If you’ve read this blog with any regularly you might already know that I’m a fan of year-end reviews. I personally like when airlines, hotels, or credit card companies provide year-end summaries. I like these summaries because they serve as a welcomed reminder of the prior year. They also provide insights into travel or spending…
It’s hard to believe that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has been around since September 2016. When Chase first introduced the Sapphire Reserve it was easily the best all-around rewards credit card available. It offered 3X points on travel and dining and came with a massive 100,000 Ultimate Reward point sign-up bonus. For that, the…
Five years ago if you were to ask me for a credit card recommendation the answer would have been simple. Back then I would have quickly told you that the Citi Prestige card is best for most people. The reason I say this is because back then, the card’s benefits were far better than any other premium…
For my first post of 2020 I thought I’d take a final look back at 2019. A few years ago I did a year-end summary post (2017 in way more than 17 photos) which I enjoyed writing, but the whole thing felt a bit empty. Looking back at that post and I realize it was…
As you can tell from the title there’s no point in hiding what the purpose of this post is. Earlier today I managed to snag two Etihad First Class seats from Abu Dhabi to London by using American Airlines AAdvantage miles. It’s a flight that I’m incredibly excited about for a few reasons, of which…
As professional sports team managers famously say to the press, this past year was a bit of a rebuilding year. What I mean by that is that this past year I focused on maximizing the credit cards I already carried vs. opening new ones and changing strategies. In doing this I was able to easily…
For the past few years American Airlines has been sending out “Year In Review” emails to AAdvantage members right before the holidays. These emails give members “a 30,000 foot view” of their travels with American Airlines and OneWorld partners. These Year In Review summaries typically include statistics on miles flown, destinations visited, time in the…
Several weeks ago I received an email from Citi informing me that I’d be receiving a new contactless credit card. In the past year I’ve had a few different homes addresses and unfortunately, that card never arrived. Then, about two weeks ago I moved to a new apartment and updated my mailing address and requested…
Historically airlines frequent flyer programs were all about one thing; miles. Since as long as frequent flyer programs have been around, these programs have always rewarded those customers who flew the most with a particular airline. In the past, the way airlines ranked their customers was based on one single metric and that was “butt…
A few years ago, my parents made the unfortunate decision to finally kick me off of the family plan. No, it’s not because I was no longer “part of the family,” but rather because it was time for me to “grow up” (their words, not mine). The timing of that decision couldn’t have been better…
