Paceline card shutting down 2/23/23
Update from Nick 2/18/23: The Paceline credit card has sent an email to cardholders that the card will no longer be usable after 2/23/23. Doctor of Credit reports that statement credits for the Apple...
Travel Hacker’s Toolkit
When friends and family ask me how we can afford to travel the way we do, I often simplify and say that we're really good at using credit card rewards and frequently flyer miles....
Capital One including Global Entry reimbursement on 1099s
For the past several years, all of the major credit card issuers have been sending 1099-MISC forms valuing referral bonuses as income. Capital One has sent 1099s this year with strange amounts that didn't...
Shopping for car rentals with surprising results
A relatively frequent question we get from readers is about how to cover rental cars with rewards. On a recent Frequent Miler on the Air episode, we discussed some reasons why Greg and I...
Fixing a failed Platinum triple dip
Amex Platinum cards often have huge welcome bonus offers of 150,000 points or more. Plus, they come with many valuable perks and rebates. The downside is that they also come with $695 annual fees. ...
American Express Business Platinum 150K referral offer is back
Check those referral links...the 150,000 points referral offer for the American Express Business Platinum card is back again. This targeted offer gives 150,000 Membership Rewards points on $15,000 spend and is only available via...
Positioning 101: Techniques for getting to your gateway for a great award flight
We often write about great award sweet spots or availability, but in both cases the best deals are often discussed from international gateways. If you don't live in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San...
Bottom Line Review: InterContinental Johannesburg O.R.Tambo Airport, South Africa
After having to cancel our trip to Australia at the last minute, we ended up booking a two week stay in Mauritius. After that, we spent just over a week in South Africa visiting...
Stop telling me that “value” is what I would have been willing to pay
Nick recently wrote a couple of posts where he argued that Chase Ultimate Rewards points "ain't all that" (here and here). As I thought about writing a rebuttal, my mind kept drifting back to...
SkyMiles Strike Back
Long the laughing stock of the award travel world, Delta SkyMiles is striking back against popular perception. On this week's Frequent Miler on the Air, we discussed the new award discount for cardholders that...
No catch: Delta’s 15% discount is real
On February 2, Delta launched "TakeOff 15" where Delta cardholders now get 15% off award flights. Since then, there have been numerous anecdotal reports suggesting that Delta had pulled a fast one on us. ...
The rose-colored glasses come off (on Nick’s mind)
It's time to take off the rose-colored glasses.
Last month, I wrote a post essentially saying that Chase Ultimate Rewards are great for Hyatt but would be very weak if and when Hyatt ever devalued...
LifeMiles manual booking: patience compulsory, persistence pays off
During our 40K to Far Away competition in 2019, I put together a fun LifeMiles manual booking, flying four segments from Brisbane, Australia to Niue (a tiny Pacific island nation). I did that on...
Book Emirates through Air Canada Aeroplan (first class now live)
Update 2/6/23: It's now possible to book Emirates First Class via Air Canada Aeroplan. The initial searches that I've done seem to indicate that it isn't a great value, though. I searched several routes to...
