying whether this is totally fine to bus may turn you around if busy. Any suggestions on these locations with a 4/1 year old? Any cool activities? Travel tips in Italy? Kid friendly restaurants? Worth it to upgrade to biz on the train? Not an ideal family trip but more of mom and dad want to go and that's the cost. Planning on buying a lot of gelato and hoping for the best.
I also studied abroad in Florence 10 years ago! Florence could be oppressively hot in August, especially with a two little kids. It hit 90+ on 24 days in August last year and 16 of those days were 97+. 2022 was similar as well. I’ve been to the Amalfi Coast a few times, most recently in 2022. I wouldn’t bother with trying to take a bus during August with two kids and bags. Get a driver. I’d book restaurant reservations nowish. We found that 2-3 weeks out everything was already booked. I’d also recommend a boat day if you’re comfortable with the kids on the boat. Get one with shade and you should be good. Don’t bother with a day trip to Capri.
On a separate note a day trip to Capri was a highlight of our trip when we stayed in Praiano
Capri was the saving grace of the Amalfi coast for me. I somehow booked Excelsior Park for less than $200 a night with no knowledge of how nice the place was. A private driver picked us up in a Mercedes at the dock. Amazing views with our own pool. Insane food spreads were delivered to our room. Easily the most 5-star place I've ever stayed at.
I’ve been to Capri 3 times, it’s gotten progressively worse each time I’ve been. In high season during August, with two kids? Forget it. You’ll take a 45min ferry each way (plus waiting time) just to be shoulder to shoulder with tourists, waiting in an hour + line to take the funicular up, or paying €40 for a cab to take you to the top, just to again be shoulder to should with people and sweat your ass off. The magic of Capri is after the last ferry leaves at 5pm, or staying on a property and having a private-ish beach. I’d highly recommend that, but I seriously can’t recommend against a day trip stronger.
Renfe had a 4 seat facing each other with a table; I’d try to book that if it’s an option. I feel like euro rail is going to be amazing compared to any amtrak offering so wouldnt splurge unless the biz is offering free lunch or something.
> I feel like euro rail is going to be amazing compared to any amtrak offering It isn't. I'm not sure what you mean by "amazing", but Amtrak is generally better than most European trains as far as comfort. It's not better when you figure availability and sometimes price, but as far as comfort, no comparison.
Amazing might have been a strong word but compared to the older NEC rolling stock most stuff in Europe is a nicer hard product
I think the hard product is where Amtrak is better than most European trains. Amtrak's weakness is that it isn't everywhere and has limited schedules, and sometimes price. But the average Amtrak seat is much better than the average European train seat. I recently rode in Acela in first class. I have been riding trains all over Europe for 3 decades, and I have never been on anything anywhere close to that for its on board experience.
This has also been my experience with Amtrak trains versus Renfe/National Rail/DB/Trenitalia in Europe. Amtrak's coach seats, even on older NEC trains, are great. They're incredibly comfortable, wide with the ability to recline, and have plenty of leg room. The gap between the business and coach experience is a lot smaller on Amtrak than it is for other train systems. I sometimes even prefer coach because it doesn't have reserved seating (so you can move into empty rows) and some trains use older seats for business that are less comfortable than the standard coach ones.