When it comes to ultra premium credit cards, three cards generally come to mind -- The Platinum Card® from American Express (review), the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review), and the Citi Prestige Card. In the past I've reviewed the Amex Platinum…
Is The British Airways Card Worth It? (2020)
The British Airways Visa Signature® Card is one of Chase's popular co-branded airline credit cards. British Airways Executive Club is a great frequent flyer program, so in this post I wanted to take a closer look at this card, especially in light of…
Review: The Ben Hotel West Palm Beach (Marriott Autograph Collection)
A bit over a week ago I stayed at The Ben, a brand new Marriott Autograph Collection property in West Palm Beach, Florida. For those of you not familiar with Autograph Collection, it's supposed to be Marriott's collection of luxury, independent hotels.…
Weekly Review: February 22, 2020
Hello from Cancun! Ford and I are spending the weekend in Mexico thanks to a trip we booked last minute, as it's sometimes nice to get away for a bit. We're checking out a points hotel I haven't been to before, which I look forward to reviewing. On the…
Cancun Airport: Where Immigration Takes Longer Than The Flight
As I wrote about earlier, Ford and I are spending the weekend in Mexico, as we booked a last minute trip. Well, I think for the first time that I can ever recall, immigration took longer than the flight -- our flight time was 82 minutes, and it took…
Freddie Awards Voting: Everything You Need To Know
Voting opened in the past week for the Freddie Awards, which is the longest standing and most popular travel loyalty awards ceremony. The first Freddie Awards were held in 1989, and over the years tens of millions of votes have been cast to allow members…
The Sassiest American Airlines Flight Attendant Ever
Ford and I were going somewhat stir-crazy at home in Miami. We had both been at home for a while, and the weather wasn't nice, so we decided yesterday morning we were going to go somewhere. Four hours later we were on a flight to Cancun. I'm pretty proud…
Hong Kong Airlines Cuts All Inflight Service, Except Water
We've seen many airlines adjust inflight service as a result of coronavirus, though Hong Kong Airlines has taken it to a different level this past week. Hong Kong Airlines has cut all inflight service except water, "to further strengthen precautionary…
United Airlines Increases Checked Bag Fees (Again)
United Airlines is always quick to match negative changes from competitors, and this is no exception. United Airlines is increasing checked bag fees for flights within North America, and flights to the Caribbean and Central America: The first checked…
Free Cash With SoFi Referral Program (2020)
I've written a few times over the past several months about SoFi's generous referral program. Well, unfortunately they've made some major changes to the referral program, for both SoFi Money and SoFi Invest. In this post I wanted to provide an updated…
8 Great Opportunities To Buy Points
We frequently see loyalty programs sell points at a discount, and for many this is an opportunity to buy points at a cost that makes sense, especially for aspirational redemptions. At the moment we're seeing many programs sell points at a discount, so…
Hilton Surpass Weekend Night Reward: Worth It?
