Get Me to NOLA – Part One: No Boarding Pass for You!

by Harlan 11 Comments

I need to vent.

If you don’t like to read about people bitching/whining, I don’t blame you. It can be annoying. But I gotta get this out. It’s also pretty text heavy. So feel free to skip this one. #disclaimer

A mess fit for a King (Cake)

So as you guys know, I went down to New Orleans this week for Mardi Gras. I spent most of it pretty indisposed, which explains why I had to brush away cobwebs around here just now.

With near-record lows in the Northeast lately, I was ready for any type of warmup, even if it was just up to the 50s (beats single digits!).

On Sunday, I was originally scheduled to fly LGA-DFW-MSY, which I was really looking forward to.

I wanted to gain some EQPs toward my AAdvantage Platinum Status Challenge, visit the Centurion Lounge @ DFW, and get to New Orleans before the Krewe of Bacchus – all of which would’ve been accomplished by this routing. Oh, and it was all on American metal.

So my heart sank a little when I got this email:

They're succinct, I'll give 'em that

They’re succinct, I’ll give ’em that

But life goes on.

I got re-booked to EWR-CLT-MSY – all operated by our friends US Airways. But whatever, I wanted to stay optimistic, and maybe it would all be fine. At that point, I just wanted to get out of the city. Was not looking forward to EWR, or to CLT to be honest, and I knew I’d be giving up EQPs. But on I went. I would still make the first parade in plenty of time.

Then the beads hit the fan

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Atlantic Terminal Target no longer accepts credit cards for REDbird reloads

by Harlan 16 Comments

Well that was fast.

Last night, 2/14 (V-Day), I went to load up my brand new REDbird at the Atlantic Terminal Target store.
All things REDcard... except credit card reloads

All things REDcard… except credit card reloads

The employees have definitely been trained to look out for these cards and reloads.

Here’s what happened

So I went in, went and got in line at the normal registers just like last time, and presented my REDbird (REDcard). The cashier glanced at it and instantly dismissed it. “You have to take those to Guest Services.” Ugh. Started to get a bad feeling then.

So I went over to Guest Services, as instructed, and again presented my REDbird card.

 

“Are you trying to pay with a credit card?”

“Yes.”

“Cash or debit only.”

“Oh, but I loaded it here just last week with a credit card.”

“It’s a new rule. Cash or debit only,” the cashier repeated.

“But I can still load it with a credit card at other Targets.”

She rapidly shook her head. “All stores are cash or debit now.”

I knew that wasn’t correct, but who knows what sort of information she’d been fed. I didn’t press her any more, and left.

The upshot was that:
  • The cashiers at this location are trained to look for these cards now
  • It is indeed cash or debit only
  • I wouldn’t waste my time trying here again
  • This is a huge missed opportunity for us New Yorkers as it’s already a barren wasteland for manufactured spending
  • It’s really disappointing to lose this opportunity so early on
  • Unless you travel often to other places that have a Target store, you are better off using Serve instead of trying to play with REDbird

But why?

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*Gay gasp!* IHG says I can stay local for Set Your Sights promo

by Harlan 4 Comments

Pardon me if this post sounds incredibly naïve.

But I was under the impression that for the IHG Set Your Sights promo that I would have to go to a different state to complete it.

Now it seems I have a choice. 

This morning, I got an email:

They know

They know

What the hee-haw?

I’d assumed that my recent acquisition of the IHG Rewards Select credit card would not count toward this promo because I used a targeted email from IHG and not the link that was on the promo page – which I assumed was coded with a tracker that would link back to the promo. Well, you know what they say about assumptions…

Resigned to completing the other 3 out of 4 requirements, I quickly saw that I’d have to trek to Connecticut to play this round.

But now I have the choice.

CT vs NY

Ha, I will in no way debate the pros and cons of those two places, don’t worry.

But now I could simply check into the Holiday Inn Express here in Brooklyn – with a daily rate of ~$85 a night – and save myself a whole heap of cash… but lose out on 12,000 IHG points.

