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Spankytoes

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Posts posted by Spankytoes

  1. Well...he does have a point. "What is a fact?" is a valid question, albeit, slightly misguided on his response. According to my Commie wife, Russia won World War II and the moon landing was a hoax. Both are disputable to a degree, depending on what side of the former Iron Curtain you lived on.

  2. Aldi’s is the tits. Used to shop there all the time when we lived in Garland. It’s my go-to when I visit Germany to get my chocolate stash to bring back. It’s always funny when people knock Aldi’s and have a “Finkel is Einhorn” moment when they find out about Trader Joe’s.

    My wife goes to no less than 4 stores every Saturday for our groceries. I quit shopping with her about 19 years ago. She is the extreme coupon counterpart to my travel hacking. We have enough shampoo, soap, razors and laundry detergent in her stash to last us into retirement.

  3. On 6/13/2018 at 12:28 PM, midtown said:

    These "influencers" are just as bad as every hotel, resort, restaurant, tour company and outfitter that asks you to tag them or mention them on your fb, insta etc.   

    I have a FB friend that posts pics lifting his "You should be here" banner every time he goes to Guatemala or Mexico. So I tagged him with #YSBH from a McDonalds for 2 straight weeks from different towns in Australia and New Zealand. I don't think he got the point. Don't MLM for these shitty travel membership clubs. Spend a solid hour researching and get 10X the vacation for 25% of the cost.

    Travel bloggers creep me out. Yes, you get to see a lot of countries that not many people have interest in because they are cheap. Perhaps that makes you more culturally in tune than those of us that travel for vacation from time to time and don't eat grasshoppers to feel enlightened. But, like the tramp stamp tattoo you got when you were 22 with a tight body, the chickens will come home to roost when you're older. 

  4. December is notoriously bad for Europe and great for the Southern Hemisphere destinations such as Australia where it's summer, for whatever reason. If you have to connect, then that makes it even worse. If you are flying DFW-EWR-AMS, you have to compete with the people that are only doing the DFW-EWR leg and the people that are doing the same first leg with a different second leg destination. For me, it's not that problematic since I have JFK, LGA, EWR and even PHL as easy to reach airports to start the journey from. (Technically White Plains and Islip too, but I don't take them seriously) I can usually book a JFK-LHR route for cheap, upgrade with miles to J class, and then burn miles for the leg to my final destination, which LHR is a fantastic choice for that.

  5. 3 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

    That makes a lot of sense.

    Some of the benefits aren't exactly useless to me, but some are. The room guarantee when booked 72 hours in advance will be handy a couple times a year, as will the late checkout (4pm). No minibar charges will be nice. Not because I see a lot of them, but because I guarantee that the one time we stay somewhere that does, the wife will be oblivious and would have cost me a small fortune.

    I'm not sure what program I'll end up targeting to go along with IHG yet, I'll have to check coverage for most the areas I end up in to see if I like their properties. With a few paid stays a year I'll end up with enough points for 4-5 nights, so not bad. Which leads back to it not encouraging loyalty. I do that, get my points, keep their top tier, and still have 80%+ of my travel nights to play with. Probably not quite what they had in mind, or maybe they did.

    The one unknown that spins the equation is how Marriott is going to really work come the switch in August. I may wait til fall to see how all that rolls out, but right now I'm leaning towards Hilton and doing a match. That would help for a few nights coming up in August, so may be better to just go ahead instead of waiting around.

     

    Great to know that the 2 room cap was Hilton. That one group trip I mentioned would pop me up from plat, so that really leaves things open for another program.

    That's the proper question. SPG was hands down the best loyalty program because the points stretched further and you get more than a 1:1 conversion rate with most airlines at the 20,000 point level. Now that they have a monopoly, how are they going to respond? I always found Marriott properties to be nice, so the fit is great from a quality aspect. When redeeming points, they are also attractive since SPG and Marriott both had properties in areas that the other did not and now the footprint is expanded. As most of my travel is Europe for vacations, this is fantastic news as it allows me to avoid staying in cities that I've visited several times and explore the countryside more. In the instances where a city stay is needed, I have more options to book during peak season. My gut feeling is that their rates will be competitive but the number of points needed to stay at the desirable hotels is going to go way up. Luckily, SPG was pretty stingy with doling out points so they don't have to overcome the new point inflation to balance the force a bit. If I was holding, I'd be burning ASAP. I don't know a thing about their promos.

