...constantly searching to find the best travel deals and places to visit. A never-ending quest for adventure!

Friday, September 30, 2022

Chase 4th Quarter bonus for British Airways

Not to be outdone, Chase has also added an additional 4th Quarter points earning opportunity for the British Airways visa card.  

Cardmembers can earn 15,000 additional bonus Avios when spending $5000 on the card between October 1st and December 31st.  

Not the best for spend bonus, but another option for the fall!


Thursday, September 29, 2022

4th Quarter Chase Bonuses

Chase continues to exceed my expectations for spend options on many of their cards. I hope you've received these as well!  Emails today noted the following for the 4th quarter:

United Card: 10x points on Gas purchases and 5x points for Amazon and Grocery purchases up to $1500 from 10/1 through 12/31

IHG Card: 10x points on Gas purchases and 5x points for Amazon and Grocery purchases up to $1500 from 10/1 through 12/31

Marriott Card: 10x points on Gas purchases and 5x points for Amazon and Grocery purchases up to $1500 from 10/1 through 12/31

World of Hyatt: 10x points on Gas purchases and 5x points for Amazon and Grocery purchases up to $1500 from 10/1 through 12/31


Don't forget to sign up via the email links in each message!

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Labor Day trip 2022: Switzerland

This year's Labor Day trip took us back to Switzerland and the Jungfrau region, specifically, Murren and Gimmelwald!  We've really enjoyed being able to visit when we can.  The mountains were excellent and we were able to get a small hike in during the stay before the weather turned and rain arrived.  We used the Swiss Pass to get back to Zurich and had no problems with any train changes. 

 

For this trip we stayed at the Hotel Alpina - the rooms are comfortable and we had the chance to get a balcony facing the mountains.  

 

There are many restaurant options available and we chose to dine at Hotel Edelweiss and the Alpina restaurant. The Rosti was excellent!

Even though we weren't able to confirm upgrades this trip, we had a wonderful time and no travel issues between Zurich and Newark.  Can't wait to go back!


Saturday, September 10, 2022

Mid-Year 2022 Travel Check

The coronavirus is still lingering in 2022 and airlines have continued to make adjustments to schedules and flights.  Summer fares were very expensive - only recently has a small shift occurred for fall travel where prices are starting to drop and become more reasonable again.  The effects of inflation are also present and I'm curious how this may influence prices over time.  I continue to have the opportunity to fly each week and hope that the experience remains consistent. 

American

I do not have status on American given limited flying in the past year with the exception of trips back home.  I'll keep accruing miles for another longer trip to the Maldives or NZ.  The addition of loyalty points has complicated earning so I've used my AA card for some purchases as another channel. 

United

United is my first choice for travel and I've already requalified for 1K next year.  Upgrades out of SFO are not easy though I had some success early in the year.  I'll continue to look for deals given my current work and flight schedule. 

Hyatt

I've enjoyed having Globalist throughout the year for stays and work.  I've already requalified for next year and expect to continue to leverage low rates where I find them.    

Hilton

Last year I successfully qualified for Diamond status and was able to use it as a great rate alternative when needed.  I'm on track to requalify and will likely complete that in the coming weeks.  

Have changes in travel affected your points and earning plans?  

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Labor Day Trip 2022: Switzerland

And we're off!  Well, almost...

I'm writing this from somewhere over CO as I make the trek to Newark and then onward to Zurich.  It's a gorgeous day to fly with no travel delays expected (though of course that could change in a flash at Newark).  I'm ready for the short break - with projects in the queue the last few weeks, school year start, and Penn State start, it's been busy.  

Unfortunately it doesn't appear my pluspoints upgrades will be confirmed on this trip - hopefully I'll have better success in November.