Many banks have their own travel rewards system. Amex has Membership Rewards. Chase has Ultimate Rewards. And Citi has ThankYou Points. The two elite Citi cards that earn TY points are Prestige and Premier cards. This is a head to head comparison of the Citi Prestige vs Premier MasterCards. You … Read more
I recently wrote about the Amex Hawks Island in this post. Today I was able to experience it myself. The Amex Hawks Island is (as of now) a one off experience; only today (October 18) before the Seahawks vs Carolina home game at Century Link Field. Anyone with an American Express … Read more
I recently signed up for an American Express Platinum card. One of the benefits is the Amex Platinum airline fee reimbursement of up to $200 each calendar year. This is especially helpful your first year of using the card as you actually get $400 reimbursements; one for each calendar year. … Read more
Yes, I know this is a travel blog. But it seems that the “travel hacker” and “slick deal” crew are one in the same. It’s all about getting miles, meeting minimum spend on credit cards, and making money for future trips. This is an example of a deal that is … Read more
Recently I submitted a Bank of America Alaska Visa credit increase request. And for the first time in my life, I was denied an increase in credit or new credit card. Citi bank has a promotion going on where you can get 50,000 ThankYou Points or 50,000 American Airlines miles for … Read more
Update: Read about my experience at the American Express Hawks Island. If Amex Centurion Lounge and Centurion Studio weren’t cool enough places to grab a snack and drink, now you can enjoy a floating Amex Island! The American Express Hawks Island is coming to the Seattle waterfront on October 18 before … Read more
In my previous post, I listed the credit cards I have applied for and been approved for in 2015. In this post I will explain the value of credit card applications I have submitted over the past year. Here is a spread sheet I created that shows the details of … Read more
This is the year I got serious about credit card sign up bonuses. Assuming you have good credit and a responsible spender, credit cards can be a great way to earn free travel. Below is a list of the credit card applications I submitted in 2015. As always, I do … Read more
I recently wrote about booking my two award tickets to complete an around the world trip in February 2016. I thought I would go a bit more into detail about how I booked my around the world trip with Alaska miles, Hyatt points and cash. Earning Alaska Miles I started getting serious … Read more
A few months ago I wrote about the construction of a new Centurion Lounge (ended up being a Studio) at SeaTac airport in Seattle. Since then I signed up for a Platinum Amex (with 100k Membership Rewards) that grants access to the Centurion Studio Seattle (as well as other Centurion … Read more
In the world of travel blogging, I am still one of the new kids on the block. While I have been collecting miles for 15 years, I only got serious about it less than a year ago. After many credit cards and flights, I decided it is time to book … Read more
Doctor of Credit (link) recently ran a post about a Safeway gift card promotion; where if you purchase $125 in Gift Card Mall gift cards you would receive a promo code on your receipt for a $25 Visa Gift Card redeemable online. I don’t usually shop at Safeway, but today … Read more
My first visit to the Centurion Lounge Las Vegas was before a 6:50am flight to Seattle. I was one of only a handful of people in the very spacious lounge located in the D Concourse. Concourse D can be accessed by either Terminal 1 or 3 by automated tram once you … Read more
Last week I applied and was approved for an Amex Platinum card after reading about the increased 100k Membership Rewards sign up bonus. Amex only gives you one sign up bonus per card per lifetime, so I knew I had to wait until the 100k offer came up. When it did, … Read more
I applied for and was approved for an American Express Platinum Card last week. Today I received the “Membership Rewards Terms and Conditions” (which are about as exciting a read as any legal document). But after reading through them I was reminded that frequent flyer miles and credit card points … Read more