Bainbridge Island

Are Starpoints Getting Easier To Earn? How About Your Own Apartment At 35,000 Feet? Or a Co-Pilot Seat For An Awesome Voyage? Things I Find Interesting On Sunday, May 4, 2014

May 4, 2014By Edward Pizzarello6 Comments

Can I tell you how excited I was to read this post on Hack My Trip talking about the possibility that the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card may be getting some new benefits? I just got through presenting at Frequent Traveler University on Hyatt and Starwood Preferred Guest. One of the things I commented on was just how hard it is to earn large amounts of Starpoints. Unless you travel quite a bit and pay higher rates, the only other option is the SPG AMEX. And it only earns […]

HELP WANTED: Hiring An Intern

Boy, have I been swamped lately…… I need your help! Between my blog and podcast (with another surprise or two on the way) I’ve just run out of time. I much prefer writing and recording than social media, but that’s really just me putting my head in the sand. So, I need someone who has a bit of social media experience and a lot of excitement to work on a part-time basis as an intern/coordinator to help me make things great! The right person will be willing to maintain a […]

Why It’s Time To Start Lowering Hotel Award Redemption Rates (Probably Not Why You Think)

As 2020 starts to wind down, there have been plenty of announcements from airline and hotel loyalty programs designed to keep members engaged. The first salvo revolved around reducing the requirements needed to earn elite status. This was at a time when it seemed like we might get back to some level or normalcy fairly quickly. Heck, at that point I thought I’d be home for 3 or 4 weeks and then back on the road. Little did I know then that I probably wouldn’t get on another plane this […]

Hyatt Announces (Mostly) Customer-Friendly Extensions And Changes

Hyatt has announced some more changes and extensions to key benefits that should benefit most travelers. In light of the virtually unprecedented financial impact of COVID-19, travel brands have had to quickly adapt. Back in April, Hyatt moved to extend elite status and other key benefits such as free night awards. At that point, nobody was really sure when travel would rebound. The big chains made the decision to wave the white flag on getting loyalty members to qualify for status in 2020. Now, Hyatt is tweaking a few things […]

Uber Will Be Allowed To Continue Operating In London

Uber will allowed to continue operating in London. For years, Uber has tussled with Transport for London, the major regulatory agency for car transport in the UK city. Uber has been on a series of shorter extensions of their license. They’ve been seeking a 5-year license in London. Back in November of last year they had lost a ruling to extend their license, though they filed an appeal. Now, they’ve won that appeal. Uber Wins Transport For London Appeal Uber announced this morning that it had been granted an 18-month […]

Even If You’re Not A Disney Fan, This Stat May Surprise You

Disney World is one of those places that most people love or hate. I happen to fall into the former category, but even if you fall into the latter, or don’t spend time focusing on Disney, a recent statistic I heard really surprises me. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic over the past 6 months, travel is down significantly. Disneyland in California hasn’t even reopened yet, though Disney World has been open for a few months now. For the past 20 years, Disney has had their own timeshare program, dubbed Disney Vacation […]

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]