ExpatVista

Global perspectives on travel, finance, and expat life.

Explore

Browse by topic

Hotel Programs

Status, certificates, and how pricing moves

Hotel Reviews

What the stay felt like, and what it cost in practice

MGM Rewards

Comping, repricing, and what the model is really doing

The Lab

Controlled tests of credits, pricing, and edge cases

Frameworks

Mental models for making better travel decisions

Expat Logistics

Moving plans across borders

Latest

Hotel Reviews

Ritz-Carlton Berlin Review (Potsdamer Platz)

The centre stay in a three-part Berlin sequence

Hilton

The 240k Hilton Point / FNC Swap Actually Worked

What was required, and what Hilton’s system allows

Hilton

Why I Tried to Trade a Hilton Free Night Certificate for 240,000 Points

Liquidity, optionality, and the portfolio logic behind a Calala booking

MGM

Does Cancelling a Comp Stay Affect MGM Offers?

A small test of booking intent vs. actual behavior

Expat Logistics

You Can Use Amex Abroad. We Didn’t Even Try.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant dining credit in London, tracked over 41 months

Loyalty program design

Marriott Slows Status Inflation While Improving Certificate Redemptions

How the 25K certificate top-up and the 2026 Q1 promotion reveal the program’s current direction

Expat Logistics

BritRail Passes in the UK: When They Make Sense for Visitors

A prepaid rail framework for non-UK residents

Expat Logistics

The Cost of Collecting

The final stage of a Capital One Offers experiment from abroad

The Lab

Marriott Gift Cards at Hotels: A London Field Test

Trying to trigger a £75 Amex rebate without booking a stay

Explore

Browse by topic

Hotel Programs

Status, certificates, and how pricing moves

Hotel Reviews

What the stay felt like, and what it cost in practice

MGM Rewards

Comping, repricing, and what the model is really doing

The Lab

Controlled tests of credits, pricing, and edge cases

Frameworks

Mental models for making better travel decisions

Expat Logistics

Moving plans across borders

Selected writing

IHG

When Points Pricing Ignores Room Hierarchies

Jan 26, 2026

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7 min read

When Points Pricing Ignores Room Hierarchies

How IHG’s “standard room” logic can quietly erase cash premiums

Expat Vista

IHG

Jan 24, 2026

•

6 min read

IHG Points Are Almost Always on Sale

How Often IHG Runs 100% Buy-Points Bonuses, Quantified

Expat Vista

hotel strategy

Jan 23, 2026

•

7 min read

Berlin, Planned Around One Fixed Date

East, centre, and west over three days

Expat Vista

Event Travel

Jan 22, 2026

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11 min read

Springboks vs All Blacks in Baltimore

Where rugby travellers should stay. Logistics first. Value second.

Expat Vista

Capital One

A good redemption. A messy process. One real mistake.

Jan 22, 2026

•

7 min read

A good redemption. A messy process. One real mistake.

A business-class case study in sequencing, pricing anchors, and hindsight

Expat Vista

Miles & Points

Why Transferable Points Behave Differently When a Member Dies

Jan 20, 2026

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6 min read

Why Transferable Points Behave Differently When a Member Dies

Upstream currencies, downstream rules (January 2026)

Expat Vista

Miles & Points

What Happens to Airline Miles and Hotel Points When a Member Dies

Jan 20, 2026

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7 min read

What Happens to Airline Miles and Hotel Points When a Member Dies

A reference guide to death clauses, breakage, and estate handling in loyalty programs (as of January 2026)

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Designing a Family Priority Pass System After the Rule Changes

Jan 18, 2026

•

7 min read

Designing a Family Priority Pass System After the Rule Changes

How we adapted, what still works, and how others can position themselves now

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

UK Railcards: the simplest way to stop overpaying for British trains

Jan 16, 2026

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6 min read

UK Railcards: the simplest way to stop overpaying for British trains

How visitors and expats reduce UK train fares without learning the system

Expat Vista

Amex Platinum

Jan 9, 2026

•

5 min read

When FHR Stops Being the Right Tool

Amsterdam, abundant luxury, and the limits of rebate logic

Expat Vista

Miles & Points

Jan 10, 2026

•

7 min read

Becoming the Miles Bank

Liquidity, trust, and the hidden cost of ‘free’ miles

Expat Vista

Amex Platinum

When Fine Hotels + Resorts Works, and When It Doesn’t

Jan 8, 2026

•

7 min read

When Fine Hotels + Resorts Works, and When It Doesn’t

Market structure, fixed rebates, and when the math stops helping

Expat Vista

Foundations

Frameworks

The ExpatVista Manifesto

What this site is, and what it isn’t

Frameworks

The ExpatVista Redemption Framework

A practical model for deciding when points beat cash, and when they don’t

Frameworks

Ten Principles for Smarter Travel

Rules I actually use to decide when a deal is worth taking

ExpatVista

Global perspectives on travel, finance, and expat life.

Explore

Hotel Programs

Hotel Reviews

MGM Rewards

The Lab

Frameworks

Expat Logistics

Latest

Ritz-Carlton Berlin Review (Potsdamer Platz)

The 240k Hilton Point / FNC Swap Actually Worked

Why I Tried to Trade a Hilton Free Night Certificate for 240,000 Points

Does Cancelling a Comp Stay Affect MGM Offers?

You Can Use Amex Abroad. We Didn’t Even Try.

Marriott Slows Status Inflation While Improving Certificate Redemptions

BritRail Passes in the UK: When They Make Sense for Visitors

The Cost of Collecting

Marriott Gift Cards at Hotels: A London Field Test

Explore

Hotel Programs

Hotel Reviews

MGM Rewards

The Lab

Frameworks

Expat Logistics

Selected writing

When Points Pricing Ignores Room Hierarchies

IHG Points Are Almost Always on Sale

Berlin, Planned Around One Fixed Date

Springboks vs All Blacks in Baltimore

A good redemption. A messy process. One real mistake.

Why Transferable Points Behave Differently When a Member Dies

What Happens to Airline Miles and Hotel Points When a Member Dies

Designing a Family Priority Pass System After the Rule Changes

UK Railcards: the simplest way to stop overpaying for British trains

When FHR Stops Being the Right Tool

Becoming the Miles Bank

When Fine Hotels + Resorts Works, and When It Doesn’t

Foundations

The ExpatVista Manifesto

The ExpatVista Redemption Framework

Ten Principles for Smarter Travel

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