Throughout the week, our team shares articles they’ve stumbled upon that may interest our readers, even if they might not otherwise merit a full post. Here are some of the posts we found interesting this week: Emirates bans young kids from first class awards, Hilton Kathmandu attacked by protestors, and Mark Cuban’s rookie mistake.
Wow: Emirates Bans Young Kids From First Class When Redeeming Miles
In mid-August, Emirates Skywards updated its terms and conditions to exclude children 8 years old or younger from first-class flights booked with miles. If you’re paying with cash, though, you can still fly First Class with your sub-nine-year-old in tow. As Ben notes in his post, the technical side of this restriction doesn’t seem to exist yet, so it’s unclear how this will be enforced. For example, you can still enter traveler details for a sub-nine-year-old when booking a first-class award online. Is this just a way to somewhat minimize the number of children in first class? Or is this a way of gradually implementing the change across the board? And is this a welcome policy change, in your view? (We know there are some strong opinions about children in premium cabins!)
Reader Report: Hilton Kathmandu Under Siege, Guests Evacuated & Hotel Burned Down
I’ve been accidentally present for some turbulent times around the world – a military coup in Thailand, protests in Ukraine, economic collapse in Sri Lanka…but nothing that even remotely compares with the harrowing experience one Loyalty Lobby reader shared from their stay at the Hilton Kathmandu several days ago. Nepal is in the midst of serious political unrest that’s been amplifying quickly over the last week. The reader describes how the hotel broadcast an announcement around 1 pm stating that it was at risk of coming under attack. The hotel was apparently targeted “based on the news that it’s partly owned by the son of a corrupt former prime minister.” (A simmering anti-corruption sentiment has been at the root of these current protests.) Mere minutes later, another announcement informed guests that the hotel was actively under attack with masses of protestors attempting to make their way inside. While the evacuation that ensued over the next hour sounds chaotic, confusing, and scary, with many guests leaving their belongings and passports behind, ultimately, no staff or guests were hurt. Given that some of the protests in Nepal have indeed become deadly, a safe evacuation is a win that can’t be ignored. The hotel, on the other hand, was burned down.
An old story is circulating about the time Mark Cuban had to do what is blandly ordinary for the rest of us – call his credit card issuer to approve a charge flagged as fraud. Not a big story, this one. But…most of us aren’t calling to approve $140,000 bottles of champagne. There are few occasions I can imagine worthy of such an expense, but in this case, Mark Cuban was ordering the drink for Dirk Nowitzki (the Finals MVP that year) after they’d just won the 2011 NBA championships. The Black American Express Centurion Card is an invite-only charge card with no real limits. Mark Cuban’s rookie mistake wasn’t necessarily the high-dollar charge (as he was already worth 2.6 billion that year) but rather that he attempted to make this high-dollar purchase on a card he’d not yet activated. Perhaps he’d not activated the card yet because he is somewhat of an advocate for avoiding credit cards altogether, saying that “credit cards can lead to serious financial pitfalls”. Of course, we all know he’s not wrong (even if we believe the right approach can make it a rewarding experience instead). I can’t help but wonder…does a card like the Black American Express ever have a sign-up bonus? And if so…do the ultra-wealthy (like Cuban) care or pay attention? Apparently it only earns 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar, so (unsurprisingly, given the target market) it seems rewards are not really the point. I get a kick out of imagining Mark Cuban paying for a $140,000 bottle of champagne on a rewards card that earns (supposedly) only 1 point per dollar. If you could charge a $140,000 bottle of champagne on a rewards card, which would you choose?
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I really do not like Mark Cuban
the real question is which cards would allow a balance in excess of $140,000? we’re most likely looking at business charge cards for this use case, so I’d say the amex platinum would likely be the best catchall for 1.5cpp on your first $2mm spend.