Tips for cheap travel abroad

[chipbennett]

Gold, no annual fee first year.

Gold card gets you 1 free checked bag, 15% bonus when booking with miles, and 2x SM per dollar spent on Delta. Looks like the current SUB is actually 65K SM, instead of 40K.

If you fly Delta at all, you might look at the Platinum. AF goes up from $150 to $350, but you get:
- SUB: 80K SM
- Companion cert good for travel in all 50 states, Caribbean, Central America (this alone pays the AF, and then some - this pays for my Reserve card AF)
- 3x SM per dollar spent on Delta
- MQD head start: 2,500 MQD (for Medallion status - this is halfway to Silver)
- MQD boost: 1 MQD per $20 spent on the card
- $10/month ride share credit
- $10/month Resy credit
- $150 Delta stays credit (I would never use this, personally)

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Gold card gets you 1 free checked bag, 15% bonus when booking with miles, and 2x SM per dollar spent on Delta. Looks like the current SUB is actually 65K SM, instead of 40K.

If you fly Delta at all, you might look at the Platinum. AF goes up from $150 to $350, but you get:
- SUB: 80K SM
- Companion cert good for travel in all 50 states, Caribbean, Central America (this alone pays the AF, and then some - this pays for my Reserve card AF)
- 3x SM per dollar spent on Delta
- MQD head start: 2,500 MQD (for Medallion status - this is halfway to Silver)
- MQD boost: 1 MQD per $20 spent on the card
- $10/month ride share credit
- $10/month Resy credit
- $150 Delta stays credit (I would never use this, personally)

I don't think we'd fly enough with Delta to make it worth it, and I am pretty invested in AA at this point. I think Delta has a better product on some flights for sure, but the cost difference is generally substantial. It's very unlikely we can maintain status with two airlines, I'm comfortably staying Platinum with AA and could potentially see Platinum Pro in a heavier travel year.

We're actually *not* going to take advantage of the Delta offer this time because I figured out a One World trip that's better for us, using my status to upgrade basic economy to economy plus, then maybe latch on to a last minute premium economy upgrade. For less money than comfort plus with Delta directly to Athens, I can fly round trip to Madrid with AA, stay a few days on both the front and back end, and fly to Athens for a week in the middle with Iberia. I'm just trying to get my Iberia account linked to my AA account now, since I didn't know then what I know now I have an IB number and the booking system won't let me change it to my AAdvantage number. I'd rather get my AA miles than more Avios at this point, plus get my Sapphire upgrades.

 

[Ingomike]

Southwest Airlines Announces the End of Its Signature Seating Policy

Southwest Airlines announced the end of one of its signature policies on Thursday, angering some customers while pleasing others.

www.thegatewaypundit.com

How do you frequent fliers feel about this? As an infrequent flyer I like the change, I can buy the seat that is comfortable for me…

 

[Ingomike]

A friend of mine vacation travels to beach destinations and always wished he had a good cooler when there. He bought this Yeti and it is a perfect carry-on and he has a great cooler.

YETI Hopper M20 Soft Backpack Cooler

Our Hopper M20 backpack cooler is a hands-free soft cooler that keeps you mobile, while a strip of ultra-strong magnets keeps the cold locked in. Fast shipping.

www.yeti.com