Even though we’d be taking the same plane and even sitting in the same seats from Seoul to Singapore, there’s no way to simply stay on the plane during the layover. Believe me, I tried my best to convince the crew that they could just leave a bottle of Dom and I would be more than happy to entertain myself for the next hour.
This flight brought on a bit of nostalgia, as these were the exact same seats on the same type of plane that we had on our very first longhaul international First Class flight back in 2012. Since then we’ve tried dozens of premium cabin products, but I’ll aways have a soft spot for this particular one.
With a newfound hour to kill, we headed back upstairs to the main terminal and decided to wander over to the Singapore Airlines lounge which is located right next to the security checkpoint, and around the corner from the United Club.
The best lounge option for Star Alliance First Class passengers is the United Global First Lounge located between gates 98 and 100 in International Terminal G. While I still consider the Emirates Lounge to be the best lounge at SFO, this one is probably a distant second.
You might be wondering why I’ve come out with another trip report with the word “fat” in the title. Well, as I mentioned in my last trip report, I live my life a quarter-pounder at a time. See, everyone prefers a certain style of travel. Some people like leisure trips, where they sit on the beach, sip margaritas all day, and polish off a couple books. Others travel for culture, spending their days at historical landmarks and museums. And others seek adventure, jumping off tall buildings and into shark-infested waters.
When I began collecting credit cards, I focused exclusively on the “points and miles” hobby. My goal was to accumulate measurable currencies that could be redeemed for free travel, and I paid no attention to other benefits that may have come with the cards. I didn’t know much about them, and I didn’t think I would keep the cards long enough to take advantage of them. These “soft” benefits of travel credit cards, however, were like the sides on my steak plate. I couldn’t ignore them forever. And, when I finally paid attention, some of them turned out to be a wonderful surprise.
Manufactured Spending (MS) is a big part of the points and miles hobby. It’s a collection of techniques where you pretend to spend the money that you don’t have, in order to generate points. The general concept is that you buy cash-equivalent instruments with a reward-earning credit card, and then convert those instruments to cash in order to pay off the credit card balance.
Now that I am a points & miles millionaire, I wish I were a real millionaire. The truth is, there’s a pretty big difference between the two. How, then, do I quantify my treasure chest of travel currencies? In this article, I will share how my thought process evolved.
Hi everyone! This is Peter, Terence’s coworker and fellow actuary. Some time ago, he introduced me to the hobby of points and miles. And wow it’s been a learning process! Looking back at how I see the world differently, now, I’d like to give back to the community by sharing my experiences. Terence has generously allowed me to ramble on contribute to this blog. So here I am, as the first guest writer on Hungry for Points, on a mission to bring you a unique perspective on this hobby.
I’ve had a great time this week filling in as a featured blogger on BoardingArea! To those that aren’t familiar with my blog, Hungry for Points, the best way to introduce myself is probably through one of my trip reports. Earlier this week I wrapped up my “Fat and Furious” trip report, detailing a recent trip to Japan which included stops in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Matsuyama. This is one of the best trips I’ve ever taken, and I instantly fell in love with Japan. That excitement must have carried over into my writing, as it quickly became my all-time most popular report over on Flyertalk.