When Amex Offers Beat Points

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

W New York – Union Square Hotel Review

Booked as two nights. Felt like one stay.

Testing Hilton Credits Abroad: Netherlands

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

Wingate Long Island City Hotel Review

What a high-priced NYC weekend looks like when you step outside Manhattan

Amex as a Global Credit Footprint

How Amex’s Global Card Transfer can help when you arrive with no local credit history

What Happens When Marriott Moves a Certificate Ceiling

The hidden pricing shift and new card restrictions behind the 25K top-up

Residence Inn Saddle River Review: A Functional Base for a New Jersey Sports Weekend

Booking optionality, space over style, and the cost of getting around

Closing the Loop: Selling at 240k, Buying Back at 95k

An Arbitrage in Hilton Aspire Free Night Certificates

Crowne Plaza Utrecht Review: Next to the Station, Built for Short Stays

A one-night stay around a hockey schedule, and what this hotel delivers

What Q1 Readers Opened, and What the Web Found on ExpatVista

Newsletter and site weren’t quite the same.

Hilton Credits in London: What Triggers

Testing how payments are processed across hotel bars and restaurants

A $100 Blacklane Credit Isn’t Worth $100

Ritz-Carlton Berlin Review (Potsdamer Platz)

The centre stay in a three-part Berlin sequence

The 240k Hilton Point / FNC Swap Actually Worked

What was required, and what Hilton’s system allows

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

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

Does Cancelling a Comp Stay Affect MGM Offers?

A small test of booking intent vs. actual behavior

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

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

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

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

A prepaid rail framework for non-UK residents

The Cost of Collecting

The final stage of a Capital One Offers experiment from abroad

Marriott Gift Cards at Hotels: A London Field Test

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

Park Hyatt Siem Reap Review: After the Scramble

How the FHR booking plan played out

Me and All Hotel Berlin East Side Review: Friedrichshain Base

Near the East Side Gallery in Friedrichshain

Lindner Hotel Berlin Ku’damm Review

A functional West Berlin base near Kurfürstendamm

Will MGM Still Comp Me?

A light stay, a small trim, and what the model did next