Screenshot 2015-02-14 11.21.20

Tempting

~$405 total

~$405 total

The only hitch right now is that my upgrade to Platinum hasn’t been applied yet, and I don’t even have the card in hand. If those two things were in place, I think I’d just go ahead and pull the trigger on this… and the rates when those two things coincide with each other might be very different than $85/night.

The other thing is that I will miss out on 12,000 IHG points by staying local. But then again, I just got 2,000 points for opening the card (that I wasn’t expecting) and my bonus was 10,000 points higher than the offer in the promo… so there’s my extra 12,000 points right there.

Now it’s just a matter of how crazy for points I want/can afford (with money and time) to get, how the rates change, and when my upgrade will be applied.

I was also kinda sorta curious about experiencing the EVEN brand but I think I can wait until they launch their NYC flagship location. If I had to. 😉

Bottom line

IHG is watching! And now I can choose whether to go to Connecticut and get 12,000 extra points or stay in NYC, get less points, and save money.

I’ll wait until 1). I have the card in hand so I can meet minimum spend and earn 5 points per dollar and 2). my Platinum status upgrade is applied. I want that 50% bonus!

I’m having fun with this promo and getting more familiar with a new (to me) program. And, in a bigger picture kind of way, it seems like mattress running is becoming the new mileage running (going after segments as opposed to miles flown if that makes any sense). Until hotels go revenue based too, of course.

Has anyone else been mattress running with the new IHG Set Your Sights promo? Worth it or nah? 

Must-Haves of Travel: Coconut Oil

by Harlan 14 Comments

a container with a heart drawn on it

Also see:

Here’s my pie in the sky for weekend. And I promise I’m only a little bit crazy in recommending that you travel with a small measure of coconut oil.

Here’s why.

I have written about coconut oil before in how it relates to overall health, specifically with the practice of oil pulling, which I am happy to report I still practice religiously (today, in fact).

Benefits of coconut oil

Coconut oil does so many great and beneficial things – I basically want to turn into a coconut.

Here’s a short list of the health and beauty uses of coconut oil:

  • Make up remover
  • Moisturizer
  • Sunburn relief
  • Pre-shave and aftershave
  • Deep hair conditioner and split end treatment
  • Burn relief and scar reduction
  • Toothpaste (baking powder mixed with coconut oil)

Coconut oil is rich in antioxidants and helps enhance the lipid barrier on your skin to keep in as much moisture as possible. It’s a natural skin-softening moisturizer and contains emollient, which helps reduce wrinkles that have already developed. It’s also anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.

It soothes bug bites, speeds healing of burns, helps with rashes, gets rid of flaking skin, softens and shrinks wrinkles, protects against sun damage, keeps tans longer, etc. Seriously, Google it. You will be amazed by all you can do with it.

How to use coconut oil while traveling

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Should I go to a different state for my IHG Set Your Sights Promo?

by Harlan 4 Comments

A new (to me) program

A new (to me) program

AKA how crazy should I be to get some points? 

IHG is rather new to me, so I’m really open to pretty much anything with regard to the Rewards Club program.

I know the Set Your Sights promo is personalized, and, given that I have no paid stays for the past couple of years, or status, or anything, mine is pretty dismal:

My IHG Set Your Sights promo offer

My IHG Set Your Sights promo offer

But I gotta start somewhere. I am hoping that the next one will be a little more… favorable, but when I break this down, I can complete 3 out of 4 in one fell swoop… it just involves going to Connecticut.

Running the numbers on the promo

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I broke down and got the Chase IHG Rewards Club credit card

by Harlan 16 Comments

a beach with palm trees and a pool

Update: The version of the Chase IHG card described below is NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Check here for the latest card deals. 

Yes, I fell in a moment of weakness.

Chase has been targeting me relentlessly for months about opening up a dang IHG credit card with them.