    My favorite chain of all time is Hyatt and I used to have top status with them as well at one point. It got me rooms at the Park Hyatt hotels in Paris and Milan, which are the creme-de-la-creme. But, their footprint is so small worldwide that it didn't make sense to continue with them. I'd much rather earn IHG or Hilton points where I can grab a HIX or Hampton Inn when I don't have the wife tagging along on the trip. So I switched to Radisson, which served me for several years as I could never seem to deplete my point total completely. It's not in the heyday anymore, but they are the girl that I drunk text from time to time as I can earn enough points for 2-5 nights off one stay with a promo + a Megapoints rate of 10,000 per room per night if a qualifying hotel was near my work destination. But, they give away the pootie too often, albeit not as freely as they did 6-7 years ago. You can literally call them right now and get matched to Gold status just by saying that you hold elite status at another chain. And when you do reach the top of the mountaintop of status, you're looking over Oklahoma for benefits. 

    Truth be told, I'm conflicted on the whole loyalty aspect. I'm in it for what benefits me the most and have no problem spreading the love to a few selected programs that do that for me. But, as a Diamond at Hilton and a Spire at IHG, I take the "iPhone vs. Android" mentality when debating Hilton and the "store brand bread" mentality for IHG because it "tastes the same to me". So I suppose that Hilton has their hooks in me like AA does because of what I've gotten in return. IHG is my hoodrat drinking Cristal to be fancy.

  6. There’s nothing worth checking out if you have daily access to real BBQ. There’s only “somewhat OK” to “passable” in my experience. Nothing worth planning your day around or trekking out to parts far away for.

     

     

  7. The 2 room cap is only for Hilton. I think IHG allows 5-6 rooms on the same reservation to earn points. The credit card used doesn’t affect that. And, as mentioned, earning Spire is pretty easy since everything seems to count as qualifying points towards elite status. My Buffalo stay was 5 rooms for 1 night charged to my IHG credit card booked at the 5,000 bonus points per room rate. That one stay got me requalified for Spire when all the points hit. 

    Nothing is wrong with IHG as a whole and I’ve used them several times for points bookings. I was just saying that the Elite program is shit. When you hit Spire, you’ll have the option of receiving 50,000 points or upgrading someone else to Spire for free. (Or something like that) You automatically become a 5-Star Level at Hertz, which is a decent perk if you rent cars for business a lot at a big airport since they assign you a spot on their board to bypass the lines. (Also great at DFW when your flight lands late as they have to wait on you) Everything else is “candy corn” for the most part. You get a 100% bonus on your base points earned, but that’s pretty minimal when your hotel rates average $200. However, you do not get Lounge access at any hotel. You do not get breakfast included at hotels where it’s not already included for everyone. No welcome drinks except for select properties. Maybe a “thank you”at check-in and some bottled water is the best you can hope for. Other than upgrades, which you can get at the lower tier, there’s nothing else worth mentioning. (Still haven’t downloaded my free e-book from selected crappy titles) 

    The only major program where you get less for achieving the top tier is Radisson. Both programs are like the fast food of the hotel world: You get a whole lot for little out of pocket. IHG is great for points earning because they shell them out like samples of Tide. If the majority of your redemptions are HI, HIX or the occasional Crowne Plaza or Indigo, they’re great. That’s what 8 out of 10 redemptions are for me. I’m staying at the Indigo in Berlin next month because I could not care less about having a nicer IC location closer to the center for my 7th trip there. I would rather save the points. I agree, they do not encourage loyalty. Any schmuck can get the credit card to start off as Platinum and earn Spire status in less than 8 stays by registering for the Accelerate promo and booking a bonus points rate. That creates havoc with upgrades since the status numbers are inflated. There no incentive to do it the “hard way”.

    As a Hilton Diamond, I get a reserved parking spot, guaranteed room within 48 hours of arrival, guaranteed room upgrade, lounge access at every applicable property, 5th night free when redeeming points at the same hotel, free breakfast at the buffet/restaurant, welcome amenities at check-in, premium wifi and several other attractive perks. (Plus the usual elevated points earning + branded credit card benefits) However, you only get credit for 1 room when maxing out the 2 room limit as a stay credit. The perks are better because it’s harder to achieve. Unless something changes, I’ll fall 10 stays short at 30 and fail to requalify. So I’ll get the Marriott credit card to bump my status, do a status match challenge while I’m still a Hilton Diamond to go further up the ranks and move to more fertile pastures unless Hilton throws me a bone. My current Hilton cc already gives me Gold status so there’s no incentive to work for it when the counter resets.

  8. 9 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

    Got an email this morning (coincidence?) for double points when purchasing points. Min purchase is 5k (which ends up 10k total when doubled), and looks to be about $.005 (half a cent) per mile on average. Comes out a little better (.002) than a points+cash buy up.

    So if anyone is thinking about it, or in need, there's an option.

