Stranded in Qatar during a missile strike, unhappy Bilt users, Capital One originating cards on Discover, and poor man’s first class (Saturday Selection)

Throughout the week, our team shares articles they’ve stumbled upon which 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: Stranded in Qatar during a missile strike, unhappy Bilt users, Capital One originating cards on Discover, and poor man’s first class.

Stranded in Qatar During Missile Strikes: My Unexpected Escape Through Saudi Arabia

Any time I hear of some kind of conflict or uprising abroad, I find myself wondering how many points-and-miles jet-setters just so happen to be there. In an earlier Saturday Selection for example, we heard from a traveler who was staying at the Hilton Kathmandu when it was basically attacked by protestors. And I recall my own unnerving experience receiving a notice under the doorway of a hotel in Bangkok during a military coup in 2014, or the building tension of protests in the streets of Kiev a year later.

At Points and Miles Bling, one traveler (Greg P) recounts what it was like getting stuck in Qatar during a missile strike. It’s hard to imagine something more chilling than that. (Greg is quite a good writer, so make sure to read his full account here.) His day of sightseeing before an evening flight did not go as planned. An emergency alert on his phone sent him back to the hotel in a cab, where he literally heard explosions en route. Hotel checkout was mayhem, and when he arrived at the airport hoping to check into his first-class flight out of there, he found that the airport was closing down operations and he’d have to spend at least another night. The Park Hyatt Doha became his sanctuary, with a staff that remained cool and calm throughout the uncertain situation. Even so, it was hard not to feel unnerved, and Greg checked in with home as often as possible, noting that “My Freedom Mobile “Roam Beyond” plan was a lifesaver, unlimited calls and 5GB of data meant I could stay connected to home without worrying about a massive bill or hunting for local SIMs.” Greg worked hard to come up with a reasonable plan to make his way home as quickly as possible, despite the halt of flights from Qatar. His best idea: a land crossing into Saudi Arabia, where flights were still operational. The particular land border he’d be able to most reasonably reach was in the desert and not one frequented by tourists. So he found a private desert-tour driver willing to take him. At the border, Greg’s Qatari driver could not cross over with him, and he nervously switched drivers to make his way to Riyadh. Despite his concerns, he found that he was in good care for the whole journey. Thankfully his plan was a good one, and once in Riyadh, he was able to fly homeward to safety. Again, make sure to read Greg’s full account in his own words here.

“No Remorse, No Accountability”—Bilt Users In Uproar Over New Credit Cards

In February, Greg made the comment: “The Bilt 2.0 rollout has taught me to question Bilt’s leadership more than ever.” At that point, our primary frustrations were around the vague, half-baked, and confusing nature of the Bilt 2.0 updates, but it’s unfortunately only gotten worse since then. We’ve since seen Bilt cards being frozen, and 5x not being honored, Bilt 2.0 charging 0.2% foreign transaction fees despite claiming there were none, and Bilt mortgage payments running into snags, for example. Perhaps worst of all, as we discussed in this post, Bilt’s behavior relating to these problems has bordered on trolling at times and has been avoidant at other times.  Of course, we’re not the only ones who noticed this. In this Forbes piece, we hear stories that are, unfortunately, not at all surprising given the Bilt behaviors we’ve been observing so far. Now, some people who have counted on Bilt for mortgage payments are seeing their payments fail with little or no explanation or assistance from Bilt support when they reach out to seek a resolution. One person even saw the funds removed from his bank account for his rent payment, but they never showed up to his landlord. When he sought answers, he received no resolution, and to this day, he considers the money essentially “stolen” by Bilt. In February, Bilt apparently received 70 complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Contrast this with the ~5 per month they’d been receiving before. The people are losing patience with Bilt, which leaves one wondering how a $10.75 billion valuation holds up.

Capital One begins originating select credit cards on Discover Network

Capital One acquired Discover Financial Services last year, and now they’ll likely be transitioning several cards to the Discover Network, at least according to some benefits guides that appeared on Reddit recently. The Discover Network was referenced on The Venture, Savor, Quicksilver, VentureOne, SavorOne, and QuicksilverOne cards. And Capital One more or less confirmed this, saying, “We have started originating select Capital One credit card accounts on Capital One’s Discover Network.” This most likely means new cardholders will receive the Discover Network cards, and existing cardholders will receive the Discover Network cards once their current cards expire. The downside? Some have reported potential acceptance issues at Costco as well as some overseas retailers.

Why I Chose A Middle Seat In Economy Over First Class On American Airlines

Matthew Klint has a somewhat relatable story about forfeiting a $189 upgrade opportunity on his recent American Airlines reverse red-eye from Chicago to LA. While the upgrade satisfied his rule of justifying $50/hour-of-flying for upgrades to premium class, an empty row on the plane wooed him away from the upgrade. He gambled a bit, selecting a middle seat in the row to disincentivize anyone else from selecting seats in that row. The gamble worked, and he ended up with a whole row to himself, which he treated like a lie-flat seat. I admire this kind of experimentation and creativity, though I have had some rough nights in “poor man’s economy” where I just couldn’t get as comfortable as I expected, despite ample space. What do you think – is a whole economy row to yourself better than an upgraded seat?

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