Welcome back to our Sunday Summary Series where we review the stories that were covered throughout the week.
Sunday Summary
Boston Marathon Week: Last Minute Hotel Award Availability
This is it – the week that tens of thousands of runners have waited for, some for many years. The Boston Marathon is in one week! People from all over the world will be descending on Boston for this great race and to support those who run it. With such a huge event, it is to be expected that most travel venues are full or way overpriced. I would hope that all of you have your travel arrangements secured by now, but in the event that some do not, I have put this list together of last minute hotel award availability. This list is not just for those of you who may not have booked travel yet. It can also be helpful to any of you who may currently have a hotel in a place that is not optimally located and this list may highlight…Read more…
Reflection on Award Travel
With all the devaluations that have occurred over the past year, many travelers have lost a lot of trust in airlines and hotels and have grown disappointed with the whole award travel system. It is true – it can be very discouraging, especially to the many of you had been saving your miles and points for a long-awaited dream trip and woke up to found the rug pulled out from under you. It is also true that… Read more…
Is It Ever Worth It To Buy Hotel Points?
There are often promos that offer points and miles at a decreased price for purchase. These promos are sometimes straight out purchase promos and sometimes they are share promos – promos that offer the recipient a bonus if you share your miles or points with another account. When these promos are available, they sometimes are decent deals for travelers who are able to use the purchased miles/points for specific, high-value redemptions. Read more…
Looking Back: The Boston Marathon Bombing
Today is the one year anniversary of the horrific Boston Marathon bombing. It was at this moment last year that the bombs went off that brought terror to the streets of Boston. It was a tragedy of huge proportions, not only to the numerous friends and family who were affected but also to conscience of a nation as tens of thousands of runners had come together to run the most hallowed marathon in America in a city that is rooted in American bravery and freedom. It is so easy to forget as one year goes by. Easier still as it the years multiply from such a terrible event. The pain, however, for… Read more…
Use The Barclaycard Arrival As A Supplemental Point Source
We like to use the words “free travel” to describe how we travel with miles and points. The truth is that, while the out-of-pocket cost of travel is severely lowered by miles and points, award travel still costs money. It can cost as little as the segment tax on US flights ($2.50) to costing as much as hundreds of dollars per ticket for taxes, fees, and surcharges. A classic example of this is … Read more…
When Running A 2:08 Marathon Is A Bad Day
The day I run a 3:08 marathon will be a great day – I still remember when I broke 4 hours for the first time and that was a good day! Will there ever be a time in my life when I will run a 2:08 marathon? NO! But for a professional runner who has the pride of his country riding on a particular time and then having the opportunity to do that on the streets of your country, running less than… Read more…
Will American Express Offer Different Bonuses For Repeat Customers After May 1?
It has been spread around that May 1 is the official date that American Express will use to prevent repeat customers from getting the same card and bonus again. So, for example, if you have had the American Express Premier Rewards Gold card before, under the current rules, you cannot get the bonus for that card unless it has been over 12 months since you last had it open. If it has been 13 months, you are fine and… Read more…
Save Up To 30% When Buying United Miles – But Is It A Good Deal?
United is running a promo (as they often do) on buying miles. This particular promo is offering up to 30% off your United miles purchase. It is a tiered promo, so the lowest amount will only give you 20% off (3,000 – 11,000 miles). I have written before about purchasing miles and just the other day about purchasing hotel points. While there are times for both, just because an airline has… Read more…
10K Thursday: Cooper River Bridge Run
This week’s 10K Thursday pick is the self-proclaimed “best organized and the best conducted 10K race in the world.” To make a statement like that, they obviously have a lot of history and great comments about the race and the organization. The proof is in the pudding – the race consistently has over 30,000 finishers! They must be doing something… Read more…
Using British Airways to Fly In America and Using American to Fly In Europe
Award travel can be a peculiar thing. Sometimes what we are used to being normal get slightly twisted when it comes to award travel. Take, for instance, the fact that (for many) the best miles to use for award travel in America are not those of an American carrier but British Airways. It return, some of the best award redemptions for travel in Europe is not with a European carrier but with American Airlines. How is that for different! Yet, it is true! Now, for… Read more…
The Wave of the Credit Card Future
There are many of us who have several different credit cards that we always carry with us, or at least know to grab before going to certain stores. There are cards that give bonuses at department stores, others that give bonuses at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and many others. I always want to use the best card to give me the most points back, but there have been sometimes that I have forgotten the card and always have a head-slapping moment. Then there is… Read more…
5K Friday: Have You Done The Color Run?
If you read about 5K races, you have undoubtedly seen advertisements or mentions of The Color Run. The Color Run says that it is “the happiest 5K on the planet” and continues to expand throughout the world. They currently are held in almost 100 cities around the world with another 25 coming soon. For a series that is only two years old, that is… Read more…
Two Things That Bother Me On The Long Run
For those who may not be familiar, a long run is the run in training of a distance of 16 or 17 miles and more. Typical long runs (for marathon training) are distances between 18-21 miles. It is one of the runs that runners tend to dread or love. Long runs can be… Read more…
Luxury At Home Or Away?
hanks to miles and points, many of us can enjoy a certain amount of luxury in our choice of hotels that we otherwise never would be able to. I realize that not ever high-end hotel would be considered a luxury hotel, but for the purpose of this post, will consider the top tier hotels to be “luxury” hotels. Read more…
Stay Connected With The Boston Marathon
Tomorrow is the highly anticipated Boston Marathon! I have several friends who are running it as well as some readers. I really wish I could have been there – if not to run, to volunteer or watch. However, since I am not in town, I am going to watch it. There are a few different ways that you can stay connected with the Boston Marathon. Read more…
[…] This is it – the week that tens of thousands of runners have waited for, some for many years. The Boston Marathon is in one week! People from all over the world will be descending on Boston for this great race and to support those who run it. With such a huge event, it is to be expected that most travel venues are full or way overpriced. I would hope that all of you have your travel arrangements secured by now, but in the event that some do not, I have put this list together of last minute hotel award availability. This list is not just for those of you who may not have booked travel yet. It can also be helpful to any of you who may currently have a hotel in a place that is not optimally located and this list may highlight…Read more… Read full article […]