You missed me, huh?
Yeah, yeah. Well dammit, I missed you too!
But I’m back. Refreshed. Recharged. Ready for 2015.
I want to wait until tomorrow to get back to the usual rundown of deals.
Right now, let’s take a look back at that exciting time known as 2014…
That’s right, it’s time for the (first) Annual Nerd Awards!
Or as they’re called on the street…The Nerdies.
Here we go with the winners and losers:
Best Credit Card Of 2014:
Without a doubt, the winner is the 100,000-mile American Airlines Executive card. Amazing offer. Of course, some of you went crazy and grabbed a few of them. Over a million American miles? Yup, that’s what a few of you have because of this offer. I really should have hit it harder. Damn.
Dumbest Move With A Credit Card:
This one just happened. I applied for the decent-ish 50,000-mile Delta card. In the terms, it said the bonus wasn’t available if you’ve had this card in the last 12 months. Well, I closed my last one in March. No excuses for this brain fart…just didn’t take the 30 seconds to look at my spreadsheet. Dumb.
Most Loved Points Of The Year:
Chase Ultimate Rewards came through for me in a big way. I maxed out my office store points buying $200 gift cards from Staples. This added up to 250,000 points, plus another 50,000 from signing up for an Ink Plus. Many, many good times were had with these points. More on that later.
Least Favorite Points Of 2014:
This is a tough one. As much as I hate them, Delta SkyMiles can actually be useful. I ended up finding a good use for some Hilton points too. Hmm…Spirit miles are pretty terrible, but I never bothered collecting those. Ok, I’m going with an upset winner here. Lufthansa! Are you shocked? Well, you should be. These are solid miles with some very good uses. Still, there’s a huge “but.” I got SO MANY emails this year complaining about the same issue. Lufthansa’s expiration policy for miles is a major, major pain. I think they deserve way more criticism for this, so I’m calling them out here. Lufthansa miles were my least favorite points of the year.
Favorite Hotel:
I was lucky to stay in some great ones. The Roosevelt in New Orleans upgraded me to a killer suite, as did the Hyatt in Park City. I loved some of the luxury hotels here in Southern California too (Ritz and St. Regis in Dana Point, Park Hyatt in Carlsbad, etc). But my winner continues to be the Andaz Maui. Even with small-ish rooms, I am totally in love with the place. It wasn’t the nicest hotel I stayed in, but it was my favorite. Remember those Ultimate Rewards points? I put them to great use here.
Worst Hotel:
I’m basically a country bumpkin, so the Las Vegas strip isn’t my favorite place. I actually prefer gambling with the locals. Speaking of which, I happily said “yes” when the Sunset Station offered me free nights. Ugh. I wouldn’t stay there again. There was some unknown, nasty smell that ruined the experience. As an Indian guy who grew up with curry, I’m used to strong smells. But this was ridiculous. I don’t know what was happening at this hotel, but it seemed to be a combination of smoke, years of B.O., and overall funkiness. It was the hotel stay of the year by far. One positive thing, though. There’s a restaurant in the Sunset Station called Oyster Bar. On the menu is something called a pan roast. If you are ever in Vegas, you MUST go to this casino (or the Palace Station) and eat this dish. Thank me later. If you like seafood, this will be one of the best things you ever eat for an affordable price.
Favorite Movie:
What does this have to do with miles and points? Absolutely nothing. But I’m a random kind of dude. The best movie I saw this year was Birdman. I’ve seen it twice in the theater and once at home already. If you have quirky taste in flicks, this one is probably for you. I also loved Interstellar, which is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it type of movie.
Favorite Trip:
In late November, I spent 15 glorious nights in Hawaii. It was probably the best 2 weeks of my life. Kauai was great. Maui was better. The Wailea area of Maui was the best. And, yeah, that Andaz is my idea of heaven.
Favorite Pool:
The saltwater lagoon at the Grand Hyatt Kauai. Don’t just dip in…swim all the way around. Go during the day and then try it late at night. You will have very different (but very magical) experiences.
Best Food:
Morimoto at the Andaz Maui wins this one. Oyster Bar in Vegas was the surprise of the year. And New Orleans takes the best foodie city award any day of the week. I don’t know if it’s possible to live there and be in shape.
Most Useful Website:
Man, there are so many great websites for travel. Flyertalk continues to be helpful, Yelp is a lifesaver for restaurants in strange towns, and TripAdvisor still gets a thumbs-up for all they provide. But The Flight Deal edges out ITA Matrix as the most useful website of the year.
Most Useful App:
Surprisingly (to me), I’m choosing Uber as the winner here. I continue to have a bipolar love/hate relationship with them, but it’s so hard to imagine travel without Uber. It is absolutely the app I’d miss most if it were gone.
Best Trend:
New products seem to be appearing faster than ever. From new credit card options to new gift card choices…this is an incredible time to be a clever person with a hustling mindset.
Worst Trend:
The devaluing of points and miles. This was a terrible year for devaluations. I have no reason to believe this will get any better.
Most Annoying Trend:
Hotel resort fees. Even at places closer to motel than “resort.” These fees keep increasing in every possible way. We’re seeing more of them and the amounts keep going up.
Favorite Quote:
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
Many of you reached out after my last post of the year. The last bit seemed to have an impact and I’m happy it did. I wasn’t trying to be vague or cryptic. Just simply trying to express my feelings. I think we need to keep it real. Let’s not blame our family, childhood, spouse, bloggers, readers, employers, society, God, fate, or anything else. We are where we choose to be in our lives. We can make a better choice. This world of miles and points tends to be a great metaphor for the bigger picture. I can book a First-Class flight tonight for most of the major cities in the world. And a 5-star hotel stay. I’m not a wealthy guy, but I can go anywhere I want. That’s an absolute miracle. Think about how lucky we are. And we made it happen. So, in 2015, maybe we can challenge ourselves to make a lot more happen. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think we were born to choose mediocrity. We’ve spent our lives collecting all the tools we need. Let’s put them to use right now. Have a great 2015!
