Chase announced today that starting June 1, 2013, the MileagePlus Explorer Card will no longer have a 3% foreign transaction fee.

Chase is very much an industry leader when it comes to foreign transaction fees, far ahead of American Express, Barclaycard, and Citi, all of which don’t waive foreign transaction fees on a majority of their “middle of the road” products. Chase, meanwhile, has no foreign transaction fees on many of their cards, including the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold/Plus, British Airways Visa, Hyatt Visa, Marriott Visa, Priority Club Visa, and more. So if anything the Explorer Card was an outlier for Chase by having foreign transaction fees.

The card has some good benefits though still isn’t the best all around for spend abroad, in my opinion. The Chase Sapphire Preferred still gets you double points on dining and travel, and I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m abroad that encompasses about 90% of my spend, between hotels, flights, train tickets, food, and other transportation.

I recently wrote a post asking whether you guys think I hype Lufthansa first class too much, given how much I love them. I’m doing my best to put down my pom poms and #TeamLufthansa shirt, but just had another spectacular flight in Lufthansa first class between Vancouver and Munich, a route they’ve been serving for less than a week.

The flight was operated by an A330-300 with the new first class cabin, similar to the one on the A380.

And the flight was more or less perfect. The cabin couldn’t be more elegant, and in my opinion is the most comfortable A330 first class cabin out there (yes, even nicer than Swiss, as I find their seats to not be the most comfortable for sitting).

The service, was, as usual, spectacular in a German way. The two flight attendants working first class provided just the right amount of attention and personalization. It’s that amazing balance between professionalism, privacy, and personalization that I find few airlines are able to achieve.

And the food was great too. Lufthansa has made some catering changes as of this month, so the first class meal presentation is a bit different than before.

Rather than having a three tiered appetizer display as before, all the appetizers are now displayed on a single level plate. I’d argue the new presentation is even nicer than before. They also added individual salt and pepper mills, though they came at the expense of the larger one used by the flight attendants.

Oh, and the dessert was even amazing. None of the $&^% Lufthansa usually serves like chili crusted chocolate or elderflower soup. Instead just good old bread pudding.

Other interesting notes? Even though the flight was equipped with the Flynet internet service, it wasn’t operational, as I find to be the case far too often. Not sure why it is, though sure is disappointing when you’re expecting it for a 10 hour flight. Most surprising to me was that it was light more or less the entire flight, despite being a 6:45PM departure and 2:00PM arrival. I think that’s my first overnight transatlantic flight where that happened. The joys of summertime, I guess. Lastly, can anyone explain who decides on Lufthansa’s IFE selection? It’s 2013 and I think IFE matters less and less as passengers can bring their own entertainment, but seriously Lufty, what are you guys thinking? If I’m ever interesting in seeing a documentary on a skateboarding dog or a single episode of a 17 year old sitcom, I’ll consult you guys.

Oh, and the best part of the whole experience? After landing I figured we were taxiing to the gate, but nope, we got a remote stand instead. Lufthansa is the only airline in the world that can make me do the happy dance over a remote stand.

From there it was a quick drive to security, where I was brought to the front of the line, and then the First Class Lounge. And in the lounge they have delicious pretzels and Fanta.

Lufthansa, you rock…

For a long time American has had a generous unpublished policy whereby you get a “soft landing” of elite status if you don’t requalify for status. Through these soft landings you could never drop more than one elite tier per year. In other words, if you’re Executive Platinum and don’t do any flying, you’d still be Platinum the following year, and then Gold the year after that.

Per this FlyerTalk thread, it appears as if American has sent out an email to those that benefited from a soft landing last year:

Can you believe we’re almost halfway through 2013? Hopefully you’re on track to achieve your goal of elite status qualification for 2014. To check how many elite qualifying points, miles and segments you’ve earned thus far, simply log in to your account.

Previously, based on your prior year status, you benefited from an exception to receive a higher level of elite status than you actually earned. Next year, regardless of your current status, your elite status for the next membership year will be based on your elite qualifying activity in 2013.

We invite you to achieve the highest level you can to earn the greatest benefits. You can also find details about qualifying for elite status here.

Can’t say I’m surprised, especially with the upcoming merger where they’re probably trying to avoid swelling elite ranks too much. It’s nice of them to at least send out an email in advance saying that this unofficial policy won’t apply in the future, rather than making it a surprise at the end of the year when it’s too late for people to still qualify.

