Points and Travel
I can’t do everything, nor do I want to. Just because I can do something doesn’t mean I should. Our points and travel hobby and lives are defined by the choices we make. In my view, it’s just as much about what we avoid along the way. Time is my most valuable asset. Inevitably, it’s about prioritizing and leaving certain things out of the mix. I’ve had no problem opting out of stuff for years and largely come out ahead. These are just a few examples.
Holiday Travel
Traveling around major holidays brings on an amount of uncertainty we’re uninterested in taking on. We have a reasonable amount of flexibility in our current life season. Extended family is welcoming of us even if it doesn’t perfectly pair up with a holiday. When it comes to catching up with friends and family, we opt into “boring” more than adventure. This mostly means quieter holidays at home. I totally get that’s not appealing to many out there, but it is for us right ow.
Amazon Prime
We’ve largely been out on a Prime membership for well over five years. On a whole, we’ve been able to satisfy life needs without it. We don’t want to overly depend on any one business to satisfy our needs. In my view, reflexively searching the same retailer for goods and services doesn’t end well. Perhaps this means we’re taking on a bit more complexity, but the benefits (time and money savings, primarily) outweigh there.
World of Hyatt Globalist Status
I’ve said that World of Hyatt Globalist status is a boat. I don’t need either of those things. I just good to know someone with them. I’ve mostly opted out of Hyatt since my top-tier Diamond heyday with their previous Gold Passport program. But in my few subsequent Hyatt stays, I’ve focused on leveraging Guest of Honor Globalist benefits. I’m grateful to have a few sharp, generous friends happy to convey those perks for our infrequent stays. You know who you are – thanks again to each of you!
Hotel Mobile Check-In
What does hotel mobile check-in actually accomplish? I wouldn’t know. A few years ago, I attempted once but ultimately stopped the process when I discovered I’d have to drop by the front desk, anyway. That completely invalidates any potential positive of the process by incorporating an unnecessary task. But I know some swear by this option, and they truly avoid the front desk by doing so.
Perhaps I’m a fossil who prefers a certain level of human contact. More importantly, I feel like there’s so much benefit variance that I’d rather confirm this stuff in-person than to virtually leave it up to chance.
Chase Welcome Offers
It’s been years since I gave up on new Chase welcome offers due to their draconian rule. I have absolutely zero regrets. I, and many of you, have done so much better pursuing new cards and unending points with other banks. We’re perfectly fine with our modest portfolio of Chase cards – primarily Ink Business Cash and Freedom products – for ongoing 5x spend while we do even bigger things with other card issuers. I don’t expect Chase to change their rules. We don’t plan to change our spend behavior, either.
Buying Groups and Reselling
I know many out there do considerably well with their buying group and reselling efforts. But this is a level of spending masochism I have zero interest in pursuing. In my view, these angles involve ceding too much control. Of course, others don’t necessarily think of it that way. These areas just introduce some variables where I’m not comfortable. Maybe I’m a caveman, but I can’t get my head around paying for stuff and the shipment going elsewhere (not that I want tons of stuff sent to me, either). I admire everyone who embraces this grind and makes it work. Kudos for putting in the effort!
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, many of you disagree with at least part of what I’ve described today. And I’d have it no other way. In our diverse world, I think we can respect others’ choices even if they don’t perfectly fit into one’s own specific situation. Things would be tremendously boring if everything and everyone were all the same. So then, I want to hear what points and travel hobby angles you’ve decided to avoid and why – preferably nothing I’ve already described. Enlighten me!
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After reading it ,I pretty much feel like I just wrote this article .It matches my feelings almost perfectly on each aspect except Amazon prime , we still have that and use it for many purchases and watching movies.
I love it, Dean! Thanks for reading.
I’m with you, except for mobile check-in. I think the benefit there is primarily for the hotel to manage inventory by knowing when you will show up. And it seems that the hotels prioritize those that check-in through the mobile app. I’ve seen multiple cases where people are frustrated, waiting for rooms to be cleaned when they show up. Meanwhile, because I’ve told the hotel when I plan to show up, they have a room for me. As you can imagine, the looks from those waiting are not good — they got there before me, yet I’m being given a room. Of course, this could be anec-data that isn’t meaningful. But I’m getting good service this way, so I’ll keep doing it.
Brent,
I appreciate you sharing your experiences with mobile check-in. Based on what you described, I can definitely see why you keep doing it. And anecdata – I like that term!
I agree with you 110%.
And hopefully there is still something for you to reciprocate for those amazing GOH benefits…
We wouldn’t be friends if it didn’t go each way, Pam. 😉
Free shipping aside I find significant value in Amazon Prime for tv shows and movies that I’d have to pay for elsewhere.
Gotcha, Christian!