Hacking

Looking at BOS to AMS in May for a family of four. SAS premium economy is about $1,000 per person, BA is closer to $1,650. On paper the seats look almost identical, same width, pitch, recline. What I’m struggling with is the actual experience. I keep reading that SAS service can...

I rented a car from Sixt in the Azores last May. Drove it for 10 days, zero issues. On the very last day, leaving an underground garage, the electronic parking brake wouldn’t release in reverse. I had to pop the clutch a couple times to get it to disengage. Dropped the car at...

Rented a car from National at the Puerto Rico airport for a 4 day trip. Reservation was for 3:00 pm, but I got there early. I checked in around 1:15 pm, contract was printed at 1:30 pm, and I didn’t actually leave the garage until about 2:00 pm. The agent at the exit said the 24...

This post is funny, but the bad news is you can’t outsmart it like that. Incognito mode, clearing cookies, wearing thrift store clothes while searching, none of it actually flips some “stingy customer” switch. Airlines price mostly off demand, route, timing, and fare buckets....

This drives me crazy too. The price you see on Google Flights almost never ends up being the real price once you get to checkout, especially with kids. By the time you add seats so you’re actually sitting together, the “deal” is gone. The worst part is exactly what you said. You...

I’ve always been a cheapest hotel possible kind of person. As long as there’s a bed and the door locks, I’m happy. For my honeymoon, though, I booked a very nice luxury hotel in Italy and I honestly don’t know how to make the most of it. When hotels cost $800+ a night, I can’t...

Quick reminder about a scam that keeps popping up. I got a WhatsApp and SMS about a hotel I’d booked, asking me to “verify” my reservation or risk cancellation. Looked very legit. No spelling errors, friendly tone, and they even had my real reservation number. The message...

I’ve spent the last month tracking every publicly reported Alaska Mileage Plan account hack I could find across Reddit, FlyerTalk, Facebook groups, Twitter, and a few other places. The numbers are honestly alarming. 265 documented hacks in 2025 so far (through end of November)...

We’re planning to move back to Australia next year after living in London and thought we’d treat ourselves to business class on the way home. So far I’m seeing mid week fares around £3,500 per person with Qatar or Emirates. We both have Amex cards and some points, so we might be...

This sucks, but trying to think clearly and could use some outside brains. My girlfriend and I broke up last night. We had a one week Colombia trip booked for Christmas week through Expedia. Flights and hotel package. I paid for everything. Total was about $2,600 and she never...

Bumped a white Enterprise rental while parking on a work trip. Just some scraped paint and a couple small dents, but definitely visible. Used my company’s code and company insurance, so now I’m stuck between calling HR, calling Enterprise, or waiting to see what happens. Anyone...

My mom is 71 and heading overseas next year, so I’m trying to put together a travel themed Christmas gift. Thinking comfy walking sneakers, a small shoulder bag, maybe packing cubes or a lumbar pillow for the flight. I don’t travel much and I’m not in her age range, so I’m kinda...

Landed, opened Lyft, and saw the usual airport pricing… about 45 bucks for a 15 minute ride. Decided to just walk out to a nearby shopping center and call it from there instead. Ended up paying 25. Also shoved my personal bag inside my duffel so it only counted as one item,...

Thinking about booking two roundtrips for Christmas since it’s cheaper, even though my daughter won’t take the return with me. She’ll head back with her dad instead. She’d be on my reservation, and I’d just skip her return leg. Just trying to remember if airlines actually care...

Looking at flights to Athens and found a PDX → AMS → ATH option for about 550 bucks… but the exact same PDX → AMS leg on its own was showing 800. Makes zero sense on the surface. Kinda tempted to just book the cheaper itinerary and get off in Amsterdam instead of continuing on,...

Just got to New Zealand from Canada for a two-month stay and my Wise card won’t show up at my brother’s place for another 3–4 weeks. I can use the virtual card, but I really need a physical one for ATMs. Tried Revolut and it looks like you need NZ residency. Anyone know a...

Thinking about a rental in Burbank and debating going with supplier’s choice for about 250 a week versus paying 302 for a compact SUV. Never tried supplier’s choice before and I’m guessing it’s whatever they feel like handing over that day. Would you save the money and roll the...

Rented a car at Houston IAH through Thrifty after booking a cheap add-on through Spirit. Line was slow, the counter staff were joking around, and when it was finally my turn the agent tried to sell me gas and then pushed hard on insurance. I said no, but she kept insisting I...

Packing for a Mexico trip and now I’m staring at my jewelry box wondering if I’m being bold or just dumb. Part of me wants to bring the good pieces so my outfits actually look like I planned them. The other part of me is like… just wear the same little studs all week and don’t...

Landing around 11pm and flying out again at 9am is such an annoying amount of time. By the time you get off the plane, get your bearings, and think about heading to a hotel, you’re basically looking at maybe 4–5 hours of actual sleep and that’s if the shuttle timing works out....

Trying to book US to Asia for Dec 17–Jan 4 and everything on Google Flights is showing like 3k round trip. Super late planning on my part, but wow. I’ve got around 100k AA miles between me and my wife. Wondering if using miles even helps when cash prices are this insane, or if...

Looking for a solid tracking tag that actually works well with Android. AirTags are great but iPhone-only, and everything I’ve heard about Tile is that it only updates when you’re close not true GPS-style tracking from miles away. Anybody found something that gives reliable,...

Flying Southwest today with the whole fam and we all showed up with giant overstuffed rollies. Took them straight to the gate and checked all five for free. Kinda feels like gaming the system, but honestly… they’re the ones who set the rules. We board fast, don’t take any...

Booked my first cruise through a travel agent because I felt like I needed some guidance, and honestly the only thing I got out of it was a basic drink package and basic WiFi. No credits, no extra perks. And after doing the math, I would’ve saved money just buying those add ons...