Time to Cancel the MileagePlus Club Visa After All

May 15, 2013 By 29 Comments
MileagePlus Club

I wrote about a month ago that my annual fee was coming due on the United MileagePlus Club card from Chase. I decided at the time that I was going to keep the card, but I changed my mind after thinking a little more. Fortunately, Chase provides a limited window to cancel a card after the annual fee actually posts to an account. (American Express doesn't refund the entire fee but rather a pro-rated portion depending on how far you are through the year.) Why am I canceling? I like having access to the United Club. I like it enough that I am willing to pay for it. But my Club membership is good through July 31 even if the credit card has been cancelled. And I have no domestic travel booked after that. As a Premier 1K and Star Gold member, I … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Credit Cards Tagged With: , , ,

New Hyatt 48 Hour Sale with Participating Properties

May 14, 2013 By 6 Comments
C48MAY

Hyatt has a new 48 Hour Sale, providing the opportunity to save up to 20% on select properties in the U.S. and abroad. Use the code C48MAY today or tomorrow before 11:59 PM Central Time on May 15. Hyatt PR generously contacted me with a list of participating properties. Remember, this list may not be exhaustive and there could be other participating properties not included. Not all properties on this list will offer the same discount on all days. But it is better to have something to work with than nothing. You should still check other discounts like AAA, AARP, and COSTCO to see if you can obtain a similar savings. Many of those discounted codes provide refundable rates, while the 48 Hour Sale provides only nonrefundable rates. Read … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Hotels Tagged With: , ,

New Way to Support This Site

May 14, 2013 By 16 Comments
CK Portal

I have always tried to keep you guys informed about my relationships with other companies, especially affiliate marketing. There is no denying that it has the power to influence content. I hope that by providing disclosure you can judge for yourself if I have honestly provided useful advice or if you should question it and move on. No one should needlessly apply for a financial product, but if you are going to anyway I always appreciate the support you provide this blog. Some of you know I have had more difficulty than most getting approved for the major affiliate programs. I think it's largely an issue of misperception (I have the word "hack" in my title) and the more recent move by many banks to limit the addition of new affiliates. To … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Site Updates Tagged With: , , ,

Answers to Reader Questions: Booking Travel for an Infant

May 14, 2013 By 3 Comments

I'm going to finish up the reader questions today and tomorrow. First up is a question on booking award travel, including infant fares. Megan and I started addressing wedding invitations tonight, but I hope this is something I won't have to worry about any time soon! jay: I’d like to use Ultimate Rewards points to fly to Europe in business or first class, probably from Washington, DC, to Spain. (1) Without any ANA miles, how would you recommend searching for Austrian business class availability?  You should use United.com to search for Star Alliance award space. There is a risk of some phantom award availability (it shows up online but you can’t book it), a problem that apparently does not affect ANA, but it is not so great that … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

7 Strategies for Successful Elite Upgrades

May 13, 2013 By 9 Comments

I just finished two weeks of heavy travel, going to FTU in Washington, DC; two mileage runs to Indianapolis; BAcon (BoardingArea conference) in Colorado Springs, and a visit to my family near San Francisco. In short, I’m glad to finally be home for a while. But during these trips, I reflected on my upgrade success this year on United Airlines, which is at nearly 100%. I have flown roughly 32,000 miles on domestic, upgrade-eligible routes this year, and the only upgrade I truly missed was on a regional jet from Washington-Dulles to Indianapolis with a tiny forward cabin. I have Premier 1K status, which has been instrumental to that success, but I also have been flying on many G and N fares (N is the new bottom of the barrel, the … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Airlines, Elite Status Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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