Yet I feel as if I’m dangerously close to hoarding…so there will have to be some serious planning in the next few months of how to get rid of all the points I’ve accumulated because most of them just keep losing value.

Anyway, I opened the American Airlines Citi Gold Card about a year ago to get the 30,000 mile bonus. I was a bit disappointed that when I called to cancel, that the best they could offer was no annual fee and a point bonus for lots of spending: it’s not our main card and American usually doesn’t have great first/business class saver availability on routes of interest, so putting all of our spending on that card and stockpiling more American miles just wasn’t the best strategy.

Speaking of American award availability–they do have some stellar deals, like 37.5k one way to Sydney, Australia. That is pretty fantastic (75k roundtrip, with good connections). But be it as it may, both DH and I really were hoping to fly business on the way back if we go to Australia. We both got spoiled flying back from Bangkok last year. And there almost isn’t a single business saver ticket available for pretty much most of 2016 to/from Sydney. Why, American Airlines/partners, why?

Anyway, with the American Airlines card now closed, I was looking for other options: in particular, I was considering the Chase Sapphire and the Starwood Amex, and waiting to see which bonus looked better with a reasonable spend requirement. The Starwood Amex won out, as SPG points are not only very redeemable, but of high value. I already have quite a few SPG points, so the additional 30,000 will create a nice nest egg for a few nights somewhere that we wouldn’t normally pay for (or to offset the cost of a trip). There are some truly amazing SPG properties.

Now, where to go?  I have to admit that trying to coordinate miles tickets has been a bit of a thorn in my side these days. I’ve been pretty busy, and without firm dates or a firm destination, I get pretty half-hearted in my searching and planning. I know that all these websites like to proclaim “travel hacking is so easy”, and while it may not be hard, it does require a lot of time to find redemptions that are actually worthwhile, particularly if you are interested in using miles for saver business seats and upgrades rather than just a free ticket.

Not that I’m complaining, I’m very fortunate to have both the time and funds to travel, regardless of class. But, who am I joking, traveling back from Asia in business class is way better than in coach. Mainly because I can sleep (food? eh. drinks? eh. sleep on flat bed? YES).

Vietnam? Indonesia? Maldives? Hmmm….any recommendations?

We were warned upon arrival in Nairobi not to let your credit card out of your sight. They were serious. My mom used her card only one time, at this restaurant, to pay. It never left her wallet the entire trip except for that single time, so we know it happened here. And guess what? In the 5 minutes they had the card, they scammed the number.

Lesson learned.

But let’s get to the good part–the food!

While the food was definitely delicious throughout our trip, it was nice to be able to order from a menu again, as most safari camps have a set menu (though they always avoid any strong aversions and allergies).

I had a pot full of seafood. Crab, lobster, shrimp, and some fish. It was delicious, in a very light broth with some butter, garlic, and a touch of lemongrass and other spices. On top of that, I had a calamari salad. The seafood was tender, not at all fishy.

I did at one point think to myself…I have 24 hours of flying ahead of me…if this goes bad, it will go REALLY bad. Fortunately besides that liver fluke I got, I had no problems on the trip home. KIDDING, obviously. The food was spot-on.

DH had a steak and potatoes (steak was a little tough for my liking, but I’m a hard to please steak-eater). My mom had a delicious squash blend soup that I wanted to steal, as well as some fish. The food was piping hot and just generally very good.

We then got three tasty bites + drizzled chocolate sauce (no charge) for dessert, which was nice as we were all too full to order an actual desert. The writings on the plates were sort of ironic, at best, after my mom found out her credit card number was stolen (one says “honesty is the best policy”…I guess only if it applies to the person eating the chocolate? Idk.)

Plus, DH finally got to try a different beer–Pilsner. Tusker is way, way better. Plus we were served in Tusker glasses. (I want Tusker glasses!)

The courtyard at Tamarind & Tamambo is very cute and it was pleasant to eat outside. Beware of the mozzies, though…they were the only mozzies I had issues with the entire trip!

And be prepared to pay city prices. While not as expensive as DC, Tamarind is expensive. Tamambo is their lunch restaurant (you can order from either menu), and has some reasonably priced sandwiches, burgers, and the like.

All in all, a great choice to finish off a great safari. Just hold that credit card.

• I finally tried a pupusa, a classic El Salvadorean dish! And obviously I wouldn’t be writing about it if I thought it was disgusting. Well, actually I probably would be but it was incredibly delicious. I don’t think there is a great deal of “healthiness” in the pupusa, but it sure was tasty. I now want to try to make pupusas on my own…see these recipes here and here.
• Our dog was quite gimpy this week, which resulted in a great deal of worry….and one definitely ridiculous outcome. This. Is. Embarrassing. But she loves them.  As one neighborhood dog-owner put it, “Dat dog got Uggs huh?” Yes, yes she does. Duggz, to be precise. Rounds out the family footwear.

