US Bank is totally enraging me about that Club Carlson Free Night Cert, the Revenue Based tsunami is rolling, let you know of a new blog The Taxiway, check out the Bajau Laut, marvel at this amazing Sky Ladder art exhibition, watch the Pluto Flyby and my dreadful experience calling banks looking to score some dope miles/points.
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Detailed instructions on how to book your Club Carlson Free Night Certificate by Travel With Grant. I have not received any points or anything about a free night from Club Carslon, I feel like a loser! I guess I better pick up the phone but I need to keep a handle on Feedly unread blogs number #facepalm Update: See developments at the end of the post when I went on a calling spree!
Pointchaser details how she booked a luxury family trip for five to Asia using miles and points. Shows what is still possible only if you use my links hehe.
The revenue based tsunami keeps on charging along and beating us down further. If you check the twitter feed of @porterairlines you will see Canadians can get as upset as we are sometimes (HT to Barb H).
Welcome to a new blog The Taxiway, at First2Board. My offer for a special price for a set of five links here at TBB was inexplicably turned down. Dang it, I am trying to do this passive income thingie like the Titans do it but I suck so bad at it #shutupyouwhinybitchTBB.
Tagging Miles answers a question from esteemed TBB reader Harvson whether Chase Ultimate Rewards are worth foregoing credit card churning for 2 years. I really like the logic behind the answers provided. See my experience at the end of this post trying to get Mrs. TBB the phucking amazing #1 travel rewards credit card in the history of loyalty rewards…the Chase Sapphire Preferred card of course 🙂 I am keeping my own Ink Plus, Mrs. TBB is done collecting Chase UR points until…this punitive and confiscatory new policy changes!
At the end of the post I have some personal experiences with what I did today in the travel rewards credit card world. I am losing my touch, too much TBBing!
I don’t get this fascination with theme planes, you know, like that ridiculous hello kitty one. Apparently, this is not a joke and you will now see a Star Wars themed ANA plane flying Tokyo to Vancouver. May the Force be with you I guess.
Bajau Laut, Last of the Sea Nomads. At Maptia. I have shared something about them last year, totally fascinating! For some reason I can not post a picture here so I just want you to know that this is worth a click. Like all TBB links are 🙂
Belgrade’s Abandoned Sugar Factory by The Bohemian Blog. Love these photos full of decay, check them out!
This is da bomb, WOW! A “Sky Ladder” made of fireworks that ignites as it drifts into the sky. I assure you we have not seen anything like it. I am amazed of the inventiveness of Chinese artists, not sure where it is all coming from!
A company just patented a 12-mile-tall building to use as a launchpad for spaceships. 12.4 miles into the sky, 25 times taller than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. I am speechless…how is this even possible? Hey, I could be finding ridiculous reasons to pump the SPG Amex and Chase Sapphire Preferred cards but I don’t! #tinywhine #makesmefeelbetter
New Horizons Pluto flyby from Bjorn Jonsson on Vimeo.
Staying in your job after financial independence. Great article at The Finance Buff. I can see me doing this actually…
I devoted some time to dive deep into my travel reward credit card archives. I discovered I still had open a Hilton Visa so when I called the Citi Retention department I got one of the most pathetic retention offers ever. I thought the rep was joking actually. I canceled the baby and moved on. I don’t usually go the downgrade route, credit score is always over 800.
I then called for my wife’s Fairmont Visa to ensure the annual free Visa night stays in her Fairmont President Club account even after canceling (and getting the annual fee refunded). The rep said yes it stays. I said “what else can you do for me?” So he gave me 5,000 points so I would likely cash them out for Fairmont gift cards and still be able to cancel to get the annual fee refunded. I should have done that multiple times but who has time now with all this TBBing going on!
I kept seeing reports about all the Club Carlson Visa cardholders who actually took the time to call US Bank to get 7.5k Club Carlson points (or more). And now it appears all these people have received an annual Free Night Worldwide ecert! And me who is supposed to be the whiner (or so I am told) who just despises calling banks and too busy TBBing for YOU got absolutely nothing, in other words, got the shaft! So “Mrs TBB” called and had to wait 25 minutes for a US Bank supervisor. He gave me the 7.5k Club Carlson points (beware: you must use the card to generate a statement to get the points!) but gave me much BS for the free night. Like “it is Club Carlson who decides who get the free nights certs and they are not telling us the criteria”. Yeah, right! Likeable fellow though other than the BS. He was willing to cancel the card and refund me the annual fee pronto and constantly apologizing. So, I then called Club Carlson who put it all on US Bank…you can’t make this stuff up, WTF! So, I will give it to the end of the week and hope the free night shows up in her account, if not this card is a goner. Now it leaves me to call…oh boy, how I dread it! But I may keep this card after transferring my wife’s Club Carlson points to me and try to use some of them points before the annual fee comes around next year. I just don’t see putting any real spend on it anymore. This program is just not competitive with the others…One final question: Has anyone been able to get the 7.5k points (and/or the free night cert) AND cancel later for a full annual refund?
