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

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

United Status Buy-up Offers 2023

If you're a frequent flyer on United with some level of status, you may want to check this new page for an individual offer to potentially buy-up to the next level:

https://www.united.com/offers/premierstatus

I'm not planning to use this option for 2023, though it's good to know there may be a path for anyone interested!

Monday, January 16, 2023

Bit of FAA chaos...

Unfortunately I was not able to escape last week's FAA Notam outage - my expected overnight flight was unable to take off for nearly three hours before cancelling in the 2am hour.  A mad scramble for phones and agents occurred thereafter, and after one disconnect on the United 1K line I was able to secure the last seat on the next flight.  Very fortunate!  What wasn't fortunate was sleeping in my car for a few hours though it definitely was better than the airport floor!


Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Cards in my Wallet Right now (2023)

Happy New Year!

My card list has not had any changes in the last year.  I've tried to keep things stable given my current travel patterns and work obligations, and I suspect that will be the case for now.  I may keep an eye on a new option if my work schedule stays the same.  If anyone is interested in referrals, please let me know!


Cards in my Wallet:

Chase Sapphire Reserve - one of the best earning cards with 3x points for travel and 3x for dining; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase Freedom - Quarterly bonus categories give 5x points and pairs with Sapphire

Chase World of Hyatt - 4x Hyatt points per stay make this one of the best for hotel stays, 2x for restaurant/transit; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase IHG Rewards Club Select (no longer available) - Platinum Elite status plus free night every cardmember year

Chase United Mileage Plus Select (no longer available) - 3x miles on United purchases plus EQM, 2x gas/grocery/dining + Star Alliance purchases

Chase Biz Plus (replaced with Business Preferred) - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x on gas station and hotel; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase Biz Cash - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x points on gas stations and restaurants

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless - 6x points at Marriott properties; 3x Gas/Grocery/Dining up to $6k, 1 Elite Night credit per $5k spent; 2x points on other purchases; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase British Airways - 3x Avios on BA purchases; 2x on hotels; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank Premier - 3x points on travel including gas stations and grocery; 2x on dining/entertainment, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank AA Biz Platinum - 2x American Airlines miles on purchases plus free checked bag and priority boarding; 2x on gas stations, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank AA Mileup - 2x American Airlines miles on flights, plus 2x miles for grocery purchases, No Annual Fee

Citibank Double Cash - 2% cash back on all purchases, though the transfer option to Citi ThankYou Points makes this card strong for all non-category spend, No Annual Fee

American Express Hilton card - 7x Hilton points on stays, 5x points dining/gas/grocery, 3x all other purchases, complimentary Silver status, No Annual Fee, No Foreign Transaction Fee

American Express Hilton Surpass - 12x Hilton points on stays, 6x points on dining/grocery/gas, 3x points on all other purchases; complimentary Gold status, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Discover It card - 5x points/cash on quarterly bonus categories, link to Amazon.com purchases, No Annual Fee

Bank of American Alaska Airlines card - 3x miles on Alaska purchases, $99 companion fare


I still value many of these for the no annual fee, and others have perks/free nights that make them excellent to hold. 

Are you planning to acquire any new cards this year?