Previous installments: Introduction: Paris for the Holidays, Saying Goodbye to American’s Old Business Class, and a Suite at the Park Hyatt Vendome American First Class Lounge Chicago O’Hare and Business Class, Chicago – Paris Park Hyatt Paris Vendome Executive Suite Avoiding Tourist Traps: Good Places to Eat Near the Eiffel Tower and Picasso Museum in Paris Where to Find the Best Macarons in the World The Neighborhood Meats, Cheeses, Breads, and Sweets of Paris Entering the Charles de Gaulle airport was bedlam, there was just a sea of people landside and they all seemed as though they were completely aware of each other, all walking in different directions while a good portion of them stopped and looked around. Travel can be very confusing but it seemed that a larger percentage of passengers than usual were…
Competition Heats Up Between Card Issuers for American Airlines Cardmembers: More Benefits for Us
I receive compensation for many links on this blog. You don’t have to use these links, but I am grateful to you if you do. American Express, Citibank, Chase, and other banks are advertising partners of this site. I do not write about all credit cards that are available — instead focusing on miles, points, and cash back (and currencies that can be converted into the same). Competition for attention and new cardmembers is heating up between Citi and Barclaycard, with the Barclays folks upping the ante on their signup bonus and with benefits and Citi making a matching signup bonus publicly available. US Airways and American are merging frequent flyer programs. The Barclays-issued US Airways card is becoming an American card. You won’t be able to apply for it anymore once the programs merge.…
An Airline Transfer Partner Threatens to Shut Down Accounts for Transferring In Points!
Last week I wrote about a frequent flyer program’s fraud department gone off the rails. Air France KLM’s Flying Blue — an American Express and Citibank transfer partner — informed an award booking client that their award booking to Europe had been cancelled, their account suspended, and miles confiscated. They were accused of purchasing miles from a broker which is false. They transferred their American Express points into their newly-opened frequent flyer account. American Express no longer even permits transfers into accounts with names that don’t match the credit card holder’s.. This person is hardly alone. It seems that Flying Blue’s fraud prevention folks have really ramped up, and are taking harsh action against perfectly legitimate users of points transfers. Reader Mike wrote, My [Air France KLM Flying Blue] account was shut down two weeks…
Discounted Helicopter Rides to/from New York Airports, Pilot Contracts Meet Obamacare, and Buy Your Marriott Status
News and notes from around the interweb: New crowd source app for helicopter rides to and from the 3 New York area airports. First ride is $99. Hermes interiors, hors d’oeuvres from Bouchon Bakery. Not the worst idea at the first ride price for JFK and Newark. The Affordable Care Act is a sore point for the pilots contract at American Airlines. The relevant issue is what happens if and when the union’s health plan is determined to trigger a Cadillac tax? Marriott has brought back their ‘elite status buyback’ offer as they do each year. Citibank’s American AAdvantage Executive cardholders can now buy up for a spouse to access the Admirals Clubs Royal Air Maroc to join Star Alliance? This would be cool, since while Casablanca is pretty easy to get to on points…
Korean Air’s New First and Business Class Seats Revealed…
I’m a big fan of Korean Air — a good product and great award availability, and plenty of US routes. They also do more intra-Asia flying with a first class cabin than other carriers as well. Whereas most airlines limit their first class to long haul routes, you can fly Korean first class even on many short routes. Korean’s old first class was comfortable, but generations behind. The current long haul first class seat, which I flew the Sunday after Thanksgiving a couple of years ago thanks to their unprecedented award availability, is extremely comfortable, though not especially private. They now have a new first and business class product, and it’s installed in the first few aircraft.
Fuel Surcharges Lose Credibility With Low Fuel Prices, Invite Government Intervention
Airlines like fuel surcharges because: Changing the fuel surcharge in a market can raise or lower every ticket price in that market, no need to re-file every single fare. They allow an airline to raise price even with many fixed-fare agreements. And, of course, because they can be charged to frequent flyers trying to redeem a captive points currency. US frequent flyers — who don’t participate in mileage programs based outside the US — don’t have to deal with fuel surcharges very much. American adds them to awards on British Airways (and to a very modest extent on Iberia) Alaska adds them to awards on British Airways Delta adds them to awards on some partners – like China Southern and China Eastern – and to travel originating in Europe. United doesn’t add them at all.…
When Will Chase Points Transfers to Korean Return?
Korean Air has been one of my favorite uses of Chase points. First class awards have been so darned easy to get. There are real sweet spots in their Skyteam award chart They offer cheap awards to Hawaii Although they are of course very Korean and their processes for redeeming awards are unique. Korean went offline as a Chase transfer partner in November, though I wrote that it was expected to come back based on what Chase was suggesting. Korean Air’s Skypass website lists Chase Ultimate Rewards as a partner and indicates transfers will be back this month. ※ Chase Ultimate Rewards point transfer is temporarily unavailable. It is planned to re-open during Jan, 2015. When I flagged that last month, I said I didn’t take the date as definitive. Since I have readers asking…
Earning 50,000 Mile Bonuses Multiple Times, How to Find the Best Award Flights, and Let Amex Pay Your TV Bill
News and notes from around the interweb: Wendy Perrin on How to Find the Best Flight with your Frequent Flier Miles. I agree. Get $100 back from American Express by paying a DirecTV bill. You may be able to register several cards and get the rebate from each, and you can even pay your friends’ bills. Leverage it to cover costs of TV and miles. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about earning big miles from investment accounts, plenty of people have earned 50,000 mile bonuses more than once. Fidelity also has a $500 Apple gift card promotion. What are the most underrated credit cards? Not best, most underrated. My picks are the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express and Fidelity Investment Rewards American Express. What are yours? The most exclusive lounge in the world?…
What I Love Most in Paris: Neighborhood Meats, Cheeses, Breads, and Sweets
Previous installments: Introduction: Paris for the Holidays, Saying Goodbye to American’s Old Business Class, and a Suite at the Park Hyatt Vendome American First Class Lounge Chicago O’Hare and Business Class, Chicago – Paris Park Hyatt Paris Vendome Executive Suite Avoiding Tourist Traps: Good Places to Eat Near the Eiffel Tower and Picasso Museum in Paris Where to Find the Best Macarons in the World One of my absolute favorite things in Paris are the specialty shops. In their own way I love the mega-stores in the U.S. I like that I can get pretty much everything I need grocery shopping in a single place, whether at Whole Foods or a less expensive chain. But I also like that in Paris you’re much more likely to stop at a cheese shop, a meat shop, and…
This Post is Giving Away $1000 and Elite Status!
The past several days I ran a giveaway of gift cards and car rental status. This was all courtesy of National Car Rental – to highlight their One Two Free promotion. There are (5) prize winners, each to receive a $200 gift card and Executive Elite status. Not only do Executive Elites get to pick from the Executive aisle of higher category cars (as National Executive status allows) but they earn free rental days faster and in my experience are able to redeem those free rental days for premium vehicles. To enter I asked readers to leave a comment answering the question, what is the one thing that can make your car rental experience better? Here are the five winning entries: (drawn via Random.org)
