We bring you the news how IHG Rewards became irrelevant, the new Cathay Pacific Visa offer, HSAs are great, visit frozen Lake Baikal and more freeeeee still for you!
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Humor Alert: I am posting this here first so I can see who HTs me, looking at you Alan H. The Internet Can’t Stop Laughing At The Worst Hotel Guest Ever Who Got Banned From Hotel For Lifetime. You.Must.Read.This!
Another hit to the travel hacking dropped with IHG Rewards devaluing the free Visa night: New IHG Devaluation April 2, 2018 — Chase Limits the Anniversary Free Night to 40,000 Points. Just as years ago the airline elite game was finished and we became free agents, maybe it is time to do this now for the hotel loyalty “schemes” me thinks. I mean, how can this card go from THE card to have to completely irrelevant. Raising the annual fee to $89 from $49 and no longer giving us a free night to ANY hotel, that’s how, sad! Andy has this right:
Of course, glass-half-full people will point out that there are still ways to benefit from the program despite this new IHG devaluation. I should know, I’m kind of one of those people. I always look for values, no matter how bad the news is. And I’m sure you can find a good value in it. Hell, you can find a good value in almost everything if you look hard enough. But the relentless pace of IHG devaluations year after year is simply depressing. They just take, take, take. It’s almost as if they hated their loyal members, as if there was something dark and very personal about it…
Good thing I’m not one of these loyal members, or I would be royally pissed as opposed to being simply annoyed, LOL.
Long story short, I’m not applying. Yes, the program still has some value, but so does a watered-down drink.
Synchrony Bank now offers a 60,000 miles Cathay Pacific Visa. Watch the $10k minimum spend requirement. Everything over 50k these days is worthy of your attention.
Pathetic SPG promo, thanks Marriott! “Then starting on your third night, you’ll earn 250 bonus Starpoints for each night* you spend at participating SPG hotels and resorts from April 16 through July 20, 2018.” Yikes! Register HERE if your employer pays for you road warrior!
While you are at it, REGISTER for the latest Marriott promo if you must.
Actually the best hotel promo is the one by Choice Hotels, register HERE. Two stays get you enough points for a free night. Enjoy your Sleep Inn stay you guys!
For my Michigan readers especially: Hot Hotel Openings in Detroit. I have a dream: To drive to one of my national professional conferences just once!
Head for Points is having some good trip reports of interesting places: Reviewing Europe’s last great sleeper train: Stockholm to Lapland.
I can not imagine going back to a concert if I experienced this. Survivors of Concert Violence Speak Out.
This is amazing! Ultra Rare Footage of Mating Deep-Sea Anglerfish Stuns Biologists.
I had never heard of this animal! Meet The Tardigrade — The Universe’s Most Resilient Animal.
Non stop LOLs! Batman V Superman: Sad Affleck.
This is an excellent article on Health Savings Accounts: 4 ways to use health savings accounts to boost your bottom line.
Lets take a walk on the wild side. Okay, forget that for now. Lets take a walk on frozen Lake Baikal!
Visual Capitalist rocks! Visualizing the Average Commute Time in U.S. States and Cities.
I like the concrete and Kitsch blog because they go to interesting places and never stay at a Hyatt 🙂 A Montenegro Day Trip: Virpazar, Sveti Stefan and Stari Bar.
If Chase shuts you down, this Reddit thread has great info!
Oh dear God, Daily Getaways deals are coming when every blogger posts about the same stuff every day #layupcontent Zzzzzzz
Windbag’s take on the IHG night devaluation.
Some interesting thoughts as we are all becoming vultures of this dying hobby since it became so popular due to some certain blogs commercializing it, sad! There are no off-the-shelf travel hacking strategies.
No, the hits did not stop there. Tiny devaluation in the Southwest Wanna Get Away fares as well, now worth only $1.28 per point, sad! Who cares if the other two fares had decreases in award prices, they are always so ridiculously overpriced anyway. (HT: Bimbo H.)
I should know the final fate of my credit card links very soon. I am ready to move on. You won’t believe what happens next!
And I leave you with this…
TBB
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Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
I am finally ready to admit I am a bot. I am taking a break from my high frequency trading to post “First!” this morning. Even high frequency trading isn’t easy in a trade war.
Welcome back!
War!
What is it good for?
Absolutely perfect to wreck Ramsey’s IRA, sad!
Where the hell is Ingy? Maybe he got a job 🙂
Hey TBB do they want to domesticate you like this?
Don’t Procrastinate! Highest-Ever AMEX Delta Offers Ending Soon! – MMS
Last Chance to Earn Up to 70k Miles With Delta Amex Offers – The Points Guy
They must be hurting out there. Why would they want to do away with your reliable conversions is beyond me. You probably whined too much about them lately and you are hurting these guys badly to take this action. Good job 🙂
Hope you keep it up or lets all find a new hobby together lol.
Lost another $4 on Amazon today. Please stop returning what you buy, thanks!
