This week around the web, take a fascinating look at a payment processor that looks to have been a house of cards, a great tip for getting a resolution when a company isn’t being fair about handling their COVID closures, a rundown of the current travel experience when arriving in Greece, and more.
Curve Card suspended as the FCA closes down Wirecard UK, freezing customer accounts
Some readers are likely familiar with the UK’s Curve Card because Greg has written about it before. This post from Head for Points is an interesting read and indicates that Curve may actually be back up and running shortly because they were already moving away from this Wirecard payment processor. But if you’re up for a fascinating little read that will leave you asking, “How do you convince anyone that you have 1.9 billion Euros that don’t actually exist?”, grab a cup of coffee and read this Financial Times piece that Head for Points links to. All of this is a good reminder to not get in over your head with any MS technique as you never know when a nasty surprise is coming.
Companies Behaving Badly During COVID-19: Here’s What I Did And What You Can Do To Get Your Desired Result
Dan’s Deals details the fight to get an amusement park to do the right thing with single day passes they sold and did not intend to properly honor. The key takeaway here is to not give up: there are multiple resources at your disposal to get companies to do the right thing and sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel to get the grease. I know that many companies are in tough financial times here and it’s worth noting that the resolution Dan sought wasn’t even a refund but rather an extension — which is something the park should have welcomed.
Game Changer? I Wore The Bluffworks Threshold T-Shirt 5 Straight Days!
I’ve seen lots of blogs review this brand and assumed that it’s been a push from Bluffworks looking to get their stuff promoted, so I’ve mostly ignored it. But this post from Michael W Travels caught my eye because of the headline and kept my attention because he was clear that he had purchased this shirt on his own and the tone rung honest and true. I’m always interested in lightening our load when we travel and I’ll soon need to make room in our bags for another little human’s things, so I found this interesting. No way I’d even try to test for 5 days like Michael W did, but I’m intrigued nonetheless.
What It Is Like to Travel to Greece During Covid-19 – Testing, Quarantine, Etc.
Charlie at Running with Miles is based in Greece, so I was interested in his take on returning to Thessaloniki after a trip back to the US. While much of this experience may no longer be relevant with the new EU entry limitations, it is still interesting to read about the process as we all work to figure out best practices.
THIS QUESTION ABOUT OUR TRAVELS ALMOST KNOCKED ME OFF MY FEET!
I hadn’t read this post from Your Mileage May Vary before we recorded this week’s podcast, but if I had I may have referenced it when I talked about my contentedness to stay at home for the time being. In my case, I find that feeling surprising; before 2020, I’d have conceded that there are things about the area where I live that I have grown to appreciate, but that I’ve definitely never loved living here. I haven’t felt a need to move somewhere else precisely because we travel so much that I get plenty of chances each year to enjoy the things I miss when I’m at home. That is to say that I am surprised at how content I’ve been to stay at home these past few months. I love traveling, but somewhat to my own wonderment, it is not as much to get away as I may have previously thought. After reading this post and thinking about it a bit more, I think the reason I’m content to stay at home is because I mostly enjoy traveling for the chance to experience places and things and I know that I likely won’t lose those opportunities forever if I stay at home this year but could lose things more important to me than travel if I’m senselessly cavalier. So for now, I’ll keep collecting points and thinking about my hopes for travel next summer.
That’s it for this week around the web. Check back soon for this week’s last chance deals.
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[…] I’m missing our former life (although, it’s worth asking ourselves why we travel, as noted by Nick at Frequent Miler). At the same time, I work in science – my company discovered […]
I’m glad that you found some value in my little test. I’d say pick up a Threshold T when it’s on sale, give it a three-day try and LMK what you think!
I spent decades being an Energizer Bunny – always on the go – travel, work, volunteering, etc. Nine years ago, I broke my leg walking my dogs, because damn it, a little ice didn’t stop me…. until it did. Emergency surgery and 14 screws later, I was on the couch, non-weight-bearing, for 6 months. Everyone thought I would go stir crazy. Nope. I learned to love it. I found FlyerTalk and learned to take our points and miles up a few notches.
Now it’s COVID. Hubby and I are retired & exactly where we want to be. We are content. The world will still be there when it is safe to explore again. We want to be around to travel again, so we’ll stay put as long as it takes.