With regularity, I get these emails:

Chase IHG targeted email

Chase IHG targeted email

They interested me for a number of reasons:

  • I have no status with IHG
  • I don’t have any paid stays within the past 2 years
  • My only stays have been reward stays
  • I only had 550 “orphan points” that have been sitting there forever
  • I already have 5 open credit cards with Chase – why are they trying to push a 6th one so hard?
The emails from Chase

The emails from Chase

I got this email in September, October, November, December, and January. I probably would’ve gotten one in February too – six months in a row – had I not pulled the trigger.

Why I got the IHG credit card

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Just booked: New Orleans for Mardi Gras!

by Harlan 5 Comments

We have lost our minds here at the Out and Out headquarters in NYC (AKA me in my living room in Brooklyn) – and my dog is giving me the side eye for using the royal “we.”

I’m going to New Orleans for Mardi Gras! (That is kind of a misnomer. “Mardi Gras” is a 3-week celebration. I am just going for the Baccus Parade and Fat Tuesday. But still – super stoked.)

How it happened

Really, I was just tinkering around on the Hyatt website looking at Category 3 and 4 hotels on a dark, snowy evening because that’s what points junkies do in the evenings, right?

But really, I had a free night cert from the Chase Hyatt Visa that I needed to use and wanted to maximize my value. I noticed, in the Category 3 list, the Hyatt French Quarter New Orleans. And then thought hmmm…. I wonder if…. (Basically a repeat of Oktoberfest booking.)

I couldn’t get the website to cooperate with redeeming the free night cert, so I called up Hyatt and a very patient agent plugged in a variety of dates surrounding Fat Tuesday (February 17th this year).

While she did that, I played around with points bookings with both Hyatt and Club Carlson (my two fave programs).

Paid $75 for the Hyatt card annual fee, getting back $315

Paid $75 for the Hyatt card annual fee, getting back $315

Hyatt French Quarter availability - 15,000 points or $500?

Hyatt French Quarter availability – 15,000 points or $500? #nobrainer

Now, I’d been saving my Club Carlson points for when I go to Ireland in May, but seeing that the Country Inn and Suites on Magazine Street in New Orleans was eligible for a BOGO booking sent me over the edge. I figure I can always manufacture some more Club Carlson points in the next couple of months, anyway. I still have my eye set on their Radisson Blu in Cork, Ireland.

Anyway, the Hyatt agent found a night at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans that was eligible for the free night cert. A quick Google search showed me that it was on the route for the Bacchus Parade. PERFECT.

But then, flights…

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Bank of America/FIA WorldPoints Mall Ending in March 2015

by Harlan 12 Comments

From the “nobody cares but me” files… 

I’ve written a lot about the FIA Fidelity American Express in the past. In my opinion, it’s the best cash back card out there for a lot of reasons: no annual fee, eligible for Amex Sync offers, ease of redemption into interest-earning accounts, and until now, the incredible shopping portal that no one ever really talked about anyway.

I check this portal every time I purchase something online, and about every 4th or 5th time, they have the best payouts. I’ve never had any issue with my points posting, although they’ve been known to take their precious time about posting from a few merchants. I’ve earned hundreds of free dollars from the WorldPoints portal just by clicking their links in the past year or two.

As of March 2015, it will be ending.

Saw this on the FIA website

Saw this on the FIA website

Then I went to verify, and sure enough it’s reflected on the Bank of America website as well.

Screenshot 2015-02-02 19.00.27

From the BofA version of the WorldPoints Mall

They routinely paid out nicely for soap.com, which is where I order my dog’s food from (well, from wag.com but I always clicked through to soap.com and still got the portal points).

5 points per dollar for soap.com

5 points per dollar for soap.com

In addition, they often had higher payouts for hotels.com, staples.com, gap.com, The Body Shop, and even a couple of stores that other portals don’t have (soap.com, actually – although it’s on the Barclays RewardsBoost portal at 2 points per dollar).

If anyone wants to get in one more round of shopping in February to get some extra free money, now’s your last chance.

