#traveladvice
Changing Cards With American Express
This has been an unusually active month between me and American Express. I have upgraded one card, opened up a new card, and am having another replaced after a fraud alert. An Old Personal Platinum Card Business Platinum Card Upgrade First, I upgraded the AMEX Business Gold card to a Business Platinum card. When I first got the Gold card, I was ce
Dec 10, 2022 • 6 min read
Embassy Suites by Hilton McAllen Convention Center Hospitality
We recently booked a stay at the Embassy Suites by Hilton McAllen Convention Center to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had never stayed at this property. However, we had visited their bar and restaurant when we have gone out on dates. We generally like Embassy Suites hotels. We enjoy their evening Happy Hours, their attentive staff, and the l
Oct 15, 2022 • 7 min read
AMEX Wish List
We have written about our relationship with American Express over the years, the good and the bad. We fell out of their good graces for a while. Now we are rebuilding our relationship. At the moment, we have opened four cards with them since April 2022. We expect that we will open more cards at some point. But, before going into that, let's go over
Jul 3, 2022 • 8 min read
Watermelon Festival in Falfurrias, Texas
The City of Falfurrias, Texas is a small community in South Texas. It is a two-hour drive south from San Antonio, and a one-hour drive north from the Texas border with Mexico. Falfurrias is on the way between many destinations. But, it is not often a place people intentionally choose to visit. Falfurrias Historical Marker Admittedly, Falfurrias is
Jun 17, 2022 • 3 min read
Choice Privileges Visa Earning Breakdown
As travel is starting to bounce back after two years of lockdowns, I decided to take a closer look at the Choice Privileges Visa card, which we have had for several years without scrutiny. About Choice Privileges Choice Privileges is the Choice Hotels loyalty program that awards points for stays, which can be redeemed for free stays. As with most
Jun 16, 2022 • 3 min read
I Got The AmEx Green Card
Image from AmericanExpress.com Yesterday, I decided to apply for the American Express Green Card. I made the decision for several reasons. First, I have never had the Green Card, which means that I still qualify for the signup bonus. Second, I have an American Express card through my job. One of the benefits of having a corporate card is that I get
May 30, 2022 • 5 min read
Hilton Honors Fifth Night Free Benefit
The Hilton Honors loyalty program has a benefit that can prove useful for long stays. The benefit is that you can get a fifth night free stay when you book with points. This means that you are getting a 20% discount on your stay with points. The only requirement to take advantage of this benefit is that you need to pay for the full stay with Hilto
May 9, 2022 • 3 min read
Rib Mountain State Park at Wausau, Wisconsin
Back in 2015, my son and I took a trip to Wisconsin to visit family. It had been some time since our last visit. Up to then, we were mostly making trips to Wisconsin for funerals. It would be a nice change to go just for the sake of going. We stopped at several places on that trip. Today, I am sharing about our trip to Rib Mountain State Park. The
Nov 27, 2021 • 4 min read