Hello and happy Sunday travel friends (and Happy Passover, Ramadan Mubarak and Happy Easter, for those who are celebrating)! Here are some articles we’ve read from other bloggers (and other sources) that we think you may like, so we’re passing them along.
- It was 2019 when European countries announced certain visitors would eventually need to fill out and pay for an electronic travel authorization, or ETIAS, before arrival. After several delays, the program is set to launch in May 2023 and will add a €7 (circa $8) travel tax when visiting Europe. Whatever you think about this new requirement, just don’t call it a Visa (as we were told by readers of our original post.)
- There are countless Uber rides every day that happen without any problems. However, there are also bad apples in the driver bunch who abuse the system to scam riders. There’s a new way for drivers to skip out on fares they don’t want by blaming the passenger. It’s a sneaky way to avoid taking passengers without taking a hit to their record.
- It becomes complicated when booking awards for multiple people if the points are spread out over different accounts. It’s much easier to book award flights if all the miles are in one account. Adding to the problem is that banks have rules limiting points transfers to accounts other than the cardholder, including American Express and Chase. In a move that will make things easier, Flying Blue now offers the ability to pool points in a family account. Being a transfer partner of several banks, it should be easier to gather points when booking an award ticket.
- One of the best benefits of the American Express Platinum Card is the large number of airport lounges it gives you access to. It’s hard to remember all of the partners and arrangements so I put together a list of the lounges you can access. It turns out there are even more than I knew about with random lounges providing access to cardmembers and a new airline partner that I missed.
- If you’re just starting, you should know some basic things about earning points and miles with credit cards. Once you’ve got going, you’re not out of the woods, and several things can trip you up if you’re not careful. One of the things listed is missing a payment due date (which I’ve done.) If this happens, remember that you can always contact the bank and see if they’re able to waive the late fee.
- Flights are full again and picking out a good seat is essential if you’re going to enjoy or tolerate your flight. While popular wisdom is that the exit rows are the best seats, is that really the case? I have my favorite seat on the plane and it’s not in the exit row and it’s definitely not the bulkhead.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
