MTM Travel July 16, 2026
The AA glitch is over. American clawed back the 25,000 miles from that AAdvantage Business promo code, reversing transfers and apologizing with 5,000 miles, and we make the case that they actually handled it well, which is more than we can say for hotels that walk you or open late with a shrug. Speaking of, we get into why Hyatt stopped offering real compensation on delayed hotel openings and what they should be doing instead. Amex is also tightening things up, changing the terms on the streaming credit so bundles like Peacock with Apple TV Plus no longer count, and linking multiple logins on the back end so you can no longer use separate accounts to see different Amex Offers. We reminisce about the golden era of Amex Offers, the Staples and Smart and Final days, and the offers that were worth flying across the country for. Plus Olive Garden’s Unlimited Pasta Pass is back for the first time since 2020, still $100 but now good for 13 weeks, with only 10,000 available. We close with our buddy Travel with Grant’s wallet simplification article and admit none of us are actually simplifying anything. Let us know in the comments if you got the pasta pass.
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Have a great week!
Great dialogue.
1. Used Melio for years and it’s super easy to use.
2. Amex’s change to the digital entertainment credit was a blessing. Reworked existing streaming services, ended up paying $130/ year less out of pocket.
3. Card strategy? Simplification. 1 card for travel spend, 1 card for everyday spend, 1 card for business spend. Other cards (in the sock drawer) if and only if they have very specific and valuable benefit — no nickel and dime stuff. Absolutely everything else closed.
Mark, your cell service decision sounds like mine a while back. Went with Mint (inexpensive and on T-Mobile network).
My plan is to go to Mint as well. My son’s plan is already there and it is the same network so figured it was a good fit.