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The Lab
Frameworks
Hotel Programs
Expat Logistics
MGM Rewards
Hotel Reviews
16 Hours in Singapore
Amsterdam in August
East, Central & West Berlin
A Miami Stopover
Oslo in May
Prague in January
A Week in Melbourne
Q3 2026
Q2 2026
Q1 2026
Amex
+5
Oct 31, 2026
•
5 min read
Using inKind at Harvest, near Harvard Business School: a $151.13 lunch, an earlier promotion, and the cost of buying again.
FHR
+2
Oct 30, 2026
3 min read
American Express is introducing a two-night minimum for Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings in 2027. We tested whether a one-night stay next year could still trigger a 2026 Platinum lodging credit.
United Kingdom
+4
Oct 5, 2026
4 min read
TheFork combines restaurant discounts with its own rewards currency. I tend to wait until several offers line up.
Sep 30, 2026
6 min read
How I turn a monthly U.S.-only credit into restaurant spending I’ll actually use, and why that still doesn’t necessarily make the card worth keeping.
Amex Platinum
Sep 23, 2026
2 min read
I booked Katikies Garden through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts. The Leaders Club points didn’t post, but LHW confirmed that FHR bookings are eligible and credited them manually.
Hilton Aspire
+7
Sep 20, 2026
Amex Business Platinum Hilton Credits and Aspire Resort Credits. What posts when there is no hotel stay attached.
+6
Sep 14, 2026
I chose the Capitol Kempinski by treating a short Singapore layover as an evening to optimize rather than just a hotel stay. Did my assumptions hold up?
Sep 1, 2026
8 min read
One night, a room upgrade, dinner and breakfast at 15 Stamford, and a very useful set of Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits before an early flight to Fiji.
Aug 31, 2026
I prepaid Vedema Santorini with Amex Platinum, switched to Marriott Brilliant for the incidentals, and earned rewards from both programs.
Aug 26, 2026
Four hotels, four Hilton brands and four walk-in coffees. Would the Business Platinum Hilton credit work at every one?
Santorini
Aug 24, 2026
10 min read
Marriott Platinum, Fine Hotels + Resorts and a Different Side of Santorini
Rideshare
Aug 9, 2026
The Decision Came Down to $50.
Aug 4, 2026
Award flights looked tempting, but airport choice, flight times, Amex airline credits and three hotel stays made cash the better decision.
Jul 9, 2026
The Amex Gold and Platinum Uber credits are US-only. Being abroad doesn’t necessarily mean you have to waste them.
Fiji
Jun 30, 2026
One day after the Las Vegas test, a new data point suggests Hilton Aspire resort credits can still work without a stay outside the United States.
Jun 22, 2026
7 min read
Merchants may value Platinum credits as much as cardholders do.
Jun 2, 2026
Testing direct Amex access and Priority Pass at Oslo Airport.
Hilton
May 21, 2026
A Hilton Free Night Certificate had posted just hours before the Calala transfer, briefly keeping alive hopes of swapping out the remaining 240,000-point night.
May 15, 2026
A practical one-night stop in Wynwood with easy access to COTE and none of the cost structure of South Beach
May 7, 2026
A real-world Hilton Surpass datapoint on Amex’s “once per lifetime” rule.
Loyalty Programs
May 1, 2026
How a £249 cash rate (no points, no certificates) became a net-positive stay after stacking Amex offers, Marriott promos, and our existing routine.
Apr 22, 2026
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
Apr 18, 2026
A one-night stop built around credits, not the room
IHG
Apr 15, 2026
The real cost of switching from points to cash on Marriott and IHG stays
Netherlands
Apr 12, 2026
Same test as London, with different outcomes across Hilton-operated and SLH properties
