Here are some interesting points, miles, credit cards and other travel-related articles and posts from around the blogosphere.
Planes
Everyone and their mother has told you about the new 12 transfer bonuses from American Express. But only yours truly has offered an actionable post on the best bonuses you might actually want to use. Will you forgive me for touting my own horn here? Please! 🙂
Can’t Choose From 12 AmEx Transfer Bonuses? Here Are the Best 3!
I don’t normally care about fare deals between certain pairs of cities, but this fare discovered by Dans Deals is an exceptional find, IMHO.
I have a couple of Chase 5/24 spots open still, so I’ve been considering two United cards, but in all seriousness, United has devalued its program so badly in recent years that I just don’t know what I’ll do with their miles. For what United wants for one-way travel I can book a round trip with ANA or Avianca, considering all transfer bonuses. Andrew Kunesh has written a thorough review of the latest devaluations, so I’m kind of glad to see that I’m not the only one who finds United’s MileagePlus almost irrelevant these days. I like to use it for Star partners research, though.
Pandemic-era devaluations: What’s happened to frequent flyer miles and what may come next
Hotels
The title says it all.
The Main Issue With The New Hilton Breakfast Program? Hotels Aren’t Following The Rules!
Danny the Deal Guru reports about a new Hilton Curio Collection hotel in Santorini slated to open in Spring 2022. The 38-room property will feature a terrace with a private pool or hot tub for every room. It’ll be interesting to see how many dates they’ll make available for award redemptions (I’ll safely go with none).
Hilton to Debut in Santorini with Luxury Beachfront Resort
Now from the horse’s mouth. And you thought Radisson split the company to serve you better, LOL.
Radisson CEO Divulges Why Company Had to Split in Two
Another interesting piece from Skift. I remember being surprised back in the 2000s when a hotel executive told me that room service is more often than not a loss leader in the industry. You mean a cold sandwich you deliver three hours later while charging me like it was a filet mignon doesn’t make you any money? Huh!
Why Grubhub Took Over Room Service at Resorts World Las Vegas
Here is another interesting story about the future of hotel space. Of course selling rooms “to work from” is nothing new, but this might be a new interesting trend with a corresponding new revenue stream (or not).
The new hospitality: On selling place not space.
Credit cards
Charles Schwab was supposed to reduce the AmEx cashout to 1.1 cent on Sep 1, but it hasn’t materialized. We’ll see if the 1.25 cents per point still stands on Monday.
Having FOMO On The Charles Schwab Cashout? It Is Still 1.25 Cents Per Point!
Another mammoth Frequent Miler’s piece covering every nook and cranny of Citi ThankYou.
How to use your Citi ThankYou point fortune
It’s a jungle out there, guys! Be careful. 🙂
Chase shuts down my wife a 3rd time
These Doctor of Credit posts can be helpful if you’re targeted.
- [Targeted] Chase Ink Cardholders: Earn 10,000 Points For Every $10,000 In Spend (Up To 50k Points)
- Amazon: Get 20%/40% Off on Amazon when Using 1 Membership Rewards Point (Max $30/$40 Discount)
Covid-19
This is definitely a move in the right direction. Hawaii is a tourist mecca for Americans. Maybe this will convince at least some folks to get their shots finally.
Honolulu to Introduce Vaccine Passports for Leisure Activities
I was surprised to find out that Gary supports using masks on planes. I had an impression that he believes planes are so safe that masks aren’t needed. In truth, I pretty much agree with his conclusion that using proper masks makes all the difference (vs. bandanas and other home solutions), and the study he links to in the post clearly confirms it.
And yet, some comments just made me shake my head in disbelief. As long as masks don’t protect 100% (and nothing in the world protect anyone 100%) no evidence is good enough for the anti-mask crowd. But even among all other comments this remark takes the cake.
I only wear a mask if I absolutely have to. And wear it as loose as possible. I’m over it and would never consider wearing one just to protect others. Not my problem.
Nice, huh?
How Well Do Masks Work When You Travel?
Other tidbits
Here is another tier-matching opportunity in Atlantic City. I’ve covered these tier-matches before and benefited from them nicely. For one thing, it’s a 2-hour drive away for us, and for all its decay and feel of abandonment, Atlantic City is one place where my wife and my mom love to go, LOL. This latest opportunity is a good one if it actually works.
Free Cruise and 2 Nights at Wynn LV? New Merry Go Round Add-On! (Atlantic City)
I used to love skiing. But I never learned how to do it right, so one unfortunate fall in the Hunters landed me with a badly twisted knee. I was immobilized for about 2 weeks, and after that I decided to call it quits. That was about 12 years ago, yet every now and then I see one of these skiing posts and … get tempted for a few minutes.
Ikon vs Epic Pass: What’s the Best Ski Pass for 2021-22?
Last week on TBB
My favorites:
- The Shadowy Business of International Education — a piece about greed, lies and higher education.
- Shipwrecked: A Shocking Tale of Love, Loss, and Survival in the Deep Blue Sea — I agree, what a story!
Most Beautiful Beaches, Government Speculation, Covid Long Haulers, River Runner
What’s good? Pretty much everything. Here are the articles I liked the most.
- The US War in Afghanistan 1999-2021 — an epic timeline, really!
- Atlantic’s Long-Haulers Are Fighting for Their Future
- Some Thoughts on My Experience Getting Covid
- River Runner. Click to drop a raindrop anywhere in the contiguous United States and watch where it ends up. (I agree, very cool!)
And now just for fun
Why are people laughing in this video?
Hint: It’s not the comedian.
Featured photo: by Riho Kroll on Unsplash