Tic tac
New hobby?
Basket weaving
Painting
Gun collecting (just kidding on this one)—->Make Love Not War
Biking
I am going with the last one. Can’t wait…if only the weather would cooperate around here!
TBB,
I’m staying at the Surfcomber later this week. How was your experience? Just curious.
Your experience may vary disclaimer.
My expectations were absurdly high I think. Location is perfect, super busy corridor. Short walk to an amazing beach and incredible boardwalk to run/bike/walk. Small cute swimming pool.
On to the negatives now:
I tried to use my super star travel blogger status. Email/twitter contacting before my arrival hoping for a nice upgrade. I got a standard room with an awful view. It was only matched by the hideous “inner coastal view” I got a few days later at the Ft Lauderdale Westin Beach resort. At least the Kimpton rep did not try to sell it like that lol. I think most of my issues with the property were due to booking my two nights at a super busy time. The capacity issues were real. I understand that. I just can’t take the “we can’t wait to see you” cheery BS.
Check in desk is tiny and busy. Wine reception is blah, very cheap wine. Restaurant is wildly overpriced. The hotel pics make this place look amazingly grand. It is NOT! If I were to do a website I would look to hire the web team that set up the hotel website, lol. The swimming pool at the hotel next door guests have access to is better imho. The bikes you can use have no hand brake, beware. I had to adjust the seat and it took forever for the mechanic to do it. Uber is everywhere and not cheap. Walk around Ocean Drive and on Lincoln avenue is nice.
I still hit myself I burned my two Visa nights here when I could have burned them at an IC like in HKG (which I did the prior two years!). Especially when now these will be my last free Visa nights after they massacred the card.
And this is my hotel review post 🙂
Positive was it was the last day of the Ultra Music Festival,there was a stage in the hotel and we had access to it. Cool stuff. So many interesting characters around 🙂 Negative was the music went on until 11 pm and then all the drunks/high on stuff attendees were milling around being loud, sad!
Ugh. We’re staying 3 nights pre-cruise. Our focus will be the beach and that’s about it. I frequent Kimptons…..the wine hour is a nice opportunity to chat with others….the wine….usually….meh…at best. 🙂 Hoping for the best. At this point, I just want sunshine.
This was my second Kimpton stay ever. The first one was in Phoenix during one of those Saverocity meetings. I did not like that one either. I think the MAIN problem is my expectations. Both times built too high so I feel let down. And the first one was a Karma elite.
I forgot to say they did not charge me anything which saved them a bad review here or on Trip Advisor.
Sometimes it just does not happen with a brand. So it is me and Kimpton. We can move on.
BEACH and Sunshine—->you got it there!
One minute apart you guys:
Review: The New Barclays Arrival Premier World Elite Mastercard (With Airline Transfer Partners!) – One Mile at a Time
Barclays Just Launched Transferable Points Program – and New Card Earning Up to 3x on ALL Spend – View From The Wing
Ghost writer, u da man!
I don’t know how anyone can promote that card and still look themselves in the mirror. What a wasted opportunity for Barclays – I just don’t get who they think will want this piece of crap.
If there was an affiliate link to it…you may be surprised 🙂
The new Virgin Atlantic credit card just launched in the UK comes with a 5,000 mile sign-up bonus. You don’t know you’re born in the US ….. 🙂
The new Barclay card is a complete sick joke!
If the pumping boys get a commission to sell it…it would be such a travesty to see MMS and TPG pump it up as usual.
For transparency’s sake, I did attend a New Years Eve party at the Grand Hyatt Seoul back in 2006. BUT I have never actually slept in one 🙂
Lol, good one!
I have not been to the GH in Seoul yet but it is on my list 😉
The IHG free night change blows. But I didn’t see any mention of an AF change in the letter I got. For $49 I’ll still find value with the free night but if they start to increase the AF, forget it.
Feeling exactly the same…
Hotel and airline travel rewards are continuing to give the bank transferable point cards all the room to grow and themselves pass to oblivion.
Heads up!
The credit card links will come back. But must navigate to the credit cards page instead of clicking on the static banner.
Not sure when but they are coming back.
I pushed back and got a compromise I can live with.
And my wife is under 5/24 so I am going to get her a CSP because I am awesome 🙂 And cancel the IHG card but maybe I should give them a call 😉
Now if Ingy will be back too it would be AMAZING!
The Thought Leader himself did not H/T you. Stunning.
And OMAAT gave the HT to Loyalty Lobby lol.
If I had a CSP click for every missing HT I would buy them all out lol.
Watch the plastic pumping blogs sell the new crappy IHG cards now that the affiliate links are out…
SELLTHEMBOYSANDGIRLS
Turning out to be a massacre day in this hobby today, wow!
And my credit card links are back again. No banner on every page, must navigate to the “Credit Cards” page.
Good post shaping up for tomorrow,the gory details of all the latest bad developments and more. Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!