     

    Also, looked up the current accelerate promotion, and it ends on 7/31. Will have to wait to see what comes out starting Aug 1. (First night at an IHG property isn't until 8/5.)

     

    FYI, if you don’t already know, IHG is a little bitch about their promos. You have to register for the Accelerate promo and THEN book your reservation. If your reservation is booked prior to your Accelerate registration, it won’t count towards any of the goals. Utter BS.

    • Like 1
  9. As a Spire Elite, I can tell you that you’ll be disappointed. Was great for Sydney on New Year’s Eve because we got upgraded to a view of the Harbor Bridge for the fireworks. But, for the love of all things holy, can a brother have breakfast included at a freaking Holiday Inn when he achieves the top level? And you still have to pay for the IC lounge?!? I had to book 5 rooms for a work thing in Buffalo in April and didnt realize that I re-qualified. Bummer that the credit card free night got devalued so much. Using the one I earned last year for a night at the Intercontinental Le Grand in Paris in a few weeks. My next one earned in August may get me a Crowne Plaza in Branson. Usually have no issue hitting all the Accelerate goals but only going to hit 4 of 6 this quarter. Had to spread too many stays around due to needs. (Mostly more Hilton points)

    Probably going to miss qualifying as a Diamond for Hilton this year too unless my travel schedule ramps up for the fall. My benefits expire at the end of March. Don’t want to burn a credit pull on another AMEX with a ridiculous annual fee just for elite status and devalued Hilton points. Doing Ocho Rios in January with the Mrs. and then probably switching to Marriott. It’s rare that I stay in one place long enough to use the 4 nights/1 free night on points benefit. Plus, the 2 room cap per stay points earning is ridiculous. I shouldn’t have to create 2 accounts, 1 at Silver with less earning, to get benefits for me to then transfer through a shitty Points.com into my main account.

    I feel better now

     

    • Like 1
  10. U2 is a good one. It's not that I can't stand them, it's more that Bono doesn't get that he's not cool anymore. I respect what he does for causes and charity. It doesn't mean that all your music now sounds the same. 

    Pink Floyd teeters. I have to be in the mood for them now and used to love them. I don't have the attention span to listen to one song for 8 minutes.

  11. 6 hours ago, BurdineBandit said:

    Random tip I just benefited from, NSIAP:

    Used Hertz a bit the last few years because I was in-between serviceable cars and the ability to get a new one, had about 1500 points saved up, no need to use them any time soon (got the new car, and 1500 points is like one day rental), but just found the option on their Rewards website to transfer their points to Rapid Rewards miles (something like 500 Hertz points=600 Rapid Rewards), so I put in a request to do that. I should be getting 1200 rapid rewards soon for a perk that I thought I'd never be able to use through Hertz. Definitely flying more often than renting a car these days. They have most major American airlines miles covered. I got most of my Hertz points (500) just for signing up, so basically just signing up to get bombarded with spam emails could net you some miles....

    Just threw up in my mouth a little...

    1500 Points is enough/almost enough for a 2 weekday rental in pretty much every country that has a Hertz location. Had you elected to receive Southwest miles instead of points for your rental at the time of booking, you would have earned 500 Southwest miles without having to convert, netting you a much greater value.

    For your purposes, maybe the miles were more valuable because they’re tangible to your travel patterns. But, that’s 2 days on the German Autobahn upgraded to a BMW X5 as a Hertz President’s Circle member. Definitely more value than 1/12 of a plane ticket to El Paso. There’s a reason you get a bigger quantity of miles for your points. The points are much more valuable.

  12. 49 minutes ago, futureman said:

    it’s going to be so, so awesome.  iceman and mav after over three decades.  I can’t believe it’s real. 

    That volleyball scene will be sexy

  13. 1 hour ago, Aphelion said:

    The big bang theory is not severely flawed; please highlight the flaws you believe it contains.  It makes no statement on "who created the chain reaction."  It also does not state that space and time are infinite; this is an open question in modern cosmology.   

    Not sure if serious or you hit your head on the pavement. Every argument that you can make against Creationism can also be made about the BBT with regards to the beginning, who/what created it, and who created them, and so on. Space and matter didn't appear from nowhere to start a complex chain reaction that took billions of years to evolve into today's world. It's no more plausible than "God has always been and always will be". The difference is that the BBT is supported by modern scientific evidence, which we all know, means slightly more than jack shit a decade after it was considered revolutionary. Therefore, it's easier to palate than "The arbitrary book of hearsay accounts told me so". For all we know, today's understanding will be the small dwarf living in your stomach, smoking is OK and blood transfusions don't count in the future.

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