I’m heading to Europe tonight for a trip not motivated by miles and points (who knew those existed?). I’m visiting a friend in… well, I won’t tell you guys just yet, but I’ll let you guess when I post some pictures from the destination. It’s place where I’m told siestas are holier than the church.

On the way there I had planned a stopover in a European city for a night, and when I booked this last week the weather forecast was great, with sun and warm temperatures. Now there’s a 70% chance of rain and it’s not looking good.

On one hand I’m saying to myself “oh well, tough luck.” On the other hand I’m realizing that I do have the flexibility to switch around my travels, and can instead spend a night somewhere else enroute. The weather in Milan looks beautiful, for example.

The logistics of rebooking (both hotels and flights) is a bit of a pain, but it’s nothing that’s impossible and wouldn’t really cost me anything, since they’re all changeable.

So am I crazy? Have you ever changed your destination or stopover point on an award just to chase nice weather? There are lots of European cities I’ve yet to visit, so I kind of figure why not choose one with nice weather where I can at least enjoy the day. Thoughts?

Introduction
Aloft San Francisco Airport
Cathay Pacific Lounge San Francisco
Cathay Pacific First Class San Francisco to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific First Class Hong Kong to Singapore
St. Regis Singapore
Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge Singapore
SilkAir Business Class Singapore to Koh Samui
Conrad Koh Samui
Bangkok Airways Economy Class Koh Samui to Bangkok
Le Meridien Bangkok
Thai Airways Royal Silk Business Class Lounge Bangkok
Royal Jordanian Business Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco


We got to the airport shortly before 2PM for our 3:25PM departure.


Airport exterior

While the Bangkok Airport terminal feels sterile and bland, it’s impressive and airy nonetheless.


Check-in area


Check-in area

We quickly found Royal Jordanian check-in, which was located in row “Q.”


Royal Jordanian check-in Read More…

Via the Huffington Post:

The Burj Al Arab, the “world’s only 7-Star hotel” is redefining the boundaries of the absurdly luxurious by issuing every guest their own 24-carat gold iPad.

In fairness, the hotel really didn’t have enough gold as it is…

(Tip of the hat to Mike)

While hotel chains have loyalty programs to take care of guests that are loyal to the brand as a whole, it’s not unusual for individual hotels to go out of their way to take care of frequent guests. For example, if you frequent a particular property they may upgrade you to a suite ahead of an elite member, or offer you free lounge access or breakfast even if you’re not otherwise entitled to it. It all depends on your individual relationship with the hotel, though it can be just as rewarding as elite status (if not more).

Hyatt House made an announcement today that’s interesting because it doesn’t reward those loyal to Hyatt as a whole or those loyal to a particular hotel, but rather those loyal to the Hyatt House brand. The recognition is called “Very Important Resident,” and is for those staying a total of 30 or more nights at Hyatt House properties. The benefits include the following:

  • Personalized service: From learning guests’ personal preferences to building a relationship with them during their stay, each property is committed to making guests feel like they’re right at home.
  • Pick-Your-Suite:  Guests will have the opportunity to pick their own suite from available rooms in their room type at the time of their arrival.
  • VIR Key Card:  Each key card will reflect guests’ VIR status so that hotel staff can quickly recognize a VIR guest and provide them with above and beyond personalized service.
  • VIR Tour: A personalized hotel tour from hotel management staff.
  • “Favorites” Folio:  A place to make note of guests’ likes, dislikes and special requests so HYATT house can personalize their stay in every way, every time.
  • Grocery Shopping Service: By providing a grocery list to the House Host, the staff will stock guests’ refrigerators and kitchens with their favorite food items before their arrival or for when they come home.
  • Grub Stub: Redeem for a $10 food and beverage credit from the H BAR or the Guest Market.
  • Scrub Stub: This voucher can be redeemed for one washer and dryer cycle.
  • VIP Welcome Amenity: Guests can select an amenity of their choice to be waiting for them when they arrive.

Admittedly there’s quite a bit of fluff in there, like “personalized service” (don’t they offer that to everyone?), a “VIP Key Card” (can’t wait to see entitled guests start slapping down their room keys), and a “VIP Tour” (might be useful if you run out of Ambien). But there’s also quite a bit of substance to the benefits, like the grocery shopping service, $10 food and beverage voucher, voucher for a washer and dryer cycle, and a welcome amenity of your choice (sounds a whole lot like Kimpton).

Kudos to Hyatt House for the innovation and while I doubt I’ll qualify, I think it’s a really smart move on their part.