• So, despite the fact that I wrote an entire post about how I didn’t think I would keep my Amex platinum card, I kept it. But I did get another 50,000 points. Yep, 50,000. I’m psyched, as that really builds up our point balance for some good shenanigans at hotels we don’t want to pay for (cough…Maldives?) or business class to Asia/Australia.
• Finally, I’d like to announce that I’ve also been invited to do some blogging at Kiss From The World. I’d like to increase my readership just a touch, and think this might be a great opportunity to do so. Kiss From The World has an incredible amount of content, so check it out! My content will be posted both here, and there, at least to start. I want to test the waters before I really start investing more time in writing. This is a hobby, yo.

See, I made it a whole weekly roundup without talking about shopping/not-shopping. Sixty days in and I’m feeling better and less antsy about this whole thing.

Have a great week.

I’m still glad I got the card, as it covered our nights in Naples when we went to go visit Pompeii. But the time had come to say goodbye. They did offer me another free night to stay, but given my track record in using those free nights, I declined.

My new card acquisition is boring, but a good deal: the American Airlines Gold Card. Yea, the benefits leave a bit to be desired, though reduced award tickets may be a good one. No priority boarding, and no lounge passes. Annual fee ($50) is also waived the first year. This card currently has targeted offers for 50,000 miles; I need a minimum spend of $1,500 in three months. Low spend, decent haul of miles. I plan on cancelling the card before the annual fee comes around next year.

I was thinking about opening the American Airlines Platinum Card, too, with an offer of 50,000, 2 free lounge passes, and priority boarding. However, the offer I received required $3,000 in spend in three months, so for now, I decided not to. If I foresee a large expense coming up (i.e. a trip purchase…cough….Galapagos?!…cough) I may go ahead and get this card as well because it would really boost my American miles.

I’m also eyeing a Chase Sapphire Card, if I see a good offer come through–particularly since I cancelled my other Chase card. I’ve not had a lot of flexible cards which allow you to transfer to different programs (other than my Amex Platinum), so I think I need to start seeing if these cards will work better for us given my total lack of airline loyalty.

Now I need to remember that hoarding miles is silly, especially as devaluations seem as common as rain. But we are hoarding some miles for a return trip to Asia, since both DH and I agreed that the best way to enjoy a trip home for over 20 hours of flying was in business class. I loved ANA, so we might stick with the United miles for that one (we still have the United Explorer Card, too). But that’s going to be at least a year or two away, given that there are some other travel priorities in the nearer future.

Any good targeted offers you’ve seen? How do you like flexible cards versus branded?

What do we use for lounge access?  I carry a Priority Pass (though I didn’t use it on this trip), United Club Passes, and in this case we had access to most of these lounges due to our business class return tickets (that’s most definitely not routine).

So here’s the rundown from Tokyo to Bangkok to Paro to Chiang Mai to Bangkok to Tokyo!

NRT: United Club (Tokyo-Narita)
This is actually one of the nicer, though enormous, United lounges that I’ve been in, and I’ve been in quite a few United lounges. They have draft beer machines (cool!), in addition to offering a sushi selection, snacks (like rice crackers), and a hot soup. While the lounge was crowded, the seats were a good distance apart for some breathing room. The toilets…oh Japanese toilets. Heated seats, white noise machines, a million options that I can’t even begin to explain (because bidets and bidet like functions just totally skeeve me out…flying, aerosolized fecal matter? No thanks). But if that’s your thing, check out a toilet.

NRT: ANA Lounge (Tokyo-Narita)
The ANA lounge for business class passengers has tons and tons of natural light and is very open. In addition to the concierge which I mentioned in an earlier post to help with tickets, the ANA lounge had a great food selection with hot soup, sushi, crackers, and fruit. The lounge wasn’t that busy when we first entered, but really filled up as we were leaving.  The ambience of the ANA lounge was much quieter than the United lounge, and I think the food selections were better. It was also nice to see the light of day. Obviously, ANA also offered the ridiculously complex toilets.

BKK: Air France Lounge (Bangkok)
Options galore! The AF lounge had tons of food and drink options, and was surprisingly open at the ungodly hour we were there (like 4am). Seats were not super comfortable (is that a French thing?) but there was no one there so we could spread out and do what we pleased. Staff seemed half asleep and weren’t really around (don’t blame them and we didn’t need anything anyway).

