Chase bonus points promotions for Amazon/Grocery through 12/31/20!

I was excited to receive several emails today with special bonus points offers for spend at grocery stores and Amazon.com through December 31st - if you have these Chase cards, make sure to sign up via the invite email link received!

Hyatt Card: 5x points at Amazon.com/3x points for grocery on up to $1500 spend each month through 12/31

United Card: 5x points at Amazon.com/5x points for grocery on up to $1500 spend each month through 12/31

IHG Card: 5x points at Amazon.com/3x points for grocery on up to $1500 spend each month through 12/31

British Airways Card: 5x points at Amazon.com/5x points for grocery on up to $1500 spend each month through 12/31

Update! Sapphire Reserve: 3x points for grocery on up to $1000 spend each month through 4/30/21

End of the Boeing 747

I've flown on quite a number of planes over the years, from the small (Cessna 402/Dash-8/Fokker 70) to the largest (A380).  One of the more memorable experiences, though, is flying on the 747.  It's hard to put into words exactly what the feeling is; during takeoff, it's as though you are being lifted gracefully off the ground with almost no effort.  

With recent announcements that production of the 747 will be ending, it will be the end of an era in aviation history: https://metroairportnews.com/boeing-announces-end-of-747/

I count myself fortunate that I've flown on several 747s, including to Seoul in GlobalFirst on United and to Doha on British Airways.  I even managed to visit in the cockpit on the way back from Doha.

I'm hopeful I can still fly a Lufthansa 747 before they're retired, though it doesn't look promising.

What to do in lieu of travel?

Fall is here, and looking back on my what my typical travel pattern would be, I likely would have been finishing details for our usual November excursion.  Sadly that is now off the table.  I would have also been planning to head to San Diego this weekend - that also has been postponed.  In fact, I have no trips scheduled in TripIt which is making me a little disappointed!  So what can I do in lieu of travel? 

One thing is to continue to accrue points and miles.  There have been many different promotions across credit cards over the past few months, including some lucrative 6x points on grocery and Amazon.com purchases.  There have also been some significant signup bonuses for the Marriott and IHG cards.  Saving up points now means more options for travel later.   Maximizing those bonuses with regular spend has been very helpful.

I may not be back in the air, though I feel as though I'm setting up for some great travel options in the future.