Bottom line

I hate to see Bank of America following in American Express’ footsteps – Amex closed their Membership Rewards portal a couple of years ago.

Chase recently rebranded their portal as “Shop Through Chase” which gives me hope that they’re not going to close it any time soon.

It’s not the end of the world or anything, but always bad to see less options and to see banks retracting programs like this. The economy is getting better (or rather, is already better) and Bank of America/FIA probably figure they can get the extra revenue from somewhere else.

Just hope it doesn’t signal more clawbacks in the near future, or prompt other copycats. I don’t think it will – BofA is one of the stingiest banks for points and miles credit cards, so this just comes off as yet another cut they’ve made. It affects me very peripherally with the FIA card, but still…

Does anyone else use this portal? Oh god, don’t say it’s just me. ::crickets::

Hotel Review: Grand Hyatt, Melbourne, Australia

by Harlan 2 Comments

Grand Hyatt Melbourne

I’ll go ahead and make this the most anti-climatic review EVAR: I loved the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne.

We came here off the heels of the InterContinental in Sydney and directly before an awesome Etihad flight that left us in the UAE, which was challenging for me, and a brief stay at the Park Inn Yas Island before heading back to the US of A, which closed our epic RTW trip that started in Fiji. Whew, that was a long sentence.

Anyway, side note, do NOT take a taxi from the airport. MEL is really far from downtown Melbourne, and a taxi was about $70USD. My eyes almost popped out of my head once we got there and I saw the price. Landing at the airport feels like you’ve arrived in the middle of the outback… and driving into the city takes a solid 45 minutes. I recommend the airport bus – it’s so much cheaper and takes just a little longer.

The Grand Hyatt is located right in downtown Melbourne, in the middle of numerous destinations, close to the water, the arts district, museums, trains, everything really…

It was a great home base for a few days in Melbourne, and as a Hyatt Category 3 property for only 15,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points per night, it is a total steal. One of those hidden gems in the system that is so worth taking advantage of.

Rooms here are often over $500 a night

Rooms here are often over $500 a night

However, since it was so centrally located, I went ahead and redeemed for a Club King room – I knew I could pop in and out of the Club Lounge for snacks and drinks throughout the day, and I wanted that breakfast! I often receive outsized value from the Club rooms, as I know I get my money’s (or points’) worth in drinks alone – especially when it is so easy to come and all day.

After paying the taxi driver, we headed into the Grand Hyatt. Checking in was a breeze. They were pleasant and helpful, and offered up details about the area, but weren’t overly long about it.

Entrance to the Grand Hyatt Melbourne

Entrance to the Grand Hyatt Melbourne

We learned that we could have breakfast in the restaurant instead of the Club Lounge for a small co-pay (I think about $20 extra), so we went ahead and added that to our room to start off with… pics will be below.

The room

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Money transfer works between REDbird and Serve

by Harlan 2 Comments

Screenshot 2015-02-02 11.40.35

The funds were sent from REDbird

There’s nothing too remarkable about the image above, except that I received funds in my Serve account – and they were sent from a REDbird account.

It’s not surprising given that it’s literally the exact same interface copy and pasted (and turned red instead of blue).

To send money between Serve and REDbird, you just click “Pay & Transfer” then “Send Money.” Just be sure to use the email address associated with the account, and you should have no issue. The funds transferred right away, and I logged into my Serve account and paid a bill with the online bill pay.

Just make sure the emails or phone numbers match

Just make sure the emails or phone numbers match

This might be useful for some.

I am in the middle of loading up my Serve for the last time (day 2 of 5 right now), after which, I will cancel my account online and activate my own REDcard. The timing is great because I can max out the limits on both cards in February – even if it is a short month!

I know some of you are currently waiting on REDbird to arrive or don’t have a Target nearby – but in case you need to send from from Serve to REDbird, or vice versa, you’ll be totally fine.

Bottom line

Just wanted to throw this up, PSA-style, in case anyone else was in an in-between phase with these two cards and needed to send money to a friend or family member. I suspect it would also work with Bluebird, but I’d do a small transfer (like $5) just to test it out before I went full hog.