BKK: Thai Airways Silk Lounge (Bangkok)
CRAZY BUSY. The staff was constantly going around trying to locate two seats for individuals to sit together. While the food was some of the best out of all of the lounges, it was incredibly crowded. That said, they were speedy speedy at clearing plates and cleaning up after guests that had left. Also constantly bringing out fresh food.  Decent, though strange food choices, like a delicious soup and some bbq chicken wings. Totally like a cavernous pit, there are no windows and dim light (thought it was night, too).

CNX: Thai Airways Silk Lounge (Chiang Mai)
It was here I found my precious cup of noodles in tom yum flavor. To say I am obsessed with tom yum would be putting it mildly, and who doesn’t love a good ol’ cup of ramen (which I’m sure contained my yearly dose of MSG?). This was the smallest lounge of all the ones we entered, but was comfortable–despite the stares of some folks across the room who were smuggling the tom yum ramen soups in their luggage (not relevant, I realize, but who does that?). They had some interesting looking buns in a warmer, but I tend to steer clear as I have no idea how long they’ve been in there. Also a marked lack of spoons!  Their desk was very helpful when there was a seat goof on our tickets from Bangkok to Tokyo, and made phone calls and printed us new boarding passes.

PBH: Drukair Lounge (Paro)
Pretty much what I would expect in a small, remote airport. Nothing exciting, though they do have some delicious Indian candies and definitely free and fast wifi. I can’t ever turn down a bottle of Fanta in the morning it seems, so that was appreciated. Fun to watch the planes take off and land through the 2nd story windows. Also a vicious air conditioner, which I was convinced was giving me Legionnaire’s disease (yes, studying infectious diseases does make me a weee bit more paranoid than the normal human).

There you have it, just in case you were headed in any of these directions, or just wanted some random lounge trivia!

Have a favorite lounge in Bangkok or Narita? Don’t like airport lounges at all? Tested out those robot-toilets in Japan?

I need to be honest, I was feeling way to lazy for a flashback photo Friday post today, but I promise to have one next week. Plus, I’m hoping to get around to an extra post on something DC-related this weekend.

I might not spend a lot of time trying to earn every last mile here or there, but I do try to be strategic about the acquisition and de-acquisition of credit cards, both in terms of potential impact to credit as well as miles/points earned. This year, my major points haul was the Amex Platinum Card. I received a targeted offer for 100,000 points, with an incredibly reasonable minimum spend requirement. Despite the $450 annual fee, I couldn’t turn it down.

First off, those 100,000 points are definitely worth more than $450, in and of themselves. Not like I would buy that many points outright, but still. Second, the card comes with a free Priority Pass Select membership. Unfortunately many airport lounges have started to exclude themselves from the “Select” part of Priority Pass, but since we are headed to Asia I’m hoping it will be nice to have in Tokyo and Bangkok. It also provides access to Delta lounges and Centurion lounges domestically, though I’m not sure if I’ll be able to take advantage of the latter. Third, it offers a $200 rebate on airline fees, for things like seats, drinks, change fees, etc., which we promptly used up to buy bulkhead seats on the 14 hour flight from the US to Japan. That’s an expense we would have incurred anyway, so the reimbursement was icing on the cake.  Fourth, it offers a reimbursement if you apply for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

It also has a ton of fringe benefits, like good car rental insurance, purchase protection, and free Boingo wifi that also make the card worth it–at least for the first year, when I received the 100,000 points.

But what about retaining the card past the first year for another $450?  There are lots of arguments online for–and against–if you want to Google.  But for us, a “normal” couple who takes about 12 trips a year, here is what plays against renewing the Amex Platinum:

1. I rarely fly Delta domestically, and there aren’t very many Centurion lounges (and none where I frequently fly) so that lounge benefit isn’t worth much to me, particularly as I only take a handful of domestic trips a year. Now if it had United lounges…we’d be talking.

2. The “full” priority pass–I value lounge access when traveling internationally quite highly–is still less than $450.

3. Amex isn’t a “sure thing” to be accepted internationally. In fact, three of the last four establishments I’ve wanted to use it at in Washington DC said “no Amex”.  Considering I usually have no cash in my wallet, not a fan of this and it limits its usefulness to me.

4. I have other cards that provide benefits like car rental insurance (though their purchase protection is far inferior). We buy trip insurance–for the big trips–anyway, for things like protection against delays and medical coverage, so while secondary coverage is nice, it’s not a necessity.

