Flying for Fitness

As the Coronovirus pandemic has begin to take shape in the States, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue have issued similar travel waivers across the board, eliminating change and cancellation fees for all flights with travel dates through June 1, 2020.  As noted under the terms and conditions of Alaska's "Peace of mind waiver" , all flights booked between February 27 and March 12, 2020 will have no change fees, though the difference in fare will still apply.  And canceling a non-refundable ticket would result in the credit being applied to your travel fund for a future flight, which must be completed by December 31, 2020. JetBlue's waiver differs slightly only in that the booking window is February 27 to March 11, 2020.  And credit for non-refundable tickets is deposited into your Travel Bank Credit, which is good for up to one year from the date of issuance. It's too bad that these waivers don't apply to flights booked before February 27.  These new ...

Air New Zealand is known for releasing several creative pre-departure safety videos every year, including t his one promoting the Hobbit .  Their newest safety video, in partnership with the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC), features transporting a lost takahē, which is a bird native to the South Island listed as vulnerable: Air New Zealand has partnered with DOC since 2012, and has helped transport over 3,200 threatened species to safe havens, funded pest traps across 38,000 hectares, and supported marine science and research within New Zealand's marine reserves. Air New Zealand’s General Manager Global Brand and Content Marketing Jodi Williams describes the video as charming with a compelling message: “While it’s lighthearted on the surface, it conveys a really important message – our native birds need our help. Our safety videos have collectively generated more than 180 million views over the past decade, so what better medium to shine a spotlight on New Z...

Amex and Chase business cards are both shelling out a bunch of nice targeted offers for Staples.  The offers appear only on the business versions of the cards, and the savings can add up big. Amex Offer - Get 10% back, up to $50 The Amex business card Offer, which doesn't expire until June 30, 2020, is good on multiple purchases both in-store and online tallying up to $500 total.  Staples sells many 3rd party gift cards online as well as in-store, so it's pretty easy to max out this Amex Offer. Chase Offers - $10/$20/$30 off $100 Chase business is running three different targeted offers for Staples, all of which expire sooner on March 23, 2020.  The most lucrative is $30 off $100 (30% off), but the lowest tier $10 off $100 is still a good 10% off. Staples Offers are good one time only and not on multiple purchases.  You should be able to find plenty of 3rd party gift cards in-store to redeem these Chase Offers on, including Amazon gift cards, w...

Alright, so the hotel that you're staying at doesn't have a fitness center and you're too cheap to pay for a day pass at the local gym.  And since you're traveling, you've been pounding down fast food and alcohol with your colleagues, so you've definitely upped the calorie count in your diet.  So what can you do in your hotel room to mitigate the damage? Fortunately for you and to take away your excuses, there are a lot effective exercises that can be done without the need of barbells, dumbbells, and machines.  Your body actually serves as good weight, hence the term "bodyweight exercises". #1  Burpees This one is a no-brainer and has been lauded by fitness junkies for decades.  By incorporating a push up, squat, and a jump, you're essentially using all your muscles to perform this one "simple" exercise.  Since no muscle gets off the hook, try doing 2 minutes (yes, just 2!) of straight up nonstop burpees and tell me how you feel.  ...

Delta is currently offering some crazy cheap economy class award tickets to Tokyo from the U.S starting at 30,000 SkyMiles roundtrip.  Many dates are available throughout March, April, and May, and most will require a layover at one of Delta's hubs. Delta is in the process of moving most of their Tokyo-Narita flights to Tokyo-Haneda, which is the far more convenient option for those wishing to visit Tokyo or connecting onward to another domestic destination.  Starting March 29, 2020, they'll have 7 nonstop routes between the U.S. and HND. Although it's not saying much, Delta does offer the best economy class product to Japan out of the three major U.S. carriers.  Their new A350s offer 9-inch seatback entertainment sets with complimentary HBO and Starz channels. USB and power ports and WiFi are available at every seat, and headsets, text messaging, and alcoholic drinks are all free.  They even offer hot towel service in economy class with a sleep kit. ...

As an official sponsor for the San Jose Sharks NHL hockey team, Alaska Airlines will be handing out buy 1 get 1 (BOGO) free vouchers for all attendees at the SJ Sharks hockey game on Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 7:30 pm against the New Jersey Devils.  This BOGO promo is similar to the one that they offered for the San Francisco Giants last September , except your flight needs to depart from San Jose International Airport (SJC). *Buy one coach class ticket at the regular price and get a second ticket for just the taxes. Discount code is valid for 50% off coach base fare levels published at alaskaair.com. Valid for itineraries with exactly two people, traveling together and booked and ticketed at the same time in the same reservation and at the same fare; valid for one-way or round-trip travel. If the itinerary is canceled or changed, any refund or credit issued will be for the discounted price for each ticket. The following restrictions also apply: Flight tickets ...

On February 14, 2020, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) opened their long anticipated SkyTerrace in Terminal 2, which is shared by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.  The outdoor SkyTerrace compliments the outdoor observation deck that was opened last year in International Terminal Concourse G.  The new 1,460-square foot SkyTerrace, which cost $6.3 million to construct, is surrounded by 20 bird-proof glass panels 10.5 feet high and has the capacity for 241 people. Even on rainy days, which are not uncommon at SFO, aviation enthusiasts can perch from an interior lobby space that leads to the outdoor deck.  And one floor below the outdoor deck is a 3,000 square foot cafe space, which is scheduled to open later this year, with a similar tarmac view. Admission The SkyTerrace, which is open daily open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m., is located on the 3rd level of Terminal 2.  As it's located pre-security, you won't nee...

