Windbag Miles

JetBlue officially unveiled it’s new Mint Suites today, and they suck, and I hate them. Everyone seems to be breathlessly regurgitating JetBlue’s talking points, even writers who I normally trust to take a more critical eye toward this kind of stuff. I guess I should put a picture in here or something, in case youContinue reading “Were you saying “JetBOOO” or “JetBOOO-Urns?” (I don’t like the new Jet Blue Mint seats, and this is is a post about that.)”

Wow, I’m actually writing a blog post! It was bound to happen sooner or later, since all kinds of wacky crap has been happening this year, and I’ve felt the percolations of motivation tickle my brain more and more frequently lately. What finally put me over the edge? I got an offer on my lowlyContinue reading ““Three Blind Mice” except there’s only one mouse, and it’s not a mouse, it’s Barclays’ credit card strategy”

That’s right, despite never writing or updating this blog, I’ve decided to start word vomiting on a new platform altogether. To read why, and to subscribe so you never miss a drop, go here: WINDBAG MAILS LINK, CLICK HERE GRANDPA. Quick note: I’m not auto-subscribing the mailing list from this blog to the newsletter outContinue reading “Introducing “Windbag Mails,” the Windbag Miles blog in a convenient travel size package for the modern on-the-go businessperson.”

WHOA, TWO POSTS IN A SINGLE WEEK! I could write about what’s going on with the blog and stuff, but you don’t care. It’s boring. Anyway, let’s talk about Delta. Earlier this year, I wrote a post about how Delta’s revenue-based redemption system can make awards less flexible overall, and this post is in aContinue reading “Don’t forget to search Delta award itineraries segment-by-segment. Oh wait, I mean “Don’t search for Delta award without using this ONE CRAZY TRICK!””

My last post on this fair blog was about all the ways I was going to get Bonvoyed this summer during a work trip that involved a trifecta of Marriott hotels (AKA “The Devil’s Triangle.”) Then, the most incredible thing happened: everything was fine. Better than fine, actually… I know, I’m as surprised as you!Continue reading “Marriott is a great hotel chain, I’m joining The Points Guy as a travel writer, and Emirates is giving out free first class flights: One of these outlandish statements is true, but WHICH ONE????”

It’s no secret that Marriott’s new “Bonvoy” loyalty program is a miserable clusterfuck, and it’s even more galling that Marriott’s response seems to be to buy off mainstream travel journalists from places like US News & World Report and Conde Nast Traveler in exchange for them naming it “best hotel loyalty program.” Oh, and thenContinue reading “Fearing the worst: All the ways I’m probably gonna get Bonvoyed on my Europe trip this summer”

Despite how much I love the Faroe Islands and wish I could move there, it turns out that it’s not super easy to immigrate to Denmark. So that’s probably out. If I want to leave this shitty country forever, my options are either Svalbard (since even though it’s technically a part of Norway, you canContinue reading “How would my churning strategy change if I lived in New Zealand?”

Recently, a reader sent me an article called “What is Credit Card Churning” that was published on Experian’s blog and sent out to their email list. It’s full of pretty good advice, like that you shouldn’t go into debt chasing sign-up bonuses, shouldn’t overspend, and shouldn’t run around pants-less inside a bank branch daring themContinue reading “Yes it’s ethical to open a card you have no intention of keeping long-term.”

It’s ironic given how many posts I’ve written against both Flying Blue and Sky Miles that I get a lot of use out of both programs. Delta’s actually not bad if you’re trying to use it for domestic redemptions — the flights are more expensive, but the fact that they’re available in the first placeContinue reading “A guy points a gun to your head and tells you to pick between Flying Blue and Sky Miles. But here’s the catch: YOU HAVE TO PICK ONE.”

Earlier this year, I decided it would be fun to start recording a podcast, so I did. It kind of started in the same spirit as this blog, which is to say it’s totally unstructured, unresearched, and unprofessional. I’m not going to go on and on about how you SHOULD listen to it, but ifContinue reading “Wait, there’s a Windbag Miles podcast? Yes, it’s called the Windbag Windcast, and it’s okay.”