5. $450 is a lot of money. That’s a plane ticket (or more likely a vet bill for the dog). A good chunk of that–the airline reimbursement–is definitely a great benefit I will miss, though.  Add the priority pass and you’re already up to $300, at least. So it’s really that extra $150 that’s tipping the scale in favor of cancellation…

6. It doesn’t provide early boarding, which many co-branded airline cards do. I HATE boarding late. With a passion.

While I’m enjoying the benefits of the Amex Platinum card this year, I’m pretty sure I’ll be shopping for a new card with a new sign-up bonus in 2015. That said, I will probably hang on to an Amex card so I can keep redeeming my Membership Rewards Points without issue; it just isn’t going to be the Platinum card.

Now, the next decision is how to use those 100,000 miles…

1. Never book a ticket with miles if the ticket is under $350. Sure, if money is tight for some reason, this might appeal to you. But I’m a huge proponent of spending within your means, so I’m sticking to this one. There isn’t a reason to book a ticket with miles if the ticket is less than $350.  Let’s say a domestic ticket is 25,000 miles round-trip (at best).  That’s 1.4 cents per mile: not theworstever, but you could do a lot better. I typically don’t even look at miles options unless the ticket is $500+, and even then, I weigh the options carefully.

2. Always keep one credit card open that accrues miles/points. We put nearly all our expenses on a credit card. In fact, it’s a weird day if I have cash in my wallet.  So having one of these open does 2 things: first, it provides free checked bags (that we never use), and early boarding (can’t live without), in addition to other perks.  Second, we are constantly accruing some miles with just regular spending.  Ideally, this card should not have foreign transaction fees so you can use it overseas.  If you typically fly one airline or frequent one hotel chain, check out their cards first as you will likely earn more when you spend on that brand.

3. Jump on the credit card offers worth 60,000 miles/points or more, once yearly (or more, if you are comfortable doing so). I do not play credit card roulette very much, but I do watch for the wonderful targeted offers.  DH does the same (well did, he had some jacka$$ steal his identity this year, so he’s been benched temporarily).  This means that each year, we should have no less than 60,000 miles or points, and often much much more, which is enough for a round trip or multi-night stay.  Last year’s deal was a targeted offer from Marriott, this year’s was a targeted offer from Amex. Depending on the usefulness of the card, and the annual fee, I assess cost/value at the end of the first cardholder year. I try not to cancel more than one card at a time, since it can impact your credit score when there is significantly less credit available.

4. Don’t sacrifice good connections and shorter travel time for “free” flights. Since we work full-time, we value our vacation time really highly. Sitting in an airport for 10 hours to fly for free isn’t worth it, when that day could be spent exploring our destination. Sure, there are times with international connections that layovers are not avoidable.  But I don’t use miles if the tickets aren’t pretty close (itinerary-wise) to what I would book if I was paying. The more stops, the more opportunities for mechanical problems, lost luggage, tornadoes, strikes, crews who stopped at McDonald’s instead of heading straight for the plane (all true stories…). And when you have limited time, missed connections are not what you want to deal with. Just pay for the flight and avoid the misery.

5. Follow the professionals, and ask for help if needed. There are many of them, but I typically use ThePointsGuy.com; there are lots, so shop around and find one you like. Check in to see if there are any good deals, great redemption offers, or weird things going on. Furthermore, stay on top of program changes.  When airlines increase the number of miles needed for a round-trip to Asia by 30%, that’s going to impact you. Same with hotels shifting the categories of properties: a category/level 3 property shifting to a 5 may increase the number of points you need by 10-20,000 per night. Pay attention, and you can often jump in front and book before the increase.  Most of them (the professionals) are also willing to help you out if you have a specific question, which is a resource you shouldn’t ignore.

6. Plan in advance. I’m a planner at heart, so this seems totally obvious to me. This is particularly true if you are booking more than one ticket with specific dates.  Many airlines don’t open lots of miles seats (particularly the “saver” redemptions), so look in advance and keep looking (or use a paid service, if that’s your perogative…I’m too lazy/cheap for that). You might get lucky, you might not. But at least try to do it more than a month ahead of time (and definitely avoid the last minute booking fees that many airlines charge).  Sometimes you don’t get lucky and there is only one seat.  But it’s ok! Even if only one of you flies on miles, you’ve still saved money and spent half of what you would have for 2 tickets.

7. Save miles/points for big or expensive trips and destinations. For example, plane tickets to Australia cost a bunch o’ cheerios and that’s a long flight–same usually applies to South & East Africa. You might consider stockpiling miles to get those places, perhaps in business class. Similarly with hotels in many cities in Europe–super expensive.  Save your points to use where a hotel costs $400 a night (or $300 or $200) in Europe rather than $89 in Latin America.  Sure, there are times where it might make sense to redeem otherwise (for example, certificates that expire), but we try to stick to this guideline.

Now the hardest part…deciding where you want to go to use the miles you’ve earned!