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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 Platinum
+4
Oct 12, 2026
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7 min read
A grand Philadelphia hotel, an enormous Sporting Club and $175 in Amex FHR dining benefits with some specific rules.
Sep 27, 2026
3 min read
I booked Magma Resort Santorini through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts. The stay still earned World of Hyatt points, qualifying spend and a qualifying night.
+5
1 min read
AN EXPATVISTA COLLECTION
Sep 24, 2026
5 min read
Amex FHR benefits changed the economics of a $405.94 Park Hyatt stay.
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.
Sep 22, 2026
6 min read
We built our only evening in Miami around one restaurant reservation. It ended up shaping the hotel, the neighborhood and most of what we did with the stopover.
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 15, 2026
9 min read
Our final Santorini stop traded the caldera for a private pool, a quieter setting and a resort we were happy to keep coming back to.
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 11, 2026
One night at Katikies Garden, with Selene downstairs, Fira just outside and more to do than we could fit in.
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
4 min read
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?
Aug 15, 2026
Fifteen London tests in, the pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. Along the way I’ve rediscovered some surprisingly good hotels I’d long forgotten.
IHG
Jul 28, 2026
What began as a hotel comparison gradually became a trip assembled from free-night certificates, Amex credits, statement offers and award opportunities.
Jul 27, 2026
Building a clearer picture of what triggers the Hilton credit.
Jul 16, 2026
Comparing the Capitol Kempinski, Conrad Singapore Marina Bay, Singapore EDITION and Shangri-La for a 16-hour layover using Fine Hotels + Resorts, loyalty earnings and total trip cost.
Why we chose three Fine Hotels + Resorts properties instead of one, and how pricing, loyalty programs and a little optimization shaped the weekend.
Jul 9, 2026
The Amex Gold and Platinum Uber credits are US-only. Being abroad doesn’t necessarily mean you have to waste them.
Jun 24, 2026
An Oslo luxury hotel chosen for the math, but remembered for the experience.
Jun 22, 2026
Merchants may value Platinum credits as much as cardholders do.
Jun 2, 2026
Testing direct Amex access and Priority Pass at Oslo Airport.
May 26, 2026
Why the expensive hotel belonged on the cheaper nights, why the family hotel handled the expensive ones, and why this was never going to be a one-hotel trip.
+3
Apr 30, 2026
Why small assumptions quietly change how you spend
Mar 30, 2026
Testing how payments are processed across hotel bars and restaurants
