When I met Eleni, she was – to put it lightly – somewhat skeptical about the utility of collecting points and miles. Even recently, as we watched June of Honey-Boo-Boo fame collect dozens of coupons and use them to stockpile thousands of rolls of toilet paper, she jokingly compared the absurdity of June’s extreme couponing […]
The SPG Devaluation By The Numbers: A 6% Mark-Down
February 21, 2013 By 1 Comment
Starwood’s annual category “adjustments” were released today and, as usual, more properties moved up a category (i.e., became more expensive) than down a category (became less expensive). The new categories become effective on March 5, so you can make reservations at the current, pre-inflation rates until that date. The headline numbers of today’s announcement seem […]
An Introduction To The Three Major Flexible Points Currencies, And How They Render Your Airline-Specific Credit Card (Nearly) Obsolete
February 19, 2013 By 4 Comments
The best credit cards earn flexible points, and by that I mean points that can be transferred to a variety of different loyalty programs. The beauty of accumulating flexible points, as opposed to points or miles that are specific to any one particular loyalty program, is that they allow you to defer your redemption decision […]
Why (And How) You Should Be Earning A Kickback Of At Least 2% On All Of Your Credit Card Purchases
February 4, 2013 By 3 Comments
Credit card rewards come in many forms — including cash, points, miles, and statement credits — but if you have a good credit score and your rewards are not worth at least 2 cents on the dollar, you’re leaving money on the table on every single purchase. The 2% Minimum Where does that baseline rebate […]