Happy Monday to all of our travel friends, both near and far! What a year it’s been again this week. I’ve tried to include some posts that are on the lighter side this week, as we all could use a good chuckle right now.
- Videos of people doing jobs at home that you can’t really do at home are a thing right now. Rene’s Points shared one about a flight attendant working at home, which made me smile.
- I’ve yet to hear from IHG about my expiring free night certificate. This post on Frequent Miler says that I don’t have to worry because IHG is going to extend the expiration of all certificates from March 1, 2020, so they’re good for the rest of the year. Free nights issued in 2020 will be good for 18 months instead of the usual 12 months.
- View from the Wing shared a bizarre story about a Venezuelan military boat attacking a cruise ship. Cruise lines are having a hard time but I wasn’t ready for the way this story ended.
- Online travel agencies are having a hard time during the downturn. One of the larger players, Hotels.com is most likely large enough to make it through and is giving its loyal customers some security. One of the perks of booking with them is getting a free night for every 10 nights booked, making them great to use if you don’t have any status from a hotel brand. Doctor of Credit reports that Hotels.com is extending customers earned free night certificates by one year if you ask them to.
- Being stuck in a hotel room is hard but don’t do what this person did. God Save the Points writes about someone in Australia who tried to get drugs delivered to his government secured quarantine hotel. It reminded me of the story from when UK authorities thought they made a huge drug bust at Gatwick airport.
- The American Express Centurion Card, or the Black Card as people call it, is one of the most exclusive cards to get. That’s mainly because, until now, you couldn’t apply for it. Instead, American Express would ask you if you wanted to apply if they felt you were worthy of the honor. Figure if you’re able to go on this vacation, you might be the client they’re looking for. Live and Let’s Fly writes about how AMEX is now letting you request being considered for the card. No guarantees but at least they’ll know you’re interested in getting the card if asked.
- When you’re spending time at home, it makes sense to do something productive with your day. One Mile at a Time shared info about something that could put cash into your pocket, searching for unclaimed property. Never heard of it, check it out. This isn’t the same as the store in Alabama that sells the items from unclaimed baggage.
- The number of people calling travel companies right now is staggering. The websites weren’t designed for these times and the quick changes made don’t always work the way they should. If you need to cancel or change a reservation without a fee, ask about your loyalty points or certificates expiring or fix something, it usually means picking up the phone. I wrote about how I contacted CLEAR via Twitter and SiriusXM by online chat to change my subscriptions. Miles to Memories shares similar success skipping the phone and using online methods to cancel flights and make changes to credit cards.
#stayhealthy #stayathome #washyourhands
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
