Archive | ExpatVista

Loyalty Programs

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

May 1, 2026

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2 min read

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.

ExpatVista

Amex Platinum

Apr 30, 2026

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2 min read

The Cost of Untested Constraints

Why small assumptions quietly change how you spend

ExpatVista

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1488 (Not $5500) for Business Class

Apr 29, 2026

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3 min read

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1488 (Not $5500) for Business Class

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

ExpatVista

Expat Logistics

Apr 27, 2026

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2 min read

The FX Spread You Don’t See

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

ExpatVista

Miles & Points Psychology

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

Apr 24, 2026

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3 min read

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

Why the headline number can point you in the wrong direction

ExpatVista

Hilton

Trying to Do It Again: Manufacturing Another FNC

Apr 22, 2026

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5 min read

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

ExpatVista

MGM

Bellagio Las Vegas Review: A Comped Stay

Apr 20, 2026

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4 min read

Bellagio Las Vegas Review: A Comped Stay

How MGM prices and captures behavior in practice

ExpatVista

Hilton Aspire

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Review (Curio Collection by Hilton)

Apr 18, 2026

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4 min read

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Review (Curio Collection by Hilton)

A one-night stop built around credits, not the room

ExpatVista

Hotel Reviews

La Quinta Inn & Suites Orlando Lake Mary Review

Apr 17, 2026

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3 min read

La Quinta Inn & Suites Orlando Lake Mary Review

A practical base for a field hockey showcase weekend

ExpatVista

IHG

Apr 15, 2026

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2 min read

When Amex Offers Beat Points

The real cost of switching from points to cash on Marriott and IHG stays

ExpatVista

New York City

Apr 15, 2026

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2 min read

W New York Union Square Review

Recently renovated, well located, and a surprisingly strong Free Night Certificate redemption.

ExpatVista

Netherlands

Apr 12, 2026

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2 min read

Testing Hilton Credits Abroad: Netherlands

Same test as London, with different outcomes across Hilton-operated and SLH properties

ExpatVista

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

The Cost of Untested Constraints

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1488 (Not $5500) 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

Bellagio Las Vegas Review: A Comped Stay

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Review (Curio Collection by Hilton)

La Quinta Inn & Suites Orlando Lake Mary Review

When Amex Offers Beat Points

W New York Union Square Review

Testing Hilton Credits Abroad: Netherlands

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