Is the Curve card ready for prime time? (hint: not yet)
Update: The Curve card has been discontinued in the United States. Any purchases attempted after July 8, 2024 will be declined.
Curve is intended to be the one card to rule them all. No matter...
Counterpoint: Recent frustrations trying to get 1.5c per point toward paid travel
The other day, Tim published a fantastic post about using points to stay at the Paradores of Spain. If you don't know what the Paradores are, know that I didn't either and am thankful...
My near-disaster switching my Marriott award from points to certs
The Inn at Bay Harbor is an excellent Marriott Autograph Collection resort in northern Michigan. Even during normal times (i.e. before the current domestic travel boom) it was nearly impossible to book summertime award...
Keeper features of ultra premium cards
Many ultra premium cards come with keeper features -- those killer benefits that make the cards worth having and holding. But there is often an argument to be made against keeping those cards forever...
(Still live via referral) Sapphire Preferred 80K Q&A: Everything you need to know
Update 6/3 - Yesterday, the public offer for the Chase Sapphire went down to 60K, but this 80K offer is still live via referral (although who knows for how long). This is a terrific...
Best card for free access to Delta Sky Clubs
If you fly Delta often, then you're probably interested in Sky Club access. Sky Clubs provide free food and drink, free internet, and (when not overcrowded) a comfortable place to work or relax when...
The InterContinental Ambassador Experiment
InterContinental Lyon, May 2022. Experiment codename "Ambassador Prestige Suite." Results tallied. Details below...
I recently had occasion to book a weekend stay at the InterContinental Lyon - Hotel Dieu. As I weighed various options for...
Avoiding phantom award space basics
On a recent episode of Frequent Miler on the Air, we featured a question of the week about phantom award space. The short version of the story is that the reader had found award...
Your old friend: the dummy booking
Note: The individual card offers mentioned in this post have expired.
Like many Americans, I am once again back to planning more travel. I've recently been making a number of new bookings and that process...
Credit card strategies for low spenders, medium spenders, and big spenders
Credit card intro bonuses are clearly the fastest way to a points and miles fortune, but how does the plan differ for someone who spends $1,000 per month versus someone who spends $4,000 per...
Low spend credit card strategy: A lot of vacation with low expenses
Last weekend, an interesting reader comment came in from regular commenter LarryNYC:
Towards this end, it would be interesting to have a series of articles or podcasts each of which talks about what you can...
Success: Takeaways from booking a “free” child business class seat
I recently stacked a great deal on a business class itinerary booked through Amex Travel (using the Pay With Points rebate from the Business Platinum card) with the chance to get a (mostly) free...
Why your credit card travel portal might be a poor way to book travel
We often extol the value of transferable currency points like Amex Membership Rewards points, Bilt Rewards points, Brex points, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points or Citi ThankYou points. While we most often...
Finding impossible awards
You've earned a small mountain of rewards thanks to the points parade of the past few years. The next step is to feel the burn and find some great uses of those points to...
