RECENT POSTS
  • Benefits

    Alaska Air Lounges Nix Priority Pass Guest Access

    Beginning May 1, Alaska Air will no longer accommodate guests of Priority Pass members at most of its airport lounges. The new access policy will be in effect at its lounges in Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), and Portland, Oregon (PDX). As of this writing, Alaska’s Anchorage (ANC) lounge has not indicated any change in access. This policy change only affects Priority Pass members, not those with an Alaska Lounge membership. Alaska Lounge Members are welcome to bring immediate family (spouse or domestic partner and children under the age of 21) or as many as two guests at no extra charge. What is Priority Pass? Priority Pass is a membership club that provides frequent travelers…

  • Advanced,  Credit Cards

    Plan Your Credit Card Travel Reimbursements for 2017

    Premium travel credit cards with annual fees of over $450 or more may seem incredibly expensive at first glance, but when you factor in the annual travel credits they offer, the final cost is much easier to swallow. Each card’s travel credit benefit has its own nuances. It’s important to know the up-to-date rules, so there’s no surprises when it comes time to cash in on your reimbursement. There are two frequent questions I am asked about each card’s credits: What does it cover and When exactly does it reset? This post will cover each benefit’s individual rules. Since all of these travel credit benefits reset annually each calendar year (not on the…

  • Advanced,  Credit Cards

    A Primer on Priority Pass Select Airport Lounge Membership

    Since the announcement of the immensely popular Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, many questions have arisen about one of its benefits–Priority Pass Select membership. The confusion stems from the number of different Priority Pass membership levels and the fees associated with each. Here are answers to some of the more common questions I’ve seen asked lately. What is Priority Pass? Priority Pass is a club that provides frequent travelers with independent airport lounge access worldwide. There are currently over 1000 lounges in 400 cities across 120 countries in the the network. Priority Pass does not own or operate any lounges, instead they contract with independent lounge operators to allow members access during certain hours.…

  • Credit Cards,  Travel Rewards

    Amex Announces New Platinum Card Benefits

    After recent buzz about potential new benefits coming to the Platinum Card, today American Express announced the changes. Beginning October 6, consumers with a Platinum Card from American Express will receive 5X Membership Rewards points on airfare booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel. Also, Business Platinum Card Members will now earn 50% points back (up from 30%) when using Membership Rewards Pay with Points through American Express Travel to book an economy flight with their selected airline or a first or business class ticket with any airline. In addition, Business Platinum Card Members can earn 1.5X Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on any individual purchase of $5,000 or more. “Our new…

  • Credit Cards

    New Citi Prestige Applicants Losing AA Lounge Benefit Soon

    Last month, news broke that Citi Prestige cardholders would be losing access to American Airlines Admirals Clubs. A few days later, Citi confirmed that, and many other negative changes to the card. The only good news was that Citi was giving one year notice of the changes, which are due to take effect July 23, 2017. However, there is one change that will affect new applicants much sooner. According to various reports, new Citi Prestige applicants must be approved by August 31, 2016 to have Admirals Club access through July 23, 2017. If you become a cardholder on September 1 or later, you will not have the AA lounge club benefit…

  • Credit Cards,  Miles and Points

    More Negative Changes to Citi Prestige Coming

    In an earlier post, I wrote about Citi’s plans to discontinue complimentary American Airlines Admirals Club lounge access for Prestige cardmembers. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning. More Citi Prestige changes have been announced and they’re all bad. In addition to the loss of Admirals Club access, Citi is reducing the value of ThankYou points redeemed for flights, discontinuing the Complimentary Golf benefit, and reducing the value (in some cases substantially) of the 4th Night Free hotel benefit. All these changes are to take effect July 23, 2017. Citi Prestige Changes Access to American Airlines Admirals Club lounges will no longer be offered. After July 23, 2017, current cardmembers will…