After a recent long weekend trip to San Francisco, I’ve become quite amenable to taking more trips on weekends. As I live in Seattle, Alaska Airlines has become my primary go-to airline, since this is their primary hub. Combined with my AAdvantage Platinum status, which is oneworld Sapphire, I get comfortable benefits when flying on […]
Category: Travel
Why Global Entry rocks for land crossings
Take a look at the line I passed at the Peace Arch.
How to scan your RFID TTP card at land crossings
Watch this video for a demonstration on how to scan your RFID TTP card at land crossings. In this example, I am using the NEXUS lane with my Global Entry card.
The best airline phone customer service shortcut
Something I realized in 2021, when I had to stay on the line with American Airlines customer service for long periods of time before I could reach someone, is that I didn’t have to wait for those long periods of time. In fact, I didn’t even need elite status on the airline to get this […]
How I got AAdvantage Platinum in January 2022 during the double dipping period
I’ve been enjoying the wonderful benefits of AAdvantage Platinum and oneworld Sapphire since January 2022. While I had qualified for AAdvantage Gold back in October 2021, I was going to be making a 2 month trip to Europe and I realized it would be really handy to have the additional benefits provided by oneworld Sapphire […]
How to save money flying to Canada if you’re renting a car
If you’re flying to Canada from the United States, chances are, you’ll probably be visiting (or at least starting your journey in) one of its larger cities: Toronto, Montréal, or Vancouver. Then, you might rent a car for your trip. Only problem is, it’s much more expensive to fly to Canada and rent a car […]
My experience with getting approved for Global Entry
After the pandemic, with travel surging, the estimated application wait times for Global Entry has become less certain than before. As I recently went through the application process myself, I hope my experience will be a helpful data point. The stages of the application process There are essentially three stages: Applying for Global Entry Waiting […]
The new LaGuardia is nothing short of amazing
Less than 10 years ago, then-Vice President Joe Biden said that being in LaGuardia Airport feels like “some third-world country”. Recently, I traveled to New York City for a week-long trip, the first time since the pandemic. The last time I was in LaGuardia was in 2018, where I remembered cramped, narrow hallways. This time, […]
How I got my credit score above 800 before I turned 22 (Part 2)
This is part 2 of a two-part post. For part 1, see: How I got a credit score above 800 before I turned 22 (Part 1). I wasn’t planning on applying to a new credit anytime soon, as I was content on the credit cards I already had: Discover it® Student, Chase Freedom Unlimited, the […]
The best personal finance mistake I ever made
I had been drooling about the American Express Platinum Card card for a while, since it came with so many benefits and, to be honest, is quite a status symbol. However, the $695 annual fee was steep and I was doubtful I would make use of its benefits. One night in early November 2021, I […]