In a surprise move today, Alaska Airlines has announced their plans to join the Oneworld Alliance in Summer 2021. Alaska Air will also be extending their partnership with American Airlines (AA), which was set to dissolve on March 1, 2020.  Let's take a look at the timeline of their endeavor: Expanded partnership with AA Currently, Alaska Air and AA already allow crossover redemption of miles for their programs, and Alaska Lounge members have access to AA's Admirals Club lounges.  And starting in Spring 2020, Alaska Air Mileage Plan members will be able to earn miles on all AA flights.  Alaska Air miles are one of the most valuable mileage currencies out there, so this is a significant move, though they have yet to disclose the earnings rate when flying on AA revenue fares.  Alaska Air has long had generous earning rates when crediting flights from their partner carriers like British Airways, but it remains to be seen if this will continue or be devalued....

Last August, American Express announced their plans on adding five Centurion Lounges to their network at the following airports: Los Angeles, Denver, Charlotte, New York-JFK, and London Heathrow.  The new Centurion Lounges, which are accessible to Amex Platinum and Centurion card holders, would represent a 50% increase to their total network footprint.  And Amex has now released the anticipated opening dates for their five new lounges this year. Los Angeles - soon The 13,900-square foot LAX lounge will be located at the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), which is accessible post-security from terminals 2-8.  Amex is likely putting up the finishing touches on this one, which will include a spa, family room, and a new “tranquility area”. Denver - sometime in 2020 The proposed 14,650-square foot Denver Centurion Lounge was supposed to open in late 2019, but underwent numerous delays and Amex is just disclosing that it will open sometime in 2020....

Safeway/Vons/Albertsons has brought back their popular Visa gift cards promotion under their Just for U loyalty program.  There are two promos, both of which expire on February 22, 2020: Visa charges a $5.95 activation fee for each $100 gift card and $4.95 for each $50 gift card.  So you would come out $3.10 on top for buying two $100 Visa gift cards and just 10 cents on top for buying two $50 Visa gift cards.  The key here is to use a card that earns extra cashback on grocery store purchases, like the Amex Gold card which earns 4x.  Although YMMV, many Safeway branches do allow you to use Safeway gift cards towards the purchase of Visa gift cards.  So if you have a card that earns 5x at Amazon or office supply stores like Staples.com , you could also purchase Safeway gift cards online for 5x and use them towards these Visa gift cards. Remember to add the above coupons to your Just for U account either through your Safeway account online or via the ...

Chase has just increased the sign-up bonus for the Southwest Performance Business credit card to 70,000 after $5,000 spending spend in the first 3 months, with an additional 30,000 points after a total of $25,000 spending in the first 6 months.  So factoring in the bonus and the spending thresholds required, you'd be earning 125k points, which qualifies you for Southwest's coveted Companion Pass through December 2021! What is the Southwest Companion Pass? The Southwest Companion Pass is the benefit that allows you to choose one person to fly with you, free of airline charges (does not include taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way) every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight. To qualify, simply fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 125,000 qualifying points (points earned from credit card purchases do count) in a calendar year, and you’ll earn Companion Pass for the following full calendar year, plus the remainder of the year in which you earned it. ...

Last month, I detailed the importance of matching your Caesars Rewards Diamond elite status to Wyndham Rewards Diamond status during the month of January.  January is the sweet spot since the Wyndham Rewards elite calendar year ends on December 31, whereas Caesars Rewards doesn't end until January 31.  So for those of you who matched last year, you were downgraded to no status with Wyndham but retained Diamond status with Caesars Rewards for the month of January only.  So if you matched last month, you should currently have Wyndham Diamond status right now and no status with Caesars.  Which means that it's time to match your Wyndham Diamond back to Caesars Diamond to retain those slew of awesome benefits , including zero resort fees, two free monthly shows, and a $100 celebration dinner! Matching from Wyndham to Caesars takes all but a few seconds: Go to the status match page Click on the "I'm a Wyndham Rewards member" Match my Status red icon link on the r...

Amazon and Amex Membership Rewards have been on a roll recently, offering 20% off purchases up to $250 last month when you redeem just one Amex MR point.  Amazon just released a new promo that ends on March 31, 2020 where you can get 20% off up to $50 or $100 in purchases. Link to the Offer To take advantage of this awesome deal, go to the  offer page  and click on Activate now.  This appears to be a targeted offer, but it's looking like many Amex MR card holders have been targeted for either 20% off $50 or 20% off $100.  Even if you don't need to buy anything from Amazon right now, third party gift cards are eligible, but not Amazon gift cards.  Amazon sells a wide array of  third party gift cards  like Starbucks, Uber, iTunes, Safeway, etc., so this would definitely be a good way for you to max out the $50 total discount. Terms and Conditions This is a limited time offer. The promotion will end on the earlier of (a) 11:59 PT on...