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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
cash vs points
+4
Sep 28, 2026
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4 min read
A $165.92 room completed a $150 Amex Offer. What followed involved a few more moving parts.
Santorini
+5
Aug 4, 2026
Award flights looked tempting, but airport choice, flight times, Amex airline credits and three hotel stays made cash the better decision.
Singapore
+3
Jul 25, 2026
3 min read
A 50,000-SkyMile redemption beat the cash fare and every realistic alternative.
May 15, 2026
A practical one-night stop in Wynwood with easy access to COTE and none of the cost structure of South Beach
Program Mechanics
+6
May 6, 2026
2 min read
How the Qantas slider reveals a fixed exchange rate, and what that means for when to use points
Miles & Points Psychology
Apr 24, 2026
Why the headline number can point you in the wrong direction
IHG
Apr 15, 2026
The real cost of switching from points to cash on Marriott and IHG stays
New York City
Apr 11, 2026
What a high-priced NYC weekend looks like when you step outside Manhattan
Family Travel
Apr 7, 2026
Booking optionality, space over style, and the cost of getting around
Jan 26, 2026
Using the Kimpton Fitzroy to illustrate a common pricing quirk
Event Travel
+2
Jan 22, 2026
7 min read
The hotels that make the walk back easy — and the ones that don’t
Capital One
Using LifeMiles for Kenya flights, comparing transfer strategies, and one decision I’d make differently.
Miles & Points
Dec 28, 2025
British Airways gave me six ways to pay. The hidden variable was the price of my Avios.
