OUT AND OUT

Booking Dublin: Hotels

January 7, 2015 by Harlan 6 Comments

The Delta attack on United hubs elicited my first post written in utter excitement with ~~little~~ no editing.

After I booked the Dublin trip, I realized there were more pieces that had to fall into place, and thought it would be a good opportunity to document my trip-planning process.

The trip is IAD-ATL-DUB, and back the same way. I’m in New York, so I am anticipating:

Booking hotel rooms for six nights
Probably renting a car
Getting myself down to Washington, DC from NYC
Using my American Express Platinum Card to get into Delta and/or Priority Pass lounges in IAD and ATL (and DUB on the way back)
And of course, being in Ireland for the first time

Hotel options

Just booked: IAD-ATL-DUB-ATL-IAD in May for $223 R/T A/I!

January 5, 2015 by Harlan 6 Comments

Per the Flight Deal, fares to Dublin (and several other destinations), Delta is aggressively attacking fares to United hubs.

How aggressive?

Base fares are pricing at $1 OR LESS. You are only paying the taxes and fuel surcharges!

IAD-ATL-DUB is pricing out at $323 for several days in early May and it’s still available. I got in on this and can’t wait to go (although not thrilled that it’s on Delta – I credited to Alaska for the first time).

$1 base fare!

I will earn ~4,500 Alaska miles by crediting to Mileage Plan even with the V fare bucket. You’d earn just 1,105 with SkyMiles

In addition to all of this, I had a $100 egift certificate I bought with my American Express Platinum back in the day and never used, which brought my total down to $223 round-trip and all-in. I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland, and at just over $200, I couldn’t say no!

If you want to get in on this, I’d recommend booking ASAP. I’m usually not one for breaking news, but I’m super excited about going to Ireland and wanted to share in case anyone else would like to go. Lots of other cities/countries/continents/airlines are included in this sale so play around get yourself a great deal – especially to a place you’ve always wanted to go!

Be sure to look at the Flight Deal links above and play with dates into and out of the hubs. A list of airline hubs is here and the best place to check out flights is the ITA Matrix.

Good luck and godspeed!

What’s in my wallet? (Evaluating credit cards and travel goals)

January 2, 2015 by Harlan 3 Comments

As I begin to figure out my points and miles strategy for 2015, I thought it would be helpful assess what I currently have in my wallet.

Pre-warning: this is a very text heavy post. No pretty pictures to look at, just a whole lotta straight talk (1,200 words worth).

By bank:

American Express

Platinum Card
EveryDay Preferred

I just got a new Platinum Card in hopes that I’ll actually get a bonus for opening it – but I’m not holding my breath. In any regard, I already cashed in the $200 in airline incidentals on AA gift cards in 2014 and will do so again this year, so I will make back most of the annual fee right away.

I occasionally use Priority Pass Select on lounge visits that would otherwise be $50 a pop, and love dipping into the Centurion Lounges where I easily drink over $50 in cocktails alone (not to mention the spa treatments).

I also have utilized the Fine Hotels & Resorts program a time or two, and really love the near-constant Amex sync offers. So, I’m keeping it.

As for the EveryDay Preferred… it really has become by “EveryDay” card – I use it constantly and get 1.5-4.5x Membership Rewards points on everything I buy, which is pretty sweet. The earning is decent for non-bonus spend and is great for groceries, gas, and even more sync offers. (Email me if you’d like a referral to this card!)

If only Amex would up the points-earning power of the Platinum Card, I might actually put a buck or two of spend on it.

Barclaycard

Time to Set New Travel Goals

January 2, 2015 by Harlan 12 Comments

Also see:

Goosenecks in Utah

The first of the year is always a good time to reassess everything in the FF universe. All the clocks have just been reset to zero and we hang onto our statuses until the end of February. I’m going to lose Platinum with American. It’s my first time in a few years not having status with any airline.

I also have to decide whether or not I want that British Airways Travel Together certificate. I’ve been weighing the pros and cons – and as of right now, it’s not looking so appealing just due to the dang fuel surcharges. I’m also not sure if I want this year to be as Europe-centric as last year. My travel goals are pulling me to Asia and back to South America, although there are still many European countries I’d love to visit.

With all this in mind, I’ve begun the process of writing down my goals for the year.

I have four categories that I set up for goals:

Personal
Career/Business
Health
Travel

I set up a file in Evernote and type everything out, stream-of-consciousness style, in no order at all.

Then I go through and polish it up a little, connect the dots, expand, and refine.

I also did something this year that I’ve never done before: I wrote a letter to my future self, with a reminder set for one year from now. This is my way of holding myself accountable for the goals I set, and it gives my subconscious something to strive toward. It was also surprisingly cathartic.

I find that writing/typing out a goal is much better than keeping it in “the back of my mind.” If you don’t have Evernote, it’s a great thing to have even if you just use it for this one purpose.

Travel goals

Hotel Review: InterContinental Sydney, Australia

January 1, 2015 by Harlan 6 Comments

From the way overdue files…

This time last year, I celebrated the start of 2014 in Sydney at the InterContinental.

I got in on the annual Daily Getaways promo to buy 150,000 IHG points – and promptly redeemed them for three nights in a “King Standard City Side Room.”

Now, I expected the area downtown to be crazy for New Years Eve. The location was amazing.