Now if only they’d start a similar program for Park Hyatts… :D

Once you’ve flown just about every first class product, you’re probably looking for a new “high.” One such “high” which I’ve experienced a few times in my life is having a first class cabin all to myself. I had it three flights in a row, actually — first between Chicago and Zurich, then between London and Istanbul, and finally between Istanbul and Hong Kong. It’s pretty damn awesome when that happens, if not a bit awkward.

So here’s a mostly theoretical question (and I realize the question is making several assumptions, but play along with me for a minute, please).

Would you rather –

A) Fly Lufthansa’s old first class and be guaranteed to have the cabin all to yourself

or

B) Fly Lufthansa’s new first class with six out of eight seats occupied

What would you do? I ask because my opinion on this is different than everyone else I’ve asked this, so I’m curious to see if I’m totally off base.

Let me know in the comments section, please!

Introduction
Aloft San Francisco Airport
Cathay Pacific Lounge San Francisco
Cathay Pacific First Class San Francisco to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific First Class Hong Kong to Singapore
St. Regis Singapore
Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge Singapore
SilkAir Business Class Singapore to Koh Samui
Conrad Koh Samui
Bangkok Airways Economy Class Koh Samui to Bangkok
Le Meridien Bangkok
Royal Jordanian Business Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco


Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in the world as far as luxury hotels go. I can’t think of any other city with as many reasonably priced five star hotels as Bangkok. So while I would have loved to sample another great luxury hotel in Bangkok, the purpose of this stay was a bit different. We were in Bangkok for just a night, and when it comes to not-so-classy nightlife the location of the Le Meridien is tough to beat, as it’s close to Patpong Night Market.

I’ll keep this review pretty short, as I’ve stayed at the Le Meridien before, and wrote an extensive review of my stay here, so check that out for full details of the hotel. Instead I’ll just focus on what was different this stay.

We had booked the Le Meridien the day of our arrival and it cost a bit over $100USD for the night, a rate at which it didn’t make sense to use points. The website wasn’t showing any suites available, so we had no expectations of a suite upgrade.

Check-in was efficient and we were informed that we had been upgraded. I wasn’t expecting any sort of an upgrade, so I was impressed. We were assigned room 2218, which was a “circular” room on the 22nd floor.

The room was just under 400 square feet and featured a king size circular bed, a couch with seating for three, a desk, and a flat screen TV.


Circular room


Circular room


Circular bed


Desk Read More…

A reader emailed me to ask if I could write a tutorial on searching Etihad award space. I wrote a tutorial back in October of 2011 when Etihad’s partnership with American began, though Etihad has redesigned their website since then, so I realize perhaps it’s not self explanatory anymore.

As a refresher, you can most practically redeem American AAdvantage and ANA Mileage Club miles for travel on Etihad. American has a zone based partner award chart and doesn’t levy fuel surcharges for travel on Etihad. ANA, meanwhile, has a distance based partner award chart, and does levy fuel surcharges for travel on Etihad. It’s worth noting that Etihad has embedded fuel surcharges, meaning it’s not always so easy to tell what the fuel surcharges are, since they don’t appear on the “surface” when doing a fare search. The last time I booked a roundtrip business class award ticket through ANA between New York and Abu Dhabi, the taxes and fuel surcharges totaled about $900.

Anyway, the best place to search Etihad award space is on Etihad Airways’ website. You first need to join their Etihad Guest program if you haven’t yet, which is free and can be done here.

Once you’re logged into your account click on “Your Miles” in the left tab and then “How to Redeem.”

From there, on the left of the page click on “Click here to book flight” under the “How to redeem” section.

From there just enter your origin, destination, dates, and desired class of service, and then click “Select Flights.”

When you get to the results page, you’ll want to look for “GuestSeat” availability. If there’s not GuestSeat availability then you won’t be able to book that flight. As you can see below, there’s no first class GuestSeat availability from Washington to Abu Dhabi on June 9.

Meanwhile on June 16 there’s one first class award seat from Abu Dhabi to New York.

You can easily use the calendar function along the top of the page to search multiple days quickly, and then use the arrows to scroll forwards or backwards a week.

Always keep in mind that the mileage costs listed are irrelevant if you’re redeeming through another program. You do need the GuestSeat availability, though the price you’ll be charged is per the respective award chart of the airline you’re redeeming with.

So the redesigned website is actually an improvement over the old website, as it’s now much easier to search for saver award space. And that’s good, because in many cases Etihad is a great option for award travel.

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