Good Morning, travel friend! Tuesday things are rolling, like tacos and well more tacos 🌮 but first we must newsletter:

• 💳 Picking the right credit card is like picking the right life partner, no pressure tho.

• ⛔ Don’t trash the card, there are options.

Flight Trends

• Flights: Chi Town to Cancun- for only $115. Might be less than nachos and skinny margs at the pool bar. Snag a deal when you see it. Hot-Lanta to Copenhagen in late July! Average temp in Copenhagen is 70 degrees in late July. Of course paying $6,184 is totally absurd even for this lie flat business seat option. 70K points though? That’s less points than the current welcome offer from this card!

In-Flight Entertainment

Did you know there are many words that do not have an English equivalency?  Oh Japan, simply put, your life wisdom is elevated. America, let’s get on board and ichi-go ichi-e today. 

Written like this: 一期一会 = One chance opportunity meeting.

The concept is translated to cherishing the moment as it cannot be repeated. ✍️ Assignment today-say ichi-go Ichi-e out loud at least once today.

🎯 Travel Tip

I’m hearing you loud and clear → you’re here because you want to understand how to use credit card points to book flights and hotel accommodations. Message received.

💳 Wherever you find yourself, there is one common question: How do I pick the right card?

#1 rule: There is no #1 rule for picking your card, sorry for the tease. But, there are things to consider when deciding what card to offer.

Quick hits for those of you late for work:

• Is there an elevated offer? This offer for example is absolutely recommended when opening a card. Opening a card during an elevated offer will give you the most bang for your buck.

• Annual fee: Sure it feels dumb to have to pay for some plastic that lives in your wallet, but more often than not those fees lead to lots of travel perks and can easily be justified. Still think it’s dumb? Check out these top NO annual fee cards to consider.

• Who can I transfer my points to? Knowing and understanding credit card transfer partners is important to consider. Know you want to fly Southwest this year? Knowing that points from this card’s family transfer 1:1 to Southwest can help you make that final decision.

Want more info on our beloved transfer partners? Check out my transfer partner 411 download to get the scoop.

Real 🌎 Example

We’ll keep this short and sweet. ⛔ Canceling a credit card is not ideal. While it can be done once in a while if needed, it’s not recommended as a regular practice. This is because your credit score uses length of credit history as part of determining your credit.

What to do instead? Well, if it’s not causing harm in your life, just let it live in your sock drawer. Seriously, no harm done. Check to see how long it can hang without being utilized and when there is a purchase requirement, use it to grab some coffee one morning.

It is causing harm in your life!? Ie: annual fee is robbing you of your hard earned mullah!

There are 2 options:

1) Call the credit card company and ask for a downgrade. That might look like this:

You: “Hello customer service agent, I’d like to downgrade this card to this card.”

Them: “That won’t be a problem, I’ll go ahead with that change right now.”

OR-

2) You love your credit card and the perks you’re getting from it so you call the retention line. Yup, a dedicated line that can issue a one-time retention offer to waive your annual fee in hopes of you continuing to use your card. Why? because the banks make 💶 every time we use their cards. Need a script?:

You: “Hello, may I be transferred to the retention line?” (transfer initiated)  “Hello, I’m currently holding the Chase Sapphire _____ card, and I just saw my annual fee get posted. I’m considering canceling the card, but I wanted to see if there were any retention offers available.”

From here, the agent will look into your spending habits from the card and types of benefits you utilized, your overall relationship with the card and then offer a retention offer, oftentimes in the form of a credit statement in the amount of the annual fee.

Pretty powerful stuff, friend. Exhale.

✈️ Airline: Come on Qantas, don’t be like that. The airline is set to pay over $70mil in compensation for selling seats on cancelled flights. This is another win for the consumer airline world, holding airlines accountable for their bad behavior. Seriously, selling seats on cancelled flights? That’s just wrong.

🛣 Roadtrip season! The All-American roadtrip is a past time enjoyed by generations and generations. Exploring some of the best National Parks in the USA is a tradition for families all across the good ol’ US of A. Exploring in nature, discovering unique landscapes and witnessing animal life in the wild is a sacred experience. This year, there are some major changes to our beloved National Parks. Be prepared with what to know before booking a National Park trip this summer.

🧳 What to pack: Don’t be judgy, while G is all in on #17, I’m always with # 16 in my carry on must haves. What are your non-negotiables in a carry on?

📘Read: Don’t settle for over paying: How to rebook a flight with a price cut Quick and easy way to sort through tons of options when traveling!

💡Trivia

Carrying nearly 700,000 passengers a year, including local police officers, doctors, teachers and even the local banker, this flight lasting under 2 minutes is located in what country? (answer at the bottom)

Hint: This country is in Europe and has over 790 islands. 

Trivia answer- 👏 Scotland. The Britten-Norman Islander airplane flies between between Westray and Papa Westray.

​