Location of the InterContinental Sydney

I don’t remember how, but I was somehow Gold with IHG at the time. This was with zero stays – maybe I status matched? Whatever the case, I am still Gold with them today despite not having any paid stays in 2013 or 2014. Mysteries of the universe.

I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d get some sort of upgrade for being Gold during a time where there would be a lot of tourists with no status. I didn’t expect it, but thought I had a ghost of a chance.

Check-in

Review: Tumi T-Tech Continental Carry-on

January 1, 2015 by Harlan 2 Comments

The new Tumi

I got a Tumi T-Tech Continental Carry-on as a Christmas present this year. It was a sweet and thoughtful gift, and broke it in on my recent trip to Memphis.

After I opened the box and set up the TSA security lock, I read some comparative reviews, and man, people are really into carry-on bags! Before this, I was using a Herschel duffel bag (this one, actually), which was fine for a while. To carry it to the airport, I put the strap over my head and carried it on one shoulder or the other. The downside to that was obvious – my shoulder would start to ache before I got to the airport. But everything else was great: the size and durability, mostly. I also liked out it was made of nylon – I could always squeeze in one more item.

So now I have a hard-sided rolling carry-on, which is already a world of difference.

Thoughts on the new American after US Airways flights

December 31, 2014 by Harlan 1 Comment

On Monday, I flew MEM-CLT-LGA on US Airways. I’m Platinum with American for a couple more months unless I can boost my paid flying really quickly (prolly not gonna happen). As an aside before I begin, I think American is the only airline/status worth mileage running with/for at this point.

Checking in

I got a regular ol’ economy fare to fly home after Christmas (don’t remember what fare bucket). MEM-CLT is an hour and twenty minutes, while CLT-LGA is a tad over an hour. Suffice it to say I knew I’d survive.

When I went to check in on the US Airways mobile site, I saw something very curious as I verified my seat selection: First Class seats available for an extra $0. Of course I excitedly clicked it before I could get a screen shot. Then I saw this: Read More

I found the REDbird to make a (data) point in New York City

December 31, 2014 by Harlan 6 Comments

Also see: State of the Game: What I’m Looking Forward To (MS, Points/Miles, & Status)

First of all, Happy New Year’s Eve! And now…

I HAB THA REDBIRD

I just got back from REDbird Land (AKA the Memphis metro area). I was there visiting family for the holiday and made a point to stop in to a Target to pick up a REDbird card (AKA Target American Express Prepaid REDcard) and load it up with $500 – the max load for a temporary card.

The REDbird experience

Still need a last-minute Christmas gift? Consider Amazon Prime Membership!

December 24, 2014 by Harlan Leave A Comment

Thought I’d throw this out there. I’ve been dealing with a lot of last-minute Christmas-related… stuff, and went the gift card route to give as gifts for a few family members.

prime

I saw this pop up as an option, and it’s quite a good one: gift someone a year of Amazon Prime Membership.

The main benefits are:

Prime Photos – unlimited photo storage
Prime Music – stream music for free directly from the website
Prime Instant Video – stream movies and TV shows (they are coming out with original programming next year)
Kindle Owners’ Lending Library – “rent” a book per month on your Kindle
FREE TWO-DAY SHIPPING

The biggest draw is definitely the free two-day shipping. Their products are competitively priced – and I am a huge comparison shopper. They also offer discounts for recurring subscriptions to certain products.

I have been an Amazon Prime member since 2010. My first year was free because I was in college at the time (this is still a thing… link below!). They didn’t have any of the media stuff included with the membership back then. It was just the shipping perk.

I’ve used it enough the past few years and am happy to continue paying for it. I know the free shipping I’ve gotten just this year would’ve cost me quite literally thousands of dollars. I got a lot of furniture items shipped, and that ain’t cheap.

I have also ordered a few single items here and there, simply because I know I can. There’s no pressure to meet a minimum shipping threshold, and you can try something out quickly and cheaply, which I appreciate.

Two other things

If this isn’t timely, or is too much to commit to, there are two other things to try:

A 30-day free trial

Get it for free if you’re a college student! (Must have a .edu email address and submit proof of enrollment.)

The free version for college students is what got me hooked. But even if you’re not in school, the 30-day free trial can at least get you free two-day shipping to have some “sorry I’m late” gifts delivered slightly after the Christmas holiday.

Bottom line

This post is niche even for me, but just wanted to throw this out just in case. I’ll get back to my regularly scheduled craziness after the holiday and have some very big news for the blog coming up in the New Year!

Warmest holidays to my readers!

Get into the habit of earning more points

December 11, 2014 by Harlan 2 Comments

Yesterday, I was out with a friend for lunch. When the check came, I threw down my Chase Sapphire Preferred to get double points on dining. He put down a Barclays US Airways World MasterCard. I was kind of surprised, since I didn’t know he was into points and miles.

“That’s a pretty good card,” I said, thinking about how I’d just gotten it the week before.

“The points are useless,” he replied. “I never earn enough to actually go anywhere.”

Ummm… I definitely don’t have this problem.

Also see:

My habit loop

Details about FoundersCard benefits (Cathy Pacific, Avis, hotel discounts)

December 9, 2014 by Harlan 5 Comments

I recently got a thoughtful email from a reader with a few questions about FoundersCard benefits (HT: Kevin).

I’ve written before about the many benefits FoundersCard offers.