Catching Up

Playing a little catch-up, so it’s rapid fire time…

  • Less than a week to book Southwest flights before their 15% devaluation.
  • 1,000 Delta SkyMiles for new members.
  • An extra 5,000 JetBlue points for flying before May.
  • A worthwhile contest to make a decent amount of American miles is the Passport Challenge.
  • Other contests ending are 240,000 miles for showing your Hawaii-inspired passion in a video and also AARP’s Dream Vacation.
  • The Business Platinum Amex card is up to 40,000 points. Check your mailboxes, though…targeted offers for a lot more are being mailed. Multiple reports of 100,000+ points.
  • The Hilton Surpass card is up to 75,000 points. Still tons of cards better than this one. But more points is always worth a spot in a list.

PointBreaks = My Friend

Intercontinental hotel (IHG) points are ok. Nothing to dance a jig over. Hyatt and Starwood totally blow them away. But every couple months, IHG decides to do something great. Their Pointbreaks are awesome every time they come along. In terms of value, they might be the best thing going in the world of hotel points. Later today, you can book the next set here. This is for stays through the end of the month. As usual, the reduced price is all the way down to 5,000 points per night. Today, I am a fan of you, IHG.

 

 

Redesign On The Way

This is probably (very) overdue, but it’s time for a blog redesign. I’m far from a techie, but if anyone does understand this stuff, I’ll be moving to WordPress. It should help organize things and make the blog look a lot better. I’ll also be able to add some features which are impossible in my limited home right now. Because many of you are so loyal and look at this design every day, I want to ask for your suggestions. Please feel free to email me any ideas you have. From color to layout or anything else, your opinions sincerely matter a lot to me. Hopefully, I’ll have this done within a month. Thanks, as always, for your support!

Book Those Southwest Flights

Many of you are big fans of Southwest for domestic travel. I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a fan, but they’ve definitely grown on me over the years. Why? Mainly because the Companion Pass is so incredible. Also, the weirdo boarding doesn’t freak me out anymore. Anyway, back to the point of this post. Remember to book your Southwest flights by March 30th. The devaluation pain train starts the next day. No, as far as these go, it’s not the worst of all time. But it is bad enough. Going forward, a 15% difference in points is pretty significant. So book those flights in the next 10 days. Don’t forget! Blah.

 

 

Citi Executive American Airlines Card Redux

I continue to observe how “smart aggressiveness” is what separates the good from the great in this game. You might think you’re good, but believe me, there are people doing it so much better. From watching their moves for years, I have come to understand why. The sharpest among us take their time…wait for something to get excited about…and then hammer it HARD. From Pudding Guy to dollar coins and on and on…the difference is always aggressiveness. While most are hoping for enough miles for a trip, others have a surplus that will carry them for years. A current “smaller” example is how the 100,000-mile offer is the best thing going in credit cards right now. People are finally just blogging about how they’ve gotten a second one of these cards. My point is this…

You should see these opportunities before others do. You should open your eyes and observe the patterns. When something great comes along, always look at how to scale it bigger. Find ways to be more aggressive. I shouldn’t have to tell you to look at getting more than one of these cards. You should have seen that on your own. How many relatives do you have who love you but don’t participate in this game? Don’t you see all the ways they are money in your bank? Be more alert. It’s the same way I shouldn’t have to tell you to have multiple email addresses. These things are a given. I hear from you guys all the time, and will continue to always be around when you want to discuss ideas. But step one is brainstorming and coming up with ideas. Nobody can do that for you…