Many savvy credit card consumers like “chip and PIN” cards — cards that don’t just have a magnetic strip (or, don’t even have a strip if they aren’t being used in places like the U.S.) but offer an embedded “EMV chip” that contains encrypted card information. It’s more secure, and credit card security has been all over the news, leading folks to wonder what these savvy card consumers have been asking themselves for a very long time, why is the U.S. so backward? When the rest of the world has been using EMV chips in their credit cards for years, why do so few US cards feature those chips? And when a bank finally brings out chip cards, why are they “chip and signature” (you can scan the chip and then sign the slip) instead…
How Would You Make the Amtrak Experience Better?
Scott Mayerowitz wishes for a better Amtrak experience in the Northeast corridor. Here are his complaints. Slow internet connectivity. I don’t need wireless internet flying US Airways between Washington National and LaGuardia or Boston (though they have it, and paying for monthly unlimited inflight internet anyway I use it). But on a two and a half hour train ride in the middle of the business day it’s much more important. I usually use my own wireless solution, because Amtrak’s is unreliable. No advance seat assignments. Amtrak didn’t used to require advance reservations at all for some trains, now even regional trains require that. But advance reservations don’t mean seat assignments, and during peak times you have to sprint, bribe, or access the train via Amtrak’s lounge to get seats together if traveling as a couple.…
Mileage Redemption Fuel Surcharges — the New Cash and Points Awards
United is devaluing its award chart effective February 1. And thinking about United’s really high pricing for international premium cabin awards, and international first class awards in particular, the more and more I’m liking international frequent flyer programs more and more, including international programs that add fuel surcharges onto award tickets. Don’t get me wrong, fuel surcharges are bogus fees and they unfairly tax frequent flyers’ accumulated balances. For the most part they don’t really affect paid tickets, among other things they are a convenient mechanism for raising or lowering all fares in a given market. They serve as an excuse for airlines to take cash from members, claiming the miles pay for the base fare only and not any of the taxes or surcharges. But when choosing a frequent flyer program to use, one…
How Frequent Flyer Programs Really Work (What Travel Writers Tell You is Wrong)
I love that consumer ombudsmen like Chrstopher Elliott exist. They can get attention for people that are trapped in bizarre bureaucracies, out real cash after trips have gone awry and who are getting nothing but runaround. What frustrates me is that he seems to think that everything travel providers do is inherently ridiculous and unreasonable, and that consumers ought to be entitled to pretty much anything they wish. He reminds me of the Saturday Night Live fake commercial for a personal injury law firm that featured Phil Hartman — “Sure the sign said no trespassing, but how much did that really mean when you were as drunk as I was?” And Elliott makes crazy, over-the-top claims that even he can’t possibly believe, presumably to get clicks and generate controversy. That’s often how online writers get…
Tipping When Traveling Abroad: When to Do It? How Much to Give?
Commenter Scott G asked, Would love an insight into tipping in various regions of the world. Traveling in July to Paris and Japan and October to London and Ireland. In your experience does it vary by country, culture, or continent? When traveling to Australia a few years back was surprised that tipping is not always customary and only recently was becoming more popular in cabs and restaurants, etc. Haven’t seen a travel blogger explore this topic in detail. I’m not really an expert on tipping. Just because I know how to get around the world doesn’t make me an expert on its cultures. I think I’ve gained some insights into the places I’ve visited, my life has certainly been enriched by my travels and I understand places better than if I hadn’t visited. But goodness…
Sunday Open Thread
The only day last year I didn’t post to my blog was the day my grandfather passed away. It takes a lot for me not to post. But I’ve been really under the weather the last couple of days. I think I’m finally starting to come out of it, which is great because I have a tremendous amount to do. I just wrapped up the draft ballot for the Freddie Awards. I’ve had to remove programs that weren’t meaningfully active in 2013 (bmi, Kingfisher), upgrade program names (IHG Rewards Club instead of Priority Club, and my favorite — the new name for EVA Airways’ mileage program — Eva Airways Infinity MileageLands), pay attention to where a program may have switched co-brand credit card issuers, and incorporate all of the best promotions for the year. The…
40% Bonus Transferring American Express Points to Virgin America.. And Should You Do It?
American Express is offering a 40% bonus on transfers to Virgin America through January 31. This isn’t unusual, they had a 40% transfer bonus to Virgin America in the latter half of September. A year ago they even ran a 50% transfer bonus. Should you transfer? Normally American Express points transfer 2:1 into Virgin America. A 40% bonus is significant, but it’s important to understand how Virgin America points can be valued. My rule of thumb is that Virgin America’s points are deflated, that one Virgin America point is worth about 2 points in a European airline frequent flyer program. Their points are reasonably good, then, for redeeming on partners (with fuel surcharges). You can use the points for about 2.2 cents apiece towards travel on Virgin America, or for fixed-point redemptions on their partners.…
Changes to United’s Premium Credit Card: Why United Doesn’t Like its Card Customers, and Avis Isn’t About to Start
United’s Legacy Premium Credit Card Still Exists — But You Can’t Apply for It The United Presidential Plus card can’t be applied for anymore. Back before the merger with Continental, Chase issued a fantastic premium credit card that allowed you to earn top tier elite status through spend alone, came with club lounge benefits, and threw in fantastic benefits with other travel providers like Avis Presidents Club (a status which gets you great upgrades and guaranteed availability, and which you cannot earn through rentals alone) and Hyatt Platinum status just for having the card. It had primary collision damage waiver for rental cars, too, so if you damaged the car you were driving you might not even have to let your insurance company know. Back when the card was introduced, the IT on it wasn’t…
The US Airways Card from Barclaycard is NOT Going Away Due to the Merger
The US Airways card from Barclays will take applications until US Airways and American combine into a single airline in early 2015. After that, the card will be re-branded as an American card. There will be two issuers of American Airlines co-brand credit cards. However, Barclaycard will not issue any new cards once the airlines have combined into one. That way Citibank will be the exclusive issuer of American’s co-brand card cards. That’s the news, citing Dennis Nealon, Barclaycard’s managing director of co-brand partnerships. Nealon specifically denied the rumor that existing US Airways cards would become Arrival cards (earning and redeeming Barclaycard’s proprietary points) as was done when they lost the Virgin America relationship. “We are not planning to rebrand any US Airways card member to Arrival,” Nealon says. “They will become American AAdvantage card…
Earn Up to 50,000 Bonus Airline Miles for New Marriott Rewards Members
Marriott has a new offer (that they’ve also run in the past) that’s available only to new members of the Marriott Rewards program currently — MegaMiles. While there’s an offer being sent out by Marriott’s airline partners like Virgin America, contra The Points Guy it is not actually targeted in that anyone can join as a new member and get the bonus miles being offered. In fact, even if you click a link to join sent to you by Virgin America, you can still select any mileage-earning partner of Marriott’s to use in earning bonus miles. MegaMiles is being offered to new members who join and opt to earn miles. For stays between February 1 and April 30, new members can earn 5,000 bonus miles with every other paid stay starting with the second stay,…
