Just yesterday I published a post with my valuation of various points currencies. Whenever I share my valuation of points, I always mention that there's no absolute correct ways to value points. There's generally a floor and ceiling for valuing points,…
The Companion Pass is probably the best way to get discounts on Southwest Airlines, as you're effectively getting 2-for-1 travel for as long as you have the pass. And before anyone makes a snarky comment about no one at OMAAT flying WN, the last time…
If you check the blog's Beginners Guide To Miles & Points, you'll see that I have a section with my valuation of various points currencies. However, every so often I like to go through and comprehensively adjust my valuation of points, given how it's…
"Ask Lucky" forum member LivinLIfeFrankly posed an interesting question today that I figured I'd chime in on, and I'm curious what you guys think. You can read the entire original post here, but to summarize the situation:
I've been fiercely evangelical about Project Fi since Google launched their cell phone service a few years ago. The plans have saved me a ton compared to a legacy mobile carrier, the un-throttled international coverage has been life-changing, and I adored…
I frequently write about promotions for purchasing airline miles and hotel points, as this can often represent an excellent value. While I never recommend buying points without a particular use in mind, this can represent an excellent value for aspirational…
There's a lot of misinformation out there about what happens when you skip a segment on a flight itinerary. There are a variety of reasons people may do this, so in this post I wanted to look at that from a few perspectives: -- Why people intentionally…
I'm getting towards the end of my four month, hand luggage only trip. Over the course of this trip I've written about: -- Finding the perfect cabin bag to take with me -- The two biggest frustrations in travelling long term with hand luggage only --…
I'm getting towards the end my four month trip, and have had a great time. Now a trip this long has obviously involved a lot of planning and booking, especially in regards to accommodation. I'm travelling with my partner, with various friends coming…
Happy New Year all -- by now you will have seen the news that Cathay Pacific has decided to honour their 'special' deeply discounted business and first class fares between Vietnam and North America. That means there will be plenty of you travelling on…
Whether we're new to the game or seasoned experts, we all make mistakes from time to time. And while I've largely been able to keep it together ever since my disastrous China Eastern non-journey from a year ago, apparently I was due for a travel mishap.…
With 46 million passengers scheduled to fly on U.S.-based airlines over the next couple of weeks, there are bound to be some rocky roads (and rough air) out there. And even if you're used to hopping on planes, traveling with infrequent travelers is a…
This won't affect a large number of OMAAT readers who already hold US passports, but for those of us who visit the US on foreign passports, many do so under the ESTA program. ESTA stands for 'Electronic System for Travel Authorisation,' and is an automated…
I like to tell everyone who will listen about the huge value they can get by maximizing credit cards and using them responsibly. There are so many great credit cards out there, and those who are using debit cards or paying cash are basically throwing…
I spend a lot of time here talking about airline soft products. As airlines keep improving the quality of their first and business class, it's a topic I find really interesting, as there's such variation in quality. However, at the end of the day it's…
Hello from Aruba! I'm now over halfway through my four month trip, which is the longest trip I've ever taken. I've explained before about how (and why) I'm travelling hand luggage only (HLO) for this trip. I've done shorter trips HLO no problem, but…
Every year around this time, frequent travelers around the world scramble to make last-second pushes to secure elite status before time runs out. While this used to be incredibly commonplace, annual program changes have made this practice of "status…
Chase issues some of the best rewards credit cards out there, though one of the major restrictions associated with being approved for many of their cards is the "5/24 rule." In this post I wanted to provide an update on a previous version of the post…
In this post I wanted to talk about a trend I've noticed lately, which is making me reconsider part of my approach to booking transatlantic travel. Over the past few years, airlines have gotten much better at maximizing revenue. This has come in a few…
At the moment we're seeing some great promotions to save money on Amazon purchases using the Shop with Points options offered by some loyalty programs (see my previous posts about the Amex and Chase promos). Some people have had trouble registering for…
Virgin Australia's Velocity program has some unique airline partners, as it not a member of a global alliance. One of those partners, not surprisingly, is Virgin Atlantic. While Virgin Atlantic no longer flies to Australia (though they want to restart),…
