Miles and Points, Hercules Among Men

1. Last call for Amex Hilton HHonors Surpass 80K points offer Pays no referral. Ends tomorrow.

2. Last reminder on 60K points offer on Chase Ink Plus which is set to end on March 1st. It pays me commission. As I’ve mentioned before, some report getting their $95 annual fee waived inside Chase branch.

If you don’t live near one, you can apply online and then message Chase, though no guarantees. As always, go for offers that make sense for your unique situation. This increased bonus will most likely come back at some point.

3. New IHG PointBreaks list is now live.

4. The increased $250 sign-up bonus on Amex Simply Cash card has been extended through June 23rd. It pays me referral.

5. Register to get double points or double miles for Hilton stays between March 1st and May 31st.

Nothing spectacular, but if you have planned Hilton stays, might as well take advantage. (h/t ThePointsguy)

6. Citi AAdvantage reduced awards for certain cardholders, valid for travel through the end of May

7. PDF file with all the info on Marriott category changes. Book before March 19th to lock in the old rate. Over quarter of properties are going up in price. (h/t Mommypoints)

8. From March 1st through June 30th, earn 1.5 miles on your US Airways Barclaycard. Everyone appears to be eligible, so call them if you don’t see it in your online profile.

9. Very useful post on Frequent Miler on transferrable points and ways to keep them alive. I’ve actually learned something new. Apparently, there is no way to preserve Citi Thank You points from a cancelled card, as they will expire even if you get another card with similar benefits.

A better way is to downgrade to a Citi Thank You Preferred card with no annual fee. This was a relevant piece of information to me, as I planned to get Citi Prestige later this year and cancel my Citi Thank You Premier, which I now will downgrade instead. Make sure to read the post.

On my mind

So a few months ago, my husband has decided to join Gold’s gym (nope, not an affiliate link) so he can get in better shape. A nice thing about the membership is that for $40 per month, you can bring a companion for free. So, I’ve been tagging along on occasion when my in-laws are able to watch the kids.

It’s almost like a date night, though we haven’t brought Chinese food with us yet. They have what they call “cardio cinema” where you can watch movies while walking on treadmill  (or just sitting on it). There is also a dancing class. As soon as they add twerking, I’m in. Oh, and I almost forgot, all the exercise equipment, of course.

They encourage you to use  a “buddy” system, to be a motivational force for your partner. I’m telling you, I’ve been doing my part! While my husband was lifting weights, I looked at him and said in a semi-loud voice : “You are Hercules among men. All guys in the gym want to be you. All women want to be with you.” He almost dropped the weights on his foot. For some reason, he didn’t like my motivational speech.

For only $10 more per month (!) you can bring your children and have  staff members entertain them in a play area. And that’s what we did, and the kids are having a blast. Can you think of a better deal for your money? I sure can’t. Heck, even if you plan to do zero exercising, you can have yourself a date night in a cardio cinema. Just bring some food along in your purse, and you are all set: A dinner and a movie.

But the best thing by far, is getting away from  the crazy world of miles and points. It helps me clear my head and feel like a normal human being. I strongly recommend you create a “miles and points”-free zone when you spend time with your family. This is something I need to work on myself.

That means no reading blogs (yes, including this one) or checking Flyertalk for mistake fares. Sure, you will miss out on some deals if you disconnect from this hobby on a regular basis. But you’ll miss out on more if you don’t.

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses