Trip Start...

 ...is a bit delayed.

Originally I thought it would be good to book an early afternoon United flight to give us time to relax in the Newark UA Lounge.  However, I was not expecting a cracked windshield on our plane to cause a delay! 

Different plane enroute.  This will reduce our time at Newark though we should make the connect.

Hilton Surpass Card Changes

I was disappointed to see that Hilton and American Express are making changes to several products including the Surpass card - I've been using this card over the last few years for multiple stays when needed and the benefits overall have been excellent.  However, the upcoming changes are not favorable in my opinion.

Business Insider has the update here.

Annual fee increase to $150 (from $95)

Priority Pass Lounge access no longer available

4x bonus points on Online Retail Purchases in the US

$50 Quarterly statement credits on Hilton purchases

Complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Exec status

While adding some bonus categories seems positive, it assumes multiple stays at Hilton properties.  Since my stay pattern has drastically decreased, this won't be much of an offset.  

Overall I don't see these changes to warrant the increase in annual fee, and I'll likely be canceling this card in the next year.

November 2023 travel

November is here!  I'm looking forward to another fun month of having trips scheduled.  

Thankfully I have an additional day off which means I will be flying back to WI for a weekend to be at home.  Hunting may be on the schedule!

And our annual Thanksgiving trip is also planned and ready - the itinerary map looks something like this courtesy of gcmap:

More info to come!