By this time I was on a roll. And I got a stupid idea to test the Chase new 5 app rule. Yeah, sometimes I like to do stupid and challenging things! I read in a Flyertalk thread of a few experiences that the 5 app rule was not enforced so I thought Mrs. TBB had a chance to get the amazingly orgasmic best card in the galaxy…the Chase Sapphire Preferred card of course! Well, no instant approval. Expected. I called the Reconsideration dept and the rep was such a total obnoxious dickhead I could not believe it, I think he was actually pleasuring himself every time he said the word “denied”. Anyways, I was not going to go down without a fight! Supervisor please. He listened to me and promised to take everything into consideration. Aha, I said, I have a shot. So I poured on my story and charm. And I always I have a good story. I actually I made the guy feel really bad who started apologizing and saying “if it was up to me I would approve you on the spot, my hands are tied” blah blah blah. I should record some of these calls for educational purposes lol. Anyways, sometimes you accept defeat. Second time ever for a denial, a truly seminal event in the TBB household. After transferring out about 130k Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United last month or so, Mrs. TBB is done with Chase Ultimate Reward points. It was a good run. C’est la vie.
Before you get any ideas, my wife’s first name is one of those weird names where you can’t tell if it is male or female. No, this factor did not contribute to us getting married, I just considered it as a mega bonus. And yes she has authorized me to speak on her behalf. It works out great, what can I say, I am lucky all around hehe.
We are itching for some cards but the landscape is leaving me not too excited. Other than the SPG Amex 30k, the Citi Premier 50k, some other 50k cards if you have not had them before (or enough time has passed), there is no compelling offer out there, especially for the veterans who have had many in our careers. I think we are fine with hotel points and free night certs and I must admit I really liked our first and only Airbnb experience so we may have more of those in the future.
Oh I cancelled one AA Aviator card as well, it was gathering dust after it was converted from a US Airways card. I am working on consolidating/simplifying our credit card portfolio. I also finally stepped down from a local charity I was assisting for almost 20 years with its tax responsibilities, time for fresh blood. And when I finally sell my rental property I will have more time to TBB for YOU 🙂
When readers click on my links I feel naturally more inclined to blog more. So thanks to X (fictional initial) who got the orgasmic card mentioned above 😉 I see now why so many bloggers keep pumping it up all the time #wow.
And I leave you with this…
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Thanks for the inclusion – sorry to hear that your wife didn’t get the CSP. At least she won’t be missing out on the first Friday 3x!
We will be missing the First Friday 3x…NOT!
Cheers!
PedroNY
Thanks and cheers back to you PedroNY!
Spent 30 minutes on hold last night listening to that awful music that US Bank plays. Finally spoke to supervisor who just said they were reviewing all accounts of those who call in and ask about the free night cert. Supposed to get return call in 24-48 hours. anyone taking bets?
Yep, same outcome here for me. 33 minutes on hold, I beat you 🙂 We shall see…
Sorry, new blog = tight budget. I couldn’t possibly afford five links from TBB!!! Still love ya, though!
Did you get our offer for buy one get one FREEEEE?
Sold – where do I sign up?!
George, you are taking a beating …((())) Hug 😉
Euro is down to 1.14 might be time to buy…..
I take a beating and keep on ticking!
Why would you move your UR points to United? Seriously?
The only logical choice is Singapore…
We have different goals. United and Hyatt work for us.
Ive changed my wifes 1st name to “Pat”
Lol, good one. Good move 😉
Regarding those who retire early and yet stay in their job….I think there are some professions where it makes sense and some where it doesn’t. I came from high tech and, at the killer pace, these guys work at, you probably can’t pull that off.
Also, I don’t count people like Mr Money Mustache as retired, if he is pumping cards or selling books on his site. Guys who do that are “selling the dream”
I am not a fan of MMM and I agree with your assessment. I also agree with you on the retirement jobs issue. I doubt there are any part timers working in Amazon lol.
I spoke with US Bank yesterday about the Carlson card bonus night – had the same experience on hold for a half hour listening to classical music as recorded through an empty soup can – and the specialist called me today. He was a pretty bored but clearly experienced (with this issue) rep who explained that the certificate was only given to those who had complained (“those who were concerned”) about the change in benefit. He offered it to me but said it would 8-10 weeks to get the cert so that “people don’t just take the certificate and cancel their card.” Because my AF is now due, this unfortunately puts me on the hook to keep the card without making my usual retention call.
Thanks so much for commenting about your experience! So it looks like I may indeed get a call. I am okay with the same outcome, I ‘ll make sure I spend the night in a worthy hotel then 🙂
I just hope that by waiting to complain me I may not qualify in that “complainer” pool who also got the 7.5k Club Carlson points…that would be the ultimate shaft!
We were in Flagstaff, AZ this month and while AZ is a tough place to visit in August, esp. for us PNWers, we loved our time at the Lowell Observatory, the home of the telescope that was used to find Pluto. They were really jazzed about the New Horizons fly-by and said that the spacecraft actually had some ashes from dearly departed Clyde Tombaugh, who is the guy who discovered Pluto in 1930.
Our travels took us to Flagstaff (funky little town, quite pleasant at 7000′), Sedona (hot, great scenery, but the main strip is just too touristy), Tucson (hot but bearable, loved the desert where our friends lived) and Phoenix. I don’t know how folks who live in Phoenix manage; 114 was just too dang hot for me! We did enjoy the Heard Museum there, though, esp. the exhibit “Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience.”
A fun if hot week, and when the Embassy Suites in Flagstaff had no water for a few hours, our room got comped!
“especially for us PNWers”…. have you been outside today? It’s nearly AZ hot! 🙂
I remember I was at the convention center in downtown Phoenix for a conference in early August once. I opened the door and felt…like I was just nuked. OMG, so hot I almost expired right there…so I said screw that and never left the building until late at night when I got into my car to drive to my hotel 🙂 Oh memories
“I’m Brian and so is my wife!”
Well it’s a lot more common now….But I have been “her: since the mid 90s. At one time she was going to change it to an American sounding name and I said Noooooooooooo 🙂