ExpatVista

Global perspectives on travel, finance, and expat life.

Latest

London Marriott Maida Vale Review

An upgraded Executive Apartment with far more usable space than expected

Expat Vista

May 9, 2026

Testing Amex’s Lifetime Rule After Six Years: A Clean Surpass Datapoint

A real-world Hilton Surpass datapoint on Amex’s “once per lifetime” rule.

Expat Vista

May 7, 2026

Qantas Points Plus Pay: What You’re Actually Deciding

How the Qantas slider reveals a fixed exchange rate, and what that means for when to use points

Expat Vista

May 6, 2026

The Only UK Marriott Card That Adds Nights to a US Setup

Why the UK debit card behaves differently from the credit card, and how it changes your starting position

Expat Vista

May 5, 2026

Marriott UK Debit Card: What It Really Costs to Run

An early look at the real costs. The FX isn’t as simple as it appears, and most of the value depends on what you do next.

Expat Vista

May 5, 2026

Free Night Certificates: How to Use Them Well

Across Marriott, Hilton, and IHG

Expat Vista

May 2, 2026

Turning a £70 Thursday Pub Habit Into Two Marriott Elite Night Credits

How a £249 cash rate (no points, no certificates) became a net-positive stay after stacking Amex offers, Marriott promos, and our existing routine.

Expat Vista

May 1, 2026

The Cost of Untested Constraints

Why small assumptions quietly change how you spend

Expat Vista

Apr 30, 2026

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1,488 (Not $5,500) for Business Class

Why the only number that mattered wasn’t 5 cpp, but a $500 upgrade on a long-haul return

Expat Vista

Apr 29, 2026

The FX Spread You Don’t See

A real $11,100 transfer and how retail banks actually price currency

Expat Vista

Apr 27, 2026

Cash and Points and the Problem with “Value per Point”

Why the headline number can point you in the wrong direction

Expat Vista

Apr 24, 2026

Trying to Do It Again: Manufacturing Another FNC

Removing the final 240,000 Hilton points from a Calala booking by creating another Free Night Certificate, and the portfolio decisions required to do it

Expat Vista

Apr 22, 2026

Foundations

Three pieces that explain how this site works.

Frameworks

Dec 15, 2025

•

3 min read

What ExpatVista Is (and What It Isn't)

How travel works when it’s part of your life, not an occasional event

Expat Vista

Frameworks

Points vs Cash: When Redemptions Make Sense

Dec 15, 2025

•

2 min read

Points vs Cash: When Redemptions Make Sense

A practical way to decide when points improve a trip, and when cash is the better choice

Expat Vista

Frameworks

Dec 15, 2025

•

2 min read

Ten Principles for Smarter Travel

The rules that sit underneath every decision, across points, cash, and real-world constraints

Expat Vista

Foundations

The pieces that explain how this site works.

Frameworks

Dec 15, 2025

•

3 min read

What ExpatVista Is (and What It Isn't)

How travel works when it’s part of your life, not an occasional event

Expat Vista

Start here: The full Foundations set →

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

Where It Gets Interesting

Becoming the Miles Bank

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

Expat Vista

Jan 10, 2026

Marriott Lifetime Platinum Is About to Be Everywhere

How Marriott’s post-2020 mechanics turned an elite status into a default outcome

Expat Vista

Jan 27, 2026

IHG Points Are Almost Always on Sale

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

Expat Vista

Jan 24, 2026

When Points Pricing Ignores Room Hierarchies

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

Expat Vista

Jan 26, 2026

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

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

Expat Vista

Jan 22, 2026

Taking One for the (Expat) Team

Testing Amex’s New Q3 Resy Credit From Outside the U.S.

Expat Vista

Feb 7, 2026

ExpatVista

Global perspectives on travel, finance, and expat life.

Latest

London Marriott Maida Vale Review

Testing Amex’s Lifetime Rule After Six Years: A Clean Surpass Datapoint

Qantas Points Plus Pay: What You’re Actually Deciding

The Only UK Marriott Card That Adds Nights to a US Setup

Marriott UK Debit Card: What It Really Costs to Run

Free Night Certificates: How to Use Them Well

Turning a £70 Thursday Pub Habit Into Two Marriott Elite Night Credits

The Cost of Untested Constraints

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1,488 (Not $5,500) for Business Class

The FX Spread You Don’t See

Cash and Points and the Problem with “Value per Point”

Trying to Do It Again: Manufacturing Another FNC

Foundations

Three pieces that explain how this site works.

What ExpatVista Is (and What It Isn't)

Points vs Cash: When Redemptions Make Sense

Ten Principles for Smarter Travel

Foundations

The pieces that explain how this site works.

What ExpatVista Is (and What It Isn't)

Explore

Hotel Programs

Hotel Reviews

MGM Rewards

The Lab

Frameworks

Expat Logistics

Where It Gets Interesting

Becoming the Miles Bank

Marriott Lifetime Platinum Is About to Be Everywhere

IHG Points Are Almost Always on Sale

When Points Pricing Ignores Room Hierarchies

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

Taking One for the (Expat) Team

Subscribe for new reads…

Explore

Subscription

Legal

Socials

ExpatVista

Global perspectives on travel, finance, and expat life.

Latest

London Marriott Maida Vale Review

Testing Amex’s Lifetime Rule After Six Years: A Clean Surpass Datapoint

Qantas Points Plus Pay: What You’re Actually Deciding

The Only UK Marriott Card That Adds Nights to a US Setup

Marriott UK Debit Card: What It Really Costs to Run

Free Night Certificates: How to Use Them Well

Turning a £70 Thursday Pub Habit Into Two Marriott Elite Night Credits

The Cost of Untested Constraints

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1,488 (Not $5,500) for Business Class

The FX Spread You Don’t See

Cash and Points and the Problem with “Value per Point”

Trying to Do It Again: Manufacturing Another FNC

Foundations Three pieces that explain how this site works.

What ExpatVista Is (and What It Isn't)

Points vs Cash: When Redemptions Make Sense

Ten Principles for Smarter Travel

Foundations The pieces that explain how this site works.

What ExpatVista Is (and What It Isn't)

Explore

Hotel Programs

Hotel Reviews

MGM Rewards

The Lab

Frameworks

Expat Logistics

Where It Gets Interesting

Becoming the Miles Bank

Marriott Lifetime Platinum Is About to Be Everywhere

IHG Points Are Almost Always on Sale

When Points Pricing Ignores Room Hierarchies

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

Taking One for the (Expat) Team

Subscribe for new reads…

Explore

Subscription

Legal

Socials

Foundations

Three pieces that explain how this site works.

Foundations

The pieces that explain how this site works.