Decision frameworks

Miles & Points

Free Night Certificates: How to Use Them Well

May 2, 2026

•

2 min read

Free Night Certificates: How to Use Them Well

Across Marriott, Hilton, and IHG

Expat Vista

Loyalty Programs

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

May 1, 2026

•

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.

Expat Vista

Amex Platinum

Apr 30, 2026

•

2 min read

The Cost of Untested Constraints

Why small assumptions quietly change how you spend

Expat Vista

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1,488 (Not $5,500) for Business Class

Apr 29, 2026

•

3 min read

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1,488 (Not $5,500) for Business Class

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

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Apr 27, 2026

•

2 min read

The FX Spread You Don’t See

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

Expat Vista

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

Expat Vista

IHG

Apr 15, 2026

•

2 min read

When Amex Offers Beat Points

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

Expat Vista

MGM

Mar 1, 2026

•

6 min read

Will MGM Still Comp Me?

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

Expat Vista

Miles & Points

Feb 27, 2026

•

4 min read

Virgin Miles Purchase: Two Months In

And whether I reload for 2026

Expat Vista

MGM

Feb 23, 2026

•

6 min read

Why Is MGM Comping Me?

How casino loyalty models price identity and captured spend.

Expat Vista

Layovers

One Night in Miami: Choosing Certainty Over Scene

Feb 13, 2026

•

5 min read

One Night in Miami: Choosing Certainty Over Scene

A structured decision between COTE and MILA on a 20-hour layover

Expat Vista

IHG

Jan 24, 2026

•

6 min read

IHG Points Are Almost Always on Sale

How Often IHG Runs 100% Buy-Points Bonuses, Quantified

Expat Vista

hotel strategy

Jan 23, 2026

•

7 min read

Berlin, Planned Around One Fixed Date

East, centre, and west over three days

Expat Vista

Event Travel

Where to Stay for Springboks vs All Blacks in Baltimore: Hotels Near M&T Bank Stadium

Jan 22, 2026

•

6 min read

Where to Stay for Springboks vs All Blacks in Baltimore: Hotels Near M&T Bank Stadium

The hotels that make the walk back easy — and the ones that don’t

Expat Vista

Capital One

A good redemption. A messy process. One real mistake.

Jan 22, 2026

•

7 min read

A good redemption. A messy process. One real mistake.

A business-class case study in sequencing, pricing anchors, and hindsight

Expat Vista

Miles & Points

Why Transferable Points Behave Differently When a Member Dies

Jan 20, 2026

•

6 min read

Why Transferable Points Behave Differently When a Member Dies

Upstream currencies, downstream rules (January 2026)

Expat Vista

Miles & Points

What Happens to Airline Miles and Hotel Points When a Member Dies (And Which Programs Allow Transfers)

Jan 20, 2026

•

4 min read

What Happens to Airline Miles and Hotel Points When a Member Dies (And Which Programs Allow Transfers)

Most airline miles expire on death. Some hotel points can be transferred. Here’s how the major programs actually handle it.

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Designing a Family Priority Pass System After the Rule Changes

Jan 18, 2026

•

7 min read

Designing a Family Priority Pass System After the Rule Changes

How we adapted, what still works, and how others can position themselves now

Expat Vista

Miles & Points

Jan 10, 2026

•

7 min read

Becoming the Miles Bank

Liquidity, trust, and the hidden cost of ‘free’ miles

Expat Vista

Amex Platinum

Jan 9, 2026

•

5 min read

When FHR Stops Being the Right Tool

Amsterdam, abundant luxury, and the limits of rebate logic

Expat Vista

Miles & Points

The Free Night Certificate Decision Framework

Jan 6, 2026

•

3 min read

The Free Night Certificate Decision Framework

Pick the right certificate for the stay, not the stay for the certificate

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Priority Pass as a Family Travel Operating System

Jan 1, 2026

•

7 min read

Priority Pass as a Family Travel Operating System

Why globally mobile families extract far more value than most US travelers ever will

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

An Expat’s Sweet Spot: Virgin Points, Kenya, and a Closing Window

Dec 29, 2025

•

6 min read

An Expat’s Sweet Spot: Virgin Points, Kenya, and a Closing Window

How Virgin Points, Safari Seasonality, and Expat Geography Briefly Line Up

Expat Vista

Miles & Points

Why I Didn’t Automatically Choose Maximum Points

Dec 28, 2025

•

4 min read

Why I Didn’t Automatically Choose Maximum Points

A British Airways booking and the pricing most people miss

Expat Vista

hotel strategy

Dec 26, 2025

•

4 min read

Marriott and Me

A cross-border Bonvoy strategy that delivers

Expat Vista

Decision frameworks

Free Night Certificates: How to Use Them Well

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

The Cost of Untested Constraints

Melbourne to London: I Paid $1,488 (Not $5,500) for Business Class

The FX Spread You Don’t See

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

When Amex Offers Beat Points

Will MGM Still Comp Me?

Virgin Miles Purchase: Two Months In

Why Is MGM Comping Me?

One Night in Miami: Choosing Certainty Over Scene

IHG Points Are Almost Always on Sale

Berlin, Planned Around One Fixed Date

Where to Stay for Springboks vs All Blacks in Baltimore: Hotels Near M&T Bank Stadium

A good redemption. A messy process. One real mistake.

Why Transferable Points Behave Differently When a Member Dies

What Happens to Airline Miles and Hotel Points When a Member Dies (And Which Programs Allow Transfers)

Designing a Family Priority Pass System After the Rule Changes

Becoming the Miles Bank

When FHR Stops Being the Right Tool

The Free Night Certificate Decision Framework

Priority Pass as a Family Travel Operating System

An Expat’s Sweet Spot: Virgin Points, Kenya, and a Closing Window

Why I Didn’t Automatically Choose Maximum Points

Marriott and Me

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