I recently wrote a comparison of the the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (review) and Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, which are Amex's mid-range Hilton Honors credit cards. In this post I wanted to look at a specific aspect…
Amex Centurion Lounge Charlotte: Opening Soon
2020 is an exciting year for Amex Centurion Lounges, as a total of six new lounges are expected to join Amex's network. In this post I wanted to specifically talk about the Amex Centurion Lounge Charlotte, which will be opening in just a few days. While…
When The Next 5 Amex Centurion Lounges Open
One of the things that people love about American Express' premium credit cards is that they offer access to Amex Centurion Lounges, which are among the best lounges you'll find at US airports. They feature complimentary cocktails, hot food, and a couple…
Marriott Bonvoy Extending Status For Those In Greater China
The coronavirus situation has had a huge impact on travel to & from Asia, and we’ve seen all kinds of travel brands issue waivers. A few days ago World of Hyatt announced that they'd proactively extend status for those in Asia Pacific, and now Marriott…
Virgin Atlantic Cuts Chauffeur Service
Well, it looks like another airline is cutting their complimentary chauffeur service for premium passengers... Virgin Atlantic has announced that they'll be cutting their chauffeur service for Upper Class (business class) passengers. This change is being…
Recent Trip Reports
Review: The Ben Hotel West Palm Beach (Marriott Autograph Collection)
A bit over a week ago I stayed at The Ben, a brand new Marriott Autograph Collection property in West Palm Beach, Florida. For those of you not familiar with Autograph Collection, it's supposed to be Marriott's collection of luxury, independent hotels.…
Review: Philippine Airlines A350 Business Class
After my ground experience in Manila I was extremely excited to board my Philippine Airlines flight to Toronto. So, how is Philippine Airlines' A350? Can they compete with other excellent airlines in the region, or do they still have a long way to go?…
Review: PAGSS Lounge Manila Airport
The previous installment covered the disaster which is connecting from T2 to T1 in Manila, and suffice to say that it probably clouded my perception of everything at this airport. In this installment I wanted to take a look at the PAGSS Lounge Terminal…
AWFUL: Connecting In Manila On Philippine Airlines
When I wrote about the Philippine Airlines ticket that I booked, many readers warned me that the connection experience at Manila Airport is the worst in the world. I don't want to say that that I dismissed what people were saying, but I figured they…
Review: Philippine Airlines A321 Business Class
For the return portion of my trip to North America I decided to book Philippine Airlines. The airline is trying to reinvent themselves, and they have new A350s with an excellent business class product. I had flown the airline once before in 777 business…
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Taipei Airport
I had quite a bit of time between by 5:30AM visit to the China Airlines Lounge, and my 9:40AM flight to Manila on Philippine Airlines, so I decided to check out another lounge. Plaza Premium has four lounges at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport --…
British Airways 787-10 Details: Cabins, Routes, And More
Several months ago British Airways took delivery of their first Airbus A350-1000, which represents a huge step forward in the carrier's fleet renewal efforts. The A350 is not only fuel efficient and a pleasure to fly as a passenger, but it's also the…
Top Hotel Credit Cards Offering Elite Status (2020)
I've written about the best hotel credit cards offering free nights, either as an annual benefit, or as a reward for reaching certain spending thresholds. In many cases these anniversary free night certificates can more than justify the annual fees on…
Comparison: Hilton Surpass Vs. Hilton Business Card
American Express and Hilton have a suite of four co-branded credit cards. As you'd expect, each card is going after a different part of the market. Amex and Hilton have two credit cards with identical annual fees -- the Hilton Honors American Express…
Review: Philippine Airlines A350 Business Class
After my ground experience in Manila I was extremely excited to board my Philippine Airlines flight to Toronto. So, how is Philippine Airlines' A350? Can they compete with other excellent airlines in the region, or do they still have a long way to go?…
Top Hotel Credit Cards Offering Free Nights (2020)
Hotel credit cards are among the most underrated out there. Understandably a lot of people get cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card to maximize the rewards they're earning for their spending, and that's a great…
IHG Premier Card Best-Ever 140K Bonus Still Available
The IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card (review) is a fantastic hotel credit card that just about everyone should have. For several weeks now the card has been offering a best-ever bonus, and this is a reminder that it's still available. For those…
Saving Points With Marriott’s Dynamic Award Pricing
In September 2019, Marriott Bonvoy introduced peak and off-peak award pricing, and it wasn't exactly what I expected. I have a couple of observations regarding upcoming award stays, which point to just how dynamic award pricing is under the new system.…
Uber’s New Tattletale Feature: A Necessary Evil?
Uber rolled out a safety feature yesterday that's both very necessary, and sure to cause a lot of controversy among drivers. If you take ride shares with any frequency, you've probably been in a situation where you had safety concerns about the driver's…
American Flying 777s From JFK To LAX (& More)
US airlines have dozens of excess wide body aircraft right now, given all of the China flights that have been suspended for the coming weeks. For example, as of now American has suspended China flights through late April, though I'd be shocked if at…
Capital One Opening Lounge At Washington Dulles Airport
This should be interesting, even though we don't yet fully know what to expect. It has been announced that Capital One has won a bid to open their first ever airport lounge at Washington Dulles Airport. This is just a few miles from Capital One's headquarters,…
