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Hilton Aspire

Why I Booked a Hilton Room I Didn’t Need to Unlock $354 in Aspire Credits

Oct 16, 2026

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7 min read

Why I Booked a Hilton Room I Didn’t Need to Unlock $354 in Aspire Credits

Two targeted Amex Offers prompted an unusual experiment: using a $214 hotel reservation to recover expiring Hilton resort credits against restaurant spending we already intended to make in Las Vegas.

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New York City

inKind Case Study: A $149.50 Dinner for $98.62

Oct 14, 2026

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5 min read

inKind Case Study: A $149.50 Dinner for $98.62

Discounted dining credit, a purchase timed for Citi Nights, and an ordinary dinner in Midtown Manhattan.

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New York City

Wingate by Wyndham New York Midtown South: A $591 Room for 30000 Points

Oct 14, 2026

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5 min read

Wingate by Wyndham New York Midtown South: A $591 Room for 30000 Points

An ordinary Manhattan hotel at an extraordinary cash price. Wyndham Rewards points made this a much more attractive proposition.

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Melbourne

Oct 12, 2026

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2 min read

A Week in Melbourne

AN EXPATVISTA COLLECTION

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Amex Platinum

Oct 12, 2026

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7 min read

The Bellevue Hotel Philadelphia Review

A grand Philadelphia hotel, an enormous Sporting Club and $175 in Amex FHR dining benefits with some specific rules.

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Melbourne

Oct 11, 2026

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3 min read

Yarra Valley Wine Tour From Melbourne: Three Wineries, Chocolate and Whisky

A day among the vineyards, with an excellent lunch, Australian pies and a few surprises

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Italy

My GHA Hotel Booking Appeared to Break Two Amex Offer Rules. I Still Got $100 Back.

Oct 11, 2026

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4 min read

My GHA Hotel Booking Appeared to Break Two Amex Offer Rules. I Still Got $100 Back.

I intended to book directly through Minor Hotels but ended up with a prepaid GHA DISCOVERY reservation. American Express paid the credit despite two exclusions in the offer terms.

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New York City

Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel: An 85K Certificate Against a $1264 Room

Oct 9, 2026

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4 min read

Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel: An 85K Certificate Against a $1264 Room

An 85K Marriott Free Night Award plus 5000 points replaced a $1264 Manhattan hotel rate. This time, the hotel was actually pretty good.

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United Kingdom

TheFork in Practice: How I Stack Restaurant Discounts in Europe

Oct 5, 2026

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4 min read

TheFork in Practice: How I Stack Restaurant Discounts in Europe

TheFork combines restaurant discounts with its own rewards currency. I tend to wait until several offers line up.

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Hotel Reviews

Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District: Great Location & Price, Not-Great Hotel

Oct 3, 2026

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4 min read

Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District: Great Location & Price, Not-Great Hotel

30,000 Wyndham points replaced a $378.72 cash rate in an excellent location. The hotel itself was disappointing.

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IHG

What IHG’s Card Changes Mean for Our Five-Card Portfolio

Oct 2, 2026

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6 min read

What IHG’s Card Changes Mean for Our Five-Card Portfolio

Five cards, higher fees, and what the new benefits add to our portfolio.

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Site Structure

Oct 1, 2026

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4 min read

Q3 Most Read on ExpatVista

What Q3 Readers Opened, What New Articles They Read Online, and What Google Found

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Why I Booked a Hilton Room I Didn’t Need to Unlock $354 in Aspire Credits

inKind Case Study: A $149.50 Dinner for $98.62

Wingate by Wyndham New York Midtown South: A $591 Room for 30000 Points

A Week in Melbourne

The Bellevue Hotel Philadelphia Review

Yarra Valley Wine Tour From Melbourne: Three Wineries, Chocolate and Whisky

My GHA Hotel Booking Appeared to Break Two Amex Offer Rules. I Still Got $100 Back.

Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel: An 85K Certificate Against a $1264 Room

TheFork in Practice: How I Stack Restaurant Discounts in Europe

Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District: Great Location & Price, Not-Great Hotel

What IHG’s Card Changes Mean for Our Five-Card Portfolio

Q3 Most Read on ExpatVista

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