Articles & notes.
What I've learned on points, travel, shows, risk work and AI, written up as I go.
29 countries and 25 states
Where I've been so far, counted, with the map on the travel page.
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47 shows since 2018
Mostly house and electronic, mostly Chicago, and one very busy year.
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Business class with points: find the seat first
The order that saves the most points: seat, then program, then transfer. Never the other way around.
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Chase to Hyatt is now 4 to 3 on the Sapphire Preferred
What changed on October 1, what it costs you in real points, and the one way around it.
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A château wedding and Mallorca: the route
Twelve days, five stops: Barcelona, Girona, a wedding in Ginestas, Carcassonne, then Mallorca.
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30 Chicago rooftops, in walking order
Every rooftop bar on my list, grouped by neighborhood so you can do a few in one night.
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The partners only one bank can reach
Delta, American, Alaska, Amtrak and a few more. If you want one of these, the bank picks itself.
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I rated every show in 2023
17 shows in 2023, 16 of them scored out of 10. Four perfect scores, two of them ZHU.
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Is that transfer bonus actually worth it?
A 35% bonus can still be a bad deal. A two line check before you move any points.
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Every transfer partner change in 2026 so far
Fourteen changes across five banks since January. Six got better, eight got worse.
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What is a point worth? One line of math
Cash price minus taxes, divided by points. That's the whole thing. Try it on your own trip.
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Where your points can go: five banks, every partner
Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi and Bilt side by side. Pick a bank and see which airlines and hotels light up.
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Japan, tips worth stealing
Six things I learned on two weeks in Kyoto, Nara and Tokyo, from cash-only temples to the wrong bullet train.
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