My colleague Curtis passes along that Koryo Tours will be making available North Korea trips for US citizens in 2006. They brought 150 of the total 190 US citizens attending the Arirang Mass Games in 2005, and North Korea will be repeating the games in 2006. Tours are offered from Beijing. Scroll down to the bottom part of the page for details on US citizens visiting the DPRK. Personally I find visiting the country to be intriguing, it’s one of the most backward repressive regimes on the planet and international exchange and visits can only serve to open it up to the rest of the world and benefit its people. I’m also not concerned about the government earning foreign currency from visitors, to some extent even that can only serve to help a people while…
Is Elite Status Less Special?
Scott McCartney’s Wall Street Journal column argues today that airline offers making elite status easier to earn are swelling the ranks and diluting the benefits. Being an elite-level frequent flier won’t be quite as special next year. Eager to raise cash and satisfy their credit-card company partners — who have propped up struggling airlines financially — several carriers have made it easier to qualify for premium-level status as an enticement to spend more on credit cards. Some recent offers have also made it a banner year for “mileage runs,” trips made solely to push mileage totals over qualifying thresholds. As a result, the ranks of premium travelers who get perks like upgrades, exit-row seating and preboarding privileges are swelling — eroding the exclusivity long associated with elite status. By one count, the number of elites…
ING Direct Up to 3.75% Interest
Just realized that my ING Direct savings account is now paying out 3.75% interest. Not bad for a savings account. Not bad for a 12-month CD for that matter (not the best, mind you, but more than many). I only keep short-term dollars there, money I’m likely to need soon, but I find it quite easy to make fee-free electronic transfers between it and my two checking accounts. (Which also makes it a good workaround to make free electronic transfers between those two checking accounts.)
Dive in the dumpster, fly on the plane
Last month I reported on the Wendys/Airtran promo where you earn a free roundtrip ticket for 64 sodas. Naturally, this seems to be leading to a rash of dumpster diving. Danielle and a friend spent nearly two hours digging through dozens of grease- and ketchup-smeared garbage bags outside two Manhattan Wendy’s restaurants searching for soft drink cups with AirTran frequent-flier coupons printed on the side. In all, the pair collected about 330 cups, more than enough for two round-trip flights for each of them. “It’s pretty disgusting work, especially when you grab a handful of chewed meat,” says Danielle, who asked that her full name be withheld to ensure that AirTran would honor her claim. “But it’s about the only way I can afford to see my family [in San Luis Obispo, Calif.].” … Some…
Save more!
Jane Galt offers good basic financial advice. I do pretty well — readers of this blog know I can get quite a bit out of a buck, and often not just in travel — but I know I don’t save enough, and like Tyler Cowen I’m not going to give up on eating out. But it’s still worth clubbing myself over the head every now and then about what best practices ought to be.
20,000 Bonus Miles first First Purchase on AA Business Mastercard
Dec
12
2005
As a companion to the best ever American Airlines Mastercard offer, Citibank is also offering 20,000 bonus miles and fee waived the first year on its Business Mastercard.
3000 Bonus Points Every Third Night
Dec
10
2005
Priority Club is offering 3000 bonus points or 1000 bonus miles for every third night you stay between January 16 and April 30, 2006. Members can earn the bonus 10 times. Registration is required.
New Priority Club Visa Offers
Dec
10
2005
There’s a new Priority Club Visa offer which is better than the standard 10,000 points with first purchase: 15,000 bonus points with first purchase Free $20 statement credit with first purchase 10,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on the card each year No fee the first year ($29/year thereafter) Gold status in the Priority Club program (which doesn’t offer much) It’s still not a great card to put large amounts of spending on. It only offers 1 Priority Club point per dollar spent (3 per dollar at Priority Club hotel properties, e.g. Intercontinental and Holiday Inn). I’d take almost any other card’s earning strength. But the offer is an improved one and the signup bonus is nice. And the earning isn’t bad when earning 3 points per dollar spent or if you put exactly the…
New York Hotels Gone Wild!
One of the easiest stories to do on travel right now is the exploding cost of Manhattan hotel rooms. USA Today‘s Matt Krantz turns in the obligatory piece, focusing on the $330 a night Super 8 and then draws the stark contrast For less than the price of the Times Square Super 8, guests could stay this week at the Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix, for $249 a night. It boasts an award-winning high tea, a cigar bar and full spa. The Super 8 offers an iron and ironing board. Of course, the Ritz-Carlton Phoenix isn’t anywhere near Wall Street or Broadway, making it difficult to use as a jumping off point for New York City’s business and sights. But the point is still a shocking one. (On less busy nights New York City properties are of…
Rowell Reviews Mileage Pro
David Rowell reviews the new Randy Petersen/Tim Winship book, Mileage Pro. His bottom-line: If people buy the book to get a complete standalone and ordered presentation of all data that would otherwise take a lot of surfing to try and piece together, they may be disappointed. But if they buy the book seeking a strategic overview of what mileage programs are all about and how best to approach them, they’ll be very pleased. My copy hasn’t arrived in the mail yet, it was held up slightly waiting to be autographed by the authors, but I’m looking forward to reading it!