Having this transfer capability allowed me to pay my rent on time this month, and I was glad the two cards “talked to each other.”

In any regard, between Serve, REDbird, and PayPal My Cash cards, I am pretty well set for this month.

I *do* want to make sure US Bank cards are good with REDbird at Target because I really love Club Carlson points. I’ve heard US Bank is super weird about the REDbird reloads, so aside from that – now that I’m 100% I can load REDbird in NYC – I’m ready to get my permanent card and start this ball a-rollin’.

To Selfie or Not to Selfie?

by Harlan 4 Comments

Pre-departure champagne for your thoughts?

Pre-departure champagne for your thoughts?

Philosophical-type post ahead – about selfies in blog posts. Run now if this ain’t your thing.

Way back when, about a lifetime or two ago, I worked in corporate America.

I built relationships with people, primarily via phone and email. Sometimes the relationships grew to a point where I was talking to people several times a day on the phone. We helped each other; I knew the tone of their emails and could decipher their mood by the sound of their voice. In short, I felt like I got to know them.

Every once in a while, I’d try to find these people on LinkedIn or Twitter and was always kinda disappointed when I couldn’t find a picture of them. I wanted a face to put to the voice on the telephone, and to the person behind the emails.

Why I selfie

I like selfies in blog posts and think that, in general, it is a good thing:

  • Readers get to match a face to a voice
  • I feel like it promotes accountability
  • It more readily encourages interaction (which I love)
  • It makes the blog a more personal space and more of a forum

Last week, at the New York Times Travel Show, I was recognized by a reader, which was SO COOL. We had a chat and got into some random travel-related stuff. It was really cool to meet someone who’d read something I put out into the world. I don’t think that would’ve happened had I not put up the occasional photo.

There are some drawbacks, too. I’m giving away some of my privacy, perhaps. Not a huge amount as I’m still just a tiny blog floating out in Internet-land, but maybe a little. That might bring up concerns of safety, or things in that vein. I’ve always sort of been naively trusting that the world is, on the whole, a good place, and I’d like to think having a picture on a blog doesn’t really matter in the long run, one way or the other.

For me, the good things far outweigh the bad. The reader interaction so far has been just incredible. I’m blown away by how many people want to talk about this sort of stuff. Even if it’s negative, at least it’s striking a chord. And I feel it’s in part due to the selfies. I don’t want to limit that in any way, and if anything, want to encourage more of it. I like to come here to post things I find interesting that are travel-related, and really like talking to other people about it.

So that is my intention.

Other views

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British Airways Fifth Freedom Flights Bookable With Avios

by Harlan 19 Comments

Update 2/2/15: Reader Luke alerted me to a whole slew of Caribbean flights I was missing from this list, so now they are added!

Thought this was really cool.

British Airways has 15 city pairs with Fifth Freedom flights:

  • Abu Dhabi-Muscat
  • Bahrain-Doha 
  • Colombo-Male
  • Johannesburg-Harare
  • Johannesburg-Livingstone
  • Johannesburg-Mauritius 
  • Johannesburg-Victoria Falls
  • Johannesburg-Windhoek
  • Antigua – Saint Kitts
  • Antigua – Tobago
  • Antigua – San Juan
  • Nassau – Grand Cayman
  • Nassau – Providenciales
  • Saint Lucia – Grenada
  • Singapore-Sydney

The good news is that most of them are bookable using Avios, and could provide a springboard to expand award bookings, or to take advantage of open jaws, or as a trip unto itself.

Bookable with Avios

It looks like BA operates a daily flight from AUH-MCT and there is availability on every single flight for every fare class.

Screenshot 2015-01-31 23.06.18

AUH-MCT open award availability

Screenshot 2015-01-31 23.06.53

All fare classes are open, but economy is just 4,500 Avios

Ditto for BAH-DOH, and you can even use Avios to book on all of Qatar’s flights as well. Read More