We all have phobias, right? Spiders, heights, snakes, planes, snakes on planes – there are few of us who are immune to having irrational fears about things that either can’t hurt us or which are unlikely to do so. I’m not scared of planes, heights, or snakes (though spiders still freak me out). Instead, my … Read more
The 100,000 point British Airways Visa Signature Card sign-up bonus is back and I for one am disappointed a 100k sign-up bonus is coming to us by way of this card. I also would have been happier trading a higher sign-up bonus for a less-devalued award chart, but beggars can’t be choosers, right? T hat being … Read more
During my time in the UAE, I had planned to spend two nights in Abu Dhabi at the Park Hyatt, though after my Arrival credit cards were shut down, that was no longer possible. So I opted for the Hyatt Capital Gate, which I’ve always wanted to check out due to the building’s interesting architecture. It … Read more
The other day I got a question on Twitter that I’ve wanted to address for a while. John H@coasttal wanted to know how to essentially butter up his local Walmart associates so he could ms there easily: @PointChaser New WM opening. How do I break-in the money dept there & the mgr before unloading lots of … Read more
I’ve written at length about the importance of being organized and keeping track of gift card churning activities. In the past, I’ve always thought of this as a way to ensure that I didn’t lose any gift cards or on the rare chance that someone would steal them. I didn’t realize how not-rare that occurrence … Read more
I’ve been getting emails lately from readers who are curious about why I stopped my manufactured spending posts. Have I given up on gift card churning completely or am I just not writing about it? It’s really down to the fact that I’m exhausted. Churning over $300,000 worth of gift cards in the last couple … Read more
When IHG acquired Kimpton back in 2014, the company announced that they would keep the Kimpton Karma Rewards program intact. They’ve kept true to their word. This has kept Kimpton fans happy but left IHG loyalists disappointed because it hasn’t been possible to redeem IHG points for Kimpton hotel says. Except, there are now several … Read more
After a great stay at the Conrad Makkah, I chose the Conrad Dubai for our stay over New Year’s. The Conrad Dubai is a gorgeous hotel located on Sheikh Zayed Road, close to public transportation. So it was a bit disappointing when it turned out to be my worst 5-star hotel experience so far. The hotel has … Read more
What’s great about hotel loyalty programs is that unlike airlines, they allow you to earn points for other people’s bookings. Whether your friends or family members are tagging along with you or heading off on their own trips, you can often earn points by booking their hotel stays under your own rewards account. They get … Read more
Last February I signed up for the Discover It Miles card, with the intention of really milking the 3% cash back offered during the first year. The card has no sign-up bonus and normally earns just 1.5% cash back, which is doubled during the first year. Plus, cardholders get an annual $30 in-flight wifi credit. So … Read more