Rapid Travel Chai

No bonus on my second Citi Premier of the summer. Maybe a quick retention call will squeak out a little consolation?

Amex is holding fast to its 4 credit card rule and I have had second thoughts on canceling my no annual fee Hilton. I had finally gotten the EveryDay to keep my Membership Rewards account active without needing to have a high annual fee card. On Sunday I finally got the Amex website to load a 75k Business Rewards Gold offer (the less desirable $10k spend one) and got an instant approval. There is unexpected value in sitting in a hotel conference room in Washington, DC in August for Frequent Traveler University. Too many attendees probably exploit the Centurion lounges as their daily canteen so maybe that explains why Amex did not throw that IP address a good Platinum offer.

Update: Travel Codex reports fining offers of 100k for Platinum and 50k for PRG…and I just got a new Platinum. I have not gotten Business Platinum to work.

Now I have another year of Membership Rewards and wonder if I can collect my EveryDay sign-up bonus and quickly cancel it to get my pending SPG Business application approved. Statement close will be close to end of the SPG offer.

Has anyone notice all the attitude coming from Amex’s India call center? Several experiences with haughty CSRs talking over me. The most recent representative hardly let me get a word in and then disconnected me when I requested to speak to a supervisor.

Just when I need to book United award tickets on Ethiopian, the United website has not been showing availability for a couple weeks. There are clunky alternatives like ANA. It would be so nice to see online how much I can push the ticketing.

Airlines:

• SAS expands with new direct routes to USA (Travel Daily News). Good news for West Coast travelers. My first SAS flights coming in September. Their website seems quite often to be down and not much functionality. I could not update my Citi ThankYou points-booked reservations with my United number so had to call Citi.
• Incredible Business Class Award Space on This Obscure Transatlantic Route (MileValue). If only Stavagar had good flight connections to Svalbard I would change my January ticket.
• Using AirfareWatchDog for tracking low fares (Loyalty Traveler). A site I too have not used in years.

Hotels:

• FAQs of IHG: The value of IHG points, is status worth it, upgrades, buying points and more… (Travel is Free). Great info and snark about the Ambassador program.
• IHG’s lame Share Forever is not yet over and already Accelerate has started. I got onerous requirements that I won’t meet. Best to start with a new IHG account.
• Do this now: register for end-of-year Hilton and Marriott 2015 promotions (The Free-quent Flyer). I didn’t notice that Hilton has a fall promotion until I read this piece, while Marriot MegaBonus limps back without free night certs. I no longer open Marriott emails because of the bellowing auto-play music in some.

Tracks and Wheels:

• Rental car grace periods: When can you return a car late with no fee? (MileCards). Comprehensive.
• National One Two Free is back, here is my refer-a-friend link that gets me some points if you rent. Thank you if you use it.

Credit Cards:

• Commerce bank credit cards (PFDigest). Plumbing the depths.
• Update on US Bank’s $125 Power Up Checking and $50 START Savings Account Bonus (Travel with Grant). I got my accounts up and running, completed 2 bill pays for the checking bonus and now trying to figure out the S.T.A.R.T. program which is more complicated than shared-name nuclear treaties with the Soviets. See the comments on Travel With Grant to get a whiff.
• Citibank’s New Online Bonus Spend Tracker (FrequentMiler). Nice tool.
• New Aspiration Checking Account Has 1% APY and Free Global ATM Use (Out and Out). A contender for travel ATM card. If its a soft credit inquiry I may try it.
• Bank of America WorldPoints: A Forgotten Program, Get Up To 1.76¢ Per Point (Doctor Of Credit).

Manufactured Spend:

• The MyPoints link for 750 United miles on enrollment posted fast. I need to do $25 shopping for each of the family in 30 days. I am kicking myself for forgetting to use this instead of other portals for two recent online orders I had that were at qualifying merchants. Orbitz and Travelocity are participating vendors and I have some air tickets to buy so might go that route.