ANA awards, AA Award Guide, Manufactured Spend, Jack Handey, AA Explorer Awards, Amazing Hotels, puppies, sportsmanship

25 Comments

1. Aw, you missed the mistake fare!

   1. Tha’ts pretty common as it is well known that I am not god in timing mistake fares.
      I am traveling so I am a little behind.
      You don’t mean the Colombo fare?

2. First?

   1. So so close. Jeff ruined it all 🙂

      1. Gah! This is because of a weaker America. Go ‘Merica!! :-p

3. I am ready to go to that hotel in Santorini. Right now.

   1. Yeah, that looks amazing, doesn’t it? I just got back to Michigan and that darn creepy thing says 6 more weeks of winter. This one was a rough one!

4. Who needs to be first when you’re LIKED?

   1. “I am good enough. I am strong enough. And gosh darn it, people like me.“

5. I am generally pro TPG because he does generally know his stuff, but today he has gone mad. A guy is moving to London and wants credit card advice. TPG lists a pile of US issued cards which will a) incur FX fees on each transaction and b) generate a monthly bill in $ which will incur transfer fees to pay.

   The Chase BA card requires you to start in the US, a little pointless if you now live in London. No mention of any UK cards inc the UK BA Amex which has a 241 for flights ex London and of course bills in £.

   1. Oh, Raffles, the leopard can’t change its spots.

      I feel the same way about TPG as I do about Samuel L. Jackson in ads; they’re both pitchmen.* Unfortunately, a blog more accurately titled The Credit Card Pitchman (TCCP) might not get so many hits. (Though TPG’s right that those cards don’t have forex fees.)

      The Chase cards offer the highest commissions (we suppose). If the question was “Help, I’m in Tanzania and aliens are frequently abducting me for their experiments and probes! Which credit card should I use?” the answers would still be CSP, Ink(s), and Amex Platinum.

      You can’t expect a salesman to say, “You know, I don’t know about credit cards issued in the UK. You should look elsewhere.” because the immediate sale is lost. You might expect a more honest salesman to do that, but, well, you know. Does it matter that the Ink’s bonus categories may be unusable in the UK, or that there may be money lost to inter-bank fees, even in the absence of forex fees, especially if the guy is paid in pounds? Does it matter that he may not have a legit business? Pshaw! Coffee is for closers, Raffles. The point of these points isn’t to help; the point is to sell, get the commission, and then get another feeder pellet from Big Bank for promoting its products.

      (On a serious note, the correct answer is probably to get Chase sign-up bonuses, then look for UK-issued cards for everyday spending.)

      More on that speedskating photo.

      I think we’re going to drop the IHG Club card, because that slot in our array of Chase cards would be better dedicated to new ones with sign-up bonuses and free nights. Not all of us are “300 cards and counting” Dan. It’s unclear why we should pay $49 for one night when we can incur the one hard pull, forgo the same expected cash-back-card return (say ~$2000 in spending), and get 2+ nights and points.

      1. Edit to above: “the point of these posts isn’t to help.”

         1. It seems that the card listed have no FX fees, so part of my moan is wrong. The guy still needs to pay fees to pay his card bill in $ from a £ salary, though, and his BA 241 will only be useful ex US.

   2. I proudly ignore that site because there is just unrelenting selling going on. It turns me off…WAY off.

      Which brings harvson3’s brilliant conclusion:
      “The point of these points isn’t to help; the point is to sell, get the commission, and then get another feeder pellet from Big Bank for promoting its products.”

6. Hotel List on Bored Panda is so fun! Have been to the Giraffe Manor in Kenya. Have a great picture of my daughter with the giraffes…

   1. I always wondered how close to real was that one with the giraffes or if it was a lot of photo shop involved. Lo

7. Do you think the “friends” on Justin Bieber’s plane were really Denver starters?

   1. Yeah, that was the biggest beating I have seen. I am shocked about it. I always thought that the Seahawks had the most complete team (and the best defense) but that was just completely embarrassing for Denver.

8. I am so proud to be from the NW, home of the champion Seahawks!

   OK, so I’m not really from the NW, but I do live here now, I was in Sea-Tac when the Seahawks beat the 49ers, and I even watched the last quarter of the game. That’s significantly better than some years when I spend Superbowl Sunday at a shopping mall (it’s a great day to shop because no one is there) and have little idea of which teams are even playing let alone where the game is being played.

   I may not be a real 12th man, but I still am happy for the Hawks and Seattle and the PNW! Seahawks!

   1. I hope one day I see the Detroit Lions win it all….in my lifetime.

9. Maybe the Broncos signed up for The Frugal Travel Guy Super Bowl challenge.

   1. Funny!

      1. As long as you are not angry 🙂

10. #22?

    1. Usted es el número uno

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