I have previously written a post about The Importance of Diversification, but I feel that I am due for an update on this discussion. The temptation is to pool all our miles and points into one program, especially if we do not have many means to earn a lot of points and the desire to accumulate more miles or points into one program so that we can have a more decent reward redemption.
On New Year’s Eve, I wrote a report to recap my 2015 wishes. Yesterday, I wrote about my 2016 wishes. Today, I will be writing a post about my 2016 predictions in the miles and points world.
Pointshogger reader Kristy asked me what is my favourite airline. I actually had a lot of trouble answering her, so I decided to list out some factors that are important to me to see if I can come up with a conclusion.
When I am asked which credit card I prefer between American Express, MasterCard or Visa, I actually have no preference whatsoever. I actually prefer looking for the top credit card of each one. Though my favourite can constantly change as new products are introduced to the market.
People often tell me that they do not want to earn miles and points because they do not spend enough on a credit card or they do not travel often enough. But those are not the only ways to earn points.
This is my third day in a row writing about CIBC. I should be taking a break on them by tomorrow. I have been frequently asked whether we can still transfer Aventura points to Aeroplan.
First of all, the Gold Star Membership costs $55, but without any rewards. The Executive Membership costs $110 to sign up. So we are essentially talking about a $55 price difference. Gold members do not receive any sort of rewards; conversely, Executive Members get 2% cash back on all purchases (up to $750 cash back or $37,500 in annual spending).
Each credit card company (American Express, MasterCard and Visa) names their higher level credit cards a little differently. There appears to be so little information documented on this topic, so I thought I would give it a try.
Most people would rather pay a little more to jump on a direct flight to get their vacation started and avoid all that unnecessary waiting in a foreign airport. If your layover isn’t long enough for you to leave the airport for a few hours, you could be stuck inside until you have reached your final destination. Now who would be excited for that?
For some reason, even though I read a lot of articles explaining the value of miles and points, I probably come across more negativity than positive. So hopefully I can fight for the positive side today!