CreditCards

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On paper the credits make it look like you’re winning. But in real life it turns into calendar reminders for Uber, Grubhub, Dunkin, forcing yourself to use Resy just so you don’t “waste” value. That mental load is real. Even if you come out ahead financially, it starts to feel...

Upgraded my seat and paid with my Southwest credit card that I’ve had for years… and still ended up in the last boarding group. By the time I got on with one carry on, there was zero overhead space near my seat in the first ten rows. My bag had to go toward the back, which is...

I get Priority Pass through Chase and I keep running into this issue. I’ll ask a non-Chase lounge how many guests I can bring and they’ll say they don’t know. Then later I see guest charges hit my card. Is there any reliable way to know in advance if a lounge will charge for...

Quick question for anyone who’s flown Spirit recently. Does anyone know what the current in-cabin intro offer is for the Spirit Airlines credit card when they promote it during the flight? Sometimes the sign-up bonus or perks are better than the public online offer. Also...

I’m planning a 3 night stay in November and need 5 rooms total. I have enough points to fully cover 2 rooms, and the other 3 will be paid in cash. Is there any advantage to booking all 5 rooms under one reservation versus making 5 separate bookings under my IHG account? One...

I am a pretty casual traveler. A few trips a year, and last year I only stayed six nights total. I have Lifetime Silver thanks to the Amex, not from actual stays. I might travel a bit more in the future, but probably not enough to fully justify the Aspire. The Surpass feels more...

I stayed at the SpringHill Suites in Brandon, Florida using Bonvoy points. The first night was fine, but the second night around 12:20 AM a very loud jackhammer-like noise started coming from the bathroom in our room. I called the front desk and the agent told me it was a known...

Trying to book a 4 night stay using IHG reward points and noticed something a bit strange. The promotion says the 4th night is free, but when looking at the booking details the first three nights cost more points than they would if booked separately for those same dates. Still...

Thinking about getting the Frontier card mainly for the free checked bags. I know it gives Gold status the first year, but I’m confused about how you keep Gold after that. Roughly how much regular, everyday spending would it take in a year to maintain it? Not talking about...

Stopped at the SMF Priority Pass lounge with my wife and 4 kids. Showed the attendant my PP account on my phone, she typed something in, smiled, and said “we’re all set.” No mention of guest fees. No total. No warning. I didn’t hand over an Amex or any other card. A few days...

Looks like Hyatt is introducing Category 9 at 50k and Category 10 at 60k per night. Most of the big Park Hyatts that are already Cat 8, like Paris and Tokyo, are expected to move up to Cat 9. Sounds like Cat 10 will be very limited, maybe even just Park Hyatt Kyoto at launch....

Tried to book some seats on air france via award miles. my AF account seems to have expired, but I made a new one in January. still. no working logins. weird error messages, claims it emails me, couldn't text me... after 5-6 attempts, I made new account, and eventually got the...

Amex Program Amount Transfer Period Avianca 15% 2/18/2026-3/28/2026 <<-- STILL ACTIVE Virgin Atlantic 40% 11/20/2025-12/31/2025 Avianca 15% 11/3/2025-11/30/2025 Marriott 30% 10/1/2025-11/30/2025 Air France/KLM 20% 10/1/2025-10/31/2025 Hilton 25% 9/3/2025-9/23/2025 Avianca 15%...

My wife’s dream trip is staying in one of those overwater bungalows for a week. I’ve got close to a million Marriott points saved up, but I’m hoping to find somewhere a bit easier to reach than the Maldives. We’re based in California, so ideally something with a simpler route...