Miles and Points, Playground

1. This isn’t a huge deal, but you can now link your AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend accounts. You can’t yet combine miles, but in theory, it should make the transition less troublesome later on. Sign in to your AAdvantage account and a pop-up should appear asking for your US Airways account number.

2. William at Doctor of Credit has found a possible way to get a 50,000 points offer on Amex Premier Rewards Gold (personal version). You may also check Card Match (my affiliate link) and see if it comes up.

3. If you plan to book a Hyatt property that will go up on points due to recent adjustment, do so before January 22nd. Take a look at the announcement. Many properties in popular locations will actually become cheaper.

4. You can  get a $20 credit if you load your tax refund to T-Mobile Visa prepaid card. (h/t Doctorofcredit)

5. Milevalue has a good post on all the flights to Hawaiian islands that run 12.500 Avios one-way I’ve mentioned this sweet spot a few times, and now you can also fly from Phoenix on US Airways due to merger. Just a reminder: the sign-up bonus on Chase British Airways Visa currently comes with no annual fee through March 31st. It pays me commission.

6. Speaking of sweet spots, Andy at The Lazy Traveler Handbook has written an entire series on Spirit award program. Pretty cool stuff, and the first of its kind! I’ve had some posts on this program, but not in such detail. Of course, keep in mind, to maximize the 2,500 mile one-way redemption, you have to have their co-branded credit card.

On my mind

Who says that being a SAHM can be boring? Actually, I’ve said it before a few times. Well, let me share some recent experiences and you can judge for yourself.

If you stay home with your kids, you probably know that after awhile, they  go nuts and start jumping on the walls due to boredom. They are like dogs and need to be walked and entertained on a  regular basis. Yes, I said it!

That’s where playground comes in. Normally, it’s quite uneventful. However, when you get 10 kids all competing for the same swing, it can get nasty. It’s very much like miles and points industry in that respect.

You also see all kinds of quirky individuals. The other day, this family pulls up in  an SUV. The mother comes out and she looks like Kristen Bell (any “Veronica Mars” show fans?). Anyway, then 3 kids  jump out of the vehicle and they all are carrying fake automatic rifles, even her 3 year-old daughter.

My kids aren’t allowed to play with toy guns, so, naturally, my son wants it BAD. So, he tries to take it away from the little girl. He is no dummy, and goes for the weakest link. The mother looks at him and says in the sweetest voice :”Oh, I’m sorry I don’t have a gun  for you!” Only in the South, y’all!

But the craziest thing happened just the other day. This family drove up and the mother came out of the car. She had a prosthetic leg which was clearly visible, since she was wearing shorts. Well, I looked away for  a few seconds, and the next thing I know, my daughter is rubbing the leg and my son is hitting it with a stick.

Naturally, I was horrified and ran up to her apologizing profusely. She was extremely kind and said she doesn’t mind it when the kids are curious. It’s the weird and awkward stares from adults she very much dislikes. And it’s true. Kids are innocent and have no pretense. They don’t have double standards, hypocrisy, and simply want to learn about the world around them.

It’s a beautiful thing watching them discover new things through travel, and viewing this planet as their playground.

 

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